declined the proposal, and to have referred the choice to his uncle. But, forgetting the convenience of his generous relation, and, as it seems, somewhat influenced by a covetous spirit, "Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, even as the garden of the LORD. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the LORD exceedingly." Ver. 10-13.

For Abraham, so good a man and so kind a relation, to part with his nearest kinsman, a servant of God, must have been exceedingly painful. But he had the consolation of reflecting, that the loss was not sustained through any fault of his own; and whatever blank was made by the failure of creature comforts, was more than supplied by the presence of God the Creator, by the gracious promises of Him "who sticketh closer than a brother." "And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." Ver. 14-16.

While Abraham dwelt in the plains of Mamre, enjoying fellowship with his God, Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked," was involved in the miseries of a dreadful war. Chedorlaomer and Amraphel, the kings of Persia and Chaldea, with their allies, invaded the land, defeated the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, and ravaged the country. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed." Gen. xiv, 11, 12.

66

The news of this calamity soon reached the ears of Abraham: "for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram." Calling in the aid of these three brothers, "he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen," and pursued the host of marauders. He overtook, surprised, and destroyed them. "And he brought back all the goods; and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people."

In courage and energy, Abraham is here seen by no means inferior to those heroes of antiquity, Alexander and Cæsar; but the motives by which he was induced to engage in this military expedition, had no place in the bosoms of those imperial scourges of the world. The fear of God and the love of man ruled in the mind of Abram; and he was prompted in this affair by justice, benevolence, and sacred friendship. The battle was of the LORD, who honoured him to succour the afflicted, and to be the avenger of oppression against ruthless barbarity.

Lot and his family, the captives and their property, being all recovered, together with considerable spoils, Abraham returned in triumph. With exultation, his neighbours came forth to greet the conqueror, and among them is distinguished Melchisedek, a venerable personage, a royal priest. But little is here said of that excellent person, yet that little must not be passed

over.

"And Melchisedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine," to refresh the weary army. "And he was the priest of the Most High God, and he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine

enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all " the spoils captured from the enemies.

"And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him." Filled with gratitude to his deliverer from so merciless a tyranny, and admiring the noble-mindedness of the patriarch, who laid out the recovered property before all, "the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself." With a spirit of generosity worthy of the religion of Abraham, and unparalleled in the records of the heroes of profane antiquity, he refuses to retain a single article. He replies to the proposition of the king of Sodom, in language the most solemn and devout, commanding the admiration of all ages. "I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich; save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion." Ver. 21-24.

The conduct of Abraham in this affair was truly generous; but at the same time it was strictly just; and while he nobly relinquished his own right to an interest in the recovered property, he would not require that his confederates should make the same sacrifice. Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre might still take their share: but possibly, after the example of their friend, they also might forego their claim upon the recovered goods of their neighbours. The king of Sodom led back his people to their city, and Lot accompanying him, continued to sojourn in his land.

The Sodomites continued "wicked, and sinners before the LORD;" and Lot was dwelling among them. On account of their abominations, God, in righteous judgment, resolved utterly to exterminate thein from the earth. But he remembered Lot, and revealed his awful purpose to Abraham. The tender affection of the patriarch for his unhappy kinsman, is beautifully illustrated by his conduct on that memorable occasion.

"And the LORD appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him : and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts, after that ye shall pass on for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said." Gen. xviii, 1-5.

:

Genuine hospitality and pious benevolence reigned in the heart of Abraham; and this lovely picture is drawn from the habitual practice of his kindness to the weary traveller, and the unknown stranger. To this the apostle refers, as a worthy example to us, when he exhorts, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Heb. xiii, 2.

Two of the apparent strangers were angels, and the third was "the angel of the LORD," the Lord of angels, the Son of God. He rewarded the hospitable patriarch, with the renewed promise of a son by his beloved

Sarah.

These extraordinary visitors rising to depart, their delighted host accompained them part of the way. "And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know hitn, that he will

command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Ver. 17-19.

The dreadful purpose of a sin-avenging God being thus communicated to the patriarch, the two celestial messengers "turned their faces from thence, and went towards Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD." Filled with compassion for his fellow-men, and all the pious sympathies of his soul moved on behalf of his nephew Lot, "Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to destroy the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Ver. 23-25.

