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 DEC8 iy/1 
 
 BX 9178 .G73 D5 1822 
 Green, Ashbel, 1762-1848. 
 Discourses, delivered in th^ 
 College of New Jersey | 
 
't ■ 
 
 DISCOURSES, 
 
 DELIYEBBD IN THE 
 
 COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY; * 
 
 ADDRESSED CHIEFLY TO 
 
 CANDIDATES FOR THE FIRST DEGREE IN THE ARTS; 
 
 WITH 
 
 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 INCtUDIXG 
 
 A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE COLLEGE, 
 
 FROM ITS ORIGIK TO THE 
 
 ACCESSION OF PRESIDENT WITHERSPOON. 
 
 BY ASHBEL GREEN, D.D. LL.D. 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE. 
 
 - PUBLISHED BY 
 • E. LITTELL, 
 
 88 Chestnut Sti-eet, Philadelplua—\Narren Street, Trenton; and 
 
 R. XORRIS HENRY, 
 
 129 Broadway, New York. 
 
 flu GEO : SHERMAX, PIUNT. TREKTON. 
 
 1822. 
 
JiASTEBK DlSTBICT OF PeNKSTLVAKIA, to wit: 
 
 BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the thu-d day of July, i^ the 
 r********l forty-sixth year of the independence of tlie Umted States of 
 ♦ SEAL. * America, A. D. 1822, Eliakim Littell, ot the said District, 
 :*******«** hath deposited in this office the title oi a Jook, the right where- 
 
 of he claims as proprietor in the words foll«;^'i"&';\--^V~tn rSaS for" 
 « Uvered in the CoUege of New Jersey; addressed chiefly to Candidates tor 
 ^STe first degree in tL Arts: with Notes and mustrations, -elf ng a H^^^^ 
 «.torical Sketch of the College, from its origjn to the acces ion of Pre^dent 
 "Witherspoon. By Ashbel Green, D. D. LL.D. Pres'dentof the CoUege. 
 In c^nforr^ity to th'e act of the Congress of the United ^^^l^^^-Jf^'lf^^^ 
 Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by secimng the ^oPf^^^. ^P'^ 
 Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors ot such ^OP'^^'/'^"^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 ^yT:^rS;^tfo;:^^^^^^^^^ and Books, -'--^JLTeX 
 
 prietors of^uch copies during the times therein "^.^'^^^^^f ' ^^ J'^ '"S 
 Sie benefits thereof to the arts of desigmng, engravmg, and etching histoncal 
 
 and other prints." ^ CALDWELL, 
 
 Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvama. 
 
TO THE 
 
 GRADUATES 
 
 AND 
 
 STUDENTS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 COLLEGE OF NEW-JEESEY, 
 
 THIS VOLUME 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY 
 INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY 
 
 THE ATTHOR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IT has been the usasre of tlie College of New- 
 Jersey, ever since its foundation, for the Presi- 
 dent, on the Sahhatli preceding the annual Com- 
 mencement, to preach a sermon, or make a par- 
 ticular address, to the candidates for the Bach- 
 elor's degree. Tliis laudahle usage gave occasion 
 to the first six discourses, in the present volume: 
 the last three were delivered at other times, 
 but with much the same view as those which 
 precede them. 
 
 It is difficult to speak frequently and appro- 
 priately on the same subject, or occasion, with- 
 out a degree of repetition — a difficulty which the 
 author has very sensibly experienced. He could 
 not, indeed, discharge his duty, without inculcat- 
 ing on each class, when departing from his care 
 forever, a number of the same leading ideas. 
 He might, and did, endeavour to vary his topicks 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 as much as he could, and to make that the prin- 
 cipal point in one discourse, wliich was inciden- 
 tal or subordinate in another; yet, after all, a 
 considerable degree of sameness was not to be 
 avoided. This sameness, too, it v/as manifest, 
 would become much more apparent, if the dis- 
 courses should be printed and collected into a 
 volume, than it had been when they were deliv- 
 ered separately, at the distance of a year from 
 each other. 
 
 That these considerations have not restrained 
 the author from the publication of his discourses, 
 the reader perceives by the volume before him. 
 It was believed that the candid would duly ap- 
 preciate what has now been suggested; would 
 recollect that the design of a discourse and the 
 circumstances which attended its delivery, ought 
 always to be kept in view, in judging of its mer- 
 its or defects. But the principal inducement, if 
 the author is not deceived, which led to this pub- 
 lication, was the hope that, with all its imper- 
 fections, it might do some good — especially to 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 the youth to >vhom the discourses were first ad- 
 dressed, and who have since been >videly scat- 
 tered over our countrv. Throu":h the medium of 
 the press, these youth, it was thought, might be 
 
 addressed again, and possibly with more efiect 
 than when they cursorily heard from the lips of 
 
 the speaker, what they might thus deliberately 
 
 peruse and consider. It also occurred, that the 
 
 most of the discourses were applicable to youth 
 
 of all descriptions, and much in all of tlieni, to 
 
 readers of every class and age. And if, under 
 
 the blessing of God, which the author earnestly 
 
 implores, it shall be found that the reading of 
 
 these discourses has done good to souls — or to 
 a single soul — the manner in which the publi- 
 cation of them may affect his own reputation, 
 ought to be, and he trusts Avill be, a matter of 
 no great concern. 
 
 The Notes and Illustrations will, perhaps, 
 prove more interesting to some readers, than 
 the discourses. In tlie historical sketch of the 
 College, and the biographical notice of the first 
 
 A 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 five presidents, the author has taken great pains 
 to be correct in his statement of facts. He is 
 aware, however, that, after all his vigilance to 
 exclude errors, some may still be found; and he 
 will accept it as a particular favour, if any read- 
 er who may observe an error, however minute, 
 will make it known to him by letter; that it may 
 be corrected, if the history should ever be re- 
 published. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 The Union of Piety and Science. 
 ACTS VII. 22. 
 
 And Moses ivas learned in all the wisdom of the EgyfitianSf and 
 was mighty in words and in deeds. 
 
 CONNKCTED WITH 
 
 ACTS XXII. 3. 
 
 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city of 
 Cilicia ; yet brought up, in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel — 
 
 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 God acknowledged directing the path of duty. 
 PROV. III. 6. 
 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy 
 
 paths. 
 
 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 The good man's protection and support. 
 I. PETER III. 13. 14. 
 
 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that 
 which is good ? Bat and if ye suffer for righteousness* sake, hap- 
 py are ye. 
 
 DISCOURSES IV. AND V. 
 
 The word of God the guide of youth. 
 
 PSALM CXIX. 9. 
 
 frhereivithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking 
 heed thereto according to thy word ? 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 ChRISTXAN integrity EXPLAI2JED AND RECOMMEKDKD. 
 
 n. CORINTHIANS I. 12. 
 For our rejoicing is this, the (estimcny of our conscience, that in 
 eimplicity and godly sincerity, not iviih Jieshly wisdom, but by 
 the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the tvorldt 
 and more abundantly to you-vj>ard* 
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 A PLEA FOR EARLY PIETY. 
 
 ECCLESIASTES XII. 1. 
 Remember now thy Creator, in the days of thy youth. 
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 The man of false honour- 
 MARK VI. 26. 
 jind the king was exceeding sorry ; yet for his oaths* sake, and 
 for their sokes who sat with him, he would tiot reject her, 
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 The pEvouT man. 
 
 ACTS X. 2, 
 
 ^devout man^— 
 
 KOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 NOTE A. 
 
 Quotation from Longinus, relative to the Apostle Paul. 
 
 NOTE B. 
 
 Notice of a publication of the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, the 
 first president of the college. 
 
 NOTE C. 
 
 Sketch of the life and character of Governor Belcher, the foun- 
 der of the college — ^l^he addresses made to him by the board of trus- 
 tees ; their early transactions relati\e to the college ; and tlieir de- 
 termination that the edifice should be called Nassau-Hall. The 
 patronage v,'hi<ih the college has received, and its need of additional 
 patronage.. 
 
CONTENTS. XI 
 
 NOTE D. 
 
 A historical sketch of the origin and design of the college; its sys- 
 tem of education ; a biographical notice of its first five presidents ; 
 and a short accaunt of the institution under their several administra- 
 tions; epitaphs, circular letters, present course of study, and amount 
 of expense per annum, of a resident in college. 
 
 NOTE E. 
 
 Dr. Arbuthnot's epitaph on Francis Chartres. 
 
 NOTE F. 
 
 Recommendation of Dr. \Vitherspoon*s "address to tlic senior 
 class, on the Lord's day preceding commencement.'* 
 
 NOTE G. 
 
 On the reading of the ancient classick writers, and the best method 
 of preventing any ill effects -svhich may be apprehended from ^a 
 familiarity with them. 
 
 NOTE G. [duplicate.] 
 Extract from the American edition of Rees' Cyclopedia; rela- 
 tive to the manner in which certain Socinian writers treat the Holy 
 Scriptures, and the doctrines they contain. 
 
 NOTE H. 
 
 A memorial of the author's deceased Son. 
 
 
 -^HIITCHTOIT 
 
 
 % 
 
4 
 
DISCOURSE I. 
 
 TFIE UNION OF PIETY AND SCIENCE. 
 
 ACTS VII. 22. 
 
 '' And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyp- 
 tians, and was mighty in words and in deedsP 
 
 CONNECTED WITH 
 
 ACTS XXII. 3. 
 
 ^^ I am verily a man which am a Jew^ born in Tarsus, 
 a city of Cilicia ; yet brought up in this city, at the 
 feet of GamalieP^ — 
 
 _| HESE passages of scripture, my brethren, have been 
 chosen for the purpose of maintaining and ilhistrating 
 a point, previously determined on as the subject of this 
 discourse — namely — the importance of the union 
 
 OF PIETY AND SCIENCE. 
 
 The institution to which we belong was founded to 
 promote this union. To inculcate its importance, there- 
 fore, appeared to me a very fit subject for the present 
 occasion : and the passages of scripture recited, seem 
 to present the [;igiat which I am to press, in a manner 
 
 B 
 
g DISCOURSE L 
 
 highly favoiiral le to my purpose. They s^rve to show 
 that the great legislator of the Jews, and the great 
 apostle of the Gentiles, were both eminent for the 
 union of piety and science. 
 
 For piety, even among inspired men, they were cer- 
 tainly eminent. Moses is denominated, by v/ay of em- 
 phasis, " the man of GOD." We are told that " the 
 Lord spake unto Moses, face to face, as a man speaketk 
 unto his friend ;" and that " there arose not a prophet 
 since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew 
 face to face.'^ His whole history shows, that his inter- 
 course with GOD, his devotion to the divine glory, and 
 his benevolence to the children of his people, were of 
 the most extraordinary kind ; and of course, that his 
 measure of sanctification was peculiarly great. 
 
 This holy man was, at the same time, a distinguished 
 proficient in all the learning of his day. Educated as 
 the son of Pharoah's daughter, he would of course have 
 the advantage of the best schools of Egypt^ then the 
 most distinguished seat of science in the world : and 
 the singulcT attainments which he made in these schools 
 is attested in the text, which tells us that " Moses was 
 learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians'' — Whatever 
 they could teach, he had learned. It is added, that he 
 was " mighty in words and in deeds.'' Though not an 
 eloquent speaker, yet his words, as well as his deeds 
 were mighty. No doubt the substance of what he said 
 is here, as it always ought to be, chiefly regarded. Yet 
 
DISCOURSE I. 3 
 
 the criticks in the Hebrew language tell us, that his 
 Tery style is characterized by its peculiar purity and 
 excellence : and many of you know that he is quoted 
 as au example of the sublime in writing, by Longiuus, 
 whose judgment on this subject has so long been consid- 
 ered as a standard. Such then was Moses — eminently 
 holy, and eminetitly learned. Such was the man honour- 
 ed of GOD to deliver his chosen people from bondage, 
 to receive his law at Sinai, to establish t' e religious in- 
 stitutions and found the civil government of the Hebrew 
 nation. 
 
 Of the distinguished piety of the apostle Paul — dis- 
 tinguished, you will remember, an\ong inspired men, fjr 
 otliers are not to cl im even a comparison here — it is 
 hardly necessary to speak. He h^id been -^ caught up 
 to the third heaven — caught up into paradise — and 
 heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a 
 man to utter.'' He seemed indeed to live in heaven, 
 while yet on earth. His whole soul, with all its enlarg- 
 ed faculties, was incessantly on the stretch, in contem- 
 pl ting, admiring, and describing the wonders of the 
 plan of redemption ; and in devising and executinf^" 
 scliemes for extending the Redeemer's kingdom, and pro- 
 moting tlie glory of (iOD on earth. He laboured more 
 abundantly in his Master's cause, than any of the other 
 apostles. He ''counted not his life dear unto himself,'^ 
 if he might finish his ministerial course with joy. 
 
 While lie earnestly desired ^* to depart and to be with 
 Christ;" as " far better" than continuing iu this world^ 
 
4 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 he was still willing to continue ; — to endure every pri- 
 vation^ to suffer, and labour, and be persecuted, and 
 reviled, and to seal his testimony with his blood, that he 
 might propagate the gospel, do good to souls, and mag- 
 nify his Saviour's love. Yet this man, who " was not 
 a whit behind the very chiefest apostles," esteemed him- 
 self the chief of sinners, " less than the least of all 
 saints, and not meet to be called an apostle." By this 
 deep humility he rose high in the school of Christ. 
 Verily, it seems that one who could be what Paul was, 
 and yet estimate himself as he did, must be as deeply 
 sanctified as any of the corrupted race of Adam ever was. 
 This man had been sent from his native city to Jeru- 
 salem, for his education ; had been " brought up at the 
 feet of Gamaliel," then the most renowned Jewish doc- 
 tor ; aud there is every reason to believe that, as '^he 
 profited beyond many his equals" in years, in the Jew-* 
 ish religion, so that he surpassed them, also, in Jewish 
 erudition. But beside this, his quoting of the Greek 
 poets ; his allusion to their philosophers and their doc- 
 trines ; his masterly treatment of every subject ; his 
 close and profound reasoning ; his simple and touching 
 eloquence ; his sublime descriptions and pathetic senti- 
 ments ; all mark the superiority of his genius, and the 
 extent and variety of his knowledge. Accordingly we 
 find — and it is worthy of remark — that the same ancient 
 heathen critick, who mentions Moses among the authors 
 of the sublime in writing, places Paul in the same class.* 
 
 • See note A at the end of the Yolumc. 
 
DISCOURSE T. 5 
 
 Siicli then was the apostle Paul — eminent for piety, 
 and eminent for learning. And his success in spreading 
 the gospel was, prohably, greater than that of all the 
 other apostles united. He was honoured, too, to write 
 a far larger portion, than any other individual, of the 
 New-Testament. Neaily a third part of tiie whole 
 came, under the guidance of inspiration, from his pen. 
 
 To demonstrate, as it would seem, that the power was 
 all of GOD, our Saviour chose his first twelve apostles 
 from illiterate men, that there might be no pretence that 
 human talents or acquirements had procured for it its 
 first acceptance : and then, to honour the established 
 order of nature, which is nothing else than his own or- 
 der, he chose one man, possessing the best endowments 
 and attainments, and him he used to extend his kingdom 
 and his triumphs, more, it is probable, than all the rest. 
 
 It is apparent then, that both in founding the Jewish 
 state, and in establishing the Christian church, the in- 
 strumentality chiefly employed and honoured, was the 
 instrumentality of men conspicuous for the union of pie- 
 ty and science. Moses, the man of GOD, was *' learned 
 in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." Paul, the great 
 apostle of the Gentiles, '• was brought up at the feet of 
 Gamaliel.'' 
 
 Now, as the Deity always adapts means to ends with 
 infinite wisdom, and we here see what were the instru- 
 ments which he actually employed, when the greatest 
 
6 DISCOURSE T. 
 
 ends were to be effected under bis immediate appoint- 
 ment and guidance, it is manifest that tbe high import* 
 ance, both to church and state, of the union of piety and 
 science, is vouched and ratified by divine authority. 
 
 Let us then consider, a little in detail, some of the 
 facts and principles, by which the importance of this 
 union may be illustrated and enforced. 
 
 L It is this union which perfects, as fiir as it can be 
 perfected in this world, the nature of man. 
 
 The two great classes of mental powers are, the intel- 
 lectual and moral. In the primitive perfect state of 
 man, these different faculties were duly balanced, and 
 had that just and mutual influence on each other which 
 was calculated to raise our nature to its highest point of 
 elevation, in the scale of intelligent being. 
 
 We know from the temptation which prompted the 
 iirst transgression, that the desire of knowledge w'as then 
 strong. We also know, that while man retained his per- 
 fection of rectitude, all his knowledge mu^t have been 
 subservient to moral use and improvement. It fol- 
 lows, necessarily, that the more he knew, the more ex- 
 tensively would he be prepared to serve and glorify his 
 Creator, and would not fciil, from his perfect holiness, to 
 employ all his knowledge for this high purpose. The 
 complete reverse of this is now witnessed. Man has 
 lost by his fall the moral image of his Creator, while he 
 has retained, if not perfectly, yet in great vigour, his 
 intellectual powers. Hence those powers are eonietimes 
 
DISCOURSE I. 7 
 
 seen in much strcngtii and with great improvement, 
 while he remains destitute of all moral excellence. 
 Men have occasionally appeared, who seemed to pos- 
 sess, at once, the talents and the depravity of demons. 
 On the other side, unquestionable goodness has some- 
 times been seen, in alliance with great weakness, and 
 great ignorance. 
 
 But, let it be well observed, when eminent piety and 
 eminent knov^lcdge are conjoined in the same individ- 
 ual, then the right balance, proportion and order of 
 the human faculties are restored ; then man regains 
 the true elevation of his character ; then he is, in the 
 exact degree in which this union takes place, brought 
 back to the very state which he lost by the fall. And 
 as this is the fact, in regard to individuals, so it fol- 
 lows, since societies are made up of individuals, that 
 whenever a society is composed of those who possess 
 this character, and just in proportion as it is composed 
 of them, it becomes truly excellent. It exhibits man, in 
 his social character, amiable and dignified. It renders 
 communities eminently happy and respectable. It gives 
 them an approximation — very imperfect indeed, but 
 still most desirable — to the perfect society of heaven ; 
 where intelligence and holiness are united, in the most 
 consummate degree. 
 
 The statement just oflered seemed too important not 
 to be made prominent, by a distinct presentment. It 
 includes, I am sensible, a part of what I am now more 
 particularly to explain — 
 
^ DISCOURSE I. 
 
 II. That tlie union of piety and science is calculated 
 to preserve each from abuse^ and to carry each to its 
 highest point of improvement. 
 
 Piety, enlightened by science, is not only most likely 
 to be preserved from that superstition and enthusiasm, 
 into which, alas ! ignorant piety often runs ; but its 
 sphere of action is greatly enlarged ; its incitements and 
 its resources are multiplied. It is of the nature of all 
 genuine piety to turn every thing to its own improve- 
 ment ; to make every object and subject minister to se- 
 rious reflection, and the devout feelings of the heart ; to 
 see the displays of the divine perfections in all which it 
 views of great, or wise, or good ; to rise from the crea- 
 ture to the Creator — " to look through nature up to 
 nature's GOD.'' 
 
 In particular, the well informed man of piety acquires 
 a more exact and extensive knowledge of revealed truth, 
 than, without science, can ordinarily be obtained ; and 
 thus increases, at once, the scope, the motives, and the 
 facilities for improvement in holiness. Science, also, 
 sanctified by divine grace, aids its possessor in acquiring 
 the most thorough knowledge of his own nature and 
 heart ; and from this circumstance, is favourable to the 
 cultivation of inward purity, and of that profound humili- 
 ty, which is so characteristic a feature of evangelical re- 
 ligion. In fact the brightest examples of piety — of hum- 
 ble piety — hav« been found in men of considerable sci- 
 ence. It is even, I believe, a general truth, that the 
 humblest christians are those who are the best informed. 
 
DISCOURSE I. 9 
 
 Nor can I here forbear the remark, that the cliristian 
 religion itself supposes a degree of knowledge, in order 
 to its general reception and prevalence. It, indeed, 
 provides for weakness, for ignorance, and almost for 
 idiocy. But in its establishment in society, it is not, like 
 the systems of paganism and idolatry, a system that w ill 
 consist with deep and general ignorance, and be favoured 
 by it. You cannot propagate and preserve Christianity, 
 in any community, without propagating knowledge at the 
 same time. You must have a measure of civilization and 
 a measure of mental improvement, among every people 
 where you can reasonably hope that Christianity will 
 be permanent. The genius of the religion itself, its very 
 nature and essence, demand this, for its preservation 
 and extension : and its doing so, is among the eviden- 
 ces that it is from GOD, who gave us the nature which 
 his religion will, in all cases and in all respects, im- 
 prove. 
 
 Let us now view the other side of the subject ; and 
 we shall see that the service which religion renders to 
 science is not less than that which she receives from it. 
 
 Science perverted may do, and has actually done, more 
 
 injury to mankind in all their interests, religious, social 
 
 and political, than can be described or estimated. In 
 
 every age of the christian church, scientific infidels 
 
 have been her bitterest enemies, and have aimed against 
 
 her the most envenomed and deadly weapons. Their 
 
 success at different times has been considerable ; but 
 
 in no other age, I think, w^as it ever as great as it has 
 
 C 
 
10 DISCOURSE L 
 
 beeu in the very age in which we live. Of this age, un- 
 sanctified science has been preeminently, the scourge and 
 curse. This it was, undoubtedly, which converted the 
 most populous nation of Europe, for a season, into a nation 
 of professed infidels and atheists ; and which spread the 
 deleterious influence of their shocking system, in a great- 
 er or less degree, over a large part of the civilized world. 
 The natural and unavoidable consequences ensued. As 
 civil society is held together by religion, when this ce- 
 ment was removed, it tottered to its foundations. The 
 prostration of altars w^as succeeded by the fall of thrones. 
 The human mind itself was unbalanced and perverted. 
 Men seemed to act, at that time, as men never acted 
 before. The usual grounds of calculation, in regard to 
 human conduct, appeared to be taken away. Both the 
 moral and the political world were convulsed and con- 
 fused. Such was the effect of infidel philosophy, when 
 it gained the ascendant. It is no exaggeration to say, 
 that all the massacre, carnage, convulsion, disorder and 
 misrule, all the misery, moral and political, which has 
 overspread and changed the face of Europe in our times, 
 may be traced to unsanctified science as its proper 
 origin; to the learning, the eloquence, the sophistry, 
 the wit, the plots and the influence of infidels, playing 
 the mighty engine of mental energy with strokes power- 
 ful, frequent, and directed with consummate skill, against 
 all the sacred bulwarks of religion and morality. 
 
 I cannot pass from this topic without remarking, that 
 it would seem to be a part of the scheme of providence. 
 
DISCOURSE I. 11 
 
 (for we pretend not to fathom its depths) to show, by 
 what took place in the dark ages of the church, the ef- 
 fect of religion without knowledge ; and in contrast with 
 this, to show, by what has taken place in this infidel age, 
 and in the very same countries, the effect of science 
 without religion ; and thus to teach the world most im- 
 pressively and extensively, that these two great direct- 
 ors of human conduct should always take counsel of each 
 other ; that they can never act separately without pro- 
 ducing the most lamentable evils ; and, therefore, that 
 every lover of mankind should earnestly endeavour to 
 preserve their union : — To teach, especially, that such 
 is human depravity, that it will pervert knowledge it- 
 self, favourable as it is to virtue ; and that man, desti- 
 tute of religion and distinguished by science, may rival 
 a fallen angel in malignity and mischief. 
 
 But, notwithstanding the ^^ bad eminence" to which 
 unsanctified science may thus sometimes rise, it is still 
 a general and most important truth, that nothing is 
 so favourable to scientific pursuits, as that calm 
 and tranquil state of mind, and that exemption from 
 vicious courses and passions, which true religion in- 
 spires and insures. Accordingly we see in fact, that 
 though there have been, as we admit and lament, 
 impious men of great literary attainments, yet the 
 remotest regions of science have oftenest been reached 
 by those who were religious as well as learned. Beyond 
 all controversy, religion here may claim the palm. 
 When we come to reckon up those who have stood in 
 
12 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 the very first ranks of genius and science, in every age 
 of the christian church, by far the majority will be found 
 among the friends of religion ; many of them among its 
 brightest examples and most ardent propagators. 
 
 It deserves particular notice that religion favours the 
 acquisition of the most solid and useful knowledge, by 
 preserving men from the love and cultivation of ^' sci- 
 ence falsely so called.'^ Of trifling, and merely curi- 
 ous speculations, it forbids all ardent pursuit. It 
 permits no more of them to be known, than is suffi- 
 cient to expose their vanity. It represents true phi- 
 losophy herself, only as a handmaid to devotion. It 
 places every thing on a right scale of estimation. It 
 teaches its pupil to consider every thing as subordinate 
 and subservient to moral improvement. It pronounces 
 accursed, every subject and every pursuit, which is in- 
 consistent with christian purity. It leaves not its pos- 
 sessor to the mere force of inclination ; but urges him, 
 and that incessantly, by the strongest sense of duty, to 
 press forward in every praiseworthy attainment ; always 
 to seek most earnestly those things which are the most 
 valuable, and which may best promote, either mediately 
 or directly, the glory of GOD, and the good of his crea- 
 tures. 
 
 III. The union of piety and science, happily enables 
 those in whom it is realized, to correct the errors, and 
 prevent the mischiefs^ of those in whom this union does 
 not take place. 
 
DISCOURSE L 13 
 
 Pious men, without learning, know that learning is 
 too often possessed without piety ; and as mankind are 
 extremely apt to undervalue, or to affect to despise, 
 what is not among their own acquisitions, learning itself 
 is frequently depreciated, even by good people who 
 have never acquired it ; especially if they have become, 
 in any degree, the leaders of others. They are jealous 
 of leai'ned men; jealous of their superiority; jealous 
 exceedingly that they are not real friends to religion ; 
 and jealous, above all, that these men will not be the 
 patrons of some fond notions of their own. But if 
 a man of learning appears who is confessedly and 
 eminently pious ; who, it is acknowledged by all, 
 considers religion as superior to learning itself — 
 superior to every earthly object and consideration; 
 whose holy life and ardent labours in the cause of 
 Christ have put him above all suspicion ; this mafi they 
 will hear ; to him they will listen ; to him they will grant 
 their confidence : he can manage them ; he can correct 
 their errors, reform their extravagances, and persuade 
 them to yield to reason and receive instruction. In a 
 word, if they have not become lost in fanaticism, he 
 can form them to just views and conduct, in regard 
 to religion : And as only such a man can produce 
 this effect ; so, to be capable of producing it — to be ca- 
 pable of preventing or arresting such a deluge of evils 
 as often springs from enthusiasm, deserves to be esteem- 
 ed among the best and highest of human attainments. 
 Of these attainments our own Dickinson and Edwards* 
 
 • See Note B at tUe end ef the Tolurtif. 
 
14 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 were illustrious examples. Among the rcry first men 
 of their time, in this country, for intellectual strength 
 and furniture, they were still more distinguished for 
 piety than for learning. In their day enthusiasm ap- 
 peared in the church to which they belonged. Few 
 other men could gain an audience of the deluded ; but 
 these men obtained it, because the reality and em- 
 inence of their piety were questioned by none. They 
 spoke and wrote so as happily to correct the spreading 
 evil, and the good which they effected was great and 
 lasting. 
 
 In like manner, only pious men of distinguished sci- 
 ence can be fully prepared to encounter those who turn 
 science against religion. But for a few men of piety, 
 who are scholars of the first order, it is impossible to say 
 what would be the limits of the mischief, which learned 
 infidels, heretics and formalists, would do to religion. 
 It would seem as if they would soon destroy all con- 
 fidence in holy scripture, and all the belief of Christian- 
 ity which is founded on argument ; that they would 
 have all men of liberal minds and pursuits on their side ; 
 all youth of aspiring views ; all fashion and all power. 
 We know, indeed, that this they will never fully achieve ; 
 because we know that the church of Christ is founded 
 on a rock, against which the gates of hell shall never 
 prevail. But although, in every respect, the power is 
 all of GOD, by which his cause in the earth is effectively 
 maintained, yet it is our duty carefully to consider and 
 assiduously to employ the means, which he has appoint- 
 
DISCOURSE I. 15 
 
 cd, and wliich he ordinarily blesses, for the attainment of 
 this end. And since miracles have ceased, by which, at 
 first, Christianity was sustained and extended, in oppo- 
 sition to all the learning, wit and power of man, it ap- 
 pears that science is the chief instrument ^ by which 
 religion is to be defended against its learned, malignant 
 and potent adversaries. When the christian champion, 
 with genius, erudition and truth, all in his favour, 
 goes forth against this embodied and embattled host of 
 darkness, it recoils — it is disconcerted, discomfited and 
 defeated. Its learning is combated by better learn- 
 ing ; its argument by stronger argument ; its eloqucnc e 
 by higher eloquence ; its wit by keener wit ; its mis- 
 representation and sophistry, by the luminous and 
 resistless display of trutli. It is driven off the field 
 of its own choosing. It shifts and varies its position 
 a thousand times, and still in all it is met, faced, 
 and put to the worse. The cause of truth constantly 
 gains by the conflict, till, at last, she triumphs glori- 
 ously : And the thousands who always go as reputation 
 points, follow truth because she triumphs, more than be- 
 cause they have examined and measured her weapons, 
 or beheld and been subdued by her charms. They arc 
 preserved, however, from the camp of the enemy, and 
 may eventually be trained into good soldiers of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 IV^ When science is united with religion, the latter 
 is most adorned, recommended and promoted, in the 
 world at large — Tliis point has been necessarily antici- 
 
IG DISCOURSE 1. 
 
 pated ; but I must, for a moment, present it singly and 
 distinctly to your view. 
 
 Never does religion appear to all men so venerable, 
 so commanding, so attractive, as when seen in a man of 
 strong natural powers, cultivated and enriched by vari- 
 ous and extensive knowledge. When one such example i* 
 exhibited in real life — when it becomes conspicuously evi- 
 dent that the loftiest intellectual endowments have bowed 
 before the cross of Christ, and have counted all things 
 but loss for him, then religion receives the best homage 
 and the highest honours which mortals can render. Then 
 it is demonstrated that '' the foolishness of GOD is wiser 
 than men." The influence of one such man, not only in 
 defending evangelical truth against its learned assailants, 
 which we have already considered, but in preventing or 
 putting to silence the profane scoffs of impious witlings ; 
 in removing the prejudices of youth who are ambitious 
 of intellectual excellence ; and in commanding a reverence 
 for religion among all who observe him, is of high con- 
 sideration indeed. When a few such characters appear 
 in a cluster, they bear down all open and avowed oppo- 
 sition to religion, within the whole wide sphere of their 
 influence. 
 
 But even in a much lower gradation of character ; 
 in that which comprehends men of good sense and 
 sound learning, such as may be found in consider- 
 able numbers where the union of piety and sciefnce is 
 patronized and encouraged, the influence of the cause 
 we contemplate, in recommending and promoting relig- 
 
DISCOURSE I. 17 
 
 ion, is truly great and desirable. The mass of mankind 
 cannot, and they are sensible that they cannot, decide 
 for themselves on controverted points, which involve facts 
 beyond their power to investigate : and when they see 
 men of confessed ability and acknowledged information, 
 and who also are manifestly and eminently men of integ- 
 rity and virtue, the advocates of religion, they follow 
 their judgment on this important subject. The doubts 
 which they had entertained are, in a great measure, re- 
 solved by the fact, that honest, conscientious men, fully 
 capable of judging, have decided on this controverted 
 point ; have decided for religion, and devoted their lives 
 to its service. In this, and in various other ways, 
 talent and learning, when seen to be united with unfeign- 
 ed goodness, always have had, and always will have, a 
 wonderful influence, over the minds of mankind, in be- 
 half of religion. They invest their possessor with a 
 dignity and consequence which cannot easily be resisted. 
 Having been concerned with my brethren for a number 
 of years in the employment and direction of missionaries, 
 I have had numerous occasions to observe the truth 
 and the importance of what I inculcate in this part of 
 our subject. At first, it was supposed that, as the mis- 
 sionaries were to travel among people chiefly illiterate, 
 their qualifications, as to talents and attainments, might 
 be of an inferior kind. But experience soon exposed 
 this error. It was speedily found that the very best 
 talents and attainments, possessed by the clergy of our 
 
 church, were needed for this service. It was found that 
 
 D 
 
18 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 among the people to be evangelized, there were some 
 men of prime sense and considerable improvement, who 
 had great influence in directing the popular sentiment, 
 and sometimes in directing it wrong : and that if the 
 missionary were not able to meet and cope with these, 
 he lost nearly his whole influence ; perhaps injured the 
 cause which he was sent to promote : — that even in 
 places where these able men were not found, the mis- 
 sionary's character for sense and knowledge, was ever 
 his best passport to attention, acceptance and respect 9 
 and that, of course, one well qualified missionary was 
 more useful than many of a different character. Not 
 indeed, that either here, or in any other part of this 
 discourse, I would insinuate that any talents of men, 
 or even of angels, can convert a single soul ; unless the 
 Sovereign Dispenser of all grace shall please to commu- 
 nicate it specially along with the means which his min- 
 isters employ. But we have already seen that it 
 is the usual order of the divine dispensation — that it 
 was so even in the apostolic age — that God should suc- 
 ceed and bless the natural gifts which he hath himself 
 bestowed. Nor is it ever to be forgotten, that not only 
 the natural powers which every man possesses, but the 
 means and opportunities which he has had to cultivate 
 them, and even the disposition to use those means, and 
 his whole inclination to exert himself to do good, are 
 all as really the gifts of God, as the prep^ous and special 
 influences of his grace. " I obtained mietcy of the Lord 
 to be faithful/' was the declaration of an apostle. 
 
DISCOURSE I. 19 
 
 Neither is it to be understood, that I suppose that in 
 missions to the heathen, and in some other missionary 
 cnterprizes, men with but little liberal knowledge, may 
 not be very usefully employed ; especially when there 
 are some of another description, under whose direction 
 and patronage they may act. The Moravian missions 
 are striking and incontrovertible proofs that simple men, 
 possessing eminent prudence and patience, with primi- 
 tive piety and zeal, may execute the plans of more com- 
 prehensive minds, with the most desirable, and even 
 wonderful, effect. Nay, I must not omit to state ex- 
 plicitly, that even where the gospel is fully established 
 -—where churches are regularly organized and settled, 
 men of but very moderate intellectual strength and fur- 
 niture, may, in a certain proportion, be highly useful 
 as pastors in the church. To show the sovereignty of 
 his grace, God may sometimes bless their labours, more 
 than those of their better qualified brethren. All this 
 is not only cheerfully admitted, but considered as im-« 
 portant to be kept in mind. 
 
 Still, my general and unshaken position is, that the 
 possessor of talents and learning, in union wdth piety, 
 is likely to be far more influential in extending the 
 Redeemer's kingdom, than any individual in whom 
 these qualifications are not united. In support of this 
 I appeal to all history, and to all observation, from the 
 time of the apostles to our own. In every age it shall 
 be found, that the men who have been most useful in 
 the church of Christ, have been those who united, in 
 
20 DISCOURSE L 
 
 some degree of eminence, piety and science. These 
 have been the men most blest, as preachers of the gos- 
 pel, while they lived ; and most instrumental in convert- 
 ing and edifying millions, by their writings, after their 
 death. Being dead they have still spoken ; spoken, not 
 to one generation only, but to many. Consult your own 
 observation. Look around you, through our own coun- 
 try. Who are the most useful pastors in our churches ? 
 Whose labours are the most successful ? Who have the 
 most influence with their people, and in the church at 
 large ? May not the usefulness of the clergy generally, 
 be measured on the scale of knowledge and piety united ? 
 But I fear I have referred too much to the clergy in 
 what I have said. It is the union of science with piety 
 in the laity, which often has an influence not less propi- 
 tious, in the promotion of religion, as well as in all the 
 concerns of civil society. Removed from all suspicion 
 of professional motives, of all zeal to support that which 
 supports himself, when a layman of genius and erudi- 
 tion, who is also distinguished for piety, comes forward 
 to plead the cause of religion, he does it with im- 
 mense advantage. The fact itself goes far to shut the 
 mouth of infidelity. It can no longer utter the stale 
 cry of " priestcraft :" or " the man is following his 
 trade, and writing for his bread.'^ One secular man 
 of great parts and learning, may, on this account, serve 
 the cause of Christ beyond many in the sacred office. 
 Who can estimate the evils which have been prevented, 
 
DISCOURSE I. 21 
 
 and the good which has resulted from such men appear- 
 ing on the side of rehgion as Grotius, and Boyle, and 
 Hale, and Selden, and Newton, and Pascal, and Boer- 
 haave, and Addison, and Euler, and Haller, and John- 
 son, and Bonnet, and Beattie, and Jones, and the 
 titled Tcignmouth, more truly ennobled by his oHice 
 and services as president of the British and For- 
 eign Bible Society, than if a crown had been added to 
 his coronet. 
 
 But in characters of far less eminence than these, in 
 eommon cases, where liberal minded and liberally edu- 
 cated laymen, are noted for piety, their example and 
 influence is often inestimably precious. At the bar, on 
 the bench, in the senate, in the camp, in the navy, or 
 in the compting house, they may do more good than 
 many w^ho enter the sacred desk. Theirs it is, espe- 
 cially, to give eflect to plans for the extension of re- 
 ligion and learning. — ^To w hom arc we indebted for this 
 literary Establishment, so dear to us all ? Who had, at 
 once, the inclination and the influence, to obtain a royal 
 charter, for the avowed object of promoting learning 
 and religion — when it was known too, that the religious 
 denomination actually and chiefly to be promoted, 
 would not perfectly symbolize with that of the court? 
 We owe it to a liberally educated, and eminently 
 holy layman. We owe it to thee, O Belcher!* — to 
 thee, whose humble piety would not permit the edi- 
 fice founded by thyself, to be called by thy name. To 
 
 * See note C at Uie end of the volume. 
 
22 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 thee we owe it^ that the illustrious men who have here- 
 tofore presided over this institution^ had it in their 
 power to form for usefuhiess the numerous youth, who 
 have gone forth from this place to serve and extend the 
 church, to bless and adorn the state.* May it ever be 
 the distinction of this house, to nurture many laymen, 
 who shall emulate its founder, in piety and science, in 
 benevolence and public spirit ! 
 
 Caisididates for the first degree in the arts — 
 In applying this subject to you, for whose benefit chiefly 
 it has been selected and discussed, I have but little to 
 say in addition to what you have heard. I would fain 
 hope, indeed, that you have already made the proper 
 application, each for himself. May we not reasonably 
 hope that you all feel the desire, and have conceived the 
 purpose, to exhibit in yourselves, according to the mea- 
 sure of ability which you severally possess, the union 
 of piety and science ? To form you to this, has, you 
 know, been the great object constantly held in view by 
 your teachers, through the whole of your collegiate 
 course. You are our witnesses — and I take you to re- 
 cord this day — that to this object our efforts have 
 been constantly and assiduously directed. If then 
 any of you shall come short of this object, the respon- 
 sibility to yourselves, to your friends, to your country, 
 and to your God, will be all your own. You will disap- 
 point our fondest hopes, you will act unworthily of the 
 place of your education, and set yourselves in direct hos* 
 tility with the designs of its pious founders. 
 
 * See uGte D at the end of the volume . 
 
DISCOURSE I. 23 
 
 Ah ! if any of you sliould so far separate piety and 
 science, as to be found, at last in the ranks of infidelityj, 
 it is fearful to think of the account which you will have 
 to render at the judgment seat of Christ. Better, iu 
 this event, that you had remained as ignorant as the 
 savage of tlie wilderness — infinitely better that you had 
 never entered these walls. Of this tremendous issue I 
 do, indeed, persuade myself that the danger is greatly 
 diminished, by such a course of instruction as you have 
 received. Yet the appalling event contemplated is 
 possible, and therefore '• as my beloved sons, I warn 
 you." — Yes, there have been instances of those as highly 
 favoured, and apparently as well principled as you 
 are, who, through the deceitfulness of sin, have been 
 brought, eventually ^' to deny the Lord that bought 
 them." It is the expression of the kindest regard, 
 when I devoutly pray, that you may rather die in the 
 morning of life, than live to be added to tlie number of 
 these dreadful examples of apostacy from trutli, and 
 hope, and salvation. 
 
 Some of you I know — and I rejoice exceedingly to 
 know it — are looking forward to the gospel ministry, as 
 your calling for life. In such, the importance of the 
 union of piety and science is generally admitted. To 
 this I not only accede, but desire to remind every can- 
 didate for the sacred ofiice in this class, that certainly 
 till the wane of life, if not till the end of it, he ought to 
 feel that it is not a mere matter of choice and inclination, 
 but a binding christian and ministerial duty, to be con- 
 
24 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 stantly augmenting his fund of knowledge : — constantly 
 extending his acquaintance with every subject that, 
 either directly or collaterally, will add to his ministerial 
 furniture. 
 
 Let him by all means cultivate piety. Let him re- 
 gard this as primary and essential. Let him know and 
 remember that a fervent piety is that alone which can 
 render him either safe, or comfortable, or probably 
 useful, in the ministerial vocation. But let him also 
 consider it as a part of his duty to God, to increase his 
 knowledge — to increase it as much as his circumstances, 
 in the use of constant vigilance and industry, will permit. 
 
 But I particularly deprecate the influence of a notion 
 — too prevalent I fear — that it belongs to candidates for 
 the gospel ministry alone, to cultivate piety and science, 
 in union. Consider what you have heard — that this 
 union may sometimes be even more useful in the laity, 
 than in the clergy. I therefore entreat those of you 
 Vv'ho are destined to secular employments, to take 
 your full share of this address and charge. Forget not, 
 I beseech you, that the care of the soul is the " one 
 thing needful,'' to laymen as well as to clergymen. True 
 religion is necessary, not merely to increase your present 
 happiness and usefulness : it is, remember, essential 
 to your future and eternal welfare. " Except a man be 
 bom again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'' Be not 
 satisfied therefore with an amiable and blameless exte- 
 rior. Be satisfied with nothing short of a renewed 
 heart, a vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and a 
 
DISCOUKSK I. 25 
 
 life of holy obedience to all the commandments of God. 
 
 In regard to the cultivation of your minds, 1 nuist 
 repeat what I have said to candidates for the holy min- 
 istry — Consider yourselves as sacredly bound to im- 
 prove in useful knowledge. Seek and embrace every 
 opportunity or advantage for making improvement. 
 Accustom yourselves from the very first to diligence, 
 method and regularity, in your literary pursuits. Con- 
 tinue, without any interruption, the habits of study 
 acquired in this place. Cultivate continually a sense 
 of obligation to direct and consecrate all your knowl- 
 edge and attainments to some useful end. Cherish a 
 strong desire, and be incessant in your endeavours, to do 
 good. Never suffer you acquisitions of knowledge, or 
 your capacity of usefulness, to remain unemployed. 
 Produce them to the world, and be emulous to take a 
 part — a leading part, if you are called to it — in every 
 liberal, every virtuous, every benevolent, every pious 
 enterprise. 
 
 It will be advantageous to you all, whatever he your 
 
 destination in life, to measure and ascertain, as well as 
 
 you can, your own capacities. Be not too aspiring ; but 
 
 yet aim high. Let your motive in this be to do good, 
 
 rather than to seek applause. I warn you seriously against 
 
 an undue seeking of popularity. It is an unsatisfying, vain 
 
 and dangerous pursuit. Let the approbation of God and 
 
 of your own consciences, be supremely regarded. With 
 
 this may lawfully be connected a moderate desire to secure 
 
 the favourable opinion of the wise and the good. Under 
 
 E 
 
OG DISCOURSE I. 
 
 the influence and guidance of these principles, let pop- 
 ularity attach to you as much, or as little as it will, 
 without courting it. Strive to be useful, and you will 
 certainly have influence. And let influence, when ac- 
 quired, be considered as a talent, for which your are 
 highly responsible ; — as a talent which you are to man- 
 age so as to effect the greatest good to which it is com- 
 petent. In the circle of your influence be very active. 
 In that circle let every plan to promote learning and 
 the arts, every attempt at useful improvements of what- 
 ever kind, every scheme of benevolence, every institu- 
 tion of piety, have your cordial support. Wherever 
 you shall permanently reside, consider yourselves as spe- 
 cially charged to see that there the gospel be preached, 
 and its ordinances administered, if this can be effected 
 by your utmost efforts. 
 
 But be not content with local and narrow vicAvs of 
 usefulness. Enlarge the sphere of your benevolent 
 vision, beyond the little circle around you. Look 
 to the gi^eat plans that are carrying on for the 
 good of mankind at large. Not only wish them well, 
 but help them forward. We live in an age of great 
 events, and of great expectations. Scripture prophecy 
 is fulfilling, and about, probably, to be more illustriously 
 fulfilled. Cherish a sacred emulation to be instrument- 
 al in promoting the cause of God ; and to have a share 
 in the work and the reward of those, who are the hon- 
 oured agents in his hand of executing his meixiful pur- 
 poses, and of advancing his kingdom and glory in the 
 world. 
 
DISCOURSE I. 27 
 
 With these counsels and injunctions, my last address 
 to you must be closed. I aflectionately and solemnly com* 
 mit you to God ; to the care of his providence ; to the 
 influence of his grace ; praying that you may be conduct- 
 ed safely through all the perils and vicissitudes of life ; 
 and that we may have a happy meeting in the mansions 
 of unfading bliss. Amen. 
 
DISCOURSE 11. 
 
 GOD ACKNOWLEDGED DIRECTING THE PATH OF DUTY. 
 
 Prov. ITT. 6. 
 ^* In all thy ways acknowledge H'wi, and he shall direct 
 
 thy paths.^^ 
 
 J- HE proverbs of Solomon are, in most instances, un- 
 connected maxims of wisdom, prudence or piety. The 
 text, however, is manifestly connected with the verse 
 which precedes it ; so that the two verses are to be con- 
 sidered either as containing two proverbs closely related, 
 or else two parts of the same proverb : of which the 
 latter is an explanation and application of the former. 
 The passage, in its connexion, stands thus — "'Trust in 
 the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine 
 own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, 
 and he shall direct thy paths.'' The spirit of this in- 
 junction is, that we should rely on the guidance and 
 direction of God, and not upon our own understanding, 
 or sagacity, in choosing our course in life, and in dis- 
 charging its duties. 
 
 " In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall di- 
 rect thy paths." We have here, I. A duty prescribed. 
 11. A promise made to the performance of that duty. 
 Let us consider each of the^e distinctly, and then briefly 
 apply the subject. 
 
30 DISCOURSE IF, 
 
 I. In the text there is a duty prescribed — " In all thy 
 ways acknowledge him.'' 
 
 We shall, I apprehend, most fully and advantageously 
 explain and exhibit the meaning of the inspired writer 
 in these words, by taking three views of the precept 
 which they contain— ^By considering 
 
 In the first place ^ What it is to acknowledge God, in 
 the sense of this precept, in the ordinary course and 
 concerns of life. 
 
 Secondly, Wherein the duty consists, when we are 
 entering on an extraordinary undertaking, or important 
 enterprise, in which it is plainly lawful for us to engage. 
 
 Thirdly, How our duty may be ascertained when we 
 are doubtful, or greatly at a loss about it— ^and the 
 matter in question is, notwithstanding, highly important 
 to our future welfare. 
 
 None of these views is uninteresting, and each ot 
 them might, perhaps, profitably occupy the time of a 
 whole discourse. The two former, however, I shall 
 treat generally and cursorily, intending to spend a little 
 more time in discussing the third ; because it is that 
 in which direction is most necessary, and that, also, 
 to which I think the text most directly points. 
 
 First then, if we would acknowledge God, in the or- 
 dinary course and concerns of life, we must have a set- 
 tled and lively sense of our dependance on him for his 
 blessing, in all our affairs and interests, both temporal 
 and spiritual. This duty n^cessanly supposes that the 
 mind of him who is to perform it is under the influence 
 
DISCOURSE II. 31 
 
 of pious principles. He who has no feeling of these, 
 will never, in the spirit of the text, acknowledge God 
 19 all, nor in any of his ways. Whoever has not a firm 
 and practical belief that a divine providence governs 
 and guides the concerns of men, and tliat it extends to 
 the circumstances of each individual, as well as to the 
 destinies of communities, will, of course, never commit 
 the lot of life to God to be mercifully ordered by him. 
 This, from the nature of the case, can be done only by 
 one who truly believes, according to the doctrine of 
 our Saviour, that " a sparrow fallcth not to the ground 
 without our heavenly Father, and that the hairs of our 
 heads are all numbered y^ implying that the providence 
 of the Creator extends to the most minute incidents 
 which relate to his creatures. 
 
 He who acknowledges God, so as to fulfil the injunc- 
 tion of the text, must especially be sensible that the 
 divine favour and blessing are, in the strictest sense, 
 essential to his happiness. The favour and blessing of 
 his Maker, therefore, he will be most solicitous to 
 obtain. And knowing that God will never make his 
 enemies happy, reconciliation with him, in the way 
 of his own appointment, and the uninterrupted continu- 
 ance of his friendship, will be sought with the greatest 
 earnestness, and maintained with unceasing vigilance. 
 In a word, the man we contemplate must feel and act 
 under the conviction that if he possess the favour and 
 loving kindness of God his Maker, he will certainly, let 
 
32 DISCOURSE II, 
 
 his outward circumstances be what they may, have the 
 best and most desirable portion. 
 
 A system of conduct founded on this conviction, will, 
 doubtless, always require that the whole of human ex- 
 istence be taken into view. Not merely that small and 
 inconsiderable part which lies on this side the grave ; 
 but that also which lies beyond it, and is of infinite 
 duration. To desire to be happy in time, in such man- 
 ner as to be unhappy through eternity, is nothing less 
 than the madness of folly. All suffering and disap- 
 pointment, therefore, in this world, which an infinitely 
 wise and good Being may see to be necessary to pro- 
 mote or insure felicity in the world to come, will be de- 
 liberately chosen by every man who acts with true ra- 
 tionality. The man who really acknowledges God \^dll be 
 eareful to act in this manner. He will desire that measure, 
 and that only, of worldly good, which infinite wisdom 
 may see to be most advantageous to him as an immortal 
 being ; and fully sensible that all things are ordered 
 by God, he will desire and pray that they may be so 
 ordered as that they may all conspire and work together 
 in subserviency to the divine glory, for his own ultimate 
 and highest happiness. 
 
 In all the occurrences of life he will eye the hand of 
 his heavenly Father, and receive both prosperity and 
 adversity as coming from it. He will perceive that 
 every effort of his, will be successful or abortive, just 
 as the Supreme Disposer of all events shall please to 
 order. Re will therefore^ every day of his life^ de- 
 
DISCOURSE IL 33 
 
 voutly ask to be directed by God in the path of duty 5 
 and he will cherish the habitual recollection that in all 
 hf does, or attempts, or contrives, it will still remain 
 with Him, " who doth according to his will in the army 
 of Heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth," to 
 succeed or disappoint him, and to render success or 
 disappointment a blessing or a curse — " The heart of 
 man deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." 
 
 Secondly. When he who acknowledges God in all 
 his ways is about to enter on an extraordinary under- 
 taking, or important enterprise, in which it is plainly 
 lawful to engage, you will perceive, from what has 
 already been said, that he will be exceedingly desirous 
 to secure the divine smiles and patronage. Feeling 
 that on these he absolutely depends, and perceiving 
 that the concern is deeply to affect his future welfare, 
 he will now desire and supplicate the direction, aid 
 and blessing of God, with peculiar earnestness and 
 solicitude. 
 
 Johnson, in his life of Milton, quotes from a publica- 
 tion of that great poet, the following sentences, written 
 before he had planned the poem of Paradise Lost, 
 but after he had resolved to undertake something that 
 might be of use and honor to his country. In thiiiking 
 of the necessary preparation for such an undertaking, 
 Milton says, " This is not to be obtained but by devout 
 " prayer to that Eternal Spii-it that can enrich with all 
 *^ utterance and knowledge, and sends out his seraphim 
 
 ^' with the hallowed fire of his altar, to touch and purify 
 
 F 
 
34 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 ^' the lips of whom he pleases. To this must be added 
 ^' industrious and select reading, steady observation, 
 ^^and insight into all seemly and generous arts and 
 '' affairs, till which in some measure be compast, I re- 
 '' fuse not to sustain this expectation." Johnson adds — 
 " From a promise like this, at once fervid, pious, and 
 " rational, might be expected the Paradise Lost.'' The 
 biographer of Johnson himself informs us, that he, in 
 like manner, entered on the execution of his far-famed 
 work, entitled " The Rambler," with exercises of spe- 
 cial prayer, and a sense of his dependance on God for 
 success, similar to those w^hich he records of Milton. 
 
 Surely the w^itlings of infidelity have reason to blush, 
 when they attempt to deride, as the w eakness of enthu- 
 siasm, those devotional exercises which have been consid- 
 ered as essential to success, by the greatest examples of 
 human intellect w^hich the world has seen. Exercises, 
 too, which have been deemed equally important, and as 
 such have been employed, by some of the most renown- 
 ed and successful military and naval commanders, whose 
 heroism and glory have commanded the admiration and 
 envy of the world. Yes, brethren — he who would 
 acknowledge God in all his ways, must especially ac- 
 knowledge him in those important occurrences and en- 
 terprises of life, on which its whole complexion must de- 
 pend, and by which its fortunes must be decided. Then 
 the mind is to be charged to be peculiarly sensible that 
 success must come from God ; — that the Most High is 
 then holding the destiny of his dependant creature in 
 
DISCOURSE 11. 35 
 
 his hand, and is to be humbly and fervently implored 
 to order and decide it in his mercy. But I hasten to 
 considei' — 
 
 Thirdly — How our duty may be ascertained when 
 we are doubtful, or greatly at a loss about it ; — and the 
 matter in question is, notwithstanding, highly important 
 to our future welfare. 
 
 First of all, let the party whose case we here consider, 
 use special and fervent prayer. Let him, in all his 
 prayers, ask counsel, in regard to the doubt which is to 
 be resolved. Let him also set apart some season for 
 special prayer in regard to the urgent concern ; and if 
 practicable let him ]om fasting with prayer. In prayer 
 let him particularly desire and ask, that his mind may 
 be rendered thoroughly honest and candid ; that it may 
 in no degree be biassed by passion or inclination ; but 
 be made willing to know and practice duty, although it 
 should consist in severe self-denial. As an encourage- 
 ment to pray for light and direction, let him recollect 
 and plead the gracious declaration — " If any of you 
 lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men 
 liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." 
 The wisdom here promised is imparted " from the Fa- 
 ther of lights," by his word, by his providence, and by 
 his Spirit, to the humble and believing suppliant. From 
 these sources, therefore, he who has prayed in faith for 
 direction in duty, may expect to receive the guidance he 
 has sought — And hence 
 
36 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 2. It will be incumbent on him carefully and diligent- 
 ly to consult ^^the scriptures of truth." There let him 
 faithfully search for a case similar or analagous to his own. 
 If not successful in such a search, let him impartially con- 
 sider the scope and spirit of those doctrines and princi- 
 ples which have a bearing on his case ; from which he 
 can scarcely fail to derive some important aid. In this 
 manner let him try to make the oracles of God '' the 
 man of his counsel.'^ 
 
 3. Let him also carefully observe the aspect of prov- 
 idence. Having prayed that providence may be his 
 guide, let him see if it do not offer some plain indica- 
 tions by which his duty may be gathered. These indi- 
 cations, however, it should ever be remembered, are to 
 be considered with great coolness and deliberation ; 
 and that a suitable jealousy is to be exercised lest fancy 
 should mould them to the wishes or inclination of the 
 party whose interest is at stake. 
 
 4. The opinion of judicious friends should be taken. 
 And that the inquirer may get a candid opinion, it will 
 be well, if concealment be fairly practicable, not to let 
 it be known that the case he proposes relates to him- 
 self. Or if this, as will often happen, cannot be done, 
 let him be at pains to make those whom he consults 
 believe that he honestly desires to know his duty, and 
 will feel deeply indebted to the friends who shall advise 
 him faithfully and discreetly. 
 
 It is still better to consult books than men. If it can 
 be found that the case in question has been discussed and 
 
DISCOURSE n. 37 
 
 decided by a judicious writer, it will be known that the 
 opinion given, in addition to other considerations, has not 
 been influenced by any regard to the party whom it 
 now concerns. When opinions have thus been obtained, 
 they are to be carefully weighed and duly regarded. 
 Yet, as every man is to answer for himself, so he ought 
 to remember that he is bound to judge for himself — 
 Therefore, 
 
 5. Let him ponder his own case much in his ovra 
 mind. No one, probably, will be brought to take as 
 much interest in it as he takes himself ; and no one can 
 know what he is, and for what he is qualified, as well 
 as, with due care and attention, he may know himself. 
 In making up his mind let him not be hasty ; and yet 
 let him have it constantly in view to be entirely decided 
 and satisfied at last; for few things are more painful 
 than a dubious and unsettled state of mind in regard to 
 an important point of duty. To prevent this it will be 
 useful to forecast, as far as possible, all the consequen- 
 ces of both sides of the alternative to be decided on ; — 
 what is likely to ensue on the supposition that he takes 
 this course or that ; that he consents or refuses ; that 
 he acts or resolves not to act. It may sometimes be 
 advisable to write down all the considerations which 
 occur, and which ought to have influence on each side of 
 the question ; that being fully drawn out and seen at one 
 view, they may be weighed and considered with the 
 greatest advantage. In all dubious matters it is a good 
 rule to go much, if we can, on the plan of doing that 
 
38 DISCOURSE 11. 
 
 which is safe^ that which is clearly lawful. There may, 
 indeed, be an extreme and superstitious scrupulosity. 
 But if it be clearly lawful to act in one way? and quite 
 questionable whether it be so to act in another, we 
 ought always to take the path which is not doubtful. 
 
 It is, my brethren, by a sound and discreet use of 
 the directions now given— by seeking counsel and di- 
 rection of God in frequent and earnest prayer — by 
 making his word the man of our counsel — by observing 
 the indications of the di\dne providence — by consulting- 
 men and books — and by carefully deliberating on 
 all circumstances with ourselves-^that we are to ac- 
 knowledge God, and endeavour to ascertain our duty 
 when we are doubtful about it, and the matter in 
 question is, notwithstanding, highly important to our 
 future welfare. It is, you will carefully observe, by 
 acting in this manner that we recognize our entire de* 
 pendance on our Maker, and at the same time make use 
 of our own powers and endeavours, as rational and ac- 
 countable creatures. And these two things are always 
 to be joined together : for he who professes to depend 
 on God, without using his own reason and efforts, and 
 he who actually relies on his own reason and efforts, 
 without feeling his dependence on God, are both 
 chargeable with gross presumption. The one tempts 
 his Maker, and the other idolizes himself. The man 
 who truly acknowledges God in all his ways will care- 
 fully and constantly unite the two duties, of cherishing 
 a sense of his absolute dependance on the assistance 
 
DISCOURSE ir. 39 
 
 and blessing of the Most High, and of using his own 
 best exertions to ascertain and perform his duty. And 
 then — 
 
 II. He may stedfastly rely on the fulfilment of the 
 promise, that ^* the Lord will direct his steps.'' 
 
 In looking for the accomplishment of this promise, how- 
 ever, let us, my brethren, beware of expecting to receive it 
 by any sudden, or irresistible impulse of the mind. Let us 
 be cautious how we even desire that our duty should be 
 intimated in this manner. Such an intimation, if it be 
 ever given, must be considered as an extraordinary 
 dispensation, which must be left entirely to the sove- 
 reignty of Him who awards it. We have no claim to 
 calculate on any unusual aid or interposition of the 
 Deity. But in an humble reliance on the divine assur- 
 ance given in the text, we may hope and expect that, 
 wlule we are careful, and diligent, and persevering in 
 the use of the means that have been specified, God 
 will direct our minds, in the exercise of sound reason 
 and discretion, of an enlightened conscience and gen- 
 uine pious sentiment, to make a right clioice, or to form 
 a correct decision, in regard to a doubtful and impor- 
 tant point of duty. 
 
 Sometimes we may have no inconsiderable difliculty 
 in coming to a determination on a question in which 
 our dearest interests appear to be involved ; and, even at 
 the last, we may not have the perfect clearness which 
 we could wish. But when we have faithfully used the 
 means whicli have been mentioned, and taken the course 
 
40 DISCOURSE IL 
 
 which on the whole appeared to be right, we are war- 
 ranted to believe, and ought to believe, that the Lord 
 has directed our path. The promise was predicated 
 on the performance of a duty, namely, the acknowledg- 
 ing of God. The duty, by the supposition, has been 
 performed. The promise then became absolute ; and 
 to believe in its accomplishment is not only lawful but 
 obligatory. 
 
 Nor is the humble believer, in applying this truth, 
 to indulge distrust, on account of the imperfection which 
 may have attended the performance of his duty in the 
 case contemplated ; if, on a careful review, that imper- 
 fection shall appear not to have been peculiar. He 
 who made the promise knew that the duty with which 
 it is connected would, in every instance, be imperfectly 
 performed. This, and all the other promises of the 
 divine word, we are to remember, are fulfilled to believ- 
 ers who act imperfectly, but yet sincerely, for the sake 
 of the perfect righteousness, and through the prevalent 
 mediation, of Christ their Redeemer. If, indeed, it be 
 clearly evident, that we have not performed the duty 
 required, with some good degree of care, and serious- 
 ness, and impartiality, and earnest desire to know the 
 way in which we ought to walk — for these are the in- 
 gredients which constitute sincerity — then, certainly, 
 we .have no right to apply the promise to ourselves. 
 But if these evidences of sincerity have not been want- 
 ing, although a lamentable imperfection may have 
 
DISCOURSE II. 41 
 
 attended tliem all, we may confidently expect, and shall 
 certainly find, that the Lord will do as he hath said — 
 he will direct our paths. 
 
 In every age, brethren, the truth of the promise we 
 here consider, as it relates not only to doubtful points 
 of duty, but also to the general course of life, and to 
 great and diflicult undertakings where duty was obvi- 
 ous, has been remarkably experienced. History both 
 sacred and profane, abounds with examples of the ful- 
 filment of this promise. These examples have been 
 confined to no class or order of men ; but they have, of 
 course, been most striking in those who have been the 
 greatest benefactors of mankind, and whose memory is 
 the most precious. Their high and distinguished hon- 
 our and usefulness have unquestionably been attributa- 
 ble — and such has been their own judgment — to the 
 signal blessing of the God of providence on measures 
 and eflbrts, for direction and assistance in which they 
 constantly looked and prayed. Yes ; they sensibly 
 felt their dependence on God and continually acknowl- 
 edged it ; they sought and obtained his guidance and 
 benediction ; and when success, often beyond their 
 most sanguine hopes, crowned their labours, they as- 
 cribed the praise of all, not to themselves, but to God 
 alone. 
 
 Here, however, an inquiry of some importance de- 
 mands attention. Good men. it must be admitted, have 
 not always been successful, either in their endeavours 
 
 to benefit others, or to provide for themselves. If 
 
 G 
 
42 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 then the promise we consider be invariably fulfilled, 
 how^ in may be asked, is it fulfilled to them ? I answer 
 — good men themselves may not always comply with the 
 condition of the promise, and for this reason may not 
 experience its accomplishment. Men truly good, in 
 their general character, are sometimes greatly deficient 
 in the discharge of particular duties. And in such 
 cases the neglect of duty may be visited with divine 
 chastisements, in such manner that the offence may be 
 seen in the punishment. Who that reads attentively 
 the history of David, but must remark with pain, that 
 the neglect of parental duty was, by the righteous per- 
 mission of God, fearfully punished by filial ingratitude 
 and domestic distress ? In like manner, there may be 
 good men — and indeed, brethren, I fear their num- 
 ber is not small — who are lamentably deficient in the 
 duty of acknowledging God. Good men, indeed, 
 they could not be, if they did not.feel and confess, and 
 with some sensibility and constancy too, their entire 
 dependence on God for all that they possess, and all 
 that they expect. Still, they may be chargeable with 
 great and very criminal neglect. They neglect, per- 
 haps, that part of the general duty which consists in a 
 daily and earnest looking to God to prosper their under- 
 takings, and to bless all the labours of their hands. Or 
 they make material changes in their affairs, or enter 
 on important enterprises, without any special acknowl- 
 edgement of God at all. Or they are not sensible, in 
 the degree that they ought to be, of their need of divine 
 
DISCOURSE II. 43 
 
 direction. Or they do not unite care, caution and in- 
 dustry — the vigorous use of their own powers and 
 efforts — with the other part of the duty. That by pal- 
 pable and gross deficiency in some one, or in several, 
 of these particulars, good men sometimes fail in per- 
 forming the condition specified in the text, and so lose 
 the benefit of the promise w hich it contains, is not to be 
 doubted. Far be it from us, indeed, rashly to judge 
 our brethren in particular instances, and to say, w hen 
 we see an individual unsuccessful in life, that his dis- 
 appointments or losses are the punishment of his ne- 
 glecting to acknowledge God. This is contrary to the 
 whole tenor of scripture doctrine, and the spirit of chris- 
 tian charity ; and it will presently appear that our sub- 
 ject itself forbids such a conclusion. But although it 
 is not for us, who know neither the hearts nor the exer- 
 cises of individuals, hastily to mark them as transgres- 
 sors, yet it is not only a doctrinal truth warranted by 
 scripture, but one of great *practical importance, which 
 ought to be imprinted on our minds for admonition and 
 w-arning, that good men may sorely experience the 
 frowns of providence in their worldly concerns, be- 
 cause they do not suitably acknowledge God. Nay, 
 the pious are the very persons w ho have most reason 
 to expect this dispensation. The ungodly may " pros- 
 per in the world and increase in riches,'' and thus fill 
 up the measure of their iniquity, and receive the more 
 aggravated condemnation in the world to come. But 
 the Father of mercies chastens his own children in this 
 

 44 DISCOURSE 11. 
 
 life, that he may bring them to repentance, reclaim 
 them from their wanderings, and thus prepare them for 
 ^^ the inheritance of the saints in light.'^ 
 
 It now only remains to admit, in the most explicit 
 manner, that there may he cases where worldly success 
 or prosperity may not be the allotment of those who 
 are chargeable with no special neglect of the duty pre- 
 scribed in the text. How, it will be demanded, is the 
 promise fulfilled to these ? The answer is easy to him 
 who has faith in God, and knowledge of his holy word. 
 That w^ord will teach us that nothing can be further 
 from the truth than to believe, that the worldly prosper- 
 ity which we are prone to desire, and especially that 
 measure of it w^hich we often covet, would be a real 
 favour if it were bestowed. Here, then, is the solution 
 of the apparent difficulty. In all cases where men 
 have truly and suitably acknowledged God, and yet 
 have not obtained what they have sought, their Heav- 
 enly Fatlier has seen that it would not be good for 
 them to obtain it. He has seen that disappointment 
 would be better for them than success, and therefore, 
 in very faithfulness he has disappointed them. He 
 gives to all his people, who duly acknowledge him, 
 as much prosperity as they can bear ; as much as they 
 themselves would wish, if every thing was as open 
 to their view as it is to his. To these, therefore, 
 his promise is as really and as kindly fulfilled as it is 
 to those who are not disappointed — as it is to the most 
 prosperous. They have actually had all the success 
 
DISCOURSE II. 45 
 
 which, taking their whole existence into \\eWf an omni- 
 scient and covenant-keeping God saw to be best for them. 
 To desire more, or other than this, would be the ex- 
 treme both of folly and impiety. 
 
 It is not a christian but an infidel opinion, that men 
 cannot be favoured without a large measure of worldly 
 prosperity. The christian doctrine, taught too by some 
 of the best heathen moralists, is, that the Deity not only 
 may, but often in fact does, curse with prosperity, and 
 bless with adversity. Those who are ultimately the 
 most prospered and honoured, even in this world, are 
 frequently prepared for it, by a most painful training 
 in the school of adversity. It was so with Moses, with 
 Job, with Joseph, with Jeptha, with David ; and with 
 hundreds of others in every age of the world. Men, 
 indeed, are seldom qualified either for very eminent 
 usefulness, or for the best enjoyment of prosperity, till 
 they have learned humility and self command, from 
 affliction and disappointment ; and fortitude, activity and 
 perseverance, from contending with enemies and ad- 
 verse events. A man, therefore, is not hastily to con- 
 elude that he will never be prosperous, because pros- 
 perity has long been denied him. The w\ay may only 
 be preparing to render him far more happy and honour- 
 able, even in this life, than he could have been if he had 
 never seen adversity. But however this may be, if we 
 faithfully acknowledge God in all our ways, he will in- 
 variably so direct our paths as shall be most for our 
 benefit on the whole. For '^ we know that all things 
 
46 DISCOURSE 11. 
 
 work together for good to them that love God, to them 
 who are the called according to his purpose — For our 
 light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for 
 us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ; 
 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at 
 the things which are not seen : for the things which are 
 seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen 
 are eternal — For all things are yours : Whether Paul, 
 or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, 
 or things present, or things to come ; all are yours ; 
 and ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's.'^ 
 
 It now remains to make a practical application of the 
 subject. And — 
 
 1. It is obvious to remark, after what has been said^ 
 that a large proportion of nominal christians, live hab- 
 itually in the neglect, or violation, of one of the plainest 
 dictates of the religion in which they have been educa- 
 ted. So far are they from acknowledging God in all 
 their ways, that they acknowledge him in none of their 
 ways. Instead of looking to him to direct their paths, 
 they never think of divine direction, and look only to 
 themselves. The particular providence of God, than 
 which our Saviour himself taught no doctrine more 
 plainly, these persons, who call themselves christians, 
 overlook, deny, or ridicule. The duty of prayer, as 
 grounded on that doctrine, they, of course, never per- 
 form, or attempt. " God is not in all their thoughts.'^ 
 They think not of Him, either as their future judge and 
 rewarder, or as their present benefactor and protector. 
 
DISCOURSE H. 47 
 
 Such men are unhappy examples of the justice of the 
 remark, that the professors of all false religions, act up- 
 on their avowed principles with far greater consistency 
 and exactness, than many professors of the true religion 
 act upon theirs. It is, indeed, melancholy to think, 
 how many there are, under the light of the gospel, 
 whom our text and subject most pointedly reprove ; 
 who have even less sense of their dependence on God, 
 tlian Heathen and Mahometans ; wdio never yet seri- 
 ously asked counsel of God, or sought his aid and bles- 
 sing, in any of their concerns. If I speak in the hearing 
 of any of this character, let them be entreated, by every 
 consideration both of duty and interest, to turn from a 
 course of such dreadful impiety and danger. Hence I 
 remark — 
 
 2. That those who have not succeeded in their en- 
 terprizes in life, should be led by this subject to inquire, 
 whether they may not have failed because they did not 
 acknowledge God in all their ways. Although it be 
 unquestionable that what is called worldly prosperity, 
 is not invariably the allotment of the pious, still it is 
 also true, as we have seen, that it may be denied to 
 others because thev have never suitablv sousrht the 
 divine blessing on their undertakings and endeavours. 
 He whose memory and conscience can inform him, that 
 his plans and efforts to acquire worldly wealth, or 
 influence, have not been formed with a suitable sense 
 of his dependence on God for success, and with frequent 
 prayer for the divine blessing on them, has no reason to 
 
48 DISCOURSE 11. 
 
 wonder if they have all been blasted and proved abor- 
 tive ; though lawful in themselves, and though prose- 
 cuted with diligence and discretion. Persons of this 
 description should be apprised that their best interests, 
 their eternal Avell being, may require that disappoint- 
 ment should continue, till it shall lead them to the God 
 whom they have forgotten. When this shall be effect- 
 ed, and their future and everlasting felicity be secured, 
 a merciful God may see meet to change his dealings 
 with them, and to allow them a larger portion than 
 they have yet enjoyed of temporal prosperity. Every 
 consideration, therefore, of what they owe to their 
 Maker and to themselves, urges them to unfeigned re- 
 pentance for their past delinquency, and to an immedi- 
 ate and cordial performance of the duty they have so 
 long neglected. 
 
 But I feel constrained to say farther, that I am verily 
 persuaded there is scarcely any duty w^hich is more im- 
 perfectly performed, even by real christians, than that 
 wdiich I now inculcate. Alas ! how few are they who 
 daily live with a proper regard to the all- seeing and all- 
 disposing God ! who feelingly recognize their need of 
 his counsel and superintending care, in all they do or 
 attempt ; in lying down and rising up ; in going out 
 and coming in ; in every situation, or company in which 
 they may be found. It is no violation of truth or char- 
 ity, though is seems a paradox in religion, to say that 
 there is much forgetfulness of God, much implicit denial 
 of his presence, providence, power, and faithfulness — 
 
 ^^:';r^> 
 
DISCOURSE IL 49 
 
 in a word^ much practical atheism, even among those 
 who are not wholly destitute of real piety. Truly, 
 in this view of the subject, the most of us have need to 
 be deeply abased, and henceforth to endeavour to act 
 nfore as becomes the christian profession, more as " see- 
 ing Him who is invisible — and in whom we live and 
 move and have our being.'' 
 
 3. The subject ought greatly to alarm those who 
 have been prosperous in the world, without acknowl- 
 edging God. Men are sometimes seen who lite- 
 rally and habitually ^^ forget God,'' violate his laws, 
 despise his institutions, and blaspheme his holy name ; 
 who, notwithstanding, acquire wealth, rise to honour, 
 or obtain fame and distinction. Sometimes they are 
 even hardened in their impiety, by their success. They 
 consider and proclaim it as a proof, that the declara- 
 tions and demands of religion are false and vain. Their 
 apparent happiness, also, sometimes operates as a griev- 
 ous discouragement and temptation to the godly ; es- 
 pecially in a season of great adversity or affliction. 
 Such we know was the case of Asaph, recorded in the 
 seventy-third Psalm ; and similar cases have doubtless 
 occurred in every subsequent age. But the solution of 
 the difficulty which Asaph obtained, is that which, at 
 all times, should satisfy the pious : and at all times it 
 should likewise alarm — if indeed any thing can alarm — 
 these proud and hardened abusers of the goodness and 
 grace of God. Hear their fearful destiny announced 
 
 by the holv man whose ^^ feet were almost gone, whose 
 
 H 
 
^0 DISCOURSE II, 
 
 steps had well nigh slipped/^ because he was ^' envious 
 at the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the wick- 
 ed/^ '^ I went/' says he^ ^^ into the sanctuary of God ; 
 then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set 
 them in slippery places ; thou castedst them down into 
 destruction. How are they brought into desolation as 
 in a moment ! they are utterly consumed with terrors. 
 As a dream when one awaketh ; so^ O Lord, when thou 
 awakest, thou shalt despise their image." Yes, breth- 
 ren, we have only to think on the end of such men, and 
 they will no longer be regarded with envy, but with 
 horror. The eminence from which they fall will only 
 serve to plunge them the deeper into perdition. The 
 God of providence, by permitting these abandoned men 
 to acquire wealth, or power, or fame, has shown con- 
 spicuously of how little estimation are those things in 
 his sight.* Yet, as all worldly distinctions are his gifts^ 
 and ought to be employed in his service and to his 
 glory, the abuse of them to his dishonour, will awfully 
 aggravate the final condemnation of their abusers. Un- 
 less the deepest repentance, and an earnest application to 
 the all atoning blood of Christ prevent, they will eternal- 
 ly wish that the most abject state of poverty and contempt 
 had been their lot in life ; rather than that they should 
 have gone to the place of torment, chargeable with 
 insulting their Maker by means of his own bounty, with 
 resisting his proffered mercy, and with injuring others 
 while they ruined their own souls. 
 
 * See note E at the end of the Tolurae. 
 
DISCOURSE II. 51 
 
 4. They, on tlie contrary, who have acknowledged 
 God in all their ways, and yet have not enjoyed wealth, 
 or honour, or power ; but have seen much affliction, or 
 poverty, or disappointment, may learn from this sub- 
 ject, and especially in contrast with that view of it 
 which we have just taken, that they have no reason to 
 be discontented. They may see that the statement, in 
 the doctrinal part of this discourse, that the promise 
 of God to them has not failed, was made on good grounds 
 —that He is not dealing with them in his displeasure, 
 but in covenant faithfulness. In some instances, as we 
 have remarked, the existing adversity may be intended 
 only to prepare the way for the safe and more perfect 
 enjoyment of prosperity in this life. But in cases where 
 this is not, and cannot be realized, still the adversity 
 experienced shall assuredly be blest ; so blest, that in 
 a future and better world, every glorified child of sor- 
 row, shall thank God for every disappointment, and 
 every pain that was here endured ; because it will then 
 be found that it has enhanced the ineffable and eternal 
 bliss of heaven. To every suffering saint, therefore, it 
 belongs to join in the triumphant language of the Psalm- 
 ist, connected with the doom of the ungodly, already 
 recited — " Nevertheless, I am continually with thee ; 
 thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt 
 guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me 
 to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there 
 is none on earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh 
 and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my 
 heart and my portion forever." 
 
52 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 5. Finally ; I wish, for a few moments, to apply 
 this subject to those youth of my particular charge, 
 who are about to leave the place of their education ; 
 and to the most of whom I shall probably never have 
 another opportunity to speak publickly on the subjects 
 of religion and morals. 
 
 My young friends ! 
 
 I have already directed your attention, as you know, 
 to a system of advices adapted to the peculiar circum- 
 stances in which you now stand, by a man eminently 
 qualified to give counsel to the young. ^ These advi- 
 ces you have carefully treasured in your memories, 
 that they may be ready for use, as circumstances may 
 demand, through the whole of your future lives. After 
 taking care that this should be accomplished, my chief 
 I'emrjning concern was, to present to you on this inter- 
 esting occasion, some one great and comprehensive 
 truth, easily understood, and not easily forgotten, which 
 should, by itself, embody every particular advice. 
 And such a truth, precisely, I am well persuaded, is 
 that which our text contains — ^^ In all your ways ac- 
 knowledge God, and He shall direct your paths.'' Re- 
 gard this sacred maxim, in the manner that has been 
 recommended, and all will be well. It will guide you in 
 safety through this world, and conduct you with cer- 
 tainty to a better. To this, therefore, at parting from 
 you, I earnestly and tenderly exhort you. If any of 
 you have hitherto neglected the duty, begin its per- 
 
 * See note F at the end of the volume. 
 
DISCOURSE II. 53 
 
 formance immediately, and continue in it while you 
 live. Keep it always in mind, that you must obtain the 
 divine direction and blessing, if ever you are truly 
 happy, prosperous or honourable ; and ask, therefore, 
 for these inestimable favours, in daily and fervent 
 prayer. 
 
 Bear with me — for I am anxious for your happiness 
 — while I press upon you, a little farther, some of the 
 leading ideas already suggested as general truths. — 
 When you are about to enter on any undertaking or 
 enterprise, which will deeply affect your character, 
 happiness or usefulness, then let your sense of depend- 
 ance be peculiarly awake and active ; and in special 
 exercises of devotion look to God for his omnipotent 
 assistance, protection and blessing. Whenever you 
 are at a loss in regard to any important point of duty, 
 endeavour to ascertain it by using the means which 
 you have heard detailed in this discourse. In this 
 manner make up your minds decisively and firmly ; and 
 then go forward with cheerfulness and determined res- 
 olution ; — believing that having acknowledged God, 
 according to his commandment, he is directing, and will 
 continue to direct, your paths. 
 
 With some of you, probably, the choice of a profession 
 for life, will not be a matter of much difficulty. It has, 
 perhaps, already been made by your parents, or fixed 
 by your own inclination and deliberate preference. If 
 so, it may not be necessary to question farther its suit- 
 ableness for you ; since the supposition is, that it is 
 
54 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 lawful in itself. But with others, the choice of a pro-^ 
 fession may be a subject of great difficulty and peculiar 
 embarrassment. To such I have to say, that theirs 
 is one of the cases, to which the directions I have given 
 for determining the matter of duty, when it is both 
 doubtful and important, is peculiarly applicable. Let 
 them faithfully pursue the method that has been point- 
 ed out, and their choice will ultimately be right, and 
 their decision satisfactory. And I earnestly exhort 
 all of you, without exception, to enter on your profes- 
 sional pursuits with a distinct and devout recognition 
 of the providence and grace of God, as the sources 
 from which you are to derive direction, assistance and 
 success. 
 
 When a class of youth who have passed through 
 a course of liberal studies, are leaving the place of their 
 education, it is a most interesting thought that we prob- 
 ably see in them, a number of those who are, hereaf- 
 ter, to have great influence on society, both in pri- 
 vate and in publick life. Such, my beloved pupils, I 
 hope and trust is your destination. And in the pros- 
 pect of it, I now solemnly counsel and charge you, to 
 use all the influence which you shall ever possess, in 
 favour of knowledge, virtue and piety ; — particularly, 
 that by your example, as well as by your words, you en- 
 deavour to engage others to acknowledge God. The 
 neglect of this duty by communities, both small and 
 great, as well as by individuals, is often followed by 
 the manifest frowns of Heaven, Families, colleges, leg- 
 
DISCOURSE II. 55 
 
 islative bodies, fleets, armies and nations — the sneer of 
 the infidel notwithstanding — have all furnished exam- 
 ples of this important and awful truth. Let the whole 
 weight of your character and influence, therefore, in all 
 your intercourse with the world, be employed to lead 
 men to the due and rational acknowledgment of God, 
 In this way you may perform a service incalculably 
 beneficial to mankind — to the interests of good morals^ 
 of social happiness and of genuine piety. 
 
 This, then, is my last counsel. With this I leave 
 you in the hands of our common God and Father ; most 
 devoutly praying that his providence may shield you, 
 and his grace and favour accompany you, through the 
 whole journey of life ; and that I may meet you all 
 "with joy and not with grief,^' at that dread tribunal 
 before which we are soon to appear. Amen. 
 
DISCOURSE III. 
 
 THE GOOD MAN'S PROTECTION AND SUPPORT. 
 
 I. PETER III. 13, U. 
 
 '^ And who is he that will harm you^ if ye be followers of 
 that which is good ? But and if ye suffer for righ- 
 teousness^ sakcy happy are yeP 
 
 J_N the context the Apostle Peter delineates and 
 enjoins the virtues of the christian life. To enforce 
 what he says, he urges three considerations ; the 
 happiness of a good life ; the approbation and protec- 
 tion of God ; and the influence of the christian tem- 
 per and deportment in preserving its possessor from 
 much that would harm him, and in comforting him when 
 he suffers for righteousness' sake. 
 
 The last of these considerations is contained in the 
 text, and will form the subject of the ensuing discourse. 
 The three considerations, indeed, are very closely re- 
 lated, and in a measure involve each other ; so that in 
 discussing the last, the two former will, of necessity, be 
 brought into view. 
 
 '' Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of 
 
 that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteous- 
 
 ness' sake, happy are ve." This passage, though di- 
 
 I 
 
58 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 vided into two parts, or verses, in our translation of the 
 scriptures, is, in the original, a single sentence, or pe- 
 riod, and ought to be so considered, if we would per- 
 ceive its full force and beauty. It contains, you will 
 observe, a condition, an interrogatory, and an affirma- 
 tion. The condition is, the possession of a certain 
 character, '' if ye be followers of that which is good.'' 
 The interrogatory — who will harm the possessors of 
 this character? And, the affirmation — that if they 
 even suffer for righteousness' sake, still they are 
 happy. 
 
 After speaking to each of these points in order, it 
 will remain to apply the subject. 
 
 I. We are, first of all, to notice the condition, on 
 which the interrogatory and affirmation in the text are 
 grounded, namely, that it must be the character of the 
 parties spoken of, that they are followers of that which 
 is good. 
 
 The original words which our translators render — 
 '^ if ye be followers of that which is good," literally sig- 
 nify — ** if ye be imitators of him that is good," or " of 
 the thing that is good." Accordingly Doddridge hesi- 
 tates not to translate and paraphrase the words thus — 
 ^' Who shall have the ability or inclination to hurt you^ 
 if ye imitate Him who is supremely good ; if you copy 
 after the benevolence of the Divine Being, and of your 
 great Master, whose whole life was so illustrious an 
 example of the most diffusive generosity and goodness 
 to his followers ?" Other translators have followed this 
 
DISCOURSE III. 59 
 
 aonstruction, and I doubt not, for myself, that it gives 
 the true sense of the passage. It seems to be equiva- 
 lent to the expression of the apostle Paul — "Be ye 
 followers/' or imitators " of God, as dear children.'' 
 
 The divine Saviour was both God and man, and in 
 him w^e have a perfect example. By setting this 
 example constantly before us, we shall have a faultless 
 copy to imitate. The perfection of the copy, indeed, 
 we shall but imperfectly approximate ; and yet by aiming 
 at it continually we may attain an excellence that oth- 
 erwise we should never reach. Subordinately to this, 
 we should, also, be imitators of those mere men whose 
 conduct, in various characters and circumstances, has 
 been most exemplary and laudable. The apostle Paul 
 exhorts the Corinthians — '^ Be ye follow^ers of me, 
 even as I also am of Christ." And elsewhere he says — 
 *' Be ye followers of them who, through faith and pa- 
 tience, inherit the promises." To propose to ourselves 
 the most finished patterns of excellence, in the various 
 relations and occupations of life, has been long and 
 often recommended as one of the best adapted means 
 for rising high in the scale of virtue and improvement. 
 
 As St. Peter, in the text, is speaking of that which 
 w^as to have influence on others, and even on enemies, 
 it is manifest that he must have had a direct reference 
 to visible deportment. Yet I think it of the greatest 
 importance here, to remark, that the conduct which the 
 apostle recommends, must be derived from that genu- 
 ine christian principle^ which has its spring in the 
 
60 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 heart ; and that it can flow from no other source. No 
 other heart than one which is renewed and sanctified by 
 divine grace, will have those evil passions which make 
 a man the tormentor of himself, as well as the injurer 
 of others, effectually subdued, or rather, in a measure, 
 eradicated, and dispositions of an opposite nature, fa- 
 vourable to inward peace and enjoyment, and to out^ 
 ward kindness and beneficence, implanted in their room. 
 Besides ; though the spirit and wisdom of the world 
 dictate the same practice as christian principle, to a 
 certain extent ; both, for example, requiring veracity, 
 integrity and courtesy ; yet in certain points, and 
 those very material to our present purpose, they 
 not only vary, but are directly opposite to each other. 
 The spirit of the gospel requires humility, self-denial, 
 patience and forbearance 5 and forbids every species of 
 revenge. The spirit of the world, on the contrary, 
 not merely permits a proud and vindictive temper and 
 practice, but, on certain occasions, enjoins them. They, 
 therefore, w^ho would be followers of that which is good ; 
 '—they who would be imitators of Christ, and of the 
 most distinguished worthies of our race ;•— they who 
 would take the whole revealed system for their guide ; 
 —they, in a word, who would really come up to the 
 demands of the condition in the text — must not be 
 '^ conformed to this world, but transformed by the re- 
 newing of their mind.'' They must be vital, practical 
 christians ; and the more they are inwardly sanctified, 
 the more will they be outwardly what the text requires. 
 
DISCOURSE III. 61 
 
 But, having considered the fountain as purified, let us 
 trace a little the wholesome and pleasant streams, which 
 it will be sure to send forth ; and which are so refresh- 
 ing and dehghtful in the journey of human life, that 
 none but the most perverted and depraved can fail to 
 relish, admire and commend them. The lives of the 
 Lest men, indeed, do not exhibit all the proper effects of 
 true christian principle. Sanctified but in part, their 
 practice is but imperfectly conformed to the standard of 
 duty which they sincerely and supremely love, and by 
 which they honestly desire and endeavour to regulate their 
 conduct. But, altliough christian practice is never a// that 
 christian principle is calculated to make it, still the proper 
 tendency of tliat principle ought to be clearly shown. 
 Nor should we make too great an allowance for human 
 infirmity, lest we encourage and increase an evil which 
 we ought only to deplore. The apostle evidently con- 
 templated in the text an exemplary exhibition of the 
 christian character. 
 
 With these remarks in view, let it be observed, that 
 the follower of that which is good, he who truly endea- 
 vours to imitate Christ, will, in some good measure, ex- 
 emplify such a system of practice as the following — He 
 will strive to perform every duty which he owes to God 
 and man, in a manner, at once the most exact and the 
 most acceptable. Although sincerely and devoutly 
 pious, so that he would sooner sacrifice his life than 
 his religion; although he will neither deny nor be 
 ashamed of Christ and his cause, in any company or 
 
62 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 situation in which you can place him^ nor consent to 
 modify the pure doctrines of the gospel, so as to ac^ 
 commodate them to a corrupt taste ; although he will, 
 on all suitable occasions, contend earnestly for the faith 
 once delivered to the saints ; yet he will do all this in the 
 most inoffensive manner that he can devise. He will 
 be careful to profess and defend religion with a gospel 
 temper ; and will return good for evil, blessing for curs- 
 ing. He will be watchful to do nothing that shall cause 
 his good to be evil spoken of; and will therefore avoid 
 austerity, moroseness, harshness, uncharitableness and 
 arrogance. In a word, he will seek lo render the gos- 
 pel, in its purity, as little offensive as it can be render- 
 ed to those who have not yet cordially embraced it ; 
 feeling the obligation and the importance of his Lord's 
 injunction — '* Let your light so shine before mf n that 
 they may see your good works and glorify your Father 
 which is in heaven." In discharging the general duties 
 w^hich he owes to his brethren of mankind, the follower of 
 that which is good, will be just, and fair, and equitable, 
 and kind, and liberal, and merciful. He will obey the 
 precept, ^* Owe no man any thing, but to love one anoth- 
 er.*' He will never circumvent, nor defraud, nor de- 
 ceive, nor deal hardly with any man. He will consci- 
 entiously and faithfully perform every engagement that 
 he makes, and never betray the trust or confidence 
 reposed in him. 
 
 In the discharge of all relative and official duties, he 
 will be very exemplary. He will be a dutiful son, a 
 
DISCOURSE III. 63 
 
 tender husband, an affectionate father, a reasonable 
 master, a kind neighbour, a faithful friend, a good citi- 
 zen, an upright magistrate. He will be liberal of his 
 substance ; will give freely to the poor, and patronize all 
 schemes for the promotion of knowledge, of piety, and 
 of public utility. He will be a peace- maker ; not only 
 avoiding broils and contentions himself, but endeavour- 
 ing to prevent them, or to heal them, among others. 
 He will never do an ill office to any one ; but will 
 love to serve and promote the interest of others, when- 
 ever he finds it in his power. He will be a man of 
 sympathy ; he Avill enter into the feelings of others, rejoic- 
 ing with those that rejoice, and weeping with those that 
 weep. He will be kind, and obliging, in all his deportment. 
 In every way that he can, and in every place in which 
 he may find himself, he will seek to do good ; for this 
 is what he loves ; he follows it ; he is devoted to it ; 
 for the supposition is, that he is like his Saviour, who 
 ^^went about doing good.'^ 
 
 II. Brethren, can we now fail to feel the force of 
 the interrogatory which forms the second point to be 
 considered? Might not the apostle well ask who is he 
 that will harm such a man as has just been described ? 
 Will he not be likely to have more friends than any 
 other man ? Will he not often convert enemies into 
 friends? And will he not sometimes shame, confound 
 and silence, those whom he cannot conciliate ? Will not 
 his enemies find it difficult to assign a plausible pre- 
 tence to harm him ? Nay, will they not find it difficult 
 
64 DISCOURSE IIL 
 
 to get at him to do him harm ? Will not his temper 
 and conduct become a broad shield, to intercept, or 
 turn aside, the shafts of malignity and baseness ? To 
 all these inquiries, and many more of a similar kind, 
 which carry their answer along with them, the single 
 question in the text seems naturally to give rise. 
 
 The apostle, indeed, does immediately intimate — and 
 this we are afterwards to consider — that the man we 
 have described, may, after all, be called to suffer. Yet 
 the distinct, and clear, and strong import of the text is, 
 that this followxr or imitator of good and goodness, 
 will effectually secure himself against much harm ; that 
 his excellent temper and exemplary life will, in a very 
 high degree, prove a protection to him. To illustrate 
 this, I will a little extend the ideas already suggested; 
 and bring into view some additional considerations. 
 
