function. After passing the usual trials, he was licensed, according to the custom of the college and the form of religion in the province, to preach the gospel as a candidate.

In August 1722, he received a call to preach to the English presbyterians at New-York, where he continued with approbation above eight months. This society was then too small to maintain a minister, and therefore, in the spring of the year 1723, he returned to his father's house in Connecticut, where, during the following summer, he followed his studies with the closest application. It appears, however, that he had a deep sense of his Christian and ministerial profession upon his mind, during his abode at New-York; that the people he watched over became very dear to him, and that he left them at last with great regret. Some extracts from his own Diary will delineate more exactly the frame of his mind at this time, and therefore they are committed to a note below.*

In

"Wednesday, January 2, 1722-3. Dull. I find by experience, that let me make resolutions, and do what I will, with never so many inventions, it is all nothing, and to no purpose at all, without the motions of the Spirit of God! For if the Spirit of GoD should be as much withdrawn from me always, as for the week past, notwithstanding all I do, I should not grow, but should languish, and miserably fade away.-There is no dependence upon myself. It is to no purpose to resolve, except we depend on the grace of God; for if it were not for his mere grace, one might be a very good man one day, and a very wicked one the next. Thursday, January 10, about noon, reviving. It is a great dishonour to Christ, in whom hope I have an interest, to be uneasy at my worldly state and condition. When I see the prosperity of others, and that all things go easy with them; the world is smooth to them, and they are happy in many respects, and very prosperous, or are advanced to much honour, &c. to grudge and envy them, or be the least uneasy at it; to wish or long for the same prosperity, and that it would ever be so with me. Wherefore, concluded always to rejoice infevery one's prosperity, and to expect from myself no happiness of that nature as long as I live; but depend upon afflictions, and betake myself entirely to another happiness. I think I find myself much more sprightly and healthy, both in body and mind, for my self-denial in eating, d inking, and sleeping. I think it would be advantageous every morning to consider my business and temptations, and what sins I shall be exposed to that day: And to make a resolution how to improve the day, and to avoid those sins. And so at the beginning of every week, month, and year. I never knew before what was meant by not setting our hearts upon these things. It is, not to care about them, to depend upon them, to afflict ourselves much with fears of losing them, nor please ourselves with expectation of obtaining them, or hope of the continuance of them. At night made the forty-first resola, tion. Saturday, January 12, in the morning. I have this day solemnly renewed my baptismal covenant and self-dedication, which I renewed when I was received into the communion of the church. I have been before God; and have given myself, all that I am and have, to

Gop2

In the spring of the year 1724, having taken his master's degree in the year before, he was chosen tutor of Yale College; and he followed this duty above two years. It must be owned, that this was an engagement of great consequence for a young man of twenty-one, who, by his early introduction to the ministry and other avocations, could

