what is barely human, namely, the Spirit of truth and goodness; which does
really, though secretly, prevent and direct them. Any man that sincerely
and truly fears Almighty God, and calls and relies upon him for his
direction, has it as really as a son has the counsel and direction of his
father; and though the voice be not audible, nor discernible by sense, yet
it is equally as real as if a man heard a voice, saying, ‘This is the way;
walk in it.’ ”
“Though this secret direction of Almighty God is principally seen in
matters relating to the good of the soul, yet, even in the concerns of
this life, a good man fearing God, and begging his direction, will very
often, if not at all times, find it. I can call my own experience to
witness, that even in the temporal affairs of my whole life, I have never
been disappointed of the best direction, when I have, in humility and
sincerity, implored it.
“The observance of the secret admonition of this Spirit of God in the
heart, is an effectual means to cleanse and sanctify us; and the more it
is attended to, the more it will be conversant with our souls, for our
instruction. In the midst of difficulties, it will be our counsellor; in
the midst of temptations, it will be our strength, and grace sufficient
for us; in the midst of troubles, it will be our light and our comforter.”
Chief Justice Hale died on the twenty-fifth of December, 1676.
Princess Elizabeth.
Princess of the Rhine, born in the year 1620. She was the eldest daughter
of Frederick V., elector palatine and king of Bohemia, by Anne, daughter
of James I., king of England. This excellent princess possessed only a
small territory; but she governed it with great judgment and attention to
the happiness of her subjects. She made it a rule to hear, one day in the
week, all such causes as were brought before her. On these occasions, her
wisdom, justice, and moderation, were very conspicuous. She frequently
remitted forfeitures, in cases where the parties were poor, or in any
respect worthy of favor. It was remarkable that she often introduced
religious considerations as motives to persuade the contending parties to
harmony and peace. She was greatly beloved and respected by her subjects,
and also by many persons of learning and virtue not resident in her
dominions; for she patronized men of this character, whatever might be
their country or religious profession.
In the year 1677, the famous William Penn paid her a visit, and was
treated by her with great respect. The following account of her is taken
from his works:—
“The meekness and humility of the princess appeared to me
extraordinary: she did not consider the quality, but the merit, of
the people she entertained. Did she hear of a retired man, seeking
after the knowledge of a better world, she was sure to set him
down in the catalogue of her charity, if he wanted it. I have
casually seen, I believe, fifty tokens of her benevolence, sealed
and directed to the several poor subjects of her bounty, whose
distance prevented them from being personally known to her. Thus,
though she kept no sumptuous table in her own court, she spread
the tables of the poor in their solitary cells; breaking bread to
virtuous pilgrims, according to their wants and her ability.
“She was abstemious in her living, and in apparel void of all vain
ornaments. I must needs say, that her mind had a noble prospect:
her eye was to a better and more lasting inheritance, than can be
found below. This made her not overrate the honors of her station,
or the learning of the schools, of which she was an excellent
judge. Being once at Hamburgh, a religious person, whom she went
to see for religion’s sake, remarked to her, that ‘it was too
great an honor for him, that a visitant of her quality, who was
allied to so many great kings and princes of this world, should
come under his roof:’ to whom she humbly replied, ‘If they were
religious, as well as great, it would be an honor indeed; but if
you knew what that greatness was, as well as I do, you would value
it less.’
“After a religious meeting which we had in her chamber, she was
much affected, and said, ‘It is a hard thing to be faithful to
what one knows. O, the way is strait! I am afraid I am not weighty
enough in my spirit to walk in it.’
“She once withdrew, on purpose to give her servants, who were
religiously disposed, the liberty of discoursing with us that they
might the more freely put what questions of conscience they
desired to be satisfied in. Sometimes she suffered both them and
the poorest persons of her town to sit by her in her own chamber,
where we had two meetings. I cannot forget her last words, when I
took my leave of her:—‘Let me desire you to remember me, though I
live at so great a distance, and you should never see me more. I
thank you for this good time. Be assured that, though my condition
subjects me to divers temptations, yet my soul has strong desires
after the best things.’
