1,1 HKAK'\ 
 
 University of California. 
 
 z/lc cessions No. (p/Jl^3o 
 
 CLns No. 
 
LIFE 
 
 PHILIP DODDRIDGE, D.D., 
 
 WITH 
 
 NOTICES OF SOME OF HIS COTEMPORARIES, 
 AND SPECIMENS OF HIS STYI^E. 
 
 [Dr. Doddridge's Church, at Northampton.] 
 
 By D. a. HARSHA, M. A., 
 
 STAR OP BETHLEHEM; A GUIDE TO THE SAVIOUR; 
 EMINENT ORATORS AND STATESMEN,' ETC. 
 
 E ONLY FOR Qod's GLORY .'—Doddridge. 
 
 HILADELPHIA: 
 LIPPINCOTT & CO 
 
 1 869. 
 
_D7// 
 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 
 
 D. A. HARSHA, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States 
 
 for the Northern District of New York. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 To persons of refined minds, and of sincere and ardent piety, 
 it must afford great pleasure and profit to study carefully the 
 life, character and writings of Philip Doddridge, a name 'on 
 which all who have sympathy with the generous, the benevo- 
 lent and the devout will ever delight to linger.' The object of 
 the present volume is to sketch the personal history and char- 
 acter of this excellent divine; to give some account of his 
 times and of some of his distinguished cotemporaries ; and to 
 present a few choice specimens of his style. 
 
 The author has aimed to give a clear, succinct and compre- 
 hensive account of the principal events in the active and valu- 
 able life of Dr. Doddridge, in chronological order, with special 
 reference to the interesting, touching and melancholy scenes 
 of his last days, till the happy hour when, 'without one cloud 
 of gloom,' his spirit winged its way to God. The dates and 
 leading circumstances connected with his most important pub- 
 lications are also given, with brief criticisms on their peculiar 
 merits. 
 
 Some of the gems of Doddridge's epistolary correspondence, 
 throwing light on a variety of interesting matters, are inter- 
 woven with the biographical narrative. It is worthy of remark, 
 that some of his earlier letters, written in the midst of rural 
 delights, in his free and fresh communion with nature, display 
 more of the beauties of imagination and of style than his later 
 writings, reminding one, frequently, of the easy, graceful and 
 vigorous letters of Pope, Gray, and some other distinguished 
 writers of the classic age of Queen Anne and George I. The 
 remark which Mr. Morell has made respecting Doddridge is, 
 we think, very true, that 'none who have read his earlier cor- 
 respondence can doubt, that if he had chosen to direct the 
 
4 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 bent of his genius to works of imagination and taste he could 
 have rivalled some of the most sprightly wits of that polished 
 age.' Doddridge carried on an extensive correspondence with 
 many eminent theologians and literary men, such as Samuel 
 Clarke, David Jennings, Isaac Watts, John Barker, Hugh Far- 
 mer, Bishop Warburton, Daniel Neal, Benjamin Fawcett, Dr. 
 Stonehouse, Robert Blair, William Seeker, Nathaniel Lardtier, 
 Gilbert West, and Samuel Davies. As an instance of his large 
 correspondence we quote his own words on one occasion; 'I 
 marshalled my unanswered letters, and found them one hun- 
 dred and six, near one-quarter of which reached me since Fri- 
 day noon (and it was then Monday evening), and all this 
 though I have written between fifty and sixty letters the last 
 fourteen days, with my own hand, having no secretary.' 
 
 As it is interesting to trace the progress of intellectual dis- 
 cipline in superior minds, the author has been careful to men- 
 tion some of the principal books which Doddridge studied, 
 especially during his student-life, and which aided in the 
 development of his mental powers, and in forming his taste. 
 Doddridge, as it will be seen, was a great reader; but he did 
 not peruse a book superficially ; he carefully reflected on what 
 he read and endeavored at the same time to make the stores 
 of knowledge thus accumulated subservient to some valuable 
 practical purpose — ^^to the improvement of his understanding 
 and heart. In the early days of his ministry, during his studi- 
 ous pursuits in a rural retreat, he writes to his brother-in-law : 
 'I find it most useful to join reading and reflection, and would 
 not entirely depend either upon myself or others.' When 
 such a course is pursued with regard to reading we can readily 
 say with old Bishop Hall : ' No law binds us to read all ; but 
 the more we can take in and digest, the greater will be our 
 improvement.' The criticisms of Doddridge on some of the 
 books he read, during his student-life, frequently show a fine 
 literai'y taste and a just appreciation of the beauties of cele- 
 brated authors. 
 
PREFACE. 5 
 
 Several of the specimens in the last chapter of this volume 
 are taken from Doddridge's Sermons in four volumes octavo, 
 published in London, in 1826, now a scarce work. It is 
 believed that these selections, both in prose and in poetry, are 
 among the choicest that can be made from his practical and 
 devotional compositions. Of the sermons of Doddridge, in 
 general, Mr. Morell has well remarked that they 'furnish 
 delightful specimens of genuine pulpit eloquence;' that 'they 
 breathe the very soul of tenderness, and pastoral fidelity ; ' 
 and that * they abound wuth earnest and pathetic appeals to 
 the conscience.' 
 
 In the preparation of this volume the principal publications 
 relating to Doddridge and his friends have been carefully con- 
 sulted; while some information belonging to this subject has 
 been gained in conversation with several of his descendants. 
 The author would especially acknowledge his obligations to 
 the biographical memoirs of Doddridge by Orton, Kippis and 
 Stoughton; and to The Correspondence and Diary of Doddridge, in 
 five octavo volumes, edited by his great grandson, John Dod- 
 dridge Humphreys. Mr. Humphreys has been rather severely 
 criticised in Stoughton's Memorial, in the Boston Christian 
 Examiner, and in other publications, for laying before the pub- 
 lic, in these volumes, some of Doddridge's youthful letters of a 
 trifling character, and some written in a very affectionate 
 style, and addressed to certain young ladies of his acquaint- 
 ance under romantic names. Admitting that the volumes of 
 Mr. Humphreys are, in some respects, injudiciously edited, we, 
 nevertheless, regard them, on the whole, as very interesting 
 and valuable. 
 
 While alluding to this foible of Doddridge's youth it may be 
 proper to remark that other faults have been laid to his charge 
 such as * his habits of speaking somewhat ostentatiously of his 
 own employments, and particularly that accommodation of 
 religious phraseology to the opinions or associations of others.' 
 As Dr. Kippis has remarked, 'It is not the lot of the purest 
 
6 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 virtue to pass through the world without reproach.' And 
 Doddridge, with all his moral excellence, and in the midst of 
 the applause he received from the great and the good in his 
 day, also endured reproach from the tongues of the envious 
 and the malicious. Orton in his Memoirs, has devoted a whole 
 section to his behaviour under injuries. Doddridge himself 
 thus gives us his own sentiment on this point : * I settle it as 
 an established point with me, that the more diligently and 
 faithfully I serve Christ, the greater reproach, and the more 
 injury I must expect.' "With reference io some calumnies 
 that his enemies aimed at him, his faithful friend the Rev. 
 John Barker very pointedly writes to him ; * As for the 
 unmanly flirts, and ungenerous reflections of those who are 
 not worthy to carry your books after you, it puts me in mind 
 of a dog barking at the moon, which after all his impotency 
 shines, and is still very far out of his reach.' "With all Dod- 
 dridge's trivial faults we verily believe that few persons have 
 ever exhibited in so favorable a light the various excellencies 
 of the Christian character. In the annals of sacred biography 
 few names have been so universally revered by the Christian 
 world for amiableness, zeal, devotedness and piety. And to 
 the most distant posterity will his name continue to shine in 
 the firmament of the Christian church as a star of the purest 
 and gentlest lustre. 
 
 May the divine blessing still attend the labors of this saintly 
 divine, who being dead yet speaketh in his valuable writings in 
 strains of exquisite simplicity, tenderness and pathos, to thou- 
 sands in all Christian lands ; and by means of his writings 
 may multitudes still be enlightened and guided to the blessed 
 Saviour, who is the way and the truth, and the life, — the 
 
 BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR. 
 
 * The joy of earth and heaven.' 
 
 D. A. H. 
 Arqyle, N. Y., May 1st, 1864. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. Page. 
 His Times, 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 His Student-Life, 22 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 His Pastorate at Kibwobth and Market Harborough, 52 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 His Pastorate at Northampton — Labors as Tutor and 
 
 Author, 73 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 His Last Days, 141 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 His Character, .174 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Specimens of his Style in Prose and Verse, . . 202 
 
Doddridge was a burning and shining light which, in 
 days of more than ordinary coldness, divine providence 
 was pleased to enkindle, in order to impart both warmth 
 and illumination to the professing christian world. — 
 Bishop Jebh. 
 
 Doddridge's heart was made up of all the kindlier 
 feelings of our nature, and was wholly devoted to the 
 
 SALVATION OF MEN's SOULS. WHATEVER HE DID, HE APPEARS 
 TO HAVE DONE TO THE GLORY OF GoD. Dr. Dihdin. 
 
 Doddridge is now my prime favorite among divines. — 
 Rohert Hall. 
 
 His thoughts have a dew still on them, like flowers 
 fresh gathered in the fields of holy meditation. — Rev, 
 Dr. Hamilton 
 
LIFE OF. DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 CIIAPTEE I 
 
 HIS TIMES. 
 
 l^^^gj^HE age in wliich Philip Dod- 
 '^^ dridge lived was one of unu- 
 sual brilliancy in the literary, 
 scientific and military history of 
 England. The period of his youth- 
 ful years, comprising the reign of Queen 
 Anne, has usually been styled the Augustan 
 era of English literature. This polished age, 
 however, properly comprehends the reigns of 
 "William III., Anne, and the first two Georges. 
 Before sketching the life of the learned and 
 pious author of The Family Expositor ^ and The 
 Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, let us 
 glance for a few moments at the literary, politi- 
 cal, moral and religious features of his age, — an 
 age so fruitful in illustrious men ; so remarkable 
 for the rapid and extensive difl:usion of general 
 literature ; and so eventful in political and mili- 
 tary affairs. 
 
 2 
 
10 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 In poetry, several authors of great merit and 
 distinction were at that time producing works 
 for the admiration of their own and of coming 
 ages, — poems, in which beauty of thought, lofti- 
 ness of sentiment, richness of description, and 
 exquisiteness of versification are happily united. 
 Among the poets of that day, some of whose fine 
 descriptions of the beauties of natural scenery — 
 of elegant artificial life — of moral and religious 
 feelings — still fall like softest music on the ear, 
 were Pope, Prior, Gay, Parnell, Akenside, Ad- 
 dison, Blair, Watts, Thomson and Young. 
 
 In that classic age of English literature the 
 names of Addison and Steele were preeminently 
 distinguished as essayists. These chaste writers 
 contributed, perhaps, more largely than any of 
 their distinguished compeers, to guide the opin- 
 ions and form the character of their generation. 
 And to them the honor is due of having origi- 
 nated our periodical literature; — a branch of 
 study, which in our own time, has been so care- 
 fully cultivated, and so admirably illustrated by 
 the powerful minds and graphic pens of Mac- 
 aulay, JefiFrey, Talfourd, and Carlyle. 
 
 In the department of political and fictitious 
 literature, Henry Fielding, Tobias Smollet, and 
 Daniel Defoe were busily engaged in planning 
 and writing their numerous works. Defoe's 
 
mS TIMES. 11 
 
 Robinson Crusoe^ one of the most charming and 
 popular of all romances, was published while 
 Doddridge was quietly pursuing his academical 
 studies at the village of Kibworth. 
 
 In the walks of science, this era was adorned 
 by the brilliant genius of Edmund Halley, the 
 celebrated astronomer, and of Sir Isaac E'ewton, 
 * a name illustrious and revered of nations,' by 
 whose investigations and discoveries in the phy- 
 sical world a flood of light was poured on wide 
 fields of philosophical inquiry previously shroud- 
 ed in darkness. 
 
 Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night ; 
 
 God said : Let Newton be, and all was light. — Pope. 
 
 Some of the most eminent political personages 
 of this age of excited party feeling among Whigs, 
 Tories and Jacobites — the leading political par- 
 ties of the day — were Lord Townsend, Sir 
 Eobert Walpole, Lord Grenville, Bolingbroke, 
 Lord Mansfield, and Chesterfield. In the fore- 
 most rank of these distinguished statesmen, 
 stood the noble Chatham, whose matchless ora- 
 tory, then in its earlier richness and splendor, 
 was swaying with irresistible force the feelings 
 of parliamentary assemblies, and commanding 
 general applause. And among the group of 
 renowned politicians in that classic age, we must 
 
12 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 not omit the name of Edmund Burke, wlio, a 
 little before the close of the period under con- 
 sideration, was a young man about to enter on 
 his brilliant parliamentary career, and to dis- 
 play the powers of the consummate orator, the 
 wise statesman, and the accomplished debater. 
 
 If we turn to the military history of this era, 
 we shall see the glory of the British nation, by 
 the brilliant victories of the Duke of Marlbo- 
 rough, raised to a height greater than it had ever 
 before reached. Among many others who ac- 
 quired exalted reputation as military men in 
 those times, was Col. Gardiner. This brave 
 Scottish officer, who had served with distinction 
 under Marlborough, after being in many a hard- 
 fought engagement, was slain in the battle of 
 Prestonpans, in 1745, in defence of the House 
 of Hanover. Doddridge was his personal friend 
 and correspondent, and in a work still quite pop- 
 ular, has narrated, in a pleasing and interesting 
 manner, the story of the Colonel's eventful life, 
 his remarkable conversion from an ungodly to 
 a religious life, and his earnest devotion to the 
 service of God, as well as to that of his country.* 
 
 The age of Doddridge was not so fruitful in 
 
 * * He is so good as to favor me with much of his company, 
 for I generally see him once, and often twice a day.' — Dod- 
 dridge, in a letter, dated June 23, 1742. 
 
HIS TIMES. 13 
 
 the great names of theological literature. Where 
 in the Christian ministry of that time, shall we 
 look for theologians like those whose names 
 adorn the history of the preceding period, Usher, 
 Baxter, Owen, Goodwin, Bunyan, Bates, Man- 
 ton, Flavel, Tillotson, Taylor, Hall, Barrow, 
 and Leighton? These distinguished men of the 
 seventeenth century, by whose genius, learning, 
 zeal, and piety, so much good had been accom- 
 plished for the cause of Christianity, had now 
 passed from the scene of their earthly labors to 
 enter upon their everlasting rest, and to shine 
 as stars in the heavenly firmament. John How^e, 
 the last of the great divines of the seventeenth 
 century, still lingered on the shores of time when 
 Doddridge was born ; but in three years after- 
 wards the grave closed over his mortal remains. 
 The immediate successors of those eminent 
 theologians were, generally, far behind them in 
 point of genius, intellect, reasoning powers, ex- 
 pression, holy fervor and ardent piety. Still, in 
 the times of Doddridge there were some who ac- 
 quired considerable celebrity in theological lite- 
 rature. Among the leading divines of that age 
 were Matthew Henry, Burnet, Atterbury, Sher- 
 lock, Jortin, Seeker, "Watts, Evans, Bp. Wilson, 
 Lardner, Orton, Whitefield, Wesley, Hervey, 
 
 Romaine, and Benjamin Fawcett, the worthy 
 
 2 
 
14 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE, 
 
 successor of Baxter at Kidderminster. Some of 
 these became greatly distinguished in their day 
 for their genius and classical scholarship ; their 
 attainments in theological science and belles- 
 'ettres ; their advocacy of the Christian faith, and 
 of evangelical doctrines ; their illustrations of 
 the Scriptures, and of practical piety ; their dili- 
 gence and zeal in the promotion of the divine 
 glory ; and the persuasiveness of their pulpit 
 oratory. 
 
 The religious feature of the age of Doddridge, 
 does not, on the whole, afford a very cheering 
 theme for the contemplation of the pious mind. 
 While it was an epoch memorable for its specula- 
 tive tendencies in theology, the grand doctrines 
 of practical Christianit}^ were comparatively little 
 regarded by the great majority of professing 
 Christians of all denominations. There seems, 
 in fact, to have been a general decay of religion. 
 As an indication of its low state in those days, 
 it has been said, that piety was no longer con- 
 sidered essential, even by many among the 
 dissenters, for an admission to the Christian 
 ministry. The excellent Bishop Burnet, while 
 lamenting the decline of Christianity in the 
 church to which he belonged, says : ' I cannot 
 look on without the deepest concern, when I see 
 imminent ruin hanging over this church, and by 
 
niS TIMES. 15 
 
 consequence over the whole reformation. The 
 outward state of things is black enough, God 
 knows ; but that which heightens my fears, 
 rises chiefly from the inward state into which 
 we are unhappily fallen.' He also tells us that 
 candidates for ordination were commonly quite 
 unacquainted with the Bible, and unable even to 
 give an account of the statements in the church 
 catechism. And in regard to many who reap- 
 peared before the bishop to obtain institution 
 to a living, it was still evident that they had not 
 read the Scriptures, nor any other good book 
 since they were ordained. In the words of a 
 late writer, ' Genuine piety, Scriptural know- 
 ledge, ardent zeal, were no longer deemed es- 
 sential to the sacred ofliice, and were ridi- 
 culed as puritanical and degrading. Multi- 
 tudes pressed into the Christian ministry who 
 were utterly destitute of all those qualities which 
 can give efficiency and true dignity to that 
 office.' 
 
 The low degree of religion in England at that 
 time, attracted the attention of foreigners. 
 Montesquieu, the celebrated French author, who 
 visited England in 1729, protested (though 
 very unjustly), that the English had no religion 
 at all. 'If any one,' he said, 'spoke of it, 
 everybody laughed.' And as low as religion 
 
16 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 had Slink in France, ' lie confessed that he him- 
 self had not enough of it to satisfy his country- 
 men ; and yet he found that he had too much to 
 suit English society.' 
 
 In the Christian ministry, the spirit of earn- 
 estness, zeal, piety, and devotion, which ani- 
 mated the great and heavenly-minded preach- 
 ers of the seventeenth century, and which per- 
 vaded their invaluable practical writings, seemed 
 to have passed away, to be succeeded by a cold, 
 speculative form of Christianity, without the 
 life and power of godliness. 'A cold system of 
 ethics,' says Mr. Morell, ' scarcely superior to 
 the morality of the Pagan world, superseded 
 the faithful and energetic preaching of former 
 times.' 
 
 Various reasons have been assigned as some 
 of the causes of this general decay of religion ; 
 such as violent political feelings ; the circulation 
 of a licentious literature ; infidel writings ; the 
 degenerate character of the Christian ministry ; 
 a controversial spirit among Christians ; and 
 *the withdrawment of the attention of the 
 ablest and most learned Christian divines from 
 the essentials of the gospel, to an elaborate 
 vindication of its evidences in their controversy 
 then carried on with deists and infidels.' But 
 the grand reason of this lamentable state of 
 
Ills TIMES. 17 
 
 things in the religious world in England during 
 the earlier part of the eighteenth century was, 
 doubtless, the withholding of the Spirit of God 
 from the churches ; that Spirit which, when 
 once poured out, causes even the wilderness and 
 the solitary place to be glad ; and the desert to 
 rejoice and blossom as the rose. 
 
 Doddridge was one of those few who sincerely 
 grieved at the great decline of religion in those 
 times ; and during the course of his ministry, 
 one of his principal efforts was to produce a 
 revival of true religion. ' This was the govern- 
 ing principle of his life, the supreme object of 
 his heart's desire, to which all his labors, whe- 
 ther as a pastor, a tutor, or an author, were 
 solemnly consecrated.' How noble, how glori- 
 ous an object! And how was the honest and 
 good heart of Doddridge gladdened, a little be- 
 fore the close of his life, to know that a great 
 change for the better was taking place in Great 
 Britain and America. By the blessing of 
 Heaven on his earnest labors, and those of his 
 eminent and pious companions in the vineyard 
 of the Lord, a series of remarkable revivals 
 commenced — the great awakenings of the 
 eighteenth century. 
 
 These prosperous times, in the church of 
 God, commenced in J^ew England under the 
 
18 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDOE. 
 
 searcliing and powerful preaching of Jonathan 
 Edwards, at I^orthampton, and in ISTew Jersey, 
 under the ministry of the Tennants. Then 
 were truly verified the words of Isaiah respect- 
 ing Zion — the field which the Lord hath 
 hlessed : ' It shall blossom abundantly, and re- 
 joice even with joy and singing ; the glory of 
 Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency 
 of Carmel and Sharon ; they shall see the glory 
 of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.' 
 
 During the early period of Doddridge's ca- 
 reer, there was not only a low state of religion 
 in England, but also a general prevalence of 
 infidelity. In the almost universal degeneracy 
 in morals after the great civil w^ar, this poison- 
 ous stream seems to have flowed in a more 
 rapid, widening, and desolating course. It is 
 true that some time before the civil war, the 
 devout G-eorge Herbert, and other kindred souls, 
 complain of ' the wickedness and growing athe- 
 ism ' of their age ; but it was not till the early 
 part of the eighteenth century that infidelity at- 
 tained its full growth in England ; and, with 
 unhallowed hands, dared so openly and boldly 
 to attack the citadel of the Christian faith. 
 
 Infidelity and atheism prevailed especially 
 among the higher classes of society. When 
 Doddridge was a boy, the gifted Lady Mary 
 
HIS TIMES. 19 
 
 Wortley Montague wrote, tliat there were * more 
 atheists among the fine ladies than among the 
 loosest sort of rakes.' A sad confession! 
 About the same time, bishop Burnet says, in 
 his advice to clergymen; 'Begin with settling 
 in your minds the foundations of your faith; 
 and be full of this and ready at it, that you may 
 know how to deal with unbelievers, for that is 
 the spreading corruption of this age. There are 
 few atheists, but many infidels, who are indeed 
 very little better than the atheists. In this ar- 
 gument you ought to take pains to have all well 
 digested, and clearly laid in your thoughts, that 
 you may manage the controversy gently, with- 
 out any asperity of words, but with a strength 
 of reason.'* The Rev. Samuel Clarke, writing 
 to Doddridge in 1721, advises him to get, in the 
 course of his reading, ' well established ' as to 
 the authority of the Scriptures. ' The preva- 
 lency of deism,' he adds, ' makes the cultivation 
 of that subject very necessary.' 
 
 The deistical controversy of that day was car- 
 ried on with great ardor. Among the formida- 
 ble opponents of the Christian religion, were 
 Mandeville, Chubb, Toland, Tindal, Woolstan, 
 Collins, Chesterfield, Shaftesbury, and Boling- 
 
 * Conclusion of the History of liis Own Time, written in 
 1708. 
 
-20 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 broke. To repel the arguments of these assail- 
 ants of Cliristianity came forward some of the 
 ablest and most learned Christian authors of 
 those times. 
 
 Some of those who were induced by the pub- 
 lications of infidels to advocate the cause of our 
 holy religion, were Clarke, Waterland, Sherlock, 
 Warburton, Leland, Berkeley, and Butler. By 
 collecting a mass of incontrovertible evidence 
 in favor of the authenticity of the gospel his- 
 tory, Lardner ' established a bulwark on the side 
 of truth which infidelity has never presumed to 
 attack.'* 
 
 Doddridge himself early entered the field of 
 controversy as a champion for the truth of the 
 Christian religion. His Sermons on the Evi- 
 dences of the glorious gospel, and his Letters iu 
 reply to an infidel publication entitled Christ- 
 ianity not founded on Argument, show how ably 
 and successfully he contended for the faith of 
 the gospel. 
 
 On the publication of these apologetic Letters, 
 in 1743, a divine of our own country, the Rev. 
 Mr. Pemberton, of New York, wrote to Dod- 
 dridge a congratulatory letter, in which he says : 
 
 * ' Lardner's works contain a mine of theological learning, 
 in which the student may toil till he is weary, and from 
 which he can not fail to bring away much that is curious and 
 edifying.' — Dr. Dibdin. 
 
niS TIMES. 21 
 
 *It is melancholy to hear of the extensive pro- 
 gress of deism in the European world ; but at 
 the same time, it is a matter of rejoicing to all 
 who wish well to the kingdom of Christ, that 
 God is raising up from time to time some noble 
 champions who successfully plead the cause of 
 truth, and with convincing evidence maintain 
 the divine authority of the gospel against the 
 impetuous attacks of its adversairies. Among 
 the number of these faithful advocates for reli- 
 gion. Dr. Doddridge will always be mentioned 
 with distinguished honor. 
 
 ' I have frequently read your Sermons upon 
 the Evidences of the gospel with the greatest 
 pleasure, in which the substance of many vo- 
 lumes is comprised, cast into a clear method, 
 and admirably adapted to the common capaci- 
 ties of mankind. Your answers to Christianity 
 not founded, ^c, will, I doubt not, be sufficient 
 to overthrow the scheme of that unhappy writer, 
 and prevent every considerate reader from being 
 deceived by the plausible appearance he makes.' 
 
 Such is only a glance at the age in which, in 
 the providence of God, Doddridge was raised 
 Up to be an advocate of the Christian revela- 
 tion, an ornament to the church, a blessing to 
 his country and the worlci, a promoter of vital 
 religion, and a guiding-star to the Saviour. 
 
CHAPTEE II. 
 
 HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 
 
 iiiLip Doddridge was born in London, 
 on the 26tli of June, 1702, tlie same 
 year in whicli Queen Anne ascended 
 mi tlie throne. Regarding his ancestry, but 
 l^ little information has descended to our 
 times. A brother of his great grandfather. 
 Sir John Doddridge, of a Devonshire family, 
 was distinguished for his legal attainments 
 and general erudition. He was solicitor gene- 
 ral in the reign of James I, and wrote seve- 
 ral elaborate treatises on subjects belonging to 
 his profession. He died on the 13th of Sep- 
 tember, 1628, in the seventy-third year of his 
 age. Thomas Fuller speaks of him as ' the 
 honor of his robe and profession ; ' and a living 
 author, in alluding to his character, says : 'Sir 
 John was a bookworm and a scholar ; and for a 
 great period of his life, a man of mighty indus- 
 try. His ruling passion went with him to the 
 
Ills STUDENT-LIFE. 23 
 
 grave ; for he chose to be buried ir. Exeter 
 Cathedral, at the threshold of its library.'* 
 
 John Doddridge, the grandfather of Philip, 
 was educated for the ministry at the University 
 of Oxford ; and became ^rector of Shepperton, 
 in Middlesex. He was one of the ejected min- 
 isters, in 1662. Dr. Calamy, in his Nonconform- 
 ist's Memorial., describes him ' as an ingenious man 
 and a scholar ; an acceptable preacher, and a very 
 peaceable divine.' He died suddenly in 1689, 
 * much respected and beloved by his people.' 
 
 Daniel Doddridge, his son, resided in London, 
 where he carried on the trade of an oilman. He 
 married the only daughter of Mr. Bauman, a 
 Bohemian clergyman, who, fleeing from his 
 native country to escape the persecution which 
 arose in Bohemia, after the expulsion of Frede- 
 rick, the Elector of Palatine, came to London 
 about the year 1626, that he might enjoy great- 
 er liberty of conscience in matters of religion. 
 From this union sprung a family of twenty 
 children, of whom Philip, the subject of the 
 \>resent memoir, was the youngest. The rest of 
 
 ■5^ For some notices of this le.arned ancestor of Dr. Doddridge, 
 see Wood's Athense Ozonicnses ,• Fuller's Ilistori/ of the Worthies 
 of England ; Prince's Worthies of Devonshire ; Hearne's Dis- 
 courses ; Bridgman's Legal Bibliography ; and the Biographia 
 Britannica (second edition), in a note on th.e Life of Philip 
 Doddridge. 
 
24 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 this large famity, with the exception of a daugh- 
 ter, who lived to become the wife of a dissent- 
 ing minister, died young. At his birth, Philip 
 Doddridge manifested so little vitality that he 
 was laid aside as dead; but. Divine Providence 
 having a noble w^ork for him to perform, his 
 life was mercifully spared to the church and the 
 world. His constitution, however, originally 
 feeble, never became robust. 
 
 At an early age, he received his first religious 
 instruction from his mother, who is said to have 
 been a woman of eminent piety. She encour- 
 aged her boy in the study of Scripture history, 
 ' by pointing out and amplifying, with a mother's 
 loving simplicity and graphic power, the scenes 
 of Holy Writ depicted on the blue Dutch tiles, 
 which, according to the fashion of the day, 
 lined the chimney corner. That domestic inci- 
 dent has long been looked on as a sort of poetic 
 legend in ISTonconformist biography, as it well 
 may, when one remembers that the little fellow, 
 leaning on his mother's knee, and following 
 the direction of her finger, and listening to her 
 simple, easy words, was the destined author of 
 \hQ Famibj Expositor.' The religious impressions 
 thus early made on his mind, by the teachings 
 of an intelligent and pious parent, were deep 
 and lasting. 
 
01 TUS 
 
 EIS STUDENT-LIF\^ ^ o>25 
 
 On the influence of motliers in m^ ^mfett OjO- 
 of tlie moral and literary character of their oiF- 
 spring, Mr. Disraeli has this excellent observa- 
 tion : ' The first durable impressions of our 
 moral nature come from the mother. The first 
 prudential wisdom to which genius listens, falls 
 from her lips, and only her caresses can create 
 the moments of tenderness. The earnest dis- 
 cernment of a mother's love survives in the im- 
 agination of manhood.'* Among the most dis- 
 tinguished of those whose earliest religious 
 feelings may be traced to the affectionate influ- 
 ence, the pious example, and the religious in- 
 struction of their mothers, may be recorded the 
 names of St. Augustin, Richard Hooker, Bp. 
 Hall, John IsTewton, Samuel Davies, Eichard 
 Cecil, Bp. Watson, and Timothy Dwight, B. D. 
 
 Doddridge was instructed in the elements of 
 classical literature by Mr. Scott, a clergyman, 
 who kept an academy in London. In 1712, 
 when he had attained his tenth year, he was re- 
 moved to Kingston-on-Thames, a flourishing 
 town in the county of Surrey, ten miles south- 
 west of London. Here he was placed in a 
 Grammar school, over which presided the Hev. 
 Mr. Mayo, whose ministry he attended, and to 
 whose pious counsels he considered himself deep- 
 
 ^ The Literary Character • or the History of Men of Genius. 
 
 3 
 
26 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 \y indebted. During the three years whicli 
 young Doddridge spent at Kingston he was 
 noted and esteemed for his sweet disposition, 
 his unaffected piety, and his unremitting appli- 
 cation to study. 
 
 In the summer of 1715, he was called to 
 endure a severe affliction in the death of his 
 father ; and though so sad an event deeply af- 
 fected him, yet he was resigned to the Divine 
 will, and enabled, with all confidence, to look 
 up to his Heavenly Father, for support and com- 
 fort, breathing this pious reflection : * God is an 
 immortal Father; my soul rejoiceth in Him: 
 He has hitherto helped me and provided for 
 me ; may it be my study to approve myself a 
 more affectionate, grateful, and dutiful child.'* 
 About the same period, it is believed, his excel- 
 lent mother was also removed by death ; and he 
 was thus early left a helpless orphan. In his 
 beautiful sermon. The Orphan' sHope^ he tonchmg- 
 \j alludes to the bereavements of his early days : 
 * I am under some peculiar obligations to desire 
 and attempt the relief of orphans, as I know the 
 heart of an orphan ; having been deprived of 
 both my parents at an age in which it might 
 reasonably be supposed a child should be most 
 sensible of such a loss.' 
 
 * 'Sweet are the uses of adversity.' — Shakespeare. 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 27 
 
 About the time of his father's death he was 
 placed under the care of the Rev. I^athaniel 
 Wood, teacher of a school at St. Albans, an old 
 town so 'famed for the remains of its noble 
 abbey.'* 
 
 While pursuing his studies here, he became 
 acquainted with the Rev. Samuel Clarke, D. D., 
 a great-grandson of Samuel Clarke, the martyr- 
 ologist, and a gentleman who, 'with ample 
 means, possessed a large heart, and to extensive 
 erudition added unaffected piety.' His admira- 
 ble Collection of Scripture Promises, has been fre- 
 quently reprinted, and is still popular. f 
 
 Dr. Clarke was for many years pastor of the 
 nonconformist congregation at St. Albans. And 
 here, Doddridge, while a student, attended his 
 
 * "St. Albans (sent awl'banz), a borough and town of Eng- 
 land, county of Hertford, 10 miles N. W. of London, 6J miles 
 N. E. of the Watford station of the London and Birmingham 
 railway. Pop, of the borough, in 1851, 7,000." — Imperial 
 Gazeteer. 
 
 •j- ' Your book on The Promises, is exceedingly useful to my 
 pupils, to whom I fail not earnestly to recommend it, and am 
 reading it over in the family, with brief devotional remarks 
 every Lord's day morning.' — Doddridge; in a letter to Dr. 
 Clarke, dated May 2, 1740. 
 
 Dr. Watts, in his beautiful notice of The Scripture Promises, 
 says : ' Those who have little leisure for reading, may find their 
 account in keeping this book always near them ; and, with the 
 glance of an eye, they may take in the riches of grace and 
 glory, and derive many a sweet refreshment from hence. 
 
28 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 ministry whicli seems to have impressed his 
 youthful miud more and more * with the beauty 
 of holiness and the blessedness of a religious 
 life.' At the age of eighteen he was admitted 
 to the church under Dr. Clarke. His reflections 
 on the solemn occasion of his first approach to 
 the Lord's table, as recorded in his diary, beauti- 
 fully express the feelings of a devout heart : ' I 
 rose early this morning, read that part of Mr. 
 Henry's book on the Lord's supper, which treats 
 of due approach to it. I endeavored to excite in 
 myself those dispositions and affections which 
 he mentions as pl'oper for that ordinance. As I 
 endeavored to prepare my heart, according to the 
 preparation of the sanctuary, though wdth many 
 defects, God was pleased to meet me, and give 
 me sweet communion with Himself, of which I 
 desire always to retain a grateful sense. I, this 
 day, in the strength of Christ, renewed my 
 covenant with God, and renounced my cove- 
 nant with sin. I vowed against every sin, 
 
 amidst their labors and travels through this wilderness. It is 
 of excellent use to lie on the table in a chamber of sickness, 
 and now and then to take a sip of the River of Life, which 
 runs through it in a thousand little rills of peace and joy.' 
 
 The Rev. Ralf Wardlaw, D. D., who wrote an essay for the 
 new edition of Clarke's Scripture Promises, in 1850, says: 
 * The volume is like an arranged museum of gems, and precious 
 stones, and pearls of inestimable value.' 
 
mS STUDENT-LIFE. 29 
 
 and resolved carefully to perform every duty. 
 The Lord keep this in the imagination of my heart, 
 and grant I may not deal treacherously with 
 Him ! In the evening I read and thought on 
 some of Mr. Henry's directions for a suitable 
 conversation after the Lord's supper : and then 
 prayed, begging that God would give me grace 
 so to act as he requires and as I have bound my- 
 self. I then looked over the memorandums of 
 this day, comparing the manner in which I spent 
 it, and blessed be God, I had reason to do it 
 with some pleasure, though in some instances 
 I found cause for humiliation. - 
 
 On leaving the school of St. Albans, in 1718, 
 Doddridge resided for some time with his sister, 
 who was now married to the Eev. John E'ettle- 
 ton, a nonconformist minister at Ougar, in Essex. 
 
 About this time he appears to have entertained 
 the idea of devoting himself to the ministry. 
 But he knew not how to complete his prepara- 
 tory course for want of means, as he was now 
 reduced in circumstances, by the imprudence of 
 the person, who, after his father's death, had the 
 charge of his pecuniary affairs. During his 
 continuance at the house of Mr. l^ettleton the 
 Duchess of Bedford generously offered to de- 
 fray the expenses of his education in one of the 
 universities, if he would consent to unite with 
 
30 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 the Cliurcli of England ; but, like Dr. Watts, 
 who received a similar proposition, he respect- 
 fully declined it, because he could not conscien- 
 tiously comply with the terms of ministerial 
 conformity. Still he was at a loss what course 
 to pursue. In painful suspense, and with a 
 trembling heart, he at length ventured to call on 
 the eminent Dr. Calamy for advice and assist- 
 ance.* But, receiving no encouragement from 
 him, he returned to his lodging with a heavy 
 heart, and made the following entry in his diary : 
 
 * Edmund Calamy was born on the 5th of April, 1671. He 
 was a grandson of the eloquent Dr. Calamy, minister of Alder- 
 manbury, a distinguished member of the Westminster Assem- 
 bly, and one of the authors of Smectymnuus, an answer to Bp. 
 Hall's Divine Right of Episcopacy. He received a thorough 
 academical education ; and in 1688, was sent to the University 
 of Utrecht, where he applied himself so assiduously to his 
 studies, that he is said to have spent * one whole night every 
 week among his books.' In 1692, he was chosen assistant to 
 the Rev. Matthew Sylvester, at Blackfriars, London. In 1703, 
 he became pastor of a congregation at Westminster. He lived 
 to see Doddridge become a useful minister, an author, and 
 pastor of a congregation at Northampton. He died, greatly 
 lamented, on the 3d of June, 1732, in the sixty-second year of 
 his age. Dr. Calamy was a celebrated nonconformist and 
 polemic ; highly esteemed among the dissenters, and by many 
 clergymen of the established church. He is the author of 
 Memoirs of the Rev. John Howe, 8vo., 1724; An Abridgment of 
 Baxter'' s Life and Times, with an account of the ejected Ministers^ 
 4 vols., 8vo., 1713-27. An Historical Account of His own Life^ 
 2 vols., 8vo, 1830. Sermons, etc. 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 31 
 
 * I waited upon Dr. Edmund Calamy to beg his 
 advice and assistance, that I might be brought 
 up a minister, which has always been my great 
 desire. He gave me no encouragement in it, 
 but advised me to turn my thoughts to some- 
 thing else. It was with great concern, that I 
 received such advice; but I desire to follow 
 Providence and not force it. The Lord give me 
 grace to glorify Him in whatever station He sets 
 me : then, here am J, let Him do with me what 
 seemeth good in His sight.' "^ 
 
 He then received an advantageous proposal to 
 enter on the study of the law, and was on the 
 point of accepting it ; but, before taking a deci- 
 sive step, he set apart one morning to seek the 
 Divine direction. f While engaged in his devo- 
 tions, the post-man called at his door with a letter 
 from the Rev. Samuel Clarke, in which that excel- 
 lent divine very generously offered to take him un- 
 
 * ' There is surely no imaginable situation of mina so sweet 
 and so reasonable, as tbat which we feel when we humbly 
 refer ourselves, in all things to the Divine disposal, in an entire 
 suspension of our own will, seeing and owning the hand of 
 God, and bowing before it with a filial acquiescence.' — Dod- 
 dridge ; in his sermon on submission to Divine Providence in the 
 death of children. 
 
 f The writer of the article on Doddridge, in The New Ameri- 
 can Cyclopsedia, is mistaken in saying, that * he pursued for 
 some time the study of the law.' 
 
