Mr. Parkhurst's second wife closed her well-spent life at the advanced age of 79, on the 27th of April, 1800, having survived him upwards of three years. Never were modest worth, unaffected piety, and every domestic virtue, more strongly illustrated than in the character of this most amiable and excellent woman. Her sweetness of temper, simplicity of manners, and charitable disposition, are seldom paralleled, and never excelled.

In the year 1753, Mr. Parkhurst began his career of authorship, by publishing in 8vo. " A Friendly Address to the Rev. John Wesley, in relation to a principal Doctrine maintained by him and his Assistants." This work, however valuable, we may safely say, was of very little importance when compared with his next publication, which was "An Hebrew and English Lexicon, without Points; to which is added, a Methodical Hebrew Grammar, without Points, adapted to the Use of Learners," 1762, 4to.

To attempt a vindication of all the etymological and philosophical disquisitions which are scattered through this work, would be fruitless; but it is not, perhaps, too much to say, that we have nothing of the kind equal to it in the English language. Continuing to correct and improve this excellent work, he published a second edition, much enlarged, in 1778, and a third edition in 1792.

His philological studies were not confined to the Hebrew language; for he published "A Greek and English Lexicon to the New Testament; to which is prefixed a plain and easy Greek Grammar," 1769, 4to; a second edition, 1794; and, being desirous of making his literary labours more generally useful, he determined on publishing octavo editions of both Lexicons, still further enlarged and improved; for he continued to revise, correct, add to, and improve these works, till within a few days of his death. He had but just completed the copies, and received the first proof

In 1787, Mr. Parkhurst published "The Divinity and Pre-existence of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, demonstrated from Scripture, in Answer to the First Section of Dr. Priestley's Introduction to the History of early Opinions concerning Jesus Christ; together with Strictures on some other Parts of the Work, and a Postscript relating to a late Publication by Mr. Gilbert Wakefield." This work was very generally regarded as performing all that the title-page promised; and, accordingly, the whole edition was soon sold off. The brief, evasive, and very unsatisfactory notice taken of this very able pamphlet by Dr. Priestley, in a "Letter to Dr. Horne," showed only that he was unable to answer it.

Besides the above works, there is, in the Gentlemen's Magazine for August, 1797, a curious letter of Mr. Parkhurst's on the Confusion of Tongues at Babel.

Mr. Parkhurst was a man of very extraordinary independency of mind and firmness of principle. In early life, along with many other, men of distinguished learning, it was objected to him, that he was an Hutchinsonian. Though Mr Parkhurst continued to read Hutchinson's writings as long as he read at all, he was ever ready to allow that he was oftentimes a confused and bad writer, and sometimes unbecomingly violent. To have been deterred from reading the works of an author, who, with all his faults, certainly throws out many useful hints, for fear of being thought an Hutchinincapable. What he believed, he was not afraid to profess; and never professed to believe any thing which he did not very sincerely believe. He was indeed a most earnest lover of truth. The study of the Scriptures was at once the business and the pleasure of his life; from his earliest to his latest years, he was a hard student; and had the daily occupations of every twenty-four hours of his life been portioned out, as it is said those of king Alfred were, into three equal parts, there is reason to believe that a deficiency would rarely have been found in the eight hours allotted to study.

What the fruits have been of a life so conducted, few theologians, it is presumed, need to be informed, it being hardly within the scope of a supposition, that any man will sit down to the study of the Scriptures without availing himself of the assistance to be obtained from his learned labours.

Mr. Parkhurst's character may be collected with tolerable accuracy, even from this imperfect sketch of his life. His notions of church patronage do him honour; and as a farther instance of the high sense he entertained of strict justice, and the steady resolution with which he practised it on all occasions, an incident which occurred between him and one of his tenants may be here mentioned. This man falling behind-hand in the payment of his rent, which was 500l. per annum, it was represented to his landlord that it was owing to his being over-rented. This being believed to be the case, a new valuation was made: it was then agreed that, for the future, the rent should not be more than 450l. Justly inferring, moreover, that if the farm was then too dear, it must necessarily have been always too dear; unasked, and of his own accord, he immediately struck off 50l. from the commencement of the lease; and instantly refunded all that he had received more than 450l. per

annum.