 1. The follower or imitator of that which is good, 
 will not harm himself, as bad men do, by cherishing 
 those feelings and passions which are, in their very 
 nature, painful and tormenting. It is in this way that 
 men inflict upon themselves a very large proportion of 
 all their sufferings. Take away all the miseries which 
 arise from repining against God, his providence, his 
 dispensations, his allotments ; all that are produced by 
 the fear of his displeasure, both here and hereafter ; 
 all that spring from discontent, from peevishness, from 
 mortified pride, from envy, from resentment, hatred, 
 and the desire of revenge ; all that are created by cov- 
 etousness, by avarice, by ungratified ambition, and by 
 
BiscounsE m. 65 
 
 disappointed vanity ; — in a word^ by all the unhallowed 
 and malignant passions — Take them all away, and 
 think what a mass of wretchedness you have destroyed* 
 Think how great a proportion these bad feelings and 
 passions make of all that does harm to human enjoy- 
 ment. Think how comparatively blessed a man would 
 be who should never feel one of them^ or who, having 
 felt them^ should never feel them more^ Would he not 
 by this, have more done to make him happy, than 
 could be done in every other way ? Assuredly he would. 
 Remember, then, that he who is a follower of that 
 which is good, is this very man* To see that he is so^ 
 you have only to recollect his character, as already giv- 
 en. In proportion as he possesses that character, 
 he will avoid all the harm, the entire mass of misery^ 
 to which your attention has just be^n directed. And the 
 sole reason that he does not avoid it completely, is that 
 he does not perfectly possess the character* But in 
 the degree in which it is, in fact, often possessed, it 
 effects much, very much. It preserves the possessor 
 from being a self tormentor, the most incessant and 
 most cruel of all tormentors* 
 
 Nor is the happy influence of this character merely 
 negative. It not only exterminates or suppresses bad 
 passions and emotions, but it implants those which are 
 good and productive of the highest inward delight* 
 Let inspiration instruct us here. " The fruit of the 
 spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, 
 
 goodness, faith, meekness, temperance/*' No human 
 
 K 
 
66 BISCOURSE IIL 
 
 bosom can be so happy as that in which these heavenly 
 aJRTections are warm and active : and in the bosom of 
 him who is a follower of that which is good; and in 
 his only, they are actually found. 
 
 2. As the temper and dispositions of the follower of 
 that which is good, preserve him from harming himself, 
 so, also, they save him from provoking others to injure 
 him. There certainly are some injuries which are en- 
 tirely unprovoked. But in a large majority of cases 
 they are, in a degree, invited; or at least some oc- 
 casion is given to inflict them. Here, for exam- 
 ple, is a man of an overbearing temper. He arro- 
 gates to himself what he will not concede to others. 
 He is determined that the world shall bow to him, and 
 not he to it. But the world, unhappily, contains too 
 many spirits like his own. They rise in hostility 
 against him, and in the unequal contest he is vanquish- 
 ed, humbled, injured. But this injury he plainly pro- 
 voked and invited. Had religion been his counsellor 
 and guide ; had he been a follower of that which is 
 good, who is he that would have harmed him ? 
 
 Again ; here is a man far less obnoxious than the 
 one just described. He is punctiliously careful never 
 to give an offence. But in his turn he is resolved never, 
 passively, to receive one. He holds it to be altogether 
 beneath a man of spirit to suffer the smallest affront to 
 go unrevenged. What is the consequence ? He is often 
 engaged in broils and contentions, in demanding expla- 
 nations, and in affairs of honour 5 till at last he, not im- 
 
DISCOURSE III. 67 
 
 probably, terminates his life in single combat. Now, 
 had this man been a follower of that which is good, 
 had he learned to forgive, and not to revenge, who 
 would have harmed him ? How much more peacefully 
 w^ould he have lived ; and how much more happily 
 would he have died ? 
 
 3. Closely connected with the last particular is the 
 consideration, that the follower of that which is good, in 
 addition to his avoiding every thing calculated to irri- 
 tate others, will do much to conciliate them. His char- 
 acter is exactly that which is the best adapted to make 
 others love him. He will have many and warm 
 friends ; and, if he live long, he will, in instances not a 
 few, disarm those that had once been hostile. All men 
 would rather have friends than enemies. Bad men are 
 not only willing, but often very desirous, to have the 
 friendship of the good, because it is both useful and 
 honourable to them. They will, therefore, not only be 
 ready to accept the friendship of an amiable and excel- 
 lent man, but, when it does not interfere too much with 
 their passions and pursuits, will usually make some 
 sacrifices to obtain and keep it. And when they do 
 not go even this length, they sometimes choose, from 
 the same motive of self interest, not to appear as the 
 open and avowed enemies of such a man. It hurts 
 themselves, by diminishing their influence and respect- 
 ability. And even when they will not be restrained ; 
 when they either secretly or openly assail him, they 
 ©ften find it impracticable to do him any real injury. 
 
ea DiscorRSE in. 
 
 His character defends him, and the malignant efforts of 
 his enemies only recoil upon themselves. 
 
 4, As the character we consider preserves its pos- 
 sessor from much harm, by being amiable and concili- 
 atory, so, it is productive of the same effect, by the 
 dignity which it confers, and the awe and veneration 
 which it inspires. Nothing can be farther from the 
 truth than to suppose, that to follow that which is good, 
 in the manner we have described, is calculated to bring 
 upon him who does it, the imputation of pusillanimity, 
 meanness, or cowardice ; and to cause him rather to be 
 despised and insulted, than respected and feared. If 
 the character be consistently maintained ; if all the vir- 
 tues which belong to it be exhibited in their just har- 
 mony and proportion, the very reverse will be the 
 effect produced. Mildness and majesty, meekness and 
 dignity, temper and firmness, kindness and decision, 
 aye so far from being inconsistent, that they are always 
 avixiliary to each other. The genuine character we 
 Ciontemplate will, therefore, be as defensive as it is in- • 
 ^locent and amiable. Often has the majesty of virtue 
 overawed the profligate and profane, and been a protec- 
 tion to its possessor. Sinners of a common character 
 ^e abashed in its presence. Ordinary vice blushes 
 before it, and skulks into concealment. It flees from 
 that which exposes its deformity, by contrast, as well 
 as by verbal reproof. Guilt is naturally timid, and 
 innocence and integrity are naturally undaunted. Guilt 
 violates conscience, and the principles of honour and 
 
DISCOURSE m. G9 
 
 shame ; innocence and integrity have them all on their 
 side. Hence, when bad men have been resolutely bent 
 on offering personal violence, or insult, to the follower 
 of that which is good, the very sight and presence of 
 the good man has sometimes confounded and discon- 
 certed them utterly. They have fled from him, or 
 humbled themselves before him — " Surely never man 
 spake like this man;" said the discomfited band that 
 had been sent to apprehend our blessed Lord. Herod, 
 although an absolute monarch and steeped in blood and 
 crime, yet feared John the Baptist ; for a time heard 
 him gladly, and did many things which he enjoined. 
 Nor was it till the WTetched tyrant was inflamed by 
 wine, intoxicated with mirth, surrounded by his cour- 
 tiers, insnared by a foolish and wicked oath, and se- 
 duced by an insidious harlot, that he could be persua- 
 ded to issue the murderous mandate to destroy John : 
 and even then he was " very sorry" for what his false 
 honour drove him to perpetrate. So much is vice over- 
 awed by virtue ! So venerable and defensive is a good 
 man's character ! 
 
 5. The follower of that which is good will escape 
 much harm, because he will have no connexion with the 
 company, the places, the occasions, and the practices, 
 from which mischiefs of the most serious kind commonly 
 arise. 
 
 Examine in what places, and on what occasions, the 
 most calamitous disasters that disturb and distress do- 
 mestic and social life have most frequently taken their 
 
70 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 rise. You will find that they have sprung from place* 
 of rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wanton- 
 ness ; from the midnight revel ; from lawless or exces- 
 sive indulgence ; or from the company and counsels of 
 wicked men. The gaol and the gibbet are furnished 
 from tippling houses, and taverns, and brothels, and the 
 influence of vile associates. The murders — for murders 
 they strictly are — which are committed in the infernal 
 practice of duelling, may often be traced to parties of 
 pleasure, to theatres, to harlots, to companies and con- 
 versations where the spirits are unduly excited, and 
 the passions inflamed by intemperance. ^* Who hath 
 wo ? w ho hath sorrow ? who hath contentions ? who 
 hath babbling ? who hath wounds without cause ? who 
 hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the 
 wine ; they that go to seek mixed wine — At the last it 
 biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.'^ Ah ! 
 how many a broken-hearted parent, how many a discon- 
 solate wife, how many a ruined child, has been indebt- 
 ed to scenes, and associates, and causes, such as we 
 have here noticed, for calamities which, to the end of 
 life, they have had to lament, without being able to 
 remove ! It is obvious, without remark, that from this 
 whole host of harms and evils the follower of that which 
 is good will be absolutely free, and completely secured 
 by the very character he possesses. 
 
 6. Who will harm the follower of that which is good, 
 when there is no one so obedient as he to all the laws 
 of his country; and so observant of what is due to 
 
DISCOURSE TIL 71 
 
 magistrates and superiors ? When it is said — " but 
 and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake" — it is strongly 
 intimated that a good man will suffer for nothing else. 
 He will never, while he acts in character, do any thing 
 for which it will be right that, from the hand of man, he 
 should suffer. For he will obey scrupulously and ex- 
 actly every known law of his country, not inconsistent 
 with the laws of God ; and this not merely through 
 fear, but also " for conscience sake.'' It is nothing 
 to him though he could violate or evade a law of the 
 land, without the possibility of discovery. His con- 
 science gives him a law which is superior to all others ; 
 and which sanctions all others, so far as they offer no 
 violation to itself. When, therefore, human laws leave 
 it perfectly in his power, as they sometimes may, to 
 defraud or injure his neighbour, that neighbour is still 
 protected by the good man's conscience. He will not 
 willingly do \\Tong to any man, whatever opportunity 
 or ten;ptation he may have to do it. 
 
 For conscience sake he will, also, obey and respect 
 magistrates. By an authority which is supreme with him 
 he is taught to regard them as " the ordinance of God.*' 
 He will therefore " render to all their dues ; tribute to 
 whom tribute is due, custom to w hom custom, fear to whom 
 fear, honour to whom honour." The apostle, brethren, 
 seems to have had the subject of this particular distinctly 
 in his view when he panned the text : And it is seen at 
 once, that no individual who conscientiously obeys all 
 the laws of society, demeans himself properly to all his 
 
73 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 superiors^ and is also extensively charitable and benefi* 
 cent, ever can suffer from any law, or magistracy, or 
 human authority whatsoever, unless he suffer unjustly. 
 7. I close this part of the subject with observing, 
 that the follower of that which is good will be saved 
 from much harm by the special providence and protec- 
 tion of God. This is unquestionably a doctrine of holy 
 scripture. The providence of God, indeed, extends to 
 all men — nay to all his creatures, whether animate or 
 inanimate. But he is the covenant God of his people 
 only ; and to them alone he has given assurance of a 
 particular favourable regard. Of them, exclusively, it 
 is said — ^' He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of 
 his eye — Yea, he reproveth kings for their sake ; saying 
 touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm — 
 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 
 that fear him and delivereth them.'^ In what particular 
 instances or circumstances the invisible agency of angels, 
 or of the Lord of angels, is, more especially, interposed 
 to defend and deliver his people, is unknown to them. 
 Yet they know the fact, that such an agency is exer- 
 cised. They know, also, that the superintending care 
 of the God of providence, is always so extended over 
 them, that nothing rational or irrational, visible or in- 
 visible, shall ever be permitted to harm them, farther 
 than he shall permit, and overrule for their good* 
 They have an express assurance that ^^ when a man's 
 ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to 
 be at peace with him." He controls their rage ; or he 
 
DISCOURSE III. 73 
 
 inclines them to better purposes than those which tliey 
 had formed against his people ; or he limits or disap- 
 points their efforts, by his providential dispensations. 
 " Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee ; the re- 
 mainder of wrath shalt tliou restrain" — And who can 
 destroy whom God will save ! who can harm whom om- 
 nipotence will protect ! 
 
 So extensive and compreliensive, then, is the import 
 of the interrogatory in the text. So various and nume- 
 rous are the ways, in which a good man'^s character 
 and state, will prove a protection to him. Yet, after 
 all, as already hinted, the text admits that he may 
 ^^ suffer for righteousness' sake.'' And we are now 
 
 III. To illustrate the afiirmation, that although he 
 suffer tlius, still he is happy* 
 
 Here it will be proper, first, to notice the hypotlieti- 
 cal form of the apostle's language — ^'but and \f ye 
 suffer." This seems to intimate that probably some of 
 those to whom there was reference would almost, or 
 altogether, escape suffering. And this is found in 
 experience to be the fact. Generally those suffer 
 least, who have least to do with public conccrlis, 
 and are least exposed to publick notice. The fol- 
 lower of that whicli is good, in the quiet scenes of 
 private life, may be so influential, and so beloved, and 
 scatter so many blessings around him, as sometimes 
 scarcely to know what it is to suffer for righteousness' 
 sake. This, however, is far from being always the 
 case, even in private life 5 and it is, I think, never the 
 
74 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 case^ when the good man occupies a publick and re- 
 sponsible station, and is obliged to have much to do 
 with concerns, in which the interests and feelings of 
 others are deeply involved. In these circumstances, 
 no good man can reasonably expect wholly to escape 
 the effect of unreasonable and unjust resentment. A 
 wise and sovereign God, indeed, awards to his people 
 their several allotments of suffering in his cause, as of 
 every thing else. Far more is endured in one age and 
 place than in another. And even among individuals, in 
 the same or similar circumstances, one is grievously 
 persecuted, and another is comparatively but little an- 
 noyed. In view of this, we can only say — " Even so, 
 Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." 
 
 It appears, then, that no follower of that wiiich is 
 good ought to calculate on a total exemption from suf- 
 fering, but rather to prepare to meet it patiently and 
 firmly. Our perfect and blameless example, the Lord 
 Jesus Christ himself, was, we know, through much of 
 his life, in various ways, subjected to extreme suffering 
 for righteousness' sake ; and at last was " taken by 
 wicked hands and crucified and slain." And he hath 
 reminded us that " The servant is not above his mas- 
 ter, nor the disciple above his Lord. It is enough for 
 the disciple that he be as his mrister, and the servant 
 as his Lord. If they have called the Master of the 
 house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them 
 of his household — If they have persecuted me they will 
 also persecute you." These words were no doubt in- 
 
DISCOURSE III. 75 
 
 tended to have a peculiar reference to the apostles and 
 primitive christians ; but the spirit of them is applica- 
 ble to the followers of Christ at all times, and in all 
 places. So that, altliough the character which good men 
 possess will be a defence to them in all the ways which 
 have b^en mentioned, yet this character itself may 
 be the very cause of their suffering. They may 
 suffer not only although they are good, but because they 
 are good — " suffer for righteousness' sake.'^ 
 
 The conspicuous virtues of a good man form, of them- 
 selves, a reproof to the openly vicious, which, in some cir- 
 cumstances, they keenly feel. His character reproaches 
 theirs, and fills them with malignant hatred against 
 him. Sometimes, too, his duty requires that he should, 
 in words and in a personal address, reprove their vices. 
 At other times, he is called actively and publickly to 
 withstand them ; to expose their pernicious principles 
 or designs, and warn others against them ; to detect 
 their hypocrisy ; to oppose their acquisition of unjust 
 gain, their frauds, their extortion, their avarice, their 
 profligacy, their licentious pleasures, their ambition, 
 their thirst of revenge. Hence, when the wicked arc 
 armed wdth power, they will sometimes be satisfied 
 with nothing, short of the blood of those from whom 
 they have met with opposition and reproof. Our bles- 
 sed Lord himself, his forerunner, his apostles, and in- 
 numerable martyrs and holy men in all ages, have been 
 examples of this truth. But when the wicked cannot, 
 or dare not, or ai^e not disposed to take the life of a good 
 
76 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 man, still they often cause him to suffer greatly. They 
 slander him ; they excite and foment prejudices against 
 him : thev combine and lie in wait to seize a favourable 
 opportunity to injure him, to diminish his influence, tq 
 bring him into dis esteem, and, if they can, to ruin him. 
 For the most part, their iniquitous designs and attempts 
 are, in a great measure, defeated. Truth and integrity 
 are generally an overmatch for intrigue and falsehood. 
 The good man's character, as we have seen, forms a 
 bulwark around him, which it is not easy either to force 
 or mine. In some instances, however, they are suc- 
 cessful, at least for a time ; frequently they do not alto- 
 gether fail in their wicked devices ; and almost always 
 they annoy and disturb the object of their hatred. Yet, 
 in the midst of all, I affirm, in accordance with the text, 
 that the good man is happy — enviably happy. 
 
 1. He is happy, on the whole, in regard to his in- 
 ward feelings, and the state of his mind. As he suffers 
 for righteousness' sake, his conscience cannot but be 
 his friend, and commend him decisively for doing the 
 very things which have brought persecution on him. 
 It is impossible, therefore, that he should feel remorse or 
 self reproach. At times he may have some conflicts 
 \vith himself, in his endeavours to preserve a christian 
 temper, under all the unjust and cruel treatment which 
 he receives. Yet, in general, he is tranquil ; and a 
 peaceful and approving conscience makes him happy. 
 Nay, in the view of all that he has done, and of all 
 that he suffers for it, he often lifts up his heart in 
 
DISCOURSE III. 77 
 
 thanksgiving to God, for that grace which lias cnahled him 
 to " keep a conscience void of offence/' and he rejoices 
 with exceeding great joy. Verily, it is not easy to tell 
 how blessed a possession is this peaceful and approving 
 conscience, of which I am speaking. It blesses by day 
 and by night. It takes away the sting of affliction. 
 It makes the pillow grateful, and sleep refreshing. 
 Daniel might sleep in the den of lions, and perhaps did so, 
 while the unhappy monarch under whose order he suf- 
 fered, passed a sleepless night, in reflecting on his folly 
 and guilt. The author of our text, we know, w^as 
 sleeping — mark it — " sleeping between two soldiers, 
 bound with two chains'' when the angel came to deliver 
 him ; although he knew that <fn the following morning 
 he was to be led out to a violent and ignominious death. 
 And both he and his fellow apostles, when they had been 
 beaten, at the command of the Jewish rulers, " departed 
 from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they 
 were counted worthy to suffer shame," for the name of 
 their Lord. Was it not, think you, under an impressive 
 recollection of these very events that the holy apostle 
 penned the text — " But and if ye suffer for righteous- 
 ness sake, happy are ye ?" Yes, he had tried it, and 
 knew by experience, as well as by inspiration, the 
 precious truth which he recorded. And try it whoever 
 may, it shall always be found true, that an approving 
 conscience will render him who suffers for righteous- 
 ness' sake, emphatically, a blessed man. 
 
78 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 2. It must be so^ because the good man knows that thfe 
 approbation of his conscience is the approbation of 
 God. Conscience has often been denominated God's 
 vicegerent. The appellation is not always just ; be- 
 cause conscience is sometimes misinformed and mis- 
 gidded^ and speaks^ '' peace^ peace, when there is no 
 peace." But when conscience has been enlightened 
 by the divine law, pacified by the sprinkling of atoning 
 blood, and conformed to the standard of gospel obedi- 
 ence, then its voice is indeed the voice of God. And 
 such, as his character demonstrates, must be the con- 
 science of every one, who is a follower of that which is 
 good. But in addition to his general character, the 
 very circumstance that' he suiFers for righteousness 
 sake, affords him one of tlie best evidences that he is 
 the friend of God, and that God is his friend. 
 
 When virtue and piety are rev/arded by esteem, and 
 honour, and wealth, many appear to be virtuous and 
 pious, who are so in appearance only, and who drop the 
 disguise as soon as persecution threatens them. But 
 if a man adhere steadfastly to his duty, when it subjects 
 him to reproach, and shame, and loss, and pain, his 
 sincerity is proved by the most rigorous and unequivo- 
 cal test. He perceives this, and he rejoices in the ev- 
 idence thus afforded to his own mind, that his attach^ 
 Hient to rectitude is both genuine and stable ; and conse- 
 quently that the heart- searching God approves his 
 conduct. Now, this is precisely the situation of the 
 good man while he is suffering for righteousness sake. 
 
DISCOURSE III. 79 
 
 He sees that he is enduring the trial of his integrity, 
 and he feels that he is willing to abide it. He knows 
 that God witnesses the motives by which he is influen- 
 ced, is pleased with the course he is pursuing, and will 
 abundantly reward him for all that he suiTers. He sees 
 . that should his enemies even take his life, they would 
 only liberate him the more speedily from all his sufTer- 
 ings, and introduce him at once to ineffable and endless 
 felicity. He can therefore say with truth, that he ^* re- 
 joices in tribulation." Yes, bretliren, his consolations 
 are sometimes inexpressible — assured that the God before 
 whom all creatures are dust and vanity, looks down upon 
 him in his aflliction with complacency, shines into his soul 
 with the refreshing influences of his grace, takes iiini 
 into sweet communion with Himself, and leads forwai-d 
 his views to that crown of eternal life, which he is 
 shortly to receive, and shows it brightened and inci^a-s- 
 ed in value, by the furnace of affliction through which 
 he is now passing. Oh ! how often has this blessed 
 and overflowing source of consolation enabled those whoi 
 have sufi*ered, even unto death, for righteousness sake, 
 to utter tlie language of holy joy and triumph, whil& 
 they have ascended the scalTold or been consuming at thi; 
 stake ! Like their Master, and like his first martyr, they 
 have prayed for their enemies with their expiriag 
 breath ; and the agonies of a violent death have b^»eii 
 prevented or forgotten, in a foretaste of the heaven to 
 which they were rising — Who, tlien, is not prepared to 
 say with the apostle, *• But and if ye sufter for righteous- 
 ness' sake happy are ye.'' ? 
 
80 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 It now only remains to apply this subject — 
 
 To \OUy MY YOUNG FRIENDS^ WHO ARE CANDIDATES FOR 
 THE HONOURS OF THIS INSTITUTION. 
 
 The subject, indeed, would admit of a very general 
 application, illustrative of the excellence and advanta- 
 ges of true religion, and powerfully recommending it 
 to the love and practice of all men. But I have only 
 time to say a few words to you, whom I am probably 
 addressing for the last time ; and for whose sake, espe- 
 cially, the subject has been chosen and discussed. At 
 parting from you, I was earnestly desirous of giving you 
 a map, so to speak, of the course which I wished you 
 to pursue through life ; and of saying what I could, to 
 engage you to take and adhere to this course. This has 
 been my aim, in all that you have now heard. The de- 
 lineation I have given, is, I know, imperfect ; but imper- 
 fect as it is, I make it over to you, and assure you con- 
 fidently, that if you realize in yourselves the character 
 you have heard described, you will not fail to be happy. 
 Your prospects and expectations ^re, no doubt, very 
 various. Some of you, perhaps, are to pass your lives 
 in retirement. Most of you, probably, are to be publick 
 men — ministers of the gospel, lawyers, physicians, states- 
 men, or soldiers. But no matter what station you are 
 to occupy, no matter what character you are to sustain^ 
 no matter what business you are to follow, no matter 
 what portion of talent or improvement you may possess, 
 this subject is alike applicable, and equally interesting 
 to YOU all. Every one of vou mav be. and everv one of 
 
DISCOURSE III. 81 
 
 you ought to be, a follower of that which is good. If 
 you are, you will be happy, and if not, you must be mis- 
 erable. 
 
 With paternal anxiety I have often warned and advis- 
 ed and directed you ; and with the same anxiety I now 
 look forward to what may be before you. The first 
 and most serious thought which strikes my mind, and 
 which ought to affect your's^ is, that God only knows 
 who of you will live, and who of you will not live, to 
 take an established standing in society. The catalogue 
 of our college exhibits the note of mortality affixed to 
 the names of a number who, a very short time since, 
 left this place in as much health, and witli as bright and 
 cheering prospects, as any of you now possess. Some 
 of your names, it is highly probable, will soon be marked 
 in the same manner. Oh ! think on this — and if any of 
 you have not yet begun to be followers of that which is 
 good, begin without delay. Without this you cannot be 
 safe for a day or an hour : with it you are safe, wheth- 
 er life or death await you. 
 
 If you live, you ought to be sensible, that you cannot 
 
 live long without meeting with difHculties, and enemies, 
 
 and sufferings. Form what plans, or take what course 
 
 you may, you cannot avoid them ; they will still assail 
 
 you. If you are not followers of that w^hich is good, 
 
 you will find more of them than if you are ; and you 
 
 will have to encounter tliem with every disadvantage. 
 
 Remember, then, that I have shewn you the w^ay in which 
 
 you will meet with the smallest share of adversity ; 
 
 M 
 
83 DISCOURSE 111. 
 
 and in which you will have the greatest support under 
 that which is unavoidable ; nay, in which adversity 
 itself will be made to contribute to your felicity. 
 
 By taking this way, you will also take the high road 
 to usefulness, honour and distinction. For if you act 
 consistently, as followers of that which is good, you will 
 be careful to make the best use of the advantages which 
 you have derived from a liberal education. You will 
 feel bound to make improvement in knowledge, and to 
 employ all your knowledge for some useful purpose. 
 The natural result of this, will be influence, esteem and 
 honour. I do earnestly wish that these ideas were more 
 seriously considered and regarded than they commonly 
 are. Improvement in knowledge ought not to be re- 
 garded, as it commonly is, merely as a matter of taste 
 and inclination. It is certainly more. There is, un- 
 questionably, a moral obligation imposed on all who 
 possess the means of improvement, to make improve- 
 ment to the whole extent of their means. They are 
 entrusted with a talent, for which they must render a 
 strict and solemn account. In like manner, every man 
 who possesses useful knowledge, is bound, whatever be 
 his profession or vocation in life, to employ his whole 
 stock of intellectual strength and furniture, in the best 
 manner he can, for the promotion of God's glory and 
 the good of his fellow men. And doing this conscien- 
 tiously and steadily, he will certainly be useful and re- 
 spected. Commonly he will have much influence ; and 
 often he will rise to high honour and distinction. View 
 
DISCOURSE III. 83 
 
 the subject in this light, my-young friends ; act upon 
 this plan ; be governed by tHtse principles ; be consist- 
 ent followers of that which is good; and you cannot 
 fail to pass your lives happily^ and to close them peace- 
 fully or triumphantly. 
 
 Writei^, I know there are, and some of considerable 
 character, who have attempted to delineate a happy and 
 useful life, without giving to religion any place in their 
 system. And it is doubtless true that worldly honour 
 and integrity, sobriety, benevolence, public spirit and 
 intellectual pleasures, will always be productive of un- 
 speakably more enjoyment and more respect, than can 
 be found in any course of life w^hich excludes them, or 
 leaves them unregarded. Yet, after all, this system is 
 miserably imperfect : so imperfect, indeed, that we must 
 consider that man as wretched who is destitute of re- 
 ligion. He has no resting place for his soul w^hile he 
 lives ; no rational hope in death ; no satisfying pros- 
 pect beyond the grave. The Creator has evidently 
 intended that man should find his highest enjoyment 
 even in prosperity, and his chief solace in adversity, in 
 genuine piety. For this, therefore, no human ingenuity 
 or efforts have ever found a substitute, and they never 
 will find one. My dear young friends, seek no such substi- 
 tute. Seek the grace of God to make you, and keep you, 
 truly pious. Take the entire character of a follower of 
 that which is good, as I have presented it to you, and 
 try to make it your own. You will find that it will be 
 more, far more advantageous, than I have been able to 
 
84 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 represent it. If you possess it, nothing, as you have 
 heard, will be permitted really to harm you, because 
 the Almighty God will be your friend and protector. 
 Oh! may his grace guide you, may his providence 
 protect you, may his richest blessing rest upon you! 
 Amen. 
 
DISCOUBSE lY. 
 
 THE WORD OF GOD THE GUIDE OF VOUTH. 
 
 PSALM CXIX. 9. 
 
 ^^ Whernv^thal shall a young man cleanse his xvaij ? Bij 
 taking heed thereto according to thy wore/." 
 
 A HESE words contain a question of great importance 
 and interest^ proposed and answered under the guid- 
 ance of the Spirit of infallible truth. A point thus 
 settled can neither need, nor receive, any additional 
 confirmation. Yet truths, unquestionable in themselves, 
 may sometimes he greatly illustrated and enforced by 
 example ; and the text, it is believed, contains this 
 additional excellence. There is much reason to think, 
 as commentators have shown, that it wa^ the inten- 
 tion of the inspired Psalmist in the text, not only to 
 publish an oracle of the Holy Spirit, but to state the 
 result of his own experience :— to declare, that having 
 been engaged from early life, in forming his temper 
 and regulating his conduct by the word of God, as a 
 $tandard, he could now, in advanced age, confidently 
 assure every young man that this, and this only, would 
 be found a safe and perfect rule. That the influence 
 of the divine word begins with cleansing, or purifying, 
 
86 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 the heart ; and that then^ in natural order, it directs 
 the whole current of life and action into " a way," free 
 from the pollutions and the miseries of impiety and 
 vice. 
 
 Such appears to me to be the true scope and import 
 of the text. And as the language of the inspired pen- 
 man seems plainly to imply, what we know to be fact, 
 that in forming the temper and ordering the life, there 
 are other ivaysj than that which is marked out in the 
 word of God, and that all these, as being different from 
 the safe and right way, are to be carefully and con- 
 stantly avoided by the young ; it is intended to frame 
 the whole of the subsequent discussion with special 
 reference to this important consideration. 
 
 Those who reject revealed truth, entirely and ex- 
 plicitly, have still their system of principles and con- 
 duct, which they denominate morale and which they 
 teach and recommend. Other systems there also are, 
 not entirely derived from the word of God, nor consist- 
 ent with it, which occasionally obtain a great currency, 
 even among those who bear, and who wish to retain, 
 the chi^istian name. To specify some of these — There 
 is the system of those who grossly pervert or misrepre- 
 sent the scriptures ; the system of mere formalists in 
 religion ; the system of sagacious, v/orldly men ; the 
 system of fashionable life— rand besides all those who 
 deliberately embrace any of these systems, a multitude 
 of mankind live and act without thought and without 
 consistency, and therefore cannot be said to follow any 
 
DISCOURSE IV, 87 
 
 system. Now, as society cannot exist without a regard 
 to certain fundamental principles of morals, all the clas- 
 ses specified, invariably profess to pay a regard to these 
 principles. There is often, indeed, much more profes- 
 sed, than is either practiced or felt ; yet the principles 
 in question must in some measure be respected by all. 
 Truth and integrity, for example, all men, who support 
 any pretensions to character, must treat with respect. 
 But although, to a certain extent, all imperfect or false 
 systems of morals must require what the word of God 
 requires, yet i« some particulars, and those too of the 
 highest importance, they differ from that word, and 
 sometimes, directly oppose it. And here, precisely, lies 
 the danger to which men in general, and young men in 
 particular, are exposed. Youth are not only destitute 
 of experience, but their passions are more ardent and 
 impetuous, and of course, the temptations to vice act 
 upon them with greater force and advantage, than at a 
 more advanced age. And as all lax systems of morals 
 allow a latititude and gratification to sinful propen- 
 sities, which the word of God strictly prohibits, youth 
 are in great danger of perversion and pollution by be- 
 ing seduced into them ; being tempted to reject or dis- 
 regard the system which they ought to adopt, be- 
 cause it is opposed to every licentious indulgence and 
 inclination. 
 
 This danger, whicli is common to all youth, is, if 
 care be not taken to prevent it, rather increased than 
 diminished, with those who are liberally educated. 
 
8S DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 Classical reading itself, is not without a tendency to fos- 
 ter some notions and feelings which do not entirely ac* 
 cord with the spirit of the gospel ;* the pride of science 
 has the same tendency ; and some of the authors usually 
 read as standards of taste and composition, to say noth- 
 ing of the fashionable publications of the day, are 
 rather calculated to cherish than to abate the evil. 
 
 To prevent, as far as possible, the mischief here con- 
 templated, as well as to subserve other important ends, 
 the study of the holy scriptures has, for some time past, 
 been interwoven with our whole College course ; and 
 those who belong to the institution know, that the com- 
 ments made on the portions read and recited, have been 
 constantly directed to the vindication and enforcement 
 of revealed truth, in opposition to infidel objections, 
 loose principles, and unchristian practice. Still, it has 
 appeared to me that it might be useful to sketch, dis- 
 tinctly and connectedly, an oiitlhie of the genuine sys- 
 tem of moral principle and action taught in holy scrip- 
 turcj as contradistinguished from every other ; and with 
 a view to attempt this, the present subject of discussion 
 has been selected. 
 
 It is impossible, however, in the time alotted to this 
 service, even to hint at all the false principles which 
 are current in the world, and dangerous to youth. I 
 shall attempt no more, and indeed, no more seems to me 
 necessary, than to lay down, very briefly, the leading 
 parts of the revealed systejn of moral and religious 
 principle and practice ; and to mention, cursorily, as I 
 
 * See note G at the end of the volurae. 
 
DISCOURSE rV". 89 
 
 pi*oceed5 some of the chief errors to which it is opposed. 
 The whole discussion will be conducted with a special 
 view to the benefit of the youth of this institution, and 
 particularly of those who are on the point of leaving it ; 
 and yet, from the nature of the subject, much that will 
 be said, w411 be equally applicable to hearers of every 
 acre and condition in life. 
 
 In the prosecution of my design, thiis explained, I shall 
 endeavour to shov/, I. What must be the origin, or vi- 
 tal principle, of the temper and practice of the young 
 man, who would cleanse and take heed to his w^ay, ac- 
 cording to the word of God. II. The manner in which 
 he must receive that word, and be taught and governed 
 by it. III. How he must estimate and perform the 
 several duties which he owes to God, to himself, and to 
 his fellow men. IV. The means he must use to secure 
 an effectual attention to his duty, and steadfastness in its 
 performance. 
 
 I. The temper and practice of the young man^ 
 who would cleanse and take heed to his way, according 
 to the word of God, must have their origin, or vital 
 principle, in the renovation of his heart and nature^ 
 That man is by nature wholly depraved and prone to 
 evil, and that, therefore, he must be renewed in the 
 spirit of his mind, before he can be morally pure in th^ 
 sight of God, or truly love and serve him, is a doctrine 
 taught, or implied, in every part of the bible. Thd 
 wntten word of God, in the time of the Psalmist/ 
 
 covdd not have consisted of more than the Pentateuch^ 
 
 N 
 
9a DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 or five books of Moses, the book of Job, perhaps the 
 books of Joshua and Judges, and some of his own inspi- 
 red Psahns. But even in this small portion of the sa- 
 cred volume — small indeed, in comparison with that 
 which it is our happy lot to possess — -the doctrine of 
 man's natural depravity, and consequent need of reno- 
 vation, might easily be learned. Of those who lived 
 before the general deluge, Moses had recorded, that 
 ^^ the wickedness of man was gi^eat in the earth,, 
 and that every imagination of the thoughts of his 
 heart was only evil continually" — implying, not only 
 that his conduct was impious, but that his nature was 
 radically corrupt. In the book of Job, if that book was 
 then extant, it had been written " What is man that 
 he should be clean, and he which is born of a w^oman 
 that he should be righteous ? Who can bring a clean 
 thing out of an unclean ? not one." The Psalmist him- 
 self, it is plain, had fully learned this doctrine, that 
 man is deeply polluted in his moral powers, and that he 
 needs the omnipotent energies of divine grace to cleanse 
 him. Of this there is abundant evidence in various 
 parts of his writings, particularly in the 51st psalm ; 
 in which, after tracing the dreadful guilt with which 
 his conscience was then burthened to the seat of it, in 
 a corrupt nature, he fervently prays — " Create in 
 me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit 
 within me." There is, also, the best reason to believe 
 that the primary and essential part of the cleansing of 
 which he speaks in the text, was, in his view of it, t© 
 
DISCOURSE IT. 91 
 
 take place in the hearty naturally so corr\ipt and defiled ; 
 that thiis^ tlie fountain being purged, tlie streams that 
 flow from it might also be pure. 
 
 In the New Testament, this truth, like most other 
 revealed truths, is taught with greater fulness and clear- 
 ness than in the old. " Eitlier make the tree good and 
 his fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt and his 
 fruit corrupt ; for the tree is known by his fruit A 
 good man, out of the good treasure of his heart bring- 
 cth forth good things ; and an evil man out of the evil 
 treasure bringeth forth evil things. Thou blind Phar- 
 isee ! cleanse first that which is within the cup and 
 the platter, that the outside of them may be clean 
 also. The sons of God — were born, not of blood, 
 nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
 but of God. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except 
 a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom 
 of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and 
 that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not 
 that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The car- 
 nal mind is enmity against God, not subject to the law 
 of God, neither indeed can be. If any man be in Christ 
 he is a new creature, old things ai^e passed away, 
 behold all things are become new." 
 
 In this manner, the abundant and unequivocal lan- 
 guage of the New Testament teaches that man is de- 
 praved throughout ; that none of the race escapes the 
 dreadful and deadly contamination ; that the seat of it 
 is the heart : and therefore that the work of cleansing 
 
92 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 ^lust begin here ; that no external rites nor mere hu" 
 man efforts, will ever effect it, but that we must look 
 for its performance to the power and Spirit of God. 
 
 The friends and advocates of false and imperfect sys- 
 tems of religion and morals always hate, and often bit- 
 terly oppose this doctrine. But it is, as we have 
 seen, a part of the truth of God ; and observation 
 and the history of the world tend to illustrate and en- 
 force it powerfully. Yes, my young friends, a renexved 
 hearty is the vital spring of all genuine piety and true 
 christian practice ; as well as the most sure and solid 
 basis of pure morals. To attempt to make a man truly 
 good withuul this inward cleansing, is like endeavour- 
 ing to make a bad tree bear good fruit ; or like at- 
 tempting to purify the streams which constantly flow 
 from a polluted fountain. 
 
 Remember, then, that if you would effectually cleanse 
 your way, and take heed to it according to the word of 
 God, you must seek the grace and aid of his Holy 
 Spirit, to transform your hearts, and implant there the 
 living principle of holiness ; as that which is essential 
 to a life conformed in all things to his revealed will. 
 Never forget that, not only an outward, but an inward 
 purity is necessary ; that, not only reformation, but re- 
 generation, is indispensable ; that, without a cordial love 
 to the law of God, its outward observance will always 
 be constrained and irksome ; that obedience to it never 
 can be pleasing, thorough and lasting ; nay, that, in the 
 ?ight of God; it never can be real or acceptable , for it 
 
DISCOURSE IV. 93 
 
 IS the heart that the heart-searching God always regards. 
 Keep in mind that a new and clean heart is the source 
 of all evangelical repentf^nce for sin ; of all genuine 
 and saving ftiith in the Lord Jesus Christ ; of all the 
 graces of the Spirit ; and of all the best and most pow- 
 erful springs of moral action^ and christian deportment, 
 — of a blameless^ amiable, exemplary and useful life. 
 
 II. The man who takes heed to his way according 
 to the word of God, must receive that word as his 
 standard of duty and action in all things ; and adhere 
 to it, in opposition to all contravening opinions, author- 
 ity, or example. This position is but a varied expres- 
 sion of the leading idea held forth in the text ; and vet 
 no individual will act in full accordance with it, who is 
 altogether a stranger to that great change of which I 
 have just spoken, and with which, therefore, it was ne- 
 cessary to begin. But he in whose heart the fountain 
 of depravity has been healed, will, with readiness and 
 pleasure, make revealed truth, in very deed, '* the man 
 of his counsel," and the guide of his life. He will be 
 able to say with the penman of the text — '^ The judg- 
 ments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether : 
 more to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much 
 fine gold ; sweeter also than honey and the honey comb : 
 thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsel- 
 lors." A book which both interests and instructs U3 
 we commonly read rapidly, carefully, and repeatedly. 
 Such a book will the bible always be, to the man in 
 whom the work of sanctification is begun. Hence he 
 
94 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 "will speedily become familiar with its contents, and will 
 -well understand its leading doctrines and precepts. He 
 will thus have his criterion of truth, and rule of duty 
 always at hand, and ready to be applied as circumstan- 
 ces may require ; will be furnished with a directory for 
 himself, and will be able to bring all questionable prin- 
 ciples and practices to an ijifallible Lest. 
 
 The man we contemplat€, will make a vigorous use of 
 his reason to ascertain," and, as far as he can, to com- 
 prehend and explain what the scripture teaches ; but 
 he will never think it a proper exercise of his reason 
 to controvert, oppose, or modify, any thing that it 
 teaches. 
 
 There are, my young friends, t^vo great inquiries, 
 relative to matters of religion, into which all others 
 may be resolved. The first is — Are* the scriptures the 
 word of God ? The second — What do the scriptures 
 teach ?^^" We are to make the best use of our reason, 
 of which we are capable, to answer both these inquiries. 
 ^^ Reason,'' remarks one who had examined this subject 
 deeply and accurately, '' Reason is, primarily, no more 
 than the test or touchstone of evidence ; and in a secon- 
 dary sense only the standard of trutlr't Reason must 
 pronounce that to be true, or false, which the compe- 
 tent evidence proves to be the one or the other. If, in 
 the present case, reason, after fully and candidly exam- 
 ining the evidence — evidence drawn from every source — 
 
 * See note G at the end of the volume. 
 i Doctor George Campbell. 
 
DISCOURSE IV. 95 
 
 decide that there is not gi'oiind to believe that the scrip- 
 tures are the word of God, then they have no authority 
 whatsoever, more than other human productions. But 
 if, on the contrary, the evidence is found to be irresist- 
 ibly conclusive, that the scriptures are the word of God, 
 reason, having ascertained this, cannot legitimately con- 
 trovert that word for a single moment ; but must take 
 it exactly as it is ; must labour to understand and ex- 
 plain it, as far as practicable ; and when she can go no 
 farther, must reverently submit her powers to the au- 
 thority of God. In a word, the proper office of reason 
 here, is precisely the same that it is in relation to all 
 the other inscrutable works and ways of God, which^ 
 indeed, are very numerous. She is to take facts as she 
 finds them, explain and harmonize them as far as she 
 can ; and when she can do no more, fairly acknowledge 
 her ignorance or weakness ; and wait for more light 
 in this world, or for more strength in the world to come ; 
 recollecting, that at last, and to all eternity, finite rea- 
 son, or intellect, will never be able to comprehend more 
 than a little, comparatively a very little, of that which 
 is infinite. To act differently from this is manifestly 
 to act most irrationally and impiously ; for it is, in the 
 indulgence of a proud and self-sufficient spirit, to follow 
 the uncertain guidance of that twinkling ray of intellect 
 which our Maker has given us ; in preference to the 
 unerring guidance of that infinite fountain of intellectual 
 light, of which He is the source and centre, and from 
 which our feeble beam of reason has been derived. 
 
96 DISCOURSE lY, 
 
 Can we be more certain of any thing, than we hv6) 
 that what God says must be true ? and do we not know, 
 by much sad experience, that the conclusions of our 
 own reason are not always true ; that they are often 
 erroneous and delusive ? Is it not then, I ask — all duty 
 apart — is it not one of the plainest dictates of reason 
 itself, always to trust God in any thing that he has re- 
 vealed, rather than to trust ourselves, in any reasoning 
 against it ? 
 
 Reason dictates, too, that we should be deeply grate- 
 ful to God, that he has not left us^ as the wisest of the 
 heathen were left, to wander in endless uncertainty, in 
 regard to religious truth and duty ; but has told us 
 plainly in his infallible word, what is truth, and what 
 is duty. Are there some things in that word the com- 
 prehension of which transcends our powers ? That very 
 circumstance goes to show that the word of God is 
 like all his other works, and by doing so, increases its 
 credibility. " Unsearchableness to human faculties,^'- says 
 the same able writer, already referred to, " is a sort of 
 signature, impressed on the works of the Most High ; 
 and which, when found in any thing attested as from 
 him, ought to be held at least a presumption in favour 
 of the testimony.'^ 
 
 It is, therefore, no objection to the humble christian, 
 but the contrary, that he cannot fully explain, or com- 
 prehend, how it is, that in the perfect unity of the 
 divine essence, there are three distinctions, usually de- 
 nominated persons — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
 
DISCOURSE IV* 97 
 
 He receives this truth, without difliculty or hesitatiotij 
 becciuse he finds it unquestionably taught by the word 
 of God ; and he applies it to the great and important 
 practical purposes to which that word directs him to 
 apply it. For the same reason he believes that the 
 divine and human natures were united in Jcrus Christ ; 
 and on this, as the gospel teaches, he founds the med- 
 iatorial character of the Saviour ; and the great doc- 
 trines of his atonement for sin, and the justification of 
 all true believers, by tlie imputation of his righteous- 
 ness. He delights exceedingly to observe that the gos^ 
 pel, manifestly considering the Redeemer as God, as 
 well as man, abounds in representations of Him as om- 
 nipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent ; always w^ith his 
 people ; always protecting them ; always helping them 5 
 ready to sustain them even in their dying hour ;-^to take 
 them to his blissful presence ; to raise their bodies at 
 the last day ; to acquit them in the final judgment ; and 
 to receive them, glorified in body and soul, to share 
 with Himself the endless and ineffable bliss of the heav- 
 enly state. 
 
 Once more ; it is no stumbling block to him who 
 takes revealed truth exactly as he finds it, that he is 
 not able fully to explain the connexion which subsists, 
 between the perfect freedom and accountableness of man, 
 and the absolute sovereignty of the grace and provi- 
 dence of God. He will find, upon due examination^ 
 that there is a depth in this subject, as in many others^ 
 
 which he cannot fathom 5 and into w hich, therefore he 
 
 O 
 
98 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 must adventure with caution, and beware not to pro- 
 ceed too far. His principal concern will be to under- 
 stand what is practical ; and this, with the nght tem- 
 per of mind which he possesses, he will not find diffi- 
 cult. He will not want arguments to convince him 
 that he is a free and accountable creature, because he 
 is conscious of it — he feels that he is so ; and because 
 he perceives that the scriptures continually suppose it, 
 and that the whole organization and arrangements of 
 human society are, and must be, built upon it, as a con- 
 ceded, or self-evident truth. At the same time, his own 
 experience, as well as the unerring word, will teach him, 
 that he is entirely dependent on divine grace, for every 
 right and holy exercise of his mind ; and for strength 
 and ability properly to discharge every duty. He can 
 cordially subscribe to the apostle's declarations — '' By 
 grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of your- 
 selves, it is the gift of God. Not that we are sufficient 
 of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our 
 sufficiency is of God/' Let others, then, explain this 
 subject as they like, or lose themselves in it, as they 
 often do ; or let his own speculations on it be what they 
 may, still he has for practice, which he chiefly regards, 
 a plain and satisfactory rule of duty — a rule dictated by 
 common sense and experience, and sanctioned by the 
 word of God, namely, that he is entirely responsible for 
 all his voluntaiy actions, thoughts and desires ; and that 
 he is to look to God, sensible of an entire dependence on 
 
DISCOURSE IV. 99 
 
 him, for grace and assistance to tliink, and will, and act 
 aright, at all times and in every duty. 
 
 In regard to the providence of God, he is fully per- 
 suaded that all events past, present and to come, have 
 been, are, and will be, perfectly subject to its direction 
 or control ; and yet, as in the former case, he doubts 
 not that all moral beings ever have been, and ever will 
 be, as fully and justly accountable for their conduct, as 
 if this providence could be supposed not to exist. 
 
 It deserves particular notice, that he who takes the 
 plain word of God for his guide, never can adopt or 
 think favourably, of that half atheistical notion, that the 
 divine providence is nothing more than some general 
 ordering of the laws of nature, or the destinies of na- 
 tions ; so that many things fall out, in the affairs both 
 of communities and individuals, without any special 
 direction, control or care of the Deity ; many things, 
 in a word, that must be attributed to accident or chance. 
 No truly ; he believes, and it is delightful for him to 
 believe, that in regard to this matter, there is no such 
 thing as accident or chance. That every thing, whether 
 great or small, is ordered or permitted by God ; that 
 " in God he lives and moves and has his being ;" that 
 ^» the hairs of his head are all numbered ;'' and that '^ a 
 sparrow falleth not to the ground without his Heavenly 
 Father." Here is the stable foundation of his habitual 
 trust in God ; and here is his encouragement to pray 
 for providential protection and favours, both for himself 
 and others. 
 
iOQ DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 Thus, I hope, it appears — for I am solicitous that 
 to you it should appear — that he who walks simply by 
 tlie word of God as a rule of duty, does not act blindly, 
 or weakly, or irrationally, as is sometimes supposed and 
 said ; but, on the contrary, that he, of all men, makes 
 the most proper use of reason in matters of religion. 
 
 But, in closing this part of the subject, I must distinct- 
 ly/ remind you, t'lough the thought has several times 
 been hinted, that, with the man we contemplate, relig- 
 ion, in all its parts, is ever a practical, more than a 
 speculative subject. Re studies it, and examines it, 
 and thinks on it, always vrith a view to practice. He 
 labours to ascertain the truth that he may conform his 
 heart and his life to its dictates ; and he is much em- 
 ployed in endeavouring to render tliis conformity more 
 and more exact 5 more advanced towards that perfec- 
 tion after which he aspires, but which he expects not 
 to reach, till '^ mortality shall be swallowed up of iife.*^ 
 
 ^Yt must also particularly remark, that the man who 
 leai^is from the bille the importance of piety, will learn 
 from the same source, in what manner its spirit is to be 
 regidated, and its duties performed. Hence he will 
 avoid formality, on the one hand ; and fanaticism on 
 the otlier. Formality leaves the heart out of the exer- 
 cises of religion ; and makes the whole to consist in 
 intellectual attainments and exterior observances. Fa^ 
 natjcism indulges the alTections and the imagination, to 
 the neglect and violation of reason, decorum and the 
 word of God. But he who in all things endeavours to 
 
DISCOURSE IV. 101 
 
 keep close to that word, will rigorously subject his fancy 
 and his feelings to its prescriptions, and at the same 
 time earnestly strive to serve his Maker in spirit and in 
 truth. While his heart is in all his religious exercises 
 and duties, his understanding, enlightened and directed 
 by scripture, will never permit him to exceed those 
 bounds of fervency which scriptural example and instruc- 
 tion clearly warrant ; nor will it ever suffer him to lis- 
 ten to any pretensions of new revelations from others, 
 nor to expect, nor even desire them for himself. All 
 the revelation that he admits is in his Bible. This he 
 holds sacred and holds fast, witliout suffering any ad- 
 dition to it, or diminution of it. By this he tries himself 
 and tries others ; his state toward God ; the exercises, 
 views, suggestions, workings or feelings of his own 
 mind ; and all that, on the subjects of religion and mor- 
 als, he either reads in books, or hears from h\mian lips. 
 
 III. Let us now consider, more directly and fully, how 
 this man will estimate and perform the severi.l duties 
 which he owes to God, to himself, and to his fellow men. 
 
 1. He will be attentive to the right order and relative 
 importance of his various duties, and be careful to place 
 in the first rank those which he owes immediately to 
 God. The order and relative importance of our seve- 
 ral duties, is a matter of far greater moment than seems 
 commonly to be apprehended. False and imperfect 
 systems of religion and morals, usually dwell much on 
 what men owe to themselves, and to each other ; and 
 very little comparatively, on what they owe to God. 
 
10^ DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 It is their favourite representation, indeed, that our 
 Maker is, in general, best served by taking care of our- 
 selves, and by doing good to his creatures. Now, in 
 this there is something extremely specious, and yet en* 
 tirely fallacious. The error may, perhaps, be best ex- 
 posed by remarking, that, while we readily and fully 
 admit, that to consult our ow^n true happiness, and that 
 of our brethren of mankind, constitutes, indeed, an im- 
 portant part of our duty to God himself, since He has 
 commanded us to do so ; yet that it can be shown, both 
 from reason and experience, that those are most likely 
 to be eminent examples of personal and social duty, 
 who are most sensible of what they owe immediately to 
 their Maker ; who are most exact and fervent in their 
 worship of Him, and most employed in holy communion 
 with Him. It is certainly natural and reasonable to 
 expect that they who by habitual intercourse with the 
 Father of their spirits, become, as they evidently must 
 become, most impressed with a sense of his universal 
 presence, of his glorious majesty and supreme authority, 
 of his boundless goodness and infinite amiableness, 
 should be most exact and active in obeying all his com- 
 mandments, and among the rest those which require 
 them to '' make their light shine before men, and to do 
 good and communicate.'' Or if the appeal be made to 
 experience, we may safely challenge any opponent to 
 point us to higher and better examples of excellence in 
 personal character, and of active devotedness to doing 
 
DISCOURSE IV. 103 
 
 good to mankind, than have appeared among men of 
 eminent piety. 
 
 In giving rank and consequence, therefore, to his 
 several duties, lie who walks by the word of God as his 
 rule, will carefully follow the example which the Deity 
 himself has set in the Decalogue, and which our Saviour 
 regarded in declaring which was the first and greatest 
 commandment. His duties to his Maker will have the 
 first place in order and importcince. Piety to God he 
 will consider as the leading and essential part of his 
 moral system, and as affording the best security for a 
 sacred regard to every other. 
 
 It is not my intention, however, to extend the present 
 discussion to a particular enumeration and explana- 
 tion of the duties which we owe immediately to God. 
 Some of them will necessarily claim our attention, w hile 
 speaking of the duties which we owe to ourselves and 
 to each other. But it will be observed, that almost the 
 whole of what has been said relates to the duties w hich 
 we owe to God ; so that supposing what has been stated 
 to be reduced to practice, a farther specification is not 
 important. Suppose a man to be renewed in the temper 
 of his mind ; to have obtained a familiar acquaintance 
 with the scriptures ; to regard and be governed by them 
 in the maimer that has been described ; to hold the fun- 
 damental doctrines w hich have been mentioned ; and to 
 consider his duties to God as primary in their obliga- 
 tion, and importance ; and he can ncitlier be ignorant of 
 
104 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 these duties^ nor of the manner in which they may he ac- 
 cepta])ly and profitably performed. 
 
 Of modes and forms of worship^ and of church order^ 
 it is neither my duty nor my inclination to speak on this 
 occasion. Yet I must not forbear to remind you, that 
 it is a gross and pernicious error to suppose, that all 
 who may call themselves christians, hold every thing that 
 is essential to Christianity. Li the christian system there 
 are essential doctrines and essential duties ; so that 
 whoever deliberately denies the one, or habitually 
 violates or neglects the other, is utterly unworthy of the 
 christian name. But there are several forms of chris- 
 tian worship and church order, which are so far from 
 being essential, that men of perhaps equal holiness of 
 heart and life have diifered widely, in making a choice 
 among them. In regard to these, I have only to say, 
 examine them carefully and candidly for yourselves, and 
 " let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.'' 
 
 Having already protracted this discourse to as great 
 a length as is customary in this place, the consideration 
 of the duties which we owe to ourselves and to each oth- 
 er, must be delayed, till the usual hour of worship in the 
 afternoon. In the mean time, meditate on what you have 
 heard ; and may the Spirit of grace seal his own truth 
 on each of our hearts ! Amen. 
 
DISCOUESE V. 
 
 THE WORD OF COD THE GUIDE OP YOUTH. 
 
 PSALM cxix. a 
 
 ^* JVJiercivitJial shall a young man cleanse his way ? By 
 taking heed thereto according to thy ivord,^^ 
 
 J[N discoursing on this text of sacred scripture, it has 
 heen proposed to show — 
 
 I. What must he the origin or vital principle of the 
 temper and practice of the young man, who would 
 cleanse and take heed to liis way, according to the word 
 of God. 
 
 II. The manner in which he must receive that word^ 
 and be taught and governed by it. 
 
 III. How lie must estimate and perform the several 
 duties which he owes to God, to himself, and to his 
 fellow men. 
 
 IV. The means he must use to secure an effectual 
 attention to his duty, and steadfastness in its perform- 
 ance. 
 
 On the two former of these heads of discourse the 
 discussion was finished in the morning. We also enter- 
 ed on the consideration of the third : and here, as the 
 first thing demanding attention, I endeavoured to show, 
 that the young man who would take heed to his way, 
 
106 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 according to the divine word, must be careful to make a 
 right estimate of the relative importance of his various 
 duties, and to place in the first rank those which re- 
 late immediately to God. We are now 
 
 2. To consider those which he owes to himself and 
 to his fellow men. 
 
 The duties which men owe to themselves, and to each 
 other, are, in many cases, so intimately blended togeth- 
 er, that to attempt to give them an entirely separate 
 treatment might produce both obscurity and repetition. 
 We will endeavour to take them in such order as shall 
 seem most favourable to clearness and utility. 
 
 I begin with stating, that the young man who takes 
 heed to his way according to the word of God will cher- 
 ish a sacred and inviolable regard to truth. The obli- 
 gations of truth in general are admitted by all, and 
 the notorious violator of it never fails to be reckoned 
 infamous. No character is more universally detested 
 and despised than that of the liar ; and hence no offence 
 is reckoned more intolerable than the imputation of 
 this character. This notwithstanding, loose moralists 
 are usually found to relax, in many instances the obli- 
 gation of truth. Courteous falsehoods, jocular false- 
 hoods, humane falsehoods, temporary falsehoods, and if 
 the expression be not a solecism, useful falsehoods, they 
 do not condemn, but often justify. Not one of these, 
 however, will find a justification in the word of that 
 God whose character it is, that he cannot and will not 
 lie. Without doubt the degrees of guilt involved in 
 
DISCOURSE V. 107 
 
 different acts and kinds of falsehood are widely differ- 
 ent ; and it must be admitted that there are some nice 
 and difficult points which may be stated in relation to 
 this subject. But those who found virtue on the nature 
 and will of God cannot^ after all, admit the innocence of 
 intentional falsehood in any case whatever. And in- 
 deed if the obligation to regard truth be derived from 
 utility alone, this will dictate an invariable adherence 
 to it. Such an adherence will not only most effectually 
 secure peace of conscience and inward quiet, but will 
 also contribute greatly to give weight and respectability 
 to the whole character ; and thus to increase the capa- 
 city for usefulness in him who exhibits it. 
 
 Integrity is closely connected with truth. Often, in- 
 deed, integrity is nothing else than action conformed to the 
 dictates and obligation of truth. The man who habit- 
 ually lives and acts under a sense of the divine inspec- 
 tion, and in the expectation of giving an account to 
 God for all his actions, cannot fail to be upright. He 
 will avoid all guile, and fraud, and unfaithfulness, and 
 dishonesty, whatever prospect of gain may tempt him 
 to practice them ; or however much he may have it in 
 his power, should he yield to temptation, to escape 
 shame, or punishment, or the loss of character, from 
 his fellow men. His inquiry will always be, how can I 
 answer, in this concern, to my conscience, and to the 
 all seeing God ? not, what colour can I give it ? or 
 what defence can I make for it, before the world ? Hence 
 fee will be scrupulously just in all his dealings and 
 
108 DISCOURSE V. , 
 
 transactions with others. He will walk strictly by the 
 rule of doing as he would be done by. He will be 
 much more afraid of doing wrong, than of suffering 
 wrong. You may trust him without reserve. He will 
 never take an advantage of you, bec'iuse he can do it 
 secretly or safely. All his contracts he holds sacred, 
 and fulfils them in their true intention, as well when 
 the law cannot touch him, as when it can. He punctu- 
 ally performs all his promises and engagements. He 
 ranks the demands of justice, before those of mercy, or 
 liberality, and is therefore just before he is generous. 
 Money that he owes, he never considers as his own. 
 Money that is entrusted to his keeping, he feels no lib- 
 erty, without the consent of the owner, to apply, in any 
 way or degree, to his own benefit. In dubious matters 
 he always endeavours, as far as possible, to keep on 
 safe ground- — knowing that, to a prudent man, it is 
 much to be safe ; and that to an upright conscientious 
 man, it is much to be without fear or suspicion that he 
 has done wrong. He discharges every official duty, 
 and performs every professional service, and executes 
 every public and private trust, diligently, faithfully, 
 seasonably and fully 5 as "^ doing it to the Lord, and 
 not to man." Characters like this are indeed rare; 
 but he who takes heed to his way according to the 
 ward of God, will demonstrate that such a character 
 is not always imaginary. He will exhibit it in 
 himself. 
 
DISCOURSE V. 109 
 
 Farther; the man who makes the word of God his 
 guide, will unite a steadfast adherence to what he 
 believes to be truth and duty, with the exercise of 
 candour and charxtij toward those who differ from him. 
 We are commanded " to buy the trutli and sell it not ; 
 also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding." We 
 are exhorted " earnestly to contend for the faith which 
 was once delivered to the saints.'' He who is obedient 
 to these injunctions of scripture, never can admit that 
 intellectual error is always innocent ; that it is no matter 
 what a man believes if his life be good ; that any system 
 of religious opinions which a man honestly holds, must 
 be safe for him, and many sentiments of a kindred spirit 
 with these. If these notions were just, it would be of 
 comparatively little importance to discover truth or to em- 
 brace it ; to contend for it would be folly ; and to search 
 much after it would be useless trcuble. But the notions 
 in question contravene, not merely particular passages, 
 but the whole scope and spirit of scripture, which go to 
 teach us the infinite importance of true religion, in op- 
 position to that which is i^dse and delusive. He, there- 
 fore, who is governed by scripture can yield to no such 
 opinions as these, whatever currency they may obtain, 
 or by whatever imposing appellation they may be dis- 
 tinguished. He will neither adopt these opinions, nor 
 act so as to have it understood that he considers those 
 who have embraced radical errors as being in a good 
 and safe state. He cannot do this. Do you ask, tlien, 
 in what respects his candour and charity will manifest 
 
110 DISCOURSE V, 
 
 themselves ? I answer ; he will recollect that, although 
 there are essential errors, yet that all error is not es- 
 sential ; he will make therefore the due allowance for 
 what is invincible and involuntary, and of small compar- 
 ative importance ; for that also which is fairly imputa- 
 ble to education and to prejudice. Those who err 
 through temptation, or any circumstances calculated to 
 lead them astray, he will regp^rd with compassion and 
 treat with lenity. He will never contend about trifles. 
 He will cordially embrace in his christian charity all 
 who appear to hold the essentials of religion, and to 
 love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and 
 truth. He will even mourn for the divisions that exist 
 among christians of this character, and do all that he 
 can to heal them. And toward those who hold the 
 most destructive errors, he will be careful to guard 
 against all bitterness of spirit ; all unchristian temper 
 and language in his treatment of them. As he will not 
 hate them, nor wish evil to them, he will show them 
 every civility and kind attention which he can, consist- 
 ently with steadfastness in duty ; so that it shall be 
 manifest that he differs from them on principle and 
 with regret ; and would be glad to see them renounce 
 their errors, and take such ground as would permit 
 him to receive and treat them as brethren. It is thus 
 that he will unite inflexible attachment to essential 
 truth, with the candour and charity which the gospel 
 requires. 
 
DISCOURSE y. Ill 
 
 Again ; he who is careful to cleanse his way accord- 
 ing to the word of God, will ?7iost vigilantly guard him" 
 self against those "fleshly lusts that war against the 
 soul.^^ ^^ Flee youthful lusts,'Ms the apostolick injunc- 
 tion delivered to a young man ; and he who makes the 
 word of God his rule of action will regard it as strictly 
 binding on the conscience. Though corrupted nature, 
 therefore^ plead for licentious indulgence ; though youth 
 be the season wlien temptations to it are the strongest ; 
 though fashionaljle opinion attach little or no infamy to 
 such indulgence ; though even the sneer and ridicule of 
 the licentious themselves must be borne by him who 
 scruples it; stilly he whom we contemplate will say, 
 with a young man of old, " how can I do this great 
 wickedness, and sin against God!'^ He will, therefore, 
 shun the places, the amusements, the visible objects, 
 the company and conversation, the books, and even the 
 cherishing of those imaginations, which put his chastity 
 and personal purity at hazard. Agreeably to the Apos- 
 tolick precept already recited, he will literally jlee from 
 all temptations which assail him on this quarter. Some 
 vices may be boldly met, contended with, and con- 
 quered ; but from all provocatives of impure desire and 
 indulgence, safety is to be sought, whenever it is prac- 
 ticable, by flight. 
 
 Again ; no one wlio takes the scriptures for a rule 
 of life can indulge in idleness. It is so reproachful to 
 those who bear the christian name, that when the 
 church was gathered from amongst the licathen, the 
 
112 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 apostle Paul gave commandment, that if any man would 
 not work neither should he eat. No human being is 
 entitled to be idle. His Maker has given him faculties 
 which he is bound assiduously to cultivate, and appoint- 
 ed him duties, for the diligent performance of which he 
 is strictly responsible. Society also has claims on 
 all its members, from which no individual can plead 
 an exemption. But, though idleness is criminal at any 
 period of life, it is peculiarly so in youth. This is the 
 period which specially calls for improvement and exer- 
 tion, because, if neglected now, the neglect can never 
 afterwards be fully repaired. Every subsequent peri- 
 od will have duties and demands of its own to fill it up : 
 and if we have to prepare for action when we ought to 
 be in action, we sustain a certain loss : we accomplish 
 less than we ought to have accomplished, and we lose 
 advantages which may never again occur. 
 
 All our faculties, moreover, become torpid by disuse 
 and inaction. If this takes place in youth, it often 
 proves entirely fatal to all improvement, usefulness, or 
 respect : the idle youth becomes in manhood, a useless 
 and contemptible drone. Generally, indeed, the event 
 is even worse than this. Idleness is the inlet of every 
 vice. Into the unoccupied mind every temptation 
 easily enters, and seldom solicits in vain. The youth, 
 therefore, who takes heed to his way according to the 
 word of God, will never think it innocent to be idle. 
 He will view his time as one of the most precious talents 
 with which God has intrusted him, and he will occupy 
 
DISCOURSE V. 113 
 
 with it unceasingly. He will make conscience of being 
 diligently employed. He will beware, too, of a kind of 
 busy idleness : that is, he will not only be always 
 doing sometliing, but something that will turn to account. 
 He will be diligent in his proper employment, in ac- 
 quiring the knowledge, the ability, the preparation, 
 which his profession in life will require ; or which will 
 qualify him for the greatest usefiiluess in that sphere 
 of life in w hich he expects to act. 
 
 Again ; the young man who takes the word of God 
 for his rule, will feel himself bound to ivithstaud the 
 dictates of malignant and vindictive passions^ and to 
 cultivate those of an opposite character. Envy, and 
 anger, and malevolence, and revenge, he will never 
 allow to harbour in his bosom. A false maxim of 
 the world may tell him that " revenge is sweet,'' and 
 false honour may require that he should take personal 
 vengeance for every insult. But the gospel will have 
 taught him that forgiveness is sweet ; that it is a duty 
 which he who refuses to perform, forfeits his hope of 
 salvation ; that he is not to return evil for evil ; that 
 he is to love and pray for his enemies ; and that ^' ven- 
 geance belongeth unto God.'' He will, therefore, never 
 be a duellist, whatever may be the consequences of re- 
 fusing a challenge. The law of God is, with him, para- 
 mount to the laws of false honour — I say of false honour ; 
 for the law of God and genuine honour can nevxr mil- 
 itate. And that surely must be false honour which 
 
 requires a man, not only to disobey his Maker, but to 
 
 Q 
 
114 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 act in violation of the fundamental principles of society ; 
 in a manner, too, which often destroys forever the peace 
 of him, who, in the horrible practice alluded to, kills his 
 neighbour ; and which frequently also, inflicts the most 
 grievous and incurable anguish, and sometimes poverty 
 and helpless wretchedness, on the innocent, amiable, 
 and virtuous relatives of him who has fallen. Assur- 
 edly the man Avho takes heed to his way according 
 to the word of God, can bear any thing that he may 
 suffer with innocence, rather than incur the guilt and 
 remorse which he must incur, by making himself respon- 
 sible for such dreadful evils. But let a man act with 
 entire consistency ; let him show himself a christian in 
 his whole temper and deportment ; and he may decline 
 peremptorily the murderous practice of duelling, with- 
 out any real loss of character. The men of false hon- 
 our cannot, if they try, make him infamous. With the 
 exception of the most abandoned, they will themselves 
 secretly respect and venerate him ; and the love and 
 applause of the good and pious he will certainly secure. 
 Nothing is more erroneous that to suppose than forbear- 
 ance, forgiveness, meekness, gentleness and courtesy, 
 are not consistent with the most genuine magnanimity. 
 They are not only consistent with it, but they are its 
 best support and its brightest ornament — In accordance 
 with this, 
 
 I observe farther; that the young man who takes 
 heed to his way according to the word of God, will ai?n 
 to be distinguished for every excellent and praise-worthy 
 
DISCOURSE V. 115 
 
 attahvnenf. Nothing is more injurious to ingenu- 
 ous youth, than to imbibe the notion, that fervent 
 piety is inconsistent witli aiming at distinction in intel- 
 lectual improvement, and honourable action. The ene- 
 mies of religion are fond of inculcating this notion, but 
 observe how the language of inspiration exposes its fal- 
 lacy — " Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever tilings 
 are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever 
 things are pure, wliatsoever things are lovely, whatso- 
 ever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, 
 and if there be any praise, think on these things." 
 What can any mind, influenced by a laudable emulation, 
 desire more than this ? What can it desire more than 
 to aspire after all that is virtuous^ and all that is worthy 
 of praise ? 
 
 The error on this subject may sometimes arise from 
 the circumstance, that the gospel gives no countenance 
 to that idolatry of fame and distinction, so often observ- 
 ed in mere worldly men, and which they sometimes 
 openly avow. The gospel teaches us to make the glory 
 of God and tlie good of his creatures the object of su- 
 preme regard ; and that to these we must be willing to 
 sacrifice every thing that comes in competition, even 
 character and life itself. Now, as this is a requisition 
 evidently reasonable in itself, so, I aflirm, that it is one 
 which points to an act of the most genuine magnanimity. 
 It has been well said, that " nothing is truly great, the 
 contempt of which is great." But, the slave of human 
 opinion is always reckoned a despicable character ; and 
 
116 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 to rise superior to that opinion, however general, when 
 it is manifestly wrong, as it is in the case contemplated, 
 is the act and eA'idence of a truly great and elevated mind. 
 And it is precisely this, which is required of the chris- 
 tian. But his rule of duty is, as we have seen, not hos- 
 tile, but friendly and favourable, to all the habits, and 
 all the exertions, which lead to high attainments in eve- 
 ry thing excellent. Accordingly we find, in fact, that 
 men of distinguished piety have often held the highest 
 rank in literature and science, and in every honourable 
 trust and employment. He, therefore, who takes the 
 word of God as his rule, will find himself not only per- 
 mitted but required, to cultivate his faculties with con- 
 stant diligence, and to aim steadily and vigorously at 
 the best attciinments of which he is capable, that he 
 may be prepared to serve God and his generation with 
 the greatest effect, and the best title to reputation. He 
 wlio tliinks or acts otlierwise, mistakes his christian 
 duty, as much as he mistakes what is conducive to his 
 interest or advantageous to his character. 
 
 This leads me to remark, farther, that the young man 
 who takes tlie word of God for his rule of duty, will learn 
 that he is bound to devote himself to the promotion of the 
 best interests of mankind. We have already glanced at 
 this ; but it is a point w^hich ought to be made prominent. 
 
 The example of Christ should be carefully stud- 
 ied and copied by all Ids disciples. He was the liv- 
 ing Word of God ; and the pious and elegant Home 
 seems to intimate that He is distinctly referred to in 
 
DISCOURSE V. 117 
 
 the text. ^' He/' says Home, '^ who became man 
 for our salvation, passed throiigli tliis state of youth 
 uiidcfiled ; that lie might, as it were, redaim and con- 
 secrate it anew to God. Let every young man often 
 meditate on this circumstance. '^ 
 
 To set us a perfect example was not, I apprehend, 
 the only, nor the chief purpose, of our Lord's appear- 
 ance in the flesh. Yet it was, doubtless, one purpose, 
 and an important one. Now, tliis example, as it was 
 exhibited in the active part of our Saviour's life, is thus 
 epitomized by an inspired speaker — '^ He went about 
 doing good.'' This, too, was eminently characteristic 
 of his apostles, after his death ; and it must, in their 
 proper measure, characterize his sincere followers, in 
 every age. I take it, indeed, to be one distinguishing 
 feature of the Bible system of ethicks, that it inculcates 
 a benevolence warmer, purer, more active, and more 
 extensive than any other system. The influence of the 
 gospel has abated the ferocity of war, and filled Chris- 
 tendom with hospitals, poor houses, and charitable asso- 
 ciations ; institutions unknown to the most refined na- 
 tions of heatlien antiquity. \\\ a word, the gospel every 
 where breathes a spirit and speaks a language like this — 
 *• Look not every man on his own things, but evei'y 
 man, also, on the things of others. Let this mind be in 
 you, which was also in Christ Jesus." The young man, 
 therefore, who takes his views of life as here directed, 
 will perceive distinctly that his great o])ject in living 
 must be to do good : and this, if he drink deeply into 
 
118 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 the spirit of the gospel, will be the ruling principle of 
 his soul. Fame or reputation may follow him if it will, 
 and it often will. But so far from making it the su- 
 preme object of his regard, he will be afraid of being 
 unduly governed by it ; afraid lest, by too much ming- 
 ling with, it should debase, the high and holy motive 
 which ought to influence him — a desire to imitate and 
 obey his Redeemer, in glorifying God and in doing 
 good to man. Feeling strongly this desire, he will 
 consult how he may, in every way, most extensively 
 promote the best interests of mankind ; how he may 
 advance both their spiritual and temporal happiness. 
 The result will be a vigorous and persevering activity 
 in endeavouring to extend the blessings of the gospel ; 
 to promote learning and science ; to aid all charitable 
 designs, and humane and benevolent enterprises and 
 institutions ; to ameliorate tlie condition of as many of 
 his fellow creatures as possible ; — of a few, if not of 
 many ; — of one, if not of more. 
 
 It seems scarcely necessary to guard what I have 
 just said by remarking, that an ardent desire to pro- 
 mote the w elfare of mankind at large, ought never to in- 
 terfere \\ ith the reasonable claims of those who are more 
 nearly connected with. us. Till these claims have been 
 fairly satisfied, or provided for, we are certainly not 
 permitted to indulge in a diffusive liberality. He who 
 is devoted to doing good, must never neglect to make a 
 suitable provision for himself, for his family, and for all 
 who arc dependent on him^ or who have a right to look 
 
DISCOURSE V. 119 
 
 to him for support or assistance. These have been 
 placed by the God of providence more immediately 
 under his care ; and it is by benefiting them, by promo- 
 ting as far as possible their temporal and eternal well 
 being, tliat a large and essential part of the good, which 
 he can ever do in the world, must be done. And if 
 every man would take effectual care of his own family, 
 and do all that he might in the several smaller depart- 
 ments of society in which he has most influence, the 
 demand for general beneficence would be greatly 
 diminished. This is worthy of remembrance. But, in 
 truth, there is comparatively little danger that a man 
 will not reserve a suflicient portion of his property for 
 the use of himself and his kindred. Almost the whole 
 danger is of the other extreme — that he will be selfish, 
 covetous and contracted. More than a hundred exam- 
 amples of this are seen, for one where a man defrauds 
 or injures his family by giving too largely to ciiaritable 
 objects. The duty that he owes to his famihjj is the 
 miser's standing plea for hoarding his wretched pelf. 
 But he who takes the Bible for his guide will consider 
 himself as the steward of God^s bounty in all that he 
 possesses ; and he will give no more to his children, or 
 relatives, than, in the exercise of his best judgment, he 
 verily believes is likely to do them the most good ; to 
 make them the best and most useful members of society, 
 and the fairest candidates for a heavenly inheritance. 
 All the rest, be it little or much, he will, without 
 grudging, expend in acts of beneficence ; in propagating 
 
120 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 true religion ; in promoting good morals ; in enlighten- 
 ing the ignorant ; in relieving the sick^ the poor and 
 the needy ; in protecting the helpless ; in patronizing 
 the worthy ; in succouring the widow and the orphan ; 
 in diffusing happiness through every circle, great or 
 small, in which he moves and acts : so that the world 
 shall be the better for his being in it, and he be prepar- 
 ed to leave it without reluctance, whenever he shall be 
 called to " enter into the joy of his Lord." 
 
 Thus have I endeavoured to show how the young 
 man who takes the divine word as his unerring coun- 
 sellor and guide, will estimate and perform the several 
 duties which he owes to God, to himself and to his fel- 
 low men. Let us now, very briefiy consider — 
 
 IV. The means he must use to secure an eifectual 
 attention to his duty, and steadfastness in its perform- 
 ance. 
 
 When a good rule of conduct has been cordially and 
 zealously adopted, an important point is gained ; but 
 a far more difficult thing is still to be effected, for such 
 it will be found, to conform steadily and habitually 
 to that rule, and to guard against every seduction 
 from it. Here it is, indeed, that in every thing 
 which relates to practice the danger of failure is the 
 greatest. A young man may sincerely admit both 
 the truth and the importance of all that has now been 
 said on this subject, and yet his practice may be sadly 
 at variance with it, in many particulars. In order actu- 
 allv to live as he admits that he ought, and in his 
 
DISCOURSE V. 121 
 
 deliberate purpose is resolved that he will, he must con- 
 stantly and emphatically " take heed." This is un- 
 doubtedly implied in the text. When we are directed 
 to take heed, there is always an intimation that some 
 danger, or inconvenience, or mistake, is to be watched 
 against and avoided. To be heedful^ is to be attentive, 
 cautious, wary, circumspect, vigilant. To be heedlessy 
 is to be thoughtless, careless, and fearless. He, there- 
 fore, who, in the spirit of the text, " takes heed to his 
 way," must be deeply sensible that the path of life is 
 beset with dangers, snares, and temptations : that he is 
 liable to be deceived and seduced from the right course ; 
 or to mistake it and depart from it through inattention, 
 or because efforts may be required in pursuing it, which 
 he will find too painful, and too frequent, for him to 
 make. 
 
 In these circumstances, if he expects to pursue ^^ the 
 w^ay" of duty steadfastly and successfully, let him daily 
 read and ponder that unerring word which he has taken 
 for his guide. Let him set before himself the rewards 
 and punishments which it exhibits, and yield his mind 
 to the hopes and fears which it addresses. Let him 
 labour to impress its sacred truths, and maxims, and 
 directions deeply on his memory. Let him resolve all 
 doubtful points of duty by a recurrence to his infallible 
 test. Let him cultivate a sense of his weakness and 
 proneness to err, and pray, daily and earnestly, for the 
 guidance and the aids of divine grace. Let him fre- 
 quently and carefully examine and compare his temper, 
 
 R 
 
122 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 and his whole conduct^ by the standard which he has 
 adopted. When he perceives, as he often will per- 
 ceive, that he has wandered from the path of duty, or 
 come short of its requisitions, let him lay himself 
 open, honestly, to the reproof of the divine word. 
 Let him humbly and earnestly seek forgiveness, and 
 watch and pray against a repetition of his defection or 
 offence. Let him be guarded in his whole walk, and 
 careful of any unnecessary exposure to temptation. In 
 fine, with the word of God imprinted on his memory 
 and his heart, let him vigilantly and vigorously exert 
 himself to perform his whole duty ; looking for grace 
 and strength from on high ; trusting to the providence 
 of God to order all his lot in life, and putting himself, 
 in daily, solemn acts of devotion, into the divine keep- 
 ing and protection. Doing this — though he will never 
 be a perfect man, yet he will so walk by the word of 
 God as to have an humble confidence before him, and " a 
 peace" in his soul " which passeth all understanding.'' 
 
 My young friends — 
 
 Candidates for the honours of this institution, in the 
 ensuing week — 
 
 It had been practicable and easy to address you in a far 
 different manner from that which I have adopted in the 
 discussion which has just been closed — possibly in a man- 
 ner that would have been more acceptable* But at this 
 time I did not feel at liberty to choose other ground, than 
 that which I have taken. Your religious instruction in this 
 
DISCOURSE V. 123 
 
 institution has been formally and solemnly committed to 
 me. On this occasion I was to finish, as it relates to 
 you, the discharge of this sacred trust. To the most of 
 you, I shall probably never speak again on the concerns 
 of your souls ; — never, perhaps, after the ensuing week, 
 meet you again, till I meet you in the final judgment, to 
 Tender our mutual and solemn account ; — I for the man- 
 ner in which I shall have endeavoured to lead you to 
 God and heaven, and you for the manner in which you 
 will have received and improved my counsels and 
 warnings. Fearful, indeed, had been my responsibility, 
 if I had given you any superficial view of religion and 
 morals ; — any other view than that which, according to 
 my best judgment, the Bible gives ; and which you 
 have now heard imperfectly delineated and explained. 
 Your eternal salvation, I verily believe, depends on 
 your having such a religion, in the main features of it, 
 as I have now pointed out ; evidenced, substantially, by 
 such a conduct as you have heard described. Most 
 earnestly and tenderly, therefore, I entreat and conjure 
 V you, to remember what has now been said, and to lay 
 it seriously to heart. Suffer not the morning of life to 
 pass, without seeking the effectual grace of God, and a 
 vital union with Christ, as indispensable to your safety 
 and happiness. 
 
 Genius and science sometimes seem as if they invited 
 and hastened the approach of the king of terrors. Thus it 
 was, you know, in regard to Barratiere, and Beattie, and 
 White, and to their names; might parental partiality be 
 
124 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 trusted, I should add another — the name of a son, whom 
 I loved too much. That son, a few years ago, stood, ex- 
 actly as you do now, to receive the farewell address of 
 my eloquent predecessor.* But the speaker and the 
 hearer are both gone. The president and the pupil are 
 now together in the dust of death. Yes ; and the pres- 
 ident and pupils who are now standing face to face, musL 
 follow them speedily — God only knows how speedily — 
 to " the clods of the valley.'' Father of mercies ! thy 
 will be done. Prepare us for thy blissful presence, and 
 send for us when thou wdlt. 
 
 But, my young friends, not only did the high and 
 awful concerns of your souls' eternal welfare dictate this 
 address, but a persuasion, also, that what you have 
 heard, will, if duly regarded, best promote your happi- 
 ness, your improvement, your usefulness^ and your hon- 
 our in the present life. 
 
 False or formal religion may, I know, bolster up 
 the mind in a temporary peace. But, beside the all 
 important consideration, that the destructive delusion 
 must vanish at death, it is, even for the present 
 life, a cold and precarious system. It imparts little 
 positive pleasure, and the shocks and trials of life 
 often shake it to pieces, scatter it to the winds, and 
 leave its wretched victims without a refuge, when they 
 need it most. True evangelical piety, at once rational 
 and fervent, animates and elevates the soul ; it affords, 
 sometimes, a prelibation on earth of tlie pleasures of 
 
 * See uote H at the end of the volume. 
 
DISCOURSE V. 125 
 
 heaven ; it often causes its possessor to rejoice even in 
 tribulation ; and it gives him, generally, a peace and 
 serenity which the vicissitudes of life cannot destroy, 
 nor lastingly impair. As, then, you would be happy, 
 both here and hereafter, seek happiness in " pure re- 
 ligion, and undefiled before God and the Father." 
 
 In regard to improvement in all that is praiseworthy, 
 who is so likely to pursue it steadily and successfully as 
 he who adds to the ardent love and desire of it, which 
 religion does not forbid, the strong motive of a consci- 
 entious discharge of duty ? Yes, my young friends, if 
 you conduct your studies on the principles which have 
 now been explained, you vfill consider it as a part of 
 the duty you owe to God to improve your time and 
 your talents to the utmost. You wall certainly show, 
 and I am peculiarly desirous that you should show, that 
 orthodox principles and fervent piety are not hos- 
 tile, but favourable, to the highest and most various 
 attainments of science. 
 
 Usefulness, I am sure, will be best of all promoted by 
 the system I have been recommending. We are ever 
 most likely to reach that which we aim at uniformly and 
 vigorously. Now, to be useful and to do good, is, you 
 have heard, to be regarded as your great object in 
 life. This will certainly gain you reputation, and en- 
 sure to you publick approbation and publick trust. 
 In our free and happy country, the able man, the man 
 of unbending integrity, the benevolent and useful man, 
 will always be employed, and placed in publick and con- 
 
1Z6 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 fidential stations. He will be, at once, the happiest 
 man in domestick and social life, and the fairest candi- 
 date for his country's honours. 
 
 In a word, the more you examine it, the more you 
 will find that the system now laid before you, best con- 
 sults your whole interests, both in time and in eternity. 
 It is the Bible system — And in hope that what is done 
 at this interesting moment of bidding you farewell, may 
 impress and remain on your memory, I now hold up 
 before you this sacred Volume, and solemnly charge you 
 to receive and regard it as your guide through life; 
 and may the God of all grace enable both you and me 
 to cleave to ^^ the way" in which this Holy Book directs 
 us to walk, till we meet before his throne on high ! — 
 Amen. 
 
DISCOUESE YL 
 
 CflRISTIAN INTEGRITY EXPLAINED AND RECOMMENDED. 
 
 II CORINTHIANS, I. 12. 
 
 ^^ For our rejoicing is this, the testimo7iy of our conscience^ 
 that in simplicity and godly sijtcerity, not with Jieshly 
 wisdom, but by the grace of God, lue have had our 
 conversation in the world, and more abundantly to 
 you-wardP 
 
 JLN this passage the apostle Paul points out the source, 
 from which he and his fellow labourers in the gospel 
 derived their support and consolation, amidst all the 
 difficulties and dangers which they were called to en- 
 counter. He had just been speaking of " the trouble 
 which came to them in Asia/^ by which they " were 
 pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that 
 they despaired even of life/' In connexion with this, 
 and the intimation that their deliverance was in answer 
 to the prayers of the church, the apostle introduces the 
 text — In discoursing upon it, my purpose is to show that 
 what St. Paul experienced, will be the experience of 
 all, who shall act upon the same principles and in the 
 same manner that he did. With this view, I will en- 
 deavour 
 
128 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 I. To explain what is implied in " having our conver- 
 sation in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not 
 with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God." 
 
 II. To show that he who has " the testimony of his 
 conscience," that the tenour of his life has been of this 
 description will have a source of inward peace and sat- 
 isfaction that nothing can destroy. 
 
 I. In explaining what is implied in " having our con- 
 versation in the world, in simplicity and godly sincerity, 
 not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God," I 
 begin with remarking, that there is an opposition stated 
 in the text between fleshly wisdom, and godly simpli- 
 city. By noticing this opposition distinctly, by at- 
 tending carefully to the contrasted terms and phrases 
 which occur in the passage, we shall be likely to ob- 
 tain the clearest and fullest views of what the inspired 
 penman desired to recommend. 
 
 What then are we to understand by ^^ fleshly wis- 
 dom" ? The phrase, I think, may designate two systems 
 of conduct, both of which deserve our notice. 
 
 In the first place ; fiesh is a term sometimes used 
 in scripture to express, generally, the state of those who 
 are destitute of true religion. Thus we are told that 
 '' they who are after the flesh, do mind the things of 
 the flesh," and that " they who are in the flesh cannot 
 please God." Fleshly wisdom, according to this sense 
 of the term fleshy may signify the same as unsanctified 
 sagacity, or mere worldly prudence. A system of ac- 
 tion in which meji^ from a regard to their temporal in- 
 
 \ 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 129 
 
 terest solely, without any reverence for religion, may 
 adopt and pursue, with much skill and success, the 
 means of advancing themselves in the world, or of se- 
 curing renown with succeeding generations. There 
 certainly appear to be some, who, either from the senti- 
 ments of a mind which naturally abhors artifice, chi- 
 chane and disguise, or from the influence of education 
 and example, maintain a character for open and upright 
 conduct, in their intercourse with the world, while re- 
 ligious considerations have little or no influence on their 
 minds. They have the good sense to discern that inflex- 
 ible integrity is favourable to a high standing in society, 
 as well as to a lasting fame. They have, also, a pride 
 in their honesty, and they scorn to violate it. Fleslily 
 wisdom, thus exercised, may lead, you perceive, to a 
 degree of simplicity and sincerity of conduct, resembling 
 that which proceeds from religious principle. The re- 
 spects in which they difi'er, for difier they do, we shall 
 afterwards consider. 
 
 But secondly ; the term fiesh is most commonly used 
 in the sacred scriptures to denote, in a peculiar man- 
 ner, the whole system of corrupt and mischievous pro- 
 pensities, passions and desires, of our nature. Thus 
 it is used when it is said that '* the flesh lusteth against 
 the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh ; and these 
 are contrary the one to the other :*' and shortly after 
 the inspired writer adds, '* Now the works of the flesh 
 are manifest, which are these, adulterv. fornication; 
 
 s 
 
130 DISCOURSE VL 
 
 iincleanness^ idolatry^ witchcraft, hatred, variance, em- 
 ulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, mur- 
 ders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like.'^ Hence we 
 are required to ^^ crucify the flesh with its affections 
 and lusts ;" and are informed that " if we live after the 
 flesh we shall die ; but if we, through the Spirit, do 
 mortify the deeds of the body we shall live." 
 
 Fleshly wisdom, according to this sense of the term 
 Jiesh, must mean that art and management by which a 
 worldly and wicked man, seeks the gratification of un- 
 lawful or unworthy desires, under the mask of fair 
 professions or appearances : or, more generally, it com- 
 prehends every dishonest principle or unrighteous plan, 
 every species of deceit, fraud, duplicity and unlawful 
 disguise, which a vicious man may adopt or pursue, for 
 the attainment of his selfish or wicked ends. It is this 
 kind of fleshly wisdom that instructs a man never to 
 utter an unwelcome truth, whatever prospect there may 
 be of doing good by it. It teaches him always to watch 
 the current of popular and fashionable opinion, and turn 
 it to his own fame or interest. It leads him to tempo- 
 rize, and accommodate himself to whatever sentiments 
 or practice will, in his opinion, promote his worldly 
 advantage. It enables and disposes him to mark the 
 oversights and weaknesses of men and to profit by them. 
 It prepares him, in a thousand ways, to overreach and 
 make tools of others, so as to render them subservient to 
 his own purposes, and it disposes him never to miss 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 131 
 
 the opportunity of doing it. In a word, having set 
 up self as his idol, the man of fleshly wisdom most as- 
 siduously worships it, and uses all his prudence, talents, 
 and invention, to make every thing serve or honour it. 
 Now, to proceed in this manner successfully, requires 
 great skill and management ; and hence the art is cal- 
 led xvisdoni. Its object is the flesh; and hence it is 
 
 There is, you observe, a most material difference be- 
 tween this character and the one before described ; 
 though both are destitute of religion. Both are formed by 
 a supreme regard to the things of the present life. But 
 the possessor of the former, chuses to prosecute his views 
 along the high road of honour and integrity ; the pos- 
 sessor of the latter condescends to pursue them through 
 all the windings and labyrinths of intrigue, cunning and 
 deception. The apostle's character, in which simplicity 
 and godly sincerity were conspicuous, differed essen- 
 tiallv from both. It differed from the former, most man- 
 ifestly, in the pn?}ciple on which it wiis formed. While 
 worldly prudence, as we have remarked, regards only 
 the things of the present life ; christian simplicity is 
 produced principally from a regard to God and eternity. 
 You will take notice that the author of our text ascribes 
 it to the grace of God, as the ultimate and eflicient 
 cause, that he had been enabled to pursue such a con- 
 versation in the world as he actually did. It was from 
 this principle, as the vital root, that his unblemished 
 integrity sprang up and was nourished. Hence it is 
 
132 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 called a godly sincerity. The grace of God was both 
 its origin and support. Divine grace^ by transforming 
 and renewing his mind, had taught liim to " set his af- 
 fections on things above, and not on things on the 
 earth.'^ It had taught him to consider God as his por- 
 tion, Christ as his Saviour, and the precepts of the 
 gospel as his rule of life. It had taught him to do every 
 thing with a view to the glory of his Creator, and with 
 a reference to eternity. It had tinctured his whole 
 soul with a warm love to his Redeemer, and the good 
 of immortal souls. Divine grace, constantly afforded, 
 had enabled him to maintain a perpetual sense of the 
 divine presence i to remember that his soul was always 
 naked and open to the eye of that God with whom he 
 had to do ; and that very shortly, he was to render a 
 strict account for every deed done in the body, whether 
 it were good or evil. By the grace of God he had been 
 taught these things ; and by the same blessed light and 
 influence they had penetrated deeply into his mind, and 
 formed all its principles and habits. Hence simplicity 
 and sincerity, in all his conversation with the world, 
 would naturally proceed. Hence, in fact, he delivered 
 the unadulterated doctrines of Jesus, in all their extent 
 and purity ; without concealing any part of their na- 
 ture, tendency or consequences. Confiding in the in- 
 finite power and wisdom of the Master whom he served, 
 and that they would be exerted to give such effect to 
 honest endeavours as was most desirable, he refused 
 utterly the base aid of deception and dissimulation. 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 133 
 
 Impressed with the recollection that God was the God 
 of truth, he would have trembled at the thoui^ht of em- 
 ploying any species of falsehood or delusion in his ser- 
 vice. For the same reason, in all the common transac- 
 tions which form what is here called ** our conver- 
 sation in the world/' simplicity and sincerity distinguish- 
 ed his thoughts, his words and his actions. His lan- 
 guage was not a covert, dark, ambiguous set of words, 
 that might take various senses, or be construed into 
 any. It was the clear, plain and simple expression 
 of what in his soul he believed, desired and pursued. 
 His ends and designs were not disavowed, while he 
 prosecuted them in secret. He professed them can- 
 didly, and followed them conspicuously. Such was the 
 general conduct of the Apostle, as referred to in the 
 text : and it differs, I repeat, from mere worldly hones- 
 ty in its principle — in originating from a deep and tender 
 sense of accountableness to God. The two systems pro- 
 duce, in a degree, the same external and visible effects. 
 But the internal views and motives of the mind are ex- 
 ceedingly dissimilar. The honesty of worldly men 
 takes its origin from a respect to the things of time, and 
 is influenced chiefly by a regard to the opinions of men. 
 Christian simplicity springs from the faith of things 
 eternal, and regards above all things the command and 
 authority of God. The former terminates its views in 
 self applause or advantage ; the latter in the approba- 
 tion of the Most High. The one makes the concerns 
 of the present state supreme : the other makes them 
 
134 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 all subordinate and subservient to a better and an eternal 
 state. This difference I thought it proper distinctly 
 to exhibit^ because it is real ; because it is useful to see 
 the various foundations on which conduct somev^hat 
 similar may rest ; and because^ if I mistake not^ it shows 
 that the sentiments of honesty^ candour and integrity, 
 which are founded on religious considerations, are in- 
 comparably the most stable, extensive and durable ; and 
 that they are those only which, with any propriety, can 
 lea,d us to expect the divine approbation and reward. 
 If wx have no regard for God in our actions, let them 
 be in their tendency what they may, it is absurd to sup- 
 pose that He will accept them, in the same manner as if 
 we had such a regard. With the heart-searching Jeho- 
 vah motive gives its character to all that we do. " Their 
 w^orks,'' said our Saviour, '* they do to be seen of men^ 
 and verily I say unto you they have their reward.'' 
 
