gotten the fact which we stated in our last, that in scripture language, the title, God, is not confined to Jehovah. They have insisted that because Jesus Christ is called God, he must be pos sessed of supreme divinity. We believe that they may be called Gods," to whom the word of God came."

MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS.

EXTRACT FROM MITFORD.

Ir has often been said, that if Christianity were only a divinely authorized system of morals, if it had only sanctioned the laws of virtue, by the fear of future punishment, and the hope of future happiness, it was unnecessary. The heathens, we are told, were good moralists, and it is not to be supposed that miracles would have been wrought, to confirm what reason was sufficient to teach. The following passage from that admirable historian, Mitford, satisfactorily illustrates the power of unassisted reason. He is speaking of the celebrated plague at Athens.

"The moral effects of this extraordinary visitation, reported by that judicious eye-witness to whom we owe this whole detail, deserve our notice. Wherever the doctrine of retribution in a life to come, for good and evil deeds in this world, has taken any hold on the minds of men, a general calamity strongly tends to check the passions, to inspire serious thought, to direct attention toward that future existence, and to make both hope and fear converge to the great Author of nature, the all-powerful, allwise, and all-just God, who can recompense the sufferings of the good with endless blessings, and convert to lasting misery any short-lived joys that can arise from the perpetration of evil. But in Athens, where the Deity was looked to very generally and very anxiously for the dispensation of temporal good and evil only, it was otherwise. The fear of the divine power, says Thucydides, ceased; for it was observed, that to worship or not to worship the gods, to obey or not to obey those laws of morality which have always been held most sacred among men, availed nothing. All died alike; or, if there was a difference, the virtuous, the charitable, the generous, exposing themselves beyond others, were the first and the surest to suffer. An inordinate, and before unknown, licentiousness of manners followed. Let us enjoy ourselves, let us, if possible, drown thought in pleasure

to-day, for to-morrow we die, was the prevailing maxim. No crime, therefore, that could give the means of any enjoyment, was scrupled; for such were the ravages of the disease, that for perpetrator, accuser, and judges, all to survive, so that an offender could be convicted in regular course of law, was supposed against all chance. The final consummation pending over equally the criminal and the innocent, by the decree of fate or of the gods, any punishment that human laws could decree, was little regarded. How most to enjoy life, while life remained, became the only consideration; and this relaxation, almost to a dissolution of all moral principle, is lamented by Thucydides as a lasting effect of the pestilence of Athens."

FULLER.

THE GOOD SCHOOLMASTER.

THERE is scarce any profession in the Commonwealth more necessary, which is so slightly performed. The reasons whereof, I conceive to be these. First, young scholars make this calling their refuge; yea, perchance, before they have taken any degree in the university, commence school-masters in the country, as if nothing else were required to set up this profession, but onely a rod and a ferule. Secondly, others who are able, use it only as a passage to better preferment, to patch the rents in their present fortune till they can provide a new one, and betake themselves to some more gainful calling. Thirdly, they are disheartened from doing their best with the miserable reward, which in some places they receive, being masters to the children, and slaves to their parents. But see how well our schoolmaster behaves himself.

He studieth his scholars' natures as carefully as they their books, and ranks their dispositions into several forms. And though it may seem difficult for him in a great school to descend to all particulars, yet experienced schoolmasters may quickly make a grammar of boys' natures, and reduce them all (saving some few exceptions) to these general rules.

1. Those that are ingenious and industrious. The conjunction of two such planets in a youth presages much good unto him. To such a lad a frown may be a whipping, and a whipping a death; yea, where their master whips them once, shame whips them all the week after. Such natures he useth with all gentle

nesse.

2. Those that are ingenious and idle. These think with the hare in the fable, that running with snails (so they count the rest

of their schoolfellows) they shall come soon enough to the post; though sleeping a good while before their starting. Oh, a good rod would finely take them napping.

3. Those that be dull and diligent. Wines, the stronger they be, the more lees they have when they are new. Many boyes are muddy-headed till they be clarified with age, and such afterwards prove the best. Bristoll diamonds are both bright and aquared and pointed by nature, and yet are soft and worthless; whereas Orient ones in India are rough and rugged naturally. Hard, rugged and dull natures of youth acquit themselves afterwards the JEWELLS of the country; and therefore their dulnesse is at first to be born with, if they be diligent. That schoolmaster deserves to be beaten himself, who beats nature in a boy for a fault.

4. Those that are invincibly dull and negligent also. Correction may reform the latter, not amend the former. All the whetting in the world can never set a razor's edge on that which hath no steel in it. Such boyes he consigneth over to other professions. Shipwrights and boatmakers will choose those crooked pieces of timber, which other carpenters refuse.

