bation of the Presbytery; nay their Declaration and Teftimony of bis Fitnefs to be one of the Minifters of the City, upon the first Vacancy: And I am affured, that at the very fame Time the Mafters of the Univerfity bad it in their View to bring him back again to their Society, when ever the Profeffion of Divinity fhould become vacant,

He was, confidering bis Age, a Prodigy of Learning, for before he had arrived at the 26th Tear of bis Life, he had fuch a large Stock feful Knowledge, as to be philologus, philofophus & theologus exi anius, and might well have been an Ornament in the most famous-and flourishing Univerfity in Europe. This was the more aftonishing, if we confider his Weakness and Infirmity of Body, not being able to read much at one Time, or to undergo the Fatigue of affiduous Study. But this was well Jupplied, partly by a Memory that retained every Thing be beard or read, and partly by a folid penetrating Judgment, whereby he digested it well, and made it his own; fo that with a fingular Dexterity, be could bring it furth feasonably, and communicate it to the Ufe and Advantage of others, drain'd from the Dregs be found about it, or in. termixed with it, infomuch that his Knowledge feemed rather to be born with him, than to have been acquired by bard and laborious Study.

From bis Childhood he knew the Scriptures, and from a Boy had been* under much deep and fpiritual Exercife, until the Time for a little before it) of bis Entry upon the Office of the Miniftry, when be came to a great Calm and lafting Tranquility of Mind, being mercifully relieved of all thofe Doubtings, which had for a long Time greatly exercifed bim, and tho' be was of a tender and weakly Conftitution, yet Love to Chrift, and a Concern for the Good of precious Souls committed to bim, conftrained bim to fuch Diligence in feeding the Flock, as to spend bimSelf in the Work of the Miniftry. It was obferved of him, That he was not much averfe at any Time from imbracing an Invitation to pr ach before the most experienced Chriftians, oven the learned Profeffors of the Univerfity, and the Reverend Minifters of the City: And when one of his most intimate Friends poticed herein a Difference from that Modefy and Self-denial, which appeared in the whole of his Way and Condua, ke took the Freedom to ask him, bow be came to be fo eafily prevailed with to preach before Perfons of fo great Experience and Judgment, whofe eminent Gifts and Graces be bigbly valued and effeomed? He made this mollent. Reply, That when be bad a clear Call to mention bis blessed

.b

Mafteros

Mafter's Name in any Place, he had no more to say, but here am I,fend me: what am I that I fhould refift bis heavenly Call? And when be, whofe Name is boly and reverend is spoken of and to, and is there prefent; the Prefence of no other Perfon is to be regarded or dreaded, and under that Impreffion, I forget who is prefent, and who is abfent.

Tho' he was bookifb, and much intent upon the fulfilling of his Mini. Jtry, be turned bis Thoughts to Marriage, and did marry a virtuous He ghamed and excellent Perfon Mrs. Barbara Simplon, Daughter to Mr. James Simplon a Minifter in Ireland. Upon the Day on which he was to be married, he went accompanied with his Friends (amongst whom were fome grave and worthy Minifters) to an adjacent Country Congregation, upon the Day of their weekly Sermon. The Minister of the Parish delayed Sermon till they should come, hoping to put the Work upon one of the Minifters be expected to be there, but all of them declining it, he next tried if be could prevail with the Bridegroom, and fucceeded, tho' the Invitation was not expected, and the Nature of the Occafion feemed to be fomew bat alien from his being employed in that Work It was no difficult Task to bim upon a bort Warning to preach, having prompt and ready Gift: He was never at a Lofs for Words and Matter, and having ftept afde a little Time to premeditate and implore bis Masters Prefence and Affiftance (for be was ever afraid to be alone in that Work) be went immediately to the Pulpit, and preached upon 1 Pet. i. 15. But as he who hath called you is holy, fo be ye holy in all manner of Converfation. At which Time, be was fo remarkably helped, that all acknowledged, that God was with bim of a Truth. And the People of the Parish, who bad come to hear their own Minifter (a truly pious and excellent Man) were fo furprised and taken with him, as if God, befides bis ordinary Rehdent (fo Mr. M'Ward expreffes it) bad fent them an extraordinary Embajador to negotiate a Peace between God and them, and a prompt Paranymph unto, and a skilful Suiter of a Spouse for Jefus Chrift the bleed Bridegroom, that he might present them as a chaft Virgin to this divine Husband.

