proud I shall be in having the honor of proposing you as an original member. We intend once a year to publish such of the papers as may be contributed by members of the society, or may be deemed best calculated for promoting the ends of the society. After the 15th of March next every candidate who offers himself, must be ballotted for previously to that date three original members may put down the name of a friend as an original member.

Lady Johnston desires to be kindly remembered to you.
I am, my dear sir, yours very sincerely,

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON.'

Dr. Clarke was accordingly proposed, and became one of the original members of The Royal Asiatic Society.

In addition to these literary honors, which he received without his solicitation, and from the manner in which they were conferred, those who bestowed them seemed to think themselves honored by his acceptance, he was elected at three several times by his brethren as president of the Wesleyan Methodist conference. And the humility with which he received this appointment the first time he was elected, may be seen in the following account he gave of this transaction :

Leeds, July 28, 1806.

This morning our conference began, and as I had heard from all quarters that they designed to put me in the chair; previously to the ballot I addressed the conference, and after having told them what I had understood, I proceeded to give my reasons why I could not go into the chair, and begged no brother would waste a vote on me, as my mind was made up on the business. This produced a conversation I little expected: all the old preachers said that I was the most eligible person, and entreated me not to refuse. I insisted upon it that I would not, and solemnly charged every one who had intended to vote for me, to give his suffrage to some other person. I then wrote my vote for Mr. John Barber, and showed my paper, and all about me followed my example. However, I trembled till this business was concluded; and what think you was the result? I was chosen by a majority of more than one half beyond the highest, and was called to the chair in the name of the conference. I still refused, begging that the next person in number of votes might take the chair. We were thrown into a temporary confusion, during which Mr. Thomas Taylor and Mr. Joseph Bradford by main force lifted me out of my seat, and placed me upon the table. I was confounded and distressed beyond measure, and against all my resolutions was obliged to take the seat.

As you now know the situation in which I am placed, you must not expect any more regular epistles, as I shall now only have Saturday afternoons to myself, and perhaps scarcely them. Pray, pray much for me, my Mary, for I am far, very far from being comfortable in my mind: the thought of having to preach next Lord's day before the conference, and to admit into full connection those preachers who have travelled four years, quite absorbs my spirit.'

But what is more gratifying than all is, that, amidst those honorable distinctions from without, he held on his way as the same humble, pious, and indefatigable Methodist preacher, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches' than all the honors and wealth which he could possibly receive from man.

The last years of his life were employed in establishing missions in the Shetland Islands, and schools in the poorer and destitute parts of Ireland; all of which he left in a flourishing state at the time of his death, and which are now under the care of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. These, together with his works as an itinerant Methodist preacher, in which he nobly sustained the cause he had espoused, will transmit his name to posterity as one of the brightest benefactors to mankind.

Having thus presented our readers with some of the prominent transactions of Dr. Clarke's life, we shall endeavor to bring this notice to a close by some general remarks upon his character, and the character of his writings. In respect to the character of Dr. Clarke, so far as we have been able to judge of it from his writings, and as it is developed in the biography from whence our extracts have been taken, it seems to have been distinguished by a peculiar boldness of thought, originality of invention, and independence of mind.

By boldness of thought, however, we do not mean that he rashly and inconsiderately obtruded himself upon the public, either in the expression of his opinions, or by officiously intermeddling with other people's affairs. But having critically and cautiously examined a subject, he fearlessly followed the convictions of his own mind, without servilely crouching to the opinions of others, whether right or wrong. Having carefully studied a subject, deriving all the light he could from every source within his reach, without timidly calculating the consequences which might result from proclaiming his convictions in reference to it, he boldly professed what he conscientiously believed, leaving others the same liberty of thinking, speaking, and acting for themselves which he claimed for himself. And although this fearless course subjected him oftentimes to censure from the timid, as well as unmerited reprimand from the bigoted, it relieved him from a servile imitation of others, and secured for him the approbation of an approving conscience. How much more commendable is such a line of conduct, than that timid and vacillating course which evinces a greater solicitude to please the multitude than to arrive at truth, and to obtain popular applause at the expense of a good conscience; to attain which a man is often induced to compromit his own character, by prostrating his proper dignity before the idol of popularity. Dr. Clarke was not, indeed, insensible to the good will of his fellow men; but we never find him deviating from the straight

line of truth and righteousness merely for the sake of pleasing the multitude.

That he was distinguished by an originality of invention, the whole history of his life declares. Who but an original thinker would have so successfully grappled with the difficulties which lay in the way of his ascending the rugged mountain of knowledge? What might have discouraged others only seemed to add fresh stimulants to Dr. Clarke, and his strength rose in proportion to the difficulties and dangers which beset his path. Applying himself with conscientious diligence and assiduous care to every legitimate means within his reach, though unaided with those advantages arising from a thorough and systematical education in his youth, he gradually ascended the hill of truth, and was enabled leisurely to survey the immense fields of literature and science which lay spread out before his observant eye. The enchanting prospect thus presented to him fired and filled his soul with the most lofty conceptions of the character of Him, who created all things by the word of His power; and led him, at the same time, to a minute and critical survey of the several parts of the works of His hands.

And who, we may ask again, but an original genius, conscious of his powers and of his high responsibility, and at the same time deeply sensible of his dependence upon Divine aid, would have dared to turn aside, in so many instances, from the beaten path, and open a way for himself through heaps of rubbish which had been accumulating for ages, and yet succeed in reaching that summit of knowledge after which his soul so ardently panted? And though we may not fully subscribe to every article of his creed, nor vouch for the correctness of all his opinions; yet who does not take delight in following the flight of a lofty mind in its pursuit after truth, and of sharing with it in those intellectual pleasures resulting from a knowledge of God, and of His Son, Jesus Christ?

