conception, but which it may be hoped many will regard with tender pity, drove him to attempt felf-murder; and the manner of his preservation in life, or rather of his restoration to it, indicated an unusual interpofition of the providence of God. His friends no longer perfifted in urging him to retain his office. It was refigned; and with it his flattering profpects vanished, and his connections with the world diffolved. A ftriking inftance of the inftability of earthly hopes, and the infufficiency of human accomplishments to promote even temporal comfort!

"At this awful crifis appears to have commenced Mr. Cowper's ferious attention to the ways of God. Having been educated in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and estranged from the fool-hardy arrogance which urges unhappy youths to infidelity, he had constantly retained a reverence for the word of God. His manners were in general decent and amiable; and the courfe of pleasure in which he indulged himfelf being customary with perfons in fimilar circumftances, he remained infenfible of his state as a finner in the fight of God, till he was brought to reflect upon the guilt of that action by which he had nearly plunged himself into endless perdition. His mind was then, for the first time, convinced of the evil of fin, as a tranfgreffion of the law of God; and he was terrified by the apprehenfion that his late offence was unpardonable in its nature. Inftead of finding relief from reading, every book he opened, of whatever kind, feemed to him adapted to increase his diftrefs; which became fo pungent as to deprive him of his ufual reft, and to render his broken flumbers equally miferable with his waking hours. While in this ftate, he was visited by the late Rev. Martin Madan, who was related to him. By explaining from the Scriptures the doctrine of original fin, Mr. Madan convinced him that all mankind were on the fame level with himself before God; the atonement and righteoufnefs of Chrift were fet forth to him as the remedy which his cafe required; and the neceffity of faith in Chrift, in order to experience the bleflings of this falvation, excited his earnest defire for the attainment. His mind derived prefent eafe from these important truths, but ftill inclined to the fuppofition that this faith was in his own power. The following

day he again funk under the horrors of perdition; and that distraction which he had fought as a refuge from the fear of man, now feized him amidst his terrors of eternal judgment. A vein of felf-loathing ran through the whole of his infanity; and his faculties were fo completely deranged, that the attempt which he had lately deplored as an unpardonable tranfgreffion, now appeared to him an indifpenfable work of piety. He therefore repeated his affault upon his own life, under the dreadful delufion, that it was right to rid the earth of fuch a finner; and that the fooner it was accomplished, his future mifery would be the more tolerable. His purpose being again mercifully fruftrated, he became at length familiar with defpair, and fuffered it to be alleviated by converfation with a pious and humane physician at St. Albans, under whofe care he had happily been placed. He began to take fome pleafure in sharing daily the domestic worship which was laudably practifed by Dr. Cotton; and he found relief from his defpair, by reading in the Scriptures, that "God hath fet forth Chrift Jefus to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remiffion of fins that are paft through the forbearance of God." Romans, iii. 25. While meditating upon this paffage, he obtained a clear view of the Gospel, which was attended with unspeakable joy. His fubfequent days were chiefly occupied with praise and prayer, and his heart overflowed with love to his crucified Redeemer. A hymn, which he wrote under thefe delightful impreffions, will best describe the comfort that he enjoyed.

"How bleft thy creature is, O God, When with a fingle eye,

He views the luftre of thy word,

The day-fpring from on high! Thro' all the ftorms that veil the skies,

And frown on earthly things, The Sun of Righteoutnefs he eyes,

With healing in his wings.

Struck by that light, the human heart,
A barren foil no more,
Sends the sweet smell of grace abroad,

Where ferpents lurked before.
The foul, a dreary province once

Of Satan's dark domain,
Feels a new empire form'd within,
And owns a heav'nly reign.
Kk 2

The

The glorious orb, whofe golden beams
The fruitful year controul,,
Since first, obedient to thy word,
: He started from the goal,

Has cheer'd the nations with the joys
His orient beams impart :-
But, Jefus! 'tis thy light alone
Can thine upon the heart.”

