ture, until about the beginning of the year 1815; when he had a slight apoplectic stroke, which confine him chiefly to his room the remainder of his days. On the day of his arrival to the age of fourscore, he preached, at his own house, his last sermon, on Psalms xc. 12: So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. The natural division of his subject, embracing so correctly the matter contained in the textthe judicious collection of proofs-the copious illustration of each proposition-and the practical improvement of the subject, appeared to be the work of a younger and more active mind; and all joined, to convince that his outward man only had failed.

After this he spoke occasionally, but made no more appointments of his own, except one on hearing of the death of his son, Dr. David Rice, of Virginia. On that occasion he gave a solemn address to his neighbours and family, at his own house, on the subject of death, and the necessity of a preparation for it.

About the first of the February preceding his death, a difficulty of breathing, occasioned by a callous state of the Diaphragm, aided by Hydro-Thorax, gradually accumulating, made him sensible that his end was at hand, and also rendered that end extremely painful. Early in May he was attacked with something like Influenza, accompanied with considerable fever and acute pain; which, added to the difficulty of breathing, contined him to his chair for nearly a week, without sleep; except

* He preached from the same passage, Jan. 1st. 1765, and regretted, after preaching his last sermon, that he had not recollected his having notes on the same passage.

what, as soon as commenced, was interrupted by a distressing Incubuis.

After this period he could occasionally take some sleep, but seldom more than an hour at a time; but the difficulty of breathing continued to increase till a constant act of volition was required to enable the organs of respiration to perform their functions at all. Bowed down with age, a general Hydropic Diathesis, and extreme debility, this distressing symptom, though not so painful, became more and more frequent, until a day or two. he lay calm and speechless to his last.

During this period, from the first of February to his last moments, he had death in daily expectation, and viewed it with composure, and with patience waited till his change should come. The divine manifestations to him were not of the most lively kind, such as he had at times enjoyed through life, but a calm, uninterrupted view of the complete plan of redemption proposed in the gospel, and his interest in the atoning blood and righteousness of Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Cor. i. 30. Having through life defended the superi⚫rity of the word of God to feelings, frames, and exercises of an ordinary or extraordinary kind; so in death he derived his chief consolation from the same rich foun tain. The precious promises he would often repeat with feeling emphasis, saying, that precious book abounds in them if we only had faith to appropriate them, accompanied with pertinent and connected comments upon them.

The glory of God in the salvation of sinners had evever been in him "the ruling passion," and this was pre eminently "strong in death." His greatest fear was, that he should dishonour the cause of Christ by a fretful, impatient temper, which he would remark was too apt to be indulged by old age even in health. In his most painful moments he would often say, when writhing in anguish, "shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord, and not evil: my life has been crowned with mercies I have had a good constitution, capable of relishing the bounties of heaven-have enjoyed plentyhave been blessed with an agreeable companion, long preserved to me—I have a numerous family of children, in whom I have much comfort-when I was a boy God took me into covenant with himself, and I took him to be my God, and why should I murmur now when he is chastising me for my sin. If the blessed Jesus, who had no sin of his own, bore the wrath of his heavenly Father for a world of sinners, how willingly ought I to endure all the pain I suffer if my dying example might be but the means of the salvation of one soul." When expressing his jealousy of himself on this head, he would frequently accommodate the petition of the Saviour to his heavenly Father, in the near prospect of his sufferings: "Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee -Father, glorify thy unworthy servant, that thy unworthy servant may also glorify thee." When using this language, he did not, he said, mean a glorious exaltation in heaven, but the same as when he spake of the glory of God, not the innate glory of Jehovah, but the declarative glory of God among mankind; which we ought

to promote by living in the christian temper, walking as Christ walked, living soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

He lamented his incapacity for conversation, and seemed disposed to reflect on himself for not having improved his time with more diligence while he had strength for usefulness.

Ever fond of society, but especially that of his brethren in the ministry, he manifested an increasing anxiety to have frequent interviews with them, and at every such interview he would dwell principally on the necessity of ministerial diligence and zeal. This was not done as if flowing from passions recently harrowed up by the alarms of approaching death, but in a firm and rational way, like a man getting a clearer view of an object the nearer he approached it.. He endeavoured much to impress the minds of his brethren with just ideas of the unpromising state of religion and morals in our country -of the worth of souls-the comparative littleness of the world-its profits, and its honours, and its pleasures -the importance of family religion, and family instruction, to both civil and religious society-that without a reformation in these things the American government will degenerate into anarchy and consequent despotism; and the civil, and perhaps the religious liberty of the nation be lost in the ruins of the republic.

Good will to man appeared to be the fountain from whence all his conversation flowed: not like a torrent foaming by the inundation of a sudden shower, but as an equal stream from some never-failing spring; according

to the promise, it shall be in him a well of water springing up unto life eternal.

His efforts were not confined to the ministry. He improved every opportunity during the period of his confinement, to urge upon all who visited him the excellency, the importance, and the necessity of true religion, and the danger of neglecting it, All his conversation was, as ever, aimed at the great object of benefiting mankind. When light-minded persons would enter his room, he would even condescend to some little humourous detail, that he might make his company agreeable to them, and put them in a good humour to receive some useful lesson which he had in view to give them-to teach them something important-something calculated to promote their present and future happiness. At one time a servant came into his room while he was in a hard struggle: calling him by name, he said, "This is hard work: you had better even now be engaged to obtain a preparation for such a period, or it may go much harder with you. You will find when you come to die, that to struggle with death will be as much as you can bear; with the load of all your crimes upon you unre pented of, unforgiven, you will find this no time to secure your soul's salvation. Don't put it off any longer."

The low estate of Zion in our country-the prevalence of vice, ignorance, bigotry, superstition, enthusiasm, error and schism, for years before his death, cost him many painful hours. He was frequently heard to express it as his opinion, that, without a miracle of divine grace, the next generation would become heathens