the sixty-third year of her mortal life, last Saturday, and I desire to bless God that her health has rather improved since I wrote last. She rode with me to New Marlborough, a few days ago, where I was called to preach, and we tarried at the house of my deceased friend, Dr. Catlin, and were hospitably entertained by his son and family. The ride was evidently beneficial to us both.

"Miss B. took the stage for Albany, yesterday, having been with us more than six weeks. We greatly hoped to have kept her longer, but her brother had written, and urgently solicited her return, as she was much wanted at the female seminary. The prospect of the speedy closing of the canal, induced her to go before our thanksgiving. She is a person of much intelligence and discretion, and has a well-cultivated mind, and an uncommonly correct taste. We found her to be very companionable, and a pleasant inmate in the family. It was with reluctance, that we parted with her.

"I have not preached in the meeting-house for six Sabbaths. The removal of so large a building has been a great and difficult job, and adverse weather has retarded the business. Though the house is far from being finished, we hope to meet in it next Sabbath. During all this time, my labors have been very great, having been obliged to hold all my meetings in the school-houses. I have been holding a meeting in some part of the town almost every evening for two months. T. has generally waited upon me, or I could not have done it. I hope God will bless him for this service, which he has rendered me.

"The pastoral letter has not yet come from the press, though I expected it more than a week ago. I will furnish you with a copy, when you visit us next week, of which you have given us some encouragement. It will be very gratifying to see you on the day of thanksgiving, especially as we have of late had so much company, and now are left alone."

HIS

CHAPTER XI.

PREACHING-THEOLOGICAL

INSTRUCTION-PASTORAL

LABORS-CONNECTION WITH WILLIAMS COLLEGE.

THE efforts of Dr. Hyde, as a preacher, were marked with peculiar clearness in the exhibition of truth, and a manner which made the impression upon the minds of his hearers that he felt that he was God's ambassador, addressing them on subjects of immense responsibility. His great object was to deliver God's message, and this he believed to consist in a scriptural exhibition of the doctrines of revelation, and the duties there enjoined, in something of the proportions in which these are found on the pages of the written word. His hearers had opportunity to see that there was in his pulpit labors, no indistinct resemblance to those who could say, "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty; not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." His sermons were the result of patient study, careful investigation, commenced and prosecuted and closed with earnest application to Him who heareth prayer. He fully believed that it was a great sin, danger

hearers, to serve

His best hours

ous to the preacher and ruinous to the God with that which cost him nothing. were employed in preparation for the pulpit, and his faculties were put in requisition for this one object—to declare all the counsel of God, to take heed unto himself, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost had made him an overseer, to feed the church of God which he had purchased with his blood.

His sermons were distinguished for lucid exhibitions of the doctrines of grace. While there was a classic purity, that rendered his discourses eminently acceptable to men of refined taste, there was such simplicity and godly sincerity, such adaptation to common minds, and such directness, that his hearers could not fail to apprehend his meaning. Truth, revealed truth, looked beautiful to his eye; it fed his own soul; and this it was his great effort to be the instrument of making known to his hearers. Those doctrines which exalt God, and abase all flesh at the footstool of sovereign mercy, were the most frequently and prominently exhibited in his sermons. He preached no theories; the great facts of the Bible were his only topics. He never attempted to preach against any denomination; and during the forty-two years of his ministry, in no sermon did he attempt to enlist his hearers in opposition to any sect, or caution them against their errors. He preached down nobody. His sole object was to preach the truth. In his conversation and letters, he spoke and wrote with very great freedom and plainness, of prevailing errors, but when he stood as God's ambassador, he brought no message from heaven against those who embraced different views from his own.

From an examination of his manuscript sermons, preached near the time of his ordination, the following subjects were those which he made the themes of his addresses in his regular ministrations on the Sabbath, and

this is the order in which they were presented. The day on which he gave his answer to the invitation to labor in Lee, he preached from Acts xvii. 11-" These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." In remarking upon the passage, he observed, "The text evidently supports this doctrine.

"It is the duty of a people to search the scriptures daily, that they may know whether the doctrines which they hear preached, are to be received as truth.

"God gave his word to us for our guide, and he gave it to us for an infallible guide, and it is his design that we should depend on no other." "It is not God's will that a few men only, should study the scriptures, and that others should take for granted every thing which they say; but God designs that in matters of religion, every person should judge for himself.” "But to be more particular in illustrating the doctrine, I observe, first, if any have doubts respecting the way of salvation, or in other words, how it is that God saves sinners, let them look into the Bible and read what that says." He then briefly sketches a few passages, which exhibit God's agency in this great work, and every sinner's immediate duty, pressing home upon every conscience the guilt and danger of neglecting so great salvation. He called the attention of his hearers, secondly, to the doctrine of the trinity; thirdly, to the divinity of our Saviour; fourthly, to the extent of the atonement; fifthly, to the character of man by nature; sixthly, to the doctrine of election ; seventhly, to the necessity of regeneration; eighthly, to the perseverance of the saints; ninthly, to the doctrine of the future judgment; and, lastly, to the treatment the impenitent will receive at the day of judgment.

He then proceeded to the application. 1. They who

rest upon their education, and receive every thing for truth, because they have been taught to believe it as such, are in great danger. 2. They who regard the traditions of men as a rule, are exposed always to live in error. 3. They who make the examples of men a rule, are in danger. Lastly, they who embrace sentiments, because they are espoused by the greatest numbers, make that a rule which is no rule, and are therefore in great danger.

The last Sabbath he was with the people, before his ordination, his subject was prayer, from these words, Eph. vi. 18-" Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." It is evident in reading the sermon, that he felt his own weakness and insufficiency for his work, and looked up to the grace of God, casting himself upon the prayers of his people. After some pertinent remarks upon the various kinds of prayer, and the propriety of praying always with all prayer, he selects as a more particular theme, social and family prayer, and pours out before his people, in earnest appeals to their consciences, his desire that all would regard the text as pointing out their duty. He then answered some of the more common objections which are made by such as neglect prayer. His language in one paragraph is as

follows:

"But you say, I dare not pray, because I am an impenitent sinner, and the prayers of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. It is to be feared that many sinners feel this objection, and rest easy in living a prayerless life. But there can be no objection invented which is further from affording an excuse than this. It savors of nothing but a great degree of stupidity and wickedness. It is a suggestion of Satan, and at the present day, it is one of his most successful devices. By bringing to their view this objection, he makes them cast off fear, and re