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and preach it in its own characteristic fimplicity and.divine purity. In the most eligible fituation in which the fteward of the manifold grace of God can be placed, even in the present day, there are to be found fufficient caufes to render him a man of forrow and acquainted with grief. Among the people of his charge he finds numerous circumftances trying to his feelings, and often depreffing to his fpirits. The cafe of the fick lies conftantly on his mind; he feels as if it were nigh him, even in his own family; and being accustomed to concern for thofe in distress, he seems to participate of their pains.

Frequently called to ftand by the bed of the dying, he feels a double anxiety agitate his mind, careful, by the affiftance of the divine word, to remove any poffible clouds from the mind of a departing fellow mortal, and to adminifter confolation to connections and friends, taking their laft farewell of an esteemed relative. It is his lot to affociate with the widow and the fatherless in the days of their mourning, and from the tender affections of a feeling heart to pour out fervent prayers to him who is the widow's God and husband, and the father of the fatherless, for his divine mercies on the deftitute and afflicted. The performance of religious rites, both in relation to adults and infants, naturally ferves to endear them to his heart, and gives him a concern for their welfare in temporal and fpiritual things. But in all these particulars how often is the heart of the fervant of God tried and afflicted? Conftantly before his eyes are inftances of evil and finful practices, both in old and young. Parents neglecting the duties of religion, difregarding its inftitutions, fetting bad examples before their children, which they are too ready to imitate; while there are but few who appear to love the truth, or to honour it with the fruits of righteoufnefs.

In addition to the foregoing occafions of grief, it is fre quently the cafe that the labourer in the miniftry, at the prefent day, experiences, in painful degrees, the wormwood and the gaul of false friendship, violated confidence, and

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finds himself hated by thofe he loves! and although what has been noticed would feem to be more than fufficient to fill the cup of forrow and grief, yet the worft has been but flightly hinted. I mean thofe infirmities which too often divert minifters of the gospel from the narrow path of life. Thefe infirmities frequently cause them to cry out in the language of the Apoftle, "O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the body of this death."

Thirdly. In applying our text particularly to the experience and travel of our departed brother, we may begin by obferving, that the Rev. GEORGE RICHARDS, was greatly diftinguifhed, from men in general, by the peculiarity of his natural conftitution. Very few are endowed with natural abilities which could compare with his; but the particular quality of his mind which contributed to expose him to an uncommon fhare of forrow and grief, was an acutenefs of fenfibility, in which, perhaps, he was never exceeded.

This fenfibility improved by the benign operations of the doctrine of the Redeemer, which fo powerfully inclines its difciples to be tender hearted, kind and pitiful, caufed him to feel, in a very fenfible manner, the afflictions of the afflicted. not only those who were denominated of his particular belief, or belonged to his parish; but like the divine mercy in which he believed, and which he preached, his compaffions extended to all the fons and daughters of dif trefs, within the compass of his knowledge.

He pitied the mendicity of the poor, and his ear was never deaf to the calls of charity. Limited in his perfonal means to relieve the diftreffed, the last fhilling was either divided or wholly given; nor could he perfuade himself to think this the end of his duty; but frequently affumed the petition for charity, and fuccefsfully folicited alms for those whose wants were beyond his ability, to relieve. His concern for the needy led him to feek them out, and their obfcure dwellings often rejoiced at the approach of his hafty feet.

The fick were all of his family; as the hufband pities the wife of his bofom, or the father the fon, or daughter in

fickness, so that kind heart, of acute fenfibility, drank the cup of fympathy and forrow in chambers of ficknefs. In this fection of his labours of love, the performance of usual folemnities, in which his gifts were angelic, was but a part; he was nurse and phyfician. His acquaintance with the nature of disorders, and likewife of their ufual remedies, together with his watchful care for the fick, rendered him of incalculable service. So great was his anxiety for the fick, that the most dangerous, the most contagious diforders were never known to deter him from paying his usual attention to the patient.

In the house of mourning he was always a mourner; the grief of others was his own. Here he taught the living to hope for the dead, and to mingle joy with their forrows, in prospect of future glory.

