"with regard to each other. This leads me, undefignedly, to a criticism on Jude 13, on which perhaps an aftronomer would be the best commentator, Wandering ftars, to whom is referved the blackness of "darkness for ever. Perhaps an aftronomical critic "would obferve that falfe teachers are represented as "planetary or wandering ftars, that in their eccentrici"ties run out into an eternal Aphelion from the fun of "righteousness, beyond the fyftem which he warms, "illuminates, and beatifies, and are conftantly receding "from the fountain of light, life, and blifs, and there"fore muft wander through the blackness of darkness "for ever; a darkness unpierced by one ray from the "great fun and center of the moral world-blackness of darkness, an abstract predicated of an abstract. How gloomy and ftrong the expreffion!"

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Let me give you another quotation from his letters. "I am very much pleafed and affected, fays he, with "the fubject of this week's ftudy, and next LORD'S

66

day's entertainment, namely, A bruifed reed fhall be "not break, and the fmoking flax fhall be not quench. "Such a bruifed reed at beft am I a weak, oppreffed, "ufelefs thing: a ftridens ftipula that can make no a"greeable melody to entertain my great Shepherd. "Yet this bruifed reed I have reafon to hope he will not "break, but bind up and fupport. This fhattered pipe "of ftraw he will not caft away, but repair and tune to join in the angelic concert on high. I am at best but Smoking flax; a dying fnuff in the candlestick of his "church; a wick juft put out in the lamp of his fanc"tuary. The flame of divine love, funk deep into "the focket of a corrupt heart, quivers, and breaks, "and catches, and feems just expiring at times. The "devil and the world raife many ftorms to blow upon "it. And yet this fmoking flax, where the leaft fpark "of that facred paffion ftill remains which renders it more fufceptive of his love, as a candle just put out "but still smoking, is eafily rekindled.-This fmoking flax he will not quench, but blow it to a flame, which

"fhall

"fhall fhine brighter and brighter till it mingle with "its kindred flames in the pure element of love."

I fhall conclude my extracts from his epiftolary correfpondence with a part of a letter, dated Hanover, September 12, 1757.

"My ever dear Friend,

"I am just beginning to creep back from the valley "of the fhadow of death, to which I made a very near "approach a few days ago. I was feized with a moft “ violent fever, which came to a crisis in a week, and "now it is much abated, though I am still confined to “ my chamber. In this shattered ftate my trembling “hand can write but little to you, and what I write "will be languid and confused, like its author. But "as the Virginia fleet is about to fail, and I know not "when I fhall have another opportunity, I cannot avoid "writing fomething. I would fit down on the grave's “mouth, and talk awhile with my favourite friend; "and from my fituation you may forefee what fubjects 66 my converfation will turn upon-Death-Eternity "the fupreme Tribunal.

"Bleffed be my Master's name, this diforder found "me employed in his fervice. It feized me in the "pulpit, like a foldier wounded in the field. This has "been a bufy fummer with me. In about two months "I rode about five hundred miles, and preached about forty Sermons. This affords me fome pleasure in "the review. But, alas! the mixture of fin and of many nameless imperfections that run through and 66 corrupt all my fervices, give me fhame, forrow, and "mortification. My fever made unusual ravages upon . my understanding, and rendered me frequently deli"rious, and always ftupid. But, when I had any "little fenfe of things, I generally felt pretty calm and "ferene, and death, that mighty terror, was difarmed. "Indeed the thought of leaving my dear family defti"tute, and my flock fhepherdlefs, made me often start "back and cling to life; but in other refpects death "appeared a kind of indifferency to me. Formerly I

"have wished to live longer that I might be better "prepared for Heaven, but this confideration had but "very little weight with me, and that for a very unu"fual reafon, which was this-After long trial I found "this world is a place fo unfriendly to the growth of "every thing Divine and Heavenly, that I was afraid, "if I fhould live longer, I fhould be no better fitted "for Heaven than I am. Indeed I have hardly any "hopes of ever making any great attainments in holi"nefs while in this world, though I fhould be doom"ed to stay in it as long as Methuselah. I fee other "chriftians indeed around me make fome progrefs, "though they go on with but a fnail-like motion: but "when I confider that I fet out about twelve years old, "and what fanguine hopes I then had of my future progrefs, and yet that I have been almost at a stand "ever fince, I am quite difcouraged.-O my good Mafter, if I may dare to call thee fo, I am afraid I "fhall never ferve thee much better on this fide the "region of perfection. The thought grieves me: it "breaks my heart, but I can hardly hope better. But "if I have the leaft fpark of true piety in my breaft "I shall not always labour under this complaint. No, "my LORD, I fhall yet ferve thee-serve thee through

an immortal duration-with the activity, the fervor, "the perfection of the rapt feraph that adores and burns. "I very much fufpect this defponding view of the mat"ter is wrong, and I do not mention it with approba"tion, but only relate it as an unusual reafon for my "willingness to die, which I never felt before, and "which I could not fupprefs.

