inter omnes, velut inter ignes luna minores, shining among the rest, like the moon among inferior lights."

He was very merciful himself; and to move parents that were rich to mercy, he would say thus: "You are "caring and contriving to lay up for your children, but "lay up for yourselves a good foundation against the "time to come, being rich in good works; you will "lay up treasure in the earth, which is an unsafe place; "lay up treasures in heaven, that is the sure and safe "place."

He loved and honoured those that feared Gon, though in point of subscription and ceremonies they were not of his judgment; and as he sowed, so he reaped: He was full of love himself, and greatly beloved of others. Dr. Preston, whom good men loved for his excellent piety and learning, was a faithful friend of Mr. Dod's, often entertained him at his chamber, and esteemed him much for his spirituality in conference and conversation, and for his ability to open Scripture, and to comfort troubled spirits. When the Doctor's consumption was upon him, which put an end to his life, he came to Mr. Richard Knightley's, at Preston in Northamptonshire, which was but a mile from Fausley, where Mr. Dod was minister, and desired him to speak to him of death and heaven, and heard him with patience and thankfulness. Mr. Dod prayed by him when he lay dying, and preached his funeral sermon. See Vol. II. p. 477.

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Also Mr. Throgmorton, a pious and painful preacher of the word, a good man, dying the same year of a consumption, came to Ashby, not far from Fausley, to have the help of Mr. Dod's comforts and counsels. He was oppressed with melancholy; and a little before he gave up his soul to Christ, he asked Mr. Dod, What will ye say of him that is going out of the world, and can find no comfort?' To whom he answered, "What will "you say of our Saviour, Christ, who when he was go"ing out of the world found no comfort, but cried out, "My GoD, my Gon, why hast thou forsaken me?" This speech refreshed Mr. Throgmorton; and within a little space of time after this, he went to his heavenly inhe

ritance.

Mr. Dod, as he was of a weaned disposition from the world himself, so he laboured to wean others. He put this difference between rich Christians and poor, that for poor Christians their father kept the purse, but the rich Christians kept the purse in their own hands. But it VOL. III.

N

might

might oftener fall out, and did; and therefore the purse was better in the Father's hand than in the children's. He used to compare wicked men to waves of the sea; those who were of great estate, were great waves; those who were of small estate, were small waves; but all were restless as waves:

To a friend of his, that was raised from a mean estate to worldly greatness, he sent word, that this was but as if he should go out of a boat into a barge or ship; but there ought to be a serious and godly remembrance, that, while we are in this world, we are upon the

sea.

He often repeated this, that nothing could hurt us but our own sins; and they should not hurt us, if we truly repented of them: And nothing could do us good but GOD's favour; and that we should be sure of, if we unfeignedly sought it. Speaking of David's penning the fifty-first Psalm, after his murder and adultery, he put this gloss upon it, "That hearty and true penitents "shall have cause to praise the Lord for his pardoning "mercy."

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He said, "Afflictions were God's portions, which we "might sweeten by faith and faithful prayer; but we "for the most part make them bitter, putting into God's cup the ill ingredients of our own impatience and un"belief." He gave this reason why many of God's people lived uncomfortably, for "They shut their ear against what God said, where they should open it; "and they opened their ear to what their carnal reason, "and Satan, and the world said, where they should shut "it; but (said he) the psalmist was wiser, Psalm lxxxv. "8. He would hear none of them all: I will hear what “the Lord God will speak."

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His preaching was searching; and when some supposed that he had informers and spies, because he came so close to them, he answered, "That the word of GOD was "searching; and that if he was shut up in a dark vault, "where none could come at him, yet allow him a Bible "and a candle, he should preach as he did."

He had an excellent gift in similitudes, which flowed freely and frequently from him; as all those knew, who either heard him preach publicly or discourse privately. He called death the friend of grace, though it were the enemy of nature; and whereas the word, and sacraments, and prayer do but weaken sin, death kills it. Speaking of prayer, he said, "A man was never in a ❝ hard

** hard condition, unless he had a hard heart, and could

"not pray.

Having preached out of that text, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt, he invited some women to dinner, and told them that it was a common saying, "Let a woman have her will, and then she "would be quiet. Now the way for a woman to have "her will, is to have a strong faith, and to pray as that woman in the Gospel did."

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Upon a time when he had preached long, and it was later than usual before he went to dinner, he said, "You "shall have some gentlemen follow hounds from seven "in the morning till four or five in the afternoon, because they love the cry of dogs, which to me is un"pleasant hearing; so if we love the word, we should "be content though the minister stood above his hour:" And he added, "Methinks it is much better to hear a "minister preach, than a kennel of hounds to bark." Speaking of recreation, he said, "He marvelled what "the vocation of many was, who were so eager for re"creation; and if we should come into a house, and see many physic-boxes and glasses, we should conclude somebody is sick; so when we see hounds, and hawks, "and cards, and dice, we may fear that there is some "sick soul in that family."

