public fchool at Haddington: His father fpared neither expence nor pains in his education. There he foon acquired reputation for his affiduity in his ftudies, and for a native foundness of judgment, and clearnefs and quicknefs of conception among his fchool-fellows: many of whom have fince filled the higheft ftations in the literary and political world.

At the age of fourteen he was removed to the university 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 criticifm, and for a precifion of idea and perfpicuity of expreffion rarely attained at that early period. Immediately on his leaving the univerfity, 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 parish of Beith, in the west 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 discharge of every parochial duty when out of it. And his preaching generally turned on those great, distinguishing and practical truths of the gospel, 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 usefulness; 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 alfo called to Rotterdam, in the Republic of the United Provincesand to the town of Dundee, in his own country. But he could not be induced to quit a sphere of fuch refpectability, comfort, and usefulness. He rejected alfo, in the first inftance, the invitation of the truftees of this college. He thought it almost 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 scene of his happiness and honor -and in his middle career, to bury himself, as he apprehended, in a new and diftant country.

But warmly urged by all thofe friends whofe judgment he moft refpected, and whofe friendship he most esteemed -and hoping that he might repay his facrifices, by greater usefulness to the cause 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 those 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 highest expectations of all the friends of the college. a Their expectations have not been disappointed. Its reputation and fuccefs, under his administration, have been equal to our most fanguine hopes.

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. Mears. Jonathan Dickenton, 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

Vol. I.

Almoft the firft benefit which it received, befides the éclat, and the acceffions of students, procured to it by the fame of his literary character, was the augmentation of its funds. The college has never enjoyed any resources from the state. a It was founded, and has been fupported wholly by private liberality and zeal. And its finances, from a variety of causes, were in a low and declining condition, at the period when Dr. Witherspoon arrived in America. But his reputation excited an uncommon liberality in the public; and his perfonal exertions, extended from Maffachusetts to Virginia, foon raised its funds to a flourishing ftate. The war of the revolution, indeed, afterwards, proftrated every thing, and almost annihilated its refources; yet we cannot but with gratitude recollect, how much the inftitution owed, at that time, to his enterprize and his talents.

But the principal advantages it derived, were from his literature; his fuperintendancy; his example as a happy model of good writing; and from the tone and taste which he gave to the literary pursuits of the college.

In giving the outlines of the character of this great man, for I attempt no more, I fhall begin with obferving, that perhaps his principal merit appeared in the pulpit. He was, in many refpects, one of the beft models on which a young preacher could form himself. It was a fingular felicity to the whole college, but especially to those who had the profeffion of the miniftry in view, to have fuch an example conftantly before them. Religion, by the manner in which it was treated by him, always commanded the respect of those who heard him, even when it was not able to engage their hearts. An admirable textuary, a profound theologian, perfpicuous and fimple in his manner; an univerfal scholar, acquainted deeply with human nature; a grave, dignified, and folemn fpeaker, he brought all the advantages derived from these fources to the illustration and enforcement of divine truth. Though not a fervent

a Since this fermon was delivered, the college has been favored with a bandfome donation from the Legiflature of New-Jersey.

and animated orator, a he was always a folemn, affecting, and inftructive preacher. It was impoffible to hear him without attention, or to attend to him without improvement. He had a happy talent at unfolding the strict and proper meaning of the facred writer, in any text from which he chofe to difcourfe at concentrating and giving perfect unity to every subject which he treated; and prefenting to the hearer the most clear and comprehenfive views of it. His fermons were distinguished for their ju dicious and perfpicuous divifions-for mingling profound remarks on human life, along with the illuftration of divine truth-and for the lucid order that reigned through the whole. In his difcourfes, he loved to dwell chiefly on the great doctrines of divine grace, and on the diftinguishing truths of the gofpel. Thefe he brought, as far as poffible, to the level of every understanding, and the feeling of every heart. He feldom chofe to lead his hearers into fpeculative difcuffions, and never to entertain them by a mere display of talents. All oftentation in the pulpit, he viewed with the utmost averfion and contempt. During the whole of his prefidency, he was extremely folicitous to train those ftudious youths, who had the miniftry of the gospel in view, in fuch a manner, as to fecure the greatest refpectability, as well as usefulness, in that holy profeffion. It was his conftant advice to young preachers, never to enter the pulpit without the most careful preparation. It was his ambition and his hope, to render the facred minif

a A peculiar affection of his nerves, which always overcame him when he allowed himself to feel very fervently on any fubject, obliged him, from his earliest entrance on public life, to impofe a ftrict restraint and guard upon his fenfibility. He was, therefore, under the neceffi ty of fubftituting gravity and ferioufnefs of manner, in public speaking, in the room of that fue and warmth, of which he was well capable, by nature; and which he fo much admired in others, when managed with prudence.

He never read his fermons, nor ufed fo much as fhort notes, in the Pulpit. His practice was, to write his fermons at full length, and commit them to memory; but not confine himself to the precife words he had penned. He often took great liberties, in the delivery of his difco rufes, to alter, add to, or abridge what he had written; but this never infringed upon the ftrictest accuracy.

try the most learned, as well as the most pious and exem plary body of men in the Republic.

As a writer, his ftile is fimple and comprehenfive-his remarks judicious, and often refined-his information, on every fubject which he treats, accurate and extenfive-his matter always weighty and important-clofely condensed, and yet well arranged and clear. Simplicity, perfpicuity, precision, comprehension of thought, and knowledge of the world, and of the human heart, reign in every part of his writings. Three volumes of effays, and two of fermons, befides feveral detached difcourfes, already publifhed-and treating chiefly on the most important and practical fubjects in religion-have defervedly extended his reputation, not only through Britain, Ireland and America, but through most of the proteftant countries of Europe. His remarks on the nature and effects of the ftage, enter deeply into the human heart. We find there many refined obfervations, after the example of the Meffieurs de Port-Royal in France, not obvious to ordinary minds, but perfectly founded in the hiftory of man, and the ftate of fociety. The pernicious influence of that amusement on the public taste and morals, was, perhaps, never more clearly elucidated. On the following interesting fubjects, the nature and necessity of regeneration-Justification by free grace, through Jesus Christ; and the importance of truth in religion, or, the connection that subsists between sound principles and a holy practice, there is, perhaps, nothing fuperior in the English language. But Dr. Witherspoon's talents were various. He was not only a ferious writer, but he poffeffed a fund of refined humor, and delicate fatire. A happy fpecimen of this is feen in his Ecclesiastical Characteristics. The edge of his wit, in that performance, was directed against certain corruptions in principle and practice prevalent in the Church of Scotland. And no attack that was ever made upon them, gave them fo deep a wound, or was fo feverely felt. Dr. Warburton, the celebrated Bishop of Gloucefter, mentions the Characteristics with particular approbation, and expreffes his wifh, that the English church, as fhe needed one too, had likewife fuch a corrector.