In his performance of the public exercises of the fanctuary, the obferving worshippers were made acquainted with the ardent zeal of their minister for the cause of his divine master, his great concern for the people of his charge and the strength of his defire to recommend the duties of religion and the practice of the moral virtues.

The least diforder in the walk of a brother or fifter, belonging to his more particular charge, gave him the most fenfible grief; and even the breath of an unfavourable report would drive fleep from his eyes and flumber from his eye-lids.

Relative to our brother's connection with the General Convention of our order, of which he has been one of the most distinguished members from its firft organization, and the fervices which he has rendered that body, it is in vain for me to attempt an ample detail. His concern for the profperity and refpectability of our order incited him to conftant and laborious endeavours to ferve its temporal and fpiritual interefts. His prefence at our annual feflions, where he usually prefided with honour to himself and plea ure to his brethren, was ever efteemed a happy circum

stance, which never failed of its falutary confequences. On thofe occafions, his fermons were laboured productions of learned and luminous arguments, calculated to convince the unbeliever, establish the wavering and to edify and comfort believers. His remarkable faculty and fingular fuccefs in obtaining general information, by epiftolary correfpondencies, of the fpread of the Abrahamic faith, in various parts, and the appropriate means which he employed for the connecting together the fcattered members of the one body, will long be appreciated by his brethren, and serve to perpetuate his memory among them.

In the temple of MASONRY he was a diftinguished pillar, whofe chapiter was graceful and whofe ornaments were of myftical net-work, lily-work, and pomegranates. To do justice to his exertions for the honour and promotion of the Craft a volume would be required. His unremitted affiduity in collecting funds and appropriating the fame for the relief of the widow and the orphan, together with other fervices render him worthy of lafting rememberance among the fraternity, and entitle his now bereaved offspring to our attention and charity.

In his parochial connections our beloved brother may be faid to have been unfortunate. Poffeffed of fo tender a mind and fuch rare fenfibility, he needed to be nursed in the warm bofom of faithful and fteady friendship, the fmalleft deviation from which, to his feelings, was like the mote that is not measured by the fight of the eye which it corrodes, but is mignified by the tender feelings of that irritated member. The event of his leaving the beloved people of his charge, in this town, together with the circumftances which produced it, was a trial far too great for the fortitude of his mind, as manifest marks of a dangerous depreffion of fpirits were noticed. With his new connection, in Philadelphia, for a feafon, appearances were flattering, and his mind feemed to refume its ufual force and activity; but owing partly to the fecular, and partly to the spiritual concerns of that church and congregation, a feperation between him and that people was effected. In addition to

this painful trial, far from his former friends and among ftrangers, the wife of his bofom was pining away with a confumption, and he was attacked with a ficknefs which for fome time deprived him of reason, and rendered his recovery doubtful. Of this fickness, however, he fo far recovered, as to attend to fome trifling bufinefs; but his mind never returned to its former fanity. In this trying fitua tion his companion died, which feemed to complete his wretchedness. This was the third time, in his pilgrimage of forrow and grief, that he was called to part with a wife tenderly beloved, and to fee his young and inexperienced offspring motherlefs.-He funk under the pondrous load of grief! And that mind which used to foar to the celestial mansions of light, was loft, even to itself; a fixed infanity took place, which was the means of terminating the natural life of a brother, whose memory we have infinite reason for holding precious to our hearts.

Though the view we have taken of our general subject be but very imperfect, it affords much matter for reflection and improvement. While it impreffively admonishes Churches and parishes to esteem their faithful paftors highly for their work fake, to regard their natural infirmities with a charitable eye and to improve their gifts to their advancement in the cause of religion, as they must give an account to the righteous Judge of all; it folemnly warns ministers of the word to keep a stedfaft eye on the great head of the Church, who fuffered fuch contradictions for us, least they be weary and faint in their minds. It urges the neceffity of their taking Chrift and his Apoftles for an example of fuffering and of patience, and not to put their dependance in an arm of flesh, or too much confidence in man; that they may finish their courfe with joy, and the miniftery they have received in the Lord Jefus, to teftify the gospel of the of God.

grace

The important fervices performed by our departed brother, for the promotion of the respective interefts of the feveral confraternities who were honoured with his memberfhip, his remarkable attention to the poor, especially the