32 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 der his own roof, and furnisli him with means for 
 prosecuting his preparatory studies for the minis- 
 try. The reader can imagine with what heart-felt 
 gratitude the youthful Doddridge received this 
 cheering communication, and with what delight 
 he sat down to write the following passage in his 
 diary : ' This I looked upon almost as an answer 
 from heaven, and, while I live, shall always 
 adore so seasonable an interposition of Divine 
 Providence. I have sought God's direction in 
 this matter, and I hope I have had it. My only 
 view in my choice hath been that of more ex- 
 tensive service, and I beg God would make me 
 an instrument of doing much good in the world.* 
 Thus was Doddridge led into the ministry; 
 and to this favorable interposition of Divine 
 Providence in raising up for him such a friend 
 as Dr. Clarke, he refers in the following passage 
 in his sermon on The Orphan's Hope, preached 
 from Psalm 27 : 10 : ' When my father and my 
 mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me 
 up.' '■ There are, my friends, I am sure there are, 
 those amongst us this day, who can set our seal 
 to the truth of what has now been spoken, and 
 can say, in the language of the text, that when 
 our father and our mother did both of them for- 
 sake us, then the Lord actually took us up, and 
 proved a most gracious Parent to us. He supplied 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 33 
 
 the breaches that He made, and by a train of 
 providence, which we cannot but admire in the 
 review, raised np other friends for us ; and it 
 may be, inspired almost with the tenderness of 
 parents, persons who were ever unknown to us, 
 when the last of our parents was taken away. 
 iNay, perhaps, some of us may say, that the death 
 of a valuable parent, which we feared would be 
 our ruin, has proved in some of its then un- 
 thought-of consequences, on the whole, a very 
 great mercy to us.' 
 
 While at St. Albans with his generous friend, 
 for whom he ever retained a strong feeling of 
 gratitude and respect, Doddridge pursued his 
 studies with ardor and facility, having access to 
 the well furnished library of Dr. Clarke, and re- 
 ceiving his constant advice and instruction. 
 
 In 1716, when only fourteen years of age, he 
 commenced keeping a diary, in which he ' ac- 
 counted for every hour of his time.' He was 
 one who employed his time to the greatest pos- 
 sible advantage. Few, indeed, have been so 
 sensible of its value. It would, perhaps, be dif- 
 ficult to find a Christian who has more faith- 
 fully regarded the apostolic exhortation ; ' See 
 then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, 
 but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days 
 are evil.' That he might have more time for 
 
34 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 study and devotion, lie enforced upon himself 
 the necessity of early rising ; and we are told 
 that ' unless severely indisposed, he quitted his 
 bed, winter and summer, at five o'clock.' His 
 own language will best show how careful he was 
 to improve the precious hours of life : ' I am 
 generally employed, with very short intervals, 
 from morning to night, and have seldom more 
 than six hours in bed ; yet, such is the goodness 
 of God to me, that I seldom know what it is to 
 be weary.' Such a course he pursued, not only 
 while a student, but through his subsequent life. 
 And to this habit of early rising we are told 
 that ' he used to ascribe a great part of the pro- 
 gress he had made in learning.' 
 
 In this Doddridge followed the example of 
 Milton, and other famous and industrious au- 
 thors. Says the great epic poet, in alluding 
 to his own early rising and morning employ- 
 ments : ' My morning haunts are, where they 
 should be, at home ; not sleeping, or concocting 
 the surfeits of an irregular feast, but up and stir- 
 ring ; in winter, often ere the sound of any bell 
 awake men to labor or to devotion ; in summer, 
 as oft with the bird that first rises, or not much 
 tardier, to read good authors, or cause them to 
 be read till attention be weary, or memory have 
 its full freight.' 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 85 
 
 Oil ! there is a charm 
 That morning has, that gives the brow of age 
 A smack of youth, and makes the life of youth 
 Breathe perfume exquisite. Expect it not, 
 Ye who till noon upon a down-bed lie. 
 Indulging feverish sleep, or wakeful dream 
 Of happiness no mortal heart has felt. 
 But in regions of romance. — Hurdis. 
 
 In the autumn of 1719, at the age of seventeen, 
 J)oddridge removed to the quiet village of Kib- 
 worth, in Leicestershire, to prosecute his theolog- 
 ical studies under the learned and pious John 
 Jennings, D. D., principal of a dissenting academy 
 in that town.* Dr. John Jennings is the author 
 
 * The Rev. Dr. Hamilton, of London, has committed an er- 
 ror in saying that the academy at Kibworth was conducted by 
 the Rev. David Jennings, when Doddridge was a student in 
 that institution. See his article on Doddridge in the North Bri- 
 tish Review, xiv, 190 / and also in his Christian Classics, vol. ui, 
 866, ed. of 1859, published by the llessrs. Carter, in 4 vols. 12mo. 
 
 The Rev. J. R. Boyd has also made a similar mistake in sta- 
 ting that the Rev. John Jennings was the * author of the 
 learned work on The Antiquities of the Jews.' See his Me- 
 moirs of the Life, Character and Writings of Doddridge ,' published 
 by the American Tract Society, 12mo.,p. 22. 
 
 In both of these statements the facts are, that the author of 
 the valuable treatise on Jewish Antiquities was the Rev. David 
 Jennings, D. D., a brother of John Jennings, D. D., the tutor 
 of Doddridge. 
 
 David Jennings was born in 1691 ; and died in 1762. He 
 ff&a divinity tutor at Coward's academy in 1744. He was also 
 
g6 r.IFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 of two discourses on Preaching Christ, and Partic- 
 ular and Experimental Preaching, first published 
 in 1723, with a recommendatory preface by Dr. 
 Watts. These excellent discourses, which de- 
 serve ' the serious attention of every minister,' 
 are included, in an abridged form, in Dr. Wil- 
 liams' Christian Preacher. 
 
 At the Kib worth academy, ' Doddridge was a 
 diligent scholar, and studied with great care the 
 Greek and Latin classics, and the Scriptures in 
 the original languages. Like Isaac Watts, in 
 his academical course, he adopted the excellent 
 method of epitomizing some of the most valuable 
 books he perused, or of writing observations on 
 them. In reading he especially extracted such 
 passages as might illustrate any particular text 
 of scripture, or in any other way be of service to 
 him in his preparations for the pulpit. His an- 
 notations on Homer alone, it is said, would fill 
 a good sized volume. 
 
 He was particularly fond of the Greek classics, 
 and studied them with great admiration, espe- 
 
 pastor of a congregation in Old Gravel Lane, Wapping, 1744- 
 62. His work on Jewish Antiquities ' has long held a distin- 
 guished character for its accuracy and learning,' John Jen- 
 nings accepted a call from the dissenting church at Hinckly in 
 1722, and died the following year in the prime of life. The 
 names of these excellent brothers occupy a distinguished place 
 in non-conformist literature. 
 
niS STUDENT-LIFE. 87 
 
 cially Homer, Pindar, Xenophon, Isocrates, 
 Theocritus, Epictetus and Lucian. In Roman 
 literature he read Terence, Horace and Cicero. 
 In this manner he laid a foundation for that ' sol- 
 idity, strength and correctness, both of senti- 
 ment and style, which must seldom be expected 
 where those great originals are unknown or dis- 
 regarded.'* 
 
 While at the Kib worth academy, Doddridge 
 also studied French, reading some of the best 
 authors in that language, both in poetry and 
 prose. Speaking of Racine, whose pathos is so 
 profound, and the grace and melody of whose 
 diction are so exquisite, he says, in a letter to 
 a friend : ' Of all their dramatic poets, I have 
 met with none that I admire so much as Racine. 
 It is impossible not to be charmed with the 
 pomp, elegance and harmony of his language, 
 
 * On the utility of the study of the classics in the liberal edu- 
 cation of young men, the Rev. John Todd, D. D., has this forcible 
 and happy remark : * I do not believe it is possible to educate 
 the mind so as to fit it for extensive influence in this age of 
 the world, without the classics. You wish for a perfect, ac- 
 curate, and complete power over your own language, so as to 
 make it a faultless vehicle of thought. And where can you 
 find a discipline so sure to give this, as the study of that most 
 perfect, philosophical, and beautiful of all human tongues — 
 the Greek ? and also the study of that noble language, fitted 
 for the majesty of the mightiest people the earth ever saw — 
 the Latin ? ' — Oration delivered at Union College^ Sept. 21, 1846. 
 
 4 
 
38 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 as well as tlie majesty, tenderness and propriety 
 of his sentiments. The whole is conducted with 
 a wonderful mixture of grandeur and simplicity, 
 which sufficiently distinguish him from the dull- 
 ness of some tragedians, and the bombast of 
 others.' Another French author, whose works 
 he read with pleasure, was the eminent and 
 pious Fenelon. He writes in the letter just 
 quoted : ' I lately met with the archbishop of 
 Cambray's Reflections upon Eloquence, which I 
 think one of the most judicious pieces I have 
 ever seen. There are some fine criticisms at the 
 end of it, which well deserve your perusal.' 
 Fenelon's Telemachus, and Bourdaloue's Sermons, 
 were used as text books in the academy of Mr. 
 Jennings, at Kibworth, and Doddridge does not 
 seem to have lost the opportunity of becoming 
 acquainted with the finest passages of these 
 noble authors. 
 
 In addition to this classical, he cultivated, 
 while under the care of Dr. Jennings, general 
 literature. We are told that, in the space of six 
 months, he perused with care as many as sixty 
 volumes, including Patrick's Commentary on the 
 Old Testament; the works of Tillotson,* then his 
 
 * Beautifully and forcibly has the character of Dr. Tillotson 
 been drawn by the pen of Bp. Burnet, his intimate and valued 
 friend: 'He was the man of the truest judgment and best 
 temper I had ever known : he had a clear head, with a most 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 39 
 
 principal favorite ; and the Boyle lectures in 
 defense of natural and revealed reliction.* 
 
 The course of his reading in the department 
 of theological literature was very extensive. 
 Some of the other works he speaks of reading 
 at this period, were Barrow's Sermons ; Scott's 
 
 tender and compassionate heart : he was a faithful and zealous 
 friend, but a gentle and soon conquered enemy : he was truly 
 and seriously religious, but without affectation, bigotry or 
 superstition : his notions of morality were fine and sublime : 
 his thread of reasoning was easy, clear, and solid : he was not 
 only the best preacher of the age, but seemed to have brought 
 preaching to perfection : his sermons were so well heard and 
 liked, and so much read that all the nation proposed him as a 
 pattern, and studied to copy after him.' — History of his Own 
 Time. 
 
 * ' The Boyle lectureship was founded at Oxford by that 
 illustrious philosopher, the Hon. Robert Boyle. Its design 
 is, ' to prove the truth of the Christian religion against infidels, 
 without descending to any controversies among Christians, and 
 to answer new difficulties, scruples,' &c. It has produced 
 some very valuable works on the being and attributes of God. 
 The preacher, at this lectureship, was to be chosen for a period 
 not longer than three years. Some of the earlier preachers, 
 whose lectures are published, were Dr. R. Bently, Bp. Kidder, 
 Bp. Gastrell, Dr. John Harris, Dean Stanhope, Dr. Samuel 
 Clarke, W. Whiston, and Dr. W. Derham. 
 
 In 1739, a collection of the Boyle lectures was published in 
 3 vols, folio. Of this collection, Bp, Watson says : * If all 
 other defenses of religion were lost, there is solid reasoning 
 enough (if properly weighed), in these three volumes to re- 
 move the scruples of most unbelievers.' 
 
40 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 Christian Life; Burnet's Sacred Theory of the 
 Earth; Locke's Essay Concerning the Human 
 
 Understanding ; Lord Shaftesbury's works, con- 
 taining 'a strange mixture of good sense and 
 extravagance ;' Prideaux's Connection of the Old 
 and New Testament with the History of the Jews 
 and Neighboring Nations, ' wHch/ he says ' I am 
 now reading with a particular view to the pro- 
 phecies ;' The Spectator; and various other essays, 
 besides poems and travels. 
 
 The lines of Dr. Johnson may be suitably 
 applied to Doddridge, during his student-life : 
 
 * His force of genius burned in early youth 
 With thirst of knowledge and with love of truth ; 
 His learning, joined with each endearing art, 
 Charmed every ear and gained on every heart.' 
 
 But, at Kibworth, books did not engage his 
 undivided attention. He also studied with great 
 diligence the volume of nature. Li the solitude 
 of the surrounding country he seems to have 
 loved to ramble in the open fields, deeply inte- 
 rested in the various scenes and objects around 
 him ; now viewing the broad and beautiful 
 meadows, and the clear, silvery streams; now 
 listening to the murmuring sound of brooks, 
 and the sweet music of birds; now looking 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 41 
 
 upon tlie deep, blue sky, and the floating clouds ;* 
 and now, with silent admiration, contemplating 
 the splendors of a summer sunset. f 
 
 In his letters, written during the latter period 
 of his academical course, in 1722, we have an in- 
 teresting account of his studious life. He speaks 
 of the 'lovely prospect' which he enjoyed at 
 Kih worth; of 'those agreeable retreats with- 
 out doors,' to which he resorted ; of ' flowery 
 
 * ' To the wise man,' says Goldsmith, ' the melody of birds 
 is more ravishing than the harmony of a full concert; and 
 the tincture of the cloud preferable to the touch of the finest 
 pencil. — Citizen of the World. 
 
 f ' And oh ye fountains, meadows, hills and groves, 
 Think not of any severing of our loves ! 
 Yet in my heart of hearts I feel your might ; 
 I only have relinquished one delight 
 To live beneath your more habitual sway. 
 I love the brooks which down their channels fret, 
 Even more than when I tripp'ed lightly as they ; 
 The innocent brightness of a new-born day 
 
 Is lovely yet ; 
 The clouds that gather round the setting sun 
 Do take a sober coloring from an eye 
 That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality ; 
 Another race hath been, and other palms are won 
 Thanks to the human heart by which we live, 
 Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears. 
 To me the meanest flower that blows can give 
 Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.' 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
42 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 meadows, and purling streams;' of * gardens, 
 arbors, and grottos;' and of all ' those pretty 
 embellishments of nature ' which afford so much 
 gratification to persons of highly imaginative 
 minds and exquisite tastes. Amidst those 
 ' charming retreats ' he often ' walked alone,' in 
 the freshness and brightness of the morning, in 
 the glorious sunshine of midday, or in the soft- 
 ness and stillness of the evening, musing on the 
 manifold and peaceful works of God, with which 
 He has replenished and adorned ' this bright and 
 breathing world.'* 
 
 From viewing Doddridge in the school room, 
 pursuing with ardor the study of the classics 
 and the sciences, and in the cool, flowery arbors 
 or beautiful, open fields, surveying the works of 
 creation, we turn to consider him in his progress 
 in virtue and piety, during his student-life. 
 The best evidence of the state of his moral and 
 
 * * No cares or business here disturb our hours, 
 While underneath these shady, peaceful bowers 
 In cool delight and innocence we stray, 
 And midst a thousand pleasures pass the day. 
 Sometimes upon a river's bank we lie, 
 Where skimming swallows o'er the surface fly ; 
 Just as the sun declining with his beams 
 Kisses, and gently warms the gliding streams ; 
 Amidst whose current rising fishes play, 
 And roll in wanton liberty away.' — Otway. 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 43 
 
 religious feelings, wliile under the care of Dr. 
 Jennings, is furnished in a series of rules which 
 he framed at that time for the regulation of his 
 conduct and the cultivation of his piety. These 
 rules, formed by one who had not attained the 
 age of twenty, show a remarkable degree of that 
 wisdom which is from above, the beginning of 
 which is the fear of the Lord, and a desire to be 
 devoted to His service and worship. What more 
 seasonable rules can be furnished for the general 
 guidance of students in the grand and noble 
 aims of the Christian life? By those, especially, 
 who are pursuing a course of study preparatory 
 to the ministry, they are worthy of a careful and 
 serious attention. 
 
 Rules for the Direction of my Conduct While 
 A Student. 
 
 1. Let my first thoughts be devout and thank- 
 ful. Let me rise early, immediately return God 
 solemn thanks for the mercies of the night, de- 
 vote myself to Him, and beg His assistance in 
 the intended business of the day. 
 
 2. In this, and every other act of devotion, 
 let me recollect my thoughts ; speak directly to 
 Him, and never give way to anything internal 
 or external that may divert my attention. 
 
 3. Let me set myself to read the Scriptures 
 
44 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 every morning. In tlie first reading let me 
 endeavor to impress my heart with a practical 
 sense of divine things ; then use the help of 
 commentators. Let these rules, with proper 
 alterations, he observed every evening. 
 
 4. ITever let me trifle with a book with which 
 I may have no present concern. In applying 
 myself to any work, let me first recollect what 
 I may learn by it, and then beg suitable assist- 
 ance from God ; and let me continually endeavor 
 to make all my studies subservient to practical 
 religion and ministerial usefulness. 
 
 5. I^ever let me lose one minute of time, nor 
 incur unnecessary expenses, that I may have the 
 more to spend for God. 
 
 6. When I am called abroad, let me be de- 
 sirous of doing good, and receiving good. Let 
 me always have in readiness some subject of 
 contemplation, and endeavor to improve my 
 time with good thoughts as I go along. Let me 
 endeavor to render myself agreeable, and useful 
 to all about me by a tender, compassionate, 
 friendly behavior, avoiding all trifling and im- 
 pertinent stories, and remembering that impru- 
 dence is sin, 
 
 7. Let me use moderation at meals, and see 
 that I am not hypocritical in prayers and thanks- 
 giving at them. 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 45 
 
 8. Let me never delay anything, unless I can 
 prove that another time will be more fit than the 
 present, or that some other more important duty 
 requires my attendance. 
 
 9. Let me be often lifting up my heart to God 
 in the intervals of secret worship, repeating those 
 petitions which are of the greatest importance, 
 and a surrender of myself to His service. 
 
 10. !N'ever let me enter into long schemes 
 about future events, but in general refer myself 
 to the Divine care. 
 
 11. Let me labor after habitual gratitude and 
 love to God and the Redeemer. Let me guard 
 against pride, remembering that I have all from 
 God's hand, and that I have deserved the sever- 
 est punishment. 
 
 12. In all my studies let me remember that 
 the souls of men are immortal, and that Christ 
 died to redeem them. 
 
 13. Let me consecrate my sleep and all my re- 
 creations to God, and seek them for His sake. 
 
 14. Let me frequently ask myself what duty 
 or what temptation is now before me ? 
 
 15. Let me remember that through the mercy 
 of God in a Redeemer, I hope that I am within 
 a short space of heaven. 
 
 16. Let me be frequently surveying these 
 rules, and my conduct as compared with them. 
 
46 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 17. Let me often recollect wliicli of these 
 rules I have present occasion to practice. 
 
 18. If I have grossly erred in any one of these 
 particulars, let me not think it an excuse for 
 erring in others. 
 
 In connection with these excellent rules may 
 be enumerated a more brief series of directions, 
 prepared about this time, by the same hand, and 
 for a similar object. 
 
 1. Begin the day with God.* 
 
 2. Be conscientious and diligent in the busi- 
 ness of the day. 
 
 3. Be moderate and innocent in the recrea- 
 tions of the day. 
 
 4. Carefully remark and wisely improve all 
 providential dispensations. 
 
 5. Guard against the temptations of the day. 
 
 6. Govern your thoughts when alone. 
 
 7. Guard your tongue when in company. 
 
 8. In everything depend on the assisting grace 
 of God. "Whatever be the work in hand, whether 
 sacred or civil, whether temple work, domestic 
 
 * Be still with Him when you awake, Ps. 139:18. In the 
 morning thank Him for your rest, and deliver up yourself to 
 His conduct and service for the day. Go forth as with Him, 
 and to do His work ; do every action with the command of 
 God and the promise of heaven before your eyes, and upon 
 your hearts. Live as those who have incomparably more to 
 do with God and heaven, than with all this world. — Baxter. 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 47 
 
 work, public work or closet work, seek divine 
 assistance. 
 
 9. Close the day with self-examination and 
 prayer. 
 
 It is worthy of observation that while Dod- 
 dridge was framing these rules in his academi- 
 cal career, our great American theologian, Jona- 
 than Edwards, was, about the same time, dur- 
 ing his preparation for, and shortly after his 
 entrance on, the ministry, forming a series of 
 seventy resolutions for the regulation of his own 
 heart and life ; all of which, like those of Dod- 
 dridge, were written before the age of twenty. 
 In reading the rules of Doddridge we were for- 
 cibly reminded of the resolutions of Edwards, a 
 few of which we would here introduce. They 
 discover a profound knowledge of the human 
 heart, great attainments in the divine life, and a 
 high, evangelical tone. ' These resolutions,* 
 says S. E. Dwight, ^are, perhaps, to persons of 
 every age, but especially to the young, the best 
 uninspired summary of Christian duty, the best 
 directory to high attainments in evangelical vir- 
 tue, which the mind of man has hitherto been 
 able to form.' 
 
 Hesolved, 'Never to lose one moment of time, 
 but to improve it in the most profitable way I 
 possibly can. 
 
48 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 Resolved, l!^ever to do anything, whicli I should 
 be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my 
 life. 
 
 Resolved, To maintain the strictest temper- 
 ance, in eating and drinking. 
 
 Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, 
 constantly and frequently, as that I may find, 
 and plainly perceive myself to grow in the 
 knowledge of the same. 
 
 Resolved, To strive, every week, to be brought 
 higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of 
 grace, than I was the week before. 
 
 Resolved, To improve every opportunity, when 
 I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to 
 cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ ; to trust and confide in Him, and conse- 
 crate myself wholly to Him ; that from this I 
 may have assurance of my safety, knowing that 
 I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723. 
 
 Resolved, When I fear misfortunes and adver- 
 sity, to examine whether I have done my duty, 
 and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as 
 Providence orders it. I will, as far as I can, be 
 concerned about nothing but my duty, and my 
 sin. June 9 and July 13, 1723. 
 
 Resolved, "When I find those ' groanings which 
 cannot be uttered,' of which the apostle speaks, 
 and those ' breakings of soul for the longing that it 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 49 
 
 hath^'' of whicli the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119: 
 20 ; that I will promote them to the utmost of 
 my power, and that I will not be weary of ear- 
 nestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of 
 the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23 and 
 August 10, 1723. 
 
 Resolved, Yery much to exercise myself in this, 
 all my life long, viz : with the greatest open- 
 ness of which I am capable, to declare my ways 
 to God, and lay open my soul to Him ; all my 
 sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, 
 hopes, desires, and every thing, and every cir- 
 cumstance, according to Dr. Manton's sermon 
 on the 119th Psalm. July 26, and August 10, 
 1723. 
 
 Resolved, That I will endeavor always to keep 
 a benign aspect and air of acting and speaking, 
 in all places, and in all companies, except it 
 should so happen that duty requires otherwise. 
 
 Let there be something of benevolence in all 
 that I speak. August 17, 1723.* 
 
 Shortly before completing his studies, prepara- 
 tory to the ministry, Doddridge removed with 
 his tutor, Dr. Jennings, to Hinckley, a populous 
 and thriving town, situated in the county of 
 Leicester, thirteen miles southwest of the city 
 of Leicester. The country in the vicinity of 
 
 *See Life of President Edwards^ by S. E. Dwight, pp. 67-74. 
 
 5 
 
50 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 Hinckley, he writes, is ' rather more pleasant 
 than the neighborhood of Kibworth,' but from 
 the window of his ' very pretty little chamber ' 
 he had ' no very delightful prospect.' He re- 
 marks again, with reference to this removal to 
 Hinckley : ' We have certainly changed for the 
 worse in our removal from Kibworth, both as to 
 house, garden and fields.' 
 
 Doddridge finished his course of preparatory 
 theological studies at Hinckley ; and, on being 
 licensed to preach, delivered his first discourse 
 there in the summer of 1722, just after he had 
 completed his twentieth year. The sermon was 
 founded on that striking text : ' If any man love 
 not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, 
 maran-atha.' 1 Cor. 16 : 22. It was ' a plain, 
 practical discourse,' on * a very moving sub- 
 ject,' preached to *a very large auditory.' It is 
 interesting to know that it was evidently accom- 
 panied with the divine blessing. ' I find in Dod- 
 dridge's diary,' says Mr. Orton, *that two per- 
 sons ascribed their conversion to the blessing of 
 God attending that sermon, with which he ap- 
 pears to have been much afiected and encour- 
 aged.' 
 
 With such happy results opened the ministry 
 of Philip Doddridge — a ministry which was sig- 
 nally blessed by the Chief Shepherd in the bring- 
 
HIS STUDENT-LIFE. 
 
 51 
 
 ing of many a wanderer into the gospel fold, and 
 in the edification and consolation of many a 
 Christian pilgrim on the journey heavenward. 
 And though he had not yet attained that distin- 
 guished excellence of Christian character — that 
 solemnity of deportment, spirituality of mind, 
 and entire devotedness to Cod, which marked 
 his future career, yetDoddridge's path hencefor- 
 ward was like ' the shining light, that shinetb 
 more and more unto the perfect day.' 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 his pastorate at kibworth and market 
 Harborough. 
 
 HE first pastoral settlement of Dod- 
 dridge commenced in the summer 
 of 1723. He then accepted a unani- 
 mous invitation to become the suc- 
 cessor of his tutor, Dr. Jennings, 
 
 in the charge of a small congregation at the 
 
 village of Kibv^orth. 
 
 In assuming this charge, he drew up the fol- 
 
 lov^ing excellent rules respecting his ministerial 
 
 duties, which he was very careful to observe : 
 
 1. I will spend some extraordinary time in 
 private devotion every Lord's day, morning or 
 evening, as opportunity may offer, and will then^ 
 endeavor to 'preach over to my own soul that doc- 
 trine which I preach to others. 
 
 2. I will take every second evening in the 
 week, in which I will spend half an hour in de- 
 votional exercises, on such subjects relative to 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT KIBWORTH. 53 
 
 the congregation as I think most suitable to that 
 occasion. 
 
 3. At the close of every week and month, I 
 will spend some time in its review, that I may- 
 see how time has been improved, innocence se- 
 cured, duties discharged, and whether I advance 
 or lose ground in religion. 
 
 4. When I have an affair of more than ordi- 
 nary importance before me, or meet with any 
 remarkable occurrence, either merciful or afflict- 
 ive, I will set apart some time for contemplation 
 and to seek God upon it. 
 
 5. I will more particularly devote some time 
 every Friday to seek Grod, on account of those 
 who recommend themselves to my prayers, and 
 to pray for the public welfare; a subject which I 
 will never totally exclude. 
 
 6. In all the duties of the oratory, I will en- 
 deavor to maintain a serious and affectionate 
 temper. 
 
 I am sensible that I have a heart which will 
 incline me to depart froni God. May His Spirit 
 strengthen and sanctify it, so thtit I may find 
 Him in such seasons of retirement, and that my 
 Heavenly Father may behold me here with 
 pleasure, and at length openly reward me, 
 through Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 Doddridge found his settlement at Kibworth 
 
54 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 extremely agreeable, and met with ^ a great 
 deal of comfort and encouragement ' among his 
 friends there. To one he writes at this period : 
 'I reside in a very agreeable family, where I 
 have very comfortable accommodations about 
 me, and have almost as much time for study as 
 I had when I was at the academy. The congre- 
 gation consists of about two hundred and fifty 
 people.' 
 
 Here he devoted himself with untiring pa- 
 tience and diligence to sacred and profane litera- 
 ture, and to the discharge of his professional 
 duties. 
 
 From the following passage in one of his 
 letters to a female correspondent, who had 
 * condoled with him on being buried alive,* 
 it appears that he passed those days both plea- 
 santly and profitably, while engaged in his 
 favorite employments, amidst the quiet scenes 
 of a rural town. Speaking of his resolution to 
 stick pretty close to those delightful studies, 
 which a favorable Providence has made the 
 business of his life, he says : ' One day passes 
 away after another, and I only know that it 
 passes pleasantly with me ; but, as for the world 
 about me, I have very little concern with it. I 
 live like a tortoise, shut up in its shell, almost 
 always in the same town, in the same house and 
 
HIS PA STORA TE AT KIB WOR TH. 55 
 
 in tlie same chamber; and yet I live like a prince 
 — not indeed in the pomp of greatness, but in tlie 
 pride of liberty ; master of my books, master of 
 my time, and, I hope I may add, master of my- 
 self too. 
 
 ' I can willingly give up the charms of your 
 ensnaring town (Lon^Jon), its popularity, com- 
 pany and luxury, for the secret pleasures of ra- 
 tional employment and self-approbation ; for a 
 silent retreat from applause or reproach, from 
 envy or contempt, and the destructive baits of 
 avarice and ambition. So that, upon the whole, 
 madam, I would not have you lament it as my 
 misfortune, but rather congratulate me upon it 
 as my happiness, that I am thus confined to an 
 obscure village, seeing it gives me so many 
 favorable advantages for the most serious and 
 important purposes of devotion and philosophy, 
 and, I hope I may add, of usefulness too.' 
 
 During his settlement at Kibworth, we have 
 another exquisite picture of country life and 
 rural scenes, drawn by his own hand. Writing 
 to one in the bright season of summer, he says : 
 ' You know I love a country life, and here we 
 have it in perfection. I am roused in the morn- 
 ing with the chirping of sparrows, the cooing of 
 pigeons, the lowing of kine, the bleating of 
 sheep, and, to complete the concert, the grunt- 
 
56 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 ing of swine and neigMng of horses. We have 
 a mighty pleasant garden and orchard, and a 
 fine arbor under some tall, shady limes, that 
 form a kind of lofty dome, of which, as a native 
 of the great city, you may, perhaps, catch a 
 glimmering idea, if I name the cupola of St. 
 Paul's. And then, on the other side of the 
 house, there is a large space which we call a 
 wilderness, and which, I fancy, would please 
 you extremely. The ground is dainty green- 
 sward ; a brook runs sparkling through the 
 middle, and there are two large fish-ponds at 
 one end ; both the ponds and the brook are 
 surrounded with willows, and there are several 
 shady walks under the trees, besides little knots 
 of young willows interspersed at convenient dis- 
 tances. This is the nursery of our lambs and 
 calves, with whom I have the honor to be inti- 
 mately acquainted. Here I generally spend the 
 evening, and pay my respects to the setting sun, 
 when the variety and the beauty of the pros- 
 pect inspire a pleasure that I know not how to 
 express.* I am sometimes so transported with 
 these inanimate beauties, that I fancy I am like 
 Adam in Paradise ; and it is my only misfortune 
 
 * 'And this our life, exempt from public haunt, 
 Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
 Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.' — Shakespeaeb. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT KIBWORTH. 57 
 
 that I want an Eve, and liave none but the birds 
 of the air and the beasts of the field for my com- 
 panions.' * 
 
 From this pleasing picture, let us turn to the 
 study of Doddridge at Kibworth, and see what 
 authors were engaging his attention in the early 
 days of his ministry. On this point he has given 
 us abundant information in his Correspondence. 
 He was now employing a considerable portion 
 of his time in studying the works of Eichard 
 Baxter, of whose spirit he drank deeply, and 
 whose solemn earnestness he ' most successfully 
 imitated.' A friend presented him, at this 
 time, with a copy of Baxter's Practical Works, 
 and in acknowledging the receipt of so valuable 
 a present, he writes to the donor : ' I shall be 
 heartily glad if ever it lies in my power, by any 
 little service, to express the estimation in which 
 I hold your favor. At this time I can think of 
 no other way of doing so than to study those 
 excellent books with all imaginable care ; and 
 by what I already know of them, I have abun- 
 dant reason to conclude that I shall fully find 
 my account in doing so. 
 
 ' I would hope, sir, that it will be some 
 satisfaction to you to think that you have not 
 only given me many of the most rational and 
 
 * Letter, dated July 15, 1723. 
 
58 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 cliarming entertainments, but that by the bless- 
 ing of God upon my future ministry, some sin- 
 ners may, perhaps, owe their conversion ; some 
 honest Christians their comfort and edification, 
 to my acquaintance with Mr. Baxter's incom- 
 parable writings, for which I am thus obliged to 
 your generosity.' * A few weeks after receiving 
 this copy of Baxter's works, he writes to his 
 generous friend and patron, the E,ev. Dr. Clarke : 
 ' I have lately received Mr. Baxter's works, 
 which I am now reading with abundance of 
 pleasure.' f And again, in the fall of the same 
 year, he says, in another letter to the same 
 friend : *At present my thoughts are principally 
 taken up with divinity and the study of the 
 Scriptures. I am going on with Mr. Baxter's 
 works, which I can not sufficiently admire. I 
 have been looking over his Reasons for the Christ- 
 ian Religion^ and I find a great many curious and 
 
 * Letter, dated April 18, 1724, 
 
 Dr. Chalmers, who was an admirer of Doddridge's writings, 
 seems to have been struck with the similarity between Baxter 
 and Doddridge, with respect to the impressiveness and solemni- 
 ty of their language. In a letter to his brother he says : 
 
 ' I look upon Baxter and Doddridge as two most impressive 
 writers, and from whom you are most likely to carry away the 
 impression, that a preparation for eternity should be the main 
 business and anxiety of time.' 
 
 f Letter dated May 5, 1724. 
 
HIS PASTOR A TE A T KIB WORTH. 59 
 
 important thoughts, which have not occured to 
 me in any of the Boylean Lectures which I have 
 seen.' * A still more particular reference to the 
 estimation in which he held the writings of this 
 great Puritan, is found in one of his letters to 
 liis brother-in-law, the E,ev. Mr. E'ettleton. 
 'Baxter,' he writes, 'is my particular favorite; 
 and it is impossible to tell you how much I am 
 charmed with the devotion, good sense and 
 pathos which are everywhere to be found in 
 that writer. I can not indeed forbear looking 
 upon him as one of the greatest orators that our 
 nation ever produced, both with regard to co- 
 piousness, acuteness and energy ; and if he has 
 described the temper of his own heart, he ap- 
 pears to have been so far superior to the 
 generality of those whom we must charitably 
 hope to be good men, that one would imagine 
 God raised him up to disgrace and condemn his 
 brethren, by showing what a Christian is, and 
 how few in the world deserve the character ! 
 I have lately been reading his Gildas Salvianus 
 {JReformed Pasior),^ which has cut me out some 
 
 * Letter, dated Oct. 22, 1724. 
 
 •j- ' It is one of the best of his invaluable practical works. 
 In the whole compass of divinity, there is scarcely any thing 
 superior to it, in close, pathetic appeals to the conscience of 
 the minister of Christ, upon the primary duties of his oflEice.' — 
 Bp. Daniel Wilson 
 
60 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 work among my people, that will take me off 
 from so close an application to my private studies 
 as I could otherwise covet; but may, I hope, 
 answer some valuable purposes, both with re- 
 gard to myself and others.' * 
 
 Another of his favorite authors, about this 
 period, was John Howe, whose seraphic fervor 
 seems to have been the means of producing in 
 him a greater love for things spiritual and 
 divine. 
 
 Isaac Barrow was also a writer whom he 
 greatly valued. Dr. Kippis informs us that he 
 remembers to have heard him speak of Barrow 
 with great energy of commendation ; and we 
 find that in his Lectures on Preaching, Doddridge 
 pronounces him the most laconic writer among 
 the English divines. ' ITo thing,' he adds, ' is 
 more elaborate than his discourses, most of them 
 having been transcribed three times over, and 
 some of them oftener.' f 
 
 In his pleasant retreat at Kibworth, the peru- 
 sal of such authors afforded Doddridge the 
 richest entertainment and instruction. And 
 
 * Letter, dated Dec. 8, 1724. 
 
 •|- While a student at the University of Oxford, Lord Chatham, 
 ' as a means of acquiring copiousness of diction and an exact 
 choice of words,' is said to have read and re-read the Sermom 
 of Barrow, till he knew many of them by heart 
 
m^ PASTOR A TE A T KIB WORTH. 61 
 
 there he wrote many of his own sermons, and 
 labored on his expositions and other works. 
 
 'Books,' says Wordsworth, ' are a substantial 
 world ; ' and another writer, in speaking of a 
 library, calls it ' the monument of vanished 
 minds.' * Doddridge was one of those who 
 loved to move in this ' substantial world,' and 
 to study the inscriptions on this imperishable 
 monument. He early commenced to form a valu- 
 able private library, which continued through his 
 life to be increased by purchases and the gifts 
 of friends. At the time of his death it con- 
 tained about three thousand volumes. While 
 at Kibworth, we find him on one occasion send- 
 ing to London for ' Howe, Bates, Prideaux, the 
 Spectator, and Guardian, and a great many other 
 good books.' The year after his first settlement 
 he writes to some of his friends : ' At present I 
 
 * ' The past but lives in words ; a thousand ages 
 Were blank, if books had not evoked their ghosts, 
 And kept the pale unbodied shades to warn us 
 From fleshless lips.' — E. L. Bulwer. 
 < A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, 
 embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life'. — 
 Milton. 
 
 ' Blessed be the memory of those who have left their blood, 
 their spirits, their lives in these precious papers, and have 
 willingly wasted themselves in these enduring monuments to 
 give light to others.' — Bp. Hall's Meditation on a Library. 
 
 6 
 
62 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 apply myself entirely to tlie Bible, theoretical 
 and practical divinity, but principally tbe latter. 
 I have many useful books, and a good deal of 
 time to make use of them.' *I am glad your 
 library increases,' writes his brother-in-law, soon 
 after our author's removal to Northampton ; 
 and in his reflections on one of his visits to 
 London, Doddridge himself rejoices that he had 
 there ' met with many kind friends, and with 
 some handsome presents to his library.' * Thus 
 it seems that his taste for collecting valuable 
 books, was a source of great pleasure through 
 life. 
 
 In 1725, Doddridge, while continuing to preach 
 at Kibworth, removed to Market Harborough, 
 a place about ^yq miles distant, f His occa- 
 sional discourses at Market Harborough were 
 so acceptable, that, in 1729, he was chosen 
 assistant to the Eev. Mr. Some, pastor of a 
 church at that place ; ' the congregation,' says 
 Dr. Kippis, ' being desirous to enjoy his labors 
 
 * ' Next to acquiring good friends, tlie best acquisition is that. 
 
 of good books.' COLTON. 
 
 f ' Market Harborough, a market town of England, 16^ 
 miles S. S. E. of Leicester, on the Welland, and on the 
 London and York railway. Population in 1851, 2,325. It 
 has a fine Gothic church, said to have been erected by John of 
 Gaunt.' — Imperial Gazetteer. 
 
HIS PASTOR A TH AT KIB WOR TH. 63 
 
 more frequently than before ; tlie result of which 
 choice was, that he preached there and at Kib- 
 worth alternately.' 
 
 Here he still continued with undiminished 
 ardor his studies in ecclesiastical history, the- 
 ology, classical and English literature. In his 
 Correspondence we have some delightful views 
 of his every day life as a scholar at this period. 
 
 The following extracts may be presented as the 
 gems of his epistolary correspondence respecting 
 the studies in which he was now engaged : ' I 
 have now before me Gerard Brandt's History of 
 the Beformation in the Low Countries, in four 
 volumes. * 
 
 ' I shortly intend to enter upon Burnet's His- 
 tory of the Beformation in England, in three folios, 
 and to read Dr. CoUett's Life, as a suitable pre- 
 paration to it. I continue to spend an hour a 
 day on Baxter, whom I admire more and more. 
 And I spend another on Homer, which I read 
 in the original, with Pope's translation and notes. 
 
 * History of the Reformation, and other Ecclesiastical Transac- 
 tions in and about the Low Countries, from the beginning of the 
 eighth Century, down to the famous Synod of Dort, inclusive. 
 Translated from the Low Dutch. (By Chamberlayne.) 4 vols., 
 folio ; with portraits. London, 1720-3. This great work is * a 
 faithful, accurate and well written book.' Lord Hardwicke 
 said that the Dutch language was worth acquiring, if it were 
 only to enjoy the pleasure of reading this history. 
 
64 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 I have as yet read only to the end of the eighth 
 Iliad ; hut, as far as I can judge, this is one of 
 the finest translations in the English language ; 
 and, what is very extraordinary, it appears to the 
 best advantage when compared with the ori- 
 ginal. I have read both carefully so far, and 
 written remarks as I went along ; and I think I 
 can prove, that where Pope has omitted one 
 beauty, he has added or improved four.' * 
 
 ' My retirement here is, as you will easily im- 
 agine, very delightful to me. I have a great 
 
 * Letter to his brother-in-law, the Rev. Mr. Nettleton, dated 
 Burton, Aug. 5, 1725. 
 
