to his death, a period of between twenty and thirty years. I think I may say with confidence, that he was regarded by all classes as a fervent, impressive, and successful preacher of the gospel; and I doubt not that the records of his church will prove that a greater number were received to communion during his ministry than in any other church in the then province. His labours in spiritual concerns were far from being confined to the pulpit; he was indefatigable in his endeavours to do good in private. A considerable part of his time he appropriated to visiting his congregation, and would apply the truths of the gospel personally to individuals of every age, rank, and character; and he was particularly attentive to the little children of his charge, taking care that they were early taught the Catechism, and explaining the various doctrines of the gospel to their comprehension, as they were able to receive them. He was remarkable for his great attention to the particular situation of persons afflicted either in body or mind, and would visit them often, and with as much care as a physician would do, and proved frequently a very comforting spiritual physician to their souls."

It is not easy, at least in the present age, for a minister to divide his labours so equally over all the departments of pastoral duty; yet it must do much to insure the completeness of ministerial work to preach, and visit, and catechize. In the speculum episcopi which we have in. St. Paul's labours at Ephesus, the pulpit and pastoral duty seems to have been his constant exercise; for he "taught there publicly, and from house to house." Dr. Chalmers set a very high value on domestic ministry; and he was accustomed to say to his students, "A house

going minister makes a church-going people." In large cities there may be some excuse for not regularly visiting the homes of the people, and some are not gifted with that ability; but generally this department, well attended to, would greatly aid the work of the Lord.

There was a considerable awakening in Mr. Tennent's congregation, of which he gave some account to the Rev. Mr. Prince at Boston, which he embodied in his "Christian History." After referring to the character of the people, which he describes as "loose and profane," both in principles and practice, he states, "About this time my dear brother John (who is now with Christ) was licensed as a candidate for the sacred ministry, a youth whom the Author of every good gift had uncommonly furnished for that important trust." He was ordained in November 1730, and died April 23, 1732. "During this short time his labours were greatly blessed, so that the place of public worship was unusually crowded with people of all ranks; and they seemed to hear generally as for their lives; yea, such as were wont to go to those places for their diversion,-—namely, to hear news, or speak to their tradesmen, &c., even on the Lord's day, as they themselves have since confessed,-were taken in the gospel net; a solemn awe of God's majesty possessed many, so that they behaved themselves as at the bar in his house. Many tears were usually shed when he preached, and sometimes the body of the congregation was moved or affected. I can say, and let the Lord alone have the glory of it, that I have seen both minister and people wet with their tears as with a bedewing rain. It was no uncommon thing to see persons, in the time of hearing, sob

bing as if their hearts would break, but without any public outcry; and some have been carried out of the assembly, being overcome as if they had been dead."

It was to this sphere that Mr. Tennent came. He preached six months before his brother's death, with much acceptance and considerable success. "Many," he says, "came inquiring what they should do to be saved, and some to tell what the Lord had done for their souls." Almost every house had some anxious inquirers. He saw the fruit of his brother's labours, and he reaped that harvest. Much success attended his own; and during the succeeding ten years he could say that many had been added to the Lord. "What the number is of those who have tasted the sweet fruits of the Redeemer's purchase in a saving manner in this congregation I cannot tell; it is my comfort that the Lord will reckon them, for he knows who are his; and, indeed, none but the omniscient God is equal to the difficult province of determining certainly concerning the internal states of men. Yet I may be bold to say, that to all appearance, both old and young, males and females, have been renewed; though none so young as I have heard of in some other places." As to the general results, he says, "In a word, the sapless formalist is become spiritual in his conversation; the proud and haughty are made humble and affable; the wanton and vile, sober and temperate; the swearer honours the venerable name he was wont to profane, and blesses instead of cursing; the Sabbath-breaker is brought to be a strict observer of holy time; the worldling now seeks treasures in the heavens; the extortioner now deals justly; and the formerly malicious forgive injuries; the prayerless are earnest and incessant in acts of devotion; and

the sneaking self-seeker endeavours the advancement of God's glory and the salvation of immortal souls."

Happy must be the minister who can report so great a change wrought upon his congregation. This was the felicity of William Tennent. He had, as others have, disappointment in many; but his own high standard of piety served to keep up the standard of his people, and his ministry never lost its savour, or its spiritual power.

He was happy in the Christian fellowship of his father and his brothers. Of his venerable parent mention has been made already. His brother Gilbert was an eminent evangelist, and highly honoured in the conversion of souls. Mr. Prince thus describes him: "He seemed to have as deep an acquaintance with the experimental part of religion as any I have conversed with; and his preaching was as searching and rousing as ever I heard. . . . . It was frequently both terrible and searching. It was often, for matter, justly terrible, as he, according to the inspired oracles, exhibited the dreadful holiness, justice, law, threatenings, truth, power, majesty of God, and his anger with rebellious, impenitent, unbelieving, and Christless sinners; the awful danger they were every moment in, of being struck down to hell, and being damned for ever; with the amazing miseries of that place of torment. But his exhibitions, both for matter and manner, fell inconceivably below the reality. Such were the convictions wrought in many hundreds by Mr. Tennent's searching ministry; and such was the case of those many scores of several other congregations as well as mine, who came to me and others for direction under them. And, indeed, by all their converse I found it was not so much the terror, as the searching nature of his ministry, that

was the principal means of their conviction. It was not merely, nor so much, his laying open the terrors of the law and wrath of God, or damnation of hell (for this they could pretty well bear, as long as they hoped these belonged not to them, or they could easily avoid them), as his laying open their many vain and secret shifts and refuges, counterfeit resemblances of grace, delusive and damning hopes, their utter impotence, and impending danger of destruction; whereby they found all their hopes and refuges of lies to fail them, and themselves exposed to eternal ruin, unable to help themselves, and in a lost condition. This searching preaching was both the suitable and principal means of their conviction.

"And now was such a time as we never knew. The Rev. Mr. Cooper was wont to say to me, that more came to him in one week, in deep concern about their souls, than in the whole twenty-four years of his preceding ministry. I can also say the same as to the numbers who repaired to me. By Mr. Cooper's letter to his friend in Scotland it appears that he had had about six hundred different persons in three months' time; and Mr. Webb informs me he had had in the same space about a thousand."

Mr. John Tennent, whose ministry was so brief, was also remarkably devout. In his awakening he had most intense convictions, but his peace and joy were correspondingly high. His labours were greatly blessed, as we have read in his brother's testimony. William was with him in his last illness, and succeeded him in the ministry. Amidst his dying agonies he said to one, "I would not have you to think the worse of the ways of holiness because you see in me such agonies of distress, for I know there