“She lived till the age of sixty years, and then departed at her
house in Herwerden, in the year 1680, as much lamented as she had
been beloved by her people. To her real worth I do, with a
religious gratitude, dedicate this memorial.”
Robert Boyle.
An eminent philosopher, and a truly good man, was the son of Richard, earl
of Cork, and was born at Lismore, in Ireland, in the year 1627. At Eton
School, where he was educated, he soon discovered a force of understanding
which promised great things, and a disposition to improve it to the
utmost. During his education, and before he was ten years old, he was much
afflicted with an ague, which considerably depressed his spirits; and, to
divert his attention, he was persuaded to read Amadis de Gaul, and other
romantic books. But this kind of reading, he says in his memoirs, produced
such restlessness in him, that he was obliged to apply himself to
mathematical studies, in order to fix and settle the volatility of his
fancy. He died in the sixty-fifth year of his age.
He was a man of great learning, and his stock of knowledge was immense.
The celebrated Dr. Boerhaave has passed the following eulogium upon
him:—“Boyle was the ornament of his age and country. Which of his writings
shall I commend? All of them. To him we owe the secrets of fire, air,
water, animals, vegetables, fossils; so that from his works may be deduced
the whole system of natural knowledge.”
He was treated with particular kindness and respect by Charles II., as
well as by the two great ministers Southampton and Clarendon. By the
latter he was solicited to enter into orders; for his distinguished
learning and unblemished reputation induced Lord Clarendon to think that
so very respectable a personage would do great honor to the clergy. Boyle
considered the proposal with due attention. He reflected that, in his
present situation of life, whatever he wrote with respect to religion,
would have greater weight, as coming from a layman; for he well knew that
the irreligious fortified themselves against all that the clergy could
offer, by supposing and saying that it was their trade, and that they were
paid for it. He considered, likewise, that, in point of fortune and
character, he needed no accessions; and, indeed, his desire for these was
always very limited. But Bishop Burnet, to whom Boyle had communicated
memorandums concerning his life, tells us that what had the greatest
weight in determining his judgment, was, “the not feeling within himself
any motion or tendency of mind which he could safely esteem a call from
the Holy Spirit, and so not venturing to take holy orders, lest he should
be found to have lied unto it.”
Bishop Burnet, who was Boyle’s particular friend, and who, during an
acquaintance of twenty-nine years, had spent many happy hours in
conversation with him, gives a full account of his genuine piety and
virtue, and of his zeal for the Christian religion. “This zeal,” he says,
“was unmixed with narrow notions, or a bigoted heat in favor of a
particular sect; it was that spirit which is the ornament of a true
Christian.” Burnet mentions, as a proof of this, his noble foundation for
lectures in defence of the gospel, against infidels of all sorts; the
effects of which have been very conspicuous, in the many volumes of
excellent discourses, which have been published in consequence of that
laudable and pious design.
The great object of his philosophical pursuits was to promote the cause of
religion, and to discountenance atheism and infidelity. His intimate
friend Bishop Burnet makes the following observations on this point:—“It
appeared to those who conversed with him on his inquiries into nature,
that his main design (on which as he had his own eye constantly fixed, so
he took care to put others often in mind of it) was to raise in himself
and others more exalted sentiments of the greatness and glory, the wisdom
and goodness, of God. This design was so deeply impressed on his mind,
that he concludes the article of his will, which relates to the Royal
Society, in these words:—‘I wish them a happy success in their attempts to
discover the true nature of the works of God; and I pray that they, and
all searchers into physical truths, may cordially refer their attainments
to the glory of the great Author of nature, and to the comfort of
mankind.’ ”
On another occasion, the same person speaks of him thus—“He had the most
profound veneration for the great God of heaven and earth that I ever
observed in any man. The very name of God was never mentioned by him
without a pause and observable stop in his discourse.” So brightly did the
example of this great and good man shine, through his whole course, that
Bishop Burnet, on reviewing it, in a moment of pious exultation thus
expressed himself:—“I might challenge the whole tribe of libertines to
come and view the usefulness, as well as the excellence, of the Christian
religion, in a life that was entirely dedicated to it.”
