A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE LATÉ HON. SIMEON STRONG, ESQ. LL. D. Sir, To the Editor of the Panoplist. It seems highly proper that some traits in the character of so valuable a member of society as was the late Hon. Judge Strong should be noticed and preserved in your valuable publication. For this purpose the following brief memoir is furnished. Yours, &c. THE HON. SIMEON STRONG was born at Northampton in 1735. His parents were virtuous and respectable, and he was descended from one of the first settlers of that town. When he was seven or eight years old, his father removed to Amherst. From his early youth the subject of this memoir was distinguished by the sobriety and decency of his manners, and by a reflecting and sagacious mind. At a proper age, he had the advantage of a liberal and public education in Yale College, where he was graduated in 1756, and was esteemed one of the first scholars of his time. At the expiration of his collegiate term, a premium, instituted by the great Berkely, and usually called the Dean's bounty, was adjudged to him, by which he was enabled to spend a fifth year at that seat of learning. He early commenced the study of theolo: gy, which was his favorite science through life, and in which VOL. IV. New Series. he was a great proficient. In the knowledge of the Hebrew language he was tolerably versed; but of the original of the New Testament he was a perfect master. Soon after he left College, Mr. Strong commenced a preacher of the Gospel, and continued a candidate for the ministry for several years. His public performances were so judicious and edifying, that he had several invitations to settle in the work of the ministry: but being afflicted with pulmonary complaints, which at times alarmed him, he declined all such invitations, and turned his attention to other pursuits. He commenced the study of law under the instruction of the late eminent Col. Worthington of Springfield, and was sworn an attorney in 1761. As soon as the rules of the court would permit, he was called to the degree of barrister. Having early acquired an established reputation as a 55 lawyer, he was employed in almost every cause of importance, which occurred in the county of Hampshire during the course of his practice; and he often attended the courts in the counties of Worcester and Berkshire with similar reputation and success. He had a quick apprehension and a retentive memory, and by persevering industry attained a profound knowledge of the law. To the court his behavior was uniformly respectful, and to the members of the bar courteous and unassuming. He was ever ready to advise and assist his younger brethren, who placed unlimited confidence in his friendship and rectitude, and regarded him with as much veneration as they owed to the judges on the bench. In the management of causes, he had a perfect command of his temper, and cautiously avoided any unnecessary suggestion, that would tend to irritate his opponent, or wound the feelings of the adverse party or the witnesses. No person ever complained that Mr. Strong endeavored to obtain an unfair advantage; and yet his sagacity was an effectual guard to his clients against the arts and stratagems of others who might be less scrupulous. As a public speaker, he had a happy faculty of exhibiting a clear view of the subject, and his language was plain and pure, without any attempt at labored ornaments. He spoke with facility, and in a mild and persuasive manner. His reasoning was forcible, and his arguments well arranged. When the circumstances of the case permitted, and there was no danger of give ing offence, he sometimes eniiv ened his audience, and arrested their whole attention, by the most delicate strokes of wit and humor; but on these occasions he never transgressed the strictest rules of decorum, nor suffered the gravity of his own countenance to be discomposed. His wit, softened by benevolence and tempered with discretion, wounded no adversary and lost no friend. The opinion generally entertained by his fellow-citizens of his uprightness and his other good qualities gave him as much influence with a jury as any man ought to possess; but this influence was well merited, and never abused. His principles of integrity were founded on the broad and solid basis of religion; and confidence was therefore wisely and safely reposed in him. deed, the character of Mr. Strong, while at the bar, may be considered as an excellent model for the imitation of those who aspire after eminence in the same profession. In He was a man of singular modesty. Instead of claiming any honor which belonged to others, he often transferred to them the credit which belonged to himself. Though he never sought any public office, he was several years a very useful member of the General Court, both in the Senate and the House of Rep. resentatives. In the year 1800, he was appointed one of the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court, in which office he continued till his death. On the bench his deportment was the same as at the bar. Always dignified in every employment, he had no occasion for affected reserve, or assumed dig nity. As a judge, having no sinister purposes to accomplish, nor any partial affections to gratify, his sole object was to promote justice. He attended patiently to the business brought before him, and investigated truth with unwearied assiduity. The University of Cambridge conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Laws in the year 1805. His private conduct was engaging and exemplary, and his domestic character unexceptionable. He early made a public profession of religion, and his subsequent life corresponded with this profession. His religious opinions were truly evangelical. He never ventured to carry his speculations beyond what is written. He was ever opposed to ostentation in religion, and frequently observed, that, as the Spirit of God came with a still small voice, a place of retirement from the world was a situation most favorable to receive and cherish the benign influence.' He was punctual and exact in the private devotional exercises of the family and the closet, and seldom passed a day without reading and meditating upon some portion of the sacred Scriptures. He steadily adhered to the rules, which, from a deliberate consideration of their importance, he had formed for himself; at the same time, he wished to avoid observation, and the affectation of being singular. real humility was visible in all the duties and events of life. His He entertained a