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called on his patient on his way, but could spend but a few minutes with him. He, however, examined carefully into Mr. T.'s complaints, and the symptoms attending the disorder. With great candour the physician informed his patient, that the attack appeared unusually violent; that the case required the best medical aid, and that it was out of his power to attend him. He feared that, at his advanced age, there was not strength of nature sufficient to overcome so severe a shock, and that his symptoms scarcely admitted of a favourable prognostic. The good old man received this news with his usual submission to the divine will; for, as he had always considered himself as bound for eternity, he had endeavoured so to live, that when the summons should come, he would have nothing to do but to die. He calmly replied, "I am very sensible of the violence of my disorder, that it has racked my constitution to an uncommon degree, and beyond what I have ever before experienced, and that it is accompanied with symptoms of approaching dissolution; but, blessed be God, I have no wish to live, if it should be his will and pleasure to call me hence." After a moment's pause, he seemed to recollect himself, and varied the expression thus: "Blessed be God, I have no wish to live, if it should be his will and pleasure to call me hence, unless it should be to see a happy issue to the severe and arduous controversy my country is engaged in; but, even in this, the will of the Lord be done."

continued perfectly resigned to the divine will, until death was swallowed up in victory, on the 8th day of March, 1777. His body was buried in his own church, at Freehold, a numerous concourse of people, composed, not only of the members of his own congregation, but of the inhabitants of the whole adjacent country, attending his funeral.

Mr. Tennent was rather more than six feet high; of a spare thin visage, and of an erect carriage. He had bright, piercing eyes, a long, sharp nose, and a long face. His general countenance was grave and solemn, but at all times cheerful and pleasant with his friends. It may be said of him with peculiar propriety, that he appeared, in an extraordinary manner, to live above the world, and all its allurements. He seemed habitually to have such clear views of spiritual and heavenly things, as afforded him much of the foretaste and enjoyment of them. His faith was really and experimentally "the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things unseen." Literally his daily walk was with God, and he lived "as seeing him who is invisible." The divine presence with him, was frequently manifested in his public ministrations, and in his private conduct. His ardent soul was seldom satisfied, unless he was exerting himself, in. some way or other, in public or private, in rendering kind offices and effectual services of friendship, both in spiritual and temporal things to his fellow men. Take him in his whole demeanour and conduct, there are few of whom it might more emphatical

During his whole sickness, he ly be said, that he lived the life,

and died the death of the right

cous.

Sir?" Mr. Tennent answered, "You have been sending your whole congregation, synod and all, to perdition, and you have not even saved yourself. Whenever I preach, I make it a rule to save myself," and then abruptly left him, without his knowing,

He was well read in divinity, and was of sound orthodox principle. He professed himself a moderate Calvinist. The doctrines of man's depravity; the atonement of the Saviour; the absolute necessity of the all-who spoke to him. powerful influence of the Spirit of God, to renew the heart and subdue the will; all in perfect consistence with the free agency of the sinner, were among the leading articles of his faith. These doctrines, indeed, were generally interwoven in his public discourses, whatever might be the particular subject discuss ed. His success was often answerable to his exertions. His people loved him as a father; revered him as the pastor and bishop of their souls; obeyed him as their instructor; and delighted in his company and private conversation as a friend and brother. He carefully avoided making a difference between his doctrines publicly taught and his private practice. Attending a synod, a few years before his death, a strange clergyman, whom he never had before seen, was introduced to the synod, and asked to preach in the evening. Mr. Tennent attended, and was much displeased with the sermon. As the congregation were going out of the church, Mr. Tennent in the crowd, coming up to the preacher, touched him on the shoulder, and said, My brother, when I preach, I take care to save myself, whatever I do with my congregation." The clergyman looked behind him with surprise, and seeing a very grave man, said, "What do you mean

At Mr. Tennent's death, the poor mourned for him, as their patron, their comforter and support; and the rich lamented over him as their departed pastor and friend, The public, at large, lost in him a firm assertor of the civil and religious interests of his country. He was truly a patriot, not in words and pretences, not in condemning all who differed from him to proscription and death, but in acting in such a manner, as would have rendered his country most hap. py, if all had followed his example. He insisted on his own rights and freedom of sentiment, but he was willing to let others enjoy the same privilege; and he thought it of as much importance to live and act well, as to think and speak justly.

