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THE knowledge of the lives and characters of fuch as have been eminent for piety and usefulness, can hardly fail of being instructive and edifying. We trace, in them, the footsteps of divine power and providence in preparing them for service in the kingdom of Chrift, and to be blessings to the world. And the examples we have, in them, of the manner and feveral fteps by which they attained, through the bleffing of God, to eminence in knowledge and piety, are greatly fitted to infpire candid minds with a defire to imitate them.

In these views, the memoirs of few lives have been prefented to the public, which may be expected to be more entertaining and ufeful, than thofe of the late Rev. Dr. Samuel Hopkins. Thefe, the reader will find contained in "Sketches" written by the Doctor himself; which were compofed and arranged in a late period of his life. The former part was written before the attack of that paralytic disorder, which, finally, occafioned his death: the latter, after it. By

the last it appears, that however his nervous system and bodily organs had been affected by the fhock, his mental powers remained entire ; being scarcely at all impaired, either by age, or by a diforder, which ufually debilitates the mind as well as the body. The manner in which the following sketches are written, and the unaffected fimplicity in which they appear, cannot fail of engaging the attention and esteem of the pious and judicious reader.

With a mind naturally clear and discerning, he appeared, in early life, to have felt the power of divine truth, and to have imbibed the fentiments and fpirit of chriftianity. And fo deep were the impreffions made, by the power and fpirit of God, on his confcience, and on his heart, that he was foon brought to a fixed, fettled determination of mind to devote himfelf-his powershis all-his life to the fervice of Chrift. The work of the gospel ministry being more congenial with the feelings of his heart than any other employment in life, he early, on leaving college, engaged in a course of study with a view of being qualified for it. As this was the work for which his heart thirsted, he judged that, in this, he might be moft ufeful. The deep and folemn fense he had of its importance, and the views and fentiments with which he entered upon it,

may be feen in fome of the extracts from his private diary inferted in marginal notes.

As his mind was peculiarly formed for study. and improvement, he was favored with a bodily conftitution capable of enduring greater and more constant application, than most others. Few men have spent more hours in study and intense application, than Doctor Hopkins: And few have made fuch advances and improvements in knowledge. His ftudies were more confined to divinity, than those of most men of his genius and application. This was the fubject, which was ever nearest his heart-In this was his great delight. And the uncommon proficiency he made in the knowledge of divine truth, and the extenfive acquaintance he gained with the doctrines of the chriftian religion, have enabled him greatly to benefit mankind by his publications.

He poffeffed an unusual talent of opening and explaining the holy fcriptures-To him their doctrines and inftructions feemed familiar. His mind appeared readily to enter into the spirit, and comprehend the meaning of paffages, which, to others were obfcure. And, though he did not neglect confulting expofitors and commentators, with whofe works he was well acquainted, his uncommon discernment of the sense and impor

of the facred writings, feemed to arife, rather from a peculiar relish of divine truth, than from any affiftance he derived from others-He appeared to be an example of the truth of our Saviour's words, "if thine eye be fingle, thy whole body fhall be full of light."

The natural strength and powers of mind he poffeffed-his great application-and the clear and comprehenfive view he had of the doctrines of divine revelation, very evidently appear in his various publications; but more especially, in that Syftem of divinity, contained in two volumes, with which the public has lately been favored. This will remain a lasting monument of uncommon ability and application, as well as extenfive knowledge and piety. Nowhere can the reader find the doctrines of the facred writers fo clearly drawn out to view, so justly arranged, and so fully and unanswerably vindicated as in this :— Nor is there, probably, any other human compofition extant, from which fo good an understanding may be obtained of the gospel-plan of falvation by Chrift-the terms on which this falvation may be had-and, the temper and character neceffary to the enjoyment of it. Here the reader finds thofe doctrines, which are generally moft unwelcome to the human heart-fuch as thofe, of the total moral depravity of human