private devotion was not neglected by him. The following lines, which afford a proof both of his taste and piety, were written by him in the year 1786, after a perusal of the eighth sermon of Barrow :

"As meadows parch'd, brown groves, and withering flow'rs, Imbibe the sparkling dew and genial show'rs;

As chill dark air inhales the morning beam;
As thirsty hearts enjoy the gelid stream;

Thus to man's grateful soul, from heaven, descend
The mercies of his Father, Lord, and Friend.""

Sir William Jones, in his Bible, wrote the following note; which, coming from a man of his profound erudition, and perfect knowledge of the oriental languages, customs, and manners, must be considered as a powerful testimony, not only to the sublimity, but to the Divine inspiration, of the sacred Scriptures:

"I have," says he, "carefully and regularly perused these holy Scriptures; and am of opinion that the volume, independently of its Divine origin, contains more sublimity, purer morality, more important history, and finer strains of eloquence, than can be collected from all other books, in whatever language they may have been written."

As religion was the subject of his meditations in health, it was more forcibly impressed upon his mind during illness. He knew the duty of resignation to the wili of his Maker, and of dependence on the merits of a Redeemer. These sentiments

are expressed in a short prayer, which he composed during his indisposition in 1784; and which is in the following words:

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"O thou Bestower of all good! if it please thee to continue my easy tasks in this life, grant me strength to perform them as a faithful servant: but if thy wisdom hath willed to end them by this thy visitation, admit me, not weighing my unworthiness, but through thy mercy declared in Christ, into thy heavenly mansions, that I may continually advance in happiness, by advancing in true knowl edge and awful love of thee. Thy will be done!"

Another short prayer, composed by him, on waking one morning at sea during the voyage to India, is worthy of insertion :

"Graciously accept our thanks, thou Giver of all good, for having preserved us another night, and bestowed on us another day. O, grant that on this day we may meditate on thy law with joyful veneration; and keep it in all our actions, with firm obedience."

Amongst the papers written by this truly excellent man, was a prayer, composed by him on the first day of the year 1782, about twelve years before his death. It is evidently the entusion of a pious mind, deeply impressed with an awful sense of the infinite wisdom, power, and benevolence of his Creator; and of the ignorance, weakness, and depravity of human nature. It contains sublime views of the Divine attributes; and the most hum

ble dependence on God, for light and ability to serve him acceptably. The following passages are selected from this solemn and devout composition:

"Eternal and Incomprehensible Mind, who, by thy boundless power, before time began, createdst innumerable worlds for thy glory, and innumerable orders of beings for their happiness, which thy infinite goodness prompted Thee to desire, and thy infinite wisdom enabled Thee to know! we, thy creatures, vanish into nothing before thy supreme Majesty. To thy power we humbly submit; of thy goodness we devoutly implore protection; on thy wisdom we firmly and cheerfully rely. Irradiate our minds with all useful truth; instil into our hearts a spirit of general benevolence; give understanding to the foolish; meekness to the proud; temperance to the dissolute; fortitude to the feeble-hearted; hope to the desponding; faith to the unbelieving; diligence to the slothfel; patience to those who are in pain; and thy celestial aid to those who are in danger: comfort the af flicted; relieve the distressed; supply the hungry with salutary food, and the thirsty with a plentiful stream. Impute not our doubts to indifference, nor our slowness of belief to hardness of heart; but be indulgent to our imperfect nature, and supply our imperfections by thy heavenly favor.

“Whenever we address thee in our retirement from the vanities of the world, if our prayers are foolish, pity us; if presumptuous, pardon us; if

acceptable to thee, grant them, all-powerful God, grant them! And as, with our living voice, and with our dying lips, we will express our submission to thy decrees, adore thy providence, and bless thy dispensations; so, in all future states, to which we reverently hope thy goodness will raise us, grant that we may continue praising, admiring, venerating, worshipping thee more and more, through worlds without number, and ages without end."

THE Reader, before he closes this volume, will naturally pause, and encourage reflections adapted to the subject. He has been presented with the testimonies and experience of a number of his fellowcreatures, of different periods, countries, professions, and situations in life. He has found them all uniting in their attestation to the power and excellence of true religion, as our surest guide and consolation through time, and the only means of securing eternal happiness.

This solemn and concurrent testimony is of great importance. Much of it proceeds from some of the most eminent persons that have ever appeared in the world, whether we consider their station, their abilities, or their virtue. It is on a subject of the most interesting nature: and claims our serious and reverent attention, as the sentiments of men, who were too much enlightened to be deceived themselves, and too deeply affected, as well as too virtuous, to deceive others. They expressed their genuine feelings, and their unbiassed views of things, at the most awful period of life.

Some of the persons mentioned in these memoirs seem not to have been deeply impressed with re