❝did not only give his confent (without which the "thing could not have been done) but was very for"ward for the doing of it, though hereby he did not only confiderably leffen his own profit, but "likewife incur no fmall cenfure and hazard as the "times then were. And left this had not been kind"nefs enough to that worthy perfon, whofe place "he poffeffed, in his last will, he left his fon, Sir John Collins, a legacy of one hundred pounds. And as he was not wanting either in respect or "real kindness to the rightful owner; fo neither "did he ftoop to do any thing unworthy, to obtain "that place, for he never took the covenant. And "not only fo, but, by the particular friendship and "intereft which he had in fome of the chief vifi"tors, he prevailed to have the greateft part of the "fellows of that college exempted from that im .66 pofition, and preferved them in their places by "that means. And to the fellows that were ejec"ted by the visitors, he likewife freely confented, "that their full dividend for that year fhould be "paid them; even after they were ejected. Among thefe was the reverend and ingenious Dr. Charles 66 Mafen, upon whom,after he was ejected, the col"lege did confer a good living which then fell in "their gift, with the consent of the provost, who "knowing him to be a worthy man, was contented "to run the hazard of the difpleasure of those times. "So that I hope none will be hard upon him, that ❝he was contented upon fuch terms to be in a ca 66 pacity to do good in bad times." Befides his care of the college, he had a very great and good influence upon the univerfity in general. Every Sunday in the afternoon, for almoft twenty years together, he preached in Trinity Church, where he had a great number, not only of the young fcholars, but of thofe of greater ftanding and beft repute for learning in the the univerfity, his conftant and attentive auditors and in thofe wild and unfettled times contributed more to the forming of the students of that univerfity to a fober sense of religion, than any man in that age. In 1658 he wrote a copy of Latin verfes upon the death of Oliver Cromwell. It is printed in mufarum Cantabrigienfium luctus & gratulatio: ille in funere Oliveri Anglia Scotia & Hiberniæ protectoris ;. hæc de Richardi fucceffione feliciffimâ ad eundem. Cambridge, 1658, in 4to. Dr. Whichcote's verfes are as. follow. Non male mutati mores & lenior ætas ; Ques Quæque Deum fapiunt fcit pectora flectere lente. After he left Cambridge, he came to London, and was chofen minifter of Black Friars, where he continued till the fire of London in 1665, and then reti red to a donative which he had at Milton near Cambridge, where he preached conftantly, and relieved the poor, and had their children taught to read at his own charge, and made up differences among the neighbours. Here he ftaid till the promotion of Dr. John Wilkins to the bifhoprick of Chester in 1668, when he was by his intereft and recommendation, presented to the rectory of St. Laurence Jewry. But during the building of that church, upon invitation of the court of Aldermen, in the mayorality of Sir William Turner, he preached before that honourable auditory at Guild-hall Chapel every Sunday in the afternoon with great acceptance and approbation, for about the space of feven years. When his church was built, he bestowed his pains there twice a week, where he had the general love and respect of his parifh, and a very confiderable and judicious auditory, though not very numerous, by reafon of the weakness of his voice in his declining age. A little before Easter in the year 1683, he went down to Cambridge, whereupon taking a great cold, he fell into a diftemper, which in a few days put a period to his life. He died with uncommon fentiments of piety and devotion. He expreffed great diflike of the principles of feparation, and faid, that he was the more defirous to receive the facrament, that he might declare his full communion with the church of Chrift all the world over. He difclaimed popery, and as things of near affinity with it, or rather parts of it, all fuperftition and ufur ufurpation upon the confciences of men.. 66 He died in the house of his ancient and learned friend Dr. Cudworth, mafter of Christ's College, in May 1683, and was interred in the church of St. Laurence fewry, his funeral fermon being preached by Dr. John Tillotson, in which his character is drawn with great juftice. "I fhall not, fays he, infift upon his exem"plary piety and devotion towards God, of which his "whole life was one continued testimony. Nor will "I praise his profound learning, for which he was justly had in fo great reputation. The moral im"provements of his mind, a godlike temper and dif"pofition, (as he was wont to call it) he chiefly va"lued and afpired after; that univerfal charity and "goodness, which he did continually preach and "practife. His converfation was exceeding kind and "affable, grave and winning, prudent and profita"ble. He was flow to declare his judgment and mo"deft in delivering it. Never paffionate, never pe"remptory: fo far from impofing upon others that " he was rather apt to yield. And though he had a "most profound and well poised judgment, yet he was of all men I ever knew, the most patient to "hear others differ from him, and the most easy to "be convinced when good reafon was offered ; "and which is feldom feen, more apt to be favour"able to another man's reason than his own. Studi"ous and inquifitive men commonly at fuch an age "(at forty or fifty at the utmoft) have fixed and "fettled their judgments in most points, and as it "were, made their laft understanding; fuppofing "that they have thought, or read, or heard, what "can be faid on all fides of things, and after that they grow pofitive, and impatient of contradiction, "thinking it a difparagement to them to alter their judgment. But our deceafed friend was fo wife, as to be willing to learn to the last, knowing that no man can grow wifer without fome change of <his mind, without gaining fome knowledge which <he had not, or correcting fome error, which he had before. He had attained fo perfect a mafte ry of his paffions, that for the latter and greatest part of his life he was hardly ever feen to be "tranfported with anger, and as he was extremely careful not to provoke any man, so not to be pro voked by any; ufing to fay, if I provoke a man, "he is the worse for my company; and if I fuffer "myself to be provoked by him I fhall be the worfe for his. He very feldom reproved any perfon in 66. company otherwife than by filence or fome fign «of uneafinefs, or fome very foft and gentle word; << which yet from the refpect men generally bore to him, did often prove effectual. For he under"ftood human nature very well, and how to apply «himfelf to it in the most easy and effectual ways. "He was a great encourager and kind director of young divines, and one of the moft candid hear ers of fermons, I think, that ever was; fo that * though all men did mightily reverence his judg"ment, yet no man had reafon to fear his cenfure. "He never spake well of himself, nor ill of others, "making good that faying of Panfa in Tully, Ne"minem alterius, qui fuæ confideret virtuti, invidere; "that no man is apt to envy the worth and vir"tues of another, that hath any of his own to trust In a word, he had all those virtues, and in a "high degree, which an excellent temper, great "condefcenfion, long care and watchfulness over << to. himself, together with the affiftance of God's "grace (which he continually implored and mighstily relied upon) are apt to produce. Particular"ly he excelled in the virtues of converfation, hu"manity and gentlenefs, and humility, a prudent and peaceable, and reconciling temper. As he ❝ had |