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tender hearts, offered the sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving. Here they consoled each other's mind, by unfolding the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and by exploring the rich treasures of Divine Revelation. Each member delivered his thoughts on some portion of Scripture, which had been chosen at a previous meeting. Our friend has left behind him several pieces composed for these occasions, which discover a pleasing train of serious thought, scriptural and experimental research, and promising efforts of rising genius.

In the course of Divine Providence he was called into England; and obtained a situation in Manchester; where he soon formed a new circle of acquaintance. He still retained that sense of moral obligation which preserved him from the snares of youth. His soul was startled at the distorted countenance of Vice, tho' often shaled by the false hand of Art; but the honest and ariable features of Virtue courted his attention. His heart was tender, and he sympathized with mankind. As he had frequent opportunities, he frequently relieved the indigent.

Some time after he had settled at Manchester, he was brought to hear the word of righteousness from the Rev. Joseph Smith; whom he often mentioned with great respect, and from whose ministry he gratefully acknowledged the reception of much spiritual instruction.

Mr Young's abilities promised usefulness in the church. Prompted by inclination and conviction of duty, and urged by Christian friends, he overlooked every prospect of worldly interest, which were then very flattering, and gave himself up to the work of the ministry.

Convinced, with the apostle, that he was inadequate to such an important office, and knowing the great utility resulting from mental cultivation, he turned his attention to the Rotherham Academy; which he entered A. D. 1799. Here he studied Divinity and Philosophy under the Rev. Dr. Williams; and the Classics under the Rev. Maurice Phillips. His advances in the study of languages were not greiter than those of his class. In fact, this was not his province: here he never aimed at eminence. He only desired to understand the Scriptures in their originals, that be might refute the sophistical criticisms of learned opponents. If in Philosophy he did not excel, yet his attainments were considerable. But as in the morning of his life, so to the early setting of his sun, he withdrew his attention, in a great measure, from the more abstruse parts of science, to h's favourite studies of Divinity and Polite Literature. He had an extensive acquaintance with the works of Addison, Young, and Thomson. He studied Blair and Fenelon': and read many of the best poets, and most celebrated masters of rhetoric. As a young man, he hod considerable knowledge of books in 'divinity; especially of those which possessed literary merit.

MEMOIR OF MR. A. A. YOUNG.

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His Essays, composed in the second year of his studies, exhi bit specimens of a flowery and animated style. His thoughts, even when common, assume a new and beautiful appearance, from the richness of their dress. Being a favourite of the muses, he would frequently step aside into the walks of Parnassus, and gather the flowers of Poetry to decorate his productions. In the composition of his sermons, his design is in general artless. His ideas, though not very uncommon, are so beautifully interwoven by elegance of diction, as to form a complete and interesting whole. In this part of his work he was much aided by a strong memory and a fruitful imagination. The one contained a fund of useful knowledge; the other furnished him with a rich variety of figurative expression. His talent for description was very great.

As a preacher he was very popular. Few had heard him once without expressing a desire to hear him again. His action was graceful and animated; and, what is very rare, he appeared to have lost the dialect of his native country. His articulation was distinct; and his discourses, though polished, were pointed to the conscience, and levelled to the meanest capacity. By these means he insensibly caught the attention and the affections of his hearers. He seldom treated the awful subjects of Death and Judgment, or the happiness and misery of futurity, without visible effect. His discourses very frequently drew tears from many of the audience. Towards the close of his studies, preaching and preparation for the pulpit occupied a considerable portion of his time; so they appeared some of the most agreeable exercises of his life. His constitution being delicate, exposed him to much fatigue; but he still continued active. In one of his letters to an intimate friend, he observes, "Last night I returned from a place called Thorne, twenty-five miles from Rotherham; where I preached three times to a respectable congregation. I was very much tired: however, I do not recollect ever having spent a Sabbath so profitably. This was his first preaching excursion from the academy; and even to the time of his last illness, he appeared to have made preaching the first object of his studies.