Mr. Parkhurst was in his person

He was all his life of a sickly habit: and his leading so sedentary and studious a life (it having, for many years, been his constant practice to rise at five, and in winter to light his own fire) to the very verge of David's limits of the life of man, is a consolatory proof to men of similar habits, how much, under many disadvantages, may still be effected by strict temperance and a careful regimen. He also gave less of his time to the ordinary interruptions of life than is common. In an hospitable, friendly, and pleasant neighbourhood, he visited little; alleging that such a course of life neither suited his temper, his health, nor his studies. Yet he was of sociable manners; and his conversation always instructive, often delightful: for his stores of knowledge were so large, that he has often been called a walking library. He belonged to no clubs; he frequented no public places: and there are few men, who, towards the close of life, may not, on a retrospect, reflect with shame and sorrow, how much of their precious time has thus been thrown away, or, perhaps, worse than thrown away. Like many other men of infirm and sickly frames, Mr. Parkhurst was also irritable and quick, warm and earnest in his resentments, though never unforgiving. But whether it be or be not a matter of reproach to possess a mind so constituted, it certainly is much to any man's credit to counteract and subdue it by an attention to the injunctions of religion. This Mr. Parkhurst effectually did: and few men have passed through a long life more at peace with his neighbours, more respected by men of learning, more beloved by his friends, or more honoured by his family. The subject of this biographical sketch serenely closed a life of study and of virtue, far removed from the din of senseless pleasures and the follies of trivial society, after a most painful and lingering illness of ten months, on the 21st of February, 1797, at Epsom, in Surrey, where for many years he had resided. Mr. Parkhurst's remains now repose in his

A person unacquainted with the world, and the tempers of its children, might, perhaps, be surprised upon hearing that a prophet, like St. John, who spent his time in calling his fellow-creatures to happiness and salvation, and who coveted no man's gold, or silver, or apparel, was cast into prison. But, as the wise man observeth, " The thing which hath been is that which shall be, and there is nothing new under the sun."* Ahab, at the instigation of Jezebel, again thirsts after the blood of Elijah.

Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, had put away his own wife, the daughter of Aretas, and had married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom, contrary to the laws of hospitality as well as religion, he had seduced, while a guest in her husband's house.† The sanctity and integrity of the Baptist had begotten, even in Herod, a great veneration and reverence for his character. "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man, and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly."‡ But the matter of Herodias was a tender point, on which the tetrarch was not disposed to hear the law, because he was not disposed to do it. He was determined to persevere in what was wrong, and his monitor to persist in telling him of it, without reserve. "John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife." John, who had overcome the world, could not, either by promises or threatenings, be induced to recede from his duty, through hope of temporal good, or fear of temporal evil. He was therefore soon convinced, by being carried to prison, that Herod had no farther occasion for his ser

• Eccles. i. 9.

† See Josephus-Antiq. Lib. xviii. Cap. 6. + Mark vi. 20.

vice. And who doth not rather wish to have been imprisoned with him, than to have glittered in all the glories of the throne of Herod? Happy John, sequestered once more from a troublesome world, to converse with God, and to meditate on that blessed company, to which he was now hastening!

In this situation we find the thoughts of the Baptist employed not upon his own sufferings, but upon the interests of his great Master, the fame of whose miracles had reached the prison, and sounded in his ears. "When John had heard in prison the works of Jesus, he sent two of his disciples-."* Thus the afflictions and tribulations which a Christian must endure for a little season, in the world, should serve only to quicken his desires after his Redeemer; of whose works, wrought in mercy for the children of men, he will often hear; and the contemplation of them should afford him continual delight in the time of his captivity, until the day of his enlargement shall come. With Paul and Silas let him declare the glad tidings of salvation, and sing the praises of God in the prisonhouse. Let him inquire diligently, and take every opportunity of hearing more particulars concerning his Saviour, as also of placing others in the way of information. So will he copy the example of him, who, " when he heard in prison the works of Jesus, sent two of his disciples," that they might be more fully instructed, as to his person and mission.

For that this must have been St. John's intention in sending them, is plain from the question which they were enjoined to ask; "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" The Baptist could not propose this question for his own information, but evidently

• Matt. xi. 2, &c.