days are now fast concluding; but I know whom I have believed, and find him all-sufficient: he is faithful. His friend reminding him of the strong desire which he had formerly expressed, that he might be enabled to glorify God in his death, and of his desire being now fulfilled, he answered, Yes! a Father afflicts, and a Father supports.' Speaking of the frame of his mind, he said, I feel no rapturous emotions, but I feel myself safe in the hands of Jesus; because he lives, I shall live also.' After a fainting fit, of which he had several in the course of the day, looking at his friends, he said, I am returned to you again. I hoped, but let me not indulge an impatient desire my time is in thine hands, my God.'

6

Towards night, he seemed averse to conversation; his countenance evinced much distress; and it was suspected that he was suffering some darkness of mind. After a long silence, his friend spoke to him of that faith which overcomes the world. Fixing his eyes upon him very earnestly, he replied, Ah! Brother, you can but judge according to appearances; -God only knows the deceitfulness of the heart.' He was too weak, and too much agitated to proceed; but desired prayer. Afterwards he said, that the enemy had been buffetting him. During his residence at the Isle of Man, he had been dreadfully assaulted with doubts respecting futurity, the immortality of the soul, &c. A recurrence to the sacred volume had banished his suspicions, and enlivened his hope; but the very possibility of being harrassed again, in a similar manner, appeared to terrify him. Recovering from this renewed attack of his spiritual adversary, light dawned again upon his scal; he rejoiced in God his Saviour; and was much encouraged and comforted by the thought suggested to him, "That where the head is, there the members must be; and that nothing can separate them from his love.'

On the Monday morning early, his friend left him quite composed and cheerful. To some others he mentioned, in the course of the day, the severe temptations of Satan, which he had experienced in the preceding night. I had well nigh given up all for lost,' said he, but Jesus reanimated me, and he is now more precious than ever.' He added, Death and I have had a hard struggle. I am still on the field with him; but Jesus is there too. Being reminded that Christ is the Captain of our salvation; and that, looking unto him, we are directed to take the shield of faith, and the sword of the spirit,-he clasped his hands, and fixed his eyes, and, with inexpressible fervour, cried out, Jesus! thou didst pray for Peter, that his faith might not fail! Oh! pray for one ten thousand times more unworthy than Peter, that, in my last conflict, my faith fail not.' Recovering from a fainting fit, he exclaimed, What! returned again! I thought I had been going. I hope I shall go this afternoon. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!' For some time after, he lay composed, and seemed to be engaged in prayer. At length, turning

to those about him, he said, I have not seen Jesus as he is; but I have had a sweet interview with him: I have been holding sweet converse with my Saviour.' The same evening, apprehending that his departure was nearer than it proved to be, he anxiously enquired of a female friend, Do you think that Jesus will take me to himself to-night?' Being informed that she thought not, he replied, Well, I would not be impatient;' and afterwards, 'If he does not receive me into his presence, I hope he will admit me into his antichamber.' Taking leave of a young friend, he said, 1 trust we shall meet before the throne, and tune our harps together there. Beware of this deluding world.'

Contrary to his own expectation, and that of his friends, he lived eight or nine days after this, enjoying, with little interruption, the same happy frame of mind. On one occasion, he complained of great deadness of spiritual affections, and wondered at the possibility of being so near perfect felicity, without being absorbed in the amazing prospect: but,' said he, I am not yet set free from this sinful body.' His constant, darling theme, was the person, the offices, the atonement, the intercession, of the Saviour. Oh! I wanted to see you,' said he to a friend who called on him; I wanted to see you, that we might talk of Jesus; He only can satisfy me, all is shadow besides! How strong his love! How wonderful his grace!'

-

A medical gentleman, who had occasionally visited him, remarked to him, that he had never witnessed so much calm collectedness in a dying person. Sir,' said he, 'tis entirely owing to my full confidence in the power and love of Christ, and his finished work of salvation: there is no other ground of hope.'

A friend from a neighbouring village, who is strenuously active in maintaining the preaching of the gospel there, visited him about two days before his dissolution; to whom he said, Brother, many may think you are doing too much; that you should not be lavish; but when you are placed in my situation, you will think every thing you have done too little for Him who gave himself for you.'

He was very earnest with those of his friends, who take an active part in the Sunday Schools, not to slacken their diligence. The welfare of the church and congregation lay very near his heart; and he often expressed his fervent concern that they might be directed, in their choice of a successor, to a humble and pious, as well as a judicious and lively minister.

In the evening preceding his death, he spent above half an hour in prayer, with a distinct and audible voice, so as he had not been able to speak for a long time before. His afflicted wife, child, friends, church, the cause of Christ in the villages which he had visited, the Sunday School, the nurse, the servant, all successively engaged bis attention, and furnished matter of intercession the most copious and affecting.

The next day, Wednesday, Feb. 8, from nine in the morning

till one at noon, was occupied with the most painful struggles, which terminated in his happy deliverance from the body of sin and of mortality.

Thus was this excellent young man cut off in the prime of youth, in the acceptable discharge of his ministerial labours,and in the prospect of increasing usefulness; leaving behind him one child, and a widow who was expecting almost immediate confinement. How mysterious are the ways of Providence! How loudly does the death of such young labourers in the vineyard call upon their surviving brethren, to work while it is called To-day, knowing that the night cometh, in which no man can work!

On the Sabbath after his death, the mortal remains of Mr. P. were interred by Mr. Hacking, of Darwen; and, on the Sabbath but one following, Mr. Roby, of Manchester, improved the mournful providence, in a discourse from, Heb. xiii. 7, 8, to a very numerous and deeply affected audience.