GOD, so that I am not in any respect my own: I can challenge no right in myself; I can challenge no right in this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me; neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members: No right to this tongue, these hands, nor feet: No right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell or taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained any thing as my own. I have been to GoD this morning, and told Him that I gave myself wholly to Him. I have given every power to Him; so that for the future I will challenge no right in myself, in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, and do now promise Almighty GoD, that by his grace I will not. I have this morning told Him, that I did take Him for my whole portion and felicity, looking on nothing else as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were; and his law for the constant rule of my obedience: And would fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the end of my life. And did believe in Jesus Christ, and receive him as a Prince and a Saviour; and would adhere to the faith and obedience of the Gospel, how hazardous and difficult soever the profession and practice of it may be. That I did receive the blessed Spirit as my teacher, sanctifier, and only comforter; and cherish all his motions to enlighten, purify, confirm, comfort and assist me. This I have done. And I pray GoD, for the sake of Christ, to look upon it as a self-dedication; and to receive me now as entirely his own, and deal with me in all respects as such; whether he afflicts me or prospers me, or whatever he pleases to do with me, who am bis. Now, henceforth I am not to act in any respect as my own. ——I shall act as my own, if I ever make use of any of my powers to any thing that is not to the glory of GoD, and do not make the glorifying Him my whole and entire business; if I murmur in the least at afflictions; if I grieve at the prosperity of others; if I am any way uncharitable; if I am angry because of injuries; if I revenge; if I do any thing, purely to please myself, or if I avoid any thing for the sake of my ease: If I omit any thing because it is great self-denial: If I trust to myself: If I take any of the praise of any good that I do, or rather GOD does by me; or if I am any way proud. Tuesday, January 15. It seemed yesterday, the day before and Saturday, that I should always retain the same resolutions to the same height, but alas! how soon do I decay! O, how weak, how infirm, how unable to do any thing am 1! What a poor, inconsistent, what a miserable wretch, without the assistance of GOD's Spirit! While I stand, I am ready to think I stand in my own strength, and upon my own legs; and I am ready to triumph over my enemies, as if it were I myself that caused them to flee: When, alas! I am but a poor infant, upheld by Jesus Christ; who holds me up, and gives me liberty to smile to see my enemies flee, when he drives them before me; and so I laugh, as though I myself did it, when it is only Jesus Christ leads me along, and fights himself against my enemies. And now the Lord has a little left me, and how

weak

could not have found too many opportunities for his own improvement: But the strength of his mind overcame what are usually insuperable difficulties in the way of the generality; and perhaps his genius acted more forcibly from not being fettered with academical clogs, which other geniuses, of an elevated rank, could never endure. I need

weak do I find myself! O, let it teach me to depend less on myself, to be more humble, and to give more of the praise of my ability to Jesus Christ. The heart of mau is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? Saturday, March 2.0, how much pleasanter is humility than pride! O, that God would fill me with exceeding great humility, and that he would evermore keep me from all pride! The pleasures of humility are really the most refined, inward and exquisite delights in the world. How hateful is a proud man! how hateful is a worn that lifts up itself with pride! What a foolish, silly, miserable, blind, deceived, poor worm am I, when pride works! Wednesday, March 6, near sun set. Felt the doctrines of election, free-grace, and of our not being able to do any thing without the grace of Gos; and that holiness is entirely, throughout, the work of God's Spirit, with more pleasure than before. Wednesday, May 1, forenoon. Last night I came home, after my melancholy parting from New-York. I have always, in every different state of life I have hitherto been in, thought the troubles and difficulties of that state to be greater than those of any other, that I proposed to be in; and when I have altered, with assurance of mending myself, I have still thought the same; yea, that the difficulties of that state are greater than those that I left last. Lord, grant that from hence I may learn to withdraw my thoughts, affections, desires, and expectations, entirely from the world, and may fix them upon the heavenly state, where there is fulness of joy; where reigns heavenly, sweet, calm, and delightful love without alloy; where there are continually the dearest expressions of their love: Where there is the enjoyment of the persons loved, without ever parting: Where those persons, who appear so lovely in this world, will really be inexpressibly more lovely, and full of love to How sweetly will the mutual lovers join together to sing the praises of GoD and the Lamb! How full will it fill us with joy to think, this enjoyment, these sweet exercises, will never cease or come to an end, but will last to all eternity! Thursday, October 18. To follow the example of Mr. Bwho, though he meets with great difficulties, yet undertakes them with a smiling countenance, as though he thought them but little; and speaks of them as if they were very small. Monday, February 3, 1724. Let every thing have the value now that it will have on a sick bed: And frequently in my pursuits, of whatever kind, let this come into my mind: How much shall I value this on my death-bed? Saturday night, June 6. This week has been a remarkable week with me with respect to despondencies, fears, perplexities, multitudes of cares, and distraction of mind; being the week I came hither to NewHaven, in order to entrance upon the office of tutor of the college. I have now abundant reason to be convinced of the troublesomeness and vexation of the world, and that it never will be another kind of world. Tuesday, September 2. By a sparingness in diet, and eating, as much as may be, what is light and easy of digestion, I shall doubt

us.

less

need only mention Milton, Dryden, and Swift, in confirmation of such an opinion. Our Author was certainly not in the highest class of learned men; for his times, his duties, and his means, did not allow of such an attainment: But he was far more happily employed both for himself and others; and he hath given such proofs of a mind uncommonly invigorated and enlightened, that it is matter of joy it was not engrossed by studies, which would have rendered him only the admiration of a few, instead of allowing him to be the instructor of all. He had, in short, the best and sublimest sort of knowledge, without being too much incumbered with what was unnecessary to or beneath his calling.

