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Thanksgiving," upon his recovery from a dangerous sickTo which may be added, his " Commentary upon the whole Epistle to the Hebrews," which was the subject of his Wednesday lectures for many years.

While he was settled at Blackfriars, he took his bachelor of divinity's degree in the year 1611, which was the eighth year of his master of arts degree. And in the year 1628 he took his doctor of divinity's degree. In which year eight ministers of London proceeded doctors; which was the occasion that Dr. Collins, the then regius professor, put up his degree, and procured it to pass in the regent-house before he had any notice thereof, or consent of his; whereby he did in a manner force him to take his degree, yet so as, when he heard that it was passed, he readily went to Cambridge, and there kept all his acts, which the statute requireth, as he had done in all his former degrees.

In the year 1643, he was by authority of parliament called to be a member of the assembly of divines, wherein his attendance was assiduous, not being observed during the whole time of that session to be one day absent, unless it were in case of more than ordinary weakness, ever preferring that public employment before all private business whatsoever. When he could not go, through infirmity of body, he would be carried to his duty. "I can study my sermon, I can preach my sermon, (said he) and shall I forbear preaching because I am too weak to go? I will rather be carried."

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He sat as one of the assessors, and very frequently filled the chair in the moderator's absence. And such was his constant care and conscience of spending his time, and improving it to the best advantage, that he would fill the void spaces of his assembly affairs with his own private studies. To which end it was his constant prac tice to bring his Bible and some other books in his pocket, which upon every occasion he would be reading, as was observed by many. He was likewise chosen by a committee of parliament, among others, to make annotations upon the Bible, being well known to be a judicious interpreter of Scripture. How well he hath performed this trust, is evident to all that read the annotations from the beginning of the first book of Kings to Job, which was his part. In which the intelligent reader will observe such skill in the original, such acquaintance with the sacred story, such judgment in giving the sense of the text, and such quickness and pertinency in raising

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observations, that, without the help of any other comment, a man may accommodate himself with the sense, doctrines, and uses of most of those Scriptures which came under his hand in those cursory annotations.

When the book of sports and recreations on the Lord's day was appointed by public authority to be read in several churches throughout the nation, with several other faithful ministers, he utterly refused to read the same, resolving to suffer the utmost, rather than manifest the least approbation of such a wicked and ungodly thing, so contrary to the express letter of the Scripture. By reason of his ability and dexterity in resolving cases of conscience, he was much sought to for resolving many doubts and scruples of conscience; and that not only by ordinary Christians, but also by several ministers in city and country, and that by word of mouth and writing, being accounted (as was before said) the father of London divines, and spiritual oracle of his time. He was likewise a great comforter of troubled consciences, wherein he was exceeding skilful and dexterous, as many hundreds in the eity have found time after time, being sought unto far and near by such as groaned under afflictions and temptations; many of whom, through God's blessing on his labours, were restored to joy and comfort, out of unspeakable terrors and torments of conscience.

He was of a most sweet and meek disposition; yea, such was his meekness of spirit, that it seemed unparalleled; for though he had lived with his wife above twenty years together, yet neither child nor servant could ever say, that they observed an angry countenance, or heard an angry word proceed from him towards her, all her life. Some have observed, that in his visage, towards his latter end, he did much resemble the picture which usually passeth for Moses's effigy. Certainly he was the exact effigy of Moses's spirit; and in this resembled him to the life, that he was one of the meekest men which his generation knew.

He was a great peace-keeper, and a great peace-maker, having an excellent dexterity in composing differences ; far he was from doing others wrong, and far from revenging wrong done by others. He suffered much both by the speeches, and also by the actions of evil and envious persons; yet he would pray for them, rather than in any harsh way requite them. He accounted revilers and wrong doers to do more hurt to themselves than to him.

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He was ever charitable, especially to the godly poor, according to the direction of the apostle Paul, in Gal. vi. 10. where he exhorteth us, To do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. He maintained some poor scholars at the university wholly at his own charge, and contributed liberally towards the maintenance of others. He was of such a charitable and bountiful disposition, that though his father left him a competent estate, yet such were his disbursements yearly for his kindred and others who stood in need of relief, that from the death of his father, till his children came to be of years, and to call for their portions, he laid up nothing of all his comings in, so that they who out of envy cried up his estate to be greater than it was, could not but cry up his bounty and charity: because whatsoever his estate was, it was wholly laid out for the relief of such as stood in need, (necessary expences for his family only excepted) which, as it appeared from his own papers, so in his life-time he expressed as much to some of his children. And truly, as in other things he excelled others, so in this even himself. He did not grow rich by the church, nor seek to do so, as many have done; but lived content with his own patrimonial inheritance, and the stipend of his own benefice, which he never would exchange for a greater.