The merciful mediation of Abraham was accepted of the LORD, and he assured the intercessor, that if he found the number proposed, he would spare the whole on their account. The intercession of the holy man was encouraged, and prolonged until the number was reduced to ten. "And the LORD said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake." Ver. 32.

The patriarch dared not to proceed further. Admiring the condescension of the Divine Majesty to sinful "dust and ashes," and penetrated with a consciousness of his own unworthiness, he ceased to plead for a further extension of the forbearance of God. Yet so long as the pious patriarch persevered in his supplication, God in mercy yielded to his request. "And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place." Ver. 33.

What encouragement is here afforded to us to plead for sinners in the all-prevailing name of Christ our advocate with the Father. We see that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much;" for "it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt." Gen. xix, 29.

ON THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES.

No. VII. THE HOLINESS OF GOD. LICENTIOUSNESS and vice are the features which characterize the deities of heathen worship, and the accounts that are furnished to us of the course of conduct they pursued, are alike disgusting to reason and destructive of morality. Now every nation in which the light of revelation has not shone, in a greater or less degree is addicted to the adoration of beings such as these, and we shall find that their conceptions of the Ruler of all, having no firm basis to proceed upon, very much resemble their own wickedness and vice, with the addition, however, of greater power and more extensive opportunities of indulging in gross and sensual pleasures. This being the case, the inhabitants of the realms of peace being made to resemble those of the lower creation, it follows as a natural consequence, that those who are striving to become sharers in immortal bliss will feel no need of piety or virtue as preparatives for their future state. It can only be explained on the principle of universal depravity, how men come to form such erroneous ideas of their Maker, who in no age or country has left himself without a witness. And when we reflect on the mistaken notions of so many, it should be with feelings of unaffected gratitude that we

endeavour to find out what the sacred Scriptures reveal on this subject, convinced that in them alone we shall be able to understand what the true nature of God's holiness is.

Perhaps it is impossible to furnish an accurate definition of a term so little understood, and so difficult of explanation; and since it will be the business of eternity to address God under the appellation of Holy! it will be well, while we continue here below, to fill our minds with such representations of it as are recorded for our instruction, without striving to reduce it into any given form of words.

1. Holiness is essential to the very nature of God: so that we cannot form the idea of God without including that of perfect holiness. This it is that gives Revealed Religion such an infinite superiority over all the idle imaginations of fallen and untaught men; and the dif ferences of opinion concerning the holiness of God which civilized and Christian people entertain, will be found all to hinge upon the nature of that holiness, but not at all on the fact whether God possesses it in an infinite degree. Let us for a moment contemplate what would be the state of the universe, if in its Ruler there should happen to be the least variableness or shadow of turning. That he wields the sceptre of unbounded power, is clear from the manifestations of it which everywhere abound; and thus we might expect the poor and trembling creatures of earth to be crushed beneath a despotism more horrible than ever has disgraced the annals of the most barbarous nations on the globe. On the holiness of God, and on that alone, our safety depends. Could it be proved that the Judge of all the earth could do otherwise than right, then might the very heavens themselves put on sackcloth, and the inhabitants of the earth mourn and howl, at beholding themselves placed for ever beneath the government of one, whose power could accomplish all that his malevolence might suggest. True it is that infinite benevolence may be traced in each production of the Almighty's haud; and this renders it therefore antecedently probable, that infinite holiness is an attribute of his nature; for since the object of religion is to reduce us to the frame of mind necessary for the full exercise of such benevolence, the manifestation of this benevolence by any one in an unbounded degree, goes very far to prove that the excellencies of religion abound in his heart. It will now therefore be useful to point out, that ——

JI. Holiness is impressed on all the works of God. By these we are to understand, not merely the material structure of our world, but likewise the systems which he has adopted for its government, and those institutions of which he has been the author. Let us glance briefly at a few.

