the above remarkable sentence, with which he concludes his narrative, will demand our attention. At present, therefore, I content myself with applying to it the sentiment of an acute observer,-'that a man always perceives his deficiencies most in those things in which he most excels.'

Here then we take leave of the document which has thus far been our guide. My father never made any subsequent addition to it: and, for the remainder of his history, recourse must be had to what recollection may furnish, or the letters which passed between the various branches of the family may supply. Though his narrative was written in 1812, he has, in fact, given the story of his life only to the period of his removal to Aston, in 1803, except in what relates to his Commentary, the account of which has, in a former chapter, partly from his own manuscript, and partly from other sources, been carried down to the decision of the Court of Chancery, in 1813. In the remainder of the present chapter, we shall detail such particulars as can be collected, and seem worthy of being recorded, to the same date, or somewhat later.

In doing this, we may, in the first place, advert to certain visits which he paid during the period in question.

The

Of these, two were made to Hull, in the summers of 1806 and 1811. In the course of the former he passed on to York, Leeds, and Huddersfield, where, as well as at Hull, he met with that respectful and cordial reception which his works had prepared for him, though he had hitherto been personally a stranger. On this occasion he made the acquaintance of three eminent persons, all since deceased; the venerable William Hey, Esq. and the Rev. Miles Atkinson, of Leeds, and the Rev. William Richardson, of York. last named penetrating observer of mankind, was forcibly struck with his character, which he had always highly esteemed at a distance, and now still more admired on a nearer view. He afterwards made some observations to me on the subject, which led me, at a later period, to express a wish that he would write me a letter upon it; but he said it was too late for him to make the attempt. I remember two points which he noticed. One was my father's constant devotion to his great object: in whatever company he was, or whatever subject was introduced, he naturally and easily made it subservient, in the end, to the great religious design for which he lived. The other point was, that, with all his talents and industry, and in all his writings, he had

done nothing for display; he had consecrated all his efforts to utility, and had sacrificed nothing to reputation, any more than to interest.-With his preaching, Mr. R. was somewhat surprised, on account of its abounding with familiar illustration, so much more than he would have expected from his writings. It may be remarked, however, that Mr. R. heard him address only a week-night congregation. One of the illustrations referred to, which he used on that occasion, was as follows: He supposed the common objection made against insisting so much upon faith, and the inward work of religion on the heart; and that the objector should urge, 'good works are every thing: if we can but bring men to live well, we need not trouble ourselves so much about these doubtful and mysterious matters.' 'This,' ́said he, 'is as if a man should come into a garden, and, finding the gardener busy in grafting his trees, should tell him that fruit was every thing, and that all this, which he was engaged in, seemed a great waste of labor. The gardener would reply, True, fruit is every thing; but then I know that this is the only way to obtain good fruit.'

Twice also he visited Bristol, once in 1809, and again in 1813. In the former of these journeys, he preached at several places in Wiltshire and Somersetshire: but of Bath, he remarks, 'I was almost enchanted with the beauties of nature and art, beyond any thing I ever saw before: but no opening for preaching there.' His second journey to Bristol was, by request of the Church Missionary Society, to assist at the formation of that auxiliary Association, which has since yielded such effective aid to the parent institution, His reception at Bristol was very gratifying; and the regard borne him was afterwards testified in a very practical manner; as, in its proper place, we shall take occasion to state.

In 1812, having gone to see a friend at Rogate, in Sussex, he accepted an invitation to visit Portsmouth; where he was received with all possible kindness by Commissioner and Mrs., now Sir George and Lady Grey.

His last journey to any considerable distance was in 1813, to Cambridge, where his only daughter (who had been married about two years before,) then resided. Here again he met with the most kind and cordial reception from various members of the University, and had reason to believe that his preaching, expositions, and conversation, were very useful. He says a few months afterwards, "My visit there, to which I was uncommonly reluctant,

seems to have been greatly blessed;" and he adverts, in particular, to the late Dr. Jowett, then recently deceased, as having expressed to several persons how much he had felt himself excited by what passed. To have contributed, in any degree, to arm, as it were, an excellent and distinguished character for his last conflict, seems to have afforded him peculiar satisfaction.

In this journey an accident occurred, in the overturning of the coach, which proved fatal to a fellow traveller.From about this period, my father began to complain of a topical affection (threatening cancer,) which henceforward confined him to his own neighborhood, and for some time excited alarming and gloomy apprehensions; which, however, were happily never realized to the extent that was dreaded.

The next subject to which we will advert is that of his publications during this period.

