attainments. These were members mostly of the Mission-Church congregation; who, though without the advantages of European education, yet had acquired, under his ministry, a taste for solid reading. They were anxious for superior instruction in the family, as well as from the pulpit; and earnestly wished to cultivate the minds of their children.

Such persons were exposed to no small danger from the nature of the publications they might obtain in a country, where but a very poor selection of books could formerly be made. But gradually, more valuable authors were introduced into general circulation. Serious and important works were purchased. An increasing good taste rose superior to the inundation of trifling and pernicious productions, which had usually formed the bulk of the supplies sent out from England; and was most threatening, when the effects of the French revolution, atheism and infidelity, spread even to the East. To oppose which, among the middling and lower classes, Mr. Brown contemplated the important plan of forming by subscriptions from the congregation, and contributions from home, a MissionChurch vestry library: to comprise our best standard authors on religion and morals;

with an appropriate selection of general lite

rature.

gave

He his attention to this purpose, so far as to prepare lists of some of the publications which he thought should be included; but other important avocations withdrew his mind from completing this favorite design. `At his latter end, however, he had the happiness of seeing his long cherished wishes forwarded, by the transmission of a copious library from England for the purpose he had desired.

In what Mr. Brown prepared for the pulpit, he never seemed to concern himself whether he delivered his own sole composition or not. He was eminently of a meek spirit; and thought that another would say, what he wished should be expressed, in a better manner than he would himself. Hence in his sermons he quoted freely from all whom he esteemed safe guides.

The following extract is from his own note on this subject, left for a direction among his

papers:

"Those sets of Sermons, on which I have marked, for revision, if I live to revise them:' may be considered as left for the press; (if desired;) but, in their present state

they

they have perhaps some extracts, or unacknowledged quotations from authors not referred to: which ought not to be the case in any sermons published."

Though he, in great measure, composed entirely original matter, he felt no particular solicitude on this head. For he seemed chiefly ambitious of the character of "an householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure, things new, and old;" and felt only anxious to make, with his Divine Master, the enquiry, "Have ye understood all these things?"

He certainly never wrote for publication, and was accustomed to observe on the subject of publishing sermons, that those most useful when preached, might be found least interesting and profitable when read; since a sermon composed or compiled for a particular congregation must generally be adapted for the time and place only where it is delivered; and its usefulness cannot elsewhere be duly appreciated.

He was frequently solicited by his hearers, to lend his sermons for their perusal at home* ; but his modest estimate of their merit made him do this with very sparing reluctance.

He

* One letter to this effect is admitted in the Extracts from Correspondence.

He preferred placing in their hands, such discourses of living and former ministers as he could not scruple to commend for sterling worth; and took the pains to have a number copied for private circulation.

Some of these were his brother-chaplains ; particularly of (as habitually styled by him) "beloved Henry Martyn ;" and of his highly honoured friend Claudius Buchanan; his early spiritual father, the Rev. Mr. Jesse; the Rev. Richard Jeffreys; and others unknown. The ardor with which he gave himself up to that crowning work of usefulness to man, the plans of the British and Foreign Bible Society, checked his purposes of carrying on such a selection for his people's use: and in the last arrangement he made of his papers, he set them aside, labelled, "Excellent Sermons; in Manuscript, or Print."

Whatever Mr. Brown preached he made peculiarly his own, by his mind being imbued with the spirit of it before he delivered it to the people.

He took indeed remarkable pains in preparing himself for what he proposed to deliver. No sooner had he preached one sermon, than he set himself to consider what subjects

he

he would treat of in the next; and all his meditations and recollections tended to that point.

He had recourse to such books as bore on the method he meant to pursue; and after having thus followed it up in thought, and furnished himself with the full scope of it by these preparatory means, he accustomed himself to snatch some hours from sleep the night before he had to preach, to write off with the greatest rapidity the fruit of his study.

Moreover, he has said that he preached every sermon first to himself; and there is reason to believe, that on most occasions he both read and prayed over his discourse immediately before he publicly delivered it.

Hence he was remarkable for a deeply serious and impressive manner in preaching, which had perhaps a greater force than his words: of this a sensible hearer once observed, soon after he was appointed to the Presidency Church; "Whoever may not believe as Mr. Brown preaches, he makes it impossible to suspect he does not believe so himself: for which reason alone, we could not but be attentive hearers, when we see him evidently so much in earnest."

He has acknowledged he felt the habitual persuasion on his mind, that in the congrega