this country from Great Britain in the early settlement of New England. His Baptism is recorded in the hand-writing of the Rev. Mr. Stoddard, the then pastor of this church, as having taken place on the same day with his birth, Feb. 11th, 1752. Thus early in life was he devoted to God, in that affecting ordinance of the New Testament church, by which (at whatever age administered) we are reminded of the corruption of our nature and our consequent need of the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.' He had the happiness to commence life under the care of Christian parents, and was from the first a child of many prayers. He was brought up strictly, according to the piety of that day, being taught to 'fear God' and to 'honor his father and mother.' In quite early life (as he has told me) he was the subject of serious impressions of mind, from time to time. Possessing naturally a thoughtful, meditative turn of mind, he was often made to feel, deeply and strongly, his need of personal religion. This was more especially true from about fifteen or sixteen years of age, till he was eighteen or nineteen, At this period in his life he became the subject of pungent and distressing convictions of sin, insomuch (as he has been heard to say) that his sinfulness appeared to him so great, and the justice of God in his condemnation so plain, that it seemed to him, at times, almost as if the earth would open and swallow him up, and as if there was no mercy for him. At other times he would experience a transient respite from such painful convictions, and then again he would harden his heart against God, and seek for happiness and safety in a legal way of justification before him. Occasionally, while in this state of mind, he would have short seasons of what he would afterwards think to be a false peace and comfort to his soul; once, in particular, (as he told me,) while he was in great darkness and distress of mind, and striving to make himself better by means of many prayers and tears, it seemed to be forcibly suggested to him that he might now dismiss his fears, and cease to feel further trouble, inasmuch as God had heard his prayers and seen his tears, and was now at peace with him. This suggestion was made to him in the following words of Scripture, which made it the more plausible and the more dangerous. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works.' But he knew that his heart was still unchanged. His spirit was 'not subdued and broken for sin, as he knew it must be, and he felt no reliance on Christ, such as

he knew he ought to feel. Thus he escaped the snare of the fowler,' in which there is reason to fear, so many are taken. Then again, his convictions returned upon him with augmented force, and the deep waters went over his soul. In this troubled state of mind, with occasional alterations of less solicitude and less intensity of exertion to make himself fit for the kingdom of God, he continued for a considerable length of time; till, at last, he came to feel that, in and of himself, he was completely lost; all hope forsook him. He had done what he could, and it was to no purpose, and he now felt himself to be (to use his own figure of speech) like a twig of a tree that had been broken off from the old parent stock, where it always had been living, and before it was grafted into the new and better stock into which it was about to be inserted, and where it was to blossom and grow and bear fruit, by having a new and better life supplied to it, derived from its new and better stock. It was in such a state of mind, broken off, as it were, from the 'old Covenant of works,' as a method of life and salvation, and almost despairing of any relief that would meet his case, and not yet grafted into Christ,' by a true and living faith; as he was one day sitting by himself, in a retired apartment to which he was accustomed to resort, and reading the 1st Epistle of John, he came (slowly and sadly and despairingly) to the words of our text and read them. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.'. It was enough. The mystery was ended. The dark puzzle was cleared up. Light broke in upon his mind. He saw the way clearly. He felt himself grafted, an underserving worthless branch, into Christ, prepared to derive all his hope and comfort from Him. From that time his new life, as a Christian, commenced. To that portion of Scripture he often referred, in after life, as the 'word' upon which he had been led to hope, and from thenceforth he dated his singularly close and exemplary walk with God. This took place when he was somewhere between eighteen and twenty years of age. His hope, as thus commenced, he continued to cherish, up to the time of his death, through a period of more than sixty years. Naturally cautious, shrinking and self-distrustful, especially in regard te the all important question of his own piety and personal acceptance before God as he was, he never gave up this hope to the last. In the afflctions which he was called to experience, (and he had

