doctrines with the Word of God, and the apos tolic Churches.

This he considered as rendering an essential service to his Congregations, in a country, where, from the generality of his hearers having been called early in life from their native home, their minds had not been previously, or firmly drawn to the consideration of their religious privileges, and their responsibility under them.

His desire was, to be found faithful in the discharge of the Christian Ministry of the Church of England. He endeavored to arouse her members in the distant settlements of Bengal, to a recollection of their baptismal vows, and to impress them with the necessity of renouncing the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to continue Christ's faithful soldiers and servants unto their lives end. He thought a renewed and lively attention to first principles so desirable, that he declared his intention of devoting himself in the ensuing year, to a minute inspection of the Liturgy and Offices of the Church, in a series of sermons. There remain among his papers, in his own hand-writing, large sketches of the plan he would have pursued, on which he had em

ployed himself in the early part of the last of his life.

year

From observing that subjects of a more solemn nature were deeply interesting from the pulpit, he was fond of obituary preaching, whenever he could draw generally useful reflections from the experience of the deceased, or illustrate the force of Christian doctrines from their religious practice. Hence remarkable deaths in the congregations were seldom passed unimproved.

In pursuance too of a similar purpose, he even went back into history, and gave such biographical sketches of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Reformers, as tended to prove the consistency of their faith and practice; or, in other words, that theirs was a living faith, proved to be such by the fruits of holiness, and imparting a well grounded comfort and hope in death. And it was this power of religion he endeavoured to inculcate in all his ministerial labors.

If there was one false hope he discouraged more than another, it was that of promising to ourselves a death-bed repentance. Hence it was at the side of the dying he sometimes

found

found his most arduous and distressing duty: but if he was constrained to fear that his attentions to the departing were of little use, yet would he faithfully discharge his own conscience; and at the least earnestly endeavor to impress seriously the minds of the bystanders.

Happily he was often permitted to witness in the departing, the value of Scripture doctrines; and to be himself edified by those whom he had instructed in religious truths.

He has had the satisfaction of hearing believers, even personally unknown to him, attribute with their latest breath, to his faithful ministry their first views of sin and danger; and, through Divine Grace, their first view likewise of a way to escape.

He has returned from visiting the dying, greatly encouraged by the exercise of their strong faith, on the wing for eternity; and felt the sweetest solace, when on these occasions he had to learn, rather than to preach, the triumphs of the cross.

In latter years, when political events called for the faithful minister's pious observations on the directing and over-ruling hand of Divine Providence, Mr. Brown marked the divine hand in the fate of those nations that have

D 4

have been shaken, and of our own, which He hath so mercifully upheld.

But his most favourite themes in the pulpit were such as tended to silence the self-righteous, and leave the proud sinner without excuse before God; which he appeared to consider as the ground-work of conviction, and tending to the clear perception of our utter insufficiency of ourselves to help ourselves.

Nor, when he had brought his hearer to this point of self-knowledge, did he leave him here for to make known the only sure ground of a sinner's hope-was his chief delight.

God incarnate; testified of by His spirit; reconciling the world unto Himself; bearing our guilt, and submitting to the sentence of death for our sins; and imputing his righteousness to all who repent and believe the Gospel-forms a short summary of the themes he loved to dwell on.

Nor did he himself try to work, in his Lord's name, the miracle, and open the spiritually blind eye or deaf ear; but desired simply to direct the seeking soul to JESUS for help, by the appointed means, of searching the Scriptures with prayer.

In this view also he constantly aimed at inducing the people to attend the Lord's table; which he deemed to be a powerful means, as well as a serious evidence, of grace. This particular subject he often renewed from the pulpit. It was one of the holy purposes he both had in view and was permitted to see accomplished, in the devout and constant attendance of a large number of his congregation at the communion.

And thus were his faithful efforts crowned, which had been uniformly directed to instil into the minds of the community, a love for the Sabbath-day, and a pious habit of assembling round the table of the Lord.

He encouraged the society to practise the early and devout baptism of their infants. Not, through negligence, or indecision, to omit the sacred rite till an advanced period of life, or to celebrate it with unsuitable levity or dissipation.

He loved also to see the rising generation early brought to offer themselves before their Redeemer, to receive the lively pledge he ordained "for the continual remembrance of his death, and the benefits which we receive thereby."

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