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dure faithful Jeremiah. A time there was that a law was made, Speak no more in the name of Jesus. Paul, Timothy and Sylvanus were forbid to preach to the Gentiles. (2.) The meritorious cause: the inflexibleness of the people under the ministry of the word-the unfruitfulness, formality, lukewarmness, and declining of God's people. Can England, can London plead not guilty." After other pertinent advices he adds, "Be earnest with the Lord for a godly faithful ministry, whose labours he is used to bless. Jesus Christ is the greatest patron of all livings: he can present whom he will to this parish, and restore whom he will to a people, as he did Peter out of prison by the people's prayers.-III. In the practice of duty God's people may expect the presence of the God of peace in the worst of times.-Christ hath promised to be with his ministers always: in prison, sealing the truth, as well as in the pulpit preaching it. Put this promise in suit by prayer [for us] and we shall not cease to pray for you. Our sequestring from our preaching work will give us more time for praying work."-He concludes with a solemn caution against apostatizing-from truth of doctrine-purity of worship-and holiness of life. "Beware of itching after novel opinions, and new lights, as dropt down from heaven, but are indeed as the smoke of the bottomless pit. Prive the gospel, and live according to it. Study peace and pursue it. Decline all dividing principles and practices. That you may not either breed or feed circumstantial differences, or substantial divisions, consider, God is the God of peace. May we so live in peace that he may dwell with us here, and we with him hereafter."

THE SAVOY.

Mr. WILLIAM HOOK. A very learned, holy, humble, and useful man. He was some time colleague with Mr. Davenport in the church of New-Haven in New-England. After his return to England, he was minister at Fxmouth in Devonshire; and then master of the Savoy, and chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. He died March 21, 1677, about 77 years of age.

WORKS. The Privileges of the Saints on Earth above those in Heaven.-The Slaughter of the Witnesses.-A Serm. in Suppl. to Morn. Ex. and some other things,

ST. SEPULCHRE's, [V. 270l.]

THOMAS GOUGE, M. A. of Eaton School, and King's Col. Oxf. Son of the eminent Dr. William Gouge of

Black

Blackfriars. He was born at Bow, near Stratford, Middleser. [After he had taken his degrees, he left the university and his fellowship, being presented to the living of Colsden in Surrey, where he continued two or three years, and then removed to St. Sepulchre's in London, in 1638, a large and populous parish, in which, with solicitude and pains, he discharged all the duties of a faithful minister twenty-four years. Besides his constant preaching, he was diligent and charitable in visiting the sick; not only ministering spiritual counsel and comfort to them, but liberally relieving the necessities of the poor. Every morning through the year, he catechized in the church, chiefly the poorer sort, who were generally the most ignorant, and especially the aged, who had most leisure. To encourage them to come for instruction, he once a week distributed money among them; but changed the day, to oblige them to a constant attendance. As for the poor who were able to get their own living, he set them to work, buying flax and hemp for them to spin. paid them for their work, and sold it as he could among his friends. By this means he rescued many from idleness, poverty, and vice. This course of his gave the first hint to Mr. T. Firmin of that plan of his for employing the poor, which met with such general applause.

He

Mr. Gouge's piety towards God, the necessary foundation of all other virtues, was great and exemplary, yet still and quiet; much more in substance than in shew. It did not consist in finding fault with others, but in the due government of his own life and actions; exercising himself continually to have a conscience void of offence towards God and man; in which he was such a proficient, that, after a long and familiar acquaintance with him, it was not easy to discern any thing in him which deserved blame. So great was his modesty, that he never appeared, either by word or action, to put any value upon himself. In regard to the charities he procured, he would rather impute them to any, who had the least concern in obtaining them, than assume any thing to himself. When he quitted his living of St. Sepulchre's, upon some dissatisfaction* about the terms of conformity, he forbore preaching; saying, "There was no need of him in London; and that he thought he might do as much or more good in another way, which could give no offence. Though afterwards, (being better satisfied of some things he had

* The words distinguished as above, it is to be remembered, are those of one who had himself expressed his full assent and consent.

doubted

doubted of before,) he had licence from some of the bishops to preach in Wales, when he took his annual journey thither, where he saw great need of it, and thought he might do it with great advantage among the poor, on account of his charities there. He was clothed with humility, and had in a most eminent degree that ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. He was not only free from anger and bitterness, but from all affected gravity and moroseness. His conversation was affable and pleasant. A wonderful serenity of mind was visible even in his countenance. He was hardly ever merry, but never sad; and upon all occasions appeared the same: always chearful, and always kind; ready to embrace and oblige all men; and if they did but fear God and work righteousness, he heartily loved them, how distant soever from him in judgment about things less necessary, and even in opinions that he held very dear.

