Page . Page the first landing of the fathers, funeral of, by Mr. Griffin 408 sermon on, by Dr. Holmes 183 Milner's history of the church of Christ 564 Woods 33 410 Parisian Sanhedrim, transactions 219 Payson's sermon at the funeral of 78, 123 mar of the English language, 215 174 129, 178, 270 272, 507 559 185 Griffin's 408 410 217 183 Keith's 561 372, 469 563 174 Taggart's 414 408 33 part I. Tappan's, Dr. sermons on impor- 368 511 Haynes', Rev. L. sermon on uni- 217 in commemoration of the first 183 511 Webster's Compendious Diction- 78, 123 tical Grammar of the INDEX TO THE SIGNATURES 493 Blackburn, Gideon 40, 86, 323, 418, 476, 568 90 199 76 352 143 496 213 B.T. Page Pago 301 209 136 Observator 306 498 463, 507 523 26 336 89, 119, 460 Pastor 23, 112, 259, 359, 402, 552 547 14, 69 536 204 189 517 417 368 477 327 288 536 T. 263 162 164, 503 381 M. 281, 282 X. 12, 62, 101 (From Mr. Scott's Sermon, occasioned by his Death.) SO MR. THORNTON was distin- and turn to God, and “to do guished by his great liberality; works meet for repentance." disposed of very large sums in For this purpose also, he was various charitable designs, with the patron of all pious, exemplaan unremitting constancy, dur- ry, and laborious ministers of the ing a long course of years ; and gospel; frequently educating his charities were much young men, whom he found to larger, than is common with be religiously disposed ; and purwealthy persons of good reputa- chasing many livings, not so tion for beneficence, that he was much with a view of benefiting rather regarded as a prodigy, the individuals to whom he gave which might excite astonish- them, as for the sake of planting ment, than as an example, that useful ministers of the gospel in other men of equal affluence those parts where he supposed were in duty bound to imitate. the people to be perishing for Yet, his character hath not been lack of knowledge. in this respect over-stated, and He also dispersed a very great few were acquainted with the number of Bibles, in different full extent of his charities. languages, in distant countries, In respect to this leading cir- perhaps even in all the four cumstance, we must advert to quarters of the globe ; and with several particulars. them vast quantities of such In dispensing his bounty, it is books as he thought most suited well known that he always aim- to alarm the conscience, to affect ed to promote the knowledge the heart with a sense of the imand practice of the religion of portance of eternal things, and the Bible amongst mankind; to lead men to repentance, faith and to bring the careless, the ig- in Christ, and holiness of life ; norant, the profane, and the thus labouring to render those, profligate, to attend to the con- whom he never saw, wise unto cerns of their souls, to repent, salvation': and no doubt numVol. III. No. 1, А bers will forever bless God for thoughts very much to the same these his pious and charitable object; doing good was the great endeavours. business of his life, and may But though his liberality had miore properly be said to have this for its grand object, yet it been his occupation, than even his was by no means conducted on mercantile engagements, which an exclusive principle. He aim- were uniformly considered as ed to adorn and recommend, as subservient to that nobler design. well as to spread, the religion To form and execute plans of which he professed, and to shew usefulness ; to superintend, arits genuine tendency in his own range, and improve upon those conduct towards all men.. In plans; to lay aside such as did subserviency to this design, and mot answer, and to substitute from the most enlarged and ex. others; to form acquaintance, panded philanthropy, he adopted, and collect intelligence for this supported, and patronized every purpose ; to select proper agents, undertaking, which was suited and to carry on correspondence, to supply the wants, to relieve in order to ascertain that his the distresses, or to increase the bounties were well applied : comforts of any of the human these, and similar concerns, were species, in whatever climate, or the hourly occupations of his of whatever description, provid- life, and the ends of living, which ed they properly fell within his he proposed to himself; nor did sphere of action. Perhaps it he think that any part of his would even be difficult to men. time was spent either happily, tion one public or private chari- or innocently, if it were not ty of evident utility, to which he some way instrumental, directly was not, at one time or other, in or indirectly, to the furtherance some measure a benefactor. So of useful designs. It is therethat he plainly observed the com- fore evident, that if he be supmand,“ to do good to all men, posed to have been in any meaespecially to them that are of sure true to these principles, the the household of faith." sum total of the good which he And here it should especially did to mankind, by persevering be noted, that his beneficence in such habits for many years, was not always withheld, even must exceed all ordinary comon account of the extreme wick- putation, and can only be asceredness of those that were to re- tained at the great day of ac. ceive the advantage of it; but count and retribution. that he was guided, in this re- As a proof how much his busispect, by the prospect of doing ness was rendered subservient to them good, either in respect of his beneficence, it may be retheir temporal or eternal welfare. marked, that he not only made It is in the next place worthy the gains of his commerce in a of observation, that this friend of great degree a fund for the sup. mankind, in the exercise of port of his charity, but his comhis beneficence, not only con- merce itself was oftentimes an intributed his money, (which is troduction to the knowledge of the often done to very little purpose) wants, calamities, and deplorable but he devoted his time and condition of mankind in distant regions of the earth; and a me- and is advanced by these duties, dium through which to commu- when they are practised without nicate to their necessities, and to formality or hypocrisy, always circulate amongst them the word promotes, in a proportionable de of God, and other means of in- gree, the love of our neighbour struction, for the benefit of their also. The person of whom we immortal souls. speak spent much of his time, Such pumerous and expensive especially during the latter part plans of usefulness did not em- of his life, in retirement and rebarrass his affairs, interfere with ligious exercises : the Lord's the real interests of bis family, or day was appropriated to these oblige him to alter his very hos- uses, and entirely rescued from pitable, though simple manner the avocations of ceremonious of life. A proper and prudent visits, and even of common hoseconomy furnished him with pitality. He found much pleas. sufficient funds for his profuse ure in public worship, and in bounty. He had no relish for family religion : and it is not extravagance and luxury, and an therefore wonderful, that having unnecessary magnificence and once contracted those habits, pomp ; though he was courte- which seem stiff and singular at ous to all men, and not forgetful the first, he should afterwards to entertaio strangers. He was adhere to them, when he found not cramped in following the that they tended to improve his dictates of his large and gene- heart, to establish his faith, to rous heart by a slavish subjec- promote the enjoyment of life, tion to the humours, opinions, and to comfort him in his deand fashions, by which public clining years, and in the prosgood suffers so much, and pri- pect of his approaching dissoluvate happiness gains so little. tion. Nor could it be expected, Far from being impoverished that he, who employed himself by his extraordinary liberality, so much in distributing Bibles, his estate was considerably in- and in propagating Christianity creased with the fairest charac- in distant nations, should neglect ter for integrity ; his children the religious instruction of his are amply provided for, and re- own household ; or that he fleet with greater satisfaction on should endure that those habits the sums that their honoured fa- of irreligion, which are so genether expended in doing good, rally disregarded in servants, than even on those, by which he should be contracted and continleft it in their power to emulate ued in his own view, and within his example. the sphere of his own immediate A second peculiarity of his influence. character was, his exact attention He was also exact and puncto religious duties. Men of tual in the private exercises of light and incousiderate minds the closet : He daily read the are apt to conceive, that such Sacred Scriptures with great revstrictness has little or no con- erence and attention ; and he adnexion with the exercise of bes hered to the rules which he had neficence ; not knowing that the formed for himself, from a delove of God, which induces lo, liberate consideration of their |