and those that make no such profession? Or, if there be but little difference, is it because the world is coming nearer to us, or we to the world?

·

"Do we fear to be called a peculiar people, such as are seeking a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens? Are our conversation, example and influence, such as become the disciples of Christ-such as to lead those around us to take notice of us that we have been with Jesus-so that it may be said, as of Peter on a certain occasion, Thy speech bewrayeth thee'? Are we continually growing in grace and in the knowledge of God? Are we more zealous in His cause, more active in his service, more willing to spend and be spent for Him who died for us! Does our light so shine that others, seeing our good example, may be led to glorify our Father in heaven? If such be our case, we may be assured that those who are with us are more than those who are against us, and that the seed sown will soon spring up in plants of righteousness in the garden of the Lord, and that they will be nurtured with showers from heaven, and that the church will again arise and shine, her light being come, and the glory of the Lord being risen upon her.

In 1836, only two years after uniting with the church, he was elected one of its deacons. Says his pastor,1 "His natural modesty and self-distrust made him hesitate long before he accepted the appointment. But with what propriety, dignity and conscientious fidelity, he performed the duties of his office, to the honor of religion and the prosperity of this church, need not be stated here. Besides officiating at the table of the Lord with his brethren, his ministries of kindness, of counsel and charity in private, were many

1 Memorial, p. 23.

and frequent; and long will he be remembered by the poor and needy as a kind and generous benefactor. And it is an affecting fact, that the last service he ever performed in the church, was to assist in bearing the symbols of the Saviour's love to his fellow worshipers.

66

Shortly after he united with the church, he entered the Sabbath school as a teacher, and there for more than a quarter of a century he was, from Sabbath to Sabbath at the head of his Bible class, thoroughly prepared by previous study to impart to its members the rich treasures of God's word, and of his own well stored mind. Never absent except by necessity, and always in his place in time, he instructed large numbers of young men in the elements of God's truth and salvation, who will cherish his memory with grateful affection as long as they live, and many of them forever. The good he accomplished in this humble office, as many esteem, by his example and instructions, can never be known till it is revealed at the last day."

His fidelity even to the very end of life, in this Sabbath school work, from which so many well qualified excuse themselves, is another of the many illustrations of his love to his Saviour, and hence of his desire to do good. Instructing young men in the great truths of Christianity, thus preparing them for the realities of this world and of that which is to come, he did not regard an unimportant service. Like his noble compeer, Mr. Frelinghuysen, who esteemed his position as a Bible class teacher to be far above that of a Senator in Congress, so Chief Justice Williams tenaciously held and ably filled his position as teacher to the very last, barred by no statute of limitation on account of his age, as he was retired from the bench, nor deterred by any increasing infirmities, as years bore him nearer his final rest.

He was an early and firm friend of temperance. In a letter to Mrs. Williams, since his decease, Dr. Marsh, long Secre

tary of the American Temperance Society, says: "His own practice, you know, was perfect, based upon those great Christian principles, 'He that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things,' the body is for the Lord,'-is to be 'a temple of the Holy Ghost.' At all times and in all companies, he was the unflinching and uncompromising advocate of pure temperance principles..... He often presided in our city and county meetings, always giving life and spirit to the occasion by his felicitous remarks. Well is it remembered how happily he introduced Mr. Gough, who was sent for to secure an election in Hartford, against a combination of all the liquor dealers and violent men who would assume the reins of government, and break down all law, and set the traffic free, by the story of the wonderful man who rushed out of obscurity at Hadley, put himself at the head of the militia, and gained the victory over besieging enemies and then disappeared, and was afterwards found to be Goffe, one of King Charles's judges. He sympathized deeply with the Washingtonian movement, and was among the first to visit the reforming and the reformed inebriates, and encourage them in their resurrection to life and usefulness." He gave liberally in aid of the temperance cause, and left to it a legacy of five hundred dollars.

