them the occafion. And when one of the company had told him, He had difparaged himself by fo dirty an employ his answer was, That the thought of what he had done would prove mufic to him at midnight; and that the omiffion of it would have upbraided and made difcord in his confcience, whenfoever he should pass by that place; for if I be bound to pray for all that be in diftrefs, I am fure I am bound fo far as it is in my power to practice what I pray for: And though I do not wifh for the like occafion every day, yet let me tell you, I would not willingly pass one day of my life without comforting a fad foul, or fhewing mercy; and I praife GOD for this occafion: And now let's tune our inftruments.

Thus did Mr. HERBERT daily take every fair occafion to inftruct the ignorant, or comfort the afflicted, and always confirmed his precepts by fhewing humility and mercy, and miniftering grace to the hearers.

His liberality and bounty to the poor was very great; and he was happy in having a charitably difpofed woman to his wife, whom he made his almoner, and paid into her hands conftantly a tenth part of his ecclefiaftical revenue, to be by her given to the poor; but this did not leffen his own charities, to which indeed he fet no limits, for he never turned his face from any he faw in want, as he often went to the mean habitations of his poor neighbours, he informed himself perfonally of their wants, and relieved them cheerfully if they were in diftrefs, and would always praife the GOD of all grace who had made him as willing as able to do it.-When he was advised by a friend to be more frugal on the probability of his having children of his own to provide for; his anfwer was "I will not fee the danger of want fo far off, but because the Scriptures do fo commend Charity, as to tell us, that Charity is the top of Chriftian virtues, the covering of fins, the fulfilling of the Law, the life of Faith: and that Charity hath a promife of the blefling of this life, and of a reward in that life which is to come; because these, and more excellent things are

in the Scriptures fpoken of thee, O Charity; and that all my tithes, and church-dues are a deodate from thee, O my God! Make me, O my Gon, fo far to trult thy promise as to return them back to thee; and by thy grace I will do fo, in diftributing them to any of thy poor members that are in diftrefs, or do but bear the image of Jefus my Mafter. Sir, (faid he to his friend) my wife hath a competent maintenance fecured her after my death, and therefore as this is my prayer, fo this my refolution fhall by God's grace be unalterable."

This is a flight fketch of the active part of his life, in which he continued exercifing himself to godliness till a confumption fo weakened him as to confine him to his houfe, or to the chapel, which almoft joins it, in which he continued to read prayers conftantly twice every day, though he was very weak; in one of which times of his reading, his wife obferved him to read in pain, and told him fo, and that it wafted his fpirits, and weakened him; and he confeffed it, but faid, his life could not be better spent than in the fervice of his Mafter Jefus, who had done and fuffered fo much for him. But, faid he, I will not be wilful, for though my fpirit be willing yet my flefh is weak; and, therefore, Mr. Boftock fhall be appointed to read prayers for me tomorrow, and I will now be only a hearer of them, till this mortal fhall put on immortality.

To a pious clergyman who had called on him, when parting, he faid, "Sir, I pray give my brother Farrer an account of the decaying condition of my body, and tell him, I beg him to continue his daily prayers for me: and let him know, that I have confidered, That Gop only is what he would be, and that I am by his grace become now fo like him, as to be pleafed with what pleaseth him, and tell him, that I do not repine, but am pleafed with my want of health; and tell him, my heart is fixed on that place where true joy is only to be found; and that long to be there, and do wait for

my appointed change with hope and patience." Having faid this, he did with so sweet a humility as feemed to exalt him, bow down to Mr. Duncan, and with a thoughtful and contented look say to him, "Sir, I pray deliver this little book to my dear brother Farrer, and tell him, he fhall find in it a picture of the many fpiritual conflicts that have past betwixt GoD and my foul, before I could fubject mine to the will of Jefus my Master in whofe fervice I have now found perfect freedom; defire him to read it: and then, if he can think it may turn to the advantage of any dejected poor foul, let it be made public: if not, let him burn it: for I and it are less than the least of God's mercies." Thus meanly did this humble man think of this excellent Book, which now bears the name of The TEMPLE: or, Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations; of which Mr. Farrer would fay," There was in it the Picture of a divine foul in every page; and that the whole book was fuch an harmony of holy paffions, as would enrich the world with pleasure and piety." And it appears to have done fo: for there have been more than twenty thousand of them fold fince the first impreffion

