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into a distemper, which in a few days put a period to his life. He died in the houfe of his ancient and most learned friend Dr. Cudworth, mafter of Chrift's college. During his fickness, he had a conftant calmnefs and ferenity of mind; and, under all his bodily weaknefs, poffeffed his foul in great patience. After the prayers for the visitation of the fick (which he faid were excellent prayers) had been used, he was put in mind of receiving the facrament; to which he answered, That he most readily embraced the propofal: and after he had received it, faid to Dr. Cudworth, I heartily thank you for this moft Chriftian office: I thank you for putting me in mind of receiving this facrament; adding this pious ejaculation, "The Lord fulfil all his declarations and pro"mifes, and pardon all my weakneffes and imperfections. He difclaimed all merit in himself, and declared, that whatever he was, he was through the grace and goodnefs of God in Jefus Christ. He expreffed likewife great diflike of the principles of feparation, and faid, "He was the more defirous to receive the facra66 ment, that he might declare his full communion with "the church of Chrift all the world over." He difclaimed Popery, and (as things of near affinity with it, or rather parts of it) all fuperftition and ufurpation upon the confciences of men.

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He thanked God, that he had no pain in his body, nor difquiet in his mind.

Towards his laft, he seemed rather unwilling to be detained any longer in this ftate; not for any pains he felt in himself, but for the trouble he gave his friends; faying to one of them who had with great care attended him all along in his fickness: "My dear friend, thou "haft taken a great deal of pains to uphold a crazy bo"dy, but it will not do: I pray thee give me no more "cordials; for why fhouldft thou keep me any longer 66 out of that happy state to which I am going? I thank "God I hope in his mercy, that it shall be well with me."

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And herein God was pleafed particularly to answer thofe devout and well-weighed petitions of his, which he frequently used in his prayer before fermon, which I fhall fet down in his own words; and I doubt not those

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that were his conftant hearers do well remember them: "And fuperadd this, O Lord, to all the grace and fa(( vour which thou haft fhewn us all along in life, not 66 to remove us hence but with all advantage for eternity; when we shall be in a due preparation of mind, "in a holy conftitution of foul, in a perfect renuncia"tion of the guise of this mad and finful world; when 66 we fhall be entirely refigned up to thee, when we "fhall have clear acts of faith in God by Jefus Christ, high and reverential thoughts of thee in our minds, 66 enlarged and inflamed affections towards thee, &c. "And whenfoever we fhall come to leave this world, "which will be when thou fhalt appoint, for the iffues "of life and death are in thy hands, afford us fuch a "mighty power and prefence of thy good Spirit, that we may have folid confolation in believing, and avoid "all confternation of mind, all doubtfulness and un"certainty concerning our everlasting condition, and at 66 length depart in the faith of God's clect, &c." Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.

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Thus you have the short history of the life and death of this eminent perfon, whofe juft character cannot be given in few words, and time will not allow me to use many. To be able to defcribe him aright, it were neceffary one should be like him: for which reafon I muft content myself with a very imperfect draught of him.

I fhall not infift upon his exemplary piety and devotion towards God, of which his whole life was one continued teftimony: nor will I praife his profound learning, for which he was juftly had in fo great reputation. The moral improvements of his mind, a God-like temper and difpofition, (as he was wont to call it), he chief-ly valued and afpired after; that univerfal charity and goodness which he did continually preach and practife.

His converfation was exceeding kind and affable, grave and winning, prudent and profitable. He was flow to declare his judgment, and modeft in delivering it. Never paffionate, never peremptory: fo far from impofing upon others, that he was rather apt to yield. And though he had a moft profound and well-poifed judgment, yet was he of all men I ever knew the most

patient

patient to hear others differ from him, and the most easy to be convinced when good reason was offered; and, which is feldom feen, more apt to be favourable to another man's reason than his own.

Studious and inquifitive men commonly at fuch an age, at forty or fifty at the utmost, have fixed and settled their judgments in most points, and as it were made their last understanding; fuppofing they have thought, or read, or heard what can be faid on all fides of things; and after that, they grow pofitive, and impatient of contradiction, thinking it a difparagement to them to alter their judgment. But our deceas'd friend was fo wife, as to be willing to learn to the laft; knowing, that no man can grow wifer without fome change of his mind, without gaining fome knowledge which he had not, or correcting. fome error which he had before.