 Pope's translation of Homer was, on its publication, received 
 with excessive admiration by the lovers of classical literature. 
 Later critics, however, do not coincide in the opinion of 
 Doddridge and other writers of his time, with regard to the 
 excellence of this translation. 
 
 * Elegant, pointed and musical ; unfaithful to many of the 
 most poetical passages of the original, and misrepresenting still 
 more the natural and simple majesty of manner which the 
 ancient poet never lost ; the Iliad of Pope assuredly did not 
 merit the extravagant admiration which it generally received 
 in his own day. Yet, if we could forget Homer, we might not 
 unreasonably be proud of it. It is an excellent poem ; one of 
 the best in the English language.' — Prop. Spaldinq. 
 
 William Ihne, Ph. D., of the University of Bonn, in his 
 article on Homer, in Dr. Smith's Dictionary of Greek and 
 Roman Biography and Mythology, says : ' The English transla- 
 tions, by Chapman, Pope and Cowper, must be regarded as 
 failures.' 
 
HIS PASTOR A TE AT KIB WORTH. Q^ 
 
 deal of time for study, and have daily opportu- 
 nities of conversing with persons of good sense, 
 politeness and unaffected piety, both at home and 
 abroad. You inquire into my present course of 
 study. I have not time to give you a full ac- 
 count of it. Most of my time is taken up with 
 the Scriptures, and in reading, composing and 
 transcribing sermons. I spend some time every 
 day in the classics, which I read with inexpres- 
 sible pleasure. I am just on the point of finish- 
 ing Homer's Iliad^ with Pope's translation ; which 
 I am sure I need not recommend to you.* 
 
 ' I was up at ^YQ o'clock this morning, and I 
 have been all this while studying the connection 
 of a short section in the Romans, and writing 
 letters. IS'ay, at this very moment, Demosthe- 
 nes is waiting to entertain me with one of his 
 Philippics, and Yirgil is bringing back ^neas 
 to his camp, where I have long been waiting in 
 pain for his absence. Dr. Tillotson has also 
 prepared an admirable sermon, which he will 
 quickly deliver in my chamber, with his usual 
 grace and sweetness. And then Grerard Brandt 
 will go on with his history of the persecution of 
 the remonstrants, after their condemnation at 
 the Synod of Dort. In the afternoon, I expect 
 
 * Letter to Mr. Hughes, dated Harborough, Jan. 27, 1726. 
 
QQ LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 to hear from Pliny, who generally favors me 
 with two or three epistles in a day. 
 
 * Dr. Potter is instructing me in Grecian anti- 
 quities ; but I fear I shall hardly have time to 
 speak with him to-day. However, I will, if 
 possible, attend upon my tutor, Cradock,* in the 
 evening, who is lecturing on the Epistles with 
 great accuracy and solidity ; besides this, I have 
 a little kind of a sermon to preach in the family, 
 according to my daily custom, and then four 
 letters to transcribe into short-hand, f 
 
 *I generally spend two hours a day in the 
 classics, one in Greek and the other in Latin. 
 I have lately been reading some of the orations 
 of Demosthenes, which gave me very agreeable 
 entertainment. Virgil's JEneid charms me 
 more than it ever did before. I am wonder- 
 fully taken with the ease and elegance of 
 
 ■^It was, perhaps, by the perusal of Cradock's Harmony of 
 the Four Evangelists, and his Apostolical History, that the idea 
 of planning The Family Expositor was suggested to Doddridge ; 
 at least, these works afforded him no little help in writing his 
 noble exposition ; for, he says : ' I think, on the whole, I never 
 read any one author that assisted me more in what relates to 
 the New Testament.' 
 
 The volumes of Cradock on the New Testament are now 
 superseded by 'later and more critical works.' 
 
 f Letter to his brother-in-law, dated Harborough, June 9, 
 1726. 
 
^/;S^ PAST OR A TE AT KIB WOR TH. 67 
 
 Pliny's Epistles^ and with the description he 
 gives of his own temper and behavior, which 
 seems to me very amiable and instructive.' * 
 
 ' You recommended Pliny to my perusal. I im- 
 mediately procured him, and there is seldom a 
 day in which I do not read two or three of his 
 epistles. I have before heard several very high 
 encomiums upon him, but nothing gave me so 
 lively an idea of his excellence, as to observe 
 the perfection to which you have arrived by 
 studying him ; for every letter of your's is a 
 panegyric upon Pliny, though you do not men- 
 tion his name.' f 
 
 ' I have been reading Hall's Contemplations on 
 the Historical Parts of Scripture, and find not only 
 that they are of great use to form one to a 
 practical way of improving what one reads, but 
 that many circumstances of the history are illus- 
 
 * Letter to the Rev. Dr. Clarke, dated Harborough, June 
 11, 1726. 
 
 f Letter to Mr. Hughes, dated June 28, 1726, midnight. 
 
 Doddridge's own epistolary style was, we think, greatly 
 improved by his careful study of the Letters of Pliny, the 
 younger. 
 
 The best English translation of Pliny's Letters, is that by 
 Wm. Melmoth — * a translation said to equal the original, both 
 in beauty and force.' — Lowndes. 
 
68 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 trated by judicious observations, wbicb I bave 
 not before met witb.' * 
 
 ^ I bave lately been reading tbe tbree folios 
 of Burnet's History of the Reformation in England^ 
 witb more pleasure tban I can express. He ap- 
 pears to be one of tbe most masterly writers, and 
 always retains a sense of tbe dignity of bis sub- 
 ject, and writes witb a majesty wortby of it. He 
 does not study tbe ornaments of style, but 
 expresses bimself witb plainness and propriety, 
 and always appears to bave a most sincere re- 
 gard to trutb, even wben it is least bonorable to 
 tbe cbaracter of tbe brigbt bero of bis bistory. 
 
 ' I bave been reading Lucretius witb mucb 
 care ; be is indeed, as be is commonly esteemed, 
 a most cbarming poet, but a most contemptible 
 pbilosopber ; nor bave I ever yet met witb a 
 writer wbose descriptions are finer, and wbose 
 arguments were meaner. I tbink be was no 
 fitter to write De rerum Natures, tban a fine land- 
 scape painter would be to compose a treatise on 
 anatomy.' f 
 
 * Letter to the Rev. Dr. Clarke, dated Harborough, June 
 30, 1726. 
 
 f * But few have ventured to send into the world essentially 
 meditative poems, which none but the thoughtful can truly 
 enjoy. Lucretius is the only writer of antiquity who has left 
 
HIS PASTOR A TE AT KIB WOR TH. 69 
 
 * I have lately read Howe on the Sjpirit. Tliere 
 are many very useful observations in it. He 
 every where breathes a most excellent temper ; 
 and I think one may see more of the man, and 
 of his way of preaching by this, than by any 
 other of his works which I have yet perused.' * 
 
 In the summer of 1729, Doddridge opened an 
 academy at Market Harborough, for the educa- 
 tion of young men designed for the ministry. 
 He undertook this arduous post at the solicita- 
 tion of the Eev. Mr. Some, Dr. "Watts, and other 
 leading ministers among the non-conformists, 
 who looked upon him as a suitable successor to 
 the Rev. John Jennings. 
 
 Doddridge entered on the work of a theologi- 
 cal tutor, with a view of advancing the cause of 
 education and of true religion, and with an 
 earnest dependence on God for assistance and 
 
 a great work of this description ; and he has unhappily lavished 
 the boundless riches of genius on doctrines which are in direct 
 opposition to the spirit of poetry.' — T. N. Talfourd. 
 
 * Letter to the Rev. Dr. Clarke, dated Nov. 30, 1726. 
 
 The following are the titles of Howe's works on the Spirit : 
 The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit, in every Age, with refer- 
 ence to Particular Persons ; considered in several sermons, on 
 John, iii, 6, and Galatians, v, 25. The Prosperous State of the 
 Christian Interest before the End of Time, by a Plentiful Effusion 
 of the Holy Spirit ; considered in fifteen sermons, on Ezekiel, 
 xxxix, 29. 
 
70 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 success. * Providence,' lie says, 4s opening a 
 prospect of much greater usefulness tlian before, 
 though, attended with vast labor and difficulty. 
 In divine strength I go forth to the work, and 
 resolve upon the most careful and vigorous dis- 
 charge of all the duties incumbent on me, to 
 labor for the instruction and watch for the souls 
 of my pupils. I intend to have some discourse 
 with them on the Lord's day evenings, on sub- 
 jects of inward religion. I will endeavor to 
 give a serious turn to our conversation at other 
 times, and always bear them on my heart before 
 God with great tenderness and affection. I will 
 labor to keep such an inspection over them, as 
 may be necessary to discover their capacities, 
 tempers* and failings, that I may behave in a 
 suitable manner to them. In all, I will main- 
 tain an humble dependence on divine influences, 
 to lead me in the path of duty and prudence, 
 and enable me to behave in a way answerable to 
 the character in which I appear, and those agree- 
 able expectations which many of my friends have 
 entertained of me. 
 
 ' Considering the work before me, I would set 
 myself with peculiar diligence to maintain and 
 increase the life of religion in my own soul, and 
 a constant sense of the divine presence and 
 love ; for I find, when this is maintained, 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT KIBWORTH. 71 
 
 nothing gives me any considerable disquiet, and 
 I have vigor and resolution of spirit to carry me 
 through my labors. When I am conscious of 
 the want of this, and any inconsistency of beha- 
 vior towards the Divine Being, it throws a damp 
 on my vigor and resolution ; yea, on all the 
 other pleasures of life. In order to maintain this 
 habitual, delightful sense of God, I would fre- 
 quently renew my dedication to Him, in that 
 covenant on which all my hopes depend, and 
 my resolutions for universal, zealous obedience. 
 I will study redeeming love more, and habitually 
 resign myself and all my concerns to the divine 
 disposal. I am going to express and seal these 
 resolutions at the Lord's table ; and may this be 
 the happy period from which shall commence 
 better days of religion and usefulness than I 
 have ever yet known.' 
 
 A few months after Doddridge had com- 
 menced his new labors as a tutor, he received 
 a pressing invitation to assume the pastoral 
 charge of a congregation at ^Northampton. 
 After long and serious deliberation he accepted 
 the call. We must now take our leave of Xib- 
 worth and Market Harborough, and follow him 
 to the more populous town of ^Northampton,* 
 
 * * Northampton, a parliamentary and municipal borough and 
 town of England, on a slope, rising from the left bank of the 
 
72 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 SO long the scene of his useful labors, and the 
 place where his light, as a Christian minister, 
 shone forth in its mildest, purest and greatest 
 lustre. 
 
 navigable Nene, here crossed by two stone bridges, on a branch 
 canal, connecting the Nene with the Grand Junction canal, and 
 on the Peterborough branch of the London and North West- 
 ern railway, 60 miles N. W. of London. It is built of a reddish 
 stone, obtained in the vicinity, and has four principal streets, 
 meeting in a large open market-place, one of the finest in Eng- 
 land. 
 
 'Among the dissenting chapels, that of the Independents on 
 Castle Hill deserves notice, as having been, for 20 years, the 
 scene of the labors of the celebrated Dr. Doddridge, who also 
 presided over a theological academy in the town. Population 
 in 1851, 26,667.*-— /mpenaZ Gazetteer. 
 
 MMi»»«i«««B»»wrTnrw^ 
 
CHAPTER lY. 
 
 HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON — LABORS AS 
 TUTOR AND AUTHOR. 
 
 I^ the winter of 1729, Doddridge re- 
 moved to I*Tortliampton, and took charge 
 of the ' large and flourishing congrega- 
 tion ' assembling in the church on Castle- 
 hill. Early in the following year he began 
 housekeeping, and ' took possession ' he says, 
 ' of that chamber in which I hope to spend most 
 of the remaining studious hours of my life.' On 
 the 19th of March, 1730, after partially recover- 
 ing from a dangerous illness, he was ordained 
 at I:»[orthampton. Of this solemn occasion, he 
 has given us the following interesting record : 
 
 ' The afilicting hand of God upon me hindered 
 me from making that preparation for the sol- 
 emnities of this day, which I could otherwise 
 have desired. However, I hope it hath long 
 been my sincere desire to dedicate myself to 
 Him in the work of the ministry ; and that the 
 
74 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 views with whicli I determined to undertake tlie 
 office, and which I this day solemnly professed, 
 have long since been seriously impressed upon 
 my heart. 
 
 ' The work of the day was fulfilled in a very 
 honorable and agreeable manner. Mr. Good- 
 rich, of Oundle, commenced the service by 
 prayer and reading the Scriptures. Mr. Daw- 
 son, of Hinckley, continued those exercises ; and 
 then Mr. Watson, of Leicester, preached a suit- 
 able sermon from 1 Tim., iii, 1 : '' This is a true 
 saying. If a man desire the office of a bishop, he 
 desireth a good work." After the sermon, Mr. 
 ITorris, of Welford, read the call of the church, 
 of which I declared my acceptance. He then 
 received my confession of faith and ordination 
 vows, and proceeded to set me apart by prayer. 
 Mr. Clarke, of St. Albans, gave the charge to 
 me, and Mr. Saunders, of Kettering, the exhorta- 
 tion to the people. Then Mr. Mattock, of Da- 
 ventry, concluded the solemnity with prayer. 
 
 ' I have a cheerful hope that the God, to whom 
 I have this day devoted my services with more 
 solemnity than ever, will graciously accept them, 
 either in this world or in a better ; and I am not 
 solicitous where, or how. If I know anything 
 of my heart, I trust I may adopt the words of 
 the apostle, that it is " my earnest expectation 
 
EIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 75 
 
 and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, 
 but that Christ shall be magnified in my body, 
 whether it be by life or by death ;" that "to me 
 to live is Christ," and to die would be an unspeak- 
 able gain. 
 
 ' May this day never be forgotten by me, nor 
 the dear people committed to my charge, whom 
 I would humbly recommend to the care of the 
 great Shepherd.' 
 
 Doddridge's pastoral relation to this non- con- 
 formist church at !N^orthampton, thus solemnly 
 formed, continued till the time of his death — a 
 period of nearly twenty-two years. He was very 
 faithful and diligent in the discharge of his pas- 
 toral duties ; in preaching the truth as it is in 
 Jesus ; in cathechetical instruction, especially 
 among the young, for whose spiritual well-being 
 he ever had the tenderest regard ; in establish- 
 ing and conducting social prayer meetings ; in 
 exhorting heads of families to regard religion 
 as the grand business of life ; and in visiting and 
 instructing the poor of his congregation. And 
 while thus watching for the souls of men ' as 
 they that must give account,' his ministry at 
 Il^orthampton was crowned with great success 
 by the chief Shepherd. 
 
 His reflections on his first sacrament day at 
 Northampton (April 12, 1730), are very impres- 
 
76 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 sive, showing what a deep sense he had of his 
 own unworthiness ; and how, reposing on the 
 infinite merits of Christ, he sought to attain to 
 a greater eminence in that holiness which is the 
 heauty and perfection of the Christian charac- 
 ter : ' Grace that abounds to the chief of sinners, 
 and freely flowing from the bleeding heart of a 
 Redeemer, will, I hope, be my refuge. At His 
 feet would I lay myself. On His merit and 
 righteousness would I repose my hope. To Him 
 would I devote my life, and refer the continu- 
 ance of it, and the disposal of all my concerns.' 
 
 At the beginning of the summer of 1730, 
 while deploring the unhappy frame of his mind, 
 at that time, respecting spiritual things, he 
 breathes the prayer : ' Lord I am weary of such 
 a frame. O that my heart were enlarged ! O 
 that it were melted under a sense of sin ! O 
 that it were drawn out in desires after Thee !' 
 
 His beautiful reflections on his sixth sacra- 
 ment (Sept. 6, 1730), clearly show that he was 
 earnestly desirous to live more habitually the 
 life of faith, and that he was beginning to expe- 
 rience more of the sweetness of communion with 
 God. How fervent is his language on this occa- 
 sion : ' blessed Spirit ! graciously descend on 
 my polluted heart. Strike the flint, thou al- 
 mighty arm of the Lord, that the waters may 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON, 77 
 
 flow forth. I come to humble myself before 
 God ; I come to renew my resolutions against 
 sin ; I come to refer my concerns to Him ; I 
 come to seal my engagements to be the Lord's, 
 and to prosecute with greater vigor the duties 
 of a pastor, a tutor, a student, and a friend. 
 Lord, do Thou instruct me in them. Lord, do 
 Thou animate me to them. 0, Thou searcher 
 of hearts, I appeal to Thee. Have I a wish so 
 predominant in my soul as this, that I may be 
 Thy faithful servant ? Would I not ten thou- 
 sand times rather be free from the corruptions 
 of my own heart, than from all the calamities of 
 this mortal life ? Would I not rather live in the 
 warmest exercise of holy love, in the most vig- 
 orous prosecution of Thy service, than live in a 
 round of sensual indulgences, or in the pursuit 
 of the most curious, speculative amusements, 
 though I were sure that I should be ever so suc- 
 cessful in them now, and be brought to no reckon- 
 ing for them at last ? My God ! when Thou 
 renewest the least taste of Thy love ; when I find, 
 though but for a few, hasty, interrupted mo- 
 ments, the pleasure of conversing with Thee, I 
 say, it is good for me to be here. Here, Lord, 
 would I pitch my tabernacle, and rather dwell 
 in the meanest cottage with Thee, than in the 
 most stately palace without Thee. May I not 
 
78 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 hope there is room, and that Thou hast not yet 
 forsaken me ? Oh, retwn to me in love ; visit 
 me this day at Thine house, and at Thy table, 
 and for Thy namesake continue to lead me and 
 to guide me. Rescue me when I am beginning 
 to wander; awaken me when I slumber; 
 strengthen me when I faint ; and let not all my 
 prayers, my sermons, my private exhortations, 
 my secret and public transactions with Thee, 
 issue at last in my aggravated ruin. Let me, if 
 it be Thy will, be separated from all that is 
 dearest to me here ; but my dear, my com- 
 passionate and forgiving Father, let me never, 
 never be separated from Thee.' 
 
 In the first year of his pastorate at ItTorthamp- 
 ton, Doddridge, with a view chiefly of obtaining 
 some relaxation of study, during a vacation in 
 his academy, made a summer excursion into 
 Worcestershire. Here, at the house of Mrs. 
 Owen, the widow of the celebrated divine, he 
 became acquainted with Miss Mercy Maris, a 
 niece of Mrs. Owen's son-in-law. On his return 
 to Northampton, he wrote to Mrs. Owen, re- 
 questing permission to address * the agreeable 
 lady,' whose charms had so speedily delighted 
 and attracted a susceptible heart ; and after ob- 
 taining the consent of her friends, he forthwith 
 commenced a correspondence. His letters to 
 
^/;S' PASTOR A TE A T NORTHAMPTON, 79 
 
 Miss Maris, as miglit be supposed in one wlio 
 possessed a temperament of unusual ardor, 
 abound witb the warmest sentiments. He 
 writes with extreme pleasure of her having ' a 
 pretty face, a fine form, and an elegant air ; ' 
 of her serene temper and bright eyes ; her in- 
 telligence, wisdom, generosity and goodness. 
 Just after a communion season (Eoy. 1, 1730), 
 he writes to her in a more serious strain than 
 usual: 'I am but just now risen from the table 
 of the Lord, and I am sitting down to write to 
 you. !N^or does my conscience accuse me for 
 such a transition. It would rather reproach me 
 if I had fixed my affections upon a lady with 
 whom I could not correspond in a strain agreea- 
 bly to the solemnity of such an hour. 
 
 ' I have been remembering a dying Redeemer, 
 and I have there been remembering you, who, I 
 can txuly say, holds the next place in my heart. 
 May it ever be only the next ! 
 
 ' I have been renewing the dedication of my- 
 self to God ; and have been referring all the fu- 
 ture events of my life to His care, and most par- 
 ticularly and expressly that dear concern with 
 you, which is so highly important, and lies so 
 near my heart. I persuade myself I am more 
 likely to succeed by humbly submitting it to the 
 all-wise and all-gracious disposal of our Hea- 
 
80 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 venly Father ; and I rejoice to think, that as you 
 will make mj own house and table more de- 
 lightful to me, so you will add a new pleasure to 
 the house and table of my God. "While I am 
 thus near Him, it rejoices my soul to think that 
 He is giving me a companion in life, who, in- 
 stead of separating me from Him, will lead me 
 nearer to Him.' 
 
 On the 22d of December, 1730, a day which 
 he ever considered as the happiest of his life, he 
 was married to Miss Maris. The companionship 
 of this lady made his home a truly bright one ; 
 and he regarded her through life as the best of his 
 earthly blessings. Mrs. Doddridge was equally 
 happy in her husband. ' It is pleasant,' says Dr. 
 Hamilton, 'to read the correspondence which 
 subsequently passed between them, showing 
 them youthful lovers to the last.' 
 
 On one occasion Doddridge thus writes to his 
 amiable companion : ' 'Eo place is more like a 
 wilderness to me than my own house, when you 
 are absent.'* More than twelve years after his 
 marriage, while engaged in the composition of 
 The Bise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, he 
 writes to Mrs. Doddridge, who was on a visit 
 from home, in the same strain of conjugal affec- 
 tion : ' I cannot thank you as I would for your 
 
 * Letter dated London, July 23, 1735. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 81 
 
 charming letter, but as soon as I read it I re- 
 turned my affectionate thanks to God for it, as 
 a blessing of great importance to the happiness 
 of my life. So good a head, and so good a heart, 
 are seldom united ; but God has been pleased to 
 magnify His mercy to me, and . to bless me be- 
 yond the common standard of human felicity. 
 He has undoubtedly given me one of the most 
 excellent of her sex ; and I thank Him from my 
 heart, that if He has not given me merit enough 
 to deserve her, He has favored me with under- 
 standing enough to discover much of her value, 
 and a temper formed to taste the most exquisite 
 pleasure in the possession of such a friend. 
 
 * I hope, if any memoir of my life be ever 
 written, the world will be informed of that most 
 happy part of my history which relates to your 
 character and affection, and takes its date from 
 December 22d, 1730; and it probably will, if 
 I should have the unsupportable calamity of sur- 
 viving you, from which I verily believe God will 
 graciously deliver me.'* 
 
 In the summer of 1751, a few months before 
 his death, while in search of health, he again 
 writes to Mrs. Doddridge : * If there be any con- 
 sideration in the world, next to the honor of 
 God, and the edification of the church, which 
 
 * Letter dated Northampton, Jan. 7, 1743. 
 
82 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 could make me wish to see many future years, 
 it is tliat I may enjoy your delightful friendship, 
 and repay it by every act of gratitude and expres- 
 sion of tenderness.' 
 
 Mrs. Doddridge appears, indeed, to have been 
 a very attractive, affectionate, and pious lady. 
 The editor of Doddridge's Correspondence and 
 Dmry thus describes her personal appearance at 
 the time of her marriage : 
 
 * She was rather tall, and presented that free 
 and flowing outline which painters love to copy. 
 Her air and general carriage had the easy self- 
 possession, and confiding grace, which inspire 
 respect, and bestow comfort. She dressed hand- 
 somely, but without assumption ; and if she was 
 a little too critical in that particular, the sense 
 of formality was lost in the vivacity of her con- 
 versation, to which black eyes, raven hair, and 
 the ardent tint which so often mantles in the 
 cheeks of a brunette, gave a peculiar zest.' 
 
 On the occasion of his marriage, Doddridge 
 drew up the following excellent rules, relating 
 to his conduct as a husband : ^ It shall be my 
 daily care to keep up the spirit of piety in my 
 conversation with my wife ; to recommend her 
 to the divine blessing ; to manifest an obliging, 
 tender disposition towards her, and particularly 
 to avoid everything which has the appearance 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 83 
 
 of pettislmess, to wMcli, amidst my various cares 
 and labors, I may, in some unguarded moments, 
 be liable.' 
 
 The theological academy which he had com- 
 menced at Kibworth, Doddridge still conducted 
 with great success at ISTorthampton. During the 
 twenty-two years of his tutorship, about two 
 hundred young men passed under his care, of 
 whom one hundred and twenty entered the min- 
 istry. Among the most distinguished of his 
 students, who became ministers, were Risdon 
 Darracott, Benjamin Fawcett, Job Orton, and 
 Andrew Kippis, a brief notice of whose lives 
 will not be inappropriate here. 
 
 Eisdon Darracott, who has been distinguished 
 as 'the star of the west,' and whom Whitefield 
 called ' a jlaming and successful preacher of the 
 gospel,' was born in 1717. Soon after finishing 
 his course of theological study under Dr. Dod- 
 dridge, he accepted an invitation to become the 
 pastor of a Presbyterian church at Wellington, 
 in Somersetshire. Here he built up a large and 
 flourishing congregation; and, like Baxter at Kid- 
 derminster, was the means of effecting a great 
 reformation in morals and religion, in a town 
 where, at the commencement of his pastorate, 
 but little religion was to be found. The Rev. 
 Benjamin Fawcett, a man of similar character, 
 
84 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 who preached his funeral sermon, says : ' I never 
 knew any congregation which appeared to have 
 so many instances of abiding religious impres- 
 sions. I have good reason to believe that his 
 ministry was owned to the effectual conversion 
 of many hundreds of souls.' "When he under- 
 took the charge of the congregation at Welling- 
 ton, Mr. Darracott found the number of commu- 
 nicants only twenty-eight. At his death, after 
 a ministry of eighteen years, his church was in- 
 creased to about three hundred members. Mr. 
 Darracott was a man of fervent piety, and untir- 
 ing zeal in the cause of his divine Master. 
 
 In the summer of 1741, when Doddridge 
 visited this beloved pupil, who was then but 
 recently settled at "Wellington, he writes con- 
 cerning him : ' Mr. Darracott is, in all respects, 
 a most happy man, and absolutely the most suc- 
 cessful minister I have known among us for 
 many years. He prayed last night in a manner 
 which approached as nearly to inspiration as 
 anything I have heard, or ever expect to hear.' 
 About two years after this, Doddridge thus 
 writes respecting the usefulness of Mr. Darra- 
 cott as a preacher, and the happy frame of his 
 mind during a dangerous illness : ^ Mr. Darra- 
 cott is one of the most devout and extraordinary 
 men I ever sent out, and a person who has, 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 85 
 
 within these few years, been highly useful to 
 numbers of his hearers. Some of these, who 
 were once the most abandoned characters in the 
 place, are now become serious and useful Christ- 
 ians ; and he himself has honored his profession, 
 when to all around him he seemed on the borders 
 of eternity, by a behaviour which, in such awful 
 circumstances, the best of men might wish to be 
 their own.' 
 
 In 1759, in the forty-second year of his age, 
 Mr. Darracott died, in the sweet and joyful hope 
 of a blissful immortality. His death-bed was a 
 sublime scene of Christian triumph ; an illustri- 
 ous instance of the power and grace of the Re- 
 deemer, in sustaining and soothing His disciples 
 in the hour of death. The night before his 
 death, he exclaimed : ^ Oh, what a good God 
 have I, in and through Jesus Christ ! I would 
 praise Him, but my lips cannot. Eternity will 
 be too short to speak His praises.' To his phy- 
 sician he said : ' Oh, what a mercy is it to be 
 interested in the atoning blood of Jesus ! I come 
 to the Lord as a vile sinner, trusting in the merits 
 and precious blood of my dear Redeemer. 
 grace, grace, free grace !' In relating his expe- 
 rience of the goodness of God to him during his 
 sickness, he said : * If I had a thousand lives to 
 live, I would live them all for Christ. I have 
 
 cast anchor on Him, and rely on His blood, and 
 8 
 
86 I^IFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 am going to venture my all upon II im. There 
 is nothing on earth I desire. Here I am waiting. 
 What a mercy to be in Jesus ! I am going to 
 that Jesus whom I love, and whom I have so 
 often preached. Come, Lord Jesus, come 
 quickly.' The last words of this holy man 
 were : ' I am going from weeping friends to 
 congratulating angels, and rejoicing saints in 
 glory. He is coming. Oh, speed Thy chariot 
 wheels ; why are they so long in coming ? I 
 long to be gone !' 
 
 * 0, change ! 0, wondrous change ! 
 Burst are the prison bars ! 
 This moment there — so low 
 In mortal prayer — and now 
 Beyond the stars ! 
 
 0, change ! Stupendous change ! 
 Here lies the senseless clod ; 
 The soul from bondage breaks, 
 The new immortal wakes — 
 
 Awakes with God !' — Bowles. 
 
 Benjamin Fawcett was born in 1715, at Slea- 
 ford, in Lincolnshire, England. After receiving 
 the rudiments of a religious education under the 
 parental roof, he was placed under the care of 
 Dr. Doddridge, at ]S"orthampton, where he made 
 rapid progress in learning. A few years after 
 completing his theological course, he was chosen 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTH AMPTON. 87 
 
 pastor of a large, non-conformist congregation 
 at Kidderminster, the scene of the zealous and 
 faithful ministry of Richard Baxter. When he 
 first came to preach in that town, Mr. Williams, 
 of Kidderminster, wrote to Doddridge : * We 
 have been blest with the presence and excellent 
 labors of dear Mr. Fawcett. He hath our hearts, 
 and I am certain we have his. He came hither 
 on the 17th ; preached the next day thrice ; 
 preached a preparation sermon on Tuesday, 
 before many ministers, and last Lord's day 
 preached thrice, and administered the Lord's 
 supper. Such a sacramental season my soul 
 was never feasted with before ; I could most 
 gladly have left God's lower courts, and this 
 lower world together, and have fled up to the 
 realms of perfect blessedness. Adored be the 
 divine condescension and grace for what I felt 
 most sensibly on that memorable day. Mr. 
 Fawcett had more than seven hundred hearers, 
 and probably will generally have as many. Our 
 people were never so taken with any minister 
 before. * * * There is reason to 
 hope he will be a second Baxter among us.* 
 
 For thirty-five years Mr. Fawcett fulfilled pas- 
 toral duties at Kidderminster. He died in 1780, 
 in the sixty-sixth year of his age. Like his great 
 
 * Kidderminster, Aug. 29, 1744. .^iP'SS'?**'^ 
 
 Of THl ^^^ 
 
 fllVBRSITY 
 
 &At.^^^r^<^ 
 
88 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 predecessor, Richard Baxter, he was a man of 
 * deep piety, and wide spiritual comprehension ;' 
 distinguished for his abundant labors, and his 
 earnest desire to display the glories of the gos- 
 pel of the grace of God. He is said to have 
 preached three sermons on the Sabbath, and 
 several through the week ; while he attended 
 faithfully to the duties of family visitation, car- 
 rying on, at the same time, an extensive corre- 
 spondence with his ministerial brethren. Like 
 his tutor, Doddridge, he diligently improved his 
 time, rising every morning at five o'clock, in 
 order to have more hours for study and devotion. 
 His constitution, unlike Baxter's, was remarka- 
 bly robust. As an evidence of this, it is re- 
 corded of him, that he never had a fire in his 
 study, even in the depth of winter. 
 
 Doddridge rejoiced in being the * honored 
 instrument of training up such a pupil.' In 
 recounting the mercies of God to himself, he 
 says : * l^or must I reckon among the smallest 
 of my mercies, the opportunities I have had of 
 seeing how eminently He has blessed the labors 
 of good Mr. Fawcett, and with what abundant 
 anointing of the Holy Spirit, God has been 
 pleased to honor him ; in consequence of which 
 I can truly say, I should think all my labors, as 
 a tutor, well repaid, to have been instrumental 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 89 
 
 in raising up but one sucli person to the service 
 of the sanctuary.' 
 
 Mr. Fawcett published some Sermons ; a trea- 
 tise on Beligious Melancholy; abridgments of 
 Baxter's Call to the Unconverted^ Converse with God 
 in Solitude^ and Saints Rest ; the work of abridg- 
 ing which, he says, ' has been, I bless God, one 
 of the most delightful labors of my life.' 
 
 Job Orton was born on the 4th of September, 
 1717, at Shrewsbury, England. He received the 
 rudiments of his education in the grammar school 
 of his native place. In the summer of 1734, he 
 commenced his studies at Il^orthampton, under 
 the care of Dr. Doddridge, in whose academy he 
 was subsequently chosen assistant. In 1741, ne 
 assumed the pastoral charge of a non-conformist 
 congregation at Shrewsbury, where he continued 
 to labor till 1765, when declining health com- 
 pelled him to relinquish preaching. In 1766, he 
 published the Life of his beloved tutor and 
 friend. Dr. Doddridge ; a work which has been 
 greatly valued.* The last seventeen years of 
 
 * ' The Life of Doddridge, by Orton, is one of my choicest 
 biographical works. There the character of Doddridge stands 
 out boldly and powerfully. We see what he was ; and he was 
 a fine, lovely creature indeed. Stoughton's Memorial of Dod- 
 dridge is very beautiful, but I like the old book, after all. I 
 wish we had more of the spirit of Doddridge among us.' — Rev. 
 William Jay, in conversation. 
 
90 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 his life were passed at Kidderminster, where lie 
 attended the preaching of the excellent Mr. 
 Fawcett. Here he expired, on the 19th of July, 
 1783, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. Besides 
 his Memoirs of the Life^ Character and Writings of 
 Doddridge, Mr. Orton gave to the world Discourses 
 to the Aged; Beligious Exercises Becommended; 
 Three Discourses on Eternity ; two volumes of Dis- 
 courses on Practical Subjects ; Sacramental Medita- 
 tions ; Paraphrase of the Old Testament, with devo- 
 tional and practical reflections; and Letters to a 
 Young Clergyman. 
 
 Mr. Orton was not only a very serious and 
 judicious practical writer, but an earnest, solid, 
 and eiFective preacher. On one occasion (Dec. 
 2, 1739), Doddridge thus speaks of hearing him 
 deliver a discourse : ' This day I heard dear Mr. 
 Orton preach one of the best sermons that ever 
 was preached, of the service of Christ, with 
 unutterable pleasure. Blessed be God who has 
 given him such gifts and graces ! My sermon 
 was a very poor thing in comparison to it. But 
 I speak in the sincerity of my heart, and in the 
 sincerity of my heart have praised the God of 
 all grace, that the disciple was so much above 
 his master. May the gifts and graces of the 
 Holy Spirit be multiplied ten thousand fold upon 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 91 
 
 liim, and may thousands yet unborn have reason 
 to call him blessed !' 
 
 The most learned of Doddridge's students was 
 Andrew Kippis,, the accomplished editor of the 
 Biographia Britannica, who was born on the 28th 
 of March, 1725, at E'ottingham, England. At 
 the age of sixteen, with a view of entering the 
 ministry, he commenced his studies in the 
 academy at N^orthampton, under the direction 
 of Dr. Doddridge. In this institution he con- 
 tinued five years, applying himself with great 
 assiduity to his various studies. On completing 
 his academical studies at JsTorthampton, he was 
 chosen pastor of a non-conformist congregation 
 at Boston, in Lincolnshire, in 1746. Four years 
 afterwards he succeeded the Rev. John Mason* 
 in a pastoral charge at Dorking, in Surry. In 
 1753, he became pastor of a church in Westmin- 
 ster, where for many years he continued his pro- 
 fessional and literary pursuits. He died on the 
 8th of October, 1795, in the seventy-first year of 
 his age. Dr. Kippis possessed a vigorous intel- 
 lect, a masculine understanding, and a tenacious 
 
 * Mr. Mason is well known as the author of A Treatise on 
 Self-Knowledge,' London, 1745. First edition, revised and cor- 
 rected, with a life of the author, by John Mason Good ; Lon- 
 don, 1811, 12mo. 
 
 * This excellent work has gone through numerous editions 
 and several translations.' — Lowndes. 
 
92 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 memory. His reading and literary acquirements 
 were very extensive. Alexander Chalmers, in 
 his JBiographical Dictionary, says : ' Perhaps few 
 persons ever read so much, and with such advan- 
 tage to themselves and others, as Dr. Kippis. He 
 informed the present writer, that he once read, 
 for three years, at the rate of sixteen hours a 
 day ; and one of the works which he read en- 
 tirely through was the General Dictionary, in ten 
 volumes, folio. This, he added, laid the foun- 
 dation of his taste and skill in biographical 
 composition.' 
 
 Dr. Kippis was the founder of the Neiv Annual 
 Register ; and the editor of the new edition of 
 the BiograpUa Britannica, ' an exceedingly valua- 
 ble work,' which contains ' a mine of knowledge 
 that is invaluable to the lover of literature.' He 
 is also the author of a History of Knowledge, 
 Learning, and Taste in Great Britain ; Account of 
 the Life and Voyages of Capt Cook ; The Life of 
 Nathaniel Lardyier, D. D., prefixed to the com- 
 plete edition of that author's works ;* and Me- 
 moirs of the Life, Character, and Writings of Dr. 
 Doddridge, prefixed to an edition of The Family 
 Expositor. In the conclusion of the life of his 
 beloved tutor and friend. Dr. Doddridge, he 
 
 ^ This piece of biography is composed with great judgment, 
 and contains much valuable information. — Walter Wilson. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 93 
 
 says: 'The impression of his numerous and 
 amiable virtues will not be eflaced from my 
 mind so long as it retains any sense of feeling 
 or reflection. So far will be the impression from 
 being lost upon me, that I shall always cherish 
 it with the utmost ardor ; and I shall esteem it 
 as no small felicity of my life, that I have been 
 preserved to give this testimony of duty, grati- 
 tude, and affection to the memory of my bene- 
 factor, my tutor, my friend, and my father.'* 
 
 Among Doddridge's students were also the 
 Rev. Hugh Farmer, D. D., a dissenting divine of 
 great learning, author of A Dissertation on Mira- 
 cles ; Essay on the Demoniacs of the New Testament ; 
 and other ingenious and learned works ; and the 
 E.ev. John Aikin, D. D., who married Miss Jen- 
 nings, a daughter of the Rev. John Jennings, 
 D. D., and the young lady to whom Doddridge 
 himself was once so strongly attached, f 
 
 * For biographical notices of Andrew Kippis, see Wilson's 
 History of Dissenting Churches / Chalmer's Biographical Dic- 
 tionary, and Dr. Rees's Funeral Sermon. 
 
 f Mrs. Aikin was the mother of the learned John Aikin, M. 
 D., author of the General Biography, in ten quarto volumes; 
 and of Mrs. Barbauld, one of the most distinguished female 
 writers of England. Lucy Aikin, a grand-daughter of Mrs. 
 Aikin, is widely and favorably known as the authoress of the 
 Life of Addison ; Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth, and 
 Other works. 
 
94 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE, 
 
 Doddridge was an able and faithful instructor ; 
 and by his efficient management, his theological 
 seminary became very flourishing. His course 
 of lectures in the academy embraced a wide 
 range ; comprising the ancient classics, French, 
 English literature, geography, moral and natural 
 philosophy, rhetoric, logic, geometry, algebra, 
 trigonometry, conic sections, history, Jewish 
 antiquities, Hebrew, theology, preaching, and 
 the pastoral care. He manifested a great con- 
 cern for the intellectual, moral, and religious 
 attainments of his students. Besides his daily 
 instructions and counsels to them, he allowed 
 them access to his choice private library, giving 
 them, at the same time, suitable directions re- 
 specting the books they should read. It was 
 his earnest desire that his students, on leaving 
 his academy, should not only exhibit a high 
 degree of intellectual culture, but also that fer- 
 vent piety and active benevolence, which would 
 constrain them to consecrate their lives to the 
 service and glory of God. * It is my heart's 
 desire, and prayer to God,' says he, ^that no one 
 may go out from me without an understanding 
 enlightened from above, a heart sanctified by 
 divine grace, quickened and warmed with love 
 to Jesus, and tenderly concerned for the salva- 
 
mS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 95 
 
 tion of perishing souls. What are all our studies 
 and pursuits to this V 
 
 In the discharge of his various duties as a 
 minister, a theological professor, and an author, 
 Doddridge placed a firm reliance on divine 
 strength for direction, assistance, and success. 
 When ahout to undertake any important work, 
 his practice was to resort to prayer. His lan- 
 guage is : ' I will keep up a lively intercourse 
 with God hy prayer, and humbly seek His 
 assistance to carry me pleasantly through this 
 business.' Under the influence of a holy de- 
 pendence on God, he breathes the following 
 beautiful prayer: ' God, I would humbly thank 
 Thee for that most favorable and indulgent in- 
 terposition of providence, which has fixed me 
 in the employments of a student and a minister. 
 As I would devote all my studies to Thee, Pbeg 
 Thou wilt direct and assist me in them. Do 
 Thou, God, give me a solid judgment, and a 
 comprehensive understanding ; a lively imagina- 
 tion, and a tenacious memory. Whether I read 
 Thy Word, or examine, the records of former 
 ages, of study the writings of the moderns, for 
 my edification in practical religion, or for my 
 improvement in human literature, may I plainly 
 perceive that Thou art with me by the pros- 
 perous success of all my undertakings. Par- 
 
96 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 ticularly grant, if it be Thy blessed will, that 
 the three great engagements of a preacher, an 
 expositor, and a tutor, which I have in prospect 
 for the remainder of my life, may be all con- 
 siderably advanced by the studies of this day ; 
 that glory may redound to Thee, and benefit to 
 the world, as well as entertainment to my own 
 mind by what I am now about to engage in, 
 through Jesus Christ, Amen.' 
 
