"of him as the God and Father of us and of " all his creatures--who intends their wel"fare and final happiness, who governs "them with lenity and kindness, being long-suffering, merciful, and gracious; "as he who has made himself known to us "by Jesus Christ, who has taught us that

we may at all times have free access to "God, and that he is ever ready to receive " and bless us as his children, when we re"vere and approach him with those disposi"tions and affections which a dutiful child

possesses towards a kind, a wise, and indulgent parent."

"

Thus," to continue the good man's language, "we may see God as our heavenly Father, and be led to see that we cannot more properly honour him than by entirely trusting in him, paying him an unlimited obedience, and expecting of him always "what is for our good. When we have

thus learnt to think of Almighty God, and

are become habitually conversant with *such ideas of him, then we shall have ac*quired the true spirit of devotion--then

е

"will it become a source of comfort and de

56

light. It is truly said of the wicked, that "God is not in all his thoughts, but "the truly pious man keeps the Lord "always before him. Let every one, there"fore, who desires to enjoy the pleasures of "devotion, make the ideas of the Almighty " familiar to his mind. This need not ex"clude any other thoughts, either of busi

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ness or of pleasure, if they be but lawful " and innocent. Let none, therefore, repel "the ideas of God when they present them"selves to their minds, but let all nourish,

encourage, and support them; impress "them deeply on their hearts, and they will "lead to pleasure and satisfaction in every

thing which relates to religion; and par"ticularly in a growing acquaintance with "the life, character, and example of Jesus "Christ, our leader and our king,, and the "great captain of our salvation."

Except to those who refuse to give the appellation of Christian to such as cannot reconcile a belief of the divine nature of

Jesus Christ, and his perfect equality with

the Father, to the doctrine of one God which is frequently and emphatically affirmed in the scriptures, Mr. R. must appear to have been a true, sincere, zealous, practical disciple of the great Mediator between God and man. 'The whole tenor: of his life, and the language which he used, ́ both in conversation and writing, prove hiin to have been worthy of this character; and the concluding scenes of his earthly existence, with an account of which I shall close this introduction to his devotional exercises, will evince at once the uniform consistency of his conduct, and show that an Unitarian Christian knows, as well as any of his brethren, both how to live and how to die.

In the early part of January, 1818, he was afflicted with a cold and sore throat, and in a few days afterwards, with an in-. flammation in his side. The best medical advice that was at hand was resorted to, and the means used for his restoration seemed to succeed very well at first; but the loss of blood, together with the rigid

system of abstinence to which it was thought right that he should be subjected, whilst it overcame the complaint, left the constitution in too debilitated a state to admit of a recovery. On the 21st he was so much better as to be able to read, and make observations upon what he read to his relatives. On the 22nd the Physician encouraged a hope that he would be convalescent in a short time; but the hope, though flattering, was delusive. He relapsed into a state of repeated and longcontinued dozing, which had before accompanied his disorder, and his strength and vital powers gradually decayed. In the intervals of his dozing, his active mind appeared to be cheerfully engaged in contemplation, and the prospect of dissolution gave him not the least uneasiness or alarm. "From the first apprehension of danger to "the last moment of his existence on earth, " he seemed to be perfectly sensible; and, "with extraordinary courage, (which never "forsook him for a moment), he desired to

pass into a future and better state of ex"istence." I quote from the letter of his

relation, at whose house he died, and who attended him to the last.

The same excellent gentleman, in a letter subsequent to Mr. R.'s decease, speaking of his opinions, says, It is impossible to state

exactly at what time he became a Unitarian, " in his religious creed, it was, however, very early in life; and, like many other en"quiring and liberal Christians, he first

adopted the Arian opinion, and from fur. "ther consideration of the subject, he be"came most zealously and firmly persuaded, "that the divine unity was most consonant "to reason and revelation. In conversation, "when it led him to talk of the revolution "in his religious sentiments from the Assembly's Catechism to the Unitarian opinion, he would most heartily thank God "for those means which had produced this change of sentiment, to which he attri"buted the happiness and enjoyment of his "life; and it is impossible for me to express "the joy and comfort, and, I may say, the "exultation which he derived from it at "the awful and trying hour of dissolution.”