his victories. He fpake to one that watched with him all night, about two o'clock in the morning, that he had been wrestling with fatan all that night; who accufed him that he neither preached, nor prayed, nor performed any duty as he fhould have done, for manner or for end; but he faid, "I have answered him "from the examples of the prodigal and the publican.”

His faith and patience were increased and perfected by his fufferings. "He longed and thirfted to be with "Chrift," which words he often uttered; and often faid, "I am not afraid to look death in the face: I can fay, death, where is thy fting? death cannot hurt me. One of his laft fpeeches was this; with his eyes and hands lifted up to heaven, he fighed and said, "I defire to be diffolved and to be with Chrift." His pains left him not an hour before his death; his fpeech alfo then leaving him, he quietly and patiently ended his life, at Fauley in Northamptonshire, being ninety-fix years old; and in the year of our Lord, 1645.

His SAYINGS are well known, and as well deferve remembrance. We cannot learn, that he published any thing himself. "Ten Sermons on the Lord's"fupper" were published after his death.

The pious Reader may not be displeased with the following anecdotes of this excellent man, as they are given us by Dr. Fuller in his church history.

At a difputation at one commencement, Mr. John Dod was fo facetioufly folid (wild, yet fweet fruits which the stock brought forth before grafted with grace) that Oxford men, there prefent, courted him home with them, and would have planted him in their univerfity, fave that he declined it.'

He was a paffive non-conformist, not loving any one the worfe for difference in judgement about ceremonies, but all the better for their unity of affections in grace and goodness. He ufed to retrench fome hot fpirits, when inveighing against bishops, telling them how GOD under that government had given a marvellous increase to the gospel, and that godly men might comfortably comport there-with; under which learning and religion had fo manifeft an improvement. He was a good decalogift, and is conceived to his dying day (how roughly foever ufed by the oppofite party) to stick to his own judgement to what he had written on the fifth commandment, "Of Obedience to lawful Authority."

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At Hanwel, fome riotous gentlemen cafually coming into the table of Sir Anthony Cope, were half starved in the midst of a feaft, becaufe refraining from fwearing (meat and drink to them) in the prefence of Mr. Dod. Of thefe, one after dinner ingenuously profeffed, that he thought it had beert impoffible for himself to forbear oaths fo long a time. Hereat Mr. Dod, the flame of whose zeal turned all accidents into fuel, fell into a pertinent and feasonable difcourfe, of what power men have, more than they know of themselves, to refrain from fin; and how active GOD's reftraining grace would be in us to bridle us from wickednefs, were we not wanting to ourselves.'

Mr. Dod being at Holdenby, and invited by an honorable perfon to fee that ftately house, built by Sir Chriftopher Hatton (the mafter-piece of English architecture in that age) he defired to be excufed, and to fit ftill looking on a flower, which he had in his hand. In this flower (faid he) I can fee more of GOD, than in all the beautiful buildings in the world. And at this day, as his flower is long fince withered, that magnificent pile (that fair flower of art) is altogether blafted and deftroyed.'

It is reported that he was but roughly used by the cavaliers, who (they fay) plundered him of his linen and houfhold ftuff, though as fome tell me, if fo difpofed, he might have redeemed all for a very small matter. However the good man ftill remembered his old maxim; Sanctified afflictions are good promo"tions." And I have been credibly informed, that when the foldiers brought down his fheets out of the chamber into the room where Mr. Dod fat by the fire fide, he, in their abfence to fearch after more, took one pair, and clapt them under his cushion whereon he fat, much pleafing himself after their departure, that he had (as he faid) plundered the plunderers, and by a lawful felony faved fo much of his own to himself."

Being ftricken in years, he used to compare himself to Sampfon when his hair was cut off." I rife (faith "he) in a morning as Sampfon did, and think I will go ❝out as at other times, go forth, watch, work, study, "ride, as when a young man : But, alas, he quickly "found an alteration, and fo do I, who muft ftoop to age, which hath clipt my hair, and taken my strength ❝ away."

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He was an excellent fcholar, and was as causelessly accufed, as another John (I mean Mr. John Fox) for Jacking of Latin. He was alfo an excellent hebrician, and with his fociety and directions, in one vacation, taught that tongue unto Mr. John Gregory, that rare linguift, chaplain of Chrift-church, who furvived him but one year: And now they both together praise God in that language which glorified faints and angels

ufe in heaven.'