 After his removal to ^Northampton, Doddridge 
 seems to have continued his own private stu- 
 dies, especially in the department of sacred lite- 
 rature, with even greater diligence, and a higher 
 relish for the distinguishing doctrines of Christ- 
 ianity. Some of the devotional and practical 
 books which now more particularly engaged his 
 attention, and which were among his favorite 
 works, were the Life of Philip Henry ^ by his son 
 Matthew, the commentator ;* Howe's Discourses 
 on Carnality of Religious Contention ; on Union 
 among Protestants ; Funeral Sermons ; and some of 
 his other discourses ; Baxter on Making Light of 
 
 * * I think I have gained as much benefit from his Life of his 
 incomparable father, as from any of his compositions. It is 
 one of my classics. It is one of the most precious jpieces of 
 biography with which I am acquainted. A young minister 
 should have this book ever near him.' — Rev. William Jay, in 
 conversation 
 
mS FA STORA TE AT NOR TEA MP TON. 97 
 
 Christ ; on The Life of Faith ; on Bepentance ; 
 on Death ; on Judgment ; on Right Rejoicing ; and 
 the rest of his practical works, besides a review 
 of his Reformed Pastor ; Dr. Bates's works, espe- 
 cially his Miscellaneous and Funeral Sermons ; Dr. 
 Tillotson's Sermons on the Miracles wrought in con- 
 firmation of Christianity ; and on 27^6 Advantages 
 of Truth in opposition to Error ; some of Bishop 
 Patrick's devotional works ; Burnet's Pastoral 
 Care ; and Dr. Owen on The Mortification of Sin 
 in Believers ; on The Holy Spirit ; on The Work of 
 the Holy Spirit in Prayer ; and on Apostacy ; be- 
 sides some of the other elaborate treatises of 
 this great divine. 
 
 During his long residence at ^N'orthampton, 
 Doddridge made frequent visits to London, 
 Gloucester, l!^orwich, St. Albans, "Worcester, 
 "Weston Favel, Shrewsbury, Wellington, and' 
 other places, where he enjoyed the hospitality 
 of distinguished men, and sometimes delivered 
 interesting and impressive discourses. It is with 
 pleasure that we follow him in these agreeable 
 excursions, some of which he has well described 
 in his letters. At one time we find him at 
 Theobalds, the delightful residence of Sir 
 Thomas Abney, where he is ' obliged to dine 
 with Lady Abney and Dr. Watts.'* At another 
 
 * July 20, 1731. 
 
98 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 time, ' after a great many visits made in Lon- 
 don,' we liear of him preaching ^before Dr. 
 Watts and ^lyq or six other ministers.'* On 
 another occasion he is at l^ewington, where he 
 has been ' much taken up in viewing curiosities ; 
 besides Sir Hans Sloane's collection,'! he says, 
 'I have seen Hogarth's celebrated pictures.* 
 During the same visit he receives ' overtures 
 from Salters' Hall, tending to a settlement there ; 
 so that,' he merrily writes to his wife, ' if you 
 desire to be a London lady, you must let me 
 know in time !'J Several days after this, he is 
 again in the great metropolis, calling on Mr. 
 Calamy, 'who is finely recovered.' There he 
 
 * July 6, 1734. 
 
 f Sir Hans Sloane, Bart., one of the founders of the British 
 Museum, was a celebrated botanist and physician. He wa? 
 born in Ireland, in 1660, and died in 1752. He was presi- 
 dent of the college of physicians, and physician to George II. 
 On the death of Sir Isaac Newton, he was chosen president of 
 the Royal Society. He collected a great number of plants, 
 and other objects belonging to natural history. These, together 
 with his valuable private library, containing about fifty thou- 
 sand volumes and manuscripts, he bequeathed to the British 
 nation, on the condition that they would pay to his family the 
 sum of £20,000 sterling. His proposal was accepted by par- 
 liament ; and with this immense collection, and the splendid 
 libraries of Robert Harley and Sir Robert Cotton, was laid the 
 foundation of the British Museum. 
 
 J July 12, 1735. 
 
HIS PASTOR A TE AT NOR TIIA MP TON. 99 
 
 saw Savage, tlie celebrated poet, who * had lately 
 been writing the Progress of a Divi7ie, in imita- 
 tion of Hogarth's Progress of a Pake ; it is a des- 
 perate satire on the clergy.'* Again, we see him 
 rambling in the open country, in the genial month 
 of May, to enjoy relaxation of mind from his se- 
 vere studies, and to hold communion with the 
 works of creation. He writes, on this occasion, 
 with considerable pleasantry as well as beauty 
 of sentiment, from the Lodge in Whittlebury 
 forest to the Eev. Dr. Clarke : ' My wife and I 
 eloped yesterday, at the request of a very agree- 
 able and excellent lady, who is sister-in-law to 
 Colonel Whitworth, and are arrived at a most 
 elegant rural retreat, where in such company, 
 especially if yours were added, I could delight- 
 fully spend more days than my engagements at 
 home will allow me hours. The house is a 
 pretty, well-furnished box, just in the centre of 
 a fine forest; and all that shady lawns, and 
 woodland ridings can do to beautify and adorn 
 it, is done. The birds and sportive deer come 
 and pay their attendance as if it were their very 
 business to divert us. I am delighted to see 
 
 * Richard Savage was born in 1698 ; and died, a prisoner 
 for debt, in 1743, at the age of forty-five. For an impressive 
 biographical narrative of this unfortunate man, the reader is 
 referred to Dr. Johnson's Lives of the Poets. 
 
100 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 how happily they all live, and have already con- 
 tracted a kind of friendship for them, which 
 makes me wish the lodge were nearer home, 
 that I might now and then steal out, and leave 
 all my cares behind me, to come and wander a 
 few hours in these lovely solitudes. 
 
 ' Many occasions have called me out of late ; 
 and the fine country around us affords such a 
 variety of entertaining scenes, that I cannot for- 
 bear pitying nobles and princes, who are con- 
 fined to a town in such a charming season, and 
 think the shepherd and the husbandman happier 
 than they. In the meantime I open my heart 
 as widely as I can, to take in the innocent plea- 
 sure which arises from a friendly sympathy, not 
 only with the lowest of my fellow creatures, but 
 even with the brutes themselves, in the ample 
 provision that an indulgent Providence has made 
 for their delight ; and I cannot but often reflect, 
 on such occasions, that if this earth, the seat of 
 a degenerate race of creatures, and under so 
 many tokens of the divine displeasure, be thus en- 
 riched and embellished, what must those regions 
 be which God has prepared for the final abode 
 of His dear children in their perfected state !'* 
 
 *May 8, 1737. 
 
 * If God hath made this world so fair, 
 Where sin and death abound, 
 How beautiful beyond compare 
 
 Will Paradise be found !' — J. Montgomery. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 101 
 
 The next year after writing thus pleasantly 
 from the forest of Whittlebury, we follow Dod- 
 dridge to Kensington, in the vicinity of London, 
 where he had ' the great satisfaction to find 
 good Mrs. Godwin, whose life was almost de- 
 spaired of, most charmingly recovered.' ' We 
 took a walk together,' he adds, in writing to his 
 wife, '- of at least a mile, and saw, I need not tell 
 you with what emotion, a house in which the 
 blessed Queen Mary and good Mr. Addison 
 lived. It is one of the most romantic and an- 
 tique I anywhere remember.'* The next week 
 he is in London, where ' Lady Abney and Dr. 
 Watts were staying for him.' He then goes ' in 
 her ladyship's coach to N^ewington,' and is there 
 received ' in the most obliging manner imagin- 
 able.' Returning to London on horseback in 
 the evening, he calls, the following morning, on 
 Mr. Sea wen, by whom he is received ' in the 
 most obliging manner one can conceive.' 'He 
 
 * February 3, 1738. 
 
 The Holland bouse, in which Addison resided during the 
 last days of bis life, is a fine old mansion ' full of historic asso- 
 ciations. It takes its name from Henry Rich, Earl of Holland. 
 It was built by his father-in-law, Sir Walter Cope, in 1607, 
 and affords a very good specimen of the architecture of that 
 period.' 
 
 The early days of Charles James Fox, the celebrated orator 
 and statesman, were also passed in this venerable mansion. 
 
102 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 afterwards took me with him in his chariot, to 
 see a mathematical curiosity ; and from thence 
 to the parliament house, and all the way con- 
 versed with me in as friendly a manner as you 
 can imagine.'* 
 
 Kow we see him on a visit to Stratford upon 
 Avon, standing with deep emotion, hy the tomb 
 of Shakespeare. ' I had on Saturday,' he writes, 
 ' the pleasure of seeing Shakespeare's tomb and 
 epitaph. 't Just a year after this we travel with 
 him to the city of I*Torwich, for some time the 
 scene of the labors of the devout Bishop Hall, 
 where we find him setting out at ^\q o'clock in 
 the morning, with Mr. Wilkinson and Miss 
 Scott, in a chaise, to visit the residences of Lord 
 Townsend and Sir Eobert "Walpole. ' "We had,' 
 he writes to his wife, ^a very pleasant journey, 
 first to Lord Townsend's, which we saw with no 
 great admiration, and then to the seat of the 
 Earl of Orford (once, you know, the celebrated 
 Sir Eobert), which we viewed with inexpressible 
 pleasure. Such paintings and furniture, on the 
 whole, I never saw ; the elegance and magnifi- 
 cence of everything about us was such, as not 
 only excited delight but amazement. And you 
 may suppose I was not a little surprised to re- 
 
 * February 9, 1738. 
 t July 12, 1743. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 103 
 
 ceive a message from "his lordship, with his com- 
 pliments to me and Mr. Fergusson,* and a very 
 obliging invitation for us to take up our quarters 
 with him. It was late in the evening, but I 
 tliought it incumbent on me to wait on his lord- 
 ship, who received me with great civility, amidst 
 a circle of the nobility and gentry. 'f 
 
 Several years after this we follow him on 
 another pleasant journey to London, and find 
 him paying a visit to his scholarly friend, Gilbert 
 West, author of Observations on the History and 
 Evidences of the Besurrection of Jesus Christ; in 
 whose beautiful gardens at Wickham, on a sum- 
 mer day, a religious and philosophical conversa- 
 tion is carried on between them. On this occa- 
 sion, he writes to his beloved partner in life : ' I 
 found Mr. West as hospitable as I could wish. 
 He came to meet me at Croydon on Monday, 
 carried me to Wickham in his chariot, and sent 
 me to London in it to-day. We spent almost 
 the whole intermediate time in religious and 
 philosophical discourse, chiefly in one or another 
 of the elegant retreats in his garden, and the 
 result is, that our hearts are very much twisted 
 together, and we were truly sorry to part. I 
 
 * The doctor's pupil, who accompanied him in this little tour 
 of pleasure.' — Editor of Doddridge's Correspondence. 
 
 fJuly 11, 1744. 
 
104 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 should be very much inclined, if my time would 
 permit, to give you a description of Mr. West's 
 gardens, which are extremely pretty, but that I 
 m.u8t defer till I have the much wished-for plea- 
 sure of seeing you.'* Thus pleasantly did Dod- 
 dridge, in his excursions from IN'orthampton, 
 spend some of the soft, sunny days of spring 
 and summer. 
 
 The useful and brilliant career of Doddridge, 
 as an author, began in 1730, when he gave to 
 the world his Free Thoughts on the Best Means of 
 Heviving the Dissenting Interest, in reply to An In- 
 quiry into the Causes of the Decay of the Dissenting 
 Interest. In 1732, he published his Sermons on 
 the Education of Children, which are highly 
 valued for the profitable and judicious instruc- 
 tion they impart. They deserve the careful 
 attention of every parent, or person to whom 
 is intrusted the education of youth. The style 
 in which they are written is simple, perspicuous, 
 and easy. 
 
 In 1735, appeared his admirable and popular 
 Sermons to Young People ;-f of which Warburton, 
 
 * July 27, 1749. 
 
 I The late Rev. William Jay, of Bath, esteemed Doddridge's 
 Sermons to Young Persons, and those on the Power and Grace 
 of Christ, as some of the most beautiful in our language. And 
 it is affirmed that the celebrated Robert Hall urgently jrecom- 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 105 
 
 m a letter to Doddridge, writes : ' Your Sermons 
 to Young People, were extremely agreeable to me 
 on many accounts. I have a favorite nephew, 
 to whose use I particularly design them. It is 
 my way, after I read a book, to give the general 
 character of it in some celebrated lines or other 
 of ancient or modern writers. I have charac- 
 terized the author and his sermons, in these two 
 lines, written on the blank leaf before the title- 
 page: 
 
 friend ! to dazzle let the vain design ; 
 
 To mend the heart, and raise the thoughts, be thine.'* 
 
 In 1736, Doddridge gave to the public his 
 Ten Sermons on the Power and Grace of Christ, 
 and on the Evidences of his Glorious Gospel, which 
 contain a beautiful and touching exhibition of 
 the grand scheme of redeeming love, and an 
 incontrovertible argument for the divine origin 
 of Christianity. 
 
 mended the sermon to* young people, entitled Christ formed 
 in the Soul, the only Foundation of Hope for Eternity ; and that, 
 so high was his opinion of this discourse, he once actually 
 delivered it publicly from memory, on a Sabbath afternoon. 
 The same eloquent divine highly commended Doddridge's 
 Evidences of Christianity, which he considered a better book in 
 some respects than Paley's. 
 
 * ' Ah, friend ! to dazzle let the vain design ; 
 
 To raise the thought and touch the heart, be thine.' 
 
 Pope's Moral Essays, 
 
106 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE, 
 
 On receiving a presentation copy of these ser- 
 mons from Doddridge, Warburton* wrote to 
 liim : '■ I have received the very valuable present 
 of your Ten Sermons, which I have read with 
 much pleasure and improvement; they are 
 excellent.' 
 
 * William Warburton was born in 1698. In early life he 
 devoted himself to the study of the law. He soon relinquished 
 his profession, after he had commenced practice at Newark, 
 and turned his attention to theology. He subsequently rose 
 to great distinction in the church, and in 1759 was appointed 
 bishop of Gloucester. The first volume of his great work, 
 The Divine Legation of Moses, was published in 1738. He died 
 at Gloucester in 1779, in the eighty-first year of his age. 
 
 With all his vanity, insolence, and dogmatism as a writer, 
 bishop Warburton was a man of great learning ; of a tender, 
 affectionate nature, and remarkable benevolence ; very zealous 
 in his efforts to promote the cause of Christianity. 
 
 Dr. Johnson gives the following estimate of the literary 
 character of this eminent prelate: 'About this time (1738), 
 Warburton began to make his appearance in the first ranks of 
 learning. He was a man of vigorous faculties ; a mind fer- 
 vent and vehement, supplied by incessant and unlimited 
 inquiry ; with wonderful extent and variety of knowledge, 
 which yet had not oppressed his imagination nor clouded his 
 perspicuity. To every work he brought a memory full fraught, 
 together with a fancy fertile of original combinations, and at 
 once exerted the powers of the scholar, the reasoner, and the 
 wit.' 
 
 A remarkably warm friendship existed between Warburton 
 and Doddridge ; and it is interesting to read their correspond- 
 ence, which was carried on for many years. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON, 107 
 
 These sermons are indeed higlily valuable, 
 and deserve a careful perusal. With regard to 
 them, Doddridge observes ; ' These sermons 
 were preached at the desire of that munificent 
 benefactor to the cause of non-conformity, Wil- 
 liam Coward, Esq. ; and the last three were so 
 agreeable to Dr. Seeker, then bishop of Oxford, 
 that he expressed his desire to me, that they 
 might be published alone, for the use of junior 
 students, whose office calls them to defend 
 Christianity ; and perhaps I have not written 
 anything with greater accuracy, or w^hich will 
 be found more adapted to the use of junior stu- 
 dents in theology.'* 
 
 In 1T36, the university of Aberdeen conferred 
 upon Doddridge the honorary degree of Doctor 
 of Divinity ; on which occasion he received the 
 united congratulations of his pupils. Grateful 
 for their expressions of regard, he assured them 
 that their learning, piety, and zeal would be 
 more to his honor, and afford him a thousand 
 times more pleasure than his degree, or any 
 other token of public esteem. 
 
 During the same year we find Doddridge, in 
 a letter to his esteemed friend, and former 
 
 ^ * Doddridge's Evidences of Christianity has been very highly 
 valued by many eminent critics ; and has long been used as a 
 text-book in St. John's College, Cambridge. 
 
108 ^^^^ OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 patron, the Rev. Dr. Clarke, ttius disclosing Ms 
 plan of writing his principal work. The Family 
 Expositor : ' The proposed work, at which I 
 hinted when I wrote last, I intend to call The 
 Family Expositor. I have taken the iN'ew Testa- 
 ment in the original, according to the most 
 authentic readings, so far as I could determine 
 them, and translated it as accurately and hand- 
 somely as I could. With this version I inter- 
 weave a large paraphrase, distinguishing the text 
 by a diiferent character, and adding references, 
 at the foot of the page, to the most considerable 
 writers who defend or dispute the sense I have 
 given. I divide it into lessons, of a mode- 
 rate length, and add a practical improvement of 
 each. I propose publishing it in octavo ; the 
 Harmony of the Evangelists, and perhaps the 
 Acts, will make the first two volumes. I have 
 made some progress in it, and collected large 
 materials for the whole.'* 
 
 Of the progress he makes in this great and 
 favorite undertaking, he subsequently writes to 
 Dr. Clarke : ' My Family Expositor goes on 
 almost every day ; and I press on the faster in 
 it, that I may leave the portion on the evange- 
 lists complete, if, as I have great reason to ex- 
 
 * Letter dated Nov. 10, 1736. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 109 
 
 pect, God should call me speedily away.'* Eight 
 years afterwards he writes to the same divine : 
 ' I must not conclude, sir, without telling you 
 that yesterday I finished the third volume of my 
 Family Expositor, the notes excepted. I thought 
 that the most important work I had in suspense, 
 and hless God that He has conducted me to the 
 end of it.' On the 2d of January, 1747, he says : 
 *I yesterday begun the fourth volume of my 
 ^Expositor, and I fully purpose, by the divine 
 assistance, to write something upon it every day 
 when I am at home, and generally a few verses 
 when abroad, while God is pleased to spare my 
 health, so as to be capable to take pen in hand ; 
 and this scheme I purpose to pursue till the 
 whole is finished.' 
 
 At the close of the manuscript volume con- 
 taining the Revelation, he made the following 
 memorandum : ' Through the good hand of God 
 upon me, which I desire most thankfully to 
 acknowledge, I ended the first copy of the 
 Family Expositor Dec. 31, 1748, exactly two years 
 after I began to write upon the Eomans ; having 
 pursued it during that time without the inter- 
 ruption of one single day ; such health and such 
 resolution did it please God to give me, amid 
 the various scenes of business, danger, and 
 
 * Letter dated Northampton, Jan. 1, 1737. 
 
 10 
 
110 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 amusement, througli wliicli I passed. May His 
 grace raise to Himself a m.oiiument of praise 
 from this feeble effort to explain, illustrate, and 
 enforce His Word.'* 
 
 With what thankfulness to God does he re- 
 cord a remarkable preservation of the manu- 
 script of the concluding volume of The Family 
 Expositor from a fire which broke out in his 
 study in the summer of 1750. As he was about 
 to set out on a journey to Lady Huntingdon, he 
 writes : ' A terrible accident happened in my 
 study, which might have been attended with 
 fatal consequences. I had been sealing a letter 
 with a little roll of wax, and I thought I had 
 blown it out, when fanned by the motion of the 
 air, as I arose in haste, it was rekindled. It 
 burned about a quarter of an hour, while we 
 were at prayer, and would have gone on to con- 
 
 * Doddridge seems to have carried on the composition of 
 The Family Expositor with a love of literary labor similar to 
 that which excited the mind of the pious Bishop Home, when 
 writing his excellent Commentary on the Psalms. The bishop 
 has beautifully recorded his own literary feelings while thus 
 deeply occupied in the silence of his study : ' He arose fresh in 
 the morning to his task ; the silence of the night invited him 
 to pursue it; and he can truly say, that food and rest were not 
 preferred before it. Every part improved infinitely upon his 
 acquaintance with it, and no one gave him uneasiness but the 
 last, for then he grieved that his work was done.' , 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. \\\ 
 
 sume perhaps tlie closet and the house, had not 
 my opposite neighbor seen the flame and given 
 an alarm. When I came up, I found my desk, 
 which was covered with papers, burning like an 
 altar. Many letters, papers of memorandums, 
 and schemes for sermons, were consumed. My 
 book of accounts was on fire, and the names 
 at the top almost burnt through ; a volume of 
 The Family Expositor, the original manuscripts 
 from Corinthians to Ephesians, surrounded with 
 flames, and drenched in melted wax. The fire 
 had kindled up around it, and burned oflT some 
 leaves, and the corners of the other books, so 
 that there is not one leaf entire ; and yet, so did 
 God moderate the rage of this element, and 
 determine in His providence the time of our 
 entrance, that not one account is rendered uncer- 
 tain by what it sufiered, nor is one line which 
 had not been transcribed, destroyed in the manu- 
 script. I have to add that all my sermons and 
 manuscripts intended for the press, and among 
 the rest, the remainder of the Family Expositor^ 
 were all in such danger, that the fire, in another 
 quarter of an hour, had probably consumed 
 them. Observe, my dear friend, the hand of 
 God, and magnify the Lord with me.'* 
 
 * Letter to the Rev. Benjamin Fawcett, dated June 26, 1750. 
 
112 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 The next publication of Doddridge, in chro- 
 nological order, was a sermon, occasioned by 
 the death of his eldest daughter, an engaging 
 and promising child, in her fifth year. This 
 child, which her fond father called the ' delight 
 of his eyes,' and ' one of the most amiable crea- 
 tures of her age he ever beheld,' was taken ill 
 in the summer of 1736, and in the autumn of 
 the same year her sparkling eyes were closed in 
 death. This was a very severe stroke on Dod- 
 dridge ; but piercing as was his grief, he sor- 
 rowed not 'as others which have no hope.' In 
 the midst of his domestic afflictions he could 
 say : ' I know my Grod can support me, and I 
 would leave my all with Him.' His faith would, 
 moreover, enable him to look from the grave to 
 the mansions of glory, to see his dear child happy 
 in the presence of its Saviour — transplanted to 
 the celestial paradise, there to bloom in immor- 
 tal youth, beauty, and vigor. And then, the 
 hope of soon meeting her again, on the heavenly 
 shore, would be a cordial to his fainting, droop- 
 ing heart. Such thoughts should ever soothe 
 and cheer Christian parents, whenever, in the 
 afflictive providence of God, they are called to 
 consign their tender, lovely offspring, to the 
 silent tomb. How touchingly and beautifully 
 has one of the most celebrated living poets of 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 113 
 
 our own country expressed the feelings with 
 which Christian parents should contemplate the 
 departure of a dear child 1 
 
 She is not dead, the child of our affection, 
 
 But gone unto that school 
 "Where she no longer needs our poor protection, 
 
 And Christ himself doth rule. 
 
 Not as a child shall we again behold her ; 
 
 For when with raptures wild 
 In our embraces we again enfold her. 
 
 She will not be a child ; 
 
 But a fair maiden in her Father's mansion, 
 
 Clothed with celestial grace ; 
 And beautiful with all the soul's expansion 
 
 Shall we behold her face. — Longfellow. 
 
 The sermon which Doddridge preached on the 
 death of his child is entitled Submission to Divine 
 Providence in the Death of Children; and is founded 
 on 2 Kings, iv, 25, 26 : ' And it came to pass, 
 when the man of God saw her afar off, that he 
 said to Gehazi his servant. Behold, yonder is 
 that Shunamite. Eun now, I pray thee, to meet 
 her ; and say unto her, Is it well with thee ? is 
 it well with thy husband ? is it well with the 
 child? And she answered. It is well.' The dis- 
 course is said to have been written in part, upon 
 the coffin which inclosed her remains. And 
 Doddridge tells us that he preached it ' in the 
 
114 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 bitterness of his heart,' and 'while that too dear 
 a part of himself lay dead in the house.' To 
 bereaved Christian parents it is admirably 
 adapted to aiford the strongest consolation ; and 
 among sermons of a similar nature there can 
 scarcely be found one more exquisitely tender 
 and pathetic* Dr. Kippis observes that few 
 superior instances of pathetic eloquence are to 
 be met with in the English language ; and a late 
 writer styles it ' an incomparable sermonl' 
 
 In 1739, Doddridge gave to the world the first 
 volume of his most elaborate production. The 
 Family Expositor, which was received with the 
 warmest approbation. It appeared with a dedi- 
 cation to the princess of Wales, which, in the 
 opinion of Dr. Kippis, affords one of the finest 
 specimens that its author has given of his talents 
 in elegant composition. The second and third 
 volumes of this great work were issued at inter- 
 vals of about two years, and the last three, sub- 
 sequently to the author's death. f This work, 
 
 * To this discourse Doddridge himself thus refers : * This, 
 of all my single sermons, is my favorite work ; and I bless 
 God that I have heard of many mourning parents, who have 
 found consolation from what was so useful to the author.' 
 
 ■\ WhenWarburton had read the second volume of The Family 
 Expositor, he wrote to Doddridge: 'The greatest thing lean 
 say of it is that it is equal to the first ; and tjie truest thing I 
 can say of both, that they surpass anything of the kind.' 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 115 
 
 the result of great labor, long preparation, and 
 profound study, is a noble and enduring monu- 
 ment of Doddridge's learning, piety and ability. 
 In the critical and interpretive departments of 
 sacred literature, it has long occupied a distin- 
 guished place ; and as a devotional and practical 
 exposition, is, perhaps, unrivaled. It is, at 
 present, more highly valued on account of its 
 truly devotional and practical character than for 
 its biblical criticism, — a science which has made 
 great advances since the time of Doddridge. 
 
 Glowing encomiums have been bestowed upon 
 the Family Expositor by such eminent theolo- 
 gians and critics as Dr. Adam Clarke, William 
 Orme, Dr. Dibdin, and Thomas Hartwell Home. 
 ' The Family Expositor should find a place upon 
 the shelf and upon the table of every mansion 
 where the moral duties of a Christian are en- 
 joined.'* ' It is admirably adapted to the object 
 which the author had chiefly in view ; and no 
 book can be read in a Christian family with 
 more advantage.'! 'I know of no expositor 
 
 ' This is, without doubt, the most considerable work of my 
 life ; it was projected more than twenty years ago, and I have 
 been almost continually at work upon it, in one form or 
 another, ever since.' — Doddeidge, in a letter dated 1749. 
 
 *Dr. Dibdin. 
 f Orme. 
 
116 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 who unites so many advantages, whether you 
 regard the fidelity of his version, the fullness and 
 perspicuity of his composition, the utility of his 
 general and historical information, the impar- 
 tiality of his doctrinal comments, or lastly, the 
 piety and pastoral earnestness of his moral 
 and religious applications.'* 'The principal 
 charm of this valuable performance, consists in 
 its truly devotional character. The " Improve- 
 ments " appended to each section, are written 
 with a chaste simplicity, and sometimes an 
 elegance of style, which render them grateful to 
 the most refined and cultivated understanding, 
 and at the same time with an evangelical unc- 
 tion, that cannot fail to endear them to the pious 
 and devout. 't 
 
 In 1741, Doddridge published his two excel- 
 lent sermons on the Scripture Doctrine of Salvation 
 hy Grace, and his well known Practical Discourses 
 
 * Babrington, bishop of Durham. 
 
 f Rev. T. Morell. 
 
 ♦ His Expositor I have diligently and regularly consulted. It 
 is the work of an accomplished, laborious, and devout student 
 of the New Testament. His "Practical Reflections" are the 
 gems of the work. I consult Guyse and Orton with frequency 
 and benefit, but not with the pleasure and advantage, gener- 
 ally, that I examine Doddridge. I love Doddridge, because 
 he is so affectionate and devout.' — Rev. William Jay, in con- 
 versation. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. \Yl 
 
 on Regeneration, wHcli were originally delivered 
 from the pulpit on successive Sabbath evenings, 
 with happy effect in many instances. Since 
 their publication they have often been instru- 
 mental in promoting the blessed change which 
 they so admirably describe. The eminent John 
 Foster, in his last hours, was so impressed with 
 the twenty-sixth sermon, on ' The Incapacity of 
 an unregenerate Soul for relishing the enjoy- 
 ment of the Heavenly World,' that he desired 
 his daughters to promise him to read it every 
 month, stating that he thought no one could 
 read it often without a salutary effect. 
 
 The Evil and Danger of Neglecting Men's Souls, 
 is the title of a single discourse, preached by 
 Doddridge at l^orthampton, at a meeting of 
 clergymen, on the 15th of October, 1741, and 
 published the succeeding February. The fol- 
 lowing reference to this sermon and the occasion 
 on which it was delivered, by one who was 
 present, will be read with interest : ' He enter- 
 tained us with an excellent discourse, from 2 
 Peter, v, 6. It was a remarkable day indeed, 
 when the presence of God filled our assembly ; 
 and not myself only, but many others, have with 
 pleasure owned it was one of the best days of 
 our lives. Though the season was hot, the au- 
 ditory very much crowded, and between four 
 
118 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 and ^YQ liours spent in the public worship, none 
 thought the hours tedious, or wished for a dis- 
 mission.* 
 
 In his sermon on this occasion, Doddridge 
 displays his tender concern for the souls of men 
 and their everlasting welfare. The discourse is 
 well calculated to excite ministers to a more 
 earnest, pressing, and solemn declaration of 
 their all-important and glorious message ; and 
 may be strongly commended to the serious at- 
 tention of all those whose noblest ambition is 
 to save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins. 
 "Written in an appropriate, dignified, and pa- 
 thetic style, it is one of Doddridge's best ser- 
 mons ; and among the most useful, of its kind, 
 in our language. 
 
 ' I take the first opportunity,' writes the Rev. 
 Hugh Farmer to Doddridge, ' of acknowledging 
 my obligation to you for the favor of your ser- 
 mon ; which I cannot but greatly value, both as 
 a testimony of your kind regard, and as a wise 
 and seasonable admonition. It is impossible not 
 to be impressed with your affecting representa- 
 tion of the evil and danger of neglecting the souls 
 of men. "When I seriously consider how im- 
 portant, how difficult and dangerous a trust is 
 lodged in the ministers of the gospel, to whom 
 
 * Richard Frost's Funeral Sermon on Dr. Doddridge. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. HQ 
 
 the care of immortal souls is committed, I won- 
 der that it is possible for us to think of anything 
 but how to execute that trust with the greatest 
 faithfulness and diligence. It is strange that we 
 do not rather want cautions against too great a 
 solicitude in our work, which might very much 
 distract our thoughts and impair our health, 
 than pressing exhortations and the most solemn 
 admonitions not to be slothful or negligent in a 
 concern which, when we think of it at all, must 
 swallow up every other thought.'* 
 
 The untiring pen of Doddridge produced, in 
 1742, a beautiful and interesting sketch of the 
 Life and Character of the Rev, Thomas Steffe, a 
 young minister of exemplary devotedness, for- 
 merly a student in the theological academy at 
 N'orthampton. 
 
 In 1743, Doddridge appeared as a champion 
 of the Christian faith, in his Letters., in answer 
 to a deistical book entitled Christianity not founded 
 
 * Bishop Burnet, in an address to clergymen, in the admi- 
 rable conclusion of the History of his own Time, has this stir- 
 ring and solemn remark : * Think of the account you must give 
 for those immortal souls committed to your care, which were 
 redeemed by the blood of Christ, who has sent you in His 
 name to persuade them to be reconciled to God, and at last to 
 present them to Him faultless, with exceeding joy. He sees 
 and observes your labors, and will recompense them gloriously 
 in that great day.' 
 
120 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 on Argument These Letters have reflected the 
 brightest honor on his acuteness and skill in 
 argument, and justly merit the applause they 
 have so often received ; for ' rarely has a contro- 
 versial work appeared of equal ability. Preci- 
 sion, order, clearness, continuity, force, all on 
 the same high level, distinguish this masterly 
 production from beginning to end; and well 
 would it repay careful perusal, now that the 
 infidel controversy is being revived in a simihir 
 form, and under the same specious but intolera- 
 bly false pretences.' 
 
 Among the valued friends and correspondents 
 of Doddridge, at this period, was Thomas Seeker, 
 an eminent and pious prelate.* About the time 
 
 * Thomas Seeker was born in 1693. He was educated for 
 the ministry among the dissenters, but subsequently united 
 with the Episcopalians. He was consecrated bishop of Bris- 
 tol in 1735; translated to Oxford in 1737; and promoted to 
 the Archbishopric of Canterbury in 1758. He died in 1768, 
 in the seventy-fifth year of his age. 
 
 Archbishop Seeker was one of the most popular preachers 
 of his age. Says Hervey, * When Secker preaches, or when 
 Murray pleads, the church is crowded and the bar is thronged.' 
 He was an able advocate of Christianity, and deeply interested 
 in the promotion of vital religion. * I am much pleased that 
 Bishop Secker is so much concerned for the interest of reli- 
 gion,' writes the Rev. John Barker to Doddridge, in 1743. 
 Secker is the author of some excellent sermons which furnish 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 121 
 
 of the publication of Doddridge's Letters against 
 infidelity, he wrote to him, expressing tlie high 
 regard which he had for his books, and his labors 
 in the cause of Christianity. ' I have read your 
 works,' he says, 'with great satisfaction, and, I 
 hope, some benefit; and both rejoice and won- 
 der that in the midst of your other occupations 
 you continue able, as I pray God you long may, 
 to oblige your fellow Christians so often and so 
 highly from the press. Indeed, it must and 
 ought to be owned, in general, that the dissenters 
 have done excellently of late years in the service 
 of Christianity ; and I hope our common war- 
 fare will make us chiefly attentive to our com- 
 mon interest, and unite us in a closer alliance.' 
 
 In 1745, the most widely circulated of all Dr. 
 Doddridge's publications was issued from the 
 press, ' The Rise and Progress of Religion in the 
 Soul; ' a work which, if he had written no other, 
 would have been amply sufficient to embalm the 
 memory of its pious author, and transmit his 
 name with distinguished honor, to far distant 
 generations.' Dr. Watts had the honor of draw- 
 ing the plan of this work, but, unable to execute 
 it himself, on account of his ' growing infirmi- 
 
 many ' noble specimens of practical preaching to intelligent, 
 congregations.' His works were reprinted in 6 vols., 8vo., 
 Loudon, 1811. 
 
 11 
 
122 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 ties,' he earnestly and repeatedly requested Dod- 
 dridge to undertake the performance, regarding 
 him as the best fitted of all his acquaintances to 
 perform the task in the most acceptable and use- 
 ful manner. His solicitations were pressed with 
 such affectionate address that Doddridge could 
 not resist them, and accordingly undertook the 
 work. When the inestimable treatise was fin- 
 ished, Dr. Watts revised as much of it as his 
 failing health would admit. In one of his let- 
 ters to Doddridge, we find this venerable poet 
 and divine thus expressing himself: ^ I long to 
 have your Rise and Progress of Religion appear in 
 the world. I wish my health had been so far 
 established that I could have read over every 
 line with the attention it merits ; but I am not 
 ashamed, by what I have read, to recommend it 
 as the best treatise on practical religion which 
 is to be found in our language, and I pray God 
 that it maybe extensively beneficial.'* Written 
 with beautiful simplicity, and full of exquisitely 
 tender and pathetic passages, no book is, per- 
 haps, more calculated to awaken religious im- 
 pressions in the most thoughtless. The Rev. 
 Dr. Hamilton, in The North British Review, 
 acknowledges that ' it is the best book of the 
 
 * Letter dated Newington, Sept. 13, 1744. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 123 
 
 eighteentli century ; and, tried by tlie test of 
 usefulness, we doubt if its equal has since ap- 
 peared. Rendered into tlie leading languages 
 of Europe, it bas been read by few without im- 
 pression, and in the case of vast numbers that 
 impression has been enduring.'* Who can tell 
 the number of conversions this book has already 
 been instrumental in effecting? i^ot till the 
 judgment day will it be known how many weary 
 pilgrims it has been the means of conducting to 
 the haven of eternal rest.f 
 
 The happy effect of the Rise and Progress on 
 the mind of William "Wilbekforce, the Christian 
 
 ^ Every reader and admirer of Doddridge should not fail to 
 peruse John Foster's Introductory Essay to the Rise and Pro- 
 gress. It is one of the most magnificent pieces ever written 
 by that profound, original author. Of Foster's writings, 
 Robert Hall has well remarked : « They are like a great lum- 
 ber wagon loaded with gold.' 
 
 j- ' I wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, on 
 a plan, in part suggested by Dr. Watts, and also dedicated it 
 to that justly celebrated man, and most amiable and constant 
 friend. This is the book which, so far as I can judge, God has 
 honored for the conversion and edification of souls, more than 
 any of my writings. The editions and translations of it have 
 been multiplied far beyond my hope and expectation, and I 
 cannot mention it without humbly owning that great hand of 
 God which has been with it, and to which I desire with unaf- 
 fected abasement of mind to ascribe all the glory of its accept- 
 ance and success. — Doddridge, in a letter to Mr. Wilbaum. 
 
124 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 statesman and philanthropist, is well known. 
 Just before setting out on a continental tour, 
 while a gay, thoughtless young man, he hap- 
 pened to take up the work, and glancing hastily 
 over its pages, asked Isaac Milner, his friend and 
 fellow traveler, what was the character of the 
 book. ' It is one of the best books ever writ- 
 ten,' was Milner's reply; ' let us take it with us 
 and read it on our journey.' Wilberforce ' easily 
 consented, and they read it carefully together, 
 with this much effect, that he determined at 
 some future season to examine the Scriptures 
 for himself, and see if things were stated there 
 in the same manner.'* 
 
 We would here give a striking instance of the 
 usefulness of this work, which illustriously dis- 
 plays the riches of divine grace in reclaiming the 
 erring from those ways which lead to ' the cham- 
 bers of death.' This incident was related by the 
 Eev. James Hill. 'I was intimate,' he says, 
 ' with the friends of an officer of most licentious 
 character, so much so, that his tent used to be 
 known among his fellow officers by the name of 
 "hell." It so happened that he went to visit a 
 brother officer at a distant station. This brother 
 officer was not himself a pious man ; but amongst 
 the books lying about in his room, there hap- 
 
 * Life of Wilberforce, by his sons. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON, 125 
 
 pened to be Doddridge's Rise and Progress. By 
 some means or other it secured tlie attention of 
 this licentious man. He took it up ; lie read it ; 
 read it with great attention ; but still would not 
 suffer his brother officer to see what he was 
 doing. The time of his return to his regiment 
 came, and he was so ashamed of letting it be 
 seen that he took an interest in this book, that 
 though he longed to take it with him, and was 
 anxious above all things to possess it, he would 
 not let it be known ; but when he packed up his 
 baggage, he packed up this book with it, and 
 returned. He then read the book; read it 
 through ; offered up all the prayers that it con- 
 tains. He read it a second time ; and the result 
 of all was, he sent the book back, with a letter 
 to the officer, pressing on him the duty of read- 
 ing it, and showing by his letter that he himself 
 was converted to Grod by what he had read. He 
 became a decided champion for the faith. He 
 lived but a few months after that, but died in 
 peace with God, and, I trust, is gone to that 
 world of glory where he will speak of the won- 
 ders of the divine providence, as well as the 
 riches of divine grace.'* 
 The Rise and Progress is also regarded as hav- 
 
 * Jubilee Memorial of the (London) Religious Tract Society, p. 
 208. 
 