He was eminently, pre-eminently, a benevolent man.1 “This, indeed,” says his pastor, "was a shining trait in his character, and it brought him into close communion with the various benevolent associations of our age and our country. Blessed with an abundance of this world's goods, he felt himself to be a steward of God, bound to use all that was entrusted to him in obedience to his will, and for the glory And he was, in an eminent degree, a faithful steward. It is known that, for many years, he has acted on the principle, not of accumulating, but expending the whole of his income, and often he went beyond it in charitable benefac

of his name.

1 Memorial, p. 27.

tions. He was one of the most generous and cheerful of givers. I have often said of him, that I never knew a man whom it cost so little to do good. Doing good seemed to be a kind of instinct, a natural impulse, not a self-denial, but a happiness to him. He never frowned, nor fretted, nor uttered untrue excuses, as is too common, when a charity or contribution was asked of him. He received every applicant with kindness, heard his statement with patience, and if he approved he gave, otherwise he dismissed him in good nature. To all the benevolent operations of the day, he was a large and a constant contributor. Besides his private charities, which were many, and constantly dropping as the rain and the dew to relieve the needy and the suffering, he was always ready to bear a generous part in founding and sustaining the humane, the benevolent and educational institutions of the city, and all other enterprises adapted and designed to promote its material prosperity."

He was for a long time Vice President of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and, at the time of his decease, was President of the American Tract Society of New York. But his relation to these and kindred associations were not official merely nor chiefly. Their work he regarded as his work, as alas very few do, even among those who give, perhaps, largely. He identified himself with Christ's cause in the world, and for the world, and made it his own. On this subject, in 1842, he says: "I have been reviewing my charities for the last year, not I trust, for the purpose of recounting my good works. They amount to a little more than $a much less sum than I might and probably ought to have given. I thank God that he has put it into my power to do so much, and hope it may be productive of good, especially that which was intended to spread the light of truth among the heathen. I cannot now go among them myself, but I can enable some more efficient man to do so, while I am sitting at

home surrounded with so many comforts. O that I had sooner felt the importance of this blessed work of spreading the Gospel!"

He often gave largely, to especial objects; but always on principle, and kept a strict account of his charities, and ordinary family expenses, in parallel columns. The footings of the two show an excess of the former over the latter of about fifty per cent for the last nine years of his life. He frequently aided poor young men, by donations or loans, or both, to give them a start in life. An extract from a long letter from one of them to Mrs. Williams, will tell its own story:

"The impressions which I received while a member of Judge Williams' Bible Class, were adapted to be as lasting, as I trust they are, and ever will be, useful. I am, and as a family we are, greatly indebted to Judge Williams, as well as to yourself, for his kindness towards us in hours of great darkness and trial. . Without his aid, it would have been difficult for me to have established myself in business here, or to have secured our present comfortable dwelling. Why I should be so largely a recipient of his goodness and favor, has been a great mystery to me; and I have ever regarded it as a kind Providence that sent to me this great friend in times of greatest need."

Mr. Treat adds his testimony to the excellence of Judge Williams' Christian character.

"Whenever I had occasion to visit the city of Hartford, one of the pleasures which I anticipated was an interview with him. It was delightful to see him, so humble, so cheerful, so comprehensive in his love for his fellow men; so ready unto all good works. Our conversation naturally turned, quite frequently, to the missionary work; and here the characteristics of his mind and heart were seen to great advantage. He had a very intelligent view of the enterprise; indeed, one might almost call it a judicial view. He knew the ground upon which it rests, its

history, its value at home as well as abroad, and its bearings upon national interests as well as spiritual. He had weighed the objections which are urged against it, and had found them unsatisfactory and futile. Disappointments he regarded as inevitable. Trials he believed to be necessary and useful. A work of inconceivable magnitude was to be accomplished; and yet the agents were weak and erring. How could it be otherwise than that failures should occur? No. He gave to missions his cordial and generous support, because they were of divine origin, and because they had been as successful, to say the least, as Christians had any reason to expect. I once stated in his hearing how far the entire expenditure of the Board, from the beginning, would have built the railroad from Boston to Albany. He asked me to repeat the remark, as he could scarcely believe that he had heard correctly. I did as he requested; whereupon he said, 'That is ridiculous! How very little we are doing!'