1. The Creation, in itself presents us with the full assurance that its author was the Holy One of Israel. Now, in order to establish this declaration, I must call attention to the invariable effects of evil dispositions. If we look into the distribution of worldly honour and renown, we shall find in too many cases, that the motive which influenced the mind of the giver was some prejudice in favour of the person on whom the gift is bestowed, and not any peculiar fitness in him to receive such an appointment. And even in the more restricted circles of domestic life, we find that fatal preference of one child to another, which darkened the character of the early patriarchs, and has ever been abhorrent in the sight of God. We find also, that the possession of power is frequently coveted in order to revenge some real or fancied injuries, and that the benefits which result from being endowed with superiority, are but too frequently overbalanced by the dangers it is sure to entail. But how different is the aspect of things under the Divine government. He who could have exerted

his unbounded power in torturing his creatures, and causing all their limbs to move with pain, and the actions necessary for the sustenance of life to be accompanied with excruciating anguish, has evidently laboured with the greatest assiduity to produce as large an amount as possible of happiness and contentment. This I apprehend to be a proof of great importance; for though most frequently cited to prove the goodness of the Deity, it will be seen to establish the absence of all malevolent dispositions, and consequently the presence of holiness. I have only space just to quote the words of Jehovah himself. "And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good."

2. The Moral Law. Whether we view this as the revelation made by God on Sinai, or as the inward monitor implanted in every bosom, it will alike establish our point. There is no requirement of the Decalogue which does not approve itself to the mind as reasonable and good; and when we bear in mind that it has reference to the thoughts as well as the actions of men, and forbids the indulgence of evil desires, we shall feel the full force of the apostle's declaration, "The law is holy, and the commandinent holy, just, and good." Rom. vii, 12. But I search not the records of Scripture to tell me that there is in man a monitor, whose admonitions are ever on the side of virtue. I read it in the care-worn countenance and haggard eye of him who has forsaken the paths of virtue, and chosen those of iniquity. I read it in the specious arguments of him who is labouring hard and striving much to quell the tumult and the storm, which the indulgence of vice has occasioned within him. I hear it in the awful exclamations of the dying man, who feels that he will soon be in the presence of his Maker. I charge each man to deny its existence, if he dares; and I forewarn him, that though by much iniquity and many crimes he may have lulled the secret counsellor, so that its admonitions are faint and few, yet he shall feel its sharpest stings, he shall end ure its bitterest reproaches, and it shall arise like a gigantic stature in the twilight, besetting his path and filling him with terror. "The wicked are like the troubled sea, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”

3. The Mosaic Economy. The apparently cumbrous and unmeaning ceremonies of the Mosaic ritual, will, on inspection, be found to be well calculated to impress the minds of the Jewish people with the conviction, that He, before whom all things are unclean, must himself be infinite in purity. The peculiar laws concerning cleansing, the absolute necessity that every thing connected with the Tabernacle service should undergo frequent ablutions, and the numerous causes (to us insignificant) which were considered enough to render a man unclean, must have been directed with refer. ence to some greater object than the apparent one. It will be remembered, as an illustration that these requirements were observed, that our Lord ridicules, or rather rebukes the Pharisees, on account of the numerous times they washed their hands; and also, when at the marriage of Cana in Galilee, the large water-pots, which were provided doubtless for the use of the guests, and which were competent to hold about 123 gallons, are said to have been placed there after the manner of the purifying of the Jews. We find nothing disgusting though tedious in the Mosaic ritual; nothing of the impurity and blasphemy which characterized the ceremonies of the heathen world: but all eminently calculated to produce an abhorrence of sin, and a sincere and anxious desire to avoid it on all possible occasions. I conceive this of itself to be a good and decisive argument in favour of its divine origin; for it seems quite absurd to suppose that the Jews were competent of their own wisdom to invent a system so infinitely preferable to that of every surrounding nation.

4. The Christian Dispensation, is the greatest possible display of this attribute of the Divine nature. Its fundamental doctrine, we are well aware, is that of the atonement made for our sins by the death of Jesus Christ; and I should think it impossible for more decisive testimony to be furnished of the abhorrence in which God holds every thing that is sinful. Had it been possible at a less price to secure our forgiveness, we may be sure that the Eternal Father would not have consented to what we have every reason to beliere was the greatest sacrifice that could possibly be made. And yet we find that the death of the Saviour was the only terms on which an infinitely holy God could provide redemption for his sinful people. But it is not only in this, but in every doctrine, that the same distinguishing features may be traced. The Holy Spirit is offered to our acceptance, and we are repeatedly urged to pray for his abundant influence, that we may abound in all good works. The fruits of this Spirit are represented in the most inviting descriptions of virtue and benevolence; and it is expressly declared, that without them no man can properly call himself a servant of Christ. The world is represented as sinful, and Christians are commanded to be separate from it; by which we are to understand the habitual pursuance of a course of rectitude and virtue, from the high principle of love to God, which is as much opposed as possible to the time-serving expediency of the mere man of the world. Herein therefore we behold the holiness of God distinctly_manifested. B. Z.

