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repent, you would make me the most miserable man in the world. And lest any hereafter looking into his will, and observing the legacies therein bequeathed, should determine, that either he who left such legacies could not be thus described poor man, or this man of charity to have left more legacies than effects; I think myself obliged to reconcile these seeming contradictions, by a very easy explanation: for so little distrust had our present Princess on the throne, of any ill actions of this just and religious Bishop, so great an opinion of his honesty and quiet temper, that notwithstanding he could not be prevailed with to qualify himself for living under her protection by the now necessary oaths; yet she was glad he would not refuse her yearly favour, which she was graciously pleased to bestow on him to his death, and would often complain it was too little for his thanks, which he dutifully sent her; which, together with a legacy given him a little before his death, by a very valuable friend of his, not only enabled him to do many acts of charity in his life-time (as what he chiefly proposed by accepting it) but his executor likewise, to discharge all such legacies as he thought fit to charge him with. I shall not be so bold as to sum up the character of such a man, I have neither leisure or opportunity to search for particular facts, a large account of his life requiring both a more able and polite genius and pen; my design being only to give some short account to introduce his writings into the world, I shall only add some few matters of fact of my own knowledge concerning his last sickness, and leave the reader to refresh himself with the following specimen.

Making bloody water, which was thought to be occasioned by an ulcer in his kidneys, he went to Bristol, in the beginning of the year 1710, for the benefit of the hot-well, where he spent the summer, and till November following; at which time he removed to Leweston, near Sherborne, in Dorsetshire, a seat belonging to the Honourable Mrs. Thynne, whose good works merited his respect and acknowledgment, as much as her generosity attempted the relief of his distemper. And being there seized with a dead palsy on one side of him, he was confined to his chamber till about the middle of March, when being, as he thought, able to take such a journey, he resolved for the bath, in hopes to find relief from those waters; nor could the persuasions of that good lady or his physician, divert his design, though he laboured under another distemper, viz. the dropsy. So calling at Long-Leate on Saturday, in his way thither, he spent that evening in adjusting some papers; all the next day he confined himself to his chamber, and on Monday he was confined to his bed, till on the Monday following, viz. March 19, 1710, his soul was set free. He was re

markably patient in his sickness; and when upon his own inquiry of his physician how many days he thought he might probably live, desiring him to speak plainly and freely, and telling him he had no reason to be afraid of dying; and being by him answered about two or three days, his only reply was (his usual expression, and that without the least concern,) God's will be done, desiring that no applications might be made to cause him to linger in pain. It can be no wonder he should so little regard the terrors of death, who had for many years travelled with his shroud in his portmanteau, as what he often said, might be as soon wanted as any other of his habiliments; and which was by himself put on, as soon as he came to Long-Leate, giving notice of it the day before his death, by way of prevention, that his body might not be stripped. He dozed much the day or two before he died, and what little he spake was sometimes not coherent, which having been plied with opiates, seemed to be rather the effect of dream than distemper. He was buried at Froome-Selwood, it being the nearest parish within his own diocese to the place where he died, as by his own request, in the churchyard, under the east window of the chancel, just at sun rising, without any manner of pomp or ceremony, besides that of the Order for Burial in the Liturgy of the Church of England, on the 21st day of March, 1710, aged 73.

He left behind him but few relations : Martha the daughter of his brother Mr. John Ken by Rose his wife: which Martha married to the Hon. Christopher Frederick Kreienberg, resident of his Electoral High ness of Hanover in London: John Beacham at this time fellow of Trinity-College, and William Beacham sometime fellow of NewCollege, Oxon, and since deceased, who were the sons of his sister Martha by her husband Mr. James Beacham : Isaac Walton residentiary of the cathedral church of Sarum, and Anne, son and daughter of his sister Anne by her husband Mr. Isaac Walton of London; which Anne having married to William Hawkins, D.D. sometime prebendary of the cathedral church of Winton, had issue by him William and Anne, both living. Which William begin by will proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, April 24, 1711, appointed executor, and having had opportunities of knowledge and inquiry of him, submits this impartial, and he hopos not unacceptable account the public.

to

An Account of his Examination before the Privy Council.

