APPENDIX. 49 



eft fhare in guiding all the meafures of his party, while he DrL^fi. 

 himfelf claimed no merit, and had no pretentions. 



He had been for a long time fo well acquainted with the 

 (late of the two parties in the Church, that he ufed to calculate, 

 with furprifing exactnefs, what the iffue of the votes would be 

 in almoft all the great queftions that came before the Affembly. 

 He would often, with that good humour which marked all his 

 converfation, tell his acquaintance of the oppofite party, by 

 how many votes they would lofe the queftion ; and however 

 fanguine at firft they might be, they knew him fo well, that 

 they feldom difputed his accuracy. 



His health was now greatly on the decline. So long before 

 as the end of the year 1773, his conftitution had received a 

 (hock, which, though vifible to his own family, did not yet ap- 

 pear to his other friends. Death had deprived him of feveral 

 of his children ; and being a mod affectionate parent, he was 

 always extremely affected with the lofs of them : And that year 

 added to his former diftrefTes the death of his youngeft daugh- 

 ter, a mod beautiful and promifing child. With this he conti- 

 nued to be fo much affected, that feveral years afterwards, when 

 he was inculcating upon his audience the important leffon, 

 " That man knows not what is good for him in this life ;" and 

 was obferved, in one part of his difcourfe, to be agitated with 

 uncommon emotion, it was evident to his friends, that he al- 

 luded to his own fituation. 



Though his conftitution continued to be gradually en- 

 feebled, he ftill difcharged the public duties of his miniftry 

 with little intermiffion ; and it was obferved, that the annual 

 approach of the General Affembly always infpired him with 

 unufual animation. For feveral years, he had taken upon him 

 the whole duty of the clerkfhip, exerting himfelf alfo, in eve- 

 ry other refped, for the relief of Dr Wish art, his venerable 

 colleague, now far advanced in life, till, in the vear 1785, he 



Vol. III. (G) loft 



