HIS VICTORY. 295 



It was, of course, in no sense or degree incumbent on 

 Dr Candlish to think that the Witness was faultlessly 

 conducted ; but, presuming Miller to be correct in 

 believing the Doctor to have considered his positive 

 removal from the editorship necessary, most of us pro- 

 bably will think the decision surprising, and no one 

 will be astonished that Hugh Miller should regard it 

 with indignation. For the rest, opinion will be divided 

 upon the views taken by him and by Dr Candlish 

 respectively on many of the questions which crop up, 

 somewhat in the manner of geological strata through 

 fields bearing the corn and the weeds of to-day, in 

 this pamphlet. Miller appears as the representative of 

 Free Churchmen ' of the long-derived historic type and 

 sternly orthodox spirit.' Bishop Gillis was simply a 

 Jesuitical bishop, to be unmasked; the Sabbath was 

 to be maintained in all strictness, without regard 

 had to ' exhalations blown aslant, over the face of even 

 the Evangelic Churches, from the bogs and fens of a 

 hollow liberalism, that professes to respect all religions, 

 and believes none ; ' and the splendour of Macaulay's 

 genius, the energy of his political Whiggism, the bril- 

 liancy of his Parliamentary career, were to be made of 

 no account by the citizens of Edinburgh in electing a 

 member of Parliament, if only he adhered to his deter- 

 mination to vote in favour of the Maynooth grant. Ex- 

 halations, whether of the fen or of the dawn, have 

 assuredly been dimming the glory of this ' long-derived 

 historic type ' of Scottish Presbyterian religion ; but it 

 has been the faith of many a brave heart and strong brain, 

 and never of a braver or a stronger than Hugh Miller's. 



The triumph of Miller was instant, absolute, final. 

 Dr Chalmers, having perused the letter, lost not a mo- 

 ment in convoking the Committee. He addressed it 