126 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 ing been the principal means of the conversion 
 of Sir James Stonehouse, an eminent physician 
 of ^Northampton, who for seven years was a con- 
 firmed infidel.* In a letter to the Eev. Mr. 
 
 * Sir James Stonehouse was born in 1716, in Berkshire, 
 England. He received his collegiate education at Oxford, 
 where he took the degree of M. D. in 1745. He passed two 
 years in the study of medicine in France ; and on his return to 
 England, commenced to practice as a physician at Coventry, 
 where he married Miss Anne Neale. * This lady, who died in 
 1747, soon after their marriage, in the twenty-fifth year of her 
 age, is introduced as one of the examples of frail mortality in 
 Hervey's Meditations, and is farther commemorated there in a 
 note.' 
 
 After a year's residence at Coventry, Dr. Stonehouse re- 
 moved, in 1743, to Northampton, where he had a very exten- 
 sive practice. When he first came to Northampton, he was an 
 avowed infidel. He even wrote a pamphlet against revealed 
 religion, which passed through three editions ; a publication 
 which he afterwards retracted. After he settled at North- 
 ampton, he soon became intimately acquainted with Dr. Dod- 
 dridge ; and by a careful perusal of The Rise and Progress, was 
 led to renounce his infidelity and to consecrate himself to the 
 service of Christ. After practicing twenty years as a physi- 
 cian, with great success and pecuniary profit, he relinquished 
 the practice of his profession, and entered the Christian min- 
 istry. He became very popular as a preacher, and eminent as 
 a man of piety. He became rector of Great and Little Cheve- 
 rell, in Wiltshire, ' where he became the spiritual guide of 
 Hannah More, and the '* Mr. Johnson " of her admirable and 
 far-famed tract, The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain.^ 
 
 Dr. Stonehouse was the pious and beloved family physician 
 of Doddridge, and the Rev. James Hervey. He died in 1795, 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 127 
 
 Darracott, written in March, 1747, Doddridge 
 tlius relates this remarkable conversion : ' One 
 of the most signal instances in which God has 
 ever honored me, was in the conversion of a 
 physician of this town, who was once a most 
 abandoned rake and an audacious deist. God 
 made me the means, first of bringing him to a 
 conviction of the truth of Christianity, then of 
 correcting his morals, and bringing him to at- 
 tend the public worship of God at church ; and, 
 at length, of enlightening his mind with that 
 true and saving knowledge of Christ to which, I 
 bless God, he has now attained. He has written 
 many most truly Christian letters to his old 
 companions ; and has already, as he informs me, 
 in a letter which I received from him but last 
 post (for he is now in London), been the means 
 of converting an intimate friend, who was once 
 as great a deist as himself, so that he is become 
 a true lover of Jesus Christ. His is, indeed, an 
 amazing change. Good Mr. Hervey has been 
 honored as a fellow laborer with me in this work. 
 My book on the Rise and Progress of Religion.^ has 
 been, I hope, honored of God as one great means 
 of producing this blessed change. He has read 
 
 in the eightieth year of his age. He is the author of The Sick 
 Man's Friend, and several other short treatises on religious 
 subjects.' 
 
128 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 it again and again, and marked with a line drawn 
 under tliem some hundreds of passages which, 
 occur in that treatise.' 
 
 For the Rise and Progress Doddridge received 
 the thanks of many eminent divines and pious 
 laymen of his day. It is interesting to read some 
 of the letters addressed to him on its pubhca- 
 tion. The Rev. David Jennings, D. D., in writ- 
 ing to him, styles this performance one of the 
 best, and, he hopes most useful books that has 
 been published in his time. ' I rejoice to hear,' 
 he adds, ' that it spreads into many hands ; may 
 the blessing of God attend it to as many hearts, 
 and then whatever recompense you may receive 
 for your labor in this world, it will be of small 
 consideration to the many crowns of rejoicing 
 you shall receive on account of it in the day of 
 the Lord.'* 
 
 In 1747, Doddridge produced his interesting 
 Memoirs of Colonel Gardiner, which has been fre- 
 quently reprinted. 
 
 Christ's Gracious Invitation to Thirsty Souls, is 
 the title of a sermon published by Doddridge in 
 
 * * I may with truth assure you, that I never was so deeply 
 affected with anything I ever met with as with that book ; and 
 I could not be easy till I had given one to every servant in 
 my house.' — The Duchess of Somerset, in a letter to Dod- 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 129 
 
 1748, with a dedication to the Kev. James Her- 
 vey,* author of Theron and Asjpasio ; Meditations 
 and Contemplations. A tender, beautiful, simple, 
 and instructive discourse, it affords an excellent 
 model for preachers, and is well suited to pro- 
 mote the grand end of the gospel ministry — to 
 attract the thirsty, weary soul to the Fountain 
 of Life. It may be regarded as one of the best 
 specimens of Doddridge's general style of 
 preaching. It was one of the most effective 
 sermons he ever delivered, as we learn from the 
 dedication, in which he says : ' Something of a 
 peculiar blessing seemed to attend the discourse, 
 when delivered from the pulpit ; and to such a 
 
 ^ Mr. Hervey was among the dearest and most valued 
 friends of Doddridge, at this period. He was born near North- 
 ampton, England ; and was educated in the grammar school 
 of Northampton, and in the university of Oxford. When Dod- 
 dridge published his sermon on Christ's Gracious Invitation^ 
 Mr. Hervey was minister of a church at Weston Favel, a little 
 village pleasantly situated about two miles from Northampton. 
 In 1758, in the forty-fifth year of his age, he departed this 
 life, breathing these words in his last moments : * How thank- 
 ful am I for death ! It is the passage to the Lord and giver of 
 eternal life. welcome, welcome death ! Thou mayest well 
 be reckoned among the treasures of a Christian. To live is 
 Christ ; to die, is gain ! Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant 
 depart in peace; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.' ' The 
 conflict is over ; now all is done.^ * Precious Salvation.' 
 
 On an occasional celebration of Mr. Hervey's virtues and 
 
130 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 degree as I do not know to have been equalled 
 by any other sermon I ever preached.' How 
 often have sermons of this stamp, delivered with 
 earnestness and solemnity, been ' mighty through 
 God,' in the conversion of sinners, and in the 
 edification and consolation of saints ! 
 
 In 1748, Doddridge edited the works of his 
 favorite author. Archbishop Leighton, a divine 
 upon whom one of his latest biographers has 
 passed the following eulogy : ' Among the first 
 preachers of his own day, he has never been 
 surpassed, taking him all in all, since that period. 
 
 talents, at the village of Weston Favel, in 1823, James Mont- 
 gomery, the poet, composed a beautiful tributary poem, in 
 which he says : 
 
 * Stars, flowers, and tombs were themes for solemn thought 
 With him whose memory we recall. 
 
 Yet more than eye can see he sought; 
 
 His spirit looked through all, 
 
 Keenly discern'd 
 
 The truths they teach, 
 
 Their lessons learn'd, 
 
 And gave their silence speech. 
 
 * Go, meditate with him among the tombs, 
 And there the end of all things view ; 
 Visit with him spring's earliest blooms. 
 See all things there made new ; 
 Thence rapt aloof 
 
 In ecstasy, 
 
 Hear, from heaven's roof, 
 
 Stars preach eternity.' 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 131 
 
 More sententious than Reynolds ; more refined 
 than Howe ; more eloquent than Baxter ; less dif- 
 fuse and argumentative, but more practical than 
 Charnock ; less profound, but clearer and more 
 savory than Owen ; less ingenious, but sweeter 
 and more sublime than Hall — he will not suffer 
 by comparison with any divine, in any age.'* In 
 speaking of the works of Leighton, the Eev. 
 Dr. Miles, in a letter to Doddridge, says : ' You 
 mention to me Archbishop Leighton's works. I 
 bless God I ever met with them. I have his 
 Commentary on the whole First Epistle to Peter ; a 
 small volume of Sermons, and his Prcelectiones.f 
 There is a spirit in them I never met with in 
 any other human writings ; nor can I read many 
 
 * The Rev. G. Jerment. 
 
 ■f In his Lectures on Preaching, Doddridge says that Archbi- 
 shop I^eighton's Works ought to be reckoned * among the great- 
 est treasures of the English tongue. They continually over- 
 flow with love to God, and breathe a heart entirely transformed 
 by the gospel, above the views of everything but pleasing God.' 
 ' His Commentary on Peter,^ he elsewhere remarks, ' I esteem 
 one of the most excellent pieces I have ever read.' 
 
 Doddridge's edition of Leighton's Expository TForA;^ was pub- 
 lished in two octavo volumes by David Wilson, Edinburgh, 
 1748. The last and best edition of the Whole Works of Leigh- 
 ton is that by J. N. Pearson, M. A., with a life of the author ; 
 reprinted by the Messrs. Carter, New York, in one goodly oc- 
 tavo volume, with the addition of Mr. Aikman's Life of Leigh- 
 ton^ and valuable indexes. 
 
132 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 lines in them without being moved.' In later 
 times S. T. Coleridge has this remark : ' If there 
 could be an intermediate space between inspired 
 and uninspired writings, that space would be 
 occupied by Leighton.'* 
 
 Such are the principal works of Doddridge, 
 which were issued from the press during his 
 lifetime. His Lectures on Freaching, and the Seve- 
 ral Branches of the Ministerial Office, given to the 
 world since his death, are among the most valua- 
 ble of his compositions, and deserve a careful 
 perusal by every pastor and candidate for the 
 ministerial office. His Lectures on Pneumatology, 
 Ethics and Divinity ; and his Hymns are also post- 
 humous publications, t 
 
 The intellectual labor which Doddridge per- 
 
 * * Coleridge's Aids to Reflection has for its foundation selec- 
 tions from the writings of Leighton. Fail not, reader to pos- 
 sess thyself of it, and make the rich treasure thy manual.' — 
 C. D. Cleveland. 
 
 f An excellent edition of the Whole Works of Doddridge, in 
 10 volumes, octavo, edited by D. Williams and the Rev. E. 
 Parsons, was published at Leeds in 1802. His Miscellaneous 
 Works, in one volume, imperial octavo, with a valuable intro- 
 ductory essay by the Rev. T. Morell, of Coward College, was 
 issued in 1839. 
 
 In noticing the Works of Doddridge, the London Evangelical 
 Magazine says : * These volumes must rank with our first Eng- 
 lish classics, and must go down to posterity as specimens of 
 the English language rarely surpassed.' 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. 133 
 
 formed in the several capacities of pastor, au- 
 thor, and tutor, from the commencement of his 
 settlement at I^orthampton till the time of his 
 preaching his last sermon, was certainly extraor- 
 dinary, and must excite the admiration of all 
 who carefully review his active and laborious 
 life. 
 
 The powerful mind of Dr. Chalmers was not 
 a little impressed with the multiplicity of labors 
 which Doddridge carried on during his ministe- 
 rial career, as well as with the fervor of his de- 
 votional feelings. While reading his Life, by 
 Orton — a book which he highly prized — he 
 thus piously recorded his own feelings in his 
 Journal : 
 
 ' March 12th, 1812. — I am reading the Life of 
 Doddridge, and am greatly struck with the quan- 
 tity of business which he put through his hands. 
 O God, impress upon me the value of time, and 
 give regulation to all my thoughts and all my 
 movements. I abandon plans, and cast my care 
 on Him who cares for me. May I be strong in 
 faith, instant in prayer, high in my sense of duty, 
 and vigorous in the execution of it. When I 
 detect myself in unprofitable reverie, let me 
 make an instant transition from dreaming to 
 doing. 
 
 ' March 14^A. — I am much impressed with the 
 12 
 
134 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 reality and important business style of Dod- 
 dridge's intercourse with God. O Heavenly 
 Father ! convert my religion from a name to a 
 principle. Ering all my thoughts and move- 
 ments into an habitual reference to Thee. May 
 I call on Thy name, in deed and reality, that I 
 may be saved.'* 
 
 In the year 1748, Doddridge lost his dear and 
 valuable friend, the pious Dr. "Watts, who de- 
 parted this life on the 25th of I^ovember, in the 
 seventy-fifth year of his age, in ' sure and cer- 
 tain hope ' of a blessed immortality.' On his 
 death E^athaniel l^eal, Esq., a distinguished at- 
 torney in London, whom Dr. Watts appointed 
 one of his executors, thus wrote to Doddridge : 
 ' When one thinks of the death of so great a 
 man as Dr. Watts, it strikes a damp to one's 
 heart like the setting of the sun ; though I cheer 
 myself with this thought, that he is risen on 
 some happier world with a new and more re- 
 splendent glory. O may the scattered rays he 
 has left behind him in our benighted hemi- 
 sphere, light and cheer us onward in our ascent 
 to the regions of everlasting day ; where the 
 system of universal nature will be unveiled to 
 our view, and where the firmament is filled with 
 
 * Hanua's Memoirs of the Life and Writinga of Dr. Chalmers. 
 
HIS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON. I35 
 
 stars, that are risen, never to set any more.'* 
 But how soon was Doddridge himself to follow 
 his heloved friend, Dr. Watts, to the grave ! How 
 soon were they to meet on the heavenly shore ! 
 Lovely and pleasant were these excellent men 
 in their lives ; and in their death they were not 
 far divided. The last days of Doddridge are 
 soon to pass in review hefore us. And a con- 
 templation of the scenes of those days must 
 ever excite emotions hoth of pain and of plea- 
 sure in the mind of every earnest and zealous 
 Christian. 
 
 During the summer of 1749, shortly after the 
 successive earthquakes which shook London and 
 its neighborhood, Doddridge visited the metro- 
 polis and delivered a very searching discourse 
 there, on the '■ Guilt and doom of Capernaum,' 
 founded on these solemn words of our Saviour 
 in Matthew xi, 23, 24 : ' And thou Capernaum, 
 which art exalted unto heaven, shalt he brought 
 down to hell,' &c. It was the last sermon he 
 preached in London. Of this remarkable dis- 
 course Dr. Hamilton, in his Christian Classics, 
 
 * As we have already related, in a separate publication, the 
 principal events in the life of this pious divine and warm per- 
 sonal friend of Doddridge, we omit any further notice of him 
 in this volume. See Life and Choice Works of Dr. Watts, 1 
 vol. 12mo., with portrait, published by J. B. Lippincott &Co., 
 Philadelphia. 
 
136 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDOE. 
 
 observes, that it is^' one of the most solemn and 
 arousing appeals which ever proceeded from a 
 pulpit. "Whilst preaching it, he said that he was 
 conscious of an uncommon influence resting on 
 his spirit, and the impression produced was veiy 
 great. One of the hearers was a gentleman of 
 considerable property, Mr. Benjamin Forfitt; 
 and on his mind the effect of the sermon was, 
 that he went and founded " The Book Society," 
 which, for upwards of a century, has been doing 
 incalculable good, by the diffusion of religious 
 books, and which preceded the Tract Society 
 fifty years.' 
 
 It was on this occasion, while alluding to the 
 guilt of London, that Doddridge exclaimed in 
 tones peculiarly solemn and impressive : ' O 
 London, London ! dear city of my birth and 
 education — seat of so many of my friends, — 
 seat of our princes and senators, — centre of our 
 commerce, — heart of our island, which must 
 feel and languish, must tremble, and, I had al- 
 most said, die with thee ! How art thou lifted 
 up to heaven I How high do thy glories rise ; 
 and how bright do they shine ! How great is 
 thy magnificence ! How extensive thy com- 
 merce ! How numerous, how free, how happy, 
 thy inhabitants ! How happy, above all, in their 
 religious opportunities ! In the uncorrupted gos- 
 
mS PASTORATE AT NORTHAMPTON 137 
 
 pel, so long, so faithfully, preached in thy syna- 
 gogues ! displayed in so many peculiar glories, 
 which were but beginning to dawn when Jesus 
 himself dwelt in Capernaum, and preached re- 
 pentance there ! But while we survey these 
 heights of elevation, must we not tremble, lest 
 thou shouldst fall so much the lower, lest thou 
 shouldst plunge so much the deeper in ruin !' 
 
 In the cause of revivals of religion and of 
 missionary enterprises in our own country, Dod- 
 dridge was deeply interested during his pasto- 
 rate at Northampton. At this time the Rev. 
 Jonathan Edwards was preaching with great 
 success at the beautiful town of ISTorthampton, 
 in ]!!*[ew England ; and under his powerful, search- 
 ing, and solemn ministration, remarkable revi- 
 vals of religion took place in that town and its 
 vicinity. Mr. Edwards wrote an interesting ac- 
 count of this happy state of things in the church 
 of E'ew England, which was published in Lon- 
 don in 1736, under the title of Narrative of Sur- 
 prising Conversions, with an introduction by Dr. 
 Watts and Dr. Guyse. This treatise was exten- 
 sively circulated through England and Scotland, 
 and was read with great interest and profit by 
 earnest Christians in those countries. Ite peru- 
 sal rejoiced the heart of Doddridge. In Octo- 
 ber, 1737, he writes to his old friend, Dr.Clarke: 
 
138 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 ' I have lately read, with an agreeable surprise, 
 the Narrative from ]N'ew England, by Dr. Watts.' 
 Doddridge was especially interested in the 
 labors of another of his American cotempora- 
 ries, the pious and devoted missionary, David 
 Brainerd, of whom he seems to have been a 
 great admirer. And one of the books that he 
 greatly valued was the Life and Journal of this 
 excellent man. Brainerd published his Journal 
 in 1746 ; and after his death, Jonathan Edwards 
 wrote a deeply interesting account of his life, 
 which includes his diary, and which appeared in 
 1749, in an octavo volume. It has been well 
 remarked by one, that this book is ' one of those 
 which ought to be studied by every minister of 
 the gospel, and every candidate for the sacred 
 office.' On one occasion (June 2d, 1750), Dod- 
 dridge thus refers to Brainerd's Journal: ^ Being 
 much affected with many things I have lately read 
 in the Journal of that faithful and zealous ser- 
 vant of Christ, Mr. David Brainerd, and observ- 
 ing, particularly, that he abounded much more 
 than most men of his day in the duty of secret 
 fasting and prayer, I determined by the divine 
 assistance, to attempt the exercise of the former 
 long neglected duty.' And again, in a letter to 
 one of his ministerial brethren, in February, 
 1751, he says : ' Let me recommend to you the 
 
ffIS PASTOR A TE A T NOR THAMPTON. 139 
 
 reading the Life and Journal of Mr. David Brai- 
 nerd, if you know where to get it in large.' In 
 1748, Doddridge himself wrote a Dedication of 
 an Abridgment of Brainerd's Journal to the Hon- 
 orable Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 
 Great Britain. It is among the last of his lite- 
 rary performances, and is a well deserved tribute 
 to one of the excellent of the earth.* 
 
 * A few months ago the author of this volume, while on a 
 tour through New England, visited the grave of Brainerd, at 
 Northampton. It was on a beautiful summer morning, when a 
 gentle breeze was stirring the green foliage of the thick trees 
 in the cemetery, that we approached the hallowed spot and 
 read the inscription upon his tomb 
 
 It will be remembered that Brainerd died at Northampton, 
 on the 9th of October, 1747, in the thirtieth year of his age. 
 He breathed his last in the house of Jonathan Edwards, to 
 whose daughter, Jerusha, a very amiable and pious young lady 
 of seventeen, he was engaged to be married. This young 
 lady, who constantly attended Brainerd during his last illness, 
 survived him only a few months. Her grave is close by the 
 side of Brainerd's, and on the plain white stone which marks 
 her resting place is tbis inscription : Jerusha Edwards, daugh- 
 ter of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. Born April 26, 1730; 
 died Feb. 14, 1748. "I shall be satisfied when I awake- in Thy 
 likeness." 
 
 As we stood by the grave of Brainerd, recalling the princi- 
 pal events of his brief but useful life, we were particularly 
 impressed with the Christian triumph of his death. How 
 peaceful, how joyful was his departure ! No clouds obscure 
 the brightness of his spiritual vision. As he stands on the 
 borders of the ocean of eternity, and looks above him and be- 
 
140 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 fore him, the sky is clear and the ocean calm. He passes 
 away from the scene of his earthly labors and conflicts with 
 these words on his pale, quivering lips; 'Come, Lord Jesus! 
 come quickly. Oh, why is His chariot so long in coming ? 
 My work is done ; oh, to be in heaven to praise and glorify 
 God with His holy angels!' 
 
 As peaceful and happy, we may remark, was the departure 
 of Miss Jerusha Edwards. ' She had manifested,' says her 
 father, ' a heart uncommonly devoted to God in the course of 
 her life, many years before her death ; and said on her death- 
 bed, that she had not seen one minute, for several years, wherein 
 she desired to live one minute longer, for the sake of any other good 
 in life, but doing good, living to God^ and doing what might be 
 for His glory !' 
 
 An eminent American divine has these beautiful and appro- 
 priate remarks respecting the grave of Brainerd; 'His mortal 
 remains repose in the burying-place at Northampton, and 
 the spot is hallowed to the hearts of thousands by the most 
 grateful associations. The stranger who only passes through 
 the town, is often heard inquiring the way to " Brainerd's 
 grave;" and many a Christian, and many a minister, whose 
 home is on the other side of the ocean, has stood over the 
 spot with tender and sublime emotions, and with a mois- 
 tened eye. It is within the last few years that, on some public 
 occasion at Northampton, which called together a large num- 
 ber of ministers, a clerical procession walked early in the 
 morning into the grave-yard, to visit this hallowed spot, and, as 
 they stood over it, they offered up thanksgiving to his God 
 and their God, for having made bim what he was, and suppli- 
 cations that the remembrance of his example might cheer them 
 onward in their labors, and assist them to win the immortal 
 crown.' — Dr. Sprague, in his Annals of the American Pulpit. 
 
CHAPTER Y. 
 
 HIS LAST DAYS. 
 
 'fl^ the midst of his excessive labors as 
 pastor, tutor, and author, Doddridge 
 was seized with the disease which, in 
 less than a year, terminated his useful 
 life. Early in the winter of 1750, as he 
 was going to preach the funeral sermon of his 
 early friend and patron, the Rev. Dr. Samuel 
 Clarke, he caught a cold which troubled him the 
 remainder of the winter, and finally terminated 
 in consumption. On the approach of spring he 
 recovered considerably, but relapsed again in 
 the summer. His end now rapidly approached ; 
 and as he drew nigh the grave, and stood on the 
 borders of life, he appeared, as it were, to smile 
 at death. His spirit now soared on the wings 
 of pious contemplation, and was more and more 
 cheered with the hope of future bliss. The light 
 of the divine countenance seemed to beam glo- 
 
142 ^^FE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 riously upon his soul ; gladness was put in Ms 
 heart; and that joy which the world can neither 
 give nor take away, caused him to desire still 
 more ardently the full enjoyment of heaven's 
 untold happiness. And as he turns his steadfast 
 eye of faith heyond the dark cold grave, and 
 
 ' Surveys the brightening regions of the blest,' 
 
 he seems to possess, in a spiritual sense, 
 
 * What nothing earthly gives, or can destroy, 
 The soul's calm sunshine, and the heartfelt joy.' 
 
 In the near prospect of death, he could say, at 
 this time, in the sublime language of Christian 
 triumph : ' I bless God, earth is less and less to 
 me ; and I shall be very glad to have done with 
 it once for all, as soon as it shall please my Mas- 
 ter to give me leave. Yet for Him I would live 
 and labor; and I hope, if such were His will, suf- 
 fer too.' 'I thank God, that I do indeed feel 
 my affection to this vanishing world dying and 
 vanishing every day. I have long since weighed 
 it in the balances diudi found it wanting; and my heart 
 and hopes are above.' 
 
 On the 2d of June, 1751, Doddridge adminis- 
 tered the Lord's Supper for the last time to his 
 congregation at ISTorthampton. It was a very 
 solemn and affecting occasion. He preached 
 from Hebrews xii, 23 : 'Ye are come — to the general 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 143 
 
 assembly, and Church of the first horn, which are 
 written in heaven,' &c.; and very felicitously and 
 beautifully did he expatiate on that glorious and 
 innumerable assembly of all nations, and kindreds, 
 and people and tongues, which shall meet together 
 in that world where sorrow and sighing shall flee 
 away, and where songs of joy and gratitude shall 
 unceasingly be ascribed to Him that hath loved us, 
 and washed us from our sins in His own blood. In 
 addressing his people, at the conclusion of this 
 sacramental service, the saintly pastor touch- 
 ingly alluded to his own departure, and tenderly 
 and pathetically spoke of their final separation. 
 His last sermon at I^orthampton was delivered 
 on the 14th of July, from that cheering text : 
 ' Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the 
 Lord's:' Rom. xiv, 8. 
 
 After engaging in his last public service at the 
 ordination of the Rev. Mr. Adams, at Brewdly, 
 on the 18th of July, he visited Shrewsbury, and 
 spent several weeks at the house of his friend 
 and former pupil, the Rev. Job Orton. During 
 his continuance with Mr. Orton, in the hope of 
 deriving benefit from a change of air and relaxa- 
 tion of naind, he was favored with many letters 
 from his friends, couched in terms expressive of 
 their sincere affection and deep concern for his re- 
 covery. Of these letters of sympathy it has been 
 
144 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 well remarked, that they ' are among the most 
 touching to be found in the annals of friendship.' 
 Among others, he received from the Rev. John 
 Barker,* a dissenting clergyman, that 'wonder- 
 fully impassioned letter, which surely no one 
 
 * John Barker was born about the year 1G82. Very little is 
 known of the circumstances of his younger years, except that 
 he finished his academical education in Yorkshire, and was 
 ordained a minister in London. In 1709, when about the 
 twenty-sixth year of his age, he was chosen assistant to the 
 Rev. Dr. Grosvenor, of London, an eloquent divine, well 
 known as the author of The Mourner Relieved, etc. On the 
 death of Matthew Henry, the commentator, in the summer of 
 1714, Mr. Barker became his successor in th.e pastoral care of 
 the church at Hackney, where he labored several years with 
 great acceptance and usefulness. In 1741, he became minis- 
 ter at Salter's Hall, in London, ' long esteemed one of the 
 most celebrated places of worship among the dissenters.' He 
 died on the 31st of May, 1762, at the age of eighty. He was 
 one of the most eloquent preachers of his times. On account 
 of his fascinating delivery, he was commonly called the ' silver 
 tongued Barker.' He was a man of considerable learning, 
 and of very ardent piety. According to Mr. Walter Wilson, 
 his two volumes of sermons ' are composed in a natural and 
 easy style ; the subjects are of a practical nature, and treated 
 in a manner highly judicious and evangelical.' 
 
 Mr. Barker was a very intimate friend of Dr. Doddridge, 
 and corresponded frequently with him. Of his last letter to 
 Doddridge, Mr. Wilson says, that it ' abounds above all with 
 expressions of the sublimest friendship, resignation, and piety, 
 and is, perhaps, one of the most striking pieces of eloquence, 
 of the kind, ever penned.' For an interesting account of Mr 
 Barker, see Wilson's History of Dissenting Churches, 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 145 
 
 can read without mingling his tears with those 
 in which Doddridge bathed it as he read the 
 burning lines.' How exquisitely tender and pa- 
 thetic are the words we quote from this remarka- 
 ble letter — the last one that Mr. Barker ever 
 wrote to Doddridge : ' Consent and choose to 
 stay with us a while longer, my dear friend, if it 
 please God. This is not only needful to l^orth- 
 ampton, and its adjacent towns and villages, but 
 desirable to us all, and beneficial to our whole 
 interest. Stay, Doddridge I oh, stay, and strength- 
 en our hands, whose shadows grow long. Fifty 
 is but the height of vigor, usefulness and honor. 
 Do not take leave abruptly. Providence hath not 
 yet directed thee on whom to drop thy mantle. 
 Who shall instruct our youth, fill our vacant 
 churches, animate our associations, and diffuse 
 a spirit of piety, moderation, candor, and charity, 
 through our villages and churches, and a spirit 
 of prayer and supplication into our towns and 
 cities, when thou art removed from us ? Espe- 
 cially, who shall unfold the sacred oracles, teach 
 us the meaning and use of our Bibles, rescue us 
 from the bondage of systems, party opinions, 
 empty, useless speculations, and fashionable 
 forms and phrases, and point out the simple, in- 
 telligible, consistent, religion of our Lord and 
 Saviour? Who shall — but I am silenced by 
 13 
 
146 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 the voice of Him wlio says, '' Shall I not do 
 what I will with my own ? Is it not my pre- 
 rogative to take and leave, as seemeth me good ? 
 I demand the liberty of disposing of my own 
 servants at my own pleasure. He hath labored 
 more abundantly. His times are in my hand. 
 He hath not slept as do others. He hath risen 
 to nobler heights than things below. He hopes 
 to inherit glory. He hath labored for that which 
 endureth to eternal life — labor which, the more 
 it abounds, the more it exalts and magnifies, 
 and the more effectually answers and secures its 
 end. It is yours to wait and trust, mine to dis- 
 pose and govern. On me be the care of minis- 
 ters and churches. With me is the residue of 
 the Spirit. Both the vineyard and the laborers 
 are mine. I set them to work, and, when I 
 please, I call them and give them their hire." 
 With these thoughts my passions subside ; my 
 mind is softened and satisfied. I resign thee, 
 myself, and all, to God, saying, " Thy will be 
 done." ' Doddridge was so deeply affected with 
 the sentiments of friendship and consolation, 
 expressed in this letter, that Mr. Orton feared 
 ' his tender frame would have sunk under it.' 
 
 Following the advice of his physicians, he 
 visited Bristol in the month of August, and used 
 
HIS LAST DAYS, 147 
 
 its waters, but without any beneficial effect.* 
 While here he received many expressions of 
 sympathy, and the kindest treatment from 
 friends. But as his ' outward man ' was gradu- 
 ally becoming more feeble, his ' inward man ' 
 was daily renewed. His mind was filled with 
 the peace of God, which passeth all understand- 
 ing, and was even joyful amidst all the physical 
 sufferings he endured. In this happy frame he 
 wrote to one : ' I see indeed no hope of my re- 
 covery ; yet my heart rejoiceth in my God and 
 my Saviour, and I call Him under this failure of 
 everything else, its strength and everlasting por- 
 tion. God hath indeed been wonderfully good 
 to me, but I am less than the least of His mer- 
 cies, less than the least hope of His children. 
 Adored be His grace for whatever it hath wrought 
 by me !' 
 
 Doddridge was now in a deep-seated consump- 
 tion ; and his pale countenance, his emaciated 
 frame, his hectic fever, his continued cough, and 
 his hoarse voice were sad premonitions of his 
 approaching end. But in the midst of his dis- 
 
 * ' Though I am greatly better within these six days, my 
 cough and hoarseness are such that it is judged advisable that 
 we should try Bristol, which has, sometimes, been wonder- 
 fully serviceable in such cases.' — Doddridge, in a letter to his 
 daughter, dated Aug. 12, 1751. 
 
148 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 tressing symptoms he talked very sweetly of liia 
 confidence in Him wlio smooths the dying pil- 
 low, and lights up the dark valley with the 
 beams of His glorious love. ' My soul is vigor- 
 ous and healthy, notwithstanding the hastening 
 decay of this frail and tottering body. It is not 
 for the love of sunshine, or the variety of meats, 
 that I desire life ; but, if it please God, that I 
 may render him a little more service. It is a 
 blessed thing to live above the fear of death, and 
 I praise God I fear it not.* The means I am 
 about pursuing to save life, so far as I am solely 
 concerned, are, to my apprehension, worse than 
 death. My profuse night-sweats are very weak- 
 ening to my emaciated frame ; but the most dis- 
 tressing nights to this frail body have been as 
 the beginning of heaven to my soul. God hath, as 
 it were, let heaven down upon me in those nights 
 of weakness and waking. I am not suffered once 
 to lose my hope. My confidence is, not that I 
 have lived such or such a life, or served God in 
 this or the other manner. I know of no prayer 
 I ever offered, no service I ever performed, but 
 there has been such a mixture of what was 
 wrong in it, that, instead of recommending me 
 
 * If Christ is our foundation, we have nothing to fear, even 
 in the swellings of Jordan, for death itself cannot separate us 
 from the love of Christ. — Burder. 
 
Ills LAST DAYS. 149 
 
 to the favor of God, I needed His pai^don, through 
 Christ, for the same. Yet He hath enahled me 
 in sincerity to serve Him. Popular applause was 
 not the thing I sought. If I might be honored 
 to do good, and my Heavenly Father might see 
 His poor child attempting, though feebly and 
 imperfectly, to serve Him and meet with His 
 approving eye and commending sentence. Well 
 done., good and faithful servant^ — this my soul re- 
 garded, and was most solicitous for. I have no 
 hope in what I have been or done. Yet I am 
 full of confidence, and this is my confidence : 
 there is a hope set before me; I have fied, I still 
 fl}/ for refuge to that hope. In Him I trust ; in 
 Him I have strong consolation, and shall assuredly 
 be accepted in this Beloved of my soul. The spirit 
 of adoption is given me, enabling me to cry Abba 
 Father. I have no doubt of my being a child of 
 God, and that life and death, and all my present 
 exercises, are directed in mercy by my adored 
 Heavenly Father.' 
 
 How tranquil, bright, and unfaltering the 
 Christian's hope ! How its voice, like sweetest 
 music, soothes and cheers our spirits amidst the 
 darkness and the conflicts of life ! How it re- 
 joices us as we look beyond this present state 
 of existence and ^x our eyes on the glories of 
 our heavenly home ! In the language of Dod- 
 
150 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 dridge's favorite author, Archbishop Leigh ton, 
 ' This is the anchor fixed within the veil, which 
 keeps the soul firm against all the tossings on 
 these swelling seas, and the winds and tempests 
 that arise upon them. The firmest thing in this 
 inferior world is a believing soul.' 
 
 Hope, with uplifted foot, set free from earth, 
 Pants for the place of her ethereal birth ; 
 On steady wings, sails through the immense abyss. 
 Plucks amaranthine joys from bowers of bliss, 
 And crowns the soul, while yet a mourner here, 
 With wreaths like those triumphant spirits wear. 
 Hope, as an anchor, firm and sure, holds fast 
 The Christian vessel, and defies the blast. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 During Doddridge's stay at Bristol, the deep- 
 est solicitude was felt for him by his numerous 
 friends. He was visited by the principal persons 
 of his congregation; and many sympathizing 
 and consolatory letters were addressed to him, 
 by warm friends, in various parts of the country. 
 Dr. Warburton writes : ' Death, whenever it hap- 
 pens, in a life spent like yours, is to be envied, 
 not pitied ; and you will have the prayers of 
 your friends, as conquerors have the shouts of 
 the crowd. Grod preserve you ; if He continues 
 you here to go on in His service ; if He takes you 
 to Himself, to be crowned with glory.' 
 
 But one of the most beautiful and consolatory 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 151 
 
 letters lie received at this time, was from Mr. 
 Williams, of Kidderminster,* wlio says : ' I dare 
 to congratulate you, dear saint, that having 
 fought a good fight, you are so near the end of 
 your course, and will quickly receive a glorious 
 crown. I rejoice that your evening sun has no 
 cloud! God is faithful ! Those who know His 
 name will put their trust in Him. Jesus, our 
 Almighty Friend, is full of compassion ; is af- 
 flicted in all your affliction ; and will not fail to 
 succor you in the darkest hour. Human nature, 
 perhaps, cannot be quite fearless of approaching 
 dissolution ; but faith will obtain the victory, f 
 God sees fit to hold His dear children in a state 
 of dependence to the last ; but the grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient for you, and will 
 be ever near. You have had many a Pisgah view ; 
 and if it be best, you shall have another — a 
 clearer than ever yet — before you pass Jordan. 
 And doubt not, my dear sir, that He who cut 
 oif the waters from before the ark, and caused 
 
 * The Diary of this excellent man, one of the most benevo- 
 lent and devout of Doddridge's correspondents, was first pub- 
 lished by the Rev. Benjamin Fawcett. It has since been re- 
 edited, with additional matter, selected from h\B Meditations, 
 by Mr. Williams' great grandson, Benjamin Hanbury, 
 
 f ' Faith lifts the soul up to the firm advanced ground of 
 the promises, and fastens it there ; and there it is sure, even 
 as Mount Zion, that cannot be removed.' — Leighton. 
 
152 TAPE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 His cliosen people to pass dry sliod into Canaan, 
 can do as mucli for you.' 
 
 Advised as tlie last resort to spend the winter 
 in tlie warmer climate of Portugal, lie accord- 
 ingly started from Bristol on the 17th of Sep- 
 tember to embark at Falmouth for Lisbon. On 
 the morning of his departure for Falmouth, Lady 
 Huntington* visited him, and, on entering his 
 room, found him ' w^eeping over the open Bible 
 lying before him.' 
 
 ' You are in tears, sir,' she said. 
 
 'lam weeping, madam,' he replied, with a 
 cheerful, confiding look, ' but they are tears of 
 joy and comfort. I can give up my country, my 
 Mends, my relatives, into the hand of God ; and 
 
 * This remarkably zealous and pious lady, whose name is 
 * inseparably identified with the revival of religion ' in Eng- 
 land, was born in 1707 ; and died in 1791, at the advanced ago 
 of eighty-four. She devoted a large portion of her property 
 to the cause of religion, particularly in the promotion of evan- 
 gelical missions. At the close of her long and useful life she 
 said : ' My work is done ; / have nothing to do hut to go to my Fa- 
 ther J* ' My soul is filled with glory; I am in the element of heaven.^ 
 Respecting this remarkable woman Doddridge thus writes in 
 1750 : * I think I never saw so much of the image of God in 
 any woman upon earth.' 
 
 Lady Huntington was a particular friend of Watts, Dod- 
 dridge, Col. Gardiner, Whitefield, Romaine, Venn, Berridge, 
 and Rowland Hill. 
 
HIS LAST DA YS. 153 
 
 as to myself, I can as well go to heaven from 
 Lisbon, as from my own study at^N'orthampton.' 
 
 After a fatiguing journey of ten days he 
 reached Falmouth, where he was hospitably 
 entertained by Dr. Turner, a clergyman of the 
 church of England. 
 
 A few days before setting out on his voyage 
 for Lisbon, he spent a night at Wellington, at 
 the house of his esteemed pupil, Mr. Darracott, 
 who had now acquired great and deserved dis- 
 tinction as a zealous and faithful minister of the 
 gospel. On the morning when he took what 
 proved to be a final leave of Mr. Darracott, he 
 told him that his joys were now too much for 
 his enfeebled body to sustain. 
 
 The night before he embarked for Lisbon vio- 
 lent symptoms returned, alarming Mrs. Dod- 
 dridge, and constraining her to propose that he 
 should return home, or remain longer at Fal- 
 mouth. ' The die is cast, and I choose to go,' 
 was his answer. 
 
