afcended to glory, not in the character of a private perfon, but as the covenant head and reprefentative of his people -This is the character in which "he has entered into Heaven, as the forerunner for us."a It is alfo the joy of our Lord, because it is derived from God, to the happy subjects thereof, through Jesus Christ, as the bond of their union with him, and the medium of their intercourse with him-And this will continue to be the cafe throughout a blessed immortality. And, laftly, it is the joy of our Lord, because it is a joy of the same kind with that which the glorified human nature of our Lord himself shares; fo far as they fhall be capable of it-What lefs than this can be the import of that ftrong phrafe, "Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift." Nor is this all, they fhall enjoy it in the fame manfions of bleffednefs, which he himfelf inhabits. This is his promife to them, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be alfo."c And his availing prayer for them is, "Father, I will, that they also whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou haft given me."d Agreeably to which, we read, "They fhall ever be with the Lord."e And now from all this, you will not hefitate to conclude, that this joy must be a coinpleat and an everlafting joy. And, what can it be more? My brethren, you will eafily perceive this fubject teaches us the nature of the religion of Jefus Chrift. It forms its happy fubjects to a proper temper and a proper conduct towards God and their neighbors. It makes them good and faithful fervants to their Mafter, who is in Heaven. It teaches them their duty, and inclines and enables them to comply with it. Its doctrines and precepts, its promises and threatenings, are powerful principles of action. Thus it is that divine truth fanctifies the human heart, agreeably to our Lord's prayer," Sanctify them through the truth; thy word is truth."f a Heb. vi. 20. c John ziv. 3. d John xvii. 24. f John xvii. 17. You will farther obferve, this religion not only teaches us our duty, and forms us to it, but rewards us, in the moft glorious manner, for this our very duty-Rewards us with an immortality of blessedness, in the full enjoyment of the Father of our Spirits. How grand, interefting, and dignified the fcenes it opens beyond the grave! Do any of thofe fyftems of morality, which the fons of infidelity wish to establish, independent of the facred Scriptures, furnifh fuch motives to virtue? Motives fo rational, and fo calculated to influence? It is revelation alone that pushes its incentives beyond the grave; that pushes them home to the inmoft feelings of the human heart; that embraces every spring of action, even the moft fecret; and touches them in the moft tender, juft, and energetic manner. Again-This fubject fuggefts matter of great encouragement to the people of God, and especially to the minifters of Chrif, to be faithful and diligent in the work affigned them in life. Our Lord marks, with an omnifcient eye, all our conduct towards him; and while he reprehends our floth and unfaithfulnefs, he encourages and rewards our meaneft fervices for him. "A cup of cold water given to a difciple, in the name of a difciple," he affures us," fhall in no wife lofe its reward."a Let us, then, shake off our floth: let us up and be doing: Our work is great; our time is fhort, and our reward glorious; Nor is there a single Chriftian, however private his ftation or obfcure his character, but what may, fome how or other, ferve the interefts of his Lord in the world. This he may do by a confcientious difcharge of the duties of the devout, but especially of the duties of the focial life. This will exhibit religion in a juft point of light to the furrounding world, and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. They may also be useful in and by the duty of prayer; fecret and family prayer. Our God is a God who hears prayer; and he, no doubt, fheds many a bleffing on his minifters, on his church, on the commonwealth, and on a Matth. x. 40. the world, in answer to the prayers of his humble, though obfcure friends. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, feeing God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love"-" Let us be ftedfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as we know our labor is not in vain in the Lord." But it is time I fhould haften to obferve, that this subject ftrongly applies to the occafion of my addreffing you this day-The death of that venerable man of God, who prefided, with so much dignity, over this inftitution for twenty-fix years. This great man was defcended from a refpectable parentage; which had long poffeffed a confiderable landed property in the eaft of Scotland. His father was minif ter of the parish of Yefter, a few miles from Edinburgh, where he was born on the fifth day of February, 1722.a This worthy man was eminent for his piety, his literature and for a habit of extreme accuracy in all his writings and difcourfes. This example contributed not a little to form in his fon that taste and that love of accuracy, united with a noble fimplicity, for which he was fo diftinguished through his whole life. He was fent, very young, to the public school at Haddington: His father fpared neither expence nor pains in his education. There he foon a Dr. Witherspoon was lineally defcended from that eminent man of God, the Rev. Mr. John Knox, whom Dr. Robertfon ftiles, "The prime inftrument of spreading