298 SERMON ON THE DEATH OF JEREMIAH EVARTS.

usefulness of a fellow mortal, and have been considering him as a suitable pattern for our imitation. The contemplation of so excellent a character will, I hope, conduce to our improvement. But be it remembered, there is a character far more exalted. There is an excellence and glory, infinitely surpassing all that is human. It shines forth in this fair creation. It shines forth especially in the face of Jesus Christ. Now while we look with delight upon human excellence, let us not close our eyes to that which is divine. While we gaze upon a dim taper, let us not be blind to the light of day. Are we filled with admiration at the endowments of man who is of yesterday? What adoring thoughts then should we have of the high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity! Before that great and glorious Being, the greatest of men, and the greatest of angels, are as the small dust of the balance. The brightest excellence we behold in creation is only a ray from the inexhaustible fountain of light. Have we confidence in a child of earth, because he evinces a good degree of intelligence and faithfulness? What unwavering trust then should we repose in God, whose understanding is infinite, and whose faithfulness never fails! And finally; do emotions of gratitude rise in our hearts, while we recollect the benevolent actions which a feeble, imperfect man performed during a few, fleeting years? How much warmer, nobler gratitude should glow within us towards that infinite Being, from whom cometh all the goodness and all the usefulness of his creatures, and all the happiness of earth and heaven; whose love has a length and breadth and depth and height passing all understanding; and who is so great in power and so excellent in working, that he can, in a moment, by a single act of his will, accomplish a good, which created beings can never comprehend. "Blessed, then, be the Lord God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things; and blessed be his glorious name forever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen."

A SERMON

DELIVERED AT THE FUNERAL OF REV. EBENEZER PORTER, D. D., PRESIDENT AND PROFESSOR IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, ANDOVER, APRIL 11, 1834.

John 17: 4.-I HAVE GLORIFIED THEE ON THE EARTH; I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH THOU GAVEST ME TO DO.

THE work assigned to our Saviour was immeasurably greater and more difficult, than was ever in any other instance assigned to man. But he accomplished it perfectly. From the beginning to the close of his life, he never performed an action, never uttered a word, never had a thought or emotion, which varied from the will of God, the perfect standard of right. He unceasingly loved God with all his heart. He was chargeable with no waste of intellectual or moral faculties. There was nothing in his youth or manhood, nothing in his public or private life, nothing in the most secret movements of his heart, which was not perfectly pleasing to God. In the whole frame of his mind, he was so pure and holy, that the most powerful temptations produced no irregular thought or feeling. "The prince of this world came and found nothing in him"-no pride, no selfishness, no depravity in any form or degree. His object in coming into the world was to save that which was lost. He came to redeem sinners from the curse of the law, by being made a curse for them. And how was he straitened till this work was accomplished!

His feelings recoiled at the prospect of drinking the cup which his Father put into his hand; but his recoiling was that of a pure and holy soul, and was accompanied with an entire readiness to do and suffer what the will of God and the salvation of men required. In the garden his agony was such as to produce prostration and bloody sweat; but his heart was perfectly submissive, and in the midst of his distress he could say, "Not my will, but thine be done." Thus, through labor and suffering, he proceeded to Calvary; and there on the cross, in anguish of body and spirit, under the heavy burden of our sins, he finished his work.

Far be it from me to liken any man, even the most diligent and faithful, to this holy Saviour. Let any Christian on earth compare his life with the life of Jesus, and what can be the result, but shame and self-condemnation? How is it with him who stands highest among the saints on earth, as to attainments in holiness and diligence in the service of God? Has no part of his time been wasted in unlawful pursuits or indulgences? Have there been no years, or days, in which he has forgotten God and disobeyed his commands? Have even his best actions been free from sin? How does every just view of God's perfect law spoil our fancied goodness, and instead of leaving any room for selfcomplacency, lead us to abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes! Of the most eminent Christians it is true, that they have not already attained, and are not already perfect. They fall below not only the demands of God's spiritual law, but their own desires and aims. In many respects, what they would, they do not; and what they would not, that they do. And when from the bed of sickness, and from the judgment seat, they take a review of their life, they will be astonished to see how little of their proper work they accomplished, and will acknowledge that they were always, even in their best estate, monuments of the forbearance and mercy of God.