 But having given this general view of the subject, 
 and explained the origin or foundation of Godly sincer- 
 ity ; I am now to remark that it is, in a most peculiar 
 manner, opposed to fleshly wisdom, considered as a sys- 
 tem of deliberate deception, and was, I suppose, princi- 
 pally intended by the apostle to be so taken. Let us, 
 then, for a few moments pursue this contrast, and mark 
 a number of points in which it most remarkably takes 
 place. These, indeed, have been in a degree anticipa- 
 ted. But the subject will justify a short presentment 
 of the same ideas under different aspects, for the sake 
 of a fuller illustration. 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 135 
 
 Fb'st ; the cnds^ or objects, which fleshly wisdom 
 pursues, are kept out of sight ; while a man of real sim- 
 plicity or sincerity fairly and frankly avows his aims 
 and intentions. If the apostle had been under the in- 
 fluence of fleshly wisdom, as his enemies represented 
 him to be, his object in preaching the gospel would 
 liave been personal applause, and the popular influence 
 and respect which he might acquire by it. This would 
 have been the real design of his labours, and his relig- 
 ious exhortations would have been no more than a cov- 
 ert vehicle, to carry him forward to this end. But, 
 influenced as he was by simplicity and godly sincerity^ 
 he actually pursued those ends, and no other than those, 
 which he professed to the world. An earnest desire to 
 promote the cause of Christ and the salvation of souls, 
 if you could have seen his naked heart, would have been 
 found predominating there, directing his whole practice, 
 engrossing his whole concern, and cheering and animating 
 his whole soul. This contrast is the same in all cases. 
 The man of fleshly wisdom conceals his ends. They 
 are unlawful, or mean, or in some way dishonourable 
 and he is ashamed to reveal them. They need disguise 
 and must be covered. The man, perhaps, is, in appear- 
 ance, a flaming patriot ; while, in reality, he is only 
 seeking power, or gain for himself. Or he is extremely 
 civil or courteous ; and yet has no other view than to 
 make you instrumental to his own emolument. Or he 
 appears very fair and obliging in his dealings, and 
 yet his real object is only to get you fully in his 
 
136 DISCOUBSE TL 
 
 power and to defraud you of what you possess. But it 
 would be endless to enumerate all the vile purposes^ ^ 
 which this fleshly wisdom may suggest to different men, 
 according to their various situations or employments 
 in life. To all of them, however, a mind in which simpli- 
 city and sincerity reigns, will be irreconcilably opposed. 
 It will fear, hate, and despise them all. It will permit a 
 man to make no professions which are not sincere. Does 
 he profess to be a christian ? He is one in his heart. 
 He allows himself in nothing secretly which he knows 
 to be contrary to the gospel. He really loves religion, 
 and from his inmost soul endeavours to obey and ob- 
 serve its dictates. Does he come forward as a friend 
 to his country ? His country's interest is what he truly 
 and earnestly seeks ; and no tide of popular opinion 
 will warp him from it. He will sacrifice character and 
 influence, when he might retain them, rather than dis- 
 semble in what he thinks would be for the public good. 
 Does he profess benevolence ? He feels what he profes- 
 ses. He treats all men with kindness, because the law of 
 kindness is in his heart. Has he assured you of his 
 friendship ? You will never find him other than a friend : 
 and the most so, when you need his friendship most. 
 Does he seem to make you fair offers in merchandize or 
 trade? He is what he seems. There is no trap, or 
 catch, laid to ensnare and injure you. If you under- 
 stand your own interest, it will never be disadvantaged 
 by the treachery of his offers. He is a plain meaning 
 and a plain dealing man. In a word, in whatever way 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 137 
 
 you take him, the man of simplicity and sincerity lets 
 you see the ends at which he really aims, as far as it is 
 proper to disclose them ; and, without exception, he 
 is careful not to beguile the innocent. If he has pro- 
 fessed his views you always know where to find him. 
 
 Secondly^ These characters differ as much in regard 
 to the means they use as to the ends they pursue. Nay, 
 it is here that the characteristic opposition is, perhaps, 
 most frequently seen. Fleshly wisdom, if it can persuade 
 its possessor that the end is lawful, or laudable, will teach 
 him to seek it by all the means in his power. That 
 the end justifies, or sanctifies the means, is its favour- 
 ite, if not its avowed maxim ; and it considers as an al- 
 lowable, and even a commendable policy, every artifice 
 or finess, by which a favourite purpose may be accom- 
 plished. It even treats contemptuously, those scruples, 
 which make men hesitate and refuse to adopt unfair or 
 deceptive measures. It attributes such scruples to weak- 
 ness of mind, to squeamishness of conscience, to igno- 
 rance of human nature, to the w\ant of understanding 
 the management of affairs, to the want of comprehen- 
 sive views ; and I know not to how many other 
 wants which men of fleshly wisdom are always ready to 
 impute to the man of christian sincerity. For such a 
 man, believe it, must, and will forever, abhor and avoid 
 all such disingenuity. He will esteem it a system of 
 detestable craft and deceit, whatever specious names, op 
 fair representations, its admirers may give it. His lan- 
 guage will be — •• my soul, come not thou into their 
 
138 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 secret ; unto their assembly mine honour be not thou 
 united.'^ The man of sincerity will never admit that 
 the most desirable and important end is to be sought by 
 unlawful means. He will abhor the policy of doing 
 evil that good may come ; or of professing to aim at a 
 point which is exactly opposite to that which it is his 
 intention if possible to reach. He will do the thing 
 that is rights and leave the event to God. And here, 
 let me remark^ is another advantage of those who found 
 their integrity on the principles of true religion. They 
 have a governing conviction that there is an Almighty 
 power, which controls and directs the affairs of men. 
 They know that God orders or over-rules all events, and 
 that the hearts of all men are in his hand, and that he 
 can "turn them as the rivers of water are turned.'' 
 To Him they look to give success to a good cause, when 
 they have done their duty in endeavouring to promote 
 it. And they are confident that He both can and will 
 give it the issue that is best. They remember that the 
 issue belongs to him, and therefore to make use of for- 
 bidden or disingenuous means to bring about what they 
 esteem desirable, would be at once to violate the laws 
 of God, and to invade his prerogative. In many instan- 
 ces they are sensible that it is not for them to deter- 
 mine what event is actually the most desirable upon the 
 whole, nor what means will most certainly promote it. 
 Their concern, therefore, is to abide by the plain rules 
 of duty, leaving all consequences to Him to whom it 
 belongs to order them according to his sovereign will. 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 139 
 
 In a word, with a man of godly sincerity, there is no 
 price that you can set upon his duty. Propose to him 
 any object, however vahiable or desirable in itself, if 
 the means by which it must be acquired are not lawful, 
 or even if they are very questionable, you will solicit 
 him in vain. His language will be that of Job — " All 
 the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is 
 in my nostrils ; my lips shall not speak wickedness nor 
 my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should jus- 
 tify you. Till I die I w^ll not remove my integrity 
 from me. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let 
 it go. My heart shall never reproach me as long as I 
 live — For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he 
 hath gained, when God taketh away his soul ?" 
 
 Thirdly, The contrast of which I am speaking, is ap- 
 parent, not merely on some particular occasions, but it is 
 manifest in the general character of the parties who ex- 
 hibit it. Fleshly wisdom itself, taken in the worst sense 
 in which the phrase can be used, may lead a man to act 
 as if he were honest and upright, when his worldly in- 
 terest draws in that direction : and it is a wise order 
 of providence, no doubt, that not only his ultimate 
 good, but his immediate benefit, should so frequently 
 urge a man to his duty. But the real integrity of the 
 heart is seen in the hour of trial, and in the general 
 habits of life. It is habit, especially, that marks a 
 man's true character. In particular acts, a good man, 
 through the force or suddenness of temptation, may 
 dreadfully transgress ; and a bad man, as we have just 
 
140 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 remarked^ may, from a regard to his interest, appear 
 to be honest. But it is " our conversation in the 
 world/^ as the Apostle calls it ; our conduct taken in a 
 complex view; our behaviour in the various circum- 
 stances in which we are placed, in all the business we 
 are called to perform, in all the characters and relations 
 that we sustain ; — this it is that must give us the char- 
 acter of simplicity and sincerity, or the reverse. Here 
 the contrast I would exhibit is clearly and strikingly 
 seen. Here, on the one hand, you see a man who has 
 ^" a darkness of character in which you can see no heart." 
 He is artful, sly, deceitful, slippery, cunning, insidious, 
 full of intrigue, full of secret schemes and designs, now 
 this thing and then another, but always prepared with 
 a plausible pretext for the change ; you never know 
 what dependance to place on his professions, or whether 
 what he appears to be aiming at, be the real object of his 
 pursuit, or not. Here on the other hand is " an Isra- 
 elite indeed in whom there is no guile.'^ He is a plain, 
 undisguised, frank, fair, upright, thoroughly honest man, 
 always the same, always candid and ingenuous, you rely 
 upon him in every thing, and you feel as safe in trust- 
 ing him as in trusting yourself. Even in times of the 
 severest trial, or the greatest danger, his integrity is as 
 inflexible as ever. He is then supported, and fortified, 
 and comforted with the assured hope of a better state 
 beyond the present : for the supposition is that he has 
 such a hope to sustain and animate him. And indeed, 
 »t such times, what could he do without it ? ^ Yes, and 
 
DISCOURSE \l. 141 
 
 let me ask, in closing the contrast, what will the infi- 
 del do without it ? How will he maintain his integrity 
 when all prospect of worldly advantage from it is taken 
 away ? Consider him pressed hy all the distresses of the 
 present life, supported by no definite and cheering ex- 
 pectation in regard to futurity, having it entirely in his 
 power to relieve himself by unlawful aid, perhaps in- 
 vited and pressed to accept of that aid — will he, in 
 such circumstances, be found inflexible ? Ah ! it is haz- 
 ardous to trust him then. It is then that the unspeak- 
 able advantages of religious integrity are seen and felt. 
 — Thus have I endeavoured to illustrate the character 
 of him who has his '' conversation in the world in sim- 
 plicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but 
 by the grace of God." 
 
 But, it is probable, that some of you may be ready to 
 ask — Will not the character we have heard described 
 and recommended, render its possessor the dupe and 
 victim of those very men with whom he has been con- 
 trasted ? Ought we not to make use of prudence on all 
 occasions, and may we not employ skill and management 
 on many ? Is it not necessary frequently to conceal our in- 
 tentions ; and sometimes to accommodate ourselves to the 
 time, the place, the company, and many other circum- 
 stances, in which we may be called to act ? 
 
 In answer to these questions, let me distinctly ob- 
 serve, that the character I have drawn will be great- 
 ly misapprehended, if it be considered as hostile to 
 the most wary, prudent, and guarded conduct or be- 
 

 142 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 haviour ; and therefore that it will not expose its pos- 
 sessor, peculiarly, to imposition and deception from 
 % crafty and designing men. It is by no means to be sup- 
 posed that a character for simplicity and sincerity implies 
 either weakness of intellect, or ignorance of the world. 
 This, as I have remarked, is the favourite representation 
 of rogues and knaves ; but it is just as false as the most of 
 their other statements. Christian integrity admits, 
 fairly, of the following things — 
 
 1. Oi forbearance ; that is, we may forbear to deliver 
 our sentiments, or to avow our designs, when others 
 have clearly no right or claim to know them ; and we 
 ought to do so, when it is probable that by declaring 
 them we should injure ourselves and do no good to oth- 
 ers. It is upon this principle that our Saviour has 
 grounded the injunction — " Give not that which is holy 
 unto the dogs ; neither cast ye your pearls before 
 swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn 
 again and rend you.'' Upon the same principle we 
 may in any case forbear to act, when action will plainly 
 be without effect, and especially w hen it will probably 
 increase rather than prevent or mitigate an evil. 
 
 2. Compi'omise^ in a qualified sense, is consistent with 
 christian integrity. In forming and prosecuting plans 
 of benevolence or utility, in concert with others, mutual 
 concession is not only lawful but commendable. With- 
 out it, indeed, such plans can never be extensively form- 
 ed and executed. If each individual will insist on hav- 
 ing every thing exactly as he wishes it^ and will plead 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 143 
 
 ionscience as a bar to uniting with others, there can be 
 no union, no co-operation, and no great good effected. 
 Having stated fairly our own views and wishes, if we 
 judge that integrity requires such a statement, we may 
 lawfully lend our aid to any design or enterprise which 
 we think beneficial or commendable on the whole — 
 Among things which are clearly morally evil, we are, 
 certainly, to make no choice ; but among natural evils, 
 or mere inconveniences, it may frequently be the part 
 of duty, or of prudence, to choose the least ; and when 
 we cannot effect much good, we ought always to be 
 ready to co-operate cordially in effecting a little. 
 
 3. Skill and address in the use of lawful means are 
 perfectly consistent with christian sincerity. It requires 
 us neither to be blunt, nor rude. Decorum and true 
 politeness never interfere with it, but may be made its 
 powerful auxiliaries. It permits us to consult time, 
 place and character. It even requires us to accommo- 
 date ourselves to the infirmities and weaknesses of man- 
 kind. That all this is allowable, or rather that it ought 
 to be regarded as highly important, is manifest from 
 what the author of our text tells us of himself. We 
 learn from his own writings, as well as from what is 
 related of his conduct and character in the Acts of the 
 Apostles, that he was a man of the most consummate 
 address ; that he paid all due deference to rank and 
 station ; that he always consulted the characters of 
 those to whom he spake; that he condescended, and 
 even conformed to many prejudices ; that he forbore to 
 
144 DISCOURSE VL 
 
 do many things that were lawful because they were not 
 expedient ; that^ in a word, " he was made all things 
 to all men, that he might by all means save some.'^ Thus 
 acted the apostle Paul ; and yet, under the guidance and 
 sanction of the Spirit of infallible truth, he penned the sol- 
 emn declaration which forms our text. His whole history 
 and character serve to illustrate our subject, and to prove 
 incontestibly that " simplicity and godly sincerity'^ may 
 be united with talents and accomplishments of the high- 
 est order and of the most various kinds ; that they con- 
 sist with a deep knowledge of mankind and with the 
 greatest skill in the management of every concern; 
 that they are frequently an overmatch for all the sub- 
 tility and malignity which can be arrayed against tliem ; 
 and that they are not only defensive but highly orna- 
 mental to their possessor. 
 
 Let us now consider 
 
 II. That whoever has the testimony of his conscience, 
 that he has had his conversation in the world in that 
 simplicity and godly sincerity which has been described, 
 will have a source of internal peace and satisfaction 
 which nothing can destroy. 
 
 That the experience of the Apostle went fully to the 
 support of this position we have his own explicit decla- 
 ration, not only in the text, but in numerous other passa- 
 ges of his writings. Nor was his experience, let it be ob- 
 served, that of a man whose life was destitute of those 
 trials which should give it weiglit. On the contrary, 
 there never, perhaps, existed a man, who had more 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 145 
 
 opportunities to know from experience, whether godly 
 sincerity was a never failing source of peace and satis- 
 faction. Educated with the fairest prospects of honour 
 and distinction among his countrymen tlie Jews, lie had 
 • for the sake of Christ, become an outcast from his na- 
 tion, and was persecuted with the most deadly hatred. 
 As to this world, " he had suffered the loss of dl 
 things/' The attainment of distinction and opulence, 
 which his birth, talents and education, seem to have 
 put in his power, he had resigned for contempt and pov- 
 erty, and a life of incessant toil, anxiety and jeopardy. 
 Hear his own account of this matter — and recollect too 
 that it stands in the same address which contains the 
 text. Speaking of those who insidiously endeavoured 
 to misrepresent him with the churches, and which, in 
 itself, was no inconsiderable trial, he says, " Are they He- 
 brews ? so am I. Are they Israelites ? so am I. Are they 
 the seed of Abraham ? so. am I. Are they ministers of 
 Christ ? (I speak as a fool,) I am more ; in labours more 
 abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more fre- 
 quent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I for- 
 ty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once 
 was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day 
 I have been in the deep ; in journey ings often, in perils of 
 waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own coun- 
 trymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, 
 in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils 
 among fiilse brethren ; in weariness and painfulness, in 
 
 watchings often, in hunger and tliirst^ in fastings often, 
 
 U 
 
14d iDlSCOURSE VI. 
 
 in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are 
 without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of 
 all the churches." Such were the unparalleled suffer- 
 ings and trials in which was passed, not a short period, 
 but the whole life of the apostle, after his conversion— 
 the whole life of a man, who, as " a Hebrew of the 
 Hebrews, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel," once had 
 the most flattering prospects which the united influence 
 of birth and erudition could give, of possessing power 
 and honour and affluence, as great as his nation could 
 bestow. This was the man who declared that the tes- 
 timony of a good conscience that he acted with simpli- 
 city and godly sincerity in all his intercourse with the 
 world, had not only supported him under all his 
 changes, and sacrifices, and perils, and pains, and deg- 
 radations, but had enabled him to rejoice and glory 
 amidst them all. Such an example, surely, affords a 
 powerful support to the doctrine I inculcate. But the 
 truth is general. Every man who acts as the apostle 
 acted, will also be enabled to rejoice as he rejoiced. 
 Lend me your serious attention, while I briefly explain 
 how this happy result will always be produced. 
 
 1. The testimony of a good conscience will not only 
 preserve its possessor, in the most trying scenes of ad- 
 versity in which he can be placed, from all self accusa- 
 tion or reproach, but will affoi d him the sweet solace, 
 and the powerful support of self approbation. The 
 faculty of our minds by which we both censure and 
 approve our own motives and conduct is conscience. 
 
DISCOURSE VL 147 
 
 But our supposition is that the party we consider ha« 
 the testimony of his conscience full in his favour. It is 
 impossible, therefore, that he should accuse or reproach 
 himself, since the faculty from which alone accusation 
 or reproach could come is employed, so to speak, in an. 
 opposite direction — in acquitting and approving him. 
 This the apostle assures us was the cause of his rejoic- 
 ing ; and we see, from the very constitution of our na^ 
 ture, that the same effect must take place in every 
 one who possesses the good conscience which he pos- 
 sessed. 
 
 Now, let a man be free from all self reproach ; let 
 him have the entire approbation of his own mind ; let 
 him, on the closest examination of himself and the most 
 careful review of his conduct, see reason to rejoice, and 
 actually rejoice, in the course he has pursued, the part 
 he has acted and the motives by which he has been gov- 
 erned, and he is completely out of the reach of deep 
 or lasting misery. Subject him to privations, burden him 
 with cares, load him with contempt, expose him to dan* 
 gers, inflict upon him bodily torments — he will feel them, 
 he must feel them, but still he will rejoice. The surface of 
 his sensibilities only will be touched. His inward man, 
 the sensorium of his soul, will remain sound and whole, 
 and full of delightful sensations. Or if, for a moment, he 
 be shaken or agitated here, he will recover speedily, 
 will rejoice with renewed joy, and meet the storm with 
 increased strength and augmented firmness. It is the 
 soul of mail that feels; and the soul of tliis maa will aud 
 
148 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 diust have feelings which exchide misery and make it 
 joyful. 
 
 It is in the season of severe trial, that the support 
 which is derived from a good conscience is, at once, most 
 needed and most sensibly experienced. While men 
 are prosperous in the w^orld they often find it practica- 
 ble to lull their consciences, or to escape from them, or, 
 by the aid of false principles, to accommodate them to 
 their wishes or their passions. But in a time of deep 
 affliction, when all outward circumstances are adverse, 
 when the mind is cut off from all that is pleasing in the 
 world, from all external and adventitious aids and ob- 
 jects, and is driven inward on itself, then it is not easy 
 to escape from conscience, nor easy to maintain inward 
 quiet w^ith a misguided conscience. Then has come 
 the hour for reflection, and recollection, and exam- 
 ination and inquiry, and wo to him whose peace and 
 contentment have rested on the sandy foundation of 
 carelessness, or forgetfulness, or falsehood, or mistake, 
 or ignorance, or sophistry ! He is now likely to dis- 
 cover that his refuge has been " a refuge of lies,'' that 
 he has nothing stable to support or shelter him, nothing 
 that can resist the storms and billows of adversity 
 which threaten to sweep him — and happy is he if they 
 do not now actually sweep him — into tlie abyss of des- 
 pair and perdition. 
 
 On the other hand, the test to which adversity brings 
 him who has the testimony of his conscience that he has 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 149 
 
 had his conversation in the world in simplicity and godly 
 sincerity^ only serves to satisfy him the more fully of 
 the rectitude of his motives and actions, and to prove to 
 him more unquestionahly that he has an unftiiliug source 
 of consolation. Examination and scrutiny are always 
 favourable to truth. They ascertain it more clearly, 
 and ^x our confidence in it more firmly. Hence the 
 man of godly sincerity, when he examines himself close- 
 ly in the season of advei^sity, becomes more satisfied 
 than ever that he has acted right ; and the testimony 
 of his conscience in his favour becomes of course more 
 decisive, and powerful, and consoling, and enables him 
 to say with emphasis, '' I rejoice even in tribulation ; 
 yea, and I will rejoice." For 
 
 2. What we believe, on the closest and fullest exami- 
 nation, to be right, we must conclude to be the object of 
 approbation with the Deity, who is perfect rectitude. 
 But on such examination, as we have just seen, the man of 
 godly sincerity conscientiously believes that he has acted 
 right. His course of action, therefore, he must con- 
 clude — he cannot doubt — is the object of approbation 
 with his God. Yes, he is satisfied, he knows that God 
 regards his uprightness with complacency. And can a 
 mind fully persuaded of this be miserable ? Can any 
 thing destroy the pleasure and satisfaction arising from 
 such a persuasion ? No, brethren — Earth and hell may 
 attempt in vain to render that man unhappy, who is 
 justly and firmly persuaded that God is his friend. 
 The approbation; the friendship, the favour, the love, 
 
150 DISCOCnSE VL 
 
 of the Supreme Being, when we are thoroughly satis* 
 fied they are ours, appear as much superior to any 
 thi% that creatures can give or take, as his nature and 
 attrmutes are superior to theirs. Possessing these, the 
 mincfcan look down with a holy indifference or disre- 
 gard,! on all the things of time; on all adversity, in 
 whatfier form it may come ; while looking up to God 
 it excmims — " Thy favour is life, and thy loving kind- 
 ness is*» better than life — My flesh and my heart fail- 
 eth, bu4^ God is the strength of my heart and my por- 
 tion forever/'' This leads me to remark 
 
 3. That tlie man of godly sincerity is comforted and 
 made to rejoice at all times, and especially in the time 
 of affliction, by the assured hope and expectation of fu- 
 ture and endless happiness. Both the considerations 
 already suggested are always and inseparably connect- 
 ed V. ith this, and derive from it their principal force 
 and efiicacy. That virtue, indeed, should ever suffer 
 under the government of an infinitely wise, powerful 
 and good Being, is what we shall not find it easy to 
 account for, on any other supposition than that there is 
 a state of future and perfect retribution. But we are 
 not left, on this subject, to the mere deductions of reason. 
 " Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and 
 immortality to light through the gospel.'^ We know 
 from the oracles of infallible truth that " God hath ap- 
 pointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in 
 righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained — 
 that he will bring every work iuto judgment with every 
 
Discourse vl 151 
 
 secret tiling, whether it be good or whether it be evil— 
 that he will judge the secrets of men — that we must all 
 appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every 
 one may receive the things done in his body, according 
 to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad ; and 
 that the wicked shall go away into everlasting punish- 
 ment, but the righteous into life eternal." Here is the 
 description of tho^e awful realities of a future state, 
 those deeply interesting scenes and events, to which tho 
 man of godly sincerity is looking forward, through the 
 whole of his christian course. His mind's eye is often 
 fixed on " the judgment of the great day.'' How shall I 
 answer then ? is the solemn question which he frequent- 
 ly puts to himself. To answer then " with joy and not 
 with grief," is his great concern. This influences him 
 to maintain " a conscience void of offence, toward God 
 and toward man." This determines him to preserve 
 his integrity? though it should cost him his life; and to 
 approve himself to the heart searching God, who is so 
 soon to judge the secrets of his heart. And now we 
 contemplate him as having the testimony of his con- 
 science that he has, truly and prevalently, acted under 
 the influence of these considerations. Amidst all the sin 
 and imperfection of w hich he is conscious, for which he 
 is deeply humbled, and which bring him to a simple 
 reliance on the merits of his Redeemer, both for acquit- 
 tal and reward, he still perceives that he has acted with 
 sincerity : tliat he has habitually endeavoured to obey 
 all the divine commandments ; that he has not wilfully 
 
152 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 or allowedly swerved from his duty ; that he has fol- 
 lowed its dictates^ in opposition to the frowns and the 
 flatteries of the world ; that he has been ready to en- 
 counter^ and is at this very moment willing to bear 
 reproach^ and persecution, and loss, and peril, and 
 poverty, and death itself, rather than desert his duty, 
 or dishonour his Saviour, or refuse him any service 
 that he may require — He perceives this ; he is inti- 
 mately and deeply conscious of it. He is therefore 
 permitted — and oh how does he admire the ineffable 
 grace and condescension by which he is permitted — 
 to consider himself as a real disciple of Christ, as vital- 
 ly united to him, as sure of his approbation '^ when he 
 shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admir- 
 ed in all them that believe.'^ He anticipates the day 
 of dread decision, when his Saviour will acknowledge 
 and honour him before the assembled universe, will 
 turn all his infamy into honour and all his sorrows into 
 joy, will place a crown of eternal glory on his head, and 
 will say to him with all his chosen people, " Come ye 
 blessed of my Father, enter into the joy of your Lord — 
 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda- 
 tion of the world. '^ 
 
 And now say, my brethren, if the man who, with 
 humble confidence, anticipates a participation in these 
 glories of the final judgment, and the succeeding felici- 
 ties of an eternal duration, may not, and will not, even 
 exult and triumph amidst any sufi*erings — no matter of 
 what kind or from wiiat quarter they may come — 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 15:^ 
 
 which the world can inflict. Yes, he may — He may, 
 even in the view of certain martyrdom, say, as the au- 
 thor of our text actually said — " I am now ready to be 
 oifered ; and the time of my departure is at hand. I 
 have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I 
 have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for 
 me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the right- 
 eous judge shall give unto me in that day ; and not 
 mito me only but unto all them also which love his 
 appearing.'' 
 
 My young friends — whose connexion with this 
 institution is about to be dissolved 
 
 It was my design in selecting the topic you have just 
 heard discussed, to lay hold on the present interesting 
 occasion, to recommend, in the most powerful manner 
 of which I am capable, the character you have heard 
 described, to your attention and imitation. And if I 
 shall be so happy as elTectually to succeed in this, I 
 shall be instrumental in confering on you a benefit of 
 the most essential kind ; a benefit which will be as last- 
 ing as your existence. For if you possess that simpli- 
 city and godly sincerity of which the text speaks, and 
 which you have heard discriminated from fleshly wis- 
 dom of every kind, you will possess true religion ; and 
 you will possess it, too, in its best, most lovely, and 
 most useful form. This — observe it distinctly — is what 
 
 I recommend. Never have I attempted — and God for- 
 
 X 
 
154 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 bid that I ever should attempt — to make you, or others, 
 believe, that a system of mere worldly prudence, and 
 an amiable exterior, will secure the salvation of the^ 
 soul. It certainly will not. God has to do with the 
 heart ; and your religion must begin by a change there, 
 and be influenced by evangelical views and motives 
 throughout, if it ever lead you to heaven. At the 
 same time, these evangelical views and motives, as has 
 been shewn in this discourse, will form the deepest, 
 broadest and most solid basis, on which to rear the 
 fabrick of integrity and honesty before the world. 
 Build, therefore, on this foundation. Never be con- 
 tent, or think yourselves safe without it. 
 
 Bul having said this, I think it not improper, and 
 hope it may be useful to add, that I know of nothing 
 which affords so fair a hope that a man will eventually 
 become truly pious, as that inflexible attachment to 
 what he believes to be truth and duty, which may go 
 into the character of a man of integrity, while yet he is 
 not a man of practical piety ; provided only that he 
 avoids the danger of making a religion or righteousness 
 of this character. If he have it, as he may have it, 
 without building his hopes of heaven upon it, there is 
 much reason to expect that the love of truth and ten- 
 derness of conscience, with which it is usupJly associated, 
 will lead to true piety at last. The apostle who pen* 
 ned the text did make a righteousness of such a char- 
 acter, in his unconverted state. And though he was 
 eonverted by miracle, yet he tells us himself, what 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 155 
 
 amounts to saying, that this miracle would not have been 
 wrought if lie had not possessed this character — if he 
 had not " sinned ignorantly in unbelief." If he had 
 not '' verily thought that he ought to do many things 
 contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth'^ — if he had 
 offended in the manner he did, against the convictions 
 of his own mind, he would never have found mercy. 
 But he always acted as he verily thought he ought to 
 iict ; and therefore, though he acted very wickedly — 
 and his case proves incontestibly that a man may act 
 very wickedly when he fully believes he is doing right — 
 yet his sins were forgiven ; and he became, probably, 
 the most useful mere man that ever lived. His case is 
 exactly to my present purpose. If, then, you would 
 hope to be truly pious, never trifle with truth ; never 
 use deceit ; abhor all fraud ; and maintain a character 
 for uprightness and integrity : And yet, I repeat it, be- 
 ware that you do not content yourselves with this ; but 
 seek the renovation of your heart and nature, and a 
 vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ, making him 
 your all in all. 
 
 But alas ! it is painful to say, that there are mea 
 who profess religion, and who, on the whole, we know 
 not how entirely to exclude from our charity, that are, 
 nevertheless, grievously deficient in simplicity and god- 
 ly sincerity. Without something of it, indeed, they 
 cannot be christians, in any thing but in name. But 
 there are degrees of this, as well as of every other ex- 
 
156 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 cellence ; and it is a most lamentable reflection on re- 
 ligion, that its professors — yea, and its very ministers, 
 are sometimes reproachfully defective in simplicity and 
 sincerity of character. There is scarcely any thing which 
 more than this, can injure the cause of Christ, diminish 
 their own influence and respect, and in every way in- 
 terfere with their usefulness. Let your religious char- 
 acter, my young friends, never be stained by this blot. 
 Be, in all things, what you profess to be. And such of 
 you as shall be called to preach the gospel, I now^ sol- 
 emnly charge to preach it in purity and simplicity. 
 Deeply abhor either to conceal the truth, or to deny, 
 or disguise, or keep back, any important sentiments 
 that you really hold. And in addition to this, always 
 sustain a character — for you may sustain it if you 
 choose — which shall free you from every just or cred- 
 ible charge of duplicity, insincerity, or want of can- 
 dour. 
 
 My young friends — do not think that I press tliis 
 subject upon you too much. It is not done from any 
 particular distrust of your integrity. You have given 
 m-e no cause for such distrust. But you do not know, 
 and all I can say, without your own experience, will 
 not make you sufliciently sensible, how important this 
 subject really is. Much, you will recollect, you have 
 heretofore heard me say upon it ; and you are also 
 aware that it is a principle in the government of this 
 institution, that frankness, truth and honesty, shall be 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 157 
 
 the best apology for every fault. But this is the last 
 time I am to address you ; and I wish to send you into 
 life under the full impression of the truths and prin- 
 ciples, which I have now particularly explained and 
 inculcated. I therefore leave it as my last parting 
 charge to you all, to be honest — thoroughly honest tnen ; 
 to begin life with this, and to carry it with you through 
 the whole of life. You have been hearing of some of 
 the advantages of doing this; but the half has not 
 been told you. 
 
 Integrity will stand your friend, and be your best 
 recommendation, in a thousand ways and instances 
 that cannot be specified. Sheer integrity is esteemed 
 as the most precious quality in those who are to be em- 
 ployed and trusted in any business, station, and rela- 
 tion of life : and I heartily agree with a late popular 
 writer, that ^» considering how high a price the article 
 bears, it is wonderful that there is not more of it in 
 the market" — which, indeed, is little else than giving 
 point to the old proverb, that honesty is the best 
 policy. 
 
 It is a recommendation, too, of this quality, that it 
 does not require talents and genius to possess it ; 
 though talents and genius are nothing but curses with- 
 out it. All may be honest and upright : and whoever 
 is characteristically so, will be trusted unboundedly, will 
 be respected sincerely, and will be employed in pre- 
 ference to all others. I have shown you that this 
 
138 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 character, I'ightly understood and sustained, will nei- 
 ther subject you to the charge of weakness, nor to the 
 impositions of knaves. No assuredly ; but while it 
 will make you honoured and loved by all honest men, 
 it will make you respected and feared by knaves them- 
 selves. Above all, genuine, godly sincerity will, if you 
 possess it, befriend you, when you most need to be be- 
 friended. It will, as you have heard, solace and sup- 
 port you in those dark hours of adversity in which the 
 world will no longer have any power to help or com- 
 fort ; or when it shall turn against you, and inflict on 
 you all its wrath. Then will godly sincerity raise you 
 above all its rage, and fill you with " a peace which 
 passeth all understanding.'' Yea, when you shall 
 stand on the brink of the eternal world, it will still 
 cheer you ; will make the hour of death a desirable 
 hour, and antedate that bliss of heaven of which it will 
 ensure the full possession. 
 
 To conclude all — Endeavour to excel in every thing 
 that is praise worthy ; — in science ; in manners ; in 
 acquaintance with human nature ; in a knowledge 
 of the world and the characters of men. Be erudite, be 
 courteous, be conciliating, be prudent, be guarded ; 
 yet always be honest and upright. In every thing — 
 in religion, in politicks, in you profession, in all your 
 intercourse with the world, give yourselves for what 
 you are. Never wear a mask. Show yourselves to 
 be trust worthy, by actually being so — If you do thisj, 
 
DISCOURSE VI. 159 
 
 I repeat it, you will be honoured, you will be happy. 
 — I have done — I commit you to God — praying that 
 he may deeply impress on your minds whatever of 
 salutary counsel you have now, and at other times, 
 heard from these lips ; and grant us a happy meeting 
 at his right hand above. Amen. 
 
DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 A PLEA FOR EARLY PIETY. 
 
 ECCLESIASTES XII. 1. 
 
 ^* Remember now thy Creator ^ in the days ofthyijouthP 
 
 J. HESE are the words of inspiration, recorded by the 
 pen of the wisest of men — by the pen of a prince who, 
 in circumstances peculiarly favourable to success, had 
 tried to derive satisfaction from earthly possessions and 
 pleasures ; but who, having found and pronounced the 
 trial vain, delivered the text as part of a different and a 
 better method of seeking after happiness. The subject, 
 therefore, claims our attention, on the highest authority 
 both divine and human. 
 
 The true and obvious design of the text is to recom- 
 mend and enjoin early piety. This, therefore, will be 
 the distinct and single object of the ensuing discourse ; 
 which I propose to address immediately and exclusively 
 — and I am sure it will be affectionately also — to the 
 youth of my charge. In the prosecution of this design^ 
 I will endeavour 
 
 I. To explain the import of the precept, ^' Remember 
 thy Creator.'' 
 
162 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 II. To specify and urge some important considera* 
 tions which should engage those who are " now in the 
 days of their youth/' to yield to this precept an immedi- 
 ate and cheerful obedience. 
 
 A few leading thoughts only, will be offered on the 
 first of these divisions. Our time must be chiefly occu- 
 pied with the second : for in regard to this subject, as to 
 many others, instruction is less needed than persuasion ; 
 a knowledge of duty is not wanted so much as a disposi- 
 tion to perform it. 
 
 I. The precept, " Remember thy Creator,'' must be 
 considered as enjoining all that is comprised in genuine 
 practical piety. 
 
 As forgetfulness of God is not only a sin in itself, but 
 the cause of many other sins, so a due remembrance of 
 Him is both an important duty, and the most powerful 
 incitement to every other duty. The precept we con- 
 sider plainly supposes, what experience uniformly attests, 
 that he who lives habitually under an impressive recol- 
 lection of the being and attributes of God — of his univer- 
 1^1 presence, his infinite majesty, his unspotted purity, 
 his inflexible justice, his inviolable veracity, his bound- 
 less goodness, grace and mercy, and of the account 
 which must shortly be rendered to Him of every deed 
 done in the body — cannot be regardless of his commands^ 
 nor inattentive to any service which he requires. 
 
 Do you believe it would be possible for the daring 
 blasphemer, the profane swearer, the careless sabbath 
 breaker; the child whose undutifuiness breaks a parent's 
 
DISCOURSE VIT. - 16S 
 
 heart, the murderer, the duellist, the drunkard, the adul- 
 terer, the thief, the prodigal, the perjured person, the 
 griping miser — to rush forward, heedless and uncon- 
 cerned, in perpetrating their several enormities and 
 ahominations, if they rememhered God ? if they helieved 
 and recollected distinctly, that **• for all tlicse things God 
 would hring them into judgment?" What! could any 
 one in the possession of his reason habitually do that, the 
 penalty of which he knew to he eternal perdition ! No. 
 it would he impossible. Fear, although it would not 
 change his heart, would restrain him from the acts 
 of flagitious vice. Abandoned sinners are always prac- 
 tical atheists. This is the character given of them ia 
 holy scripture. There we are told that they " forget 
 God;" that ^^God is not in all their thoughts;" that ^^the 
 fool hath said in his heart there is no God" — Here is the 
 exuberant fountain of licentious sinning. 
 
 On the other hand, when men are brought seriously 
 to remember their Creatoi^ — to have some operative be- 
 lief of his presence, of his inspection, and of their ac- 
 countableness to Him, they immediately begin to think 
 and act in a manner which usually terminates in true re- 
 ligion. The truth is, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of 
 grace, is the blessed agent, who both commences and per- 
 fects this momentous work. He it is who first brings men 
 to consider their responsibility to their Maker, and then 
 prompts, and aids and directs their minds, in that whole 
 train of exercises, the issue of which is a sound conver- 
 sion unto God. The process; indeed, by which this issue 
 
164 DISCOURSE VIL 
 
 is effected^ is extremely various ; but the result is always 
 the same. Fear of the divine displeasure is frequently 
 the feeling which is first experienced, as it is that which 
 is 'naturally produced, when the unsanctified mind ob- 
 tains some just and impressive perceptions of the being 
 and attributes of God. This is often followed, or accom- 
 panied, with a deep sense of guilt, misery and helpless- 
 ness. The gospel offer of free salvation, through the 
 atonement and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 is now regarded as inestimably precious ; and he is, at 
 length, received and rested on by faith, as the all in all of 
 the soul. With this fctith, by which alone the sinner is 
 justified, true evangelical repentance for sin is always 
 mixed. Sin, in its very nature, appears unspeakably 
 odious, and it is mourned for, hated and renounced, with^ 
 out any exception for a favourite lust or indulgence. 
 The law of God becomes the rule of life, his service the 
 business of life, and his glory the great end of living. 
 
 An inward and effectual change, evinced by the exer- 
 cises and temper now specified, will ultimately be pro- 
 ductive of great inward peace, arising from a sense of 
 pardoned guilt, of reconciliation with God through Jesus 
 Christ, and from his love shed abroad in the heart by 
 the Holy Ghost. Outwardly, this change will be mani- 
 fested by a scrupulous and exemplary discharge of eve- 
 ry duty which is due both to God and man-^— a discharge 
 of duty proceeding from love and obedience to Him whp 
 has enjoined it, and from a desire " to adorn the doc* 
 tvine of God our Saviour in all things.'^ 
 
DISCOUnSE TIT. 165 
 
 The import, then, of the precept, ^' Remember thy 
 Creator,'^ is nothing less than an injunction to regard 
 and reduce to practice, all that is comprised in the sum- 
 mary exiiibition of genuine \'ital piety which has just 
 been given. And as no religion short of this will save 
 the soul, you will carefully keep in mind that in pleading 
 with you to enter on a life of religion, it is a religion of 
 this character and extent, that I always have in view. 
 Lend me your serious attention, therefore, while I en- 
 deavour 
 
 II. To specify and urge some important considera- 
 tions which should engage you, who are now " in the 
 days of your youth," to yield to the precept in the text 
 an immediate and cheerful obedience. 
 
 Let it claim your particular regard that, in the pre- 
 cept we consider, the word now is peculiarly emphatick. 
 ^^ Remember now thy Creator in the days of tliy 
 youth'' — noiv before the fleeting period of youth be past; 
 now " while the evil days come not, nor the years draw 
 nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them ;'^ 
 now^ without thinking of evasion or a moment's delay. 
 
 Be reminded, too, that what I have said, in regard to 
 the influence of the Holy Spirit and the aids of grace be- 
 ing concerned in the conversion of the soul, is by no 
 means to be considered as discouraging attention and ex- 
 ertion, on your part. So far is this, indeed, from fur- 
 nishing a reason against laying motives before you, and 
 urging you to consider them, that it affords the most 
 
166 DISCOURSE VIL 
 
 powerful encouragement^ both for me to speak and for you 
 to hear. The doctrine of our dependence on the grace 
 of Godj ought ever to be viewed in an encouraging 
 liglit ; as inspiring hope^ by pointing us to an Almighty 
 Helper. Divine influence is not a blind impulse. It is 
 God's own appointment that his grace should be looked 
 for in the use of means. It operates along with considera- 
 tions and motives addressed to our reason and conscience. 
 While these considerations and motives are candidly and 
 seriously pondered^ divine grace inclines the will and 
 affections^ renewed by its power, sweetly to consent and 
 obey — to choose and act aright. Endeavour, therefore^ 
 to open your minds to the full influence of truth ; and 
 lift up your hearts, at this moment, in fervent aspirations 
 for the presence and assistance of the Holy Spirit, that 
 you may hear effectually — sensible that you are hearing 
 for the life of your souls. 
 
 1. The first consideration to which I would direct 
 your attention, as calculated to engage you to enter on a 
 life of true religion in your youth, is the reasonableness 
 of the thing itself. Bend your whole attention to this 
 for a moment. Say if it is not fit, and proper and ration- 
 al, that the God who gave you all your powers, and made 
 you capable of his service, love and enjoyment, should 
 have those powers occupied in loving and serving Him, 
 as soon as they are capable of this employment. Say if 
 the reverse of this is not most unreasonable, base and 
 rebellious. Is it not both irrational and wicked, in a ve- 
 ry high degree, that you should give all the first exer- 
 
DISCOURSE YII. 167 
 
 tions and afFections of your minds to objects which rival 
 your Creator; which exalt themselves into his place, 
 and are directly opposed to his claims and authority ? 
 To whom but to the God who made you, the Saviour 
 who died for you, and the Sanctifier who must pi^pare 
 you — if ever you are prepared — for heaven, should the 
 morning incense of your whole souls be offered ? With 
 what language shall I sliow the reasonableness, and per- 
 suade you to the resolution, of making God your Jirst 
 love ? You cannot deliberately intend to remain his ene- 
 mies, and perish forever. Oh, then, be not so infatuated, 
 so ungrateful, so impious, so unutterably base, as to re- 
 fuse Him your hearts, till they shall, for a season, have 
 been prostituted to the love of sin and the service of Sa- 
 tan! To God your Maker, let all your mental powers 
 be consecrated, from the period of their earliest exercise. 
 On this your ultimate salvation may depend. For 
 
 2. The faculties of the human mind are more happily 
 adapted to religious exercises and duties in youth, than 
 they usually are in after life. In youth the affections 
 are more warm and tender, the conscience is more sensi- 
 ble and easily impressed, the rational faculty is more 
 fresh and active, and the whole mind is more fair and 
 less biassed against truth and duty, than it almost ever 
 is at any subsequent period. From these circumstan- 
 ces, the principles of piety commonly find in the youtii- 
 ful mind a soil most favourable to their radication, 
 growth and fruitfulness. At whatever period, indeed, 
 the " good seed'^ may be sown, it will never '• spring up 
 
168 DISCOURSE VIL 
 
 and bring forth fruit/' unless it be quickened and clier- 
 ished by the power of divine grace ; and this effect, we 
 admit, could as readily be produced by that God with 
 whom all possible things are equally easy, in the old and 
 rocky heart, as in the heart that is youthful and soft. 
 But the God of nature is the God of grace ; and both in 
 nature and in gi^ace, he commonly operates according to 
 the fitness of things, and in a regular order established 
 by himself. By his order youth is fitted and intended 
 for improvement of every kind ; for improvement in mo- 
 rals and piety, as well as in understanding and knowl- 
 edge ; and in youth, accordingly, the life giving power 
 and effectual culture of his grace are oftenest witnessed. 
 It is an indisputable fact, that of those who become pi- 
 ous, a large majority of the whole number become so be- 
 fore they are far advanced in life. 
 
 If then you would avail yourselves of an advantage in 
 seeking the favour of God, from his own appointment, 
 and from the very constitution of your nature, you must 
 do it now — now before your hearts are doubly hardened 
 and perverted by the habits and the deceitfulness of sin. 
 You will be most likely to attain genuine piety, and to 
 attain it with the least pain and difficulty, if you seek it 
 in youth; and if the attainment be now made, you will 
 perform the duties of religion far more comfortably and 
 advantageously, than if this great concern be delayed 
 till you reach a more advanced age. This will more 
 fully appear, by considering 
 
DISCOURSE VIL 169 
 
 3. That in youth there is a freedom from that pres- 
 sure of worldly business aiid cares, and from a thousand 
 unavoidable avocations, which commonly occupy and en- 
 gross the attention, when men have entered on active op 
 professional life. Then, indeed, the cares of the world 
 generally render it extremely difllcult to keep up that 
 fervour of piety which had previously been excited — To 
 enkindle the flame is, often, in these circumstances, 
 scarcely practicable. 
 
 With youth who have occasionally some serious im- 
 pressions of religion, while yet the love of pleasure or 
 the lure of ambition sways their minds, it is, I know, a 
 favourite notion, which often serves to lull their con- 
 sciences, that when they shall be established in business 
 and settled in families, they will find a period far more 
 advantageous than the present, for devoting themselves 
 to the service of God. This is, in various respects, 
 an awful delusion. Presumptuous youth ! Your Ma- 
 ker requires you no7u to remember him. And do you 
 deliberately resolve to remain, for years to come, in a 
 state of disobedience to his command ? Do you not know 
 that '^ God is angry with the wicked every day ?" and 
 should not this awaken your fears, that you may be cut off 
 in your sins, before the time which you have allotted for his 
 gervice shall arrive ? Have you not seen some examples, 
 for they frequently occur, of this alarming dispensation ? 
 Examples of those who have been hurried out of life, be- 
 fore the time had come which they had proposed and 
 
170 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 promised to devote to religion ? And will you, in the 
 face of such examples, venture on this tremendous risk ? 
 
 Have you not, also, heard already in this address, and 
 do you not believe, that the influences of divine grace 
 must be afforded to you, if you ever truly repent of your 
 sins and turn to God ? And have you not great cause to 
 fear, if you systematically resolve on continuing to offend 
 Him for a season, that he may give you up to that final 
 hardness of heart and searedness of conscience, which 
 will as certainly be followed by perdition, as if it were 
 already sealed by death and judgment ? Alas ! how ma- 
 ny have I known — for my observation has long been 
 directed to this very point — how many have I known 
 who in youth seemed to be ^^not far from the kingdom 
 of God,'^ but who were seduced from pressing into it, some 
 by one temptation, and some by another, till they became 
 at length hardened in impenitence. Some of them have 
 already passed into eternity; some of them yet live; 
 and some are, at this hour, numbered among infidels or 
 scepticks. Let me warn and entreat you, to shun a 
 course of such unspeakable peril — ^^ Grieve not the Holy 
 Spirit of God, vv hereby ye are sealed unto the day of 
 redemption/*' 
 
 But even on the supposition that your life shall be 
 prolonged to the period which you have assigned for re- 
 ligion, and that the strivings of the Spirit of grace 
 shall also be continued — for God is a sovereign, and it 
 belongs not to us to pronounce with certainty on the limits 
 of his forbearance and grace — still there is every reason 
 
DISCOURSE VII. 171 
 
 to believe that it will be far more difficultj then^ than 
 now, to enter on a life of devotion and piety. Tlie 
 oppression of worldly care and professional business, 
 the deceitfulness of riches, the society and opinions 
 of w^orldly men, the unpleasantness of making a change 
 of character and adopting new habits of life, and 
 the influence of family connexions decidedly hos- 
 tile to religion, may all conspire to increase the diffi- 
 culty we contemplate. They often have conspired, 
 and some of these causes always will operate, to cre- 
 ate obstacles, which require resolution and exertion of 
 the most vigorous and determined kind to surmount or 
 remove, from those w ho have to commence, if they ever 
 do commence, a life of true religion, after they are im- 
 mersed in the world. 
 
 On the whole, my young friends, be assured, as the 
 result of much observation, that you are never likely to 
 find so favourable an opportunity to attend effectually to 
 the concerns of your souls, as you now have, within the 
 walls of this house ; and that you have serious cause to 
 apprehend, if you go from this house without religion, 
 that you will go through life and into eternity without it. 
 '' Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the 
 day of salvation — To day if ye will hear his voice, har- 
 den not your hearts." 
 
 4. Another motive or consideration, which should de- 
 termine the young to remember their Creator in the 
 days of their youth is^ that by so doing they will obtain 
 
irt DISCOITRSE VII. 
 
 the best and most satisfying evidence of the sincerity 
 and reality of their religion. 
 
 There are seasons in the lives of almost all men, in 
 which the mind turns on serious subjects, and looks to 
 religion for consolation. But alas ! melancholy experi- 
 ence demonstrates that all seriousness is not religion. 
 In hours of danger and distress, or disgust at the world, 
 thousands have professed, in the most solemn manner, 
 and apparently with the most honest intention, to devote 
 themselves to God, who have discovered, after all, that 
 their hearts, although wounded, were not changed: for as 
 soon as the cause that seemed to render religion necessa- 
 ry was removed, their seriousness vanished with it. All 
 their goodness was ^^as the early cloud and as the morning 
 dew.^' The sun of health, or pleasure, or prosperity, 
 converted it into vapour and scattered it to the winds. 
 The knowledge of this has grievously distressed some, 
 who have given the best evidence that affliction had been 
 the season, or age the period of life, in which they had 
 been brought home to God. ^^ Ah ! — says the afflicted 
 penitent — how many have there been who in distress 
 promised as fairly, and seemed to think as seriously as 
 I do now ; and yet all was temporary, all delusive ? How 
 can I know that I am at heart better than they ! How 
 can I be certain that I am sincere!'^ — "What evidence 
 have I — says the hoary headed penitent — that I truly 
 love God, and am not merely cloyed with the world ! 
 I did not choose religion till the v/orld had, in a mea- 
 sure, lost its relish. The best part of my days, at any 
 
DISCOURSE ni. 173 
 
 rate, has been spent in disobedience to God. I can offer 
 him only the remnant of life, and the leavings of sin; and 
 I fear that it is by mere constraint that I profess to make 
 even this offering." 
 
 Those who have the least cause for these fears and 
 jealousies of their sincerity^ are the very persons who 
 are the most apt to indulge them. And is it not desira- 
 ble, my young friends, to escape the pain and perplexity 
 of such a state of mind as this ? Is it not desirable, not 
 only to be truly pious, but to have the comfort of it too ? 
 If so, embrace religion while you are young. If you vol- 
 untarily choose it, while you are in youth and in health ; — 
 if when the w orld flatters, when the opportunity of sin- 
 ful indulgence favours, when depraved appetite vehe- 
 mently prompts, when all the enemies of your souls as- 
 sail you with advantage ; — if in these circumstances you 
 choose the ways of true piety and godliness, you will 
 have every possible evidence that you are sincere ; that 
 your hearts are given to God, and that your interest in 
 his favour is sure. This advantage you now have, and 
 you will not have it at a future day : if you lose it now 
 it is lost forever. Yes, if you prefer God before the 
 world, when the world is most inviting and attractive, 
 you obtain an evidence that he is supreme in your affec- 
 tions, which otherwise you cannot have. Then, in the 
 hour of danger and distress, he will be your sweet and 
 comfortable refuge. You will go to him with a filial con- 
 fidence. If spared to advanced life, when ^^the evil 
 days come, and the years draw nigh when you shall say 
 
174 DISCOURSE VIL 
 
 I have no pleasure in them/' you will have the satisfac- 
 tion to know that in better days than these, you made 
 the Lord your portion ; and you will have the support- 
 ing assurance that " he will not cast you off in time of 
 old age.'' 
 
 I cannotj indeed, adopt the unqualified language which 
 some use, when they talk about the good deeds of a well 
 spent life comforting an aged christian in the view of 
 eternity; because I know .assuredly that it must be, not 
 his own merits, but the merits of liis Saviour, that must 
 afford him solid comfort then ; yet this I may say, that a 
 life of piety is the very best evidence that our union with 
 Christ is real and sure. In this view exactly, it is men- 
 tioned by the Apostle — '-Y am now ready to be offered, 
 and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought 
 a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
 faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
 righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall 
 give unto me at that day.'^ 
 
 In a word, a life of piety begun in youth, from the cir- 
 cumstances of its commencement, and from the opportuni- 
 ty it affords to grow in grace, to be useful in the world, and 
 to gain experience in religion, affords the best advantage 
 for obtaining certainty, in a concern wherein certainty is 
 most of all desirable ; certainty that the soul is safe ; 
 certainty that everlasting happiness is your's. Incon- 
 siderate youth! what would you not give to have your 
 happiness for this world insured ? Behold; I point you 
 out a way to insure it for eternity ! 
 
DISCOUllSE TIL 175 
 
 5. What has just been said receives mucli force, from 
 the consideration that early piety is, in every view, pro- 
 ductive of pleasure and satisfaction, through life. This 
 is a consideration suggested by Moses the man of God. 
 In his remarkable prayer for the children of his people he 
 says " satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may 
 be glad and rejoice all our days." Solomon recognizes 
 the truth of the same doctrine when he says — ^^ Wis- 
 dom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths 
 are peace." And the Apostle Paul adds his testimony 
 to the rest — ^* Godliness is profitable unto all things, hav- 
 ing the promise of the life that now is, and of that which 
 is to come." But although this sentiment be thus pow- 
 erfully fortified by the authority of scripture, its justice 
 is admitted by youth with more difficulty than almost 
 any other. Religion, they wnll allow, is advantageous 
 for a future world, but not for the present. " You may 
 speak, say they, of its insuring happiness hereafter; but 
 we cannot concede that it is favourable to present plea- 
 sure." Nay, I suspect there is scarcely another idea 
 which the adversary of souls presses on young minds so 
 frequently and successfully as this, that religion would 
 destroy their pleasures ; or that it would prove hostile to 
 their worldly interests. Let me beg your candid atten- 
 tion, then, for a few minutes to an argument on the point ; 
 and afterward judge for yourselves. 
 
 Shall I begin with speaking of persecution? To that 
 persecution which destroys life and property, we, at pre- 
 sent, are happily not exposed. But if we were, I should 
 
176 DISCOURSE VH. 
 
 tell you, that where religion has produced one martyr, 
 the want of it has produced a multitude. Vice has her 
 martyrs, and she has sacrificed at her shrine a hundred 
 victims of sensual pleasure and lawless indulgence, where 
 adherence to religion has been the cause of death to an 
 individual. The victims of vice, too, have expired by 
 deaths unspeakably more distressing, than the holy mar- 
 tyrs of evangelical truth have experienced. Do you 
 think that the bloated wretch, who drags out a miserable 
 existence of years of lassitude, langour, disgust and pain, 
 the eifects of intemperance and debauchery, and at last 
 dies without hope — Do you think, I say, that the sum of 
 this man's sufferings — leaving eternity out of view — is 
 not unspeakably gi^eater, than the amount of his who, 
 with heaven in prospect, dies on a scaffold, or is consum- 
 ed at the stake ? I leave the answer to yourselves. 
 
 To the hatred of the profane, the sneer of the ungodly, 
 and the persecution of the tongue, you must expect to be 
 exposed, if you become truly pious ; for " All that will 
 live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.^' 
 But is not the hatred and the sneer of unreasonable men 
 easier to be born, than the agonizing remorse of your 
 own consciences? Is it not more tolerable that the tongues 
 of wicked men should persecute you for doing your duty, 
 than that the prayers, the tears, the admonitions, and 
 the entreaties of your pious parents and friends, should 
 reproach you for neglecting it? And are you not 
 chargeable with pusilanimity and inconsistency, if cen- 
 sure from those who differ from you on common sub* 
 
DISCOURSE Vlf, iff 
 
 jects affects you but little, and yet you are found to shrink 
 from the revilings of a wretched infidel, or dn impious 
 blasphemer ? 
 
 Or will you suggest that religion is the nurse of gloom 
 and timidity? The justice of such a suggestion I must 
 explicitly deny. Religion, like every thing else, has beeii 
 abused, and the best things, when abused, usually be- 
 come the worst. But religion, in its genuine spirit, is 
 the consoler of the dejected : and, taken in experience, 
 it is constantly found to be the cordial which keeps the 
 souls of pious men from sinking, under distresses that 
 overwhelm those who are not supported by its powerful 
 and sacred influence. 
 
 Or do any of you suppose that true piety is unfav(?ura- 
 ble to a reputable standing in society? Nothing is more 
 contrary than this, both to reason and experience. Re- 
 ligion in all ages and countries, has been considered as 
 the guard of integrity and confidence. Without hei* 
 oaths and sanctions society cannot exist. Hypocrisy it- 
 self bears testimony to the excellence of religion, in in- 
 spiring respect and confidence. Knaves become hypo 
 crites that they may be trusted. Their pretence is de- 
 testable, but it proves that genuine piety is of acknow- 
 ledged value, for nothing that is base is ever counter 
 feited. Let a man be believed to be really and deeply 
 under the influence of religious principk. and he is 
 trusted without reserve. It gives a dignity and a weight 
 to his character which nothing else can confer, 
 
 A2 
 
178 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 Religion too is friendly to industry. Industry, indeed,, 
 is a part of religion. " He that provideth not for his own 
 household,'^ says an inspired apostle ^^hath denied the 
 faith and is worse than an infidel.'' Now character, 
 confidence, and industry, are confessedly favourable to 
 wordly prosperity, and they are all unquestionably pro- 
 moted by religion. 
 
 That religion preserves from vice and moderates the 
 passions, is implied in its nature and name. A vicious 
 christian is a perfect solicism. An ambitious, proud, re- 
 vengeful, drunken, unclean, profligate christian, is lan- 
 g^iage of which every one instantly perceives the absur- 
 dity. And does religion afford the best guard against 
 all the evils that vice and intemperate passions and ap- 
 petites produce ? Assuredly it does. Look round then 
 upon the w orld, and when you see — as you certainly may 
 see — that the greater part of all the miseries of human 
 nature proceed from these causes, confess that the rem- 
 edy of these evils,— ^a remedy which heals the very foun- 
 tain of them in the human heart, — cannot be hurtful to 
 happiness, but must abundantly increase it. 
 
 Neither is religion injurious to the accumulation of 
 property, to the comfortable enjoyment of our posses- 
 sions, nor to 4 participation in any rational pleasure. The 
 limits which |it sets and the restraints which it imposes, 
 iin regard to :hese particulars, are precisely those which 
 treason itself prescribes to every prudent man. Religion 
 jforbids avarice, but it also forbids prodigality. The be- 
 neficence andl charity which it requires, are unspeakably 
 
DISCOURSE VII. 179 
 
 a lighter tax than that which dissipation and sinful in- 
 dulgence levy on their votaries. The pleasure too, which 
 arises from doing good with our suhstance to the bodiesr 
 and the souls of men, is far greafler than that which ar- 
 rises from splendor of equipage, from the indulgence of 
 animal appetite, or even from the imitative arts. 
 
 Every gratification and pleasure of the senses, which 
 does not weaken, degrade, or injure our nature, nor 'in- 
 trude on more important concerns and pleasures, religion 
 permits. And who, that values himself on being raised 
 above the level of the brutes, would wish for more than 
 this ? To ^*' crucify the flesh with its alTections and lusits," 
 Christianity certainly requires; but this self command 
 and self denial are really conducive to the greatest en- 
 joyment on the whole. They render him, who comjplies 
 with the precept, infinitely happier than the slave oiT ap- 
 petite, even when appetite can be indulged. That man 
 has not yet learned the laws of his nature, any more 
 than the laws of the gospel, who does not know that mod- 
 eration, forbearance, and even a degree of abstinence, is 
 necessary to the highest gratification of his senses. 
 
 To all the pleasures of friendship and society true pi- 
 ety is peculiarly favourable. There is sometliing in that 
 softening which genuine religion gives to the heart, or af- 
 fections, w^hich peculiarly qualifies its possessor to be a 
 friend. So true is this, and so much verified by expe- 
 rience, that I would beg you to make the observation fop 
 yourselves, whether in the sphere of your own acquain- 
 tance, the warmest, the tenderest, the most lasting, and 
 
\§0 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 the most valuable friendships are not found among per- 
 ^ns of piety^ of both sexes and of every age. 
 
 Neither, in this place, is it improper to repeat the ob- 
 servation of one who kad seen much of human nature 
 and human life,^ namely — that all that politeness and 
 courtesy of manners, which bears so high a value in the 
 world, is only the outward expression, and too often a 
 mere expression, of that humanity, meekness, kindness, 
 and benevolence of heart, which the gospel requires. 
 To govern the heart and life, therefore, by the spirit and 
 requisitions of the gospel, will give that very deportment 
 whiph constitutes true politeness, in every thing but ar- 
 bitrary forms and gracefulness of carriage. 
 
 But returning to things of more importance, how ne- 
 cessary is religion, both to dignity and happiness, in dan- 
 ger, disease and approaching death. Danger and death, 
 I grant, are frequently braved without religion. But in 
 every such instance, however a thoughtless world may 
 dignify the daring deed with the appellation of heroism, 
 reason and revelation pronounce it madness. To be fear^ 
 less of eternal perdition, is never an exercise of rational 
 courage. Yet, after all, the most of those who, unaided 
 by religion^ encounter imminent danger without dismay, 
 dp it on the calcuUtion, or in the hope, that their good 
 fortune, as they call it, will bear them safely through : 
 Or else, their spirits are excited and supported by the 
 animating influence of active and interesting scenes, 
 Many a man has been, like Cromwell, a dauntless soldier 
 
 * Prince of Conti. 
 
DISCOURSE VII. 181 
 
 oil the field of battle, who has been dreadfully terrified 
 when he caiue to look deliberately into eternity, from a 
 sick and dying bed. With few exceptions, when the 
 hope of life is taken away, he who is unsupported by re- 
 ligion will tremble, as well he may; and he who is truly 
 pious will then lose his previous fears, and be calm, if 
 not triumphant. On the whole, therefore, that serenity 
 and inward peace which genuine christian faith produces, 
 by satisfying the believer that in all situations and events 
 he is safe, must manifestly have a powerful influence in 
 promoting the general happiness of life, and especially 
 in seasons and circumstances of alarm and peril. 
 
 To comfort the afllicted is an office that the world itself 
 commonly assigns to religion. It is indeed difiicult for 
 religion to perform this oflice when it is resorted to only 
 in aflliction; but when early piety has proved religion to 
 be sincere, it is in aflliction a comforter indeed — Ah ! my 
 dear youth, your anticipations of futurity often resemble 
 the dreams of Joseph. He dreamed of his prosperity 
 but not of his adversity — He dreamed that his brethren 
 should bow down before him, and that his parents should 
 do him homage. But he never dreamed of the cruel 
 hatred of his brethren, the loss of his liberty, the eff"ects 
 of slander and jealousy, the gloom of a prison and the 
 danger of an ignominious death. In like manner, but 
 without his unerring guidance, you often picture to your- 
 selves the pleasing prospects that, as you believe, lie 
 before you ; and you love to leave out, or to cast into 
 shade, all the sorrows, and sufi'erings, and trials of life. 
 
183 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 But you ought to be apprised, that if you live, it will not 
 be long before you will find that to have support in dis- 
 tress, to have a balsam for a bleeding heart, is one of the 
 most desirable of all possessions. This medicine of the 
 soul you will ask philosophy in vain to administer. It must 
 be found in "the balm of Giiead,^^ applied by "the 
 physician there.'' The efficacy of atoning blood, and 
 the sympathy of that Saviour who, by shedding it, has 
 reconciled the sinner to his God, and who is constantly 
 "touched with the feeling of our infirmities,'' will be 
 found a precious remedy for a wounded spirit, when the 
 world has lost all its power to relieve or soothe. To be 
 comforted by the love and favour of a covenant God in 
 Christ, when all earthly comforts fail, and so comfor- 
 ted, **to rejoice in tribulation,'' is the high privilege of 
 the christian believer alone. 
 
 But now, in addition to all this, remember that reli- 
 gion has, at all times, joys and pleasures of her own. 
 Hope is the solace of human life. He Vvho has the lar- 
 gest and best founded hopes is the happiest man. What 
 think you then of the hope of the gospel ? What think 
 you of the happiness of him who habitually and assu- 
 redly hopes, after all the joys and sorrow of this fleet- 
 ing and shadowy state are past like a fugitive vision, to 
 receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away ; to see 
 God as he is ; to be the companion of saints and angels : 
 to grow in the capacity of enjoyment, and to have that 
 capacity filled with unutterable bliss, to all eternity? 
 What think you of such a hope ? Is the situation of the 
 
DISCOURSE VII. 183 
 
 meanest saint wlio possesses it^ to be Compared with that 
 of the most splendid sinner who wants it ? Is the state 
 of him who is afraid of hcll^ or if not afraid, constantly 
 in danger of it, to be compared with his who cherishes 
 cin humble confidence that he is a sure candidate for 
 heaven? Believe me, this hope of the christian fre- 
 quently produces a present joy and peace, which are 
 literally unspeakable ; which are " exceeding great and 
 full of glory." When the light of God's countenance is 
 lifted on the soul, when his love is shed abroad in the 
 heart, when the Saviour is beheld in his fullness and the 
 believer embraces him in faith, when the divine glory is 
 seen in the plan of salvation as ineffable and overwhel- 
 ming, and when all the soul goes forth unto God its ex- 
 Qeeding joy — then the christian experiences a felici- 
 ty, one moment of which he would not exchange for 
 ages of sensual delight. He will tell you that there is 
 nothing on earth which deserves the name of happiness 
 in comparison with this ; that he never knew what hap- 
 piness w^as till he tasted of this ; that this fdls the soul 
 ill all the extent of its powers and energies, and sweetly 
 constrains it to exclaim, '^ Whom have I in heaven but 
 thee, and there is none on earth that I desire besides 
 thee." 
 
 Thus, have I argued this point, and shown you, I 
 think conclusively, that it is a just consideration and a 
 powerful motive, to choose religion early, because it will 
 increase and insure your happiness through the whole 
 ©f subsequent life. Yes, I repeat it, I urge you to be- 
 
184 DISCOURSE VIL 
 
 Come pioiis that you may be happy, in those various 
 scenes and circumstances which may await you in your 
 whole passage through the world. Be this passage longer 
 or shorter — whether you live to old age, or die at an 
 earlier period, there is nothing which will, at all times, 
 and in all imaginable situations, contribute so much to 
 your peace, your contentment, your respectability, your 
 support, consolation and comfort, as unfeigned piety, 
 reigning in the heart and governing all the life and 
 conversation. 
 
 6. Another motive, or consideration, that should induce 
 you to remember your Creator in the days of your youth 
 is, that God has made peculiar promises to those who 
 do so. 
 
 Unsanctified sinners, who have no just knowledge of 
 God or of themselves, are apt to suppose that they may 
 certainly obtain sanctifying gi^ace and become truly pi- 
 ous, at any period that they may see fit to assign for the 
 purpose. It is on this supposition that those unqualified 
 promises of amendment and piety are made, which we 
 sometimes hear from profligate men, when they are pres- 
 sed by danger ; and it is on the same ground that all 
 those calculations of future repentance are founded, with 
 which thousands, as you have already heard, deceive 
 and ruin their immortal souls. They forget that their 
 nature is depraved throughout; that to change their 
 hearts must be the work of God ; that faith and repen- 
 tance are his gifts, and that they will never feel any 
 thing but an insurmountable reluctance to attend to their 
 
DISCOURSE MI. 185 
 
 immortal interests, unless God shall be pleased to giv« 
 them the inclination, and to help them by his grace. They 
 forget all this, and full of a presumptuous reliance on 
 themselves, they make engagements in their own 
 strength, and form plans to oflend their Maker, and 
 provoke him to withhold that very grace which is ab- 
 solutely necessary to the execution of their promises 
 or purposes. He who has right views of religion knows 
 that it is all a system of sovereign mercy, and that he 
 must rely on the grace and promise of God^ for all that 
 he can hope to be or to do. 
 
 Here, then, is my argument — God hath said — ^^ they 
 who seek me early shall find me.'^ It is of infinite ad- 
 vantage to have this promise in your favour ; you have it 
 in early life, and you will not have it afterwards. If 
 you avail yourself of it now, you may go to God, and 
 humbly plead his own gracious declaration. He al- 
 lows, he is pleased with this. You. may tell Him that 
 you rely on his own word, '^ on which he hath caused 
 you to hope ;*' — that by special offers and engagements 
 he has mercifully condescended to encourage and invite 
 young persons to seek his favour; that you desire to 
 make an argument of this in your own case ; that you 
 are now young, and would by his assistance and grace 
 be consecrated and devoted to his service, glory and 
 praise ; and that you now look to Him to make good to 
 you the precious assurance, that those who seek him 
 early shall find him. Oh ! lose not this advantage, I en- 
 
 B2 
 
186 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 treat you. Did you know how valuable a special prom- 
 ise of God appears to a soul which feels its guilt and its 
 danger, you would think it an unspeakable privilege to 
 have one exactly suited, as this is, to your state and 
 circumstances. Risk not the danger of being brought 
 into a situation, in which you may be harrassed with 
 aw^ul fears of the divine dereliction — fears that you will 
 never find what you seek. Now you are assured that 
 if you seek, w^ith humility, and earnestness, and perse- 
 verance, you shall certainly find — find a reconciled God, 
 and an eternal friend and portion. How great is this 
 encouragement ? Embrace it immediately, with earnest- 
 ness and gratitude. 
 
 7. Another motive oi* consideration which urges to 
 early piety is, that it affords the prospect of a higher 
 degree of happiness in the world of glory. 
 
 The state of celestial glory is represented in the New 
 Testament as an inheritance — " an inheritance incorrup- 
 tible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved 
 in heaven for you, w^ho are kept by the power of God 
 through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in 
 the last time." This inheritance is the* purchase and 
 legacy of the Redeemer, and as such all his people ret- 
 ceive it ; and not, in any sense or degree, as what they 
 ,have merited for themselves. Yet, in apportioning this 
 inheritance, in bestowing a reward perfectly gratuitous, 
 the richest allotment and the highest honours will be 
 assigned to those who have loved and laboured most. 
 We are told expressly, that " those who turn many to 
 
DISCOURSE TIL 187 
 
 righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever,'' 
 and tliat '• as one star differeth from another star in 
 glory, so also shall it be at the resurrection of the dead.'' 
 The whole par-ible of our Lord, in regard to those who 
 received different talents, and who occupied with them 
 or neglected them, goes likewise to confirm the idea, that 
 future rewards will be proportioned to present advant- 
 ages, exertions and improvements. 
 
 If, then, you begin the love and service of God in ear- 
 ly life, you become candidates for distinction in the man- 
 sions of heaven. You may, indeed, die in early life, 
 and in this event you will be safe and glorious. But if 
 you are spared, and are diligent, active, and zealous in 
 your Lord's service, you will, through endless ages, 
 share in that " far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory," which is reserved for those who shall have done 
 and suffered much for Christ. This is a consideration 
 which, perhaps, you may never before have taken into 
 view; but it is manifestly both just and important. Are 
 the distinctions of this world the object of ambition ? Do 
 they now fill you with emulation, and kindle the ardent 
 desires of your minds'? This day I propose to you dis- 
 tinctions of an infinitely higher order; distinctions 
 among the inhabitants of heaven ; distinctions in the 
 ranks of saints and angels. Here is an object for the ef- 
 forts of a holy magnanimity, the contemplation of which 
 may well make your souls burn within you. Enter early 
 into the service of God ; enlist this day under the great 
 iCaptain of salvation, and not only will he bring you off 
 
188 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 <• conquerors and more than conquerors*' over all your 
 enemies, but you will be candidates for those palms of 
 triumph, and those high and holy preferments in his 
 heavenly kingdom, which are awarded to his most active 
 servants and most zealous and faithful friends. 
 
 Let us now for a moment review the motives and con- 
 siderations which have been specified. They are these 
 —I have shown you that the early devotion of yourselves 
 to the service of God is a thing perfectly reasonable in 
 itself — That in youth the faculties of the mind are most 
 happily adapted to the reception and the exercises of 
 genuine piety — -That then the mind is not burdened with 
 those cares, engrossed with that business, nor exhausted 
 with those anxieties and exertions, which are likely after- 
 wards to occur — That early piety will give you the best 
 evidence that your religion is genuine — That it will also 
 qualify you to pass the whole of your after life with the 
 greatest satisfaction, advantage and pleasure — That God 
 has made peculiar promises to those who seek him early 
 ^-And that, by entering on a life of religion in youth, you 
 may become candidates for a higher state of glory and 
 reward than you might otherwise attain, in the heavenly 
 world. These considerations have been addressed — as 
 all the considerations of true religion are addressed — to 
 reason, to conscience, to a sense of gratitude and dutv, 
 to the judgment, the will and the affections. They all 
 eon spire to show you that you ought to choose, and to 
 persuade you actually to choose, to devote yourselves to 
 God. 
 
DISCOURSE VII. 189 
 
 But I am now, in concluding my address, to press on 
 your undivided attention, what has constantly been sup- 
 posed and occasionally inculcated, that this is not a mat- 
 ter in which you may choose on the one side or the other, 
 as inclination may prompt, without any responsibility for 
 the decision you make. No, verily — Let me speak it and 
 you hear it with the deepest solemnity — it is the command 
 of Almighty God, that you remember him in the days of 
 your youth. It is a positive precept of the Lord Jeho- 
 vah, that is now claiming your attention. He commands 
 like a wise and ecpiitable parent, he commands what is 
 right, and reasonable, and for your own benefit, as has 
 been fully shown. But he uses authority, as well as rea- 
 son and persuasion. Be it, then, most deeply impressed 
 on your minds, that if you this hour refuse to give your- 
 selves to the Lord, and every day and hour that you 
 shall refuse it, you will incur the awful guilt and danger 
 of disobeying an explicit command of the most high God. 
 You are his creatures, and he has the most perfect right, 
 the most unquestionable and unlimited authority, to re- 
 quire that you give your hearts and services to Him, in 
 the morning of life. He actually does require it : And 
 I ask of you — and consider me as asking you, as partic- 
 ularly as if I called each of you by his proper name — 
 whether you are prepared for an act of direct disobedi- 
 ence to the God who made you. If you are, the conse- 
 quences will be inexpressibly fearful. You will remain 
 under the divine displeasure, during the whole period of 
 your disobedience. You will, every moment, be in dan- 
 
190 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 ger of being cut oflp in your sins, and sent down to the 
 abodes of eternal woe. If spared in life, you will 
 still be in danger of growing more and more hardened 
 in sin, of being left, in the righteous displeasure of God, 
 to be filled with your own devices — to fill up the measure 
 of your iniquities, and at last to perish with a more ag- 
 gravated condemnation. Ah ! why have I spent so much 
 time on other and lower considerations ? When we know 
 what God commands, we have no need to reason, and no 
 right to hesitate. Young people of my charge, you 7nust 
 remember your Creator — You must jioxv remember him, 
 or his wTath abideth on you — And to think of living con- 
 stantly under the frowns of the Eternal ; constantly in 
 danger of perishing forevei' — ^the mind cannot bear it, 
 the thouglit is intolerable ! Hasten then to a compas- 
 sionate and inviting Saviour. Behold I now present to 
 you Christ Jesus, in the offer of the gospel, standing 
 with open arms to receive you ; and inviting you, by 
 every tender and by every awful consideration, to come 
 to Him for life and salv^ation. I conjure you, without 
 a moment's delay, to accept his invitation. By his un- 
 utterable dying love, by the precious blood which he 
 shed for your redemption, by all the worth of your 
 own undying souls, by the fears of hell and the hopes 
 of heaven, I conjure you — I conjure you this moment 
 to form the solemn resolution, in a reliance on his grace 
 and strength, that you will henceforth earnestly seek, 
 till you satisfactorily find a saving interest in the dear 
 Redeemer. May God of his mercy grant that this res- 
 
DISCOURSE TIL 191 
 
 olution may be formed in each of your liearts, and that 
 you may now rise and accompany me to the throne 
 of his grace, in fervent prayer that he may enable yon 
 to carry it into full effect ! Let us pray. 
 
DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 TEIE MAN OF FALSE HONOUR, 
 
 MARK VI. 26. 
 
 ^•' And the khig was exceeding sorry ; yet for his oaths'^ 
 sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, hs 
 would not reject herP 
 
 X HE world has seldom witnessed an exhibition of de- 
 pravity more shocking^ than that which is described ia 
 the narrative of which these words are a part. John^ 
 the fore-runner of Christ, with a fidelity and firmness 
 becoming his character, had pointedly reproved Herod 
 Antipas, king, or Tetrarch, of a part of Jewry, for a 
 most flagitious immorality. Herod, as the historian Jo- 
 sephus informs us, had, without any just cause, divorced 
 his lawful wife, and taken from her husband Herodias^ 
 the wife of his brother Philip, and espoused her as his 
 own. On this, the Baptist, regardless of the monarch's 
 authority or displeasure, had given him a plain and se- 
 vere reproof. He said — "It is not lawful for thee to 
 have thy brother's wdfe. Therefore," continues the 
 Evangelist, '* Herod ias had a quarrel against him, and 
 
 would have killed him, but she could not. For Herod 
 
 C2 
 
194 DISCOURSE VIIL 
 
 feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a holy; 
 and observed him, and when he heard him, he did many 
 things and heard him gladly. And when a convenient 
 day was come, that Herod on his birth day made a sup- 
 per to his lords, high captains and chief estates of Gal- 
 ilee : and when the daughter of the said Herodias came 
 in and danced, and pleased Herod and them that were 
 with him, the king said unto the damsel, ask of me 
 whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give thee. And he sware 
 unto her — whatsoever thou shalt ask of me I will give it 
 thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth 
 and said unto her mother — What shall I ask ? and she 
 said, the head of John the Baptist. And she came in 
 straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, 
 I will that thou give me by and by, in a charger, the 
 head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding 
 sorry, yet for his oaths' sake, and for their sakes who 
 sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediate- 
 ly the king sent an executioner, and commanded his 
 head to be brought : and he went and beheaded him in 
 the prison ; and brought his head in a charger, and gave 
 it to the damsel : and the damsel gave it to her mother.'^ 
 What an unparralleled scene of complicated wicked- 
 ness and cruelty is here ! I cannot proceed to the 
 discussion of the text, till I have given you the admi- 
 rable and eloquent remarks of Dr. Doddridge, on this 
 horrible transaction. ^^We see,'' says Doddridge, 
 *^in this dreadful instance of Herodias, what an im- 
 placable degree of malice may arise in the hearts 
 
DISCOURSE VIII. 195 
 
 of sinners, on being reproved for the most scandalous 
 and mischievous vices. Instead of owning the obliga- 
 tion to one that would liave plucked her as a brand out 
 of the burning, s\\t thirsts insatiably for his blood; and 
 chooses rather to indulge her cruelty and revenge in ta- 
 king away his life, than to gratify her avarice and ambi- 
 tion in deinaiiding a gifty that might have been equal to 
 the half of a kingdom. 
 
 But how jnysterious was that providence which left 
 the life of so holy a man in such infamous hands, and 
 permitted it to be sacrificed to the malice of an abandon- 
 ed harlot, to the petulancy of a vain girl, and to the 
 rashness of a foolish and perhaps an intoxicated prince, 
 who made the prophefs head the reward of a dance ! 
 The ways of God are unsearclmble ! but we are sure he 
 can never be at a loss to repay his servants in another 
 world for the greatest sufferings they endure in this, and 
 even for Ife itself, when given up in his cause. 
 
 We may reasonably conclude tliat death could never 
 be an unseasonable smprise to this excellent samt. When 
 the executioner came into the prison by night, perhaps 
 breaking in upon his slumbers, and executed his bloody 
 commission almost as soon as he declared it, a soul like 
 his might welcome the stroke, as the means of liberty 
 and glory ; assured that the transient agony of a momeyit 
 would transmit it to a kingdom, where the least of its in- 
 habitants would be in holiness, honour, and felicity, su- 
 perior to John, in his most prosperous and successfai 
 state on earth. 
 
196 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 His enemies might a while insult over him^ while his 
 disciples were mingling their tears with his dust, and la- 
 menting the residue of his days cut off in the midst. 
 But his death was precious in the sight of the Lord^ and 
 the triumphing of the wicked was short. So will he ere 
 \oYi^ plead the cause of all his injured people, and give a 
 Cup of trembling and astonishment to those that have 
 made themselves drunk with their blood. Let cruelty 
 and tyranny do their worst, verily there is a reward for 
 the righteous, verily there is a God that judgeth in the 
 earth,^^ 
 
 After these impressive and edifying reflections on the 
 whole narrative of which the text is a part, let us pro- 
 ceed to consider it separately ; and to make a practical 
 application of the instruction which it affords. 
 
 I. " The king — says the text- — ^was exceeding sorry, '^ 
 From this it appears that Herod, had as he was, still re- 
 tained no inconsiderable degree of sensibility. From 
 some cause or other, he felt much — He was not only 
 sorry, but " exceeding sorry.'^ Let us inquire into the 
 probable causes of this sorrrow. 
 
 1. He was probably sorry because the performance of 
 his rash oaths w^ould injure his character and reputation 
 with the world. Although a despotick prince, still he 
 would, no doubt, be rather loved and respected, than hated 
 and detested, even by his own subjects. All tyrants, 
 whether great or small, always wish to be feared by 
 those who are dependent on them ; but they do not wish 
 to be hated and despised — They commonly desire and 
 
 O 
 
DISCOURSE Vllf. 197 
 
 expect to be reverenced and loved. In this, indeed, 
 they must necessarily be disappointed, because servile 
 fear and a degree of hatred are inseparable. Servile 
 fear is a painful feeling, and we naturally hate that 
 which gives us pain. Tyrants, however, the inconsis- 
 tency notwithstanding, seldom fail to demand and ex- 
 pect that their dependents should dread them as mas- 
 ters, and yet love them as parents ; and they are fre- 
 quently angry, even to madness, when they find that 
 their expectation cannot be realized. History informs 
 us that the father of the Herod to whom our text refers, 
 took the most effectual measures which a dying man 
 could take, to have seventy elders of the Jews put to 
 death, on the day of his own decease, that his departure 
 from the world might be attended with mourning and not 
 with rejoicing. What a wretch is a tyrant, with all his 
 pomp and power ! And how precious is that love and ven- 
 eration which we delight to yield spontaneously to virtue 
 and goodness, but which wealth cannot buy, nor power 
 exact ! 
 
 But if the Herod of whom the text speaks, and who 
 too closely resembled his father, had so completely alien- 
 ated the affections of his own subjects — as indeed seems 
 to have been the fact — that he could have but little hope 
 of regaining them, and therefore might pay but little re- 
 gard to this consideration, still he was, no doubt, very 
 desirous to have his character stand fair with the Ro- 
 mans, from whom he held his powxr, and who hated acts 
 of wanton and individual cruelty. He would, therefore^ 
 
198 DISCOURSE VIIL 
 
 be exceeding sorry to do a thing which would injure hiiu 
 in the estimation of those to whom he owed allegiance ; 
 and whose good opinion he was most of all solicitous to 
 secure and preserve. 
 
 He might also be sorry that he had sworn to do that 
 which might brand his memory with infamy to the remot- 
 est ages. This, happily, is a consideration which some- 
 times has a degree of influence on those great and pes- 
 tilent scourges of the world who are regardless of better 
 motives. The disgusting transaction to which the text 
 refers, has not only rendered the name of Herod an 
 abomination with every reader of sacred story, but the 
 Jewish historian, already named, has recorded it, to the 
 endless reproach of his character with his own nation : 
 And it is at least possible, that the anticipation of some- 
 thing like this, might mingle with other considerations, 
 to render him exceeding sorry, at the perpetration of 
 the detestable deed to which his oaths had pledged him. 
 
 2. We are warranted in saying that Herod was afraid 
 tliat John's popularity would produce public disturbance 
 and insurrection, if he w ere put to a violent death. One 
 of the evangelick historians explicitly states, that ^* when 
 Herod would have put John to death, he feared the mul- 
 titude, because they counted him as a prophet.'^ There 
 is a certain point beyond which no people will bear 
 oppression, nor suffer their feelings to be outraged ; and 
 when their oppressors, even in the most absolute govern- 
 ments, pass this point, they often do it at the expense 
 of their whole authority and life together — They are 
 
DISCOURSE VIII. 199 
 
 deposed and destrayed at once. Of this Herod appears 
 to have been aware and fearful. 
 
 The Jews, although their fiithers had slain many 
 prophets, had still the highest regard for the prophetick 
 character. They had now, for several centuries, been 
 without a ]n*ophrt in their nation. John had convinced 
 them that the character, so long extinct, was revived in 
 him : and his reproof of their cruel monarch, not only 
 for incest, but *'* for all the evils which Herod liad done,'' 
 demonstrated that he possessed the elevated and undaun- 
 ted spirit of the ancient prophets, and must have endear- 
 ed him greatly to the people at large. From these cau- 
 ses, they appear to have held him in such profound 
 veneration, that their despotick prince himself, in his 
 cooler moments, was afraid to provoke their rage, by 
 taking away the prophet's life. And when he found that 
 he had, unawares, given his oath and pledged his hon- 
 our to do this very act, he was of course exceeding sor- 
 ry — exceeding sorry that he had brought himself into a 
 situation in which he was to run the risk of exciting a 
 public insurrection, by which both his power and his 
 life might be endangered and lost. This kind of sorrow 
 the vilest of men often feel. They are not sorry for the 
 sin they commit, but sorry that they can not commit it 
 without inconvenience and danger. But yet, 
 
 3. There seems to be good reason to believe that 
 Herod had some very painful compunctions of con- 
 science, on this occasion. It appears that he had, for a 
 while, refused the entreaties of Herodias to put John to 
 
200 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 death, not only because he feared the people, but be- 
 cause he feared the Baptist himself; feared him with 
 that kind of dread which a wicked man, however digni- 
 fied by station or clothed with authority, is often com- 
 pelled to feel, in the presence and under the rebukes of 
 a man of confessed and eminent holiness and virtue. 
 Nay, we are assured, that there had been a time when 
 the preaching of John had made a considerable impres- 
 sion on Herod. The context informs us that ^^ Herod 
 feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a ho- 
 ly, and observed him, and when he heard him he did 
 many things and heard him gladly.'^ Now, although it is 
 certain, that Herod had so far silenced or resisted the 
 remonstrances of his conscience, as not only to imprison 
 John, but to have resolved to destroy him, if the fear of 
 the multitude had not restrained him ; yet it is highly 
 probable that when the matter came to a point, and he 
 saw himself about to give the decisive mandate to take 
 away the life of this holy man, whom he had once 
 venerated, and to whose admonitions he had in many 
 things yielded, his conscience awoke, and his mind was 
 greatly disturbed and agitated. 
 
 We have the more reason to believe this, because we 
 find that Herod's conscience gave him dreadful distur- 
 bance after he had perpetrated the murderous act. He 
 appears to have been a Sadducee ; and of course he de- 
 nied, as all the Sadducees did, the resurrection of the 
 dead, and a future state of rewards and punishments. 
 Yet so powerfully and painfully did the awakened con- 
 
DISCOURSE VTTT. 901 
 
 science of this professed infidel operate that, in opposi- 
 tion to all his avowed principles, no sooner did he heaf 
 the report of the miracles of Christ than he said — ^* It is 
 John whom I beheaded, he is risen from the dead.'' 
 What a fearful tormentor is a guilty conscience ! And 
 how often are infidelity and superstition united ! He who 
 had professed to believe that " there is no resurrection/' 
 apprehends the immediate and miraculous resurrection 
 of the victim of his crimes. Alas ! like innumerable infi- 
 dels since, Herod did not really believe what he profes- 
 sed. He professed what he xvishcd to be true, but what^ 
 after all, he ^v\q\o\\s\\ feared would prove to be false. 
 
 On the whole, from the facts just stated, we have good 
 evidence to conclude that the mind of Herod shuddered 
 at the prospect of taking the life of John ; and that, on 
 this account, as well as from the other considerations 
 that have been stated, he was exceeding sorry to find 
 that he had sworn to do what he dreaded to perform. 
 Happy had it been for him if he had refused to redeem 
 his impious pledge ; if he had rather broken than fulfil- 
 led his wicked oaths ; if he had rather lost his honour in 
 the eyes of his courtiers than killed the prophet of the 
 Lord. But he thought otherwise ; and we are now 
 
 II. To examine the principles or motives from which 
 he acted. What these were we are told in the text — 
 *• For his oaths' sake, and for their sakes who sat with 
 iiim, he would not reject her." 
 
 1. ^^For his oaths' sake he would not reject her'' 
 
 It is easv to show most conclusively, that Herod's repeat- 
 
 »2 
 
^2 DISCOURSE Vlll. 
 
 cd oaths an this occasion were not obligatory. His sin — 
 and a sin of no ordinary atrocity it was — consisted in 
 making these oaths. Of this sin he ought to have re- 
 pented, and not to have added to it, as he certainly did 
 to a most awful extent, by performing his oaths. Cir- 
 jcumstanced as he was, nothing was left him, in the way 
 of duty, but to tread back the false and rash steps he 
 had taken, by a full and frank acknowledgment of error 
 and guilt, and by an absolute refusal to fulfil the engage- 
 ments which he had unlawfidly made. This is unques- 
 tionably the course which ought to be taken, by every 
 man who has been led, by whatever cause, to bring him- 
 self under a promise, vow or oath, unlawful in itself. 
 
 One of the fathers of the christian church has made a 
 yemark to this effect — that the very terms of Herod^s 
 oaths, did not bind him to behead the Baptist : that he 
 might and ought to have answered Herodias, that a 
 prince was bound to regard justice more than all his do- 
 ^fiiinions : that, in this view, the Baptist's head was 
 worth, not only more than the half, but more than the 
 Tvhole of his kingdom ; and therefore that he was not 
 pledged to comply with her iniquitous demand. 
 