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May all, who read the me. moirs of this amiable and useful man, fervently and constantly beseech that God, with whom is the residue of the Spirit, that their life may be that of the righteous, so that their latter end may be like his and that the Great Head of the church, while he removes faithful and distinguished labourers from the gospel vineyard, may raise up others, who shall possess, even a double portion of their spirit, and, who shall be even more successful in winning souls unto Jesus Christ, the great Bishop of souls,

LIFE OF LUTHER.

(Continued from page 9.)

ABOUT this period, that spirit of fanaticism which afterwards raged with such violence, and was productive of so much disorder and bloodshed in Germany, first began to appear. Stork, a clothier at Zwickaw, a town of Upper Saxony, as the leader of a sect, chose, from among his fellow-tradesmen twelve apostles and seventy-two disciples, who all enthusiastically imagined that they had received clear and commanding intimations from God, with whom they had familiar communications, of their being called to preach the gospel. Their pretended revelations, their fantastic dreams, and celestial visions, of which they talked with great solemnity and appear ance of veracity, not only imposed on the ignorant and superstitious, but startled Carlostadt and Melancthon, who knew not what to think of them. In this perplexity, they wrote an account of all the circumstances to the Elector, and requested an interview with Luther, in whose discernment they had full confidence. The Elector, though prejudiced against these impos tors, listened to Melancthon's letter, and though he refused to set Luther at liberty, he recommended caution towards the fanatics, to prevent the spread of their opinions at Wittemberg. Luther, however, being consulted by letter, advised Melancthon to distrust the high pretensions of the fanatics, and to require the same proof of their divine mission which the apostles gave, by working miracles. Notwith

standing this judicious counsel, Melancthon began to countenance them, attended their meetings, and even procured scholars for them. Carlostadt also favoured their schemes; and is said to have gone so far as to burn every classical author which he possessed, declaring that human learning was unnecessary, and the Holy Spirit the only instructor who ought to be attended to. Luther determined to leave his retreat, to correct, if possible, these fatal mistakes of his friends and fellow-citizens, and wrote the Elector that this was his determination. Accordingly, though the Elector dissuaded him in the most urgent terms, by stating the probable effect which this step might have on the reformation in general, he was firm to his resolution, trusting in the protection of the God of heaven.* "God," said he, “calls and impels me; I will not resist the call:-the consideration either of your displeasure or of your favour, nay, the hatred and fury of the whole world are to be disregarded, when the state of relig ion requires it." With confidence, he added, "I am firmly persuaded that my word, or the beginning of the gospel preached by me, is not of myself, but of God. Nor shall any form of persecution, or death, make me think otherwise, if God stand by me. And I think, I more than conjecture when I say, that neither terror nor cruelty shall be able to extinguish this light of life." In pursuance of his purpose he left his retreat, which he

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Seckend. $118. Add.
Beausobre, tom. ii. p. 205-216.

† Seckend. § 120. p. 196,

used to call his Patmos, on the 4th of March, 1522; having been concealed in it exactly ten months."* To justify, in some measure, this conduct, at Frederic's request, who trembled for the consequences of his enlargement, he wrote a letter to him, in which he stated, that he had left his confinement for three reasons: because he was under the strongest obligation to carry on the reformation which he had begun; because the people over whom he was appointed to labour entreated his presence; and because he was anxious to check the rising spirit of sedition, which had appeared among these fanatics.t

He arrived at Wittemberg the 5th of March, and was received with great joy by the people. He immediately declared his dissatisfaction with Carlostadt's precipitation in new modelling the form of religious service, and abolishing images, as well as in countenancing the seditious and fanatical disciples of Stork. Whether Luther adopted this measure from a wish to preserve moderation, and to please the Elector, who had advised caution and deliberation, or from jealousy of the honour which Carlostadt would derive from executing a plan which had been pointed out to him, is now difficult to be determined; both may, perhaps, have been combined in giving this direction to his conduct. He, however, gave audience to the fanatics in presence of Melancthon and after hearing, in silence, their narrative, instead of condescending to refute

.....