When Mr. Farrer fent this Book to Cambridge to be licenfed for the prefs, the Vice-Chancellor would by no means allow the two fo much noted verses,

Religion fands a tip-toe in our land,

Ready to pass to the American Strand

11

to be printed; and Mr. Farrer would by no means allow the Book to be printed, and want them: But, after fome time, and fome arguments for and against their being made public, the Vice-Chancellor faid," I knew MI. HERBERT well, and know that he had many heavenly fpeculations, and was a Divine Poet; but I hope the world will not take him to be an infpired Prophet, and therefore I license the whole Book :" So that it came to be printed, without the diminution or addi

tion of a fyllable, fince it was delivered into the hands of Mr. Duncan.

To his friends he would often say, "I now look back upon the pleasures of my life paft, and fee the content I have taken in beauty, in wit, in music, and pleafant converfation, are Snow all paft by me, like a dream, or as a shadow that returns not, and are now all become dead to me, or Ito them; and I fee that as my father and generation hath done before me, 'fo I alfo fhall now fuddenly with Job) make my bed alfo in the dark; and I praife God I am prepared for it; and I praise him, that I am not to learn patience, now I ftand in fuch need of it; and that I have practifed mortification, and endeavoured to die daily, that I might not die eternally; and my hope is, that I fall fhortly leave this valley of tears, and be free from all fevers and Spain: and which will be a more happy condition, I shall be free from sin, and all the temptations and anxieties that attend it; and this being paft, Ifhall dwell in the New Jerufalem, dwell there with men made perfect, dwell where thefe eyes Thall fee my Mafter and Saviour Jefus; and with him fee my dear Mother, and all my relations and friends:- But I mult die, or not come to that happy place: and this is my content, that I am going daily towards it, and that every day which I have lived hath taken a part of my appointed time from me, and that I fhall live the lefs time, for having lived this and the day past." These and the like expreffions, which he uttered :dften, may be faid to be his enjoyment of heaven, defore he enjoyed it. The Sunday before shis death, he rrofe fuddenly from his bed or couch, called for one of his inftruments, took it into his hand, land faidMy GOD, my GOD,

.1 (.

My mufic fhall find thee,
And every string

Shall have his attribute to fing

And having tuned it, he played and fung

The Sundays of man's life,
Threaded together on Time's firing,
Make bracelets, to adorn the wife
Of the eternal glorious King;

On Sundays, Heaven's door ftands ope;.
Bleffings are plentiful and rife;
More plentiful than hope.

Thus he continued meditating, and praying, and rejoicing, till the day of his death; and on that day faid. to Mr. Woodhot," My dear friend, I am forry I have nothing to prefent to my merciful Gon but fin and mifery; but the first is pardoned; and a few hours will now put a period to the latter; for I fhall fuddenly go hence and be no more feen." Upon which expreffion, Mr. Woodnot took occafion to remember him of the re-edifying Layton Church, and his many acts of mercy; to which he made anfwer, faying, "They be good works, if they be fprinkled with the blood of Chrift, and not otherwife." After this difcourfe he be came more reftlefs, and his foul feemed to be weary of her earthly tabernacle; and this uneafinefs became for visible, that his wife, his three nieces, and Mr. Wood not, flood constantly about his bed, beholding him with. forrow, and an unwillingness to lose the fight of him whom they could not hope to fee much longer.As they flood thus beholding him, his wife obferved him to breathe faintly, and with much trouble, and observed him to fall into a fudden agony; which fo furprised her, that she fell into a fudden paffion, and required of him to know, how he did? To which his answer was, “That he had past a conflict with his last enemy, and