But he also served his own generation _by seizing present opportunities of usefulness_, _and by acting in accordance with the requirements of the times_. He was greatly impressed with the importance of thus acting; and during the eventful period in which he lived, he had many opportunities of manifesting it. When such opportunities presented themselves, he never lingered till they were lost, but whatsoever his hand found to do, he did it with all his might. He was a servant, who not only “knew his Lord’s will,” but also “prepared himself.” He was one of those “who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” When therefore he was appealed to by the cause of Education, of Prison Discipline, of Slave Emancipation, of the Bible Society, of the Poor, or by any department of service which occurred to him as a Christian minister, he promptly responded to the call; and by his persevering labours, imparted strength and courage to his coadjutors. In such cases he sometimes manifested a degree of tact and holy wisdom, which showed how heartily he was devoted to his object. This appears very much in his writings; and in some of his letters, inserted in the unpublished life of the late Lord Suffield; and the anxious desire which he felt that his Lordship’s mind might be brought under the influence of religion, as the only right principle of action, and as the only spring of joy, is truly beautiful and affecting. For instance, when referring to the subject of Prison Discipline, he says, “I truly rejoice in thy thus being enabled to employ thy time, talents, and influence, in the cause of humanity; and may I not say, Christianity? Most heartily do I wish thee well on thy way, and may the preserving power of the Lord be with thee, to protect, bless, and sanctify all thy proceedings, and thy whole self, in body, soul, and spirit.” In another letter he says, “So much for politics; with regard to my last subject—religion—I was a _little_ afraid lest thy silence might indicate dissent, and I am truly rejoiced to find it otherwise. To salute thee as a brother, in ‘_him who died for us and rose again_,’ is a pleasure indeed! I cannot consent to keep silence on this subject, though I feel with thee how much it requires all our _reverence_; but I remember what a certain prophet said, ‘they that feared the Lord spake often one to another.’ I am however quite aware that there are right times and seasons; that the temple must not be polluted by unhallowed feet; and that our feet are too apt to be unhallowed, unless they are first ‘shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.’” “I cannot express,” says he in another place, “what I think of the value of those religious convictions which are hinted at in thy letter. I consider them to be beyond all price, because the work, not of man, but of God. I should conceive that it must have been through much mental conflict that thou hast come at them, for I have long found