guages. He had read so much of the fathers, that he had formed out of it a clear judgment of all the eminent ones. He had read a vast deal on the scriptures, and had gone, very nicely, through the whole controversies of religion; and was a true master, in the whole body of divinity. He ran the whole compass of the mathematical sciences; and, though he did not set himself to spring new game, yet, he knew even the abstrusest parts of geometry. Geography, in the several parts of it, that related to navigation or travelling: history, and books of travels, were his diversions. He went, very nicely, through all the parts of physic; only, the tenderness of his nature made him less able to endure the exactness of anatomical dissections, especially of living animals; though he knew those to be the most instructing: but, for the history of nature, ancient and modern, of the productions of all countries, of the virtues and improvements of plants, of ores and minerals, and all the varieties that are in them, in different climates, he was by much, by very much, the readiest and the perfectest I ever knew, in the greatest compass, and with the truest exactness. This put him in the way of making all that vast variety of experiments, beyond any man, as far as we know, that ever lived. And in these, as he made a great progress in new discoveries, so, he used so nice a strictness, and delivered them, with so scrupulous a truth, that all who have examined them, have found how safely the world may depend upon them. But his peculiar and favourite study was chymistry; in which he engaged, with none of those ravenous and ambitious designs, that draw

many into them. His design was, only, to find out nature; to see into what principles things might be resolved; and of what they were compounded; and to prepare good medicaments for the bodies of men. He spent neither his time, nor fortune, upon the vain pursuits, of high promises and pretensions. He always kept himself within the compass, that his estate might well bear. And, as he made chymistry much the better for his dealings in it, so, he never made himself either the worse, or the poorer for it. It was a charity to others, as well as an entertainment to himself; for the produce of it, was distributed by his sister, and others, into whose hands he put it. I will not here amuse you, with a list of his astonishing knowledge, or of his great performances this way: they are highly valued, all the world over, and his name is every where mentioned, with most particular characters of respect. I will conclude this article, with this, in which I appeal to all competent judges, that few men, if any, have been known to have made so great a compass, and to have been so exact in all the parts of it as he was.

As for joy, he had indeed nothing of frolic and levity in him he had no relish for the idle and extravagant madness, of the men of pleasure; he did not waste his time, nor dissipate his spirits, into foolish mirth; but he possessed his own soul in patience, full of that solid joy, which his goodness, as well as his knowledge afforded him. He, who had neither designs nor passions, was capable of little trouble, from any concern of his own. He had about him, all the tenderness of good-nature,

as well as all the softness of friendship: these gave him a large share of other mens' concerns; for he had a quick sense of the miseries of mankind. He had, also, a feeble body; which needed to be looked to the more, because his mind went faster, than his body could keep pace with it: yet, his great thoughts of God, and his contemplation of his works, were to him sources of joy, which could never be exhausted. The sense of his own integrity, and of the good he found he did, afforded him the truest of all pleasures; since they gave him the certain prospect, of that fulness of joy, in the sight of which he lived so long, and in the possession of which he now lives, and shall live for ever: and this spent, and exhausted body, shall then put on a new form, and be made a fit dwelling for that pure and exalted mind in the final restitution. I pass over his death*: I looked at it some time ago, but I cannot bring down my mind, from the elevating thoughts that do now arise, into that depressing one of his death; I must look beyond it, into the regions of light and glory, where he now dwells.t

He died 1691-2.; and was born 1626-7.,. . the same year in which ord Bacon died: Sol occubuit, nox nulla secuta est.' Boerhaave says, that Mr. Boyle, the ornament of his age and country, succeeded to the genius, and inquiries, of the great Verulam.'. . See the Biogr. Dict.

+ It is not for any mortal creature, to make a map of that Canaan which lies above it is, to all of us, who live here, on the hither side of death, an unknown country, and an undiscovered land. It may be, that some heavenly pilgrim, who, with his holy thoughts and holy desires, is continually travelling thitherward, arrives, sometimes, near the borders of the promised land, and the suburbs of the new Jerusalem; and gets upon the top of Pisgah, and there has the perfect prospect of a fair country, which lies a far way off; but, he cannot tell how to describe it; and all that he hath to say, to satisfy the curious inquirer, is only this, if he would

The only thought that is now before me, is to triumph on the behalf of religion, to make our due boast of it, and to be lifted up, (I had almost said proud) upon this occasion. How divine, and how pure a thing, must that religion be, in itself, which produced so long a series of great effects, through the whole course of this shining life! What a thing would mankind become, if we had many such ! And how little need would there be, of many books writ for the truth and excellency of our religion, if we had more such arguments, as this one life has produced.* Such single instances have great

know the glories of it, he must go and see it.'.. BP. RUST. Funeral Sermon for JEREMY TAYLOR,

* We may, and should, while we, conscientiously, and closely, attend to all the duties of this present life, never lose sight of the fact, surely most consolatory and delightful, that we are citizens of an eternal polity, and are privileged to select examples from among, and hold sweet communion with, the wise and good of all ages; our sorra and encouragers, in the heavenly course, as we trust they will, through God's mercy, become our everlasting companions.

'I cannot conceive why,' says a delightful writer, except upon an antiquated prejudice, christians of the present day so generally shut their eyes, upon the glorious list of examples exhibited to us by the history of the church. Be the reason what it may, on such, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, assuredly, did not act. What a sublime commemoration of departed worthies he has made, in his eleventh chapter: his words come pealing upon the reader, like the sound of a trumpet, summoning to the battle with the world; name follows name, and action succeeds action, like so many stirring notes, till he concludes, with a strain that makes the heart leap! Yet how has this list been extended since his days; how much more magnificent is our retrospect! So glorious a procession never yet passed before the eyes of man: through a long and glittering line of martyrs, and confessors, and just men made perfect, we arrive at the human form of the Captain of our salvation, and bless and adore the divine Majesty.'. . Rectory of Valehead.

'In the judgment of our church,.. next to the habitual recollection of our baptismal covenant, the devout participation of the holy eucharist, the affectionate study of the sacred volume, and that which naturally pervades each and all of them, constant and fervent prayer, . . we are called to the contemplation of the christian cloud of witnesses, as, after these paramount means of grace, the holiest and happiest occupation, in which we can be

force in them: but, when they are so very single, they lose much of their strength by this, that they are ascribed to singularity, and something particular in a man's humour and inclinations, that makes him rise above common measures. It were a monopoly, for any family, or sort of men, to engross to themselves the honour, which arises from the memory of so great a man: it is a common, not to be inclosed: it is large enough, to make a whole nation, as well as the age he lived in, look big, and be happy: but above all, it gives a new strength, as well as it sets a new pattern, to all that are sincerely zealous for their religion. It shews them, in the simplest and most convincing of all arguments, what the human nature is capable of, and what the christian religion can add to it; how far it can both exalt, and reward it. I do not say, that every one is capable of all he grew to; I am very sensible, that few are; nor is every one under equal obligations. For the service of the universe, there must be a vast diversity, in men's tempers; there being so great a variety of necessities, to be answered by them. But every man, in every employment, and every size of soul, is capable of being, in some degree, good in the sight of God: and all such, shall receive proportioned degrees, of wisdom, knowledge, and joy; even though neither their goodness, nor these accessions to it, rise up to the measure of him, who was a while among us,

engaged; the surest method, of obtaining the height of virtue, and the depth of peace, here; and the most effectual preparative, for that perfection of bliss, which awaits the triumphant church, in the mansions of eter