All glory be to God.

After the favourable hearing, which this day the Lords of the most Honourable Privy Council gave me, Mr. Bridgman came out

to me to tell me, that their Lordships expected a copy of my answers; which, as far as I can recollect, I here humbly offer to their Lordships.

The printed paper subscribed by the deprived Bishops, to beg the alms of charitable people, being shewed me, I was asked,

Did you subscribe this paper?

4. My Lords, I thank God I did, and it had a very happy effect; for the will of my blessed Redeemer was fulfilled by it; and what we were not able to do ourselves, was done by others; the hungry were fed, and the naked were clothed; and to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to visit those who are sick or in prison, is that plea which all your Lordships as well as I, as far as you have had opportunities, must make for yourselves at the great day. And that which you must all plead at God's tribunal for your eternal absolution, shall not, I hope, be made my condemnation here.

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It was then said to this purpose; No one here condemns Charity, but the way you have taken to procure it: your paper is illegal.

My

A. My Lords, I can plead to the Evange lical part: I am no Lawyer, but shall want Lawyers to plead that; and I have been very well assured that it is legal. Lords, I will sincerely give your Lordships an account of the part I had in it. The first person who proposed it to me, was Mr. Kettlewell, that holy man who is now with God; and after some time it was brought to this form, and I subscribed it, and then went into the country to my retirement in an obscure village, where I live above the suspicion of giving any the least umbrage to the government.

My Lords, I was not active in making collections in the country, where there are but few such objects of charity; but good people of their own accords sent me towards fourscore pounds, of which about one half is still in my hands.

I beg your Lordships to observe this clause in our paper, as far as in law we may: and to receive such charity, is, I presume, which in law I may; and to distribute it, is a thing also, which in law I may.

It was objected to this purpose-This money has been abused and given to very ill and immoral men; and particularly to one who goes in a gown one day, and in a blue silk waistcoat another.

A. My Lords, to give to an ill man may be a mistake, and no crime, unless what was given was given to an ill purpose, nay, to give to an ill man and knowingly, is our duty, if that ill man wants necessaries of life; for as long as God's patience and forbearance indulges that ill man life to lead him to repentance, we ought to support that life God indulges him, hoping for the happy effect of it.

My Lords, in King James's time there

were about a thousand or more imprisoned in my diocese, who were engaged in the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth, and many of them were such which I had reason to believe to be ill men, and void of all religion, and yet for all that, I thought it my duty to relieve them. It is well known to the diocese, that I visited them night and day, and I thank God I supplied them with necessaries myself, as far as I could, and encouraged others to do the same; and yet King James never found the least fault with me. And if I am now charged with misapplying what was given, I beg of your Lordships, that St. Paul's apostolical rule may be observed, against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses; for I am sure none can testify that against me. What I gave I gave in the country; and I gave to none but those who did both want and deserve it: the last that I gave was to two poor widows of deprived clergymen, one whereof was left with six, the other with seven small children.

It was said to this purpose: You are not charged yourself with giving ill to men, though it has been done by others: but the paper comes out with a pretence of authority, and it is illegal, and in the nature of a brief; and, if such practices are permitted, private men may supersede all the briefs granted by the king.

A. My Lords, I beg your pardon, if I cannot give a full answer to this; I am no lawyer, and am not prepared to argue it in law.

It was farther objected to this purpose: by sending forth this paper, you have usurped ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

A. My Lords, I never heard that begging was a part of ecclesiastical jurisdiction; and in this paper we are only beggars, which privilege I hope may be allowed us.

I make no doubt but your Lordships may have had strange misinformations concerning this paper; but having sincerely told you what part I had in it, I humbly submit myself to your Lordships justice.

I presume your Lordships will come to no immediate resolution concerning me; and having voluntarily surrendered myself, and the warrant having never been served on me till I had twice attended here, this being the third time, and my health being infirm, I beg this favour of your Lordships, that Í may return to my sister's house, where I have hitherto lodged, which is a place the messenger knows well; and that I may be no otherwise confined till I have received your Lordships final resolution.