"In 1860, I went to Hartford to solicit the aid of our friends in liquidating the debt of the Board, which had become altogether too large. Judge Williams was my chief adviser and helper. I shall never forget the meeting which was held by a few gentlemen, to consider what should be done. He might have excused himself from attending it, by reason of his age, if he had been so disposed. But no. He was there not only; he gave shape and direction to the proceedings. He proposed, as soon as the time had come for such a motion, that an effort should be made at once to raise five thousand dollars! When he took his seat, a heavy burden had fallen from my shoulders. He intended to give liberally, I felt assured, both of his substance and of his influence; and I was not disappointed by the result."

We have been able to secure but very little of Judge Williams' correspondence. In a short letter to a Professor in a Theo

logical Seminary, west of New England, he says:

"HARTFORD, Dec. 8, 1860. "Yours of the 13th of Oct. was duly received and was not forgotten; but I waited until I could do a little besides answer in words. The fact is, there have been so many extra calls the past year that I did not expect to send to you until next month. But the times are such that longer delay may end in doing nothing. I am glad to hear that the number of young men in your institution is increasing. We shall want the influence of all the good young men of the West to counteract infidelity, indifference and ignorance, which ordinarily accompany our newer settlements; while at the East we need men of great learning to meet the more insidious attacks of the scientific doubter. Some of our theological institutions have the passing year been calling on their friends for assistance, and they ought not to call in vain. I send you a check for fifty dollars to promote your cause, and remain, with great respect,

"Yours very truly,

"TH. S. WILLIAMS."

HIS LAST SICKNESS AND DEATH. After such a life, none would expect death to come, unlooked for, unprepared for. The note previously quoted and found in his private desk, is proof that he was apprised, and ready for the summons to go up higher. In connection with that incident, Dr. Hawes gives the following in further illustration of the convictions of this ripe Christian man, that the coming of his Lord was near at hand.1 "The opening paragraphs of Judge Williams' last will also exhibit his calm anticipation of death, and seem peculiarly touching to those who appreciate the circumstances under which they were written. Hon. Francis Parsons, a nephew whom Judge

1 Memorial, Note, pp. 30, 31.

2 Born at Amherst, Ms., February 16, 1795, son of Rev. David Parsons, D.D. His mother was a sister of Hon. Thomas S. Williams. He graduated at Yale College in 1816. After teaching a year and a half in

Williams had long loved and relied on as a son, died, after a brief illness, ten days before the date of the will.

"I, Thomas S. Williams, of Hartford, at present, by the blessing of God, being in good health and of sound and disposing mind, but reminded by the death of all my brothers and sisters, and now by a more unexpected stroke, as well as by my age and infirmities, that my time is short, do make this my last will and testament. I commit my soul to God who gave it, and my body to the earth, hoping for a glorious resurrection with the just, through the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

A relative who had seen much of him, and was frequently a guest at his house, says: "His natural diffidence and profound sense of the righteousness of the divine law and government gave his piety, perhaps, too much of a legal type for his own comfort; but for two or more years previous to his death, it was delightful to see how grace triumphed, and how sweet trust in Christ, as the end of the law for righteousness, cheered and inspired him. This was very apparent in his devotional exercises."

His last sickness was brief. He had done life's duties while life lasted, so that when death came, he had only to die. His mind was perfectly clear, and he suffered very little acute pain. I am very comfortably sick," he frequently said. And again, "I am wonderfully favored. God is letting me very gently down; and now, if His time has come, it is the best time. I am satisfied, and have no objection to make. I trust solely in the Atonement and justifying righteousness of Jesus Christ." Speaking of the comforts that surrounded him, he said: "My personal, domestic, social, civil and religious privileges have been unparalleled." He died while taking some drink, without a

Virginia, he studied law in the office of his uncle in Hartford, and was admitted to the bar there, and there spent his life in the practice of law, and died March 9, 1861.