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his notes before his eyes in pub- | principles of the doctrine of

lic.

As he firmly believed, that God must pour down his spirit upon the people, or no success would follow the preaching of his word, he earnestly implored the divine aid and came into the pulpit as a live coal from the altar of his God.

When writing to a young minister, whom he loved in the Lord, he said, "I hope this will find you in a good state of health, enjoying your master's presence. I have

no

Christ. Being possessed of picasing pulpit talents, giving himself wholly to the work of the ministry, and being much engaged for the salvation of men and the glory of God, his hearers became so numerous that his meeting-house was en、 larged twice, till it was 75 by 50 feet, and was well filled as long as he was able to preach. He was favored with repeated revivals of religion among his people. Though these revivals were small in comparison with what many experience in the ministry in the present day, yet his success was not measur ed by the duration of his minis. try; for many who professed religion about the time, and after his death, dated their awakenings, and some the beginning of their hope in the Saviour's merits under his preachingAnd some within a few months, who have joined the church, declare, that the commencement of their concern began when he was their minister.

doubt you experience more and more of the importance of the work you are engaged in, and often think of these words; Who is sufficient for these things? Christ will support and supply his ministers. Let him, therefore, be the main subject of your sermons, and invite sinners to come to him for strength, and to his merits for acceptance. My heart rejoices to hear the success which has attended your ministry already: let it humble you and make you watchful, and while you are planting or watering, remember, that all the increase must come from God. Apply yourself close to the study of the scriptures, the best of books, and see that you advance nothing for doctrine, but what *The Rev. William Rogers, D.D. you can bring with a "thus was Mr. Thurston's nephew. He saith the Lord" for its confirma- graduated at Brown University tion. And now, I commend September 9th, 1769, was baptized you unto God and the word of September, 1770; licensed to preach his grace, praying him to fur-August, 1771; removed to Philadelphia in December, 1771; ordained nish you with every ministerial May 31st, 1772; was a chaplain in gift and grace, and abundantly own your labors."

A number of ministers own him as an instrument in the Lord's hands of their awakening, comfort and establishment in the faith of God's elect.*

the revolutionary army under the immortal Washington, from March, Mr. Thurston's whole soul 1776, till June, 1781; appointed Proappeared to be formed for socie-fessor of English and Oratory in the

ty, and to be deeply engaged in preaching, powerfully, the plain

College and Academy of Philadetphia in March, 1789. He received a doctorate in July, 1790; was elec

Many of his excellent letters | sufficiency to make us happy. within my hands can only be It is all in vain to expect happiglanced at, in such a perform-ness from any quarter, but in ance as this; and only a few the love and favor of God, and sentences which he uttered con-being re-united to him through cerning his happy exit, from our Lord Jesus Christ. time into the unspeakable enjoyment of his Lord in eternity.

Newport, 24th March, 1792.

DEAR MADAM,

"I have heard that you have not enjoyed so good health of late as usual, on account of the

Joss of one of your eyes; and desire me to write you

that you
on this subject.

"The loss of the sight of one eye is very great, and it is a mercy you have one left. These bodily eyes must soon fail-be closed, and we be in the land of darkness, where we shall not need them. Job x. 21, 22.

"But, dear madam, there is another eye which the Lord will give to all who love him supremely; which is vastly pre"Could any thing drop from ferable to us, even in this world; my pen that might be beneficial I mean the eye of faith. By and comfortable, it would yield this, Abraham saw Christ's day me the most peculiar pleasure. and was glad: by this, Job saw We are informed by scripture, his Redeemer, and Moses saw that affliction cometh not out of him who was invisible. By this, the ground, neither doth trouble we now behold the once sufferspring out of the dust. It is ing, bleeding Lamb of God, who not by chance, but by the will died for our sins, and rose again and counsel of God, and is de- for our justification. Yes, by signed for our benefit. Heb. xii. this eye, we can look within the 5-18. You have heard and vail and see Christ, seated at read much of Job,-his severe the right hand of God, and ever trials and afflictions, and his pa- living to make intercession for tience, and the gracious end all who come unto God by him. the Lord had in view. All By this eye, we can look through turned out at last to his great the pearly gates of the New advantage. He learned more Jerusalem, and view the spirits of God and his divine perfec- of the just made perfect; join tions, than ever he knew before; ed with the blessed angels in so that he abhorred himself, celebrating the praises of their and repented in dust and ashes. God and King. I hope, my dear friend, that your present affliction will be so sanctified, that it may have

