more peculiar virtues of conversation, in modefty, bumility, meeknefs, chearfulness, and in kindness and charity towards all men So great was his modefty, that it never appeared either by word or action, that he put any value upon himself. This I have often obferved in him, that the charities which were procured chiefly by his application and industry, when he had occafion to give an account of them, he would rather impute to any one who had but the leaft hand, and part in the obtaining of them, than affume any thing of it to himself. Another inftance of his modefty was, that when he had quitted his living of St. Sepulchre's, upon fome diffatisfaction about the terms of conformity, he willingly forbore preaching, faying, "There was no need of him here in London, where there were fo many worthy minifters; and that he thought he might do as much, or more good, in another way, which could give no offence." Only in the latter years of his life, being better satisfied in fome things he had doubted of before, he had licence from fome of the bishops to preach in Wales in his progrefs; which he was the more willing to do, because in fome places, he faw great need of it; and he thought he might do it with greater advantage, among the poor people, who were the more likely to regard his inftructions, being recommended by his great charity, fo well known to them, and of which they had fo long had the experience and benefit. But where there was no fuch need, he was very well contented to hear others perfuade men to goodnels, and to practice it himself.

He was cloathed with humility, and had in a moft eminent degree, that ornament of a meek and quiet fpirit, which St. Peter fays, is in the fight of GOD of fo great price: So that there was not the leaft appearance either of pride or paffion in any of his words or actions. He was not only free from anger and bitterness, but from all affected gravity and moroseness. His converfation was affable and pleafant; he had a wonderful ferenity of mind, and evenness of temper, vifible in his very countenance; he was hardly ever merry, but never melancholy and fad; and for any thing I could difcern, after a long and intimate acquaintance with him, he was, upon all occafions and accidents, perpetually the fame; always chearful, and always kind; of a difpofition ready to embrace and oblige all men; allowing others to differ from him, even in opinions that were very dear to him; and provided men did but fear GOD and work righteousness, he loved them heartily, how diftant foever

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from him in judgement about things lefs neceffary: In all which, he is very worthy to be a pattern to men of all perfuafions whatfoever. But that virtue, which of all other fhone brightest in him, and was his moft proper and peculiar character, was his chearful and unwearied diligence in acts of pious charity. In this he left far be hind him all that ever I knew, and, as I faid before, had a fingular fagacity and prudence, in devising the moit effectual ways of doing good, and in managing and dif pofing his charity to the best purposes, and to the greatest extent; always, if it were poffible, making it to serve fome end of piety and religion; as the inftruction of poor children in the principles of religion, and furnishing grown perfons that were ignorant, with the Bible and other good books; ftrictly obliging those to whom he gave them, to a diligent reading of them, and when he had opportunity, exacting of them an account how they had profited by them.'

In his occafional alms to the poor, in which he was very free and bountiful, the relief he gave them, was always mingled with good counfel, and as great a tendernefs and compaffion for their fouls as bodies; which very often attained the good effect it was likely to have, the one making way for the other, with fo much advantage, and men being very apt to follow the good advice of thofe who give them in hand fo fenfible a pledge and testimony of their good will to them. This kind of charity mult needs be very expensive to him; but he had a plentiful eftate fettled upon him, and left him by his father; and he laid it out as liberally, in the most prudent and effectual ways of charity he could think of, and upon fuch perfons, as, all circumftances confidered, he judged to be the fittest and most proper objects of it. For about nine or ten years laft paft, he did, as is well known to many here prefent, almost wholly apply his charity to Wales, because there he judged was most occafion for it: And because this was a very great work, he did not only lay out upon it, whatever he could fpare out of his own eftate, but employed his whole time and pains, to excite and engage the charity of others for his affiftance in it. And in this, he had two excellent defigns: One, to have poor children brought up to read and write, and to be carefully instructed in the principles of religion: The other, to furnifh perfons of grown age, the poor efpecially, with the neceffary helps and means of knowledge, as the Bible, and other books of piety and devotion, in

their own language; to which end he procured the churchcatechifm, befides feveral other useful treatises, fome of them to be tranflated into the Welch tongue, and great numbers of all them to be printed, and fent down to the chief towns in Wales, to be fold at eafy rates, to those that were able to buy them, and to be freely given, to those that were not.'

