infirmity, gradually sunk into the arms of death, while his soul winged its happy flight into the bosom of that blessed Redeemer, who had long been his portion and his all.

On the 31st day of March, 1784, and in the 84th year of his age, he departed without a groan, and sweetly fell asleep in Jesus.

Thus lived and died this eminent servant of Jesus Christ, full of days, and full of grace; gathered as a shock of corn in its season into the garner of his heavenly master. May we have grace to follow his good example, and may the holy Spirit lead us on by the same way, to the same rest which remaineth for the people of God.

His character as a scholar, was very respectable. He had learning without ostentation, and, to a good acquaintance with the Greek and Latin classics, joined a considerable knowledge of Hebrew and the writings of the Fathers. But, though a man of taste, and well able to distinguish himself in the circle of letters, he made it a point of conscience to lay aside the scholar when he addressed his people, and studied to accommodate himself to the capacity of the meanest of his hearers, that none might be unedified.

His views of the ministry were serious and honourable. We have already seen how far he was from looking upon it as a profession of advantage, in the answers which he gave to his Uncle, and to the Bishop of Lincoln. He could not bear to see or to hear of the prostitution of the sacred character to such low and unworthy ends. A minister of Jesus Christ appeared to him a person devoted to the service of God and the souls of men, and, therefore, not at liberty to live after his own will, and spend his income as he would that of an estate; but, as this is appropriated to him out of the substance of the people for the labour of their souls, he is in all duty

and conscience bound to reside amongst them, to lay himself out for their good, and attend to their benefit and instruction. "Meditate upon these things,give thyself wholly to them," was his standing motto for a minister of the gospel of Christ.

His discourses are full of weighty matter, and are most honest and direct addresses to the heart and conscience. The heart, indeed, was ever his peculiar study. Being deeply acquainted with its exceeding deceitfulness and evil, his attention was always particularly directed here. Hence it was the great object of his ministry to undeceive his fellow-creatures respecting their own imagined righteousness, to detect them to themselves, to strip them of their vain pretences, and to bring them in guilty before God and their own consciences. For he well knew, that till this is done, Christ and his salvation are of little or no value. "They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."

After the example of his divine Master, it was his constant endeavour to establish true humility as the ground-work of Christ's religion. Not that affected resemblance of it, which is often put on to please the world, and leaves the heart, all the time, unhumbled, and only more pleased with itself, because of this its supposed excellence; but that true lowliness of soul, which is founded in a deep sense of its sinfulness, and exceeding unworthiness before God. This was the humility which he laboured after for himself and others; a humility proceeding from a divine principle, and influencing the whole man. He pitied the high and inconsiderate profession of many who love to put themselves forward, and to be looked upon as somebody in the religious world, and esteemed the complaints and self-accusations of a broken and contrite heart, a far better evidence of a Christian state than

the loudest pretensions of the bold and self-confident.

The practical parts of Christianity had ever his most sacred attention and regard, and were strongly enforced as the necessary and inseparable consequence of true saving faith: For, though no man ever gloried more in the cross of Christ, or was more full and clear in maintaining the doctrine of Christ's blood and righteousness as the only justification and hope of the soul, yet did he ever in the strongest terms inculcate that they who have believed in God, should be careful to maintain good works. A strict and conscientious adherence to integrity and uprightness in all our dealings, and to truth and sincerity in our words, was a matter of high consequence in his estimation. Hence he entertained a very unfavourable opinion of the religion of those who could suffer thernselves to deal in smuggled or prohibited goods; to neglect the duties of their station and calling; to gratify their pride, at the expense of common honesty, by living above their income; or to indulge in needless expenses, to the injury of their families, and of their ability to do good in acts of charity and benevolence.

The religious government of the tongue was likewise a subject on which he insisted very strongly, I mean as to its regulation respecting the private concerns and character of our neighbour. Nothing seemed to hurt him more than to hear any one take pleasure in speaking ill of others, or retail slanderous reports to their disadvantage; and he would frequently stop them abruptly, by observing to them, that "the roots of the tongue lie very deep;" or, with that remark, "I seldom see a fault in another, but I look for two in myself, and they generally are not far to seek."

In the distribution of his time, and the regulation

of his family, he observed the most exact order and regularity; not merely on a principle of prudence and the better conducting of his business, but through a religious sense of the importance of his time and substance, as talents received from God, and of which he was sensible he must give an account.

His dress, furniture, and mode of living, exhibited a model of the most primitive simplicity, so that in visiting him, you might imagine yourself a guest with one of the ancient Fathers rather than with a divine of the eighteenth century: nor let any suppose that this proceeded from covetousness, or a base love of money; it arose from a conviction of the exceeding evil of the waste of his talent, a disapprobation of this sumptuous manner of living, too fashionable amongst the clergy, and a conscientious care that he might have it in his power to relieve the wants of others.

In the private duties of the closet he was diligent and unremitted. These he considered, not only as a discharge of duty, but as indispensably necessary for the life and support of his soul, and as a principal means of maintaining intercourse with God, and gaining those daily supplies of divine grace, which he stood in continual need of as a Minister and as a Christian.

His caution and great candour respecting others, were also very remarkable, and highly worthy of imitation; and though he was firmly established in the Gospel-faith of salvation by Jesus Christ alone; yet was he ever ready to make great allowances for men's different views of things, and distinguished with much care between an error of the head, and one of the heart.

His curate one day asking him what he thought of one of his people, whether the person was a real Christian or not; he seemed to take no notice. Some days afterwards he called him aside, and said to him" Sir,

you asked me the other day what I thought of the state of A. B. and would probably be surprised that I gave you no reply; but it was not through inattention. It is a point which requires much serious consideration, before we determine on the state of any person"-and then proceeded to give his sentiments with his usual candour.

This is but one instance, out of many, which might be produced, in proof of that Christian deliberation which he used in his determinations in general, and of his particular and close attention to the cardinal grace of 1 Cor. xiii. with which few were better acquainted than Mr. Adam.

The same grace of true Christian charity was eminently displayed by him in times of provocation. He was naturally of a very high and warm spirit, and evidently of very quick feelings in cases of this nature. But this served only the more fully to display the power of that divine grace which gave him such happy victory over his passions, that his meekness and humility were the admiration of all that knew him. A clergyman who lived in his family above six years, and had the opportunity of seeing him at all times, and in variety of circumstances, writes of him thus: "I don't recollect ever to have seen his temper ruffled above once or twice in all the time that I lived with him. When any thing happened of a trying or provoking kind, he used to turn upon his heel, and say nothing, 'till he had thought it over, and examined whether there was indeed a just cause far anger or

not."

But this conquest of himself was not attained to but by hard conflicts, and in the exercise of much labour, watchfulness, and prayer. He was forced to dispute his ground inch by inch, and would often say, "if ever grace was grafted on a crab-stock, it is surely in me.