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newed enjoyment of the light and liberty of the gospel; and they serve to prepare us for that world where the Lord shall be our everlasting life, and our God our glory.

"Reflecting upon deliverance from such times of depression should teach us to say- Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee! It should lead us to anticipate future favours, and rejoice that He that hath delivered us can and will deliver; and since the day has dawned, and the shadows have fled away, we should most cordially adore Him who has been appointed to give light to them who sit in darkness, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. May you and I ever enjoy the presence of Jesus, our best friend; share in his tender sympathy; his kind reproofs; his excellent counsels. May he be our God forever and ever, and our guide even unto death. Then we need fear no evil. If sensible that he is with us, we may pass through midnight glooms, and experience a season of great darkness, and yet look forward to a future time, when with pleasure we shall sing, The Lord is my light, of whom shall I be afraid.' Oh! that I may be en

abled to commit your soul and my own into the hands of Jesus as unto a faithful Creator. I can now add no more, than to say that

"I remain affectionately your's,

"THOMAS SPENCER."

The next letter furnishes another proof of his humility and diffidence. It was written the day before it became his turn to preach again in the

chapel at Hoxton the Thursday evening lecture, which the tutors usually attend.

No. 23.

TO MR. HADDON.

December 6, 1809.

"MY DEAR FRIEND,

"I am sensible that Mr. S.'s politeness 'merits' much of us, and if I must name some day for us to meet there it must be Monday next. This we will speak of to-morrow evening. I am sorry you have been so busy about so worthless an object as myself. I need not say, pray especially for me, that a divine blessing may attend me to-morrow evening in preaching before those whom you know I too much dread as hearers.-The Lord grant unto his servant, that with all boldness he may speak his word.' I trust your desire and expectation of obtaining good on Friday evening will be gratified. My mind is rather more composed than it has ever been before, when I have had to preach here on the Thursday evening. How it will be when the time comes, I know not. Many eyes are upon me, and different, very different are the feelings with which my brethren hear me. But if the Head of the Church gives each of them a blessing, they will I hope be satisfied.

"Your's affectionately,

"THOMAS SPENCER."

It is indeed much to be regretted, that any feelings but those of mutual affection, forbearance, and candour, should be cherished in the hearts of brethren-and such surely are the students in the same academy. But in the present imperfect state of our nature, it must be expected, that superior excellence, while it is the object of universal admiration abroad, will, in too many instances, be exposed to the malignant glance of envy and of jealousy at home. And when the scourge of criticism is supplied with knots by these, who but must expect to smart bepeath its strokes. It is certainly to the honour of the institution to which Mr. Spencer belonged, that its members for the most part knew, admired, and confessed his worth; and if there were any exceptions-let them remain in that oblivion in which is their best security.* But the solemn admonition of his early death, should tend to check the bitter exercise of that unhallowed sarcasm by which the rise of extraordinary usefulness or genius is too frequently assailed. In academies of religion and literature, where the avowed object of every student is, not his individual advancement, but the glory

* "Those who admire and cherish rising talent, can have no bitter reflections when they contemplate the grave of SPENCER. They hailed his entrance into public life, and strengthened his hands by their prayers and their approbation. Those who could envy him, and such I know there were, must be covered with merited shame, when they behold him so early stript of those honours, talents, advantages, and successes, which exposed him to their jealousy and malignity. If these unworthy men were before me, I would speak daggers to them, but use none!"-See Styles' Funeral Sermon for the Rev. T. Spencer, page 28.

of God, a spirit of detraction and envy ought to be unknown. The most devoted and useful, should be most esteemed. Every private interest should be lost in the general welfare of the church of Christ. One may behold, indeed, with less concern, the strokes of satire when they fall upon the arrogant, the presumptuous, and the vain ;-but when talents are attended by humility-when popularity is connected with diffidence and eminent piety is mingled with extraordinary displays of genius,to such an object the severity of sarcasm is improperly directed, and every well-regulated mind must view its exercise with pain.

About this time his health again declined. A severe cold for some days deprived him of his voice

and he was compelled to rest one Sabbath day from his public work. What were his feelings in prospect of that Sabbath, this letter will declare.

No. 24.

TO MR. JOHN HADDON.

December 6, 1809.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

"It appears that your suspicions that I should preach three times to-morrow, will not, cannot be realized, for Mr. Western, as well as those around me are agreed, that I must not go to. Hertford at all, judging it dangerous for me to go out, much more so to preach. Yesterday I passed a miserable day. The thought of the pain of mind the letter I sent home would occasion to my friends

hurt me much, and I was much worse than I had been before, as my lungs and throat felt more inflamed. To-day I think I am better, but still very far from well. I can scarcely bear the prospect of a silent Sabbath. I think I shall be quite out of my element to-morrow. Oh! that I did but more firmly believe, that he who is my Saviour does all things well, and that he who sustains the the dread character of Judge of all the earth must do right. If I am able, I shall hear Mr. Hordle in the morning. I have no voice yet. I hope it is not irretrievably lost. I need not say, that if you can call this evening it will give me unspeakable pleasure.

"Your's affectionately,

"THOMAS SPENCER."

Reflecting on this temporary indisposition in a letter to his father, he says, "I have reason to hope that the measure of affliction with which our heavenly Father thought fit to visit me, has been made a blessing to my soul. It gave me time for reflection and close self examination. It gave a new zest to my feelings, and when it was removed, I hope I was inspired with fresh ardour to live for the glory of God."

Amid the constant bustle of a public life, the retirement which temporary indisposition affords, must be most beneficial to a pious mind. Then it can relax in. to a calm and intimate communion with itself. It can quietly indulge in such a review of the past—and such an anticipation of the future, as will tend not a little, under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit,

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