ended, he fpake to this purpose: "I have now to the great joy of my foul "tafted of the all-faving facrifice of my Saviour's death and paffion; and "with it received a fpiritual affurance that my fins paft are pardoned, "and my God at peace with me: and that I fhall never have a will or power to do any thing that may feparate my foul from the love of my "dear Saviour. Lord confirm this belief in me; and make me still to re"member that it was thou, O God, that tookeft me out of my mother's "womb, and haft been the powerful Protector of me to this prefent mo"ment of my life: thou haft neither forfaken me now I am become grey

66

headed, nor fuffered me to forfake thee in the late days of temptation, "and facrifice my confcience for the prefervation of my liberty or eftate. "It was not of myself but by grace that I have ftood, when others have "fallen under my trials; and these mercies I now remember with joy and "thankfulness; and my hope and defire is, that I may die remembering this, "and praifing thee, my merciful God."—The frequent repetition of the Pfalms of David hath been noted to be a great part of the devotion of the pri mitive Chriftians: The Pfalms having in them, not only prayers and holy inflructions, but fuch commemorations of God's mercies, as may preferve, comfort, and confirm our dependence on the power, and providence, and mercy of our Creator. And this is mentioned in order to telling, that as the holy Pfalmist faid, that "his eyes fhould prevent both the dawning of the day and the "night-watches, by meditating on God's word;"-fo it was Dr. Sanderfon's conftant practice every morning to entertain his first waking thoughts with a repetition of those very pfalms that the Church hath appointed to be constantly read in the daily morning-fervice; and having at night laid him in his bed, he as conftantly clofed his eyes with a repetition of those appointed for the fervice of the evening; remembering and repeating the very pfalms appointed for every day; and as the month had formerly ended. and began again, fo did this exercise of his devotion. And if the first-fruits

of

dict this report, Mr. Pullin, his household chaplain, published a fermon, preached at a vifitation holden at Grantham, Oct. 8, 1641, the laft fermon that Dr. Sanderfon wrote with his own hand. This fermon was printed in 1681, with all his other fermons, in one volume folio.

of his waking thoughts were of the world, or what concerned it; he would arraign and condemn himself for it. Thus he began that work on earth which is now the employment of Dr. Hammond and him in heaven.

After his taking his bed, and about a day before his death, he defired his chaplain, Mr. Pullin, to give him abfolution: and at his performing that office, he pulled off his cap, that Mr. Pullin might lay his hand upon his bare head. After this defire of his was fatisfied, his body feemed to be at more ease, and his mind more cheerful; and he said often," Lord, forfake "me not now my ftrength faileth me, but continue thy mercy, and let my "mouth be ever filled with thy praife." He continued the remaining night and day very patient, and thankful for any of the little offices that were performed for his ease and refreshment': and, during that time, did often say to himself the 103d Pfalm; a pfalm that is compofed of praise and confolations, fitted for a dying foul, and fay alfo to himself very often these words, "My heart is fixed O God! my heart is fixed where true joy is to "be found." And now his thoughts feemed to be wholly of death, for which he was fo prepared that that king of terrors could not furprise him as a thief in the night;" for he had often faid, "he was prepared, and "longed for it." And as this defire seemed to come from heaven, so it left him not, till his foul afcended to that region of bleffed fpirits, whofe employments

Thus Dr. Hammond, in his last sickness, did not by peevishness difquiet his attendants; but was pleased with every thing that was done, and liked every thing that was brought.— (Life of Dr. Hammond, p. 227.)-There are three of Archbishop Secker's fermons which I read repeatedly with ferious attention-because they apply to a condition in which the lot of humanity will one day affuredly place me; unless it should please Almighty God to take me out of this world by a fudden death. They are " on the Duties of the Sick," from Ifai. xxxviii. 1, 2. The following paffage relates to our behaviour towards all who are about us in our ficknefs:-"We are strictly bound to fhew them, peculiarly at that time, great humanity and "goodness; not requiring from them more fatiguing and conftant attendance than is fit; "nor more care, skill, and dexterity than is to be expected: recollecting that our illness in"clines us to imagine things amifs in a degree beyond reality, and that others ought not to "fuffer merely because we do: thinking often how disagreeable an office they go through, "and what benefit and comfort we receive from it: begging them to forgive us those hafty "fallies of fretfulness and impatience, that fometimes will escape us; and making them good "amends, in every way that we can, for all the trouble which they take about us." (Secker's Sermons, Vol. III. p. 281.)

ployments arc to join in concert with his, and fing praise and glory to that God, who hath brought him and them into that place," into which fin and "forrow cannot enter"."

