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by day or night; neither do I feel that propensity to sin as be fore."

We shall close this Memoir of Mr. Shadford, with the following particulars sent us by Mr. John Riles.

"He prayed and preached, till disease and infirmity arrested him in his career. After having travelled for twenty-three years, he became a supernumerary; but instead of burying himself in obscurity, or sinking into indolence, he evinced the same unabated ardour and love for the souls of men, and the prosperity of the church of God, which he had done, during the vigour of his health. He neither outlived his piety nor his usefulness. It was evident to all who had an intimate acquaintance with him, that he enjoyed communion and fellowship with God, and was ripening for eternal glory. The members of his two classes had a high opinion of his piety, and when assembled round him, hung upon his lips, cagerly expecting some word of instruction or comfort for they had no doubt that God would make him an honoured instrument for their good. His method of meeting his classes, was remarkably conciliating: there was nothing rough or austere in his manners; he blended the most benevolent feelings with faithfulness, and never appeared satisfied, unless all the people under his immediate care, loved God with all their hearts, with all their strength, and with all their might. To these, his advice was, Grow in grace.'

"On Monday, Feb. 28, Mr. Shadford dined with his affectionate friend Mr. Blunt, in company with his brethren; he then appeared in tolerable health, and eat a hearty dinner. In the course of the week he felt indisposed, from a complication of diseases. He was under no apprehension at this time, that his departure was so near, as he had frequently felt similar affections; and by timely applications to his medical friend Mr. Bush, had been relieved. On Friday, March 1, he, with some difficulty, met his class, and afterwards said, it was impressed on his mind he should never meet it more. On the Saturday afternoon, I called to inquire about his health; when he said with unusual fervour,

To patient faith, the prize is sure :
And all that to the end endure

The cross, shall wear the crown.'

His mind seemed fully occupied with the great and interesting realities of eternity, and he had no greater pleasure than in meditating and talking of the dying love of God. On the Lord'sday morning, March 10, before I went to the chapel, I called to see him, and found he had slept most of the night; from this we flattered ourselves the complaint had taken a favourable turn, and were in hopes of his recovery. But when the doctor called, he said the disease was fast approaching to a crisis, and it was impossible for him to recover: upon this information, Mr. Shadford broke out in a rapture, and exclaimed, 'Glory be to God!' Upon the subject of his acceptance with God, and assurance of eternal glory, he had not the shadow of a doubt. While he lay in view of an eternal world, and was asked if all was clear before him; he replied, I bless God, it is;' and added, 'Victory! victory! through the blood of the Lamb! When Mrs. Shadford was sitting by him, he repeated,' What surprise! what surprise!' I suppose he was reflecting upon his deliverance from a corruptible body, and his entrance into the presence of his God and Saviour, where every scene surpasses all imagination, and the boldest fancy returns wearied and unsatisfied in its loftiest flights. Two friends, who were anxious for his recovery, called upon him, and when they inquired how he was, he replied, "I am going to my Father's house, and find religion to be an angel in death.' A pious lady, in the course of the day, was particularly desirous of seeing him, and she asked him to pray for her: he inquired, 'What shall I pray for?" She said, That I may meet you in heaven, to cast my blood-bought crown at the feet of my Redeemer' he said, with great energy, The prize is sure.' His pious sayings were numerous, and will long live in the recollection of many but a collection of them all would swell this article beyond due limits. His last words were, 'I'll praise, I'll praise, I'll praise; and a little after fell asleep in Jesus, on March 11, 1816, in the 78th year of his age.

"For nearly fifty four years, Mr. Shadford had enjoyed a sense of the Divine favour. His conduct and conversation 'sufficiently evinced the truth of his profession. For many years he had professed to enjoy that perfect love which excludes all slavish fear : and if Christian tempers and a holy walk are proofs of it, his claims were legitimate. Maintaining an humble dependance upon the merits of the Redeemer, he steered clear of both Pharisaism and Antinomianism: his faith worked by love. Truly happy

himself, there was nothing forbidding in his countenance, sour in his manners, or severe in his observations. His company was always agreeable, and his conversation profitable. If there was any thing stern in his behaviour, it was assumed, to silence calumniators and religious gossips. In short, he was a man of prayer, and a man of God.

"His abilities as a preacher were not above mediocrity; yet he was a very useful labourer in the vineyard of the Lord in illustrating the doctrines of the gospel, he was simple, plain, and clear. His discourses, though not laboured, were methodical, full of scriptural praseology, delivered with pathos, and accompanied with the blessing of God. He did not perplex his hearers with abstruse reasoning and metaphysical distinctions; but aimed to feed them with the bread of life; and instead of sending them to a dictionary for an explanation of a difficult word, he pointed them to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.

