breath of his life. Here is my daily, necessary privilege, relief and my comfort. my "XXVI. I BELIEVE, lastly, that God is faithful and unchangeable: That all His promises are YEA and AMEN: That HE will never, never, as the apostle's words are, leave me, will never, never, never forsake me. But, that I, and, all that believe, love and fear HIM, shall receive the end of our faith the salvation of our souls. "Here is the sum and substance of my CREED.-It is at least, what I presume to call, my FORM of sound words -In it, I can truly say, I have no respect to men or books, ancient or modern; but to the Holy Scriptures, reason and experience. According to this CREED, hitherto I have, and hope, hereafter, so far as I apprehend, to proceed in all my preaching; debasing man, and exalting my dear LORD in all His offices. If we materially differ, be it so-let brotherly love continue.-I am fixed, being resolved not to have my religion, like some dear men among us of late, to seek, after more than twenty years experience and profession. All that I know of you hitherto, is by your conversation and books, which I cordially love and approve. "I think, we are both agreed to pull down man, and when we have the proud chit down, to keep him down. For this is the main.-And never let him recover so much as his knees, till with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, the dear REDEEMER raise him. He ought to be convinced, that a good life will no more conduce, than a wicked life, to his justification. That all that is not of faith, and consequently before faith, is sin. Nor will I allow, that it is any more by good works after grace received, than before, that the believer is saved; for however our LORD may graciously consider them at the last dayEternal life is certainly the gift of God through our LORD JESUS CHRIST-CHRIST alone has purchased for us, what grace in heart and life makes us meet for--What have We to boast of?-or what have We that We have not received? -Surely, by grace We are saved. When I die, I shall then have my greatest grief and my greatest joy-My greatest grief, that I have done so little for JESUS; and my greatest joy that JESUS has done so much for me. My last words shall be, "Here goes-An unprofitable Servant !" "Pray for me, and I'll pray for you being your, &c. "W. G." DAVID BOSTWICK, A. M. MR. DAVID BOSTWICK, if not a Scotchman born, was at least of Scotch extraction, and bred up in the Presbyterian persuasion. The time of his birth appears to be about the year 1719. When or where he took upon him the office of a pastor, we cannot learn; but Mr. Smith, in his history of New York, says, that he was translated from Jamaica [a small village upon Long Island] to New York, by a synodical decree, in the year 1757. The place of worship where he officiated, stands, or rather stood (for it has been much injured by the civil war in America), near the scite of Trinity Church in that city. This church was wholly demolished by the conflagration, occasioned by some incendiaries among the Americans, after the flight of their army in October 1776. The late Mr. Whitefield preached several times in Mr. Bostwick's weeting-house, while he was at New York. About twelve or fourteen hundred souls composed the congregation under Mr. Bostwick's pastoral care. In this charge he continued from the year above-mentioned to the 12th of November in the year 1763; when he was called from the church militant on earth to the church triumphant in heaven. He departed this life in the forty-fourth year of his age, in the misdt of life and of usefulness. But the righteous are often taken away from the evil. The heats, distractions, and bitterness, which rose about or soon after his death, would have distressed his placid spirit, which was by no means calculated to mingle in public confusions, nor, when excited, to appease them. He left a widow with ten children to the goodness of Providence; and his remains lie buried in the front isle of the meeting-house, where for near seven years he had faithfully preached. In the history of New York above-mentioned, which was written before Mr. Bostwick's decease, the author (in p. 193.) gives this testimony of his character. • Mr. Bostwick is of a mild, catholic disposition; and, being a man of piety, prudence and zeal, confines himself entirely to the proper business of his function. In the art of preaching, he is one of the most distinguished clergymen in these parts. His discourses are methodical, sound, and pa thetic; thetic; in sentiment, and in point of diction, singularly ornamental. He delivers himself without notes, and yet with great ease and fluency of expression, and performs every part of divine worship with a striking solemnity." The religious world has been blessed with but two publications, composed by this excellent man. The one is a sermon, preached by him at Philadelphia, before a synodical meeting, on the 25th of May 1758, and published at their request. The title of it is, SELF disclaimed and CHRIST exalted: And it has since been reprinted by Mathews in the Strand, London, in the year 1776. The English editor, in an advertisement prefixed, says, 'That it was so cordially received by the audience (which is very seldom the case with heart-searching discourses like this) that, at their earnest desire, it was sent to the press; and the late Mr. Gilbert Tennent gave it his warm recommendation.' And very justly. It is a sermon for MINISTERS, and enters more deeply into the subtle workings and base motives of the human heart, than any sermon of the kind we have ever seen. It is written with great plainness, but not with a "slovenly" plainness: On the contrary, it is a perspicuous, methodical, and affectionate discourse, and just such as every sincere minister would wish to speak to his own soul. There are indeed no affected turns, no studied phraseology; but there is, what is infinitely better to a spiritual mind, a deep acquaintance with the things of GOD, and an hearty zeal for the glory of Jesus Christ and the good of souls. It is not carefully ornamental, yet