This favour your Lordships were pleased very readily to grant me; for which I return my humble acknowledgments, beseeching God to be gracious to your Lordships. April 21, 1696.

THOMAS, Bath and Wells, deprived.

MEDITATIONS.

Continuation from the second Portion of Bishop Henshaw's Meditations.

THE best ornament of the body is the mind, and the best ornament of the mind is honesty; I will care rather how to live well, than how to go fine. I may have an ill garment, and come to heaven; I cannot, and have an ill soul. He who first bids us cast our care upon Him, did not so mean, as if we should take no care ourselves; it will not come to our share, to sit still and cry, God help us : Solomon hath read his fortune, that will not work in summer, therefore shall he starve in winter. It was the destiny sin brought upon the world, In the sweat of thy brows thou shalt eat thy meat, and thank God we can have it so: He that made us without ourselves, will not keep us without ourselves; it is mercy enough for us, that we eat with sweating. I will never think much of my pains, where it is rewarded with a blessing.

Desperately wicked is that of some, If I shall be saved, I shall be saved; as if heaven would come unlooked for, and they should be saved, whether they would or no. God never did, nor will save any man in spite of his teeth, or against his will; as we cannot keep body and soul together without sweating; no more can we bring our soul and God together with sitting still; never any got wealth, by barely wishing for it, and as few come to heaven, by merely desiring it. There's a race to be run, and a battle to be fought; and as well in religion as in any thing, we must work for our living.

This world is oft compared unto a sea, our life is the ship, we are the passengers, the grave is the common haven, Heaven is the shore; and well is the grave commonly compared unto a haven, for there we unload; the things of this world are neither borne with us, nor do die with us: we go out of this world as we came into it, naked: why are we so covetous of those things,

which are so hard to get, and so certain to be lost? If I enjoy them all, I shall not enjoy them long; or if I enjoy but some, I shall shortly have use of none. I will comfort myself against the want of them, with the assurance that I shall one day not have need of them.

This life is a race, and we do not live but travel; but we have another race beside this, of our soul as well as of our body; since both must be ruu, and the one will not tarry for the other: I will try who can run fastest; if I have finished my life, and not my course, I have made more haste than good speed.

If we look but out into the world, we shall see almost as many miracles as things, that trees and plants should every year die, and recover: that the sun should only lighten and warm the earth, and not burn it; that the heavens should distil its rain in drops, and not in rivers full, and drown us, where they do but wet us; God is not less miraculous in preserving the world, than in making it; and as His mercy, so His glory is over all his works.

God loves timely holiness, remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Nature ever begins at the wrong end, lays in, and lays up indeed, but for the thief and the moth. With Absalom the first care is taken to leave a monument behind, and when they are settled upon earth, they will see if God have any thing to say to them for heaven: and the best part is the last provided: such shall one day have their heaven to seek, because they will not have it to seek now. He that will not when he may, &c. You know the proverb: He that doth not seek the Lord, while he may be found, cannot complain if he do afterward seek, and not find.

A good man, still the longer he lives, the better he dies; men should grow better, as they grow older; not like a dead hedge, the longer it stands the rottener.

To see a man white in his leprosy leaving the world, and not his avarice, and with St. Luke's fool, die thinking of his barns, is horrible! I had rather have no portion on earth, than buy it with that I shall have in heaven; I will not (with the cur in the fable) part with my flesh, for its shadow.

The way to sweeten death, is to think of it; every day I live, I will remember I might die; and I will not desire to live a day longer, than I grow some drams better what will it benefit me that I have lived some hours which I cannot answer for?

Every man would be thought to be in love with heaven, and yet most men are loth to shake hands with earth; here is the difference between the heavenly language and ours; they cry, how long, Lord, how long? and we cry, how soon? they think he stays too long, and we think he comes too fast. I will labour to be a follower of those, with whom I would be partner; he hath not yet enough conned heaven, that is loth to go to it; that voice only is worthy an Apostle, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ.

