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dowments, to which he added an indefatigable industry, and God gave a plentiful benediction. What Melanc thon was used to say, That himself was a logician, Pomeranus a grammarian, Justin Jonas an orator, but Luther was all,' might also be applied to this person we are speaking of. There are few kinds of literature but he was a master in them. His skill in the Greek tongue got him his fellowship in Merton college, Oxford, in Sir Henry Saville's time. Moreover, he was a great divine, and, in his time, a most celebrated preacher. For his divinity, I need only to say, he was a true continuer of the name of Reynolds, in the church of England; and for his sermons, they have run the gauntlet through the universities, inns of court, and city. They have met with the approbation both of the prince and his people, scholars, gentlemen, and citizens-all ranks of men have given their honourable testimony to them. In sum, I may reckon him among those happy men Caius Plinius speaks of, (Quibus Deorum munere datum est aut facere scribenda aut scribere legenda,) That either do things worthy of writing, or write things worthy of reading, for he has done both. He was a man of GoD, thoroughly furnished to every good word and work.

EU

As he was an extraordinary person in his life, he was no less so in his death. GOD was pleased to do him herein an extraordinary kindness, and make that which used to be to others a part of the punishment of their sin, to be to him a part of his excellent reward. The great Augustus's wish was his enjoyment, and avaσia, a civil and well-natured death.' The last sand in the hour-glass falls not with less difficulty than he expired with. There were no noises, groans, convulsions, cramps, distortion of the looks, staring with eyes, gnashing with the teeth, in the last scene of his life. His passive fortitude had been abundantly tried before, and his active graces demonstrated, and therefore the less need of either now. meek soul glided from him in an imperceptible vehicle, and he died much in the same way that the Rabbins speak concerning Moses, osculo oris Dei, as it were with the kiss of God's mouth. In sum, the description of old Enoch's life and death fits him well: he walked with God, and he was not; for GOD took him. I shall beseech you lastly to consider, this was the man that bore the heat of the day for us; this was the man that came to us in our gore and rubbish; this was he that entered our Augæan stable in its filth, and reduced it to that degree of cleanliness in which

His

you

you now find it; this was he that carried us through the wilderness and has brought us to the brink of Jordan; Norwich was his Nebo: to this mount he came, and here he died.' Thus far Mr. Riveley. To this we add, that this blessed change happened on the twenty-eighth day of July 1676, and he was buried at the upper end of the chapel, (built by himself in 1662) joining to the Bishop's palace in Norwich. Over his grave, soon after his death, was fastened to the wall a marble table, on which his epitaph in Latin was engraven.

His Works. "The vanity of the Creature, on Eccles. i. 14. Sinfulness of Sin, on Rom. vii. 9. and on vi. 12. Use of the Law, on Rom. vii. 13. Life of Christ, on 1 John v. 12. An Explication of the cx. Psalm. Meditations on the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's last Supper. Explication of the 14 Chapter of Hosea, in Seven Humiliation Sermons. A Treatise of the Passions and Faculties of the Soul of Man." All or most of which having been printed several times in 4to. were all printed in one large folio at London in 1658, with the Author's picture before them, and went by the name of "Bishop Reynolds's Works." They were much bought up, read and commended by men of several persuasions; and one (Mr. Wilde) wrote two short poems in commendation of them. "Thirty Sermons, preached on several solemn Occasions. -They were preached between the year 1634, and that of his death; some of them had been printed several times. At length they were reprinted in the second impression of his Works, at London, 1679, folio. Among them is his Latin Sermon, preached at Oxon, 1649, entitled, Animalis Homo, on 1 Cor. ii. 14. He also wrote the "Assembly of Divines' Annotations," which are on Ecclesiastes; which being admirably done, it was wished by many learned men of the Presbyterian persuasion, that the rest had been all wrote pari filo, et eruditione. He also was the author of the Epistolary Preface to William Barlee's Correptory Correction, &c. of some Notes of Thomas Pierce concerning God's Decrees, especially of Reprobation :" Which book of Barlee with the said Epistolary Preface," a second of Thomas Whitfield, and a third of Daniel Cawdrey sometime of Cambridge, were printed at London,1656, 4to." He is also said to be the author of "The humble Proposals of sundry learned, pious Divines within this Kingdom, concerning the engagement intended to be imposed on them for their Subscriptions. London, 1650, 4to. One sheet was published in December 1649. John Ducy

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published

published an Answer, entitled, Just Re-proposals to humble Proposals: or, an impartial Consideration of, &c.' London, 1650, 4to. four sheets. And it is probable that he wrote several other things besides those above-mentioned, particularly his Meditations on the Fall of Peter," a short twelves, never inserted in any of the folio editions."

THOMAS MANTON, D. D.

