The following passage forms the conclusion of the sermon as it was preached in Hudson :

"I trust, brethren, that the connexion now commenced will give rise to feelings which shall render my services not the mere discharge of duty, but the exercise of friendship; and it will be my endeavour so to order my conduct and conversation among you, that I may gain, not only the approbation of your lips, but what is dearer, what is infinitely more valuable to the heart endued with the least sensibility, your attachment, and your love.

"I am, at least, to expect your cordial co-operation in any thing which shall tend to advance the interests of the kingdom of our common Master, the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the public worship in the sanctuary, I shall expect your attendance; in the ordinances of the Gospel, your devout participation; and above all, let me beseech you, that when your prayers are addressed to the throne of grace, you remember him whose constant occupation it shall be to labour for your good, and to pray to God for your temporal and eternal welfare; so that when the great Judge shall make up his account, and we shall all meet before his throne, you will be able to answer unto God for the strict performance of your Christian duties; and I, in the joy of my heart, to exclaim, Father, these are they which thou hast given me.' "

To this, with some alterations in its language, the following was added, when the sermon was preached in Fayetteville :

"To that period, my beloved friends, to that period of deep and of solemn interest, I would direct your attention; for there the everlasting condition of our souls must be finally determined. It is a matter not more serious to me than it is to you, that this Gospel which I preach is, on the authority of God, established as a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. If you receive

this Gospel from my mouth as but the idle wind which you regard not; if, instead of seeking to profit by its sacred instructions, you continue careless and unconcerned, oh what an awful deficit must there be in your final settlement. I speak it in the fear of my soul, that this Gospel which I preach must appear as a witness against those who, having lived under its sounds, have yet died without the experience of its saving benefits. Oh, my friends, 'seek ye the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near.'

"Do but earnestly seek an interest by a living faith in this Jesus Christ whom I have sought, and under the blessing of God will yet seek to preach, and all will be well. The Church shall be edified, and walking in the fear of God, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, be multiplied; and you, redeemed, and sanctified, and saved, by this same Jesus and his grace, shall be numbered among that great multitude, who, having gone to Zion with songs and everlasting joy, shall surround the throne, and the theme begun with you on earth, be perfected in heaven. 'Blessing, and honour, and glory, be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever.'"

In the comparison of these extracts, the enlightened reader will not fail to see how much, during his short ministry at Hudson, his views of truth were enlarged, and his adaptation to the great work of "teaching and preaching Jesus Christ," was improved. For this, we cannot but look up to the Holy Spirit of God as the great source of the inestimable benefit, and ascribe to him the glory of thus teaching and qualifying the chosen instrument of so much ultimate good to men. The progress of this change in his views of truth, during his minis

try at Hudson, we shall be able to mark with some distinctness as we proceed.

When he entered upon the duties of his ministry at Hudson, he seems to have become aware of the importance of his office and duties, and he laid out for himself a scheme of labour which was much in advance of those who were around him. He established Sunday schools in the Church, and opened a Bible class for persons of all ages instructed by himself. These institutions, which have since become so extensive and important, were at that time almost unknown. There were few Sunday schools in the United States in operation so early as 1815, and still fewer Bible classes for persons of adult years. He met with some opposition in his efforts, and their efficacy was much disputed. He persevered, however, in these valuable plans, and was gratified in finding very happy results from his efforts for the congregation committed to him. When his subsequent important instrumentality in these departments of ministerial exertion, which will be exhibited in his succeeding history, is considered, it cannot but be interesting to know how early his attention was called to them; and that as his mind was receiving light in the truth of God, his heart was expanding with the desire to communicate the benefits which he gained to others. His preaching while at Hudson was frequent, generally as often as three times on the Lord's-day, in his own Church, or others in the vicinity. Nor was it altogether

without effect. The Church flourished, temporally, to an important extent; and spiritually, in a good degree, under his ministry. His popularity as a preacher was very great, not only there, but also in New-York, which city, as the residence of his family, he frequently visited. His visits to the city were anticipated by many with great pleasure, and frequent messages of eager inquiry for the time at which they might be expected, were received by him. He became a general favourite in the Churches of the city, which were always full, and sometimes very crowded when he was expected to preach, and his popularity increased as his ministry became more decided, and he learned "to know nothing save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

In the year 1816, on the 29th of October, he was united in marriage to Miss Penelope Thurston of Hudson. Of this lady, though she still survives him, it is but duty and justice to say, that God thus gave to him a most faithful, competent, and affectionate friend, one whose kind care and assiduous attention were successfully devoted, until the very closing of his eyes in death, to the promotion of his usefulness, the increase of his comfort, and the melioration of his great sufferings and protracted sickness; and whose duties in this connexion have been rewarded with the undoubted prolonging of his ministry, with the high estimation of his friends, and with the sure approbation of his Lord. The offspring of this marriage are a son and daugh

ter, both living, and worthy of a deep interest in the affections and prayers of the many friends who so much and so justly loved their lamented father. In connexion with his marriage, an evidence of his peculiar attachment to Bishop Hobart may be noticed, in the fact, that he postponed the ceremony of that occasion for a considerable time, in order that it might meet the convenience of the Bishop to officiate in a crisis of his life so interesting to him. This fact will add interest also, to the circumstances which now come up before our view, requiring an impartial record.

In tracing the change which was occurring in the religious views and plans of Mr. Bedell after his settlement at Hudson, some facts are present to us which are evidently marked delineations of its progress. The establishment of the American Bible Society in 1816, was one occasion on which a manifest change in his state of mind was developed. The opposition of Bishop Hobart to this Society, from the time of its formation, is well known. It is no part of our present duty to consider the abstract propriety of this opposition, or to regard it any further than as a fact, the truth of which of course will not be questioned. This opposition led to a temporary controversy of considerable interest, in which the judgments of the clergy and laymen of the Episcopal Church were found much divided. At the first occurrence of this question, the opinions of Mr. Bedell entirely accorded with those of Bishop Hobart