"The first transports of his joy, which almost prevented his neceffary fleep, having fubfided, were followed by a fweet ferenity of fpirit, which he was enabled to retain, notwithstanding reviving ftruggles of the corruptions with which fin has univerfally infected our nature. The comfort he enjoyed in the profitable converfation of his be loved phylician, induced him to prolong his ftay at St. Albans for twelvemonths after his recovery. Having determined upon renouncing his profeffion of the law, he retired, first to Huntingdon, and two or three years afterward to this place, in order to indulge, amidst rural fcenes, thofe religious pleasures and occupations, which experience had taught him to value far above all that the polite, or the bufy world, could afford. Another of his hymns expreffes what he felt when entering on his re

tirement:

"Far from the world, O Lord! I flee,: From strife and tumult far;

From scenes where Satan wages ftill
His most fuccessful war.

The calm retreat, the filent fhade,

they were written, although they are well known to most of you, being inferted with fixty-fix more, of Mr. Cowper's compofition, among the hymns published by our venerable friend Mr. Newton, whose labours in the Gofpel are, and I trust ever will be, most gratefully remembered by you. An obfervation in his preface to Mr. Cowper's poems, on the circumstances which occafioned the abode of our deceased friend in this town, is too interesting to you to be omitted. "By thefe fteps," fays he, "the good hand of God, unknown to me, was providing for me one of the principal bleffings of my life; a friend and a counsellor, in whofe company for almoft feven years, though we were seldom seven fucceffive waking hours feparated, I always found new pleasure. A friend, who was not only a comfort to myself, but a bleffing to the affectionate poor people among whom I then lived."

"Thofe of you who for thirty years past have lived in the fear of God, can testify the truth of the remark last quoted. Often have I heard described the amiable condefcenfion with which our deceafed friend liftened to your religious converte, the fympathy with which he foothed your diftreffes, and the wisdom with which he imparted needful advice. At your ftated meetings for prayer (would there were fuch in every parish!) you have heard him, with benefit and delight, pour forth his heart before God in earneft interceflion, witha devotion equally fimple, fublime, and fervent, adapted to the unusual combination of elevated genius, exquifite fenfibility, and profound piety, that diftinguished his mind. It was, I believe, only on fuch occafions as thefe, that his conftitutional diffidence was felt by him as a burden, during this happy portion of his life. I have heard him fay, that when he expected to take the lead in your united prayers, his mind was greatly agitated for fome hours preceding. But he obferved, that his trepidation wholly fubfided as foon as he began to speak in prayer; and that timidity, which he invariably felt at every appearance before his fellow creatures, gave place to an awful, yet delightful confcioufnefs of the prefence of his Saviour.

"His walk with God in private was confiftent with the folemnity and fervour of his focial engagements. Like the Prophet Daniel, and the Royal

Pfalmift,

Pfalmift, he kneeled three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God," in retirement, befide the regular practice of domestic worship. His mind was ftayed upon God; and, for an unusual courfe of years, it was kept in perfect peace. The corrupt difpofitions which have so strong a hold upon the human heart, appeared to be peculiarly fuppreffed in him; and when in any degree felt, they were lamented and refifted by him. His hymns, moftly written during this part of his life, defcribe both the general tenor of his thoughts, and their occafional wanderings, with a force of expreffion dictated by the livelinefs of his feelings. While his attainments in the love of God were thus eminent, you, my friends, can testify the exemplary love that he practifed toward his neigh. bour. To à conduct void of offence

toward any individual, and marked with peculiar kindness to all who feared God, was added a beneficence fully proportioned to his ability, and exercifed with the greatest modelty and difcretion.

"The confolation which, after having endured the fevereft diftrefs, he at that time derived from a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself for him, he thus defcribes, in an affecting allegory:

"I was a ftricken deer, that left the herd Long fince; with many an arrow, deep infixt,

My panting fide was charg'd, when I withdrew

To feek a tranquil death in distant fhades. There was I found by one who had himfelf

Been hurt by th' archers. In his fide he

have feemed furprifing; but who could have expected their total and final extinction?

