doctrina de sancta trinitate-adversus Samosaten. errores. 21. Examin. enunciationum-Gratiani Prosperi. 22. Catholica doctrina de natura gratia collatio. 23. Animadversiones ad R. Bellarmini controversiam primam de verbo Dei, &c. 24. Ad secundam de Christi capite totius ecclesiæ. 25. Ad tertiam de summo pontific. 26. Ad tres libros de translatione imperii Romani a Græcis, &c. ad Francos. 27. Ad controversiam quartam de concilius iis & ecclesia militante. 28. De ecclesia liber, singularis, &c. 29. Animadversiones ad libellum controversia tertia propositum. 30. Ad controversiam de ecclesia quæ est in purgatorio. 31. Ad controversiam septimam de ecclesia triumphante, &c. 32. Specularius -adversus Genebrardum. 33. Summa aliquot locorum communium s. theologia. 34. Evangelii secund. Matthæum analytica explicatio. 35. Evangel. sec. Marcum analyt. expositio. 36. Responsum ad fratres Sandwicenses in Anglia. 37. Oratio de lingua Hebræa. 38. Grammatica Hebræa lingua. 39. Orationes due Frankentalia habita ad lection. Vet. Test. 40. Acta apostol. & epistol. Pauli ad Corinthios ex Arabico translatæ. 41. Apocryphi libri translati cum notis. 42. In anathematismum Greg. XIII. adversus Gibbard. Colon. episc. 43. Orationes quatuor ad lectiones Vet. Test. Apologia catholica Latine facta, præfatio in indicem expurgatorium censorum Belgii. 45. Lexicon Hebraicum. 46. Prafatio in indicem expurgatorius. 47. Liber cui titulus Acade

mia.

44.

48. Curopalates Grace & Latine cum notis. This book appeared under the name of Nadal Almonius, Hebrew for Junius. 49. Prætexta pulla in obitum principis Anhaltini. 50. Johannis Bodini Laimoniaca in linguam Latinam conversa. 51. Johannes Tilius de regibus & regno Gallorum,& epistolæ duæ, &c. Latine factæ. 52. Oratio de vita obitu Zach. Ursini. 53. Manilius cum castig. notis. 54. Libitina in obitum J. Casimiri, &c. 55. Oratio Anton. Arnaldi contra jesuitas Latine facta. 56. Emendationes et note in Ciceronis epistolas ad Atticum & Quintum fratrem. 57. Nota in Tertullian. 58. L'Ecclesiastique, in Latin and French. In which last language he also published, 59. Une oraison du Roi d'Espagne pour la défense de Païs Bas. 60. Advertisement Crétien contre Jean Heron. 61. La confession du Roi de France. 62. Le paisible Crétien, &c. 63. Methode de lieux communs de l'ecritures Saintes. 64. Aimable confrontation de la simple verite de Dieu, &c.

VOL. II.

X

WILLIAM

WILLIAM PERKINS.

T Marston, in Warwickshire, was born the celebrated William Perkins, a great scholar, a profound divine, and a successful preacher in the university of Cambridge. He received his academical education in Christ's-college, in that university, where, for some time, he was very wild, and ran great lengths in prodigality; probably permitted, that when he should become a preacher, he might more fully detect and lay open the workings of sin and vanity in others, sympathise with them in their sad condition, and be the better qualified to counsel and comfort them in their repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, and while yet a graduate, he gave proofs of the great genius with which Providence had endowed him, by his deep researches into nature, and the secret operations of natural powers. But when the Lord was pleased to convert him from the error of his ways, he applied himself with uncommon diligence, to the study of divinity, and, in a short time, made an almost incredible proficiency.

About the age of twenty-four, he was chosen fellow of Christ's-college, and entered into holy orders; when, according to the precepts of the gospel, having freely received, he freely gave; and after the pattern of his great Exemplar, went and preached deliverance to the captives. The jailor being prevailed upon to bring the prisoners into the county-house, near to the gaol, he preached the gospel to them every Sunday, with great power and success. As soon as this pious labour was known, many from the neighbouring parishes resorted thither, to hear him; and it pleased GOD to make him the happy instrument in bringing to the knowledge of salvation, and into the liberty of the children of God, not only those whose bodies were in prison, but those whose souls, like their's, were in captivity and bondage to sin and Satan. His fame, which was afterwards in all the churches, soon spread through Cambridge; and he was chosen to St Andrew's parish in that town, where he remained an industrious, faithful labourer, till he finally entered into the joy of his Lord.

Being settled thus in a university, his hearers consisted of the collegians, town's-people, and people from the country, which required such a peculiar gift as Providence had bestowed on Mr Perkins; for in all his discourses he was able to accommodate his style and phrases to the capacities of the common people; and, at the same time, tse pious scholar could not but admire them. Luther used to say, That as thunder without rain did more harm than good; so ministers that preach the terrors of the law, but do not at the same time drop in the dew of gospelinstruction and consolation, are not wise master-builders; for they pull down, but build nothing up again.' But Mr Perkin's sermons were said to be all law, and all gospel.' He was a rare instance of those opposite gifts meeting in so eminent a degree in one and the same preacher the vehemence and thunder of a Boanerges, to awaken sinners to a sense of their danger, and to drive them from destruction; and the gentle persuasives and comforts of a Barnabas, to pour in the wine and oil of gospel-consolation into the wounded spirit, which he pointed to Jesus Christ. And such was his wisdom in admi. nistering advice and comfort in all cases of conscience, that, it is said, the afflicted in spirit came far and near to him, " an received comfort from him.'