(To be continued.)

Lotters to a Mother, upon Education.
LETTER XL.
Religion.

Dear Madam, IN considering how I shall best render any advice I may have to offer upon the subject of religion available to you, I perceive that the most eligible method will be to set down in order the chief topics connected with the subject, and to offer you, in a few observations under each, my latest and best sentiments, both theoretic and practical. This I shall endeavour to effect in one continued Letter, upon which I now enter, intending to add to the whole three or four additional Letters upon the chief peculiarities which ought to distinguish the education of females; and with which my advice to you, by letter, upon the subject of Education, will have terminated.

Since the time at which a parent ought to begin to teach religion to her child, and the time at which each separate doctrine ought to be taught, and each precept put into practice, will be different in different children, being regulated by their circumstances, and by their natural and acquired ability, I shall leave the question of time entirely to be decided by the circumstances of your own individual instance.

The first of these lessons is the existence of God. The most valuable of all our habits of observation," says Paley, "is that of referring all the external phenomena of nature to the Supreme Intelligence. The world thenceforward becomes one temple, and life a continued act of adoration." It is then of the greatest importance that your child should acquire this habit; and you can communicate it. You are, I know, a reader of Dr. Paley's Natural Theology: you understand the argument, and you are familiar with the instances. Your own observation will suggest to you a multitude of others, and will render interesting_many a walk into the country, and many a winter evening.

Point out then to your child the nature of the argument for the being of a God, as derived from the design evinced in the works of nature. Explain to him the difference between organized and unorganized matter; that the former consists in a complication of parts, put together with a view to produce a purpose, a valuable use, such as is exhibited in the bodies of all organized beings, and especially of animals; and that the latter consists in the mere existence of matter, without any useful purpose through this adaptation. Of the former, a watch is a proper instance, a stone of the latter. Explain to your child, that specimens of the former nature, as far as they occur among the works of men, can never be referred to any thing short of an intelligent mind as their origin; and that the saine origin can alone be assigned for the organized beings which abound in the natural world. Illustrate your argument by the wondrous mechanism exhibited even in his own hand, its adaptation to its office, the increased sensibility given to the ends of the fingers, the defence afforded by the nails, the flexibility produced by the different joints of the fingers, the station of the hand at the end of the arm, the flexure of the arm at the elbow, so convenient for the achievement of innumerable purposes, the position of the hands to work in the same condition as the eyes look and the feet walk. You will not scruple to entrust him for an afternoon to some intelligent and pious surgeon of your acquaintance, and whom you will have desired to explain to him the mechanism of the human skeleton, with a view to the illustration of this argument. But your acquaintance with Paley will enable yourself to do much. The wings of an insect, the legs and feet of animals, and the relation of one part to another in the construction, will afford you a boundless source of profitable, and in the best sense amusing conversation.

It is related by one biographer of the inestimable writer whom I have quoted, that he would often take a bone of a fish or animal which had been picked at the table, into his study, and examine and reflect upon it for the hour together. I mention this to show how abundant the opportunities will be for you to furnish his mind with illustrations of the argument. The results will have a value literally infinite: you will thus strengthen immensely all the truth of the being of a God, in his mind, by enabling him to understand the overwhelming power, both as to number and clearness, of the proofs by which it is attended. In the course of a short space of time you may initiate him into the knowledge of the book to which I have alluded.

The unity of God, the great truth of Judaism and of Christianity, should frequently be a topic of your instructions; and the proofs of which, as derived from the sacred Scriptures, should by you be so frequently repeated, as that he may soon be able to know where to find them in the Scriptures, and apply them to the subject for himself.

It will be proper to explain to him the eternity of the existence of the Supreme Being, which means, that there never was a period when he did not exist, and that there never will be a period when he will not exist.