However he ftudied in bis publick Difcourfes to condescend to the Capacity of the meaner Sort of Hearers, yet it must be owned, that bis preaching Gift was not Je much accommodated and fuited to a Country Congregation, as it was to the judicious and learned. The Subjects of Sermons are fo numerous and various, and the Order of Men's difpofing of their Thoughts upon these Subjects fo different, that a Suit of Cloaths may be as foon made

to

to answer every Man's Back as a fixed and invariable Method may be prefcribed that fhall agree to every Subject, and every Man's Tafte. Mr. Binning's Method was fingular and peculiar to himfelf, much after the bairanguing Way. He was no Stranger to the Rules of Art, and knew well how to make bis Method fubfervient to the Subjects be handled, and tho' he tells not bis Difcourfe has fo many Parts, yet it wanted not Method, it being maximum artis celare artem. His Lidion and Language is eafy and fluent, neat and fine, void of all Affectation and Bombaft, bis Stile was free from farch Lusciousness and Intricacy; every Period has a Kind of undefigned negligent Elegance, which arrests the Reader's Attention, and makes what be fays as Apples of Gold fet in Pictures of Silver: So that, confidering the Time when he lived, it might be said, that be bad carried the Orator's Prize from bis Cotemporaries in Scotland, and was not at that Time inferior to the belt Pulpit Orators in England, the English Language having got its greatest Embellishments and Refinings but of late Fears. In bis Sermons bis Matter gives Life to his Words, and bis Words add a Luftre to bis Matter. That great Divine Mr James Durham, an excellent Judge of Men, gave this Verdict of him, Thar there is no fpeaking after Mr. Binning, and truly be bad the Tongue of the Learned, and knew how to fpeak a Word in Seafon. The Subject-matter of bis Sermons is moftly practical, and yet rational and argumentative, fit to inform the Understanding of bis Hearers, and move their Affections: And when Controverfies came in bis Way, be fhewed great Accuteness and Judgment in difcuffing and determining them, and no less Skill in applying them to Fractice His Difcourfes were fo folid and fubftantial, fo beavenly and fublime, that they not only feed but feaft the Reader, as with Marrow and Fathefs. In the most of them, we meet with much of the Sublime, expreffed in a moft lofty, pathetick and moving Manner. Mr. M'Ward Jays in his Letter, "bat as to the whole of "Mr. Binning's Writings, I know mo Man's Pen on the Heads be bath "bandled more adapted for Edification, or which with a pleasant Violence, will fooner find or force a Paffage into the Heart of a judicious experienced Reader, and caft Fire, even e'er be is aware (0 happy Surprize!) into bis Affections, and fet them into a Flame. And in another Part of the Jame Letter, be fays, "The Subjects he difcourfes upon are handled with fuch a pleasant and profitable Variety of Thought "and Expreffion, that the Hearer of Reader is taken with it, as if he "bad never met with it before." He was fuch a skillful Scribe, as ba

knew

knew how to bring our of his Store, Things new and old; the old with fuch Sweetness and Savour as it feemed ftill new, and the new'retained its firft Sweetness lo as never to grow

old.