 It was, moreover, infinitely absurd for a man so aban- 
 doned as Herod was, to pretend to feel a moral obliga- 
 tion to do a thing most unrighteous in itself, after disre- 
 garding every obligation to do what was riglit. How 
 was it, then, that '' for his oaths' sake'' he was induced 
 to act as he did ? Must we believe that he was left of 
 God to such a perversion of mind as really to think, and 
 
DISCOURSE Vnl. 203 
 
 feel, and act, as if he were bound to keep bad oaths of 
 promises, although lie had violated, and was then living 
 in the violation of the most sacred vows and engage- 
 ments ? Was he abandoned to such an infatuation, was 
 he given up to sucli utter delusion, as actually to consid- 
 er himself under some strange kind of obligation, to risk 
 his reputation, to risk his life, and to act against the 
 plainest principles of moral equity, rather than break 
 the oaths he had made, or even give them another con- 
 struction than that which his adulterous wife and her 
 wicked daughter had chosen to put upon them ? It cer- 
 tainly does appear, in fact, that such men as Herod was, 
 will not unfrequently make an unlawful oath or vow, and 
 keep it scrupulously, when they can be bound by no mo- 
 ral tie. They will bring themselves under an oath, et 
 a curse, to do, or to forbear, a certain thing — a thing 
 sometimes right and sometimes wrong in itself — and this 
 engagement no consideration will induce them to violate. 
 All this, liowever, may probably be resolved into that 
 ^ame principle of false honour^ on which, as I apprehend, 
 the whole conduct of Herod on this occasion must be ex- 
 plained. 
 
 I call that false honour which sets up a standard by 
 which a man must think meanly or honourably of him- 
 self, and be so estimated by others, when, this standard 
 is notwithstanding opposed to some plain and important 
 principles of mora! duty, as taught and sanctioned by 
 reason, conscience and the word of God. Honour al- 
 ways purports to be something that is noble, dignified or 
 
204 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 generous ; and nothing surely can be truly so, which is 
 characterized by the contrariety I have mentioned. It 
 may be called honour, but it must be called so falsely ; 
 and therefore, without any harshness or exaggeration, it 
 may be denominated false honour. 
 
 Now there have been men, in every age, who have 
 been prone to establish such a false standard as we con- 
 template, and to make the point of honour consist in a 
 strict conformity to. it. Certain principles and practi- 
 ces, hostile to the duty which is due both to God and 
 man, they, by a kind of tacit compact, agree to consider 
 as marking the character of the man who acts honoura- 
 bly, spiritedly, nobly ; and who of course renders himself 
 worthy of the esteem, countenance and company of those 
 wjio, according to their classification, are men of honour. 
 And on the other hand, those who will not conform to 
 their principles and standard, they agree to consider and 
 treat as mean spirited, contemptible and utterly disqual- 
 ified for the regard and society of honourable men. 
 
 Some of the patrons of this system treat all religion 
 with open contempt. But others profess to reverence its 
 dictates generally ; and some of them, like Herod, re- 
 tain \\o inconsiderable sensibility of conscience. In all 
 cases. However, they are manifestly practical infidels. 
 They attempt to abrogate the divine commands by re- 
 quisitions of their own which diametrically oppose those 
 commands. They establish a system of human opinion 
 and a criterion of character, in direct hostility with that 
 \vhich God has prescribed, and which he has sanctioned, 
 
DISCOURSE VIIL 205 
 
 not only in liis word, but in the natural conscience ot* 
 man. Practically, therefore, they entirely set aside the 
 divine authority, and rebel against their Maker, by exalt- 
 ing a rule of action, formed by themselves, into a superi- 
 ority to that which has been given by Him. 
 
 Nor do these men permit any one who claims to be of 
 their number to falter, whatever may be the conse- 
 quences, in pursuing the course which they have mark- 
 ed out. They are the most rigorous and unmerciful ex- 
 acters on earth of a strict conformitv and an unvvaverinq; 
 regard to tlic rules which they have adopted. No mat- 
 ter if such a conformity and regard will, in any given 
 instance, destroy a man's peace and happiness both for 
 time and eternity, still they insist that he shall not hesi- 
 tate ; that he shall modify nothing ; that he shall go 
 straight forward ; or else be branded as a man destitute 
 of honour, and unfit for the society of gentlemen. 
 
 To this description of men it appears that Herod be- 
 longed, for their principles alone will explain his con- 
 duct. On his natal day, in a season of festivity, in whicli 
 it was his object to make a pompous exhibition of every 
 thing that might elevate him in that scale of estimation 
 which measured the excellence to which he aspired, he 
 had made such a promise as only a monarch could 
 make, and had confirmed the promise by reiterated 
 oaths. The fulfillment of these oaths was doubtless, 
 in his expectation, to exalt him still more, and to 
 make him the object of admiration and envy, with 
 those whose opinion he most regarded. Such oatl>s 
 
206 DISCOURSE VIIL 
 
 were not to be broken or modified^ whatever might he 
 the hazard^ the pain, or the loss, which a strict compli- 
 ance with them might produce. He could lose nothing 
 that he valued so much as his honour. This is the stand- 
 ing remark which such men have ever made on such an 
 occasion. What, therefore, though evei^^ principle of 
 justice and morality, and every dictate of religion and 
 humanity, forbade a compliance ; what though he was 
 *^ very sorry'' that he had placed himself in this predic- 
 ament, and perhaps would have given the half of his 
 kingdom to be fairly delivered from it ? still, when Hero- 
 dias demanded the head of John, '^ for his oaths' sake 
 he would not reject her.'' To have done so, while he re- 
 tained his false rule of judging, would have sunk him in 
 his own estimation, even though his power might have 
 protected him, as probably it would have done, against 
 the open sneers and insults of his associates. But their 
 €steem and admiration v, as, in fact, the idol that lie 
 "woi-shipped. Hence 
 
 2. It is added in the text — *' For tlieir sakes which sat 
 ^vith him, he would not reject her." 
 
 It must be admitted that the circumstances in which 
 Herod was placed were calculated to give the utmost 
 force to his corrupt principles, to render any retraction 
 peculiarly difficult and mortifying, and to urge him al- 
 most irresistibly, over the precipice wliich he had rashly 
 and foolishly approached. Those who sat v*ith hivci 
 were '^ his lords, high captains and chief estates of Gal- 
 ifee," the first men of his kingdom, both in civil and mil- 
 
DISCOURSE YIII. 207 
 
 itary stations. They had been invited by their prince 
 as his chosen companions^ at his birth-day celebration. 
 Sitting with him at a banquet, in which, doubtless, eve- 
 ry effort was employed to give to convivality and fes- 
 tive pleasure their highest zest, they were surprised by 
 an unusual, voluntary and condescending act of the 
 daughter* of the monarch's wife. Salome, possessing 
 all the charms of youth and beauty, and all the grace 
 which art could give them, enters the assembly, and ex- 
 hibits, for the entertainment of the guests, her superior 
 skill in dancing. Enraptured by this unexpected height- 
 ening of the gratification both of himself and his compa- 
 ny, Herod repeatedly and publickly swears that he will 
 reward her courtesy with any gift that she shall please 
 to name, even to the half of his kingdom; and he appears 
 to have urged her to put his sincerity and princely mu- 
 nificence to the proof. Here, then, were power, pride 
 and gallantry, all put in pawn for the fulfilling of his 
 promise, and all, of course, to be indelibly tarnished, if 
 the pledge were not redeemed. What could he do, 
 when the damsel, after retiring for a few moments to con- 
 sult with her mother, " came in straightway with haste 
 unto the king, and asked saying, I will that thou give 
 me, by and by, in a charger, the head of John the Bap- 
 tist V^ What a moment w^as that for Herod ! At that 
 moment he probably saw that all which had been done 
 by these artful and abandoned women, was the result of 
 a deliberate and deep laid plot to ensnare him, and to 
 
 * IVe learn from Josephus that her name was Sulome. 
 
 ( d&eS) 
 
208 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 compel him to sacrifice John. But he saw himself com^ 
 pletely taken in the snare. He saw the truth of what 
 he might before have learned from Solomon, that " a 
 whore is a deep ditch ; and a strange woman is a nar- 
 row pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and in- 
 creaseth the transgressors among men.'^ But in his 
 opinion he had made this discovery too late to be of use. 
 Will you say that he ought promptly to have exposed 
 the detestable artifice by which he had been entrapped, 
 and to have refused, decisively and firmly, to be made the 
 instrument of a harlot's murderous vengeance? Certain- 
 ly he ought to have done so. But to do it his whole tem- 
 per must have been changed at once ; all his maxims of 
 honour must have been abandoned, and his whole system 
 of life and domestick arrangements must thence-forward 
 have been completely changed. In a word, he must have 
 taken shame and blame to himself before all the rank and 
 fashion of his kingdom, knowing at the same time that 
 they would not fail to despise him for doing it. To him, 
 feeling as he did, this was worse than death itself. No — 
 it was, without doubt, a prime object to dissemble and 
 conceal his folly and his guilt. He had himself placed the 
 wretched women who had beguiled him in the stations 
 which they held, and in which he still intended to main- 
 tain them. He would, therefore, be the last man in the 
 world to tell that they had over- reached him, and made 
 him the tool of their base and malignant passions. The 
 desire to conceal all this would be among his strongest 
 temptations to fulfil, with apparent fearlessness; the pro- 
 
 .••i-^- 
 
DISCOURSE Vm. 209 
 
 mise which, in his heart, he was exceeding sorry that he 
 had ever made. Ah ! it is a dreadful situation when a 
 man has gone so far in vice, that he is in a sort compelled 
 to go farther; — that he cannot retreat without shame and 
 confusion, nor go forward without increasing his guilt and 
 sealing his perdition. How cautiously should the first 
 steps be avoided, which may lead to such a fearful issue 1 
 But an alternative, after all, it has been supposed and 
 said, was left to Herod, by the adoption of which he 
 might have waved a compliance with the revolting re- 
 quest of Salome, without forfeiting his honour, even in 
 the estimation of his companions. He might, it has been 
 suggested, have told her, that he felt himself at liberty 
 to make her a gift more valuable than that which she 
 asked, though certainly not to make one that was less 
 so : that seeing her disposed to wrong herself, by asking 
 what he was sure she would eventually regret, he must 
 interpose to prevent it, and would do so by granting her 
 
 V what he knew would afford her the most lasting satisfac- 
 tion : and then, that he might have made her a present 
 which would have been a proud display of his royal 
 power and liberality. 
 
 It is not certain, however, that Herod had time or so- 
 briety enough to think of such an alternative as this ; nor, 
 if it had been suggested, that either he or his companions 
 would have judged that its adoption would preserve his 
 honour. It is true, indeed, that those who claim for 
 themselves exclusively the character of men of honour, 
 
 ^ do seem; at times, to go a good deal farther than their 
 
210 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 own principles require. But it must be recollected that 
 those who have not been taught in their school, are prob- 
 ably not competent judges, either of their maxims or 
 their feelings. The wretched monarch whose case we 
 consider, had sworn to give Salome whatever she should 
 ask. Now, to propose any thing else than what she 
 did ask, might seem to reflect on her choice ; and not 
 to consist with that high and delicate regard to sex and 
 rank, which men of honour always affect. It might also 
 appear unprincely ; as implying, either that he wanted 
 the power, or else that he w^as afraid, to do what had 
 been required : and to be afraid of any thing, except the 
 loss of honoui' — afraid even of the wrath of Him ^^ who 
 is able to destroy both soul and body in hell,'' is what — 
 I speak it with horror — is never permitted to a man of 
 false honour, when that honour is at stake. The fact 
 undoubtedly was, that the fidelity of John had given an 
 offence to Herodias, for which she was resolved that noth- 
 ing but his blood should ever atone. No gratification 
 could be put in place of this ; Herod knew it well, and 
 probably they who sat with him knew it too. When 
 therefore, this was asked, his honour, he thought, was 
 concerned to grant it, without hesitation or evasion ; be- 
 cause to do otherwise, would be considered as a reproach- 
 ful shrinking from his promise and oaths, by those with 
 w^hom he was associated. Yes — though the plain truth 
 must appear like paradox or irony — a nice sense of 
 honour required, in his opinion, that he should immedi- 
 ately kill the best man in his kingdom, and cause his 
 reeking head to be brought in a charger to a royal ban- 
 
DISCOURSE VITT. 211 
 
 quet, and there that it should he formally delivered to 
 the enchanting damsel, who had requested this princely 
 present, and that she should take it and deliver it to 
 lier mother, who had prompted her to demand it. The 
 point of honour required exactly this bloody proceedings 
 and admitted of no alternative. It was nothing, there- 
 fore, though the thing itself was shocking beyond all des- 
 cription — so shocking that we wonder how female lip5 
 could ever request it, or female hands help to execute it; 
 nothing, though '-the king was exceeding sorry"' that he 
 had sworn to comply with this request; nothing, though 
 the compliance would strike at his character, safety and 
 conscience, all at once ; nothing, though it was forbidden 
 by every law of God, of justice and of humanity — as a 
 man of honour, he could not and would not refuse it. 
 He did not refuse it — The hojy Baptist was that night 
 beheaded ; and a sting was fastened in the bosom of this 
 man of honotir, which no time or efibrts could ever ex- 
 tract, whose poison no art could mitigate, and whose cor- 
 roding anguish, through the whole of subsequent life, 
 was, we have reason to fear, the earnest only of the 
 gnawings of that worm which should never die, and the 
 torments of that fire which should never be quenched. 
 
 It now remains to close this discussion, by directing 
 your attention to some important lessons of practical in- 
 struction, which, if I mistake not, it both teaches and en- 
 forces. It teaches us 
 
 I. To beware, generally, of imbibing and avowing 
 false and dangerous principles ; and particularly of the 
 
 >Alu- 
 
212 DISCOURSE VIIT. 
 
 perversion and abuse of the principle of honour and 
 shame. The whole of Herod's guilt and misery might, 
 probably, be traced to his Saducean tenets. And alas ! 
 how little, frequently, do the young and unthinking sus- 
 pect, when, with heedlessness and levity, they drink in 
 the principles of infidelity, or adopt any system of loose 
 morals, that they are taking poison of the most fatal 
 kind ; a poison Vv^hich, if not seasonably counteracted, 
 may prove the bane of all their happiness, both in this 
 world and the world to come. Before they are aware, 
 they may find themselves pursuing a course, or pledged 
 to actions, which lead directly to ruin. Yet retraction 
 then will be all but impossible. They will have taken 
 their side, and avowed, perhaps boasted and sworn, that 
 in the circumstances in which they now find themselves 
 they would risk every consequence. Pride, and the 
 opinion of their associates, therefore, imperiously forbid 
 them to retreat, and impel them forw^ard, it may be 
 against their present conviction and inclination, till they 
 plunge into the gulph of final perdition. My young 
 friends, you cannot be too vigilantly on your guard against 
 adopting dangerous principles. Never hastily favour 
 those that are even questionable or doubtful ; and never, 
 especially, pledge yourselves to act on any such princi- 
 ples. If you do, you may speeddy find yourselves in 
 so unhappy a dilemma, that you must either retreat with 
 mortification, or persevere in guilt, till it end in destruc- 
 tion. 
 
 Let me particularly and earnestly caution you, as a 
 matter of great moment, against the perversion or abuse 
 
DISCOURSE \ III. 213 
 
 of the principle of honour and shame. A sense of hon- 
 our and slianie^ whether rightly or wrongly directed, is 
 exceedingly powerful in its influence ; and the most so, 
 commonly, in minds of the greatest natural sensibility 
 and ingenuousness. This principle was doubtless inten- 
 ded by our Creator to be a guard to virtue, and ought 
 always to be so conducted and limited as to answer this 
 intention. But alas ! when perverted or excessive, as it 
 often is, it leads to the most awful and appalling crimes. 
 Among others, it is frequently productive of suicide it- 
 self. Shame before men, is exchanged for the endless 
 and inconceivable shame and anguish of the invisi- 
 ble world. See, then, the importance of regulating this 
 principle by the unerring standard of divine inspiration. 
 Adopt no principle, as a principle of honour, cherish no 
 sentiment that can excite shame, if it contravene any- 
 thing in God's revealed will. Keep on tliis ground and 
 you will be safe ; depart from this, and you will certain- 
 ly be in danger. Holy scripture will teach you, that the 
 principle in question, excellent and useful as it is, within 
 its proper limits, will lead to sin, and not to duty, when 
 those limits are exceeded. When, therefore, you have 
 done wrong, never refuse, through shame or pride, to 
 acknowledge, forsake and amend the wTong. This in- 
 deed, if rightly viewed, is far less shameful than to per- 
 sist, however undauntedly, in error and guilt ; and it 
 will be so estimated by all whose opinion is most deserv- 
 ing of regard. Policy, therefore, as well as duty, points 
 to this course. The wise and the good will never re- 
 proach a man for transgressions, which he has frankly 
 
214 DISCOURSE VHI. 
 
 confessed and penitently forsaken. None can do tliis^ 
 but the mean spirited and the hard hearted. But, what 
 ought chiefly to be considered is, that the approbation 
 of God is infinitely to be preferred before that of man ; 
 that we ought to dread the shame and contempt of the 
 final judgment, unspeakably more than any which ouv 
 fellow worms can at present inflict ; that, in a few fleet- 
 ing days, it will no longer afl'ect us to be honoured or des- 
 pised by mortals, but that, if we discharge our duty, we 
 shall secure an eternity of happiness beyond the grave. 
 
 2. Learn from this subject the danger of intemperate 
 indulgence — whether it be of particular appetites, or of 
 a general love of pleasure, 
 
 Herod was probably under the influence of an intem- 
 perate use of wine, and he w as certainly intoxicated with 
 the pleasures of a feast, when he made the rash oaths 
 which produced embarrassment, regret and murder. 
 Nor was his case, let it be remembered, a singular one, 
 except in the atrocity of his crimes. It is the common 
 and general efl'ect of intemperance, to produce guilt, re- 
 morse and infamy. The man who has drowned his rea- 
 son in his cups, has sunk below the level of the brutes, 
 and is often the worst of madmen. How then should 
 every one who has any regard either to his body or his 
 soul — to his personal dignity, to his reputation, to his 
 health, to his substance, to his family, to his peace of 
 mind, or to his eternal interests — how should he avoid 
 the first and most distant approaches to inebriation ? 
 How watchful should he be against forming habitS;^ 
 
DISCOURSE \ IlL 215 
 
 which tend to this destructive and ahnost hopeless vice ? 
 How resolutely should he withstand all temptations, or 
 solicitations, to pass the bounds of the strictest temper- 
 ance and self possession ? Believe it, there is no vice in- 
 to which men are oftencr led by insensible advances, than 
 into intemperance. A powerful propensity to it is fre- 
 quently contracted, before the danger is so much as sus- 
 pected. To guard against it elTcctually, I would recom- 
 mend to you all to adopt, and inflexibly to adhere, to a 
 whole system of practice, calculated not only to ensure 
 your sobriety on particular occasions, but to preserve 
 your habits from any tendency to its violation. In doing 
 this, the most powerful of all considerations should be, 
 that in the enumeration, by an inspired apostle, of char- 
 acters which preclude all hope of salvation, the drunkard 
 is one. While he remains such, he is one of those who 
 ^ have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of 
 God.'^ 
 
 Against the indulgence of lewd propensities, as well as 
 ef intemperance, I am called by our text and subject to 
 warn you distinctly. If Herod had been chaste, there is 
 no probability that he would ever have murdered John. 
 It was his adulterous connexion with Herodias, which 
 originated the faithful reproof of the Baptist, so offensive 
 to himself, and to the harlot whom he called his wife. It 
 was her blood-thirsty malignity, aided by tliat art and 
 aubtility which licentious women usually possess, that en- 
 snared him effectually, and impelled him to tiie deed 
 ivhich has blasted him with eternal infamy. But Herod 
 
216 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 is by no means a solitary instance of these effects of libid- 
 inous indulgence. History, both sacred and profane, and 
 even your own observation, may furnish you with many 
 examples, of at least similar effects, proceeding from 
 the same cause. Perhaps, indeed, there is no one vice 
 which, in its extreme, more debases and pollutes the 
 mind, more brutalizes the whole man, leads him to more 
 shameless, detestable and atrocious acts, and which of- 
 tener gives him a diseased body, as well as a degraded 
 soul, than the very vice which we now contemplate. Nor 
 is there any vice to which a man is more in danger of 
 becoming enslaved, if he indulges in it at all. Yet this is 
 a vice, my young friends, to which persons at your age 
 are especially exposed, and against which they need to be 
 peculiarly guarded. Difficult therefore as the subject is 
 of being properly and profitably discussed in publick, I 
 could not forbear to state to you what you have heard. — 
 For the rest — and for the best description that was ever 
 given of the arts and the dangers of a lacivious woman — 
 I refer you to the seventh chapter of the book of Pro- 
 verbs ; and I earnestly exhort you to read it seriously, 
 and to ponder it deeply, in your closets. In the mean 
 time, I shall repeat in your heanng the solemn and im- 
 pressive admonition with which that chapter closes — 
 '' Hearken unto me now, therefore, O ye children, and 
 attend to the words of my mouth : Let not thine heart 
 decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths : For she 
 hath cast down many \vounded ; yea many strong men 
 have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell^ 
 going down to the chambers of death." 
 
DISCOURSE VIII. 217 
 
 But, beside intemperance and lewdness, the excessive 
 love of pleasure may lead to evils without number. 
 Many, like Herod, become intoxicated with pleasure, 
 when not entirely intoxicated with drink. Their spirits 
 are so elevated, and their passions so excited, by the 
 company and the pleasurable scenes around them, that 
 they are set loose from all sober restraint. In these cir- 
 cumstances, they say and do many foolish and extrava- 
 gant things, for which, on reflection, they are " exceed- 
 ing sorry." But they have so entangled themselves, 
 their pride, their honour, their character, have become 
 so enlisted or involved, that they persist, and add one 
 vice and folly to another. Examine the sources and 
 causes of violated friendships, of deadly offences, of 
 bloody quarrels, of family as well as personal affronts, 
 of pledges and promises regretted, of controversies and 
 contentions which degrade the characters of all who 
 are concerned in them ; — examine, and you will find that a 
 large part of them may be traced to taverns, to theatres, 
 to parties of pleasure, to seasons of mirth and festivity, 
 or of public display — to some place or occasion w here 
 the parties were stimulated by the observation of their 
 companions, or intoxicated with the flow of their own 
 spirits, so as to lead them to speak and act, as they nev- 
 er would have spoken and acted in their sober moments. 
 There they committed their first error, there they pledg- 
 ed their character, and afterwards their pride would not 
 permit them to correct the faults into which their pre- 
 cipitancy had led them. Listen to the admonition of the 
 
 F2 
 
218 DISCOURSE VUL 
 
 apostle. ^^ Young men exhort to be sober minded/'^ Yes^ 
 and that you may preserve sobriety of mind, I do ear- 
 nestly exhort you, to stand aloof from all places of un- 
 lawful pleasure. Shun them, as you would shun the 
 pestilence. And even in scenes and seasons of pleasure 
 which is lawful, at times and places of innocent indul- 
 gence or recreation, I counsel you to beware of too much 
 excitement. Let not your spirits hurry you away into 
 any excess, or extravagance, of speech or action. Guard 
 especially against all hasty and rash expressions^ all 
 precipitate promises or engagements, which, in the hour 
 of reflection, you will review with deep, and it may be^ 
 with unavailing regret. 
 
 3. From what has been said in regard to Herod^ you 
 may learn that the principles on which he acted, are the 
 the very same on which men of false honour act at the 
 present time- 
 Consider the duellist. He has adopted a standard of 
 honour, in opposition to the dictates of revelation, rea- 
 son and conscience. In a hasty or unguarded moment, 
 or perhaps, indeed, with coolness and deliberation, he 
 has given or provoked a challenge, and is pledged to a 
 deadly combat — it may be with one whom he has loved 
 or venerated. He has a wife, or children, or parents, 
 or friends, who, in a few hours, may stand over his life- 
 less corpse, and to the latest hour of life suffer anguish, 
 and perhaps poverty too, as the consequence of his rash 
 act ; while his own soul, all covered with its crimes, 
 and self- sent to the bar of God, shall stand there to 
 
DISCOURSE Mil. 219 
 
 receive its unchanging destination. Or suppose it is liis 
 antagonist who is to fall. Then, though he survive, he 
 may he corroded with remorse to the end of his days. 
 The spectre of his murdered hrother, hurried to the 
 eternal world, may haunt his dreams, and seem to tell 
 him of another meeting heyond the grave. But what of 
 all this ! The challenge has been given and accepted ; 
 and the man of honour has promised with an oath, never 
 to refuse such a call as is now made upon him. Al- 
 though, therefore, when he reflects on these things, he 
 is "exceeding sorry" that he is thus circumstanced; yet^ 
 for his oath's and honour's s^ike, and for their sakes who 
 have been his chosen associates, he will not refuse to 
 fight. He will do it, though all temporal and all eternal 
 
 considerations honour alone excepted forbid him* 
 
 Honour in one scale, and all the tenderest endearments of 
 life, with the alternative of heaven or hell in the other — 
 honour preponderates. He fights and falls ; or he lives, 
 to die a thousand deaths ! And are these, O false hon- 
 our ! these the offerings that must be made at thy shrine? 
 Thou bloody Moloch ! thou fiend accursed ! depart 
 from earth to thy native hell ! Precious youth of my 
 charge — I charge you, in the name of Christ our Sa- 
 viour, have nothing to do with this sanguinary demon. 
 No matter what are the consequences of not accepting a 
 challenge. They weigh less, in comparison with those 
 which follow an acceptance, than the dust of the balance 
 against the everlasting mountains. 
 
220 ' DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 Let us next consider the gambler. He too claims to 
 be a man of honour. His honest debts, it is true, he ne- 
 glects or refuses to pay. His wife and children, like- 
 wise, often want their daily bread, and are likely to be 
 turned houseless on the world. But he will sell or pawn 
 his property, to the last farthing, that his debts of hon- 
 our may be fully paid. He is, indeed, exceeding sorry 
 that this necessity is laid upon him, but his honour he 
 must sustain. Promises and obligations, of the most sa- 
 cred kind, he will habitually violate ; but a promise, or 
 an oath, to pay a debt of honour^ he will always fulfil. 
 
 My dear brethren, there is, in these two practices of 
 duelling and gambling, ?J1 that is calculated to provoke 
 not only our abhorrence, and indignation, and regret, but 
 our scorn and derision too. If they did not involve 
 such serious consequences, they would be the fittest of 
 all subjects for ridicule and contempt. There is inherent 
 in these practices something so infinitely absurd, and in 
 the claims to honour, of those who indulge in them, 
 something so perfectly preposterous, that it is difficult to 
 expose them in their true colours — and I have sensibly 
 felt this difficulty — without the appearance of a manner 
 that savours of sarcasm, and borders on the ludicrous. 
 But ah ! their consequences are serious beyond the pow- 
 er of description. These consequences produce no smiles, 
 but many tears. Every christian should weep over them. 
 Every christian should do all in his power to prevent 
 them. And every christian must, as things absolutely 
 inconsistent with his character and profession, utterly 
 
DISCOURSE VIII. 221 
 
 renounce and avoid these practices for himself. Remem- 
 ber this, my young friends — Remember that you must 
 renounce them ; or as the dreadful alternative, renounce 
 the gospel and the hope of heaven. Keep this alterna- 
 tive steadily and constantly before you. If you do this, 
 and are not lost to reason as well as to religion, you can 
 never be duellists or gamblers. 
 
 4. Finally — From the example of Herod, learn, on 
 the one hand, the danger of losing the serious impres- 
 sions of religion which, at any time, you may feel ; and 
 on the other, the importance of cherishing them, till 
 they deepen into permanent piety. When Herod heard 
 the Baptist gladly, and did many things agreeably to 
 his instructions and exhortations, there was a flattering 
 prospect of his thorough reformation. Had he retained 
 and cherished the impressions which he then felt, had he 
 yielded to the dictates of conscience and gone the whole 
 length which duty required, how happy had been the 
 change which would have been effected in his charac- 
 ter ! what an enormity of crimes and guilt would he 
 have avoided ! how different would have been his con- 
 dition on earth, and his prospects for eternity ! But he 
 stifled the remonstrances of conscience, he resisted the 
 Spirit of grace, he lost his regard for religion, he turn- 
 ed a deaf ear to his faithful reprover, he abandoned 
 himself to his vices; at length he became a murderer: 
 and at last, as history informs us, he lost his throne^ 
 was banished from his country, and v>ith llerodias, the 
 partaker and the prompter of his crimes, died a miser- 
 
222 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 able death in exile. A course similar to this^ if not its 
 exact parallel, has often been witnessed, since the time 
 of Herod. There have been many, who, in youth espe- 
 cially, promised to be examples of piety, the blessings 
 and ornaments of society, who yet, in the end, became 
 abandoned to every thing vicious and vile. For a time 
 they were attentive to instruction, moral in their beha- 
 viour, did many things commendably, were seriously 
 thoughtful about their eternal interests, nay, deeply 
 anxious about their salvation, and apparently ^^not far 
 from the kingdom of God.'' But from sloth or careless- 
 ness, from a strong attachment to something inconsistent 
 with religion and forbidden by it, from the seduction of 
 bad companions, from imbibing corrupt principles, from 
 the scoffs and sneers of the profane, from a desire to be 
 rid of painful feelings and unpleasant duties, from the 
 pleasures or the business of the world — from some of 
 these causes, or from several of them united — a melan- 
 choly change took place ; the voice of conscience was 
 disregarded and suppressed, the mind was turned away 
 from religious truth and duty, serious impressions were 
 effaced, hardness of heart ensued, positive aversion to 
 religion soon followed, indulgence in vice speedily suc- 
 ceeded, infidel sentiments were then adopted, and the 
 apostacy became complete — The unhappy men lived in 
 sin, sometimes with a degree of decency, but oftener as 
 profligates or blasphemers ; and they died without 
 hope, perhaps in horror and despair. Be warned, my 
 dear youth, for what I have told you is not fiction, but 
 
DISCOURSE \ III. 22:^ 
 
 lact, which I have witnessed for myself; — be warned not 
 to trifle with serious impressions of religion ; be afraid 
 of losing them ; be careful to cherish them ; beseech 
 God to strengthen and increase them — '* Grieve not the 
 Holy Spirit of God^ whereby ye are scaled unto the day 
 of redemption.*' 
 
 A season of tenderness of mind in regard to the 
 demands of religion, is a season awfully critical and 
 important. Eternal consequences, happy or terrible, 
 often follow from the manner in which a man acts at 
 such a time. If it pass over without a thorough con- 
 version from sin to holiness, it is frequently followed 
 by great obduracy or stupidity ; sometimes, as you have 
 heai*d, by final apostacy. If, on the contrary, such a 
 season be carefully^ and watchfully, and prayerfully im- 
 proved, it terminates in a renovation of the heart ; in 
 vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ; in genuine set- 
 tled piety. Be not deceived : there is, be assured, no 
 entire security against your ultimately becoming scep- 
 ticks and profligates, unless you become real practical 
 christians. You may think otherwise, and resolve to be 
 regular and moral, and to treat religion with decency 
 and respect, without embracing it cordially as a rule of 
 life ; and of all this, I readily admit, there are some ex- 
 amples. But I do aflirm, that there are also many exam- 
 ples of those who set out in life on this plan, with as fair 
 a prospect of success as any others, who, notwithstand- 
 ing, have gone eventually into all the extremes of cor- 
 rupt principles and licentious practice ; and therefore 
 
224 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 that no individual who adopts the plan^ can have any se- 
 curity that he will not be added to the number. Ah ! 
 my young friends, we all depend for our safety on 
 the preserving grace of God. Let Him remove the 
 restraints of his grace from any man, and that man 
 is undone. '' He, therefore, who trusteth in his own 
 heart is a fool.'' If you would be secure, you must 
 seek security by choosing the Lord as your portion, 
 and by constantly imploring his grace, protection and 
 guidance. He who does this, is the most promising 
 candidate for happiness and usefulness on earth, and 
 the only candidate for the bliss of heaven. ^^ The fear 
 of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools des- 
 pise wisdom and instruction — Hear, O my son, and re- 
 ceive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be 
 many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom, I have 
 led thee in right paths. When thou goest thy steps 
 shall not be straitened ; and when thou runnest thou 
 shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction: let 
 her not go ; keep her, for she is thy life.'^ 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 THE Df'.VOUT MAX. 
 
 ACTS X. 2. 
 
 '^^ devout man — 
 
 J. HIS is the character of Coi'nelius, a Roman centu- 
 rion, and the first convert to the faith of Christ, from 
 among the Gentiles. It does not appear that he was a 
 Jewish proselyte. Yet, having his military station in 
 the land of Israel, he had no douht derived great benefit 
 from the Jewish scriptures ; for it is certain that he was 
 not only instructed in the knowledge of the true God^ 
 hut a most fervent and acceptable worshipper of Him, 
 even before he was visited by the apostle Peter. Till 
 that time, however, he was but very imperfectly ac- 
 quainted with some of the most important points of true 
 religion. Men may sometimes have much grace, who 
 have but little knowledge ; especially when their defect 
 of knowledge is not owing to neglect or indifference, but 
 to a want of the means of information. It is always 
 true, indeed, that when divine grace changes the heart, 
 an ardent desire will be felt to know more of God and of 
 his holy will ; so that rapid and surprising advances in 
 
 G2 
 
226 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 knowledge will often be made, as soon as the opportuni- 
 ty of acquiring it is offered. But before this, the soul 
 may be deeply sanctified ; and then, as in the case of 
 Cornelius, better information will be earnestly sought ; 
 and in the order of God's providence, it will usually not 
 be long, before it will, in some good degree, be commu- 
 nicated. "Unto every one that hath — saith the Sa- 
 viour — shall be given, and he shall have abundance — 
 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doc- 
 trine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of my- 
 self — He that fjlloweth me shall not walk in darkness^ 
 l)ut shall have the light of life.'' 
 
 It is, my brethren, the distinct object of this discourse 
 to endeavour, in a reliance on divine aid, to give you 
 the outline, and the chief features of such a character as 
 that of Cornelius was — the character of a devout man; 
 and then to make a practical improvement of the sub- 
 ject. 
 
 The characteristick distinction noticed in the text is, 
 I am well aware, undervalued and despised by the pror 
 fane and ungodly world. But let us be careful that we 
 be not found among those to whom it is said — " Behold, 
 ye despisers, and wonder and perish" ! Assuredly the 
 solemn hour is not far distant, when to have been a rich 
 man, a powerful man, an influential man, a wise man, a 
 learned man, will afford little consolation ; but when to 
 have been a devout man, will fill the soul with hope, 
 and joy, and triumph. Yield me, then, your serious at- 
 tention, while I endeavour to present such a man to 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 227 
 
 your view, as the object of your imitation ; as possessing 
 distinctions at which we all ought to aim, — attainments 
 which, in some measure, we must all make, or be undone 
 forever. 
 
 I begin with observing, in general, that a devout mau 
 is the designation of an individual, not only of real pie- 
 ty, l)ut of eminent piety ; of piety which is not merely 
 or principally speculative ; or such as consists chiefly in 
 a profound or accurate knowledge of the principles of 
 religion. A devout man is one whose religion is emi- 
 nently praclical. It is seated in his heart, and con- 
 stantly influences his affections and actions. It is con- 
 tinually leaciiig him to humble intercourse with his Ma- 
 ker; to conunune with the Father of his spirit, through 
 the mediation of his Redeemer ; to an impressive recol- 
 lection of the divine presence ; to seek the light of 
 God's countenance; and to regard, as the highest happi- 
 tiess on earth, the comfortable assurance of his favour. 
 In a word, his piety has a direct and constant influence 
 on his temper and his life. He strives to imitate the 
 perfect example of his Saviour, in spiritual mindedness, 
 in Mevotedness and submission to the will of God, in 
 meekness, in humility, in condescension, in kindness, in 
 the forgivness of enemies, in going about doing good. 
 
 The regard of the devout man to the law of God is 
 peculiarly characterized by its being impartial, though 
 imperfect. He feels his obligation to obey all the laws 
 of God, and he steadily aims at such an obedience. Yet 
 this obedience is not ostentatious i not rendered that 
 
228 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 men may observe and applaud it. It is an obedience 
 which is humble, sincere, strict, simple^ frank^ cheerful, 
 coming right from the heart, — dictated by cordial love 
 to God, to the law which he has given as a rule of life, 
 and to the grace of that gospel in which is all a sinner's 
 hope. Nothing can be farther from the character of a 
 truly devout man, than to take one part of religion and 
 leave another. 
 
 A spurious and unfounded claim to this character, 
 has indeed, sometimes been made, and has done infinite 
 injury to religion, by bringing the truly devout man into 
 disesteem and contempt with the world. There have 
 been men who have professed and appeared to be very 
 devout, to be much given to prayer, who have talked 
 much of the spiritual part of religion, and of their ow^n 
 engagements and exercises in it ; and yet, at this very 
 time, as has eventually appeared, these men were living 
 in the viohition of all the moral laws. They were ambi- 
 tious, or covetous, or dishonest, or unclean, or intemper- 
 ate, or vindictive, or idle, or mischief makers, or liars, 
 or whatever else, capable of disguise, is vile and 
 impious. Certainly a more detestable race of hypo- 
 crites than these cannot exist : and we not only give 
 them up freely to all the reproach and abhorrence of 
 the world, but we claim to join in that abhorrence ; to 
 join in it with as much sincerity, and with far more re- 
 gret, than they who sneer at all religion, because these 
 men have assumed it as a cloak for their vices. 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 229 
 
 Yes, I repeat it, the man truly devout, is of all men 
 the most careful not to neglect any part of his duty. He 
 is what he appears to be. He lives as in the presence of 
 Him ^* who seeth in secret/' and who will '' bring every 
 work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether 
 it be good or whether it be evil." Of all hypocrisy, there- 
 fore, he is deeply afraid ; not only of that which is 
 intended to deceive the world, but of that also which 
 arises from self-deception. He sacredly regards truth 
 and uprightness in all his words and actions. He is 
 exemplary in obeying the second table of the divine law, 
 as well as the first. He is just and benevolent to man, 
 as well as devout toward God. His piety sweetens his 
 temper, instead of souring it ; and in place of dispos- 
 ing him to omit any duty which he owes to his fellow 
 creatures, it renders him doubly scrupulous in the dis- 
 charge of all : teaching him to regard every duty, when 
 seasonably performed, as equally a part of the service of 
 God ; and to do it " as unto the Lord and not to man." 
 
 Having taken this general view of the character of a 
 devout man, let us now^ consider it somewhat in detail, 
 and examine its constituent parts. 
 
 1. First, then, a devout man is a renewed man, ^^ Yc 
 cannot gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles. A 
 corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." You may 
 as well expect an effect without a cause ; nay, you may 
 as well expect a cause to produce that effect whicli is 
 most unnatural, or contrary to its proper tendency, as 
 to expect a holy temper and life to proceed from an un- 
 
230 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 renewed human heart. ^^The carnal mind is enmity 
 against God ;"' it is sinful and depraved throughout ; 
 and while it remains so^ all its exercises will be sinful. 
 It must therefore be renewed, before it can know a tru- 
 ly devout feeling. It is in renovation that the temper, 
 taste and desire are implanted, out of which gen\iine 
 devotion grows, and in which it has its root and 
 nourishment. That '^ repentance unto life," and that 
 ^^ faith in Christ'' for pardon and justification before 
 God, which are the foundation of all holy communion 
 with Him ; that love to Jehovah and to his law, which 
 is the vital principle of all genuine and acceptable obe- 
 dience ; all these, without which a devout life cannot 
 exist, — all are the fruits, or products, only of a renewxd 
 nature. A renewed nature, therefore, is essential to a 
 devout life, as a cause to an effect, as the root of a tree 
 to its foliage and fruit. 
 
 But there is something farther, of high importance, 
 that must be noticed here — Gh that I could state it in 
 such a manner as suitably to impress your minds and 
 my own. Shall I say, then, that some men are con^'ert- 
 ed more than others ? Yes ; although every truly good 
 man is a regenerate man, yet some good men are more 
 thoroughly renewed, are far more extensively or deeply 
 sanctified than others. Now a devout man, as we have 
 already remarked, is a man of eminent piety ; and 
 therefore he who aspires to this character, must remem- 
 ber that he cannot possess it without a large measure of 
 heart sanctification. Without this, all efforts at an ex- 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 831 
 
 emplary discharge of duty, will be difTicult, feeble, and 
 often omitted ; and all that will be done at last, if not 
 entirely abortive, will be miserably imperfect. He that 
 would be really and eminently devout^ must be inward- 
 ly and eminently holy. 
 
 2. A devout man is a man of prayer. He of whom 
 the text is spoken '' prayed to God always."^ The terms 
 devout and prayerful are, indeed, very nearly of the 
 same import. It is from his being much devoted to 
 prayer, that the devout man, chiefly and primarily, ob- 
 tains his distinctive appellation. Without this, there- 
 fore, no one can be devout. To pray much, and to have 
 inuch real engagedness in prayer, is essential to the 
 character. The devout man always considers his sca^ 
 sons of prayer, as among the most precious and pleas- 
 ant of his life. Still, he knows that he is sanctified 
 but in part, and that every christian is in danger of ne- 
 glecting, or of becoming remiss in prayer, from tempo- 
 rary coldness, and a consequent indisposition to the du- 
 ty. Christian prudence will therefore dictate, not only 
 that he set apart a portion of time daily for secret 
 prayer ; but that the time and place for engaging in it^ 
 be deliberately assigned and sacredly regarded ; and 
 that such arrangements of secular concerns be made, 
 that, in ordinary circumstances, the closet hour shall not 
 be interrupted by company or worldly care, but be sa- 
 cred to heavenly intercourse. The devout man will 
 sooner lose a portion of his usual sleep, than lose the 
 privilege and comfort of sweet communion with his 
 
^32 DISCOURSP: lit. 
 
 God. This is his spiritual nourishment, and he cannot 
 live without it. Hence, though, to guard against ne- 
 glect, he have set times for prayer, he will not con- 
 fine himself to these. A devotional frame of spirit 
 will lead him to seize many a secret opportunity to 
 pour out his heart before God, beyond his twice or 
 his thrice in a day ; and to observe seasons of special 
 prayer, sometimes accompanied with fasting, when pe- 
 culiar providences, or his own state of mind, demand 
 them. 
 
 Like the holy men of scripture, the devout man will 
 be, in secret, a frequent and fervent intercessor for oth- 
 ers ; for his family and kindred ; for all who ask his 
 prayers ; and for many who never ask, but who urgent- 
 ly need them. With the royal Psalmist he will also be 
 able to say " My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow 
 and fatness ; and my mouth shall praise thee with joy- 
 ful lips ; when I remember thee upon my bed^ and med- 
 itate on thee in the night watches.'^ He will likewise 
 frequently use ejaculatory prayer — in business, in com- 
 pany, in travelling, in danger, in sorrow and in joy. 
 Devout meditation will often precede, and often mingle 
 with his prayers. On the sabbath of the Lord, especi- 
 ally, he will meditate much on the things of God, and 
 his meditation will be accompanied with many devout 
 aspirations of soul. \\\ these exercises his thoughts and 
 desires will ascend to heaven, and anticipate something 
 of its employments and its pleasures. 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 233 
 
 The devout man will delight in social, as well as in 
 secret prayer. With his family, with christian friends 
 on many special occasions, with the sick and the afflict- 
 ed, and in the public worshipping assemblies of God's 
 people, he will not fail to join in this sacred exercise. 
 A meeting for prayer orily, that is, a meeting in which 
 there are no other exercises than prayer and praise, 
 will not, when properly conducted, be a dull and te- 
 dious meeting to him. Nor will he go to church mere- 
 ly to hear a sermon. The devotional exercises of pub- 
 lick worship — prayer and praise — will be to him pecu- 
 liarly sweet and refreshing. 
 
 In a word, the devout man lives a life of holy inter- 
 course with Heaven. And as it is by prayer that this 
 intercourse is most directly carried on and preserved, 
 he will be ready and rejoice to engage in it, in every 
 way and form, in which the duty is prescribed or sanc- 
 tioned in the scriptures of truth " Praying always, 
 
 with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and 
 watching thereunto with all perseverance, and sup- 
 plication for all saints." 
 
 3. The devout man will earnestly desire to under* 
 stand and obey tJie revealed will of God. So did Cor- 
 nelius. He had, as we have already remarked, mani- 
 festly availed himself of his residence in Palestine, to 
 obtain a knowledge of Jehovah, and of the manner ia 
 which his worship might be acceptably performed. He 
 promptly obeyed the divine command to send for Peter, 
 to tell him " what he ought to do.'' And when the 
 
 H % 
 
234 DISCOURSE IX, 
 
 apostle came, "he said — ^^Now^ therefore, are we all 
 here present before God, to hear all things that arc 
 commanded thee of God.'^ 
 
 No devout man, who has access to the Bible, will fail 
 to become familiar with it. To him it will be emphati- 
 cally the book. He will read and study it far more than 
 any other book. He will make '' the testimonies of the 
 Lord the men of his counsel.'^ Whenever he doubts or 
 inquires in regard to duty, his appeal will be to " the 
 law and to the testimony.^' In ordinary circumstances^ 
 he will suffer no day of life to pass, without reading a 
 portion of holy scripture devoutly. He will treasure it 
 up largely in his memory ; and will meditate on its 
 truths with great delight. They will furnish him witk 
 many a mental repast in solitude, and in the wakeful 
 hours of night. He will know experimentally what the 
 Psalmist meant, when he said of these truths, '* they are 
 sweeter than honey and the honey comb.'^ He will 
 taste no pleasure superior to that which he enjoys^ 
 when the word of God is set home on his heart, with 
 power and sweetness, by the Spirit who endited it. 
 
 The devout man may occasionally read the scriptures 
 of truth to observe the beauty and sublimity of their 
 composition, or with a view to decide points of contro- 
 versy. But he will oftener — far oftener — read them 
 with all his attention engrossed to know the will of God, 
 that he may do it ; that he may apply what he reads to 
 practice 5 that his temper and conduct may be improv- 
 
^ DISCOURSE IX. 235 
 
 0(1 and governed by it; thv^t his devotion may be en- 
 kindled, and his afTections be sanctified. Hence, with 
 an honest and earnest desii'e, lie will seek to know the 
 real *• mind of the Spirit,'' in every part of his holy 
 word. Every part he will esteem precious ; and by 
 comparing one part with another, and combining the 
 %vhole, he will become a consistent, exemplary, bible 
 christian. 
 
 The devout man will, also, be a diligent and serious 
 attendant on the preachtd word. Knowing that ^' f^Jth 
 Cometh by hearing," and that the preaching of the gos- 
 pel is a divine ordinance, he will never absent himself 
 from it for a trivial cause ; never because he thinks 
 himself already better instructed than those who occupy 
 the sacred desk ; never on the pretence that he can 
 read a better sermon at home, than he can hear at 
 church. He knows that without the divine blessing, 
 means apparently the best adapted to do good, will never 
 produce that effect ; and, on the contrary, that with tlie 
 divine blessing, means which appear very imperfect or 
 defective, will be completely efiicacious ; and that w hen 
 men attempt to supercede an appointment of God by a 
 device of their own, they have no reason to look for his 
 blessing, but rather to expect his frowns. Nothings 
 therefore, but causes not to be controlled, will prevent 
 the regular attendi.uc^ of tlie devout man on the preach- 
 ed word. And when he hears it, his attention will not 
 be occupied in criticising the speaker; nor in marking 
 how fitly the discourse may apply to others 5 but in en 
 
336 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 deavouring to obtain spiritual edification for himself. 
 This is his great object, and if he misses this, he can- 
 not be satisfied. The preaching that is not calculated 
 to give him this, he can never approve. He could not 
 approve it, though it should exhibit the imagination of 
 Milton, the reasoning of Locke, the learning of Cud- 
 worth, or the eloquence of Gabriel. He can take noth- 
 ing as a substitute for the food of his soul. And what 
 he desires and seeks he often finds. He is often fed and 
 refreshed from the provisions of God's house. In the 
 strength of what he there receives, in a single atten- 
 dance, he sometimes goes forward with alacrity, for ma- 
 ny days, in his christian course. He both rememberg 
 and anticipates sanctuary seasons, as among the most 
 profitable and delightful portions of his earthly exis- 
 tence. On sacramental occasions, in particular, not only 
 the sweet and heavenly communion which he holds 
 with his dear and adored Saviour, at his own table, but 
 the precious truths of his gospel, illustrated and enforc- 
 ed at the time, and deeply impressed by the solemnities 
 of that sacred scene, produce a most lasting and saluta- 
 ry influence on his heart and life. In a word, by the 
 preaching of the gospel and its accompanying ordinan- 
 ces, he is instructed, edified, warned, reproved, direct- 
 ed, humbled, encouraged, comforted, animated and 
 quickened, as his various circumstances and exigences 
 may demand. 
 
 4. A devout man will always be a man of family re* 
 iigion. Cornelius was << one that feared God with all 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 237 
 
 his house." He was not only devout himself, but he 
 was desirous that all who were about hiin should be of 
 the same character. Accordingly, we find that he had 
 ^' a devout sohlier, who waited on him continually,"' and 
 whom he could trust with his confiJentiul message to 
 Peter. Nay, he was willing and desirous that his house 
 should be a place of meeting for religious exercises ; for 
 we are told that when the apostle came, '* he went in 
 and found many that were come together." And a most 
 happy meeting it was ; fjr it was here that, ^' while Pe- 
 ter yet spake, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which 
 heard the word." How often, since the days of Corne- 
 lius, have associations of devout christians found their 
 Saviour's promise fulfilled — '' where two or three arc 
 gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst 
 of them." ! Every devout man will love to live and 
 breathe, as much as he can, in an atmosphere of piety. 
 His religion is social and benevolent ; and it will be 
 among his highest gratifications to see many sharing 
 with him in thebenefits of redemption^ and the plea- 
 sures of a holy life. 
 
 On his family he can never look, but with the tender- 
 est concern for every individual, who, he has reason to 
 fear, is yet in an unrenewed state ; and for his off- 
 spring he will ^^ travail in birth again, until Christ be 
 formed in them." Like Abraham, he will "command 
 his children and his household after him, that tliey keep 
 the way of the Lord." Like Joshua, he will say — " as 
 for me and my house we will serve the Lord." He will 
 
238 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 carefully^ tenderly and perseveringly instruct, converse 
 and pray with his children and servants ; and labour, 
 by every proper method^ to win them to the paths of 
 piety and peace. He will, when the occasion demands 
 it, mix authority and correction with persuasion and 
 tenderness ; that he may preserve them from vicious 
 habits, and train them up " in the nurture and admo- 
 nition of the Lord." He knows the value of their 
 souls ; he feels responsii)le to do all in his power to save 
 them ; and he cannot be contented while he sees them 
 in danger of endless perdition. My brethren, it is by 
 family instruction, family religion, and family govern- 
 ment, that more may be done to serve the best interests 
 both of the church and of the state, than by all other 
 Bieans, while these are neglected ; and no truly devout 
 man can be habitually regardless of duties of such high 
 importance and such extensive influence. 
 
 5. A devout man will, like Cornelius, be "a just 
 manP The duties of justice are of the highest obliga- 
 tion upon all men. And a foul reproach it is to relig- 
 ion, when men of the world, who make a righteousness 
 of doing justly^ can charge the professed followers of 
 Christ, as, alas ! they sometimes truly may, with being 
 less exact in discharging the demands of justice, than 
 themselves. But such a charge will never lie against 
 a man whose piety is both genuine and eminent. He 
 will be known as a man of strict honesty and honour. 
 He will ^^ abstain from all appearance of evil,"' and of 
 course will have nothing to do with disreputable, oii^ 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 239 
 
 even with questionable dealings, or transactions. His 
 probity will form a distinct and prominent feature of his 
 character in the eye of the world. His integrity, there- 
 fore, will never be impeached, but by the grossest slan- 
 der. He will be punctiliously careful to pay every man 
 his due. He will never take the advantage of any one ; 
 never betray, or be unfaithful to a trust ; never be liti- 
 gious or contentious ; never grind the poor ; never be 
 cruel or hard-hearted. In all respects, he will act up- 
 rightly and conscientiously ; paying a sacred regard to 
 the golden rule laid down by his Saviour — '' All things 
 whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye 
 even so to them ; for this is the law and the prophets.'' 
 
 6. A devout man will not only be just, but, according 
 to his ability, liberal also, in the distribution of his 
 worldly substance. Of Cornelius it is particularly re- 
 corded, that '^ he gave much alms to the people ;" and 
 that his " ahmP as well as his '' prayers^"' came up 
 " for a memorial" before God. 
 
 In the New testament, covetousness is declared to be 
 idolatry. It is several times classed with the most atro- 
 cious and abominable vices, of the perpetrators of which 
 it is expressly declared, that '^ they shall not inherit the 
 kingdom of God." Yet the mournful fact must not be 
 dissembled, that there is no inconsiderable number of 
 professing christians, and some that seem to be devout, 
 whom we cannot vindicate from the charge of manifest 
 and habitual covetousness. What shall we think or say 
 of such mea ? I profess^ brethren, that I have found it 
 
240 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 more difficult to form a favouraMe judgment of these 
 men than of almost any other descrijition of persons, 
 who have any claim to be reckoned pious. On the 
 whole, we must, doubtless, make some allowance for 
 natural temper, and some, also, for the effects of long 
 and bad habits in an unsanctified state. Yet, let us 
 keep in mind, after all, not only that any indication of 
 a covetous temper is peculiarly unamiable and unbe- 
 coming in a christian ; but that he in whom it prevf^ils 
 
 and becomes characteristick let other appearances 
 
 be what they may — never can be a true disciple of 
 Christ. In the man who is truly devout there will, 
 I think, be but little temptation to this sin. The emi- 
 nently devout and holy reformer Luther, is stated to 
 have said, that he thought he had been tempted to al- 
 most every sin, except covetousness ; but that to this, 
 he had never known a temptation. This seems to me 
 perfectly natural. The devout man is, in a high de- 
 gree, weaned from the world as his portion. He lives 
 above and beyond it. His heart, and his treasure, and 
 his conversation are in heaven. He cannot, therefore, 
 easily form an idolatrous attachment to things that 
 perish in the using; and, least of all, to sordid pelf. 
 Wealth, if he possess it, he will desire to make subser- 
 vient to the interests of eternity. That use of worldly 
 property, by which his " incorruptible inheritance'^ 
 may be ensured or increased, or by which others may 
 be brought to possess the same, he will consider as the 
 best use to which it can possibly be applied. 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 241 
 
 He will, moreover, consider all his possessions as the 
 gift of the God of providence ; and himself as the res- 
 ponsible steward of his Lord's bounty. Hence, he will 
 feel a sacred obligation to promote the glory of God, to 
 the utmost of his power, by all that he holds in trust ; 
 and will think himself entitled to no applause for the 
 distributions which he makes. He will, from the same 
 principle, not think himself permitted to scatter his 
 donations with a careless profusion, or an indiscriminate 
 liberality ; but to make them with discretion and care, 
 that they may be productive of the greatest good of 
 which they are capable. 
 
 In as much, also, as a devout man is a man of humane 
 feelings, and of ardent and expansive benevolence, he 
 cannot, see " his poor brother have need, and shut up 
 his bowels of compassion from him ;" nor see how hun- 
 dreds and thousands of immortal beings like himself, 
 may be essentially benefited, both in their bodies and 
 their souls, by a part of his property, and not contribute 
 for this purpose, to the very utmost of his ability. His 
 inquiry will be, not how Little will suffice for him to do, 
 but how nmch he may Imvfully do, in consistency with 
 other obligations. His heart and his delight is in doing 
 good ; and he has infinitely more pleasure in his acts of 
 beneficence, than a miser ever enjoyed in hoarding his 
 wealth. The detail of his alms deeds, and of his other 
 eharities; I shall not attempt to give. He will consider 
 
 12 
 
24% DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 the relative importance of every claim on his liberali- 
 ty^ and will answer to each, according to a conscientious 
 estimate of its magnitude and moment. 
 
 7. Finally — A devout man will be a man of good re- 
 port. Such was he whom our text commends. He was 
 " of good report among all the nation of the Jews.'' 
 
 You will not understand me here^ as affirming that a 
 devout man will never suffer from evil tongues. The 
 venom of such tongues is often directed against the 
 fairest characters. The best men that have ever lived, 
 have been misrepresented and vilified. Nay^ the spot- 
 less life of our Redeemer himself, did not exempt him 
 from the vilest imputations and slanders. But truth is 
 mighty in its influence, and will at length prevail over 
 falsehood and malignity. In a diffusive publick, there 
 is a love of truth and impartiality, which will ultimate- 
 ly do justice to innocence and integrity ; so that a good 
 man will, eventually^ be of good report. Those who 
 know him best, will always esteem and love him most.. 
 Inquiry, provoked by malignity itself, will serve to ex- 
 tend the knowledge of his real character. Thus, he 
 will live doW'U the lies and misrepresentations which 
 did him a temporary injury ; and his future reputation 
 will become less vulnerable from all the attacks that 
 have been made upon it. 
 
 Now, a devout man is, by our supposition, eminently 
 a good man, a conscientious man, a just man, a liberal 
 man. An evil report will not readily be credited to the 
 disadvantage of such a man. At a distance, indeed, his 
 character m<iy suffer for a short time, but it wall, in the 
 
DISCOtJRSE IX. 243 
 
 end, in spite of all the endeavours of the wicked to tar- 
 nish it, come forth like gold that has passed the fire. 
 The God of providence is on the side of the devout 
 man ; and will '^ bring fortli his righteousness as the 
 light, and his judgment as the noon day." If he live 
 long, his worth will often be widely known and acknowl- 
 edged. Sometimes a whole nation, as in the case of 
 Cornelius, will speak his praise ; and distant genera- 
 tions be taught to admire and imitate his virtues — *''The 
 memory of the just is blessed.'^ 
 
 Having now finished the delineation of the character 
 of a devout man, let me remind you of what I have al- 
 ready intimated, that my design in doing it has been to 
 hold up this character as worthy of general imitation; as 
 an exemplar which every one of us ought to copy after. 
 But to this application of what has been said I foresee an 
 objection ; an objection, not from those who directly and 
 openly deny the excellence of the character itself; for to 
 these I make no reply at present — The objection I an- 
 ticipate will come from those who will admit, at least in 
 words, that the character which has been exhibited is 
 one of great excellence, and that it were well, perhaps^ 
 if the world could be peopled with those who possess it. 
 But they will object that the character is rather ideal than 
 real ; that its colouring is far beyond the life ; that men 
 deeply engaged in the business and cares of the world, 
 cannot be as devout as the representation given requires 
 them to be : that, in a word, the character exhibited is 
 out of nature ; and that to busy men, especially, the in*- 
 
244 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 itation of it is not practicable. I wish to state the ob- 
 jection in all its strength ; and so stated, I admit that it 
 is specious. But that it is only specious, I shall hope to 
 satisfy you, if you will lend me your candid and serious 
 attention. 
 
 Let it be carefully considered, then, \vhether the rep- 
 resentation which has been given is not scriptural. If 
 it be, it raust be received as just, and the duties to 
 which it points must be viewed as obligatory. We 
 must be careful not to losver the standard of duty, be- 
 cause it transcends our practice or our inclination. 
 Practice and inclination in that case should be raised to 
 the standard, and not the standard be brought down to 
 them. Now, let it be recollected that, in the represen- 
 tation given, the character of Cornelius, as set forth in 
 the text and context, has been distinctly referred to, as 
 affording a warrant for each particular we have gone 
 over, except the first ; and that no more was asserted 
 there, than what is true of every good man, and there- 
 fore must be true of him who is devout : and that in all 
 the enlargments and illustrations, under the several par- 
 ticulars, the statements made have commonly been con- 
 firmed by plain passages of scripture, and have invaria- 
 bly, §.s far as I can judge, accorded with its scope and 
 spirit. The speaker verily believes, that not one lead- 
 ing sentiment has been delivered, which might not be 
 shown to be clearly supported and sanctioned by the 
 authority of holy writ. If, then, what has been said be 
 scriptural; and the scripture bc; as it certainly is, our 
 
DISCOtmSE IX. 245 
 
 standard of truth and duty, let us remember that every 
 truth, and every duty, is consistent with every other 
 trutli, and every other duty. Falsehoods and vices of- 
 ten clash, but truths and duties never do. The inclina- 
 tion or practice, therefore, which keeps any man from 
 being as devout as a scriptural statement requires him 
 to be, must be wrong, and ought to be corrected, instead 
 of being made the ground of a complaint that the state- 
 ment itself is extravagant or unnatural. 
 
 The devout man has not been represented as perfect, 
 or sinless. This he certainly never is ; and there is no 
 man who, so much as he, feels, confesses and bewails 
 his imperfections. Nor lias his life been represented as 
 an uninterrupted succession of pleasurable exercises, or 
 of holy joy. It is entirely consistent witluall that has 
 been said to admit — and I explicitely admit — that he may 
 be acquainted with spiritual conflicts, and sometimes 
 with a degree of dejection and fear. My subject and 
 design required tliat I should describe the prevailing 
 temper, the general character, and the leading duties 
 which a devout man will always exemplify; and to exhib- 
 it these, not in the lowest degree in which it is possii)le 
 for them to exist, but in as high a degree as that in which 
 they may actually and frequently be found. Repeatedly 
 have you been reminded that we were considering the 
 character of one eminently pious. It is doubtless true, 
 and important to be remembered, that genuine piety ad- 
 mits of many gradations ; and that there may be a mea- 
 sure of true devoutncs^, in those who are sadly defective 
 
346 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 in some lineaments of the character which has been 
 portrayed. But^ christian brethren, we ought to be 
 very careful not to suffer this, or any similar concession,- 
 to render us content with our imperfections. Let us ev- 
 er keep in mind that the man who wishes for no more 
 religion, than exactly the lowest measure that will 
 carry him to heaven, has, within himself, unequivocal 
 evidence that he possesses no true religion at all. He 
 manifestly views it as a sick man views a nauseous med- 
 icine ; which he consents to take that it may preserve 
 his life, but of which he desires to take not a particle 
 more than is necessary to his safety. The man of real 
 piety loves religion for its own sake. He who has " tas- 
 ted that the Lord is gracious," always desires to drink 
 deeply of the " cup of salvation,'' — to partake largely 
 ef " the water of life." He is humbled while he con- 
 templates his numerous short comings, and covets ear- 
 nestly the attainments of those whose piety appears to 
 be of a higher order than his own. He looks at their 
 example with a holy emulation, and loves to dwell upon 
 it, as an excitement and encouragement to himself, to 
 press towards a higlier mark. 
 
 But, with reference to the point now in discussion, facts 
 probably will be considered as more decisive than argu- 
 ments. To facts, then, the appeal is confidently made, 
 that the character which has been set before you, taken 
 in its full extent, was not only the character of Corne- 
 lius, and of other saints of whom the scripture gives us 
 an account, but that it has often been realized in mod- 
 
DISCOURSE IX. ^47 
 
 cm times — realized not only in ministers of the gospel, 
 and in men of leisure and seclusion from the world ; but 
 in men whose professions or occupations were as little 
 favourable to fervent and habitual devotion, as any em- 
 ployments can be, which are in themselves lawful : and 
 in regard to whom it is also true, that they were as in- 
 dustrious, and as successful, in their several pursuits, as 
 those who paid no regard to religion. Who, I ask, 
 was a more eminent or occupied lawyer than Hale? 
 Who was a more busy or a more distinguished physi- 
 cian than Boerhaave? Who was more incessantly devot- 
 ed to science then Boyle ? Who was a more wealthy 
 and extensive merchant than Thornton ? Who was a bet- 
 ter soldier than Gardiner ? Who was ever more unfa- 
 vourably situated for devotion than Meikle ? Yet these 
 were all eminently devout men. And were it proper 
 for me to name the living as well as the dead, I could, 
 blessed be God, point you to busy men, in whom the 
 character in all its parts is, at this moment, exemplified. 
 Ah! my brethren, we want nothing but a right hearty to 
 make it practicable, and pleasant too, to be devout, in 
 any business or situation of life wliich is consistent with 
 our christian character. The business or situation 
 which really precludes, or habitually interferes, with 
 devotion, is unlawful in itself, and ought immediately to 
 be abandoned. 
 
 But it is only a few, after all, who can offer even a 
 plausible pretence that their necessary business is more 
 Unfavourable to a devout life, than worldly concerns 
 
24§ DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 always are. You whom I now address, have surely no 
 ground for such a plea : and the mass of mankind have, 
 clearly, no special hindrance to a holy intercourse with 
 the Father of their spirits, hut that reluctance to the 
 duty which they carry in their own bosoms. Here, in- 
 deed, is the true source of the objection to which I have 
 been replying, whenever it is made to bear on practice. 
 As a point of speculation, or as a matter of temptation, 
 it may occur to any one. But as a satisfying reason, a 
 reason to be deliberately acted on, for not being devout, 
 I truly believe it is pleaded only by those who, in seek- 
 ing for an excuse, find, or rather fabricate it, here. My 
 dear brethren, it is in this very point — and the truth 
 ought to be plainly stated — that the characteristick dif- 
 ference is found, between those who are born of God, 
 and those who are not. The children of God love devo- 
 tion, and they who are yet alienated from Him never 
 love it. Unsanctified men never love " to draw nigh 
 unto God ;'' and hence they always find devout exercises 
 inherently and irreconcilably offensive. They may love 
 speculations on religion, they may learnedly advocate 
 its divine origin, they may defend all its outworks, they 
 may be criticks in the languages of the sacred volume, 
 they may understand its doctrines, they^may attend on 
 all the ordinances of the church, they may contribute to 
 its support, they may zealously contend for forms — in a 
 word, whatever is externaU or merelv intellectual in re- 
 ligion, may be tolerable, and even pleasing to them. 
 But from their heart a7id affections religion is completely 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 249 
 
 excluded ; And as these are essential to devout exerci- 
 ses, such exercises are always, to uiisanetified men, the 
 object of irreconcilable aversion. Hence it was neces- 
 sary to show, at the very entrance of this subject, that 
 a devout man must be renewed in the temper of his 
 mind, as the ground work of all that is to constitute and 
 complete his character. 
 
 It appears, then, that if we possess true piety, we 
 not only may^ but that, in some good degree, we must be 
 devout. Yes, let it sink down into every heart, that he 
 who has not a devout religion, has no genuine religion. 
 He dislikes communion with God ; and heaven itself, if 
 he could be admitted there, would be found a place of 
 no enjoyment to him. A devout spirit is essential to 
 capacitate or qualify us for a participation in the exer- 
 cises and employments of the kingdom of God above. 
 And the more that any man possesses of this spirit while 
 he dwells on earth, the more ripe has he become for 
 heaven ; and the more of its pleasures will he antici- 
 pate, before he rises to the mansions of the just. 
 
 Among the many considerations, brethren, which 
 urge us to the cultivation of a devout spirit, that which 
 I have last suggested is certainly one, which may and 
 ought to have much influence. He, unquestionablv, 
 who shall possess the most of this spirit, will be the 
 happiest christian. It will render all his duties easy 
 and pleasant, it will alleviate all his afflictions, it will 
 render him almost a stranger to fear, it will give him 
 contentment with his lot, it will fill him with divine 
 
 K 2 
 
250 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 consolations, and will often constrain him to say with 
 the apostle, ^' I have a desire to depart and to be with 
 Christ, which is far better.'^ 
 
 But usefulness J as well as happiness, will be increas- 
 ed, in proportion as a spirit of true devotion is aug- 
 mented. Not only will the possessor of this spirit 
 adorn and recommend religion, by the character which 
 you have heard described, and strive to promote it by 
 all those exertions for its direct advancement which 
 ©onstitute a part of that character, but the prayers of 
 devout men have a mighty efRcacy — a mighty efficacy 
 in heaven — a mighty efficacy in drawing down blessings, 
 not only on themselves, but on all around them; yea, 
 on the cause of God throughout the earth. The prayers 
 and alms of Cornelius brought an angel from heaven, to 
 direct him where to find the instruction which he need- 
 ed ; and in the sequel, the miraculous influence of the - 
 Holy Ghost fell on him, and on all his friends who had 
 assembled at his invitation. Brethren, we expect no 
 miracles; butO! if we had more men like Cornelius; 
 if the ministers of the gospel were more like him ; if 
 private christians more resembled him ; if we had more 
 of those who wrestle with God, more who are migh- 
 ty in prayer we should certainly see the blessed 
 
 effects of their powerful and prevalent intercession. 
 The Holy Spirit would descend in his saving influence. 
 Revivals of pure religion would take place. Our houses 
 would become Bethels; our children would become pil- 
 lars in the church of the living God ; our schools and 
 
BISCOURSE IX. 251 
 
 colleges would become nurseries of piety, as well as of 
 science ; and means and instruments would he furnished 
 for evangelizing the world. Yes — devout men are pre- 
 cisely those who must evangelize the world. Their 
 alms must furnish the necessary funds, and their pray- 
 ers must draw down the blessing of God on missions to 
 the heathen, the Mahometans and the Jews. Here, at 
 this moment, is the great want. We want more devout 
 men ; and till we have them, the gospel will not obtain 
 its most rapid and wide extention. Let every chris- 
 tian be sensible of this ; and as he values his own hap- 
 piness; as he desires the salvation of immortal souls; 
 and above all, as he would most extensively promote the 
 declarative glory of his God and Saviour, let him as- 
 pire to more eminence in the character of a devout 
 man. 
 
 In conclusion, I particularly call upon you, my young 
 friends, to remember that you are now in the period of 
 life most favourable to the formation of this truly 
 excellent and sublime character. Listen to the obser- 
 vations of one of my venerable predecessors in office, 
 distinguished for his profound knowledge of human na- 
 ture, and accurate observation of mankind. '^ Suffer 
 me — said Doctor Witherspoon, in addressing a class of 
 youth in this college, as I now address you — ^' Suffer 
 me, upon this subject, earnestly to recommend to all 
 that fear God, to apply themselves from their earliest 
 youthy to the exercises of piety, a life of prayer and 
 communiou with God. This is the source from which 
 
252 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 a real christian must derive the secret comfort of his 
 heart, and which alone will give beauty, consistency 
 and uniformity, to an exemplary life. The reason 
 why I mention it on this occasion is, that youths whei> 
 the spirits are lively, and the affections vigorous and 
 strong, is the season when this habit must be formed. 
 There are advantages and disadvantages attending 
 every stage of life. An aged christian will naturally 
 grow in prudence, vigibnce, usefulness, attention to the 
 course of providence, and submission to the divine will 5 
 but he will seldom attain to greater fervor of affection, 
 and life in divine worship, than he had been accustom- 
 ed to from his eai'ly years^^ And is it so, my dear 
 
 youth, that if you are ever eminently devout, you must 
 begin to be so now? Must this best of all attainments 
 be sooi) made, or the hope of making it be resigned for- 
 ever? I know you ?re ambitious to have influence on 
 earth. But by being devout you will, as you have heard, 
 have iufluence in heaven. Here is the highest, as well 
 as the holiest distinction of mortals. Every devout 
 man, like Jacob, "•' has power with God.'^ His prayers 
 prevail where the issue of battles is decided; where 
 kings receive their thrones or are hurled from them ; 
 where the destinies of empires are ordered ; where na- 
 tions are blessed or cursed ; yea, where salvation is 
 extended to immortal souls — one of which is of more 
 value than the material universe, or than all the temporal 
 felicities of man. O! if you aspire, aspire to do good; 
 aspire to be prevalent intercessors before the throne of 
 
DISCOURSE IX. 253 
 
 Bod. — Blessed Spirit of all grace ! breathe, O breathe, 
 we humbly beseech Thee, on these precious youth. 
 Transtbrm and sanctify every heart. Make every spi- 
 rit here devout. Thus shall we be prepared to serve 
 God and our generation most extensively on earth, and 
 then to rise and join in that perfect devotion, which 
 saints and seraphs, in the temple above, offer, through 
 
 the ages of eternity, to the Father, to the Son, and to 
 the Holy Ghost. Ameu. 
 
NOTES 
 
 TO THE 
 
 PRECEEDING DISCOURSES. 
 
 NOTE A— Pfl^e 4. 
 
 AS it is the current opinion of the best criticks that the Greek frag- 
 ment, which exhibits the name of St. Paul and purports to be pail 
 of a lost work of Longinus, is genuine ; the author considered him- 
 self as much at liberty to make the assertion to which this note 
 refers, as if the passage alluded to had been found in the celebrated 
 treatise on the sublime. In this fragment of Longinus, after naming 
 certain Greek writers whose works afforded examples of the su- 
 blime in writing, he says — 33-^05 Touro(i IlxZXo^ T«/)c-e«?, i'v nvac c«i 
 sr^aTov <pr,fjLi 'zs-pai^Tecf^evoi S)tyfJux.ro^ uvxTroS^eiKTov. — "And further, 
 Paul of Tarsus, the chief supporter of an opiuion not yet establish- 
 ed." Smith's translation. 
 
 NOTE B^Page 13. 
 
 IT is known to those who are acquainted with the state of religioH 
 in this country, about the middle of the last century, that a great 
 and general attention to religion was, at that time, excited in a large 
 part of what were then called the British provinces of North Amer- 
 ica. The population of the whole intervening region between Mary- 
 land and Massachusetts Bay, was, in a greater or less degree, aftect- 
 cd by this excitement. The celebrated Gkorge Whitkfield, 
 was chiefly instrumental in producing the religious impressions 
 which were then so extensively and generally felt. He, however. 
 
^^56 NOTES. 
 
 had many and active friends and coadjutors ; and lie was also 
 opposed and censured by many and bitter enemies. The author 
 avows himself of the number of those, who believe that a great and 
 glorious revival of religion then took place ; the happy effects of 
 which, in a measure, remain to the present time. It is not denied, 
 however, and it was admitted and deplored by the friends of the re- 
 vival while it existed, that in many places and in numerous instan- 
 ces, there was much extravagance and delusion. And was it ever 
 otherwise, among those who had been brought up in ignorance or 
 formality, when suddenly and powerfully impressed with a sense of 
 their dangerous state and the importance of their eternal concerns ? 
 Here was, in fact, the real cause of most of the excesses and errors 
 which abounded, at the period contemplated. The proper remedy 
 or preventive of these evils, so far as human efforts can remedy or 
 prevent them, is a well educated ministry, a competent number of 
 able and pious pastors, and a general diffusion of religious knowl- 
 edge, and accurate doctrinal instruction, among the people at large. 
 
 The whole of the extraordianry attention to religion, of vvhich the 
 ministry of Mr. Whitefield and that of his fellow labourers had been 
 the instrumental cause, was often and unsparingly reviled and 
 ridiculed, by the enemies of vital piety. This, of course, rendered 
 them the objects of deep abhorrence by those who were the subjects 
 of their censure and sarcasm. But a worse effect was, that those 
 who most needed to be instinicted and reclaimed from error and 
 extravagance, were rendered exceedingly jealous of friends as well 
 as enemies ; jealous of almost every man who did not justify their 
 excesses ; jealous of him as hostile to the whole revival, and to 
 v/hat they considered as the special work of the Divine Spirit. It 
 was happy for the American church, at this time, that she possessed 
 such men as Dickinson and Edwards. These men were well and 
 widely known for their exemplary holiness of life ; and as the advo- 
 cates of orthodox principles and vital godliness. They were, like- 
 wise, known to be the friends of Mr. Whitefield, promoters of the re- 
 vival of religion, and vindicators of it, so far as it did not exceed what 
 reason and revelation would justify. Their acknowledged talents, 
 also, gave great weight to their opinions. They both came forward, 
 most opportunely, and ultimately with great effect, to correct the 
 errors and enthusiasm which attended the revival ; while they de- 
 fended it generally, against the attacks of its adversaries. What 
 was written by president Edwards, from his eminence as an author, 
 and from being printed with his other works, is pretty fully and exten- 
 sively known. This is not the case with the production of president 
 Dickinson, on the same subject ; although no contemporaueous pub- 
 
NOTES. 257 
 
 lication was probably as much read or had as much influence. It is 
 the second edition of this excellent tract which now lies before the 
 writer, and which bears the following extended title — 
 
 " A DISPLAY OF GOD'S SPECIAL GRACE, 
 
 IN 
 
 A FAMILIAR DIALOGUE, 
 
 BETWEEN 
 A MINISTER AND A GENTLEMAN OF HIS CONGREGATION, 
 
 ABOUT 
 
 The WORK of God in the conviction and conversion of sinners, so 
 remarkably of late begun and going on in these American parts. 
 
 WHEREIN 
 
 The objections against some uncommon afifiearances among us 
 are distinctly considered. 
 
 Mistakes rectified, and the work itself particularly proved to be 
 from the Holy Spirit. 
 
 WITH 
 
 An ADDITION, in a second conference, relating to sundry AntinQ" 
 mian principles, begining to obtain in some places. 
 
 By the Rev. Mr. Jonathan Dickinson, Minister of the Gospel at 
 Elizabeth-Town in New-Jersey. 
 
 Philadelphia, printed and sold by William Bradford at the 
 sign of the Bible in Second-street y 1743.'* 
 
 It appears that the pamphlet, the purport of which is stated in 
 the preceeding title page, was, at first, published without the name 
 of the author. The reason for this we are not told. But it appears 
 to have occasioned an attestation to the excellence of the publica- 
 tion, from the ministers of the town of Boston, which will be given 
 at length. The second edition, after the author of the pamphlet 
 •was known, was, in addition to what had been said by the ministers 
 of Boston, accompanied by an attestation from a number of Mr. 
 Dickinson's fellow presbyters. From this latter attestation, as it 
 is in substance the same as the other, a few extracts only will be 
 given. 
 
 L3 
 
258 NOTES. 
 
 It has been with mingled emotions of pleasure and regret, that the 
 writer has read these attestations, and looked back to the period at 
 which they were published. Retaining himself the sentiments of 
 those eminent and venerable ministers of the gospel of Christ and 
 fathers of the American churches, whose names are subscribed, he 
 has contemplated with delight the agreement in views and opinion, 
 which then existed among so many of the leading men in the church, 
 in the Eastern and Western parts of our country. With deep re- 
 gret he has contemplated the change, which has since taken place- 
 But believing that it will give pleasure to some who may chance to 
 ¥ead this note, to see the harmony which then prevailed, as well as 
 to observe the estimation in which one of the publications of the first 
 president of New- Jersey college was held ; and that it will also ex- 
 hibit a state of facts of some importance in the religious history of 
 our country, and of some bearing on the history of the college ; he 
 has resolved to republish what he has already mentioned. Imme- 
 diately succeeding the title page, which has been quoted, is the 
 following 
 
 " ATTESTATION." 
 
 He must be a stranger in Israel^ who has not heard of the uncom- 
 mon religious appearances in several parts of this land, among per- 
 sons of all ages and characters. 
 
 This is an affair which has in some degree drawn every one's 
 attention, and been the subject of much debate both in conversation 
 and writing. And the grand question is, nvhether it be a nvork of 
 God., ajid hoTJ far it is so ? The most serious and judicious, both 
 ministers and christians, have looked upon it to be in the maiji^ a 
 genuine work of GOD, and the effect of that effusion of the Spirit 
 of GracCy which the faithful have been praying, hoping, longing and 
 waiting for ; while at the same time they have looked upon some 
 circumstances attending it, to be from natural temper, human weak- 
 ness, or the subtility and malice of Satan permitted to counteract 
 this divine operation. 
 
 But here rightly to distinguish is a matter of no small difficulty ; 
 and requires both a scriptural knowledge of, and an experimental 
 acquaintance with, the things of the Spirit of God. 
 
 Mr. Edward'' s discourse concerning the distinguishing marks of a 
 ivork of the Spirit of God, has met with deserved acceptance, and 
 been of great use. — The following performance, by another dear and 
 Reverend brother, in a different part of the country, is also in our 
 opinion, exceeding well adapted to serve the same design, viz. to 
 help people to judge of the present work, ivhethcr and how far it is 
 
NOTES. 259 
 
 of God ; and to remove those prejudices, which may keep them 
 from owning it to the honour of God, and from coming under the 
 power of it to their own salvation. 
 
 Here the reader will see the ordinary works of the Spirit of 
 Grace, in applying the redemption purchased by Christ to particu- 
 lar souls judiciously described, in several distinct parts of it convic- 
 (ioriy conversion^ and consolation : The necessity of regeneration and 
 faith in order to final salvation, and the necessity of conviction and 
 humiliation, in order to these clearly evinced, from the reason and 
 nature of the thing, as well as the method God has established in 
 liis word: mistakes, which might prove fatal and undoing, carefully- 
 guarded against : And very safe and suitable directions given to one 
 •who is awakened to that enquiry, What must J do to be saved ? 
 
 Whoever takes nfi this book and reads, has as it were in his hands 
 a glass, in which he may behold what manner of person he is / 
 whether a natural or renewed man, a hy^pocrite or a sound believer. 
 
 The form in which it appears, is Dialogistical ; in the manner of 
 a conversation carried on by persons under borrowed names ; which 
 makes it not the less pleasant, entertaining and instmctive. It is a 
 method the best suited of any to answer the design : for this way of 
 instruction is the most easy and familiar ; engages the attcr.tion 
 more closely, strikes the mind more directly, and gets the nearest 
 access to conscience, which the reader will easily discern to be the 
 special aim of the author ; whose name would have been a sufficient 
 recommendation of the work had he thought it proper to have 
 prefixed it to a performance of this kind. 
 
 But in the want of that, so many of us as have had the pleasure to 
 read it in manuscrijit, do with freedom and satisfaction recommend 
 it to those into whose hands it may come, and them to the blessed 
 influences of the Divinf. Spirit in the reading of it. And if partic- 
 ular persons while they are reading it, would as it were place them' 
 selves in the room, of the enquirer in the conversation thus repre- 
 sented, with an ojien mind and a serious disposition, the important 
 things which are the subject of it, might by the blessing of Christ, 
 be brought so close and home to them, as to put them into something 
 of a like frame with that which the two Disciples were in, while they 
 conversed with the risen Saviour in their way to Emmaus, who 
 said afterwards one to another. Did not our Hearts buim within U9 
 by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures ? 
 
 And in recommending this book to the world, we would be under- 
 stood as o^y/n//^ and hearing a publick testimony to what is called 
 the present work of God in this la^d, as it is here stated and distin- 
 guished (separate from those disorders, errors, and delusions, wliich 
 
260 NOTES. 
 
 are only the unhappy accidents sometimes accompanying of it) to be 
 such a glorious display of the divine power and grace, as may well 
 raise our wonder, excite our praises, and engage our prayers, for the 
 preservation and progress of it. 
 
 May the children of God then unite in the prayer. Let thy work 
 apfiear more and more unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their 
 children ; And the beauty of the Lord our God be ufion us I 
 Boston, August 10th, 1742, 
 
 BENJAMIN COLEMAN. 
 
 JOSEPH SEWALL. 
 
 THOMAS PRINCE. 
 
 JOHN WEBB. 
 
 WILLIAM COOPER. 
 
 THOMAS FOXCROFT. 
 
 JOSHUA GEE. 
 The extracts from the other recommendation, are as follow — 
 
 " A PREFATORY ATTESTATION. 
 We whose names are under written, with pleasure embrace the 
 present occasion, to give a joint and publick testimony to the reality 
 and truth of the late revival of religion in this land ; or what is cal- 
 led generally and justly the work of God. 
 
 If any should enquire what we mean by the work of God ? we 
 think the judicious author of the following dialogue, has given a 
 plain and pertinent answer to this enquiry, which we declare our 
 approbation of, ******** 
 
 But here we must observe that divers false reports have been in- 
 vented and spread industriously, both by word and writing, in order 
 to blacken the character of several ministers, whom God has been 
 pleased of his pure goodness to honour with success ; and other 
 charges against their conduct, have been invidiously aggravated be- 
 yond their proper foundation and set in a false light, and some of 
 the subjects of this work have been doubtless treated in the same 
 manner. ******* 
 
 We think that our Rev. and ingenious brother, Mr. Jonathan 
 Dickinson, of Elizabeth-Town, in New-Jersey, who is the author of 
 the following dialogues, has, with much judgment and solid reason- 
 ing therein, baffled the common cavils of opposers against the work 
 of God, and answered the objections of the scrupulous. W^e cannot 
 but highly approve of his description of the nature and necessity of 
 conviction, and establishing it upon the impregnable basis of scrip- 
 ture and reason. His account of regeneration, faith, and consolation^ 
 is likewise exactly agreeable to our sentimenl^s.. 
 
NOTES. £61 
 
 Wc likewise concur with our Rev. author, in his seasonable effort 
 against antinoniian errors, expressed in liis second dialogue ; and 
 declare to the workl that we believe and maintain tliat sanctificatiou 
 is the evidence of our justification and indispensably necessary to 
 our eternal salvation, and that assurance is not essential to faith, but 
 only a separal)le fruit of it. * * * * * 
 
 And here we cannot but declare our great satisfaction with the 
 concurring suffrage of those Rev. and worthy gentlemen, of a supe- 
 rior and distinguished character, (whose names are mentioned in the 
 preceeding preface) to the blessed work of God in this huid. 
 
 We rejoice and give glory to God, that in this day of blasphemy, 
 rebuke and insult, he is pleased to raise up witnesses in divers parts 
 of the world to appear for his cause by publick attestations and de- 
 fences, amongst whom we would mention with due honour and res- 
 pect, the Rev. Mr. Edwai'dSy of Korthamjitoii in Xtiv- England ^ in 
 his sermon upon the distinguishing marks of the work of the ti*ue 
 Spirit, and in his late book, entitled. Some thoughts concerning the 
 revival of religion in .A'av- England^ and the way it ought to be ac- 
 knowledged and approved, ^i five parts. Likewise the Rev. Mr. 
 Robe, 
 
 And the Rev. Mr. Alexander Webnter^ of Edinburgh^ in l\is book, 
 entitled, divine influence the true spring of the extraordinary work 
 at Canibuslangy and other parts of the west of Scotland. 
 
 Before we conclude we think it necessary to advertise the reader 
 of this particular, namely, that though the Rev. author of the ensu- 
 ing dialogues, did not think it proper to prefix his name to the first 
 edition of them ; yet, being now asked, he allows his name to be 
 mentioned in this second edition ; but we must not longer detain the 
 reader from the performance itself: we tliereforc conclude and re- 
 main his friends and servants in Jesus Christ. 
 Philadelphia, June 1st, 1743. 
 
 GILBERT TENNENT. 
 
 AMLLIAM TENNENT. 
 
 SAMUEL BLAIR. 
 
 RICHARD TREAT. 
 
 SAMUEL FINLEY. 
 
 JOHN BLAIR." 
 It seems surprising that the works of president Dickinson have 
 never been collected, and i)rinted in a regular series. Several of 
 them have passed through a number of editions, in a detached form. 
 It is to be hoped that they will yet appear in volumes. In addition 
 to the excellence of the matter, their style is perhaps superior to 
 
26£ NOTES. 
 
 that of any other writer m this country, at the period of their first 
 publication. It is remarkably easy and perspicuous ; and, except 
 that it is a little blemished by the colloquial abbreviations then in 
 fashion, is in general neat and pure,- 
 
 NOTE C— Pfl^e 2i. 
 
 THE following sketch of the life and character of Governor 
 Belchei\ is taken from " An American biographical and historical 
 dictionary — By Willi a3i Allen, A. M." — now the Rev. Doctor 
 Allen, president of Bowdoin college ; a work to which the writer 
 has been much indebted, and which he highly esteems. 
 
 *' Belchee, (Jonathan) governor of Massachusetts and New- Jer- 
 sey, was the son of the Honourable Andrew Belcher, of Cambridge, 
 one of his majesty's council in the province of Massachusetts Bay, 
 and was born about the year 1681. His father took peculiar care in 
 regard to the education of this son, on ^v^lom the hopes of the family 
 were fixed. He was graduated at Harvard college, in 1699. While 
 a member of this institution, his open and pleasant conversation, join- 
 ed with his manly and generous conduct, conciliated the esteem of 
 all his acquaintance. Not long after the termination of his collegial 
 course, he visited Europe, that he might enrich his mind by his ob- 
 servations upon the various manners and characters of men, and 
 might return, furnished with that useful knowledge, which is gained 
 by intercourse with the world. 
 
 During an absence of six years from his native country, he was 
 preserved from those follies, into which inexperienced youth are fre- 
 quently drawn, and he even maintained a constant regard to that 
 holy religion, of which he had early made a profession. He was 
 every where treated with the greatest respect. The acquaintance 
 which he formed with the princess Sophia and her son, afterwards 
 king George H, laid the foundation of his future honours. After his 
 return from his travels, he lived in Boston, in the character of a mer- 
 chant, with great reputation. He was chosen a member of the coun- 
 cil, and the general assembly sent him as an agent of the province 
 to the British court in the year 1722. 
 
 After the death of governor Burnet, he was appointed by his m.aj- 
 esty to the government of Massachusetts and New-Hampshire, in- 
 1730. In this station he continued eleven years. His style of living 
 was elegant and splendid, and he was distinguished tor hospitality. 
 By the depreciation of the currency his salary was much diminished 
 
NOTES. £G5 
 
 in value ; but he disdained any unwarrantaJjlc means of enriching 
 liimself, tlioui;h apparently just and sanctioned by his predecessor** 
 in office. He had been one of the principal mercluints of New-Enj;- 
 Innd ; but he quitted his business on liis accession to the chair of the 
 first mai^istrate. Having a high sense of the dignity of l^is commis- 
 sion, he was determined to support it, even at the expense of his 
 private fortune. Frank and sincere, lie was extremely liberal in his 
 censures, both in conversation and letters. This imprudence in a 
 j)ublick office, gained him enemies, who were determined on re- 
 venge. He also assumed some authority, which had not been exer- 
 cised before, though he did not exceed liis commission. These 
 causes of complaint, together with a controversy respecting a fixed 
 salary, wliich \\iu\ been tran>imitted to him from his predecessors, 
 and his opposition to the land bank company, finally occasioned lii? 
 removal. His enemies were so inveterate, and sx) regardless of jus- 
 tice and truth, that, as they were unable to find real grounds for im- 
 l)eaching his integrity, they forged letters for tire purpose of his 
 ruin. On being superseded, he repaird to court, where he viiidica- 
 ted his character and conduct, and exposed the base designs of his 
 caemies. He was restored to the royal favor, and was promised the 
 first vacant government in America. This vacancy occured in the 
 province of New-Jersey, where he arrived in 1747 ; and where he 
 spent the remaining years of his life. In this province his memory 
 has been held in deserved respect. 
 
 When he first arrived in this province, he found it in the utmost 
 confusion by tumults and riotous disorders, which had for some time 
 prevailed. This circumstance, joined to the unhappy controversy 
 between the two branches of the legislature, rendered the first part 
 of his administration peculiarly difficult ; but by his firm and pi-u- 
 dent measures, he surmounted the difficulties of his situation. He 
 steadily pursued the interest of the province, endeavouring to distin- 
 guish and promote men of worth without partiality. He enlarged 
 the charter of Princeton college, and was its chief patron and bene- 
 factor. Even under the growing infirmities of age, he applied himself 
 with his accustomed assiduity and diligence to the high duties of his 
 office. He died at Elizabeth-Town, August 31, 1757, aged seventy- 
 six years. His body was brought to Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
 where he was entombed. 
 
 Governor Belcher possessed uncommon gracefulness of person 
 and dignity of deportment. He obeyed the royal instructions on the 
 one hand, and exhibited a real regard to the liberties and happiness 
 of the people on the other. He was distinguished by his unshaken 
 integrity, by his zeal for justice, and cai*e to have it equally distribu- 
 
264 KOTES. 
 
 ted. Neither the claims of interest, nor the solicitations of friends 
 could move him from what appeared to be his duty. He seems to 
 have possessed, in addition to his other accomplishments, that piety, 
 whose lustre is eternal. His religion was not a mere formal thing, 
 which he received from tradition, or professed in conformity to the 
 custom of the country in which he lived ; it was real and genuine, 
 for it impressed his heart and governed his life. He had such 
 views of the majesty and holiness of God, of the strictness and puri- 
 ty of the divine law, and of his own unworthiness and iniquity, as 
 made him disclaim all dependence on his own righteousness, and led 
 him to place his whole hope for salvation on the merits of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, who appeared to him an all sufficient and glorious Sa- 
 viour. He expressed the humblest sense of his own character and 
 the most exalted views of the rich, free, and glorious grace, offered 
 in the gospel to sinners. His faith worked by love and produced the 
 genuine fruits of obedience. It exhibited itself in a life of piety and 
 devotion, of meekness and humility, of justice, truth, and benevo- 
 lence. He searched the holy scriptures with the greatest diligence 
 and delight, in his family he maintained the worship of God, himself 
 reading thfe volume of truth, and addressing in prayer the majesty 
 of heaven and of earth, so long as his health and strength would 
 possibly admit. In the hours of retirement he held intercourse with 
 heaven, carefully redeeming time from the business of this world to 
 attend to the more important concerns of another. Though there 
 was nothing ostentatious in his religion, yet he was not ashamed to 
 avow his attachment to the gospel of Christ, even when he exposed 
 himself to ridicule and censure. When the Rev. Mr. Whitefield 
 was at Boston in the year 1740, he treated that eloquent itinerant 
 wuth the greatest respect. He even followed him as far as Worces- 
 ter, and requested him to continue his faithful instructions and 
 pungent addresses to the conscience, desiring him to spare neither 
 minwters nor rulers. He was indeed deeply interested in the pro- 
 gress of holiness and religion. As he approached the termination of 
 his life, he often expressed his desires to depart, and to enter the 
 world of glor\'. — Burr\^ funeral sermon ; Hutchinson, ii. 367 — 397 ; 
 Hobne's annuls, ii. 224 ; Smith's J\^e'H)- Jersey , 437, 438 ; Belknap's 
 Xerj-HamjislLire, ii. 95, 96, 126, 165—180 ; W hit eji eld's journal for 
 1743 ; Marshall, i. 299 ; Minofs Mass. i. 61." 
 
