was universal; grammar, logic, rhetoric, poetry, history, philosophy, music, and the mathematics. In some of which sciences he so far excelled, that I dare say, in the western parts of the kingdom, he did not leave behind him his equal; neither do I speak any thing, to amplify, by way of rhetoric; I speak less than the truth.

'His moral wisdom appeared in the checking of his appetite by temperance and sobriety: Free he was in the lawful use of God's creatures, but never excessive; nor ever could be drawn to it, either by example or persuasion: Which in a constitution so crazy, was, no doubt, under GOD, a special means for drawing out the thread of his life. In his carriage he was grave, yet sociable enough; courteous, yet without affectation or vain compliment; a sure friend, to the utmost of his power, where he professed it, yet without flattery.

His civil wisdom appeared in the government of his parish and family, in the education of his children, and the children of his friends, upon special requests, committed to his charge; in his marriage, and the marriages of his daughters; and lastly, in the preserving, managing and disposing that estate which GoD lent him, in an orderly manner.

His spiritual or divine wisdom appeared in his great knowledge of the Scriptures, in which, with Timothy, he was trained up from a child; and, as another Apollos, grew mighty in them; to which he added the help of the best interpreters, both ancient and modern, the study of the fathers, the school-divines, ecclesiastical history, and the controversies of the times, as well with the papists as others; and that in matters not only of doctrine, but of discipline: In all which he was so well studied, and, upon all fitting occasions, so willing and ready, either by writing or speaking, to express himself, as many, and those not unlearned divines, were content, nay glad, to draw water from his well, and to light their candle at his torch. Nay, some who were his adversaries in his life-time, have in open pulpit, since his death, to God's glory, their own comfort, and his honour, confessed as much. But the highest point of his spiritual wisdom appeared in the practice of piety; in a due conformity of his actions to his speculations; drawing out (as it were) a fair copy, in the course of his life, of those wholesome lessons which he found in his books, formed in his brain, and taught to others.

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• One main branch of this duty, and effect of this wisdom, was his teaching; he taught every where and every way, by his example and by his pen, but especially by his preaching, both publicly and privately: Publicly, by expounding, catechizing, and preaching; in which he was so diligent, that, since his entering into the ministry, (which he often professed to be his greatest honour and comfort in this world) he went through the whole body. of the Bible, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation.

And as he was thus diligent in teaching, so was he constant in his course, as long as his health and strength would give him leave: Indeed, he went beyond his strength, concluding with his uncle, Bishop Jewel,

That a general should die in the field, and a preacher in the pulpit. The manner of his teaching was not by loud vociferation, or ridiculous gesticulation, or ostentation of wit, or other affectations, but in the evident demonstration of the spirit and power, it was demonstrative, masculine, and mighty, through Gon, to the pulling down of strong holds. Deep it was, and yet clear; rational, and yet divine; perspicuous, yet punctual; artificial, yet profitable; calm, yet piercing; ponderous, yet familiar; so that the ablest of his hearers might always learn something, and yet the simplest understand all: Which was a rare mixture; and in this mixture he run a middle and moderate course, most agreeable to the canons and constitutions of that church in which he was born and bred; betwixt the apish superstition of some, and the peevish singularity of others; betwixt blind devotion, and over-bold presumption; betwixt unreasonable obedience, and unwarrantable disconformity; betwixt popish tyranny, grounded upon carnal policy, and popular confusion, guided by mere fancy: The one labouring for an usurped monarchy, and to turn all the body into head; the other for a lawless anarchy, and to have a body without a head.

Though in his teaching he ran this middle course, yet he always aimed not only at the information of the judgment, but the reformation of the will, the beating down of impiety, and the convincing of the conscience; to the drawing his hearers, as from ignorance to knowledge, and from error to truth, so likewise thereby, from rebellion to obedience, and from profaneness to religion. And truly I little doubt but many a good soul, now a saint in heaven, did they understand our actions and de

sires, and withal could make known their opinions to us, would soon give us to understand that, under GoD, he was the instrument for the turning of them unto righteousness, and for the directing and conducting them to that place of bliss.

And I have as little doubt, but that many a good person he left behind him, blessed GoD and the memory of this good man, for that spiritual knowledge and comfort which they received by his ministry. One lady in particular of note and rank, after his death, sent letters written with her own hand to some of his nearest friends, testifying her conversion to have been first wrought by his means. And no doubt many others might as justly and truly have done the like, had they been disposed, or if occasion had required it.

