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Yes, God himself has thus taught us that there is such a strange thing as the praise of a creature even in his presence! "He is righteous in all his ways;" the very fountain of "the love that envieth not." They that honour me," says the Lord, "I will honour." A Roman general withdrew from the Senate, when his achievements were going to be spoken of, declaring he would not stay to hear his nothings magnified. But Paul knew that all the praise of believers is indeed the praise of that celestial Vine, of which they are, in their best estate, but fruitful branches. The crown, therefore, he refuses not through voluntary humility: But he casts it before the throne, and joins the song that never shall end, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen."

In the theatre at Olympia, that general assembly, convened by the god of this world, the king of all the children of pride, an eulogy, a discourse of praise, celebrated the exertions of the successful candidates. This eulogy was called wayuρικος λογος, from whence is derived our English word panegyric. But the victors, the judges, and the assembly, after feasting on these panegyrics, departed to death. The garland withered, and the wearer dropped into the dust. But "the

King eternal, immortal, and invisible, who only hath immortality," shall lead his victorious servants to life eternal. "They shall follow the Lamb from fountain to fountain of living water," and run with Him the never-ending round of heavenly delights. "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: For the former things are passed away. Now be ye followers of Paul, as he was of Christ."

I am not afraid to say of our departed brother, that he thus followed the great Apostle of the Gentiles. We repeat his own words, and say, "There is one Lord, one faith, one Spirit, one body, one hope of our calling: One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." This one Lord gave to our honoured brother the "one faith" of the gospel; the faith which "overcometh the world, and worketh by love." He also Iran the race set before him," and contended with the enemies of this "one Lord," with the divine weapons of truth and love. And the Apostle himself did not manifest a clearer or more decided victory over "the last enemy, Death," than did our venerable

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friend. He also could and did say, in that last awful trial, "O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory? Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The faith which our brother (a father in the Church) received from God, the course which he ran, to communicate it to perishing sinners, and the conflicts he sustained to keep it, he has himself detailed in a small book published a few years ago. From this I shall make a short extract, and then subjoin the account of his last victory upon earth; which is, indeed, the holy stamp and seal of heaven on his faith and service.

I. From this narrative we learn, that he was born in this village, and in the same house in which his remains were this day beheld by his weeping friends. His parents feared God; and he was taught to reverence religion from his childhood. But the gospel in its power, as 66 reconciling man to God," and "creating him anew in Christ Jesus," was unknown, not only to his parents, but to the whole of the inhabitants of this place.

From his youth he was remarkably serious, loved retirement, and constantly attended the public worship of the Church; and on this account, to use his own words, " He thought himself a right good Christian; and had no doubt but, die

when he might, he should be everlastingly happy with God."

As he thus "went about to establish his own righteousness," as the ground of his acceptance with God, he despised those who magnified the "righteousness which is of God by faith,” and especially that people whom it was afterward his glory to minister to in the Gospel of God our Saviour.

In the year 1758, being then in the twentyfirst year of his age, two sermons preached in the old church, in Leeds, by the Reverend Henry Crooke, Curate of Hunslet, fell into his hands. There was such an outcry against these discourses, and the Minister that preached them was so ridiculed, that in his own defence he published them. "Here," says Mr. Pawson, "I may stand and admire the wisdom and goodness of God: It was in reading these sermons that my mind was enlightened, and my judgment rightly informed, respecting the way of salvation by faith in the Redeemer. One of these discourses was on Isaiah xxix. 11, 12:- And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver unto one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee, and he saith, I am not learned.' From these

words, the Preacher showed the necessity of divine illumination; and that the Scriptures without it are a sealed book, both to the learned and the unlearned. The other sermon was from Jeremiah vi. 16:-' Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls; but they said, We will not walk therein.' In this discourse, he showed from the Scriptures, the Common-Prayer Book, the Articles and Homilies of the Church, that salvation by faith was the good old way, and that beside it there is no other in which a sinner can find rest to his soul." The scales thus fell from his eyes, and he was prepared to receive that Gospel which before was foolishness to him.

He first heard the Methodists in the town of Otley. His own account of this his first introduction to that people, among whom he afterward lived and died, is highly impressive: "I went to Otley, and heard Mr. James Oddie preach from Acts xiii. 38: Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.' I was very much surprised to see the serious and devout behaviour of the people that I had so much despised; and I was delighted with the singing. But the discourse delivered from the pulpit, with such a heavenly solemnity, quite astonished me. Here