to wait the event which GoD should allot him. His lingering illness gave the opportunity of dropping several things instructive and affecting. He had the sentence of death in himself a considerable time, and rejoiced in the views of eternity. He would sometimes check himself in the midst of exquisite pain," I must not complain; GOD is good, and the will of the Lord be done." He once said, "Though I cannot affirm, in the great expression, worthy an apostle, of a late venerable minister among us, (the pious Mr. Lorimore) a little before his death, have no more doubt of my acceptance with God, than I have of my own existence; yet I have good hope through grace, and such as I am persuaded will never make me ashamed." Though he was sensible of many failings, he said, "Yet he could appeal to GoD, that he had walked before him in integrity." And added, with much earnestness and tears, "I have reason of thankfulness for an early sense of religion and dedication to God; I have endeavoured to order the main part of life as before him, and ever desired to be faithful in the ministry: I am conscious of many failings in public and in private life; but I can rest upon the gospel-covenant for mercy: I am fully persuaded of its truth, and desire no other salvation." Subjoining at another time, "I die in the faith and hope of the gospel I have preached, and now find great comfort in it." When in acute pain, thus he spoke: "The formality and ceremony of taking down this tabernacle by degrees, is irksome and grievous: How much better were it, if it pleased GoD, that it might tumble at once! But the will of God be done." When he looked upon his arms swollen with distemper, and deformed by disease, he would often cry with pleasure, "This corruptible shall put on incorruption. O glorious hope!" And when in great pain of body, would exclaim, "Blessed be GoD for the peace of my mind.'

He told a particular friend who visited him, " That he was obliged to those who expressed so great a concern for his life, but it was not so much as his own desire :" Adding, "If I might be continued, however, for further usefulness in the church of Christ, I shall be glad to live, but if not, it is my earnest desire to finish at present." He spent whole nights in prayer to GOD, when he could not sleep, for himself, his family, his friends, and the church of GOD; for this was the proper breath of his soul. Upon occasion of the hours of prayer among many on this account, he said, "I heartily wish that my afflic

tion may be the means of reviving the spirit of prayer; I shall not think much of any thing I endure, provided it have that effect. Some days before his death, he began, with a trembling hand, to write some hints of meditation for the use of himself and his friends: The inscription whereof was, "What I am as a creature; as a reasonable creature; as a sinful creature; as a redeemed creature; as a creature in a state of trial for eternity; as a sociable creature, and related to other beings about me." The last thing remarkable, while he was sensible, and some of the last words he was heard to say, were, lifting up his hands, and crying out, "All is well; All is well;" and finished his course with joy in the fifty-first year of his age, May 16, 1730. Dr. Evans was of an uncommonly tall stature, yet not a lusty man. There was something very pleasing, solemn, and commanding in his countenance. He married a lady of family, and had a daughter supposed to be a considerable fortune; but it proved otherwise, and at his death there was a very handsome provision made for his wife and daughter by the congregation, out of the very great respect they paid to his memory as an accomplished preacher and a most excellent man. It was not known till after his decease, that he had been tempted to make private shipwreck of his large fortune in the fatal South-sea

year, so destructive to multitudes of others as well as to him. The weight of which secret lay on his mind, and was, in some measure, productive (so one of his intimates thought) of his slow but certain death. He was buried with great solemnity in Dr. William's vault, in Bunhill Fields. -Dr. Harris spoke the funeral oration over the grave, and preached his funeral sermon.

His Works. Many sermons, published at various times, upon public and private occasions, from the year 1704 to 1727. A volume of Sermons for young persons, 1725. Two volumes of Practical Discourses concerning the Christian temper. Two letters to Mr. Cumming, upon Scripture-consequences.

JAMES SAURIN.

SAURIN's father was an eminent lawyer at Nismes, in France, and being a protestant, was obliged to fly with his family, and with thousands of his reformed coun

trymen,

trymen, upon the shameful, impolitic, and perfidious revocation of the edict of Nantz. He settled at Geneva. He had four sons, whom he trained up in learning, and who were all so remarkably eloquent, that eloquence was said to be hereditary in that family. Our Author was born at Nismes in 1677; and, though after his exile with his father at Geneva, he had made considerable advances in letters, he abandoned them all for a season, that he might follow arms. In 1694, when he was but seventeen, he made a campaign as a cadet in Lord Galloway's company, and, in the next year, obtained a pair of colours from his commander: But, upon the signing of the peace between France and Savoy, he quitted a life for which he was never designed, and applied himself to philosophy and divinity under those great masters, Turretin, Tronchin, Pictet, Chouët, and other very learned men, with whom Geneva at that time was crowded, some as natives, and more as refugees from other parts of the world. The summary, however, of this valuable person's life has been so ably drawn by the masterly pen of the translator of his sermons into English, that, we hope, he will excuse the liberty we take, in obliging our readers with an extract from the memoirs which he has prefixed to those dis

courses.

Under these great masters [viz. those above-mentioned] Saurin became a student, and particularly applied himself to divinity, as he now began (1696) to think of devoting himself to the ministry. To dedicate one's self to the ministry in a wealthy, flourishing church, where rich benefices are every day becoming vacant, requires very little virtue, and sometimes only a strong propensity to vice; but to choose to be a minister in such a poor, banished, persecuted church as that of the French protestants, argues a noble contempt of the world, and a supreme love to GOD, and to the souls of men. These are the best testimonials, however, of a young minister, whose profession is, not to enrich, but to save himself, and them who hear him, 1 Tim. iv. 16. In 1700, after Mr. Saurin had finished his studies, he visited Holland and England. In the first he made a very short stay; but in the last he staid almost five years, and preached with great acceptance among his fellow exiles in London. Of his person an idea may be formed by the annexed copper-plate, which is said to be a great likeness, and for which I am indebted to my ingenious friend Mr. Thomas Holloway, as I am to his amiable brother Mr. John Holloway, for several anecdotes of

Saurin.