him; but by daily prayers twice a day constantly with his family, besides the piety and devotion of his own retirements, by a monthly communion, by weekly sermons, and by the religion of every day, he stood in precincts, ready with oil in his lamp, watching till his Lord should call. And indeed when he was hearing what God did speak to him of duty, he also received his summons to give his account. For he was so pertinacious and attendant to God's holy word, and the services of the church, that though he found himself sick, he would not off, but stay till the solemnity was done; but it pleased God at church to give him his first arrest, and since that time I have often visited him, and found him always doing his work, with the greatest evenness and indifferency of spirit as to the event of life and death, that I have observed in any. He was not unwilling to live; but if he should, he resolved to spend his life wholly in the service of God: but yet neither was he unwilling to die; because he then knew he should weep no more, and he should sin no more. He was very confident, but yet with great humility and great modesty, of the pardon of his sins; he had indeed lived without scandal, but he knew he had not lived without error; but as God had assisted him to avoid the reproach of great crimes, so he doubted not but he should find pardon for the less; and indeed I could not but observe that he had in all the time of his sickness a very quiet conscience; which is to me an excellent demonstration of the state of his life, and the state of his grace and pardon. For though he seemed to have a conscience tender and nice if any evil thing had touched it, yet I could not but apprehend that his peace was a just peace, the mercy of God, and the price and effect of the blood of Jesus. He was so joyful, so thankful, so pleased in the ministers of the church, that it gave in evidence where his soul was most delighted, what it did apprehend the quickest, where it did use to dwell, and what it did most passionately love. He discoursed much of the mercies of God to him, repeated the blessings of his life, the accidents and instruments of his trouble; he loved the cause of his trouble, and pardoned them that neither loved it nor him. When he had spent great portions of his time of sickness in the service of God, and in expectation of the sentence of his life or death, at last he understood the still voice of God, and that he was to go where his soul loved to be; he still increased his devotion, and being admonished, as his strength failed him, to supply his usual forms, and his want of strength and words, by short exercise of virtues, of faith and patience, and the love of God; he did it so willingly, so well, so readily, making his eyes, his hands, and his tongue, as long as he could, the interpreters of his mind, that as long as he was alive he would see what his soul was doing. [? 'in procinct,' as in Milton, Par. lost, vi. 19; which passage was probably He doubted not of the truth written about the same time with this sermion; and see note to p. 565 above.] of the promises nor of the goodness of God, nor the satisfaction of Christ, and the merits of His death, nor the fruit of His resurrection, nor the prevalency of His intercession, nor yet doubted of his own part in them, but expected his portion in the regions of blessedness, with those who loved God, and served Him heartily and faithfully in their generations. He had so great a patience in his sickness, and was so afraid lest he should sin at last, that his piety outdid his nature; and though the body cannot feel but by the soul, yet his soul seemed so little concerned in the passions of the body, that I neither observed nor heard of him that he in all his sickness so much as complained with any semblance of impatience. He so continued to pray, so delighted in hearing psalms sung (which I wish were made as fit to sing by their numbers, as they are by their weight), that so very much of his time was spent in them, that it was very likely when his Lord came He would find him so doing; and He did so: for in the midst of prayers he went away, and got to heaven as soon as they; and saw them (as we hope) presented to the throne of grace; he went along with them himself, and was his own messenger to heaven; where although he possibly might prevent his last prayers, yet he would not prevent God's early mercy, which as we humbly hope, gave him pardon for his sins, ease of his pain, joy after his sorrow, certainty for his fears, heaven for earth, innocence and impeccability instead of his infirmity. Ergo Quintilium perpetuus sopor Quando ullum inveniet parem? Faith and justice, modesty and pure righteousness, made him equal to the worthiest examples; he was xpηoτòs avǹp, a good man,' loving and humble, meek and patient; he would be sure to be the last in contention, and the first at a peace; he would injure no man, but yet if any man was displeased with him, he would speak first and offer words of kindness; if any did dispute concerning priority, he knew how to get it, even by yielding and compliance; walking profitably with his neighbours, and humbly with his God, and having lived a life of piety, he died in a full age, an honourable old age, in the midst of his friends, and in the midst of prayer. And although the events of the other world are hidden to us below, that we might live in faith, and walk in hope, and die in charity, yet we have great reason to bless God for His mercies to this our brother, and endeavour to comport ourselves with a strict religion and a severe repentance, with an exemplar patience and an exemplar piety, with the structures of a holy life and the solemnities of a religious death, that we also may, as our confident and humble hope is this our brother doth, by the [Hor. od. i. 24. 5—8.] conduct of angels pass into the hands and bosom of Jesus, there to expect the most merciful sentence of the right hand, Come ye blessed children of My Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Amen, Lord Jesus, Amen. Grant this, eternal God, for Jesus Christ His sake, to whom with Thee, O Father, and the holy Spirit, all glory and honour, service and dominion, love and obedience, be confessed due, and ever paid, by all angels, and all men, and all the creatures, this day, henceforth and for evermore. Amen. Α COLLECTION OF OFFICES, OR FORMS OF PRAYER IN CASES ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY; TAKEN OUT OF THE SCRIPTURES AND THE ANCIENT LITURGIES OF SEVERAL CHURCHES, ESPECIALLY THE GREEK. TOGETHER WITH A LARGE PREFACE IN VINDICATION OF THE LITURGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, Πάντες ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ ἅμα συνέρχεσθε· μία δέησις ἔστω [κοινὴ], εἰς νοῦς. S. Ignatius. [epist. interp. ad Magn., cap. vii.] [See next page.] |