Having devoted himself to the work of the ministry, should God in his providence give him a regular call, he determined to sacrifice every inclination and every interest which would impede him in his pursuit of the of the necessary qualifications. He particularly resolv. ed to avoid every degree of intimacy with the other sex, knowing that entering into the marriage state would impede if not entirely prevent the accomplishment of his object.

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The great body of the people in the land of his nativity were of the Episcopal or English church, and the temptation to attach himself to the service of that church was considerable. It was the Established church -under the special protection of the government-every minister having secured to him the annual salary of 18,000 weight of tobacco, with other perquisites of considerable amount. But to a spiritual mind these external advantages presented na allurement. Thoug there were here and there a worthy respectable clergyman of that church, the great majority of the officiating clergy were vicious characters, and some of them so grossly immoral as to render them unfit company for any gentleman. This being the general character of the officiating priests, no discipline or government of a spiritual nature was exercised. The most profane athe ists, and deists, and drunkards, and debauchees of eve ry kind, were admitted, whenever they made applica tion, to all the privileges of Christ's children. In this state of things, though Mr. Rice's heart was attached to the doctrines, and by no means averse to the worship of the Episcopal church, he could not in conscience think

of taking any steps to procure orders in that church. With Moses, in a case by no means dissimilar, he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. The very

reproach of Christ was of more value in his estimation than all the honours and all the wealth of the dignified order.

He began the study of the Latin language at a Gram mar school kept by Rev. John Todd, and finished his Grammar course at another school kept by Rev. James Waddle, who was some years after minister of the gospel and doctor of divinity in Albemarle county. After Mr. Davies was appointed President of New-Surrey College, he went there, and at the end of two years commenced Batchelor of Arts. He then returned to Virginia, and studied Divinity under the aforesaid Mr. Todd.

Having struggled under a variety of discouraging circumstances, he was at last licensed as a probationer for the gospel ministry by the Presbytery of Hanover, in Nov. 1762.

CHAPTER VI.

ENTERS ON THE MINISTRY-SCENE OF HIS FIRST LABOURS-CHARACTER OF MRS, RICE.

No situation on earth is without its difficulties and pe culiar temptations. Difficulties and temptations of one kind are no sooner over than they are succeeded by others of a different description. While the warfare is thus continued, a wise man and a saint will grow wiser and wiser, and be daily more conformed to the image of his Master. "In my first setting out," says Mr. Rice, "I was considerably popular, and often met with the applause of my fellow creatures, which soon filled me with a considerable degree of vanity. This convinced me of the propriety of the apostle's injunction,-not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil-and that it requires much more knowledge to make a man humble than to make him a self-conceited pedant." How many otherwise well qualified preachers have had their usefulness nearly destroyed by not making, at an early period of their career, the same discovery! How kind is our Lord and Master in frequently letting loose the tongues of men against his servants!

He preached about six months in North Carolina and the southern parts of Virginia, not without some evidence of success. He then visited Pennsylvania, where,

agreeably to a previous agreement, he married Miss Mary Blair, daughter of the Rev. Samuel Blair, late of New Londonderry, Pennsylvania. Thence he returned to Virginia, with a view to take the charge of a congregation in North Carolina; but by a number of unforeseen events, in the course of providence, that design was frustrated. God appoints to us the bounds of our habitation, and a very little, or a number of very little seemingly trifling and accidental things, have frequently extensive influence on our whole lives. He stopped with a congregation in Virginia, which had been formerly under the pastoral care of Mr. Davies. Here, after a few months, he was with the usual solemnities ordained to the work of the ministry, and had that congregation committed to his pastoral inspection. "At this time I was not so fully satisfied as to my possessing some of the qualifications essentially necessary for a gospel minister, and consequently undertook the pastoral office with some degree of reluctance; but I considered that I was not my own but the Lord's,-that I had in the sincerity of my heart given myself up to him to be devoted to that work-that I had seen much of his care and kindness in bringing me thus far-and that as faithful labourers were few I might be of benefit to mankind."

He laboured there for four or five years, not without success, though he thought his success was greater among the blacks than among the whites.-How much has this unhappy class of our race been neglected! His prospects of usefulness were considerable, but alas! they were soon blasted. An old dispute in the congregation, which had taken its rise in Mr Davies' time,

was stirred up afresh, which so disjointed the society, as to convince them that they were not able to afford him that pecuniary aid which was necessary for his temporal support; and having no other means of subsistence, he wrote to Presbytery to dissolve the connection between him and them, which was accordingly done.

What a world of mischief have "perverse disputes" done to the church of the living God? How necessary is it for christians both in public and private life to leave off contentions before they be meddled with. How highly ought christians to value a stated dispensation of gospel ordinances while it is enjoyed. Even the great Mr. Davies' congregation, whose praise is in all the churches, and whose sermons will instruct as long as the English language is known, even this man's congregation knew not the value of a gospel ministry. They sacrificed this great inestimable blessing for the gratification of some private, some sinful feeling.

No person who has not in holy providence been in a similar situation can have any adequate conception of the state of mind in which Mr. Rice left these the people of his first charge. He was leaving those with whom he had expected to be connected by the most endearing ties during life. Nay, he was leaving those with whom and with whose children he had expected to have spent an eternity. He was leaving immortal beings to whom he had not been the savour of life unto life, but the savour of death unto death. And he was leaving them from dire necessity, because they had actually put the gospel of God's salvation from them.