 The first entry, in the first volume of the minutes of the Trustees 
 of the College of New-Jersey, is a copy of the Charter. The next 
 entry is the subjoined extract ; which will .^how that Governor 
 
NOTES. 265 
 
 Belcher was regarded as the founder of the college, and that the 
 trustees entertained a very grateful sense of his services and liberal- 
 ity on that occasion. 
 
 ** On Thursday Oct. 13th, 1748, convened at New-Brunswick — 
 
 James Hude, Andrew Johnston, Thomas Leonard, Esq'rs ;— 
 Messrs. John Pierson, Ebenezer Pemberton, Joseph Lamb, William 
 Tennent, Richard Treat, David Cowell, Aaron Burr, Timothy 
 Jones, Thomas Arthur, Ministers of the Gospel, William P. Smith, 
 Gent. ; thirteen of those nominated in the charter to be trustees of 
 the College ; who having accepted the charter, were qualified and 
 incorporated according to the directions thereof ; and being a quo- 
 rum of the corporation, proceeded, as the charter directs, to choose 
 a clerk — 
 
 Thomas Arthur, chosen clerk of the corporation. 
 
 Voted, That an address be made to the Governor, to thank his 
 Excellency for the grant of the charter ; and that at least one of our 
 number be appointed to wait on his Excellency and present the 
 same. 
 
 An address being drawn up by the Rev. Mr. Burr, was read and 
 approved. 
 
 Ordered, That the Rev. Mr. Cowell wait upon his Excellency 
 and present the address to him. 
 
 Ordered, That a copy of the address be taken by the clerks and 
 inserted in the minutes. 
 
 TO HIS Excellency 
 JONATHAN BELCHER, Es(^ 
 
 Captain General and Governor in Chief of the province of New- 
 Jersey, and territories thereon depending in America, and Vice- Ad' 
 Tniral of the same ; — 
 
 The humble address of the Trustees of the college of New-Jersey ; 
 
 MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY 
 
 We hare often adored that wise and gracious Providence, which 
 has placed your Excellency in the chief seat of government in this 
 province ; and have taken our part with multitudes in congratulat- 
 ing New-Jersey upon that occasion. 
 
 Your long known and well approved friendship to religion and 
 learning, left us no room to doubt your doing all that lay in your 
 power to promote so valuable a cause in these parts ; and upon this 
 head our most raised expectations have been abundantly answered. 
 We do, therefore, cheerfully embrace this opportunity of paying 
 our most sincere and grateful acknowledgements to your Excel- 
 lency, for gi-anting so ample and well contrived a Charter for erecting 
 a seminary of learning in this province, which has been so mucl^ 
 wanted and so long desired. 
 
 M 2 
 
Z6G NOTES. 
 
 And as it has pleased your Excellency to intrust us with so impor-' 
 tant a charge, it shall be our study and care to approve ourselves' 
 worthy the great confidence you have placed in us, by doing our ut- 
 most to promote so noble a design. 
 
 And since we have your Excellency to direct and assist us in this 
 important and difficult undertaking, we shall engage in it with the 
 more freedom and cheerfulness ; not doubting but by the smiles of 
 Heaven, under your protection, it may prove a flourishing seminary 
 of piety and good literature ; and continue not only a perpetual mon- 
 ument of honour to your name, above the victories and triumphs of 
 renowned conquerors, but a lasting foundation for the future pros- 
 perity of church and state. 
 
 That your Excellency may long live a blessing to this province, 
 an ornament and support to our infant college ; — that you may sec 
 your generous designs for the public good take their desired eifect, 
 and at last receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away, — is and 
 shall be our constant prayer. 
 
 By order of the tinistees, 
 
 THOMAS ARTHUR, CI: Cor..^ 
 
 New-Brunswick, Oct. 13th, 1748. 
 
 To which his Excellency was pleased to return the following ■ 
 
 answer. 
 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 I have this day received by one of your members, the Rev. Mr. 
 Cowell, your kind and handsome address ; for which I heartily re- 
 turn you thanks ; and shall esteem my being placed at the head of 
 this government, a still greater favour from God and the king, if it 
 may at any time fall in my power, as it is in my inclination, to pro- 
 mote the kingdom of the great Redeemer, by taking the college of 
 New-Jersey under my countenance and protection, as a seminary of 
 true religion and good literature. 
 
 J. BELCHER." 
 
 As Governor Belcher was the founder of the college, so it will ap- 
 pear by the following extracts that it was he who advised and 
 urged the erection of the college edifice ; when as yet the funds of 
 the institution were so scanty that, but for his countenance and zeal, 
 the enterprise would have been deemed impracticable. This edifice 
 was, for many years, the largest single building in our country. 
 
NOTES. asr 
 
 <* NEWARK, Sept. 27th, 1752. 
 
 « « » # 
 
 '• His Excellency Governor Belcher was pleased to deliver in a 
 speech to the board of the trustees, together with certain proposals 
 respecting the important interests of the college : which being read, 
 the tinistees unanimously voted his Excellency their heaity thanks, 
 for his kind regard for the welfare of tliis infant seminary ; — that his 
 Excellency's speech be drawn into the college book, and said i)ro- 
 posals be taken under immediate'consideration." 
 
 His Excellency's speech was in the following words : 
 
 Gentlemen of the trustees of the college of New-Jersey. *Tis 
 ■with much satisfaction th;it I meet ycfu this day (being the anniver- 
 sarv of our commencement) hoping we are come together, to act as 
 with one heart and mind for the best establishment of our infant col- 
 lege, which I trust, by the favor of Almighty God, will become a 
 singular blessing in this and the neighbouring provinces ; to the pre- 
 sent and future generations. 
 
 By the latest advices from England, I am sorry to find, that the 
 difficulty we have been under of procuring a proper person to under- 
 take a voyage to Great Britain, for soliciting our friends there to ex- 
 tend their good will and bounty towards us, has, at present, lost us a 
 reasonable prospect of their assistance and benefactions ; but which 
 I still hope, may be obtained hereafter* 
 
 In the mean time, I think it our duty, to exert ourselves, in all 
 reasonably ways and measures we can, for the aid and assistance of 
 our friends nearer home ; that we may have wherewith to build a 
 house for the accommodation of the students, and another for the 
 president and his family : And it seems therefore necessary, that, 
 ■without further dciay, we agree upon the place where to set these 
 buildings. By the smiles of heaven upon this undertaking, the stu- 
 dents have become so numerous as that " the bed is shorter than that 
 a man can stretch himself upon it, and the covering narrower than 
 that he can wrap himself in it." Besides, the way and method we 
 are in, as to the place and manner of instructing the youth, looks to 
 me like lighting a candle, and putting it under a bushel. Although 
 every thing must have its beginning, and these things commonly ad- 
 vance by slow paces ; yet we find by the neigh!)Quring provinces, that 
 seminaries of this kind have always increased faster, and been more 
 useful to the world, after the building of colleges than before. I 
 therefore hope you will closely apply yourselves, so as to come to a 
 conclusion in this material article. 
 
268 NOTES. 
 
 I have minuted several other things, which I think may be of good 
 service to this society, and which shall be also read to you, in order 
 to be got through at this time : And I wish we may patiently keep 
 together till they are done. 
 
 It is almost needless to tell you, that (through the sparing mercy 
 and forbearance of a gracious God) I have passed the stated peri- 
 od of human life ; and I may say with that eastern prince of old 
 " my days are extinct, and the graves are ready for me ;" therefore 
 before *' I shall go hence and be here no more," if I may, by any 
 ways or means, be serviceable to this seminary of religion and learn- 
 ing, it will give me pleasure in life and comfort in death. 
 
 J. BELCHER. 
 
 Newark, September 27th, 1752. 
 
 The trustees, taking into consideration that the people of New- 
 Brunswick have not complied with the terms proposed to them for 
 fixing the college in that place, by the time refered to in the offer of 
 this board ; now voted, that they are free from any obligation to fix 
 the college at New-Brunswick, and are at liberty to place it where 
 they please. 
 
 The trustees agree that it should be put to vote, in what place the 
 college shall be fixed, upon such conditions as this board shall pro- 
 pose. 
 
 Voted, that the college be fixed in Princeton ; upon condition that 
 the inhabitants of said place secure to the trustees that two hundred 
 acres of woodland, and that ten acres of cleared land, which Mr. 
 Sergant viewed ; and also one thousand pounds proc. money ; the 
 one half of which sum to be paid within two months after the foun- 
 dation of the college is laid, and the other half within the next six 
 months afterward ; and that the people of said place comply with 
 the terms of this vote within three months of this time, by giving in 
 bonds for said money, and making a sufficient title for said lands, to 
 be received by such persons as this board shall appoint ; or also for- 
 feit all privilege from this vote ; and that the treasurer be empow- 
 ered to give them a bond for the fulfilment of this vote, on the part 
 of the trustees. 
 
 The trustees appoint Messrs President Burr, Samuel WoodinifF, 
 Jonathan Sergeant, Elihu Spencer, and Caleb Smith, to be a commit- 
 tee, to transact the above said affair with the inhabitants of Prince- 
 ton ; ai\4 that Elizabeth-town be the place for accomplishing the 
 same." 
 
 The following extracts and remarks will exhibit the circumstan- 
 ces attending the permanent location of the college, the erection of 
 the edifice, the liberality of Gov, Belcher in the donation of his libra- 
 
NOTES. 26S 
 
 17, portrait, &c. the gratitude of the trustees, the refusal of the Gov- 
 emor to permit the edifice to be called by his name, and his reasons 
 for giving it the name which it now bears. 
 
 "PRINCETON, January 24th, 1753. 
 
 The committee appointed last meeting to manage the affair with 
 the Princeton people, about having the college in that place, laid be- 
 fore this board what they had done in this matter ; and it is now 
 voted, that said people (when Mr. Randolph has given deed for a 
 certain tract of land of four hundred feet front, and thirty pole deptli, 
 in lines at right angles with the broad street, where it is proposed 
 that the college shall be built) have complied with the terms propos- 
 ed to them for fixing the college in said place. 
 
 Voted, that Mr. Cowell and Mr. Hazard be desired to get a suffi- 
 cient deed prepared for the conveyance of the above said land, to be 
 laid before this board at their next meeting. 
 
 BURLINGTON, May 23d, 1753. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Voted—That Mr. Pemberton, William Smith, Esq. William P. 
 Smith, and Peter Van B. Livingston, be appointed to draw up an ad- 
 dress, in the name of the trustees, to his Excellency Governor Bel- 
 cher, humbly to desire that he would use his influence in Europe, 
 recommending the affair of the college, by the gentlemen appointed 
 to take a voyage there to solicit benefactions for it." 
 
 The Rev. Gilbert Tennent of Philadelphia, and the Rev. Samuel 
 Davies, then of Hanover,"in Virginia, and afterwards president of \/ 
 the college, had been appointed, and had consented, to make a voy- 
 age to Great Britain, for the purpose specified in the foregoing min- 
 ute. They went, with the warmest recommendations the Governor 
 could give them : And it appears that it was chiefly from the liberal 
 contributions which they obtained in England and Scotland, that the 
 expense of building the college edifice, and a house for the presi- 
 dent, was defrayed ; and that a small fund was afterwards formed to 
 assist in paying the salaries of the officers of the college. 
 
 " PRINCETON, July 22d, 1754. 
 
 ***** 
 
 The trustees agreed to purchase ten acres of land from Mr. Hor- 
 ner, contiguous to the seven acres given to the college, and the trea- 
 surer is ordered to pay to Mr. Horner, fifty pounds proc. within two 
 
270 NOTES. 
 
 montlis from tliis time, and fifty pounds within a yeaf aftef; upon 
 condition that Mr. Horner give a well executed deed for said land : 
 And Mr. Cowell is desired to see the land sur\^yed, and receive the 
 deed for it. 
 
 Voted— That Thomas Leonard, Esq. Samuel Woodruif, Esq. with 
 Messrs Cowell, William Tennent, Burr, Treat, Brainerd and Smith, 
 be a committee, to act in behalf of the trustees in building the col- 
 lege, according to the plan that shall be agreed on at this meeting ; 
 And also to proceed in building a president's house and kitchen, 
 with all conveniences for accomodating college, as soon as tliey shall 
 think necessary — Provided, that the plan for the president's house 
 be agreed on by a majority of the trustees that shall be present at 
 the next commencement at Newark ; and that any three of the said 
 committee be empowered to act, provided that a majority of said 
 committee are duly notified of the time and place of the said meet- 
 ing : And the said committee are hereby empowered to draw upon 
 the treasurer for any sum or sums of money, for carrying on the 
 said buildings. 
 
 Voted — That laying the foundation of the college be proceeded up-- 
 on immediately. That the plan drawn by Doct. Shippen and Mr. 
 Robert Smith, be, in general, the plan of the college. That the col- 
 lege be built of brick, if good brick can be made at Princeton, and if 
 sand can be got reasonably cheap. That it be three stories high, and 
 without any cellar. 
 
 Voted— That Mr. Samuel Hazard and Mr. Robert Smith, fix on 
 the spot for building, and mark out the ground. 
 
 NEVv^\RK, September 25th, 1754, 
 
 Voted That the college be built of stone, and the president's 
 
 house of wood." 
 
 There is no record that the latter part of this vote was rescinded ; 
 but the fact was, that the president's house was built of brick. 
 
 " Voted — That the committee appointed at Princeton to act in be- 
 half of the trustees in building the college be continued, with all 
 their power. 
 
 ELIZABETHTOWN, May Tth, 1755. 
 
 A catalogue of books belonging to his Excellency Jonathan Belcher, 
 Esq." &c. 
 
 Then follows a catalogue of the books of the Governor's library, 
 which were formallv made over to the college, in the subjoined in- 
 
NOTES. 271 
 
 stniment. This library consisted of 474 volumes. Many of the 
 books were 'iiij^hly valuable ; but such of them as remained, after 
 the purloining of the British and American armies, when they suc- 
 cessively occupied the college edifice, were nearly all consumed, 
 with the edifice, on the 6th of March, 1802." 
 
 To all to whom these ])rescnts shall come, greeting, I Jonathan 
 Belcher, Captain-Cicneral, Governor and Commander in chief of the 
 province of New-Jersey, send greeting. Know ye, that I, the said 
 Jonathan Belcher, as well for and in consideration of the regard 
 wliich I bear to the interest of the college, lately incorporated in the 
 province aforesaid, as also for the sum often shillings lawful money 
 of New-Jersey, to me in hand paid, the receipt whereof I do hereby 
 acknowledge ; and for divers otlier good causes and considerations 
 me thereunto moving, have given and granted, and do by these pre- 
 sents give, grant and confirm, unto the trustees of the said college 
 of New-Jersey and their successors, for the use and benefit oftlie 
 said college forever, all my library of books, a catalogue whereof is 
 hereunto * together with my own picture at full 
 
 length, in a gilt frame, now standing in my blue chamber ; also one 
 pair of globes, and ten pictures in black frames, over the mantle 
 piece in my library room, being the heads of the Kings and Queens 
 of England ; and also my large carved gilded coat of arms — To have 
 and to hold, all and singular the said library of books, and other the 
 aforesaid pi'emises, unto the said trustees of the college of New- Jer- 
 sey and their successors, to the only proper use and benefit of tlie 
 said college forever; without any manner of challenge, blame or 
 demand from me the said Jonathan Belcher, or from any other per- 
 son or persons whatsoever, for me, or any of my heirs or executors, 
 after my death ; or without any money, or other thing, to be yielded 
 therefor, unto me the said Jonathan Belcher, my heirs, executors and 
 assigns; reserving for myself, nevertheless, the possession and use 
 of all the aforegoing premises during my natural life : And I the 
 said Jonathan Belcher, all and singular the aforesaid articles of 
 books, pictures, globes and coat of arms, to the said trustees of the 
 college aforesaid and their successors, against all people will war- 
 rant and forever defend by these presents. And farther know yc, 
 that I the said Jonathan Belcher, have put the said trustees in po>- 
 session of all and singular the premises aforesaid, by the delivery of 
 one volume of my library aforesaid, unto the trustees of the said 
 college : in witness whereof. I have hereunto set my hand and seal, 
 
 * This blaukis in llie copy. 
 
Srs NOTES. 
 
 this eighth day of May, in the twenty-eighth year of his Majesties 
 reign, and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and 
 
 fifty-five. 
 
 Sealed and delivered in the presence' 
 
 ""^^^ > J. BELCHER. 
 
 Robert Ogden, 
 
 John Grigg. 
 
 Elizabeth-Town, New- Jersey, May 8th, 1755. 
 This day personally appeared before me, the above named Jona- 
 than Belcher, Esq. and acknowledged the aforegoing Instiniment to 
 be his voluntary act and deed. 
 
 MATTHIAS HETFIELD, 
 Justice of Peace for the province of New-Jersey. 
 
 Newark, September 24th, 1755. The trustees of the college of 
 New- Jersey, met, according to adjournment. 
 
 His Excellency Governor Belcher, having been pleased to make 
 a generous donation of his library of books, with other valuable or- 
 naments, to the college of New- Jersey, the trustees voted, that an 
 address of thanks be made to his Excellency, and presented by pre- 
 sident Burr, William 1. Smith, Samuel Woodruff and John Brainerd, 
 and that said address be in the following words. 
 
 To his Excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esq. captain-general, and 
 governor in chief of the province of Nova-Cseserea, or New-Jersey, 
 chancellor, and vice admiral in the same. 
 
 AN ADDRESS FROM THE TRUSTEES OF THE COL- 
 LEGE OF NEAV-JERSEY. 
 
 May it please your Excellency : 
 
 'Tis with hearts warmed with the liveliest sentiments of gratitude, 
 we take this occasion, to recognize that indulgent providence, which 
 at first stationed your Excellency at the helm of this government ; 
 and still preserves a life so valuable in the eyes of every lover of 
 learaing and virtue. 
 
 By the skill and prudence of the measures pursued in your admin- 
 istration (through the smiles of heaven) harmony, good order, and 
 tranquillity, are restored to a province, which, before your accession, 
 "Was unhappily distracted with animosities, tumults and general dis- 
 orders. 
 
 But what we are principally to commemorate, sir, is that glorious 
 ardour you have always discovered, for the promotion of true piety, 
 
NOTES. 5rs 
 
 aad sound literature, among the inhabitants of New-Jersey. We 
 are sensible how much, under God, tlie seminary of learning lately 
 erected in this province, and committed to our charge, owes its in- 
 fluence and present flourishing state, to your Excellency's patron- 
 age and influence. 
 
 We heartily congratulate your Excellency, on the signal success 
 with which Heaven has crowned your generous eff'orts, for the ad- 
 vancement of the interests of this noble institution : an institution 
 calculated to disperse the mists of ignorance and error, — to cultivate 
 the minds of the rising generation, with the principles of knowledge 
 and virtue, — to promote the real glory and intrinsic happiness of 
 society. 
 
 The extensive recommendations your Excellency was pleased to 
 make in Great Britain, of the College of New-Jersey, and your coun- 
 tenance and encouragement offered our late mission, to solicit the be- 
 nevolence of the friends of learning abroad, demand, at this time, 
 our most thankful acknowledgments. We rejoice with you, Sir, on 
 the favourable event of that necessary and laudable undertaking. 
 An event which hath so amply enabled us to erect a convenient edi- 
 fice, for the reception of the students, and hath laid the foundation 
 for a fund, for the support of the necessary instructors. 
 
 The zeal your Excellency still unremittingly exerts, in favour of 
 this seminary, language would fail us sufficiently to applaud. The 
 late extraordinary influence of your generosity, in endowing our pub- 
 lic library, with your own excellent collection of volumes, a set of 
 globes, and other valuable ornaments, can never be mentioned by us 
 •without the most grateful emotions. With the highest pleasure we 
 reflect, that one of the pnncipal apartments of the building, will be 
 adorned with the arms and effigies of its great patron and benefac- 
 tor. Donations so seasonable and necessary, must add reputation to 
 the society ; enable us more eff'ectually to promote the grand ends of 
 its institution, and animate us with redoubled vigour, in the faithful 
 discharge of our trust. 
 
 These, with a variety of instances of your Excellency's singular 
 concern for the future prosperity of church and state, will engage 
 generations yet unborn to rise u/i and call you blessed. 
 
 The disinterested motives which actuate every part of your Excel- 
 lency's conduct, must be apparent to all, who are acquainted with 
 your amiable character, and the conscious pleasure you find, in being 
 instrumental of advancing the glory of tlic Deity, and the felicity of 
 
 N 2 
 
 s 
 
274 NOTES. 
 
 mankind, is far superior to the transient satisfaction resulting from 
 vain eulogiums and exterior greatness. 
 
 Though we are conscious, that the worthy and benevolent deeds, 
 -which have distinguished your Excellency's life, are abundantly suf- 
 ficient to embalm your memory after death ; yet suffer, sir, an at- 
 tempt, suggested by the same dictates of gratitude, to transmit your 
 name with adventitious honour to distant posterity. As the college 
 of New- Jersey views you in the light of its founder, patron and bene- 
 factor, and the impartial world will esteem it a respect deservedly 
 due to the name of Belcher; permit us to dignify the edifice now 
 erecting at Princeton, with that endeared appellation, and when your 
 Excellency is translated to a house not made with hands eternal in. 
 the heavens^ let Belcher-Hall proclaim your beneficent acts, for 
 the advancement of Christianity, and the emolument of the arts and 
 sciences^ to the latest ages. 
 
 Newark, September 24th, 1755. 
 
 NEWARK, September 29th, 1756. 
 
 ***** 
 
 The gentlemen who were appointed at our last meeting to deliver 
 the address of thanks to his Excellency, for the generous donation 
 of his library to the college, reported that his Excellency returned 
 for answer as follows— 
 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 I give you my hearty thanks for this respectful and affectionate 
 address ; but ashamed and sorry I am, that I can make so slender a 
 challenge to the merit of it. 
 
 When I first had the honour of his majesty's appointing me a Gov- 
 ernor in his plantations (now nineteen years ago) I determined, as 
 far as it would consist with his majesty's honour and interest, and 
 with the welfare of the people, to look upon moderation^ as a wise 
 temperament for the easy and happy administration of government : 
 and this I believe has greatly contributed to the present peace and 
 tranquillity of this province, after the many tumults and riots it had 
 been groaning under, for a long time before my arrival. Soon after 
 which, it seemed to me, that a seminary for religion and learning 
 should be promoted in this province ; for the better enlightening the 
 minds, and polishing the manners, of this and the neighbouring colo- 
 nies : And to this end, that there should be a society under a good 
 institution, for obtaining the desired success. This important affair, 
 I have been, during my administration, honestly and heartily prose- 
 cuting, in all such laudable ways and measures as I have judged 
 
NOTES. 275 
 
 most likely to effect what we all aim at ; which I hope and believe 
 is the advancing the kingdom and interest of the blessed Jesus, and 
 the general good of mankind. And I desire, in the first place, to 
 give praise and thanks to Almighty God, and under him to the many 
 generous benefactors who have contributed to the encouragement 
 and establishment of the college of New-Jersey ; which affair I have 
 been pursuing, free from all sinister views and aims, as a thing I 
 believe to be acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. And 
 when, in God's best time, I must go the way whence I shall not re- 
 turn, I shall lay down my head in the grave, with the greater peace 
 and comfort, in tliat God has spared me to live to see the present 
 flourishing state of this college ; for whose future welfare and pros- 
 perity, I shall pray in some of my latest moments. 
 
 I take a particular grateful notice, of the respect and honour you 
 are desirous of doing me and my family, in calling the edifice lately 
 erected in Princeton by the name of Belcher-Hall ; but you will be 
 so good as to excuse me, while I absolutely decline such an honour, 
 for I have always been very fond of the motto of a late great perso- 
 nage, Prodesse quam consjiici. But I must not leave this head with- 
 out asking the favour of your naming the present building Nassau- 
 Hall ; and this I hope you will take as a further instance of my 
 real regard to the future welfare and interest of the college, as it 
 will express the honour we retain, in tliis remote part of the globe, 
 to the immortal memory of the glorious King William the third, who 
 was a branch of the illustrious house of Nassau, and who, under 
 Ciod, was the great deliverer of the British natiori^ from those two 
 monstrous furies, Popery and Slavery : And who, for the better 
 establishment of the true religion and English liberty, brought for- 
 ivard an act in the British parliament, for securing the crown of 
 Great Britain to the present royal family, whereby we now become 
 liappy under the best of Kings, in the full enjoyment of £?7gli8/t lib- 
 erty and prosperity. And God Almighty grant we may never want 
 a Sovereign from his loins to sway the British sceptre in righteous- 
 ness. 
 
 J. BELCHER. 
 
 Whereas his Excellency Governor Belcher has signified to us, his 
 declining to have the edifice we have lately erected at Princeton, 
 for the use and service of New-Jersey College, to be called after his 
 name, and has desired, for good reasons, that it should be called 
 after the name of the illustrious house of Nassau — It is therefore 
 voted, and is hereby ordered, that the said edifice be, in all time to 
 come, called and known by the name of NASSAU-HALL.'* 
 
are notes. 
 
 It is not known to the author that any part of the foregoing ex- 
 tracts, from the minutes of the trustees of the college of New- 
 Jersey, has ever till now been published. It was presumed] that 
 their publication would be gratifying to the alumni, and other 
 particular friends of the college. They may also not be devoid of 
 interest, to all who take pleasure in tracing the origin of literary 
 institutions, as they afford authentic documents in regard to the 
 foundation of Nassau-Hall. But the author's chief design in' render- 
 ing these extracts so copious was, to pay what he deemed a just 
 tribute of respect to the memory of Governor Belcher; and to hold 
 up his example as worthy of imitation by all who occupy stations of 
 power and trust ; or who possess, in any way, the means of promot- 
 ing religion and learning. 
 
 The college still needs a patronage which the spirit of Belcher 
 would not fail to afford. It needs an enlargement of its library, of 
 its philosophical apparatus, and of its cabinet of mineralogy and 
 natural history. It needs an astronomical observatory. It needs the 
 endowment of professorships, fellowships, and scholarships. The 
 alumni of Nassau-Hall, who may read these notes, will permit the 
 author to remind them, that if their Ahna Mater is ever liberally 
 endowed, it must probably be by them, or through their influence. It 
 is believed that she has not forfeited their regard and attachment ; 
 nor that she deserves them less now than at any former period. 
 But perhaps those of them who are wealthy — and many are so— - 
 have not considered what a service to science and religion they might 
 render, by such endowments as have been specified ; — made either 
 by donations while they live, or by testamentary bequests at their 
 death. Their memory too might be embalmed, like that of Belcher, 
 as the patrons of piety and learning, and their example might incite 
 others to acts of liberality and charity, in the highest degree benefi- 
 cial to society. 
 
 But the author is sensible that he ought not to hold the language 
 only of complaint and solicitation. He is called to acknowledged 
 with gratitude — and he makes the acknowledgment with unfeigned 
 pleasure — that the public liberality was promptly and kindly mani- 
 fested when the college edifice was laid in ashes. By that liberality 
 it was not only re-edified, but a professor's house was added to the 
 establishment, with two large publick buildings three stories high ; — 
 one on the East side of the front yard of the college, furnishing 
 apartments for a refectory, a philosophical room, and a cabinet of 
 Natural History ; — the other, on the ^'\'est side of the yard, contain- 
 ing the library, the mineralogical cabinet, the halls of the literary 
 iK)cioties, and rooms for the recitations of the several classes. 
 
NOTES. nrr 
 
 By the same liberality a Library, more valuable than that which 
 had been consumed was provided for the institution. 
 
 More tlian five thousand volumes were immediately obtained, 
 either by purchase, or by the donations of liberal benefactors ; and 
 this number has since been increased to nearly eight thousand vol- 
 umes ; which, witli the libraries of the liteniry societies, give the 
 professors and pupils of tlie college access to more than twelve thou- 
 sand volumes of the most select and valuable books. The same liber- 
 ality, likewise, enabled the trustees to purchase a philosophical 
 apparatus, which cost in London two thousand dollars ; but which 
 the use and accidents of nearly twenty years have considerably im- 
 paired. 
 
 By the order of the board of trustees, the names of all benefactors 
 of the college, with the nature and amount of their donations, are 
 recorded in books provided for the purpose, which are open to the 
 inspection of all who visit the library, and who choose to examine 
 them. The author regrets that it is not practicable for him to give, 
 in these notes, a complete list of benefactors ; nor even of those 
 whose liberality has been considerable. Vet he hopes it will not be 
 deemed invidious, to state the donations of those whose munificence, 
 either by its amount, or by its adaptedncss to the wants of the insti- 
 tution, has been most distinguislied. 
 
 The family of Lieutenant-Governor Phillips, of Boston, has been 
 among the earliest liberal donors to Nassau-Hall. William Phil- 
 lips, Esq. with two of his brothers, whose names have not been com- 
 municated, made a donation to the college, in 1769, of one thousand 
 dollars in cash. The like sum of one thousand dollars in cash was 
 given by the present Lieutenant-Governor Phillips, in 1802, to as- 
 sist in rebuilding the college edifice; which was the largest single 
 donation, by more than one half, which was made for that pui-pose. 
 
 Mr. Hugh Hodgk, of Philadelphia, and Mr. James Lkslik, of 
 New-York, the latter an alumnus of tlie college, left testamentary 
 bequests to form a fund for the education in the college of poor and 
 pious youth for the gospel ministry : by which, for many years past, 
 from nine to eleven youth have been supported annually. Some of 
 the most able and useful ministers of the gospel now in this country 
 have been educated on this fund. And it is the deliberate oj)inion of 
 the author, that among all the religious charities now patronized, 
 and to which he cordially wishes success, there is not one by which 
 the interests of true religion would be more immediately and effec- 
 tually promoted, than by adding to this fund. 
 
278 NOTES. 
 
 * 
 
 Colonel Henry Rutgers, of New- York, at the time a trustee of 
 the college, gave to the institution, in the year 1811, the sum of five 
 thousand dollars : one of his sisters Mrs. Banker, the sum of one 
 thousand dollars: another of his sisters Mrs. McCrea, five hundred 
 dollars ; for the purpose of establishing a fund for the support of a 
 Vice-President. These sums have been on interest, and have been 
 of great advantage to the institution, ever since the period above 
 specified. 
 
 The venerable Doctor Elias Boudinot, lately deceased, and at 
 the time of his death the oldest trustee of the college, founded in the 
 year 1805, a cabinet of Natural History, which cost the sum of three 
 thousand dollars : And by his will, he has added to his former boun- 
 ty the two following liberal benefactions, viz : — 1. Four thousand 
 acres of land, in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania; — from the profits 
 of which are to be appropriated one thousand dollars, in the first in- 
 stance, for the improvement of the cabinet of Natural History ; and 
 the residue for the establishment of fellowships in the college ; so 
 that no incumbent, however, be allowed more than tv/o hundred and 
 fifty dollars per annum — 2. After his daughter's death, ten thousand 
 dollars to the trustees of the college ; half for the use of the college, 
 and half for that of the Theological Seminary. 
 
 The Honorable Charles Fenton Mercer, added, a few years 
 since, to the Philosophical apparatus of the college, a set of instru- 
 ments and articles for Galvanic experiments, of great use and value. 
 
 Joseph Pitcairn, Ksq. about five years since, presented to the 
 college the splendid and expensive Astronomical Atlas of Bode ; with 
 the author's explanatory remarks, in Latin, French and German. 
 
 Doctor David Hosack, of New-York, an alumnus of the college, 
 has recently laid the foundation of a Mineralogical cabinet, by the 
 donation of about a thousand valuable specimens, and by taking on 
 himself the expense of the cases in which they are exhibited to the 
 greatest advantage — He has also generously promised to continue to 
 make additions to this cabinet, 
 
 Jonathan Bayard Smith, Esq. late of Philadelphia, and Samuel 
 Bayard, Esq. of Princeton, New- Jersey, alumni of the college, have 
 made the largest donations to the library ; and have their names in- 
 scribed over the compartment of shelves, on which are pla- 
 ced the volumes which they have presented — There are, however, 
 many other donors to the library, whose munificence has been consi- 
 derable, and whom it would be gratifying to mention, if the limits to 
 v/hich the author is confined would permit. He cannot, however, 
 forbear to remark, that the college has been recently much indebted 
 to authors for copies of their works, to prmters for copies of new pub- 
 
NOTES. 079 
 
 lications, and to private gentlemen for some exceedingly valuable 
 donations of books. It is earnestly hoped thiit the institution may in- 
 crease its debt of gratitude by many favours of a similar kind, here- 
 after to be received. 
 
 It may possibly be thought, by some who are not well acquainted 
 with the nature and wants of publick literary institutions, that the 
 preceding statement affords evidence that the endowments of the 
 college are already sufficiently ample. They certainly are believed to 
 be such, as to afford to the students of this college the means of ac- 
 quiring as complete a course of academick education, as can be 
 obtained in any other establishment of the kind in our country. But 
 it should be observed that, with the exception of the donations to the 
 Vice-President's fund, all the endowments, valuable and important 
 as they are, are appropriated to increase the advantages of those 
 who receive instruction, and not to the support of those who g'we it. 
 In providing for the salaries of teachers, as well as for the erection 
 and repairs of buildings, and the necessary additions to the Library 
 and Philosophical Apparatus, the institution has but little aid, except 
 that which it derives from the fees of its pupils. This not only im- 
 poses the necessity of keeping the number of professors and tutors 
 so small as to renrlp** their labours exceedingly arduous, but ^■Is:* of 
 increasins the expense to the students of the college. If professor- 
 ships, to a considerable extent, were permanently endowed, the fees 
 for instruction might be greatly reduced, and at the same time the 
 course of education considerably improved. This is what the college 
 urgently needs. It particularly needs the endowment of the following 
 Professorships, viz. — of Classical Literature; of Mathematicks and 
 Natural Philosophy; of Chemistry and Natural History; and of 
 Belles Lettres. The endowment of any one of these Professorships 
 would be of unspeakable benefit to the institution. — The donation of 
 a sum of money to begin a fund, to which additions might be made 
 by other donors, for the ultimate endowment of one of these Profes- 
 sorships, would be of great importance. The trustees have resolved, 
 *' That if any person, or association of persons, shall give the sum 
 necessary for the establishment of a professorship, lectureship, fel- 
 lowship, scholarship, exhibition or premium, such professorship, lec- 
 tureship, fellowship, scholarship, exhibition or premium, shall be 
 called after the name of the donor." 
 
 {q&o2) 
 
280 NOTES. 
 
 NOTE B—Page 22. 
 
 In this note it is proposed to give 
 
 A Historical Sketch of the Origin of the College of New- Jersey ; a 
 statement of its design and system of education ; a short account of 
 the Institution under the administration of its first five Presidents, 
 and a Biographical Notice of themselves. 
 
 THE College of New-Jersey was the fourth institution of the 
 kind established within the present limits of the United States. 
 Those which preceded it were, Harvard, in Massachusetts, found- 
 ed A. D. 1638; William and Mary, in Virginia, in 1691; and 
 Yale, in Connecticut, in 1701. In the British provinces lying between 
 Connecticut and Virginia, that is, in New- York, New- Jersey, Penn- 
 sylvania, the lower Counties on Delaware, and Maryland, there was 
 not, till the year 1746, any literary institution which was authorized 
 to confer degrees in the aiCb. Within some of these provinces there 
 had been, indeed, for many years, several ctuadcrmies or grammar 
 schools, in which, to a certain extent, education had been well con- 
 ducted, and a few excellent classical scholars had been formed; but 
 there was no institution in which what is now considered a full course 
 of liberal education could be obtained, or its honours be conferred. 
 
 In this state of things, it is natural to suppose, not only that there 
 would be many individuals who would be very desirous to have a 
 college nearer to them than any wliich had already been founded, 
 but that each of the provinces, in which there was no college, would 
 regard it as an object of considerable importance to be before the rest 
 in establishing one within its own territory. The fact undoubtedly 
 corresponded with what it was thus natural to exj^ect. The existence 
 of a college within its limits was considered by every province as 
 highly desirable; as an honourable distinction in itself; as advantage- 
 ous to its inhabitants, by affording facilities for the education of their 
 own youth ; and as a source of some pecuniary emolument, from the 
 expenditures of youth drawn to it from the neighbouring provinces, 
 for the purposes of education. 
 
 But beside the difficulty of procuring both funds and teachers for 
 a literary establishment, in settlements still in their infancy, a char- 
 ter for such an establishment was not then easily obtained. The 
 interests and views of the court, in the mother country, were always 
 to be consulted on such an occasion, and they often militated with 
 
NOTES. 281 
 
 the interests and wishes of the colonies. The operation of these 
 causes, appears to have prevented the founding of any college, in the 
 British provinces intervening between Connecticut and Virginia, for 
 the space of five and forty years. That New-Jersey was, eventu- 
 ally, the province in which the fourth college was established, must 
 be attributed entirely to incidental circumstances. For the reasons 
 already assigned, the better informed part of the community were 
 doubtless willing to countenance and aid such an institution ; so 
 far as this could be done without interfering with considerations of 
 a more commanding character. But such considerations existed. 
 Court influence, on the one hand, and an ardent spirit of liberty and 
 independence, on the other, with controversies relative to proprietary 
 claims, had split the province into violent parties, in the conflicts of 
 "which the general good was often forgotten or disregarded ; and it 
 uras enough to insure the rejection of almost any measure by one 
 party, if it had been proposed, or was favoured by another. In these 
 circumstances, the College of New- Jersey traces its origin to the in- 
 Jluence of religion. 
 
 In the year 1741, the Synod of Philadelphia, representing the 
 "whole Presbyterian Church in the British provinces, after an ardent 
 controversy among its members, of some years continuance, was un- 
 happily rent in sunder. The causes of this rent, it is not necessary, 
 in this place, particularly to explain. It may be sufl&cient to state, 
 that two rival Synods were formed ; that much acrimony was mani- 
 fested on both sides ; that the Synod of New- York, reproached that 
 of Philadelphia, with introducing men to the gospel ministry with- 
 out a due regard to their personal piety ; and that the Synod of 
 Philadelphia recriminated, by charging that of New-York with fa- 
 vouring enthusiasm, and with licensing men to preach the gospel 
 without adequate literary attainments. It ought also to be noted, 
 that the clergy of the Synod of New-York were, to a man, the warm 
 friends and coadjutors of Mr. Whitefield, heretofore mentioned; and 
 that those of the Synod of Philadelphia were generally, if not uni- 
 versally, his decided opposers. 
 
 The members of these rival bodies were, by their local residence, 
 mingled, in some measure, with each other. In the province of 
 Pennsylvania, there was perhaps nearly an equal number of the 
 members of each of the Synods. Yet they were, in a considerable 
 degree, geographically separated. The mass of the Synod of Phila- 
 delphia lay to the West, and that of the Synod of New- York to the 
 East of the Delaware river. In the province of New-Jersey it is not 
 l^nown that there was a single clergyman who belonged to the Synod 
 
282 NOTES. 
 
 of Philadelphia. The whole Presbyterian population of the province 
 was under the care and direction of the Synod of New- York, and 
 zealously attached to its ministers and its measures. 
 
 Both Synods, from the time of their separation, made strenuous 
 exertions to educate youth for the gospel ministry ; not only from 
 the laudable desire of extending the blessings of the gospel to those 
 who, in every direction, were then destitute of them, but also from 
 the less commendable motive of strengthening and extending each 
 its own party. Thus circumstanced and disposed, it was to be ex- 
 pected that the members of the Synod of New-York would endea- 
 vour to organize their plans of education, in a province where their 
 peculiar views were prevalent and popular. New-Jersey was, 
 their undisputed territory; and here, if any where, they might 
 hope to found an institution in which all their wishes might be real- 
 ized. It happened also that in this province the ablest champions of 
 their cause, and the man of their Synod who, in all respects, was the 
 best qualified to superintend and conduct the education of youth, had 
 his residence. This was the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, of Elizabeth- 
 Town, of whom notice has already been taken. 
 
 Nor ought it to pass without observation, that the members of the 
 Synod of New- York were sensible that there was a degree of truth 
 in the charge of their opponents, that they had introduced into the 
 ministry some men whose literary attainments vv^ere of an inferior 
 order. They believed and maintained that they were justified in 
 what they had already done by the necessities of the country, and 
 by the loud demand for preachers of the gospel. But they earnestly 
 desired to remove the necessity for such a measure in future: and to 
 free themselves from a charge which was calculated to diminish their 
 respectability and influence. 
 
 Urged and encouraged by the motives and circumstances which 
 have now been explained, the members of the Synod of New- York 
 resolved to make a united and strenuous effort to found a college in 
 the province of New-Jersey. But although their influence was con- 
 siderable, and their exertions unwearied, the object which they 
 sought v/as not easily or speedily attained. The Presbyterians were 
 always objects of jealousy to the court party, from their known at- 
 tachment to principles and measures which that party did not ap- 
 prove. A large proportion also of the population of the province con- 
 sisted of other denominations, who took no interest in the feelings and 
 wishes of Presbyterians, and in some respects were even hostile to 
 them. Yet their unanimity, and zeal, and perseverance, aided by the 
 consideration that it would, confessedly, be both honourable and ad- 
 vantageous to have a college within the province, eventually prevaileij. 
 
NOTES. 28S 
 
 Complete success, however, was not obtained at once. The present 
 charter of the college is not that which was first granted. 
 
 In Smith's history of New-Jersey, it is stated, that " President 
 Hamilton gave a charter for a college in 1747, which was enlarged 
 by Governor Belcher, in 1748." The first mentioned date in this 
 statement, it will soon appear, is materially incorrect. Finding, in- 
 deed, no recognition or intimation of a charter, previously to 1748, 
 either in the records of tlic college, or in a history of the institution 
 written by Doctor Finley, and published in 1764, the autlior was led 
 seriously to doubt, or rather entirely to disbelieve, that such a char- 
 ter had ever an existence. But in a conversation on the subject with 
 the late Doctor Boudinot, a few months before his death, he assured 
 the writer that such a charter had been granted, and that Mr. Dick- 
 inson had acted under it, as president of the college. On an intima- 
 tion given in the same conversation that the ancient records of the 
 province would probably be found to contain a copy of this charter, 
 the author engaged his friend, Charles Ewing, Esq. of Trenton, a 
 trustee of the college, to make a thorough investigation. This he 
 ver>' kindly did, and the following extract of a letter from that gen- 
 tleman will best explain the result. 
 
 " I have to day carefully examined all the ancient books of 
 records in the office of the Secretary of State, which are there sup- 
 posed, by any possibility, to contain a record of the charter imder 
 President Hamilton. All I have found is an entry in the following 
 words — 
 
 " Mem. of a charter for a col- ^ A charter to incorporate sun- 
 ledge, dry persons to found a coUcdge, 
 
 passed the great seal of this 
 province of New-Jersey, tested 
 I by John Hamilton, Esq. Presi- 
 dent of His Majesty's Council 
 and commander in Chief of the 
 Pix)vince of New-Jersey ,the 22d 
 October, 1746." 
 
 This entiy is made in book C. of commissions, charters, &c. page 
 137— the same book in which, at page 196, the charter under Gov- 
 crnour Belcher is recorded. 
 
 This entry fully establishes the fact that a charter under Presi- 
 dent Hamilton was granted. But I am fully satisfied from the 
 search I have made, that it is not recorded at length in the books of 
 fhe Secretary's o©ce. Why it was not recorded can be now, per- 
 
284 NOTES. 
 
 haps, only the subject of conjecture. Recording it, was, I presume, 
 not necessary to give it validity ; but only to preserv^e evidence of 
 its existence, in case of loss of the original instrument. The foun- 
 ders may have hoped to procure a more liberal charter, therefore 
 left that already obtained unrecorded : and they may have accom- 
 plished their wishes under Governour Belcher. This conjecture 
 finds some support in the passage from Smith's history — " enlarged 
 under Governour Belcher.'* The charter of 1748 was not recorded 
 until 4th October, 1750, as appears by the entry in the margin of 
 the book where it is recorded." 
 
 There is no reason to doubt that the conjecture is well founded, 
 which is expressed in the foregoing extract, that the founders of the 
 college under the first charter forbore to record this instrument, 
 because " they hoped to procure a more liberal charter." Not only 
 from their omitting to record what they obtained, but from their 
 studied silence, subsequently, in regard to the whole subject, there 
 is every reason to believe that they were much dissatisfied with the 
 instrument in question ; that it both contained restrictions which 
 they disliked, and omitted to grant privileges which they wished to 
 enjoy ; and that after their wishes were gratified, they were willing 
 and desirous to consign this first charter to perpetual oblivion. As 
 it was granted in less than a year before the accession of Belcher to 
 the chair of government in the province, which was then vacant, it 
 is highly probable that this accession w^as with them, at the time, a 
 matter of full expectation ; and that from their knowledge of his 
 character and views, they hoped to obtain, through his instrumental- 
 ity, all that they desired. It was, however, only under this first 
 charter that Mr. Dickinson acted as president of the college ; for he 
 died October 7th, 1747, within a year after it was granted ; and 
 nearly a year before the present charter, dated September 14th, 
 1748, was obtained from his Majesty King George II, by the agency 
 of Governor Belcher. Willing as the original trustees were that 
 the first charter should be forgotten, they always, and properly, 
 claimed and registered the Rev. Jonathan Dickinson, as the first 
 president of the college. There was probably no individual whose 
 jf influence, so much as his, contributed to bring it into existence. 
 
 It was not the language of flattery, or empty ceremonial, but of 
 sincerity and ardent feeling, when the original tmstees under the 
 present charter of the college, said in their first address to Governor 
 Belcher — '* We have often adored that wise and gracious Provi-' 
 dence, which has placed your Excellency in the chief scat of gov- 
 ernment in this province, and have taken our part with multitudes 
 in congratulating Kew-Jcrsey upon that occasion." No event in 
 
NOTES. 285 
 
 providcHce eould have more entirely corresponded with the wishes 
 and prayers of these excellent men, than the appointment of Gover- 
 nor Belcher, at the time it took place. His sentiments and views 
 accorded in all respects with their own. He was a man of fervent 
 piety, an avowed friend and patron of Mr. Whitefield, an ardent 
 lover of learning, and therefore an advocate for a learned as well as 
 a pious ministry, a decided whig both in principle and action, and, to 
 crown all, he was as zealously disposed to establish a college in the 
 province, as any of those who had so long been labouring to effect it. 
 He, also happened to be high in the favour and confidence of the 
 reigning family in Britain ; from whom he had early received to- 
 kens of particular regard, and recently, as the expression of it, the 
 very appointment by which he was constituted governor of the 
 province. That a liberal charter for a college would, in these cir- 
 cumstances, be speedily obtained, there was no reason to doubt. 
 Accordingly it appears that the preparation of such a charter, under 
 which the college of New- Jersey now holds its privileges, must have 
 been — ns in a former note we have seen he states it to have been — 
 among the first acts of Belcher's administration. He came into of- 
 fice in 1747, and the charter, as already observed, is dated in Sep- 
 tember 1748. In the mean time, as it is given in the name of the 
 king, and purports throughout to be his immediate act, it must, 
 according to the established usage in such cases, have been trans- 
 mitted to England, there have been considered and approved by 
 the king in council, and afterwards returned to this country. And 
 as all this must have taken place in about a year and a half, there 
 could have been no delay in preparing the insti-uraent for such a 
 process. 
 
 The length of this charter forbids its insertion, entire, in these 
 notes. Nor is it necessary — Several editions of it have been print- 
 ed, and widely circulated. Copies of it, in a pamphlet form, are 
 retained by the college, for gratuitous distribution to all who may 
 wish to examine it. Some important extracts from it will soon 
 claim the attention of the reader. 
 
 Thus, then, it appears, agreeably to the intimation already given, 
 that the origin of the College of New-Jersey is to be traced to thir 
 injlucnce of religion. A portion of the clergy and laity of the Pre.-- 
 byterian church, with a leading view to increase the number and thf 
 literary qualifications of candidates for the gospel ministry, iv.inlr. 
 exertions which otherwise would probably never have been niade, 
 and continued them, notwithstanding many difficulties and aiscoiir- 
 agements, till they resulted in the establishment of a college, wliicli, 
 hut for these exertions, there is no probability would the/i,havc bcea 
 
2S6 NOTES. 
 
 founded. The zeal of Governor Belcher appears to have been 
 prompted by the very same motives which influenced those t« 
 whom the charter was granted. But on the supposition that, with- 
 out these motives, he might have been disposed to establish a college, 
 stin the history of the province will show to any one who shall con- 
 sult it, that had it not been for the circumstances which have bee» 
 explained, it would scarcely have been possible for him to execute 
 his purpose ; — he would have found none to enter with earnestness 
 and activity on the prosecution of such an enterprise. What he did 
 in fact, was, with great readiness and pleasure, to give effect to ex- 
 ertions which had been making, in the face of much opposition and 
 discouragement, for nearly seven years before he came into office. 
 
 The design^ as well as the origin, of this institution, is manifest 
 from the statement that has been made. It is apparent, not only 
 from the motives which so pov/erfully influenced those who first 
 projected the college, and who laboured so long and earnestly to 
 establish it, but from the express and repeated declarations of Gov- 
 ernor Belcher in his replies to the addresses of the original trustees, 
 which may be seen in a former note, that this institution was intend- 
 ed, by all the parties concerned in founding it, to be one in which 
 religion and learning should be unitedly cultivated, in all time to 
 come. This ought never to be forgotten — it ought ever to be sa- 
 credly regarded. There is scarcely any thing more unrighteous in 
 itself, or more injurious to society, than disregarding and perverting 
 the design of the founders of charitable, religious, or literary institu- 
 tions. It is dcdng base injustice to the dead, and at the same time 
 presenting a powerful and often an effectual discouragement to those 
 among the living, who might, otherwise, make exertions, and be- 
 stow their property, to found and endow establishments of the great- 
 est publick utility. It is hoped that the guardians of Nassau-Hall 
 will forever keep in mind, that the design of its foundation would be 
 perverted, if religion should ever be cultivated in it to the neglect of 
 science, or science to the neglect of religion — If, on the one hand, it 
 ■should be converted into a religious house, like a Monastery or a 
 Theological Seminary, in which religious instmction should claim, 
 almost exclusively, the attention of every pupil ; or if, on the other 
 hand, it should become an establishment in which science should be 
 taught, how perfectly soever, without connecting with it, and con- 
 stantly endeavouring to inculcate, the principles and practice of 
 genuine piety. "Whatever other institutions may exist or arise in 
 our country, in which religion and science may be separated from 
 each other by their instructors or governors, this institution, without 
 a gross perversion of its original design, can never be one. 
 
 '4 
 
 .f 
 
. NOTES. fi87 
 
 From the facts and statements now in the view of the reader, it is 
 not unknown to the author, that inferences and representations, unfa- 
 vourable to the college, have sometimes been made. He determin- 
 ed, however, that this should not prevent his giving a fair and full 
 account of its origin and design ; that others, who may hereafter 
 •wish to know them, may not experience the difficulty he has found 
 in collecting information — favourably situated as he has been for the 
 purpose, and living within eighty years of the remotest period to 
 which his inquiries have extended. Accordingly, nothing has been, 
 intentionally, either coloured or withheld. He is satisfied, moreo- 
 ver, that there is nothing which the friends of the college should de- 
 sire to conceal ; but that, on the contrary, it must be advantageous, 
 and not injurious to tlie institution, that the truth should be fully 
 known. He is persuaded that it may easily be shown, to the entire 
 satisfaction of evejy candid mind, that the unfavourable inferences 
 iind representations to which he has alluded, arc without any sup- 
 port from truth and fact; the offspring of misapprehension in some 
 instances, and of hostility in others. On some of the mistakes and 
 misrepresentations contemplated, he will now take the liberty to re- 
 mark. 
 
 It has been represented that this college is a sectarian institution ; 
 that the peculiar dogmas of the Presbyterian church arc inculcated 
 in it ; that youth of that denomination are the objects of particular 
 regard and favour ; and that there is reason to apprehend that youth 
 of other denominations, if sent for education to this institution, may 
 be proselyted from the religion of their parents. Now, it is unhesi- 
 tatingly affirmed that any apprehensions or representations of this 
 description are absolutely groundless. 
 
 Let it be well observed, that although the college was founded by 
 the exertions and influence of Presbytcnans, it never was intended 
 to be an institution in which the pupils of that sect should be more 
 favoured than those of any other ; nor has the author heard that any 
 specific example of such partiality has ever been so much as al- 
 ledged. And when no specifications are made, it is not practicable, 
 and therefore not reasonably expected, that he who makes a defence 
 should attempt formally to prove that a general charge is not true ; 
 that is, to prove a negative. A charge which is unattended by proof 
 or specification, is generally and justly suspected of springing from 
 malignity, and not from the love of tinith. In such a case, all tluat 
 remains, in making a defence, is distinctly to state and assert the 
 truth, with the facts and circumstances which go to establish it ; 
 and then to claim the common privilege that innocence shall be pre- 
 sumed till crinjinality shall be proved. 
 
288 NOTES, 
 
 The autlior then asserts, that if the Presbytei-ians have derived 
 more benefit from the college than those of other religious denomi- 
 nations, it has been solely because they have sent more pupils to it. 
 That this was likely to be the case, at least for a time, was known 
 when the charter was granted ; and to this alone is there an allusion 
 in the page preceding that from which there is a reference to this 
 note. Had all the Presbyterians in the province of New- Jersey, or 
 in all the British provinces collectively, with Governor Belcher's 
 court influence to aid them, petitioned the king in council to grant a 
 charter exclusively, or avowedly Presbyterian, there is no reason to 
 doubt that their suit would have been rejected with disdain. To be 
 fully tolerated, was the utmost that this denomination then expect- 
 ed ; and to be allowed an institution of which its members should 
 have, in fact, the principal management, but which should be at all 
 times as fully open to all other sects as to their own, was considered 
 and received as a precious boon. Nor is there the least evidence 
 that either Governor Belcher, or the original trustees, indulged a 
 wish for more than they obtained. They were men of truly liberal 
 minds, and the professed and ardent advocates of equal rights. 
 They did not desire any thing exclusive, but only to have a fair op- 
 portunity to prosecute their own views, while the same privilege 
 should be as fully conceded to others as possessed by themselves. 
 This is evident from the tenour of their petition for the charter, as 
 recited in the instrument itself, in the following words — " The said 
 petitioners have also expressed their earnest desire, that those of 
 every religious denomination may have free and equal liberty and 
 advantages of education in the said college ; any different sentiments 
 in religion notwithstanding." Agreeably to this expression of the 
 " earnest desire" of the petitioners, we find it afterwards ordained 
 thus — " And we do farther, of our special grace, certain knowledge 
 and mere motion, v/ill, give and grant, and by these presents do for 
 us, our heirs and successors, will, give and grant, unto the said trus- 
 tees of the College of New-Jersey, that they and their successors, 
 or the major part of any thirteen of them, which shall convene for 
 that purpose above directed, may make, and they are hereby fully 
 empowered from time to time, freely and lawfully to make and es- 
 tablish such ordinances, orders and laws, as may tend to the good 
 and wholesome government of the said college, and all the students 
 and the several oflicers and ministers thereof, and to the publick. 
 benefit of the same ; not repugnant to the laws and statutes of our 
 realm of Great Britain, or of this our province of New-Jersey ; and 
 not excluding any person of any religious denomination whatsoever 
 from free and equal liberty and advantage of education, er from any 
 
NOTES. 289 
 
 of the liberties, privileges or immunities of the said college, on ac- 
 count of his or their being of a religious profession different from the 
 said trustees of the said college ; and such ordinances, orders and 
 laws, which shtll be so as aforesaid made, we do, by these presents, 
 for us, our heirs and successors, ratify, allow of and confirm, as good 
 and effectual, to oblige and bind all the said students and the several 
 officers and ministers of the said college, and we do hereby authorizt 
 and empower the said trustees of the college, and the president, tu- 
 tors and professors by them elected and appointed, to put such ordi- 
 nances and laws in execution, to all proper intents and purposes." 
 
 It is confidently believed that this provision of the charter has 
 never been violated, either in the spirit or the letter. 
 
 It certainly has been no violation that the majority of the board of 
 trustees has always been of the Presbyterian denomination; for of 
 that denomination, as far as can now be ascertained, was every indi- 
 vidual who was named and appointed in the charter itself. Their 
 successors, notwithstanding, have not all been of that denomination. 
 At a very early period, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, and, shortly after, two members of the Dutch Church, were 
 elected to supply the vacancies produced by death or resignation. 
 At a later period, the writer himself acted in the board, for a num- 
 ber of years in succession, with a distinguished clergyman of the 
 Episcopal church, now living ; who eventually resigned his seat, on 
 account of the inconvenience to himself, of attending the meetings of 
 the corporation. The late excellent and venerated Judge Wallace, 
 of the same denomination, was, for more than twenty years, one of 
 the most active and influential members of this corporation, and held 
 his seat till the time of his death. But will any one affirm that it is, 
 in any respect, illiberal, for the denomination that did actually found 
 the institution, and from which its principal support has always been 
 derived, to retain a majority of its own members in the board of trust ? 
 Is it not, on the contrary, highly illiberal and unreasonable ever to 
 complain of this ? Is there any other denomination that would, or 
 that ought, to do otherwise ? Is not almost every college in our coun- 
 try, in fact, under the prevalent influence of some one religious sect ? 
 And is not this, on the whole, advantageous, as promoting that unity 
 of design and that harmony in conducting the concerns of a literary 
 institution, without which it can never prosper ? 
 
 And as there has been nothing unconstitutional or unfair in the 
 choice of trustees, so, it is believed, that the administration under 
 them, in regard to the subject of religion, has been equally unexcep- 
 tionable. The president of the college, to whom the religious in- 
 struction of the youth has always been specially committed, having^, 
 
 PS 
 
•^ 
 
 £90 NOTES. 
 
 in all time past, been a Presbyterian Clergyman, the publick wor- 
 ship on which the students have attended has, of course, been cele- 
 brated according to the order and usages of the Presbyterian church. 
 But it is believed that, from the foundation of the college to the pre- 
 sent hour, there has not been a discourse delivered that could, with 
 any shew of justice, be denominated sectarian. So far as the author 
 may be allowed to judge, he can most unreservedly declare that he 
 has never heard one. The discourses in this volume afford a fair 
 specimen of the doctrine and style of address which have character- 
 ized the sermons which he has constantly delivered. Nor has he 
 heard any thing that savoured of Presbyterianism, more than will be 
 perceived in these discourses, from the professors of the Theological 
 Seminary, who, for several years past, have alternated with him, in 
 performing the publick service of the sanctuary. 
 
 It ought to be mentioned here, that although the president of the 
 college has always been a Presbyterian, the tutors have, in several 
 instances, been of other denominations. Two clergymen, now living, 
 of great eminence in the Episcopal church, after finishing their aca- 
 demical studies in the college, sustained the office of tutor in it, for 
 two or three years; a period as long as that office is usually held by 
 any individual. 
 
 In every institution there must be an established course of instruc- 
 tion. It is impossible to teach either science or religion without it. 
 In forming such a course, for the instruction of the youth of this col- 
 lege in the principles and doctrines of religion, the greatest care has 
 always been taken to make it, and to keep it, as free as possible from 
 sectarian peculiarities. This course is publickly and fully known» 
 and if parents think it exceptionable, they must be expected not to 
 send their children to the college, or to withdraw them afterwards. 
 An objection on this ground has, however, very rarely occurred. 
 Two instances only have been known to the writer ; one under the 
 administration of his immediate predecessor, and the other under his 
 own. In the one case, the parent insisted that his son should have 
 nothing taught, or said to him, on the subject of religion; in the oth- 
 er, it was made indispensable that the pupil should not study the ev- 
 idences of the christian religion. In both cases the pupils were with- 
 drawn, and without any objection or censure from the government of 
 the college. The course of instruction pursued at present, and for a 
 number of years past, is the following : The youth are taught, from 
 the treatises of Paley, the principles of Natural religion, and the evi- 
 dences of revealed truth ; they commit to memory the catechism, or 
 creed, of the church to which their parents belong ; they read and 
 recite the Holy Scriptures ; and they attend publick worship on the 
 
NOTES. 291 
 
 morning of the sabbath, in the prayer hall, or chapel, of the college. 
 The recitations on Paley are taken on secular days ; the other exer- 
 cises arc all performed on the sabbath. The regular devotional ex- 
 ercises are, morning and evening prayers, daily ; and the publick 
 worship already specified. The days of thanksgiving and of fasting, 
 publickly recommended, are also observed. Every thing of a devo- 
 tional kind, more than this, is a matter of voluntary choice with eve- 
 ry pupil. A publick religious lecture is delivered on every Thursday 
 evening, on which such students as are disposed give their attendance ; 
 but without any censure, expressed or implied, on those who choose 
 to be absent. Different opinions may, no doubt, be formed on what 
 is sectarian zeal, and on what is an undue proportion of religious in- 
 struction, in a course of liberal education. But the infonnation ne- 
 cessary to form a judgment on these points, in regard to what takes 
 place in the college of New-Jersey, is fairly furnished in this state- 
 ment. 
 
 Before the establishment of a Theological Seminary in the 
 neighbourhood of the college, graduates who were preparing for the 
 gospel minist'.v, frequently pursued their theological studies under 
 the direction of the president, or of a theological professor ; and 
 these theological students were not seldom of different sects. The 
 study of Theology, with a view to the ministerial ofTice, is no longer 
 pursued in the college, but only in the Seminary. 
 
 From the circumstance, probably, that these two institutions are 
 situated within the limits of the same town, it has often been suppo- 
 sed, at a distance, that they are only different parts of the same es- 
 tablishment. But this is altogether a mistake. The Seminary has 
 no nece««ary connexion with the college of New- Jersey, more than 
 with any other college in the United States. The two institutions 
 are, in their nature, design and government totally distinct. For the 
 sake of mutual convenience and advantage, the trustees of the col- 
 lege and the directors of the seminary have entered into several stip- 
 ulations with each other ; and the pupils of both institutions, on the 
 morning of the sabbath, worship together, in the chapel of the col- 
 lege. But there are no stipulations, or other circumstances, which 
 would prevent the Seminary being removed to any other place, if 
 such a removal should at any time be judged expedient. Consider- 
 ing the connexion in which these remarks have been introduced, it 
 seems but justice to add, that although the Seminary is professedly 
 a Presbyterian institution, the study of theology has been conducted 
 in it on such liberal principles, that it has numbered several Episco- 
 palians, Baptists and Lutherans, among its pupils. 
 
 In regard to the making of proselytes, the aut^ior, who has known 
 
/ 
 
 29£ NOTES. 
 
 the college intimately for nearly forty years, more than half the pe- 
 riod of its existence, does most explicitly affirm that he has never 
 known or heard of an attempt to make one ; or that one has actually 
 been made. He can recollect but one instance of a student who 
 changed the religious denomination of his parents ; and this was at- 
 tended with circumstances which, supposing them to have taken 
 place, would have produced the change, if he had never seen the 
 college. This note will probably meet the eye of a beloved pupil, 
 who, on becoming practically pious during his collegiate course, seri- 
 ously requested the author to give him advice, in regard to the reli- 
 gious denomination with which he should form a connexion. He was 
 told that this was a point on which the author had no advice to give ; 
 that he was earnestly desirous to see all his pupils christians, in tem- 
 per, heart and practice, as well as in name ; but that seeing them 
 thus, he must leave it entirely to themselves and their friends, to de- 
 cide with what religious communion they would most properly asso* 
 ciate. The matter was thus left; and this pupil is now a clergyman, 
 of great promise, in the protestant Episcopal church. The author 
 is far from wishing to insinuate that this was an act of singular Cath- 
 olicism in himself ; for he believes that any of his predecessors in 
 office would probably have acted — perhaps may in fact have acted — » 
 in the same manner. In a word, Jews, Roman Catholicks, Episco- 
 palians, Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Friends, members of the 
 Dutch Church, and of the Congregational churches of New-England, 
 have all, as well as Presbyterians, been educated in the college ; — pu- 
 pils of at least five of these denominations now belong to it ; and 
 they are fearlessly appealed to, to say whether they have ever 
 known of an attempt to make a proselyte ; or whether favour or 
 partiality has been shown to any one sect, to the injury or disadvan- 
 tage of another. 
 
 It has also been represented that Nassau Hall — to use a phrase 
 which the author has heard employed — is a clerical manufactory ; 
 ^n institution in which the great object is to form youth for th« 
 gospel ministry, and in which the whole system of study and in- 
 struction is modified and conducted in subserviency to this object. 
 In this representation there is as little tmth as in any which has 
 already been the subject of remark. That the founders of the col- 
 lege were influenced and animated, chiefly, by a desire to increase 
 the number and qualifications of the candidates for the gospel minis- 
 try, has been distinctly admitted ; and that the institution has, in a 
 very high degree, answered the purpose which was so dear to their 
 hearts, is held to be its glory and not its shame. To have been 
 •minently instrumental in preparing men to preach the gospel wit^ 
 
NOTES. 293 
 
 ability and success — ^to find in the catalogue of its graduates that 
 a very large proportion have dedicated themselves to the service of 
 God in the gospel of his Son, will never, it is hoped, be otherwise 
 viewed by its friends, than as one of its best and most honourable 
 distinctions. But it was not, the design of its founders, nor did they 
 ever attempt, to introduce a system of instruction, which should not 
 be adapted as much to the views and advantage of layn\cn, as of 
 those who might devote themselves to the holy ministry ; for to form 
 a learned and pious laity, as well as clergy, these truly good and 
 enlightened men regarded as an object of high importance. The 
 system actually adopted and introduced was one which, in their 
 judgment, was the best calculated to afford a solid basis, equally, for 
 all the liberal professions ; accompanied with such religious and 
 moral teaching and discipline, and such only, as were equally proper 
 tor all youth, whatever miglit be their prospects or character in future 
 life. Nor has there ever been a departure from such a system. Noth- 
 ing has ever been taught, in the classes of the college, which a stu- 
 dious layman ought not to consider as a proper and profitable attain- 
 ment. Some subjects of study, in every academical course, will neces- 
 sarily prove more directly useful than others. Nor will this direct 
 usefulness be found, by every student, in the same branches of study ; 
 but will greatly vary, according to the professional or favourite pur- 
 suit to which each may betake himself. To some the knowledge of 
 languages, to others mathematical and philosophical attainments, to 
 others chemical and mineralogical investigations, to others natural 
 history in general, to others civil history, to others moral and meta- 
 physical science, to others belles lettres and criticism, will be found 
 most immediately demanded, or gratifying, or advantageous. — 
 But a liberal scholar ought to be acquainted with the elements of all 
 these kinds of knowledge. It is known that elementary knowledge, 
 to such an extent as to qualify a student to be, in a considerable de- 
 gree, his own teacher, and to pursue improvement with facility and 
 success, is all that an under-graduatc can hope to attain, in any of 
 our colleges. This elementary knowledge, in the various branches 
 of liberal study, it has always been the aim of this institution effect- 
 ually to impart ; leaving every pupil to improve and apply it after- 
 wards, as his profession, taste or inclination, might demand or direct. 
 And if fidelity, or efficiency, in communicating instruction, and ia 
 forming enlightened and useful scholars, is to be ascertained by their 
 subsequent success and eminence in life, Nassau-Hall need not blusk 
 to compare her catalogue with that of any sister institution in our 
 country. Perhaps her laymen, in their appropriate pursuits, have 
 ^ceij more generally distinguished than her clergrmc-a. Ie every 
 
294 NOTES. 
 
 liberal profession of a secular kind, her alumni have stood as 
 high in reputation and usefulness, as any of their countrymen ; and 
 in every gradation of honourable office and employment, from the 
 lowest magistracy to the presidency of the United States, they will 
 be found, in full proportion, to have held a place. Is this boasting ? 
 It is truth, stated in repelling a false and illiberal allegation. 
 
 But the college has been charged with political as well as with 
 religious sectarism. This was a charge brought against the institu- 
 tion at an early period. It was made before the American revolu- 
 tion, by the devoted partizans of royal power and prerogative, who 
 were not friendly to the college, because they considered it as a 
 nursery of principles to which they were hostile. And if this was 
 a just ground of complaint, they certainly did not make it without 
 cause. No party politicks, indeed, were ever professedly inculcat- 
 ed, or directly taught, in the institution. The warmest and sincer- 
 est sentim.ents of loyalty to the crown and constitution of England 
 were, at all times, expressed, both by the trustees and presidents, 
 and honestly cherished among all tlie students. But that this 
 was an institution in which those which were denominated nvhig 
 princijiles, were favoured by its guardians and teachers, and would 
 therefore probably be imbibed by its pupils, was never denied or 
 disguised ; — it was openly avowed and gloried in. Of this, the very 
 name which was given to the college was intended to be a publick 
 declaration, and a perpetual memorial. The truth then, was, that 
 loyalty to the government which existed was not, as had been insin- 
 uated, insidiously undermined among the" students of this institu- 
 tion ; but, on the contrary, it was as truly fostered as it was openly 
 professed : And yet, it was unequivocally announced, that this was 
 a loyalty which looked to the glorious English revolution under a 
 branch of the house of Nassau, in honour of whom the edifice had 
 been named, as the standard of its principles and the measure of Its 
 extent. To this cause it might probably be traced that the Ameri- 
 can revolution had no warmer, or more active, or more united 
 friends, than the pupils and officei's of Nassau-Hall. Its president, 
 at that time, has his name enrolled among those illustrious men who 
 subscribed the declaration of American Independence : and if it was 
 a fact, as possibly it was, that a solitary individual of the sons of this 
 college took part against his country in the trying conflict of that 
 memorable era, it is certainly a fact which is utterly unknown to the 
 writer. 
 
 Since the unhappy division of the citizens of our country into the 
 political denominations of Democrats and Federalists, the charge of 
 political partiality has been renewed. This, it is believed, has been 
 
i 
 
 NOTES. 295 
 
 entirely the offspring of that very political zeal which has been 
 charged on the institution ; — a zeal which, at present, is happily 
 much abated, and which, it may be hoped, will soon become extinct. 
 Nor has this been a charge which has probably been much credited, 
 or in any considerable degree injurious. Such a conjecture is coun- 
 tenanced by the fact, that, of each of these political parties, the 
 number of students in the college has constantly been in a pretty- 
 exact proportion to the number which has existed in the country at 
 large. It is not believed that any attempt has ever been made to 
 induce a student to change his political opinions; or that favours on 
 the one hand, or frowns on the other, have ever been experienced, 
 on account of such opinions; or that any restraint, which was not 
 equal and impartial, has ever been laid on those who have chosen to 
 discuss political topicks in their exercises of publick speaking. When 
 the author came into office, he made it distinctly known, that all the 
 students would be left at perfect liberty to hold and avow their po- 
 litical sentiments ; subject only to this restriction, in all cases, that 
 intemperate passion should not be indulged, nor indecorous language 
 be used. By the printed statutes of the college, it is required of 
 every student, " with a view to preserve the publick exercises 
 from impropriety of any kind, to shew to the president the whole of 
 what he proposes to speak." In discharging the duty assigned him 
 by this statute, the author has seldom had occasion to prohibit what 
 has been submitted to him, on account of its violating the rule, or 
 restriction, which has been mentioned. Some instances of such pro- 
 hibition, however, have occurred ; and as far as can be recollected, 
 there have been as many on the one side as on the other. 
 
 The author has now finished his remarks on the mistakes and 
 misrepresentations which have been made in regard to the origin, 
 design, and administration of the college. He has said much more 
 than he otherwise would, if, in making these remarks, he had not 
 found it convenient to connect with them such statements as may 
 serve to give the reader a just view, not only of the course of study 
 pursued in the institution, but of the manner in which the most of its 
 interior concerns have been, and still are conducted. The result of 
 the whole is, that a system of liberal education, as extensive and 
 as perfect as can be found in any sister institution in the United States, 
 has been adopted, and now exists in this college ; that in carrying this 
 system into effect, religious principle and moral conduct have ever been 
 regarded and inculcated, as infinitely important in themselves, ancj 
 as the best auxiliaries to diligence in study, and to orderly conduct 
 in general ; but that neither in religion nor in politicks have prose- 
 lytes ever been made, or pupils suffered any inconvenience, because 
 
 (P2) 
 
296 NOTES. 
 
 ♦-.■■4 
 
 their creeds, or sentiments, did not exactly tally Avith those of their 
 teachers. — Parents who dislike such a system, ought not to send 
 their children to Nassau-Hall ; and those who approve it, may be 
 assured that here their offspring will feel its influence, so long as its 
 guardians and teachers shall continue to carry into effect, as it is 
 hoped they always will, the design of its founders. 
 
 It is now proposed to give some account of the state of the insti- 
 tution under its first five presidents, and a short biographical notice 
 ef themselves. 
 
 PRESIDENT DICKINSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 We have seen that Mr. Dickinson, was president of the college 
 only under the first charter. Who were the trustees named in that 
 charter, or appointed under it, when or where they met, or at what 
 time and in v/hat manner Mr. Dickinson was appointed president, 
 cannot now be known, and it is useless to conjecture. It is not im- 
 probable that he had long been accustomed to receive youth for in- 
 struction in classical literature, and in such other branches of liberal 
 study as the times in which he lived, and the circumstances in which 
 he was placed, rendered proper and practicable. This is still done 
 by many clergymen in our country ; and at that time it was chiefly 
 in this manner that preparation was, or could be made, in places 
 remote from colleges, for entering on the study of any of the liberal 
 professions. For this employment, Mr. Dickinson was better quali- 
 fied than most of his brethren ; and there is little reason to doubt 
 that he had been engaged in it for a considerable time. But however 
 this might have been, previously to the granting of a charter for a 
 college, it is certain that he was so employed for the short period 
 which intervened between the date of the charter and the time of 
 his death. It is also certain that his pupils had made very considera- 
 ble progress in the course of their education ; for about a year after 
 his decease, it appears that six individuals received their Bachelor's 
 degree. This was under the present charter, which in the mean 
 time had been obtained by Gov. Belcher, but it is probable that the 
 ■whole of these youths had been previously in the training of Mr. 
 Dickinson, and that by his instruction they had advanced so far as to 
 be within a year of graduation. 
 
 How many pupils, in all, were under his care, at the time of his 
 decease, can only be conjectured. From the number graduated, the 
 author thinks it probable that the whole number did not exceed 
 twenty. Some of them, it is likely, boarded with the president, and 
 the others in families near to his dwelling, in Elizabeth-Town. No 
 publick buiidiogs had then been erected for their accommodation. 
 
i 
 
 NOTES. 297 
 
 It is presumed that an usher, or tutor, was employed to assist the 
 president, but the chief labour of instruction must have fallen upon 
 himself — What must have been his activity and industry, when, to 
 all his other occupations and engagements, were added the duties of 
 a practising physician ? Yet those duties he so performed as to ob- 
 tain a considerable medical reputation. 
 
 " Mr. Dickinson was a native of Hatfield, in Massachusetts. His 
 descent was from a reputable family. His parents were Hezekiah 
 and Abigail Dickinson. The tradition is, according to a communi- 
 cation from the Rev. Dr. Lyman, that his mother was left a widow, 
 married, and removed to Springfield, with her children ; and that 
 she educated her sons by the assistance of her second husband's es- 
 tate. Her son Moses was a clergyman of high distinction in his day, 
 and was the pastor of the congregational church at Norwalk in Con- 
 necticut. Jonathan, as it appears by the town records of Hatfield, 
 was born 22d April, 1688. He was one of the brightest luminaries 
 of the American churches, at the period in which he lived." \^jilden*s 
 collection,'] " He was graduated at Yale College in 1706, and with- 
 in one or two years afterwards, he was settled minister of the first 
 Presbyterian church in Elizabethtown, New- Jersey. Of this church 
 he was, for near forty years, the joy and glory. He had a mind 
 formed for inquiry ; he possessed a quick preception and an accu- 
 rate judgment ; and to a keen penetration he united a disinterested 
 attachment to truth. With a natural turn for controversy, he had a 
 happy government of his passions, and abhorred the perverse dispu- 
 tings, so common to men of corrupt minds. The eagerness of con- 
 tention did not extinguish in him the fervors of devotion and brother- 
 ly love. By his good works and exemplary life he adorned the doc- 
 trines of grace, which he advocated with zeal. He boldly appeared 
 in defence of the great truths of our most holy religion, confronting 
 what he considered as error, and resisting every attack on the chris- 
 tian faith. He wished to promote the interests of practical godli- 
 ness, of holy living, and therefore he withstood error in every shape, 
 knowing that it poisons the heart, and thus destroys the very pnn- 
 ciples of virtue. 
 
 His writings possess very considerable merit. They are designed 
 to unfold the wonderful method of redemption, and to excite men to 
 that cheerful consecration of all their talents to their Maker, to that 
 careful avoidance of sin, and practice of godliness, which will exalt 
 them to glory. He published the reasonableness of Christianity in 
 four sermons, Boston, 1732 ; the true scripture doctrine concerning 
 some important points of christian faith, particularly eternal election, 
 original sin, grace in conversion, justification by faith, and the saints 
 
 Q 2 
 
298 NOTES. 
 
 perseverance, in live discourses, 1741, in answer to Mr. Whitby; a 
 sermon on the witness of the Spirit, May 1740 ; on the nature and 
 necessity of regeneration, with remarks on Dr. Waterland's regene- 
 ration stated and explained, 1743, against baptismal regeneration ; a 
 display of God's special grace in a familiar dialogue, 1742 ; reflec- 
 tions upon Mr. Wetmore's letter in defence of Dr. AVaterland's dis- 
 course on regeneration, 1745. The above works were handsomely 
 published in an octavo volume, at Edinburgh, in 1793. President 
 Dickinson, published a defence of Presbyterian ordination, in answer 
 to a pamphlet, entitled a modest proof, &c. 1724 ; the vanity of hu- 
 man institutions in the worship of God, a sermon preached at New- 
 ark, June 2d, 1736 ; a defence of it afterwards ; a second defence of 
 it against the exceptions of Mr. John Beach, in his appeal to the un- 
 prejudiced, 1738 ; this work is entitled the reasonableness of non- 
 conformity to the church of England, in point of worship ; familiar 
 letters upon various important subjects in religion, 1745 ; a pamphlet 
 in favour of infant Ijaptism, 1746 ; a vindication of God's sovereign, 
 free-grace ; a second vindication, &c. against Mr. John Beach, to 
 which are added brief reflections on Dr. Johnson's defence of Aristo- 
 cles' letter to Authades, 1748 ; an account of the deliverance of Ro- 
 bert Barrow, ship-wrecked among the cannibals of Florida." [Al- 
 len's biografihical dictionary.'] 
 
 The above quotations contain the best published accounts of pre- 
 sident Dickinson, to which the author has had access ; not having 
 been able to obtain a copy of the sermon preached at his funeral. 
 It is known, however, that the enumeration here given of his printed 
 works, is not complete. The author has in his possession an excellent 
 discourse, not contained in this enumeration, which is entitled — " A 
 sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs. Ruth Pierson, wife of the 
 Rev. Mr. John Pierson, minister of the gospel at Woodbridge, in New- 
 Jersey — By Jonathan Dickinson — New-York, printed by William 
 Bradford, 1733." As president Dickinson, had rendered this tri- 
 bute of affection and respect to his friend, Mr. Pierson, so that friend 
 was afterwards called to the performance of a similar service, at the 
 funeral of Mr. Dickinson himself. Between these two distin- 
 guished ministers of the gospel the most unreserved confidence, 
 and intercourse, subsisted for many successive years. Their 
 congregations, or parishes, joined to each other, and their ministerial 
 services were often interchanged. They were nearly of the same 
 age, both gi-aduates of Yale College, and both pupils of the Rev. 
 Abraham Pierson, the father of John, and the first President, or Rec- 
 
NOTES. 299 
 
 tor, of that distinguished institution, then in its infancy. John Pier- 
 son was a minister of the gospel for 57 years, and died in the 81st 
 year of his age, in August, 1770, at the house of his son-in-law, the 
 Rev. Jacob Green, of Hanover, Morris county, New-Jersey. His 
 remains were deposited in the burial ground of the church in Hano- 
 ver, where a monumental stone, with a suitable inscription, is placed 
 over his grave. 
 
 The feeling may claim a momentary indulgence which prompts 
 the writer to record, that John Pierson, and Jacob Green, the latter 
 his father, the former his matenial grand-father, and both of them 
 original trustees of the college of New-Jersey, were the particular 
 and intimate friends of its two first presidents, Mr. Dickinson and 
 Mr. Burr. It was at the house of Mr. Dickinson, that Mr. Jacob 
 Green was received with fatherly kindness, when he first came from 
 Massachusetts, the place of his birth and education, with Mr. White- 
 field, in 1745, about a year after he had received graduation at Har- 
 vard college. Under Mr. Dickinson and Mr. Burr, he pursued his 
 theological studies, and under their patronage was introduced advan- 
 tageously into the gospel ministry. Mr. Dickinson was soon remov- 
 ed by death ; but to the counsel and friendship of Mr, Burr, lie was 
 deeply indebted for a number of years. — The memory of these men 
 was, with him, inestimably precious. Through the whole of his life 
 he loved to dvvcll upon their virtues, and to hold them up as exam- 
 ples to others. He died in May, 1790, in the 69th year of his age, 
 and his dust mingles with that of Mr. Pierson. 
 
 The oiiginal trustees of Nassau-Hall, cherished for this child of 
 their prayers and their hopes a most ardent attachment ; and from 
 conversations which passed under the paternal roof in his early 
 ycai-s, and which were deeply impressed on his memory, the author 
 has been enabled to furnish a part of the information, relative to the 
 college, which is contained in these notes ; and from the same source 
 some additional items will be supplied. 
 
 President Dickinson left three daughters ; one of whom was mar- 
 ried to Mr. Jonathan Sergeant, of Princeton ; one to a Mr. John Coop- 
 er, of whose residence the writer has not been informed ; and the 
 other to the Rev. Caleb Smitli, pastor of the congregation of Newark 
 mountains, a place which has since, by a vote of the inhabitants, 
 changed its name for that of Orange. This Mr. Smith was early a 
 trustee of the college, a man of talents and learning, and of distin- 
 guished piety. He died in the vigour of life, greatly beloved aud 
 lamentctL 
 
300 NOTES. 
 
 On the monumental stone which covers the remains of the venera- 
 ble man whose memoir we are now closing, is the following inscrip- 
 tion- 
 Here 
 Lies the body of the Rev'd 
 Mr. Jonathan Dickinson, Pastor 
 of the first Presbyterian church 
 In Elizabeth-town ; who died October 
 The 7th, 1747 ; setatis suae 60 — 
 
 Deep was the wound, Oh death, and vastly wide. 
 When he resigned his useful breath and died. 
 Ye sacred tribes, with pious sorrows mourn. 
 And drop a tear at your great pastor's urn ! 
 Concealed a moment from our longing eyes. 
 Beneath this stone his mortal body lies ; 
 Happy the spirit lives, and will, we trust. 
 In bliss associate with his precious dust. 
 
 PRESIDENT BURR'S ADMINISTRATION— 
 From 1747 to 1757. 
 
 The pupils who had been the charge of Mr. Dickinson, at Eliza- 
 beth-town, were, after his death, removed to Newark, distant about 
 six miles, and placed under the care of Mr. Burr. He, therefore, 
 was considered as the successor of Mr, Dickinson, in the presidency 
 of the college, even under the first charter. Whether there was 
 any formal appointment to that eJBTect, is unknown. But it appears 
 that he had the superintendance and instruction of the youth who 
 had been collected as the beginning of a college, for about a year, 
 before the charter was obtained under which they received gradua- 
 tion. It will be seen, by the following extracts from the minutes of 
 the trustees, that a class was in readiness to receive their Bachelor's 
 degree, within a month from the time that Belcher's charter took 
 effect ; and that under that charter the degrees were conferred by Mr. 
 Burr, on the very day on which he was elected president. Every 
 thing therefore must have been previously prepared and arranged 
 with a view to this event. 
 
 The first meeting of the new corporation, as was shown in a for- 
 mer note, was at New-Brunswick, October 13, 1748 — At that meet- 
 ing nothing farther was done than formally to accept the charter, to 
 present an address of thanks to the Governor, to receive his reply, 
 and to pass a vote for another meeting, to be held at Newark, in the 
 beginning of the following month. Of this meeting the whole record 
 
NOTES. 501 
 
 will be given, except the part which contains a transcript of the laws 
 for the government of the college, which were then enacted. No 
 better statement can be made, than is made by the record itself, of 
 the facts which it exhibits, and of the measures which were adopted 
 by the founders of the college, for promoting the interests of their 
 infant institution. The record is as follows — 
 
 " On Wednesday, November 9th, the trustees met according to 
 appointment at Newark — 
 
 PRESENT 
 
 His Excellency Governor Belcher, Esq. 
 
 James Hude, "^ John Pierson, "^ 
 
 Tliomas Leonard, )-Esq'rs. Joseph Lamb, j 
 
 William Smith, J Aaron Burr, | 
 
 Richard Treat, j 
 
 Peter V. B. Livingston, "^ Samuel Blair, I Ministers of 
 
 William P. Smith, VGent. William Tcnnent, j the gospel. 
 
 Samuel Hazard, J David Cowell, ', 
 
 Tim. Jones, 
 
 Jacob Green, 
 
 Thomas Artliur, 
 
 The following gentlemen* were qualified, according to the direc- 
 tions of the charter, viz — Governor Belcher, William Smith, Peter 
 V. B. Livingston, Samuel Hazard, Samuel Blair, Jacob Green. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Lamb opened the sessions with prayer. 
 
 The clerk certified to the board of trustees that he had duly noti- 
 fied every member of the corjDoration, of the time and place of meet- 
 ing ; and then took the oath the charter requires. 
 
 Agreed, that the method of choosing all officers in the college be by 
 balloting. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Aaron Burr, was unanimously chosen to be the pre- 
 sident of the college : the vote of the trustees being made known to 
 Mr. Burr, he was pleased modestly to accept the same, and took the 
 oath required by the charter. 
 
 Agreed, that the commencement for graduating the candidates, 
 that had been examined and approved for that pui-pose, go on thi*' 
 day. 
 
 It was accordingly opened this forenoon by the president with 
 prayer, and publicly reading of the charter in the meeting-house. 
 
 Adjourned till two o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 In the afternoon, tlie president delivered a handsome and elegant 
 Latin Oration. And after the customary scholastic disputations, the 
 
 ♦ Thcso raembcrs had not been present at the first meeting:. 
 
^^ 
 
 502 NOTES. 
 
 following gentlemen were admitted to the degree of bachelor of arts, 
 viz: Enos Ayres, Israel Read, Benjamin Chesnut, Richard Stockton, 
 Hugh Henry, Daniel Thane. 
 
 After which his Excellency the Governor was pleased to accept 
 of a degree of Master of Arts : this was succeeded by a salutatory 
 oration, pronounced by Mr. Thane, and the whole concluded with 
 prayer by the president. 
 
 Met this evening — A set of laws werg laid before the trustees for 
 tlieir approbation ; and after a second and third reading, and some 
 alterations and amendments, they were unanimously received ; and 
 ordered to be inserted with the minutes, as the laws of the college of 
 New-Jersey. 
 
 Voted, that the anniversary commencement, for the future, be 
 held on the last Wednesday of September, and that the next com- 
 mencement be held at New-Brunswick. 
 
 Voted, that the Honorable Andrew Johnston, Esq. be desired te 
 accept the office of treasurer to the corporation. 
 
 Voted, that the seal prepared by Mr. P. Smith, be accepted as the 
 common seal of the corporation, and that the thanks of the corpora- 
 tion be returned to Mr. Smith, for his care in devising the same : 
 
 And that he be desired to get two seals engraven, of the same de- 
 vice, for the use of the corporation ; and that the trustees be an- 
 swerable for the expense thereof. "^ 
 
 Voted, that all diplomas and certificates of degrees be signed by 
 the President, and at least six of the Trustees. 
 
 Voted, that William Smith, Esq. be appointed to draw up an ac- 
 count of the proceedings of the commencement, and insert it in the 
 New- York Gazette, as soon as he conveniently can : 
 
 That Messrs. Pierson, Cowel, Jones, Arthur, be appointed to make 
 application to the General Assembly of this province, now sitting at 
 Perth- Amboy, in order to get tlicir countenance and assistance for 
 the support of the college. 
 
 Voted, that the following gentlemen be desired to take in subscrip- 
 tions for the college, viz : 
 
 Messrs. Kinsev, 7 ^ tji •, ■, i i • Thos. Leonard, 7 TJ,.;,.^^+r^T^ 
 Hazard; ^- ^^t Philadelphia. John Stockton, Esq. j^""^^^^"- 
 
 P.VanBrugh Livingston, 7^ ^ , James Hude, Esq. Cc Thos. Ar- 
 P. Smith, ^ JN . 1 orK. ^|^^ ..^ ^^ BrunsAvick. 
 
 Read & Smith, at Burlington. Henderson & Furman, Freehold.. 
 
 Read 8c Cowell, at Trenton. John Pierson, Woodbridge. 
 
 John Stevens, Amljoy. Major Johnson, at Newark. 
 Sam. Woodruff, Eliz. Town. 
 
 That all the trustees shall use their utmost endeavours to obtain 
 Benefactions to the said college : and that this vote go into the Ncav- 
 
NOTES. 303 
 
 York and Philadelphia Gazettes. That this meeting be adjourned 
 to the third Thursday in May next, to be held at Maidenhead. 
 
 Mr. Tennent concluded \vith prayer." 
 
 It may be proper to follow these authentick records, witli an ex- 
 tract from " an account of the college of New-Jersey," already allu- 
 ded to, "published by order of the trustees," under tlie direction of 
 Dr. Finley, then president, in 1761 — " to which regard is to be paid, 
 as to the narrative of one who writes what he knows, and what is 
 known likewise to multitudes besides."* 
 
 It must be understood, however, that the account, given in this 
 extract, of the interior of the college edifice, is not applicable to it at 
 present. All the ornaments of the prayer-hall, or chapel, called in 
 this extract "the Hall," as well as the organ which it contained, 
 were destroy ed by the British and American soldier) , in the war of 
 the revolution. And when the structure suffered by the fire of 1802, 
 nothing was left but tlie naked stone walls. On its being rebuilt, al- 
 though the walls, which were not materially injured by the fire, re- 
 mained as before, the whole interior of the house, except the chapel, 
 was converted into lodging rooms — the library, refectory and other 
 publick apartments, being provided for, as heretofore stated, in ad- 
 ditional buildings. Yet it belongs to the history of the institution to 
 make known what were the original arrangements, when every pro- 
 vision for the accommodation and instruction of the students was to 
 be made in a single structure ; and a record of these arrangements 
 will probably be read with peculiar pleasure, by those alumni of tlic 
 college, who can remember, and who delight to think of " the 
 first house." The changes which have since taken place, and 
 which have not been already noted, will be mentioned in their pnv 
 per place. The account from which the extract is to be given, be- 
 gins with stating the necessity which had long been felt for a college 
 nearer at hand than any that had as yet been founded ; it then re- 
 cites a part of the charter, and afterwards^ proceeds as follows — 
 
 *' Thus were the trustees possessed of a naked charter, without 
 any fund at all to accomplish the undertaking. This, in the eyes of 
 some, gave it the appearance of an idle chimerical project. Theii 
 ©nly resource, indeed, under the smiles of Heaven, was the benefi- 
 cence of the advocates and friends of learning. After various solici- 
 tations in ^'/inej'icu, the contributions, tho' often generous and worthy 
 of grateful acknowledgment, were found by no means adequate to 
 the execution of so extensive a design. Therefore, in the year 175 J, 
 two gentlemen were sent as agents to Great Britairiy and Ireland^ 
 
 • Johiisou's life of Walls. 
 
