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more tranfport than was fit, and I will fay no "more of them, for fear of running into new "exceffes. What your Lordship propofes for my Lord Clarendon to defire, is perfectly

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agreeable to my mind; but I know not, whe"ther it be not a little too early, and that fuch "a petition might be prefented with a better "grace, if he were once out of the Tower upon "bail, than it would be while he is under this clofe "confinement. But as your Lordship fays, "the affair of Mons muft for the prefent put a

ftop to every man's private thoughts, for that

is a matter of fuch vaft importance to the "Publick, that it is but very fit, that all par"ticular confiderations fhould give way to it, " and wait the determination of that great point; "I cannot but believe the French are mafters "of it before now, because all the letters, that "came by the laft poft, that I could hear of, "looked upon it, as a thing impracticable to "relieve it, but we have had no letters fince "Saturday. What the French will do next, "whether fend their men into quarters for two "months, or try to follow their blow, is what

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men are now most anxious about. One of my "old friends, with whom of late I have renewed

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my acquaintance, fays upon all these mighty oc"cafions, Prudens futuri temporis exitum Caligi"nofa nocte premit Deus Ridetque fi mortalis ultra "Fas trepidat. But I confels to you, I cannot be "quite fo overcome with philofophy, as not to be "concerned beforehand, at what this dark night "is to bring forth. One private concern, in thẻ "midft of all thefe publick ones, has given me "a great deal of uneafinefs, and I doubt not "will do fo to your Lordship, when I tell you "how very ill my Lady Ranelagh has been thefe

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two or three days, with a fever, which has "almoft quite deftroyed her; I am afraid ftill

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"for her the laft night fhe had a little reft; "but she is so weak, and, you know, of late has "been fo very tender, that I am in great pain for "her. I know your Lordship will be troubled to lofe a very good friend and humble fervant of your own, as well as a most wonderful good perfon, to all that knew her. For my "own part, I know no body alive, to whom I "have fo many obligations, which I am forry to "fee how little I can return, when there is moft "need of ferving her. Amongst all her favours, one that I fhall never forget was, her defire and "endeavours, not only to renew for me the acquaintance, I formerly had with your Lordship, "but to knit it clofer into a friendship; in which "I am always to own your Lordship's ready con"currence; and I hope, I fhall not fail, as faith fully to perform all the part, that belongs to,

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Hitherto the reader has view'd our author, as a Divine, only in the private character of a Minifter in his Parifh, a Profeffor in his Chair, or a Preacher in his Lecture; but we muft now observe his conduct in a higher function. As foon as the Seffion of Parliament in 1689 was ended, he went down to his Diocefe; where he formed fuch a plan, for executing the duties of his Epifcopal Office, as he feldom afterwards had occafion to alter.

His primary vifitation could only be regulated, His laby the practice of his predeceffors, who contented bours in themfelves with formal Triennial vifitations of his Dio

cefe, and

function.

their Diocese, in which they used always to con- Epifcopal firm; but when he perceived the hurry, the dif order and noise, that attended these publick meetings, he thought them wholly unfit for folemn acts

of Devotion: They feemed much properer, for the exercise of an Ordinary's Jurifdiction according to Law, than for the performance of the more Chriftian functions of a Bifhop: These were inconfiftent with that pomp and fhew, which perhaps the other required. He had always looked upon Confirmation, as the likelieft means of reviving a Spirit of Christianity; if men could be brought to confider it, not as a mere Ceremony, but as an act whereby a man became a Chriftian from his own choice; fince upon attaining to the ufe of reafon, he thereby renewed for himfelf a Vow, which others had only made for him at Baptifm. He wrote a fhort Directory, containing proper rules how to prepare the Youth upon fuch occafions; this he printed, and fent copies of it, fome months beforehand, to the Minifter of every Parish, where he intended to confirm. He every fummer took a tour, for fix weeks or two months, through fome diftrict of his Bifhoprick, daily preaching and confirming from Church to Church, fo as in the compass of three years (befides his formal Triennial Vifitation) to go through all the principal livings in his Diocefe. The Clergy, near the places he paffed through, generally attended on him; therefore, to avoid being burthenfome in these Circuits, he entertained them all at his own charge. He likewife for many years, entered into conferences with them, upon the chief heads of Divinity: One of which he ufually opened at their meeting, in a difcourfe that lafted near two hours; and then encouraged thofe prefent, to ftart fuch queftions or difficulties upon it, as occur'd to them. Four of thefe difcourfes against Infidelity, Socinianifm, Popery and Schifm, were printed in the year 694. When our Author had published His Expofition of the Thirty-nine Articles, conferences of this nature feemed in fome meafure needlefs : He therefore difcontinued them, in order to apply himfelf wholly to the Work of Confirmation. To

