ting after the minister in public, which he practised afterwards.

When he was grown a little above the age of childhood, he joined himself to a religious society of young men, who met on Lord'sday evenings; and he used afterwards to ascribe much of the skill which, by the blessing of God, he had attained in speaking and praying, to his early exercises in that society.

Some miscarriages which he fell into through the surprise of temptation, when he was very young, brought him under great doubts and fears, which put him upon a very close and diligent examination of his own heart and state. While he was under this exercise, he opened the burden of his soul to his good father, who assured him, "there was no repenting and returning sinner but Christ would accept of. Observe it, (said he) even among men; let a man be never so vile, so that good men cannot but abhor him, yet if this man becomes a new creature, they will most heartily embrace him, and take him, as it were, into their bosom, notwithstanding his former vileness. This is an emblem of the spirit of the blessed Jesus." These seasonable encouraging

words ministered very sensible relief to our young penitent, and greatly enlivened his addresses to God, in which he met with strong consolation.

At 14 years old, he began to keep days of secret fasting and prayer. When he was 15, he was much affected by reading Dr. Hall's Treatise on Meditation. Upon which he not only read several other books on the same subject, but drew up a discourse upon it himself; and after he had made several essays of a regular method for daily meditation, he at length fixed upon Dr. Hall's for his own practice; which is, to meditate on some text of Scripture, or some head of divinity; first, in a doctrinal way, as by endeavouring to explain, illustrate, prove it, &c. and then practically to improve it; as in an examination of one's own heart by it, in an expostulation with one's self, concerning the sins and duties that may be suggested by it, and in suitable resolutions, in a dependance on the strength of the grace of God offered in the new covenant. This happy way of preaching with, and to himself, was, no doubt, of great use to Mr. Mather, not only to improve the divine life in his own soul, but to fit him

for preaching to others, with that eminent usefulness which he did afterwards.

In his 17th year he joined in communion with a church, and came to the Lord's table. On this occasion he thought himself obliged to renew the examination of himself, in a very particular manner. The result of it appears by what he wrote at that time, which I will here transcribe.

"Setting myself upon the work of selfexamination, I find,

"First, Concerning my Faith.

"I am convinced of the utter insufficiency of my own righteousness, to procure my acceptance with God, and my eternal salvation. I see that woful hypocrisy, sluggishness, and selfishness, have attended and polluted the very best of all my services.

"I can perceive no other way for my salvation, but only by the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Refuge fails elsewhere, on every hand: but I behold a fulness and a beauty in Jesus Christ; he is worth loving, worth prizing, worth following.

"Such is my desire to obtain an interest in him, and to make him the only portion and support of my soul, that it is one of my

greatest griefs to find my heart so dull in going forth after him.

"Secondly, Concerning my repentance.

"I abhor sin, because it is abhorred of God, and contrary to him. I am heartily troubled for the sin of my heart, that fountain of corruption. Sin is my heavy burden; death itself would be welcome to me to free me from it.

"Thirdly, Concerning my love.

"I long to see and know the favour of God unto me; the sight of that would make all my afflictions light.

"I desire to be as active as may be in promoting the honour of God; and I seldom come into any company, without contriving how I may some way speak or act for God's honour, before I leave it.

"I am sorry that I love God no more.

"The saints who bear the image of God, are those whom I value most. A mean person with grace is more amiable to me than another who has all the richest human accomplishments, but is graceless."

Another thing, in which his early piety was very conspicuous, was his zeal to do good, especially to souls. He set himself, first, to try what good he could do in his

father's family, by instructing his brothers and sisters, and by exhorting and admonishing the servants. He afterwards made it a rule with himself never to be in any company where it would be proper for one so young to bear a part in the conversation, but, if possible, he would do them some good. And remarkably was that promise fulfilled to him, "To him that has, shall more be given;" for upon his faithful and diligent improvement of his talent this way, his Lord and Master did greatly multiply his opportunities of usefulness, till he came to be very eminently useful to whole churches, towns, and countries.

He would therefore, in his more advanced years, earnestly advise young people to study and contrive to do good, to love it, and to account it as a noble thing; and he would encourage them, from his own experience, to expect, that if they set about it with readiness and humility, and began betimes to do what good they could, God would do great things both for them and by them.

But his love did not express itself "in word and in tongue only, but in deed and in truth." For, from 14 years of age he thought it his duty to give to the Lord of all, some

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