He and fome young Minifters in the fame Presbytery, who had been Students of Divinity, when he was Profeffor of Philofophy, did keep private Meetings for Chriftian Fellowship, and their mutual Improvement: But finding that he was in Danger of being puft up with the high Opinion. they had of him he broke up thefe Meetings, tho' he ftill keept up a Brotherly Correfpondence with them for the vigorous Profecution of their minifterial Work. He ftudied to be cloathed with Humility, and to hide his Attainments under that Vail; tho' he wanted not Matter and Words wherewith to please and profit all his Hearers, yet at every Thought of his appearing in publick to speak of God and Chrift to Men, his Soul was filled with a holy Tremor, which he vented by saying, Ah Lord! I am a Child and cannot fpeak; teach me what I shall say of thee, who cannot order my Speech by Reafon of Darknefs. In his firft Sermon on the fourth Question of our hotter Catechism, he expreffes himself in a most elegant and rapturous Manner; "We are now, fays he, about this ས་ Question What God is? But who can answer it? or if answered, who can understand it? It should astonish us in the very Entry to think we are "about to speak and to hear of his Majefty, whom Eye hath not feen, "nor Ear heard, nor hath it entered into the Heart of any Creature "to confider what he is. Think ye, blind Men could understand a per"tinent Difcourfe of Light and Colours? Would they form any suitable Notion of that they had never feen, and cannot be known but by feeing? "What an ignorant Speech would a deaf Man make of Sound, which a "Man cannot fo much as know what it is, but by hearing of it? How then

can we speak of God, who dwells in fuch inacceffible Light; that tho' we "bad our Eyes opened, yet they are far less proportioned to that refplendent "Brightness, than a blind Eye is to the Sun's Light?"

He was a great Student in the Books of Creation and Providence, and. took much Pleasure in meditating upon what is written in thefe Volumes; the Wonders he discovered in both led him up to the infinitely wife and powerful Maker and Preferver of all Things. Once when he came to vifit a Gentleman of good Learning, and his intimate Acquaintance; the Gentleman took him to his Garden, and in their Walk he difcourfed with him to his great Surpriz: of the objective Declarations, which every Thing makes of its almighty Crenter; and talked of the Wisdom and Goodnes

of

of God, particularly in cloathing the Earth with a green Garb rather than with a Garment of any other Colour; and having plucked a Flower from it, be made a moft favoury (piritual Difcourfe; he la diffected and anatomized the fame, as to fet forth the glorious Perfections of its Maker, in a most making and entertaining Manner.

But the main Object of his pious and devout Contemplations was God in Chrift reconciling the World to himself: For God who commanded the Light to thine out of Darknefs, had fhined into his Heart to give him the Light of the Knowledge of God, in the Face of Jefus Chrit; fo that he not only understood the Myfteries of the Kingdom of God himself, but it was given to him to make others know them:: His Preaching was in the Demonftration of the Spirit, and of Power. His Sermons are the very Tranfumpt of what had paft betwixt Chrift and his own Soul; he spoke and wrote his experimental Knowledge, and did both Speak and write, because he believed. He did earnestly contend for the Articles of Faith and Truths of Religion, and could never think of parting with one Hoof, or the leaft Grain of Truth; being perfwaded, that Christian Concord must have Truth for s Foundation, and Holiness for its Attendant, without which it will decline into a Defection, and degene rate into a Confpiracy against Religion. As to the Duties of Chriftianity, he inforced the Performance of thefe, with all the Arguments of Perfwafion; fo that through the Bleffing of God, his Pulpit Difcourfes became the Power of God to the Hlumination of the Understandings of his Hearers, the Renovation of their Naturess the Reformation of their Lives, and the Salvation of their Souls.

The difficult Part of a Reprover, he acted in the most prudent and gaining Manner, when he did lick with his Tongue the Mote out of his Brother's Eye, he did it with all Tenderness, and with the Tear in his own. His Words wanted neither Point nor Edge for drawing of Blood, when the Cafe of the Offender made it an indifpenfible Duty; and when he was neceffitated to use Sharpness with any, they were convinced, that he honeflyand fincerely intended their fpiritual Good. His Compaffion on the ignorant, and them that were out of the Way, made it evident, how much he confidered himfelt as encompaffed with Infirmity, and fo within the Hazard of being tempted..

He was a Perfon of exemplary Moderation and Sobriety of Spirit, had bealing Methods much at Heart, and ftudied to promote Love and Peace among his Brethren in the Miniftry: He vigorously contributed to the Re

covery*