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And in both thefe defigns, through the bleffing of GOD, upon his unwearied endeavors, he found very great fuccefs. For by the large and bountiful contribu tions, which chiefly by his induftry and prudent applica tion, were obtained from charitable perfons, of all ranks and conditions; from the nobility and gentry of Wales, and the neighbouring counties, and several of that quality in and about London; from divers of the right reverend bishops, and of the clergy; and from that perpetual fountain of charity the city of London, led on, and encouraged by the most bountiful example of the right honourable the lord mayor, and the court of aldermen; to all which he conftantly added two thirds of his own eftate, which, as I have been credibly informed, was two hundred pounds a year I fay, by all these together, there were every year eight hundred, fometimes a thoufand poor children educated, as I faid before; and by this example, several of the most confiderable towns of Wales, were excited to bring-up, at their own charge, the like number of poor children, in the like manner, and under his inspection and care. He likewife gave very great numbers of the books above-mentioned, both in the Welch and Englifb tongues, to the poorer fort; fo many as were unable to buy them, and willing to read them. But which was the greatest work of all, and amounted indeed to a mighty charge, he procured a new and very fair impreffion of the Bible and liturgy of the church of England in the Welch tongue, the former impreffion being pent, and hardly twenty of them to be had in all London, to the number of eight thousand; one thousand whereof were freely given to the poor, and the reft fent to the principal cities and towns in Wales, to be fold to the rich, at very reasonable and low rates, viz. at four fhillings a piece, well bound and clafped; which was much cheaper than any English Bible was ever fold, that was of fo fair a print and paper: A work of that charge, that it was not likely to have been done any other way; and for which this age, and perhaps the next, will have great cause to thank GOD on his behalf.

In thefe good works, he employed all his time, and care and pains, and his whole heart was in them; so that he was very little affected with any thing else; and feldom either minded, or knew any thing of the ftrange occurrences of this troublesome and bufy age, fuch as I think are hardly to be parralleled in any other: Or if he did mind them, he fcarce ever spoke any thing about them. For this was the bufinefs he laid to heart, and knowing it to be fo much, and fo certainly the will of his heavenly Father, it was his meat and drink to be doing of it: And the good fuccefs he had in it, was a continual feaft to him, and gave him a perpetual ferenity, both of mind and countenance. His great love and zeal for this work, made all the pains and difficulties of it feem nothing to him: He would rife early, and fit up late, and continued the fame diligence and induftry to the laft, though he was in the threefcore and seventeenth year of his age. And that he might manage the diftribution of this great charity with his own hands, and fee the good effect of it with his own eyes, he always once, but ufually twice a year, at his own charge, travelled over a great part of Wales, none of the best countries to travel in: But for the love of GOD and men, he endured all that, together with the extremity of heat and cold, which, in their feveral feafons are both very great there, not only with patience, but with pleasure. So that all things confidered, there have not, fince the primitive times of chriftianity, been many among the fons of men, to whom that glorious character of the Son of GOD, might be better applied, that he went about doing good.

For feveral years before he died, without any other confideration but that of charity, he employed his conftant pains in catechifing the poor children of the hospital of Chrift-church in London; wifely confidering of how great confequence it was to this city, to have the foundations of religion well laid in the tender years of fo many perfons as were afterwards to be planted there in several profeffions; and from a true humility of mind, being ready to ftoop to the meaneft office and fervice to do good. I have often heard (adds the Archbishop) from an intimate friend of his that he would fometimes with great pleasure fay, "That he had two livings which he would not exchange for two of the greatest in England," meaning Wales and Chrift's-hofpital: Contrary to common account, he esteemed every advantage of being ufeful and ferviceable to GOD and men a rich benefice, and thofe his

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beft patrons and benefactors, not who did him good, but who gave him the opportunity and means of doing it. I will add but one thing more, concerning our deceased brother; that though he meddled not at all in our present heats and differences as a party, having much better things to mind; yet, as a looker on, he did very fadly lament them; and for several of the last years of his life, he continued in the communion of our church, and, as he himself told me, thought himself obliged in confcience fo to do. It so pleased GOD, that his death was very fudden; and fo fudden, that, in all probability, he himself hardly perceived it, when it happened; for he died in his fleep; fo that we may fay of him, as it is faid of David, -after he had ferved his generation, according to the will of GOD, he fell asleep.'

He died October 29, 1681, in the feventy-feventh year of his age, and was buried at St. Anne's, Black-friars; where at a little distance from the vault, by the schoolhoufe door, (founded by Mr. Joyce, and by his confent), is erected a large marble pilafter, on which is the following infcription; and which, but through mistake, should have been fubjoined to the life of Dr. William Gouge.

"Near this marble in the place which before the fire of "London was the porch of the church of St. Anne, "Black-friars, lie interred the bodies of

"Dr. William Gouge, minifter of this parifh 46 years, "who died December 12, 1653, aged 79.

"Mr. Thomas Gouge, eldeft fon of the faid Doctor, "fome time minifter of St. Sepulchre's church, who died "October 29, 1681, aged 77.

"With Anne Gouge his wife who died December 3, "1671, aged 55.

"William Gouge Efq. eldeft fon of the faid Mr. Thomas "Gouge, who died October 13, 1706, aged 64.

"This monument was erected by Mrs. Meliora "Preftley only child of the faid William Gouge Efq. and wife of William Preffley of Wild-Hill, in the "county of Hertford, Efq. in pious memory of her dear father and worthy ancestors.'

The Reader will recollect, concerning this highly favored parish, that not many years before Dr. William Gouge was its excellent paftor. The prefent time, through GOD's great goodnefs, will be no lefs memorable, than any which hath paffed over it, for both the ability and fuccefs with which the gospel hath been delivered in this VOL. III.

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