these melancholy seasons of depression has been recently discovered; it is entitled,

"MISERABLE ILLS UNDER WHICH I DAILY GROAN."

BODILY.

An incessant bilious complaint.

General langour, nervous feeling, and head-ache. The fatigues of my great and repeated exertions in preaching.

The illness of

MENTAL.

The awful weight of responsibility attaching to the ministerial work.

The extreme distance between myself and my old, choice, and invaluable friends.

The impossibility I discover of visiting all the people I wish.

The little time I can appropriate to study.

The dreadful state of coldness and formality in religion, which I know the eternal God sees in me, and which, I fear, he hates me for.

The dread I often feel, lest, after all, I should dwell forever in HELL FIRE!

Oh! God, who is sufficient for these things? Oh!

cast me not away from thy presence-take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Oh! God be merciful to me a guilty and a wretched sinner. Be it sofor Christ's sake. Amen.

Monday Evening, May 27, 1811.

But this was not the usual tone of his mind. Few there are so highly favoured but that, sometimes,

they are called to walk in darkness. The same apostle who declares at one period, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed unto him until that day; at another cries, O wretched man that I am, &e. and again, Lest, after having preached unto others, I myself should be a cast-away. This document is a commentary on a passage in one of Spencer's letters: Be assured that I as well as yourself have walked in darkness, and complained that there was no light. Fluctuations in experience are, I am sure, my lot, &c."* He was

Humble. For abundant evidence of the truth of this assertion, I need only appeal to his correspondence, his conversation, and his conduct; they each demonstrate that he walked humbly with his God. Indeed so prominent a feature in his charaeter was humility, that his ministry derived from this prolific source a considerable portion of its excellence. For," as a friend observed, "his deep humility and self-debasement leading him wholly to distrust himself, his affections ascended continually to the Saviour, and brought down that abundant supply of spirituality which animated both his sermous and his life."

A minister one day unguardedly said to him, "Mr. Spencer, I have been reading of your fame." "My fame, Sir." "Yes; I have been reading in one of the public prints, that the Rev. Thomas Spencer has been preaching several eloquent and impressive sermons at Brighton; and if you will call at my house,

* Page 158.

I will shew you the newspaper." Spencer declined going; and his remarks afterwards were worthy of himself.

"I am strongly pressed to visit Mr. —," said he; "I cannot; his circumstances are so much above mine, that it would be dangerous for me. If I get a habit of visiting the rich, I shall neglect the poor, and my expectation of usefulness lies among them."

His humility led him early to solicit, and highly to value, the fidelity of friendship. As he had a deep and intimate acquaintance with his own heart, he knew and deplored its corruptions; and turned with contempt from those professed and dangerous friendships, which only tend to feed the flame he was anxious to stifle and subdue. No friend of his was ever more faithful to him than Mr. B—; and few persons were more highly esteemed by him. Speaking of that gentleman, he said, "I owe him particular respect, and I wish to shew it."

There was one instance in which his late attendance at a place of worship, where he was to preach, was unhandsomely attributed to pride. “He takes liberties," said they, "because he is popular." Let not his memory suffer by such an imputation. It is in my power to roll away from the character of our departed friend this cloud. It was his attention to the duties of the closet, and not his pride, which caused his late attendance that day. It has been already observed, that he always went from his closet to the pulpit. On that day he allowed himself the proper time for retirement, intending to take a coach from the city, where he dined, to Walworth,

where he was to preach. But a sudden fall of snow engaged every conveyance, and he was obliged to walk the distance was considerable, and the conse quence was, he was too late. When an error in the conduct of a minister is committed, reasons are easily assigned, and unhappily those the most uncharitable come the readiest to hand; and few have sufficient generosity or justice to inquire whether that which they have chosen is correct or not.*

The following extract of a letter, dated July 3, 1810, shall close this part of our review of Spencer's character. It was addressed to one who feared that his popularity might have an unhappy influence upon his mind:

"A thousand thanks for the solicitude you express for my safety in the midst of the snares and dangers which appear to you to surround me; never may I be so left as to lose the dignity of the CHRISTIAN, much more of the MINISTERIAL character, by being pleased with so empty a nothing as popular applause; I cannot but recollect that this is a distinction not unfrequently bestowed upon the most unworthy of men, and it is little calculated to afford any thing like happiness or peace of mind, that I hope I shall always

a

* It may be said that this incident is too trifling to be recorded. I do not think so. Nothing is unimportant which illustrates character; and it is in these little things, for the most part, that the character may be ascertained. Besides, the memory of the dead is sacred; and I should not discharge the duties which I have taken upon myself in the compilation of this volume, to the satisfaction of my own mind, were I to suffer any spot or cloud to remain upon the lovely character of Spencer which I am able to remove,

be taught to esteem it a mere puff of noisy breathi that so being elevated above it, 1 may seek that reward alone, which a sense of THE SMILE OF GOD will ever bestow. Oh! my friend, may those pleasures be mine which arise from the testimony of my conscience, that I am seeking to please that Divine Being, whose frown can disappoint the proudest hopes, whose approbation prosper even mine."

6

AS A MINISTER.

We shall contemplate Mr. Spencer as a PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL, AND PASTOR OF A CHURCH. Though for the most part these two offices are combined, yet those who understand their nature, and the duties they involve, must be conscious of the distinction which this division implies. Many a man is an admirable preacher, who is but ill qualified for the retired and constant duties of the pastoral office; and many a man is exemplary as a pastor, who has little except his piety, which indeed is much, to recommend him as a preacher. As Spencer united in his own person the two offices, so did he eminently possess the qualifications of both.

As a PREACHER his discourses were purely evangelical: this was the cast of all his sermons. He never preached to display himself,-but always to exalt the Saviour: this was his constant aim, and to accomplish it, he dwelt much upon the beauties of his character-the charms of his person-the fulness of his atonement-the perfection of his righteousness. He perpetually dwelt upon his willingness and ability to save; and in order to demonstrate the necessity and the value of his great salvation, he