trying service. May I have faith and trust in it, and be favoured with an experimental confirmation of its truth. Believing that you do sincerely and constantly commend me to the kind care of your Father and my Father, of your God and my God, I remain "Affectionately your's, "THOMAS SPENCER." We now arrive at the period of Mr. Spencer's first visit to Liverpool. Before we pass on with him to that new and interesting scene, it may be well to pause, and take such a general view of his mode of thinking and acting, while a student, as the following characteristic sketches from the band of his most intimate friend, will furnish. I shall present them in a miscellaneous way just as they occur. Thus the reader will converse with him, hear his own sentiments, expressed in his own language, and imperceptibly become familiar with the man. "That passage,' said he, "is much upon my mind —Let no man despise thy youth.' I understand the apostle thus :-Let your walk and conduct be such, that no man can despise thy youth. And such shall be my own." 6 "He was favoured with peculiar facility in composition. Many a sermon,' said he, have I composed between Hoxton and your house." His ideas flowed faster than he could write them, and when alone our conversation has met with frequent interruption from his stopping to commit to paper, before 6 they escaped him, the ideas crossing his mind. Turning to me privately, as I sat by his side one evening at the tea-table of a friend, 'Look at that,' said he, will it do ?' It was the sketch of a sermon, which he had composed during the conversation. "I don't know,' said he, (and those who suppose my friend was boasting, did not know him) I don't know,' said he, that for a long time I have had time enough for any one sermon; I was crampt in every head for want of time.' His sermons at that time were 65 minutes to 75 in preaching; though his hearers were not aware of it." "In composing, he used to fold a sheet of foolseap paper in eight leaves, leaving the last side for the heads of application. However long the sernon might be, he never wrote more of it; and in preaching, varied the sermon every time he preached it. 'How do you obtain your texts ?' I keep a little book in which I enter every text of scripture which comes into my mind with power and sweetness. Were I to dream of a passage of scripture, I should enter it; and when I sit down to compose, I look over the book, and have never found myself at a loss for a subject." "His memory was remarkably tenacious; he could regularly repeat every service in which hẹ had ever engaged, with the chapter which he had read, and those of his acquaintance who were present. Returning from Holloway, after preaching, said he," Did you perceive any thing particular in me this morning 'No.' I was very ill in the 7 pulpit; my memory totally forsook me; I could not recollect my subject, but having my notes in my pocket, I took them out and read them." I am glad of it; I give you joy; you can no longer condemn assistance to an imperfect memory." O no, I boast no more; from henceforth, I am silent upon that subject." 6 "The young man that has just passed my study door,' said he, is fearful that he shall not keep up variety in his sermons. The best way that I find to attain variety is continually to ask myself What is there in the circumstances before me, that will benefit my sermon on Sabbath morning?' for a minister should turn every thing into gold. And by keeping my eye continually upon that point, I am seldom at a loss for variety." "Few persons have held pulpit eloquence in higher estimation than Spencer did, or in more contempt when it stood in competition with the interest of souls. I remember asking his opinion of an eloquent sermon which he had been hearing-Why,' said he, 'I could have wept over it-I could have wept to hear immortals so treated." 6 "Your morning sermon yesterday was approved, but not that in the afternoon." No, I suppose not, and I will give you the reason. In the morning, when I preached on privileges, they were pleased; but when, in the afternoon, I came to duties, they remembered their treatment of their late venerable pastor. I particularly respect aged ministers, and love to assist them, and generally add a trifle to the collection, when I have been preaching in behalf of a church which has an aged minister." "He was much tried by the envy of some little -minds. Mr. S.' said late, I hear, at Walworth.' 6 to him, You was very 6 Yes, Sir, and there you may see your own error; you know you say I am too eager for the pulpit, now you see your mistake.' At another time, Spencer,' said a person whose name shall be secret, Popularity is a dangerous thing. It is. No one is popular long. true.' 6 Very You are popular now, but you will not be so long.' That I certainly shall not, Sir, if your wishes are accomplished; but I fully believe, that my popularity hurts you more than it does me.' The bell soon after summoned him to read (in his turn) a sermon for general criticism. The first person called upon said, that its merits were such, that he had nothing to say of its defects. That sentiment was universal, And,' said he to me afterwards, when I considered what had passed, I felt that that was a moment of gratification." "A lady, who had misunderstood an idea in his sermon, wrote me a hasty letter, charging him with autinomianism, and me with gross impropriety in hearing him. It was Saturday night, and he was to preach in the same pulpit the next day. I went to inform him of the circumstance, that he might take an unperceived opportunity of explaining himself. He held out his hand to give his usual affectionate squeeze, when I drew back, I don't know how to shake hands with an antinomian.' 'An autinomian! What is the matter? Read this proof of it.' He read it; his pleasantry subsided; and with a countenance which spoke the feeling of his noble soul, 0,' said he, this letter does me good. -The attention of that congregation would have led me to suppose that they were pleased, and perhaps profited by what they heard; and yet you see, that there were those present who not only misunderstood me, but supposed that I was a preacher of antinomianism. This letter does me good; for sometimes Satan claps me on the back, here in my study, and says, That sermon will do very well, and especially from one so young as you'-and then I begin to mount, and faney that I am somebody; but such a letter as this clips my wings-and then,' said he, (with undescribable expression) 1 drop into my place, the dust. Do bring me all the intelligence of this kind that you can.” "How I wish they would begin the service with Watts' 152d hymn, 2d book.* That hymn always * SINAI AND SION.-HEB. xii. 18, &c. "NOT to the terrors of the Lord, The tempest, fire and smoke ; But we are come to Sion's hill, Where milder words declare his will, |
