ed in his Gift, he went and preached to the People, and gave out good Rules in his Vifitation, for the good of the Souls in the Peculiar under his Jurifdiction. In this Journey of his, he happened to meet with the Leffee of the Corps, from whom alone he might expect a Fine: Inftead of minding his own Gain, and addreffing to the Leffee with Art and complaifance, in order to make a worldly Advantage, he plainly reproved the Leffee of Immorality; which others were prone enough to fpread abroad, but, perhaps, no other had the Courage to reprove: He chofe rather to lose his Fine, (as he did) than omit his Duty.

Upon this Occafion, I cannot but add, that he had, in great Measure, the Spirit and Courage of John the Baptift: He durft reprove a great Man; and perhaps that Man lived not, that was more confcientious in this matter. I very well knew a great Man, and Peer of the Realm, from whom he had juft Expectations of Preferment; but this was fo far from stopping his Mouth, that he reproved him to his Face, and that too in a matter that few Men befides would have adventured on: He miffed of his Preferment indeed, but faved his own Sout He could not fawn or flatter, cringe and comply, for his own Gain and worldly Advantage.

Upon this Confideration, his Acquaintance and Friendship were very defirable by every good Man, that would be better: He would in him be very fure of a Friend, that would not fuffer Sin upon him. I may fay of him, what Pliny fays *Plin. 1. 2 Ep. 12. of Corellins Rufus, whofe Death he laments, A

*

mifi vita mea teftem, &c. I have loft a faithful Witness of my Life; and may add, what he faid, upon that Occafion, to his Friend Calvifus, Vereor ne negligentius vivam, i. e. I am afraid, fays he left for the time to come I should live more carelessly. Certain I am, that his Friends and Familiars have a great Lofs upon this AcCount; they have loft a great Pattern of Vert tue, and a very faithful Monitor and Repro ver of Vice and Felly."

A faithful Reprover is a very great Help in our Christian Courfe; he is to be valued above the greatest Treasure. He that would be safe, (fays one of the Ancients) must have a faithful Friend, or a bitter Enemy, that he may fly from Vice by the Monitions of the one, or Invectives of the other; we need one of these to fet us right. We read, that the Grandees of Fapan, do each of them maintain, in their feveral Houses, one or two Perfons, whofe Of fice and Business is to obferve the A&ions of their Masters, and freely to admonish them when they do any thing impru dently or wickedly 'Tis wor‐ 1 thy of our Imitation, and highJy expedient. Great Men are followed and corrupted by Flatterers; they have but few Friends, who have Courage and Honesty e nough to tell them of their Faults.

*Varen. De feript Japan.

RUD CZOW

But this may be thought too great a Digreffion; therefore return to give a farther Account of this excellent Man He was now in better Circumftances, as to the World, than he had been, but not lefs diligent and labori bus: He went on in his Mafter's Work with

moft

+The learned W.Sclater we'd to call this Diftemper, to which be bimself was much fubject, Studioforum flagellum.

most unwearied Labour, and fpent his whole Time. and Strength in it, and it was his Delight and his Choice. Indeed, those who were about him, thought he did more than he was able long to bear. He grew, foon after this, very infirm and fickly: He fell into dangerous Fits of the Stone †, made very little, and He walked with diffithat a bloody Water. culty, and could hardly bear a Coach. I have often told him, that he could not long continue under the Labour which he underwent; and I plainly faw that he declin'd, and would do fo more and more, unless he did remit his very great Labours. I convinc'd him abundantly of the Truth of what I obferv'd of him, he was fenfible of it, and feem'd very inclinable to retire from the multiplicity of Bufinefs, with which he was almoft o'erwhelm'd. He went on in his accustomed Labours to Chriftmafs, 1696, then his Work increafed upon him; and whereas other Mens Labours are then intermitted, his were augmented, for at that Time he had more frequent Communions, besides an incredible Number of Applications from poor People, who then expect Relief and Affiftance, which gave him great Diverfion and Trouble; he nevertheless went through all this Labour and Trouble, with as great Chearfulness as was poffible: But, not long after, I found a plain Alteration in him for the worfe. On the 23d of January, I was much concern'd for him; he was to preach the next Day at the Savoy, and

I was of Opinion, that it was not safe for him to do it. I was very earneft with him to spare himself that Day, but could not prevail. He preached there, and it was the last Sermon that he preached. In the Evening I found him, (to my great Sorrow) in great Disorder; from that Time his Illnefs increased upon him; his Urine upon the Matter totally stopt; he was in Pain, and greatly indifpofed all that Week, and yet, when I ask'd him, (which 1 frequently did) if he were not in great Pain, all the Anfwer that I could get from him was, that the Pain he felt was tolerable. There was nothing wanting that could be thought of towards giving him Eafe; the ablest Physicians were confulted, and they confulted and advifed upon his Cafe, and attended him with great Diligence and Tendernefs, but without Succefs. On Sunday Morning, January the 31st, he was worse than ever he had been, infomuch that thofe about him thought him dying about Eleven in the Morning: I was then at Weftminfter-Abby, and was fent for out of the Church to pray with him: I found him very fenfible: I asked him, if he were fenfible that he was dying, he replied, that he was: I asked him if he were alfo refigned, and willing to die; he replied, very readily, that he was willing to die, I asked him, if he had confidered the Words, Heb. II. 14, 153 whether or not he found himself delivered from all the lavish Fear of Death; he replied very quick, looking up to Heaven, that he was delivered from that Fear. He was in an excellent Frame, and joined with the Prayers which the Church appoints

a 2

appoints on fuch Occafions, with great Expreffions of Devotion. Sometime after this, I found him delirous, and not long after fpeechlefs. After fome few Hours Groans he expired, viz. at Eight a Clock that Evening, being then about the 56th Year of his Age***

* Before this laft Illness, of which he died, be fell, in the Year 1678) into a long and languishing Sickness, occafioned through bis indefatigable Application to the Duties and Funilions of bis Miniftry; it brought him well nigh to bis Grave: The good Man afcribed his Recovery, under God to the render Care of bis vertuous Wife, with whom he always liv'd in great Concord and Union, and to the Prayers of Pious People, put up to Heaven on his behalf; as appears from fame devout Meditations which he compos'd on that Subject, and which have been found, fince his Deceafe, among his Papers. In Thanksgiving to God for his Prefervation at that Time, which be himself look'd on as next to miraculous, be kept a Day monthly in bis Family ever after, and preach'd yearly a Commomoration14 Sermon to his beloved Congregation at the Savoy, wherein be rehearsed God's Mercies to him, and excited others to hope and truft in bim in the like Extremities. He alfo diftributed Largely to the Poor upon that Day: This was his conftant Meshod, to treasure up God's Providences to him, and to fanctific and improve them, not only to his own use, but to the use and benefit of others.

His Body was opened, and it appear d quickly what was the Caufe of his Death: Both his Ureters were stopped: One of them was topped, as a Bottle with a Cork, with a Stone that entred the Top of the Ureter, with a fharp End, the upper Part of which was thick, and much too big to enter any farther, the other was topped alfo with Stones of much lefs firmnefs and confiftence than the other goo

His Body was interr'd on Feb. 4. in the Abby-Church of Westminster, with with great solent