In September 1726, he resigned his tutorship, in consequence of the invitation of the people at Northampton in Connecticut for assistance to his mother's father Mr. Stoddard, who was the settled minister of the town. He was ordained colleague on the 15th of February 1727, in the twenty-fourth year of his age, and continued in the ministerial service there till the 22d of June 1750; when he was dismissed in as extraordinary a way, and for as extraordinary a cause, as perhaps most of our readers may ever have heard of. We have (says his Biographer) with respect to this, an instructive lesson on the stability of all human affairs, and the unreasonableness of trusting in man.' He might have said--the unreasonableness of submitting such a man as Mr. Edwards to the passionate ignorance of the brutish multitude.

What seems at first to have rendered Mr. Edwards an object of hatred, was a circumstance, which should have made him, and would have made him among persons truly religious, an object of love. Some young persons of his flock had procured some obscene publications, which they commented upon among themselves for their own improvement in lasciviousness, and which they quoted, with the usual decency of such persons, for an impression upon others. This came in a short time to Mr. Edwards's ears; and therefore, taking occasion, after a sermon upon Heb. xii. 15, 16. preached for the purpose, to call the leading members of his charge together, he informed them of what he had heard, and procured a consent that the matter should

less be able to think clearer, and shall gain time. 1st, By lengthening out my life. 2dly, Shall need less time for digestion after meals. 3dly, Shall be able to study closer without wrong to my health. 4thly, Shall need less time to sleep. 5thly, Shall seldomer be troubled with the head-ache."

should be examined. A committee was appointed for this purpose, and to assist the pastor. When this was done, Mr. Edwards appointed a time of meeting; and then read a list of the names of young persons, accusing and accused, without specifying under which predicament they stood, who were desired to come together at his house.

Upon the declaration of names, it appeared, that almost all the families in the town had some relation or other concerned in the matter; and therefore a great number of the heads of families not only altered their minds about examination, but declared, that their children, &c. should not be called to account for such things as these. The town was immediately in a blaze: And this so strengthened the hands, or hardened the faces of the guilty, that they set their pastor at defiance with the greatest insolence and contempt. Here this affair ended: And obscenity enjoyed its triumph.

But its effects did not end here. Mr. Edwards's hands were weakened; and, we are told, that he afterwards had no great visible success in his ministry, but, on the contrary, that security and carnality much increased among his people, and the youth in particular became more wanton and dissolute.

All this paved the way for something more. It had been a standing opinion among this people for some time, countenanced also by their late pastor, That unconverted persons,' known to be such by the ungodliness of their lives, or the ignorance of divine truth in their minds, by which men are known to be unconverted, had, notwithstanding, a right in the sight of Gop to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper; and that, therefore, it was their duty to partake of it, even though they had no appearance of the grace and holiness which the gospel states to be inseparable from true believers.' It was sufficient, if they were outward and visible members; so that they, who really rejected Jesus Christ, and disliked the gospel way of salvation in their hearts, and knew that this was true of themselves, might (inconceivable as it appears) make the profession, without lying and hypocrisy."

To the common inconveniencies always attending a National church, where it is impossible to examine every man's profession, or to keep him from disgracing it, here is an addition becoming the disciples of Ignatius of Loyola, by which men may be hypocrites without the guilt of hypocrisy, and lyars without the imputation of sin. A convenient sort of principle indeed, to men of a certain cast;

but