piety; and those that were most famous for piety, he excelled in learning. This high priest's breast was richly adorned with the glorious Urim, and with the more precious jewel of the

Thummim.

Thirdly, he was one that wrestled with God much and often in prayer, and prevailed much: and if we be yet capable of the blessing, I hope we shall one day enjoy the fruit of those prayers, wherein he wrestled with God for this poor Church. We read of Jacob's vows as well as of his visions, (Gen. xxviii. 20,) and it is the first vow that we read of in Scripture: and who hath not read, or heard at least, of this holy man's vows?

Thus the name agrees punctually in each signification.

We will now go on with the parallel of the persons. Israel was a smooth man of body, as himself saith; (Gen. xxxii. 11;) and a man of a plain, even, and modest spirit, as appeared by his scruples that he made about the way that his mother directed him to get his father's blessing. Such an one was our father, a man of a smooth, terse wit and tongue, and of a calm, gentle, meek, and moderate spirit, as they all know that know anything of him : πραος, αόργητος, γαληνος το είδος, θερμος το πνευμα, as Nazianzen saith of Cæsarius; a man of a mild, serene, and calm aspect, (who ever saw it ruffled into any appearance of disorderly passion?) and of a quick and lively spirit. He was not twice a child, (though he lived long enough to have been so,) but always one in our Saviour's sense, namely, in humility and innocence: one that much excelled in those dovelike fruits of the Spirit, which St. Paul mentions, (Gal. v. 22,) love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, &c: as loving, and as much beloved, as any man of his order in the three nations: one that got the birthright from heaven, and the blessing from men too, without dissembling for it; whilst other rough Esaus were hunting abroad for wild venison, thinking to please their father, he stayed quietly at home, and, observing the directions of his mother, the Church, went away smooth with the venison. Some strugglings he had with his rougher brethren, whom he did not strive so much to supplant, as to supple with his smooth moderation and humility and so far he prevailed in this design, as that instead of ill words or knocks, he met with a kiss and respectful embracement from many of them that had been his adversaries,

:

because they envied him the birthright of his order and dignity; and all men honoured the Doctor, though some loved not the Bishop.

Israel travelled into several countries, and was kindly entertained and respected wherever he came; so did, and so was, our father. He travelled with persons of honour into France, Germany, Holland, and Scotland; and God was ever with him, wherever he went, as He was with Israel. Some troubles and perils he met with in his journeys, as Jacob did, when Laban pursued him with one troop, and Esau met him with another. But a kind Providence was ever ready to redeem him; and God hath always holpen his servant Israel.

Israel was a shepherd, and a faithful one, that took special care of his flock, (Gen. xxxi. 40,) and great pains night and day in watching over them for twenty years together. And our Israel was a faithful shepherd, that diligently watched over the flocks that his Master committed to his charge, and took extraordinary pains in feeding them for above twenty years together. Whilst he was the private pastor first of Halstead in Suffolk, and after of Waltham in Essex, he preached thrice a week in a constant course yet, as himself witnessed, never durst climb up into the pulpit to preach any sermon, whereof he had not before penned every word in the same order wherein he hoped to deliver it; although in his expressions he was no slave to syllables, neither made use of his notes."

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Nor did his industry either cease, or so much as abate, at his preferments. He hath given the world as good an account of his time as any man in it; as one that knew the value of time, and esteemed the loss of it more than a temporal loss, because it hath a necessary influence upon eternity. It is well known in this city how forward he was to preach in any of our Churches, till he was first forbidden by men, and at last disabled by God.

And when he could not preach himself as oft and as long as he was able, this learned Gamaliel was not content only, but very diligent, to sit at the feet of the youngest of his disciples; as diligent an hearer as he had been a preacher. How oft have we seen him walking alone, like old Jacob with his staff, to Bethel, the house of God!

Israel was fruitful in children: and so was our father; and that

without the polygamy of Israel; being the husband but of one wife, a grave, virtuous matron, with whom he lived forty-nine years. But Israel at last wanted bread for himself and his family: I cannot say this man did so, but how near he came to it, and by what means, we all know; but must not complain, because he never did. He had not the kindness that Israel had in Egypt, to have any allowance for his maintenance from the lord of the country; yet he never wanted. He was indeed a rare mirror of patience under all his crosses, which toward his latter end were multiplied upon him. The loss of his estate he seemed insensible of, as if he had parted with all with as good content as Jacob did with a good part of his to pacify his angry brother, having well learned as well to want as to abound. I have heard him oft bewail the spoils of the Church, but very rarely did he so much as mention his own losses, but took joyfully the spoiling of his goods. When he was laid among the pots, that is, saith the Septuagint and the vulgar Latin, inter cleros, yet was he as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. (Ps. lxviii. 13.)

Of late years, and especially the last, he was sorely afflicted with bodily diseases, and bore them all with as much patience as hath been seen in any flesh, except that of our Saviour. We have heard of the patience of Job, but never saw a fairer copy of it than was in this man.

