§. XVI. The great duke of Montmorency, colleague to the duke of Orleans, brother to the French king, Lewis the XIIIth, in the war by them agitated against the miniftry of cardinal Richlieu, being taken and convicted at Lyons, a little before his beheading, looking upon himself then very richly attired; Ah! fays he, this becomes not a fervant of the crucified Jefus! What do I with these vanities about me? He was poor, defpifed, and naked, when he went to the crofs to die for my fins:' and immediately he ftripped himself of all his finery, and put a more grave and modest garment on him: a ferious reflection, at a time when he beft knew what was best,

§. XVII. Henry, prince of Wales, eldest fon to king James the First, of whom others fay many excellent things, hear what account he gives of himself at laft: a perfon whom he loved, and that had been the companion of his diverfions, being with him in his ficknefs, and afking him how he did, was, amongst many other fober expreffions, anfwered thus: Ah, Tom! I in vain wifh for that time I loft with thee and others in vain recreations.' So vain were recreations, and fo precious was time to a prince, and no ordinary one neither, upon a dying bed. But why wifhed he, with others, for more time, but that it might be better employed? Thus hath the just principle and holy Spirit of God in men, throughout all generations, convinced them of their vanity and folly upon their dying beds, who before were too en up to mind either a dying bed, or

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ity; but when their days were bered, when mortality hastened on

them, when the revelation of the righteous judgment was at the door, and that all their worldly recreations and enjoyments must be parted with, and that eye for ever shut, and flesh turned to worm's-meat, that took delight therein; then, O then, was it, the holy witnefs had room to plead with confcience: then nothing but an holy, ftrict, and fevere life was valuable; then all the world for a little time, who before had given all their time for a little of a vain world. But if fo fhort a reprefentation of the inconfiftency of the vanities of the world, with the Chriftian life, could make fo deep an impreffion; O! to what a noble ftature, and large proportion, had they been grown in all pious and heavenly knowledge; and how much greater had their rewards been, if they contentedly had forgone those perishing entertainments of the world betimes, and given the exercife of their minds to the tuition and guidance of that univerfal grace and holy Spirit of God, which had fo long fhined in darkness, uncomprehended of it, and was at last but just perceived to give a fight of what they had been doing all their days.

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§. XVIII. Philip III. king of Spain, feriously reflecting upon the life he had led in the world, cried out upon his death bed, Ah! how happy were I, had I fpent these twentythree years that I have held my kingdom, in a retirement.' Crying out to his confeffor, My concern is for my foul, not my body. I lay all that God has given me, my dominion, power, and my life, at the feet of Jefus Chrift

my Saviour.'

well as die fo.

Would kings would live, as

§. XIX. Count Gondamor, ambaffador in England for that very king, and held the ableft man of his time, who took great freedom as to his religion in his politics, ferving his ends by thofe ways that would beft accomplish them. When towards his latter end, he grew very thoughtful of his paft life, and after all his negociations and fucceffes in bufinefs, faid to one of his friends, I fear nothing in the world more than fin; often profeffing, he had rather endure hell than fin: fo clear and strong were his convictions, and fo exceeding finful did fin appear to him, upon a ferious confideration of his ways.

§. XX. Cardinal Richlieu, after having been firft minister of state of Europe, as well as of France, confeffed to old Peter de Moulin, the famous Proteftant of that country, that being forced upon many irregularities by that which they call reafon of ftate, he could not tell how to fatisfy his confcience for feveral things, and therefore had many temptations to doubt and difbelieve a God, another world, and the immortality of the foul, and thereby to relieve his mind from any difquiet, but in vain: fo ftrong, he faid, was the notion of God on his foul, fo clear the impreffion of him upon the frame of the world, fo unanimous the confent of mankind, fo powerful the convictions of his own confcience, that he could not but taste the power of the world to come, and fo live as one that muft die, and fo die as one that must live r ever. And being asked one day why he

was fo fad; anfwered, Monfieur, Monfieur, the foul is a serious thing; it must be either fad here for a moment, or be fad for ever.'

§. XXI. Cardinal Mazarine, reputed the cunningest statesman of his time, and who gave great proofs of it in the fucceffes of the French crown, under his miniftry: his aim was the grandeur of the world, to which he made all other confiderations fubmit: but poor man! he was of another mind a little before his death: for being awakened by the fmart lashes of confcience, which reprefented his foul's condition very difmal, with astonishment and tears he cried out, O my poor foul, what will become of thee! Whither wilt thou go?' And fpake one day thus to the queen mother of France, Madam, your favours have undone me were I to live again, I would be a capuchin, rather than a courtier.'

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§. XXII. Count Oxenstiern, chancellor of Sweden, a perfon of the first quality, ftation, and ability, in his own country, and whofe fhare and fuccefs, not only in the chief miniftry of affairs in that kingdom, but in the greatest negociations of Europe, during his time, made him no lefs confiderable abroad. After all his knowledge and honour, being vifited in his retreat from public bufinefs, by commiffioner Whitlock, ambaffador from England to queen: Christiana, in the conclufion of their discourse, he faid to the ambaffador, I have seen much,. and enjoyed much of this world, but I never knew how to live till now. I thank my good God that has given me time to know him, and

to know myself. All the comfort I have, and all the comfort I take, and which is more than the whole world can give, is feeling the good Spirit of God in my heart, and reading in this good book,' holding up the bible, that came from it.' And further addreffed himself thus to the ambaffador: You are now in the prime of your age and vigour, and in great favour and bufinefs; but this will all leave you, and you will one day better understand and relifh what I fay to you; and then you will find that there is more wisdom, truth, comfort, and pleasure, in retiring and turning your heart from the world, to the good Spirit of God, and in reading the bible, than in all the courts and favours of princes.' This I had, as near as I am able to remember, from the ambaffador's own mouth, more than once. A very edifying history, when we confider from whom it came; one of the greatest and wifeft men of his age, while his understanding was as found and vigorous, as his experience and knowledge were great.

§. XXIII. Dr. Donne, a great poet, taking his farewell of his friends on his dying bed, left this faying behind him, for them to measure their fancies and their actions by: 'I repent of all my life but that part of it I spent in communion with God, and doing good.'

§. XXIV. Selden, one of the greatest scho. lars and antiquaries of his time: one who had taken a diligent furvey of what knowledge was confiderable amongst the Jews, Heathens, and Christians; at laft profeffeth this toward the end of his days, in his conference with bishop