"Mr Shadford was free and generous. His little annual income, managed with a strict regard to economy, supplied his wants, and left a portion for the poor and needy. In visiting the sick, while he assisted them by his prayers and advice, he cheerfully administered to their wants. He spent no idle time in needless visits or unmeaning chit-chat; and though many of his kind friends in Frome would have considered it a high favour if he could have been prevailed upon to partake of their bounty, yet he always declined it, except once a week, at the hospitable table of his generous friend Mr. Blunt, where he generally met the preachers with some part of their families. He loved his brethren in the ministry; and, like an old soldier who had survived many a campaign, he felt a pleasure in retracing the work of God, in which he had been engaged for more than half a century. He claimed it as a right, and deemed it a privilege to have the preachers to take tea with him every Saturday afternoon. There was nothing sordid in his disposition, and as far as I could ever observe, covetousness formed no part of his character. He considered the rule of his Saviour as having a peculiar claim upon his attention; Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven.'

"His patience and resignation to the will of God were such, that he has left few superiors in those passive graces. Some years since he lost his eye-sight, and continued in this state of

affliction for several years: but instead of murmuring at this dispensation of Providence, he bore it with christian fortitude.-This did not altogether prevent his usefulness; for though the sphere of his action was circumscribed by it, he could still pray with the afflicted, converse with the pious, and meet several classes in the week. In this state, he was advised to submit to an operation for the recovery of his sight. The trial proved successful, and when the surgeon said, 'Sir, now you will have the pleasure of seeing to use your knife and fork; Mr. Shadford feelingly replied, "Doctor, I shall have a greater pleasure, that of seeing to read my Bible.' This luxury he enjoyed: for when he was permitted to use his eye-sight, the first thing he did, was to read the word of life for three hours: reading and weeping with inexpressible joy. During the whole of his last short illness, he betrayed no symptoms of uneasiness; but cheerfully submitted to the will of God. Through the last few years of his life, he glided smoothly down the stream of time. The assiduous attention of Mrs. Shadford to all his wants; her sympathy in the moments of his pain; and unwearied attempts, either to prevent his sufferings, or lessen their force, greatly tended to soften them down. She has lost a pious and an affectionate husband, and the Methodist Society in Frome one of its best members.

SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATED.

REMARKS ON THE CURSES IN THE PSALMS.

LOVING Our enemies is such an imitation of God, and our Divine Master-such an argument of a great and generous mindso much the ornament of Religion—so expressive of a high degree and pitch of virtue-and so much for the good of the lower world, and the way to a better, that it is much to be wished, that nothing inconsistent with it might be traced in any of the celebrated names in holy writ. But, as the Scriptures now stand, we do find in the Psalms, curses and imprecations, which make a part of the service of the established church, and are continually read, without scruple or remorse. Ps. vi. 10, Let all my enemies be ashamed, and sore vexed.' Ps. x. 2, Let all the wicked be taken in the devices they have imagined." Ps.lv. 15. Let death seize upon them; let them go down quick

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REMARKS ON THE CURSES IN THE PSALMS.

into hell; for wickedness is in their dwelling, and amongst them.' Ps. lviii. 8, As a snail melteth, let them pass away.' And we elsewhere find David speaking of seeing his desire on his enemies.

To remove the difficulty attending these and such like passages, I would observe, that the Hebrews have no such thing in their language as an optative mood; and, therefore, we cannot, from the bare formation of the verb, conclude the desire or wish of him that speaks. For the truth of this, I appeal to those who are best skilled in that language. It is material to observe also, that the Hebrews have a way by which they express their wish, or desire that a thing should come to pass. This is done by two words, as may be seen Ps. xiv. 7, O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!' Ps. Iv. Oh that I had wings like a doye! After this manner does the Psalmist express his wish and desire: but he no where uses this form of expression, where he is supposed to pray against his enemies, or wish any calamity to befal them.

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It is to be observed also, that the verbs in the Hebrew, in the places above cited, and elsewhere, are in the future tense. And if there be some in the imperative mood, it does not alter the case; because the Hebrew grammarians agree, that the imperative is but another future; so that these expressions, against which an objection apparently lies, may not import any wish or desire. They are rather predictions than prayers; and convey to us, not what David wished, but what he believed would be the issue, and final consequences of the spirit and conduct of his enemies. This is no new opinion. "Non optat sed prævidet. Prophetia est pronunciantis, non votum maledicetis." Agust. And this agrees with the manner of the Psalmist's speaking elsewhere; e. g. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment: the way of the ungodly shall perish: mine enemies are turned back they shall fall and perish at thy presence; for lo, thine enemies shall be scattered. He shall cut them off in their own wickedness! In these places our translators have kept to the future. They had the same reason to have done it in those against which the greatest exception has been taken.

And besides to construe the expressions alluded to into prayers and imprecations, without any certain grammatical reasons,. is exceedingly uncandid; and is inconsistent with that language he frequently uses, and various well-known actions of his life." How far removed from a vengeful spirit must he be, whose lan

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