Grampian Club > Leaves from my autography

30 LEAVES FROM MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
clothing ; you and I belong to another regiment." Mr
Chalmers was persuaded to assume a black coat.
One of the earliest of Dr Chalmers's orations was
made at my father's instance. An appeal in an im-
portant case of discipline had been taken by my
father from a decision of the Presbytery of St
Andrews to the Synod of Fife. The Sjnod met at
Kirkcaldy, and my father had induced Mr Chalmers
to move that the Presbytery's judgment should be
reversed. He had prepared a powerful speech, which
he delivered with amazing energy. His sarcasm was
crushing, and his eloquence bore upon the court like
the onward progress of a torrent. The appeal was
sustained. Chalmers had prepared an oration on the
importance of augmenting the stipends of the clergy,
which he insisted on reading to my father one day
before dinner. My father had tried to defer what he
dreaded as an infliction, but soon became riveted and
spell-bound by his friend's marvellous eloquence. On
the appearance of Dr Claudius Buchanan's " Christian
Pesearches," Mr Chalmers became much interested in
the conversion of the heathen, and a vigorous advocate
of missions. With a view of procuring funds for the
cause of missions, he proposed that the humblest mem-
ber of every congregation should contril^ute something,
however small, and proceeded to advocate what he
termed the " power of littles," which long afterwards,
under his auspices, constituted the basis of the Susten-
tation Fund of the Free Church. To interest my father