sovereign Lord of a redeemed world. His yearning pity for the heathen, and for the unregenerate part of mankind in every place, was a pity derived from the tears and groans of Calvary. That Christ was honoured and adored among men who were recently in a savage state, afforded him the richest satisfaction; and it was with feelings of no ordinary delight, that he contemplated the worshipping assemblies of converted heathens, lifting up their voices in the sublime strains of the universal Church, and in the spirit of a pure devotion saying, "We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. The prevailing sentiment of his heart was that which has been so eloquently expressed by Milton :-"Come forth out of thy royal chambers, O Prince of all the kings of the earth! Put on the visible robes of thy imperial majesty; take up that unlimited sceptre which thy almighty Father hath bequeathed thee; for now the voice of thy bride calls thee, and all creatures sigh to be renewed." His piety was at once improved and manifested by a devotional spirit and habit. He evidently spent much time in secret prayer, and in holy converse with God; and he diligently read the Scriptures, not merely to find matter for the pulpit and the press, but with a reference to the regulation of his own heart and life. When he read the sacred Scriptures in his family, or with the social party, his manner was reverent and devout; and he often paused, as if to receive the full impression of the hallowed sentiments to which his lips gave utterance, and to which others were listening with fixed attention. It was the gracious feeling thus excited, and which by the Divine blessing he succeeded in communicating to his hearers, that gave the principal charm to his public ministry. The strong and permanent effects produced by his sermons were not occasioned so much by the comprehensiveness and sublimity of his views, the force of his reasonings, and the richness and power of his imagination, as by the tone of piety by which they were characterized, and the holy influence by which they were attended. He felt the truths which he delivered in all their weight and importance; and under a corresponding impression, his hearers became silent and prayerful, and were moved to a surrender of their hearts to the Lord. The more pious his hearers were, the more they valued his preaching. He showed them not only the external magnificence and beauty of the temple of truth, but he conducted them into the interior of the sacred edifice, and led them from one compartment to another, till he placed them in the holiest of all, and fixed their reverent gaze upon "the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat." The same remark will apply to his conversation, which was intellectual and instructive in the highest degree; but it was also directed to holy purposes. He spoke of public events in their connection with the providence of God, and the interests of the Church of Christ; and of personal religion, and the progress of Christianity in the world, in connection with the mediatorial scheme, and the work of the Holy Spirit; and many a social party was, by his wisdom and cheerful piety, rendered a means of grace. It At the close of the year 1831, he thus speaks of himself, in a letter to the Rev. William M. Bunting, who enjoyed his friendship. shows the deep sense which he entertained of the responsibility con nected with the sacred office; and the feelings with which he contemplated the termination of his public labours. 'My health is very feeble, and I have hard work to keep on; yet I never loved my work so much, and, I trust, never laboured more to do it in the solemn view of eternity. One thing I feel, standing upon the close of active life, (for much longer of efficiency cannot be hoped for by me,) that I have read, prayed, preached, in all far below the true standard of ministerial devotedness; and that, if life were again to begin, I should endeavour, at least, to enter more fully into the spirit of the only work on earth which directly connects itself with 'glory, honour, and immortality.' I seem rather to have been in a dream than broad awake. Still, these humbling thoughts serve to heighten the infinite grace which gives the sweet sense of acceptance; and make me feel more powerfully the emphasis of, 'By grace are ye saved.' May your course, my dear friend, be always increasingly bright and influential; and may your ministry fix many gems in your diadem at last!" Mr. Watson was a remarkable instance of sanctified affliction. For many years his personal sufferings were great, and he seemed to be suspended over the gulf of eternity by a slender thread. The frequent interruption of his labours and projects gave exercise to submission to the Divine will, till his "soul was as a weaned child;" and even the desire of life for the purpose of usefulness became extinct.— The prayer which he had often offered was fully answered : "With me in the fire remain, Till like burnish'd gold I shine, His constant anticipations of death led to realizing views of the world of spirits; and "the death bed of the just" has seldom been more honoured than in his case. Those who witnessed the scene can never forget it. "He taught us how to live; and,—O too high Till within a little while of his dissolution his powerful intellect was unimpaired; and he was fully aware that in a few days he should be in another world; yet he walked through the valley of the shadow of death with a spirit "calm and undismayed." His peace flowed like a river, and his hope was full of immortality. Upon the sacrificial blood of his Saviour he placed his exclusive reliance; and he looked for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Being now freed from the burden of the flesh, which had so frequently interfered with his mental exercises, and with his active services in the Church, and had so long proved a source of intense suffering, his sanctified spirit knows no more pain, "And hears the unexpressive nuptial song END OF WATSON'S LIFE. |