Thus this pattern of meeknefs and primitive innocence changed this for a better life-It is now too late to wish that mine may be like his for I am in the eighty-fifth year of my age; and God knows it hath not; but I most humbly befeech Almighty God that my death may: and I do as earnestly beg, that if any reader fhall receive any fatisfaction from this very plain, and as true relation, he will be fo charitable as to fay Amen.

I. W.

BLESSED IS THAT MAN IN WHOSE SPIRIT THERE IS NO GUILE. PSAL. XXXii. 2.

"Thus was he taken away with a happy euthanafia, compofedly, peaceably, and comfortably departing, giving himself to prayer, meditations, and difcourfes, which his own ftrength could bear, full of the grace and peace of God, and confirmed by the abfolution of the church." (Reason and Judgment, &c. p. 43.)

• However diverfified the conditions of men are, there is one common event to all. When the hour of death approaches, the distinctions of worldly pomp are of no avail. At that awful period every confolation will vanish, except that which flows from the consciousness of doing well, and the expectance of another life.The examples recorded in the preceding pages prefent to our view the nobleft of all spectacles-the calm compofure, the pious refignation of good men, who, having finished their earthly course of virtuous conduct, anticipate the bleffedness of the heavenly state, and, full of joyful hope and humble confidence in the merits of a Redeemer, clofe the last scene with dignity and honour.

"Sic mihi contingat vivere, ficque mori!"

THE Letter of Dr. Barlow, Bishop of Lincoln, mentioned in page 482, is inferted in the Life of Mr. Ifaac Walton, prefixed to this work.

APPENDIX.

THE WORKS OF DR. ROBERT SANDERSON.

I. "LOGICE ARTIS COMPENDIUM. Oxon. 1615."-8vo.

II. "PHYSICE SCIENTIAE COMPENDIUM, a ROBERTO SANDERSON, Coll. Lincoln. in almâ Oxonienfi olim focio, &c. ante multos annos Lucis ufuræ deftinatum, nunc vero ex authentico Manufcripto primo Impreffum. Oxoniæ, 1671.”

III. SERMONS. "Dr. Sanderfon's XII. Sermons, 1632." 4to.-" Dr. Sanderson's Sermons, (including the twelve before printed) 1664." Folio." Ditto, with his Life by Ifaac Walton, 1689." Folio.

IV. "NINE CASES of CONSCIENCE DETERMINED, 1678, 1685." 8vo.-Several of thefe were printed feparately. Two in 1658 (not in 1628, as Wood afferts). Three more in 1667. Another in 1674, and one in 1678.

The laft of thefe Nine Cafes is "Of the Ufe of the Liturgy;" the very fame tract which was publifhed by Ifaac Walton in his "Life of Dr. Sanderfon, 1678," under the title of "Bithop Sanderfon's Judgment concerning Submiflion to Ufurpers." In this tract is given a full account of the manner in which Dr. Sanderfon conducted himself, in performing the fervice of the church, in the times of the Ufurpation.

V. "DE JURAMENTI PROMISSORII OBLIGATIONE PRÆLECTIONES SEPTEM: HABITÆ in SCHOLA THEOLOGICA OXONII, Termino Michaelis, anno Dom. MDCXLVI. a ROBERTO SANDERSON. Præmifsà Oratione ab eodem habità cum publicam Profeffionem aufpicaretur, 26 October, 1646. Lond. 1647."

Thefe Lectures were tranflated into the English language by Charles I. during his confinement in the Ifle of Wight, and printed at London, in 1655.-8vo.

VI. "DE OBLIGATIONE CONSCIENTIÆ PRÆLECTIONES DECEM OXONII in SCHOLA THEOLOGICÂ HABITÆ, anno Dom. MDCXLVII. An English translation of the "Prelections on the Nature and Obligation of Promiffory Oaths and of Confcience" was published in 3 vol. 8vo, Londen, 1722.

VII. "CENSURE of Mr. ANTON. ASCHAM his BOOK of the CONFUSIONS and REVOLUTIONS of GOVERNMENT. London, 1649."-8vo. Of Anthony Afcham, who was appointed by the Rump Parliament their agent, or refident in the Court of Spain, in 1649, and who was killed in his apartments, at Madrid, by fome English Royalifts, feet "Wood's Ath. Ox." Vol. II. col. 385. .