Thus he spent the course of his life, abounding in the work of the Lord, till his last sickness seized on him, when he reckoned himself not a man of this world: Indeed all along, in health and strength, he was a professed pilgrim and sojourner in it, and as a soldier he had warred after it: And now being arrested and imprisoned, he professed to his friends who came to visit him, lifting up his hands to heaven, "That though his body was here, "his heart was above, and consequently his treasure; for where a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also." He likewise assured them, "That though he saw death "approaching, yet he feared it not; death being now "but a drone, and the sting thereof taken out." During this sickness, he made his household his congregation, his chamber his chapel, and his bed his pulpit; from whence he sent up many holy and heavenly ejaculations, and made a most solemn confession of his faith, not only to the satisfaction and instruction, but the admiration of his hearers. Amongst the rest, two things there were which he much and often insisted upon; the one, "That "he hoped only to be saved by the merits of Jesus Christ;" the other, "That he constantly persevered in the doc

trine and discipline professed and maintained by the church of England, in which he was born, baptized, " and bred." And this he many times and earnestly protested, in a very serious and solemn manner, resting his soul upon the truth of it.

His glass being now almost run, and the hour of his dissolution drawing near, though his memory and senses no way failed him, he desired to be absolved after the manner prescribed by the church, and according to his

desire,

desire, having first made a brief confession, and therein expressing a hearty contrition, together with an assurance of remission, by the precious blood of his dear Saviour, he received absolution from the mouth of a lawful minister; and having received it, professed that he found great ease and comfort therein; and withal, that he was desirous to partake of the Lord's Supper, if the state of his body would have permitted him. And not long after, imagining with himself that he heard some sweet music, and calling upon Christ, "Sweet Jesus kill me, that I 66 may live with thee," he sweetly fell asleep ip the Lord, as did the proto-martyr, who ready to yield up the ghost, prayed, and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Thus he lived and thus he died, nearly approaching the great climacterical year of his age, at Instow in Devonshire, in 1631, and was buried in the chancel of that parish church.

A great loss was sustained in the loss of this one man, in those days; his flock lost a faithful pastor, his wife a loving husband, his children a tender father, his servants a good master, his neighbours a friendly neighbour, his friends a trusty friend, his kindred a dear kinsman, that whole country a great ornament; the king lost a royal subject, the kingdom a true-hearted Englishman, the clesy a principal light, the church a dutiful son, the arts aus patron, and religion a stout champion.' Thus far Dr. Hackwell, whose testimony there is no reason to doubt; though due praise, given to some characters gone before us, seem like high-flown panegyric in these days, in which to be truly religious is by many thought foolish; and he is esteemed the cleverest man who, instead of following Christ and his gospel, knows how to follow the great, and to scrape together all the preferments in his

power.

We will conclude this account of our pious and evangelical preacher, with the attestation of Bishop Hall, in a letter to Dr. Hackwell, our Author's biographer.

WORTHY Dr. HACKWELL,

I DO heartily congratulate to my dead friend and collegian, this your just and noble commemoration. It is much that you have said; but, on this subject, no whit enough. I can second every word of your praises, and can hardly restrain my hand from an additional repetition. How much ingenuity, how much learning and worth, how much sweetness of conversation, how much elegance of expression, how much integrity and holiness,

holiness, have we lost in that man? No man ever • knew him but must needs say, that one of the brightest ⚫ stars in our west is now set; the excellent parts that were in him, were a fit instance for your learnedlydefended position, of the vigour of this last age; whereinto he gave his accurate and witty stipulation. I do much rejoice yet, to hear, that we shall be beholden to you for some mitigation of the sorrow of his loss, by preserving alive some of the posthume issue of that gracious and exquisite brain; which when the world shall < see, they shall marvel that such excellencies could lie so close, and shall confess them as much past value as recovery. Besides those skilful and rare pieces of divinity tracts and sermons, I hope (for my old love to those studies) we shall see abroad some excellent monuments of his Latin poesy: In which faculty, I dare boldly say, few, if any, in our age exceeded him. In his polemical discourses, (some whereof I have by me) how easy is it for any judicious reader to observe the true genius of his renowned uncle, Bishop Jewel! • Such smoothness of style, such sharpness of wit, such interspersions of well-applied reading, such grave and holy urbanity: Shortly, (for I well foresaw how apt my pen would be to run after you in this pleasing tract of so well-deserved praise) these works shall be as the cloak which our prophet left behind him in his rapture into heaven. What remains but that we should look C up after him, in a care and endeavour of readiness for our day; and earnestly pray to our GoD, that as he hath pleased to fetch him away in the chariot of death, so that he will double his spirit on those he hath thought good to leave yet below. In the mean time, I thank < you for the favour of this your grave, seasonable, and worthy sermon, which I desire may be prefixed, as a meet preface, to the published labours of this happy author. Farewell. From your loving friend and fellow labourer, Jos. ExoN.'

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EXON PALACE, 22d March 1631.