 The following lines, among the last he ever 
 penned, were dispatched to a friend, from Fal- 
 mouth: 'I am, upon the whole, better than 
 could be expected after such a journey. Let us 
 thank God and take courage. We may yet know 
 many cheerful days. We shall at least know 
 (why do I say at least), one joyful one, which 
 
154 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 shall be eternaV — ^ I have trespassed a great deal 
 on your time, and a little on my own strength. 
 I say a little, for when writing to such a friend, 
 as I seem less absent from him, it soothes my 
 mind agreeably. Oh ! when shall we meet in 
 that world where we shall have nothing to la- 
 ment, and nothing to fem' for ourselves, or each 
 other, or any dear to us !* Let us think of this 
 as a momentary state, and aspire more ardently 
 after the blessings of that. If I survive my voy- 
 age, a line shall tell you how I bear it. If not, 
 all will be well ; and, as good Mr. Howe says, I 
 hope I shall embrace the wave, that, when I in- 
 
 * With what eloquence does Robert Hall speak of the re- 
 union of good men in a future state ! * How should we rejoice,' 
 he says, 'in the prospect — the certainty, rather, of spending 
 a blissful eternity with those whom we loved on earth ; of see- 
 ing them emerge from the ruins of the tomb, and the deeper 
 ruins of the fall, not only uninjured, but refined and per- 
 fected, "with every tear wiped from their eyes," standing be- 
 fore the throne of God and the Lamb, " in white robes, and 
 palms in their hands, crying with a loud voice, Salvation to 
 God that sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb forever and 
 ever." What delight will it afi"ord to renew the sweet counsel 
 we have taken together, to recount the toils of combat, and 
 the labor of the way, and to approach, not the house, but the 
 throne of God, in company, in order to join in the symphonies 
 of heavenly voices, and lose ourselves amidst the splendors 
 and fruitions of the beatific vision.' — Funeral Sermon for Dr. 
 Ryland. 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 155 
 
 tended Lisbon, should land me in heaven !* I 
 am more afraid of doing what is wrong than of 
 dying.' 
 
 A few days before leaving his native land, his 
 excellent friend, ITathaniel l!Teal, Esq,, wrote to 
 him in the following happy strain : ' You go 
 with a full gale of prayer, and, I trust, we shall 
 stand ready on the shore to receive you back 
 with shouts of praise.' After expressing his 
 sympathy for Mrs. Doddridge, ^.nd alluding to 
 her interest in God, ' whose arms are everlast- 
 ing, whose presence is universal, and whose 
 compassions never fail,' Mr. ]^eal exclaims, in 
 the same letter, ' Oh, sir, the time is hastening 
 
 * When the saintly John Howe was about to sail from Ireland 
 to Liverpool he composed some pious reflections under the title 
 of ' Considerations and Communings with myself concerning my 
 present journey, December 20, 1675, by night, on my bed.' In 
 allusion to the danger of being lost at sea in his contemplated 
 Toyage, he has the following striking remarks, to the last 
 beautiful sentence of which, Doddridge, in his letter above 
 quoted, particularly refers : ' It is pleasant to me hereupon to 
 think of going into eternity ; of laying down tlie body of flesh, 
 and sin, and death, together ; and of being perfectly holy, and 
 associated with them that are so, in holy work and enjoyment. 
 
 * To put off this tabernacle so easily, I reckon would to me 
 be a merciful dispensation, who am more afraid of sharp pains 
 than of death. I think I should joyfully embrace those waves 
 that should cast me on an undesigned shore, and, when I in- 
 tended Liverpool, should land me in heaven.' 
 
156 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 when these ways of His, which, are now so un- 
 searchable, shall appear to have been marked 
 out by the counsels of infinite wisdom ; and we, 
 who may be left longest to lean upon, and sup- 
 port one another by turns, in this weary land, 
 shall fix our feet on those everlasting hills, where 
 our joys shall never leave, nor our vigor ever 
 fail us ! There, my dear friend, may we be one, 
 in that union which cannot be dissolved ! In 
 this blessed hope I am affectionately yours.'* 
 
 On Monday morning, the 30th of September, 
 1751, Doddridge left England, never to return. 
 He sailed from Falmouth in a vessel bound for 
 Lisbon. During the voyage his languid frame 
 was revived by the soft air and balmy breezes 
 
 * Nathaniel Neal, whose name has been mentioned in a for- 
 mer page, was a son of Daniel Neal, author of The History of the 
 Puritans; and a nephew of the celebrated Dr. Lardner, author 
 of Credibility of the Gospel History, etc. He was an attorney 
 of considerable talents, of fine literary tastes, and of sincere 
 piety. *I never think of his character,' said one of hiscotem- 
 poraries, ' without the highest veneration and esteem, as few 
 ever possessed more eminently the virtues of the heart, united 
 with a very superior understanding and judgment.' He is the 
 author of an excellent, but now very rare, pamphlet entitled, 
 A Free and Serious Remonstrance to Dissenting Ministers, on Oc- 
 casion of the Decay of Religion. While secretary of the Million 
 Bank, in London, he wrote a number of excellent letters to 
 Doddridge, towards whom he manifested the warmest friend- 
 ship. 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 157 
 
 of the sea ; and bis soul was still more invigo- 
 rated by the many delightful views of celestial 
 glory with which he was favored. He now felt 
 the power of those sacred consolations which he 
 had so often administered to others. One morn- 
 ing, while sitting in an easy chair in the cabin, 
 he whispered to the tender partner of his voy- 
 age, ' I cannot express to you what a morning I 
 have had. Such delightful and transporting 
 
 VIEWS OF THE HEAVENLY WORLD IS MY FaTHER 
 NOW INDULGING ME WITH, AS NO WORDS CAN EX- 
 PRESS.'* While giving utterance to such lan- 
 guage, his countenance was so expressive of 
 sacred joy, and gratitude, that Mrs. Doddridge 
 was forcibly reminded of those lines of his own 
 beautiful hymn, 
 
 *When death o'er nature shall prevail, 
 And all its powers of language fail, 
 Joy through my swimming eyes shall break, 
 And mean the thanks I cannot speak.' 
 
 "What a soul-entrancing view had Doddridge 
 now of the better land ! With what delight did 
 
 * How similar was the experience of that holy man of other 
 days, the Rev. Samuel Rutherfobd, one of Scotland's wor 
 thies ! Hear his transporting language : ' I am filled with joy 
 and with the comforts of God. Sweet, sweet have His comforts 
 been to my soul. My pen, tongue, and heart have not words 
 to express the kindness, love, and mercy of my Well-Beloved 
 to me, in this house of my pilgrimage.' 
 
 14 
 
158 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 his eye of faith gaze on that city whose streets 
 are paved with gold, whose walls are of jasper, 
 and whose light is the glory of God and of the 
 Lamb ! How sweet and transporting now were 
 his thoughts of yon holy city, the new Jerusa- 
 lem ; ■ its glorified inhabitants ; its unceasing 
 melody ; its unending joys ; its holy employ- 
 ments ; its sacred rest; its unfading beauty; its 
 fruitful tree of life ; its crystal stream of living 
 water, ' proceeding out of the throne of God and 
 of the Lamb!' But how was his * whole soul 
 dilated in gratitude, love, and praise,' as he 
 thought of the Redeemer in His glorified hu- 
 manity, standing as a Lamb ' on the Mount 
 Zion ' with all His ransomed saints, feeding 
 them, leading them unto living fountains of 
 waters, and wiping away all tears from their 
 eyes ! Doddridge's enjoyments were now the 
 highest that a Christian has on earth ; the sub- 
 limest musings of a sanctified soul, filled with, 
 love to God, and ready to depart and dwell with 
 Jesus in the mansions of glory. He was now 
 like Bunyan's pilgrim — 'drawing near to the 
 city, he had yet a more perfect view thereof.' 
 It was, perhaps, at this very time that his eye 
 of faith caught the brightest glimpse that he 
 ever enjoyed on earth, of those glories of which 
 Bunyan speaks, in this exquisite passage : 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 
 
 ^ITow, just as the gates were o] 
 the men, I looked in after them, and 
 city shone like the sun ; the streets also were 
 paved with gold, and in them walked the many, 
 with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, 
 and golden harps, to sing praises withal. There 
 were, also, them that had wings, and they ans- 
 wered one another without intermission, saying, 
 "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord." And, after 
 that, they shut up the gates ; which, when I had 
 seen, I wished myself among them.'* 
 
 In some hour of solemn jubilee, 
 The massy gates of Paradise are thrown 
 Wide open, and forth come, in fragments wild, 
 Sweet echoes of unearthly melodies. 
 And odors snatched from beds of amaranth. 
 And they that from the crystal river of life 
 Sprung up on freshened wing, ambrosial gales ! 
 The favored good man in his lonely walk 
 Perceives them, and his silent spirit drinks 
 Strange bliss, which he shall recognize in heaven. 
 
 Coleridge. 
 
 * * How often have I begged of my God, that it would please 
 Him to show me some little glimpse of the glory of His saints ! 
 * * * My ambition only is, that I might, if but as it 
 were through some cranny or key-hole of the gate of heaven, 
 see the happy condition of His glorious servants.' — Bishop 
 Hall. 
 
160 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 In the bay of Biscay tlie vessel v-as detained 
 by a calm for several days. It was now very 
 warm ; and Doddridge suffered from prostration 
 by the heat ; but, as the weather changed and 
 the vessel was again borne along by a gentle 
 breeze, he was considerably revived. Passing 
 along the coasts of Portugal, the vessel reached 
 the mouth of the calm and majestic river Tagus. 
 And now on the deck, breathing the fresh and 
 balmy air in a bright autumnal day, as the vessel 
 gently sails up the Tagus, he gazed with de- 
 light — for Doddridge was ever a lover of the 
 beauties of nature — upon the bold and romantic 
 banks of that noble river, adorned with olive- 
 yards, orange groves, and vineyards, filling the 
 air with delicate fragrance. Far in the distance 
 he saw the city of Lisbon, ' with its groves, and 
 gardens, and sunny towers,' extending ' two 
 miles along the shore, occupying several hills, 
 with the intervening valleys.' The sight he 
 described as magnificent. After a favorable 
 voyage the vessel arrived at Lisbon, on the Sab- 
 bath, October 13, 1751. On the following day 
 he wrote a brief letter to his assistant at E^orth- 
 ampton, in which he gave an interesting account 
 of his voyage, and of the critical condition of 
 his health. He seems to have been especially 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. ^ 161 
 
 delighted with the very beautiful and striking 
 appearance of Lisbon from the ocean.* Regard- 
 ing the state of his mind, and especially his re- 
 signation to the will of Providence, he says, in 
 the letter just mentioned : ' I bless God the most 
 undisturbed serenity continues in my mind, and 
 
 * T. N. Talfourd, in a spiritedly written article on ' Recollec- 
 tions of Lisbon,' in the New Monthly Magazine, has given us an 
 interesting account of his own voyage to Lisbon, in 1818. His 
 description of his voyage up the Tagus, and of the appearance 
 of Lisbon, is particularly beautiful. We have room here for 
 only a brief extract : ' A pleasant breeze brought us soon to 
 the mouth of the Tagus, where a scene of enchantment, " too 
 bright and fair almost for remembrance," burst upon my view. 
 We sailed between the two fortresses which guard the entrance 
 of the river, here several miles in width, close to the walls of 
 that on the left, denominated "Fort St. Julian." The river, 
 seen up to the beautiful castle of Belem, lay before us, not 
 serpentine nor perceptibly contracting, but between almost 
 parallel shores, like a noble avenue of crystal. It was studded 
 with vessels of every region, as the sky is sprinkled with stars, 
 which rested on a bosom of waters so calm as scarcely to be 
 curled by the air which wafted us softly onwards. On both 
 sides, the shore rose into a series of hills ; on the right side, 
 wild, abrupt, mazy, and tangled ; and on the left, covered with 
 the freshest verdure and interspersed with luxuriant trees. 
 Noble seats appeared, crowning the hills and sloping on their 
 sides ; and in the spaces between the elevated spots, glimpses 
 were caught of sweet valleys winding among scattered woods, 
 or of princely domes and spires in the richness of the distance. 
 All wore, not the pale livery of an opening spring, but the full 
 bloom of maturest summer. The transition to such a scene, 
 sparkling in the richest tints of sunshine and overhung by a 
 
162 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 my strength holds proportion to my day. I still 
 hope and trust in God, and joyfully acquiesce in 
 all He may do with me. When you see my 
 dear friends of the congregation, inform them 
 of my circumstances, and assure them that I 
 cheerfully submit myself to God. If I desire 
 
 cloudless sky of the deepest blue, from the scanty and just- 
 budding foliage of Cornwall, as I left it, was like the change 
 of a Midsummer Night's Dream ; a sudden admission into fairy 
 worlds. As we glided up the enchanted channel, the eleva- 
 tions on the left became overspread with magnificent build- 
 ings, like mingled temples and palaces, rising one above 
 another into segments of vast amphitheatres, and interspersed 
 with groves of the fullest yet most delicate green. Close to 
 the water lay a barbaric edifice, of rich though fantastic archi- 
 tecture, a relic of Moorish grandeur, now converted into the 
 last earthly abode of the monarchs of Portugal. Hence the 
 buildings continued to thicken over the hills and to assume a 
 more confused, though scarcely less romantic aspect, till we 
 anchored in front of the most populous part of Lisbon. The 
 city was stretched beyond the reach of the eye, on every side, 
 upon the ascents and summits of very lofty and steep eleva- 
 tions. The white houses, thickly intersected with windows, 
 mostly framed with green and white lattice-work, seemed to 
 have their foundations on the tops of others; terraces ap- 
 peared lifted far above the lofty buildings, and other edifices 
 rose above them ; gardens looked as suspended by magic in 
 the clouds, and the whole scene wore an aspect of the most 
 gorgeous confusion, *' all bright and glittering in the smoke- 
 less air." ' 
 
 For a description of the Tagus and of Lisbon, see also Robert 
 Southey's Life and Correspondence. 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 163 
 
 life may be restored, it is chiefly that it may be 
 employed in serving Christ among them ; and 
 that I am enabled by faith to look upon death 
 as an enemy that shall he destroyed; and that I can 
 cheerfully leave my dear Mrs. Doddridge a 
 widow, in this strange land, if such be the ap- 
 pointment of our Heavenly Father. I hope I 
 have done my duty, and the Lord do as seemeth 
 good in His sight.' 
 
 Doddridge was hospitably received at Lisbon, 
 in the house of Mr. King, an English merchant, 
 whose mother was a member of his congrega- 
 tion at iJ^forthampton. Here he met with Dr. 
 Watts's Discourses on the Conquest over Death, and 
 the Happiness of Separate Spirits* made Perfect ; the 
 perusal of which, aflTorded him no little consola- 
 tion while in this foreign land, soothing and 
 cheering his spirit within a short period of his 
 departure.* In reading these discourses, and, 
 
 *' I have lately been reading Dr. Watts's Discourses on the 
 Happiness of Separate Spirits. It is impossible to peruse them 
 without feeling an elevation of mind above the trifles of earth ; 
 without being inspired by the desire " to see and taste the 
 bliss." ' — Jane Taylor. See her Memoir by her brother. 
 
 ' The most beautiful of all his discourses, The Happiness of 
 Separate Spirits made Perfect.' — Orme. 
 
 ' His sermon on The End of Time, is as profoundly awaken- 
 ing as The Happiness of Separate Spirits is elevating to our 
 nobler sentiments and reproving to our earthliness. — Rev. 
 Dr. Hamilton, . . 
 
164 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 especially, in meditating on tlie Scriptures, lie 
 was employed as much as his failing strength 
 would permit. About a week after his arrival 
 at Lisbon, by the advice of his physician, he was 
 removed into the open country, a few miles from 
 the city. The rainy season now coming on 
 with unusual violence, produced a change which 
 took away all prospect of recovery, and he rap- 
 idly sank. "Within a very short period of his 
 death, he desired Mrs. Doddridge to ' remember 
 him in the most affectionate manner to his dear 
 children, his flock, and all his friends ; and to 
 tell them of the gratitude his heart felt, and the 
 blessings he wished for them all, on account of 
 their kindness to him; nor was the family 
 where he lodged, nor even his own servant, for- 
 gotten in these expressions of his pious benevo- 
 lence. Many devout sentiments and aspirations 
 he uttered ; but her heart was too much affected 
 with his approaching change to be able to recol- 
 lect them. After lying still some time, and be- 
 ing supposed asleep, he told her that he had 
 been renewing his covenant engagements with 
 God, and that he had a cheerful, well-grounded 
 hope, through the Redeemer, of being received 
 to His everlasting mercy.'* 
 
 * Doddridge was now experiencing, in an eminent degree, 
 the blessedness of what he had but a few years before ex- 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 165 
 
 Early on Saturday morning, October 26, 1751, 
 Doddridge expired, in the fiftieth year of his 
 age. His departure was like the going down of 
 the sun in an unclouded sky. How peaceful the 
 close of his pilgrimage ! How firm his faith on 
 the Rock of Ages ! How joyful his hope in 
 Christ ! How full of devotion his last thoughts 
 and words ! What heart is not deeply interested 
 and impressed by a contemplation of the se- 
 renity, majesty, and cheerfulness of his closing 
 hours ! 
 
 * Hear the last words the believer saith, 
 He has bidden adieu to his earthly friends ; 
 There is peace in his eye that upward bends ; 
 There is peace in his calm, confiding air ; 
 For his last thoughts are God's, his Zas^ words, peayer.'* 
 
 The remains of Doddridge were interred in 
 the English cemetery at Lisbon, where his grave 
 still remains, and ' like Henry Martyn's at To- 
 cat, is to the Christian traveler a little spot of 
 
 pressed in writing to a friend: 'It is the grace of the gospel 
 to the chief of sinners that is all my confidence and hope. This 
 grace, indeed, I have found, and will endeavor to celebrate it 
 to, and with, my last breath.^ 
 
 * ' His mind enjoyed a delightful calm, full of joy and thank- 
 fulness, which was often expressed by his words and always 
 by his looks.' — Editor of Doddridge's Correspondence 
 
166 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 holy ground.'* A plain monument was first 
 raised over liis grave, which in the course of 
 time became decayed. In 1828, the Eev. Tho- 
 mas Taylor caused a new marble tomb to be 
 erected, with the following inscription : 
 
 * Philip Doddridge, D. D., died October 26, 
 1751, aged 50.' To this is added: ^ With high 
 respect for his character and writings, this stone 
 of remembrance was raised upon a former one 
 in decay, in the month of June, 1828, at the de- 
 sire and expense of Thomas Taylor, of all his 
 numerous pupils the only one living. 'f 
 
 * Besides the remains of other visitors, those of Henry Field- 
 ing, the celebrated English novelist, repose in the English 
 cemetery at Lisbon. Fielding was born in 1707; and died at 
 Lisbon, where he had gone in search of health, in October, 
 1754, in the forty-eighth year of his age. We must refer the 
 reader to his interesting and spirited account of his ' Journey 
 to Lisbon.' 
 
 t This excellent dissenting minister was born in the vicinity 
 of Kidderminster, in 1735. At the age of fifteen he entered 
 the theological academy at Northampton, not many months 
 before the death of Dr. Doddridge. He completed his prepara- 
 tory studies for the ministry under the direction of Dr. Caleb 
 Ashworth, the successor of Dr. Doddridge as principal of the 
 same theological institution. Mr. Taylor was for some years 
 domestic chaplain to Elizabeth Abney, of Stoke Newington, 
 the daughter of Sir Thomas and Lady Abney, in whose hospi- 
 table mansion Dr. Watts had so long resided. He subsequently 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 167 
 
 On the death of Doddridge, his widow, who 
 appears to have been wonderfully sustained by 
 divine strength, wrote a beautiful letter from 
 Lisbon to her family at ]^orthampton, in which 
 she says : ' God is all-sufficient, and my only 
 hope. Such I have, indeed found Him, and 
 such I verily believe you will find Him in this 
 time of deep distress. 0, my dear children, 
 help me to praise Him ! Such supports, such 
 consolations has He granted to one of the mean- 
 est and most unworthy of His creatures, that my 
 mind is at times held in perfect astonishment, 
 and is ready under its exquisite distress to burst 
 out into songs of praise.* As to outward com- 
 forts. He has withheld no good thing from me, 
 but has given me all the supports that the ten- 
 derest friendship was capable of afibrding me, 
 in this time of great extremity, and which, I 
 
 became pastor of a dissenting congregation in Carter lane, 
 London, where lie died in 1831, in the ninety-seventh year of 
 his age. 
 
 * Spiritual comforts in distress, such as the world can nei- 
 ther give, nor take away, show that God looks upon the souls 
 of His with another eye than He beholdeth others. He sends 
 a secret messenger that reports His peculiar love to their 
 hearts. He knows their souls, and feeds them with His hid- 
 den manna — the 'inward peace they feel is not in freedom 
 from trouble, but in freeness with God in the midst of trouble.' 
 
 — SiBBES. 
 
168 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 think, my dear IN'orthamptoii friends could 
 hardly have exceeded. Their prayers are not 
 lost, and I doubt not I am reaping the benefit 
 of them, and I hope my dear children will do 
 the same. * * * * And now, 
 
 my dear children, what shall I say to you ? Ours 
 is no common loss ; I mourn the best of hus- 
 bands and of friends, removed from our world 
 of sin and sorrow to the regions of immortal 
 life and glory. What a mercy is it that my 
 thoughts are enabled with joy to pursue him 
 thither ! You have lost, my dear children, the 
 dearest and the best of parents, the guide of 
 your youth, and whose pleasure it would have 
 been to have introduced you with advantage to 
 the world. Great, indeed, is our loss, and yet I 
 really think the loss the public has sustained is 
 still greater. I am ready to say the glory is 
 departed ; but God will never want instruments 
 to carry on His work. Let us be thankful that 
 God ever gave us such a friend, and that He 
 continued him so long, though every hour and 
 day has only tended the more to endear him to 
 us. * * * j^g^ ug remember that 
 
 the best respect we can pay to his memoiy, is to 
 endeavor, as far as we can, to follow his exam- 
 ple, and to cultivate those lovely qualities which 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 169 
 
 rendered him so justly dear to us and so mucli 
 esteemed in the world.'* 
 
 Soon after the decease of her husband, Mrs. 
 Doddridge returned to England, where she passed 
 the remainder of her days. She died in peace, 
 in 1790, at the age of eighty-two. 
 
 There is a pleasing reference to Mrs. Dod- 
 dridge in the diary of an eminent American 
 pulpit orator, the Rev. Samuel Davies, who 
 
 * It is scarcely necessary to say that the death of Dr. Dod- 
 dridge was deeply lamented by the Christian world. The 
 Gentleman' s Magazine has this excellent notice of his demise, 
 in a list of deaths for the year 1751 : ' October 26, Rev. Philip 
 Doddridge, D. D., of a consumption of the lungs, at Lisbon; 
 to which place he had lately retired by the advice of his phy- 
 sicians, for the recovery of his health. He had been minister 
 of the dissenting meeting in Northampton twenty-two years, 
 and had established an academy there, which he supported 
 with such reputation, as brought students to it from all parts 
 of the kingdom. He was a man of a fine genius, rich in stores 
 of learning, and of unexampled activity and diligence. His 
 piety was without disguise, his love without jealousy, his be- 
 nevolence without bonds. His candor was so uncommon, ex- 
 tensive, and unaflFected, as to give him the general esteem of 
 the clergy and the particular friendship of some very eminent 
 men. In the several characters of a friend, a writer, a preach- 
 er, a tutor, he had few superiors ; in all united, he had no 
 equal. His disconsolate widow (whose chief dowry is, that 
 she inherits the spirit of this excellent man), is returning to 
 England, tq. assuage the griefs and form the minds of her ami- 
 able offspring ; and to forward those writings to the press, 
 which were designed for public view.' 
 16 
 
170 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 visited England in 1753, on behalf of Princeton 
 college. In liis record of August 11, 1754, Mr. 
 Davies says : ' Preached in Dr. Doddridge's pul- 
 pit ; aiid the sight of his monument with a very 
 significant inscription, struck my mind with un- 
 common energy. The congregation is decreased 
 since the doctor's death, as they can find none 
 to supply his place fully. Monday, went in com- 
 pany with Mr. Warburton and Mr. Wilkinson 
 to make private applications among the people, 
 and received about sixteen pounds, of which 
 Mrs. Doddridge procured me three guineas. 
 Dined with her, and found her conversation ani- 
 mated with good sense and piety. She remem- 
 bered me as a correspondent of the " dear de- 
 ceased," as she calls the doctor, and treated me 
 with uncommon friendship. I was surprised 
 that she could talk of him with so much com- 
 posure, notwithstanding her flowing affections. 
 She told me ' she never had a more comfortable 
 season, than when returning from Lisbon, on 
 the boisterous ocean, after the doctor's death.'* 
 On his leaving ^Northampton Mr. Davies made 
 
 ■^ It was on the occasion of this visit to England that Mr. 
 Davies is said to have preached an eloquent discourse before 
 George II, in which he thus reproved his majesty for what he 
 deemed to be irreverence in his behavior. Fixing his eyes 
 on the king, Mr. Davies is said to have boldly exclaimed : 
 
HIS LAST DAYS. 171 
 
 this entry in his diaiy : ^ Spent an hour with 
 dear Mrs. Doddridge, and at her request, parted 
 with prayer, in which I found my heart much 
 enlarged. She made a remark that has often 
 occurred to me since, that " she rejoiced that the 
 dear deceased was called to the tribunal of 
 his Master with a heart full of such generous 
 schemes for the good of mankind, which he had 
 zeal to project, though not life to execute." 
 May this be my happy case.' 
 
 The chapel on Castle-hill, in which Doddridge 
 preached more than a hundred years ago, is still 
 standing, and like Matthew Henry's church at 
 Chester, is visited by many a Christian traveler. 
 The Rev. Dr. Hamilton, of London, who, seve- 
 ral years ago, visited the house in which Dod- 
 dridge lived at ^Northampton, and the old chapel 
 on Castle-hill, has furnished us with this descrip- 
 tive passage, which will be read with interest by 
 those who love to contemplate one of the bright- 
 
 * When the lion roars, the beasts of the forests all tremble ; and 
 when King Jesus speaks, the princes of the earth should keep si- 
 lence.' 
 
 The following explanation has been given of the king's con- 
 duct on this occasion : ' The king is said to have been so en- 
 raptured with Mr. Davies's solemn and impressive manner 
 and eloquence, that he was constrained repeatedly to express 
 his astonishment and applause to those around him, and felt 
 anything else but irreverence upon the occasion.' 
 
172 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 est ornaments of his country and of the Christ- 
 ian church : ' We went to see the spot ennobled 
 by the most attractive name in last century's 
 dissenting ministry. We went to see the house 
 where the Rise and Progress was written. "We 
 visited the old chapel with its square windows 
 and sombre walls, where so many fervent exhor- 
 tations were once poured forth, and so much 
 enduring good was accomplished. We entered 
 the pulpit where Doddridge used to preach, and 
 the pew where Colonel Gardiner worshipped. 
 We sat in the old arm-chair, beside the vestry 
 fire, and flanking the little table on which so 
 many pages of that affecting diary were written.' 
 Mr. Miall, in his Footsteps of our Forefathers, 
 has also an interesting notice of Doddridge's 
 church. In alluding to ' the pleasant and well- 
 built town of l^orthampton,' he says: ''Not a 
 few have probably directed their first inquiries, 
 on entering it, to the vestiges of the author of 
 The Family Expositor, and of The Rise and Pro- 
 gress of Religion in the Soul. Doddridge's meeting- 
 house still stands on the Castle-hill, — a spot not 
 to be visited without a crowd of historical remi- 
 niscences. * * * This chapel, which 
 would be deemed a large one for that period, is 
 neat and commodious ; and, though the lower 
 part of it has been considerably renovated, the 
 
ins LAST DAYS. 
 
 173 
 
 pulpit and the pewing of the galleries are still 
 unchanged. A marble monument, in the most 
 profuse style of mural decoration, bears an in- 
 scription to the memory of Doddridge, more 
 verbose than powerful. 
 
 ' But there is no part of this building alto- 
 gether so interesting to the visitor as the vestry. 
 Here are the chair in which Doddridge sat ; the 
 table at which he wrote his Expositor; the origi- 
 nal invitation addressed to him to become the 
 pastor of the church, with his reply ; the draw- 
 ing of the monument erected to his memory in 
 the cemetery of Lisbon, where he died. These 
 walls have been, doubtless, familiar with many 
 of those communings of ardent devotion which 
 rendered him so powerful in the pulpit and from 
 the press ; and here he often verified the senti- 
 ment, that " solitude has nothing gloomy in it 
 when the soul points upwards." ' 
 
CHAPTER YI. 
 
 HIS CHARACTER. 
 
 E,. Doddridge was of a tall and very 
 slender form, having large features, 
 and a cheerful countenance. His dis- 
 7' position was amiable ; lie was extremely 
 kind and full of sympathy ; and his manners 
 were easy, agreeable, and courteous. His con- 
 versational powers were excellent, his discourse 
 ' being at once instructive and entertaining, and 
 not unfrequently rising to the splendid.' When 
 engaged in conversation, his countenance was 
 remarkably animated. 
 
 As a preacher, Doddridge possessed some 
 qualities which rendered his discourses popular, 
 weighty, and effective. Graceful and vehement 
 in his gestures, strong and impressive in his lan- 
 guage, earnest and pathetic in his address, he 
 was well adapted to instruct the ignorant, to 
 persuade the unbelieving, to arouse the careless, 
 and console the faithful. His vivacity of coun- 
 
77/^ CHARACTER. 175 
 
 tenance and manner while in the pulpit, secured 
 the attention of his audience. ' He had an ear- 
 nestness and pathos in his manner of speaking,' 
 says Orton, 'which, as it seemed to be the 
 natural eftect of a strong impression of divine 
 truths upon his own heart, tended greatly to 
 affect his hearers, and to render his discourses 
 more acceptable and useful, than if his delivery 
 had been more calm and dispassionate.' Full 
 of strong feelings, and often of deep pathos, his 
 discourses appeared to come from the very 
 depths of his heart. In this he exhibited the 
 power of the orator. Lord Erskine has well 
 remarked, that ' intellect alone, however exalted, 
 without strong feelings, without even irritable 
 sensibility, would be only like an immense ma- 
 gazine of powder, if there were no such element 
 as fire in the natural world. It is the heart which 
 is the spring and fountain of all eloquence.' The 
 Rev. Dr. Dwight has a somewhat similar remark, 
 the truth of which Doddridge fully exemplified 
 in his preaching. Says he : ' Every preacher, if 
 he would eftect anything, must both believe and 
 feel what he declares. From earnestness, elo- 
 quent sentiments and persuasive language na- 
 turally spring. In truth, earnestness is itself the 
 soul of eloquence,!* 
 
 * Akenside, the poet, during his brief residence at North- 
 ampton, enjoyed considerable intimacy with Dr. Doddridge, 
 
176 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 In the application of his sermons, particularly, 
 Doddridge became *warm and affectionate,' 
 bringing the subject to bear in its power upon 
 the conscience, beseeching sinners, with the ten- 
 derest concern for their souls, to be reconciled 
 to God ; and encouraging believers to go on in 
 the ' good way ' with their affections placed on 
 things above, and their conversation in heaven. 
 Says he, ' I have often " in as melting a manner 
 as I could, and as knowing the terrors of the 
 Lord, entreated my hearers to be reconciled 
 to God;" and, perhaps, few preachers have 
 abounded more in addresses of that kind.' 
 
 His favorite topics of public discourse were 
 
 and occasionally heard him preach. In allusion to this Dr. 
 Kippis relates an instance of Doddridge's power of extempo- 
 raneous speaking, of "which he was an eye witness. Akenside, 
 accompanied by some of his relations from Newcastle upon 
 Tyne, who were dissenters, came unexpectedly one Sabbath 
 morning to Doddridge's chapel. * The subject he preached 
 upon,' says Dr. Kippis, * was a common orthodox topic, for 
 which he had scacely made any preparation ; but he roused 
 his faculties on the occasion, and spoke with such energy, va- 
 riety^ and eloquence, as excited my warmest admiration, and 
 must have impressed Dr. Akenside with a high opinion of his 
 abilities.' 
 
 In writing to Dr. Clarke, in 1744, Doddridge thus refers to 
 Akenside' s principal poem, then but recently published: 'I 
 have received some entertainment from a poem called The 
 Pleasures of the Imagination, written by Dr. Akenside, a young 
 physician of twenty-two years of age. 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 177 
 
 the distinguishing doctrines of Christianity. ' He 
 considered himself as a minister of the gospel, and 
 therefore could not satisfy himself without 
 preaching Christ and Him crucified. He never 
 puzzled his hearers with dry criticisms and ab- 
 struce disquisitions ; nor contented himself with 
 moral essays and philosophical harangues. He 
 thought it cruelty to God's children to give them 
 stones w\\QYi they came for bread.' 'It is my de- 
 sire,' says he, 'not to entertain an auditory with 
 pretty lively things, which is comparatively 
 easy, but to come close to their consciences, to 
 awaken them to a real sense of their spiritual 
 concerns, to bring them to God, and keep them 
 continually near to Him ; which, to me at least, 
 is an exceeding hard thing.' Again he says: 
 ' I know nothing in the world I have desired so 
 much as " the glory of God and the conversion of 
 souls,'' in the prosecution of my ministry.' 
 
 In his own pulpit efforts, Doddridge has fur- 
 nished an example of what ministers everywhere 
 should preach. He labored earnestly to preach 
 Christ and Him crucified, and to bring sinners 
 near to Him, by the blood of the cross. In his 
 addresses to theological students he insisted 
 upon the grand design of preaching as revealed 
 in the Scriptures. Thus, says he, on one occa- 
 sion : ' T would strictly charge all who are de- 
 
178 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 signed for this glorious work, that they preach 
 Christ ; that they insist upon Him as the only 
 foundation of a hope for glory ; that they lahor 
 that He may he in all their hearers hy a lively 
 faith, and not only by outward profession.' 
 
 He seems to have preached as Egbert Hall 
 would have all ministers to preach, exhibiting 
 Christ in His suff'erings, in His atonement, in 
 all His mediatorial glories ; as the pearl of great 
 price ; as a complete Saviour ; as the way, the 
 truth, and the life. Says that eloquent divine : 
 ' Display the sufierings of Christ like one who 
 was an eye-witness of those sufierings, and hold 
 up the blood, the precious blood of atonement, 
 as issuing warm from the cross. It is a peculiar 
 excellence of the gospel, that in its wonderful 
 adaptation to the state and condition of man- 
 kind as fallen creatures, it bears intrinsic marks 
 of its divinity, and is supported not less by in- 
 ternal than by external evidence. By a power- 
 ful appeal to the conscience, by a faithful deline- 
 ation of man in his grandeur and in his weak- 
 ness, in his original capacity for happiness and 
 his present misery and guilt, present this branch 
 of its evidence in all its force. Seize on every 
 occasion those features of Christianity which 
 render it interesting, and by awakening the 
 fears, and exciting the hopes, of your hearers, 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 179 
 
 endeavor to annihilate every other ohject, and 
 make it appear what it really is, the pearl of 
 great price, the sovereign balm, the cure of every 
 ill, the antidote of death, the precursor of immor- 
 tality. In such a ministry, fear not tt. give loose 
 to all the ardor of your soul, to call into action 
 every emotion and every faculty which can ex- 
 alt or adorn it.' 
 
 "While in the pulpit Doddridge appears to 
 have kept before his mind the preciousness of the 
 redemption of the soul ; and to have dwelt with 
 great pathos and solemnity on this momentous 
 subject. Who can read without emotion his 
 earnest address to ministers to be diligent and 
 ardent in endeavoring to save souls from the 
 abodes of eternal darkness, despair, and death ? 
 How forcibly does he urge this duty upon the 
 minister, by a consideration of the precious- 
 ness and immortality of the soul ; the state of 
 unending felicity or woe on which it is shortly 
 to enter; and the brevity and uncertainty of 
 human existence — the only period allotted for 
 securing this salvation! 'Ohj remember,' he 
 exclaims, ' that the soul is infinitely precious ! 
 remember at the price of whose blood souls 
 were purchased ; remember how long they are 
 to endure ; remember on what a state of consum- 
 mate and endless happiness or misery 
 
180 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 to enter in a very little while ; remember, too, 
 what a precarious life this is, that we and they 
 lead in this dying body ; and how soon some 
 little, unobserved cause may on a sudden re- 
 move us from all capacity of attempting any- 
 thing farther in this great and good work, or 
 remove them from any possibility of receiving 
 any benefit from our continued labors. Let us, 
 therefore, be as diligent and as zealous as it be- 
 comes those to be who see themselves and their 
 hearers upon the borders of eternity, and who long 
 to have the honor and pleasure of saving souls, 
 and presenting them to Christ at the great 
 day.'* 
 
 The same diligence, zeal, earnestness and de- 
 votion in exhibiting the salvation of the soul as 
 the grand object of a minister's labors, that char- 
 acterized Doddridge in his pulpit efforts, stirred 
 the spirit of one in later times to pen the follow- 
 ing noble passage on the right way of preaching, 
 with a view of producing a general revival of 
 religion : ' The gospel,' says Bishop Daniel Wil- 
 
 * ' 0, retreat now from the snares of the world ; shut your 
 eyes upon the scenes of time, on which they must soon be 
 closed forever. Converse with the world to come ; endeavor 
 to yield to the power of it; look at "the things which are not 
 seen ;" walk, as it were, upon the borders of the ocean of eternity, 
 and listen to the sound of its waters till you are deaf to every sound 
 besides.^ — Robert Hall. 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 181 
 
 son, in his earnest appeals to tlie ministers of 
 all the protestant churches of Europe and Ame- 
 rica, ^The gospel is an unspeakable gift. It 
 touches on eternity. It concerns both worlds. 
 It involves the glorj^ of God, the honor of Christ, 
 the welfare of souls. It is founded on the unut- 
 terable agonies of the cross, and ceases not until 
 it has brought the penitent sinner to heaven. 
 The blessings we have to offer are the greatest ; 
 the woe we have to denounce is the most fearful. 
 Everything connected with our office partakes 
 of the incomprehensible greatness of the gifts 
 of the Saviour and the Holy Spirit. Till (then) 
 our whole souls are animated, elevated, ab- 
 sorbed ; till we see nothing to be important, 
 compared with our work; till nothing satisfies 
 us, or can satisfy us, but success in it ; till we 
 look on the afi:airs of human pursuit, and hu- 
 man wisdom, and human power, and hu- 
 man glory, as the toys of children in compari- 
 son ; till we draw all our studies, all our af- 
 fections, every faculty of our minds, and every 
 member of our bodies, to this one point; till 
 the salvation of souls is the one thing we aim at, 
 the object of desire, the ruling passion of our 
 souls, we can never expect a general revival of 
 religion, which can only spring, under the bless- 
 ing of God, from such principles and impres- 
 16 
 
182 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 sions. To preacli ariglit, is to give a tongue to 
 prophets and apostles ; is to speak as tlie blessed 
 Saviour and St. Paul spake ; it is to make truth 
 intelligible, forcible, triumpliant ; it is to clear 
 away from the Bible false glosses, and present 
 it in its native purity, and clothe it with the 
 attributes of a living instructor ; it is to give to 
 the written doctrine, the tenderness and pathos, 
 the authority and force, with which it was first 
 clothed by the inspired writers.' 
 
