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other diforders. These he bore with a patience, and even a cheerfulnefs, rarely to be met with, in the most eminent for wifdom and piety. Nor would his active mind, and his defire of usefulnefs to the end, permit him, even in this fituation, to defift from the exercife of his miniftry, and his duties to the college, as far as his health and ftrength would admit. He was frequently led into the pulpit, both at home and abroad, during his blindness; and always acquitted himself with his ufual accuracy, and frequently, with more than his ufual folemnity and animation. And we all recollect the propriety and dignity with which he prefided at the last commencement. He was bleft with the use of his reasoning powers to the very laft.

At length, however, he funk under the accumulated preffure of his infirmities; and on the 15th day of November, 1794, in the feventy third year of his age, he retired to his eternal reft, full of honour and full of days-there to receive the plaudit of his Lord, " well done thou good and faithful fervant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, be thou ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

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the conduct of a minifter of the gofpel, cannot be without profit, even to a private Chriftian. It will teach him whom to prefer, when he is called, in providence, to make a choice. It will teach him to hold fuch in reputation for their office-fake, and to improve the privilege of a regular gofpel-ministry, if he himfelf is favoured with it. And I think it muft incline him to make daily fupplication to the Lord of the harveft, to fend forth faithful labourers into his harvest.

But though there were no fuch general adyantage to be derived from it, my particular charge, and the very afpect of this audience, would eafily

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justify me in making this, for once, the immediate fubject of difcourfe.

Now if we would know the character of á faithful minifter, we cannot better, or more immediately reach our purpose, than by looking into the character, and obferving the conduct, and fprings of action, of the Apostles of our Lord, who received their commiffions immediately from himself, and were not only the firft, but the best and moft fuccefsful minifters, that ever were employed in the church of Chrift.

The Apostle Paul, whofe call was fo fingular, and whofe labours were fo diftinguished, has, in his Epiftles to the feveral churches, planted or watered by him, given us a great light into the chief aims he had in the exercise of the miniftry. In this chapter, and the preceeding part of this Epiftle, he fhews the Corinthians, with what vifible faithfulness and fincerity he had acted, and what diligence he had ufed in promoting their eternal happiness.

To fave time, I forbear going through the connection of his difcourfe, and only obferve, that in the words of our text, he shows what kept him faithful, and influenced him to fo much diligence in the work to which he was called, by alluding to an expreffion in the 116th Pfalm. It is written, I have believed, therefore have I spoken. We also believe, and therefore, fpeak.' In this he intimates, that our inward perfuafion of the great truths of the

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