304 NOTES. 
 
 to solicit additional benefactions. There the institution was iionour- 
 ed, beyond the most sanguine expectations, with the approbation 
 and liberality of several political and ecclesiastical bodies ; and of 
 many private persons of the nobility and gentry, among the laity and 
 clergy of various denominations. 
 
 The students, in the mean time, who, in the beginning, were few 
 in number, lived dispersed in private lodgings, in the town of JVeiv- 
 ark ; at which place the college was first opened ; the public aca- 
 demical exercises being generally performed in the county court- 
 house. The difficulties and danger of these circumstances, both 
 with regard to the morals and literary improvement of the youth, 
 could scarcely have been encountered so long, had it not been for 
 the indefatigable industry and vigilance of Mr. President Burr, 
 the first who officiated in that station. And it was much owing to 
 his unremitted zeal and activity, that this college so suddenly rose 
 to such a flourishing condition. 
 
 The trustees, thus generously assisted, immediately set about 
 erecting a building, in which the students might be boarded as w^ell 
 as taught ; and live always under the inspection of the college offi- 
 cers, more sequestered from the various temptations, attending a 
 promiscuous converse with the world, that theatre of folly and dissi- 
 pation. The little village of Princeton was fixed upon, as the most 
 convenient situation ; being near the centre of the colony, on the 
 public road between JVew- York and Philadelphia^ and not inferior 
 in the salubrity of its air, to any village upon the continent. 
 
 The edifice being nearly finished, and considered as sacred to lib- 
 erty and revolution principles, was denominated Nassau-Hall, 
 from that great deliverer of ^jvYcm, and assertor of protestant lib- 
 erty, K. William the III. prince of Orange and J\''assau. It will 
 accommodate about 147 students, computing three to a chamber. 
 These are 20 feet square, havhig two large closets, with a window 
 in each, for retirement. It has also an elegant hall, of genteel work- 
 manship, being a square of near 40 feet, with a neatly finished front 
 gallery. Here is a small, though exceeding good organ, which was 
 obtained by a voluntary subscription : opposite to which and of the 
 same height, is erected a stage, for the use of the students, in their 
 public exhibitions. It is also ornamented, on one side, with a portrait 
 of his late majesty, at full length ; and, on the other with a like pic- 
 ture, (and above it the family arms neatly carved and gilt,) of his Ex- 
 cellency Governor Belcher. These were bequeathed by the latter 
 to this college. The library, which is on the second floor, is a spacious 
 room, furnished at present with about 1200 volumes, all which have 
 been the gifts of the patrons and friends of the institution, both in 
 
NOTES. 305 
 
 Eurofie and America, There is, on the lower story, a commodious 
 dining hall, lar^e enough tq accommodate as many as the house will 
 contain, together with a large kitchen, steward's apartments, &c. 
 The whole structure, which is of durable stone, having a neat cupola 
 on its top, makes a handsome appearance; and is esteemed to be 
 the most conveniently planned for the purposes of a college, of any 
 in North America ; being designed and executed by that approved, 
 architect, Mr. Robert Smithy of Philadeljihia. 
 
 In the year 1757, the students, to about the number of 70, remov- 
 ed from Newark, the house being then so far completed, as to be 
 ready for their reception. Experience soon taught the society, the 
 superior convenience of their new circumstances. The numbers 
 increased very fast. The country became more and more convinced 
 of the importance of learning, in general, and the utility of such a 
 seat of education in particular ; both from the regularity of its ad- 
 ministration, and the figure which several of its sons already made, 
 in the various literary professions. But it was not long before it suf- 
 fered, what was then looked upon, as an almost irretrievable lose. 
 For this same year died, universally deplored, Mr. President 
 Burr. Few men were possessed, in an equal degree, of such an as- 
 semblage of superior talents. He seemed to be peculiarly formed 
 for that important sphere of action, which was assigned him in the 
 latter part of his life. But the reader may see the lineaments of his 
 character drawn, in striking colours, by a masterly hand, in a fune- 
 ral eulogium, published soon after his decease. The same year 
 died also his Excellency Governor Belcher, who continued, to the 
 last, a zealous patron of religion and learning. His library consist- 
 ing of 474 volumes, together with several other useful and ornamen- 
 tal articles, he left to this college, of which he was himself the 
 founder." 
 
 From what has now been stated, and from what will most proper- 
 ly appear in the biographical sketch of President Burr, the general 
 state of the institution during his administration, may be seen. A 
 cursory mention will be made of a few particular circumstances 
 which may deserve a brief notice. 
 
 The number of pupils under the care of Mr. Burr, appears to have 
 increased gradually and regularly, till it reached, as we have seen, 
 70, at the time of the removal from Newark to Princeton. 
 
 In conducting the instruction of the students the labour of teach- 
 ing, at this time, fell principally on the president. He sohietimes 
 had but one tutor to assist him, and never more than two, while the 
 college remained at Newark. He also had the charge of a gram- 
 Hiar school, during the whole time he was in office, in which pupils 
 
 R2 
 
SOS NOTES. 
 
 were prepared for the classes of the college. This was considered 
 as a personal concern of the president, bj whom the teachers in the 
 school were employed. At the time of his death, the trustees took 
 the grammar school under their care, as a part of the general estab- 
 lishment. 
 
 The conferring of degrees, or the publick commencements of the 
 college, during the presidency of Mi'. Burr, took place at Newark, 
 with but one exception. The second commencement was held at 
 New-Brunswick, before the permanent site of the institution was 
 located, and when it was most probable that it would be fixed in that 
 town — Perhaps it was intended, by this measure, to increase the 
 zeal of the inhabitants to contribute liberally towards its endowment. 
 After the commencement of 1756, the board of trustees, on the 29th 
 of September, " voted that the president move the college to Prince- 
 ton this fall ; and that the expense thereof be paid by the treasurer.'* 
 Yet Dr. Finley's account states that the removal was in 1757. It is 
 believed that Dr. Finley probably spoke of what might be called 
 a collegiate year — reckoning from one commencement to another : 
 The college records are silent as to the precise time of the actual 
 removal. The writer believes it was made in the time of vacation, 
 succeeding the commencement of 1756; and that the college was open- 
 ed at Princeton, in the month of November of that year — president 
 Burr, having, in the mean time, removed to that place with his fam- 
 ily. Be this as it might, he did not live to preside at the commence- 
 ment of 1757 — He died two days before it took place. The degrees 
 of that year, were, by the appointment of the board, conferred by 
 *'the Hon. William Smith, Esq ;" and it was ordered that *' the 
 two eldest ministers, being trustees, should begin and conclude with 
 prayer.'* 
 
 The largest donation recorded as having been made to the college, 
 in this country, during the period under review, was by the Hon. 
 James Alexander^ afterwards Earl of Stirling — He gave £50 proc : 
 
 The college had also the benefit of a lottery which was drawn in 
 Philadelphia. — " The General Court of the Colony of Connecticut" 
 likewise granted to the trustees, who petitioned to that effect, the 
 privilege of drawing a lottery, within that colony. Whether the 
 lottery was actually made and drawn does not appear on the min- 
 utes of the board ; although it is recorded that an address of thanks, 
 to the General Court that had acted thus generously, was voted by 
 the trustees. 
 
 Petitions of the most urgent kind were addressed to the legislature 
 of the province of New-Jersey, in behalf of the college. But even a 
 petition for a lottery was " absolutely rejected." Whatever was the 
 
NOTES. 307 
 
 influence of Gov. Belcher, or the popularity of president Burr, their 
 united exertions could never prevail on the legislature of the pro- 
 vince in which the college was founded, whose name it bore, and of 
 which it was the greatest ornament, to show it patronage or favour 
 of any kind. It is as grievous to the writer to record this want of 
 liberality in a legislature of his native state, as it can be to any other 
 inliabitant to read the record. But historical fidelity requires that 
 the fact should not be suppressed. All the state patronage which 
 the college has ever received shall, in its proper place, be faithfully 
 stated. The writer iias only to regret that the statement will so ea- 
 sily be made. 
 
 The funds from wliich the expense of erecting the college edifice 
 was defrayed, were provided, as the tixistecs in their first address to 
 Gov. Belcher explicitly state, by the benefactions obtained in Great 
 Britain through the agency of the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, of Phila- 
 delphia, and the Rev. Samuel Davies, of Virginia, who went thither, 
 for this purpose, in 1753 ; and returned in the following year. But 
 the amount of these benefactions the author regrets tiiat he has not 
 been able to ascertain. The General Assembly of the church of 
 Scotland, were addressed on this occasion ; and after the return of 
 Messrs Tennent and Davies, a letter of thanks was transmitted to 
 the Assembly, for the aid which they had afforded in obtaining con- 
 tributions. 
 
 The folloAving sketch of the life and character of president Burr, 
 has been taken almost w holly from Allen's Biographical Dictionary, 
 whose author refers to publications, to the most of which the present 
 writer has had no access. The sketch however has been so much 
 modified, to prevent repetition, to supply some defects, and to render 
 the dfites correct, that it seemed more proper to make this general 
 acknowledgment, than to give it as a quotation. It is very deficient, 
 after all, in the arrangement of the paits. In forming it, a funeral 
 sermon preached by the Rev. Caleb Smith, by the appointment of 
 the trustees, and printed at their expense, was probably quoted ; as 
 well as the eulogium of Mr. Livingston, mentioned by Dr. Finley. 
 In such compositions praise is often undeservedly or immoderately 
 bestowed. In the present instance, however, if a little allowance be 
 made for the feelings of friendship, and the excitement of unfeigned 
 grief, it is believed that no ground will be left for the charge of ex- 
 travagance. No clergyman in the state of New- Jersey, was proba- 
 bly ever more beloved, respected and influential, than president 
 Burr. To the church of which he was a minister, and to the college 
 of which he was the president, the loss and the regret which his 
 death occasioned, cannot now be easily estimated. But in no service 
 

 508 NOTES. 
 
 probably, had it been left to his choice, would he more willingly have 
 resigned his life, than in that which is believed to have hastened its 
 termination. All accounts agree that the disease of which he died 
 was greatly aggravated, if not entirely produced, by the exertions 
 which he made, in a state of exhaustion and debility, to prepare and 
 preach the funeral sermon of Governor Belcher. These eminent 
 men and endeared friends expired within a month of each other : 
 the Governor on the 31st of August, the President on the 24th of 
 September, 1757. The shock which the college felt by the fall of 
 these two pillars, on which it had seemed principally to lean, was 
 feared at the time to threaten it with lasting injury, if not with entire 
 prostration. But its establishment was more deeply and firmly fixed 
 than was then perceptible ; and the God of providence, amidst all 
 the succeeding gloom, watched over and sustained the work, or 
 which for ten successive years, its uninterrupted smiles had rested. 
 
 Aaron Burr, the second president of New- Jersey college, was 
 a native of Fairfield, in Connecticut, and was born in the year 1716. 
 His ancestors, for a number of generations, had lived in that colony, 
 and were persons of great respectability. He descended, it is believ- 
 ed, from the Rev. Jonathan Burr, of Dorchester. He was gradua- 
 ted at Yale College in 1735. In 1738, he was invited to take the pas- 
 toral charge of the Presbyterian church, at Newark, in New-Jersey, 
 and was ordained as its pastor. Here he became so eminent, as an 
 able and learned divine, and an accomplished scholar, that in 1748, 
 he was unanimously elected president of the college, as successor to 
 Mr. Dickinson. In 1754, he accompanied Mr. Whitefield to Boston, 
 having a high esteem for the character of that eloquent itinerant 
 preacher, and greatly rejoicing in the success of his labours. After 
 a life of usefulness and honor, devoted to his Master in heaven, he 
 was called into the eternal world, in the midst of his days, being in 
 the forty-second year of his age. 
 
 President Burr was a person of a slender and a delicate make, yet 
 to encounter fatigue he had a heart of steel. To amazing talents for 
 the despatch of business he joined a constancy of mind, that common- 
 ly secured to him success. As long as an enterprise appeared possi- 
 ble, he yielded to no discouragement. The flourishing state of the 
 college of New-Jersey, was much owing to his great and assiduous 
 exertion. When his services were requested by the trustees of the 
 college in soliciting donations for the purchase of a library and philo- 
 sophical apparatus, and for erecting a building for the accommoda- 
 tion of the students, he engaged with his usual zeal in the undertak- 
 ing, and every where met with the encouragement, which the design 
 s» fully deserved. Until the autumn of 1755, he discharged the du» 
 
NOTES. 309 
 
 ties both of president and pastor of a church. At that time his pas- 
 toral relation to his people was dissolved ; and he devoted himself 
 wholly to the service of the college. 
 
 Few men were more perfect in the art of rendering themselves 
 agreeable in company. He knew the avenues to the l^uman heart, and 
 he possessed the rare power of pleasing, without betraying a design 
 to please. As he was free from ostentation and parade, no one would 
 have suspected his learning, unless his subject required him to dis- 
 play it, and then every one was surprised that a person so well ac- 
 quainted with books, should yet possess such ease in conversation, 
 and such freedom of behaviour. He inspired all around him with 
 cheerfulness. His arms were open to good men of every denomina- 
 tion. A sweetness of temper, o])liging courtesy and mildness of man- 
 ners, joined to an engaging candor of sentiment, spread a glory over 
 his reputation, and endeared his person to all his acquaintance. 
 Though steady to his own principles, he was free from all bigotry. 
 
 In the pulpit he shone with superior lustre. He was fluent, copi- 
 ous, sublime, and persuasive. Ha\ ing a clear and harmonious voice, 
 which was capable of expressing the various passions, and taking a 
 deep interest in his subjects, he could not fail to reach the heart. His 
 invention was exhaustless, and his elocution was equal to his ideas. 
 He was not one of those preachers, who soothe their hearers with 
 a delusive hope of safety, who substitute morality in the place of ho- 
 liness, and yield the important doctrines of the gospel, through the 
 fear of displeasing the more reputable sinners. He insisted upon the 
 great and universal duty of repentance, as all were guilty and con- 
 demned by the divine law. He never wished to administer consola- 
 tion, till the heart was renewed and consecrated unto God. When 
 he saw the soul humbled, he then dwelt upon the riches of redeem- 
 ing mercy, and expatiated upon the glories of Him, who was God 
 manifest in the flesh. It was his endeavour to alarm the thought- 
 less, to fix upon the conscience a sense of sin, to revive the disconso- 
 late, to animate the penitent, to reclaim the relapsing, to confirm 
 the irresolute, and to establish the faithful. He wished to restore to 
 man the beautiful image of God, disfigured by the apostacy. His 
 life and example were a comment on his sermons; and by his en- 
 gaging deportment he rendered the amiable character of a christiua 
 still more attractive and lovely. 
 
 He was distinguished for his public spirit. Amidst his other cares 
 be studied, and planned, and toiled for the good of his country. He 
 had a high sense- of English liberty, and detested despotic power 
 as the bane of human happiness. He considered the heresy of Arius 
 as not more fatal to the purity of the gospel, tlian the positions 9i 
 
310 NOTES. 
 
 Film er were to the dignity of man and the repose of states. But 
 though he had much of that patriotic spirit, which is ornamental 
 even to a christian minister, he very cautio^ly intermeddled Avith 
 any matters of a political nature ; being aware of the invidious con- 
 structions, which are commonly put upon the most unexceptionable 
 attempts, made by men of his profession to promote the public wel- 
 fare. He was a correspondent of the Scotch society for propagating 
 the gospel; and he thought no labor too great in tlie prosecution of an 
 enterprise, which promised to illuminate the gloomy wilderness with 
 the beams of evangelical truth. 
 
 He presided over the college with dignity and reputation. He had 
 tiie most engaging method of instruction, and a singular talent in 
 communicating his sentiments. While he stripped learning of its 
 mysteries, and presented the most intricate subjects in the clearest 
 light, and thus enriched his pupils with the treasures of learning, he 
 wished also to implant in their minds the seeds of virtue and religion. 
 He took indefatigable pains in regard to their religious instruction, 
 and with zeal, solicitude, and parental affection, pressed upon them 
 the care of their souls ; and with melting tenderness urged the im- 
 portance of their becoming the true disciples of the holy Jesus. In 
 some instsnces his pious exertions were attended with success. In 
 the government of the college he exhibited the greatest impartiality 
 and v/isdom. Though in judgment and temper inclined to mild mea- 
 sures, when these failed, he would resort Xo a necessary severity ; 
 and no connexions could prevent the equal distributions of justice. 
 In no college were the students more narrowly inspected and pru- 
 dently guarded, or vice of every kind more effectually searched out, 
 and discountenanced or suppressed. He secured with the same ease 
 the obedience and love of his pupils. 
 
 The vear after he took his first degree he resided at New-Haven, 
 and this was the period, when his mind was first enlightened with 
 the knowledge of the way cf salvation. In his private papers he 
 wrote as follows : " this year God saw fit to open my eyes, and shew 
 me what a miserable creature I was. Till then I had spent my life 
 in a dream ; and, as to the great design of my being, had lived in 
 A'ain. Though before I had been under frequent convictions, and 
 was driven to a form of religion, yet I knew nothing as I ought to 
 know. But then I was brought to the footstool of sovereign grace ; 
 saw myself polhited by nature and practice ; had affecting views of 
 the divine wrath I deserved ; was made to despair of help in myself, 
 and almost concluded that my day of grace was past. It pleased 
 God, at length, to reveal his Son to me in the gospel, as an all suffi- 
 cient and willing Saviour, and I hope inclined me to receive him on 
 
NOTES. 311 
 
 tkc terms of the gospel. I received some consolation, and found a 
 great change in myself. Before this I was strongly attached to the 
 Arminian scheme ; but then I was made to see those things in a dif- 
 ferent light, and seemingly felt the truth of the C.ilvinian doctrines.'* 
 He was unfluctuating in principles, and ardent in devotion, raising 
 his heart continually to the Father of mercies in adoration and 
 praise. He kept his eye fixed upon the high destiny of man, and 
 lived a spiritual life. The efficacy of his religious ])rinciplcs was 
 evinced by his benevolence and charity. From the grace of God he 
 received a liberal and generous disposition, and from his bounty the 
 power of gratifying the desire of doin^ good. 
 
 At the approach of death that gospel, which he had preached to 
 others, and which discloses a crucified Redeemer, gave him support. 
 He was patient and resigned, and was cheered with the liveliest 
 hope. The king of terrors was disarmed of his sting. 
 
 Mr. Burr married in 1752, a daughter of Jonathan Edwards, his 
 successor in the presidency of the college. She died in 1758, the 
 year after the death of her husband, in the twenty-seventh year of 
 her age ; leaving two children, one of whom was Aaron Burr, late 
 Vice-President of the United States, and the other a daughter, who 
 was married to Judge Reeve, of Connecticut. She died a number of 
 years ago. Mrs. Burr was in every respect an ornament to her sex, 
 being equally distinguished for the suavity of her manners, her lite- 
 crary accomplishments, and her unfeigned regard to religion. She 
 combined a lively imagination, a penetrating mind, and a correct 
 judgment. When only seven or eight years of age, she was brought 
 to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, and her conduct througli 
 life was becoming the gospel. Her religion did not cast a gloom 
 over her mind, but made her cheerful and happy, and rendered the 
 thought of death transporting. She left a number of manuscripts 
 on interesting subjects, and it was hoped they would have been made 
 public ; but they are now lost. 
 
 Mr. Burr published a valuable treatise, which displays his tal- 
 ents in controversial theology, entitled. The Sufireme Deity of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, maintained in a letter to the editor of 
 Mr. Emlyn's inquiry, re-printed at Boston in 1791. He publish- 
 ed, also, .i fast sermon on account of the encroachments of the 
 French, and their desi^s against the British Colonies in Jmcrica ; 
 delivered at A^tr-or^-, January 1, 1755. The JPatchman's ansxver to 
 the question, " What of the niglit ?" a sermon before the Synod of 
 A'ev)- York, convened at A'twarX", September 30, 1756. yl funeral 
 sermon at the interment of Governor Belcher, September 4, 1757. 
 
Kl S I 
 
 312 NOTES. 
 
 On a marble monumental stone, placed over the grave of Presi- 
 dent Burr, in the burial ground at Princeton, by the order and at the 
 expense of the corporation of the college, is the following inscrip- 
 tion — : 
 
 M. s. 
 
 Reverend! admodum Viri, 
 
 Aaroxis Burr, a. m. Collegii jYeo-Caesariensis Prsesidis* 
 
 Natus apud Fairfield^ Connecticuteiuium IV Januariiy 
 
 A. D. MDCCXVI. S. V. 
 
 Honesta in eadem Colonia Familia oriundus, 
 
 Collegio Yalensi innutritus, 
 
 Novarcx Sacris initiatus, MDCCXXXVIII. 
 
 Annos circiter viginti pastorali Munere 
 
 Fideliter functus, 
 
 Collegii JV. C. Praesidium MDCCXLVIII accepit. 
 
 In Aassovics Aulain sub Finem MDCCLVI translatus. 
 
 Defunctus in hoc Vico XXIV Se^if.embris^ 
 
 A. D. MDCCLVII. S, jY. 
 
 jEtatis XLII. Eheu quam brevis ! 
 
 Huic Marmori subjicitur, qood mori potuit ; 
 
 Quod immortale, vendicarunt Coeli. 
 
 Quseris Viator qualis quantusque fuit ? 
 
 Perpaucis accipe. 
 
 Vir corpore parvo ac tenui, 
 
 Studiis, Vigiliis, assiduisque Laboribus, 
 
 Macro. 
 
 Sagacitate, Perspicacitate, Agilitate, 
 
 Ac Solertia, (si fas dicere) 
 
 Plusquam humana, pene 
 
 Angelica. 
 
 Anima ferme totus. 
 
 Omnigena Literatura instructus, 
 
 Theologia praistantior : 
 
 Concionator volubilis, suavis ct suadus : 
 
 Orator facundus. 
 
 Moribus facilis, candidus et jucundus. 
 
 Vita egregie liberalis ac beneficus : 
 
 Supra vero omnia emicuerunt 
 
 Pietas ac Benevolentia. 
 
 Sed ah ! quanta et quota Ingenii, 
 
 Industrix, Prudentiae, Patientije, 
 
 Cjeterarumque omnium Virtutum 
 
 Excmplaria, 
 
NOTES. 315 
 
 Marmoris sepulchralis Angustia 
 
 Reticebit. 
 
 Multum dcsideratus, multum 
 
 Dilectus, 
 
 Humani generis Deliciac. 
 
 O ! infandum sui Desiderium, 
 
 Gemit Ecclesia, plorat 
 
 Academia : 
 
 At Coelum plaudit, dum ille 
 
 Ingreditur 
 
 In Gaiidiiim Domini 
 
 Dulcc loquentis, 
 
 Euge bone et fidelis 
 
 Ser\e ! 
 
 Abi Viator tuam rcspicc finem. 
 
 PRESIDENT EDWARDS* ADMINISTRATION— irsS. 
 
 The meeting of the board of trustees, which took place, as we have 
 seen, Xmo days after the death of President Burr, was not adjourned 
 until a choice had been made of his successor. 
 
 The record of this transaction is as follows — " A choice of a Pres- 
 ident of the college being proposed to the board, it was ordered to be 
 put to vote, whether the said President be now chosen or not ; which 
 being voted accordingly, was carried in the affirmative, ^^'here^pon 
 — after prayer, particularly on this occasion, and tlie number of the 
 trustees present being twenty — the Rev. Mr. Jonathan Edwards, of 
 Stockbridge, was chosen by a majority of seventeen : And this board 
 requests that Messrs. Livingston and Spencer, of their number, would 
 draw the draught of a letter, requesting that the said Mr. Edwards 
 would accept of the said choice : and also of an address to the Hon- 
 ourable the Commissioners for propagating the gospel umong the 
 heathen in America, in the province of the Massachusetts, request- 
 ing that the said Commissioners would liberate the said Mr. Ed- 
 wards from his pastoral charge of the Indian Congregation of 
 Stockbridge, and the mission given him by the said Commissioners ; 
 and that the said letter and address be signed in behalf of this board, 
 by the Clerk of the same. 
 
 It is ordered by the trustees, that twenty pounds be paid to the 
 Rev. Mr. Edwards, for the expenses of removing his family to 
 Princeton. 
 
 The committee appointed to draw the draught of a letter to the 
 Rev. Mr. Edwards, and an address to the Commissioners in the 
 Massachusetts, brought in the said draught; which being read were 
 
 •82 
 
314 NOTES. 
 
 approved of, and the Clerk is ordered to transcribe the same, and 
 send them, as soon as may be, to the persons for whom they are 
 designed.'* 
 
 It appears by a vote of the trustees, at a subsequent meeting, that 
 they awarded " the sum of eleven pounds to be paid to the Rev. 
 William Tennent, for his services in inspecting the government of 
 the college." This inspection, therefore, appears to have been con- 
 fided to that gentleman, during the period which elapsed between 
 the death of Mr. Burr and the next meeting of the board ; although 
 there is no record of his appointment for that purpose. The instruc- 
 tion of the college, while destitute of a stated president, was almost 
 wholly committed to the tutors ; of whom there were three, and of 
 these, John Ewing, afterwards the Rev. Dr. Ewing, for many years 
 the distinguished Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, was the 
 first in rank and in efficiency. He was graduated under Mr. Burr, 
 had been for sometime in the tutorship, and had already given pro- 
 mise of that eminence in science and infiuence, to which he soon after- 
 ward rose. 
 
 Having taken the necessary measures for the instruction and gov- 
 ernment of the institution till they should meet again, the trustees 
 adjourned, on the 27th of September. 
 
 The next meeting was *' on Wednesday the 14th day of Decem- 
 ber, 1757." 
 
 The following extracts from the minutes of this meeting, will ex- 
 plain the measures which were then taken to secure the services of 
 Mr. Edwards. 
 
 " The trustees considering the contents of the last letter received 
 from the Rev. Mr. Edwards, particularly relating to his dismission 
 from his present pastoral charge, do vote, that it is highly proper 
 that one of their members do endeavour, if possible, to attend the 
 ecclesiastical council who are to convene for that purpose, and rep- 
 resent, in behalf of this board, the reasons for the propriety of such 
 a dismission. Voted, that if the Rev. Mr. Edwards come and take 
 upon him the charge of the college this winter, that he be entitled to 
 the president's salary for the whole of this year : and that he have 
 the liberty of receiving one half of his salary, at the end of six 
 months from the last commencement. 
 
 The Rev. Messrs. Caleb Smith and John Brainard, are requested 
 immediately to proceed upon a journey to Stockbridge, if possible to 
 attend the ecclesiastical council, to convene relating to Mr. Edwards' 
 dismission. And that the sum of twenty pounds be paid them 
 for their services. 
 
NOTES. 515 
 
 Voted, that the Rev. Mr. David Cowcll be president of this col- 
 lege, until the next meeting of the trustees : And the choice of the 
 said Mr. Cowcll being made known to him, he was pleased to accept 
 of the same, and was qualified as the charter directs. 
 
 Voted, that the president of the college, and the clerk for the time 
 being, be a committee to transact the affair about Mr. Edwards's 
 removal: and if there be necessity, that they may convene any 
 three, or a lesser number, of members to assist them. 
 
 Voted, that president Cowell provide, as soon as possible, an Usher 
 for the grammar school." 
 
 The next meeting of the board was " on Thursday the 16th day of 
 February, A. D. 1758," when it was " Ordered, that the Rev. David 
 Cowell be paid the sum of eleven pounds, for his services in inspect- 
 ing the government of the college." 
 
 The following records relate to Mr. Edwards, and the general 
 concerns of the institution — 
 
 " The Rev. Mr. Jonathan Edwards, at the repeated requests and 
 invitation of this board, and agreeable to a \ ote passed at a meeting 
 of the trustees in September Idst, attending, and having been pleas- 
 ed to accept the office of President of this college, so unanimously 
 voted him, was qualified as the charter directs : and the said Pres- 
 ident Edwards was at the same time qualified as a trustee of the 
 college, and took his seat accordingly. 
 
 Voted, that the law obliging the students to wear particular habits 
 be repealed- 
 
 Voted, that if a new Goveraor be appointed and come into the 
 Province before the next trustee meeting, that President Edwards' 
 and the Clerk be empowered to address the Governor, in the name 
 of the trustees. 
 
 Voted, that President Edwards have the direction, care and gov- 
 ernment of the Grammar school, with its masters and ushers, and 
 have authority to introduce the elements of Geography, History, and 
 Chronology, if he judges proper ; and that he have the profits of 
 said school. 
 
 Voted, that Mr. Cowell and the Clerk be empowered to agree 
 -vvith a number of men to be managers of a lottery, to be drawn for 
 the college, upon an island in Delaware river ; to raise a sum not 
 exceeding £600, besides the charges of management. The price of 
 the tickets to be two dollars. The managers not to be paid any thing ; 
 for managing, till the lottery be drawn, except the printing of the 
 tickets. 
 
 Voted, that the treasurer pay for printing Governor Belcher's 
 funeral sermon ; and it Is desired that Mr. Caleb Smith take care of 
 
316 NOTES. 
 
 the sale of the said sermons, and return to the treasurer the money 
 that arises from the said sale. 
 
 Voted, that there be a trustee meeting for the future at every 
 commencement ; and that the clerk notify the absent members of 
 this vote." — Before the passing of this last vote, although it was in- 
 dispensable that all degrees should be conferred by a vote of the 
 board, it was not considered as either indispensable or expedient 
 that the board should always meet at the very time at which the de- 
 grees were conferred. This, however, has since been the uniform 
 practice. 
 
 As dates and facts are best ascertained and authenticated by con- 
 temporaneous records, the author has determined to give them, as 
 much as possible, from the minutes of the board of trustees, and in 
 the very language of those minutes. In giving subsequently a con- 
 nected view of these dates and facts, it may not be easy, or practi- 
 cable, to avoid some repetition ; but this, it is believed, should be 
 regarded as far more pardonable than the want of accuracy in the 
 substance of the statem.ent. 
 
 The college derived reputation from the election of Mr. Edwards 
 as its president, and from his acceptance of the office, and his en- 
 trance on his duties as head of the institution. But his adminis- 
 tration was too short to permit him to do it much service, by his 
 instructions, or by his counsel. He did not act as president for a longer 
 space than about two months ; and was not inaugurated till about 
 five weeks before his death. On the pressing solicitation of the trus- 
 tees he left Stockbridge and came to Princeton in the month of Jan- 
 uary, 1758. His arrival at the college must have been in the latter 
 part of that month. He was innoculated for the Small Pox on the 
 13th of February following, three days before the meeting of the 
 board at which he was formally invested with his office : and he 
 died on the 22d of March. Of the short time that he spent at the 
 college, the larger part was passed under the influence of the disease 
 which terminated his life. The records say nothing of the manner 
 in v/hich his time was employed; but an account which was publish- 
 ed not long after his decease, and which there is no reason to doubt 
 is authentick, gives some information on this subject, which will be 
 found in the subjoined memoir. 
 
 The reputation of President Edwards, as an author and a divine, 
 has long been high in Europe, as well as in America. It was to be 
 expected that the life of such a man would be written at large, and 
 by more than a single hand. Such has been the fact. In giving a 
 biographical sketch, which the limits of these notes requires to be 
 brief, the difficulty is not to find materials, b '.t to condense and ar- 
 
NOTES. Sir 
 
 range them properly. In furnishing memoirs of the deceased pres- 
 idents of the college, the author has never had an intention of doing 
 much more than to republish the best accounts he could find already 
 >vritten ; with such corrections, or additions, us his personal knowl- 
 edge might enable him to make. In pursuing this plan w ith refer- 
 ence to President Edwards, he has drawn from several sources — 
 from an account of his life and writings, printed in Scotland, in 1764; 
 from a similar account prefixed to the late edition of his w(^rks 
 printed in this country ; and from Allen's biographical dictionary. 
 In using these materials, although he has written but little, he has 
 made such modifications of tlie statements of others as were necessa- 
 ry to adapt them to his purpose. His own sentiments, in contem- 
 plating the life and labours of President Edwards, are those of ])ro- 
 found and affectionate veneration ; so much so, that he knows not 
 that he has ever read or heard of a man, of whom he has been dis- 
 posed to say with more truth and ardour, than of Mr. Edwards — I 
 would wish to be such a man. He was certainly the possessor of a 
 mighty mind. As such, his reputation has been steadily advancing 
 ever since his death; till at length the British writers, notwithstand- 
 ing their tardiness in duly accrediting American genius and talents, 
 have classed him among the great masters of reasoning. But the 
 highest excellence of his character was, that his great powers of 
 mind were deeply sanctified, and unreservedly consecrated to the glo- 
 ry of God and the good of mankind. He was, in the estimation of the 
 writer, one of the most holy, humble and heavenly minded men, 
 that the world has seen, since the apostolick age. His learning was 
 not various. Having early devoted himself, in the most unreserved 
 manner, to the service of God in the gospel ministry, his studies al- 
 ways had a reference, either direct or collateral, to Theology. But 
 thus emjdoyed, such a mind as his could not fail to acquire science 
 and erudition, to a considerable extent ; while, in its favourite pur- 
 suits, eminence of the first distinction would certainly be reached. 
 In knowledge of the sacred scriptures, and in every thing relating to 
 Theology, he had few equals — In reasoning on theological subjects 
 he had, in the day in which he lived, no superior. By saying this, 
 the writer does not mean to subscribe to every conclusion in Theol- 
 ogy, at which this great man arrived ; any more than in exi)rcssing 
 his admiration of the powers of Mr. Locke, he would be undt-rstood 
 to adopt all that is said in the "Essay concerning human understand- 
 ing." Mr. Edwards' manner or style of writing, has no claims to 
 elegance. His language is not select ; he is utterly regardless of 
 any thing like harmony in the structure of his periods ; and he takes 
 little care to avoid a frequent repetition of the same words and phr»- 
 
518 NOTES. 
 
 ses. His whole attention is given to his thoughts. But in conveying 
 these he is wonderfully successful. His meaning is clearly commu- 
 nicated, and carefully guarded. And in his practical writings, he is 
 often both powerful and pathetick. Is not such a writer, all other 
 considerations notwithstanding, really eloquent i* That calm, and 
 close, and patient thinking, of which his works give such abundant 
 proof, would seem to indicate a temperament not easily excited. 
 Yet the fact was otherwise. His resolutions and diary show that he 
 was a man of great sensibility, and of ardent affections. When 
 those whom he consulted on the propriety of his accepting the pres- 
 idency of the college unanimously advised his acceptance, he burst 
 into tears in their presence ; and it appears that he frequently re- 
 tired to his study, to conceal from others, the emotions which he 
 
 The Rev. Jonathan Edwards was bom on the 5th of October, 
 1703, at Windsor, in the then Province of Connecticut. His father, 
 the Rev. Timothy Edwards, was minister of that place, almost sixty 
 years, and resided there from November, 1694, till January, 1758, 
 when he died, in the 89th year of his age, not two months before 
 this his only son. He had ten daughters, four of 'whom were older, 
 and six younger, than the subject of this memoir. 
 
 Mr. Edwards entered Yale College, when about twelve years of 
 age ; and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in September, 
 1720, a little before he was seventeen. While at college his charac- 
 ter was marked with sobriety and improvement in learning. In the 
 second year of his collegiate course, he read Locke on the Human 
 Understanding, with much delight. His uncommon genius, by 
 which he was naturally formed for close thought and deep penetra- 
 tion, now began to discover and exert itself. From his own 
 account, he was inexpressibly entertained and pleased with that 
 book when he read it at college ; more so than the most greedy 
 miser, when gathering up handfuls of silver and gold from some 
 newly discovered treasure. Though he made good proficiency in 
 all the arts and sciences, and had an uncommon taste for Natural 
 Philosophy, (which he cultivated to the end of his life) yet Moral 
 Philosophy, including Divinity, was his favourite subject, in which 
 he made great progress in early life. 
 
 He lived at college nearly two years after he took his first degree, 
 preparing for the work of the ministry. After which, having pas- 
 sed the usual trials, he was licensed to preach the gospel as a cajci- 
 
NOTES. 319 
 
 didatc. In consequence of an application from a number of ministers 
 in New-England, who were intrusted to act in behalf of the English 
 Prcsbytcriiuis in New- York, he went to that city in the beginning 
 of August, 1722, and preached there with great acceptance, about 
 eight months. But on account of the smallness of tliat society, and 
 some special difficulties that attended it, he did not think there was 
 a rational prospect of answering the good end proposed, by his set- 
 tling there as their minister. He therefore left them the next 
 spring, and retired to his father's house, where lie spent the sum- 
 mer in close study. He was earnestly solicited by tlie people to 
 return again to New-York ; but his former views were not altered, 
 and therefore, however disposed to gratify them, he could not com- 
 ply with their wishes. 
 
 In September 1723, he received his degree of Master of Arts. 
 About this time several congregations invited him to become their 
 minister ; but being chosen tutor of Yale College, he determined to 
 continue in that retirement, and attended the business of tuition there 
 above two years. During his tutorship he was applied to by the 
 people of Northampton, who had some powerful motives to offer, in 
 favour of his exercising his ministry there, and especially that his 
 maternal grandfather, Stoddard, then their pastor, by reason of his 
 great age, stood in need of assistance. He therefore resigned his 
 tutorship in September 1726, and accepted their invitation, and was 
 ordained as colleague with his grandfather, February 15, 1727, iii 
 the twenty-fourth year of his age. He continued at Northampton 
 twenty-three years and four months. His ministerial labours in this 
 place, in 1734 and 1735, were attended with very uncommon suc- 
 cess ; a general impression was made upon the minds of his people 
 by the truths which he proclaimed, and the church was much en- 
 larged. At a subsequent period, also, in the years 1740 and 1741, 
 there was a remarkable revival of religion, in which Northampton, 
 in common with many other places, partook largely. For many 
 years, Mr. Edwards was very happy in the love and esteem of his 
 people, and there was, during that period, the greatest prospect of 
 his living and dying so. Indeed he was almost the last minister in 
 all New-England, that would have been thought likely to be oppos- 
 ed by his people. But the event demonstrated how uncertain is tlie 
 continuance of popular esteem aud favour ; even when nothing is 
 done that ought to diminish, but every thing to increase and peipet- 
 uate them. Mr. Edwards was dismissed from his people in 1750, at 
 their own request, and with every indication of their alienation and 
 resentment. 
 
 The circumstances which led to this dismission were the following : 
 
S20 NOTES. 
 
 Mr. Edwards being informed of certain immoralities, in which 
 some young persons, who were connected with the church, indulged 
 themselves, thought that an inquiry should be made into their con- 
 duct. The church readily acknowledged the importance of strict 
 discipline, and entered into the plan ; but when the names of the 
 persons accused were known, and it was found, that members of 
 the principal families in the town were implicated, it was impossible 
 to proceed. There were few in his church, who continued their 
 zeal for discipline, when they perceived, that it would enter their 
 own houses ; and the hands of the immoral were strengthened by 
 this defeat of an attempt to correct their errors and to bring them 
 to repentance. After this event, which took place in 1744, Mr. 
 Edwards' usefulness in Northampton was almost destroyed. A se- 
 cret dislike was excited in the minds of many, and it was soon blown 
 into a flame. When he was settled in this town, he was not perfect- 
 ly convinced of the correctness of the principle, which was support- 
 ed by his colleague, the Rev. Mr. Stoddard, that unconverted per- 
 sons had a right, in the sight of God, to the sacrament of the Lord's 
 supper. After diligent inquiry he was convinced, that the principle 
 was erroneous and dangerous. His investigations led him to believe 
 that the sacramental supper was instituted for the true disciples of 
 Jesus Christ ; that none but such could have a right to it ; and that 
 none but those, who were considered as such, should be permitted 
 to partake of it. Adopting these sentiments, he had the courage to 
 avow them. He considered it as an inviolable duty ever to vindi- 
 cate the truth. He knew the zeal of his people for their loose prin- 
 ciples, and expected to see that zeal bursting upon him, if he should 
 dare to stand forward in opposition to their long continued practice. 
 He anticipated a dismission from Northampton, and a deprivation of 
 the means of support. But in the full view of these consequences, 
 he openly avowed his change of sentiment, cheerfully sacrificing 
 every worldly interest to promote the purity of the church and the 
 glory of the Redeemer. The evils, which he anticipated, came 
 upon him. He was driven away in disgrace from a people, who 
 once would almost have " plucked out their eyes, and given them 
 to him.'* They would not even hear him in his vindication. Mr. 
 Edwards had been instrumental in cheering many hearts with the 
 joys of religion, and not a few had regarded him with all that ajflfec- 
 tionate attachment, which is excited by the love of excellence and 
 the sense of obligations, which can never be repaid. But a spirit 
 of detraction had gone forth, and a few leading men, of outrageous 
 zeal, pushed forward men of less determined hostility ; and in the 
 hopeless prospect of conciliation he was dismissed by an ecclesiasti- 
 
NOTES. 5^1 
 
 Cftl council June 22, 1750. In this scene of trouble and abuse, while 
 the mistakes and the bigotry of the multitude had stopped their 
 ears, and their passions raged without controxd, Mr. Edwards exhib- 
 ited a truly christian spirit. His calmness and meekness and humil- 
 ity» and yet firmness and resolution, were the subjects of admiration 
 to his friends. More anxious for his people than for himself, he 
 preached a most solemn and affecting farewell discourse. He af- 
 terwards occasionally supplied the pulpit, at times when no preacher 
 had been procured ; but this proof of his superiority to resentment 
 or pride, and this readiness to do good to those who had injured him, 
 met with no return, except a vote of the inhabitants, prohibiting him 
 from ever again preaching for them. Still he was not left without 
 a number of excellent friends in Northampton, who steadfastly ad- 
 hered to him through all his trials ; and his correspondents in Scot- 
 land, having been informed of his dismission, contributed a consider- 
 able sum for the maintenance of his family. 
 
 At this time, the Indian mission at Stockbridge, a town in the 
 western part of Massachusetts' Ba}', fifty miles from Northampton, 
 being vacant; the Commissioners for Indian aff'airs in Boston, who 
 had the care and direction of the mission, applied to Mr. Edwards, 
 as the most suitable person they could think of to be entrusted with 
 it. He was invited, at the same time, by the inhabitants of Stock- 
 bridge, to preach the gospel and perform ministerial duties among 
 them ; and being advised by a council to accept of the invitation, he 
 repaired to Stockbridge, and was introduced and fixed as missiona- 
 ry to the Indians there, by an ecclesiastical council, called for that 
 purpose, August 8th, 1751. 
 
 When he first engaged in this mission there was a hopeful pros- 
 pect of its being extensively serviceable, not only to the tribe of In- 
 dians which was settled at Stockbridge, but among the Six Nations; 
 some of whom were coming to Stockbridge to settle, bringing their 
 «wn, and as many of their neighbour's children as they could get, to 
 be educated and instructed there. But although Mr. Edwards per- 
 formed the business of his mission to the good acceptance of the in- 
 habitants of Stockbridge, both English and Indians, and of the com- 
 missioners, who supported him honourably, and confided very much 
 in his judgment and wisdom, yet his labours in this place were atten- 
 ded with no remarkable success. Stockbridge, however, proved to 
 Mr. Edwards a more quiet, and on many accounts a much more 
 comfortable situation, than he was in before. Here he followed his 
 beloved studies more closely, and to better purpose than ever. In the 
 six years, during which he remained in this place, it is believed 
 that he made greater advances in knowledge than ever before_, and 
 
 T 2 
 
322 NOTES. 
 
 added more to his manusci'ipts than in any equal space of time". 
 Probably, indeed, this was as useful a part of his life as any ; for in 
 this place he wrote his treatise '* On the Will," as well as that on 
 '* Original Sin ;" so that when in his own judgment, as well as that 
 of others, his usefulness seemed to be cut off, he found greater op- 
 portunities of service than ever. 
 
 The well merited celebrity which he obtained by his publications, 
 particularly that on the Will, had, doubtless, no small influence, 
 among other considerations, to induce the trustees of the college of 
 New- Jersey to look to him as the most suitable successor to his son 
 in-law, Mr. Burr, in the presidency of the institution. Yet such was 
 his humility that he looked on himself, in many respects, so unqual- 
 ified for the business, that he wondered that gentlemen of such 
 good judgment, and so well acquainted with him, as he knew some of 
 the trustees were, should think oi him for that place. He addressed 
 a letter to the board, in which he laboured to satisfy them that their 
 choice had not been properly made. An extract from this letter 
 has been published ; and no one can read it without a conviction 
 that Mr. Edwards was as much distinguished by genuine lowliness 
 of mind, as by any other quality. He thought it right, however, to 
 submit to the decision of some judicious friends, the matter of his du- 
 ty in this interesting concern. And on their advising him to accept 
 the presidency, although he received the decision with much emo- 
 tion, he consented to be released from his charge at Stockbridge ; 
 girded up his loins, and set off for Princeton, in January. He left 
 his family at Stockbridge, not to be removed till spring. He had 
 two daughters at Princeton, Mrs. Burr, and his eldest daughter that 
 was unmarried. His arrival was to the great joy and satisfaction of 
 the college. 
 
 While at Princeton, before his sickness, he preached in the col- 
 lege chapel several sabbaths, to the great acceptance of the hear- 
 ers ; but did nothing in the way of instruction, unless it was to give 
 out some questions in divinity to the senior class, to be answered 
 before him ; each one having opportunity to study and write what 
 he thought proper upon them. When they came together to an- 
 swer these question, they found so much entertainment and profit 
 by the exercise, especially by the light and instruction Mr. Edwards 
 communicated, after they had delivered what they had to say, that 
 they spoke of it with the greatest satisfaction and wonder. 
 
 The Small Pox was at this time prevalent in the vicinity of 
 Princeton, and likely to spread. Mr. Edwards had never had it, 
 and by the advice of his friends and physicians, he was innoculated. 
 He appeared to have it favourably, and it was thought the danger 
 
NOTES. G23 
 
 was over. But a secondary fever set in, and by reason of a number 
 of pustules in his throat, the obsti-uction was such that the medicines 
 necessary to check the fever could not be administered. It there- 
 fore raged, till it put an end to his life, on the 22d of March, 1758, 
 in the fifty-fifth year of his age. 
 
 After he was sensible he could not survive his sickness, a little 
 before his death, he called to him his daughter, and addressed her 
 in a few words which were immediately taken down in writing, as 
 nearly as could be recollected ; they were as follows — *' Dear Lucy, i 
 it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you ; 
 therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her that . 
 the uncommon union which has so long subsisted between us, has ■ 
 been of such a nature as I tinist is spiritual, and therefore will con- 
 tinue forever : And I hope she will be supported under so great a 
 trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my chil- 
 dren, you are now like to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an 
 inducement to you all to seek a Father who will never fail you. And 
 as to my funeral, I would have it to be like Mr. Burr's; and any 
 additional sum of money that might be expected to be laid out in 
 that way, I would have it disposed of to charitable uses."* 
 
 He said but very little in his sickness, but was an admirable in- 
 stance of patience and resignation to the last. Just at the close of 
 life, as some persons who stood by, expecting he would breathe his 
 last in a few minutes, were lamenting his death, not only as a great 
 frown on the college, but as having a dark aspect on the interests of 
 religion in general ; to their surprise, not imagining he heard, or 
 ever would speak another word, he said, " Trust in God, and ye 
 need not fear." These were his last words. \\'hat could have been 
 more suitable to the occasion ! And what need of more I 
 
 He appeared to have the uninterrupted use of his reason to the 
 last, and died with perfect calmness and composure. The physi- 
 cian who innoculated and constantly attended him in his sickness, 
 
 wrote to Mrs. Edwards, on occasion of his death, as follows 
 
 " Never did any mortal man more fully and clearly evidence the 
 sincerity of all his professions, by one continued, universal, calm, 
 cheerful resignation and patient submission to the divine will, 
 through every stage of his disease, than he. Not so much as one 
 discontented expression, nor the least appearance of murmuring 
 
 ♦ Mr. Burr ordered, on his death-bed, that his funeral should not be attended 
 with pomp and cost ; but tiiat the sura which would have been requisite fort 
 modish funeral, beyond a decent ouc, slioulU be given to the poor, oat of his 
 estate. 
 
324 NOTES. 
 
 through the whole ! And never did any person expire with more 
 perfect freedom from pain ; not so much as one distortion ; but in 
 the most proper sense of the words he really fell asleep." 
 
 The following is a list of the publications of President Edwards ; 
 Vith the dates at which the several publications were made. 
 
 1731 A Sermon preached at Boston, on 1 Cor. 1. 29, 30. 
 
 1734 do. at Northampton, on Matth. 16.-17. 
 
 1736 A Narrative of the work of God, &c. 
 
 1738 Five Discourses, at Northampton. 
 
 1741 A Sermon preached at Enfield. 
 
 1741 do. at New-Haven, on 1 John 4. 1, 
 
 1741 do. at Hatfield. 
 
 1742 Thoughts on the Revival. 
 
 1746 Religious Affections. 
 
 1747 On Prayer for a Revival. 
 1749 Ordination Sermon. 
 
 1749 Life of the R«v. David Brainerd. 
 
 1749 On Qualifications for Communion. 
 
 1752 A Reply to S. Williams' Answer. 
 
 1752 A Sermon preached at Newark, on James 2. 19. 
 
 1754 On the Freedom of the Will. 
 ^. 1758 On Original Sin. 
 
 [This last was in the press when the author died. All his 
 other works were collected from his papers after his de- 
 cease ; the principal of which were published in the follow-* 
 ing order] — ■ 
 
 1765 Eighteen Sermons, with his life prefixed, 
 
 1774 The History of Redemption. 
 
 1788 On the Nature of Virtue. 
 
 1788 God's Last End in the Creation, 
 
 1788 Thirty-three Sermons. 
 
 1789 Twenty Sermons. 
 
 1793 Miscellaneous Observations. 
 
 1796 Miscellaneous Remarks. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Edwards, the amiable consort of President Edwards, 
 ^id not long survive him. In September she set out from Stock- 
 bridge in good health, on a journey to Philadelphia, to take care of 
 her two orphan grand-children, who were now in that city ; as 
 they had been since the death of Mrs. Burr. Having no relations in 
 those parts, Mrs. Edwards proposed to take them into her own 
 family. She arrived at Philadelphia, by the way of Princeton, 
 September 21, in good health, having had a comfortable journey. 
 But in a few days she was seized with a violent dysentery, which. 
 
NOTES. 325 
 
 on the fifth day, put an end to her life, October 2d, 1758, in the 
 49th year of her age. She said not much in her sickness ; being 
 exercised most of tlie time with violent i)ain. On the morning of the 
 day she died, she apprelicndcd her death was near, wlic-n she ex- 
 pressed her entire resignation to God, and desire that Ciod might 
 be glorified in all things ; and tliat she might be enabled to glori- 
 fy him to the last : and continued in such a temper, culm and resign- 
 ed till she died. 
 
 Her remains were carried to Princeton, and deposited with those 
 of Mr. Edwards. Thus they who were in their lives rcmaikably 
 lovely and pleasant, in their death were not much divided. Here 
 are the father and mother, the son and dauglitcr, laid together in 
 the grave, within the space of a little more than a year, though a 
 few montlis before their dwellings wei-e more than 150 miles apart. 
 Two presidents of the same college, and their consorts, than whom 
 it would be hard to find four persons more valuable and useful, in 
 a few months are cut off from the earth forever ; and by a remarka- 
 ble providence are put, as it were, into one grave ! Mrs. Edwards 
 was born in New-Haven, in Connecticut, January 9th, 1709. — 
 Her father was the Rev. Mr. James Pierpont, who was long an em- 
 inent, godly and useful minister of the Gospel, at New-Haven. She 
 was married to Mr. Edwards, July 20, 1727, in the eighteenth veal* 
 of her age. She had eleven children, of whom three sons and five 
 daughters, survived both their parents. Mrs. Burr died after her 
 father, but before her mother's death. 
 
 At the expense of the trustees of the college, a marble monument 
 has been erected in honour of all the Presidents, since Mr. Dickin- 
 jion. The following is the inscription on the stone which covers tho 
 remains of President Edwards. — 
 
 M. S. 
 
 Rcverendi admodum Viri, 
 
 Jonathan Edwards, A. M. 
 
 Collegii Novae Cxsareac Prxsidis. 
 
 Natus apud Windsor Connecticutensium V. Octobris, 
 
 A. D. MDCCIII, S. V. 
 
 Patre Revercndo Timotheo Edwards oriundus, 
 
 Collegio Yalensi educatus ; 
 
 Apud Northampton Sacris initiatus, XV Fcbniai-ii, 
 
 MDCCXXVI— VH. 
 
 Illinc dimissus XXH Junii, MDCCL, 
 
 Et Munus Barbaros instituendi accepit. 
 
 Pr3cse« Attlsc NaiJsoYica: creatus XYl Eebruarii, 
 
326 NOTES. 
 
 MDCCLVIII. 
 
 Defunctus in hoc Vico XXII Martii sequcntis, S. N. 
 ^tatis LV, heu nimis brevis ! 
 
 Hie jacet mortalis Pars. 
 
 Qualis Persona quxris Viator ? 
 
 Vir Corpore procero, sed gracili, 
 
 Studiis intensissimis, Abstinentia, et Sedulitate, 
 
 Attenuate. 
 
 Ingenii Acumine, Judicio acri, et Prudentia, 
 
 Secundus Nemini Mortalium. 
 
 Artium liberalium et Scientiariim Peritia insignis, 
 
 Criticorum sacrorum optimus, Theologus eximius, 
 
 Ut vix alter se qualis ; Disputator candidus ; 
 Fidei Christians Propugnator validus et invictus ; 
 Concionator gravis, serius, discriminans ; 
 Et, Deo favente, Successu 
 Felicissimus. 
 Pietate prseclarus, Moribus suis severus, 
 Ast aliis aequus et benignus, 
 Vixit dilectus, veneratus — 
 Sed ah ! lugendus 
 Moriebatur. 
 Quantos Gemitns discedens ciebat ! 
 Heu Sapientia tanta ' heu Doctrina et Religio ! 
 Amissum plorat Collegium, plorat et Ecclesia : 
 At, eo recepto, gaudet 
 Coelum. 
 Abi Viator, et pia sequere Vestigia. 
 
 The INTERVAL between the death of President Edwards and the 
 accession of President Davies — From March 22d, 1758, to July 26th 
 2759. 
 
 The trustees met within a month, after the death of President 
 Edwards, on "Wednesday, the 19th day of April, A. D. 1758." 
 The following extracts from their records, will show the measures 
 ■which they adopted in consequence of that mournful event, 
 
 •* It having pleased God to remove by death, the late Rev. Mr. 
 Edwards, President of the college, a few weeks after he had taken 
 upon him the charge of the college ; It is ordered, that the treasu- 
 rer pay unto the executors of the said Mr. Edwards, the sum of one 
 hundred pounds, being the one half of his salary for one year, which 
 he had a right to receive at the end of six months after the last 
 commencement ; the said six months being unexpired notwithstand- 
 ing. 
 
 / 
 
NOTE^. S27 
 
 The Presidentship of the college, having become vacant by the 
 death of the late President Edwards ; the trustees, after prayers 
 particularly on this accoiuit being made, and having taken deliber- 
 ate consideration of the matter, do elect the Rev. Mr. Jamks Lock- 
 wood of Wethersficld, in the Colony of Connecticut, to be the Pres- 
 ident of this college ; and the Clerk is ordered to write a letter unto 
 the said Mr. Lockwood, informing him of the said election, and re- 
 questing his acceptance : and Mr. Spencer, one of the members of 
 this corporation, is desired to wait on the said Mr. Lockwood, and 
 deliver him the said letter — It is ordered that the expenses, attend- 
 ing the moving of Mr. Lock wood's family to this place, be paid by 
 the treasurer. 
 
 It is ordered, that Messrs. William P. Smith, Woodruff, Pierson, 
 Johnes, Green, Caleb Smith and Braincrd, or any four of them, be a 
 committee to transact the affair of Mr. Lockwood's removal. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Caleb Smitli, is appointed President of this college 
 until the next trustee meeting ; and the said appointment being 
 made known to the said Mr. Smith, he was pleased to accept the 
 same, and was qualified as the charter directs, 
 
 2d day 7 o'clock — The trustees met according to adjournment. 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Finley is appointed to take upon himself the 
 charge of the college, and act as President thereof until the 22d day 
 of May next, and the said Mr. Finley was qualified as the charter 
 directs." This appears a singular appointment, after Mr. Smith, 
 the preceeding day, had been appointed President " till the next 
 Trustee meeting." No reason is assigned on the record, but it is 
 probable that Mr. Smith could not attend at the college till the 22d 
 of May ; and that Mr. Finley was therefore appointed to serve till 
 that time. 
 
 The next meeting of the board was " On Wednesday the 16th 
 day of August, A. D. 1758," when the following proceedings took, 
 place. 
 
 " His Excellency Francis Bernard, Esq. Governor of this Prov- 
 ince, having been pleased to attend the present meeting of the trus- 
 tees, was qualified as the charter directs, and took his seat, a^ Pres- 
 ident, accordingly. 
 
 The definitive answer of the Rev. Mr. Lockwood of Wethersfield, 
 the President elect of this college, was read ; by which it fully ap- 
 pears that the said Mr. Lockwood has refused accepting the Presi- 
 dentship, agreeably to the choice of this board : Whereupon after 
 mature deliberation, the board proceeded to the election of a Presi- 
 dent of the college, when the Rev. Mr. SAMUEL DAVIES of Vir- 
 ginia, was duly elected ; On which the Clerk is ordered, as soon as 
 
3^8 NOTES.. 
 
 possible, to communicate notice of the said election to the said Mr. 
 Davies, and desire his acceptance thereof, and request his answer 
 as soon as may be, and if it suits his conveniency his attendance at 
 the commencement : and the treasurer is hereby ordered to pay the 
 expenses of removing Mr. Davies' family to this place. 
 
 The Rev, Mr. Smith is desired* and is hereby empowered, to pre- 
 side in the college till the next commencement : and then to give 
 the degrees to the candidates : and in case of his absence the Rev. 
 Mr. Cowell, or Cummings, is hereby empowered to transact the 
 said affair. 
 
 2d day, 8 o'clock, the trustees met according to adjournment. 
 
 It is ordered that Messrs. Caleb Smith, David Cowell, and Rich- 
 ard Stockton, or any two of them, be a committee to manage the 
 aifair of Mr. Davies' removal hither : and also to send to England 
 for what books they may think necessary for the use of the college 
 and Grammar school, not exceeding d640 sterling : and also to settle 
 with Mr. Robert Smith, and the Executor of Mr. Burr, the matter 
 relating to the surplus of the expense of the President's house, over 
 and above £600, for which the said house was to have been built : 
 and also to conclude about finishing the President's house and the 
 college. 
 
 It is ordered that the pew rents in the Hall, for the last year, be 
 immediately paid unto the steward of the college, and on failure of 
 compliance of any person, that such person forfeit his pew" — At 
 this time there was no church, or house of publick worship, in 
 Princeton. The chapel of the college, here called '* the Hall," was 
 used for the purpose, by the inhabitants of the town, as well as by 
 the students ; and the President of the college was always the stat- 
 ed preacher and pastor — The pews, it appears, were rented to the 
 inhabitants ; and the above order was made to compel delinquent 
 pew holders, to pay up their arrears. 
 
 " The Rev. Mr. Finley, is hereby authorized and desired to amend 
 and prepare for the press the Newark Grammar, with all expedi- 
 tion possible, and transmit the same to the President of the college 
 for the time being." — The " Newark Grammar" here mentioned, 
 was a Latin grammar compiled, as the author has been informed, 
 by President Burr, when the college was under his care at Newark. 
 It was for many years the grammar most approved, and most in 
 use, in the grammar school and college. 
 
 " It is ordered that the Rev. Mr, Finley be paid the sum of Ten 
 poimds, and the Rev. Mr. Smith the sum of Forty pounds, for the 
 time that they inspected the government of the college ; the said 
 Mr. Smith's services being included. 
 
NOTES. 329 
 
 The committee appointed at the last meeting to inspect the fund 
 for poor schohirs in the treasurer's liands, made report, that there 
 is now in the treasurer's hands the sum of £500 proc : the interest 
 to be computed from October next ; which sum the trustees agre« 
 to be accountable for, to the Synod of New- York and Philadelphia : 
 the common expenses and casualties to which their own fund is lia- 
 ble, excepted " — The fund here mentioned was formed by donations 
 obtained in Enj^land and Scotland by Messrs. Tennent and Daviet, 
 for the education of poor and pious youth for the gospel ministry. 
 It was loaned to the college, and was originally under the guardian- 
 ship of the Synod of New-York, but was now transferred to the Sy- 
 nod of New-York and Philadelphia. The unhappy breach in the 
 Presbyterian Church, of which an account has been given in a for- 
 mer part of this note, and which produced the rival Synods of 
 New-York and Philadelphia, was healed in 1757, a little more than 
 a year before this record was made. Both Synods were now formed 
 into one body, which it was agreed should be known by the appella- 
 tion of the Synod of New-York and Philadelphia ; and from which 
 originated the present General Assembly of the Presbyterian 
 Church in the United States of America. The fund here referred 
 to, was almost annihilated by the depreciation of paper money,during 
 the revolutionary war. The interest, arising on the remnant of it, 
 is now disposed of annually, for the benefit of some student in the 
 college, by a committee of the General Assembly and a committee 
 of the trustees. 
 
 The next meeting of the board of trustees was on the 27th of Sep- 
 tember, 1758, the day of the annual commencement. But the rec- 
 ord of this meeting is so imperfect, that it does not appear by whom 
 the degrees were conferred, or what other business was transacted, 
 besides conferring the bachelor's degree on eighteen alumni of the 
 college, and the master's degree on seven. 
 
 " On Wednesday the 22d day of November, A. D. 1758," there 
 was another meeting, from the records of which the following ex- 
 tracts seem proper to be made. 
 
 " The committee empowered to transact the affair of Mr. Davies* 
 removal, having produced his answer, and the trustees having con- 
 sidered the same, do adjudge that the said answer is final, in the 
 negative. 
 
 2d day, 8 o'clock — 
 
 The board proceeded to the choice of a Vice-President of the col- 
 lege : Whereupon the Rev. Mr. Jacob Green was duly elected to 
 serve until a President is chosen, and was qualified as the charter 
 directs : And it is ordered that his salary be at the rate of Two 
 
 U 2 
 
S50 NOTES. 
 
 Hundred pounds per annum, for the time he shall serve in the above 
 character ; and that he have the care and general government of 
 the Grammar school. 
 
 ** It is ordered that there be a meeting of the trustees on the sec- 
 ond Wednesday of May next, principally designed for the election 
 of a President of the College.'* 
 
 Accordingly there was a meeting " On Wednesday the ninth day 
 of May, A. D. 1759" from the minutes of which the following ex- 
 tracts will give information of the most important business trans- 
 acted. 
 
 ** The Rev. Mr. Samuel Davies was proposed as a candidate for 
 the Presidency of the college, and admitted Nem : Cont : and also 
 the Rev. Mr. Samuel Finley, was admitted a candidate in the same 
 manner. Whereupon, after mature deliberation of the premises, 
 the said Mr. Samuel Davies was duly elected President of this col- 
 lege : and as this society has so long been destitute of a fixed Presi- 
 dent, and by means thereof its former flourishing state so greatly 
 affected, the trustees desire, and do hereby appoint the Rev. Mess. 
 Caleb Smith, John Brainerd and Elihu Spencer, of their number 
 (who design to meet the Synod of New- York and Philadelphia on 
 the next week) and any other gentlemen of this board who shall 
 then be there , to request the said Synod to dismiss the said Mr. 
 Davies from his postoral charge, that he may thereby be enabled t» 
 accept of the said office. 
 
 The Reverend Mr. Green having fulfilled the term of his former 
 election of Vice-President of the college, he is hereby appointed to 
 continue in his said office, until a fixed President can attend for the 
 service of that office. 
 
 Mr. Caleb Smith produced a plan of union among the several col- 
 leges in these Provinces, drawn up by Mr. President Clap of Yale 
 college in Connecticut, which being read was referred for farther 
 consideration." It does not appear that the consideration of this 
 plan was ever resumed. 
 
 An extract from a subsequent meeting of the board, hereafter t© 
 be given, will show tliat Mr. Davies accepted his second election to 
 the Presidency, and entered on his office July 26th, 1759. 
 
 Mr. Davies was settled in the ministry at Hanover in Virginia, 
 about twelve miles distant from the city of Richmond. His sphere of 
 influence there was wide, and his usefulness great. No minister of 
 the gospel, perhaps, was ever more beloved and venerated by his 
 people than he — To this day his name and memory are mestimably 
 precious among the descendants of those who formed his pastoral 
 charge, or who only occasionally sat under his powerful preaching. 
 
NOTES. 331 
 
 It is not wonderful, therefore, that he refused the first offer which 
 was made him of the Presidency. He thought that duty forbade 
 him to leave liis people, and the highly important station which he 
 then occupied. Yet the claim and call of the college were ultimate- 
 ly yielded to and obeyed, sanctioned, as they were, by the explicit 
 advice of the Synod to which he belonged. 
 
 In the mean time, however, the trustees were divided in opinion, 
 on the propriety of his second election. He and Dr. Finlcy were 
 both admitted as candidates. Davies was the more popular and 
 eloquent man ; Finley the more accurate scholar, as well as already 
 practiced in the business of teacliing. Neither of them coveted the 
 office, and both of them eventually held it. The most ardent friend- 
 ship subsisted between them, and was never interrupted or abated. 
 
 The reasons which induced Mr. Lockwood to refuse the Presi- 
 dency cannot now be known. He was a man of great wortli and 
 high reputation. The ti-ustees, however, were not unanimous in his 
 election. This is not apparent from the minutes of tlie board ; but 
 Mr. Davies in writing on the subject, to his friend Doctor Gibbons of 
 London says — " The trustees were divided between him, another 
 gentleman, and myself, but I happily escaped." 
 
 It appears tliat " the former flourishing state of the college was 
 greatly affected, by its being so long destitute of a fixed President." 
 This, for obvious reasons, was natural and almost unavoidable. The 
 college on its removal to Princeton, consisted, as we have seen, of 
 about Seventy Pupils. This number, it is believed, was but little 
 increased before the death of President Burr, and considerably di- 
 minished before the accession of Mr. Davies. 
 
 The trustees who, at different times, acted as Presidents, and one 
 for more than half a year as Vice-President of tlie college, always 
 preached to the students, and probably gave them some religious 
 instruction of a more private kind. Beside this, Finley, Smith and 
 Green, were employed as teachers in language and science, The 
 others, probably, did little more than govern and preach. 
 
 This may be as proper a place as any, to insert an account of the 
 first general revival of religion which took place in the institution. 
 It will be observed that although the revival began about six 
 months before the death of President Burr, its influence and effects 
 must have extended into the period now under consideration. The 
 account is from the pen of President Davies, in a letter to a religious 
 friend in Great-Britain, about four years after his mission thither, to 
 solicit benefactions for the college. It is dated " Hanover, June 3d, 
 1757 ;" and is as follows— 
 
SS2 NOTES. 
 
 The best ncw^s, that perhaps I ever heard in my life, I lately re- 
 ceived from my favourite friend Mr. Samuel Finley, minister of 
 Nottingham in Pennsylvania, tutor of a large academy, and one of 
 the trustees of the college of New-Jersey. I had sent him some ex- 
 tracts from my British letters, giving an account of the revival of 
 religion in sundry parts of England, particularly among the clergy : 
 in answer to which he writes thus : 
 
 " April 16, 1757, I greatly rejoice that our Lord Jesus has 
 
 put it in my power to make you a large compensation for the good 
 news you sent me. God has done great things for us. Our glorious 
 Redeemer poured out his Holy Spirit upon the students of our col- 
 lege, not one of all who were present neglected ; and they were in 
 number sixty. The whole house, say my correspondents, was a 
 Bochim. Mr. William Tennent, who was on the spot, says. He 
 ** never saw any in that case, who had more clear views of God, 
 themselves, and their defects, their impotence and misery, than 
 they had in general : that there never was, he believes, in any house, 
 more genuine sorrow for sin, and longing after Jesus : that this glo- 
 rious work was gradual, and spread like the increasing light of 
 the morning : that it was not begun by the ordinary means of preach- 
 ing, nor promoted by alarming methods ; yet so great was their 
 distress, that he judged it improper to use any arguments of terror 
 in publick, lest some should sink under the weight : that what 
 makes the gracious visitation more remarkable was, that a little 
 before, some of the youth had given a greater loose to their corrup- 
 tions, than was ordinary among them ; a spirit of pride and conten- 
 tion prevailing, to the great grief, and even discouragement, of the 
 worthy President : that there were no publick outcries, but a deco- 
 rous, silent solemnity ; that before he came away, several had rer 
 ceived something like the spirit of adoption ; being tenderly affected 
 with the sense of redeeming love, and thereby disposed and deter- 
 mined to endeavour after universal holiness." 
 
 * Mr. Treat and Mr. G. Tennent tell me in theirs, that the con-r 
 cern appeared rational, solid and scriptural ; and that in a remark- 
 able degree. I was informed by some of the students, who had 
 been my pupils, that this religious concern first began with the son 
 of a very considerable gentleman of New- York. The youth was 
 dangerously sick at college ; and on that occasion, awakened to a 
 sense of his guilt. His discourse made some impression on a few- 
 others, and theirs again on more ; so that it became almost general, 
 before the good President, or any others, knew any thing of it. As 
 soon as it became public, misrepresentations were spread abroad ; 
 and some gentlemen sent to bring their sons home. But upon better 
 
KOTES. 333 
 
 information, the most were sent back again. The wicked compan- 
 ions of some young gentlemen left no methods untried, to recover 
 them to their former excess of riot, and with two or three have 
 been lamentably successful. 
 
 * Mr. Duffield (a worthy young minister) informed me the other 
 day, that a very hopeful religious concern spreads through the Jer- 
 seys, especially among young people. In several letters troni Phil- 
 adelphia, from Mr. G. Tenncnt and otliers, I have assurance of a 
 revival there, for which good people are blessing God. Lawyer 
 Stockton* informs me, th'.it he is certified by good authority, of a 
 gracious work of God at Yale College in New-Haven.'* 
 
 This, Sir, is some of the best news from one of the best of my 
 correspondents. You will join with me in blessing God, and con- 
 gratulating posterity, upon this happy surprising revolution, in a 
 college, to which the eager eyes of so many needy churches look for 
 supplies. Perhaps it may afford me the more pleasure, as mv hav- 
 ing taken so much pains to promote that institution, gives me a kind 
 of paternal solicitude for it, though I live near 400 miles from it. 
 
 The finger of God is the more conspicuous in this affair, as the 
 students, who had so often heard such excellent sermons from the 
 worthy President, and from the many ministers from various parts, 
 who have occasionally officiated there, without any general good 
 effects, should be universally awakened by means of a sick boy. 
 Though this college was well founded and well conducted, yet I 
 must own, I was often afraid it was degenerating into a college of 
 mere learning. But now my fears are removed, by the prospect 
 that sincere piety, that grand ministerial qualification, will make 
 equal advances. 
 
 PRESIDENT DAVIES' ADMINISTRATION— 
 
 From July 26th 1759, to Feb. 4th, 1761. 
 The following extracts from the minutes of the board of trustees,, 
 with the accompanying remarks, will exhibit the time of Mr. Da- 
 vies' accession to the Presidency, the measures which were adopted 
 at that time, and through the remainder of his short administra- 
 tion. 
 
 ♦ This gentleman, the father of the present Hon. Richard St<»ckton, LL. D, 
 •Was a iiK-mber of the first class that was graduated in the college, the same day on 
 vhich Mr. Burr was chosen President. He was, at this lime, a trustee ol" tlie 
 institution, and active and influential in all its concerns — For several )ears, he 
 performed giatuitously, all the duties of Clerk of the board. He ros« to great 
 eminence in his profession ; was a jmlge of the court under the nn al govtrnuient, 
 and Cl»ief Justice of the State of Nt-w-Jersej, aft^-r llw- dfclaraiioii of American 
 IndepeudcDce. Of tht C«iig;reb6 which deoUred that ludependeucc be was a caea- 
 
S54 NOTES. 
 
 ** Wednesday the 26th day of Sept. A. D. 1759. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Samuel Davies having, pursuant to the measure* 
 taken by this board, arrived at Nassau-Hall in July last, and entered 
 on his office of President of the college, upon the 26th day of that 
 month, was now qualified by taking the several oaths as the charter 
 directs. And the board unanimously voted that Mr. Davies' stated 
 salary shall begin from the thirteenth day of May last, which was 
 the day of the dissolution of the pastoral relation from the people of 
 his former charge. 
 
 Ordered, that the treasurer of the college pay to Mr. Davies, the 
 sum of £60. 17. 5, to defray the expenses of removing his family 
 from Hanover to Princeton. 
 
 Ordered, that Mr. Davies' salary for the first half year be paid 
 at the end of six months, and half yearly for the future, when prac- 
 ticable."— The funds of the college at this time were so scanty and 
 uncertain, that the trustees appear to have been afraid to pledge 
 themselves for a punctual payment even of the President's salary, 
 beyond the first six months. 
 
 " Voted, that the treasurer pay Mr. Green the sum of £100, for 
 his six months' services in the college. 
 
 Resolved, that this board do entirely relinquish the Grammar 
 School into the hands of President Davies, to be wholly his prop- 
 erty, as it was formerly the property of the late President Burr. 
 
 Resolved, that if President Davies shall choose to give any of his 
 sons an education in the college, that he shall have the liberty of 
 educating them, free from the charge of tuition money. 
 Thursday, 8 o'clock, A. M. 
 
 Resolved, that President Davies be desired, as soon as he conven- 
 iently can, to take a methodical catalogue of the books in the college 
 library, and order the same to be printed at the expense of the 
 college. 
 
 Resolved, that Governor Bernard, Messrs. Davies, P. T. Smith, 
 W. Tennent, Finley, Green, Cummings and Stockton, or any three 
 of them, be a committee to draw'up a system of regulations concern- 
 ing admission into the college, with the necessary qualifications for 
 degrees ; and that all the other trustees, who choose to be present, 
 have liberty of voting. 
 
 ber, and his narae is inscribed in the imperishable roll that accompanies the in- 
 strument by which it was made known to the woikl. Nor was it the least of his 
 honours that he was " not ashamed of the gospel of Christ :" hut was, as the abov^ 
 article shows, a friend to revivals of religion. He publickly professed religion, 
 adorned it by his life, and experienced its support and consolation in the solemn 
 hour of death. On the occasion of his «leath, which took place in 1781 j the late 
 President Smith preached and printed a funeral sennon. 
 
NOTES. 3S5 
 
 Ordered, that Messrs. Davics, Tcnncnt and Cowell be a com- 
 mittee, to purchase a lot of hind contiguous to the college, belonging 
 to the estate of the late Mr. Samuel Hazard ; and if they shall 
 think proper they arc hereby empowered to contract for the sale of 
 any lands belonging to this corporation, in order to defray the ex- 
 pense of said purchase. 
 
 3 o'clock P. M. 
 Resolved, that Governor Bernard, Mr. P. T. Smith, "William 
 Smith, Esq. Mr. Woodruff, Messrs. Cowell, Treat, Tennent, Fin- 
 ley, Green, Cummings and Stockton, be a committee, any five of 
 whom to be a quorum, to consider of proper measures to enlarge 
 the fund, and extend the usefulness of the college — All other trus- 
 tees present shall liavc votes in the above committee. 
 
 The board then adjourned to the last "Wednesday in September 
 next — to meet at Nassau-Hall." 
 
 The committee appointed to devise measures to increase the funds 
 of the college had a meeting at Amboy on the 24th of October of 
 this year ; but were not able to resolve upon any mctliods that they 
 thought would have a probable tendency to effect that purpose, and 
 resolved " to postpone the consideration of that affair." 
 
 At the meeting of the board " on the 24th day of September, 
 1760 — the committee appointed at the last meeting to draw up a 
 system of regulations concerning admission into college, and to the 
 degrees of bachelor and master of arts," made a long report, which 
 was amended, and adopted by the board — The substance of it was, 
 that candidates for the second or master's degree, if alumni of the 
 college, should reside at college, in ordinary cases, for one week be- 
 fore the conferring of that degree, and submit to the laws and orders 
 of the college ; and be examined on such branches of literature as 
 the trustees then present should think necessary ; and make such 
 preparation for commencement as the officers of the college should 
 judge proper — That graduates from other colleges should be admit- 
 ted ad eundem, without examination ; but that it should be inserted 
 in their Diplomas and publickly declared by the President, in con- 
 ferring their degrees, that they were conferred " honoris causa ;'* 
 and that if they were candidates for a higher degree than they had 
 elsewhere received, tHcy should, like the alumni of the college, re- 
 side a week at the college, and submit to examination. — 
 
 That testimonials of good moral character, signed by two or more 
 gentlemen of note and veracity in the place were they had resided, 
 should be required from all who might be candidates for the mas- 
 ter's degree, unless personally known to the trustees, or officers of 
 the coUe'^e— 
 
336 NOTES. 
 
 That any person might have liberty to offer himself, at the pub- 
 lick examination, as a candidate for a bachelor's degree ; and if 
 approved that he should be admitted thereto accordingly, upon pay- 
 ing the sum of eight pounds, being the tuition money for two years» 
 exclusive of degree fees. 
 
 That candidates for any class, higher than the freshman, should 
 not only be previously examined as usual, but recite for two weeks 
 upon trial, in that particular class for which they might stand candi- 
 dates, and then should be fixed in that, or in a lower class, as the 
 college officers should judge them qualified. 
 
 At this m.eeting it was *' Voted, that for the future the President, 
 or tutors who shall at that time officiate, have liberty to appoint 
 any of the students to read a portion of the Sacred Scriptures, out of 
 the original language, at evening prayers : and that when they think 
 proper they may substitute psalmody, instead of reading the Scrip- 
 tures, at evening prayers." It is believed that it was from the orig- 
 inal language of the New-Testament only, that a portion of Scrip- 
 ture was read into the vernacular tong-ue, at prayers in the college 
 chapel. This was a practice long continued, and which, in the 
 judgment of the writer, would better never have been altered for 
 the later practice of reading from the vulgar translation. Every 
 thing which is calculated to promote and honour an accurate ac- 
 quaintance with the ancient languages, is of high importance in a 
 literary establishment. It was, how^ever, the officiating officer, 
 whether President or Tutor, that commonly read from the Greek 
 New-Testament, on these occasions. 
 
 " Voted, that as to the laws which are enforced by pecuniary 
 punishments, the President and tutors have discretionary power of 
 inflicting those particular fines, or of substituting any other punish- 
 ment, short of suspension or expulsion, in their stead — still so as to 
 be accountable to the board of trustees for the use of this power.'* 
 The practice of fining the students for small offences, or omissions of 
 duty, continued till the time of Doctor Witherspoon, under whose 
 administration it entirely ceased ; and has never since been revived. 
 This mode of discipline, however, was never much in use; nor were 
 the fines ever permitted to rise to a large amount. Doctor Finley, 
 in his account of the college, observes that " it w^ould seem to be 
 punishing parents for the offences of their children" — and apologizes 
 for it, by the remark just made, that it was not often done, and that 
 the fines were always small. He says that under his Presidency, at 
 the time he wrote, no fine had ever been imposed. 
 
NOTES. 337 
 
 " Voted, that for the future the President and tutors, in conjunc- 
 tion with any other gentlemen of liberal education who shall choose 
 to be present, do, betwixt the examination and publick commence- 
 ment annu;xlly, examine the several classes, and that such as are 
 found unqualified shall not be allowed to rise in the usual courses- 
 Mr. Davies is believed to have suggested this regulation, which hai 
 been regarded from his time to the present, and with increased 
 strictness. For a number of years past, the whole college has been 
 closely examined four times a year. Degradation from a class, how- 
 ever, has seldom taken place, except at the end of a term or ses- 
 sion. 
 
 Nothing has more contributed to render education in this institu- 
 tion efficient, than the strictness of examinations, and not suffering 
 those to advance who have been found grossly deficient in the stud- 
 ies of the class to which they have belonged ; and of course, the 
 refusing of degrees to those who have not had some fair claim, from 
 actual qualifications, to receive them. It has never been supposed 
 thi.t the attainments of all would be equal. A very considerable 
 disparity has always been expected and found, among the members 
 of a large class. Yet reputable attainments have been demanded 
 from all. And there have been a number of instances in which 
 students, by being put back a year, have been roused to activity and 
 diligence, and have eventually received their degrees with honour 
 to themselves and to the institution. Besides, it seems not easily 
 reconcileable with propriety and ti-uth, to sign and seal such a testi- 
 monial of acquisitions in language and science, as forms the very 
 substance of a diploma, when it is perfectly known, or ought to be 
 known, that the acquisitions specified have not been made. Diplo- 
 mas must cease to be valuable, when it becomes notorious that they 
 are obtained without merit. 
 
 ** Ordered, that Messrs. Davies, Wm. Tennent, Cowell and 
 Stockton, draw up an historical account of the rise, progress and 
 present state of the college, and print the same as soon as they con- 
 veniently can." The importance of an historical account of the 
 college was thus early seen. Subsequent events, however, prevent- 
 ed the execution of the order here given, for a considerable time. 
 It was doubtless expected that Mr. Davies would be the writer of 
 this history. But this was prevented by his death, shortly after the 
 order was given. The labour of compiling the history was then 
 assigned, in September 1762, to William Peartree Smith, Esq. The 
 record on the subject is as follows — *' Mr. William Peartree Smith, 
 one of the members of this board, is requested by the trustees to 
 draw up a full account of the college, from its foundation to t^i^ 
 
 X 2 
 
538 NOTES. 
 
 time, giving therein a particular account of the state of its fund, the 
 manner of education, the number of the students, and all other mat- 
 ters he may think proper, relative thereto, and print the same, at 
 the expense of this board : And the President of the college is 
 desired to furnish Mr. Smith a state of the facts necessary to that 
 purpose." Mr. Smith declined the service here allotted to him, as 
 appears by a record, at a meeting of the board in September 1763, 
 in these words — " Mr. Wm. P. Smith having declined the service of 
 drawing up an account of the college, the President of the college is 
 desired to do the same, and have his draught ready to lay before 
 this board at the next spring vacation." It appears that the requi- 
 site number of members to form a board did not attend at the spring 
 vacation ; and no notice is taken, in the subsequent m mutes, of this 
 whole business of a history of the college. Dr, Finley was President 
 when Mr. Smith was appointed to draw up the account, and was to 
 furnish that gentleman with the materials. The materials were 
 probably collected, when the concern was confided to the Doctor 
 himself ; and as the board failed of a meeting in the spring, as they 
 never mention the history afterwards, and as it was actually pub- 
 lished in 1764, there is no reason to doubt that it was done in the 
 summer of that year, by President Finley, without having been sub- 
 mitted to the inspection of the board, previously to its publication. 
 
 From this history very little can be learned of the rise^ or origin 
 of the college. Nor ought this to be regarded as a censurable defect. 
 It was then " proper rather to say nothing that was false, than all 
 that was true."* The schism in the Synod had very lately been 
 healed, and both parties were still smarting from the blows inflicted 
 while the unhappy contest had continued. It was, therefore, pru- 
 dent to leave that subject untouched. The Province was still under 
 a royal government, not partial to the Presbyterians, or to the col- 
 lege. For this reason it was proper to say nothing of the first char- 
 ter ; in which, probably, there were restrictions which it was wish- 
 ed should be forgotten. The account, after what has heretofore 
 been quoted, consists chiefly of statements relative to the system of 
 education pursued, the method of government, the expenses of the 
 students, the want of funds, and the claim which the college had on 
 pubiick patronage. It was accompanied by a very well executed 
 plate, exhibiting a view of the front of the college edifice, the yard 
 which lies before it, and a part of the President's house. An addi- 
 tional extract from it will hereafter appear — Of this former history 
 of the college it seemed proper that the preceeding account should 
 
 * Johnron's life of Addison. 
 
NOTES. 339 
 
 here be given, although extending considerably beyond the period of 
 Mr. Davics' administration, since to him the business of compiling 
 the history was first committed, and probably by him was firbt sug- 
 gested. 
 
 President Davies died on the 41h of February, 1762 ; having re- 
 mained in office but a few days more than eighteen months. But 
 even during this short period his reputation, talents and services^ 
 were of incalculable benefit to the institution. His popularity in the 
 church to which he belonged was great and unrivalled. He was 
 highly respected by other religious denominations. He was well 
 and personally known to the friends of the college in Britain, as well 
 as in America. He was in the full vigour of life, with a mind capa- 
 cious and ardent, and with habits of activity and energy fully estab- 
 lished by time and use. He devoted ill his time and faculties, 
 unremittingly, to the service of the college. We have seen that he 
 was instrumental in introducing into it one of the best permanent 
 usages; and indeed every change that he made was a manifest im- 
 provement. A poet and an orator himself, he turned the attention 
 of his pupils to the cultivation of English composition and eloquence, 
 with great effect. He introduced the practice, ever since continued, 
 of delivering monthly orations, by the members of the senior class. 
 He presided at two commencements. At the latter of these, a po- 
 etick dialogue was publickly recited, as a part of the commence- 
 ment exercises. It was afterwards printed in a handsome quarto 
 pamphlet ; and was read, in his boyhood, by the present writer, 
 with great interest and pleasure ; but he knows not whether a copy 
 of it is any where now to be found. It is believed to have been the 
 composition of the President himself, although this was not stated in 
 the publication. The subject of the dialogue was, the glorious 
 achievements of the British arms, both by sea and land, in the war 
 with the French which then existed, but which was nearly termina- 
 ted. By this war, conducted chiefly under the auspicious adminis- 
 tration of the first William Pitt, afterwards Lord Chatham, it 
 is known that the French power and influence in North America 
 were nearly annihilated. That great minister, and the generals 
 and admirals whom he selected, and whose successes were then 
 recent and the subject of much popular exultation, were eulogized in 
 this poetick dialogue, in very animated strains. If the writer's^ 
 memory is correct, it was partly in blank verse, and partly in 
 ihyme. 
 
 The number of students under the administration of President 
 Davies cannot be exactly ascertained. It probably did not, at any 
 time, exceed a hundred ; and at his death it must have come very 
 little short of that number. 
 
340 NOTES. 
 
 In the following brief memoir of this distinguished man, the au- 
 thor has taken freely from various publications, and has inserted 
 some well authenticated facts, which, so far as he knows, have never 
 before appeared in print. 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Davies was, it is believed, of Welch descent, 
 both by his father's and mother's side. His father was a farmer of 
 small property, of intellectual endowments rather below than above 
 the ordinary level, of unpolished manners, but of a blameless and 
 religious life. His mother was a woman of very superior natural 
 powers of mind, and of eminent and most ardent piety. 
 
 The subject of this memoir was born in the county of New-Castle, 
 in what is now the State of Delaware, November 3d, 1724. His 
 mother, after the birth of her first child, a daughter, had remained 
 for five years, without the prospect of farther issue. Her desire to 
 be instrumental in promoting the cause of the Redeemer, led her to 
 pray with great fervour that she might be the mother of a man 
 child ; and solemnly to vow that, should her prayer be granted, she 
 would, like Hannah of old, devote him to the Lord, for the service 
 of the sanctuary, all his days. She believed that the son whom she 
 soon afterwards bore, was given to her in answer to prayer ; and she 
 called him Samuel, that she might at once, as far as practicable, 
 imitate the woman in sacred story, to whose circumstances she be- 
 lieved that her own were analagous, and whom she had taken for 
 her example. The fact here stated is mentioned by Mr. Davies 
 himself, in a letter to Dr. Gibbons of London, with this addition — 
 *' This early dedication to God has always been a strong inducement 
 to me to devote myself to Him, by my own personal act ; and the 
 most important blessings of my life I have looked upon as immedi- 
 ate answers to the prayers of a pious mother. But alas ! what a 
 degenerate plant am I ! How unworthy such a parent, and such a 
 birth !" 
 
 It may well be supposed that the mother of Mr. Davies would 
 regard him with more than common maternal tenderness and solici- 
 tude, and would labour, from the first, to form him for that sacred 
 service to which she had devoted him. At a very early age, she 
 herself taught him to read, and his proficiency in learning, under 
 his mother's instructions, is said to have surprised all who had the 
 opportunity to observe it. He continued at home with his parents 
 till he was about ten years old ; and as there was no school in the 
 neighbourhood, he had, till that age, no teacher but his mother. 
 Kor does it appear that hitherto he had experienced any remarka- 
 ble impressions of a religious kind. His character was merely that 
 of a sprightly and docile child, under the influence of pious exam- 
 
NOTES. 341 
 
 pie and instruction. At ten years of age, he was sent to an English 
 school, at some distance from his father's residence, where he contin- 
 ued two years ; and is said to have made rapid progress in his 
 learning. He excelled in penmanship, in after life ; and he proba- 
 bly acquired the elements of it in this school. But for want of the 
 pious instruction with which he was favoured at home, !ie grew, 
 according to his own statement, .sadly careless of the things of re- 
 ligion. Yet he still made a practice of secret prayer, esj)ccially in 
 the evening. The reason which he assigns in his diary for his punc- 
 tuality in his evening attempts at devotion is " that he feared lest he 
 should die before morning." But what is most observable in his 
 prayers at this time is " that he was more ardent in his supplica- 
 tions for being introduced into the gospel ministry, than for any 
 other thing." 
 
 At about twelve years of age, he was awakened to solemn 
 thoughtfulness and anxicms concern about his eternal state. And 
 so deeply imprinted was the rational sense of his danger, as to make 
 him habitually uneasy and restless, till he obtained satisfying scrip- 
 tural evidence of his interest in the forgiving love of God. Yet he 
 was, afterwards, exercised with many perplexing doubts, for a 
 long season ; but at length, after years of impartial, repeated self- 
 examination, he attained to a settled confidence of his interest in re- 
 deeming grace, which he retained to the end of life. 
 
 A diary which he kept in the first years of his religious life, clear- 
 ly shows how intensely his mind was set on heavenly things ; how 
 observant he was of the tcm])cr of his heart ; and how watchful 
 over all his thoughts, words, and actions. Did any censure his foi- 
 bles, or juvenile indiscretions } They would have done it compas- 
 sionately, had they known how severely he censured them himself. 
 The tribunal erected in his own bosom, was more critical in scruti- 
 nizing, and more impartial and severe in passing sentence, than 
 cither his friends or his enemies could be. 
 
 The precise period at which he made a puljlick profession of 
 religion, by joining in the communion of the church, the compiler of 
 this narrative has not been able to ascertain. It is believed to hare 
 been in the fifteenth year of his age — perhaps a little earlier. It is 
 likewise unknown, at what age he first entered on a course of libe- 
 ral studies, or who was his first grammar master. It appears prob- 
 able that, either with or without a teacher, he had acquired some 
 knowledge, at least of the Latin language, before he was put under 
 the care of the Rev. Samuel Blair, of Foff's Manor, in Chester coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania. Here it was, however, that he acquired the 
 jpreater part both ef his academical learning, and of his theological 
 
342 NOTES. 
 
 knowledge. Mr. Blair was well qualified to be a teacher of both ; 
 and several eminent men in the American church, beside President 
 Davies, were his pupils. Mr. Blair was also an excellent and power- 
 ful preacher. Mr. Davies, on his return from Britain, told a cleri- 
 cal brother, who inquired with a good deal of earnestness about the 
 eloquent pulpit orators whom he had heard abroad, that there was 
 scarcely one of them who exceeded, and that most of them came 
 far short of his old master, Mr. Blair ; both as to the matter of their 
 discourses, and the impression produced by their delivery. Mr. 
 Blair's academy was conducted on the same plan with that of many 
 cf the dissenting academies in Britain, at that time, as well as be- 
 fore and since. Men intended for secular business were not entirelv 
 excluded ; but the chief design of the institution was, to prepare 
 youth for the gospel ministry. Hence the acquisition of Theologi- 
 cal knowledge was an object of constant attention, throughout 
 the whole academick course ; and when that course was finished, 
 it was usually but a very short period that elapsed, before those who 
 had passed it were licensed to preach the gospel. Yet it is not to be 
 understood that, either as scholars or divines, those who were thus 
 educated were generally men of inferior attainments. On the con- 
 trary, many of them were both good scholars, and profound Theolo- 
 gians. In knowledge of the ancient languages, and in acquaintance 
 with the best and ablest writers on systematick Divinity, their suc- 
 cessors, it is feared, have rarely been their equals. The powers of 
 Mr. Davies, and his assiduous attention to study, would, of course, 
 render his progress unusually great, for the time which he passed 
 at Mr. Blair's academy. But his poverty, it is likely, prevented his 
 spending as much time as was common, and as was earnestly de- 
 sired by himself, in the acquisition of knowledge, before he began 
 to preach. It is believed that the period of his residence at Fog's 
 Manor was not greater than five years — ^probably it was something 
 less. While pursuing his Theological studies, it is known that he 
 received pecuniary assistance, by a sum of money raised among the 
 very people in Virginia, toward whom he afterwards sustained the 
 pastoral relation, but to whom at that time he was wholly unknown. 
 They intended it, when raised, as some remuneration of the servi- 
 ces of a Mr. Robinson, who had first preached the gospel among 
 them. He refused to receive it for his own benefit, but on their 
 insisting that it should be at his disposal, he told them that it should 
 be applied to aid a promising youth, who was pursuing his studies 
 for the gospel ministry. It was given to Mr. Davies ; and on his 
 grateful and pious heart the donation made such an impression as 
 was never effaced. There is every reason to believe that it had a 
 
NOTES. S4S 
 
 very considerable influence on his determination to settle in the 
 ministry among this people, as it certainly was the occasion of his 
 being sent to them at first. 
 
