CHARACTERS. 



337 



he passed in the latter part of his 

 life, the best judgment may be 

 formed from his own expressions, 

 in a poem written towards the close 

 of that interval. It was occasioned 

 by the unexpected acquisition of a 

 small portrait of his mother, whom 

 he had lost more than half a cen- 

 tury before, but had never ceased 

 to remember with the warmest gra- 

 titude and the fondest affection. — 

 Having described her's and his fa- 

 ther's passage through this life to 

 a heavenly world, under the figure 

 of a voyage speedily and prospe- 

 rously terminated, he naturally re- 

 verts, in the same metaphorical lan- 

 guage, to the distressing contrast 

 ■which his own situation and pro- 

 spects presented. 



But me, scarce hopinft toattain that rest. 



Always from port withheld, always dis- 

 tress'd — 



Me hoivlingwindsdrive devious, tempest- 

 toss 'd — 



Sails ript, seams op'nirig wide, and com- 

 pass lost ; 



And day by daj', some current's thwart- 

 ing force 



Sets me more distant from a prosp'rous 

 course. 



But, oh ! the thought, that thou art 

 safe, and he ! 



That thought is joy, arrive what may 

 to me. 



The principal pleasure that our 

 excellent neighbour appeared to be 

 capable of receiving, was, indeed, 

 that which he derived from the hap- 

 piness of others. Instead of being 

 provoked to discontent and envy, 

 by contrasting their comforts with 

 his own afflictions, there evidently 

 was not a benefit that he knew to 

 be enjoyed by others, which did 

 not afford him sensible satisfaction; 

 not a suffering they endured that 

 did not add to his pain. To the 

 happiness of them who were privi- 



VoL. XLII. 



leged with opportunities of shewing 

 their esteem for him, he was most 

 tenderly alive. The advancement 

 of the knowledge of Christ in the 

 world at large was always near his 

 heart ; and whatever concerned the 

 general welfare of mankind was in- 

 teresting to him, secluded as he was 

 from the public, and in common 

 from religious society. In like man- 

 ner, from his distant retreat, he 

 viewed, with painful sensations, the 

 progress of infidelity, and of sin in 

 every shape. His love to God, 

 though unassisted by a hope of di- 

 vine favour, was invariably mani- 

 fested by an abhorrence of every 

 thing that he thought dishonourable 

 to the Most High, and a delight in 

 all that tended to his glory. 



His sympathizing and admiring 

 friends were fondly cherishing a 

 hope, that the diminution of his 

 sufferings, which was apparent for 

 several successive years, would at 

 length result in his restoration to 

 spiritual peace and joy. Although 

 advanced in years, his health, by 

 means of regular exercise and addi- 

 tional society, was not only pre- 

 served, but even seemed to improve, 

 notwithstanding the root of his bit- 

 terness evidently still remained. — 

 Amidst flattering expectations, the 

 Lord permitted some affectingevents 

 to revive his distress in all its force, 

 and to plunge him again into dis- 

 traction and desperation. He de- 

 clined all mental or bodily exertion, 

 and rejected all attempts at friendly 

 consolation ; nay, he conceived his 

 tenderest friends to be transformed 

 by the powers of darkness into con- 

 spirators against his welfare. Ex- 

 pecting every hour to be his last out 

 of endless torments, nothing short 

 of this horrible prospect could at- 

 tract his notice for an instant. He 



Z 