Mr. W. Lee gives this teftimony of Mr. Dod. He lived in the feveral reigns of three princes, under monarchy, to which he was a friend: And we may well believe, that fome part of thofe bleffings we enjoyed in those flourishing times, was procured by exemplary piety and fervent preaching; which laft had mighty force in fubduing the lips of men, the great enemies of the public peace, and difturbers of fociety. By his contentedness, he taught men to confine their defires within the limits of what is neceffary, and, by his heavenly mind, fearch for those pleasures which come from above. That he was a friend to the peace of the church, the teftimony of archbishop Ufher will put out of doubt; whom I have heard fay, Whatsoever fome affirm of Mr. Dod's ftrictnefs, and fcrupling fome ceremonies, I defire, when I die, that my foul may reft where his doth."

HERBERT

HERBERT PALMER, B.D.

T

HIS pious Divine, the fon of Sir Thomas Palmer, was defcended of an antient family, and born at Wingham in Eaft-Kent, in 1601. The impreffions of grace had fo early an appearance in him, that he was, not without good ground, efteemed one fanctified from the womb. When but four years old, he would cry to go to his mother, to hear her read or speak fomething of GOD: And his religious defires grew up with his age. He was early acquainted with the book of GOD, which he much delighted in, and read with great affection. He had excellent natural parts, which were foon exercifed; he learnt French when fo young, that he has been often heard to fay, he could not remember learning it. In 1615, he was admitted fellow-commoner of St. John'scollege, in Cambridge, where he continued his former diligence, in the exercises of religion, and the improvement of himfelf in learning. In 1622, he took his mafter of arts degree; and in the year following was conftituted fellow of Queen's-college, in the fame univerfity: And in the year 1624, he entered into holy orders; to which, agreeable to his own inclinations, he had been devoted from a child.

In the year 1626, he was chofen lecturer in the city of Canterbury; where, notwithstanding the great oppofitions he met with, he labored, in word and doctrine, with much diligence and fuccefs, for feveral years, till he removed to Afhwel in Hertfordshire, in 1632; where he continued the fame zeal, diligence, and care, that he had fhewn at Canterbury, in feeking the good of those fouls committed to his charge. Befides his conftant preaching twice every Lord's-day, and on every occafion on the week-day, ftudying plainnefs of speech that he might profit all that heard him, he was remarkably careful by catechifing to inftruct in the principles of religion not only the children and youth, but even aged people, privately,

privately, whom he found ignorant. And in order to render as extenfively useful as poffible this most important part of paftoral duty, he prevailed upon the greater part of his parish and the moft confiderable perfons in it, to fend their children and fervants conftantly to be catechized before the afternoon fermon at church; and when they grew fo very numerous, that they took up too much time at church, he divided them and catechized the reft at his own houfe in the evening. After studying feveral forms of catechifm, and finding, by experience in teaching, they were defective in point of easy and ready inftruction, he drew up a very excellent one, entitled, "An Endeavour of making the Principles of "the Chriftian Religion plain and eafy;" which was fo well approved of, that several thousands were printed every year.

As he was careful in the inftruction of his flock, so was he alfo vigilant to prevent diforders amongst them in point of practice; in which, not content with his own perfonal endeavors, he engaged many of his parifhioners, who joined heartily with him in putting a ftop to the reigning prophaneness and immorality of the

times.

In the religious ordering of his own family, he took the greatest care and pains, that, as much as poffible, it might be a garden without weeds; and that those under his roof might either not perish, or at least that he might be free from their blood. Throughout the whole œconomy of his family he was a ftrict obferver of the Lord'sday; ordering all about him to leave off their ordinary employments fooner on the Saturday evening than on other days, that they might not be indifpofed for the duties of the following day: And if he knew of any difh, that had detained any of his fervants from attending on any of the ordinances of GOD, he would reprove them by not fo much as tafting it. Indeed his house was a perfect school of religion; for, befides his care of his family jointly, he gave them continually perfonal counsel and direction in the ways of GOD; exhorting them to a daily conftancy in the performance of private duties between GOD and their own fouls: So that scarce any family enjoyed fo many helps and encouragements in the ways of faith and holinefs, as Mr. Palmer's.

In 1632, he was by the univerfity of Cambridge made one of the university preachers, (having proceeded bachelor in divinity two years before); which, after the nature of a

general