 Not having access to the records of the Presbytery of New-Cas- 
 tle, in which Mr. Davies was licensed to preach the gospel, the wri- 
 ter has not been able to ascertain the precise time of that licensure. 
 In the monumental inscription, which will be given at length in the 
 close of this memoir, it is said — " Natus est in comitatu de New- 
 castle, juxta Delaware 3o Novembris, anno salutis rcparatac, 1724, 
 S. V. Sacris ibidem initiatus 19o Februarii, 1747.'* As it is well 
 known that his first visit to Virginia was in the spring of the year 
 1747, he v/as, no doubt, a little before, ordained — initiatus sacris — as 
 an evangelist, or sine titulo^ with a view to qualify him to perform 
 pastoral duties, or to accept the pastoral office, if he should be cal- 
 led to either, or to both, in the mission on which he was about to 
 enter. The probability is, that he had then been licensed but a 
 very short time ; for his intimate friend, Mr. Bostwick, in giving a 
 sketch of his life and character, shortly after his death, says — 
 '• Scarcely luas he known as a publick preacher, but he was sent 
 to some of the distant settlements of Virginia ;" and at this time, he 
 was six months less than 23 years of age. 
 
 He remained in Virginia, on his first visit, but a few weeks, and 
 then returned to New-Castle. The remainder of this year and the 
 beginning of the next, were spent in preaching in Delaware, Penn- 
 sylvania and Maryland ; and scarcely was there a vacant congrega- 
 tion in which his voice was heard, that did not desire and endeavour 
 to secure his permanent sei^ices. In the mean time, he was at- 
 tacked by a disease, which he supposed to be a mortal consumption 
 of the lungs. But, although he believed himself to be on the borders 
 of the grave, he determined to spend the little remains of an almost 
 exhausted life, as he apprehended it, in endeavo\||ing to advance his 
 master's glory, in the salvation of souls. With this view, he went 
 to a place at a considerable distance, which was destitute of the 
 preaching of the gospel, where he laboured, in season and out of 
 season, preached in the day and had his hectick fever by night, and 
 that to such a degree as to be sometimes delirious, and to stand in 
 need of persons to sit up with him. Nor did he thus labour in vain, 
 but received, at this very time, some of the first fruits of his minis- 
 try, in several instances of the hopeful conversion of sinners, two of 
 which he considered as very remarkable. 
 
 In the spring of 1748, he received a call from the people of Han- 
 over^ HenricOy and two other neighbouring congregations in Vir- 
 ginia, to settle among thcro, as their pastor. This call, ia the 
 
344 NOTES. 
 
 month of April of that year, he accepted, and immediately set out 
 for the place of his future pastoral labours. At this time he had 
 begun slowly to recover, from what he calls his " melancholy and 
 consumptive languishments ;" though he adds, *' I then looked upon 
 it only as tlie intermission of a disorder that would finally prove 
 mortal. But upon the arrival of a messenger from Hanover, I put 
 my life in my hand, and determined to accept of their call, hoping I 
 might live to prepare the way for some more useful successor ; and 
 willing to expire under the fatigues of duty, rather than in volunta- 
 ry negligence.'* 
 
 In the colony of Virginia, at this time, Episcopacy, according to 
 the order of the church of England, was the religion established and 
 supported by law ; and " the act of uniformity" was enforced with 
 even greater rigour than in the mother country. The " act of tole- 
 ration" had been passed in England, expressly for the relief of 
 protestant dissenters ; but it was made the subject of earnest con- 
 troversy in Virginia, whether this latter act was intended to have 
 any reference to the colonies. Mr. Davies maintained that it was 
 as applicable to the colonies as to the mother country ; and that if 
 the act of toleration was not law in Virginia, the act of uniformity 
 was equally destitute of legal authority. On this point he had a 
 long controversy with the king's attorney gene^jgl, Peyton Randolph, 
 afterwards the President of the first Continental Congress, and with 
 the general court of the colony. On one occasion he appeared 
 personally before the court, and replied in such a manner to the 
 Attorney General, as to impress even his enemies with the highest 
 respect for his knowledge, address, and eloquence. He maintained 
 his cause inflexibly, till, when he went to England, to solicit bene- 
 factions for the college, he brought the subject before the king and. 
 council ; and received from the Attorney General, Sir Dudley Rider, 
 a declaration, unda^authority, that the provisions of the act of tole- 
 ration did extend to the colony of Virginia. 
 
 Before this subject, however, had produced the excitement whick 
 afterwards took place, Mr. Davies, assuming what we have seen 
 that he afterwards triumphantly maintained, that the act of tolera- 
 tion permitted dissenting ministers, going into Virginia, to qualify 
 themselves according to the provisions of that act, was careful, on 
 his first visit, to qualify himself accordingly. *' Upon my arrival — 
 he says — I petitioned the general court to grant me a license to offi- 
 ciate in and about Hanover, at four meeting houses, which, after some 
 delay, was granted, upon aiy qualifying myself according to the act 
 of toleration." 
 
NOTES. 345 
 
 Upon his settlement in Virginia, in the spring of 1748, his stated 
 preaching, for several months, was confined to the four places of 
 worship, for which he hiul obtained license the preceeding year. 
 The following extract from one of his letters to Dr. Bellamy, ta- 
 ken in connection with the extracts already made, will give the best 
 account of his labours and success in the ministry, from the time of 
 his settlement, till the year 1751. *' In October 1748, besides the 
 four meeting houses already mentioned, the people petitioned for 
 the licensing of three more, which, with great difficulty, was obtain- 
 ed. Among these seven, I have hitherto divided my time. Three 
 of them lie in Hanover County, the other four in the counties of 
 Henrico, Caroline, Louisa, and Goochland. The nearest are twelve 
 or fifteen miles distant from each other, and the extremes about 
 forty. My congregation is extremely dispersed ; and notwithstand- 
 ing the number of the meeting-houses, some live twenty, some thir- 
 ty, and a few forty miles from the nearest. Were they all com- 
 pactly situated in one county, they would be bufBcient to form 
 three distinct congregations — Many of the church people also at- 
 tend, when there is sermon at any of these houses. This I looked 
 upon, at first, as mere curiosity after novelty ; but as it continues, 
 and in some places seems to increase, I cannot but look upon it as a 
 happy token of thefll^being at length thoroughly engaged. And I 
 have the greater reason to hope so now, as experience has confirmed 
 my former hopes ; fifty or sixty families having thus been happily en- 
 tangled in the net of the gospel by their own curiosity, or some such 
 motive. There are about three hundred communicants in my con- 
 gregation, of whom tlie greatest number are, in the judgment of 
 rational charity, real christians. Besides some, who, through exces 
 sive scrupulousness, do not seek admission to the Lord's table. 
 There is also a number of Negroes. Sometimes I see an hundred 
 and more among my hearers. I have baptized about forty of them, 
 within these three years, upon such a profession of faith as I then 
 judged credible. Some of them, I fear, have apostatized ; but oth- 
 ers, I trust, will persevere to the end. I have had as satisfying 
 evidence of the sincere piety of several of them, as ever I had from 
 any person in my life, and their artless simplicity, their passionate 
 aspirations after Christ, their incessant endeavours to know and do 
 the will of God, have charmed me. But alas ! while my charge is 
 so extensive, I cannot take sufficient pains with them for their in- 
 struction, which o>.en oppresses my heart. There have been in- 
 stances of unhapi)y apostacy among us ; but blessed be God, not 
 many in proportion to the number brought under concern. At 
 present there arc a few under promising impressions ; but, in gen- 
 
 Y3 
 
346 NOTES. 
 
 cral, security prevails. Oh ! for a little re\iving in our bondage !— 
 I might have given you a particular account of the conversion of 
 some persons here, as indeed there are some uncommon instances of 
 it, but I shall only observe in general, that abstracting from particu- 
 lar circumstances, the work of conversion has been carried on in 
 such steps as are described by experimental divines, as Allien, 
 Shepherd, Stoddard, Flavel, &c. And nothing confirms me more in 
 the truth of their opinions concerning experimental piety, than this 
 agi'eement and uniformity, as to the substance, in the exercises of 
 those that can make the fairest claim to saving grace. Were you, 
 sir, a narrow bigot, you would, no doubt, rejoice to hear that there 
 are now some hundreds of dissenters in a place, where, a few years 
 ago, there were not ten ; but I assure myself of your congratula- 
 tions on a nobler account, because a considerable number of perish- 
 ing sinners are gained to the blessed Redeemer, with whom, though 
 you never see them here, you may spend a blissful eternity. — After 
 all, poor Virginia demnnda youi* compassion, for religion at present 
 is but like the cloud which Elijah's servant saw. O tliat it may spread 
 and cover the land." 
 
 The home of Mr. Davies was in the county of Hanover, about 
 twelve miles from Richmond ; but his occasional labours were ex- 
 tended through a considerable part of the colqpy ; and he acquired 
 an influence, greater probably, than any other preacher of the gos- 
 pel in Virginia ever possessed. It was the influence of fervent 
 piety and zeal, directed by a mind of uncommon compass and force. 
 He took no little pains to instruct the negroes, and a considerable 
 number of them were seals of his ministry. Till this day, many of 
 the descendants of his negro converts, manifest the happy effects of 
 the pious instructions and example of their parents. 
 
 It has already been stated that in 1753, Mr. Davies accompanied 
 the Rev. Gilbert Tennent of Philadelphia, on a mission to Great 
 Britain, to solicit donations for the college. The Synod of Nev/- - 
 York, which always regarded the college as its own offspring, and^ 
 ■watched over it with parental care, provided for the supply of the 
 pulpit of Mr. Davies, during his mission. The expense of this sup- 
 ply was borne by the tnistees, and the stated salary which he receiv- 
 ed from his people, was continued to his family. The expenses of 
 both the missionaries were defrayed by the board, but they received 
 no other remuneration. 
 
 Mr. Davies left his home on September 3d, 1753, and came on to 
 make his arrangements, preparatory to his voyage. He attended 
 the commencement at Newark, Avhere he delivered a Thesis — Per- 
 ^sonaks Distiiictioncs in Trinitate sunt ce^fr«a?— and vindicated it, in 
 
NOTES. 34r 
 
 a public dispute, against three opponents ; and aftertvards received 
 the degree of Master of Arts. He then visited Mr. Brainerd, the 
 Indian missionarv, and " took a view of the Indian town ; and was 
 pleased at the affection of the poor savages to their minister, and his 
 condescention to them.'* A few days after this, the Synod of 
 New-York, convened in Philadelphia. Here Mr. Davics 
 met with his brethren, and appears fi-om his journal to have 
 enjoyed their society witli the most exquisite relish. His principal 
 business, however, was to obtain supplies for his people, during his 
 expected absence. In tliis he was successful and says — " I hope 
 this will turn to the benefit of my dear congregation. O that 
 God may go with his messengers thither." He visited his early and 
 very dear friend Mr. Rodgers, afterwards the Rev. Doctor Rodgers 
 of New-York, at S;iint Georges, in New-Castlc, Delaware ; heard 
 him preacli and joined with him in receiving the sacrament of the 
 Lord's supper. On Saturday, November 17th, 1753, he went on 
 board a vessel bound for London, with his friend Mr. Tennent, and 
 on the next day they set sail. During a great part of his voyage he 
 was much affected with sea-sickness. On the lyth of November he 
 says in his journal, " We are now out of sight of land— C<f/wm un- 
 dique^ undique fiontus. It would be particularly pleasing to me to 
 see the wonders of the majestick ocean ; but I have been confined to 
 bed most of the day, and am so much out of my element, that I am 
 neither fit for conversation nor curious observation — However, I 
 feel calm within, and resigned to the divine will — O Lord bless my 
 dear family." 
 
 He arrived in London on the 25th of December, and with his asso- 
 ciate was very kindly received. He prosecuted the object of his 
 mission with great zeal and diligence, and with a success that 
 surprised himself. His social intercourse was necessarily, 
 for the most part, among the dissenters. He became acquainted 
 with all their leading men of the clergy, whether Presbyterians, 
 Baptists, or Independents. He preached frequently and with great 
 acceptance and applause ; and as appeai-s from a statement which 
 he afterwards made to his people, when called to the Presidency of 
 the college, was invited to settle in the ministry in Britain. The 
 limits of this memoir do not permit much detail ; but tlie following 
 extract from his diary, for Tuesday, March 19th, 1754, will serve to 
 show the favourable maimer in which his publick ministrations were 
 received, and the humilit>' with which he bore his po])ularity. — 
 "Went to the Amsterdam Coffee-House, among the Baptist and In- 
 dependent ministers, where I enjoy most satisfaction. Received the 
 thanks of the governors of the churity school in Bartholomew close. 
 
348 NOTES. 
 
 for my sermoii there, which were presented to me in a very res- 
 pectful manner, by Dr. Guyse, as their deputy — Though it be hard 
 to repress the workings of vanity, even in a creature as unworthy as 
 I, under so much applause ; yet I think my heart rises in sincere 
 gratitude to God, for advancing me from a mean family and utter 
 obscurity, into some importance in the world, and giving me so many 
 advantages of publick usefulness — Indeed I think there is hardly a 
 greater instance of this in the present age. Alas ! that I do not bet- 
 ter improve my opportunities." From England he went to Scot- 
 land, where he was also v*^ell received, and met with considerable 
 success in the business of his mission. 
 
 The precise time of his return to America is not known. Early 
 in the year 1735, he was among his people in Hanover, labouring 
 "with his arrnstomed Tieal and fidelity. But he did not content him- 
 self merely with the discharge of pastoral duties. The country was 
 alarmed and agitated, to the highest degree, by a French and Indian 
 war. There was even much talk of abandoning a part of the colony 
 of Virginia to the enemy. On the 10th of July, 1755, General Brad- 
 dock sustained his memorable defeat, and the remnant of his army 
 "Was saved by the courage and skill of Colonel Washington, then 
 only twenty-three years old. On the 20th of this month, Mr. Da- 
 vies preached a sermon *' On the defeat of General Braddock going 
 to Fort Du Quesne." In this sermon he calls on all his hearers, in 
 the most empassioned and animating strains, to show " themselves 
 men, Britons and christians, and to make a noble stand for the bless- 
 ings they enjoyed." It was feared that the negroes would rise up 
 and join the Indians and French. His influence among the blacks, 
 •was greater perhaps, than that of any other man ; and he used it all 
 to persuade and deter them from any thoughts of joining the enemy. 
 In August of the same year, he delivered a sermon, in Hanover, to 
 Captain Overton's company of Independent volunteers, under the 
 title of " Religion and Patriotism the constituents of a good soldier." 
 It was in a note to this sermon, after expressing a hope that " God 
 had been pleased to diffuse some sparks of martial fire through our 
 country," and appealing to the company of volunteers then addres- 
 sed, as a proof of the fact, that he expressed the hope, or the prog- 
 nostick, which has so often since been noticed, in regard to him who 
 became " lirst in war ; first in peace ; and first in the hearts of his 
 countrymen." "As a remarkable instance of this (said Mr Davies) 
 I may point out to the publick that heroick youth. Colonel Wash- 
 ington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved, 
 in so signal a manner, for so7ne imfiortant service to his country" 
 On another occasion he preached a sermon *' to the militia of Haff- 
 
NOTES. 349 
 
 over county in Virginia, at a general muster, May 8th, 1759, with 
 a view to raise a company for Captain Samuel Meredith." At the 
 close of this discourse a company was made up in a few minutes, 
 and many more offered their names than the Caj)tain was authoriz- 
 ed by law to command. The preacher repaired from the muster 
 ground to the tavern, to order his horse ; and the whole regiment 
 followed him, and pressed round him to catch every word that dropt 
 from his lips. On observing their desire, he stood in the tavern 
 porch, and again addressed them, till he was exhausted with speak- 
 ing. 
 
 The celebrated Patrick Henry of Virginia, is known to have spo- 
 ken in terms of enthusiasm of Mr. Uavics. And as that great states- 
 man and powerful orator lived, from his eleventh to his twentv- 
 second year, in the neighbourhood wlicre the patriotick sermons of 
 Mr. Davies were delivered, and which produced effects as powerful 
 as those ascribed to the orations of Demosthenes himself, it has 
 been supposed, with much probability, that it was Mr. Davies who 
 first kindled the fire and afforded the model of Henry's elocu- 
 tion. 
 
 But Mr. Davies never permitted patriotism or politicks to inter- 
 fere with his duties, or tarnish his character, as a minister of the 
 gospel of Christ. With him every thing was subordinate to relig- 
 ion ; or rather he did all that he did as a part of his religious duty. 
 As such he regarded it, to exert himself to the utmost to preserve 
 his country from the savage ferocity of the Indians, and the tyranny 
 and popery of the French. But in the mean time, he preached the 
 gospel with unwearied assiduity ; and laboured incessantly among 
 the negroes, as well as the white population, in winning souls to the 
 Saviour, and in extending and establishing the institutions of re- 
 ligion. He is to be regarded as the founder of the first Presbytery 
 in the State of Virginia. During his mission to England, the 
 Rev. John Todd, his friend and class-mate, supplied his congrega- 
 tions, as a stated preacher. Sliortly after the return of Mr. Davies, 
 the Presbytery of Hanover was erected. The act of the Synod of 
 New-York for this purpose, bears date September 3d, 1755. The 
 nmiisters composing the body, and named in the minutes of Synod, 
 are Samuel Davies, Jolm Todd, Alexander Craighead, Robert Hen- 
 ry, John Wright, and John Brown. Mr. Davies was appointed to 
 open the Presbytery, which was directed to meet in Hanover, on the 
 3d of December in that year. 
 
 The limits of the Presbytery of Hanover, originally comprehended 
 the whole of Virginia, and a considerable part, if not tlie wliole, of 
 Nortli-Carolina. Through this extensive region, there were scut- 
 
350 NOTES. 
 
 tered numerous settlements of protestant dissenters, besides many 
 ■who had originally belonged to the established church, but had cho- 
 sen to leave it and to join the dissenters. Of this Avhole dissenting in- 
 terest, Mr. Davies was the animating soul. He made his influence 
 to be felt every where ; he transfused his own spirit into the bosoms 
 of his associates, and roused them by the force of his example. His 
 popularity in Virginia was almost unbounded ; so that he was invit- 
 ed and urged to preach, in almost all the settled portions of the 
 colony. The Presbytery to which he belonged, willing and desirous 
 to gratify the people as far as possible, directed him to supply the 
 vacancies, with a frequency which at last became offensive to his 
 own immediate charge. They warmly remonstrated with the 
 Presbytery against being deprived of so much of their pastor's 
 time and labours, unless, in his absence, his congregation should be 
 provided with some one to supply his place. They obtained some 
 relief of their grievance ; yet not such as to prevent an appeal to 
 the Synod on the subject ; the issue of which is not known. To Mr. 
 Davies himself, however, no blame was attached by any party. 
 He appeared willing to spend and be spent, in any service to which 
 his duty called him. 
 
 In this manner was he situated and employed, when he was called 
 to the Presidency of the college. With v/hat reluctance those who 
 were enjoying his ministrations in the wide sphere which he filled, 
 and by whom he was so beloved and admired, " that if it had been 
 possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes, and have 
 given them to him," — with what reluctance they would be finally 
 separated from him as their pastor, teacher, counsellor and friend, 
 may better be conceived than described. His attachment to them, 
 likewise, wis -:ot less strong and ardent, than theirs to him. But he 
 considered nimself, as every minister of the gospet ought to consider 
 himself, a devoted inan — bound to serve iiis Lord and Master in 
 "whatever place, and in whatever manner that Lord and Master might 
 please to appoint. After once and again refusing the call of the 
 college, after deliberating on it maturely, and after it was enforced 
 by the opinion and advice of his brethren, he obeyed. In his 
 farewell address to his people, which is highly pathetick and 
 tender, he explained to them the reasons and motives by which he 
 had been influenced and governed, in his determination to leave 
 them. He appears to have satisfied them that he acted agreeably 
 to his own views of duty, as their affection for him was never with- 
 drawn or diminished ; but if the decision had been left to them- 
 selves, it would probably have been different from that which, 
 under the sanction of the Synod, was reluctantly formed by himself. 
 
NOTES. S51 
 
 The services which he rendered in his official capacity, as Presi- 
 dent of the college, have already been stated. His popularity as a 
 preacher, was equally great, Avhercver he went, or amons; whomso- 
 ever employed ; in Britain and in America, in the mountains and 
 vales of Virginia and in the chapel of Nassau-Hall, among the ne- 
 groes of the Southern colonics, the citizens of Philadelphia, and the 
 students and graduates of the college. His were those powers of elo- 
 quence, connected with that manifest ardent desire to do good to the 
 «ouls of men, whichfindtheir way to every heart which prejudice has 
 not closed, and v*hich accommodate themselves to every gradation of 
 intellect, or rank in society. The writer has been informed, by 
 one of his constant hearers at Princeton, that whenever he invited a 
 brother clergyman to perform an occasional service, it was scarcely 
 possible to prevent the manifestation of tlie disappointment and re- 
 gret which were universally felt ; but that every indication of these 
 feelings which was made known to him, he repressed with a decision 
 and severity, which he discovered on scarcely any other occasion. 
 
 His death has been attributed to his being unskilfully bled. It 
 was more probably precipitated by his unremitting application to 
 study, and to the duties of his office. His previous situation had af- 
 forded little leisure, and comparatively few means, for the cultiva- 
 tion of general science. It was natural, therefore, that even his 
 friends should have had some doubts of his complete preparation, to 
 fill and adorn the new sphere in which he was called to move. To 
 qualify himself for this, his application to study was intense and un- 
 remitted. He rose by break of day, and seldom retired to rest till 
 midnight. The habit of his body being plethorick, his health had, 
 for some years, greatly depended on the exercise of riding, to 
 which he was, from necessity, much habituated in Virginia. This 
 salutary exercise had, from the time he took charge of the college, 
 been almost entirely relinquished. Toward the close of January, 
 1761, he was seized with a bad cold, for which he was bled. The 
 same day he transcribed for the press, his sermon on the death of 
 king George the second. The day following, he preached twice iu 
 the college chapel. The arm in which he had been bled — surely 
 fi*om a cause sufficiently obvious — became much inflamed, and his 
 febrile disposition was much increased. On the morning of the suc- 
 ceeding Monday, he was seized, while at breakfast, with violent 
 chills, succeeded by an inflammatory fever, which in ten days 
 terminated his life. 
 
 A few days before the beginning of the year in which Mr. Davies 
 died, an intimate friend told him that a sermon would be expected 
 from him on new-year's day ; add'mg, among other things, that Pre- 
 
S52 NOTES. 
 
 sident Bun*, on the first day of the year in which he died, preached 
 a sermon on Jer. XXVIII. 16. '* Thus saith the Lord^ This year 
 thou shalt die ;"* and that after his death the people remarked that 
 it was premonitory. Mr, Davies replied, that " although it ought 
 not to be viewed in that light, yet it was very remarkable." When 
 new-year's day came, he preached, and to the surprise of the con- 
 gregation took the same text. When seized by a fever, about three 
 weeks afterwards, he adverted to the circumstance, and remarked 
 that he had been undesignedly led to preach, as it were, his own fu- 
 neral sermon. 
 
 The violence of his disease deprived him of the exercise of his 
 reason, through the most of his sickness. Had it been otherwise, 
 his friends and the publick would, in all probability, have been gra- 
 tified with an additional evidence of the transcendent excellence of 
 the Christian religion, in supporting the soul in the near prospect of 
 death and eternity. But he had preached still more emphatically 
 by his life ; and even in his delirium he manifested what were the 
 objects which chiefly occupied his mind. His faultering tongue was 
 continually uttering some expedient, to promote the prosperity of the 
 church of Christ and the good of mankind. 
 
 The death of President Davies was no ordinary instance of mor- 
 tality. It was generally and justly lamented, as causing a loss, 
 almost irreparable, not only to a distressed family, and a bereaved 
 college, but to the christian ministry, the church, the republick of 
 letters, the community at large ; in a word, to all the most valuable 
 interests of mankind. It was, therefore, to be expected that it 
 would, as it did, attract much publick notice. An affectionate tribute 
 of respect was paid to his memory, talents and virtues, by Dr. Fin- 
 ley, his successor ; in a sermon preached on the occasion, from Rom. 
 XIV. 7, 8. and printed at the request and expense of the trustees of 
 the college. The Rev. David Bostwick, minister of the Presbyterian 
 congregation in New- York, the dear and intimate friend of Mr. Da- 
 vies, had been entrusted by him with the printing of the sermon on 
 the death of King George the second; the preparation, preaching 
 and transcription of which had probably hastened the death of its 
 author — Mr. Bostwick accompanied the publication of the sermon 
 with a preface, in which the talents, piety and usefulness of Mr. Da- 
 vies, were exhibited, and eulogized with great warmth. Dr. Gib- 
 
 * Doctor Withorspoon was in the pi*j\ctlce of preaching on Xew-Year's day : And 
 the writer rcrnejnbers to have heard him tell, that it had b(;en remarked to him 
 liiat he avoided lids text ; and tiiat his reply was, that he avoided it, not because he 
 feared that preaching on it would prove the i)recursor of his tlealh, but because he 
 considered it, iti its connexion, as not afiorUing a fit subject for the occasion. 
 
NOTES. 35r. 
 
 bona, of London, to whom his manuscript sermons were entrusted 
 for publication, and who had been for several years his correspon- 
 dent, preached a funeral sermon, which he i)ublishcd with that of 
 Dr. Finlcy, in the beginning of the first vohinic of tlie sermons, of his 
 deceased friend. Nor has the lively recollection of his worth yet be* 
 come extinct, especially in Virginia. Dr. Rice, the editor of " Th« 
 Virginia Evangelical and Literary Magazine," has lately published 
 " Memoirs of Mr. Davics," from which the present writer has bor- 
 rowed a large part of the foregoing statement ; and to those memoirs 
 he with pleasure refers his readers, for the fullest and best account 
 of this excellent man which he has any where found. 
 
 It is to be regretted tliat a complete edition of the printed works of 
 President Davies, has not yet been published. Dr. Rice notices one or 
 two important omissions ; and to these should be added a very elo- 
 quent and interesting " Valedictory address to the senior class ; de- 
 livered in Nassau-Hall, September 21st, 1760, the Sunday before the 
 commencement ;" which the writer has never seen, but in the pam- 
 phlet form in which it was first printed. 
 
 The collection of sermons, in three volumes octavo, published by 
 Doctor Gibbons, has passed through very numerous editions, both 
 in Britain and in this country. The edition possessed by the writer 
 is the ninth ; and it was published thirty years ago. Probably, in- 
 deed, there are no sermons in the English language which have been 
 more read, or for which there has been so steady and unceasing a 
 demand, for more than half a century past. Yet these sermons were 
 almost wholly posthumous in their publication. They certainly are 
 not distinguished by that minute accuracy of language, or those terse 
 periods, which many later compositions of the same kind possess. 
 Nor can they, in all their parts, be vindicated from the charge of 
 something that appears loose, tumid and declamatory. The general 
 run of the sentences, however, is harmonious : and they every where 
 contain so much just thinking, such powerful reasoning, such pun- 
 gent addresses to the conscience and the heart, with such an unction 
 of piety and such a popularity of manner, as may well account for 
 the favourable reception they have met with. The reader soon 
 ceases to attend to any thing but the subject discussed, and is carried 
 delightfully along, by the powerful charm of genius and piety in hap- 
 py union. 
 
 President Davies was not more than fourteen years in publick life ; 
 for he probably began to preach in his twenty-third year, and died a 
 little after he had completed his thirty-sixth. And when it is con- 
 sidered how imperfect was his early education, how numerous were 
 the difficulties with which he always had to contend, and yet to 
 
 Z2 
 
S54 NOTES. 
 
 what eminence he rose, and what extensive and lasting good he 
 effected, where shall we find an individual whose talents, or whose 
 holy zeal and fidelity, we shall have greater reason to admire ? That 
 he possessed the advantage of superior genius there can be no ques- 
 tion. But let it not be forgotten, that he was as much distinguished 
 by laborious and incessant application to study, as by the facility 
 with which he made his attainments. He dreaded to preach, if he 
 could avoid it, without careful preparation. His intimate friend, Dr. 
 Rodgers, told the writer, that when pressed to speak extemporane- 
 ously, he sometimes replied — " It is a dreadful thing to talk nonsense 
 in the name of the Lord." Nor was he one of those who boasted 
 how easily and rapidly his sermons were composed. He is known 
 to have declared, that " every discourse of his, which he thought 
 worthy of the name of a sermon, cost him four days hard study, in 
 the preparation." It was by this combination of talent and diligence, 
 that he became, probably, the most eloquent and accomplished pulpit 
 orator that our country has ever produced; and what was infinitely 
 more important and desirable, v>^as more successful in winning souls 
 to Christ, than almost any other individual of the day in which he 
 lived : — for his sermons have been benefiting thousands, and tens of 
 thousands, since his death ; and are likely to do so, while the lan- 
 guage in which they are written shall be in use. Let those who 
 aspire to extensive usefulness, take the course which he took, if they 
 hope to arrive at the goal which he reached. 
 
 Of the family left by President Davies, the writer is able to give 
 but little information. The funeral sermon preached by Dr. Finley, 
 is dedicated *' To Mrs. Martha Davies the mother, and Mrs. Jean 
 Davies, the widow of the late Rev. President Davies." Of his wi- 
 dow, it is only known that she returned to her friends in Virginia, 
 and remained there till her death. His eldest son. Col. William Da- 
 vies, was educated at Nassau-Hall, and graduated in 1765. He 
 studied the law, and settled at Norfolk, in Virginia. In the revolu- 
 tionary war he obtained the rank of a Colonel, in the American ar- 
 my ; was an officer of distinguished merit, and possessed, in an emi- 
 nent degree, the esteem and confidence of the commander-in-chief, 
 the illustrious Washington. He was well known to the writer, and 
 was unquestionably a man of powerful mind, highly cultivated and 
 enriched by various knowledge. He died in Virginia, a few years 
 since, and is believed to have left one daughter, as his only issue. 
 John Rodgers Davies, was also educated at Nassau-Hall, and gradu- 
 ated in 1769. He likewise studied the law, and is supposed to be still 
 living in Virginia, in the county of Sussex. Samuel Davies, the 
 third son, was settled in Petersburgh, and died there, several years 
 
NOTES. 355 
 
 since. An only daughter of President Davies, never married, is sup- 
 posed to be still living. It is also believed that two or three of his 
 grand children, beside the daughter of his eldest son, are still in life. 
 His mother, Mrs. Martha Davies, made a part of the President*;* 
 family, at the time of his death. The writer has been well informed, 
 that when the corpse of her son was laid in the coffin, she stood over 
 it, in the presence of a number of friends for some minutes, viewing 
 it attentively, and tlien said — "There is the son of my prayers and 
 my hopes — my only son — my only earthly support. But there is the 
 will of God, and I am satisfted!'* This eminent saint was received 
 into the family of the Rev. Dr. Rodgers, of New-York, and by him 
 ■was treated with the utmost kindness and veneration, till the time of 
 her death. 
 
 The monumental inscription, already referred to, is si& follows— 
 
 Sub Hoc Marmore sepulchrali 
 
 Mortales Exuvix 
 
 Reverendi perquam Viri, 
 
 SAMUELIS DAVIES, A. M. 
 
 CoUegii Nov-Cxsariensis Prxsidis, 
 
 Futuram Domini Adventum prxstolantur. 
 
 Ke te, Viator, ut pauca de tanto 
 
 Tamque dilecto Viro resciscas, 
 
 Paulisper morari pigeat. 
 
 Natus est in Comitatu de Newcastle, juxta Delawarjt, 
 
 HI Novembris, Anno Salutis reparatx, 
 
 MDCCXXIV. S. V. 
 
 Sacris ibidem initiatus, XIX Febiniarii, 
 
 MDCCXLVII, 
 
 Tutclam pastoralem Ecclesix 
 
 In Comitatu de Hanover, Virginiensium, suseepit. 
 
 Ibi per XI plus minus Annos, 
 
 Ministri evangelici Laboribus 
 
 Indefesse, et favente Numine, auspicate perfunctus. 
 
 Ad MunusPrxsidiale Collegii Nov-Cxsariensis gereudum 
 
 Vocatus est, ct inauguratus, XXVI Julii, 
 
 MDCCLIX S. N, 
 
 Sed, proh Renim inane ! intra Biennium, Febre correptus, 
 
 Candidam Animam CceIo reddidit, IV' Februarii, MDCCLXI, 
 
 Heu quam exiguum Vitx Curriculum ! 
 
 Corpore fuit eximio ; Gestu liberali, placido, augusto. 
 
 Ingenii Nitore, 
 
 Morum Integritute, Muuificcutia, Facilitate, 
 
S56 NOTES. 
 
 Inter paucos illustris. 
 
 Rei literarise peritus ; Theologus promptus, perspicax, 
 
 In Rostris, per Eloquium blandum, mellitum, 
 
 Vehemens simul, et perstringens, nuUi secundus, 
 
 Scriptor ornatus, sublimis, disertus. 
 
 Praesertim vero Pietate, 
 
 Ardente in Deum Zelo et Religione spectandus. 
 
 In tanti Viri, majora meriti, 
 
 Memoriam duraturam, 
 
 Amici hoc qualecunque monumentum. 
 
 Honoris ergo et Gratitudinis, posuere. 
 
 Abi^ Viator y ei aemulare. 
 
 DOCTOR FINLEY'S ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 From June \st, 1761, to July 19th, 1766. 
 
 The board of tinistees did not meet, after the death of President 
 Davies, in February, till the month of May following — In the interval 
 the college appears to have remained under the care of the tutors ; 
 who, at this time, were eminently qualified for their station. The fol- 
 lowing extracts from the minutes of the board, and the remarks con- 
 nected with them, with the statement which will be found in the 
 extracts from Dr. Finley's history, and the subjoined account of a re- 
 vival of religion, will give a full view of the state of the institution 
 during the period now under consideration. 
 
 *' At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New- Jersey, at 
 Nassau-Hall, on Thursday the 20th day of May, 1761 — A quoi'um 
 of the trustees, not having convened, express messengers were des- 
 patched to several of the absent members ; and on Monday morning 
 June 1st, 1761, being called over, the following members appeared, 
 viz. Messrs. William P. Smith, Samuel Woodruff, John Pierson, Gil- 
 bert Tennent, W^illiam Tennent, Caleb Smith, Jacob Green, John 
 Brainerd, Samuel Finley, Elihu Spencer, Charles M 'Knight, John 
 Light, and Richard Stockton. — The clerk certified that he had giv- 
 en due notice of the present Meeting to each of the members. 
 
 It having pleased a sovereign God, since our last meeting, to re- 
 move by death the late Reverend and ingenious Mr. Davies, Presi- 
 dent of the College, the trustees proceeded to the election of a Pre- 
 sident; whereupon the Rev. Mr. Samuel Finley, of Nottingham, 
 in the province of Pennsylvania, was unanimously chosen President 
 of the College, in the room of the Rev. Mr. Davies ; and the Rev. 
 Mr. Finley, being informed of the above election, was pleased mod- 
 estly to accept the same— Whereupon Mr, Treat, one of the mejft- 
 
NOTES. S57 
 
 bcrs of this board, is desired to attend the next meeting of the Pres- 
 bytery to which the Rev. Mr. Finley belongs, to request that he 
 may be liberated from his jjresent pastoral charge. 
 
 It is ordered that Mr. Finley's salary, as President of the College, 
 be the sum of JE200 proc. per annum, with the usual privilet^es and 
 perquisites; and that the expense of moving the lUv. Air. Finley's 
 family to this place, be 'paid by the Treasurer. 
 
 At a meeting o^' the trustees of the College of Ncw-Jersev, at 
 Nassau-Hall, on \\'ednesday the 30th day of September, A. D. 1761 
 — The Rev. Mr. Finley, President elect of this College, having been 
 pleased to accept of the presidentship, was qualified as the c)\iuter 
 directs, and took his seat accordingly. 
 
 Voted, That the Treasurer of the College pay President Finley, 
 the sum of £22 11, it being the expense of his removal to the Col- 
 lege — Voted, that President Finley's salary begin from the third 
 Wednesday in June last ; it being the time of his dismission from his 
 people at Nottingham. 
 
 Ordered, That Mr. Stockton, the Clerk, be desired to return the 
 thanks of this board to the gentlemen in Philadelphia, who hax'e 
 generously undertaken the management of the Lottery, now on foot 
 in favour of the College." It is not believed that there was anv leg- 
 islative act of the colony of Pennsylvania, authorizing this Lottery. 
 The probability is, that, at this time, lotteries in that colony, were 
 not forbidden by law ; so that they might be made and drawn with- 
 out legislative sanction. This was not the case in New-Jersey, and 
 in some of the other colonies. 
 
 "Ordered, 'Fhat all monies arising from the Lottery, made in 
 Philadelphia, for the benefit of the College, be deposited in the hands 
 of Mr. Sergeant, the treasurer, as soon as possible ; and that the mo- 
 nies be by him immediately put out to interest, as soon as opportuni- 
 ties present — Ordered, that Mr. Parker, be desired to print the num- 
 bers of the prizes in the Philadelphia Lottery, for the benefit of the 
 New-Jersey College, in his Thursday paper; and that he be paid 
 for the same by the 'Freasurer of the College. 
 
 Voted, That President Finley, be desired to print his sermon 
 preached at the funeral of Mr. Davies, at the expense of the Col- 
 lege, and that the copies be disposed of for the benefit of the institu- 
 tion. 
 
 At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New- Jersey, at 
 Nassau-Hall, on \\'ednesday the 29th day of September, A. D. 1762. 
 
 His Kxcellency Josiah Hardy, Esq. Go\cniour of this province, 
 having been pleased to attend the present meeting, was qualified as 
 the charter directs, and took his seat accordingly. 
 
S58 NOTES. 
 
 Voted, That in consideration of Mr. Halsey's extraordinary ser- 
 vices the last year, he be paid the sum of fifteen pounds ; and that 
 fifteen pounds per annum be added to his present salary. 
 
 Voted, That the salary of the President of this College, for the 
 time being, be from henceforth the sum of two hundred and fifty' 
 pounds proclamation money per annum, with the profits of the 
 Grammar School ; and that he have the same privilege of educating 
 his sons at the College as was, in such case, given to the late Presi- 
 dent Davies ; and that the President be paid his salary half yearly. 
 
 Voted, That the determination of the ten trustees, expressed in a 
 paper signed by them, and dated April 1762, respecting the gift of a 
 Lot of Land, for the erecting of the Church now in building, be con- 
 firmed.'* 
 
 Till this time there had been no house for publick worship in the 
 village of Princeton. Worship was celebrated in the college chapel, 
 the inhabitants of the village and vicinity met with the students, and 
 as we have seen paid something for pew rent. The publick exerci- 
 ses of commencement were also performed in the chapel. Better 
 accommodations for a numerous assembly vvere much needed, both 
 b\' the college and the village. At this tim.e it appears that a lot of 
 land belonging to the corporation of the college was given to the in- 
 habitants of Princeton and its neighbourhood, for the purpose of 
 erecting a church. 
 
 "Voted, That Messrs President Finley, Wm.Tennent, M'Knight, 
 the Treasurer and the Clerk, or any three of them, be a committee 
 to erect a Kitchen, for the use of the college, in such place and man- 
 ner as they think most convenient." The college edifice and the 
 President's house, were, till this time, the only buildings erected on 
 the grounds belonging to the institution. Some part of the main edi- 
 fice had hitherto been used for culinary purposes. But a convenient 
 house was now built, at the east end of the principal stnicture, which 
 was used as a Kitchen, till the refectory was erected, after the burn- 
 ing of the main edifice, in 1802 — The former Kitchen, somewhat en- 
 larged and considerably altered, has been used, both before and 
 since, as a Dwelling-house for the Steward. 
 
 *' It is ordered that the President of the College, Doct. Harris and 
 the Clerk, be a committee, to draw up and present the thanks of this 
 board to the several branches of the Legislature of this pi'ovince, for 
 their having passed a law, enabling the trustees to erect a Lottery 
 for the benefit of the College." Till this time, fourteen years after 
 the founding of the college, it had never received a legislative favour 
 in the colony of New-Jersey. We have seen that it had been pa- 
 tronised both in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Whether this ope- 
 
NOTES. 359 
 
 rated as a stimulus, at last, on the legislature of the colony in which 
 the college was situated, or whetlier some other motive had hiflu- 
 ence at this time, is unknown to the Avriter. Permission to make a 
 Lottery for the benefit of tlie institution was now granted. The sum 
 to be raised was d£3000 proclamation money. This sum, however, 
 we shall see, was not fully realized. " Messrs Ezekiel Forman, Jon- 
 athan Sergeant, James Hude, jun. Moore Furman, William Thomp- 
 son, Jonathan Baldwin, Joseph Woodruff, and Robert Ogdcn, are de- 
 sired to be Managers of the Lottery, which the legislature of this 
 province have been pleased to pass an act for, and tliat, if it be ne- 
 cessary, the President of the College, Dr. Harris and the Clerk, be 
 a committee to make any alteration in the number or persons of the 
 managers they may think convenient. 
 
 At a meeting of the trustees of the ColU-gc of New- Jersey, at Nas- 
 sau-Hall, on \\'ednesday the 28th day of September, A. D. ir63— 
 His Excellency Governor Franklin, haxing been pleased to attend 
 this meeting, was qualified as the charter directs. 
 
 It is ordered that Mr. William P. Smitli, Mr. Woodruff, Dr. Red- 
 man, Mr. Treat and Mr. Brainerd, he a committee, to settle with 
 the congregation of Princeton, the matter resj)ecting the lot of land, 
 which this board heretofore has ordered to be conveyed to tlicm, for 
 the erection of a church, and for a burying ground ; and that the 
 committee have full power to oflcr the congregation such terms as 
 they think proper, in consideration of their releasing their claim to 
 the lot of land ; and to make such other agreement with the congi-e- 
 gation, touching the premises, as the committee shall judge proper." 
 It appears from this minute, that the lot of land, granted by the trus- 
 tees to the congregation of Princeton, for the erection of a church, 
 and for a burial ground, was at this time expected to revert to the 
 college. This, however, did not take place. The transactions be- 
 tween the trustees of the college and the congregation of Princeton, 
 relative to this concern, were numerous and of long continuance. A 
 particular detail of them will not be given. The result was, that in 
 1762 and 1763, a church was built on the lot originall) given by the 
 college ; that the trustees of the college lent about £700 to the con- 
 gregation, to aid in building the church ; that a burial ground wrts 
 obtained in another place, as a donation from Dr. Thomas \^'iggins ; 
 that the money loaned to the congregation was eventually paid ; that 
 the inside of the church, as well as of the college edifice, was des- 
 troyed by the British and American armies, during the revolutiona' 
 ry war, and repaired at a very considerable expense; that the 
 church was entirely consumed, except the walls, which were of 
 brick, by a fire which took place by accident, in February, 1813; 
 
360 NOTES. 
 
 that it was rebuilt at the expense of the congregation, with the aid 
 of 5500, contributed by the college ; that the college has, by con- 
 tract, an exclusive right to the church on the day of commencement, 
 on the evening that precedes it, and at such other times as the facul- 
 ty shall state in writing, that it is needed for the publick exercises 
 of the institution ; and also a claim to one half of the gallery, for the 
 use of the students, on the sabbath. 
 
 " Dr. Redman, having informed this board that a piece of ground, 
 adjoining the college, now belonging to Mr. Robert Smith, of Phila- 
 delphia, is to be sold, it is agreed, that the same be purchased for 
 the use of this corporation ; and it is desired that Dr. Redman, a 
 member of this board, do immediately agree with Mr. Smith, and 
 have a proper deed executed for the same ; and the clerk is hereby 
 directed to sign an order on one of the managers of the lottery lately 
 dravN^n in Philadelphia, who may have cash in hand, for the purchase 
 money. 
 
 It is ordered, that the salary of the President of the college, be the 
 sum of £300 per amram, and that the salary of the present senior 
 Tutor be £75, and those of the two junior Tutors be the sum of £65 
 per annum — It is ordered that an English school be forthwith erec- 
 ted in this college, which is to be under the inspection and govern- 
 ment of the President of the college, for the time being. 
 
 Ata meeting of the trustees of the College of New-Jersey, at Nas- 
 sau-Hall, in Princeton, on Wednesday the 20th day of June, A. D. 
 1764. 
 
 The minutes of the last meeting were read ; and it appears to the 
 board that a quorum of the trustees not having met last April, accord- 
 ing to an order made in September last, six of the trustees appointed 
 a meeting on this day, agreeable to the direction of the charter in 
 such a case. 
 
 The President of the college informed the board that he has erec- 
 ted an English school in the college, and employed a master for that 
 purpose ; of which this board approves, and desires the Pesident to 
 carry on the same, in such manner, as he shall think most advanta- 
 geous to the college. 
 
 It appearing that there is a very large sum of money due to the 
 Steward, from several persons who have been educated at this col- 
 lege, and all the orders of this board, which have been hitherto 
 made, have been ineffectual for the recovery of the same, it is now 
 ordered, that every student of the college shall hereafter pay off, 
 and discharge his several debts to the Steward, and other collegiate 
 officers, at the end of every fall vacation, or in default thereof, shall 
 be dismissed the college ; unless sufficient security be given to the 
 
NOTES. 361 
 
 Steward of the college, that the same shall be fully discharged in six 
 weeks ; and it is further ordered, that every student who shall not 
 produce to the President of the college a certificate from the Stew- 
 ard, that all his arrears arc paid off and discharged, two days before 
 the commencement, such student shall have his name struck out of 
 the printed Thesis and Catalogue, and shall not be admitted to per- 
 form any of the commencement exercises, or receive a degree.** 
 This minute will serve to show with what difficulty the dues of the 
 students were collected, at the time the minute was made ; and the 
 apparently harsh measures to which the trustees were obliged to 
 resort, to prevent the loss of almost the only revenue on which they 
 could calculate to pay the salaries of their officers. Nor did these 
 measures, nor any other that they could devise, prove effectual ; till 
 they resolved on that which is now in operation, namely, that every 
 student shall pay, in advance, the whole charges of each session — 
 the treasurer to refund equitably, if the student leaves the college 
 before the end of the session. 
 
 " At a meeting of the trustees of the college of New- Jersey, in 
 Nassau-Hall, at Princeton, on Wednesday the 25th day of Septem>- 
 ber, A. D. 1765. 
 
 The President of the college represented to this board, sundry in.- 
 eonveniences arising from the English school being kept in the col- 
 lege ; therefore the trustees request, that the President will please 
 to carry on the same school, in some convenient place out of the col- 
 lege, in such manner as he shall think proper. 
 
 It is ordered, that Mr. Stockton and Mr. Berrien give directions 
 for the digging another well, contiguous to the college, in case of 
 fire ; and draw upon the treasurer for the expense thereof.'* An 
 additional well has since been dug, for the particular use of the Stew- 
 ard ; but to which ready access may be had, not only in case of fire, 
 but for the general accommodation of the institution. 
 
 It is ordered by this board, that hereafter no other articles what- 
 soever be kept in the buttery and sold to the students, save only 
 bread, butter, candles and small beer." For many years past there 
 has been no buttery connected with the college establishment. It 
 has been the prevalent opinion, in the board of trustees, that a butte- 
 ry would be rather injurious than beneficial to the institution. 
 
 It is ordered, that the Steward take the entire care of the bellfry, 
 and appoint one of the servants constantly to ring the bell, for which 
 he is to be allowed five pounds per annum ; that he keep the door of 
 the Cupola constantly locked, and provide ropes and all things neces- 
 sary, at the expense of this board ; and it is further ordered that the 
 bellman shall not deliver the key to any person except the President, 
 
 A3 
 
36^ NOTES. 
 
 tutors or steward." It was considered of great importance to pre- 
 vent effectually an entrance to the bellfry, except in the presence of 
 the officers of the college. Experience has shown the wisdom of this 
 measure. Free access to the Cupola of the college, was probably 
 the cause of its being burned in 1802 ; as it was in this part of the 
 btracture that the fire commenced. 
 
 *' Whereas the quorum of the trustees of this college consists of a 
 large number, and it is found very difficult to convene a sufficient 
 number to transact the business of the corporation ; it is therefore 
 ordered, that for the future, every trustee wiio shall absent himself, 
 for three years, from the meetings of the said trustees, and shall not 
 send to the board such reasons of his non-attendance as shall be sus- 
 tained, that in such case, his seat shall be judged vacant, and a new 
 member be elected in his stead." 
 
 The difficulty of obtaining a quorum of the board of trustees, at 
 the times appointed for their meetings, was, in the early periods of 
 the college, great and highly embarrassing. This rule had a good 
 effect — It has since been made more rigorous. An absence from 
 three successive stated meetings, or for a year and a half, now pro- 
 duces a forfeiture of a seat at the board. 
 
 *' It is ordered, for the future, that every student and graduate 
 (the officers of college excepted) who makes use of the publick libra- 
 ry, shall pay to the steward the sum of two shillings and six pence, 
 every quarter of a year, to be expended for the use of the library. 
 
 It is ordered that no student of the college shall be allowed to have 
 the key of the library ; but that every person who is admitted there 
 shall be introduced by one of the officers of the college. 
 
 It is ordered, that an addition of one hundred pounds per annum», 
 be made to the present salary of the President of the college. 
 
 Mr. Ogden is requested to get sixty-two good leather fire buckets, 
 and transmit them to the college as soon as possible ; and it is ordered 
 that the same, with those already here, be carefully deposited and 
 locked up in the Engine-house." An excellent fire engine had, before 
 this, been procured by the college, and a house erected for its pre- 
 servation, which was now made the place of deposite for the fire 
 buckets. The prepai-ations for extinguishing fire are, at present, 
 more extensive and complete than they were, at the time to which 
 the above minute refers. 
 
 " At a meeting of the tinistees of the college of New-Jersey, at 
 Nassau-Hall, in Princeton, on Wednesday the 25th day of June, A. 
 D. 1766. 
 
 The minutes of the last meeting were read, and it appears to the 
 boavd, that a quorum of tke trustees not having met last November, 
 
NOTES. 355 
 
 according to an order made in Scpteinber last ; six of the trustees 
 appointed a meeting on this day, agreeable to the direction of the 
 charter in such a case. ' 
 
 Whereas the trustees have received, by the hands of Dr. Redman, 
 a certain order for one hundred pounds sterling, for the use of this 
 college, in support of a divinity-professor, drawn by Mr. John Wil' 
 liamson, of Hanover, in Virginia, on Mr. Samuel Waterman, mer- 
 chant, in London ; it is ordered, that the said order be immediately 
 transmitted to Mr. Stockton, now at New-York, and bound for Lon- 
 don ; impowering the said Mr. Stockton, under the seal of this col- 
 lege, to present the said order and receive the cash. — And Dr. Red- 
 man is also farther desired to return the thanks of this board to said 
 Mr. Williamson, for his generous donation, and to reqtiest duplicates 
 of his order, in case of the miscarriage of the one he has sent." This 
 is the first sum which is mentioned in the records of the college, as 
 having been appropriated to tlie founding of a professorship of The- 
 ology. The President of the college, till the establishment of the 
 Theological Seminary in Princeton, had commonly the conducting 
 of the theological studies of such graduates as chose to pursue; 
 those studies at the college. A professor of Theology, however, the 
 Rev. John Blair, was appointed, about a year after the above minute 
 ■was made ; and continued in office till the accession of Dr. Wither- 
 spoon to the Presidency ; at wliich time Mr. Blair resigned, and the 
 professorship was formally conferred on Dr. W^itherspoon, in connex- 
 ion with the presidency. 
 
 It being moved, that an address be drawn up and presented to his 
 Majesty, on his late gracious condescension to these colonies in the 
 repeal of the stamp act ; and also that a petition be at the same time 
 presented, for the grant of sixty thousand acres of the land, lately 
 added to the province of New- York, from the territory of New- 
 Hampshire, or elsewhere in said pi'ovince : It is hereby ordered, 
 that the honourable Mr. Justice Smith, the Rev. Messrs De Ronde 
 and Rodgers, be a committee, for drawing up the said address and 
 petition, in such manner as they shall judge proper; and that the 
 same be signed with the name of Edward Sliippen, Esq. the present 
 President of this board, and when finished, that the said papers be 
 transmitted to Mr. Stockton, one of our members, in I^ondon, with a. 
 letter to him, praying him to take such measures, and to engage such 
 friends of this institution in London, to be assisting to him in this 
 affair, as he shall be advised by Dr. Chandler, will be most expedi- 
 ent ; and the said committee arc also desired, to transmit a letter, 
 at the same time, to Dr. Chandler, in the name of this board, hum- 
 bly requesting his advice and aid in the conduct and management of 
 
564 NOTES. 
 
 this affair." The address and petition ordered in this minute to be 
 presented to the king, were prepared and forwarded to Mr. Stockton, 
 then in London. On his return he made the following report — " Mr. 
 Stockton acquainted the board that the papers which had been 
 transmitted to him, while in England, by order of the trustees, came 
 safe to his hands. That being introduced by one of the king's min- 
 isters, he had the honour of presenting to his majesty the address of 
 the trustees, on occasion of the repeal of the American Stamp Act, 
 which was very graciously received. That the petition for a grant 
 of lands was lodged in the plantation office ; and that my Lord Shel- 
 burne, had promised him to lay the same before the king in council. 
 The board then returned Mr. Stockton, their thanks for his services 
 in behalf of th^ college, while he was in Great Britain." Nothing 
 farther appears on the records, in regard to this petition for land. 
 No land was granted ; and probably the petition was never heard of, 
 after it was lodged in the plantation office. 
 
 "The Rev. Mr. De Ronde, having laid before this board a plan for 
 the introduction of a professor of divinity, to be obtained from Hol- 
 land, for the service of the Dutch as well as English Presbyterian 
 Churches in these parts ; the trustees, having maturely considered 
 the same, are of opinion, that the proposal is not yet ripe for prose- 
 cution, and therefore defer the farther consideration of it to the next 
 meeting. 
 
 Whereas frequent complaints "have been made to this board, that 
 detriment does and is likely to accrue to this institution by means of 
 the scholars boarding out of the college ; and it appearing, that a 
 considerable number are now out, it is hereby ordered that all the 
 students, who do now board out of the college, return, within ten 
 days from this time, unless a note be obtained from some physician, 
 certifying, that it is his opinion that the health of such student or 
 students requires that he should board out of the college, nor even 
 then, till after leave obtained from the President, or in his absence 
 from the tutors. 
 
 It is further ordered, that no student hereafter board out of the 
 college without such certificate from a physician, and such leave 
 from the President, or in his absence from the tutors, as is above- 
 mentioned." The order heie taken on this subject has, with some 
 temporary variations, been that which has been observed till the 
 present time. Students whose parents or guardians live in the town, 
 or vicinity, reside with them — All others are required to board with 
 the Steward, and to lodge in the edifice, except in case of sickness, 
 when with the approbation cf the President, they are permitted to 
 go to private lodgings. 
 
NOTES. i^65 
 
 " As Dr. Finlej', the President of this college, is now in a lanquish- 
 ing state, and it is highly probable he will be removed by death be- 
 fore the next commencement, or, at least, that he will be unable to 
 preside at the public exercises on that occabion ; the trustees have 
 unanimously appointed the Rev. Mr. Spencer, to preside on that 
 day, and to confer the degrees in the usual manner ; and the said Mr. 
 Spencer, was pleased to signify his acquiescence in this appoint- 
 ment ; And the trustees do farther direct, that in case of the l^resi- 
 dent's death, the fees and perquisites, usually paid to the President, 
 for the degrees, be received by the eldest tutor, to be disposed of as 
 the trustees shall hereafter direct." 
 
 Dr. Finley was at this time in the city of Philadelphia, whither 
 he had repaired for the benefit of better medical atteritlance than he 
 could obtain at Princeton. All efforts, however, were unavailing, to 
 prolong his valuable life. 
 
 "It having pleased an holy God, to visit Dr. Finley, the worthy 
 President of this college, with great and distressing illness, whereby 
 he is at present, entirely unable to perform the duties of his impor- 
 tant station, and it appearing necessary, for the welfare of this insti- 
 tution, that some person be invested with the power and authority of 
 the President, in order the better to manage the affairs of the semi- 
 nary ; this board have appointed the Rev Mr. Wm. Tennent, to act 
 in the room and stead of President 1 inley, during his absence, and do 
 hereby invest him with full i)o\ver and authority to execute the 
 said office, until next commencement ; or during President Finley 's 
 Absence and disability; and Mr. Tennent was qualified accordingly." 
 Dr. Finley died in Philadelphia, about three weeks after the meet- 
 ing of the board at whicli tliis minute was made. Mr. Spencer, it 
 appears, acted as President at the succeeding commencement; and. 
 the government of the college was committed to Mr. William Ten- 
 nent. 
 
 The following minutes of the trustees were made at a meeting of 
 the board, Septemlier 24th, 1766, after the death of Dr. Finley, and 
 before the choice of his successor. 
 
 " The gentlemen appointed at the last meeting to draw up an ad- 
 dress to his majesty and a petition, &c. report that they have trans- 
 acted that affair agreeable to said order. 
 
 Dr. Redman having been appointed at the last meeting to trans- 
 mit to Mr. Stockton a certain order, &.c. it is reported that he has 
 transacted that affair agreeable to said appointment. 
 
 The proposal which the Rev. Mr. De Ronde, laid before the 
 board, at the last meeting, relating to the introduttion of a profeaiior 
 of divinity, is again deferred to further consideration.* 
 
366 NOTES. 
 
 The trustees also considering the great and important services 
 that have been rendered to this institution by Mr. Jeremiah Halsey, 
 over and above the necessary duties of his office as a tutor of the 
 college, do, in consideration of his said extraordinary and faithful 
 services, unanimously agree, that the sum of sixty-one pounds, be- 
 ing the graduation money, by calculation, now in his hands, be pre- 
 sented to him, or whatever the fees may amount to, be the same 
 more or less." 
 
 Mr. Halsey held the office of tutor in college longer, it is believed, 
 than any other individual. He was one of the best scholars that was 
 ever educated in the institution. He was, at this time, a preacher of 
 the gospel, was afterwards settled in the ministry, and for a number 
 of years w^as a? trustee of the college. 
 
 " Whereas sundry weighty and important reasons have induced 
 this board to augment the late worthy President's salary, from time 
 to time, to the sum of £400 ; but in as much as the occasion of the 
 late necessary augmentation is removed, and the present low state of 
 the college funds will not allow this board to continue that salary for 
 the future, in its present circumstances ; it is agreed, therefore, that 
 the stated salary of the next President shall be £250, with the usual 
 perquisites." 
 
 Some extracts will now be given from the histoiy of the college 
 composed by Doct.Finley, and repeatedly referred to already. They 
 have been selected with a view to show, in as summary a manner as 
 possible, the method of discipline or government, at this period ; the 
 course of study ; the style of living ; the expense of residence ; the 
 patronage that had recently been obtained ; and the claims of the 
 institution on the benevolence and liberality of the publick. 
 
 " In the exercise of discipline, the more usual process is this — The 
 President or tutors, separately or in conjunction, privately reason 
 with the offender, in order to m.ake him sensible of his ill conduct ; 
 and endeavour by their manner of address, to convince him, that in 
 their proceedings against him, they are actuated from motives of 
 sincere regard to his own welfare, and that their severity is not the 
 effect of moroseness, ill nature, or personal resentment. If the of- 
 fence charged, be denied, evidences are adduced in proof of it. But 
 if the youth discovers an ingenuous temper, by an open, frank ac- 
 knowledgment, such a disposition is encouraged, by a mitigation of 
 the punishment. On the other hand, all low and dishonest artifices, 
 particularly lying and wilful equivocation, are resented as the high- 
 est aggravations. In the res\dt, if found guilty, according to the na- 
 ture of the offence, he is dismissed, either with a private reprimand, 
 Qj* required to submit to a public formal admonition ; or, to make a 
 
NOTES. 367 
 
 penitent confession in the hall, before the whole house ; or deprived 
 of some of the peculiar privileges of his class ; or, for some limited 
 time, prohibited a free conversation with his fellow students, and 
 admission into their chambers, as unworthy of their society ; or sus- 
 pended from residence, and all the privileges of the college, until 
 the matter be laid before a committee of six of the trustees. In these 
 ♦ocveral kinds and degrees of punishment, an impartial regard is had 
 not only to the nature of the ofl'cnce, but also to the disj)osition, age, 
 rank in college, habitual conduct, and other circumstances of the of- 
 fender. Suspension is the highest censure the President and Tutors 
 can inflict. The power of expulsion is invested in any six of the 
 trustees convened ; who, having had no connection with the offender, 
 cannot be suspected of prepossession or partiality. * * * * 
 
 As to the branches of literature taught here, they are the same 
 with those which are made parts of education in the European col- 
 leges, save only such, as may be occasioned by the infancy of this 
 institution. The students are divided into four distinct classes, 
 which are callec^ the Freshman, the So])homore, the Junior, and the 
 Senior. In each of these they continue one year ; givirig and iv- 
 ceiving, in their turns, those tokens of respect and subjection, Avhich 
 belong to their standings ; in order to preserve a due subordination. 
 
 On the third Wednesday in August annually, the Senior class are 
 examined bv the trustees, the college ofiicers, and other gentlemen 
 of learning then present, throughout all the branches of literature, 
 they have been here taught. And if approved, as worthy of aca- 
 demical honours, the President assigns them the parts, they are 
 respectively to perform at the anniversary commencement ; the 
 general proceedings of which, are so publickly known, as to super- 
 cede all necessity of description. They are then graduated Bachelors 
 of Arts. After an interval of three years, they are usually admit- 
 ted to the Masters degree. But to this latter the terms of admission, 
 for these few years past, have not been so lax and indeterminate as 
 formerly. * * * * 
 
 We come now to give some account of the manner together with 
 the expenses of boarding. It is time, so minute a detail of the little 
 affairs of a college, affords but a dry and unentertaining story : and 
 a relation of the economy of a kitchen and dining room, would be 
 still more low and vulgar. But as the judicious reader must be sen- 
 sible, that a proper regulation of these matters, is of more conse- 
 quence to such a community, than a thousand things that would 
 make a more shining figure in description ; it is presumed, that some 
 account of them may be expected ; and that he will excuse the dul- 
 ncss of the narrative, for the sake of the importance of the informa- 
 
568 NOTES. 
 
 tion, to those especially who may incline to educate their sons at 
 this college. 
 
 It is the business of the steward to provide all necessaries for the 
 use of the society, to employ cooks and other servants to cleanse the 
 chambers, make the beds, &cc. The tutors, and all the students, 
 and sometimes the president, eat together in the dining-hall, always 
 seated according to rank and seniority. No private meals are al- 
 lowed in their chambers, except with express license, on special 
 occasions. Tea and coffee are served up for breakfast. At dinner, 
 they have, in turn, almost all the variety of fish and flesh the coun- 
 try here affords ; and sometirines pies ; every dish of the same sort, 
 and alike dressed, on one day ; but with as great difference, as to 
 the kinds of provision and manner of cookery, on different days, as 
 the market and other circumstances Avill admit. Indeed, no luxu- 
 rious dainties, or costly delicacies, can be looked for among the vi- 
 ands of a college, where health and economy are alone consulted in 
 the furniture of the tables These, however, are plentifully suppli- 
 ed, without weight or measure allowance : and the meals are con- 
 ducted with regularity and decorum ; waiters being constantly in 
 attendance. The general table drink is small beer or cider. For 
 supper, milk only is the standing allowance, chocolate is sometimes 
 served as a change. # * * 
 
 The annual charge of education, including tuition money, chamber 
 reiit, steward's salary, servants wages, washing, fire-wood, and can- 
 dles, with contingencies, may amount, communibus annis, to about 
 twenty-five pounds, six shillings, lawful money of New- Jersey ; for 
 the market rises and falls; and on some of those articles, the expen- 
 ses are arbitrary. Hence, frugality in the student, may sometimes, 
 without meanness, reduce the accompt. The particulars, as they 
 stand for the most part, in the steward's books, are here spepified, 
 
 and charged upon an average. 
 
 Tuition money £ 4 
 
 Boarding, steward's salary, and ^ 15 
 
 servants wages inclusive % 
 
 Chamber rent 
 
 Washing 
 
 Wood and candles 
 
 Contingent charges 
 
 Though this institution has succeeded beyond the expectation of 
 4ts warmest friends, notwithstanding the severe shocks it received^ 
 by the death of three Presidents, in so quirk succession ; and its un- 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 £25 
 
 6 
 
 
 
NOTES, 369 
 
 settled state, till the chair was filled ; yet it still labours under 
 Several deficiencies, wliich nothing but the beneficent hand of 
 charity can relieve. With mathematical instruments, and an ap- 
 paratus for experiments in natural philosophy, it is but very 
 indifferently furnished. The library wants many of the most ap- 
 proved modem writers, as hath been already hinted. It would be 
 also of eminent service, had it revenues ample enough to support 
 professors in some of the distinct branches of literature ; who 
 might each make a figure in his own province, could his studies and 
 instructions be confined to his peculiar department. A professor of 
 divinity, especially for the benefit of the theological students, would 
 be of singular utility. At present, there are three tutors, besides 
 the President. To those, the college fund, can as yet, afford but 
 scanty livings ; the tutors particularly, unless they assume a vow 
 of celibacy, are unable to continue in their offices for life. Hence it 
 happens, that when a young gentleman has, by study and experi- 
 ence, thoroughly qualified himself for the employment, he often 
 resigns it ; and the trustees are then obliged to elect another, per- 
 haps not equally fit for it. 
 
 The fund, until within about a year past, hath not much exceed- 
 ed £1300. But from a lottery, which was generously set on foot by 
 a number of gentlemen in Philadelphia, in favour of the institution, 
 it was increased to nearly jE2800, the neat produce of the same, af- 
 ter necessary charges, and losses which usually happen, besides 
 what was disbursed to pay urgent debts, being about £l500. Ex- 
 clusive of the annual support of officers, the expenses from other 
 quarters are not inconsiderable ; nay do yearly increase, as the num- 
 ber of students increases. #*<:#* 
 
 Indeed from the countenance of the General Assembly of this 
 Province, in passing an act for a lottery of three thousand pounds, 
 for the benefit of this college, some good addition will probably be 
 made to its revenues. But the returns of this lottery, which was 
 lately drawn, are not yet made ; the accompts being still unsettled. 
 However, much, much greater losses have accrued therein, than 
 might have been reasonably expected ; especially from the very 
 unfortunate issue of the tickets left, on the risque of the college, at 
 the time of drawing. So that the managers have reason to think, 
 that, on the close of their books, the clear profits will not much ex- 
 ceed £2200. Such an accession can only enable the trustees to 
 make some addition, perhaps to the annual allowances of the college 
 officers ; though not such as will be sufficient to retain them for life, 
 in the character of jjrofessors, much less to maintain a greater num- 
 ber. ♦ ^ ♦ ♦ 
 
 B 3 
 
Sro NOTES. 
 
 ————— Not long since, a very generous legacy was ordered id 
 the will of the late colonel Alford, of Charles-Town, in Massachu- 
 setts-Bay : The sum designed for this college, is not yet precisely 
 ascertained, that being left to the discretion of his executors : It i^ 
 presumed hoAvever, from good intelligence, that the appropriation 
 here will not be less in value than ^500 sterling. Benefactions of 
 this sort are peculiarly honcarable — an indubitable indication of a 
 warm regard for the interests of learning, and of the testator's high 
 sense of the utility of this seat of education in particular. No ac- 
 tions of a man's life are more memorable, than his deeds of liberali- 
 ty, before the hour of death ; when chiefly he considers, what dis- 
 tribution of the gifts of heaven may be most agreeable to the will of 
 his divine benefactor. May providence excite an emulation in the 
 breasts of others, among the virtuous and opulent, to follow an ex- 
 ample of such laudable and christian benevolence : A benevolence, 
 which will extend its influence to remote posterity, and advance the 
 genuine felicity of their country, when they are received into ever- 
 lasting habitations, and are triumphing in the enjoyment of a glori- 
 ous recompense of reward. 
 
 Thus is exhibited a faithful account of the origin and present state 
 of the college of New-Jersey : A college originally designed for the 
 promotion of the general interests of Christianity, as well as the cul- 
 tivation of human science. This end, therefore is kept in view, in 
 all the instructions and modes of discipline. To inculcate or even 
 recommend the discriminating opinions of any one protestant denom- 
 ination, in preference to another, is carefully avoided. In these 
 matters, the students are left without any bias offered to their pri- 
 vate judgments, and are always allowed, without restraint, to attend 
 the religious worship of any protestant society, whenever they have 
 opportunity. 
 
 Upon the vi^hole, it is presumed it must appear manifest upon re- 
 flection, to every serious observer, that providence hath, in a pecu- 
 liar manner, superintended the affairs of this nurser>% from its foun- 
 dation to the present time. And indeed, it is esteemed by its 
 directors their highest honour and happiness, that the Almighty 
 hath vouchsafed so remarkably to countenance and succeed their 
 undertaking, and tliereby to encourage their humble expectations 
 of his continued benediction. To the singular favour of Heaven on 
 the means of instruction here used, it must be gratefully ascribed, 
 that many youth who have come to Nassau-Hall for education, 
 without any just sense of the obligations either of natural or revealed 
 religion, have been here effectually reformed, become men of solid 
 and rational piety, and now appear upon the stage of public action. 
 
NOTES. sn 
 
 employing their talents to the honour of the Supreme Bestower, in 
 promoting the good of mankind. Hence the managers of this semi- 
 nary arc emboldened to hope, that while the original design of its 
 establishment is steadily pursued, the same indulgent providence 
 •whicli hath hitherto supported it, amidst the reproaches of envy, 
 and the oppositions of malice, will still raise up benefactors to sup- 
 ply its deficiencies, and succeed their disinterested endeavours, to 
 train up our youth in the paths of piety and erudition, for the future 
 service of their country, in any civil or ecclesiastical employ- 
 ments." 
 
 In connexion with these extracts from Dr. Finley's history of the 
 college, its alumni, and others whotakeaninterestin the literature of 
 our country, will, it is believed, be gratified with the perusal of what 
 may not improperly be regarded as a history of a Commencement^ 
 during the Doctor's administration. For the manuscript copy of 
 this literary curiosity, the writer is indebted to the late Doctor Ebe- 
 iiczer Finley, of Charleston, South-Carolina. About five years 
 since, when that gentleman, then the only surviving son of President 
 Finley, had two sons of his own at the college, he sent this manu- 
 script, in the hand writing of his father, to the author of this note, 
 with a request that it might be deposited among the archieves of the 
 institution. His request has been carefully complied with ; but the 
 preservation of ancient documents is best insured by the multiplica- 
 tion of copies, through the medium of the press. For this reason, as 
 well as others, it has been determined to publish the following 
 ** process." It is scarcely necessary to remark, that each exercise 
 announced by the President, must be supposed to have been 
 performed, before the attention of the audience was called to that 
 which immediately follows. The names of some of the speakers, 
 for what reason is not known, are omitted. 
 
 THE 
 PROCESS OF THE 
 
 PUBLICK COMMENXEMENT 
 
 IN 
 NASSAU-HALL ; 
 
 SEPTEMBER, 
 A.D. 1764. 
 
 THE PROCESS, &c. 
 
 The trustees being at the President's house, the candidates stand- 
 ing at the door, two *nd two, upon his saying— < 
 
Srz NOTES. 
 
 Progredimini Juvenes, 
 
 They walk— ^ 
 
 1. The Bachelor candidates. 
 
 2. The Masters. 
 
 3. The Tutors, and any Ministers present, 
 
 4. The Trustees. 
 
 5. The President — the Governor at his right hand.- 
 All seated — Prayer succeeds. 
 
 Praeses (capite tecto) — 
 " Auditores dooti ac benevoli, Juvenes primam Lauream ambien- 
 " tes, cupiunt vos per Oratorem salutare ; quod illis a vobis conces- 
 " sum fidunt." 
 
 Ascendat Orator salutatorius. 
 
 Distribuantur Theses. 
 
 * # * 
 
 Quoniam, docti Auditores, accurata disputandi Ratio ad verum a 
 falso secemendum plurimum valet, Juvenes artibus initiati, parvula 
 quaedam eorum in ea Specimina, vobis jam sunt exhibituri. 
 
 Prima Disputatio, syllogistice tractanda — 
 
 Thesis est, 
 
 Mentiri, ut vel Natio conservetur, hand fas est. 
 
 Qui hanc Thesin probare atque defendere statuit, ascendat, 
 
 Foster. 
 
 Qui Thesin oppugnari judicavit, ascendat. 
 
 Primus Opponens — Lawrexce. 
 
 Quanquam concederetur Sermonem ad felicitatem hominum prg^ 
 vehendam constitutum fuisse, attamen non aeque nobis constat quid 
 semper ad eum finem conducit ; sed magis credendum est Menda- 
 cium nunquam ad eum facere ; dum Exemplum Virtutis omnibus 
 prodesse potest. 
 
 2 dus Opponens — Smith. 
 
 Determinatio. 
 
 Mentiri, quacunque de causa, ignobile et sua Natura pravum 
 esse, res ipsa clamat, et ferme ab omnibus, prsecipue Virtutem col- 
 entibus, conceditur. Quod si omnino fas esse possit, Deus compro- 
 bat ; et si ille possit probare, non est necessario verax ; sed impqs- 
 sibile tst eum mentiri, ergo et mendacium probare. 
 
NOTES. 373 
 
 Nee ratio Veritatis ab hominum Felicitate, sed Dei Rectitudine 
 pendet : et quoHiam sibi semper constare necesse est, non potest non 
 esse rectus. Ergo fitlsum necessario improbat, ut ejus naturx op- 
 positum : et vetat Malum facere, ut quidvis Bonum inde sequatur, 
 etiam ut Natio conservetur. 
 
 The following is an English forensick Dispute, which for Reasons 
 often mentioned, is introduced, viz — it entertains the English part 
 of the Audience ; tends to the cultivation of our native Language, 
 and has been agreeable on former occasions ; which I presume are 
 sufficient apologies for continuing the custom. 
 
 The Thesis is, 
 
 Somnia non sunt universalitcr inania, et nihil significantia. 
 
 In English — 
 
 All dreams are not useless and insignificant. 
 
 Who undertakes the defence of this position ? — Miller. 
 
 Whoever has any objections against what has been offered, let 
 l^im speak — Trkdwell. 
 
 Who judges it fit to answer these objections ? — McCrery. 
 
 Determination. 
 
 Although I see no necessity of accounting for all dreams from the 
 Agency of other Spirits, any more than to interest them in the Rev- 
 eries of the mind, when lost in mere imaginary Scenes while we are 
 awake, without reflecting that they are not realities : Yet that for- 
 eign Spirits have access to ours, as well when we are asleep as 
 awake, is inconsistent with no Principle of Reason. And if some 
 dreams cannot otherwise be accounted for, than by having recourse 
 to foreign S])intb, we must then admit their agency ; since there can 
 be no effect without a cause. And though it must be granted that 
 our own Spirits at the same time think, yet there's no Inconsistency 
 in supposing that other Spirits gave Occasion to their thinking of 
 some Subjects rather than others, as is the Case in conversing to- 
 gether when we arc awake. 
 
 What has been Matter of fact is certainly still possible : And wc 
 know that in some Cases infinite Wisdom chose to employ Angels 
 to communicate divine Instructions in Dreams ; which establishes 
 the general Doctrine. And Experience assures us that Impressions 
 made on these Occasions, are very deep and lively : and as has been 
 observed, those ven' Dreams that come from fulness of Business, or 
 other Causes mentioned, show us the Temper of our Mixids, and in 
 that View arc useful and significant. 
 
$74 NOTES. 
 
 To unbend the Mind by an agreeable Variety, as far as may con- 
 sist with the Exercises of the Day, an English intermediate Oration 
 is next to be delivered. 
 
 Ascendat Orator intermedins. 
 
 Thesis proxime discutienda, modo pene forensi, est, 
 Lux Rationis sola, Incitamenta ad Virtutem satis efficacia, non 
 praebet. 
 
 Qui banc Thesin primus defendere statuit, procedat WooD' 
 
 HULL. 
 
 Qui primus opponit Thesi, procedat. 
 Lawrence. 
 Leake, 
 Qui Objectiones refellere, et Thesin firmare suscipit, proce- 
 dat. 
 
 Determinatio. 
 Recto notatum fuit, quod Naturam Peccati probe scire necessari- 
 um est, ad Virtutem rite xstimandum. Peccato enim ignoto, odisse 
 illud nequimus ; et sine Peccati odio, nulla datur Virtus. Et quoni- 
 am clarum est, quod homines. Luce Naturae sola freti, ignorarunt 
 quid sit virtus, et quales ejus Consequentise in Seculo futuro ; nes-t 
 civerunt Deum, verx Virtutis Exemplar, nee non Amorem et Satis- 
 factionem Domini Salvatoris, qux sola sunt Incitamenta ad Virtutem 
 idonea ; Thesis Valet, 
 
 The next Thesis is, 
 Nullam veram Virtutem habet, qui omnes non habet. 
 
 In English — 
 He has not one true virtue, who has not every one. 
 Who undertakes to defend this position ? — Tuttle. 
 If any think fit to oppose it, let him appear — Hazard. 
 Who judges he can confute these arguments let him speak— «■ 
 Clagget. 
 
 Determination. 
 That the Thesis is true, appears demonstrable both from the 
 Simplicity of the Soul and the Nature of Virtue. As the Soul can- 
 not be divided into any Parts, if one Vice is prevalent it possesses 
 the Soul entirely, and the whole principle of action is vitiated. And 
 as Virtue is a Disposition of Mind to whatever is morally good, and 
 Goodness must be uniform, and of a piece, it can no more be dis- 
 membered than the Soul ; therefore whatever mixture of vice there 
 may be with virtue, one of them must necessarily predominate ; for 
 seeing that they are perfectly opposite to each other, it is as impos- 
 
NOTES. 375J 
 
 sible for a Person to be under the governing power of both at once, 
 as for Fire and Water to subsist together, n ithout the one's being 
 extinguished, or the other evaporated. 
 
 Virtue consists in the Love of God and man, nor can it be separa- 
 ted : tlie Pretence is not tolerable, that a Hater of his Brother 
 should be a Lover of God. Now 'tis certain that one cannot love 
 and hate the same thing at the same Time, and in the same Res- 
 pect. There must then be such a necessary Connexion of all vir- 
 tues, that one cannot possibly be without all : consequently a single 
 virtue, where any vice prevails, is but a counterfeit. 
 
 Exercitia qux restant ad tcrtiam Horam 1*. M. postponuntur. 
 The remaining exercises of the Day begin at three o'clock af- 
 ternoon. 
 
 Orator hujus Classis valcdictorius ascendat. 
 
 Exercitia, qux a Candidatis secundi Gradus prxstanda sunt, jam 
 sequuntur. 
 
 Thesis disputanda hxc est, sell : 
 
 Jephtha Filiam non immolavit. 
 
 Ascendat hujus Quxstionis Hcspondens — Mr. Kkhk. 
 
 Ascendat primus qui hanc Thesin vcrani esse ncgat. 
 
 Dcterminatio. 
 
 Fatendum est, quod in hac Quaestionc docti in Partes abeunt. Sed 
 ut Theseos Veritas appareat, considcrandum est quod fuit Jephthx 
 Votum — " Qui — vel, quodcunquc — exierit e foribus Domus mex, in 
 *' Occursum meum, erit Domini, c/, vel, offerani illud in Holocaus • 
 *' tum." q. d. vel aptum erit ad Sacrificium, vel non : si prius, 
 erit in Holocaustum ; si non, erit Domino sacrum, devotum. liebrxx 
 Voces non aliter necessario significant : nam Van sxpe disjunctive 
 sumitur, ut multis exemplis patet. Adde, quod Deus detestatus 
 est humanas Victimas, et improbavit ; quod cum Sacerdotes saltern 
 norunt, non verisimile est Jephtham eos in tanta causa non consu- 
 luisse. Nee parvum habet momentum, Filiam ejus Spatium deflcn- 
 di, non Mortem sed Virginitatem, petiisse ; cum enim dicitur Jeph- 
 tha fecisse quod voverat, sequitur, et non cognoverat Viruni. 
 
 Descendant Candidati Honores hujus CoUegii ambientes. 
 
 Ad CURATORES. 
 
 Juvenes, quos coram vobis, Curatores honorandi ac rcvcrendi, 
 jam sisto, publico Examini, secundum hujus Academix Leges, 
 subjecti, habiti fuerunt omnino digni qui Honoribus academicis exor- 
 narentur: Vobis igitur comprobantibus, illos ad Gradum petitum, 
 toto Animo admittam. 
 
sre NOTES. 
 
 Eadem Auctoritate regia, virum Davidem McGregor, Ndvang- 
 li2e, de Religione et Literis bene meritum, ad secundum in Artibus 
 Gradum, Honoris causa, admitto. 
 
 Eadem Auctoritate, Reverendum Nathan Kerr, Davidem Cald- 
 well, Concionatorem Evangelii, necessario absentem ; Reverendum 
 Johannem Strain, hujus CoUegii alumnos ; ad secundum in Artibus 
 Gradum admitto. 
 
 Hoc Anno etiam. 
 
 Jacobus Thompson, A. M. Thomas Henderson, A. M. Johannes 
 Leflferty, A. M. 
 
 Forma constituendi A. B. 
 
 Auctoritate, regio Diplomate mihi collata, pro More Academia- 
 rum in Anglia, vos ad primum in artibus Gradum admitto ; vobisque 
 hunc Librum trado, una cum Potestate in Artibus prselegendi et do- 
 cendi, quotiescunque ad hoc munus evocati fueritis : Cujus, hoc 
 Instrumentum, Sigillo nostri CoUegii ratum, testimonium sit. 
 Forma constituendi A. M. 
 
 Auctoritate, regio Diplomate mihi collata, pro More Academia- 
 rum in Anglia, vos ad secundum in Artibus Gradum admitto ; vo- 
 bisque hunc Librum trado, una cum potestate in Artibus praelegen- 
 di, publiceque profitendi ac docendi, quotiescunque ad hoc Munus 
 evocati fueritis : cujus, hoc Instrumentum, Sigillo nostri CoUegii ra- 
 tum, Testimonium sit. 
 
 In constituendo A. M. honorarios, inseratur hxc Clausula, scil— - 
 *' ad secundum in Artibus Gradum, Honoris Causa, admitto. 
 
 Orator magistralis valedictorius. 
 Rev. McGregor. 
 Rev. Nathan Kerr. 
 
 Dialogue. 
 Prayer. 
 
 It seldom happens that after the lapse of nearly sixty years a 
 ijfian is found who can speak of persons and things, from his perso- 
 nal knowledge. in mature life. One such fortunate occurrence, how- 
 ever, the writer has met with. The Rev. Doctor John Woodhull, of 
 Monmouth, in New-Jersey, at this time the oldest trustee of the col- 
 lege, was the pupil of President Finley. He, on being requested, 
 has furnished a short sketch of his venerated teacher ; and 
 an account of the revival of religion which took place in the col- 
 lege when he was a student. The communication is as follows — 
 " Doctor Finley, was a man of small stature, and ©f a round and 
 
NOTES. S77 
 
 ruddy countenance. In the pulpit, he was ahvay« solemn and sen- 
 sible, and sometimes glowing with fervour. His learning was very 
 extensive — Every branch of study taught in the college appeared to 
 be familiar to him. Among other things, he taught Latin, Greek 
 and Helirew, in the Senior year. He was highly respected, and 
 greatly beloved by the students ; and had very little difficulty in 
 governing the college. He died in my Senior year, in Pliiladelpl\ia, 
 of a complaint in the Liver ; and requested to be carried to the 
 gi*ave by some of the Senior class. This was accordingly done, and 
 I was one of those who were the bearers of his corpse. 
 
 *' The number of students in college, at this time, was about one 
 hundred. Thirty-one commenced in the class before mine, and the 
 same number in the class to which I belonged. These were the 
 largest classes that had commenced at that time. My class lost a 
 good many from the time we entered Freshmen, to the time wc com- 
 menced — say 13 or 14 — yet none by expulsion. 
 
 *' When I was in college, it was said there were about Fifty boys in 
 the school. We supposed there were about One Hundred and Fifty 
 in all, in the edifice. The School was under the care of the trustees. 
 Most of the boys boarded in college, and ate in the dining room, at a 
 table by themselves. The trustees appointed and paid the teachers. 
 They were excellent ones in Dr. Finley's time, namely, Joseph Peri- 
 am and Tapping Reeve. The college and the school, I believe, had 
 never before been in so flourishing a situation — The numbers had 
 never before been so great. 
 
 " As to revivals of religion, there were some partial ones in college 
 before Dr. Finley's time ; but in his time there was something gen- 
 eral. It began in 1762, in the Freshman class, to which I then be- 
 longed. It was a pretty large class, containing between 25 and 30 
 members. Almost as soon as the session commenced, ti\is class met, 
 once in the week, for prayer. One of the members became deeply 
 impressed ; and this affected the whole class. — The other classes, 
 and the whole college, soon became much impressed. Every class 
 became a praying society ; and the whole college met once a week, 
 for prayer — Tiiere was, likewise, a private select society. Societies 
 were also held, by tl\e students, in the town and in the country. I 
 suppose there was not one that belonged to college but was affected 
 more or less. There were two members of the Senior class who 
 were considered as opposers of the good work at first. Vet both of 
 these persons were afterwards preachers of the gospel. The work 
 continued about one year. Fifteen, or about the half of my class, 
 was supposed to be pious ; and in the college about Fifty, or nearly 
 one half of the nhole number of students." 
 
S78 NOTES. 
 
 The following rttcmoii* of President Finley has been extracted 
 from the " General Assembly's Missionary Magazine or Evangelical 
 Intelligencer," with some corrections and additions by the present 
 ■writer. 'Ihe article was prepared for the Magazine by the late Eb- 
 enezei' Hazard, Esq. of Philadelphia, at that time one of its editors ; 
 who had been the pupil of Doctor Finley, and to whom his memory 
 was exceedingly precious. The principal materials of the memoir are 
 believed to have been taken from the funeral sermon of the Rev. Dr. 
 Treat — If the obituary part is long, let it not be forgotten that it ex- 
 hibits a death bed scene, which every reader may well wish that 
 his own may resemble. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Samuel Finley was bom in the year 1715, in the 
 county of Armagh in Ireland, and was one of seven sons who were 
 all esteemed pious; his parents possessed the same character.. 
 They gave him such an education as their circumstances permitted, 
 and, in a country school, at some distance from home, he was early 
 distinguished for close application, and uncommon proficiency in his 
 studies. He left his native country when he had attained only hi.^i 
 19th year, and arrived in Philadelphia on the 28th of September 
 1734. It had pleased God to awaken and convert him very early in 
 life, and by many and various dispensations of his Providence, to 
 prepare him for those important stations which he afterwards filled. 
 He first heard a sermon when he was six years old ; and not long 
 before his death v/as heard to say, that he well remembered the 
 text ; and that from the day on which he heard the sermon, he con- 
 ceived strong desires to be a rninistcr of the gospel ; and according- 
 ly, almost as soon as he was capable of forming any resolutions res- 
 pecting himself, he determined to devote himself to the service of 
 the sanctuary. With this view, he had made considerable progress 
 in classical learning before he left Ireland, find he spent several 
 years, after his arrival in America, in completing his studies, 
 during which time he was particularly attentive to Theology. — 
 After a due course of presbyterial trials, he was licensed on the 
 5th day of August 1740 to preach the gospel, and was ordained 
 on the 13th of October 1742, by the Rev. Presbytery of New^-Bruns- 
 wick. The first part of his ministry was employed in long and 
 fatiguing itinerations, and the records of several of the churches 
 which he visited contain honourable memorials of his diligence, 
 fidelity and success. A little before this time a remarkable revival 
 of religion had commenced, which still continued : in this Mr. Fin- 
 ley was a coadjutor with Messrs. Tennent, Whitefield, and others ; 
 and his labours were remarkably blessed at Deerfield, Greenv/ich, 
 and Cape-May, in New- Jersey. He preached likewise to great ac- 
 
NOTES. 379 
 
 ceptance for six months, as a stated supply to a congregation in 
 Philadelphia, of which Mr. Gilbert Tennent afterwards had the 
 pastoral charge. In June 1744 he accejjtcd a call to Nottingham in 
 Maryland, on tlie border of Pennsylvania, where he continued near 
 seventeen years, faithfully discharging the duties of his sacred of- 
 fice ; and had the pleasure to see the work of the Lord prospering 
 in his hands. During his residence at Nottingham he instituted an 
 Academy, which acquired great reputation, and attracted students 
 even from distant ])arts. Mr. Finley was justly famed as a scholar, 
 and eminently qualified as a teacher. Under his instruction many 
 youths received the rudiments of an education and correct moral 
 sentiments, which have since placed them amongst the most useful 
 and ornamental mem])ers of society. 
 
 Upon the death of President Davies, the trustees of the College of 
 New-Jersey elected Mr. Finley as his successor. Great were the 
 struggles of his mind on this occasion. His love to his people, and 
 theirs to him, was of the most tender kind, having long been nour- 
 ished by the affectionate assiduities of uninterrupted friendship ; but 
 a prospect of more extensive usefulness, and in that way in which 
 Providence had already so remarkably succeeded his labours, in- 
 clined him to think it his duly to remove : he therefore accepted 
 the invitation given him by the trustees, and removed to Princeton, 
 in July 1761. Upon this event the hopes of the well-wishers to the 
 college revived, and the clouds which had hung over that nursery of 
 religion and learning began to be dissipated. Raised expectations 
 were formed by Mr. Finley's friends, and tliey were not disappoint- 
 ed. Under his care the college flourished and acquired additional 
 reputation, and his own fame became much more extensive : he was 
 known in various parts of Europe, and corresponded with many em- 
 inent men there : among them was Dr. Samuel Chandler of London, 
 who in all his letters evinced the most sincere esteem for this his 
 distant friend. Such was the opinion his friends in Scotland enter- 
 tained of him as a divine and a scholar that, without his knowledge, 
 they procured for him the degree of Doctor of Divinity, from the 
 University of Glasgow : he received his Diploma in 1763. 
 
 Unremitted attention to the duties of his station very sensibly af- 
 fected Dr. Finley's health, and produced a fixed obstruction in his 
 liver, which put a period to his life on the ITth day of July 1766, in 
 the 51st year of his age, at Philadelphia, whither he had gone for 
 medical assistance. 
 
 When the Doctor first applied to the physicians in Philadelphia, 
 he had no apprehension that his dissolution was so near, as it after- 
 wards appeared : For he observed to his friends, " if my work i^ 
 
386 NOTES. 
 
 done I am read}'— I do not desire to live a day longer than I ean 
 ■work for God. But I cannot think this is the case as yet. God has 
 much for me to do before I depart hence." 
 
 About a month before he died his physicians informed him, that 
 his disease appeared to them incurable : upon which he expressed 
 entire resignation to the Divine will, and from that time till his 
 death he was employed in setting his house in order — On being told 
 by one of his physicians, that according to present appearances, he 
 could live but a few days longer, he lifted up his eyes and exclaim- 
 ed " then welcome Lord Jesus." 
 