He is able, diligent, and methodical in his teaching, not leading them rather in a circle than forwards. He minces his precepts for children to swallow, hanging clogs on the nimblenesse of his own soul, that his scholars may go along with him. He is moderate in inflicting deserved correction. Many a schoolmaster better answereth the name of παιδοτρίβης than παιδαγωγος, rather tearing his scholars' flesh with whipping, then giving them good education. No wonder if his scholars hate the Muses, being presented unto them in the shapes of fiends and furies. Junius complains de insolenti carnificina of his schoolmaster, by whom "conscindebatur flagris septies aut octies in dies singulos." Yea, heare the lamentable verses of poore Tussèr in his own life. From Paul's I went, to Eton sent,

To learn straitways the Latine phrase,
When fifty three stripes given to me
At once I had

For fault but small, or none at all,
It came to passe, thus beat I was ;
See, Udal, see the mercy of thee
To me poore lad.

Such an Orbilius marres more scholars then he makes: their tyranny hath caused many tongues to stammer, which spake plain by nature, and whose stuttering at first was nothing else but fears quavering on their speech at their master's presence. And whose mauling them about their heads hath dull'd those, who in quicknesse exceeded their master.

WILLIAM WALDRON,

Was the first minister of the New Brick Church in Boston, which was built in the year 1721. He was ordained there May 23, 1722, and died Sept. 11, 1727, at the age of 32 years. From the sermons delivered at his death and published by Dr. Cotton Mather, and four other ministers, it appears that he was regarded as a man of more than ordinary talents and goodness, and had given the promise of great eminence and usefulness.

We have lately had the perusal of some manuscript letters in his own hand-writing, a few extracts from which may be acceptable to some of our more curious readers. They are all written to his brother in Portsmouth, between September, 1723, and March, 1724.

"Oct. 9th, 1723.-*** Dr. Cutter has displayed himself in the King's Chapel once and again; and though he has made a declaration that if there be not an harmony and good correspondence maintained between the ministry of the town and himself, it should be none of his fault; this he hath prefaced with a Sermon (shall I call it) full of raillery and bitter invectives. He insists, it seems, upon the invalidity of our ordination, and spares not to belch it, that we have no ministers but two or three that have been created by a human creature. You'll see the spirit of the man if you consult the second chapter of Ezekiel, for that was the chapter that he read when he preached, tho' for the getting of it he was forced to break in upon the known order of the Church of England."

In another letter he expresses himself thus: "As for me, the more I consider and weigh matters, the more it appears to me that we are ripening for ruin. We have forsaken the Lord that made us, and he now seems to be withdrawing from us. Yet, blessed be his name, there are some yet who stand in the gap, and do strongly and answerably maintain the way of these church

es.

Here are some sober remarks published upon a book called 'A modest proof of the order and government settled by Christ and his apostles in his church.' If you have seen neither, I will send them to you. The answerer is Master Wigglesworth;

though it is a secret and must be concealed."

In the next letter we find something further: "Herewith I send you the pamphlets I mentioned in my last. Notwithstanding what I said of the author of the Sober Remarks you must not think them all made by the same hand. Where there is any bitterness shewn in them, where there are any ungentlemanly jeers, that excellent man utterly disclaims them; but the most ingenious and argumentative part of the book is his. But I really New Series-vol. II.

56

intreat you not to mention it on any account; for he is greatly solicitous of having the matter remain a secret. He industriously conceals himself, and there are but three or four at most that do know any thing about it."

This Master Wigglesworth was the first professor of divinity in Harvard College. He is frequently mentioned in these letters, and in one of them his character appears at considerable length. "I must needs say, I cannot in justice imagine that this good gentleman is second to any. He is certainly a first rate, if not the first rate. His body is the less acceptable part of him; that is no wise to be despised. As to his intellectual powers, his being chosen into the professorship by some of our wisest and best men must speak him superlative. As for his publick preaching, you would guess him to be almost under an inspiration in it. His delivery is with great deliberation and distinctness. He has a small still voice, not loud, but audible. As for the impediment you mention, it is only a graceful lisp, that does not at all affect his speech to make him unintelligible. When I have heard him preach I have never observed but that every syllable was clearly articulated. And as for his never being a candidate for the gospel ministry, it is a mistake. He always was so, ever since he preached, and is so now. He has been in nomination (though I don't so well like the method) more than once, and the reason why he has been neglected is owing to the ignorance and unskilfulness of the rabble, who make the majority. They disgust every thing but noise and nonsense, and cannot be content to sit quiet, unless their auditory nerves are drummed upon with a voice like thunder. His meeting with no acceptance is a great reproach upon the understanding of the multitude. I guess he would hardly be prevailed to leave his business here only to make a fruitless journey, for I don't think he has any thing in prospect, I mean a settlement; and further, the learned this way would be loth to part with him. He is treated with great respect this way, and should he come to Portsmouth, your clergy, tho' his seniors, must stoop to him. As for his deafness I look on it as a good ministerial qualification. Mr. Prince is an excellent preacher, a fine scholar, but has an uncouth delivery; he is raw and uncultivated, not much of a gentleman. I should for my part pretty much suspect his conduct among you. I asked the professor whether if he should be asked to preach any where for a small term, he could leave his business, and mentioned Piscataqua to him. He replied, that he would consult the president in such an affair. But, he added, I believe it will be best for them to hear only one. He is a very prudent man, and I am 'confident that if he had been sent to after the same manner that