And yet Christians are in reality followers of Jesus. They have a degree of that holiness, which he had in perfection. They begin to love and obey that law, which he loved and obeyed

constantly and entirely. . And they begin to possess that moral purity, which he possessed without mixture. Thus having a real though a partial likeness to Christ, and truly following him, though at a distance and with faltering steps, they do, in their humble measure, glorify God, and accomplish the object of their existence. Through the constant aids of the Holy Spirit, they so far finish the work which God has given them to do, that they are, through Christ, accepted of him, and, as good and faithful servants, admitted to the rewards of grace. In this qualified sense, the Apostle said, when the time of his departure was at hand, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith;" though he had always been conscious that he was not yet perfect, and the highest point he ever reached was to forget the things which were behind, and to press forward to higher attainments, earnestly laboring after perfection in holiness. In this qualified sense, our beloved brother, whose funeral services we are now called to attend, could, we doubt not, have adopted the words of Jesus: "I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work thou gavest me to do."

At

Dr. Porter was born at Cornwall, Conn., Oct. 8, 1772. the age of seven he went with his father's family to Vermont, where he remained till he commenced his preparation for a public profession. He was graduated at Dartmouth College, 1792. While a member of college, and through the whole period of his childhood and youth, he was remarkable for his regular and sober habits. During the time that he spent with his father, he acquired a taste for agricultural and mechanical labor, which proved of immense benefit to his health in after life. He had impressions while young, of the importance and necessity of religion; but at what time he first gave evidence of decided piety, I have not been informed. After pursuing theological study under the direction of two distinguished ministers in Connecticut, Dr. Edwards and Dr. Smalley, he entered on the business of the gospel ministry, and was ordained as pastor of the church in Washington, Conn., in Oct., 1796. His pastoral relation to that church was dissolved in Dec., 1811, with a view to his accepting

the appointment he had received to the Professorship of Sacred Rhetoric in this Seminary.

In common with other Christians, Dr. Porter stood in a variety of social relations. It is hardly necessary to say, that he sustained these relations and performed the various duties involved in them, to the satisfaction and profit of others. It ought never to be forgotten, that a good private character, by which I mean a kind and amiable disposition, and upright and blameless conduct in domestic and social life, is essential to prepare a man for any important public station. Accordingly, when the Apostle undertakes to describe the qualifications which should be found in a Christian minister, he insists particularly upon the importance of the domestic and social virtues. And sorrowful experience has often shown what a fruitful source of evil it is for a man to be put into the ministry, whose disposition is selfish, proud, resentful, or peevish, or who is wanting in probity, or fairness, or any of the qualities which constitute a good private character. The case of our departed brother happily illustrates the peculiar value of an upright, generous and conciliatory disposition, not only as it renders a man agreeable and useful in private, but as it combines its influence with higher attributes of character, to qualify him for usefulness in the most public station.

As a minister of the gospel, Dr. Porter had peculiar excellences. He possessed that combination of intellectual and moral qualities, which constitutes a permanently useful preacher. His understanding was lucid and discriminating; his imagination fertile and remarkably chaste; and his heart susceptible of strong and tender emotion. He was always serious and affectionate; and none who attended his ministry could doubt, that the principle which governed him was love to Christ and to the souls of men. His habit of reasoning was logical and convincing; and his taste, uncommonly pure and classical. He felt an utter repugnancy to all affected grandeur and floridness of language, to everything which savored of pomp or ostentation. His style was simple, neat, perspicuous, and dignified, suited to convey to his hearers the clear and orderly conceptions of his own culti