He had a surprising talent in perusing books so speedily, that one would think he read nothing; yet so accurately, that one must think he had read all. Besides his frequent preaching, and other ministerial labours, he wrote many excellent books; which, on account of their worth, were many of them translated into Latin, and sent abroad, where they have been greatly admired and valued; and some of them translated into French, High-Dutch, and Low-Dutch, and his "Reformed Catholic," into Spanish; which, however, so far as we know, was never answered. Voetius, and several of the foreign divines, have mentioned him. with great honour: And our bishop Hall said of him, That he excelled in a distinct judgment, and a rare dexterity in clearing the obscure subtleties of the schools, and easy explication of the most perplexed discourses.' He was much afflicted with the stone, the frequent attendant on a sedentary life, under which severe complaint he was remarkably patient. In the last fit, a little before his death, hearing a friend pray for the mitigation of his pains; he cried out, "Hold! hold! do not pray so; but "pray the Lord to give me faith and patience, and then "let him lay on me just what he please." At length pa

2

tience

tience had its perfect work, and he bad a final and everlasting farewell to all pain of the body and affliction of the soul, was crowned with eternal rest and glory, A. D. 1602, in the forty-fourth year of his age. He was born in the first, and died in the last year of the reign of Q. Elizabeth. He died rich only in grace, and in the love of GOD and of good men: Yet, like the apostle Paul, (2 Cor. vi. 10.) however poor, he was enabled to make many rich. He was buried, with great solemnity, at the sole expence of Christ's college; the university and the town striving which should shew the most gratitude for his faithful labours among them, or pay the greatest respect to his memory. Doctor Montague preached his funeral sermon on the following words; Moses my servant is dead, Josh. i. 2.

He was so pious and exemplary in his life and conversation, that malice itself could find no ground for scan. dal or reproach. He was naturally chearful and pleasant; rather reserved towards strangers, but when once acquainted very familiar. He was of a middle stature, ruddy complexion, bright hair, and inclined to corpulency, but lame of his right hand; yet with his left hand he wrote two folio volumes, so well, and to so good purpose, that he proved himself an able evangelical divine, and an invincible champion in the Protestant cause. And such was his humanity and condescension, that he not only preached to the prisoners, as we observed before, but accompanied the condemned to the place of execution; and what success he had in this line of his labours, will appear from the following example.-A stout young man, going up the ladder, discovered great dejection of spirit, and when he came to the top, and turned round to speak to the people, he looked like one half dead, which Mr Perkins observing, endeavoured to encourage him; but finding it to be without effect, said, " Man, what is the matter with thee, "art thou afraid of death?"Ah, no (said the malefactor, shaking his head) but of a worse thing.' "Dost "thou so (replied Mr Perkins) then come down again, "and thou shalt see what GOD's grace will do to "strengthen thee." When he came down, Mr Perkins took him by the hand, and, at the foot of the ladder, they both kneeled down, hand in hand, when Mr Perkins prayed with so much of the divine presence and with such power, in confession of sin, with its aggravating circumstances, and the horrible and eternal punishment due to the same, according to GOD's justice, that the poor man burst out into a flood of tears, being broken and contrite

contrite in heart; which when Mr Perkin's observed, he proceeded to the second part of his prayer, in which he set forth the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of every believing penitent sinner, as stretching forth his arms of mercy and power to save him in his miserable distressed condition, and from all the powers of darkness, and to give him heaven and glory. This he was enabled to do in so wonderful and successful a manner, that the poor creature continued, indeed, to shed tears; but they were now tears of love, gratitude, and joy, flowing from a belief that all his sins were cancelled by the merciful shedding of his Saviour's blood. And when they rose from prayer, he evidenced so good and satisfactory a confession, that the spectators lifted up their hands and praised GOD, for seeing such a glorious display of sovereign grace, in converting, at the eleventh hour, this dying malefactor, who went up the ladder again, with apparently great comfort, and hasting as it were to have the grace he had so lately been made a partaker of, consummated in glory.

His WORKS, which are usually bound in two volumes folio, are," 1. The Foundation of Christian Religion. 2. A Golden Chain; or, the Description of Divinity. 3. An Exposition of the Apostles' Creed. 4. An exposition of the Lord's Prayer. 5. A Declaration, whether a Man be in a state of Damnation, or a State of Grace. 6. A Case of Conscience. 7. A Direction for the Government of the Tongue. 8. Two Treatises; one on Repentance, and the other on the Combat of the Flesh and Spirit. 9. A Treatise how to live well in all Estates and Times, especially when Helps and Comforts fail. 10. A Treatise on dying well. 11. A Discourse on the Nature of Conscience. 12. The Reformed Catholic. 13. The true Manner of knowing Christ crucified. 14. A Grain of Mustard-Seed. 15 Of true Wealth. Warning against the Idolatry of the last Times. 17. A Treatise of God's Free Grace, and Man's Free Will. 18. Of Man's Callings. 19. Of Predestination, in Latin by the Author, but since translated into English. 20. His Bible Harmony. 21. A Dialogue of the World's Dissolution. No. 7, 8, 13, 14, were translated into Latin by Thomas Drax: And No. 19. written in Latin, is translated into English.”

16. A

The following were published after his death: "Vol. II. 1. Three books of the Cases of Conscience. 2. Commentaries on the five first Chapters of the Epistle to the Galatians. 3. Of Christian Equity. 4. Of Man's Ima

gination.