As a friend, he was ever constant, sincere, and ready to assist. The generosity of his heart prompted him to the frequent exercise of charity. He rejected insinuations to the prejudice of Friendship; and silenced the tongues of Calumny and Defamation. His softness of temper and suavity of manners, en leared him to those who knew him: by whom, in life, he was much respected, and, at death, greatly lamented.

He met with many trials in the course of his Christian pilgrimage. He had considerable acquaintance with the evil propensities of human nature, and with the workings of his own heart. Having traversed the various scenes of life, and seen much of what men call Pleasure, he knew, experimentally, that vanity was inscribed on al learthly enjoyments. Writing to a friend, he

MEMOIR OF MR. A. A. YOUNG.

beautifully observes, "It is generally the case, that we promise to ourselves more satisfaction from certain objects, than they are capable of affording: hence it follows, that the soul cannot be satisfied on earth. If, when we pursue any object from which we might expect real pleasure, and yet find there is any desire unsatisfied, we ought to remember that real pleasure is the offspring of real excellence; and that real excellence is only to be found in Heaven. Therefore, as all earthly comforts are unsatisfactory in their nature, let us aim at that which can solace our utmost wish, even the enjoyment of him, whose very name diffuses joy. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus, it is thine!" A specimen of his improvement of Divine Providence may be collected from an- other, letter, in which he mentions a variety of melancholy events, and concludes by relating the deaths of two eminently useful ministers. Here lie adds, "My dear friend, these are trying and mysterious providences. What can we say of them? Dark, unfathomable; - ministers laid aside, - congregations left destitute. Shall we enumerate? collect, "the Lord reigneth." However, from these things, you No; let us pause and reand I may learn a profitable lesson. We, like others, are mortal; and God only knows how soon our friends may convey our bodies to the tomb. There they may shed a tear of sorrow, while the grave-digger binds us down with heavy clods. To these things we shall then be insensible. O to be prepared to die! A Christian, united to Christ by a living faith, sees no sting in death, no horrors in the grave!"

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When overwhelmed by various distresses, and surrounded by dreadful hosts of spiritual enemies, he appears sometimes carried beyond himself, in the prospect of a tranquil and safe abode in the kingdom of glory. After mentioning, in one of his letters, a scene of labour through which he had passed, he adds, "This you may think hard; but proficiency can be made in no art without labour, much less in the ministry. We must fight if we would conquer, we must run if we would obtain. O what a blessed time will it be, when labour is no more required of us! In Heaven this will be the case! praise! No painful thought will roll across my breast! O no! No employment there but Joy and tranquillity shall fill our souls! "Fly swifter round, ye wheels. of Time, ard bring the promised day!"- In another place he remarks, "There are many obstacles in our way ;-but what are these, compared with the enjoyment of an immortal crown, of everlasting rest, of exemption from sin, pain, and care,of the company of the redeemed and of angels, the presence of Christ, of the fruition of God, and of unfading bliss! These, fellow-saint, shall constitute the wreaths, the laurels, that shall deck our brows!"

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Our friend had experienced a great portion of the troubles of life; but what seems the most to have depressed his spirits, was the prospect of his brother's death; of which he was informed in

MEMOIR OF MR. A. A. YOUNG.

$89 June, 1801. On this occasion he exclaimed, "O, should he fall, I know not what I must do! Any trial but this, methinks I could have borne; but if I lose a brother, whom I love as my own soul, I must bid farewell to every earthly comfort: there is no object in creation that can supply his place!" Added to this, he had received information of his elder brother's sickness, which made him proceed in this affecting strain, “Should both my brothers be cut off, I have hardly a friend in the world whom I can call my own. Must 1 then traverse the world alone, a stranger, bereft of my dearest comforts!" Bat though the stroke was heavy, the arm of the Lord sustained him above his expectations; for, in another epistle, in which he states his brother's death, and the utility of sanctified afflictions, he says, in the language of Resignation, "Let us then look for trials, and bear them, when they come, with Christian submission. The conflict is but short: "in due time we shall reap, if we faint not."