Seck. 119. Add. + Ib. § 120.

it, he only earnestly exhorted them to renounce their opinions as the illusions of frenzied minds, or the suggestions of a lying spirit. Their indignation was raised almost to madness; they accused him of blasphemy, and left him with the most outrageous threatenings, and confidence in their own miraculous powers. To prevent the effects of Carlostadt's rashness, he also published a small treatise, On Communion under both kinds, with animadversions on the changes which had been introduced, in which he recommended, that, in the ordinary worship, the bread only, should continue to be used, but that the cup also should be given to those who wished it; that confession should precede communicating, but that none should be compelled to confess ; that images should be allowed to remain, and priests have the liberty of marrying.§ With whatever moderation he wrote concerning the mode of communion, he shewed none to the Pope and Bishops, who did not cease, in the spirit of their furious bull, to do all in their power to persecute him, but published a small volume, entitled, Against the Misnamed Spiritual Order of the Pope and Bishops, in which he compressed every argument which he could think of, to prove, that they were any thing but messen. gers of Christ, in a state of condemnation, and the cause of ruin ing the souls of the people. This treatise, though agreeable to the people, who saw, with pleasure, the vices and authority of those powerful prelates, whose

Beausob. tom. ii. p. 227, Seckend. § 122.

tyranny they felt without daring to complain, reprehended and repressed, roused the indignation, not only of the bishops, but of all the nobility who had any interest in ecclesiastical benefices.* Much injury was also, about this time, done, by the licentiousness of many of the monks, who had embraced Luther's doctrine respecting Vows, not from conviction, but as a cloak for their sins. Luther, to discountenance this threatening evil, composed a second work on monastic vows, in which he denounced the licentious as well as the lazy monks as enemies of the cross of Christ, and a disgrace to the religion which they professed.

But the translation of the Bible into German, which Luther had begun, during his concealment in the castle of Wartburg, the first part of which, containing the New Testament, was published in Sept. 1522, gave a blow to the interests of Rome far more decisive and fatal than any which it had yet received. He revised it with the assistance of Melancthon; and, on finishing it, immediately commenced a version of the Old Testament, in which he was assisted by Justus Jonas, and several other of his learned friends. It instantly spread throughout the whole of Germany. The elegance of the style recommended it to the well informed; and its cheapness to the lower orders of the people. Those who had favoured the reformation, saw, in its truths, the authority of God, and from being the adherents of Luther, were led to become the disciples of Je

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places where the name of Luther was unknown, carried salvation into the meanest dwellings, spake the truth to kings and princes; and testified to all to whom it came, that a general reformation was more necessary than ever.§ Emser wrote a criticism on it, and began another version which was not printed till 1527; but he discovered such ignorance both of the original Greek, and of his own language, that Luther, occu pied with more important affairs, resolved to oppose him only with silence and contempt. In consequence, however, of Emser's misrepresentations, several of the princes of the Empire, particularly the Archduke of Austria, the Duke of Bavaria, George Duke of Saxony, Henry of Brunswick, and some time afterwards, the Elector of Brandenburg, ordered Luther's translation to be suppressed, and all the copies that could be got committed to the flames. The reformer, with his usual boldness, and with even more than his usual virulence, attacked these imprudent princes, in a treatise, On the Secular Power; which established the authority of magistrates on the foundation of Scripture, and the conditions of men; but denied the lawfulness of the power which they usurped over the faith and conscience of their subjects; and exhorted the inhabitants of Bavaria, Misnia, and Brandenburgh, not to destroy the Scriptures; though, at the same time, he commanded them not to assault the officers who might be appointed to search for them. His sentiments respecting per

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5 Seckendorf, § 125, 126.

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