Israel lived to be very old, as you may read in the verse before my text, and at last grew so weak, that he was scarce able to rise up upon his bed to bless his children; (Gen. xlviii. 2;) so was it with our father. Methinks I see him yet, as he was upon his bed, how he strengthened himself, to confirm others that sought it, with his fatherly blessing, as Israel did the sons of Joseph; and that too with the same good old ceremony which Jacob first used, namely, the laying on of his hands. His days were few and evil, in Jacob's comparative sense; and yet many and good, for he died in a good old age, full of days, and full of good works: canus virtutibus, white with virtues. He came to his grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season. (Job v. 26.) He was crowned with the silver crown of age in his grey hairs, (Prov. xvi. 31,) and now is crowned with the golden crown of immortality.

When his time drew nigh that he must die, he much longed

for death, and was ready to bid it welcome, and spake always very kindly of it. It was an odd word of St. Francis, when the physicians told him the time of death drew nigh, Bene veniat, inquit, soror Mors, Welcome, my sister Death. The expression of Job is not much unlike, (Job. xvii. 14,) I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my mother and my sister: so did this good man welcome death, as if he had been to embrace a mother or a sister. He took good notice of the approach of death, and set his house in order as Israel did, by distributing the blessings that God had left him to his children. He endeavoured also to prepare others for that change by his last books, and last sermons that he preached, which were all upon the last things, Death and Judgment, Heaven and Hell.

Israel left his children in Egypt when he died, but with a prophetical promise of their return into Canaan: our Israel hath left us, I may not say in bondage, but in a sad condition, and left us without a prophecy, though not without his prayers for our happy return into Canaan. Well, he is gone: Non nobis ereptus sed periculis, as Ambrose said of his brother (in that most elegant oration which he made, De obitu fratris,) taken away not so much from us, as from the perils of the times. It was some comfort to him that he lived not to see the funeral of the Church, though he saw it drawing home, almost at last gasp. And if there could be as much sorrow in heaven for the perverseness of sinners, as there is joy at their conversion, doubtless this holy man could not yet be at rest. But Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel knows us not. (Isa. lxiii. 16.) And the more happy is he if he doth not, and I hope we are never the more unhappy; for whether he knows of our state or not, it is piously to be believed he prays for us, os ouai, as Nazianzen said of Basil.

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When Israel died, the Egyptians mourned for him: (Gen. 1. 3.) and I am persuaded so do some of the worst of men for our father.

The streights of time both for preparing and delivering this testimony of his life, hath enforced me to pass over the particulars of his preferments, dignities, and honourable employments by his prince; amongst which, that to the Synod of Dort would not else have been forgotten; especially for the great respect he had there from the foreign divines and states. And his excellent * Qy. Popishly?-H.

moderation shewed in those unhappy disputes, concerning which he afterward drew up such a collection of accorded truths, as was offered to be subscribed by some of the most eminent parties on both sides: which reconciliatory papers, then unhappily buried, are very much to be desired, and may be hoped for in time, together with a completer account of his life written by himself. But whatever becomes of them, he was one whose moderation was known to all men; and his zeal for an holy peace in the church, is abundantly manifested by those writings of his, which are already

extant.

I cannot so much as mention all his virtues, but must not forget so great an one as that of his charity: which above and before all things, as the two great Apostles exhort *, he was careful to put on. Besides his spiritual alms of prayers, godly admonitions, comforts, and holy counsels, whereof he was very liberal, his bodily alms were constant and bountiful.

In the Parish where he last lived, he gave a weekly voluntary contribution of money to certain poor widows to his dying day, over and above his imposed rates, wherein he was never spared. And as the widow's handful of meal, and her cruise of oil, did not waste by feeding the old prophet; so did this prophet's barrel that was low, and his cruise that was little, not hold out only, but seemed to increase by feeding the widows, as appeared by that liberal addition of alms which he gave by his will to the town where he was born, and to this city where he died.

If ever there were a man that could speak with the tongues of men and angels, he was one. But such there are, who are, as Justin Martyr calls them, ου μεν φιλοσοφοι, αλλα φιλοψοφοι; or, as the Apostle saith, no better than a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal, being without charity. But our father was one that had learned of St. Paul that same ka vñeρßoàŋv odov, (1 Cor. xii. 31,) the more excellent way of charity, which he also shewed unto others. He was one, that, as St. John exhorts, loved not in word, or in tongue only, but in deed and in truth, shewed it plentifully upon all occasions.

(1 John iii. 18,) and One that had Jacob's

voice, but could never endure so much as the disguise of Esau's churlish hands.

Four things are yet remaining with us below, of this heavenly saint: his children, his works, his body, and his name. First, his 1 Col. iii. 14. προ πάντων, 1 Pet. iv. 8.

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