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God, as He loves young holiness, so He loves it old; ye are those that have continued with me, &c. was the praise of the Apostles; perseverance is the pillar of our salvation, if that fail, all goes to the ground. What commendation is it to have done well, if thou hast forsaken thy first love, if thou hast lost thy first hopes? He must carry his goodness to his grave, that will have it carry him to heaven.

It is a great way, and requires a long time to come to heaven; I admire their strength, or rather weakness, that talk of getting it at the last gasp, as if it could be had with a wet finger: I know those that have lived some years, and taken some pains too, to set themselves forward, and if they come thither at last, will think they have done well too; for my own part, I neither desire, nor hope to enjoy it without a great deal of difficulty, anguish, and agony; and shall think it labour well bestowed, that I have it upon any terms.

Blessed are they which die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours: In this world, there is nothing but dangers and discontents, vanity and vexation; then only shall we be at rest, when we cease to be: If we thought more of this, we would not think much of our affliction. If I am never so beleaguered with sickness, or want, or famine, or all at once; I will remember I came not into this world to take my rest, but to prepare for it.

Our Saviour knew what He did, when he taught us to pray, Our Father, which art in heaven, &c. To give, and to forgive, for He only can do both; none can forgive sins, or give grace, but God alone: yet doth He not always give with His own hand, but reacheth grace and salvation in His word and sacraments, by the hands of his ministers; and because no man can hear His voice and live, He speaks in them; it is the wonder of His goodness, that he respects not only our wants, but our infirmities, and would so appear to us, as He might teach us, but not fright us: thus we see Him speaking to Moses himself, to Israel by Moses: He proportions the means answerable to our strength; we are not like our Maker, if we think scorn to stoop to the weakness of our brethren. I will be all things to all, that by any means I may win some.

REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

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THE design of this book is to shew that a Religion like the Christian could never have existed, unless it had been introduced by divine authority. It could not have been invented; it would not have been received."

"I am by no means confident, (adds the anthor) that the field into which I have been led in pursuit of the idea above mentioned, is sufficiently unoccupied to justify this addition of another volume to the numberless treatises already existing on the evidences of Christianity. But I am disposed to imagine, that an attack upon unbelief, or a confirmation of faith, can never be superfluous. Many books are in constant circulation, and almost universally read, in which the Scriptures are passed by as if they had no existence, or tacitly assumed to be an invention of

priest-craft, supported by state policy.

The most popular historian of our own country is not likely to produce a different impression; and a very important portion of ancient history is still chiefly known through the medium of a writer who professedly treats the origin and progress of Christianity as an event which need excite no more wonder than the rise

of Mohammedanism. Not to mention, that the rude and direct assaults upon Revelation, which, for some years past, have been constantly issuing from the press, can hardly fail to have some effect in keeping

the minds unsettled, even of a class above

that for which they are avowedly written and designed." Preface, p. iii.

From this passage the intention of the author may be sufficiently REMEMBRANCER, No. 65.

understood; and we must confess that he has executed his design with great ability. To all readers of education this book may be safely recommended: but it is particularly adapted to those who have had the misfortune to acquire their notions of Christianity in the school of Hume and Gibbon. These popular and ingenious writers have done and insinuation, by false assumpmore injury to Religion by sarcasm tions, and by a semblance of philosophical candour, than was effected by open violence; and as their works are still familiar to the whole nation, any judicious effort to counteract their influence must be received with gratitude and applause.

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In the first chapter Mr. Sumner fairly argues, that we have some ground for believing Christianity to be true, because it is the established religion of the country in which we live; but as the same fact may be alleged in behalf of other religions, we must discover some surer foundation for our faith. We must trace the Gospel to its origin. We must inquire at what time it superseded Judaism and Paganism, in those countries where it was first promulged: and whether it was noticed by Heathen writers soon after its introduction.

Now it appears, upon the clearest evidence, that Christianity did actually supersede religions which had been long established, and by means the most improbable to human apprehension. It was preached by in the most polished cities of the ignorant men in a learned age, and world. The character of its founder was the most unpopular that can be imagined, and was directly opposed O o

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