the living form of undiffembled goodness arreft the attention of the gay, the diffipated, the pleafurable, and they will, for the time, revere it : furely, a very unexceptionable teftimony in its favour. After all, whatever Declaimers may fuggeft of times and manners, they are not yet fo degenerate, as that true wisdom need fhun all the reforts of men, or fear an ill reception. Of this our friend was a remarkable inftance; whofe modeft unaf→ › fuming worth attracted the esteem of perfons of rank, and fi-' gure in life; a distinction which did no less honour to those who conferred, than to him who received it. How is it then, that thofe who fhould ftand foremost in the train of virtue, are fo much banished from the commerce of the fashionable world? On the one hand, grimace, and an illiberal forbidding manner," has belied the fair form of virtue: on the other, levity, and an un-> refifting fuppleness, which may be molded into any fhape, is an extreme, perhaps, of worfe confequence to religion; as it approaches to libertinifm, is more expofed to view; and in cha racters fet up as examples to others. Be both these extremes avoided; let virtue affume her own native form, her eafy grace, ful dignity of manner; and all will be well, But of this, perhaps, fomething too much; as it may not be thought a text fit, for lay-handling. It is in itself, and to my purpofe, far more agreeable to contemplate our late friend, as a fair pattern of the golden mean above-mentioned. And I fhall be much pleated to find you, and other judges in this: moral painting, who knew the origi nal, recognizing the refemblance, though but imperfect, be tween it and this unfinished fketch.-How fweetly united in him, the foft, the gentle, the fympathetic; with the firm, the grave, and the manly? and fure it is no mean point of wisdom, to harmonize thefe often jarring elements. To win one's way to the heart, for honeft purpoles, by mild addrefs, and the arts of perfuafion, hiding the authority of the Advifer, in the kind remonftrances of the friend, was eminently his talent. Indeed, his natural modefty and referve, perhaps to an excefs, feldom affumed the feverity of rebuke, unless extorted in vindication of truth and right; when he never failed to exert himself—Virtutis vera cuflos rigidufque fatelles; incapable, from cowardise, or mean views, to defert the post of virtue; or, where the ftill voice of reafon could be heard, of adding even the fanction of filence to what he thought was wrong.' The Letter-writer goes on to obferve, that particular characters appear eminently diftinguifhed, by particular virtues and talents; that natural complexion, habit, education, profeffion, many complicated circumitances, bring out, with various degrees of ftrength, the various powers of head and heart; that through through all these, the original cast of genius will predominate, and the ruling principle trongly mark the general character. Now, it is the feizing this characteristic diftinctive mark, we are told, and producing it to light, which reflects the true image of the individual; if this is omitted, or unfkilfully taken off, the particular man is loft, in the vague refemblance of the fpecies at large. However, this individuating principle itself, is not always obvious: it may not be called out by any correfponding scene of action; it may go on to operate uniformly through a ftill recurring fameness of life; like an equable motion proceeding from the fame continued impulfe. This is often the case in a private station; where the fame offices proceed in the fame tenour; and yesterday, to-day, and to-morrow, are of the fame colour. The whole piece may be excellent: the character fo fituated, may exemplify the most useful, the most amiable virtues; the virtues of the good Citizen, of the faithful Friend, of the eminently pious, diligent, and skilful Teacher of religion. • How applicable is all this, continues the Letter-writer, to the Author of the following Difcourfes? How entirely devoted his life to the zealous discharge of the duties of his profeffion, thofe who knew him beft can witnefs-The whole man, his foul, his heart, was in his bufinefs as a Minifter of the Chriftian religion! Warm and unbiaffed in his attachment to the cause of truth and liberty; to promote thefe, was devoted a fpirit of research, manly and liberal; and which, no very common appearance perhaps grew with his growing years. He was utterly averfe from that imperious, narrow, bigotted fpirit, which has wrought fuch mighty mischief in the Chriftian world, to the reproach of religion itself, and which one knows not whether it has