"Our departed friend conceived fome prefentiment of this fad reverse as it drew near; and, during a folitary walk in the fields, he compofed a hymn, which is fo' appropriate to our subject, and fo exprelive of that faith and hope which he retained as long as he poffeffed himself, that although it is very familiarly known to you, I cannot forbear to introduce it in this place.

"God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform;
He plants his tooteps in the fea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his fov'reign will.
Ye fearful faints, frefh courage take
The clouds ye fo much dread
Are big with mercy, and fhall break
In bleflings on your
head.
Judge not the Lord by fethle sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence

He hides a fmiling face.
His purposes will ripen faft,

Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,

But fweet will be the flow'r. '
Blind unbelief is fure to err,

And fean his work in vain; God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain."

"Armed with like faith, let us contemplate the dreary path that our deceafed neighbour trod fo long a time. Many have vifited its gloomy entrance,

and fome have been a tedious while

bewildered in it, but none within my knowledge have traced, as he did, its whole extent. The steps by which he defcended to it were fudden, and awfully precipitous. The bright, yet ferene luftre, which had ufually

marked the road that led him to the Lamb," was fucceeded by impenetrable darkness. After the clearett views of the love of God, and the expanfion of heart which he had enjoyed in his ways, his mind became obfcured, confufed, and difmayed. He concluded, as too many others have done under fo fenfible a change, and as the Pfalmift in his infirmity was tempted to do, that "the Lord had caft him off; that he'

would

would be favourable no more; that his mercy was clean gone for ever!" That vivid imagination, which often attained the utmolt limits of the sphere of reafon, did but too easily tranfgrefs them; and his fpirits, no longer fuftained upon the wings of faith and hope, funk with their weight of natural depreffion into the horrible abyfs of abfolute de fpair. In this ftate, his mind became immovably fixed. He cherished an unalterable perfuafion that the Lord, after having renewed him in holinefs, bad doomed him to everlafting perdition. The doctrines in which he had been eftablished directly oppofed fuch a conclufion; and he remained still equally convinced of their general truth: but he fuppofed himself to be the only perfon that ever believed with the heart unto righteoufnefs, and was not with ftanding excluded from falvation. In this state of mind, with a deplorable confiftency, he ceafed not only from attendance upon public and domeftic worship, but likewife from every attempt at private prayer; apprehending, that for him to implore mercy would be oppofing the determinate counfel of God. Amidst thefe dreadful temptations, fuch was his unfhaken fubmiffion to what he imagined to be the divine pleafure, that he was accustomed to fay, "if holding up my finger would fave me from endless torments, I would not do it against the will of God." It was only at feafons, when, racked by the immediate expectation of being plunged into everlafting mifery, his mind became wholly distracted, that he ever uttered a rebellious word against that God of love, whom his lamentable delufion transformed into an implacable oppreffor. His efforts at felf-deftruction were repeatedly renewed; but they were ftimulated by a strong impreffion that God had commanded him to per: petrate this act; and he even fuppofed that his involuntary failure in the performance had incurred the irrevocable vengeance of the Almighty! To this, and never to any other deficiency of obedience, have I heard him afcribe his imaginary exclufion from mercy.

"Habituated to the fearful expectation of judgment, it became, as at the period formerly defcribed, by degrees lef's infupportable. He became acceffi. ble to a few intimate friends in fuccef. fion, who laboured to divert his thoughts from the dreadful object that engroffed them, and to excite them to

activity on different fubjects. Thus originated moit of thofe poems, which, when publiined, charmed and furprised both the literary and the religious world. The attempt was fuccefsful in that which intereited him much more than poetical fame, his partial relief from felf-torment. Sometimes his mind was led fo far from the vortex of diitrefs, as to indulge in playful effays; but these intervals were extremely tranfient. In general, his poems are the evident dictates of that reverence for God, that efteem for the Gofpel, and that benevolence towards fellow-creatures, which characterised his familiar converfation. Sometimes his thoughts in compofition glanced upon the fubject he defigned to avoid; and nothing can afford a more ftriking picture of himself, than the following lines in his poem on retirement:

« Look where he comes-in this em bower'd alcove

Stand close conceal'd, and fee a ftatue