You will have abundance of opportunity of illustrating the immutability of God, as taught not only in the Scriptures, but by the appearances of nature, which are inflexibly uniform; that is to say, that the same precedent events are ever followed by the same consequents, except in the case of miracles, which your prior explanation as to the immutability of God will enable you more clearly to illustrate.

I am fully of opinion, that much mischief has been produced by wrong statements respecting the omnipresence of the Deity. That the Deity acts and per

ceives everywhere is most true, and is all that is gene. rally meant by the doctrine of the Divine omnipresence. But the doctrine too often taught amounts to the Pantheism held by some ancient philosophers, which dogma, you are aware, goes to establish the doctrine that every thing is God. Teach your child that God in essence resides in heaven, and that heaven is above him, and that it is so vast a region, as that from whatever quarter of the globe the inhabitants of the earth look up, they look towards it; and that God from heaven, which is his throne, operates and perceives universally; of which capacity of the Creator, your child's own faculty of sight will afford an accurate though a very limited illustration. The writers of Scripture universally inculcate this doctrine, and our blessed Redeemer continually spake of "our Father who is in heaven."

The omniscience of God must be taught as meaning the consciousness of the Infinite Mind of every thing that exists or is done everywhere.

His omnipotence, as the capacity of doing every thing, which does not involve a physical impossibility or a moral impropriety.

His independence, as not being obligated for exist. ence to any being.

His benevolence, as his disposition to communicate the greatest measure of happiness to his creatures of which they are capable. This truth will need all your ability in order to inculcate correctly. You will need clearly to understand yourself, that it is impossible that creatures like mankind can, in the infancy of their being (and such is our present state), be capable of moral happiness, which is the most exalted species of it; that the only method whereby they can be prepared for it is the acquisition of habits, and which necessarily involve the pain and suffering consequent upon acquir ing those habits; and that such being the condition of mankind in the present life, all that is suffered by any of them is plainly benevolent, when contemplated with a view to the end. Still you will do well to point out the peculiar instances of happiness already apparent; such as, for instance, the happiness of young children, so evidently provided for them; the happiness of the vast proportion of all the inferior creatures; and the unquestionable preponderance of ease and pleasure in the vast majority of mankind, over those portions of their life which have been spent in suffering. Next to the habit of recognizing the Divine hand in every object, I could desire for your child that he should be taught to recognize the Divine love in every event. You will find in Butler's admirable book, entitled, The Analogy between Natural and Revealed Religion, every consideration stated which tends to the establishment of this inestimable principle. I could wish every mother acquainted with it, and able, after that invaluable method by which a mother alone can teach, to simplify the argument and to teach it to her infant.

The Divine justice must be taught as meaning the dictate of his nature to render to every being the exact desert which his moral conduct may have demanded.

His fidelity, as his inviolable disposition to the performance of every engagement, promise, and cove

Death-Bed Testimonies.

COLLECTED BY THE LATE REV. WILLIAM BUTTON.

No. X.

REV. ROBERT HALL*,

Thirty-seven years Pastor of the Baptist Church, at

Arnsby, Leicestershire. Died March 1791.

SPASMS, or fits of the cramp, attended him for some time before his death. In his last letter to his son-in-law (the late excellent Mr. Isaac James, of Bristol), he says, "In point of health, when my fits are off, I am as well, almost, as I could wish, and as to my state generally, rather happy in my mind.

'The Gospel bears my spirits up ; ̧
A faithful and unchanging God,
Lays the foundation of my hope,
In oaths, and promises, and blood.'

This verse is, and long has been, precious to me. I have you all more in remembrance than ever. May the Lord say to each, Thou shalt not be forgotten by

me.""