My father has observed in the preceding narrative, that he had published several sermons. Soon after his settlement at Aston, he was called to preach a funeral sermon for the Rev. Jeremiah Newell, vicar of Great Missenden, which he published, with a brief memoir annexed, for the benefit of Mr. N.'s family; and the attention thus called to their circumstances happily proved the means of a comfortable provision being made for them.-In May 1804, he accepted the invitation of the London Missionary Society, to preach one of their anniversary sermons, which he did, at St. Savior's Church, Southwark, prefixing to the published sermon the motto, "Is there not a cause?" (1 Samuel xvii, 29,) and justifying his pleading for that society, as well as for the one with which he was more immediately connected.In 1808, he was again called upon to bewail and commemorate a deceased brother, and old friend, the Rev. Thomas Pentycross, A. M. "more than thirty-three years vicar of St. Mary's, Wallingford." The sermon is entitled, "The Duty and Advantage of remembering deceased Ministers." In 1810, the death of a very pious missionary on the western coast of Africa, the Rev. J. C. Barneth, who had been for a considerable time under his instruction at Aston, led him to preach and publish a sermon, with reference to that event, on "he Spirit and Principles of a genuine Missionary:" the text, Acts xx, 24: "None of these things move me," &c. In June 1810, he preached, at the church of St. Lawrence Jewry, London, and afterwards published, a Sermon

in behalf of the Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews: the text, Zech. viii, 23.-In 1811, at the request of the Church Missionary Society, he delivered an address to two of their missionaries proceeding to Africa; which was published in the appendix to the Society's Twelfth Report. And in the year following, he preached, at St. Antholin's, Watling Street, before the Governors of the London Female Penitentiary, on their fifth anniversary. The Sermon was published at their request, and is entitled, "Joy in Heaven," being on the text, Luke xv, 10.

The only extensive work in which he engaged, during these years, in addition to the improvement and repeated publication of his Commentary, was that of which he himself has already made mention, "Remarks on the Bishop of Lincoln's (now Winchester's) Refutation of Calvinism." It appeared at first in two volumes octavo: but was subsequently remodelled and published, in 1817, in one large volume. The collection of his Theological Works, in five volumes octavo, was, published in numbers, between the years 1805 and 1808.

It has been already noticed, that at Aston my father became the tutor of the persons preparing to go out as missionaries under the Church Missionary Society. This ser vice he continued about the space of seven years, from 1807 to 1814. I find its commencement thus stated in the Society's Eighth Report:-"On Mr. Dawes's removal from Bledlow, the Rev. Thomas Scott, rector of Aston Sandford, near to Bledlow, added most seasonably to the many proofs which he had given of warm interest in the objects of the society, by acceding to the wish of your committee, in taking charge of the missionaries. As they could not be accommodated in Mr. Scott's house, they are placed in a pious family near him, and enjoy the daily advantage of his assiduous and affectionate instruction. Your committee will only add on this subject, that his report of their diligence, improvement, and piety, is of the most satisfactory nature." ."-The approaching termination of this engagement is thus adverted to in the Fourteenth Report: "The health of the Rev. Thomas Scott, the venerable teacher of the society's missionary students, being seriously impaired, the seminary will be established, as soon as practicable, in the house of the society."

The persons who came under his instruction in this capacity were several of them Englishmen, who have since

received ordination; but the majority, Germans, in general Lutheran clergymen. All of them went forth as missionaries into the heathen world, and most of them are now usefully employed in that character; though some have died in the service. The sentiments of grateful and affectionate veneration which they, without exception, conceived for their instructor, were publicly testified by them, as they successively took leave of the society to repair to the stations assigned them; and were more privately expressed in the correspondence, which, as opportunity offered, they afterwards kept up with him

The progress which they made in their studies was highly creditable; in some instances remarkable. I remember to have visited Aston, when four of them, who had come to my father with scarcely any knowledge of language beyond their mother tongue, were reading Cicero and Horace, the Greek tragedians, the Hebrew prophets, and the Koran, (Arabic,) all in the originals.

The subject of the study of Arabic may deserve a little more distinct notice as it respects the tutor, not less than the pupils. In June 1808, I received a letter in which it was observed: "Mr. Pratt (the Society's secretary) begs that your father will begin to teach the missionaries Susoo and Arabic, of neither of which languages has he any knowledge! He felt very uncomfortable about this for a day or two. However, he has now begun to study these new languages with them." And in November following he himself wrote to me as follows:

"With all my other engagements, I am actually, in addition to what I before taught the missionaries, reading Susoo and Arabic with them. The former we have mastered without difficulty, as far as the printed books go; and hope soon to begin translating some chapters into the language. But, as to the latter, we make little progress; yet so far that I have no doubt of being able to read the Koran with them, should they continue here. It is in itself a most difficult language........but my knowledge of the Hebrew gives me an advantage."

To say nothing of the Susoo, an imperfect African dialect, lately reduced to writing, those who are acquainted with the feelings of men in general, when approaching their grand climacteric, and with their capacity for new acquisitions, will best appreciate the energy and resolution displayed in his thus calmly encountering and mastering, at