· But no description of his sermons will give the reader the idea of them which they had who sat under his preaching.

His appearance in the pulpit was with a good grace, and his delivery easy, natural, and very solemn. He had not a strong, loud voice; but appeared with such gravity and solemnity, and spoke with such distinctness, clearness, and precision; his words were so full of ideas, set in such a plain and striking light, that few speakers have been so able to command the attention of an audience. His words often discovered a great degree of inward fervour, without much noise or external emotion, and fell with great weight on the minds of his hearers. He made but little motion with his head or hands; but spoke so as to discover the motion of his own heart, which tended in the most natural and effectual manner to move and affect others. Though he carried his notes with him, and read most that he wrote, yet he was not confined to them; if some thoughts were suggested while he was speaking, which did not occur to him when writing, and appeared pertinent, he

would deliver them with as great propriety and fluency as any part he had written; and often with greater pathos, attended with a more sensibly good effect on his hearers.

But though, as observed, he was wont to read so considerable a part of what he delivered; yet he was far from thinking this the best way of preaching in general, and looked upon his using notes so much as he did, a defect and infirmity. And inthe latter part of his life he was inclined to think it had been better, if he had never accustomed himself to use his notes at all. It appeared to him that preaching wholly without notes, agreeably to the custom in most Protestant countries, and which seems evidently to have been the manner of the apostles and primitive ministers of the gospel, was the most natural way; and had the greatest tendency, on the whole, to answer the end of preaching: and he supposed that any one who had talents equal to the work of the ministry, was capable of speaking memoriter, if he took suitable pains for this attainment from his youth.

He would have the young preacher write his sermons, at least most of them, out at large; and instead of reading them to his hearers, take pains to commit them to memory; which, though it would require a great deal of labour at first, yet would soon become easier by use, and help him to speak more correctly and freely, and be of great service to him all his days.*

Were the writer of this note allowed to drop a hint on so delicate a subject, it would be this. Different preachers, like all other public speakers, are possessed of exceedingly different gifts; and therefore one plan, however excellent on the whole, cannot be adopted advantageously by all. In one, clearness of understanding and correctness of judgment are most prominent; in another, a lively and fertile imagination prevails; and a third excels in strength of memory. Some have a greater facility of expression at leisure, by the pen; and others experience more freedom when their senses and feelings are roused by their appearance in public. The man who excels in a sound judgment seldom possesses a lively imagination; he therefore should write the more, with a view to give animation to his compositions. He should secure in his notes pertinent quotations of scripture, apt comparisons, scripture allusions, and historic facts. The preacher, whose fancy is active and excursive, should labour to secure a well-digested plan, argumentatively just, and naturally connected. This will prevent his running into a wordy, declamatory strain. As to memory, there are two sorts, the verbal, and the scientific

His prayers were indeed extempore,, He was the farthest from any appearance of a form, as to his words, and manner of expression, of almost any man. He was quite singular in this, and inimitable by any who have not a spirit of real and undissembled devotion; yet he always expressed himself with decency and propriety. He appeared to have much of the grace and spirit of prayer; to pray with the spirit and with the understanding: and he performed this part of duty much to the acceptance and edification of those who joined with him. He was not wont, in ordinary cases, to be long in his prayers: an error which he observed was often hurtful to public and

or systematic. He who has the former may soon preach memoriter;-after writing all, or without writing any. But let him ever watch, lest he enter into the temptation of plagiary; his quoting, however, long passages from the holy scriptures, when apposite, will be always acceptable; and occasionally, when avowed, the words of other authors. The scientific memory should guard against too much analysis in a sermon, and often choose for the subject of discussion historical passages, or any others which are best treated in the way of observation: which in time will effectually counteract the opposite tendency to explain what is clear, and to analyse without profit.-W.

social prayer, as it tends rather to damp than promote true devotion.

He kept himself quite free from worldly cares; but gave himself altogether to the work of the ministry, and entangled not himself with the affairs of this life. He left the particular oversight and direction of the temporal concerns of his family, almost entirely to Mrs. Edwards; who was better able than most of her sex to take the whole care of them on her hands. He was less acquainted with most of his temporal affairs than many of his neighbours, and seldom knew when, and by whom his forage for winter was gathered in, or how many milch kine he had, or whence his table was furnished, &c.

He did not make it his custom to visit his people in their own houses, unless he was sent for by the sick; or he heard that they were under some special affliction. Instead of visiting from house to house, he used to preach frequently at private meetings in particular neighbourhoods; and often call the young people and children to his own house, when he used to pray