 As an author, Doddridge is remarkably per- 
 spicuous, copious, easy, and pleasing. He is oc- 
 casionally eloquent. Excelling in the warm and 
 pathetic, he has furnished many instances in his 
 works ' of true oratory and the most animated, 
 moving address.' Studying the English lan- 
 guage with great care in the earlier part of his 
 life, he Ibrmed his style on the best models. He 
 seems to have been a careful reader of The Spec- 
 tator, and has evidently chosen Addison for his 
 model in style.* And we discover in his com- 
 positions a polish which is wanting in those of 
 most of the theological writers of his age. His 
 
 * Doddridge mentions Addison with no little respect. In the 
 Family Expositor he refers to his Evidences of Christianity, and 
 to The Spectator. In a note on his exposition of Matthew vi, 
 10, he says : * There is a great deal of beauty and spirit in the 
 interpretation which Mr. Addison gives of this petition. 
 Spectator, No. 207.' 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 183 
 
 style, however, though distinguished by clear 
 conception and orderly arrangement, is fre- 
 quently diffuse and redundant. 
 
 In the illustration of his discourses Doddridge 
 was not so happy, in one or two respects, as 
 many other distinguished writers on theological 
 subjects. He seldom introduced beautiful ima- 
 gery, or descriptive sketches drawn from the 
 scenes of life or the works of nature. Hence his 
 serious writings are deficient in that freshness, 
 and felicity of illustration, which characterize 
 the productions of such authors as Bunyan, 
 Jeremy Taylor, old Izaak "Walton, "Whitefield, 
 Rowland Hill,* and Legh Richmond, f whose 
 pious sentiments are often adorned by illustra- 
 tions from the scenes of rural life ; from the 
 beauty of flowers, trees, and fields ; from the 
 birds warbling their songs in the groves ; from 
 the clear, murmuring stream ; from the spark- 
 ling fountain; from the majestic river, from the 
 grand ocean, and from the firmament studded 
 with innumerable stars. It is the happy union 
 
 * Bobert Hall said of Rowland Hill : ' No man has ever 
 drawn, since the days of our Saviour, such sublime images 
 from nature. Here Mr. Hill excels every other man.' 
 
 f One of the great sources of Legh Richmond's popularity as 
 an author is to be found, says Dr. Jamieson, in his talent ' of 
 skillfully interweaving graphic delineations of natural scenery 
 with the lessons of piety and Christian wisdom ' 
 
184 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 of images drawn from the beauties of nature, 
 with the pure teaching of revelation, enforced 
 with pathetic affectionateness, which constitutes 
 the principal charm of works on sacred litera- 
 ture. It is the great secret of the popularity of 
 many treatises on practical divinity ; for books 
 written in the attractive style of which we speak, 
 will have readers and admirers so long as the 
 human heart is susceptible of the beauties of 
 nature. 
 
 In the writings of Doddridge we also miss 
 such entertaining and striking anecdotes as those 
 which sparkle on the pages of Dr. Bates, Thom- 
 as Brooks, and John Flavel. This is another 
 kind of illustration, when appropriately intro- 
 duced, which is fitted to interest and instruct 
 the reader ; to enforce truth, and to touch the 
 heart. Of two of the honored names just men- 
 tioned it has been well remarked : * Like a soft 
 valley, where every turn reveals a cascade or a 
 castle, or at least a picturesque cottage, Flavel 
 lures us along by the vivid succession of his 
 curious analogies and interesting stories ; whilst 
 all the way the path is green with kind human- 
 ity, and bright with gospel blessedness. And, 
 like some sheltered cove, where the shells are 
 all so brilliant, arid the sea-plants all so curious, 
 that the young naturalist can never leave off 
 
mS CHARACTER. 185 
 
 collecting, so profuse are the quaint sayings and 
 the nice little anecdotes which Thomas Brooks 
 showers from his Golden Treasury, from his Box, 
 and his Cabinet, that the reader needs must fol- 
 low where all the road is so radiant, and every 
 step is rewarded by its several gem.' 
 
 Doddridge was a man of erudition. He early 
 cultivated a taste for belles-lettres, and was con- 
 tinually increasing his stores of knowledge. He 
 was extensively acquainted with ancient history, 
 both civil and ecclesiastical, and studied with in- 
 terest and diligence the writings of the fathers, 
 particularly of the apologists for Christianity, 
 Origen, Eusebius, &c. With the writings of 
 philosophers, poets, and orators of Greece and 
 Eome he was also familiar, delighting most of 
 all in Demosthenes. He had a critical knowl- 
 edge of the Hebrew language, and nearly com- 
 pleted a new translation of the minor prophets. 
 He was conversant with civil law, mythology, 
 antiquities, English history, logic, rhetoric, 
 mathematics, and anatomy. And it is worthy 
 of notice, that he prepared a treatise on Alge- 
 bra, for the use of his students, the manuscript 
 of which is still preserved. But his favorite 
 study was that of theology, in which he was 
 profoundly skilled. In short, it may be asserted 
 that Doddridge was surpassed by few of his dis- 
 
186 I^IFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 tinguislied compeers, in tlie extent and variety 
 of Ms intellectual attainments. 
 
 His pupil and biographer, Mr. Orton, in giv- 
 ing an estimate of his genius and writings, has 
 the following interesting remarks : 'His acquaint- 
 ance with books was very extensive. There 
 were few of any importance, on the general top- 
 ics of literature, which he had not read with at- 
 tention ; and his quickness of apprehension and 
 strength of memory were such, that he could 
 both retain and easily recollect what was most 
 remarkable in them. As he cautioned his pupils 
 against that indolent and superficial way of read- 
 ing, which many students fall into, so he took 
 care that his own example should enforce his 
 precepts. His usual method was to read with a 
 pen in his hand, and to mark in the margin par- 
 ticular passages which struck him. Besides 
 which, he often took down hints of what was 
 most important, or made references in a blank 
 leaf of the book, adding his own reflections on 
 the author's sentiments. Thus he could easily 
 turn to particular passages, and enrich his lec- 
 ture's with what was most curious and valuable 
 in the course of his reading. But he was not 
 one of those who content themselves with trea- 
 suring up other men's thoughts. He knew, and 
 often reminded his pupils, that the true end of 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 187 
 
 reading is only to furnisli tlie mind with mate- 
 rials for the exercise of its own powers ; and 
 few men knew better how to use, and apply to 
 the most valuable purposes, the knowledge they 
 had gained. His mind was indeed a rich trea- 
 sury, out of which he could, on every proper oc- 
 casion, produce a variety of the most important 
 instruction. This qualified him for lecturing to 
 his pupils in those several branches of science 
 of which his course consisted ; it enriched his 
 public writings, and rendered his private con- 
 versation highly instructive and entertaining.' 
 
 In the character of a Christian lyrist, Dod- 
 dridge deserves our regard. It is true his Hymns 
 do not belong to the highest rank of poetry, but, 
 notwithstanding, several of them are ' eminent 
 examples of that mastery over words which 
 makes a skillful versifier;' and all of them are 
 distinguished by their piety and sweetness. His 
 famous lines on his family motto, ' Dum vivi- 
 mus, vivamus,' have won the warm eulogium of 
 Dr. Johnson, as one of the finest epigrams in the 
 English language. 
 
 Live while you live the epicure would say, 
 And seize the pleasures of the present day. 
 Live while you live the sacred preacher cries, 
 And give to God each moment as it flies. 
 Lord, in my life, let both united be, 
 I live in pleasure, when I live to Thee ! 
 
188 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 One of tlie most beautiful of his poetical com- 
 positions is the hymn, ' God the everlasting light 
 of the saints above.'* How finely are the senti- 
 ments of the poet expressed in these lines : 
 
 Ye golden lamps of heaven, farewell, 
 
 With all your feeble light ; 
 Farewell, thou ever-changing moon, 
 
 Pale empress of the night. 
 
 And thou, refulgent orb of day, 
 
 In brighter flames arrayed, 
 My soul, that springs beyond thy sphere. 
 
 No more demands thine aid. 
 
 Ye stars are but the shining dust 
 
 Of my divine abode, 
 The pavement of those heavenly courts. 
 
 Where I shall reign with God. 
 
 The Father of eternal light 
 
 Shall there His beams display; 
 Nor shall one moment's darkness mix 
 
 With that unvaried day. 
 
 No more the drops of piercing grief 
 
 Shall swell into mine eyes ; 
 Nor the meridian sun decline 
 
 Amidst those brighter skies. 
 
 * Some of the lines of this hymn are introduced with happy 
 effect by Edwakd Everett, in his vivid description of the 
 death-bed scene of the great Copernicus. See his Orations 
 and Speeches. 
 
mS CHARACTER. 189 
 
 There all the millions of His saints 
 Shall in one song unite, 
 And each the bliss of all shall view, 
 With infinite delight. 
 
 Doddridge was a man of the most exalted 
 piety. His life was truly one of prayer and 
 heavenly meditation.* Dr. Kippis tells us that 
 the prime and leading feature of his soul was that 
 of devotion. 'This,' he adds, ' was the pervading 
 principle of his actions, whether private or pub- 
 lic. What Dr. Johnson has observed with re- 
 gard to Dr. Watts, '' that as piety predominated 
 in his mind, it was diffused over his works ; and 
 that whatever he took in hand was, by his inces- 
 sant solicitude for souls, converted to theology," 
 may with equal propriety be applied to Dr. 
 Doddridge.' 
 
 Under the exhilerating influence of devotional 
 feelings, he thus writes to Mrs. Doddridge, (Oct. 
 31, 1742) : ' My days begin, pass, and end in 
 pleasure, and seem short because they are so 
 delightful. It may seem strange to say it, but 
 
 * ' He that is much in prayer, shall grow rich in grace. He 
 shall thrive and increase most, who is busiest in this, which is 
 our very traffic with heaven, and fetches the most precious 
 commodities thence. He who sends oftenest out these ships 
 of desire, who makes the most voyages to that land of spices 
 and pearls, shall be sure to improve his stock most, and have 
 most of heaven upon earth.' — Leiqhton. 
 
190 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 really so it is. I hardly feel tliat I want any- 
 thing. I often think of you, and pray for you, 
 and bless God on your account, and please my- 
 self with the hope of many comfortable days, 
 and weeks, and years with you ; yet I am not at 
 all anxious about your return, or indeed about 
 anything else. And the reason, the great and 
 sufficient reason is, that I have more of the pre- 
 sence of God with me than I remember ever to 
 have enjoyed in any one month of my life. He 
 enables me to live for Him, and to live with 
 Him. When I awake in the morning, which is 
 always before it is light, I address myself to Him 
 and converse with Him, speak to Him while I 
 am lighting my candle and putting on my clothes, 
 and have often more delight before I come out 
 of my chamber, though it be hardly a quarter 
 of an hour after my awakening, than I have en- 
 joyed for whole days, or, perhaps, weeks of my 
 life. He meets me in my study, in secret, in 
 family devotions. It is pleasant to read, plea- 
 sant to compose, pleasant to converse with my 
 friends at home, pleasant to visit those abroad — 
 the poor, the sick — pleasant to write letters of 
 necessary business, by which any good can be 
 done ; pleasant to go out and preach the gospel 
 to poor souls, of which some are thirsting for it, 
 and others dying without it; pleasant in the 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 191 
 
 week-day to think how near another Sabbath 
 is ; but, oh ! much more pleasant to think how 
 near eternity is, and how short the journey 
 through this wilderness, and that it is but a step 
 from earth to heaven.'* 
 
 Many delightful hours did Doddridge spend 
 in communion with God, — in supplication, 
 praise and thanksgiving. On the first Monday 
 
 * How different is the language of the unhappy Goldsmith, 
 who, with all his literary accomplishments, seems to have been 
 destitute of that true peace, and joy, and rest, and happiness, 
 which are produced in the soul by a faithful reception of the 
 truth as it is in Jesus. He says: ' When will my wanderings 
 be at an end ? When will my restless disposition give me leave 
 to enjoy the present hour ? When at Lyons, I thought all hap- 
 piness lay beyond the Alps; when in Italy, I found myself 
 still in want of something, and expected to leave solicitude be- 
 hind me by going into Romelia; and now you find me return- 
 ing back, still expecting ease everywhere but where I am.' — 
 The Bee, No. 1. 
 
 This restlessness seems to have followed him to the grave. 
 Just before he expired, his physician asked him: 'Is your 
 mind at ease?' ^ No, it is not,' was Goldsmith's melancholy 
 reply. These were his last words. How unlike the feelings 
 and the language of him whose ' delight is in the law of the 
 Lord,' — whose highest and holiest affections are placed on 
 the blessed Saviour ! 
 
 Well has Archbishop Leighton remarked, that ' the whole 
 course of a man's life out of Christ, is nothing but a continual 
 trading in vanity, running a circle of toil and labor, and reap- 
 ing no profit at all.' 
 
192 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE, 
 
 of every month he used to go to his church and 
 pass the day in the vestry, in secret fasting, hu- 
 miliation, and prayer ; in dedicating his soul to 
 God ; in interceding ' with God for the church 
 and world ;' in ^ admiring and adoring redeem- 
 ing love;' and in blessing God ' for that com- 
 munion which he enjoyed with Him ' on such 
 delightful occasions. Sacramental seasons, par- 
 ticularly, were very refreshing to his spiritual 
 life, and often filled him with unutterable de- 
 light. While ministering to others, on such oc- 
 casions, he was himself conducted by the great 
 Shepherd of Israel into the 'green pastures' 
 beside the * still waters ' of divine grace ; and 
 sometimes such a flood of consolation was 
 poured into his soul as he was scarcely able to 
 sustain. Of one of these days of heaven upon 
 earth in his happy experience, he has preserved 
 this impressive record, (Sept. 13, 1747): 'I must 
 record this day as one of the most blessed of my 
 life. God was pleased to meet me in my secret 
 retirement in the morning, and poured into my 
 soul such a flood of consolation in the exercise 
 of faith and love, as I was hardly able to con- 
 tain. It would have been a relief to me to have 
 been able even to have uttered strong cries of 
 joy. Oh, how did I then wish for a melodious 
 voice, and how gladly could I have made earth 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 193 
 
 and heaven re-echo with praise ! Family devo- 
 tion was nnutterahly sweet; and though the 
 pleasure of my sermon was much interrupted hy 
 an accidental disorder that happened in my 
 throat while I was speaking, yet I hless God, 
 the sacramental attendance, and the evening 
 services were all heyond expression sweet. My 
 soul was full of God, and of heaven.'* 
 
 With reference to another of these seasons of 
 rapturous joy, we find him thus expressing him- 
 self in a letter to his wife : ' Last Lord's-day was 
 our sacrament day, and indeed, it was a most 
 comfortahle one to me; my joy at that ordinance 
 was so great, that I could not well contain it. I 
 had much ado to forhear telling all about me, as 
 well as I could — for it would have been but in 
 a very imperfect manner — what a divine flame 
 I felt in my soul, which, indeed, put me greatly 
 in mind of Mr. Howe's "full stream of rays."t 
 
 * ' A heavenly Christian feels sometimes a ponderous and 
 weighty joy ; a joy springing up in his soul, almost intolerable, 
 and altogether unutterable; a joy that melts him into ecstasy. 
 Then the soul claps its wings ; it would fain take its flight, 
 and be gone ; it breathes, it pants, it reaches after God. — Bp. 
 Hopkins. 
 
 t In a remarkable record of his personal experience, in" 
 scribed on his study Bible, the seraphic John Howe thus 
 speaks of the sublime joy which filled his soul on two occa- 
 sions, to the first of which, Doddridge has reference in his let- 
 
 17 
 
194 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 "Were it possible to carry such impressions 
 tlirougli life, it would give the soul a kind of 
 independence far too high for a mortal exist- 
 ence. It was, indeed, in the most literal and 
 proper sense, a "joy unspeakable and full of 
 glory.'"* 
 
 This reminds us of the following remarkable 
 incident related of the saintly John Flavel. 
 Being once on a journey, he set himself to im- 
 prove the time by meditation ; when his mind 
 grew intent, till at length he had such ravishing 
 tastes of heavenly joys, and such full assurance 
 
 ter : ' Dec. 26, 1689. After I had in my course of preaching 
 been largely insisting on 2 Cor. i, 12 ; this very morning I 
 awoke out of a most ravishing and delightful dream, that a 
 
 WONDERFUL AND COPIOUS STREAM OF CELESTIAL RAYS, from the 
 
 lofty throne of the Divine majesty, seemed to dart into my ex- 
 panded breast. I have often since, with great complacency 
 reflected on that very signal pledge of special divine favor 
 vouchsafed to me on that memorable day, and have with re- 
 peated fresh pleasure tasted the delights thereof. But what 
 on Oct. 22, 1704, of the same kind I sensibly felt, through the 
 admirable bounty of my God, and the most pleasant, comfort- 
 ing influence of the Holy Spirit, far surpassed the most ex- 
 pressive words my thoughts can suggest. I then experienced 
 an inexpressibly pleasant melting of heart ; tears gushing out 
 of mine eyes, for joy that God should shed abroad His love 
 abundantly through the hearts of men, and that for this very 
 purpose my own should be so signally possessed of and by 
 His blessed Spirit, (Rom. v, 5).' 
 
 * Letter dated March 8, 1743. 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 195 
 
 of his interest therein, that he utterly lost the 
 sight and sense of this world and all its concerns, 
 so that for hours he knew not where he was. 
 At last, perceiving himself faint, he alighted 
 from his horse and sat down at a spring, where 
 he refreshed himself, earnestly desiring, if it 
 were the will of God, that he might there leave 
 the world. His spirit reviving, he finished his 
 journey in the same delightful frame; and 
 all that night passed without a wink of sleep, 
 the joy of the Lord still overflowing him, so that 
 he seemed an inhabitant of the other world.* 
 
 Doddridge's sacramental meditations, as re- 
 corded in his diary, are the precious effusions 
 of a devout soul, aspiring after heavenly bless- 
 ings. 
 
 In the course of his ministerial life, he spent 
 many an hour of joy in contemplating the divine 
 goodness as manifested in the plan of salvation ; 
 and was often favored with transporting views 
 of the blessedness of Immanuel's land. His af- 
 fection was placed on things above. His con- 
 versation was in heaven. He seems to have en- 
 joyed, in an eminent degree, that ' peace of God, 
 which passeth all understanding,' and the light 
 of His countenance, which causes the heart to 
 
 * Fneumatoloffia, 4to., 2d edit., p. 210. 
 
196 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 overflow with a ^joy unspeakable and full of 
 glory/ 
 
 His thoughts were so frequently employed on 
 devotional themes, that, even in the still hours 
 of night his 'vigorous fancy, roused by rap- 
 turous excitements,' would sometimes create 
 ' holy and beautiful dreams.' As an example of 
 this, and as showing under what impressions he 
 composed a fine hymn, we would introduce the 
 following account of a remarkable dream which 
 he had, after a conversation with the Rev. Dr. 
 Clarke on the state of the soul after death : ' He 
 dreamed that he was dead, and that his spirit 
 soared away into those deep regions of the infi- 
 nite, which oftentimes awaken our trembling 
 curiosity. He felt, as he lost sight of this noisy, 
 busy world, how vain and empty are the objects 
 which excite its inhabitants so much ; and while 
 nausing on the theme, and committing himself 
 to the care of the divine pilot, as he embarked 
 on the ocean of immensity and sailed amidst 
 islands of stars, he fancied he was met on the 
 shores of heaven by an angel guide, who con- 
 ducted him to a palace which had been assigned 
 for his abode. The dreamer wondered at the 
 place, for it made him think that heaven was 
 not so unlike earth as the teachings of Scripture 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 197 
 
 had led him to expect ; but he was told that 
 there he was to be gradually prepared for un- 
 known glories afterwards to be revealed. In the 
 inner apartment of the palace stood a golden 
 cup, with a grape-vine embossed on it, which he 
 learned was meant to signify the living union 
 of Christ and His people. But as he and his 
 guide were talking, a gentle knock at the door 
 before him announced the approach of some one, 
 when, the portals unfolding, revealed the majes- 
 tic presence of the Eedeemer of the church. The 
 now glorified disciple immediately fell at the 
 feet of his gracious Lord, but was raised with 
 assurances of favor, and of the kind acceptance 
 which had been vouchsafed to all his loving ser- 
 vices. Then taking up the cup and drinking 
 out of it, the Saviour put it in His servant's 
 hands, inviting him to drink, who shrunk from 
 the amazing honor; but was told, "If thou 
 drink it not, thou hast no part with me." He 
 was ready to sink under the transport of grati- 
 tude and joy which was thus produced, when 
 that condescending One, in consideration of his 
 weakness, left him for a while, with the assur- 
 rance he would soon return, directing him in 
 the meanwhile to look and meditate upon the 
 objects which were around ; and lo ! there were 
 pictures hung all about, illustrative of his own 
 
198 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 pilgrim life — scene after scene of trial and de- 
 liverance, of conflict and victory, meeting his 
 eyes, and filliag his heart with love and wonder. 
 And as he gazed on them he thought — what we 
 often fancy will be the saint's first thought in 
 heaven — how all the perils of his former life 
 were now forever over. Exulting in his new- 
 found safety, a burst of joy broke the enchant- 
 ment of his celestial dream, and he woke again, 
 amidst floods of tears, to the consciousness that 
 he was in the body still.' 
 
 It was under the inspiration of this dream, 
 that he wrote that beautiful hymn, which has 
 been a favorite with many a Christian pilgrim 
 on the way to the mansions of glory : 
 
 While on the verge of life I stand, 
 And view the scene on either hand, 
 My spirit struggles with its clay, 
 And longs to wing its flight away. 
 
 Where Jesus dwells, my soul would be ; 
 It faints my much loved Lord to see ; 
 Earth, twine no more around my heart, 
 For oh ! 'twere better to depart. 
 
 Come, ye angelic envoys, come, 
 And lead the willing pilgrim home ; 
 Ye know the way to that bright throne, 
 Source of my joys, and of your own.* 
 
 That blessed interview, how sweet! 
 To fall transported at His feet ! 
 Raised in His arms to view His face. 
 Through the full beamings of His grace ! 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 199 
 
 To see heaveai's shining courtiers round, 
 Each with immortal glories crown'd ; 
 And while His form in each I trace, 
 With that fraternal band embrace. 
 
 As with a seraph's voice to sing ! 
 To fly, as on a cherub's wing! 
 Performing, with unwearied hands, 
 A present Saviour's high commands. 
 
 Yet, with these prospects full in sight, 
 I'll wait Thy signal for my flight: 
 And in Thy service here below. 
 Confess that heavenly joys may grow. 
 
 In reviewing tlie life and cliaracter of Dr. Dod- 
 dridge, we see that the grand principle wliicli 
 sustained and rejoiced him in all his ahundant 
 labors and exercises, was the constraining love 
 of Christ. This enabled him to say, in writing 
 to some of his friends : *I bless God I feel more 
 and more of the power of His love in my heart ; 
 and I long for the conversion of souls more sen- 
 sibly than for anything besides. Methinks I 
 could not only labor, but die for it, with plea- 
 sure. TJielove of Christ constrains me.' — ^ I feel 
 the love of God in Christ shed abroad in my 
 heart. Strive earnestly in your prayers for me 
 that it may be continued and increased ; that He 
 may ever dwell in my soul, consecrate all its 
 powers, and engage all its services ; that I may 
 be fitted for the whole of His will, in afiliction 
 
200 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 or prosperity, in life or death, in time or eter- 
 nity. I want, above all things in this world, to 
 be brought to greater nearness to God, and to 
 walk more constantly and closely with Him.' 
 And again : ' Indeed I feel my love to Him in- 
 crease; I struggle forward towards Him, and 
 look at Him, as it were, sometimes with tears 
 of love, when, in the midst of the hurries of life, 
 I cannot speak to Him otherwise than by an 
 ejaculation.' So closely does he seem to have 
 walked with God, especially during the last days 
 of his pilgrimage, and so earnestly did he breathe 
 after still closer and sweeter communion with 
 his Heavenly Father, that his life became more 
 and more spiritual and heavenly.* He appears 
 to have enjoyed in an eminent degree, that feli- 
 city to which Archbishop Leighton alludes when 
 speaking of the soul cleaving to God. 'The 
 more,' says he, 'the soul withdraws, so to speak, 
 from the body, and retires within itself, the more 
 it rises above itself; and the more closely it 
 cleaves to God, the more the life it lives in this 
 earth resembles that which it will enjoy in 
 heaven, and the larger foretastes it has of the 
 lirst fruits of that blessed harvest.' 
 
 Some of the qualities that the Christian will 
 most admire in Philip Doddridge may here be 
 
 *'The love of heaven makes one heavenly.' — Sidney. 
 
HIS CHARACTER. 201 
 
 summed up, sucli as his unremitting diligence 
 and perseverance ; his extensive literary acquire- 
 ments; his large intelligence; his mental acti- 
 vity and ardor ; his ability and excellence as an 
 author ; his fidelity as a pastor and teacher ; his 
 patience and humility ; his genial courtesy and 
 amiableness; his kind and sympathetic heart; 
 his intense affection for his domestic circle and 
 friends ; his earnest and energetic manner in the 
 pulpit; his tender and pathetic exhibition of 
 evangelical doctrine ; his ardent desire to be in- 
 strumental in promoting the rise and progress 
 of religion in the soul; and his undissembled, 
 
 FERVENT, AND EXALTED PIETY. 
 
 iBimnmimi xmac 
 
CHAPTEE YII 
 
 SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE, IN PEOSE AND VERSE. 
 
 The Water of Life. 
 
 HE waters wliicli followed Israel 
 througli the wilderness, failed when 
 they came into an inhabited land. 
 But this river of life will never for- 
 sake the believer ; it will flow with 
 him sweetly through the dark valley of the sha- 
 dow of death, till it spreads itself into wider and 
 deeper streams, in the lovely regions of the 
 heavenly Canaan. Thus we are told, that in the 
 "New Jerusalem the river of the water of life 
 proceedeth from the throne of God and of the 
 Lamb. And thus our Lord assures the woman 
 of Samaria, "Whosoever drinketh of the water 
 that I shall give him, shall never thirst ; but it 
 shall be in him as a well of water springing up 
 mto everlasting life. What then remains, but 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 203 
 
 that we eacli of us cry out, as slie did, Lord, give 
 us of this living water, that we may thirst no 
 more, nor come, as now, to these ordinances to 
 draw ! 
 
 Clear spring of life ! flow on, and roll 
 With growing swell from pole to pole, 
 'Till flowers and fruits of paradise 
 Round all thy winding current rise ! 
 
 Still near thy stream may I be found, 
 Long as I tread this earthly ground ! 
 Cheer with thy wave death's gloomy shade ; 
 Then through the fields of Canaan spread ! 
 
 My Father's House. 
 
 If it he so pleasant to me now and then, to 
 cast a longing look towards my Father's house, 
 and to read, as it were, this letter which His 
 goodness sends to me, and to receive in the wil- 
 derness the tokens of His care, what will it he 
 to come and dwell with Him, and with all my 
 brethren in the Lord? earth ! all thy charms 
 are not worth a moment's stay. It would he bet- 
 ter, much better for me to be dissolved. How 
 would my heart leap to see His chariot appear- 
 ing ! How welcome would the messenger be 
 by w^hich He should call me to His house, and to 
 His bosom ! 
 
204 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 Death to the Believer. 
 
 Art tliou, oh believer ! unwilling to think of 
 death ? Methinks the remembrance of it should 
 be thy daily refuge, and thy daily joy. For ter- 
 rible as it is to him who goes on still in his tres- 
 passes, to thee it must have an angel's face. 
 Dost thou not know that it is a friendly mes- 
 senger sent to thee from heaven to tell thee that 
 an habitation there is ready to receive thee? 
 that the days of thy warfare are fully accom- 
 plished, so that the crown of victory is immedi- 
 ately to be set on thine head ; and the triumph- 
 ant palm to be borne ? Dost thou not know, 
 oh Christian ! that when conquered, it was also 
 reconciled by a Redeemer, and added to the 
 treasures and possessions of His people. It is 
 now become a gentle slumber, in which thou 
 shalt lose thy fatigues and thy cares, thy sor- 
 rows and thy fears ; and from which thou shalt 
 awake to transporting joy and incorruptible 
 glory. How canst thou forget so kind a friend, 
 from whom thou hast such grand and such cer- 
 tain expectations ? How canst thou forget that 
 important day which shall be the period of ca- 
 lamity and of sin, and the commencement of 
 complete holiness, of eternal felicity ? 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 206 
 
 Safe in Jesus. 
 
 Blessed Jesus, I rejoice in Thee as my hope, 
 and the louder the storm rages around me, the 
 more violently the enemies of my soul are in- 
 vading me, the closer will I adhere to Thee, and 
 the more will I rejoice in Thy care. 
 
 Committing the Soul to Jesus — a Prayer. 
 
 Blessed Jesus I I have heard of Thy power and 
 Thy love ; and I believe what I have heard of 
 them. Conscious that I have in my breast an 
 immortal spirit, and trembling in a survey of its 
 infinite importance, I humbly beg leave to con- 
 sign it to Thy faithful care. Lord Jesus, receive 
 my spirit ! I would now call upon Thee with all 
 the earnestness of a dying creature. From this 
 hour, from this moment, receive it ! Oh ! take 
 it under Thy care ; wash it in Thy blood ; adorn 
 it with Thy righteousness ; form it, Lord ! by 
 Thy spirit, to every branch of the Christian 
 character ; to every lineament of Thy blessed 
 image ; to a full conformity to that employment 
 and happiness for which the spirits of Thy peo- 
 ple are intended. And, oh ! watch over it, 
 while I travel through this dangerous wilder- 
 ness ; and when it breaks loose from the flesh, 
 18 
 
206 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 fold it in Thine embrace. Eemember, Lord ! 
 ifl should not be able to repeat it, remember 
 the humble petition which I have now uttered. 
 Eemember Thy word unto Thy servant, on which 
 Thou hast caused me to hope ; and be surety unto 
 me for good against all the terrors of death and 
 hell ; against all the frailties of this degenerate 
 nature, in the meantime yet more to be feared. 
 
 Our Great Care. 
 
 Let it be our great care to give up ourselves 
 to the Kedeemer in the bonds of an everlasting 
 covenant. Wliile we are in this world, let it be 
 our growing concern, by the assistances of His 
 grace, to be more and more transformed into 
 His image, and to subserve the purposes of His 
 glory. Let us pass the days of our pilgrimage 
 here, in frequent converse with Him, in contin- 
 ual devotedness to Him, and in the longing ex- 
 pectation of that happy hour which will dismiss 
 us from the labors and sorrows of this mortal 
 state, and raise us to the fullest and brighest vi- 
 sions of that glory which, even in this distant 
 and imperfect prospect, is sufficient to eclipse 
 all the splendors of life, and to disarm all the 
 terrors of death. 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 207 
 
 Address to Orphans. 
 
 Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it 
 be afraid. Your father and mother are dead, 
 but your heavenly Father can never die. I 
 would willingly hope that it has been your early 
 care to secure an interest in Him ; and I would 
 solemnly charge it upon you, as you value your 
 present peace, or your eternal happiness, that it 
 be the great business of your life to keep close 
 to Him ; and then you may assure yourselves, 
 with the most cheerful confidence, that He will 
 never fail nor forsake you. 
 
 If therefore your hearts are almost over- 
 whelmed within you, in the melancholy circum- 
 stances into which His providence has brought 
 you, iiy into His presence, prostrate yourselves 
 before Him with humble importunity, and turn 
 your tears of sorrow into tears of devotion. 
 
 * JBehold, most compassionate Father,' may 
 you reasonably and confidently say, 'behold, 
 Thou hast plunged me even into the depths of 
 distress ; but blessed be Thy name. Thou hast 
 not left me to sink in them without any support. 
 I have this day received some kind assurances 
 from Thy word, and I now entreat Thee to re- 
 member that word unto Thy servant, upon which 
 Thou hast caused me to hope. My father and 
 
208 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 my mother have forsaken me : Lord, wilt Thou 
 not take me up ? "Wilt Thou indeed abandon 
 me ? Wilt Thou add affliction to the afflicted ? 
 the insupportable affliction of seeing myself de- 
 serted by Thee, when I most evidently need 
 Thy succor ? That be far from Thee, Lord ! 
 and be the unworthy suspicion far from me ! I 
 have lost my most prudent and faithful counsel- 
 ors, but I look unto Thee as the guide of my 
 youth. I have lost those who were once my 
 guardians and my protectors; but I come to 
 take shelter under the shadow of Thy wings. 
 Their eyes are closed, and their mouths are 
 sealed up in death. No longer can they look 
 with compassion on my sorrows ; no longer can 
 their converse cheer or delight me. O may Thy 
 compassionate eye regard me, and Thy comforts 
 delight my soul ! Permit me, God ! an humble 
 freedom in approaching to Thee, and in pouring 
 forth all my heart in Thy presence. My parents 
 are now returned naked to their dust, and, 
 should my wants be ever so pressing, are now 
 incapable of affording me any relief. May Thy 
 rich bounty supply me, Thy unwearied provi- 
 dence take care of me ! But, above all, withhold 
 not Thy covenant blessings, and let me share in 
 that eternal inheritance which Thou hast pre- 
 pared for all Thy children in Christ.* 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYDIL^ ^ _ 2^^ 
 
 If these be the daily breathings of y 
 before Him, you have abimdant reason to hope 
 that He will return an answer of peace. In all 
 your difficulties He will wisely direct you ; in 
 all your sorrows He will compassionately relieve 
 you; in all your dangers He will powerfully 
 protect you ; in all your wants He will bounti- 
 fully supply you ; in a word, you will be con- 
 ducted safely, and I hope, notwithstanding this 
 gloomy prospect, you will be conducted com- 
 fortably, through this mortal life, till you come 
 at length to your Father's house in peace. And 
 when you are arrived thither, and take a view 
 of all the various occurrences of the way, you 
 will see apparent reason to acknowledge, what 
 is now so difficult to believe, that the present 
 awful dispensation was sent with a gracious de- 
 sign, and that all the paths of your heavenly 
 Father have been mercy and truth to you. 
 
 PRAisiNa THE Lord. 
 
 Praise the Lord, all ye His saints ; be thank- 
 ful unto Him, and bless His name ! Praise Him, 
 who graciously purposed your salvation, and pre- 
 destinated you to the adoption of children by 
 Jesus Christ unto Himself! Praise Him, who 
 rendered this purpose effectual, and wrought it 
 
210 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 out by a higli hand and outstretched arm! 
 Praise Him, who gave His own -Son to be a sac- 
 rifice for you, and to bring in everlasting right- 
 eousness ! Praise Him, who sent His Spirit, as 
 the great agent in his Son's kingdom, to bring 
 the hearts of sinners to a subjection to the gos- 
 pel, and gently to captivate them to the obedi- 
 ence of faith ! Praise Him, who has revealed 
 this glorious gospel to you, at so great a distance 
 of time and place ! Praise Him, who has im- 
 pressed your hearts with a disposition to regard 
 it ! Praise Him, who has subdued your preju- 
 dices against it ! Praise Him, who, having im- 
 planted faith in your souls, continues even to 
 this day to animate and support it ! Let all 
 ranks and ages join in this cheerful song ! Praise 
 3^e the Lord, ye that are rich in temporal posses- 
 sions, if you have been enabled to renounce the 
 world as your portion, and to triumph over it 
 by this divine principle ! Praise Him, you that 
 are poor in this world, if you are rich in faith, 
 and heirs of the kingdom which God has pro- 
 mised to them that love Him ! Praise Him, you 
 that are cheerful and vigorous, and capable of 
 rendering Him that active service which may 
 speak the gratitude of your hearts towards Him ! 
 Praise Him, you that are weak and languishing, 
 since His strength is made perfect in your weak- 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 211 
 
 ness, and your infirmities illustrate the force of 
 tliat faith which He has wrought in you ! Praise 
 Him, ye youths who, with this guide and com- 
 panion of your way, are setting forth in the jour- 
 ney of life with courage, and lifting up your feet 
 in His paths ! Praise Him, ye aged saints, who 
 stand on the borders of eternity, and live in a 
 daily expectation, that you shall receive the end 
 of your faith in the salvation of your souls ! Be- 
 gin that work now, in which you are all so soon 
 to join! Break forth into one joyful anthem, 
 and sing : ' l^ot unto us, Lord, not unto us, 
 but to Thy name be all the praise of that salva- 
 tion, which Thou hast already begun in our 
 souls, and which Thy faithfulness has engaged 
 to complete.' 
 
 A Pkayer for Gospel Blessings. 
 
 Blessed Jesus, Thou that know^est all things, 
 knowest that I thirst after the blessings of Thy 
 gospel. Thou seest that I most ardently long 
 for the pardon of sin, the favor of God, the in- 
 fluences of Thy spirit, and the glories of Thine 
 heavenly kingdom. I am fully persuaded, that 
 with regard to all these Thou art able to do for 
 me abundantly above all I can ask or think. 
 And wilt Thou not relieve me ? Wilt Thou not 
 
212 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 give me to drink ? Wherefore, then, are Thine 
 invitations published in the gospel ? Why does 
 Thy Spirit even now work upon my heart, and 
 raise there this fervency of desire ? Wherefore 
 didst Thou weep ? Wherefore didst Thou 
 bleed? Wherefore didst Thou die, if Thou 
 hadst no compassion for perishing sinners ? But 
 Thou hast compassion ; Thou hast already ex- 
 tended it to thousands on earth and millions in 
 heaven. Lord, I believe ; help Thou my unbe- 
 lief! I throw myself at Thy feet ; nor can I fear 
 I shall perish there, unless infinite power be 
 weakened, and infinite love be exhausted. 
 
 To THE Afflicted. 
 
 thou afflicted, thou who art tossed with the 
 tempest, and not comforted ! look unto Jesus. 
 Let thy conflicts and dangers drive thee to Him ; 
 though Satan would thereby attempt to drive 
 thee from Him. Accustom not thyself to think 
 of Christ as dreadful and severe. Terrify not 
 thyself with the thought of the iron rod of ven- 
 geance, whilst thou feelest thyself disposed to 
 submit to the golden sceptre of His grace, to 
 the pastoral rod by which He guides His sheep. 
 And when thou findest thy doubts arising, flee 
 to the representations and assurances of His 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 213 
 
 Word, and pray, that the influences of His Spirit 
 may strengthen thy faith in them. 
 
 To THE Aged. 
 
 You, my friends, though not the lambs of the 
 flock, are, on some account, the feeble of it. 
 Though I hope, and believe, that many of you 
 are strong in grace ; yet the outer man is decay- 
 ing, and sensible comfort often decays with it. 
 Yet be not discouraged; but remember your 
 Shepherd. You have not only heard of His 
 grace, but you have long experienced it. Be 
 cheerful in it, and remember, that as all your ex- 
 periences will not secure you otherwise than as in 
 the bosom of Christ, so all your infirmities and 
 trials cannot endanger you while you are there. 
 He has led you on gently and safely through the 
 wilderness; a few steps more will finish your 
 journey, and bring you to the ever-blissfal pas- 
 tures of Canaan. 
 
 Mutual Joy of Christ and Believers in 
 Heaven. 
 
 There they shall be no longer exposed to ne- 
 cessities and alarms ; but all the purposes of His 
 love shall be completed in their everlasting se- 
 
214 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 curity and joy. And surely the gracious Re- 
 deemer must be inconceivably delighted, when He 
 there sees of the travail of His soul. "When He 
 has with a gentle and gracious hand conducted 
 His sheep through the dark valley of the shadow 
 of death, with what joy will He open to them 
 those better pastures ! with what congratulations 
 will He receive them to a state of inseparable 
 nearness to Him, and administer unto them an 
 abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom 
 of their Lord and Saviour ! Therefore it is beau- 
 tifully represented in the book of the Eevelation, 
 as the business and joy of Christ, even on the 
 throne of His glory, to lead on His saints to the 
 various scenes of divine pleasure and enjoyment, 
 which are provided for them there. The Lamb 
 which is in the midst of the throne shall feed 
 them, and shall lead them unto fountains of 
 living waters. 
 