When we say that Dr. Clarke was also distinguished for independence of thought and action, we are very far from meaning that he disdained those human helps which were within his reach, much less that he felt himself independent of Divine grace to help him in every time of need.' While he treated the opinions of others with becoming deference, and availed himself of other men's labors' who had preceded him in the walks of general literature and science, and more especially in sacred criticism and theology; never, we presume to say, was any man more conscious of his entire dependence on God • for every good and perfect gift,' than was Dr. Adam Clarke. Of the truth of the fact, that he treated others with suitable deference, we have ample proof in the manner in which he quoted from their writings, or consulted them on all proper occasions-exemplifying, in this respect, the inspired declaration, Blessed are ye that sow beside all

waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. So liberal, indeed, were his feelings and views toward other authors, even toward those who differed from him on many important points, that he subjected himself to severe criticism by quoting from them in order to support his own views. We allude now particularly to his copious extracts from Dr. Taylor in his comment upon St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans; but, to sustain himself in the propriety of such a course, in this and other similar cases, he judged very truly, we think, that evidence in support of truth is the more valuable when it comes, apparently with reluctance, from an adverse witness. So in the case of Dr. Taylor, who was an Arian, Dr. Clarke availed himself of his learned labors to sustain the comprehensive and Scriptural view he had given of St. Paul's general scope and design in writing his admirable, and deeply controversial Epistle to the Romans. Was this the conduct of a bigot, or of a man vain of his abilities? Let those who ćensure him exhibit a similar spirit of liberality toward others, and of deference to their opinions, and they will no longer betray their own bigotry and illiberality by condemning Dr. Clarke in every minutia in which he may have had the independence to differ from them.

As to the latter, that he lived continually under a consciousness of his dependence on God for all the good that he either possessed, or was instrumental in doing to others, is manifest from the whole tenor of his eventful life. That he was a man of much prayer—and what is a more impressive acknowledgment of our daily dependence on God than prayer?—is attested in all the acts of his life. That he bowed almost instinctively to the dictates of God's truth in His word, all his writings fully demonstrate. His conscience, therefore, and his judgment, were unreservedly yielded up to the entire direction and control of God's revealed truth, as having a claim absolute and undisputed upon his understanding and affections. And what more evidence can be adduced in proof of a man's consciousness of dependence upon Divine aid for every good word and work, than his private and public acknowledgment of the necessity of the Spirit's influence, by prayer and supplication, and by submissively bowing to the authority of God's revealed truth?

But we mean by independence of mind here, that Dr. Clarke received nothing merely because it had the sanction of a great name, nor yielded his judgment to propositions because they were supported by respectable human authority, nor refused his assent to truth because it was unpopular; but, on the contrary, he bowed to the majesty of truth wherever and whenever he perceived it, and followed out its consequences wherever it led him, and obeyed its dictates at whatever sacrifice; and, finally, that he made this truth the rule of his faith and duty, however unfashionable, or however new and unheard of it might

appear: he was no slave to the mere opinions or practices of others, but only to the teachings of truth as it presented itself to his mind after the most patient and laborious search in pursuit of this invaluable treasure. This was the independence of thought and action after which Dr. Clarke aspired, and which eminently distinguished him as a man of deep and patient investigation, of conscientious care and diligence. And who, but a novice, or an obstinate self-conceited sciolist, ever thought of attributing weakness to a man that devoted all his time and talent to the discovery of truth; and, when found, obeying its dictates with a diligence that placed him in the chair of honor among all his compeers? Let such novices place themselves in the critic's chair, and, with a self complacency peculiar to their own self creation, pronounce that Dr. Clarke had no well-compacted system of thought on any subject.' We shall not envy them their high eminence, nor waste our time in disputing with them who best deserves the palm of true goodness and greatness-he who by his genuine worth provoked their ill-natured and snarling criticism, or he who can degrade himself by aspersing the character of one who is so far beyond the influence of his malignant censure.

We have no fears, however, that Dr. Clarke will eventually suffer from such ungenerous attempts to depreciate his worth. Without, therefore, taking up any more of the reader's attention in vindication of Dr. Clarke's claims to consistency of conduct in the particulars to which we have alluded, we shall proceed to notice another trait in his character. We mean his love of truth, and his diligence in pursuit of it.

By love of truth, we mean something more than an honest intention to speak the truth on all occasions. This may consist with a degree of indifference as to the general interests of truth, and may arise altogether from selfish principles, from a mere desire to support a fair character among men. The love of truth, of which we now speak, is connected with a most ardent desire that it may be known and prevail, and with an indescribable pleasure in its discovery and enjoyment,that sort of pleasure which the philosopher felt, when, in solving his problem, he leaped from his bath, and ran shouting with his might, supnxa, svpnxa—I have found it! I have found it! When the mind is thus devoted to truth, the love of it becomes a sort of ruling passion, which makes all other things subservient to its attainment. That Dr. Clarke thus loved the truth-truth in general, but more especially revealed truth-is most manifest from his making all other things and attainments contribute to its discovery and promulgation. He did not read and study for amusement merely, but for the sake of having his mind imbued with a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, that he might be the better able to understand and explain the revelation of God's will to man. For this purpose he explored, with a diligence