profound veneration for the Holy Sabbath, and was a constant and a devout attendant upon the public worship of God, unless prevented by bod ily indisposition; and his grave and serious deportment appeared to have great influence upon the whole assembly. He was uncommonly affable and instructive in conversation, and remarkable for hospitality; tender and compassionate to the poor and distressed, and ready to relieve them. Judge Strong was a lover of good men of every class, and particularly of the clergy, whom he was accustomed to treat with peculiar marks of respect, and to esteem highly for their work's sake: and some of them derived great advantages from his pious and instructive conversation. He was seldom heard to make any severe remarks upon the char acter or performances of ministers; but was disposed to cover their imperfections with the mantle of love, and to put the most favorable construction upon their words and actions. He He bore his last sickness, which was most distressing, with manly and Christian patience and fortitude, desirous of life, and yet resigned to death. died in the full possession of his reason, Dec. 14, 1805, in the 70th year of his age. Just before he expired, he said, that as he had long been a professor of the religion of Jesus Christ, he hoped to die in the fullest belief of that religion; and that his only hope was through the atonement of the Savior. This death of a very good and great man ought deeply to impress the minds of the living with the necessity of being inter ested in the benefits of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and with the value of that religion, which is equally an ornament in life, a support in death, and an earnest of immortal glory. The judicious reader will doubtless be of the opinion, that the subject of the preceding notice is justly to be ranked among the worthies, whose useful attainments and disinterested virtue, will long shed a lustre on the page of our history. Happy the man, he will exclaim, who devotes a long and prosperous life to the service of God, and the good of mankind. Happy the people, who have the wisdom to choose such men to be their rulers. RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATIONS. LECTURES ON THE EVIDENCES OF DIVINE REVELATION. No. XIII. THE second source of the evidence, which in the last lecture I proposed to adduce in support of the Mosaic deluge, is, The state of mankind as it is unfolded by history. The account, which Moses has given us concerning this subject, is, that the whole human race, except one family, were destroyed; and that all the present in habitants of the earth sprang from Noah, the parent of this family. It is my design to evince the probability of this account by several considerations. Το avoid extending my observations to an unreasonable length, it will be necessary to select a few out of the many facts, which might fairly be brought to bear on this subject. The settlement of the world, the progress of its population, the numbers of mankind at given periods, their religion, arts, knowledge, and customs, must, according to this story, have spread progressively from the place, where Noah established himself after the flood, as from a centre, towards the extremities of the globe. That the history of the Scriptures is exactly conformed to this scheme every one, who hears me, perfectly well knows. To examine how far profane history accords with it, is our immediate business. The place, where Noah fixed himself after the deluge, is by Sir Wm. Jones supposed to be the province of Hiran, the ancient Persia Proper. I think this more accordant with probability, than the opinions of Shuckford, Bryant, and others. At the same time it ought to be observed, that the differences of authors in this respect, are of little importance to the principal question. The five great nations of Asia are the Chinese, (including the Japanese, Coreans, Tonquinese, and the inhaitants of Cochin China,) the Hindoos, the Tatars, the Persians, and the Arabians; to whom perhaps may be added the Malayans. Concerning all these nations except the Chinese, and perhaps the Malayans, Sir Wm. Jones has, I think, made it clearly evident, that they sprang from one common stock. That the Hindoos originated from Persia is, I think, argued with the highest probability, from the facts, that the Hindoo system of religion, and policy, renders it in the highest degree improbable, that any colonies should have migrated from Hindoostan to Persia, and that in the Zendavesta, a very ancient Persian work, seven words out of ten were found by Sir Wm. Jones to be pure Shanscrit; the ancient language of Hindoostan. This agreement of language unanswerably proves, that the nations were originally one. The Hindoos also aknowledge Noah, whom they expressly de According to the Persian Historians. 1 Gin, Tchin or Sin 2 Seclab 3 Manshui 4 Gomari or Camari 5 Turk or Turgoma 6 Khalai 7 Khozar 8 Rus or Rouss 9 Sussan or Soussan 10 Ghaz 11 Taraj or Tarage clare to have been preserved from the deluge, and the monarch of the whole earth, as their own most ancient known prince, the author of their religion, laws, and policy. They are accustomed to give many names to the same person. Among those, which they have given to him, is his scriptural name, Nuh. The principal Tatars declare themselves to have descended from Turk, or Turgoma, (or Togarma) the son of Japhet, the son of Noah, who was saved from the deluge in the ark on the mountain of Baris, or the ark. The other Tatars they say descended from Gog and Magog, called in the East, Gin or Tchin, and Magin or Matchin. SONS OF JAPHET. According to the Tatar Historians. 1 Turk or Turgoma 2 Kars or Chars 3 Saclab 4 Russ 5 Maninach 6 Zivin 7 Kamori The additional number was probably taken, as in the case of Togarmah, from the grandsons of this patriarch. Every judicious person will see, that in these three lists there is a degree of harmony, which could not have been derived from chance, and that, if a reasonable allowance is made for the difficulty of ascertaining the true pronunciation of the Hebrew According to Moses. 1 Gomer 2 Magog 3 Madai 4 Javan 5 Tubal 6 Meshech 7 Tiras. language, for the different modes of writing, and pronouncing, the same words among different nations, and the fluctuations of pronunciation during a long progress of years in the same nation, they must be supposed certainly to have been derived from one source. A single instance will sufficiently illustrate the differences of writing and pronouncing the same words, found in |