John Locke.
A very celebrated philosopher, and one of the greatest men that England
ever produced, born in the year 1632. He was well educated; and, applying
himself with vigor to his studies, his mind became enlarged, and stored
with much useful knowledge. He went abroad as secretary to the English
ambassador at several of the German courts, and afterwards had the offer
of being made envoy at the court of the emperor, or of any other that he
chose; but he declined the proposal, on account of the infirm state of his
health. He was a commissioner of trade and plantations, in which station
he very honorably distinguished himself. Notwithstanding his public
employments, he found leisure to write much for the benefit of mankind.
His “Essay on Human Understanding,” his “Discourses on Government,” and
his “Letters on Toleration,” are justly held in the highest esteem.
This enlightened man and profound reasoner was most firmly attached to the
Christian religion. His zeal to promote it appeared, first, in his middle
age, by publishing a discourse to demonstrate the reasonableness of
believing Jesus to be the promised Messiah; and, afterwards, in the latter
part of his life, by a Commentary on several of the Epistles of the
apostle Paul. The sacred Scriptures are every where mentioned by him with
the greatest reverence; and he exhorts Christians “to betake themselves in
earnest to the study of the way to salvation, in those holy writings,
wherein God has revealed it from heaven, and proposed it to the world;
seeking our religion where we are sure it is in truth to be found,
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
In a letter written the year before his death, to one who asked this
question, “What is the shortest and surest way for a young man to attain
the true knowledge of the Christian religion?” he says, “Let him study the
holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament: therein are contained the
words of eternal life. It has God for its author; salvation for its end;
and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.” This advice was
conformable to his own practice. “For fourteen or fifteen years, he
applied himself in an especial manner to the study of the Scriptures, and
employed the last years of his life hardly in any thing else. He was never
weary of admiring the great views of that sacred book, and the just
relation of all its parts: he every day made discoveries in it that gave
him fresh cause of admiration.”
The consolation which he derived from divine revelation is forcibly
expressed in these words:—“I gratefully receive and rejoice in the light
of revelation, which has set me at rest in many things, the manner whereof
my poor reason can by no means make out to me.”
After he had diligently employed a great part of his life in a variety of
occupations, he chose a pleasing retirement for the remainder of his days.
This leisure appears to have been productive of solid improvement, by
enabling him to look calmly over the scenes of past life; to form a proper
estimate of its enjoyments, and to dedicate himself more fully to the
cause of piety and virtue.
About two months before his death, in 1704, he wrote a letter to his
friend Anthony Collins, and left this direction upon it:—“To be delivered
to him after my decease.” It concludes with the following remarkable
words:—
“May you live long and happy, in the enjoyment of health, freedom,
content, and all those blessings which Providence has bestowed on
you, and to which your virtue entitles you. You loved me living,
and will preserve my memory when I am dead. All the use to be made
of it is, that this life is a scene of vanity, which soon passes
away, and affords no solid satisfaction, but in the consciousness
of doing well, and in the hopes of another life. This is what I
can say upon experience; and what you will find to be true, when
you come to make up the account. Adieu!”
Joseph Addison.
A celebrated English writer, born at Milston, in Wiltshire, in the year
1672. About the age of fifteen, he was entered at Queen’s College, Oxford,
where, by his fine parts and great application, he made a surprising
proficiency in classical learning. Before he left the university, he was
warmly solicited to enter into orders; and he once resolved to do so; but
his great modesty, and an uncommonly delicate sense of the importance of
the sacred function, made him afterwards alter his resolution. He was
highly respected by many of the greatest and the most learned of his
contemporaries. He travelled into Italy, where he made many useful
observations, and prepared materials for some of his literary works. On
his return to England, he was chosen one of the lords commissioners for
trade. In 1709, he was appointed secretary to the lord lieutenant of
Ireland, and, in 1717, was advanced to the high office of secretary of
state. He died in 1729.
