13 / 678
MEMOIRS
Or
DOCTOR
EKa,17Lp71°S.
IT
was a custom among
the
ancient
Romans,
to preserve in wax,
the figures
of
those among
their ancestors, who
were
of
noble
birth
;
or
had been more
nobly advanced
to
the
chair of honour
by
their
personal merits.
Sallust
relates
"that
Scipio and
othergreat men, by beholding these
likenesses, found
enkindled
in
their
'breasts,
so
ardent a thirst after virtue, as could not
be
extin-
guished,
till, by the
glory
of their
own
actions,
they
had equalled
the illus-
trious
objects
of their emulation.
But it
is
the happiness of
Christians to
possess
truer
notions
of virtue,
and
to be
governed by infinitely
higher views.
We may,
however, hence
observe
the
force
of example, which
is
peculiarly
operative
in
those who sincerely
love God.
They
no
sooner reflect on
the
accounts given of such
as
have been eminent
for
their
piety and zeal,
than
they
become desirous
of
imbibing
the
same spirit
*.
The
advantages
to be derived from
theological biography,
are
too
various
to
be enumerated
;
and
of such
obvious
importance,
as to
supersede
all
studied
encomiums. The sacredscriptures
abound with relations
of extraordinary
occurrences in
the
lives
of men, who were distinguished in
their
day by
their
virtues
or
their crimes:
And, as
if
the Holy
spirit
designedto providefor
our
entertainment, and to gratify our curiosity
;
there
is
not
a beauty
in
this
spe-
cies of historicalwriting, of which we have not
some
interesting example, in
the
inspired volume.
Each
character
is drawn by
the
hand of
i
npartiality
and faithfulness
;
so
that
we
are in
no
danger
ofbeing
deceived by
the
influence
of
any
of those
-
passions, which so often
degrade other relations of
the
same kind. While
compassion
tempers the hatred
of
sin,
the
love
of truth
corrects
the
ardor
of
private gratitude, the
usual
partiality of friendship,
and
the
zeal
of
opinion.
Here
no
excellence, which evidences
them
to be
the
Sons
of
God,
is
exalted
above
its intrinsic
value;
nor
is
any failing,
common to
them as the children
of
Adam, concealed or
extenuated.
Next
to
these
divine
records, our esteem
is
claimed
by the many
valuable
literary monuments which have been raised in all succeeding
-ages,
by the
labours
of
piety
and
veneration,
to
the
remembrance of those eminent names,
whom
the unerring Judge
of true
excellence
has delighted to
honour.
The
lives
of
men who have madethemselves famous
in
the
cabinet, or in
the
field,
may instructand animate survivors
of
the
same profession
:
the in-
trigues
of
courts,the
elevation and
the
fall
of a
statesman,
the
manoeuvres
of
generalship, the
decision
of
a battle, are attended to with
a lively
avidity
by
m
Reynolds.
a