24 Years Rector of Shepperton, in the County of Middlefex: And 11 Years Rector of this Parish of Hornfey. He married Penelope, the Daughter of John Beding field, Efq; by whom he had four Children, viz. two Sons who died young; Bedingfield Atterbury, M. A. who died foon after he had entered into Holy Orders: and Penelope, who was married to George Sweetaple, of St. Andrew's Holborn, Brewer, by whom he had one Daughter, Penelope Sweetaple, now living. He died at Bath, October the 20th In the 76th Year of his Age, and lies buried near this Place. On another Side of the Pedestal is in fcribed, Penelope Sweetaple, Under 1 Underneath the Bafe of the Column, is a Book opened, on the Leaves of which is, Abi Spectator, & Te brevi Moriturum In English, Go Spectator, and know that thou shalt foon die ! THERE is one Claufe of his Will which must be taken Notice of, because it gives a Reason for the Publication of the following Discourses. He devifeth to the Publisher of them, whom he appointed his Executor, all his Manufcript Sermons, and other Manufcript Books and Papers of his Writing or Compofition, defiring that be do revife and felect fuch of them, as be fhall think may ferve to the Honour of God, and bring no Difcredit to his Memory, and that he do caufe fuch to be printed. THE Publisher therefore takes this Opportunity of affuring the Public, that he hath taken all the Care he could herein to comply with the Will of the Deceased O that most of the Difcourfes, which are here offered a 4 1 offered to them, were noted, by the Author to be printed, though they had not all his laft Hand to fit them for the Prefs: That in the Revifal he hath taken Care to do Justice both to the Author and the Reader: And, that thefe SERMONS were, most of them, preached at Highgate, Whitehall, or St. James's Chapel, As to the Discourses themselves, they are submitted to the Judgment of the Public, who, it is to be hoped will not give them a lefs favourable Reception, than those Pieces met with, which he published in his younger Years: A Catalogue of which shall be fubjoined to these Memoirs. IF Nature was lavish in giving his Brother, the Bishop, the most ornamental and useful Endowments of a fine Genius, a ready Wit, an eloquent Pen, and an engaging and proper Elocution: She was not wanting in beftowing on our Author good and found natural Parts, which, even in his Youth, he much improved by fevere Studies. By By his conftant and repeated PulpitExercises, for upwards of forty Years together, he acquired the Reputation of a plain, useful, and folid Preacher. The Drift of his Difcourfes was to make Men better Chriftians, and therefore, he never chose to dwell upon nice and high Speculations; and, whenever he did enter upon those more elevated Subjects, his principal Endeavour was, to render fuch Confiderations useful towards the Amending the Lives of his Congregation. His Delivery was a-kin to the Stile of his Discourses, plain and eafy, without any Manner of Affectation. His Stile hath nothing in it of Labour, and, perhaps, may fometimes, by nicer Judges, be taxed with Want of Accuracy: But, the Truth is this, his Senfe Aowed eafily from him, and he was happy in a plain and intelligible Way of expreffing himself, and therefore was the lefs careful of turning and smoothing his Periods, or studying for the choiceft Words to convey his Meaning; and yet, notwithstanding this, we often are furprised to find in his Difcourfes fuch beauteous beauteous Strokes, as, though they do not smell of the Lamp, yet the most florid Writer might juftly be proud of. The great Archbishop Tillotson was his Acquaintance, and the Works of that excellent Prelate, what he admired and ftudied; and it is not improbable that to this was partly owing that eafy, flowing Stile in which his Sermons are indited. A CA |