He was very conscionable in spending his time, from his youth to his very death. He used to rise very early, both winter and summer. In the winter he constantly rose so long before day, that he performed all the exercises of his private devotions before day-light; and in the summer-time about four o'clock in the morning, by which means he had done half a day's work before others had begun their studies. If he heard any at their work before he had got to his study, he would say, (as Demosthenes did concerning the smith,) "That he was much troubled that any should be at their calling before he was at his.'

He was a man of much temperance and sobriety, as well in his eating and drinking, as in his apparel. As for recreations, howsoever many pious persons have allowed time therein, he spent none. He hath been often heard to say, "That he took not any journey mere"ly for pleasure in all his life-time;" study and pains having been always, both in youth and age, his chiefest pleasure and delight: Yea, it was his meat and his drink to be doing the will of his heavenly Father, wherein

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he took as much pleasure and delight, as natural men do in their eating and in their drinking, or in their sports and pastimes. Such was his carriage and conversation, that there was scarce a Lord or Lady, or citizen of eminence, in or about the metropolis, that were piously affected, but they sought his acquaintance, and were ambitious of his company, wherein they took much content, and found much benefit to their souls' welfare. And whereas many persons of quality came out of their good respect to visit him, he would endeavour so to order their conference, as that it might be profitable to edification; for if their visits were merely complimental, he accounted it a great burden to him. He was always of a very friendly and courteous disposition, whom the meanest, not only of his parish, but of the city, found easy of access, and easy to be intreated, yea, ready to do what he could to all. He had, what he used to call a SACRED STOCK for the poor, which he set apart in an exact proportion to his income.

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Among other graces humility was eminent in him, for he was not observed to be puffed up either with the flocks of multitudes unto his ministry, (which were many and great) nor with any applauses of men, but would still say, "He knew more of himself to abase him, than "could know to extol him." What was said of Gregory Nazianzen, might with equal truth be said of him, That he was high in employments and abilities, but low and lowly in his own opinion of himself.' He used often to say, "When I look upon myself, I see nothing "but emptiness and weakness; but when I look upon "Christ, I see nothing but fulness and sufficiency." He was much in communion with God, and did not content himself only with daily, constant, ordinary holy exercises, but was also frequent in extraordinary duties. In the bishop's time, when it might not be permitted to keep a fast openly in the church, he was one of those ministers who frequently helped pious Christians in their private fasts. In times of fear and danger, he and others had sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly fasts, whereof many were in his own house and vestry; which he was eminently observed to perform with extraordinary reverence and awfulness of spirit. His confessions were accompanied with much sense of sin, brokenness of heart, self-abhorrency, judging of the creature, and justifying of In petition very pertinent, judicious, spiritual, seasonable, accompanied with faith and fervour, like a

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true son of Jacob, wrestling with tears and supplications, as resolving not to let God go without a blessing.

But none like him in thanksgiving! after a man would think he had spent the last drop of his spirit in confession and prayer, O! how he would revive and gather up his spirit, when he came to the work of thanksgiving; wherein he would be so large, particular, warm, and vigorous, that, in the end of the day, he would quicken the auditory, as if then the work had been but newly to begin, and that only had been the work of the day. Wherein he may be a pattern to all his surviving brethren in the ministry.

He was very inquisitive after the good and welfare of the church of GOD both at home and abroad, that accordingly he might order his prayers in their behalf, being ever mindful of them in his prayers. And when he heard it went ill with the church of GOD in any place, like another Nehemiah he sat him down and wept, and mourned, and fasted, and prayed unto the GoD of heaven in their behalf. He was not like some, of whom it has been said, That they preach so well, that it is a pity they should ever be out of the pulpit, but live so ill, that it is a pity they should ever come into it. Though he was not a Justice of Peace, he was a Minister of Peace; and if he could not (says Mr. Jenkyns, who preached his funeral sermon) hinder dissensions from being born in his parish, he usually hindered them from being long-lived.

Great was his patience under the visiting hand of God, especially in his old age, when GOD visited him with painful maladies. Though by reason of the bitterness of his pains by the stone, and sharpness of urine, and that lethalis arundo, (as he often called it) that deadly arrow in his side, (which he knew could never be plucked out of it but by death) I mean his asthma, which he got by an excessive cold in attending upon públic employment; notwithstanding I say, by reason of these, he hath been often heard to groan, yet was he never heard once to grumble. He was never heard to call himself Great Sufferer! but Great Sinner! and he would not stop there, but would always add, Great Saviour! for his comfort. He would often say, "Soul, be silent; soul, be patient; "it is thy God and father that thus ordereth thy estate; "thou art his clay, he may tread and trample on thee as "it pleaseth him; thou hast deserved much more, it is 66 enough that thou art kept out of hell; though thy pain "be grievous, yet it is tolerable; thy GoD affords some "intermissions: