under the law, and, as his own expression is, Always a sinner.*

His sermons, though before animated by an honest zeal, were no longer mere lectures of morality, or filled only with legal condemnation. While all godliness in principle and practice was duly enforced, the enlivening display of that glorious Saviour, whose worth and excellence he had now tasted, and who was become all his salvation and all his desire, seasoned every discourse.

Those excellent and searching lectures on the church catechism, which having met with the general approbation of good men, and have passed through several editions, and which discover, in so eminent a manner, the able divine and the experienced Christian, were the early fruit of this alteration in his views of Christianity. A happy evidence of the great benefit which he had hereby received, and of his earnest zeal and ability to communicate it for the advantage of others.

About the time that this change took place, he stumbled (to use his own expression in the case) on some of the writings of that famous champion of the reformation,

* In gratitude to God for his great mercy in opening his eyes, as well as to assist such of his fellow creatures as might be in his case, he afterwards, in the year 1771, published a paraphrase of the eleven first chapters of the epistle to the Romans, (in which all the doctrinal part is contained) where the reader will find the whole scheme of our redemption laid open in a most clear and masterly manner, with many excellent improvements and observations.

Martin Luther. former state, when he was well contented with his own righteousness, we may justly suppose he would at once have rejected them with the utmost disdain and abhorrence, as the very quintessence of Antinomianism; and however he might reverence St. Paul, as being an inspired apostle, would have made no hesitation to have spurned them from him, as contrary to the gospel of Christ, and subversive of all true godliness. This many, doubtless, have done through want of the same divine teaching respecting their real state, of which Mr. Adam was now happily become the subject. But his mind being now brought down, and, by the discipline of the law convincing him deeply of his sinfulness, even in his best state, he was so far from being offended at the boldness of expression and freedom of sentiment which

If he had seen these in his

It will readily be allowed, that there are in the writings of Martin Luther some expressions, which seem to savour of Antinomianism, and from which imputation it would be very difficult to defend them against a critical scrutiny :-but that they never meant in that light is evident, not only from their admitting of a very different sense when candidly considered with their context, but from Luther's writings against the Anabaptists of his times on this

very account.

The genius and temper of the writer must be considered, as well as the age in which he lived, and the fundamental errors which he combated. He was a plain blunt man, and had an aversion to those softenings which are so fashionable in the present day, and thought they would injure the force of what he said, and make it less pointed against those errors which he had it in his heart to demolish. And although such bold strokes may give offence to those that feel nothing of his real want of a Saviour; yet they

C

he there met with, that he perceived them to be the very thing which his soul wanted, and the doctrine of St. Paul, and that however many may effect to admire the one who yet at the same time reject and make light of the other, they must, in reality, stand or fall together; since they both speak one and the same thing, and all the objections which are prudentially brought against the reformer, lie equally, in all their force, against the inspired apostle also, and against the doctrine which he so strenuously inculcates.

This celebrated writer, therefore, was always his peculiar favorite, and often would he, with much thankfulness to God, and gratitude of heart, acknowledge to his friends the singular help which he found from his writings, particularly from his excellent comment on the epistle to the Galatians, highly recommending it to their serious perusal, for its admirable use and truly evangelical doctrine.*

that know the urgency of their case, like Mr. Adam, will find them the only remedy that can reach their disorder.And while the cold enervated exactness of the wise and prudent affords them no relief, this will be a balm to their wounded consciences, and the richest cordial to their fainting souls. And may we not add that the divine blessing which has in all ages attended Luther's works, is no inconsiderable argument in favor of their truth and soundness ?

* From the deficiency of our sources of information respecting Mr. Adam, in this part of his life, it is very diffi. cult to know how to arrange the two last-mentioned circumstances. Of the facts themselves we are certain, but cannot positively affirm that we relate them in their exact or der as to time, nor indeed is it very material.

In this blessed and happy faith of the gos pel he went on from this time to the very end of his days, growing in grace, and in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and adorning the doctrine of God his Saviour, in all things, by his truly Christian life and conversation: nor did increasing years, experience, and reading, give him any ground to alter the opinion which he had now espoused, or to depart from it in any degree; but, on the contrary, he was daily confirmed more and more both in the truth and in the necessity of these doctrines, while he found them, in sickness and in health, a sovereign cordial to his heart, and the alone, but all-sufficient support of his soul. This testimony he fully bore to them in his last illness, frequently repeating to his friends around him, I find my foundation able to bear me.

His departure was full of that serenity and peace which arise from a true acquaintance with Christ and his salvation. His body, worn out with the repeated attacks of his disorder, and with increasing years and infirmity, gradually sunk into the arms of death, while his soul winged its happy flight into the bosom of that blessed Redeemer, who had long been his portion and his all.

On the 31st day of March, 1784, and in the 84th year of his age, he departed without a groan, and sweetly fell asleep in Jesus.

Thus lived and died this eminent servant

of Jesus Christ, full of days and full of grace; gathered as a shock of corn in its season into the garner of his heavenly Master. May we have grace to follow his good example, and may the Holy Spirit lead us on by the same way, to the same rest which remaineth for the people of God.

His character, as a scholar, was very respectable. He had learning without osten. tation, and to a good acquaintance with the Greek and Latin classics, joined a conside-. rable knowledge of the Hebrew and the writings of the Fathers. But, though a man of taste, and well able to distinguish himself in the circle of letters, he made it a point of conscience to lay aside the scholar when he addressed his people, and studied to accommodate himself to the capacity of the meanest of his hearers, that none might be unedified.

His views of the ministry were serious andhonorable. We have already seen how far he was from looking upon it as a profession. of advantage, in the answers which he gave to his uncle, and to the Bishop of Lincoln. He could not bear to see or to hear of the prostitution of the sacred character to such low and unworthy ends. A minister of Jesus Christ appeared to him a person devoted to the service of God and the souls of men, and therefore, not at liberty to live after his own will, and spend his income as he would that of an estate; but, as this is appropriated