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published about the same time by the Unitarians, maintaining that there was nothing in the Christian religion but what was conformable to reason,' a sentiment which had been advanced by Mr. Locke; Dr. Stillingfleet, Bishop of Worcester, published in 1697 his Defence of the Doctrine of the Trinity;' animadverting upon some passages in the Essay' as tending to subvert the fundamental articles of the Gospel. An answer to this charge was immediately printed by Mr. Locke, to which the Prelate replied; and the controversy was carried on to the following year, when it terminated by the death of Dr. Stillingfleet.*

It has been generally admitted, that Mr. Locke had considerably the advantage of his Right Reverend opponent in this controversy. An Irish Prelate, in a letter to Mr. Molyneux (an intimate friend of Mr. Locke's) observes: "I read Mr. Locke's letters to the Bishop of Worcester with great satisfaction, and am wholly of your opinion, that he has fairly laid the great Bishop on his back; but it is with so much gentleness, as if he were afraid, not only of hurting him, but even of spoiling his clothes. Indeed, I cannot tell which I most admire, the great civility and good manners in his book, or the force and clearness of his reasonings."

This was the last time, that Mr. Locke employed the press. The asthma, to which he had been long subject, increasing with his years, now rendered him very infirm; and in 1700, being no longer able to

This was hastened at least, if not occasioned, as we are informed by Whiston on the authority of the Bishop's Chaplain, the celebrated Dr. Bentley, by the chagrin of his defeat. (Memoirs of the Life of Whiston, I. 294.)

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bear the air of London, he resigned his seat at the Board of Trade.

From this time he continued altogether at Oates, where he spent the last years of his life entirely in the study of the Holy Scriptures. His vital powers in 1703 not being renovated at the entrance of the summer (a season which, in former years, had invariably restored him to some degree of vigour) he became so sensible of his approaching dissolution, that though he neglected none of the means known to his own medical skill, he declined calling in any other assistance. At length, his legs began to swell, and his strength very visibly to diminish. He had often spoken of his departure, and always with great composure; and now he calmly prepared to quit the world. As he had been long incapable of going to church, he received the sacrament at home; and two of his friends communicating with him, as soon as the office was finished he told the minister, that he was in the sentiments of perfect charity toward all men, and of a sincere union with the Church of Christ under whatever name distinguished.'

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After this, however, he lived some months, which he spent in acts of piety and devotion. The day before his death, Lady Masham being alone with him and sitting by his bed-side, he exhorted her to regard this world only as a state of preparation for a better;' adding, that he had lived long enough, and thanked God for having lived so happily.'

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Having had no sleep that night, he resolved to rise the next morning, and being carried into his study was placed in an easy-chair, where he slept a considerable time. Seeming now a little refreshed, he wished to be dressed as usual; and then desired

Lady Masham, who was reading the Psalms, to read them aloud. She did so; and he appeared extremely attentive, till feeling the approach of death, he begged her to break off, and in a few minutes expired. His death took place on the twenty eighth of October, 1704.

He was interred in the church of Oates, where a simple monument was erected to his memory, with an inscription in Latin written by himself, containing all that he thought proper to leave concerning his character. A more particular account of him, however, was afterward published by Mr. Peter Coste, who had known him long, and for some years before his death had lived with him as an amanuensis. From this are selected the following extracts:

"Mr. Locke had great knowledge of the world, and of the business of it. He won people's esteem by his probity: his wisdom, his experience, his gentle and obliging manners gained him the respect of his inferiors, the esteem of his equals, the friendship and confidence of those of the highest quality. He was at first pretty much disposed to give advice, where he thought it was wanted; but experience of the little effect it had, made him grow more reserved. In conversation, he was most inclined to the useful and serious turn; but, when occasion naturally offered, he gave into the free and facetious with pleasure, and was master of a great many entertaining stories, which he always introduced properly and told naturally; nor was he any enemy to raillery, when delicate and innocent.

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"He loved to talk with mechanics in their own way; and used to say, that the knowledge of the arts contained more true philosophy than learned hypotheses. By putting questions to artificers, he

would sometimes find out a secret in their art, not well understood by themselves; and by that means give them views entirely new, which they put in practice to their profit.

"He was so far from affecting any airs of studied gravity, that he would sometimes divert himself by imitating it, in order to ridicule it with better success. Upon these occasions, he always remembered the maxim of Rochefoucault, which he admired above all others, That gravity is a mysterious carriage of the body, in order to conceal the defects of the mind.'

"One thing (continues Mr. Coste) which those who lived any time with Mr. Locke could not help observing in him was, that he took delight in making use of his reason in every thing he did; and nothing, that was attended with any usefulness, seemed unworthy of his care: so that we may say of him, what was said of Queen Elizabeth, that he was no less capable of small things than of great.' He often used to say himself, That there was an art in every thing;' and it was easy to be convinced of it, to see the manner in which he went about the most trifling thing he did, and always with some good reason."

Among the honours paid to his memory may be mentioned that of the late Queen Caroline, who in her pavilion erected in honour of philosophy placed his bust on a level with those of Bacon, Newton, and Clarke, as the four prime English philosophers.

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In 1705, his Paraphrase and Notes on St. Paul's Epistles to the Galatians' were published, and speedily followed by those upon the Corinthians, Romans, and Ephesians to which was prefixed an Essay for the understanding of St. Paul's Epistles, by consulting St. Paul himself.' In 1706, his Posthumous Works

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made their appearance; and two years afterward, some Familiar Letters between him and several of his friends and, in 1720, Mr. Des Maizeaux gave to the world a collection of several of his pieces never before printed, in one volume octavo.

All his works were published, in a collective form, in three volumes folio,* in 1714.

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In 1781, Dr. Tucker, Dean of Gloucester, published a Treatise upon Civil Government,' the great design of which was to oppose Mr. Locke's work on the same subject. In this he maintains, that Locke's principles are "extremely dangerous to the peace and happiness of all society;" his writings, and those of some of his most eminent disciples, as he contends, "having laid a foundation for such disturbances and dissensions, such mutual jealousies and animosities, as ages to come will not be able to settle or compose." Elsewhere, also, he observes;

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* To authenticate some of these compositions which had previously appeared without his name, the Editors, in the address to the reader, give an extract from Mr. Locke's Will stating that, in reply to an application from the Rev. Dr. Hudson, Keeper of the Bodleian Library in the University of Oxford, he had presented to that Collection all the books published under his name; which, though accepted with honourable mention of him, yet were not understood to answer the request made, it being supposed that there were other treatises whereof he was the author, which had been published without his name to them. In compliance, therefore, with what was desired in the utmost extent of it, he names farther his Three Letters on Toleration,” Two Treatises of Government' (then first published from a copy corrected by himself), and the Reasonableness of Christianity as delivered in the Scriptures,' with two successive Vindications of it.' These are all comprehended in the folio edition.

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