"7. Remember continually that after all it is by faith in the merits and intercession of Christ, and not by the perfection of our works, that we are to obtain justification and life; and that the best of Christians, while they are in this world, have their imperfections, and may, and must, under a sense of them, apply daily to the great Advocate, and renew the actings of their faith upon his efficacious blood and intercession.

"8. Make yourself familiarly acquainted with the promises of God relating to the pardon of sin, the imparting of grace to the soul that seeks it; choose for some time every morning some comfortable promise to be the subject of your meditation; and now and then employ that fine talent which God has given you for poetical composition in paraphrasing such scriptures in short hymns.

"9. Endeavor to exert yourself as much as possi· ble in attempts of usefulness by conversing with the children who are so happy as to be the objects of your pious care, and with those persons who are in circumstances that bear any resemblance to your own.

10. Disburden yourself as much as possible of every anxious thought relating to futurity, whether regarding temporal things or spiritual, confine your views to present duties, and leave future contingencies in the hands of God.

"11. Be thankful for the least glimmering of hope, and for any kind and degree of consolation which God is pleased to give you; and take great heed that you do not suspect those comforts which lead you to God and happiness to be delusions, merely because they are not so permanent and effectual as you could

wish, lest you should grieve that great Agent to whom you are so highly obliged, and whom you fear so tenderly to grieve.

"12. In one word, study by all means to nourish the love of God in your heart; breathe forth with humble tenderness the genuine impressions of it; and as human nature must have its weary intervals, delight to look to God in them as a being who penetrates the inmost recesses of the heart, and sees that secret tendency of soul to him, which I have neither tears nor words to express: 'Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,' or that I would; 'Thou knowest I would prefer the sensible exercises of it to any other delight.' By this method the habits of divine love will strengthen; and I verily believe that time will at length produce such a consciousness of it, that you will be no more able to doubt of a share in it than of your own existence.

Your most affectionate friend and faithful humble servant,

"P. DODDRIDGE.”

It is pleasant to state here that this excellent lady happily recovered from this state of mental distress, and in 1751 became the second wife of the Rev. Elisha Williams, who had been rector of Yale College, and who visited England on public business at the close of 1749. Of Mr. Williams, Doddridge, as quoted by Dr. Sprague, in his "Annals of the American Pulpit," said, "I look upon him to be one of the most valuable men upon earth; he has, joined to an ardent sense of religion, solid learning, consummate prudence, great candor and sweetness of temper, and a certain noble

ness of soul capable of contriving and acting the greatest things without seeming to be conscious of having done them." Mrs. Williams became known in this country, as she had been in England, as an eminent literary lady, and some of her writings yet remain to do good. In 1755, Mr. Williams died happy in God, after which Mrs. Williams was married to the Hon. William Smith of New York, whom she also survived. Her death took place at Wethersfield, Conn., in 1776, at the age of sixty-eight years.

CHAPTER V.

DR. DODDRIDGE'S ACADEMICAL AND THEOLOGICAL INSTRUCTIONS.

A BRIEF account has been already given of the founding of Dr. Doddridge's academy at Harborough in the year 1729. One of the most interesting public incidents connected with it was the prosecution which was instituted against Dr. Doddridge, after his removal to Northampton, for conducting his academy without the license of the Episcopal chancellor of that diocese. It awakened some painful apprehensions at first in the mind of Dr. Doddridge, and gave him much trouble; but by the energetic assistance of the Earl of Halifax, and other eminent friends, the case, when tried at Westminster Hall, was decided in favor of Dr. Doddridge; but as that decision might not prevent a renewal of the prosecution in some other form to his great annoyance, such a representation was made by some influential friends to His Majesty George II., of the worthy character, loyal and moderate principles, and eminent abilities of Dr. Doddridge, that an express command was issued from his majesty, that all further prosecution of the matter should be discontinued, in accordance with the laudable maxim which his majesty had adopted, that during his reign there should be no persecution for conscience' sake. After this, Dr. Doddridge was allowed to pursue his career as the instructor of a dissenting academy without further molestation or annoyance from an ecclesi

astical quarter. Yet in 1733 his house was assailed by a Jacobite mob, the chief agents in which were, however, discovered and punished by the civil magistrate.

The fame of Doddridge had reached the court, not only in connection with his persecutions, but in the excellence of his works. The oldest son of George II., and father of George III., died during his father's reign, in the forty-fifth year of his age. As Prince of Wales, and heir to the British throne, he had great influence; and he opposed the infidelity of Bolingbroke and Chesterfield, in consequence of reading the works of Dr. Doddridge, which had made a deep impression on his mind. His sudden death excited deep sorrow, but his pious friends were cheered by the recollection of his piety, which had been thus cherished. The Princess of Wales also very readily allowed Dr. Doddridge to dedicate to her his "Family Expositor," and afterwards expressed the great pleasure she enjoyed in reading it.

We may add to this statement another made to the Rev. John Stoughton by a gentleman who held an appointment under George III., at Windsor castle, to whom the king said, "If I know any thing of religion, I owe it to Dr. Ayscough, and that at an early age." Dr. Ayscough was a friend and correspondent of Doddridge, and wrote to him in February, 1745, "I must tell you Prince George, to his honor, and my shame, has learned several pages in your little book of verses, [Principles of the Christian Religion,] without any direction from me."

The following is part of an interesting correspond