But the virtue which shone the brightest in him, and was his most proper and peculiar character, was his Charity to the poor. God blessed him with a good estate, and he was liberal beyond most men in doing good with it;] which indeed he made the great BUSINESS OF HIS LIFE, to which he applied himself with as much constancy and diligence as other men labour at their trades. He sustained great loss by the Fire of London, so that (when his wife died, and he had settled his children) be had but 150l. per ann. left; and even then he constantly disposed of 100l. in works of charity. [He had a most singular sagacity and prudence in devising the most effectual ways of doing good, and in disposing of his charity to the greatest extent, and the best purposes; always, if possible, making it serve some end of piety or religion: e. g. instructing poor children in the principles of religion, and furnishing grown persons, who were ignorant, with the Bible, and other good books; strictly obliging those to whom he gave them, to a diligent reading of them, and enquiring afterwards how they had profited. In his occasional alms to the poor, the relief he gave them was always mingled with good counsel, and as great a compassion for their souls as their bodies; which, in this way, often had the best effects. For the nine or ten last years of his life, he almost wholly applied his charity to Wales, where he thought there was the most occasion for it; and he took great pains to engage the assistance of other persons in his own designs,] and to stir up the rich, in whom he had any interest, to works

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of charity in general; urging them to devote at least the TENTH of their estates to this use.

When he was between sixty and seventy years of age, he used to travel into Wales, and disperse considerable sums of money, both his own, and what he collected from other persons, among the poor labouring persecuted ministers. [But the chief designs of his charity there, were to have poor children taught to read and write, and carefully instructed in the principles of religion; and to furnish persons grown up with the necessary means of religious knowledge.] With a view to the former, he settled three or four hundred schools in the chief towns; in many of which women were employed to teach children to read, and he undertook to pay for some hundreds of children himself. With a view to the latter, he procured them Bibles, and other books of piety and devotion, in their own language; great numbers of which he got translated, and sent to the chief towns, to be sold at easy rates to those that were able to buy them, and given to such as were not. In 1675 he procured a new and fair impression of the Welch Bible and liturgy, to the number of 8000; one thousand of these were given away, and the rest sold much below the common-price. He used often to say with pleasure, that he had two livings, which he would not exchange for the greatest in England; viz. Christ's Hospital, where he used frequently to catechize the poor children; and Wales, where he used to travel every year (and sometimes twice in the year) to spread knowledge, piety and charity.

*

A certain author insinuates, that his charities in Wales were only to serve a party, and that the visible effect of them is, the increase of the Dissenters. This reflection on his memory is as false as it is invidious. For he was so far from that narrowness of spirit, or bigotry to the interest of the Dissenters, that he procured the Church Catechism, with a practical exposition of it, and the Common-Prayer, to be printed in Welch, and freely given to the poor; as well as The Whole Duty of Man, The Practice of Piety, and other practical books, containing such things only as good Christians are generally agreed in, and not one to persuade people to Nonconformity. If the growth of Dissenters in Wales be an effect of the increase of knowledge there, we can't help that. They whose consciences are enlightened and moved by the word of God, will be always disposed to pay a greater veneration to divine truths and ordinances than to such usa

*Mr. Wynnes, in his edition of Powel's Hist. of Wales.

ges

ges as are merely human; and will be naturally apt to scruple those things that want the sacred impress of divine authority. And if this gentleman thinks the best expedient to prevent this, is to keep the people in the same state of ignorance they were in during the period of which his history treats, he has the Papists on his side, but it is hoped none that understand Protestant principles.

While Mr. Gouge was doing all this good, he was persecuted even in Wales, and excommunicated, for preaching occasionally, though he had a licence, and though he went constantly to the parish-churches and communicated there. But, for the love of God and men, he endured these and all the difficulties he met with, doing good with patience and with pleasure. So that, all things considered, there have not, since the primitive times of christianity, been many among the sons of men to whom that glorious character of the Son of God might be better applied, "that he went about doing good." He died suddenly in his sleep, Oct. 29, 1681, aged 77. His funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Tillotson, afterwards Abp. of Canterbury, [from which the above account is principally extracted.] Mr. Baxter says, "He never heard any one person speak one word to his dishonour, no not the highest prelatists themselves, save only that he conformed not to their impositions."

WORKS. The Principles of Religion explained in Q. and A. (as valuable as most books of the kind.)-A Word to Sinners.A Sermon on Good Works.-Christian Directions to walk with God. The surest and safest way of Thriving, viz. by Charity to the Poor. [An excellent piece, worthy the serious perusal of all who are blessed with this World's Good.]-The young Man's Guide through the Wilderness of this World.-The Christian Housholder. Sermons exciting England to Gratitude, &c.

Mr. WILLIAM ADDERLY was ejected from this Lectureship.

ST. STEPHEN'S, WALBROOK, [R. S. 100l.] THOMAS WATSON, M. A. of Eman. Col. Camb. where he was noted for being a hard student. He was so well known in the city for his piety and usefulness, that though he was singled out by the Friendly Debate, he yet carried a general respect from all sober persons along with him to his grave. [He was a man of considerable learning, a popular but judicious preacher, (if one may judge from his writings) and eminent in the gift of prayer. Of this the following a

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