brought him. Among the rest, the following was very pleasant to him: Thou art the teacher of souls: I have learned more true divinity within these ten days, than I have been able to do in the space of fifty years before.' About a fortnight before his death, when he entered upon his seventy-first year, he supposed the Lord would be pleased to make the day he was born into this world, the day of his departure into the other. When the clock struck five in the afternoon, being the hour of his birth, with a loud voice he praised Gop for all the favours conferred on him; at the same time shedding abundance of tears, and making a most tender confession of all his sins, the pardon whereof he most earnestly implored. That which most affected me, says his biographer, was to hear him express how unprofitable a servant he had been, and how small a part of his life he had consecrated to the service of Gop. This made by so much a deeper impression upon my heart, by how much the better I knew how willingly he offered up himself as a daily sacrifice to be spent in doing the will of God.' Some days before his death, he gave order that nothing (not so much as one thread) of black should be in his coffin; "For, said he, I have been a sorrowful man these many years, lamenting the deplorable state of Christ's church militant here on earth; but now, being upon the point of retiring into the church triumphant in heaven, I will not have the least mark of sorrow left upon me; but my body shall be wrapped up all over in white, for a testimony that I die in expectation of a better and more glorious state to come." The day before he died, he caused the seventeenth chapter of St. John's gospel to be read to him, three times successively. It was one of his favourite chapters, yet he could never be prevailed on to preach apon it: He always said, he did not understand it. On the same day he spoke much of Simeon's departure; and, though weak and low, he did not forbear to bless all those that came to see him. Towards evening he fell into a slumber, which continued for the most part till the next morning. When he awoke, he saluted those that were about him; after which, at his own request, he was set up in a chair; but in a little while, as they were endeavouring to put him into his bed again, the thread of his life failed, and he suddenly expired in the arms of his wife, in the seventy-first year of his age.

His Works. He published several Tracts and Sermons; but his last and greatest work was that which he finished not long before his death "On the Divinity of Christ."

JOHN HOWE, A. M.

VERY few men have been more justly esteemed, and

more respectfully spoken of, by persons of all persuasions in religion, than the learned, amiable, faithful, and evangelic pastor, Mr. John Howe.

We shall take the summary of his life, for the most part, as it has been already extracted by the laborious compiler of the memoirs of nonconformist ministers, Mr. S. Palmer, though, at the same time, we would refer those, who wish for a more enlarged account, to the original memoir which Dr. Edmund Calamy, jun. has laid before the world. We regret, that our compass will not allow us to say more, where so much might be said, for the pious reader's delight and advantage.

Mr. Howe was born on the 17th of May 1630, at Loughborough, in Leicestershire, where his father was settled by Archbishop Laud, but afterwards turned out by him for not giving into that nice and punctilious conformity, upon which that warm and ill-judging prelate laid an unaccountable stress, and driven into Ireland; whither he took his son, then very young, and where their lives were remarkably preserved during the execrable rebellion and massacre. In the time of the war the father returned and settled in Lancashire, where his son had his grammar learning. He was sent early to Christ Church College in Cambridge, where his great attainments in learning, joined with his exemplary piety, so recommended him, that he was elected fellow of Magdalen College in Oxford, after he had been made demy by the parliament-visitors. At this time Dr. Thomas Goodwin was president of that college, and had gathered a church among the scholars; of which Mr. Howe had for some time hesitated to become a member, owing to some peculiarities among them, for which (says Dr. Calamy) he had no fondness; but at length, being admitted upon catholic terms, he complied with Dr. Goodwin's request, and joined himself to this religious society. So early was he averse to all bigotry! He was ordained at Winwick in Lancashire, by Mr. C. Herle, the pastor of that church, and the ministers who officiated in

the

the several chapels in this parish; on which account he would sometimes say, that he thought few in modern times had so truly primitive an ordination, as he considered Mr. Herle as a primitive Bishop. By an unexpected providence he was called to Torrington in Devon; where, though young, he abundantly fulfilled his ministry, which was blessed with great success. He had a numerous auditory and a flourishing church, to which many of the inhabitants joined themselves who belonged to an independent church at Biddeford, having had a dismission from thence. The manner in which he was used to carry on the service here, on fast days (which then were very frequent) was very extraordinary. He began at nine with a prayer of a quarter of an hour-read and expounded Scripture for about three quarters-prayed an hour-preached another-then prayed half an hour. The people then sung about a quarter of an hour, during which he retired and took a little refreshment. He then came into the pulpit again, prayed an hour more-preached another hour-and then with a prayer of half an hour concluded the service. And a sort of service (says Dr. Calamy very truly) that few could have gone through without inexpressible weariness both to themselves and their auditories !'-He was upon good terms with the neighbouring ministers, particularly Mr. G. Hughes of Plymouth, whose daughter he married. With him he carried on a weekly correspondence in Latin letters. The following circumstance in one of them is remarkable: Mr. Howe's house being on fire, was extinguished by a seasonable shower. On that very day he received a letter from his father Hughes, which concluded with this prayer: "Sit Ros cali super habitaculum vestrum; i. e. Let the dew of heaven be upon your dwelling. Mr. Howe became chaplain to Cromwell, by the protector's own over-bearing importunity, which never endured a refusal. He entered upon this office with great reluctance, and never abused the influence it gave him to injure others or to enrich himself; but used it to serve the interest of religion and learning among persons of very different sentiments. His conduct in respect to Dr. Seth Ward, afterwards successively Bishop of Exeter and Sarum, deserves particular notice.

The Doctor applied, by means of Mr. Howe, for the principalship of Jesus College in 1657; but it had been promised to another. However, Mr. Howe so strongly recommended him to the Protector, that he gave him an annual allowance equivalent to it; and the Doctor retained

a grateful