CHRIST'S DIVINITY
NECESSARY TO

THE SUCCESS OF HIS UNDERTAKING.

Believe ye that I am able to do this?- MAT. ix. 28.

MAN's redemption is precious, and could not have been accomplished but by One that is Almighty. An infinitely precious ransom is necessary for our redemption; but who could give such a ransom for us? Nowhere can we find such a friend bat in God. The Lord our God hath discovered to us such a Saviour, by sending his own Son to deliver us; and, tho' our guilt and danger render such an infinitely glorious Saviour necessary for our deliverance, multitudes are found who take away the dignity of the Saviour's character, and, in order to free themselves from alarm and apprehension, lower the demands of the divine law, and lessen the extent of their criminality!-but, if our guilt be such as the Scripture represents (and, surely, God, who hath there described it, must perfectly know) our palliations of the evil of transgression will not lessen our guilt; and a less dignified or powerful Deliverer would fail in the attempt of rescuing us. When we consider the weight of responsibility which is laid upon Him who undertakes our cause, we ought seriously to consider the import of the question he proposes to us, when applying to him for deliverance, he says, 'Believe ye that I am able to do this?

Let us consider our necessities, which make it necessary for us to apply to a Saviour for deliverance. We have broken God's law, a law which is holy, just, and good, and which requires us to love the Lord our God with all pur heart, and our neigh

bour as ourselves. This law cannot be lowered in its demands, for it is perfect, and whatever it demands is highly proper. None can plead innocent, when all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; but every month must be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God.' The consideration of the thoughts and inclinations of our hearts, the language of our lips, and the actions of our lives, will afford countless instances of transgression against God. If we at all know ourselves, we must confess that we are guilty. If we were to justify our conduct, we should only demonstrate the more fully our guilt. If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me;

if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse *.' — ' If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.'. They who are uneasy under the restraints of this law, or anxious to relax the strictness of its precepts, must be indulging in such a conduct, or resting on such hopes as the law of God cannot admit.,

What then are we exposed to because of transgression? We are exposed to the penalties of this law; and those are awful and solemn! Death is the threatened punishment; and this punishment cannot be mitigated :—the sinner must endure it in all its extent, or a Surety must suffer in his stead. No deliverance can be obtained, if this be not done for us! If the sentence be executed upon us, we are irrecoverably undone! We shall go away into everlasting punishment! If we obtain redemption, our guilt must be atoned for and forgiven; and the penalty must be endured for us, if the sentence be repealed. What shall we say then? These our necessities must be answered, or we perish; and he who will deliver us must be able to answer them, without being overwhelmed by them, or our hope is delusive, and the attempt must fail for ever.

Let us now enquire, What he must do for us who would save us? As our guilt consists in the breach of infinite obligations to love and serve God, and is committed against one who is infinitely glorious, it is of infinite malignity. He who would save us must, therefore, be able to pay an infinitely precious ransom, and be able to endure an infinite penalty, by sustaining the load of divine wrath, else our guilt cannot be forgiven, nor our sentence Be repealed. He must be able to endure all this, and to perfect the whole, without sinking under the load, or we perish!-- but how could a created arm perform this? When we draw near to the Saviour, seeking deliverance from our guilt, by obtaining an interest in an atonement for transgression, he may ask whethe we are in earnest in our application, by proposing to us the enquiry, Believe ye that I am able to do this? and, if we view him as a mere man, as Socinians do, while all infinite atonement is necessary for our ransom, he may reject our appli

* Job ix. 20.

cation with contempt and indignation; and, reasoning according to our circunscribed views of his character, may say, 'Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God.' We need also deliverance from the wrath to come; and the sentence must be endured by ourselves, or by another for us. Infinite wrath must not be too heavy a burden for the deliverer to bear, else no deliverance can be effected; but if this were -laid upon the shoulders of a mere creature, it would crash him at once, and sink him to the lowest Hell, without the possibility of ever rising any more. Upon our application to him for this assistance, he would propose the question, Believe ye that I am able to do this?' The enquiry would confound us, and preclude any reply. We must be constrained to acknowledge, if we view him only as a man, that while we wish the punishment taken off our own shoulders, we are persuaded it will be too heavy for his.

We need a change of heart, else our natures would continue defiled with iniquity, and our hearts filled with enmity against God; but who could change our hearts but he who searches the hearts and tries the reins? Who could change our natures but Nature's GOD? He would again repel our application, by the overwhelming question, Believe ye that I am able to do this?' He would shew us speedily, according to our view of his character, that to apply for such things to a man, or one whom we viewed as a man, was but affronting God. We need -to apply to this Saviour for life to our souls! We need spiritual and eternal life! - but, if we apply to him for these benefits, viewing him only as a mere man, he would still put us to silence by asking anew the question, Believe ye that I am able to do this? None can bestow these gifts but He, in whose hands is the breath of all flesh! Indeed, any application to the Saviour for such blessings is gross idolatry, if we view him only as man, as it is an ascription of the prerogative of the Creator to a creature. He who is made known to us in the gospel as a Saviour, must then be the true God, or else our application to him for what God alone can bestow, is a great absurdity. Thus, we see what we have to apply for to our Deliverer, and what he must do for us; -all which shews, that he must be a very different character from the mere man of the Socinians, or he would not be able to do this.

Let us now observe, That Jesus, our Saviour, is not only able to do all this for us, but has actually accomplished the whole of it for all who will believe in him. He is able to atone for our guilt, infinite in magnitude though it be; for as he is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father;' he is divinely dignified and excellent. Being thas highly exalted, his obedience and satisfaction are infinitely valuable, and every way sufficient to atone for our transgression. To shew that his satisfaction was complete and ac