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He told some friends," That if he were to pass sen"tence who was a rich man, he would not look into his purse or chest, how much gold he had laid up, but "look into his heart for what promises were treasured

up there; for we count him rich that is rich in bonds; "but they have the best bonds that lay hold on the pro"mises of GOD."

Speaking to a minister, who was to go to a place where there was but small means, he told him, "That "his care was to preach and do GoD service, and then "GOD would provide for him." When he preached at Fausley, and was much resorted to, as it was with him in other places, he told a godly man of his acquaintance, "That if the country knew as much by him as he "knew by himself, they would not have him in such "admiration."

Speaking about going to law, his opinion was, "That "it was better to buy love than law; for one might "have a great deal of love for a little, whereas he could "have but a little law for a great deal." He would fre

quently

quently say, "That was well which ended everlastingly well, and that was ill which ended everlastingly ill; "and that a man was never undone till he was in hell." This was a speech which he often used: "That if it were lawful to envy any, he would envy those that "turned to God in youth, whereby they escaped much "sin and sorrow, and were like unto Jacob, that gained "the blessing betimes."

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This was a remarkable passage of Providence, that upon a time, when it was late at night, it came into his mind that he must see a friend of his about two miles off. He had business, and would have put it off, but his thoughts were restless, whereupon he went; and when he came to the place all the family were in bed, but only his friend, who was esteemed truly godly, but at that time was overwhelmed with temptations, the occasion whereof was some cruelty offered to his children. Mr. Dod knew nothing either of the temptation or occasion of it; but knocking at the door, his friend opened the door to him, to whom he said, "I am come to you, "I know not why myself, but I was restless in my "spirit until I had done it:" To whom his friend answered, You know not why you came, but God knew why he sent you;' and then pulled out a halter, with which he had intended self-murder at that time, which by God's goodness was thus prevented.

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Speaking of losing for Christ, he testified from his own experience, that for the loss of one carnal brother he had two hundred spiritual brethren. Before he was married, he could not maintain himself, and therefore thought how he should maintain a wife and children, his income not being great; but looking out of his study window, he saw a hen and chickens scratching for their living, and he considered thus with himself: The hen did but live before, and had nothing to spare, and now she has as much with that great family.

When he saw a Christian look sad, he would use that speech which Jonadab did to Amnon, "Art not thou a "king's son?" He would say to those that complained of losses and crosses, what Eliphaz did to Job, "Do "the consolations of GoD seem small to you? GOD hath "taken away your children, your goods, but he hath "not taken away himself, nor Christ, nor his spirit, nor heaven, nor eternal life." He used to instruct Christians how they should never have a great affliction,

nor

nor long, and that was by looking upon things which were not seen, which are eternal, 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. "What can be great to him that counts the world "nothing? and what can be long to him that thinks "his life but a span long?" In order to persuade Christians not to return railing for railing, he would say, that if a dog bark at a sheep, a sheep will not bark at "a dog."

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In the great civil war, at the first beginning of it, when many people came to him, being affrighted at the outrages which were committed; he encouraged them, using this speech, "That if a house were full of rods, "what need the child fear, when none of them could "move without their father's hand, and the Lord was a loving father; state and life and all were in his "disposing.". When afterwards some soldiers came to his house, and threatened to knock him on the head, he answered with confidence, that "If they did, they should "send him to heaven, where he longed to be, but they "could do nothing except GOD gave leave." They broke open his chests and cupboards, and plundered him of his goods; but he said to a friend of his, "That he "would not do them that honour to say they had taken aught from him, but it was the Lord, alleging that "Job when he was spoiled by the Chaldeans and Sabeans, "did not so much as name the instruments, but The Lord "hath given and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the $name of the Lord.”

At length they came to him, when through weakness he was unable not only to stir out of his chamber, but also out of his bed: they cut the curtains off his bed, and pulled away the pillowbeers from under his head, asking him, Whether he could speak Latin ?' In all which losses, which were great, he never uttered one word of impatience. In his sickness, when extreme pain was upon him, as soon as the fit was over, he would say to his maid-servant that attended him, "O think well "of GOD for it, for it is most justly and wisely done, "whatsoever he sendeth or doeth." When his servants came to visit him in the morning, he would say," Have "ye been with GoD to bless him for your sleep this "night? He might have made your bed your grave." He would often say in his sickness, "I am not afraid "to look death in the face; I can say, Death, where "is thy sting? Death cannot hurt me." He spake how death was a sweet sleep to a Christian; adding, that if parents