But what formed a distinguishing trait in the character of Mr. Young, was that unaffected humility which procured him the esteem of the wise and the good. His popularity placed him within the reach of many temptations to pride and ostentation; but his good sense, and a dependence upon divine aid, invested him with humility. He turned from Adulation with disgust; and received the plaudits of Fidelity and Wisdom with secret pleasure.-But human nature, in its highest state of purity on earth, is greatly corrupted; therefore, our friend was not perfect. His lively disposition sometimes exposed him to censure. It was thought, on some occasions, to border on levity. Yet he was open to rebuke; and when convinced of error, either sentimental or practical, he would acknowledge his weakness, or criminate and reform his conduct.

Having drawn his character, though in miniature, through the several stages of his life, it may be interesting to attend him to its closing scene. Being informed of his brother's desire to see him, he set out for Glasgow, towards the close of the year 1801; where he arrived a little before his death. It is very probable, as he frequently intimated, that here his constitution received a fatal stab, from preaching to a very numerous congregation in Mr. Ewing's Tabernacle. Ever after, he was much affected by a pain in his chest, which at length rendered him unable to prosecute both his academic studies and public engagements. In a letter to the writer of this article, he observes, " You remember that I used to complaiu of a pain in my breast: for some time I have been subject to the most violent pain in my lungs, attended with profuse spitting of blood. This has, for the present, and I am apprehensive will hereafter, incapacitate me for the labours of the pulpit. Providence must, however, be acknowledged and adored." He was never perfectly restored, though, at one period, his health was considerably recruited. However, being frequently exposed to the weather, he received a relapse of his complaint,

which brought on a pleurisy and inflammation of the lungs; from which he never recovered. Some weeks previous to his decease, he had considerable spiritual comfort; but as his candle grew dimmer, that curtain fell which obstructs the vision of Faith, and conceals the smiles of Jehovah's countenance. He was afflicted in body, and greatly depressed in spirits: he read and conversed, and made every exertion in the way of duty to obtain relief; but all in vain. The vision was for an appointed time. However, by patient waiting, it at length arrived; and diffused joy thro' his distressed soul. A little before his departure, being questioned as to the state of his mind, he replied, with composure, "I am very comfortable.” These appear to have been his last expressions of religious experience. For a considerable space, immediately preceding his departure, his pains were very acute. They produced convulsive agitations and strong bodily exertions to remove from his bed: his distorted features and rolling eyes stamped the image of Death upon his countenance. At length the pulse became slower, and the countenance more serene: he was fixed in the attitude of death; and, after a few parting sighs, the living union hastened to a dissolution, in the night of the 8th of November, 1802; and in the twenty-second year of his age.

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Such has been the conduct and such the experience of our departed friend! His short lite has been chequered with much distress and much comfort, with many conflicts and many victories. He is now equally incapable of eulogy and censure; and it would be as vain to confer praise without merit, as crimination without fault; therefore, keeping these two objects before him, the writer, who knew him well, has endeavoured to give his sentiments with impartiality. Perhaps, to 'some, the character may appear defective; and others may think it too favourable. To the former, he would say, that Mr. Young when alive, always confessed his great imperfections: to the latter, that though his manners or his conduct may have procured him the disapprobation of some good men, yet his name and his character will be ever remembered and ever respected by many. AMICUS.

REMARKS ON THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL.

EXAMINE the character of St. Paul. You are struck with his amazing talents. He evidently possessed intellectual powers of the first order, which were highly cultivated by close study, and the instractions of the celebrated Gamaliel. Yet he was a contracted inveterate bigot to the opinions of the Pharisees, which were eminently hostile to the gospel. "He was circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law a Pharisee, concerning zeal persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless." He was a man of singular

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