the same blessed effects.

"Afflictions are God's school. There we may learn the vanity of this world, and its utter in

"O transporting sight! Methinks, madam, you are now rea dy to cry, Lord, evermore give to every one who comes unto me this sight! He will give it him and asks for it. Yes, dear friend, I have something more ed Professor of English and Belles-Lord with these bodily eyes; to say, that we shall see the dear Letters in the University of Pennsylvania, in April, 1792, which place though useless in the grave, he will change these vile bodies, with

he still holds.

exercised, and Satan will not be wanting on his part, to take every advantage to hurt your usefulness, and there are some who will unite with him, and watch for your halting.

"I believe that God, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, will support and defend you. Be upon your guard to cut off occasion from those who seek occasion to speak

all their members, and fashion them like his own glorious body. Then hope will cease in fruition, and faith in vision. Then those eyes which have been so long closed and useless, shall be opened again, and made useful. With mine eyes shall I behold him, and not another for me. Then shail we see the Saviour, and converse with him, as one friend converseth with another. We shall see him and be entire-disrespectfully of you. Endeavor ly conformed to his image, and be ever with the Lord. Think, dear friend, what a glorious sight this will be, which can never wax old, or dim. The inhabitants of the New Jerusalem shall no more say they are sick. There will be no more pain; sorrow and sighing shall entirely flee away.

"The dear Lord grant you, and every branch of your family this portion.

"I remain your sincere friend, " GARDNER THURSTON."

To a young Minister under some

trials.

"I rejoice in the grace of God bestowed on you, and the success granted you. I pray God, to give you the wisdom of the serpent, and the harmlessness of the dove. A good cause, a good conscience, a steady and uniform conduct, will put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. I cannot give you better advice than Paul gave to Timothy. Read again and again his second Epistle, second chapter. 1 sympathize with you in your trials; but be assured that God will be with you in six and in seven troubles. I know that your mind must be differently

always to exhibit a gospel temper. If they curse, do you bless; for the servant of the Lord must not strive, but in meekness instruct those who oppose themselves. You must not think your afflictions strange. They are what your Master and many of his servants met with before. You are only filling up your measure of that which was behind, of the affliction of Christ in your flesh, for his body's sake, which is the church. O blessed privilege, to partake with Christ in his afflictions. Be not discouraged, for the power of the enemy is limited like the great deep; hitherto it may come and no further. For the wrath of man shall praise him, and the remainder shall he restrain. Concerning polemic performances, I will just observe, that I have formerly read many, and after all I find the bible to be the best book to discover what truth is, and to establish us in the truth. In this book we find a glorious display of God's justice in the righteous condemnation of the wicked, and a glorious display of his divine grace in the salvation of his people, even from the foundation to the top stone, it is all grace, grace, free grace."

Again he writes, "Aly dearly

beloved son in the faith, you and I must not only preach a crucified Jesus, but live to his glory. In the morning sow thy seed, &c. and God will bless and grant success when and where he pleases. He will reward his ministers not according to their success, but according to their faithfulness.

which I have passed through. He has indeed been a present help in time of trouble. How unsuitable would it be for us to have all our evils and trying changes in view at once!"

Therefore let us admire the words of Jesus: "Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof."

He warns us against being filled with anxiety about tomorrow.

O, may I ever lean on my helper God. I am indeed passing through the very furnace of affliction and drinking the bitter cup of the same: but it is the cup which my heavenly Father gives me, and it is mixed with mercy. It is all right; for I am sure that infinite wisdom cannot err, and that infinite

I think every means in our power ought to be made use of, for the spread of the gospel. How affecting it is, that such a large part of the inhabitants of this globe are now in gross darkness! It appears to me, by the present events of Providence, that some great good is about to be disclosed to the world. O, that God would be pleased to open the fountain of his good-goodness orders all things for ness and cause the divine influence of his Spirit to spread far and wide, till the whole earth be filled with his glory and all nations see his salvation."

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the best to them who love him. O, why should such an unprofit able servant as I am be spared? What are the designs of Providence? Surely the Lord has something further for me to do in his house, else I should have been cut down. I am firm in the opinion that God will not take away his ministers before their work is done. If there be one more sinner to be converted by his ministry, one more saint to be comforted, they will be continued. I hope I shall be willing to wait all the days of my appointed time, til my change come; then through rich grace, be like a shock of corn fully ripe coming in, in its season. And why should a minister or a Christian wish to' stay one moment longer out of heaven than he can be useful?" It was Mr. Thurston's meat and drink to be useful in Zion, and he was so till his departure; although he was not able to preach

son to regret, that I have made so little progress in the Christian life. By the grace of God I am what I am. The enjoyment of the divine presence is better than life.

for about three years before his death; yet he was able to attend meeting for the most part of that time, and to visit his flock. and to speak comfortably unto God's people. He appeared to be all the time on the wing The Psalmist prayed that God for heaven; in fine we can say would not leave him, when he with propriety, that his conver- was old and grey-headed; and sation was in heaven. I had the God says, I will never leave thee pleasure of accompanying a num- nor forsake thee. O, how excelber of ministers and Christian lent also is that all comprehensive friends to his house, in the course promise, I will be their God, and of about eighteen months be- they shall be my people. Safore he left us, and they all said, tan will try his utmost to shake when we returned from an in- the foundation of the Christian's terview with him, that they hope, to despair of his relation never saw any one, so uncondi- to God as a Father in Christ; tionally given up to live upon nay, to raise if possible the founthe promises of God as he was, dation of all religion: And need und who would talk so familiar- we wonder, that he should thus ly and constantly about death, tempt us, when we learn that being with Jesus, knowing the he tempted our dear Redeemer! saints in heaven, and the unut-But we can tell him that he is terable felicity which would conquered and vanquished, and overwhelm the whole ransomed that Christ's victory is ours. Isa. family of God in the resurrec-xl. 1, 2. John xvi. 33.

tion morning.

Christ's death, resurrection and intercession all combine to render the believer's hope both sure and stedfast. But O, this wretched heart of unbelief, this destroys the Christian's comfort. Lord, increase our faith; Lord, help our unbelief. He adds, "My dear friend, when you get near to God, let me request the remembrance of one, who is the least of all saints."

With all this glow of love to God and men, he appeared even in his deportment, and regular in conversation. He observed, "that the more we advance in the divine life, the more regular our frames will be." "My dear Lord," said he, " has not forsaken me in my advanced age. I feel determined as much as ever to go on in the strength of the Lord, and to make mention of Mr. Thurston was remarkahis righteousness, and of his only. bly fond of meditating, and conFor it pleased him to convince versing upon the triumphs of me, in my very early days, of the Christian over death, and the the depravity of my nature, and grave; and the perfection of the wretchedness of my heart; our nature, and the extensiveand to call me by his free and ness of our knowledge, when Sovereign grace, into the way we come to dwell with Christ in of life and salvation, alone thro' heaven. "O," said he, "when the merits and righteousness of I come into the glorious preshis dear Son. But I have rea- | ence of my Lord, I shall see and VOL. I. NO. 11.

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