more debased the understanding, or corrupted the principles and affections of the human heart. It was from a deep conviction of the great truths of religion, a conviction the refult of moft impartial enquiry, from the powers of Christianity ftrongly felt, from a heart penetrated with a sense of duty in discharging the offices of the facred function, and the honour of approving his zeal and fidelity to his Lord and Master.From thefe was his conduct animated to fuch unwearied diligence; hence was he inftant in feafon, out of feason, fervent in fpirit, ferving his God. Indeed, an indefatigable induftry appears to have been a peculiar diftinction of this excellent man; and a most important diftinction it is! For it will be found, that in the various offices of life, we fall fhort, not fo much for want of talents, as from indolence and want of activity. We readily feem to yield the pre-eminence, in point of ability, to the perfon who far excels us in moral and religious attainments; little, perhaps, sus pecting, pecting, that our floth and want of exertion are then obliquely making their own apology. You know it was an effential article in the character of an eminent Roman, that he was vir induftrius, an induftrious man: and I am perfuaded it will be found, that fuperior eminence is oftener the fruit of this plain virtue, than of fuperior abilities. However, fuccessful induftry fupposes the powers and energy of mind properly pointed to the courfe of life, as well as unbiaffed, and unobstructed, by the counterworking of oppofite forces.-Hence the apoftolic precept, of laying afide every weight, and the fin that most easily befets us. But, in proof of our friend's most exemplary industry, a point highly deferving particular notice, as in a great measure imitable by ail, and productive of the best effects, let it be confidered, that after a vigorous application in early youth, to fit himself for that reputable courfe of life he had chofen, and after having made honourable progrefs in it, acquitted himself of all its duties with moft confcientious zeal-at the fame time, by diligent ftudy, and a fingular patience of labour, which is a capital point, having laid up not only an uncommon flock of useful knowlege and learning, but, which is a more immediate necesfary of theological life, of fermons alfo, one may fay, more than sufficient to have equipped moft modern Divines for life.Yet, all this, notwithstanding, on being chofen to fucceed the late Mr. Abernethy, in the Proteftant diffenting congregation of Wood-street, Dublin, though now paft the meridian of life, of a valetudinary habit of body, and in circumstances which, from change of place, might have tempted the love of eafe to abate the ardour of application-He, on the contrary, began, as it were, his career anew, not availing himself of the rich treasure before laid up, in the way of writing, but forgetting, as St. Paul fpeaks, the things that were behind, he alfo preffed forward for the prize that awaits a patient continuance in welldoing; infomuch, that amidst daily avocations, during a course of twenty years which he furvived from his first settlement in Dublin, he composed and wrote Sermons to an amount almost beyond belief, perhaps fcarcely to be paralelled; more, it appears on the best computation, than feven hundred. So ftriking an instance, fo late in life, of renewed, one may fay, of obftinate labour, is furely worth recording. It will doubtless be matter of wonder to many, and to fome, it is to be hoped, of generous emulation. His manner alfo of compofing Sermons deferves notice, perhaps the imitation of all not incapable of it, who would with to ftrengthen memory by vigorous exercise, and to acquire a contemplative habit. By continued practice the Doctor had arrived at a facility of digefting, and laying up in his mind, the whole of a Difcourfe; infomuch, that he not unfrequently transferred it upon paper, unlefs broke in upon, at one fitting, without hesitation, and with more than the rapidity of almost any mere Tranfcriber. His thoughtful turn of mind, and his parfimony of time, probably led him into this track certain it is, he much, but modeftly, recommended the practice from his own experience. Whether one is mafter of his time, or even otherwife, ftill a much greater portion of it daily runs to waste than can well be apprehended, without entering into a detail of particulars. Thefe precious moments are generally diffipated without regret, in the fuppofed neceffary gratifications or amusements of life; not to reckon the greater facrifices of time made to indolence, or to impertinent activity; for