THIS laborious and zealous divine was born in the year 1620, at Laurence-Lydiard, in the county of Somerset. His father, and both his grandfathers, were ministers. He was educated at Tiverton free-school in Devonshire, and, at the age of fifteen, was entered at Wadham college, Oxford. Here, after preparatory studies, he applied himself to divinity, which was the work his heart was chiefly set upon, and which he designed to make the business of his life. By a course of unwearied diligence, joined with great intellectual endowments, he was early qualified for the work of the ministry; and took orders much sooner than was usual, and than he himself approved, upon maturer thoughts, and after he had more experience. "I have been in the ministry, says he, these ten years, and yet not fully completed the thirtieth year of my age: The Lord forgive my rash intrusion." But the excellent Joseph Hall, Bishop of Exeter, afterwards of Norwich, who ordained him, having taken particular notice of his gifts and qualifications, did not think him too young, but expressed his apprehensions, That he would prove an extraordinary person.'

The times, when he first entered into the ministry, were full of trouble, the king and parliament being at variance, and hostilities breaking out on both sides. He was confined to Exeter, when it was besieged by the king's forces. After its surrender he went to Lime. He preached his first sermon at Sowton near Exeter, from those words: Judge not, that ye be not judged. He entered first upon his ministerial labours at Culliton in Devonshire, where he preached a weekly lecture, and was much attended and respected. At his coming to London he was soon taken notice of, as a young man of excellent parts and growing hopes. Here he neither wanted work, nor will to per

form

form it; but applied himself with great diligence and pleasure, for which he was remarkable all his lfe. About this time he married. He had not been above three years in the ministry before his first settlement, which was at Stoke-Newington near London. He was presented to this cure by Colonel Popham, in whom he had a most worthy and kind patron, and was highly esteemed by his pious lady. It was here he began and finished his excellent exposition of the Epistle of St. James.-An exposition that has been thought by good judges, to be one of the best models of expounding Scripture; in which the Author has joined together, with the greatest judgment, the critical explication, and practical observations upon the several parts. Some time after, he went through the Epistle of Jude: This, though excellent in its kind, is not strictly expository, but more in the sermon way; which he says, was more in compliance with the desires of others, than with his own judgment. He continued seven years at Newington, and possessed the general respect of his parishioners, though there were many persons of different sentiments from himself. He was often invited to preach in London on the week-days: And other weighty affairs sometimes called for his attendance there. The custom of preaching to the sons of the clergy began in his time: Doctor Hall, son of the famous Bishop Hall of Norwich, preached the first sermon to them, as Mr. Manton did the second, from Psalm cii. 28. He was several times, though not so often as some others, called to preach before the parliament, and received their order, in course, for printing his sermons; in all which his wisdom and judgment, in the suitableness of the subject to the circumstances of the times, and the prudent management of it to the best advantage, are very visible. Particularly after he had given his testimony, among the London ministers, against the death of the king, he was appointed to preach before the parliament; his text was Deut. xxxiii. 4, 5. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob; and he was a king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people, and the tribes of Israel were gathered together. When they were highly offended at his sermon, some of his friends advised him to withdraw; for some of the house talked of sending him to the tower; but he never flinched, and their heat abated. His generous constancy of mind in resisting the current of popular humour, declared his loyalty to his

master.

Mr.

Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick of St. Paul's, Covent-Garden, being grown old, several worthy persons were proposed to succeed him, yet could he not be prevailed with to resign, till Mr. Manton was mentioned; and to that he readily yielded. The then Earl, afterwards Duke of Bedford, was Mr. Manton's patron, who greatly esteemed him to his dying day. Here he preached to a numerous congregation of persons of great note and rank, with great success; of which number was oftentimes the great Archbishop Usher, who used to say of him, That he was one of the best preachers in England-and that he was a voluminous preacher;' not that he was tedious for length, but he had the art of reducing the substance of volumes of divinity into a narrow compass. Mr. Charnock used to say of him, that he was the best collector of sense of the age.' About this time the Doctor was made one of the chaplains to the Protector, and appointed one of the committee to examine persons who were to be admitted to the ministry, or inducted into livings; as he was afterwards appointed one in 1659, by an act of that parliament, in which the secluded members were restored. And though this proved troublesome to him, considering his constant employment in preaching, yet he has been heard to say, "That he very seldom absented himself from that service, that he might, according to his power, keep matters from running into extremes;" for there were many in those days, as well as in these, who were forward to run into the ministry, and had more zeal than knowledge; and perhaps sometimes men of worth were liable to be discouraged. An instance of this kind happened respecting a grave and sober man, who appeared before them, (cap in hand, no doubt) and was little taken notice of but by himself: He seeing him stand, called for a chair, in respect to his age and appearance; at which some of the commissioners were displeased. This person appeared to be of a Christian and ingenuous temper; for, after the restoration, he was preferred to an Irish bishopric, perhaps an archbishopric; for he used to charge Bishop Worth, whose business often called him over to England, that on his first coming to London he should visit Doctor Manton, and give his service to him, and let him know, That if he was molested in his preaching in England, he should be welcome in Ireland, and have li berty to preach in any part of his diocese undisturbed.'

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He was in great reputation at the time of the restoration, and was very forward, in the year 1660, to promote

the