His writings have been of great use to the world, and his “Evidences of
the Christian Religion” not the least so. Dr. Johnson, in delineating his
character as a writer, gives the following amiable picture of him:—“He
employed wit on the side of virtue and religion. He not only made the
proper use of wit himself, but taught it to others; and, from his time, it
has been generally subservient to the cause of reason and truth. He has
dissipated the prejudice that had long connected cheerfulness with vice,
and easiness of manners with laxity of principles. He has restored virtue
to its dignity, and taught innocence not to be ashamed. This is an
elevation of literary character above all Greek, above all Roman fame. As
a teacher of wisdom, he may be confidently followed. His religion has
nothing in it enthusiastic or superstitious; he appears neither weakly
credulous nor wantonly skeptical; his morality is neither dangerously lax
nor impracticably rigid. All the enchantment of fancy, and all the cogency
of argument, are employed to recommend to the reader his real interest—the
care of pleasing the Author of his being.”
Of his integrity in discharging the duties of his office, there is a
striking proof recorded. When he was secretary in Ireland, he had
materially promoted the interest of an individual, who offered him, in
return, a bank note of three hundred pounds, and a diamond ring of the
same value. These he strenuously refused to accept, and wrote to the
person as follows:—“And now, sir, believe me, when I assure you I never
did, nor ever will, on any pretence whatsoever, take more than the stated
and customary fees of my office. I might keep the contrary practice
concealed from the world, were I capable of it, but I could not from
myself; and I hope I shall always fear the reproaches of my own heart more
than those of all mankind.”
A mind conscious of its own uprightness, and humbly trusting in the
goodness of God, has the best ground to look forward with complacency
towards another life. The following lines of Addison are sweetly
expressive of the peace and pleasure which he enjoyed in contemplating his
future existence:—“The prospect of a future state is the secret comfort
and refreshment of my soul. It is that which makes nature look cheerful
about me; it doubles all my pleasures, and supports me under all my
afflictions. I can look at disappointments and misfortunes, pain and
sickness, death itself, with indifference, so long as I keep in view the
pleasures of eternity, and the state of being in which there will be no
fears nor apprehensions, pains nor sorrows.”
Isaac Watts.
A learned and eminent dissenting minister, born at Southampton, in the
year 1674, of parents who were distinguished by their piety and virtue. He
died in 1748. He possessed an uncommon genius, of which he gave early
proofs. He received a very liberal education, which was rendered highly
beneficial to him by his own unwearied efforts to improve himself. After
the most serious deliberation, he determined to devote his life to the
ministry, of the importance of which office he had a deep and awful sense.
He labored very diligently to promote the instruction and happiness of the
people under his care, to whom, by his Christian conduct and amiable
disposition, he greatly endeared himself.
Soon after he had undertaken the pastoral office, his health sustained a
severe shock by a painful and dangerous illness, from which he recovered
very slowly. But, in the year 1712, he was afflicted with a violent fever,
that entirely broke his constitution, and left such weakness upon his
nerves, as continued with him, in some measure, to his dying day. For four
years he was wholly prevented from discharging the public offices of his
station. Though this long interval of sickness was, no doubt, very trying
to his active mind, yet it proved ultimately a blessing to him; for it
drew upon him the particular notice of Sir Thomas Abney, a very pious and
worthy man, who, from motives of friendship, invited him into his family,
in which he continued to the end of his life, and, for the long space of
thirty-six years, was treated with uniform kindness, attention, and
respect.
