Innovations of the Roman Church on the one hand, and from Enthufiafm on the other; his Writings are a fufficient Proof of this. I very well know, that when the Church of England. hath been traduced and difparaged, he hath not forborn to make fo vigorous a Defence, that he loft a very Great Man's Friendship by it, and felt the Effects of it afterwards, by the lofs of a confiderable worldly Advantage, which he would otherwife have stood very fair for: He fhewed his Zeal for the Church of England, when he was in greatest Danger from many Enemies, especially from the Church of Rome; at that Time, when fome were fo wicked as to change their Profeffion, and others fo tame as to fit ftill, and not to concern themfelves, when the Enemies were at the Gates; (for there were too many, that profeffed to be Sons of this Church, and do fo ftill, who were over-awed, and durft not appear with that Courage which God, and all good Men, might justly have expected from them) then did this good Man beftir himself, and lifted up, his Voice like a Trumpet, and undauntedly defended the Church, when the most needed it: God be praised, there were others who did fo likewife, with great Vigour and Refolution, and great hazard of their Liberty, and worldly Comforts; and many of these had the hard Hap to be traduced by their lukewarm Brethren, who cry up the Church, as if thefe were not the genuine Sons of this Church: It hath not been for the Advantage of the Church, that thofe Men have been decried, as: not genuine Church-men, who have done her

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the greatest Service; on the other hand, fome vaunt themselves to be fuch, who have never been any Support to their Mother in her greateft Diftrefs: There are fome of thefe, who are like the Images we fee in many Churches, that are fo placed in that bending Pofture, as if they bore upon their Shoulders the Weight of the Building, whereas, in truth, they are only the Fancy of the Architect, and bear no Weight at all. The Doctor believed the Doctrine of the Church, obeyed her Injunctions, and conformed to her Conftitutions: He admonished, and diligently instructed his Charge, kept Multitudes in her Communion, and lived up to her Holy Rules, and was ready to facrifice all that was dear to him in the World, to promote the true Intereft of this Church. He would not indeed take the Cure of Souls, and then put them out to nurse, to fome cheap and negligent Curate; receive the Profits, and leave another Man to take the Pains; he would not take a Vicarage, and fwear Refidence before his Ordinary, and afterwards refufe to refide, on Pretence of fome Priviledge, or exempt Jurifdiction, &c. as very many have done; but a Church-man he was notwithstanding: Indeed, the beft of Men have been mifreprefented; and there are a Number of the most ufelefs Men, that yet in all Places are crying up the Church of England, but have little Regard to her Holy Rules. I knew two Men of the fame Faculty, in the fame Neighbourhood; they were in their Profeffion very eminent; One of these had the Name of a Church of England-Man, the other of a Fanatick, and

yet it is well known, that the first, very rarely, (if at all) came to the Church, or Communion, the other was a great Frequenter of both.

The Doctor was a Man of very good Learning, he had very good Skill in Languages; he had addicted himself to the Arabic from his younger Time, and retained it, in good meafure, to the laft; he had great Skill in the Hebrew likewife, nor was his Skill limited to the Biblical Hebrew only, (in which he was a great Malter) but he was seen in the the Rabbinical alfo; he was a moft diligent Reader of the Holy Scriptures in that Language, in which they were originally written; Sacras literas tractavit indefeo ftudio, this Dr. Spanheim fays of him in his Youth, viz. that he was indefatigable in the Study of the Holy Scriptures; he adds, that he was then one of an elevated Wit, of a Mind that was chearful, and covetous of making fubftantial Proficiency; and alfo that he gave a Specimen of it about the Year 1659, (when he was verype by a publick defending a o the Vow of Jephtah, touching the facrificing his Daughter, this, upon his own requeft and motion, he publick ly defended, with great Prefence of Mind: He had very good Skill in Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, in Controverfial Divinity, and Cafuiftical alfo. Perhaps few Men in his Time, were more frequently applied to with Cafes of ConIcience, than the Doctor was, as he had vaft Numbers of thefe Applications, fo, many Times, the Cafes were very rare, and furpriz ing, and fuch as are but very feldom to be met

with: He would often relate the Cafe to me, and tell me what his Opinion was, and how he delivered it: I do folemnly declare, that I never heard him deliver his Opinion, but I was intirely fatisfied with it; and I did think him as valuable for this Skill, as for any other whatfoever. He was a very conftant Preacher; he was very affectionate and lively in his Preach ing, plain and pathetical; he spake from his own, and pierced the Hearts of his Hearers: I will not, in this Place, fpeak of his Writings, 1 may have occafion to mention them afterwards, I fhall only fay here, that there is a great Strain of Piety and Devotion in them, and they are very inftructive to the well-difpofed Readers. He had great Correfpondencies with learned Men beyond the Seas, and was often vifited by them, and this preferved in him that readiness which he had in speaking The Latin Tongue, with confiderable Eafe and Freedom..

As for his pastoral Care and Diligence he was a great Example; he was a pattern to thofe of the Holy Miniftry, whom they might fecurely follow He well understood not only the Dignity, but the Duty and Charge of his Holy Function; he had a mighty Senfe of the Worth of Souls, and of the great Care that is to be had of them; hence it proceeded, that he was irreconcilable to Pluralities, and NonRefidence, hence it was that he laboured indefatigably Night and Day; hence it was that he was fo very painful a Preacher, fo very hard a Student, hence it was that he was fo very diligent in catechizing the Youth, in vifiting

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the Sick, and in all the Parts of his Holy Office; his Heart was wholly fet upon gaining Souls to God: In this Work he labour'd inceffantly, and those who were thus difpofed among the Clergy, he honoured greatly, and ferved them to his Power; a confiderable Number of fuch Ministers were well known to him, and fome among them, that were not well provided for, thefe, upon Occasion, he recommended to Cures and Employments, as he had Opportu nity offered him, from Perfons of Quality,who did many Times apply to the Doctor on thefe Occafions; and happy were they who took this Courfe, they might fecurely rest upon his Recommendation; no Man was ever more faithful in this Truft, I know not, but I may fay, no Man was more happy than the Doctor in this matter: I have tried him feveral Times, and was not deceived. Had I been Patron of many Livings, I could fecurely have relied up on his Wifdom and Fidelity in difpofing them all: He went by a true Measure; he look'd on a Living, (as we call it) as a Cure, rather than a Benefice; he valued the Flock more than the Fleece, and, confequently, preferred those who did the fame; on this very account, the Death of the Doctor was a Lofs unfpeakable; and I reckon my felf a very great Lofer upon this account: When he was alive, if I wanted a Parish-Minifter, a Curate, a Master of a School, or Chaplain, &c. I was fecure, that by him I might be well fupplied; his Recommendation weighed more with me than many Hands, and Seals, and ample Forms and Teftimonials from great Names and Societies of Men; I well knew

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that