In a letter a few days after to Mr. Evans, of Northampton, he expresses himself thus: "Sometimes I preach with much difficulty, and on the last Lord's day but one, not at all, having a fit upon me from morning till night. I have many that are soon over, but several have of late baffled all means for a long time. The few last have been very different from what they used to be. My head has not been affected, nor my breast in much pain, but I have been very sick, and inclined to swoonings. I have generally been very happy in my mind. Last Lord's day I had a very severe fit, but of four hours' continuance only. They called my son John out of bed. I was happy beyond expression in my mind. It was a night of sorrow deluged with joy. What dear wife and son feared, that I in a measure my longed for. I say in a measure, because though greatly afflicted, yet my comforts were so much superior, that I thought and said, I cared not how long I lived, though I had fits every day, if the Lord continued me his heart-melting, heart-strengthening presence. I had general pain, but I could not forbear saying, Pain was pleasant, and sickness sweet, when the Lord is near. I thought of you, brother Ryland, and others, with great delight, and that if the Lord spared me, I would write a few lines on God's behalf, viz. To request you not to dread any thing but sin. I am sure the Lord can make you most happy, when afflictions are most heavy. He has really done so to me, poor me. And if so, can you distrust? One time (a while ago) those words, Fear not, worm Jucob,' &c. were so much to me, that I told the Lord it was enough, I wished, I wanted no more. But last Lord's day night my cup ran over. O take care, dear brother, and never dishonour God as I have done, by slavishly dreading old age, sore diseases, devils, and death. But here it becomes me to stop. I am yet in the body, have an evil heart, and I know not how I may be yet; I therefore almost repent having written what I have. However, I must and will say, if the Lord be with me I will fear no evil. After all, I know not the day of my death; the Lord may spare me to drag on for years. But none of these things move me, so that I may (be when it will) finish my course with joy.”

In one of these violent fits of the cramp, about two or three weeks before his death, he and others thinking it would end in his dissolution, he gave very par ticular directions concerning all the circumstances of

Father of the late eminent Rev. Robert Hall, of Bristol.

his funeral. And he made a new will, with some alterations, much to his own satisfaction, and that of his family, about ten days before his decease.

On the Lord's day wherein he was taken to rest, he appeared very well in the morning, went into the meeting at the usual time, and preached from John iv, 10. He had been on the former part of the verse the preceding Sabbath; "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him.” He now considered the latter clause: "He would have given thee LIVING WATER." It was a pleasing circumstance to some, that this subject led him to mention what they had never been told before, viz. that the first text he preached from at Arnsby was, Prov. xxv, 25, “As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a fur country.” Many thought he spoke that morning with uncommon vigour, beyond what they had remembered for years; and at the close he gave out the hymn, "The fountain of Christ, Lord help us to sing," &c. He ate his dinner as usual, and then lay down for some tine (as he had been accustomed to do of late years), and slept so soundly as not to be awakened by Mrs. Hall going into the room. About five he arose, drank his coffee and ate his toast as well, or rather better than usual. At six he retired into the little parlour and stayed nearly half an hour; when he came out again, Mrs. Hall first perceived him to be indisposed, he asked for some camomile tea, being very sick. Just at this time his son and daughter-in-law came in, not knowing of his illness. He seemed to be no worse than he had frequently been before under similar attacks of his disorder. He had given notice at noon, that he should preach in the evening, so that a considerable number of persons were assembled in the meeting, where they engaged in prayer. His wife, son, and daughter, stayed with him. A friend coming in to inquire how he did, he seemed at first not disposed to say much, but wished him good night, when he was going away; but presently, as if suddenly_recollecting himself, he called him back, and said, "Friend Looms, fear nothing. Do not be afraid of trouble, trials, nor even death. If the Lord is but with you, you will do." This he said in a very animated manner, and cheerful tone of voice; then wished him good night again, and let him go. Two other of his people then came in and stayed some tine. One of them wished him to have medical advice again, as his disorder seemed to be different lately from what it had formerly been. He however signified that he was not inclined to try fresh medicines; But," added he, “I have not lived so long in the world as to be weary of it; nor am I afraid to die. I do not care whether I live or die." About eight, he wished to go into the parlour again. Mrs. Hall took the candle to go before and light him, and his friends took hold of him as he rose, to lead him along more safely; when he said, "I shall swoon;" and sunk down to the ground, and expired without a groan or a struggle.

Make use of time, if thou lovest eternity: know, yesterday cannot be recalled, to-morrow cannot be be assured; to-day is only thine; which if thou procrastinate, thou losest; which lost, is lost for ever. One to-day, is worth two to-morrows.

Quarles' Enchiridion, chap. xcv, cent. 4.

Let the ground of all thy religious actions be obedience examine not why it is commanded, but observe it because it is commanded. True obedience neither procrastinates nor questions.

Id, chap. xxix, cent. 4.