 And, O gracious Redeemer, what will the joy 
 of Thy flock then be, when thus fed and con- 
 ducted by Thee ! If it be so delightful at this 
 humble distance, to believe ourselves the objects 
 of Thy care and favor, and to taste of these little 
 streams which Thou art causing to flow in upon 
 us here in the wilderness, what will that river 
 of life be? If it be now the joy of our hearts, 
 awhile to forget our cares and oar fears, when 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 215 
 
 we are perhaps at Thy table, and to lean our 
 weary heads for a few moments on Thy dear 
 breast ; what will it be, forever to dwell in Thine 
 embrace, and to say once for all, Return unto 
 thy rest, my soul, for the Lord hath dealt 
 bountifully with thee ! Bountifully indeed ! 
 when they who were brought out with weeping, 
 and led on with supplication, shall, as the re- 
 deemed of the Lord, come to Zion with songs, 
 and everlasting joy upon their heads, and sor- 
 row and sighing shall flee away. 
 
 In the meantime, we rejoice in hope of this 
 blessed scene, and would raise such feeble 
 praises, as earth will admit, to this great Shep- 
 herd, whose arm is so strong to guard us ; whose 
 bosom is so soft to cherish us ; and whose heart 
 is so compassionate, notwithstanding all our un- 
 worthiness, as to exert that arm for our protec- 
 tion, and to open that bosom for our repose. 
 
 Our Great Intercessor, 
 
 How admirable and how amiable does the 
 blessed Jesus appear, when considered as the 
 great Intercessor of His people ! 
 
 How admirable is He in this view ! "What an 
 honor is done Him in the heavenly world ! How 
 dear to the Father does He appear to be, when 
 
216 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 God will not accept the services of the greatest 
 and best of mankind, unless presented by Him ; 
 and for His sake will graciously regard the 
 meanest and vilest sinner!* And how great 
 does this Intercessor appear in Himself! ' Bless- 
 ed Jesus/ may the Christian say, 'who is like 
 unto Thee, who canst at once sustain so many 
 different relations, and canst fill them all with 
 their proper offices, of duty' to Thy Father, and 
 of love to Thy people ! who canst thus bear, 
 without encumbering Thyself, without interfer- 
 ing with each other, the priestly censer and the 
 royal sceptre! How wise are Thy counsels! 
 How extensive Thy views ! How capacious Thy 
 thoughts ! and yet, at the same time, how com- 
 passionate Thy gracious heart! That amidst 
 all the exaltations of heaven, all the splendors 
 of Thy Father's right hand, Thou shouldst still 
 thus graciously remember Thine humble follow- 
 ers ! That Thine eye should be always watch- 
 ful over them. Thine ear be always open to their 
 prayers, Thy mouth be ever ready to plead for 
 them, and Thine arm to save them ! As if it 
 were not love enough to descend and die, unless 
 Thou didst forever live and reign for them, and 
 
 * ' His intercession is nothing else, that I know of, but a 
 presenting of what He did in the vorld for us unto God, and 
 pressing the value of it for our salvation.' — Bunyan. 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE, 217 
 
 even glory in being made head over all for Tliy 
 church.' 
 
 'But especially,' may the Christian say, 'when 
 I think of Thee, blessed Jesus, not only as the 
 intercessor of Thy people in general, but as my 
 Intercessor ; when I think that Thou hast es- 
 poused my character and my cause, vile and 
 obnoxious as it is ; and that Thou art recom- 
 mending my poor broken services, which I daily 
 blush to present before Thee ; and art using 
 Thine interest and Thine authority in the world 
 above, to complete my salvation, which Thou 
 hast begun ; what shall Thy poor servant say 
 unto Thee? All these astonishing and kind 
 regards to me, who am unworthy to wash the 
 feet of the least of Thy followers ! Shall not the 
 wonders of such condescending grace engage 
 my gratitude to all eternity? My praises now 
 are so exceeding feeble, and so low, I am almost 
 ashamed to ofier them. when shall those no- 
 bler praises begin, which I hope ere long to 
 ofter in that world of perfection to which Thy 
 gracious intercession is bringing me ?' 
 
 A Devout Meditation. 
 
 my God, what shall I say ? what, but that 
 I love Thee above all in the power of language 
 
218 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 to express. While I feel Thy sacred Spirit 
 breathing upon my heart, and exciting these 
 fervors of love to Thee, I cannot doubt of its in- 
 fluence, any more than I can doubt of the truth 
 of this animal life while I exert the acts of it. 
 Surely, if ever I knew the appetite of hunger, — 
 my soul hungers after righteousness, and longs 
 for a greater conformity to Thy blessed nature 
 and will. If ever my palate felt thirst, — my 
 soul thirsts for God, even the living God ! and 
 for a more abundant communication of His fa- 
 vor. If ever my weary body knew what it was 
 to v/ish for the refreshment of my bed, and 
 longed for rest, — even so my soul, with sweet 
 acquiescence, rests upon Thy gracious bosom, O 
 mjy heavenly Father, and returns to its repose 
 in the embraces of its God, who has dealt so 
 bountifully with it. And if ever I saw the face 
 of a beloved friend or child with complacency 
 and joy, — so I rejoice in beholding Thy mercy, 
 Lord, and in calling Thee my Father in Christ. 
 Such Thou art, and such Thou wilt be for time, 
 and for eternity. "What have I more to do but 
 to commit myself to Thee for both, and leave 
 Thee to choose my inheritance, and order my 
 affairs for me, while all my business is to serve 
 Thee, and all my delight to praise Thee. My 
 soul follows hard after my God, because His 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 219 
 
 riglit hand supports me. Let it still bear me 
 up, and I shall still dress forward. 
 
 Meditations on the Sacrament, in February, 
 1743. 
 
 I had been preaching from those words in 
 Ephesians, ' Christ loved the church, and gave 
 Himself for it ; that He might sanctify and cleanse 
 it, that He might present it to Himself a glorious 
 church,' etc. Agreeably to this I spoke to-day 
 from a scripture which I believe has been the 
 subject of my meditation before, but I am not 
 quite sure. It was, ' And the ransomed of the 
 Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs 
 and everlasting joy upon their heads. They shall 
 obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing 
 shall flee away.' When the church is perfectly 
 saved, this shall be fulfilled. Observe under 
 what character God's people are described; 
 whither they shall be brought, and in what 
 manner; and how this great transaction shall 
 end. Under what character God's people are 
 described: 'the redeemed of the Lord.' Those 
 whom He has ransomed and bought. Are we 
 not so ? This is a feast of His ransomed ones, 
 in which the price for the ransom is commemo- 
 rated. Nor would any one who did not appre- 
 
220 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 hend himself in this view have any business 
 here. It is sinners that were once enslaved and 
 condemned, then bought by the Son of God, 
 who are to seek their places at this board, their 
 part in this ordinance. ' Into Thy hand I com- 
 mit my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me, Lord 
 God of truth !' ' They shall return ;' return 
 from their captivity in the grave. He will say 
 in another world, * Return ye children of God.' 
 And they ' shall come to Zion ;' to the ISTew Je- 
 rusalem, to the City of our God. I^ow we are 
 traveling towards it. E'ow we are incorporated 
 with that society. We have our freedom but not 
 our habitation there, being no more strangers 
 and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the 
 saints, and of the household of God. It is that 
 Jerusalem from above, which is the mother of 
 us all. It is pleasant to come to Zion below ; 
 our Lord loves it. But oh, how much more do 
 we love those heavenly gates ! They shall ' come 
 with singing ;' making a grand procession with 
 anthems in their mouths. What melody in 
 each ! What harmony in all ! How pleasant to 
 think of them, not singing with sorrowful and 
 broken voices, but in a full harmonious choir ! 
 Who would not wish to have seen Moses and 
 Aaron leading on the Israelites from Egypt with 
 that sacred song of triumph ? to have heard the 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 221 
 
 poor slaves, untanglit in music, unless by insjii- 
 ration, and used rather to groans than songs; 
 yet on so sublime an occasion as the deliverance 
 of Israel and the destruction of Pharaoh, their 
 tongues were tilled with notes of triumph ; it 
 had been pleasant. But the song of Moses and 
 the Lamb shall be in another strain. Oh that 
 we could catch a little of the echo now ! And 
 how shall it end? They shall march on to 
 heaven ! ' Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and 
 be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors !' Everlast- 
 ing joy is upon their heads. God pours out the 
 oil of gladness, and its fragrance is immortal. 
 Sorrow and sighing were once familiar, but now 
 they are fled away, forever discomfitted and de- 
 feated by the great Captain of our salvation and 
 His triumphant legions ; they dare not look Him 
 in the face, they dare not invade His followers 
 for a moment. How grand and how delightful 
 an image ! And now. Lord, lead me not forth 
 with the workers of iniquity, but with this Thy 
 people. Methinks that Thou hast this day be- 
 gun to fulfill this promise. I number myself 
 among Thy redeemed ones. I come to Thy Zion 
 here, I come with pleasure and delight; joy is 
 in my heart, and a song is in my mouth. Let 
 sorrow and sighing retire, at least for awhile, 
 and give way to that joy that becomes such a 
 
222 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 feast. And thou, sacred Spirit, slied abroad a 
 new effusion of faith, of hope, of love, and joy 
 in my soul. Come, Lord, for I wait on Thee 
 with expectation and delight. 
 
 Heaven Oue Home. 
 
 Seeing heaven is our country, let us take care 
 to live like those who belong to such a country. 
 This is what the apostle recommends to us by 
 his own example. Our conversation^ saith he, is 
 in heaven ; or we behave ourselves like citizens 
 of heaven. Let us remember, that whilst we 
 are in this world, we sojourn in a strange land, 
 and are at a distance from our home ; and, 
 therefore, do not let us be inordinately affected 
 with anything in it. Let us not be too much 
 transported with the entertainments, nor too 
 much dejected with the disappointments which 
 we meet with in this land of our pilgrimage ; 
 but, let us be carrying on a constant, regular 
 design of a happy abode in this glorious country; 
 and let all the actions of our life have a tendency 
 towards it ; and to animate us to prosecute our 
 journey with the greatest vigor and cheerful- 
 ness, let us be endeavoring to form an acquaint- 
 ance with it. In the Scripture, God has given 
 us a map of this heavenly Canaan. Let us take 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 223 
 
 our notions of it from tlience, and make this de- 
 scription of it very familiar to ns. Let us keep 
 up a constant correspondence with, it, by fre- 
 quent and earnest addresses to the throne of the 
 King of Heaven, and by meditating and dis- 
 coursing upon the happiness of it. Let us be 
 zealous for the interests of this heavenly coun- 
 try, and do our utmost to increase the number 
 of the inhabitants of it. Let us endeavor to re- 
 flect an honor upon it, by imitating the manners 
 of those who live there, and showing the same 
 zeal for the honor of God, and the same affec- 
 tionate regard to the good of our fellow crea- 
 tures, that they do. Especially, let us maintain 
 a peculiar affection for our fellow-citizens, and 
 endeavor to help them forward on their journey 
 thither. And, in the last place, let us be ready 
 to leave this world, whenever it shall please God 
 to give us a dismission from it ; that so we ma}^ 
 go into this country where we shall be no more 
 strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with 
 the glorified saints, and of the highest household of 
 God. 
 
 The Chkistian Willing to Die. 
 
 If heaven be our better country, then how 
 willing should we be to die, that we may go 
 
224 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 thitlier ! And yet there are a great many good 
 people wlio are afraid of death ; of death, which 
 shall consign them to eternal glory. They are 
 come to the borders of Canaan, and see the 
 pleasant fields of that goodly countiy, and yet, 
 because there is a Jordan between, and the pas- 
 sage may be cold and difficult, they are desiring 
 to turn back into the wilderness, though they 
 have met with hunger and drought, with ser- 
 pents and Amalekites. And perhaps this is the 
 case with some of us. It should therefore be 
 our concern to rectify so unbecoming a temper. 
 To this purpose let us endeavor to ^^ ourselves 
 in the steadfast belief of the reality of this un- 
 seen country ; that it is not a Utopian region, 
 the creature of fancy, or the contrivance of pol- 
 icy; but that God himself has prepared and 
 recommended it. And let us endeavor to affect 
 our mind with frequent meditations and affec- 
 tionate discourses of the glories and happiness 
 of it ; that we may be persuaded that these teni 
 poral enjoyments, which we so fondly embrace 
 and so unwillingly part with, are by no means 
 worthy to be compared with it. And especially 
 let it be our care to clear up our own title to it. 
 Por, after all, here is the great difficulty. We 
 know that dying is a matter of infinite import- 
 ance ; and it will fix us in an unalterable eternity. 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 225 
 
 And tliough. we could gladly be willing to he 
 dissolved, if we were sure we should he with Christ, 
 yet when we come to die, we shrink back from 
 it. There is some uncertainty in the matter, 
 and we hardly dare venture on a bare probabil- 
 ity ; because we think ourselves not sufficiently 
 prepared for so awful a work, and are desirous 
 of putting our souls into a more hopeful and 
 comfortable posture. It should, therefore, be 
 our great care to behave ourselves so that we 
 may have the testimony of our consciences to 
 support us, and an assured sense of our union 
 with Christ, through a faith that works hy love. 
 And this will give us courage and confidence 
 when the creatures are sinking under us ; when 
 death is crumbling our earthly tabernacle into 
 the dust from whence it was raised, it will fill 
 our souls with a song of triumph, as knowing 
 that the days of our pilgrimage are at length ac- 
 complished, and we are going to a City that has 
 foundations, and whose huilder and maker is God."^ 
 
 * Besides their spiritual excellence, these words have a pe- 
 culiar attraction for the author of this volume. They will 
 long be remembered by him with tender emotion as being the 
 last words he ever read to an aged, pious, and beloved parent 
 within a very few hours of his sudden and unexpected death, 
 on the Sabbath evening of June 28th, 1857. Appropriate, 
 searching, and solemn words for a Christian pilgrim to medi- 
 tate upon, especially when he is about to finish his earthly 
 course, and to enter into the joy of his Lord in the celestial City I 
 
226 ^^^^ OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 The Christian Race. 
 
 Awake, my soul, stretcli every nerve, 
 
 And press with vigor on ; 
 A heavenly race demands thy zeal, 
 
 And an immortal crown. 
 
 A cloud of witnesses around 
 
 Hold thee in full survey ; 
 Forget the steps already trod. 
 
 And onward urge thy way. 
 
 'Tis God's all-animating voice, 
 That calls thee from on high ; 
 
 'Tis His own hand presents the prize 
 To thine aspiring eye. 
 
 That prize with peerless glories bright, 
 "Wliich shall new lustre boast, 
 
 "Wlien victors' wreaths and monarchs' gems 
 Shall blend in common dust. 
 
 Blest Saviour, introduced by Thee, 
 
 Have I my race begun ; 
 And crowned with victory, at Thy feet 
 
 I'll lay my honors down. 
 
 Grace. 
 
 Grace ! 'tis a charming sound. 
 Harmonious to my ear ; 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 22' 
 
 Heaven witli the echo shall resound, 
 And all the earth shall hear. 
 
 Grace first contrived a way 
 To save rebellious man, 
 And all the steps that grace display. 
 Which drew the wondrous plan. 
 
 Grace taught my wandering feet 
 To tread the heavenly road. 
 And new supplies each hour I meet, 
 While pressing on to God. 
 
 Grace all the work shall crown 
 Through everlasting days ; 
 It lays in heaven the topmost stone, 
 And well deserves the praise. 
 
 The Passing of Time. 
 
 How swift the torrent rolls, . 
 That bears us to the sea ! 
 The tide that bears our thoughtless souls 
 To vast eternity ! 
 
 Our fathers, where are they, 
 "With all they called their own ? 
 Their joys and griefs, and hopes and cares 
 And wealth and honor gone. 
 
 But joy or grief succeeds 
 Beyond our mortal thought, 
 
228 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 While the poor remnant of their dust 
 Lies in the grave forgot. 
 
 There, where the fathers lie, 
 Must all the children dwell ; 
 ITor other heritage possess, 
 But such a gloomy cell. 
 
 God of our fathers, hear, 
 Thou everlasting Friend ! 
 While we, as on life's utmost verge. 
 Our souls to Thee commend. 
 
 Of all the pious dead 
 May we the footsteps trace, 
 Till with them in the land of light 
 "We dwell before Thy face. 
 
 Entering into Covenant. 
 
 happy day, that fixed my choice 
 On Thee my Saviour and my God ! 
 Well may this glowing heart rejoice. 
 And tell its raptures all abroad. 
 
 happy bond, that seals my vows 
 To Him who merits all my love ! 
 Let cheerful anthems fill His house. 
 While to that sacred shrine I move. 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 229 
 
 *Tis done ; the great transaction's done ; 
 I am my Lord's, and He is mine : 
 He drew me, and I followed on, 
 Charmed to confess the voice divine. 
 
 IN'ow rest my long divided heart, 
 Fixed on this blissful centre rest ; 
 With ashes who would grudge to part. 
 When called on angels' bread to feast ? 
 
 High Heaven that heard the solemn vow. 
 That vow renewed shall daily hear ; 
 Till in life's latest hour I bow, 
 And bless in death a bond so dear. 
 
 Providence. 
 
 Great God, we sing that mighty hand 
 By which supported still we stand ; 
 The opening year Thy mercy shows ; 
 That mercy crowns it, till it close. 
 
 By day by night, at home, abroad. 
 Still are we guarded by our God ; 
 By His incessant bounty fed. 
 By His unerring council led. 
 
 With grateful hearts the past we own ; 
 
 The future, all to us unknown, 
 
 We to Thy guardian care commit, 
 
 And peaceful leave before Thy feet. 
 20 
 
230 ^^FE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 In scenes exalted or depressed, 
 Thou art our joy, and Thou our rest; 
 Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise, 
 Adored through all our changing days. 
 
 When death shall interrupt these songs, 
 And seal in silence mortal tongues. 
 Our helper God, in whom we trust. 
 In better worlds our souls shall boast. 
 
 Sure and Stedfast. 
 
 The promises I sing. 
 
 Which sovereign love hath spoke ; 
 
 Nor will the eternal King 
 
 His words of grace revoke ; 
 
 They stand secure, 
 
 And stedfast still ; 
 
 I^ot Zion's hill 
 
 Abides so sure. 
 
 The mountains melt away 
 When once the Judge appears, 
 And sun and moon decay. 
 That measure mortals' years ; 
 
 But still the same. 
 
 In radiant lines. 
 
 The promise shines 
 
 Through all the flame. 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 281 
 
 Their harmony shall sound 
 Through mine attentive ears, 
 "When thunders cleave the ground. 
 And dissipate the spheres ; 
 
 'Midst all the shock 
 
 Of that dread scene 
 
 I stand serene, 
 
 Thy word my rock. 
 
 The Eecompense of the Eewakd. 
 
 My soul, with all thy wakened powers 
 
 Survey the heavenly prize ; 
 'Eov let these glittering toys of earth 
 
 Allure thy wandering eyes. 
 
 The splendid crown, which Moses sought, 
 
 Still beams around his brow ; 
 Though soon great Pharaoh's sceptred pride 
 
 Was taught by death to bow. 
 
 The joys and treasures of a day 
 
 I cheerfully resign ; 
 Eich in that large immortal store. 
 
 Secured by grace divine. 
 
 Let fools my wiser choice deride, 
 
 Angels and God approve ; 
 Nor scorn of men, nor rage of hell, 
 
 My stedfast soul shall move. 
 
232 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 With ardent eye that bright reward 
 
 I daily will survey ; 
 And in the blooming prospect lose 
 
 The sorrows of the way. 
 
 To-day. 
 
 To-morrow, Lord, is Thine, 
 Lodged in Thy sovereign hand ; 
 
 And if its sun arise and shine, 
 It shines by Thy command. 
 
 The present moment flies, 
 
 And bears our life away ; 
 O make Thy servants truly wise. 
 
 That they may live to-day. 
 
 Since on this winged hour 
 
 Eternity is hung, 
 Waken by Thine almighty power 
 
 The aged and the young. 
 
 One thing demands our care ; 
 
 be it still pursued ! 
 Lest, slighted once, the season fair 
 
 Should never be renewed. 
 
 To Jesus may we fly 
 
 Swift as the morning light. 
 Lest life's young golden beams should die 
 
 Li sudden endless night. 
 
specimens of his style 233 
 
 Arise, Shine. 
 
 Zion, tune thy voice, 
 And raise thy hands on high ; 
 Tell all the earth thy joy a. 
 And hoast salvation nigh. 
 
 Cheerful in God, 
 
 Arise and shine. 
 
 While rays divine 
 
 Stream all ahroad. 
 
 He gilds thy mourning face 
 With beams that cannot fade ; 
 His all-resplendent grace 
 He pours around thy head ; 
 
 The nations round 
 
 Thy form shall view, 
 
 With lustre new 
 
 Divinely crowned. 
 
 In honor to His name 
 Reflect that sacred light ; 
 And loud that grace proclaim. 
 Which makes thy darkness bright : 
 
 Pursue His praise, 
 
 Till sovereign love 
 
 In worlds above 
 
 The glory raise. 
 
234 J^IFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 There on His holy hill 
 A brighter sun shall rise, 
 And with His radiance fill 
 Those fairer, purer skies; 
 
 While round His throne 
 
 Ten thousand stars 
 
 In nobler spheres 
 
 His influence own. 
 
 * I WILL SING Praises while I have any Being.' 
 
 God of my life, through all its days 
 My grateful powers shall sound Thy praise ; 
 The song shall wake with opening light, 
 And warble to the silent night. 
 
 When anxious cares would break my rest, 
 And griefs would tear my throbbing breast, 
 Thy tuneful praises raised on high, 
 Shall check the murmur and the sigh. 
 
 When death o'er nature shall prevail. 
 And all its powers of language fail, 
 Joy through my swimming eyes shall break, 
 And mean the thanks I cannot speak. 
 
 But oh, when that last conflict's o'er. 
 And I am chained to flesh no more. 
 With what glad accents shall I rise. 
 To join the music of the skies ! 
 
SPECIMENS OF JITS STYLE. 235 
 
 Soon shall I learn tlie exalted strains, 
 Whicli echo o'er the heavenly plains ; 
 And emulate, with joy unknown, 
 The glowing seraphs round Thy throne. 
 
 The cheerful tribute will I give, 
 Long as a deathless soul can live ; 
 A work so sweet, a theme so high, 
 Demands, and crowns eternity. 
 
 The Eesurrection of Christ. 
 
 Yes, the Redeemer rose. 
 
 The Saviour left the dead ; 
 
 And o'er our hellish foes 
 
 High raised His conquering head; 
 
 In wild dismay 
 
 The guards around 
 
 Fell to the ground, 
 
 And sunk away. . 
 
 Lo, the angelic bands 
 In full assembly meet, 
 To wait His high commands. 
 And worship at His feet : 
 
 Joyful they come. 
 
 And wing their way 
 
 From realms of day 
 
 To sue h« tomb. 
 
236 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 Then back to lieaven they fly, 
 And the glad tidings bear ; 
 Hark ! as they soar on high, 
 What music fills the air ! 
 
 Their anthems say, 
 
 " Jesus who bled 
 
 Hath left the dead ; 
 
 He rose to-day." 
 
 Ye mortals, catch the sound, 
 Redeemed by Him from hell ; 
 And send the echo round 
 The globe on which you dwell : 
 
 Transported cry, 
 
 " Jesus who bled 
 
 Hath left the dead; 
 
 IN'o more to die." 
 
 All hail, triumphant Lord, 
 Who savest us with Thy blood ! 
 Wide be Thy name adored, 
 Thou rising, reigning God! 
 
 With Thee we rise. 
 
 With Thee we reign, 
 
 And empires gain 
 
 Beyond the skies. 
 
specimens of his style. 237 
 
 Living "Water. 
 
 Blest Jesus, source of grace divine, 
 Wliat soul-refreshing streams are Thine ! 
 O hring these healing waters nigh, 
 Or we must droop, and fall, and die. 
 
 Ko traveler through desert lands, 
 'Midst scorching suns, and burning sanda 
 More eager longs for cooling rain. 
 Or pants the current to obtain. 
 
 Our longing souls aloud would sing, 
 Spring up, celestial fountain, spring ; 
 To a redundant river flow. 
 And cheer this thirsty land below. 
 
 May this blest torrent near my side 
 Through all the desert gently glide ; 
 Then in Emanuel's land above 
 Spread to a sea of joy and love. 
 
 Christ's Invitation. 
 
 How free the fountain flows 
 Of endless life and joy! 
 That spring, which no confinement knows, 
 Whose waters never cloy ! ^— — i._ 
 
238 ^^^^ ^^ ^^- DODDRIDGE- 
 
 How sweet the accents sound 
 From the Redeemer's tongue ! 
 "Assemble all ye nations round, 
 In one obedient throng. 
 
 "Ho, every thirsty soul. 
 
 Approach the sacred spring; 
 Drink, and your fainting spirits cheer; 
 
 Renew the draught and sing.'** 
 
 The Fountain of Life. 
 
 Hail, everlasting spring ' 
 Celestial fountain, hail ! 
 Thy streams salvation ^ring, 
 The waters never fail ; 
 
 Still they endure, 
 
 And still they flow, 
 
 For all our woe 
 
 A sovereign cure. 
 
 Blest be His wounded side, 
 And blest His bleeding heart, 
 Who all in anguish died 
 Such favours to impart. 
 
 His sacred blood 
 
 Shall make us clean 
 
 From every sin, 
 
 And fit for God. 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 239 
 
 The Saviour's Message. 
 
 Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes! 
 
 The Saviour promised long ! 
 L et every heart prepare a throne, 
 
 And every voice a song. 
 
 He comes the prisoners to release, 
 
 In Satan's bondage held ; 
 The gates of brass before Him burst. 
 
 The iron fetters yield. 
 
 He comes the broken heart to bind. 
 
 The bleeding soul to cure, 
 And with the treasures of His grace 
 
 To enrich the humble poor. 
 
 Our glad Hosannas, Prince of peace. 
 
 Thy welcome shall proclaim ; 
 And heaven's eternal arches ring 
 
 With Thy beloved name. 
 
 Salvation Fear. 
 
 Awake, ye saints, and raise your eyes 
 
 And raise your voices high ; 
 Awake, and praise that sovereign love. 
 
 That shows salvation nigh. 
 
240 LIFE OF DR. DODDRIDGE. 
 
 On all the wings of time it flies, 
 Eacli moment brings it near^; 
 
 Then welcome each declining day ! 
 Welcome each closing year ! 
 
 Not many years their rounds shall run, 
 
 IsTor many mornings rise, 
 Ere all its glories stand revealed 
 
 To our admiring eyes. 
 
 Ye wheels of nature, speed your course ; 
 
 Ye mortal powers, decay; 
 Fast as ye bring the night of death, 
 
 Ye bring eternal day. 
 
 The Christian Farewell. 
 
 Thy presence, everlasting God, 
 "Wide o'er all nature spreadsabroad ; 
 Thy watchful eyes, which cannot sleep, 
 In every place Thy children keep. 
 
 "While near each other we remain. 
 Thou dost our lives and souls sustain ; 
 When absent, happy if we share 
 Thy smiles. Thy counsels, and Thy care. 
 
 To Thee we all our ways commit. 
 And seek our comforts near Thy feet ; 
 Still on our souls vouchsafe to shine. 
 And guard and guide us still as Thine. 
 
SPECIMENS OF HIS STYLE. 241 
 
 Give us in Thy beloved house 
 Again to pay our grateful vows ; 
 Or, if that joy no more be known, 
 Give us to meet around Thy throne. 
 
 The Eternal Sabbath. 
 
 Lord of the sabbath, hear our vows, 
 On this Thy day, in this Thy house ; 
 And own, as grateful sacrifice, 
 The songs, which from the desert rise. 
 
 Thine earthly sabbaths. Lord, we love ; 
 But there's a nobler rest above ; 
 To that our labouring souls aspire 
 With ardent pangs of strong desire. 
 
 jtTo more fatigue, no more distress ; 
 Nor sin nor hell shall reach the place ; 
 !N^o groans to mingle with the songs, 
 Which warble from immortal tongues. 
 
 !N"o rude alarms of raging foes ; 
 E'o cares to break the long repose ; 
 1^0 midnight shade, no clouded sun. 
 But sacred, high, eternal noon. 
 
 O long expected day, begin ; 
 Dawn on these realms of woe and sin ; 
 Fain would we leave this weary road. 
 And sleep in death to rest with God. 
 

INDEX. 
 
 4 ^ 0» > 
 
 Addison, Joseph, referred to by Doddridge, 182. 
 Aikin, Rev. John (D. D.), 93. 
 
 Mrs , 93. 
 
 J. (M. D.), 93. 
 
 Lucy, 98. 
 Akenside, 175, 176. 
 
 his Pleasures of the Imagination, 176. 
 Barker, Rev. John, biographical notice of, 144. 
 
 his letter to Doddridge, 144-146. 
 Barrow, Isaac, Doddridge's opinion of, 60. 
 
 his sermons read by Chatham, 60. 
 Baxter quoted, 46. 
 Bowles, 86. 
 
 Boyd, Rev. J., a mistake of corrected, 35. 
 Boyle, lectureship (the), 39. 
 Brainerd, David, 138, 139. 
 
 his grave at Northampton, 139, 140. 
 Bulwer, E. L. quoted, 61. 
 Burder, Rev. Geo., 148. 
 Burnet, Bp., 14, 15, 19, 38, 39, 119. 
 Bunyan, 158, 159. 
 Calamy, Dr., his Nonconformisf s Memorial quoted, 23. 
 
 biographical notice of, 30, 
 Chalmers, Dr., his opinion of Baxter and Doddridge, 58. 
 
 Journal of quoted, 133, 134. 
 Clarke, Rev. Dr., his advice to Doddridge, 19. 
 his Scripture Promises, 27. 
 
244 INDEX. 
 
 Coleridge, his Aids to Reflection^ 132. 
 
 quoted, 159. 
 Colton, 62. 
 Cowper, 150. 
 
 Cradock, Samuel, his Harmony of the Four Evangelists, &c., 66. 
 Darracott, Ridson, biographical notice of, 83-86. 
 Davies, Rev. Samuel, his allusion to Mrs. Doddridge, 169-171. 
 
 anecdote of, 170, 171. 
 Dibdin, T. F., his opinion of Lardner's works, 20. 
 Disraeli, Isaac, quoted, 25. 
 Doddridge, Daniel, the father of Philip, 23. 
 
 Sir John, 22. 
 
 John, the father of Philip, 23. 
 
 Philip, his birth, 22 
 
 his first religious instruction, 24. 
 
 his academical career, 25. 
 
 death of his parents, 26. 
 
 becomes acquainted with the Rev. Samuel Clarke, 27. 
 
 commences to keep a diary, 33. 
 
 removes to Kibworth, 35. 
 
 his academical studies at Kibworth, 36-40. 
 
 his love of nature, 40-42. 
 
 rules for the direction of his conduct, 43-47. 
 
 removes to Hinckley, 49. 
 
 finishes his course of preparatory studies at Hinckley, 50. 
 
 his first sermon, 50. 
 
 his pastoral settlement at Kibworth, 52. 
 
 his studious retirement and love of country life, 54-57. 
 
 studies the works of Baxter, Howe and Barrow, 57-60. 
 
 forms a valuable private library, 61. 
 
 chosen assistant to the Rev. Mr. Some at Market Har- 
 borough, 62. 
 
 his course of reading, 63-69. 
 
 opens a theological academy at Market Harborough, 69. 
 
INDEX. 245 
 
 Doddridge receives a call from the dissenting congregation at 
 
 Northampton, 71. 
 his removal to Northampton and ordination there, 73-75. 
 his reflections on his first sacrament day, 75, 76. 
 
 sixth, 76, 78. 
 forms an acquaintance with Miss Maris, 78 
 his letters to her, 79. 
 his marriage, 80. 
 
 his strong affection for Mrs. Doddridge, 80-82. 
 his rules on the occasion of his marriage, 82. 
 continues his theological academy at Northampton, 83 
 considered as an instructor, 94. 
 his studies at Northampton, 96, 97. 
 his visits to various places and letters describing them, 
 
 97-104. 
 commences authorship, 104. 
 some of his publications, 104-107. 
 diplomated doctor of divinity, 107. 
 his letter to Dr. Clarke disclosing his plan of writing the 
 
 Family Expositor, 107, 108. 
 his progress in writing this work, 108-111. 
 publishes the Family Expositor and various other works, 
 
 114-130. 
 edits the works of Leighton, 130. 
 his visit to London in 1749, 135. 
 
 interested in the cause of revivals in New England, 137. 
 his last illness, 141. 
 
 his experience during his affliction, 141, 142 
 administers the Lord's supper for the last time, 142, 143. 
 visits Mr. Orton at Shrewsbury, 143 
 visits Bristol, 146. 
 his happy frame of mind, 147-149. 
 
 embarks for Lisbon, 156. * 
 
 favored on the voyage with delightful views of heaven, 
 
 157, 158. 
 
246 INDEX. 
 
 Doddridge reaches Lisbon, 163 
 
 his last hours, 164. 
 
 his death, 165. 
 
 his personal appearance, 174. 
 
 his character as a preacher, 174-182. 
 an author, 182-185. 
 a scholar, 185-187. 
 lyrist, 187-189. 
 man of piety, 189-201. 
 
 specimens of his style in prose and verse, 202-241. 
 
 Mrs., her personal appearance described, 82. 
 
 her letter to her family at Northampton, 167-169. 
 
 notice of, 169. 
 Dwight, Rev. Dr., on earnestness in preaching, 175. 
 
 S. E., his Life of Pres. Edwards quoted, 47. 
 Editor of Doddridge^s Correspondence quoted, 165. 
 Edwards, Jonathan, resolutions of, 47-49. 
 
 Jerusha, 139, 140. 
 Erskine, Lord, on eloquence, 175. 
 Everett, Edward, 188. 
 Farmer, Rev. Hugh, 93. 
 
 his letter to Doddridge, 118 
 Fawcett, Benjamin, biographical notice of, 86-89. 
 Fenelon, 38. 
 Fielding, Henry, 166. 
 
 Flavel, John, an incident related of, 194, 195. 
 Foster's Essay on the Rise and Progress, &c., 123. 
 Frost's funeral sermon on Doddridge, 117. 
 Fuller, Thomas, 22. 
 Gardiner, Col., 12, 128. 
 Gentleman's Magazine quoted, 169. 
 Goldsmith, Oliver, quoted, 41, 191. 
 
 his experience contrasted with that of Doddridge, 191 
 Hall, Bp., quoted, 159. 
 
INDEX. 247 
 
 Hall, Bp., on a literary life, 61. 
 
 his Contemplations, 67. 
 
 Robert, quoted, 154, 178, 179, 180. 
 
 his high opinion of Doddridge's Sermons, 105. 
 
 John Foster's writings, 123. 
 Hamilton, Dr., quoted, 135, 136, 163. 
 
 a mistake of corrected, 35. 
 
 his visit to Doddridge's chapel, 172. 
 Hardwicke, Lord, a remark of, 63. 
 
 Henry, Matthew, his treatise on the Lord's Supper quoted, 28. 
 Ilervey, Rev. James, biographical notice of, 129, 130. 
 Hill, Rev. James, an incident related by him, 124, 125. 
 Holland, house (the), 101. 
 Hopkins, Bp., quoted, 193. 
 Home, Bp., his love of literary labor, 110. 
 Howe, John, experience of, 193, 194. 
 
 pious reflections of, 155. 
 Huntington, Lady, her visit to Doddridge, 152. 
 
 biographical notice of, 152. 
 Hurdis quoted, 35. ' 
 
 Ihne, Wm., his opinion of Chapman, Pope and Cowper's trans- 
 lation of Homer, 64. 
 Jay, Rev. Wm., his opinion of Orion's Life of Doddridge, 89, 91. 
 
 the Life of Philip Henry, 96. 
 estimate of Doddridge's Sermons, 104. 
 Jennings, David, (D. D.,) notice of, 35, 36. 
 
 his letter to Doddridge, 128. 
 
 John, notice of, 35, 36. 
 Jerment, Rev. J., his eulogy on Leighton, 180. 
 Johnson, Dr., his estimate of the character of Warburton, 106. 
 
 quoted 40, 187. 
 Kippis, Andrew, biographical notice of, 91-93. 
 
 quoted, 176, 189. 
 
 his opinion of Doddridge, 93. 
 
248 INDEX. 
 
 Leighton, 130, 131. 
 
 quoted, 150, 151, 189, 191, 200. 
 London Evangelical Magazine quoted, 132. 
 Longfellow quoted, 113. 
 Lowndes quoted, 67, 91. 
 Market Harborough, 62. 
 Mason, his treatise on Belf Knowledge^ 91. 
 Miall, his notice of Doddridge's chapel, 172, 178. 
 Milton quoted, 34, 61. 
 
 Miles, Rev. Dr., his letter to Doddridge, 131. 
 Montesquieu quoted 15, 16. 
 Montgomery quoted, 100. 
 Morell, Mr. 16. 
 Neal, N., his letters to Doddridge, 134, 155. 
 
 biographical notice of, 156. 
 Northampton, 71, 72. 
 Orme quoted, 163. 
 Orton, Job, biographical notice of, 89. 
 
 quoted, 175, 186, 187. 
 Otway, Thomas, 42. 
 
 Pemberton, Rev. Mr., his letter to Doddridge, 20. 
 Pliny, the younger, letters of, 67. 
 Pope, Alexander, his translation of Homer, 64. 
 
 quoted 105. 
 Racine, 37. 
 
 Richmond, Leigh, 183. 
 
 Rutherford, Rev. Samuel, the experience of, 157, 
 Savage, Richard, 99. 
 
 Seeker, Thomas, biographical notice of, 120, 121. 
 Shakespeare quoted 26, 56. 
 
 Tomb of, 102. 
 Sibbes, Richard, quoted, 167. 
 Sidney, 200 
 Sloane, Sir Hans (Bart.), 98. 
 
INDEX. t ; y « * 249 
 
 Somersett, dutchess of, her letter to Doddridge, 128. 
 
 Southey, Robert, his Life and Correspondence referred to, 162.' 
 
 Spalding, Prof., his opinion of Pope's Homer, 64. . 
 
 Sprague. Dr., his remarks respecting Brainerd's tomb, 140. 
 
 St. Albans, 27. 
 
 StefFe, Rev. Thomas, his Life by Doddridge, 119. 
 
 Stonehouse, Sir James, biographical notice of, 126, 127. 
 
 Talfourd, T. N. , his recollections of Lisbon, 161, 162. 
 
 his opinion of Lucretius, 68, 69. 
 Taylor, Jane, quoted, 163 
 
 Thomas, biographical notice of, 166, 167. 
 The New American Cyclopedia referred to, 31. 
 Tillotson, Dr., character of, 38, 39. 
 
 Todd, Rev. John, on the utility of the study of the classics, 37 
 Townsend, Lord, the residence of, 102. 
 Walpole, Sir Robert, the residence of, 102. 
 Warburton, Dr., his letter to Doddridge, 150. 
 
 quoted, 114. 
 
 biographical notice of, 106. 
 Wardlaw, Ralph, his notice of Clarhe^s Scripture Promises, 28. 
 Watts, Dr., 134, 136. 
 
 his notice of Clarke's Scripture Promises, 27. 
 
 his letter to Doddridge, 122, 
 
 discourses on the happiness of separate spirits, 163. 
 
 Life and Choice Works referred to, 135. 
 West, Gilbert, 103, 104. 
 Williams, Mr., his letters to Doddridge, 87, 151. 
 
 the diary of, 151. 
 Wilson, Bp., Daniel, quoted, 180-182. 
 
 his opinion of Baxter's Reformed Pastor^ 59. 
 
 Walter, quoted, 92. 
 Wordsworth, quoted, 41, 61. 
 
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