some severe trials to pass through,) this hope never forsook him, and often it was to him, in times of trouble and sorrow, like ' an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, entering into that within the veil.' He had, it is true, at times, some remaining doubts and fears about his own religious state and character, and perhaps was never wholly free from these, yet, upon the whole, his trust in the Redeemer, his habitual communion with God in prayer, and his hopes and consolations from the Gospel, were such as kept his mind in peace, He never appeared to have any doubts, even the smallest, about the way of salvation, however he might feel occasionally as to the question whether he was himself interested in that way so as to be saved by it. And on this latter point, though (as I have said) unusually cautious and self-distrustful beyond most other men whom I have known, he had, in the main, a settled and firm trust that he had built on the ' sure foundation' and that he should therefore, through grace, be accepted and saved at last, among the innumerable blood-washed company before the Throne. With this sweet and blessed hope,' apparently strong and abiding within him, he went slowly and gradually down into the dark valley, till death removed him from our view. May I be permitted to add, that during his last illness, until by slight attacks of paralysis, his mental powers became somewhat impaired, his conversations with myself (which, by his bedside, were many) on the great subjects of doctrinal and experimontal Christianity, and especially on the way of acceptance by Christ, were of the most strengthening and delightful character. His religion, as now exhibited in these interviews, was anything but gloomy. His soul now dwelt in a region too elevated, pure, etherial, to be habitually or often clouded with gloom. True indeed, his views of sin as committed against a Holy God, and in violation of His Law of infinite authority and rectitude, were now, as they always had been before through life, deep and awful. It would make you almost shudder to hear him talk on that theme. But, at the same time, his views of the atonement by the blood of Christ-his views of the Gospel method of a sinner's acceptance and justification before God, as to its sufficiency and fitness to the sinner's case, were so much above and beyond his views of the sinner's guilt, (great as that guilt is) that when he came to speak of the way of salvation by faith in Christ, it was always in terms full of hope and joy, and sometimes even of triumph.

"At the age of twenty years, March 1, 1772, he made a public

profession of religion, and joined the Church. Nov. 25, 1793, he was chosen a deacon in this church, in which office he continued till his death, discharging its duties with fidelity and great acceptance, to both the church and the people for some forty years.

“Thrice he was elected to represent this town in the General Assembly of the State-though few men have ever so instinctively shrunk from notoriety and intercourse with the world in public political life. He was very often chosen a member of this Consociation, and his prayers and counsels in that body were always welcome; in times of difficulty, they were especially desired and valued. In his system of Family Government he was strict and thorough, and he had the privilege of living to see most of his children, and many of his grand-children, hopefully converted and members of the church. Among the circle of his relatives generally there is an uncommonly large proportion who are the professed followers of Christ.

"His own communion with God in secret, and his acquaintance with the Scriptures, were almost without a parallel. Of the latter only can I now speak. About the time of his conversion he began the practice, which he followed through life, of reading the Bible through by course once a year. This was in addition to all his other and occasional reading of it--which was, probably, far more. Thus, by course, (once every year,) he had read it all through more than sixty times, and his knowledge of that Book was very minute and accurate, and his ability to quote it in prayer singularly happy.

"But time admonishes me to desist; suffice it only to add, in giving this sketch of his life and character, that he was a man of sound judgment, and practical wisdom, of few words, of a modest, unassuming deportment, slow and cautious in forming his opinion 3, but firm and unwavering in maintaining them. In his manners, there was a happy mixture of Christian dignity and relf-respect, on the one hand, and of Christian simplicity and humility on the other. One trait in his religious character was quite remarkable, He looked upon death and the things which lie beyond death, with a kind of trembling awe and solemnity. He used to speak of himself as having been all his life-time subject to bondage through fear of death.' Yet when he came to die, that dread of death which he had been accustomed to feel, even to a morbid degree, perhaps, seemed to be taken away, and his end was peace. Thus lived and died one of the best of men with whom it has been my lot to be acquainted.”

On the 10th of October, 1860, the descendants of this good man held a family re-union at the house of Mr. Erastus Minor, who occupied the homestead of his father, Deacon Minor, which is situated a few rods north of the location of the house occupied by Capt. John Minor, at the founding of the town, long since demolished. The deacon's descendants, by blood and marriage, numbered, at this time, 125. The occasion was one of great interest and enjoyment to the family. There was an address of welcome, a historical family address, reading of the Scriptures from the old Bible read so many years by the deacon, a sermon, refreshments," after dinner" speeches, songs, closing with the following ode, written by one of the grand-daughters :

"Beautiful, bright, are the October days;
Gorgeous in their golden haze;

Gladly we welcome their presence here,
Solemn, sacred, best of the year.
More glorious still is this union sweet,
Where kindred friends together meet,
To honor the sire, himself a host,
Long gone before, but still not lost.

"As we meet here with filial tread,
Retrace the footsteps of the dead,
And wake the silent echoes, where
Long dwelt the sainted man of prayer,

We seem to see his noble form,

His reverend brow, his accents watm,

His arm,chair in its wonted place,
His Bible, too, that gift of grace.

Hail mighty spirit of the dead,
Upon our hearts thine influence shed.
While here we meet with filial love,
Smile on thy children from above.

A heavenly token let us see,

Which to thy seed shall ever be,

As on we tread life's devious ways,

A benediction all our days.

It was an occasion reverent in its honor of the dead, and long to be remembered with pleasant thoughts by all who were present. It will be seen, on page 306, that Hon. Noah B. Benedict bequeathed certain property to the society, now occupied as a parsonage on certain peculiar conditions, among which was the following: