very doubtful.

ex

All my hope on thee is stay'd,

All my help from thee I bring :
Cover my defenceless head

With the shadow of thy wing." And said, “That is true of me. Feeling his extreme weakness, he said, " What a poor creature I am !” And shortly after repeated, with peculiar emphasis, the following favourite verse:

“Give me a place at thy saints' feet,
Or some fall'n angel's vacant seat;
I'll strive to sing as loud as they,

Who sit above in brighter day.”
His fever now increased, and his recovery became

Every one, but himself, was tremely anxious for his life. Prayer meetings were appointed, and numerously attended :—the interposition of heaven was sought;-many strong cries and tears were offered up :-the supplication of the flock could not prevail for the recovery of the pastor. But the enemy which every one else dreaded, he welcomed. And while a painful anxiety spread a deep gloom over every countenance, he expressed a desire to depart, and to be with Christ.

One day after a severe fit of coughing, he said to the man who attended him, “The way seems hard, but it is the way the children of God all go; and I do not wish to be exempted from it. I know that my Redeemer liveth; I feel him precious to my soul: He supports me under all. O that I could express all I feel!” The doctor coming in soon after, asked him, How he was? He replied, “ Partly here, and partly elsewhere.”

A night or two before his death he was very restless, and often imagined himself to be preaching to his old flock. He spoke much of the glories of heaven, and the happiness of separate spirits;, of their robes of righteousness, and of their palms of victory. Then breathing his ardent wishes for the happiness of those

present, he added, " Pardon, peace, and everlasting salvation are desirable things."

Sometimes he would address his brethren the clergy, whom he awfully warned to beware, lest they were found unfaithful stewards at the coming of their Great Master. “ Men and brethren," he would say, “ If you are called of God, are faithful and honest, he will bless your labours!”—But he could not long proceed in a connected strain.

He had asked Mr. Reece, nine days before, “When is Lady Day?” He told him, Monday, the 25th.Mr. Simpson replied, “I shall be gone before then.” Which was accordingly true; for after a day of apparent suffering

on Saturday, he fell asleep a little before midnight, March 24th, 1799.

Thus after an active and laborious ministry of twenty-six years in Macclesfield, he finished his course, and went to his reward.

He was interred on Tuesday morning, March 26th, amidst the sighs and groans, and tears, of an immense multitude of people, who attended him to the grave, like children bereft of their earthly support. In the church, which it is supposed contained near three thousand people, expressions of grief were depicted in the countenances of both old and young; even children joined in the general mourning.

The scene was very impressive, and there seemed to be but one prevailing sentiment in every breast. Could its accents have been heard, they would have been some: thing like

" He was a man, take him for all in all,
I ne'er shall look upon his like again."

376

THE LIFE OF DAVID SIMPSON.

The following epitaph for Mr. Simpson, was originally designed for a pane of gla: s:

Others employ their sculptured marble,

Or the speaking bronze,
To perpetuate the remembrance of merit;
Whilst I commit to brittle glass,

This Testimony
To worth not often equalled.

In the estimation of thousands,
THE REV. DAVID SIMPSON, A. M.

For extent of erudition,

Indefatigable diligence,
Ardent zeal, and amenity of manners,

Stood unrivalled.
His pastoral labours, for twenty-six years,

Were uncommonly successful,
In the town and neighbourhood

Of MACCLESFIELD.
Many, whom he found brutes,

He left Christians.
His pious care, like that of his

GREAT MASTER,
Extended to the Bodies of the Poor of his Flock;
The abodes of hopeless anguish he sought out,

And to administer medicine

For the relief of affliction,
Was his uniform practice for many years.

After having devoted

Every talent
With which he was entrusted,
To the benefit of mankind,

This bright Star
Was removed from the hemisphere of the church,

To adorn the Firmament above

The 24th of March, 1799,
In the Fifty-fourth year of his age.

INDEX

А

ADDISON, quotations from

account from, of an infidel in France
pleasing death of,

prefers the psalms to Pindar and Horace
Adolphus, Gustavus, spent much time in prayer
Adrian, address of, to his soul at death
Africa, inhabitants of
Aiken's account of the Methodists
Alexander, conversion of
Alfred, diligence and devotion of
Allix, reflections of, on Scripture, recommended
Alphonsus read the Bible fourteen time's
Altamont, affecting death of
America, example of, on religious liberty

inhabitants of
Anatomy, sketch of
Animals, amphibious, species of
Anonymous gentleman, affecting death of

deist, conversion of

Page.

25
33
70
276

73
296
286
93

87
61-73

314
308

39
168
286
335

335
41-42

55

Authors, royal and noble, since the conquest
Aylmer on the character of women

B

Page:

331
309

Babylon, prophecies concerning, conclusive

125
Bacon, thoughts of, on deism

84
- some account of

85
declaration of, on the gospel

240
Bankrupts seldom afterwards pay their creditors

339
Baptism, office of, an hardship on the clergy

181
Barnes read his Bible 120 times

307
Bartholin awakened to see God

283
Barnard eminent for devotion

20
Bath, earl of, devoted his leisure to prayer and the Bible 256
Beauties of Scripture, where found

271
Beattie on the causes of infidelity

314
quotation from

314
Bedell, death of

78
Beings, human, number of

335
Belisarius began the 1260 prophetical years

186—196
Bernard, hymn of, on the name of Jesus

350
Beza intimately acquainted with the Bible

307
Bible co-existent with time

197
confirmed by all other books and discoveries

209
danger of rejecting it

284
account of one who burnt and another who roasted it 290
a chief means of the present learning and liberty

126
read with various views

274
abounds with all kinds of beauties

274
should be read in classical schools for its beauties 274
one grand epic

273
alone free from human weaknesses

332
exhortation to the reading of

285
how to read with profit

286
books of, how classed as compositions

275
Birds, species of

335
Bishops, conduct of, a main cause of infidelity

91
income of

91
without secular dominion in the first ages

97
frequently hold incompatible preferments

97
should come among their clergy

98
Irish, number and income of

98
and clergy of Europe, a main cause of its misery 98
duty of

99
some of the, worthy characters

102
a useless burden

345