vii " had a plentiful eftate, so he was of a very chari" table disposition: which yet was not so well " known to many, because in the disposal of his " charity, he very much affected secrecy. He fre" quently bestowed his alms on poor housekeepers, " disabled by age or fickness to support themselves, " thinking those to be the most proper objects of it. "He was rather frugal in expence upon himself, " that so he might have wherewithal to relieve the " neceffities of others. And not only charitable in "his life, but in a very beautiful manner at his "death, bequeathing in pious and charitable lega"cies to the value of a thousand pounds: to the library of the university of Cambridge fifty pounds, "and of King's college, one hundred pounds, and of "Emanuel College, twenty pounds, to which college " he had been a confiderable benefactor before, hav ing founded three several scholarships there to the "value of a thousand pounds, out of a charity with "the disposal whereof he was entrusted, and which " not without great difficulty and pains he at laft " received. To the poor of the several places where " his estate lay, and where he had been minister, " he gave above one hundred pounds. Among those "who had been his servants, or who were so at his " death, he disposed in annuities and legacies in mo 66 ney, to the value of above three hundred pounds. "To other charitable uses, and among his poor " relations, above three hundred pounds. To eve ry one of his tennants, he left a legacy according " to the proportion of the estate they held, by way " of remembrance of him; and to one of them, "who was gone much behind, he remitted in his " will feventy pounds. And as became his great "goodness he was ever a remarkably kind landlord, " forgiving his tennants, and always making abate"ments to them for hard years, or any other acci" dental " dental loffes that happened to them. He made "likewife a wife provifion in his will to prevent law" suits among legatees, by appointing two or three perfons of the greatest prudence and authority among his relations, final arbitrators of all diffe"rences that should arife." His select fermons were printed at London, 1698, in 8vo, with a preface by the late Earl of Shaftsbury, author of the CHARACTERISTICKS, which collection was fince republished at Edinburgh, in the year 1742 in 12mo, with an excellent recommendatory epiftle, by the revd. and learned Dr. William Wishart principal of the college of Edinburgh. Four other volumes of his difcourses were published by Dr. John Jeffery, Archdeacon of Norwich, at London, 1702, in 8vo. We shall conclude this short account of our author with the character which bishop Burnet, that excellent prelate, gives of him. Speaking of those divines who were generally called Latitudinarians, he fays, "Dr. Whichcote was a man of a rare tem per, very mild and obliging. He had great credit " with some that had been eminent in the late times " but made all the use he could of it, to protect "good men of all perfuafions. He was much for "liberty of confcience. And being disgusted with "the dry systematical way of those times, he studied "toraise those who conversed with him, to a noble "set of thoughts, and to confider religion as a feed " of a DEIFORM nature: (to use one of his own " phrases) in order to this, he fet young students, " much on reading the ancient philofophers, chiefly "Plato, Tully and Plotin; and on confidering the " christian religion, as a doctrine fent from God, " both to elevate and sweeten human nature, in " which he was a great example, as well as a wife " and kind instructor." CON. CONTENTS The Shortness of Human Charity.- Jonah iv. I, 2. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and faid, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? therefore I fled before unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, The Perfection of the Mercy of God. - Joel ii. The Difference of Times with respect to religion. The Joy which the righteous have in God. - Pfalm The secret Blafsting of Men -Pfalm xxxix. 11. When thou with rebukes doft correct man for iniquity, thou Preached before the Hon. the House of Commons, February 4, 1673 Jer vi. 8. Be thou instructed O Fe- rusalem, left my soul depart from thee, left I make thee The Deceitfulness of fin. - Heb. iii. 13. Take DISCOURSE XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. When the wicked man turneth away from his wicked- ness that he hath committed, and doth that which is Lawful and right, be shall fave his foul alive. DISCOURSE XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. The true Valuation of Man. - - - Luke xvi. 25. But Abraham faid, fon, remember that thou in thy life- time receivedft thy good things, and likewise Lazarus e The Exercise and Progress of a Christian. iii. 12. Not as though I had already attained or werè already perfect : but I follow after, if that I may ap- The Practice of those who are improved Phil. ii. 14. Let as many of us therefore as be perfect, be DIS (1) DISCOURSE I. The SHORTNESS of HUMAN CHARITY. JONAH iv. 1, 2. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and faid, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? therefore, I fled before unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. B UT it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And what is the matter, that a good man, an extraordinary person, a prophet, yea, of all the prophets, a type of Christ, in whom our Saviour doth instance: that he is fo much offended, and that he is so very angry? We may imagine, doubtless, some very great cause, something mightily amiss, and out of order: no less certainly, than one of these three things. 1. Certainly, here is some great dishonour to God. Here is some, sure, that declare for atheism, profaneness and irreligion, that hath so provoked the spirit of the good man. As we find good Hezekiah, he rent his clothes, and fell into a grievous passion upon Rabshakeh's blafphemy, and reviling the God Vol. L of |