be

be more useful in it, he difpofed his annual progrefs, during the last ten years of his life, in the following manner. He went through five or fix of the confiderable Market-towns every year he fix'd himself for a whole week in each of them and

though he went out every morning to preach and confirm in fome Parish, within feven or eight miles of the Place; yet at the Evening-prayer, for fix days together, he catechifed the youth of the town, in the principal Church there, expounding to them fome portion of the Church Catechifm every day, 'till he had gone through the whole: And on Sunday, he confirmed thofe, who had been thus examined and inftructed, and then inviting them all to dine with him, he gave to each a useful prefent of Books. As the Country flocked in, from all parts to hear him; he was in hopes this would encourage the Clergy to Catechife more, and would raise an emulation in Chriftian Knowledge, among the inferior fort of people, who were ignorant to a fcandal.

In the intervals of Parliament, when the Bishop was not upon this progress, his usual refidence was at Salisbury; there he preached the Thursday's lecture, founded at St. Thomas's Church, during the whole time of his ftay; he likewife preached and confirmed every Sunday Morning *, in fome Church of that City, or of the neighbourhood round about it: And in the evening he had a

* He was so punctual in this, that no change of Weather could ever induce him, to difappoint any Congregation where he was expected: And this affiduity had well nigh coft him his life, in the year 1698. For having appointed to preach and confirm, at the Parish Church of Dinton, within twelve miles of Salisbury, on a prefixed Sunday; the Rains, that fell on that day, and for fome days before, had fo fwelled a Brook, which he was to crofs, that his coach was over-turned in the water, and his own life hardly faved by a Miller, who jumped in and drew the Bishop out of the water; for which seasonable service, our Author paid him a yearly gratuity all the reft of his life.

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lecture in his own Chapel, to which great crouds reforted, wherein he explained fome portion of Scripture, out of the gofpels and epiftles in the liturgy. He generally came down from London, fome days before Lent, on purpose to prepare the youth of the two great Schools for Confirmation; by catechizing them every Week, during that feafon, in the Cathedral Church, and inftructing them in the fame manner, as he did thofe in the other Towns of his Diocefe. And to render this task of inftruction more eafy to the rest of his Clergy, he at length published an Explanation of the Church-Catechifin in the year 1710.

The Bishop's confiftorial court, being much cry'd out against, as a grievance both to the Clergy and Laity, he endeavoured to reform it, and for fome years went thither in perfon; but though he might do fome little good by this attendance, it was fo little, that he at laft gave it over; for the true foundation of complaints was, the dilatory courfe of proceedings, and the exorbitant fees, which the Bishop had no authority to correct: Nay, he could not even discharge poor fuitors, who were opprefs'd there with vexatious profecutions, any otherwife than by paying their fees himself, as he frequently did.

No part of the Epifcopal Office was more strictly attended to by him, than the examination of those, who came for Orders: in this matter the Law has left the Bishop entirely at liberty, to admit or refufe. He never turned them over to the care of a Chaplain or Archdeacon, farther than to try theif fkill in the learned languages. He examined them himfelf as to the proofs of the Chriftian Religion, the authority of the Scriptures, and the nature of the Gofpel-Covenant. If they were deficient in those, he difmifs'd them at once, with proper directions how to be better prepared for a fecond trial: But if they were competently knowing in thefe effential points, he went through the other heads of Di

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