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great and so general satisfaction to all good and judicious readers. I shall speak cursorily of every thing, but that which I had immediately from himself. He was visited every week of his sickness by his diocesan, that truly primitive prelate, the lord bishop of Oxford, Dr. Fell, who, though he lived six miles from him, yet looked on this as so important a piece of his pastoral care, that he went often to him; and treated him with that decent plainness and freedom which is so natural to him; and took care also that he might not, on terms more easy than safe, be at peace with himself. Dr. Marshall, the learnen and worthy rector of Lincoln College in Oxford, beingthe minister of the parish, was also frequently with him; and by these helps he was so directed and supported, that he might not on the one hand satisfy himself with too superficial a repentance, nor on the other hand be out of measure oppressed with a sorrow without hope,

As soon as I heard he was ill, but yet in such a condition that I might write to him, I wrote a letter to the best purpose I could. He or dered one that was then with him, to assure me it was very welcome to him but not sat. isfied with that, he sent me an answer, which, as the countess of Rochester his mother told me, he dictated every word, and then sign. ed it.

I was once unwilling to have published it, because of a compliment in it to myself, far

above my merit, and not very well suiting with his condition. But the sense he expresses in it of the change then wrought on him hath upon second thoughts prevailed with me to publish it, leaving out what concerns myself.

WOODSTOCK PARK, OXFORDSHIRE,

JUNE 25, 1680.

Most honoured Dr. Burnett,

MY spirits and body decay so equally together, that I shall write you a letter, weak as I am in person. I begin to value churchmen above all men in the world, &c. If God be yet pleased to spare me longer in this world, I hope in your conversation to be exalted to that degree of piety, that the world may see how much I abhor what I so long loved, and how much I glory in repentance, and in God's service. Bestow your prayers upon me, that God would spare me (if it be his good will) to shew a true repentance and amendment of life for the time to come or else, if the Lord pleaseth to put an end to my worldly being now, that he would mercifully accept of my death-bed repentance, and perform that promise that he hath been pleased to make, that at what time soever a sinner doth repent, he would receive him. Put up these prayers, most dear Doctor, to Almighty God for your most obedient and languishing servant,

ROCHESTER,

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He told me when I saw him, that he hoped I would come to him upon that general insinuation of the desire he had of my company; and he was loth to write more plainly; not knowing whether I could easily spare so much time I told him, that on the other hand, I looked on it as a presumption to come so far, when he was in such excellent hands; and tho perhaps the freedom formerly between us, might have excused it with those to whom it was known, yet it might have the appearance of much vanity, to such as were strangers to it; so that till I received his letter, I did not think it convenient to come to him; and then not hearing that there was any danger of a sudden change, I delayed going to him till the twentieth of July.

At my coming to his house, an accident fell out not worth mentioning, but that some have made a story of it. His servant, being a Frenchman, carried up my name wrong, so that he had mistook it for another, who had sent to him that he would undertake his cure, and he being resolved not to meddle with him, did not care to see him. This mistake lasted some hours, with which I was the better contented, because he was not then in such a con→ dition, that my being about him could have been of any use to him; for that night was like to have been his last. He had a convulsion fit, and raved; but opiates being given him, after some hours' rest, his raving left him so

entirely, that it never again returned to him.

I cannot easily express the transport he was in, when he awoke and saw me by him. He broke out in the tenderest expressions concerning my kindness in coming so far to see such an one, using terms of great abhorrence concerning himself, which I forbear to relate. He told me, as his strength served him at several short seasons, for he was then so low, that he could not hold up discourse long at once, what sense he had of his past life; what sad apprehensions for having so offended his Maker, and dishonoured his Redeemer; what horrors he had gone through, and how much his mind was turned to call on God, and on his crucified Saviour. So that he hoped he should obtain mercy, for he believed he had sincerely repented; and had now a calm in his mind, after that storm that he had been in for some weeks.

He had strong apprehensions and persua sions of his admittance to heaven; of which he spake once not without some extraordinary emotion. It was indeed the only time he spake with any great warmth to me; for his spirits were then low, and so far spent, that though those about him told me he had expressed formerly great fervour in his devotions, yet nature was so much sunk, that these were in a great measure fallen off.

But he made me pray often with him: and spoke of his conversion to God as a thing now

grown up in him to a settled and calm sereni ty. He was very anxious to know my opinion of a death-bed repentance. I told him, that before I gave any resolution in that, it would be convenient that I should be acquainted more particularly with the circumstances and progress of his repentance.

Upon this he satisfied me in many partic ulars. He said, he was now persuaded both of the truth of Christianity, and of the power of inward grace, of which he gave me this strange account. He said, Mr. Parsons, in order to his conviction, read to him the 53d chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah, and compared that with the history of our Saviour's passion, that he might there see a prophecy concerning it, written many ages before it was done; which the Jews that blasphemed Jesus Christ still kept in their hands, as a book divinely inspired. He said to me, that as he heard it read, he felt an inward force upon him, which did so enlighten his mind and convince him, that he could resist it no longer for the words had an authority which did shoot like rays or beams in his mind; so that he was not only convinced by the reasonings. he had about it, which satisfied his understanding, but by a power which did so effectually constrain him, that he did ever after as firmly believe in his Saviour, as if he had seen him in the clouds.

He had it read so often to him, that he had

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