which, perhaps, we charge ourselves as criminal. The accuftomed daily round which fills up life, at the time easily justifies itself, and it is only on bringing longer periods to a fair account, that we become properly fenfible of the mighty blank fpaces, and of the irreparable lofs incurred. Here, as in many other things, our friend's conduct was moft worthy of imitation. It was his frugality of time, his redeeming every paffing moment almoft, which enabled him to crowd fo much work into fo fhort a period. Perhaps no man had lefs reason, in any fenfe, to fay with the Roman Emperor, "My friends, I have loft a day !" I just mentioned above, the Doctor's frequent avocations in the way of his profeffion. In truth, wherever the diftreffed, the difconfolate, the neceffitous, the fick, demanded his prefence, there was he. In fuch offices of mercy and humanity, he furely laboured more abundantly than you all. Befide the occafions of miniftering relief, which his compaffionate heart fought out, multitudes of all forts, as well as thofe under his immediate care, applied to him; for, without partial regards himfelf, he was loved by all; and fuffering of any fort, which he could any way alleviate, was to him an irrefiftible callWas any hungry, or thirfty, or a franger, or naked, or fick, or in prifon, and he did not minifter relief, when in his power? All this was in him the more meritorious, as it broke in upon his natural love of retirement, of reading, of writing, which he not only gave up to the focial active duties of life, but, indeed, his eafe, his health: he was much in the wretched habitations of poverty and difeafe. At all times regardless of the inclemency of the feafon, and the obftruction of crowded streets, he went about doing good. No man ever reduced to practice more thoroughly the Philofopher's just decifion, that where the calls of public or private virtue clafh with learned eafe and retirement, the latter fhould be inftantly abandoned; but how difficult difficult this piece of felf-denial, common practice abundantly fhews!' Such unwearied diligence in his vocation may well account, we are told, for fo much work done in it; and should also be a powerful incentive to others, to ftir up every gift that is in them; the rather, as it does not appear that the Doctor's pre-eminence lay in the poffeffion of natural powers much beyond the common rate of men, fo much as in the culture and application of them; and in the vigour they derived from the affistance of a good heart. Now, as thefe advantages are attainable by all who are not wanting to themfelves, by all who feel that beft ambition, of being good Stewards of the manifold grace of God, this excellent man's character and conduct may, with great propriety, be fet forth as a pattern of imitation to others; the only valuable end, indeed, of fuch exhibitions. The Doctor's early education, we are told, was under the direction of an uncle, a venerable and learned man, as the times then were his preparatory ftudies were greatly affifted by the wife counfels of a man now generally known, and juftly admired, the late Reverend Mr. Abernethy; he afterwards finished his course of study at the univerfity of Glafgow, which, in teftimony of regard to his merit, conferred on him the degree of Doctor in Divinity. He refided at Cambridge during the space of ten or eleven years, not as a Difciple, but as the Paftor of a fmall congregation; and during that time laid in an uncommon fund of useful knowlege. His tafte, in what is called polite learning, was correct and elegant his fkill in the languages of Greece and Rome, gave him easy access to their fineft Writers, whom he converfed with to the laft, when the duties of his profeffion permitted, and entered, with the fpirit of true criticism, into their numberless beauties. As to the following Difcourfes, fays the Letter-writer, they are almost taken at a venture, from the mighty mass above-mentioned; because such a vein of strong manly fenfe, and of rational piety, runs through the whole, as made it difficult to find any principle of felection. They are all the firft flow of thought, fometimes, as before obferved, committed to paper at one fitting, and without any view to the prefs, or public at large. None of them appear to have been written a new, or at all revifed by the Author, and, therefore, may be fuppofed very much alike, unless where a more interefting fubject, or a more happy hour of compofing, may have made a difference. Without doubt they had appeared to greater advantage in his own finishing; but his fervent zeal to do good; to keep awake by variety the |