and establishing the reformed religion in Scotland." The genius, learning, piety, zeal, and intrepidity of this great man, rendered him fingularly qualified for the diftinguithed part he bore in that interefting event. It is recorded of Mary, Queen of Scots, that fhe faid, "She was more afraid of John Knox's prayers, than of an army of ten thousand men." Worn out by inceffant labors, he died on the 27th day of November, 1572, in the 67th year of his age. The Earl of Moiton, then Regent of Scotland, who attended his funeral, pronounced his eulogium in a few words; the more honorable for Mr. Knox, fays the above hiftorian, as they came from one whom he had often cenfured, with peculiar feverity, "Here lies HE who never feared the face of man." Mr. Knox's daughter Elizabeth married the famous Mr. John Welf, who ftrongly resembled his father-in-law in genius, character, and usefulness in the church: And in this line Dr. Witherspoon defcended from this honorable ancestry. acquired reputation for his affiduity in his ftudies, and for a native foundness of judgment, and clearnefs and quickness of conception among his school-fellows; many of whom have fince filled the highest ftations in the literary and political world. At the age of fourteen he was removed to the univerfity of Edinburgh. Here he continued, attending the different profeffors, with a high degree of credit, in all the branches of learning, until the age of twenty-one, when he was licensed to preach the gofpel. In the theological hall, particularly, he was remarked for a moft judicious tafte in facred criticism, and for a precision of idea and perfpicuity of expreflion rarely attained at that early pe riod. Immediately on his leaving the university, he was invited to be affiftant minifter with his father, with the right of fucceffion to the charge. But he chofe rather to accept an invitation from the parifh of Beith, in the weft of Scotland. Here he was ordained to the work of the gospel miniftry, and fettled with the univerfal acquiefcence, and even with the fervent attachment of the people: A circumftance which, under the patronage that unhappily exifts in that church, is but too rarely the cafe in the fettlement of their clergy. His character as a preacher, which rendered him fo acceptable and popular, will come more naturally before us in another place. Let it fuffice to remark here, that always interefting and inftructive in the pulpit, he was affiduous in the difcharge of every parochial duty when out of it. And his preaching generally turned on thofe great, diftinguishing and practical truths of the gofpel, which, in every Chriftian country, most affect and attach the hearts of the great body of the people. From Beith he was, after a few years, tranflated to the large and flourishing town of Paifly, fo celebrated for its various and fine manufactures.-Here he refided in the height of reputation and ufefulnefs; and riveted in the affections of his people and his fellow-citizens, when he was called to the prefidency of this college, During his refidence at Paifly, he was invited to Dublin, in Ireland, to affume the charge of a numerous and refpectable congregation in that city. He was also called to Rotterdam, in the Republic of the United Provinces-→→ and to the town of Dundee, in his own country. But he could not be induced to quit a fphere of fuch refpectability, comfort, and usefulness. He rejected alfo, in the first inftance, the invitation of the truftees of this college. He thought it almoft impoffible for him to break connections at home, that had been fo long endeared to him--to violate all the attachments and habits of the female part of his family to leave the fcene of his happiness, and honor -and in his middle career, to bury himfelf, as he apprehended, in a new and diftant country. But warmly urged by all those friends whofe judgment he most refpected, and whofe friendship he moft efteemed -and hoping that he might repay his facrifices, by greater usefulness to the caufe of the Redeemer, and to the interests of learning, in this new world—and knowing that this inftitution had been confecrated, from its foundation to thofe great objects to which he had devoted his life, he finally confented, on a fecond application, to wave every other confideration, to cross the ocean, and to take among us that important charge to which he had been called, with the concurrent wifhes, and the higheft expectations of all the friends of the college.a Their expectations have not been disappointed. Its reputation and fuccefs, under his adminiftration, have been equal to our most fanguine hopes. Almoft the firft benefit which it received, befides the eclat and the acceffions of ftudents procured to it by the fame of his literary character, was the augmentation of its a Dr. Witherspoon arrived with his family at Princeton in the month of Auguft, 1768. He was the fixth Prefident of the College, fince its foundation in the year 1746. His predeceffors were, the Rev. Mers. Jonathan Dickenson, Aaron Burr, Jonathan Edwards, Samuel Davies, and Dr. Samuel Finley-Men defervedly celebrated for geni. us, learning, and piety. Mr. Dickenfon and Mr. Edwards were advanced in life when chofen to the presidency. Not long before Dr. Witherspoon left Scotland, and while in fufpence refpecting his duty, a gentleman, poffeffed of a confiderable property, an old bachelor, and a relation of the family, promised to make him his heir, if he would not go to America. |