 On the sabbath preceding his death, his brother-in-law. Dr. 
 Clarkson, (one of his physicians) told him that he perceived a vis- 
 ible alteration, from which he apprehended his death was at hand, 
 " Then, said he, may the Lord bring me near himself. I have been 
 waiting with a Canaan hunger for the promised land. I have of- 
 ten wondered that God suffered me to live. I have more wondered 
 that ever he called me to be a minister of his word. He has often 
 afforded me much strength, which though I have abused, he has re- 
 turned in mercy. O faithful are the promises of God ! O, that I 
 could see him as I have seen him heretofore in his sanctuary ! al- 
 though I have earnestly desired death, as the hireling pants for the 
 evening shade, yet will I wait all the days of my appointed time. 
 I have often struggled with principalities and powers, and have 
 been brought almost to despair. — Lord, let it suffice." Here he sat 
 up and closed his eyes, and prayed fervently that God would shew 
 him his glory before he should depart hence : — that he would ena- 
 ble him to endure patiently to the end, and particularly that he 
 might be kept from dishonouring the ministry. Then he resumed his 
 discourse, and spoke as follows ; " I can truly say that I have loved 
 the service of God. I know not in what language to speak of my 
 own un worthiness. — I have been undutiful. I have honestly endear 
 voured to act for God, but with much weakness and corruption." 
 Here he lay down and continued to speak in broken sentences as fol- 
 lows, ^ A christian's death is the best part of his existence. The 
 Lord has made provision for the whole way ; provision for the soul 
 and provision for the body. O that I could recollect sabbath bles- 
 sings. The Lord hath given me many souls as crowns of my rejoic- 
 ing. Blessed be God, eternal rest is at hand. Eternity is but long 
 enough to enjoy my God. This, this has animated me in my seve- 
 rest studies, I w^as ashamed to take rest here. O that I could be 
 ^Ued with the fulness of God ! That fulness which fills Heaven ! 
 
 Being asked if it were in his choice whether to live or die, which 
 he would choose, he replied, * to die, though I cannot but say, I fee^ 
 
NOl^S. 381 
 
 the same strait that St. Paul did, that he knew not which to. choose ; 
 for me to live is Christ, but to die is great gain : but should God by 
 a. miracle prolong my life, 1 will still continue to servo him. His 
 service has ever been sweet to mc. 1 have loved it nuirh. 1 have 
 tried my master's yoke and will never shrink my neck from it. His 
 yoke is easy and his burden light.' He then put his hand to his mouth 
 and pulling out a loose tooth, said, ' here is one of the pins of the 
 tabernacle ; the whole frame will soon fall to pieces.' Vou are more 
 cheerful and vigorous, sir, said one of the company ; ' Yes, he replied, 
 1 rise or fall, as eternal rest seems nearer or farther off.' It being 
 observed to him that he always used tlie expression, dear Lord, in 
 his prayers, he answered, " O ! he is very dear — \ cry precious in- 
 deed ! — How pretty it is for a minister to die on the sabbath ! I ex- 
 pect to spend the remaining i)art of this sabbath iu heaven ! One of 
 the company said to him, you will soon be joined to a blessed society: 
 you will forever hold converse with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with 
 the spirits of the just made perfect, witii old friends, and many old 
 fashioned people. ' Yes sir,' he replied with a smile, ' but tliey are 
 a most polite people now.' — He exjjressed great gratitude to friends 
 around him, and said, ' may the Lord repay you for \our tenderness 
 to me ; may he bless you abundantly, not only witli temporal, but 
 with spiritual blessings." Turning to his wife, he said, *' I expect, my 
 dear, too see you shortly in glor) .' Then addressing himself to the 
 whole company, he said," O that each of you may experience what, 
 blessed be God, 1 do, when you come to die ; may you have the 
 pleasure in a dying hour, that with faith and patience, zeal and sin- 
 cerity, you have endeavoured to serve the Lord, that each of \ ou 
 may be impressed, as I have been, with God's Avord ; looking upoij 
 it as substantial, and not only fearing, but being unwilling to offend 
 against it. " Upon seeing a member of the second Presbyterian 
 church in Philadelphia, he said" I have often preached and prayed 
 among you, my dear sir, and the doctrines 1 preached to you are 
 now my support, and blessed be God, they are without a flaw. May 
 the Lord biess and preser\e your church, lie desigr.s good for it yet 
 I ti-ust.' To a person from Princeton, he said, " give my love to the 
 people at Princeton, and tell tlicm that 1 am going to die, and that I 
 am not afraid to die." — He would sometimes cry out, ' the Lord Jesu-^^, 
 take care of his cause in the world.' 
 
 L"^pon awaking the next morning, he exclaimed, ' O ! what a dis- 
 api)ohitment I have met with ! — 1 expected this mornhjg to hare 
 been in heaven!' — (ireat weakness prevented his speaking umch this 
 day, but what he did say was the langui.ge of triumph. 
 
 On the following morning, with a pleasinjj smiie oa hiscounte- 
 
SS2 NOTES. 
 
 nance, and with a strong voice, he cried out, * O I shall triumpk 
 over every foe I The Lord hath given me the victory! I exult! I 
 triumph ! O that I could see untainted purity ! Now I know that it 
 is impossible that faith should not triumph over earth and hell : I 
 think I have nothing to do but to die ; yet, perhaps I have : Lord 
 shew me my task !' After expi*essing some fears lest he did not en- 
 dea^^ur to preserve his remaining life, through eagerness to depart, 
 and being told that he did nothing inconsistent with self-preserva- 
 tion, he said, ' Lord Jesus, into thy hands I commend my spirit, I do 
 it with confidence ; — I do it with full assurance. I know thou wilt 
 * keep that which I have committed to thee. I have been dreaming 
 too fast of the time of my departure, for I find it does not come ; but 
 the Lord is faithful, and will not tarry beyond his appointed time." 
 
 When one who attended him, told him tliat his pulse grew weak- 
 er, he cried out, ' that is well.' 
 
 In the afternoon the Rev. Mr. Spencer called to see him, and told 
 liim " I have come, dear sir, to see you confirm, by facts, the gospel 
 you have been preaching ; pray how do you feel ?" to which he re- 
 plied, " full of triumph ! I triumph through Christ ! Nothing clips 
 my wings but the thoughts of my dissolution being prolonged. O 
 that it were to-night ! My very soul thirsts for eternal rest.'* Mr. 
 Spencer asked him what he saw in eternity to excite such vehement 
 desires in his soul ^ he said, " I see the eternal love and goodness of 
 God : — I see the fulness of the Mediator : — I see the love of Jesus :— • 
 O ! to be dissolved and be with him ! I long to be clothed with the 
 complete righteousness of Christ." He then desired Mr. Spencer 
 to pray with him before they parted, and told him, " I have gained 
 the victory over the devil ; pray to God to preserve me from evil, 
 to keep me from dishonouring his great name in this critical hour, 
 and to support me with his presence in my passage through the val- 
 ley of the shadow of death." 
 
 He spent the remaining part of the evening in bidding farewell to, 
 and blessing his friends, and exhorting such of his children as were 
 with him. He would frequently cry out, " why move the tardy 
 hours so slow .''" 
 
 The next day, July 16, terminated his conflict. His speech failed 
 him : although he made many eflbrts to speak, he could seldom do 
 it so distinctly as to be understood. A friend desired him to give 
 some token whereby his friends might know whether he still con- 
 tinued to triumph ; whereupon he lifted up his hand and said, *' yes.'* 
 In the afternoon he spoke several sentences, but little could be col- 
 lected from them. Some of the last words he spoke concerning him- 
 self were, ** after one or two engagements more, the conflict will be 
 
NOTES. S9$ 
 
 over." In the evening, about 9 o'clock, he fell into a sound sleep, 
 and appeared to be much more free from pain than he had been for 
 many days before. He continued to sleep without clKinj^ini; his po- 
 sition, till about 1 o'clock, -when he expired without a siv;h or'u 
 groan. 
 
 During his whole sickness, he was not heard to utter a repining 
 word ; and in all the farcwt-Us he bid his friends and relations, he 
 was never seen to shed a single tear, or exhibit any mark of sorrow. 
 
 He was interred in the second Presbyterian church in the city of 
 Philadelphia, adjoining his once intimate friend, the Rev. Gilbert 
 Tennent. The excessive heat prevented his being removed to 
 Princeton, where the dust of his predecessors lay ; but many of thf- 
 btudents came from thence to pay the last tribute of respect to the 
 remains of liim, whom living they admired and loved. Eight of 
 them carried the corpse to the grave, and a sermon suited to the 
 occasion was preached by the Rev. Richard Treat, of Abingdon. 
 
 Dr. Finley was remarkable for, sweetness of temper and politeness 
 of behaviour. He was given to hospitality ; chantable without os- 
 tentation ; exemplary in the discharge of all relative duties ; and in 
 all things showing himself a patron of good works. As a divine lie 
 was a Calvinist in sentiment. His sermons were not hasty produc- 
 tions ; but filled with good sense and well digested sentiment ; ex- 
 pressed in language pleasing to men of science, yet perfectly intelli- 
 gible by the illiterate. They were calculated to inform the igno- 
 rant, to alarm the careless and secure, and to edify and comfort the 
 faithful. 
 
 He published a sermon on Matt. XH. 28. entitled, Christ trium- 
 fihing and Satan raging; preached at Nottmgham, January 20th, 
 1741 ; a refutation of Mr. Thomson's sermon on the doctrine of con- 
 victions, 1743 ; a charitable plea for the speechless, in answer to 
 Abel Morgan's anti-pxdo-rantism, 1747 ; a vindication of the pre- 
 ceding, 1748 ; a sermon at the ordination of the Reverend John 
 Rodgers, at St. George's, in the county of New-Castle, in Delawan.-, 
 March 16th, 1749 ; a sermon on the de&th of President Davies, pre- 
 fixed to his works. 
 
 Dr. Finley was twice married. His first wife was Miss Sarah 
 Hall, a lady of an amiable character, who was truly a heli)-mL'et for 
 him. By her he had eight children — Siic died in the year 1760. 
 The year following he married Miss Ann Clarkson, daughter of 
 Mr. Matthew Clarkson, who had been an eminent meixhant in thf* 
 city of New-York, and was a lineal descendant of David Clarkson, 
 B. D. who was ejected for non-conformity in England. By his last 
 wife, Dr. Finley had no issue. She survi\ed her husband more 
 
 %^ 
 
S84 NOTES. 
 
 than one and forty years ; and for more than half that period, be- 
 longed to the pastoral charge of the present writer, who attended 
 her on her death bed, in January 1808, and witnessed the peaceful 
 close of a life of eminent christian piety. She was entirely blind 
 for a number of years before her death ; but bore her affliction with 
 cheerful patience, and in all her deportment exhibited a spirit 
 of meekness, gentleness and kindness, rarely witnessed. 
 
 Doctor Ebenezer Finley, already mentioned, was graduated in this 
 college, in the year 1772 ; and was at the time of his death a physi- 
 cian of reputation in Charleston, South- C arolina ; and a man distin- 
 guished for his piety and moral worth. He was the last surviving 
 child of President Finley ; and has himself left several children, one 
 of whom was graduated with great reputation in this college, in 1820. 
 A daughter — the writer believes the only daughter — of President 
 Finley, was married to Samuel Breeze, Esq. of New- Jersey. She left 
 an onlv daughter still living — the wife of the Rev. Doctor Jedediah 
 Morse, well known to the publick by many valuable publications. 
 
 A Tomb Stone with an English inscription Avas placed over the 
 grave of President Finley, in Philadelphia — At Princeton the trus- 
 tees of the college have erected a Cenotaph to his memory, inscribed 
 as follows — 
 
 Memorise Sacrum 
 Reverendi Samuelis Finley, S. T. D. 
 Collegii Neo-Cjesariensis 
 PrjEsidis. 
 Armaches in Hibernia natus, A. D. MDCCXV. 
 In Americam migravit. Anno MDCCXXXIV. 
 Sacris ordinibus initiatus est. Anno MDCCXLIII, 
 apud Novum Brunsvicum 
 Neo-C^esariensium. 
 Ecclesi^e Nottinghami, Pennsylvaniensium, 
 Munus pastorale suscepit, XIVo Kal. Jul. MDCCXLIV ; 
 Ibique, Academic celeberrimx 
 diu prxfuit. 
 Designatus Proeses Collegii Neo-Ccesariensis, 
 Officium inivit, id. Jul. iNIDCCLXI. 
 Tandem, dilectus, veneratus. 
 
 Omnibus flendus, 
 
 Morti occubuit Philadelphiae, 
 
 XVo Kal, Sextilis, A. D. MDCCLXVL 
 
 Artibus litcrisque excultus, 
 
 Vi'x ca;teris prxcipuc enituit 
 
 
NOTES. 385 
 
 Rerum divinarum scientia. 
 
 Studio divinx glorix flagrans, 
 
 summis opibus 
 
 Ad veram Religionem promovcndam, 
 
 ct in concionibus, 
 
 et in scrmonc ftxTniliari, 
 
 Opcram semper navabat. 
 
 Patientia, modestia, mansuetudo 
 
 miranda, 
 animo moribusque enituerunt. 
 Ob charitatem, obscrvantiam, vigilantiam, 
 crga juvcncs fidei sux mandates 
 fuit 
 insignissimus ; 
 Moribus ingcnuis, pietate sincera, 
 Vixit omnibus dilectus, 
 Moriens triumphavit. 
 
 The interval between the death of Doctor Finley and the ac- 
 cession of Doctor WiTHERSPOON — From July ITth, 1766, to August 
 13th, 1768. 
 
 The trustees of tlie college did not, as we have seen, proceed to 
 the election of a President at their first meeting, September 24th 
 1766, after the death of Doctor Finley. But they then appointed a 
 meeting to be held, expressly for this purpose, on the 19th of No- 
 vember following. From this, and several subsequent meetings of 
 the board, such extracts will be made, and such remarks subjoined, 
 as may serve to give a just view of the state of the institution, during 
 the period now under consideration. 
 
 " Wednesday the nineteenth day of Nov. A. D. 1766. 
 
 It having pleased a holy and wise God to remove by death the 
 late Reverend and worthy Dr. Samuel Finley from the President- 
 ship of the college, the board proceeded to the choice of another to 
 succeed him in that Office ; when, after mature deliberation, the 
 Reverend Doctor Wither spoon, of Paisley in Scotland, was duly 
 elected as the Charter directs, nemine contradicente : and it is or- 
 dered that a copy of this minute be enclosed and transmitted to the 
 said Dr. Witherspoon, in a letter, to be signed by the President, 
 from this board, praying his acceptance of the said office. And it is 
 further ordered, that a letter, in like manner, be transmitted to 
 Richard Stockton, Esq. one of the members of this board, now in 
 London, enclosing the above to his care ; and requesting his perso- 
 nal application to Dr. Witherspoon, to solicit his acceptance, and in- 
 
 D r> 
 
386 NOTE?. 
 
 forming that this board will defray his, the said Mr. Stockton's ex- 
 penses, in his journey to Scotland for the said purpose ; and also, 
 that another letter, to be signed in like manner, be transmitted to 
 Mr. Dennys De Berdt, Merchani in London, enclosing a duplicate 
 of the letter to Dr. Witherspoon, in case the said Mr. Stockton 
 should not happen to be in Lon^lon, requesting the said Mr. De Berdt 
 to forward the same ; -""Cl that he would be pleased to use his influ- 
 ence and interest for the same purpose. Ordered that Messrs. 
 Spencer, Redman and Shippen, do prepare draughts of said letters, 
 to be laid before this board to-morrow. Resolved — that in case of Dr. 
 Witherspoon's acceptance of the Presidentship of this College, the 
 sum of One Hundred Guineas be allowed to defray the expenses of 
 his removal and voyage ; and that his salary commence on the day 
 of his arrival in North-America. 
 
 Messrs. George Bryan, John Johnson, William Allison, James 
 Meas, and Samuel Purviance, from Philadelphia, waited upon the 
 board, and presented a petition signed by some gentlemen of Lewis- 
 town, in Pennsylvania ; and also a letter signed by twenty-six gen- 
 tlemen of Philadelphia, requesting and recommending, among other 
 things, the establishment of several Professorships in the college. 
 
 Ordered, that the said papers do lie on the table, for farther ma- 
 ture consideration." 
 
 In order to understand fully the nature of a negociation of which 
 this minute gives the first intimation, but which will afterwards be 
 found to have occupied the most serious attention of the board, it 
 •will be necessary to recollect what has already been said, in regard 
 to the rival Synods of New- York and Philadelphia ; and that the 
 college was the offspring and favourite child of the former of these 
 bodies. It has been cursorily mentioned that the schism was healed 
 in the year 1757, and that the two Synods were again united. This 
 notwithstanding, much of the spirit which had produced the sepa- 
 ration still remained ; and indeed was not extinct till many year.s 
 after this period. The cause and peculiarities of the Synod of Phil- 
 adelphia had been denominated the old side^ and those of the New- 
 York Synod, the neiv side ; and these Shibboleths of party remained 
 long after the formal union of the Synods. It is hoped that none of 
 the acrimony with which they were once used any longer exists ; 
 but they still serve as convenient designations of parties which once 
 divided the Presbyterian church. 
 
 The college of New-Jers?y, notwithstanding the adverse circum- 
 stances which it experienced in the deaths of four Presidents in 
 less than nine years, had, on the whole, been advancing in reputation 
 ever since its establishment ; and under Doctor Finley had proba-. 
 
NOTES. 38r 
 
 bly risen higher than at any proceeding period. At his death it 
 was unquestionably the most rcputaiile literary institution of which 
 the Presbyterians could boast. This circumstance, it is believ- 
 ed, induced the old side party to seek, an alliance with it : and 
 if a cordial alliance could have been formed, it would, without 
 doubt, have been an event highly favourable for the college, 
 and for the Presbyterian church at large. That some of the 
 leading men in each party hoped that this might be effected, 
 and honestly laboured to bring it about, there is good reason to 
 believe. But there was still too much of party views and feelings 
 to admit of such an issue. The whole transaction bears marks of 
 jealous caution and diplomatick manai^ement, on both sides. The 
 college being now without a President, and known to be in great 
 want of funds, tlie opportunity was supposed to be favourable for 
 obtaining a participation, by the old side party, in the wliole govern- 
 ment and instruction of the institution, in consideration of the pecuni- 
 ary aid which that party would engage to afford. But the board of 
 trustees proceeded, as wc have seen, to elect a President, even be- 
 fore they opened a negociation ; and with a design, it is believed, to 
 foreclose all interference or propositions, in regard to the choice of 
 that officer. On the other hand, such representations were speedily 
 made in Scotland of the state of the college, as were calculated to 
 induce Dr. Witherspoon to refuse the Prcfsidency ; and which ac- 
 tually had that effect, till his misapprehensions were removed by an 
 agent of the board. The writer has in his hands the unquestionable 
 evidence of this fact, although it does not appear in the records of 
 the trustees. 
 
 " November 20th, 9 o'clock, A. M. 
 
 Messrs. Spencer, Redman and Shippen, pursuant to an order of 
 yesterday, produced draughts of Letters to Dr. Witherspoon, Rich- 
 ard Stockton, Esq. and Mr. Dennys De Berdt, which were read and 
 approved. 
 
 Ordered, That the said letters be transcribed and signed by the 
 President of this board, who is requested to despatch the same by 
 the first vessel bound from New- York to London. 
 
 Mr. Samuel Breeze, one of the Executors of the estate of Dr. Fin- 
 ley deceased, requesting an order of this board upon the treasurer, 
 for the payment of the salary which became due to the said Dr. Fin- 
 ley at the time of his death, the clerk is directed immediately to 
 make out and sign an order en Mr. Sergeant, for the payment of 
 whatever sum remained due to Dr. Finley, as his salary, at the time 
 of his death ; together with the interest of the same froni the day 
 of his decease, and that he take a discharge for the sanae. 
 
588 NOTES. 
 
 A letter was delivered into this board, signed by several gentlemen 
 of Baltimore, in Maryland, on the subject-matter of those presented 
 yesterday from Lewis-town and Philadelphia. 
 
 Ordered, that the said letter do lie with the others on the table, 
 for farther consideration. 
 
 Resolved, that Messrs. Woodruff, Tennent, Spencer and Rodgers, 
 be a committee, forthwith to wait upon the gentlemen from Phila- 
 delphia, who have signified it to be their desire to meet a committee 
 of this board, in order to a free conference on the subject matter of 
 the sundry letters, &c. which have been delivered in by them : and 
 that the said committee do report the result of the said conference to 
 this board. 
 
 The board taking into consideration the necessity of appointing a 
 President of this college, firo tempore^ while destitute of a fixed 
 head, for the better care and government of the same, requested the 
 Rev. Wm. Tennent, to take upon himself the charge and burden of 
 that office, as he had been pleased to do heretofore, until the next 
 meeting of the truslees, The said Mr. Tennent, being pleased to 
 signify his acquiescence, v/as accordingly appointed President pro 
 tempore, and qualified as the charter directs. 
 
 The committee appointed to wait upon the gentlemen from Phila- 
 delphia, being returned, reported, that they have had a full and free 
 conference together upon the subject matter of the petitions and let- 
 ters presented by those gentlemen. That the said gentlemen observ-* 
 cd, that the proposals made to the trustees, being upon the footing 
 that the President's cha>r was vacant, they were disconcerted in 
 their general plan, by the election of Dr. Witherspoon to the Presi- 
 dentship, before their proposals were presented — that the said plan 
 being thereby altered, they were not authorized to determine abso- 
 lutely, what would be done hereafter by their constituents, respect- 
 ing the general object they had in view — that nevertheless they were 
 truly desirous that some eifectual method might be taken to com- 
 plete the proposed design : — That a proposal was made by the said 
 committee, viz. that on supposition of the nomination of two gentle- 
 men for professorships, to wit.=^ the Rev. Messrs. Blair and M'Dow- 
 ell, on condition that money could be raised by the friends of this 
 institution to support them, whether their constituents would be sa- 
 tisfied, and they would undertake to promote a subscription for their 
 support, to which the said gentlemen replied, that, however desi- 
 
 ♦ These gentlemen, Mr. Blair of the new side and Mr. M'Dowell of the old side 
 party, were both of high standing in the publick estimation, and of unquestionable 
 excellence of character. Mr. Blair was afterwards i)rofessor of Divinity in the 
 college. 
 
Tous they were to accomplish so excellent a desi^, they would not 
 at present engaj^c for the future conduct of their constituents. 
 
 The board taking into mature consideration the above report, 
 came to the following resolution — Whereas it is an object of their 
 greatest concern, that union and the strictest harmony among all the 
 friends and patrons of religion and sound literature miglit be promo- 
 ted by every proper method, and that this institution may have eve- 
 ry possible advantage of increasing its reputation, and the cause of 
 learning: and as there appears reason to expect, great and hajipy 
 consequences both to the interest of religion and of this seminary, 
 from putting into execution the general design of the proposals made 
 — they will gladly do every thing in their powcV to accomplish the 
 ;iaid end : and accordingly declare themselves gfeatly desirous that 
 a sufficieacy of monies by subscription, or otherwise, might be ob- 
 tained to accomplish this noble design ; and are cheerfully willing 
 to join in any particular method that can be devised for raising the 
 necessary sums. For though this board would gladly proceed to the 
 election of professors, without delay, were their funds sufficient to 
 support such an additional expense ; yet they judge it by no means 
 expedient to take that step before they have a certain medium for 
 their support." 
 
 The trustees having elected a President without con- 
 sulting with those who came to negotiate on that, as well as 
 on other jjoints, proposed to choose two professors, one from 
 each party, and hoi)ed by this arrangement to satisfy the gen- 
 tlemen with whom they were in treaty. The proposed measure 
 however was not satisfactory. To have a voice and influence in the 
 choice of a President, as well as other officers, was manifestly a 
 causa sine qua tioti with the old side party, in this whole concern. 
 The historian is not prepared, either to censure them for maintain- 
 ing this point, or to blame the other side for not conceding it. He 
 •will only remark, that now it is paljjable, although it might not t/ien 
 have been apparent, that between parties so jealous of each other, 
 no cordial union could take place, and therefore that it was well 
 for the institution that all these attempts proved abortive. Wq 
 shall see, however, that the idea of uniting the two parties, in sup- 
 port of the college, was not easily or readily relinquished. 
 
 "Whereas it appears that the grammar school now kept in the 
 college by Mr. Avery is likely to become chargeable to the college 
 funds — Resolved, that this board will no longer support the same, 
 and do accordingly dismiss the said Mr. Avery from their service; 
 but that nevertheless the said Avery may, if he thinks it expedient, 
 continue to keep the school in the college on his own proper account 
 and risque. 
 
39© NOTCS. 
 
 At a meeting of the trustees of the College of New- Jersey, at 
 Nassau Hall, on Wednesday the 30th day of September, Anno 
 Domini 17&7. * # * 
 
 October 1, 9 o'clock, A. M. 
 
 Met according to adjournment. Mr. S. Smith communicated a 
 letter to this board from the Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, wherein 
 that gentleman is pleased to decline an acceptance of the President- 
 ship of this college, to which he was elected in November last.'* 
 
 This refusal of Doctor Witherspoon to accept his first appoint- 
 ment as President of the college, was not occasioned by the discoura- 
 ging accounts which had been transmitted to Scotland in relation to 
 the state of the institution. His unfavourable impressions in that 
 respect, which at first were strong, had been entirely removed. The 
 reluctance of Mrs. Witherspoon to leave her native country was 
 the chief, if not the sole cause of his refusal, at this time. She was 
 afterwards perfectly reconciled to the idea of his removal; and with 
 the affection and piety for which she was eminently distinguished, 
 cheerfully accompanied her husband to a foreign country, with no 
 expectation of ever returning to " the land of her father's sepul- 
 chres." 
 
 Mr. Stockton* acquainted the board, that there were several 
 gentlemen from Philadelphia now in town, — viz. Messrs. George 
 Bryan, William Allison, John Chevalier, John Boyd and John Wal- 
 lace, who had informed him, that they had some things to offer to 
 this corporation, and Avere desirous of being heard. Mr. Stockton 
 ■was accordingly requested immediately to wait upon those gentle- 
 men, and inform them that the trustees were now ready to hear 
 them. 
 
 The Philadelphia gentlemen, being introduced by Mr. Stockton, 
 begged leave to remind the trustees, that they had the last year 
 presented sundry papers and letters, containing proposals relative to 
 the establishment of a faculty in the college ; that their constituents 
 were still very desirous that the general plan should be carried into 
 execution, if the circumstances of the college would possibly admit 
 of it ; and prayed that the same might be reconsidered. The said 
 gentlemen were then assured, that this board would come to some 
 determination thereon, as soon as possible. 
 
 Ordered, That the several letters and proposals above mentioned 
 be again read and maturely considered ; which were r^ad and consici* 
 ered accordingly. 
 
 * This gentleman had now returned to the Ijoard, after an absence ia Britaio* 
 of about ? year, 
 
NOTES. 391 
 
 Resolved, That Messrs. Stockton, Ogdcn and Shippen, be a 
 committee to confer more fully with those gentlemen on the subject- 
 matter of the said proposals. 
 
 Mr. Halsey, eldest tutor of this college, now thought fit to re* 
 sign his office ; and requesting testimonials in his favour from the 
 trustees — it is ordered that an ample certificate be made out, to be 
 signed by the clerk, in the name of this board, and sealed with the 
 corporation seal, certifying the said Mr. Halsey's faithful services 
 and good conduct, during his tutorship in the college, with recom- 
 mendation of him as a gentleman of genius, learning and real merit. 
 
 Mr. Will. Tenncnt produced draughts of sundry laws for the bet- 
 ter regulation and order of the college, which were read, considered 
 and amended, and the question being put whether the same do pass, 
 it was unanimously voted in the affirmative. 
 
 Voted, That Mr. James Thompson one of the tutors of this col- 
 lege be the present inspector of the rooms, and that he be allowed 
 the sum of five pounds per annum for his trouble in executing that 
 office ; and that, upon his resignation or removal, tlie President, 
 for the time being, be empowered to nominate and appoint some 
 ©ther fit person to succeed in the said office." 
 
 This is the first appointment, on record, of an inspector of the col- 
 lege. Tlie office has been found useful, and has been continued 
 ever since. 
 
 " Messrs. Woodruff and Ogden, who were appointed this morning 
 to examine into the general state of the College funds, now repoi-t 
 that they find the sum total in the hands of the treasurer, in bonds, 
 notes, &:c. to amount to the sum of £2815 3 1 — of which, they find 
 ©nly £950, or thereabouts, to be at present under actual improve- 
 Dient at interest. 
 
 The committee appointed to meet and confer with the Philadel- 
 phia delegates, being returned, report, that they find these gentle- 
 men and their constituents still heartily desirous of concurring with 
 the trustees of this college in the establishment and support of a 
 faculty, and promising to unite their utmost endeavours to raise 
 the necessary funds to carry the same into speedy execution — that 
 the said gentlemen being asked by the committee, whether the ap- 
 pointment of all, or any of the particular persons, to professorships, 
 in their proposals named and recommended, was intended as a terra 
 of their acceeding to and assisting in the establishment proposed, 
 replied, that it wus not the intention to make the appointment of 
 any of the particular persons named by their constituents, a term of 
 the proposed union ; but that any other gentlemen who might be 
 deemed qualified for their offices, and indiscriminately chosen with- 
 
S92 NOTES. 
 
 out regard to party distinction, would be as acceptable to them— - 
 The board, taking the subject into mature consideration, were unani- 
 mously of opinion, that the constitution of a faculty, to consist of well 
 qualified professors in the several branches of academical science, 
 to be chosen without regard to any little party differences, would 
 greatly subsei'A^e the interest of religion and learning in this semi- 
 nary ; and would tend to the better and more perfect instruction and 
 government in the same ; and it was accordingly resolved, that in 
 pursuance of the said plan, the choice of a faculty, to consist of pro- 
 fessors in some of the most essential parts of literature, be entered 
 upon to-morrow morning. 
 
 October 2d, 9 o'clock, A. M. met according to adjournment, and 
 present as yesterday. The trustees having now thought proper, 
 pursuant to their resolution of yesterday, to enter upon the choice 
 of a Faculty, to consist of Professors in the most necessary branches 
 of education in the college, did, in the first place, proceed to the ap- 
 pointment of a Professor of Divinity and Moral Philosophy ; when, 
 after mature deliberation, the Reverend Mr. John Blair, of Fog's 
 Manor in Pennsylvania, and one of the members of this board, was 
 duly chosen to that office. Adjourned till 3 o'clock, P. M. 
 
 The trustees now proceeded to the choice of a Professor of Math- 
 ematicks and natural Philosophy, when Dr. Hugh Williamson, of 
 Philadelphia, was duly elected to that office ; and Mr. Jonathan Ed- 
 wards, now a tutor in this college, was also duly chosen to the Pro- 
 fessorship of Languages and Logick. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, having thought fit to decline the 
 invitation of this board to the Presidentship of the college, the trus- 
 tees proceeded to the choice of a President to succeed the late rev- 
 erend and worthy Dr. Finley, deceased. After the maturest delibe- 
 ration, tlie Rev. Mr. Samuel Blair, of Boston, in New-England, 
 was duly elected President of this college, and also Professor of Rhet- 
 orick and Metaphysicks. 
 
 Voted, that the sum of one hundred pounds proclamation, be allow- 
 ed to the Rev. Mr. Wni. Tennent, in consideration of his services to 
 this college, as Vice-President protem. from the 19th of November 
 last, to the present commencement : and, ordered that the treasurer 
 pay unto the said Mr. Tennent, the said sum of £100, out of the first 
 monies that he may have in hands. 
 
 Voted, that the annual salaries of the President and Professors 
 now chosen, to commence frpm the time they shall respectively en- 
 ter upon their several offices^ shall be as follows : — 
 To the President and Professor of Rhetorick and Metaphysicks £200 
 Professor of Divinity and Moyal Philosophy 175 
 
NOTE?. 39^ 
 
 Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy JC150 
 
 Professor of Languages and Logick 125 
 
 The trustees having now, pursuant to the plan proposed, nomina- 
 ted and chosen several gentlemen of reputation in tlic literary world^ 
 and of undoubted skill in those branches of science to which they 
 are designed, do find, that notwithstanding they have annexed the 
 most moderate salaries to the rcsjicctive officers, the present state 
 of the college revenue renders it impossiblf^ for them to provide the 
 sum total of the salaries ; and that it is therefore not in their power 
 immediately to invite and introduce together the four professors 
 elect, to the actual execution of tlicir offices, as a faculty ; even 
 should they all acquiesce in their present election, which is yet an 
 uncertainty : and as four instructors are immediately requisite to 
 carry on the business of the college, it is resolved to continue the 
 present constitution under a Vice-President and three Tutors, at 
 least during the year ensuing — that at the end of the year, the Pre- 
 sident elect be called to the exercise of his office ; and if, in the inte- 
 rim, any means may be devised to enable the trustees to support the 
 two other professors, (viz. the professor of Mathematicks and Natu- 
 ral Philosophy, and Professor of Languages and Logick) in that case 
 the gentlemen now elected to those offices shall be called to enter upon 
 the same, and the constitution by a faculty shall then take place. 
 
 Pursuant to the above resolution, the Rev. Mr. John Blair, who 13 
 pleased to accept the professorship of divinity and morality, was aLso 
 chosen Vice-President, until the next commencement, and was ac* 
 Obrdingly qualified to hold those offices, as the charter directs. 
 
 Mr. Joseph Periam was also duly elected senior tutor of this col-, 
 lege, in the room of Jeremiah Halsey rosigncd, and was qualified a'S 
 the charter directs. 
 
 Mr. James Thompson, second tutor, and Mr. Jonathan Edwards, 
 jun. tutor, whose services and conduct in their respective offices be- 
 ing much approved, were requested by Mr. Tennent, in the name of 
 this board, to continue in their said offices for the year ensuing, to 
 which they were pleased to signify their compliance. 
 
 Voted, That there be allowed the sum of one hundred pounds 
 proc. to each of the tutors, as their respective salaries, for the year 
 ensuing. 
 
 Voted, That the expenses that may accrue to the Rev. Mr. John. 
 Blair, in the removal of himself and family to Nassau-Hall, be 
 defrayed out of the college treasury. 
 
 Dr. Shippen is desired to inform Dr. Williamson by letter, in the 
 name of this board, of his election to the professorship of Mathe- 
 maticks and Natural Philosophy, and to acquaint him with thci!" 
 
394 NOTES. 
 
 resolution to defer calling liim to the Exercise of the office, for at 
 least one year, and until they are enabled to provide the support an- 
 nexed to the same. 
 
 Mr. Spencer is desired to notify the congregation at Fog's Manor 
 of Mr. Blair's election to a professorship in this college, and to pur- 
 sue the necessary steps, in the behalf of this board, for obtaining 
 the said Mr. Blair's discharge from his pastoral office, in order to his 
 speedy removal." 
 
 Mr. Blair, agreeably to the arrangements here made, was releas- 
 ed from his pastoral charge, and entered on the performance of his 
 duties, as Vice-President and Professor of Divinity in the College. 
 But none of the other professors ever accepted their appointments. 
 By the conditions attached to these appointments, they were not to 
 take effect till after the lapse of a whole year ; nor even then, un- 
 less, in the mean time, funds should be collected adequate to the 
 support of the professors to whom they related. These arrange- 
 ments appear to have been proposed on the one side, and acceded 
 to on the other, with a view to show a conciliatory disposition. One 
 professor of the old side party was chosen ; and at the same meet- 
 ing one gentleman of that party was unanimously elected, to fill a 
 vacancy which had taken place in the board of trustees. While 
 this was done, however, effectual care was taken to give no pledges 
 which could produce subsequent embarrassment. These measures 
 "were, perhaps, the best which the circumstances in which the board 
 was placed would admit. Yet it seems strange that any one should 
 seriously expect that they would ever be carried into effect. It is 
 believed by the writer that many members of the board, at this 
 very time, cherished a pretty sanguine hope that Dr. Witherspoon 
 •would yet become the President of the college. That event, wheth- 
 er expected or not, did at length take place ; and not a word after- 
 wards appears on the records, in regard to the appointments which 
 %vere now made ; nor in reference to any part of this negociation 
 and agreement relative to a faculty. There had never, indeed, 
 been any ojien or avowed opposition to the election of Doctor With- 
 erspoon. And when he entered on his office, his prudence, talents 
 and weight of character, not only put an end to party measures in 
 the board of trustees, but contributed greatly to produce the same 
 effect in the councils of the church to which he belonged. 
 
 *• Mr. Tennent communicated a letter from Mr. Stephen Sayre of 
 London, merchant, wherein he is pleased to offer, if properly em- 
 powered, to exert his endeavours in England for obtaining benefac- 
 tions in favour of this college. Resolved, that the thanks of this 
 board be transmitted to that gentleman for his polite and generous 
 
NOTES. 395 
 
 offer ; and that Mr. Rodgers do write to the said Mr. Sayre, in the 
 name of this board, expressing their grateful acknowledgments for 
 his proffered services in England ; and at the same time to enclose 
 a general commission from the trustees of this college, to be signed 
 by the clerk in their name and sealed with the corporation seal, em- 
 powering him to act as their agent and attorney, in soliciting and 
 receiving benefactions in books. Philosophical Instruments, and sub- 
 scriptions for the use of this College ; and to employ any attorneys 
 under him for the said purpose." 
 
 Stephen Sayre, the gentleman mentioned in this minute, was u 
 native American, and graduated at Nassau-Hall in 1757. He was, 
 at this time, an eminent London merchant, and afterwards became 
 high sheriff of that city. His kind dispositions toward his Alma 
 Mater were certainly commendable ; but there is no record of any 
 donations which he obtained for the college. Perhaps his expecta- 
 tions were disappointed by the ardent controversies which, about 
 this time, took place, in regard to the claims of the mother country 
 and the colonies. In those controversies Mr. Sayre participated 
 deeply — He eventually left Britain, returned to his native country, 
 and lived in retirement to a very advanced age. He died in Vir.^ 
 ginia about four years since. 
 
 *♦ Voted, That there be allowed to Mr. Halsey the sum of forty 
 pounds (including the graduation fees at this commencement) over 
 and above his stated salary, in consideration of his extra service? 
 during the past year, and the treasurer is hereby directed to pay 
 unto the said Mr. Halsey whatever sum the graduation fees may 
 fall short of said forty pounds, over and above his stated salary, aS 
 soon as he conveniently can. 
 
 Resolved, That Messrs. Stockton, Berrien and Woodruff, be a 
 
 committee for settling the accounts of the last college lottery with 
 
 the managers thereof, and report the same at the next fall meeting. 
 
 Ordered, That the treasurer do collect in the out-standing debts 
 
 of the last lottery, with all possible despatch. 
 
 At a meeting of tlie trustees — 9th December, 1767 — The clerk 
 certified that, pursuant to an order to him directed and signed by 
 six of the trustees of tliis college, he had issued regular and timely 
 notifications of the present meeting, to all the members, 
 
 Mr. Smith communicated a letter from the Rev. Mr. Samuel 
 Blair, to the Honourable William Smith, Esq. President of the trus- 
 tees at their last meeting, wherein tlie said Mr. Blair declines ac- 
 cepting the Presidentship of this college, to which he was chosen ; 
 and the said office was accordingly declared to be vacant." 
 The Rev. Samuel Blair, afterwards the Rev. Doctor Blair, who la 
 
396 NOTES. 
 
 recorded in this minute to have " declined accepting the President- 
 ship of the college," was the son of the Rev. Samuel Blair of Fog's 
 Manor, heretofore mentioned, and the nephew of the Rev. John 
 Blair, professor of Divinity. He was graduated at Nassau-Hall in 
 1760 ; and afterwards served, for about a year, as a tutor in the in- 
 stitution. He was, at this time, settled in the ministry, in the town 
 of Boston, as colleague with the venerable Doctor Joseph Sewall. 
 
 Mr. Blair must have been under thirty years of age, probably not 
 more than twenty-eight, when he was chosen President. But at 
 that time a youth of higher premise was probably not to be found 
 in the American church. The writer has learned from good au- 
 thority, that as soon as Mr. Blair had ascertained that a re-election 
 of Doctor Witherspoon would insure his services and influence in 
 favour of the college, a voluntary and prompt tender of the resigna- 
 tion here recorded, prevented the embarrassment in which the 
 board of trustees might otherwise have been involved. Dr. With- 
 erspoon has been known to mention this act, as an instance of disin- 
 terestedness and generosity, highly creditable to Mr. Blair. 
 
 This gentleman, shortly after his resignation of the Presidency, 
 fell into a valetudinary state, which induced him to resign his pas- 
 toral charge in Boston ; and which rendered his subsequent life 
 little else than a long disease. He resided, for many years, at Ger- 
 mantown in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, and performed 
 such occasional ministerial services as his health would permit^ 
 For two years, he served as chaplain in Congress. The writer re- 
 collects many pleasant hours spent in his company, in an acquain-r 
 tance of nearly thirty years continuanpe. He died about two years 
 since. 
 
 " Mr. Stockton communicated to the board sundry letters he had 
 lately received from Scotland, informing him that difficulties which 
 had prevented Dr. Witherspoon's acceptance of the Presidentship 
 to which he had been chosen, were now removed ; and that upon a 
 re-election, he would esteem it a duty to enter into this publick ser^ 
 vice. The board, receiving the intelligence with peculiar satisfac- 
 tion, proceeded immediately to a re-election, when the said Doctor 
 Witherspoon was again unanimously elected to the said office. 
 
 Resolved, that the salary to be allowed Dr. Witherspoon, as Presi- 
 -dent of this college, be according to the propositions made to him in 
 the letter wrote him by the President of this boaixl, upon his former 
 election ; together with the explanation thereof mentioned to the 
 said Dr. Witherspoon, by Mr. Stockton, one of the members of this 
 ])oard, in his letter frpm Edinburgh, dated 2d March, 1767 : And 
 
NOTES. 39r 
 
 that the same sum of one hundred guineas, as on his former elec- 
 tion, be allowed him for the expenses of removing himself and fami- 
 ly to this place. 
 
 Resolved, that the President of this board be desired immediately 
 to transmit a copy of the above vote to Dr. Witherspoon ; and also 
 to send a duplicate of the same by the first opportimity, to be accom- 
 panied with his letter, requesting the said Dr. Witherspoon to has- 
 ten his coming over, as soon as he conveniently can. 
 
 The trustees from long experience having found the inconvenien- 
 ces and disadvantages to this institution, which have arisen from in- 
 dulgences that have frequently been granted, by admitting and re- 
 ceiving scholars into one or other of the three higher classes, at their 
 first coming to the college, upon their payment of certain fees as en- 
 trance money, it is therefore voted, that from and after the com- 
 mencement which shall be held in the month of September 1769, no 
 dispensation shall be granted by the President or officers of this col- 
 lege from the usual residence of four years, required by the standing 
 laws of this and other colleges ; and that no candidates shall be 
 thenceforward received into this seminary, but as entrants into the 
 lowest or Freshman class ; allowing only the term of the first quar- 
 ter, after the commencement vacation, to be regai'ded as days of 
 grace, after which no scholar shall be admitted." 
 
 This order of the board was soon repealed : and after several mod- 
 ifications, the rule which for several years past has been established 
 and acted on, in regard to the reception of students into the several 
 classes of college, is, that no student shall be admitted to a higher 
 standing than the beginning of the senior year ; and that the tuition 
 and room rent of two full years, shall be paid by every student, be- 
 fore he is admitted to his degree — Admissions to the senior class 
 have very seldom taken place. 
 
 ** Voted, that the practice of sending freshmen upon errands, or 
 employing them as servitors, in any manner whatsoever, be from 
 henceforward totally discontinued." 
 
 Previously to this time, the members of the freshmen class were 
 accustomed to perform several menial services, when required so to 
 do by the other students, especially by those of the senior class. By 
 the passage of this vote, the absurd usage was abolished, and has 
 ever since been discontinued. 
 
 " Mr. Stockton having informed the board, that he had received 
 when in England, the sum of one hundred pounds sterling, which 
 was given to the trustees of this college in trust for and towards the 
 liupport of a Divinity Profes-sor m the ^me, by Mr. Williapison of 
 
398 NOTES. 
 
 Hanover, in Virginia — Resolved that Dr. Redman do transmit the 
 thanks of this board, by letter, to the said Mr. Williamson, for his 
 generous donation. 
 
 The ti-ustees conceiving it to be a matter of real importance to the 
 interest of this college, that the grammar school which was lately- 
 kept in this town should be again set up, under the countenance and 
 patronage of this board, resolved that Messrs. Woodruff, Berrien, 
 Tennent, Stockton and Smith, or any three of them, be a committee 
 to consider of ways and means for setting up and promoting the 
 same, and to procure a proper master, or masters, who may be wil- 
 ling to engage in that service, and report their proceedings at the 
 next meeting. 
 
 The trustees having thought it expedient, in order to enable them to 
 establish and support a number of Professors in this college, that sub- 
 scriptions in this and the neighbouring colonies should be set forward, 
 among the friends of religion and learning, and Mr. Smith presenting a 
 draught of a preamble to said proposed subscription papers, the one 
 designed to be subscribed by such persons as may choose to contri- 
 bute a sum in gross, the other as an annual subscription, to continue 
 for seven years, from 1st August 1768, the same were examined 
 and approved ; and Mr. Bryan is desired to order 300 of each sort to 
 be forthwith printed at Philadelphia, and to distribute a number of 
 each to every member of this board, who mutually engage to use 
 their best endeavours to promote these subscriptions in the country. 
 And the said Mr. Bryan is directed to draw upon the trustees for 
 the expense of printing the same. 
 
 This board being informed that tjie Synod of New- York and Phil- 
 adelphia, have lately appointed an annual contribution to be made in 
 the several congregations throughout their bounds, for the laudable 
 purpose of promoting christian knowledge, and conceiving that a 
 yearly appropriation of some part of the said contributions, for and 
 towards the support of a Divinity Professor in this college, would 
 perfectly accord with the views of the Synod in the said appoint- 
 ment, as the well training up and instruction of our youth in the doc- 
 trines of Christianity would be one of the most effectual means to 
 accomplish the excellent purposes designed by said contribution ; it 
 is therefore ordered, that Mr. Rodgers do prepare a draught of a 
 letter to said Synod, requesting an annual appropriation of part of 
 those collections towards the maintenance of a Professor of Divinity 
 in this college, to be laid before the board this afternoon. 
 
 Mr. Rodgers, pursuant to order, laid before the board a draught 
 of a letter to the Reverend Synod of New-York and Philadelphia, 
 >vhich was read and approved — Ordered that the sajiie be transcrib- 
 
NOTES. 399 
 
 ed and signed by the clerk, and that Mr. Rodgers dopreetntit at the 
 next session of the said Synod." 
 
 This application to the Synod was successful. A contribution was 
 ordered to be made, in all the congregations under the care of the 
 Synod, for the support of a Professor of Divinity in the college — to 
 be annually applied by a vote of the Synod. In the mean time, the 
 sum of fifty pounds was loaned, on the credit of the fund expected to 
 arise from the contributions ordered, and was immediately paid to 
 the college treasurer. 
 
 At the close of the meeting of the trustees, in December, 1767, 
 from the minutes of which the preceding extracts have been made, 
 the board adjourned till " the next commencement ;" expecting 
 probably that Dr. Witherspoon would not arrive before that time. 
 He did arrive however in August of the following year, and a special 
 meeting of the board was called on tlie 17th of that month, at which 
 he was inaugurated. 
 
 The author of these notes has now shown the origin and design of 
 the college of New-Jersey ; and traced its history through the ad- 
 ministration of its first five Presidents — a labour which he has 
 found far greater than he anticipatedwhen he entei'ed upon it, and 
 for the continuance of which he has, at present, neither strength nor 
 leisure. The whole period, however, in the history of the college, 
 over which a degree of obscurity had gathered, and which was eve- 
 ry year increasing, has been explored and enlightened. — To accom- 
 plish this he was chiefly solicitous. For the period that remains, 
 although more extensive, and in some respects more interestingjthan 
 that of which an account has been given, the materials for history 
 are both ample and easily accessible. Perhaps the author, at a fu- 
 ture day, may pursue and complete this history, and publish the 
 •whole in a volume by itself — For this, however, he can give no 
 pledge. 
 
 In the mean time, that the readers of these notes may have a gen- 
 eral view of the present state of the institution, and of the course of 
 study pursued in it — he subjoins a copy of a circular letter, which is 
 sent, twice a year, to the parents and guardians of the youth who be- 
 long to the college. 
 
 CIRCULAR. 
 
 The parents and guardians of the youth sent to a place of publick 
 education, are naturally and properly anxious to know the charac- 
 
400 .NOTES. 
 
 ter, standing and proficiency, of their children or wards. To satisfy 
 this anxiety, to prevent the necessity of frequent written communi- 
 cations, and at the same time to promote the welfare both of the 
 youth and of the institution, it has been resolved to send, at the end 
 of each session, a printed communication to every parent or guardi- 
 an interested in the youth now at this college. 
 
 To make the information conveyed, at once concise and perspicu- 
 ous, the following method has been devised : The class to which 
 each student belongs has been divided, with reference to the articles 
 specified at the bottom of this page, into three parts — The first part 
 contains those who are considered as having the most merit in the 
 class, in the several articles specified, and is marked No. 1. — The 
 second part contains all those who have a medium share of merit, 
 and is marked No. 2. — The third part, marked No. 3, contains those 
 who are below the medium standing. When an individual is distin- 
 guished in any of the particulars which are numerically marked, the 
 word distinguished, is added, in manuscript, to the number. And as 
 distinctions, in the article of scholarship, are themselves various, the 
 variety is also marked — Thus, if under the article scholarship, a stu- 
 dent is marked No. 1. distinguished (1), he is to be considered as 
 ranking among the first in his class — If he is marked No. 1. distin- 
 guished (2), he is to be considered as a degree less eminent than th§ 
 former. So, likewise, in regard to (3) following the word distin- 
 guished. And if he is simply marked No. 1, he is to be considered 
 as holding more than a medium standing in his class, yet not as equal 
 to those who are distinguished. Those who, in scholarship, are 
 ranked under Nos. 2 and 3, are never discriminated as standing high 
 or low in those grades. The former No. as already intimated, indi- 
 cates a good medium standing, and the latter a standing somewhat 
 lower. 
 
 All who receive this communication may be assured, that the 
 statement given, is made by the faculty with a sacred regard to 
 truth and impartiality. They are sensible, however, that they may 
 not always do exact justice, though they aim at it ; and it will ever 
 give them pleasure to correct, in a subsequent communication, an 
 error made in a preceding one. They believe they are rather more 
 in danger of mistaking on the favourable, than the unfavorable side ; 
 but they repeat, that they have been as cautious as possible, not to 
 step from the line of tinith, on the one hand or on the other. The 
 article of behaviour is that in which they are most likely to err. 
 
 It is important to remark, that the character of youth often chan- 
 ges during the course of their education. Some who begin well, end 
 ill ; and some, on the contrary, who were once culpable, reform, and 
 
NOTES. 401 
 
 take the highest standing. It therefore by no means follows, that 
 each student will remain always what he is now. If parents, then, 
 observe that their children are doing well, it will behove them to 
 use all tlieir advice and influence to preserve them in well doing. If 
 deficiencies or faults are observed, the youth should be exhorted, 
 and urged, and encouraged to repair them. The thing is perfectly- 
 practicable, and often takes place in fact. If industry has been grea- 
 ter than success, no fault is involved, and none ought to be charged : 
 The youth is unfortunate, not blanieablt 
 
 It is the earnest endeavour of the faculty to avoid all harshness, 
 severity or rigor, in the administration of the government and in- 
 struction of the college, and to make all suitable allowance for the 
 inconsiderateness of youth. Nothing servile, degrading or impracti- 
 cable, is wished or demanded. It is the object to which they con- 
 stantly look, to make their pupils happy, and to present them to 
 their parents manly, well taught, and virtuous. But to the attain- 
 ment of these ends, strict order, prompt obedience, unblemished mo- 
 rals, and constant industry, are considered as indispensable. No 
 youth can long remain in this institution who is grossly deficient in 
 any one of these particulars. Parents, therefore, will consult their 
 own and their children's happiness, by inculcating, in the most im- 
 pressive manner, an attention to these several points : And if those 
 who have children now here, shall be consulted by others who may 
 think of sending youth to this college, it will be accepted as a favour, 
 if the inquirers be informed, that while we shall be glad to receive 
 virtuous, orderly and industrious youth, it is not our wish to receive 
 any of a different character ; and that if others enter, a speedy re- 
 formation, or a speedy dismission, must be the only alternative ex- 
 pected. 
 
 It has been found, by much experience, that nothing is more inju- 
 rious to youth than an unrestricted use of money. It furnishes both 
 the means and the temptation to idleness, dissipation and vice. The 
 parent who is not guarded in this particular, need not be surprised 
 at finding his child deficient in study, and falling under censure for 
 disorder or mischief. The spending of much money here, beyond 
 the stated expenses of college, is not necessary, nor honourable, nor 
 in any respect useful. It would be well if every parent would require 
 his child to keep an accurate and detailed account of his expenses— 
 to demand this at the end of each session, and when excess is suspec- 
 ted, to consult the president of the college on the subject. 
 
402 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 SCALE OF MERIT. 
 
 Name of the class. 
 
 Behaviour, No. 
 Industry, No. 
 Scholarship, No. 
 
 Signed by order of the faculty, 
 
 Nassau-Hall, 
 
 Clerk. 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The stated expenses of the college, each session paid in advance, 
 exclusive of books, clothes, candles, room furniture, and travelling 
 expenses, are as follow, viz. 
 
 WINTER SESSION. 
 
 
 SUMMER SESSIOI 
 
 N\ 
 
 Board 22 weeks 
 
 $55 00 
 
 Board 19 weeks 
 
 47 50 
 
 Tuition 
 
 24 00 
 
 Tuition 
 
 24 00 
 
 Room-rent 
 
 6 00 
 
 Room-rent 
 
 6 00 
 
 Wood 
 
 15 00 
 
 Library 
 
 1 00 
 
 Library 
 
 1 00 
 
 Servants' Wages 
 
 4 00 
 
 Servants' Wages 
 
 4 00 
 
 Washing 
 
 7 00 
 
 Washing 
 
 7 00 
 
 Damages and Shoe 
 
 - 
 
 Damages and Shoe-blacking 
 
 2 00 
 
 blacking 
 
 2 00 
 
 ^114 00 $91 50 
 
 Extra Damages Extra Damages 
 
 New students pay, entrance $5 00 : and for 1 copy of the printed 
 Laws of the college, 33 cents. 
 
 A student dismissed from college, for whatever cause, will have 
 refunded to him the whole which he has advanced for board, from 
 the time of dismission. 
 
 The annual commencement of the college is on the last Wednes- 
 day of September. The fall vacation begins the day after commence- 
 ment, and expires in six weeks. The spring vacation begins on the 
 first Thursday after the second Tuesday in April, and expires in 
 five weeks. 
 
 No student will be admitted into the freshman or lowest class in 
 the college, unless he be accurately acquainted with the grammar, 
 including prosody, of both the Greek and Latin tongues ; unless he 
 be master of Caesar's Commentaries, Sallust, select parts of Ovid'sj 
 Metamorphoses, Virgil, the Orations of Cicero contained in the vol- 
 ume in Usum Delfihiniy the Evangelists of the Greek Testament, 
 Murphy's Lucian or Dalzel's Collectanea Gracca Minora, the first 
 
NOTES. 
 
 403 
 
 three books of Xenophon*s Cyropxdia, and of Mair's or Clarke's In- 
 troduction to the Making of Latin ; and unless he be well acquainted 
 -with Arithnietick, English Grammar and Geography. 
 
 The catechism of the church to which the candidate belongs is 
 also required. 
 
 THE STUDIES OF THE SEVERAL CLASSES ARE AS 
 
 FOLLOW : 
 
 FRESHMAN CLASS. 
 
 Winter Scssio?!. 
 Arithmetick, 
 Geography, 
 English Grammar, 
 Mair's Introduction to the Making 
 
 of Latin, 
 Ovid, 
 Virgil, 
 Xenophon, 
 Composition. 
 
 Summer Session. 
 Arithmetick, Algebra, 
 Geography, 
 English Grammar, 
 Mair's Introduction, 
 Horace, 
 Xenophon, 
 
 Dalzel's Collectanea Grxca Majoi-a, 
 Composition. 
 
 SOPHOMORE CLASS. 
 
 JVinter Session. 
 Arithmetick, Geography, 
 English Grammar, History, 
 Mair's Introduction, 
 Horace, 
 
 Collectanea Grocca Majora, 
 Homer's Iliad, 
 Composition, 
 Algebra. 
 
 Summer Session. 
 Arithmetick, Geography, 
 English Grammar, Jamison's 
 
 Rhetorick, 
 Mair's Introduction, 
 Cicero, 
 
 Roman Antiquities, 
 Collectanea Grxca Majora, 
 Homer, 
 Composition, 
 Algebra, 
 
 JUNIOR 
 
 Winter Ses»ion. 
 Geometry — (Playfair's Euclid) 
 Plane Tingonometry, 
 Mensuration, Surveying, 
 Greek and Latin Classicks, 
 Composition, History. 
 
 Summer Session. 
 Spherical Trigonometry, 
 Elements of Astronomy, 
 Navigation, 
 
 CLASS. 
 
 Summer Session. 
 Conic Sections and Curve Lines, 
 Application of Algebra to Geom- 
 etry, 
 Fluxions, 
 Mechanicks, 
 
 Greek and Latin Classicks, 
 Composition, 
 Natural Theology, 
 Locke on Human Understanding. 
 
404 NOTES. 
 
 SENIOR CLASS. 
 
 Winter Session. Summer Sessioji. 
 
 Belles Lettres and Rhetorick, Belles Lettres, 
 Composition, Composition, 
 
 Moral Philosophy, Mechanicks, 
 
 Logick, Chemistry, 
 
 Metaphysicks, Political Econo- Experimental Philosophy,, 
 
 my and Philosophy of mind, Astronomy, 
 Mechanicks, Natural History, 
 
 Chemistry, Evidences of the Christian Re-? 
 
 Natural History, ligion. 
 
 Experimental Philosophy, Greek and Latin Classicks. 
 
 Greek and Latin Classicks. 
 
 All the classes read and are examined on a portion of the Holy 
 Scriptures on the Sabbath. 
 
 At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the College of New- Jer- 
 sey, at Princeton, on the 13th of April, 1819, it was resolved that 
 the following notice to the parents and guardians of the youth in this 
 college, should be given through the medium of the public Newspa- 
 pers, viz. 
 
 " As great complaints have frequently been made in regard to the 
 amount of expense incurred by some of the youth belonging to this 
 college ; complaints arising wholly from sujierjiuous expense, since; 
 the necessary charges of the institution are certainly moderate ; and 
 as all other means which have been used to correct this evil have 
 been found inadequate ; the trustees of this college give this notice to 
 the parents and guardians of the youth, that they ought to pay no 
 debt contracted in this town, which they have not explicitly author- 
 ized : And the trustees do earnestly request that no such debt may 
 be paid by any parent or guardian. The trustees have, also, earnest- 
 ly to request that parents and guardians would pay a special regard 
 to the statement made to them twice a year, in the circular letters 
 of the college, which is to this effect— That the spending of much 
 money by the students of this college is not necessary, nor useful, nor 
 honourable ; but in all respects injurious : That whenever parents 
 put considerable sums of money at the disposal of their children, 
 they furnish the means of vice and the temjitation to it, and have, in 
 most cases, nothing to expect but that idleness, dissipation and dis- 
 honour, will be the consequence ; and that whenever excess of ex- 
 pense is suspected, the president of the college ought immediately 
 to be consulted on the subject. 
 
NOTES. 405 
 
 The ueccssaiy annual expenses of this college, exclusive of clothes, 
 books, and pocket money, amount to about ^225*' ; and if an equal 
 sum be allowed by parents who make all their purchases in this 
 place, for clothes, books and incidental charges, so as to make the 
 whole sum expended $450, the allowance is not only sufficient, but 
 ample. Many live with entire reputation on much less, and non? 
 ought to spend more. 
 
 Having given the statement, and made the request contained in 
 this notice, the board must leave the concern with the parents and 
 guardians of youth : It is impossible, either for tl\e trustees or the 
 faculty of the college, to prevent the spending of money when it is 
 possessed ; or the contracting of unnecessary and unlawful debts, if, 
 through a false principle of honor, these debts be paid. 
 
 Signed by order of the Board, 
 
 ISAAC H. WILLIAMSON, 
 Governor of the State of New-Jersey, and 
 Ex-officio President of the Board.^' 
 
 NOTE E— Ffl^e 50. 
 
 In the passage of the discourse from which there is a reference to 
 this note, the thought is borrowed from the conclusion of Dr. Ar- 
 buthnot's well known and justly celebrated epitaph on Francis Char- 
 tres ; the whole of which is here inserted, for the purpose of easy 
 reference and as illustrative of the point discussed. 
 
 '* Here continueth to rot 
 
 The Body of FRANCIS CHARTRES, 
 
 Who, with an Inflexible Constancy 
 
 and Inimitable Uniformity of Life, 
 
 Persisted, 
 
 In spite of Age and Infirmities, 
 
 In the Practice of Every human Vice ; 
 
 Excepting Prodigality and Hypocrisy : 
 
 His insatiable Avarice exempted him from the first. 
 
 His matchless Impudence from the second. 
 
 Nor was he more .singular. 
 
 In the undeviating Pravity of his Alanners^ 
 
 Than successful 
 
 In Accumulatinff Wealth ; 
 
 For, without Trade or Profession, 
 
 Without Trust of Publick Money, 
 
 * At present, only §20:1 50. 
 
40S NOt^S. 
 
 And without Bribe- worthy Service, 
 
 He acquired, or more properly created, 
 
 A Ministerial estate. 
 
 He was the only Person of his Time, 
 
 Who could CHEAT without the Mask of Honesty, 
 
 Retain his primeval Manners 
 
 When possessed of Ten Thousand a year. 
 
 And having daily deserved the Gibbet for what he did. 
 
 Was at last condemned to it for what he could not do. 
 
 Oh Indignant Reader! 
 
 Think not his Life useless to Mankind ! 
 
 Providence connived at his execrable Designs, 
 
 To give to after-ages 
 
 A conspicuous Proof and Example, 
 
 Of how small Estimation is Ezhorbitant Wealth 
 
 In the Sight of God, 
 
 By his bestowing it on the most Unworthy of All Mortals.'^ 
 
 NOTE F— Pflg-e 52. 
 
 The author here refers to Doctor Witherspoon's " address to the 
 senior class, on the Lord's day preceding commencement ;" which 
 was first published in 1783. Ever since the writer has been in his 
 present office, he has not only directed the attention of his pupils to 
 this address, but in their senior year has prescribed it as the subject 
 of study and examination, at the close of their course of Moral Phi- 
 losophy. It is believed that it will not be easy to find elsewhere, 
 within the same compass, so much useful and appropriate advice to 
 liberally educated youth, as is contained in this address. Having 
 experienced through the whole of his past life, the benefit of the 
 deep impression which this excellent composition made on his own 
 mind when entering on the world, the -^riter earnestly recommends 
 its repeated and careful perusal to every youthful reader ; especially 
 to such as are looking forward to the liberal professions, or to litera- 
 ry pursuits of whatever kind. It is the matured production of a man 
 of piety, erudition, knowledge of the world, and deep insight into 
 human nature. 
 
 NOTE Q—Fa^e 88. 
 Deeply sensible, as the author is, that no attainment in science can 
 ever compensate for the loss, or the lasting injury of moral principle 
 and purity ; still he is not prepared to go the length of those, who 
 
NOTES. 407 
 
 "would proscribe the reading of the ancient classick authors, in a 
 course of liberal education. Without the careful reading of these 
 authors, it is in vain to expect that classical literature will ever be 
 fully acquired; and it is this literature which furnishes, at once, the 
 "best basis for the superstructure of all liberal knowledge, and the key- 
 by which many of the apartments must be unlocked, in wliich some of 
 its richest treasures are lodged. Reasons of the most conclusive kind 
 are necessary, to justify the rejection or disuse of the means, by 
 which such advantages are to be acquired. Reasons of this character 
 the writer has never yet heard alleged. The objection which is com- 
 monly taken from the heathen mythology, has with him little weight. 
 He rather believes that a full acquaintance with that mythology, is 
 not calculated to impress the youthful mind with any sentiments in 
 its favour; but, on the contrary, to shew impressively the sottish- 
 ness of idolatry, and the infinite importance and value of divine rev- 
 .elation. Some passages of gross impurity are very properly omitted, 
 in the best editions of the ancient classicks which are intended for 
 youth; and other omissions may be made, at the discrttiwn of a ju- 
 dicious teacher. 
 
 The mischief chiefly to be apprehended from a familiarity with 
 these writings, and to which there is a reference in the discourse, is 
 believed to be the very same which may be produced, and often i.'? 
 produced, by reading many publications of literary merit, in our own 
 language — The reader is in danger of imbibing the sentiments and 
 spirit of the authors that he frequently peruses and greatly admires. 
 From this cause, probably, it has not seldom happened, that an im- 
 moderate thirst of fame has been contracted; that the heroick mili- 
 tary character, with all its vices and vileness, has been approved and 
 emulated; that the principles of pride, of resentment and revenge, of 
 worldly honour and unbounded ambition, have been implanted and 
 strongly radicated; that licentious pleasures and indulgences have no 
 longer been esteemed criminal, but have come to be rcgai'ded and 
 sought, as the proper appendages of a fashionable character and an 
 aspiring mind ; in a word that a system of views and opinions has been 
 acquired and cherished, directly and malignantly hostile to the en- 
 tire spirit, principles and doctrines of the Gospel. Here, it is believ- 
 ed, is the real danger; and a danger it certainlj* is, of a very serious 
 and alarming character. The inquiry is, how shall it be avoided or 
 counteracted.^ Can it be avoided by always keeping youth, whose 
 business it is to read and extend their knov/ledgc, from perusing 
 those writings from which the danger arises.^ Nay, if it be, as it cer- 
 tainly is, from educated men that we are to expect the correction of 
 cirror and vice, how, it may be asked, caii they be qualified to aduiin- 
 
408 S^OTES. 
 
 ister this correction, without some accurate knowledge of the sources 
 and nature of the errors and vices which prevail? Ought not even a 
 candidate for the Gospel ministry to be well acquainted with the 
 heathen mythology, and with the spirit and opinions of the heathen 
 writers generally ? It will not be fair to say, that the answer which the 
 author plainly intends should be given to these questions, will go to 
 justify the perusal of all the books of uncleanness, or of blasphemy, to 
 which a scholar may gain access. Such compositions, at least among 
 us, must be searched after ^ or they will not be found. The authors and 
 publishers of such works ought to receive the heaviest punishment 
 due to the corruptors of society ; and the youth who seeks for them, 
 manifests a disposition to vice and a strength of depravity, which 
 call for the most rigorous restraint and discipline. The reading from 
 which the author believes that studious youth cannot, and ought not 
 to be precluded, is that which has literary taste and reputation on 
 its side, and without which the weapons of virtue themselves cannot 
 be wielded to the greatest advantage. It is that ,which the scholar 
 who should attempt to avoid, must not merely shun the ancient clas- 
 sicks, he " must needs go out of the world" — 
 
 *' Est modus in rebus; sunt certi denique fines, 
 Quos ultra, citraque nequit consistere rectum." 
 
 If, then, it is no longer worth while to inquire whether it would 
 not be better if a youth should never see a book of the kind con- 
 templated, since the thing is impossible — the only remaining inquiry 
 is, whether he would not better meet his danger under the guidance 
 and protection of a discreet and pious leader, than be left to encoun- 
 ter it afterwards, by himself. The author thinks that it ought to be 
 a part of his education, to show him his danger distinctly, and to 
 teach him how to escape it; and he believes that the most effectual 
 way to accomplish this, is to mingle the study of the Bible with the 
 study of the Greek and Roman classicks. 
 
 If, indeed, scholarship alone were in question, why should not the 
 oldest, and in every view the best book in the world, be studied, in 
 a course of liberal education ? Why should not the antiquities — the 
 manners and customs, the history and poetry, of the Hebrews, as 
 well as those of the Greeks and Romans, be considered as an impor- 
 tant attainment for every scholar. Why should he not be made 
 acquainted with the source from which many of the laws and usages, 
 as well as the whole religion of his country, have been derived .^ 
 Will he always acquire a sufficient knowledge of the sacred scrip- 
 tures in his domestick education, or by a perusal of them as a matter 
 of his own choice i* Alas ! it is a fact equally notorious and shameful. 
 
NOTES. 409 
 
 that men of liberal education are sometimes more ignorant of the 
 Bible, than of almost any other book of reputation. 
 
 As a corrective of the erroneous principles, not only of the Greek 
 and Roman writers, but of many in our own, and perhaps in ever) mod- 
 ern language, the study of the Holy Scriptures is important beyond 
 estimation. They afford a pure and perfect standard — the only one 
 ■which exists — of moral principle and action. If the youthful mind 
 be thoroughly imbued with tlie doctrines which they teach, and be 
 rationally convinced — as it may, even without practical piety, be 
 convinced, of the unspeakable superiority of the revealed system to 
 every thing which is hostile to it in the productions of uninspired 
 men, the best possible security will be provided against the danger 
 in contemplation. Nay, we may safely go farther and affirm, that 
 the very reading which otherwise might have been pernicious, will 
 now, probably, become in a high degree useful. It may not only be 
 the source of much valuable information and improvement, which 
 every scholar ought to possess, but may serve strikingly to demon- 
 strate the necessity of a divine revelation, by showing into what 
 monstrous absurdities and errors the human mind has always been 
 betrayed, on the subjects of religion and morals, when left to its own 
 unaided efforts ; and how men of the most powerful intellect are sure 
 to mistake, and to mislead others, whenever they are ignorant, or 
 forgetful, or regardless of this unerring guide. 
 
 If during the whole period of a classical education, those parts of 
 the christian Sabbath which are not occupied in publick worship, 
 and in other exercises proper to the day of sacred rest, should be 
 employed in the study of the sacred writings, as much knowledge of 
 them would be obtained as would be amply sufficient for all the pur- 
 poses to which the author has here supposed that the knowledge of 
 them should be applied ; provided only that the application be imme- 
 diately, and assiduously, and discreetly made, by the teachers 
 of youth. Let the teacher remark to his pupils, in the most engag- 
 ing and impressive manner he can devise, on all the erroneous prin- 
 ciples and sentiments which occur in classical reading. Let him 
 shew their unreasonableness and their evil tendency ; let him point 
 out their contrariety and their inferiority, to the holy doctrines and 
 precepts, and to the faultless morality of divine revelation. When 
 the scriptures are recited, let obscurities and difficulties be explained, 
 and the lessons of practical instruction, derivable from the particular 
 portion before the student, be clearly educed and affectionately incul- 
 cated. Let the peculiar doctrines of the New Testament be often 
 stated, and its pure, and meek, and gentle, and forgiving, and pa- 
 tient, and benevolent spirit, be set in contrast with the direct oppp- 
 
 G3 
 
410 NOTES- 
 
 sites of such a spirit, as exemplified and recommended in other com- 
 positions. Let the perfect character of the Redeemer of the world 
 be often exhibited and dwelt on ; and let the example of the holy 
 apostles and other eminent saints, as recorded in the sacred writings, 
 be recommended to the attention and imitation of the young — Let this 
 be done, with fidelity and perseverance, and it is believed that not only 
 will the reading of the ancient classicks be without injury, but that the 
 most effectual means will be used to neutralise all the deleterious 
 matter which liberally educated youth will meet v/ith, in the various 
 books which they may and ought to peruse. A seed of divine truth 
 will, moreover, be implanted in their minds, which, in some season 
 of seriousness, and under the life giving influence of the Spirit of all 
 grace, may spring up, and bring forth fruit unto life everlasting. 
 That the plan here recommended will require patient and laborious 
 efforts to carry it into effect, is admitted ; but the object sought is 
 surely worth all the pains and endeavours which are necessary to 
 obtain it. 
 
 In what the author has here said on the study of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, he has not been proposing a mere speculation, or an untried 
 and uncertain theory. He has stated what he has, for himself, made 
 a matter of experiment ; the good effects of which he has seen, and 
 in which he hopes to rejoice in the most solemn crisis of his exis- 
 tence. He here bears his testimony to the practical efficacy and 
 manifest utility of this plan, of mingling the study of the Sacred 
 Scriptures with all the other studies of a literary institution. And with 
 the utmost deference, he earnestly recommends the serious conside- 
 ration of it, to all who have the sacred charge of directing the read- 
 ing and forming the minds of youth. Among the means which are 
 used to evangelize the world, it is his belief that one of the most 
 powerful would be, to evangelize the course of a liberal education ;• 
 and he hopes the day is approaching when this will be generally 
 seen; when the salt of revealed truth shall so heal the fountains of 
 science, that all the streams which issue from them *' shall make 
 glad the city of God." 
 
 NOTE G-^Fage 94. 
 [This letter, by an error of the press, is here used for reference a 
 
 second time.] 
 
 The author had occasion, about sixteen years ago, to explain 
 somewhat more at large, and in opposition to the militating er- 
 rors, the principles which he maintains and inculcates in this part 
 of his discourse; and he has determined to insert in the present 
 note what was then written. At the time referred to, he was en- 
 
NOTES. 411 
 
 ^aged, with a highly respectable coadjutor, to review those articles 
 in Rees' Cyclopxdia, which relate to moral and religious subjects; 
 that the American edition of the work might, at least, contain an 
 antidote to the Socinian poison, Avhich was plentifully diffused through 
 the first volumes of the English copy. It was under the article 
 Angel, that the offensive paragraph appeared, to which the sub-? 
 joined extract was introduced as a reply. — The paragraph is as 
 follows : 
 
 " According to the opinion of those who maintain the fall of an- 
 gels, they arc represented as being cast out of Heaven, abandoned 
 to iniquity, and making it their business to seduce mankind, and 
 taking pleasure in doing them all kinds of injury. Others, howev- 
 er, among whom we may reckon Dr. Priestley, consider the fall of 
 angels as very problematical ; and though it cannot be said that 
 the tiling is absolutely impossible, yet they conceive that it seems, 
 upon the face of it, to be very improbable. Besides, if such exalted 
 beings as these are supposed to have sinned, and to have thereby 
 become obnoxious to the divine displeasure, what end, they ask, 
 could it answer to them to be so assiduous in seducing mankind ^ 
 Indeed, upon the supposition that their existence and torments were 
 to be everlasting, it may be conceived to give them a kind of gloomy 
 satisfaction to have " brethren in iniquity" for their companions in 
 their sufferings. Priestley's Institutes, vol. ii. p. 433. Bekker, of 
 Amsterdam, maintains, that the word translated " angels," in Jude 
 v. 6, and also 2. Peter ii. 4, should be "messengers; [alleging] 
 that here is no reference to fallen angels, but to the history of the 
 persons sent out by Moses to spy out, and make report of the land 
 of Canaan, and to their false and wicked account, so as to discourage 
 their countrymen from obeying the divine command." On this par- 
 agraph the author made the subsequent remarks — 
 
 We are expressly told by Christ himself that at the general judg- 
 ment he will say to the wicked, " Depart from me ye cursed into 
 everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." To the 
 Jews he said " Ye are of your father the devil — he is a liar and the 
 father of it — a murderer from the beginning." We are also inform- 
 ed that Christ was " led up into the wilderness to be tempted of 
 the devil ;" that " the tempter came to him ;" and a detailed ac- 
 count is given of the very words and artifices that were used in the 
 temptation, and of the replies and defeat which they received from 
 the Saviour. The author of the Acts of the Apostles states, that it 
 was a part of the work of Christ, when on earth, " to heal all those 
 that were oppressed of the devil;" and a large portion of the evan- 
 gelic history is employed in giving us au account of those who were 
 
413 NOTES. 
 
 thus healed. By the apostle Paul, we are warned " not to give place 
 to the devil;" taught how "we may be able to stand against the 
 wiles of the devil ;" apprised of the danger of " falling into the con- 
 demnation of the devil ;" shewn how those who have fallen may " re- 
 cover themselves out of the snare of the devil ;" and told that there 
 are certain doctrines which are " doctrines of devils." St. James 
 gives this admonition — " Resist the devil and he will flee from you;'* 
 he assures us that the " devils believe and tremble ;" and that there 
 is a kind of wisdom that is " earthly, sensual, devilish." The author 
 of the Epistle to the Hebrews declares, that Christ died " that he 
 might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil." 
 The same thing is taught by St. John, who testifies, that "for this 
 purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the 
 work of the devil;" and adds, that *' he that committeth sin is of the 
 devil." St, Peter exhorts his brethren in this language : " Be sober, 
 be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 
 walketh about seeking whom he may devour ; whom resist steadfast 
 in the faith." The same apostle, in his second epistle, informs us 
 that " God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to 
 hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto 
 judgment." This coincides exactly with what we are told by St. 
 Jude, who is supposed by some to have quoted Peter, with a little 
 amplification, where he says: "The angels which kept not their 
 first state, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in ever- 
 lasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." 
 The writer of the Apocalypse speaks more than once of " the old 
 serpent, which is the devil and satan," of his influence and instru- 
 ments, and of their final and eternal perdition. All this, and abun- 
 dantly more than this, we are taught in the New Testament, about 
 those apostate and fallen angels who are commonly called devils, 
 and the chief or prince of whom appears to be denominated, by way 
 of eminence, " the devil and satan." The selections have been made 
 with a particular view to shew that there is not a single writer of 
 this part of the sacred canon who does not speak, in the plainest and 
 most express terms, of these evil sjiii'its^ and in a manner which 
 shews that their existence and agency is not to be doubted. And are 
 we, notwithstanding this, to be gravely informed by writers pi-o- 
 fessing Christianity, that they " consider the fall of angels as very 
 problematical; and though it cannot be said, that the thing is abso- 
 lutely impossible, yet they conceive that it seems, upon the face of 
 it, to be very improbable ?" What ! " very proolematical," and " upon 
 thefaceof it very improbable," when the fact is attested by Christ, and 
 by all the writers of the New Testament! Yes, exactly so. But can 
 
NOTE?. 413 
 
 those who talk at this rate justly claim to be considered as chris- 
 tians at all? No, assuredly. And when men who must be active, 
 have in their hearts taken the side, it is earnestly to be wished that 
 tliey would openly appear in the ranks of infidelity : that thus they 
 might no longer possess the advantage of thrusting at religion, under 
 the guise of friendship ; nor of betraying her sacred cause to the en- 
 my by a pretended defence, or by weakening or throwing down the 
 ramparts on which her safety depends. 
 
 Christians may reduce all questions of controversy in regard to 
 their religion, to the two following, which they would do well often 
 to place distinctly before them : First, is the Scripture the word of 
 God ? — Secondly, Is any doctrine, fact, or proposition, whicli is made 
 the subject of inquiry or speculation, contained in that word ? On the 
 first of these questions believers have their controversy with pro- 
 fessed infidels : the second furnishes the ground of many debates 
 among christians themselves. But the matter which arises out of 
 these questions, severally, ought never to be mixed. If a man profess 
 to receive the Scripture as a divine revelation, he forecloses all con- 
 troversy about its authority ; because the word of God is a much 
 better security for truth than any deductions of human reason. He 
 may have difficulties in explaining or vindicating some truths which 
 he receives under the sanction of a divine warrant, but still he is not 
 to deny those truths. This appears, in fact, to have been the under- 
 standing of almost every writer of reputation on the subjects of chris- 
 tian controversy, till lately. Those who were supposed to wish for a 
 greater latitude, did not choose openly to avow it. \V ithin a few 
 years, however, the Socinians, finding it impracticable fairly to de- 
 fend their creed against the artillery of revelation, with which their 
 opponents were likely to demolish it, have sought arms and aid from 
 the camp of infidelity. They have contended, at one time, like chris- 
 tians, and at another, like deists, and often have alternately taken the 
 ground, and used the weapons, of both parties in the same combat. 
 This system they did not adopt all at once, nor without some caution 
 and address. At first, they seemed only to be carrying to the point 
 of perfection a plan on which they had, in some measure, acted, from 
 the days of Socinus himself. They employed much art and assiduity 
 to shew that the sacred writings had suffered greatly by some impor- 
 tant interpolations, and by numerous and gross corruptions. Much, 
 likewise, was said to inculcate the belief that a great part of the in- 
 spired volume ought to be considered merely as allegorical, or so 
 highly figurative that no precise intellectual truth, or well defined 
 doctrine, can satisfactorily be derived from it ; that it admits of many 
 ijiterpretationsj and may be made to consist with that which is given 
 
414 NOTES. 
 
 by them, as well as with any other. These are the limits to which 
 some of the corps still confine themselves. ' Others, however, among 
 whom we may reckon Dr. Priestley, Bekker of Amsterdam,' and a 
 host of German Socinians, have been less scrupulous, and have pro- 
 ceeded to far greater lengths. They do not all exactly agi-ee in the 
 same representations, for they love to appear not to act in concert. 
 Among them, however, they have not merely insinuated, but pro- 
 fessedly maintained, that Jesus Christ and his apostles, though they 
 were honest good men, and at times much favoured of heaven, 
 (Christ being the chief of the prophets) yet were not only liable to 
 err, but did actually err and teach their errors to others; that they 
 quoted Scripture, from the Old Testament, very incorrectly, and ap- 
 plied it ver}^ fancifully and absurdly ; that they were taught many 
 Jewish dogmas that were utterly false, which they either received 
 as truths themselves, or else, knowing them not to be true, not only 
 did not undeceive their followers, but inculcated falsehood as if it 
 had been truth— and such a falseliood, they especially insist, is the doc- 
 trine, that there is a devil or evil spirit; that the apostle Paul is fre- 
 quently a very inconclusive reasoner, adopting principles that are un- 
 sound, and forming conclusions that are untenable ; that we have no 
 reason to believe that there was any thing miraculous in the concep- 
 tion of our blessed Lord, but that he ought rather to be considered 
 as the natural son of Joseph. We are too much shocked and dis- 
 gusted to proceed with this detail, though there are ample materials 
 for the purpose. 
 
 Thus, then, this class of Socinians claim to bring the whole Scrip- 
 ture before the bar of their own reason, and to pronounce the sen- 
 tence of falsehood on as much of it as to them may seem meet — not 
 because it is corrupted or interpolated, not because the v/riters are 
 misrepresented, but because they actually taught what is erroneous^ 
 and, for that reason, ought to be corrected or condemned. The only 
 point in which they differ from acknov/ledged infidels is, in admit- 
 ting that the Scripture, after all, contains a revelation from God ; 
 though they will by no means consent to specify wliat are the par- 
 ticular parts which they will recognize as such, anti by w^hich they 
 will abide as the divine word, and the umpire of controversy. Fre- 
 quently and earnestly have they been pressed to do this, but they 
 have never done it. Kence it is that controversy with them becomes 
 endless, because it is impossible to terminate it, while the parties 
 have no common authority or principles to which they may appeal. 
 Hence, also, Deism, open and unreserved, has been most extensively 
 propagated, through the medium of Socinianism. For, if the Bible 
 be that interpolated, corrupted, allegorical and erroneous book, 
 
NOTES. 415 
 
 which these men would make it, common sense revolts at the idea 
 of receiving it as a revelation from God, and a guide to future hap- 
 piness. If all its doctrines and principles are at last to be subjected 
 to every man's own decision whether they shall be received or re- 
 jected, why not consult your reason alone and at once ? Why bring 
 the master to the scholar, when you know beforehand that much 
 which he will say will be weak, and empty, and erroneous ? It is 
 easier, say infidels, to believe, not only all the mysteries, but all the 
 superstitions, that christians ever received, than to believe that the 
 infinitely wise and good God has given mankind the revelation of 
 his will in such a form as this. And here, for once, we declare our- 
 selves of their opinion. But, so far from rejecting revelation as the 
 consequence, we contend for receiving and maintaining it simply and 
 entirely as we find it in the Bible, in the originals of the Old and 
 New Testaments. Let these originals be the subject of diligent study 
 and of sound and reverent criticism. On the score of emendation, let 
 them be treated as respectfully, at least, as the copies of the best 
 heathen writers, than which they have been much better guarded 
 against corruption. In this manner, let us discover what revelation 
 teaches; and then let us receive it with docility, humility and thank- 
 fulness, as the word of life. Let us not bring to the study of tlie 
 Scripture a system already formed in our own minds and fortified 
 by prejudice; but let us go to it in the first instance, and without 
 prejudice, to learn what is the system which we ought to receive. 
 With the temper of children, let us sit at the feet of the Saviour, 
 imbibe his instructions and obey liis precepts. As far as we are able, 
 let us explain what is difficult; but when we can go no farther let us 
 treat the difilculties of revelation as we do those of the other works 
 of God — as we do the profound, obscure and contradictory things 
 which appear in creation and providence, and in regard to which the 
 best philosophers are always the readiest frankly to confess their ig- 
 norance. Let us not be ashamed to acknowledge that there are certain 
 things which, for the present, we do not fully understand ; and let us 
 wait for more light in this world, or for stronger faculties in the 
 world to come. The maxims of sound reason and philosophy, not 
 less than the injunctions of the Gospel, point out to us this course. 
 
 So much for this suljject in general, which it seemed necessary a 
 little to discuss, and for which this appeared as proper a place as 
 any. Since, indeed, it has been determined that nothing which ap- 
 pears in " Rees's New Cyclop?edia" shall henceforth be omitted in 
 the American edition of the work, we thought it incumbent to avow, 
 and we have accordingly here avowed, the principles which will 
 govern us in examining and remarking on the moral and theological 
 
416 iNOTES. 
 
 opinions 'vhich it exhibits. We are sensible that this is an arduous, 
 an important, and a delicate duty. We have approached it, not with- 
 out undissembled diffidence in our ability to discharge it worthily. 
 In its execution we believe that we can promise diligence and vigi- 
 lancCy and v/e shall endeavour not to transgress the prescriptions of 
 decorum, the laws of candour, nor the demands of christian meek- 
 ness. With all this, however, we believe it to be perfectly consistent 
 to say, that it will be matter of little concern to us in what class of 
 living literary merit the name may be enrolled, or in what niche of 
 the temple of fame the statue may be found, of him who has touched 
 irreverently the hallowed depository of God's revealed will. In the 
 best manner we can, we will withstand his audacity, expose his im- 
 piety, and invest him with his proper character; for we believe, with 
 Young, that " with the talents of an angel a man may be a fool.'' 
 Those who sympathize with heretics and infidels will in vain endeav- 
 our to turn us from our purpose. Our work is sacred, and we dare 
 not slight it; our responsibility is not only to man but to God. 
 
 In regard to the section which has given occasion to this explana- 
 tion, little farther need be said. As all who believe in the existence of 
 fallen angels adopt " the supposition that their existence and torments 
 w ill be everlasting," it is admitted by the sage objector himself, that 
 " it may be supposed to give them a kind of gloomy satisfaction to have 
 brethren in iniquity for their companions in their sufferings;" and 
 consequently an answer is given to the question, " what end could 
 it ansv/er to them to be so assiduous in seducing mankind?" But to 
 this we will add, that as these evil spirits are uniformly represent- 
 ed as being filled with malignity against God, so it is the natural ex- 
 pression of this infernal temper to endeavour to dishonour him in his 
 works, one of the noblest of which is his creature man. As to the 
 criticisms of Bekker on the passages in Jude and Peter, we think 
 that whoever will consult the context of the places referred to will 
 want no other evidence to convince him that the remark is wholly 
 without foundation. The passage in Peter, particularly, cannot pos- 
 sibly admit of the construction that has been given it; as " the his- 
 tory of the persons sent out by Moses to spy out and make report of 
 the land of Canaan," has no more to do with the subject which the 
 apostle is there treating of, than the history of the American revolu- 
 tion. 
 
 NOTE n^Page 124. 
 
 The eulogy of deceased friends is often extravagant, and parental 
 eulogy is more likely to be so than perhaps any other. Sensible of 
 this, and yet resolved, in leaving a memorial of a beloved first-born 
 
NOTES. 417 
 
 son, to indulge himself a little more in a note, than he thought pro- 
 per to do in a sermon, the author has determined to make a brief 
 statement of facts, and a short extract from his diary, written at the 
 time of his son's death ; and to leave them to be estimated by the 
 reader, as he shall think right. There are many friends and asso- 
 ciates of the deceased, who will be able to judge how much of what 
 is said should be imputed to parental partiality, and how much might 
 have been said by one who had no such bias. The writer can only 
 declare, that the representation which is here made, is in strict ac- 
 cordance with liis own apprehensions of the truth. 
 
 Robert Stockton Green was born in the city of Philadelphia, 
 July 30th, 1787. He was educated at Nassau-Hall, and graduated in 
 September, 1805. After an illness of about two weeks, he died in 
 Boston, at the house of a most kind and sympathizing friend, Ebene- 
 zer Rockwood, esq. on a return from a journey, September 28th, 
 1813, in the 27th year of his age. His remains were deposited in the 
 family vault of Samuel Dexter, esq. whose benevolence and gene- 
 rosity, in granting this honourable circumstance of sepulture, will 
 ever be held by the friends of the deceased in the most grateful re- 
 membrance. The subject of this memorial experienced no pain in 
 the sickness which proved mortal, and was not supposed to be dan- 
 gerously ill, by his friends and physician, till a little before his death. 
 He retained the exercise of his reason till a few hours before his 
 dissolution, and was observed by his nurse, throughout his last ill- 
 ness, to be apparently engaged in frequent acts of devotion, as he lay 
 on his bed. By the hand of a friend, he wrote to his father a most 
 affectionate letter, a few days before he died, and with his own hand, 
 the day before his death, he wrote a sentence or two, acknowledging 
 his many obligations to his travelling companion, William Appleton, 
 esq. and recommending him, in the most earnest manner, to the 
 attention of his father. On being apprized of his death, the author 
 wrote in his diary as follows: — 
 
 Doubtless I have the partiality of a parent ; and affection, awakened 
 by the death of a favourite child, is apt to magnify his amiable qual- 
 ities. This, notwithstanding, I believe I may say with truth, that 
 few parents could lose in a child, as much as I have lost in mine. — 
 In his person he was tall and well r ide, and had a most expressive 
 and pleasing countenance. He was distinguished by an amenity of 
 temper, and a gracefulness and elegance of manners, very rarely 
 seen. He was frank, candid, facetious, hospitable and kind. He had 
 acquired more knowledge, and of more various kinds, than any 
 other individual of his years, that I have ever personally known ; 
 not so much, however, as several extraordinarv youth of whom I 
 
 H3 
 
418 NOTES. 
 
 have read. He was becoming eminent as a lawyer ; and was, I be- 
 lieve, without a rival, of his own standing, both as to distinction and 
 prospects. He was a critick in his own language, and a handsome 
 and eloquent speaker. 
 
 He had a full belief in divine revelation; not the effect merely of 
 education, but of close and profound examination, terminating in a 
 thorough and unwavering conviction of its truth and authority. On 
 the deistical controversy he had read much, and understood it famil- 
 iarly in all its parts and bearings ; so that he could sooner and more 
 completely put an infidel to silence, than any other man whom I 
 have ever known. He was well versed in the Holy Scriptures, and 
 was orthodox in the great outlines of his religious creed. Talking to 
 a friend, a little before his death, about the Unitarian system, he 
 said, " take from the Gospel the divinity and atonement of Christ, 
 and you leave little of importance behind." He was free from vice, 
 and a constant and reverential attendant on publick worship. His 
 seriousness was growing, and had manifestly increased within the 
 last year of his life. Whether it had ripened into vital practical 
 piety, is known to God, in whose hands I leave him — It certainly 
 would now give me more comfort, if he had been unequivocally and 
 eminently pious, than I derive from all the brilliant talents and 
 attainments, by which he was unquestionably distinguished. 
 
 It is my purpose to erect a monumental stone, by the side of that 
 which covers his mother's grave, and to inscribe it thus — 
 
 Parental affection 
 
 Erected this Cenotaph, 
 
 To the memory of a much beloved son, 
 
 Robert Stockton Green,. Esq. 
 
 Counsellor at law ; 
 
 Who died suddenly 
 
 At Boston, in New-England, 
 
 September 28th, 1813, 
 
 In the 27th year of his age. 
 
 Distinguished 
 
 By amenity of temper, 
 
 By courtesy and elegance of manners, 
 
 By various and extensive knowledge. 
 
 By professional eminence and prospects. 
 
 By correct moral and religious principles, 
 
 By the warm attachment 
 
 Of a.n extensive and honourable 
 
 Acquaintance, — 
 
 J^? was " cut down like a flower !'* 
 
NOTES. 419 
 
 Vouthful votary of Genius and Science, 
 Be taught at this stone, 
 
 That SIMPLK PIETY 
 
 May speedily be found 
 The most valuables gf all thy possessions. 
 
 THE FAD. 
 
v^ 
 
 .^ vf^ 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 m A'f 
 
 :^A 
 
 <^6f^^ 
 
 ^^"mtmfii^' 
 
 CAVLORO 
 
 PRtNTKO IN U.S A.