gives it as his opinion that the words may refer to the two James's, viz. James the elder, the Son of Zebedee, the brother of John, who was beheaded by Herod in the year of our Lord 44, and James the lefs, the Son of Alpheus or Cleophas, the brother, that is the kinfman of our Lord, who alfo, it feems, was taken hence before the writing of this Epiftle, fuffering martyrdom, as is fuppofed, in the year 62. And when it is confidered that both of these Apoftles had refided at Jerufalem and had had the overfight of the church there, and that the Jatter James had been removed only a few months when this Epiftle was written, having been preferved to inftruct and overfee the Hebrew Chrif tians almost twenty years after the death of the former, it must appear highly probable that the Bishop is right in his conjectures. At the fame time, however, the Apostle expreffes himself in fuch a manner as to include all, who, under the direction of thefe Apoftles, had spoken the word of God to the Hebrews, and had prefided in their affemblies.

2 But as no Scripture is of any private or particular interpretation, but is intended to be of general use, may we not confider this apoftolic advice as given to ourfelves, with a reference to those eminent fervants of God whom the Lord has lately removed from among us, viz. the Rev. John Fletcher, the Rev. Charles Wesley, and the Rev. John Wesley? men famous in their day, and eminently diftinguished in the churches, for their abilities, their labours, and their fuccefs in fpreading the gospel of the grace of God. In parti cular, we feem, on this occafion, to be called upon to remember the perfon laft mentioned, who, tho' the first of them in the work, and more advanced in age than either of the others, was yet fpared to outlive them both, and almoft all his

contem

contemporaries, and was under God our Father and Overfeer; who, prefided over us and spake to us the word of God for above half a century, and whofe prefence amongst us at thefe Meetings was of peculiar ufe and importance to us.

3. Indeed, him we cannot but remember, efpeeially now, when we find fuch a want of his parental inftruction, advice and authority. However, while we bewail the lofs we have sustained, and lament the day when the Lord took away our head from us; and while we humble ourselves before God for our great unfaithfulness, and mifimprovement of our privileges, let us not forget how long he lent his honoured fervant to us, and to what an advanced age he lengthened out his useful life. And while we praise him for this, as well as for many other inftances of his undeserved kindness to the community with which we are united, let us earnestly pray that he would fanctify the difpenfation, and in fome degree make up our lofs, by caufing a large meafure of his Spirit to defcend upon all his fervants before him, employed in publishing the gofpel of his grace!

4. As my intention in this difcourfe is to recommend the faith of our departed Father to your imitation, it will not be foreign to my purpose to endeavour to bring to your remembrance,-

I. A few particulars that respect his life and character as a Man, as a Scholar, as a Chriftian, and as a Minifter of Chrift, a Shepherd and Bifhop of Souls. This I hope will prepare the way for your receiving more favourably,

II. The Exhortation I purpose giving you to follow his faith,-confidering,

III. The End of his Converfation.

And, Firft, I am to remind you of a few particulars that refpect the life and character of this great man.

The

1. Tho' the true faith of our Lord Jesus Christ may certainly be found, and often is found, in perfons of fmall intellectual abilities, yet it must be owned that it appears in fuch to great difadvantage. Their ideas of the great doctrines of the gofpel are neither clear nor diftinct, nor are they able to arrange them in proper order, for the improvement of their own knowledge, or the edification of others. precious truths of Christianity lie in their minds like gold, or filver, or precious ftones in the earth, mixed with much drofs and in great disorder. In perfons of greater difcernment and of a more enlarged mind and refined tafte, they may be compared to precious ftones cut and polished and fet in tablets of gold, or to gold and filver refined from their drofs and formed into beautiful and useful veffels. Such was our late Rev. Father and Paftor, a man of a most comprehenfive mind and sublime genius. His judgment was clear, his fancy lively, his reafon ftrong, and his memory tenacious. No man could be better qualified by nature for difcerning the truth, or for reprefenting it to others in the most clear and convincing point of view.

2. And he had every help which education could well give him. He was perfect in thofe ancient languages in which the holy fcriptures were originally written, and particularly fo in Greek, the original language of the New Teftament. This, as a Tutor, he taught many years at Oxford, and, it seems, Hebrew also, if not publicly and profeffionally, at leaft to fome individuals in private. For we find the late Rev. James Hervey, in one of his letters to him thanking him, as for many other favours, fo efpecially for teaching him Hebrew." He understood feveral of

the

the modern tongues, as French and German. He excelled in Logic, was well fkilled in Natural Philofophy, as his many volumes published on that subject shew, and was an accurate Hiftorian. And what perhaps affords yet greater heip towards the discovery of Truth, than any of the branches of literature already mentioned, as tending to habituate a perfon to think closely upon a fubject, and to diftinguish between probability and certainty, he was well read in Mathematics, efpecially in those branches of them which have the nearest relation to usefulness in life. As to Divinity, I need fay nothing. His voluminous writings fhew how much he had studied and how well he understood that subject.

3. But it will be objected here, and that with great reafon, that all thefe and fuch like endowments, are not sufficient to qualify a man for understanding the truth as it is in Jefus. It will be urged, that the "natural man," (Yuxixos the man who has indeed a rational foul in his body, but no divine infpirationin his foul,) "difcerneth not the things of God, nay that they are foolishness unto him, and that he cannot know them because they are fpiritually difcerned ;" and that "the things of God knoweth no man but by the Spirit of God." This is freely granted, and therefore his natural abilities, and his advantages of education, would not have been so much as hinted at in this difcourfe, could we not have given, alfo, good proof that "He, that commanded light to thine out of darkness, had fhined into his heart to enlighten him with the knowledge of his glory in the face of Chrift Jefus.”

4. It is well known to this congregation, that although he had been strictly educated, and was unblamable as to his outward conduct from a child, yet it was not till about the twenty-fecond year of his age, when he was preffed by his father to enter

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into

into holy orders, that he became acquainted with the nature and neceffity of inward religion. By reading that incomparable book, Thomas a Kempis's Chriftian Pattern, which a kind Providence threw in his way, he was brought to fee that true religion is feated in the heart, and that to be renewed in the Spirit of our minds, is of as great neceffity as to have our practice regulated by the commandments of God. This religion he now began to aim at, and though not yet properly convinced of fin nor acquainted with the depravity of his nature, he foon tafted much sweetness in aspiring after it. Meeting alfo, as he informs us, with a religious friend, he began to alter the whole course of his converfation, and to fet himself in earnest upon living a new life. He fet apart an hour or two a day for religious retirement. He communicated every week. He watched againft all fin, whether in word or deed, and aimed at, and prayed for inward holiness.

5. Soon after this," fays he, "removing to "another college, I executed a refolution which "I was before convinced was of the utmost im"portance, viz. to shake off, at once, all my "trifling acquaintance. I began now to fee, more " and more, the value of time, and to apply my"felf closer to ftudy. I watched more carefully "against actual fin, and advised others to be re"ligious according to that scheme of religion by

which I modelled my own life. And meeting "now with Mr. Law's Serious Call and Chriftian "Perfection, I was convinced more than ever of "the exceeding height and depth, length and "breadth of the Law of God. The light now

flowed in fo mightily upon my foul, that every "thing appeared in a new view. I cried to God "for help, and refolved not to prolong the time "of obeying him, as I had never done before.

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