sufficiently correct; not tricked off with the wisdom of the flesh, yet clear and convincing in the demonstration of the Spirit. Every man, who ventures to speak for GOD, would do himself a favour to have this very excellent sermon in his closet; as, we might be bold to say, he ought to hold his tongue, if he has not the principles of it engraven upon his heart. The other Tract is entitled, "A fair and rational Vindication of the Right of Infants to the Ordinance of Baptism, being the substance of several discourses from Acts ii. 39." This, though a posthumous piece, is an able performance; and perhaps one of the ablest, in a small compass, on that side of the question. We are told by the American editor, That the author composed it for the pulpit, and delivered it in sundry sermons, but a few weeks before his decease; which being found to have a very happy effect, in the confirmation and establishment of some wavering minds among his own people, he was urged to transcribe his notes for for the press; but soon after he had begun this work, he was (as to the particular time of it) unexpectedly called to his superior station in GoD's temple above. Yet, by a kind providence, a few days before his last illness, a young minister who had a desire to improve himself by Mr. Bostwick's notes, which were written in a kind of shorthand of his own invention, applied to him; and, at his request, Mr. Bostwick spent several hours in teaching him to understand them, and, by his means, the copy was recovered from oblivion." His character yet lives in New York, though perhaps few men confined themselves more within their circle of duty, or felt more humility, or shewed more freedom from all ostentation. He not only preached the gospel, but lived over what he preached, respected by good men of all denominations. His conversation, led by the Spirit of his meek and lowly Master, breathed nothing but peace and gentleness to all men. He was sorely grieved, when some of his flock became, not fervent Christians, but furious politicians. Mr. Bostwick's heavenly temper and quiet deportment did not perfectly please these religio-political professors; for he knew, that his Saviour's kingdom was not of this world, and that it was no part of a Christian minister's duty to entangle himself with it. He abhorred, as he ought, the too frequent mixture of divinity and politics, and much more the abominable turpitude of making the former subservient to the latter. Thus he lived, and thus he died, an example worthy of imitation, but unhappily not followed, even by those for whom his affections and concern were more immediately engaged! We are obliged for the further account of this great and good man, which we shall subjoin, to the Editor of his Tract on Baptism." 'As a man, he was something above the middle stature, comely, and well-set, his aspect grave and venerable; formed by nature with a clear understanding, quick apprehension, prompt elocution, and solid judgment; his imagination strong and lively, and his memory very tenacious. Of all these, he gave the most convincing proofs, both in public and private life. He directed the course of his studies, in a close and intimate subserviency to the great business of his profession. The apostle's direction, Give thyself wholly to these things, might have been his motto. In divinity his great strength lay. He had an admirable discernment of truth and error in their causes, connections, and consequences; and believed and taught the pure doctrines of Christianity, Christianity, as contained in the Holy Scriptures, and as declared in the public confessions of the reformed churches, in their original and genuine meaning. He beheld his BIBLE with reverence, as the grand charter of life eternal. One of the reformed churches distinguished it by this title, Ecce paradisus noster! Behold our paradise!" He knew it to be a revelation from GOD, and the most wonderful book in the world. He saw its external and internal evidence, not only by nature's light, aided by human learning, but also by special illumination from above. He considered it not only as a system of divine knowledge, but as revealing a practical and experimental discipline; and felt its vital energy, and had its truth sealed on his heart, with that kind of evidence, which would doubtless have stood the fire upon the severest trial. He had those gifts which rendered him a very popular preacher. With a strong commanding voice, his pronunciation was clear, distinct, and deliberate; his speech and gesture decent and natural, without any affectation; his language elegant and pure, but with studied plainness, never below the dignity of the pulpit, nor above the capacity of the meanest of his auditory. The strength of his memory, and the flow of his elocution, enabled him to preach without notes, but seldom or never extempore: He furnished the lamps of the sanctuary with beaten oil; and the matter and method of his sermons were well studied. In treating divine subjects, he manifested an habitual reverence for the Majesty of heaven, a deep sense of the worth of souls, an intimate knowledge of the human heart, and its various workings in its two-fold state of nature and grace. He dealt faithfully with his hearers, declaring to them the whole counsel of GoD, shewing them their danger and remedy. He always spake from a deep sense of the truths he delivered, and declared those things which he had seen and which he had heard, and his hands had handled of the word of life; and delivered nothing to his auditory but with a solemnity that discovered its importance. 'His mind had a poetic turn. His style was copious and florid. He sometimes soared, when his subject would admit of it, with an elevated wing; and his imagination enabled him to paint the scene, whatever it was, in very strong and lively colours. Few men could describe the hideous deformity of sin, the misery of man's apostasy from GoD, the wonders of redeeming love, the glory and riches of divine grace, in stronger lines and more affecting strains than he. VOL. IV. 2 E • In |