This excellent man was, by his natural temper, quick of resentment; but,
by his established and habitual practice, he was gentle, modest, and
inoffensive. His tenderness appeared in his attention to children and to
the poor. To the poor, while he lived in the family of his friend, he
allowed the third part of his annual revenue; and for children, he
condescended to lay aside the scholar, the philosopher, and the wit, to
write little poems of devotion, and systems of instruction, adapted to
their wants and capacities, from the dawn of reason, through its
gradations of advance in the morning of life. Few men have left behind
them such purity of character, or such monuments of laborious piety. He
has provided instruction for all ages, from those who are lisping their
first lessons, to the enlightened readers of Malebranche and Locke. His
“Improvement of the Mind” is a work in the highest degree useful and
pleasing. Whatever he took in hand was, by his incessant solicitude for
souls, converted to theology. As piety predominated in his mind, it is
diffused over his works. Under his direction, it may be truly said that
philosophy is subservient to evangelical instruction: it is difficult to
read a page without learning, or at least wishing to be better.
The virtue of this good man eminently appeared in the happy state of his
mind under great pains and weakness of body, and in the improvement which
he derived from them. Of those seasons of affliction, he says, with a
truly elevated mind and thankful heart, “I am not afraid to let the world
know that, amidst the sinkings of life and nature, Christianity and the
gospel were my support. Amidst all the violence of my distemper, and the
tiresome months of it, I thank God I never lost sight of reason or
religion, though sometimes I had much difficulty to preserve the machine
of animal nature in such order as regularly to exercise either the man or
the Christian.”
The sweet peace of conscience he enjoyed under these trying circumstances,
and the rational and Christian foundation of his hope and trust in the
divine goodness, are beautifully and justly expressed by him, in the
following lines:—
“Yet, gracious God, amid these storms of nature,
Thine eyes behold a sweet and sacred calm
Reign through the realms of conscience; all within
Lies peaceful, all composed. ’Tis wondrous grace
Keeps off thy terrors from this humble bosom;
Though stained with sins and follies, yet serene
In penitential peace and cheerful hope,
Sprinkled and guarded with atoning blood,
Thy vital smiles, amidst this desolation,
Like heavenly sunbeams hid behind the clouds,
Break out in happy moments, with bright radiance
Cleaving the gloom; the fair, celestial light,
Softens and gilds the horrors of the storm,
And richest cordials to the heart conveys.”
Philip Doddridge.
Born in London, in the year 1702. His parents, who were persons of great
worth, brought him up in an early knowledge of religion; but he had the
misfortune to lose them before he was fourteen years old. This
circumstance excited in his mind very serious reflections, which, however,
were not wholly of a gloomy nature; for he expressed a devout, and even a
cheerful trust in the protection of the God of mercies, the universal
Parent of mankind.
He diligently improved his time, and was anxious to be daily advancing in
knowledge, piety, virtue, and usefulness. He possessed strong powers of
mind, and, by unwearied application, acquired a large fund of sound and
elegant learning. His publications, which are chiefly on religious
subjects, have been eminently useful to the world. By his literary
acquisitions, his amiable disposition, and his desire to imbue the young
mind with knowledge and virtue, he was qualified, in a peculiar manner, to
become the instructor of youth; and for many years he superintended a very
respectable academy. As the pastor of a congregation, he manifested a
sincere and zealous regard for the happiness of the people under his care,
by whom he was greatly honored and beloved.
He possessed many virtues; but the prime and leading feature of his soul
was devotion. He was very solicitous to preserve and cultivate an habitual
sense of the Supreme Being, to maintain and increase the ardor of religion
in his heart, and to prepare himself, by devout exercises, for the
important labors of his station. Nor was it to his secret retirements that
his piety was limited; it was manifested in every part of the day, and
appeared in his usual intercourse with men. In the little vacancies of
time which occur to the busiest of mankind, he was frequently lifting up
his soul to God. When he lectured on philosophy, history, anatomy, or
other subjects not immediately theological, he would endeavor to graft
some religious instructions upon them, that he might raise the minds of
his pupils to devotion, as well as to knowledge; and, in his visits to his
people, the Christian friend and minister were united.