He had attained fo perfect a mastery of his paffions, that for the latter and greatest part of his life, he was hardly ever seen to be tranfported with anger: and as he was extremely careful not to provoke any man, fo not to be provoked by any; ufing to fay, "If I pro"voke a man, he is the worfe for my company; and "if I fuffer myfelf to be provoked by him, I fhall be the ❝worfe for his."

He very feldom reproved any perfon in company, otherwife than by filence, or fome fign of uneafiness, or fome very foft and gentle word; which yet from the refpect men generally bore to him did often prove effectual. For he understood human nature very well, and how to apply himself to it in the most eafy and effectual ways.

He was a great encourager and kind director of young divines; and one of the most candid hearers of fermons, I think, that ever was: fo that, though all men did mightily reverence his judgment, yet no man had reafon to fear his cenfure. He never fpake well of himfelf, nor ill of others; making good that faying of Panfa in Tully, Neminem alterius, qui fuæ confideret virtuti, invi→ dere; that " no man is apt to envy the worth and vir→ tues of another, that hath any of his own to trust ❝ to."

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In a word, he had all thofe virtues, and in a high degree, which an excellent temper, great confideration,

long

long care and watchfulness over himself, together with the affiftance of God's grace, (which he continually implored, and mightily relied upon), are apt to produce. Particularly, he excelled in the virtues of converfation, humanity, and gentleness, and humility; a prudent, and peaceable, and reconciling temper. And God knows," we could very ill at this time have fpared fuch a man; and have loft from among us as it were fo much balm for the healing of the nation, which is now fo miferably rent and torn by thofe wounds which we madly give ourfelves. But fince God hath thought good to deprive us of him, let his virtues live in our memory, and his example in our lives. Let us endeavour to be what he was, and we shall one day be what he now is, of bles fed memory on earth, and happy for ever in heaven.

And now methinks the confideration of the argument I have been upon, and of that great example that is before us, fhould raise our minds above this world, and fix them upon the glory and happiness of the other. Let us then begin heaven here, in the frame and temper of our minds; in our heavenly affections and converfation; in a due preparation for, and in earneft defires and breathings after that blessed state which we firmly believe and affuredly hope to be one day poffeffed of; when we fhall be removed out of this fink of fin and forrows into the regions of blifs and immortality; where we shall meet all those worthy and excellent perfons who are gone before us, and whofe converfation was fo delightful to us in this world, and will be much more fo to us in the other; when the spirits of just men fhall be made perfect, and fhall be quit of all thofe infirmities which did attend and leffen them in this mortal ftate; when we fhall meet again with our dear brother, and all thofe good men whom we knew in this world, and with the faints and excellent perfons of all ages, to enjoy their bleffed friendfhip and fociety for ever, in the prefence of the blessed God, where is fulness of joy, at whofe right hand are pleafures for evermore.

In a firm perfuafion of this happy ftate, let us, every one of us, fay with David, and with the fame ardency of affection that he did, As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my foul after thee, O God. My foul

thirfteth

thirfteth for God, for the living God: O when fhall I come and appear before God? that fo the life which we now live in this world, may be a patient continuance in welldoing, in a joyful expectation of the blessed hope, and the. glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever.

Now the God of peace who brought again from the dead sur Lord Jefus Chrift, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us per fect in every good work to do his will; working in us always that which is well-pleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift. To whom be glory for ever. Amen.

SERMON

XXV.

A perfuafive to frequent communion.

I COR. xi. 26. 27. 28.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, je do fhew the Lord's death till he come.

Wherefore, whofoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him cat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

M

Y defign in this argument is, from the confide

ration of the nature of this facrament of the Lord's fupper, and of the perpetual use of it to the end of the world, to awaken men to a fenfe of their duty, and the great obligation that lies upon them to the more frequent receiving of it. And there is the greater need to make men fenfible of their duty in this particular, because, in this laft age, by the unwary difcourfe of fame concerning the nature of this facrament, and the danger

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