VI PREFATORY ADVERTISEMENT. 



grave, and seemed to foresee the hour of disso- 

 lution hastening on; as the Sketch of his Life, 

 written by himself, clearly denotes. Rendered 

 incapable, by weakness and disease, of comple- 

 ting his greater design of a Prefatory Discourse; 

 yet, with a fond anxiety for honest fame, he 

 roused the embers of his genius, to claim a fair 

 reputation with posterity for industry, integrity, 

 and candid exposition of the talents and acquire- 

 ments which introduced him to public notice. 



f 



The firmness of his mind, and the cheerfulness 

 of his temper, which throughout a long and chec- 

 quered life, gave confidence to his friendships, 

 and delight in his society, forsook him not, as he 

 apprehended its last short hour before him: this 

 he clearly shews, when turning from the awful 

 consideration of futurity to look back on his past 

 life, himself brings the retrospect to our view, 

 and describes the scene in so pure and lively co- 

 jours, with no gloom from discontent, and no 

 shade from remorse, that we readily infer the na- 

 ture of the light which so beamed on this his 

 last work, and to his last hour; and pronounce 

 its emanation to be from the pure conscience of 

 a benevolent and upright man. Under such im- 

 pression, the editor has peculiar satisfaction in 

 fulfilling the injunction of his departed friend. 