"In my sickness I found the unspeakable importance "of a Mediator in a religion for finners. O! I could "have given you the word of a dying man for it, "that that JESUS whom you preach is indeed a neceffary, and an all-fufficient Saviour. Indeed he is the only support for a departing foul. None but CHRIST, "none but CHRIST. Had I as many good works as "Abraham or Paul, I would not have dared to build

" my

my hopes upon fuch a quickfand, but only on this "firm eternal rock.

"I am rifing up, my brother, with a defire to re"commend him better to my fellow-finners, than I "have done. But, alas! I hardly hope to accomplish "it. He has done a great deal more by me already " than I ever expected, and infinitely more than I de"ferved. But he never intended me for great things. "He has beings both of my own, and of fuperior or"ders, that can perform him more worthy fervice."O! if I might but untie the latchet of his fhoes, or "draw water for the fervice of his fanctuary, it is enough "for me. I am no angel, nor would I murmer be"cause I am not

"My ftrength fails me, and I must give over66 pray for me-write to me-love me living and dying, on earth and in heaven."

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Judge you from thefe paffages, written in the freedom of friendship, and to one to whom he fcrupled not to lay open the fecrets of his bofom, what a lofs the church has fuftained, and how much our world is impoverished by the death of Mr. Davies, in the vigour of his days, and in the meridian of his usefulness!

Such a blow, fuch an uncommon and diftreffing blow has been given in the death of Mr. Davies. And now what shall we do? to what fhall we recur, or to what quarter fhall we look for help under fuch an awful Providence? My advice is, that we should seriously and attentively turn our minds to the paffage of facred writ which I mentioned at the beginning of my difcourfe:

Who (that is, GoD) works all things after the counsel of his own will.

Without enquiring into the context, the words may be regarded as a diftinct propofition. He (that is, GoD) works. He works, or he works with energy and irrefiftible power, in fuch a manner as none befides him either has ability or right to work. He works like himself, he works with the omnipotence that belongs

H

to

to him, and which is his effential and distinguished attribute*. Farther, not only does God work, but he works all things, all things done by him in heaven and earth, in all the provinces of his vaft empire, all things in Nature, Providence, and Grace, all things in time, and all things in eternity. And he works all things after the counfel of his own will; that is, as he pleases. His will is the fource of his action. He gives an account of his matters to none. None in the army of heaven, or among the inhabitants of the earth, have any authority to fay unto him, What doft thou? He depends upon none, but all, all worlds and beings depend upon him; and therefore none are to prefume to dictate to him, or direct him what is or what is not to be done by him. But obferve, that though he works, and works all things, and all this as he pleafes, yet it is after the counsel of his own will. We are to confider God indeed as a great fovereign, as LORD of all, higher than the higheft, fupreme and unrivalled in perfection and glory, who is not to be called to the tribunal of his creatures, or to be queftioned by them, as to what he pleases to perform. We are not to fnatch the fceptre or the balance from his hands. But yet this we may be affured of, that whatever the ALMIGHTY GOD does is done not from a kind of blind though omnipotent neceffity, neither is it by an unguided or unmeaning exertion of power; but that he works all things after the counsel, the defign, or wisdom of his own will. Survey the great JEHOVAH as he is indeed

in

*That the word ('Evepyeni) here tranflated who works, contains in it that forcible meaning which I have here afcribed to it, we may learn from what the critics have faid upon it "Hac voce fig"nificatur actio conjuncta cum efficacia, & quidem fumma, quæ "prohiberi nullo modo poffit. Ifaiah xli. 4."-LEIGHIUS in verb. "At Græca vox magis fonat, ejus cujus vi & virtute fiunt omnia, "h. e. omnia agentis ac moderantis."-ERASMUS in loc. Could we admit of fuch an English word, the original might be rendered who energizes all things, &c.

The word (Bouλ) he tranflated counfel, may, according to the learned Stephens in his Thefaurus Græcæ Lingua, be rendered

a