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 CORNELL UNIVLRSITY LIBRARY 
 
 ENGLISH ( OLLECTION 
 
 THE (ilFT OK 
 
 J.\MES MORGAN HART 
 
 PROFESSOR OF KNGLISH 
 
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 Cornell University Library 
 
 DA 447.R67B86 1875 
 
 Some passaaes of the life and death of t 
 
 l 
 
 3 1924 028 008 765 
 
 olin 
 
« 
 
 x^ 
 
 Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028008765 
 
SOME PASSAGES 
 
 of the %itt and ^tUt^ 
 
 of the Right Honourable 
 
 larl of Rochester 
 
 Reprinted in facjimile from the Edition 
 \ ofi6So. 
 
 ■^i ;. 
 
 WSiii^ an Sntroliuctorg preface 
 
 BY 
 
 LORD RONALD GOWER. 
 
 ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 
 '■-a 
 

 y 
 
 Kah\^ 
 
 v^ 
 
 " Rejoice, young man, in thy youth ; and let thy het 
 cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk "i 
 the zvays of thine heart, and in the fight of tht 
 eyes: but know thou, that for all thefe things G\ 
 will bring thee into judgment,^'' — Ecclcs, xi. 9. 
 
 ^. ' ' 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 'fi-- 
 
 \ BOOK that Samuel Johnfon has faid 
 fliould be read by " the critic for its 
 eloquence, the philofopher for its argu- 
 ment, and the faint for its piety/* needs 
 no apology for reappearing under a new 
 drefs; and only a few words are neceflary 
 to explain my objedt in having had the 
 following pages reprinted. ; .i| 
 
 The original of this fmall book, or rather 
 pamphlet, is fomewhat fcarce, and would 
 not be likely, in its old-faftiioned form and 
 cover, to attradt the notice of thofe for 
 whom its pages might perhaps be of great 
 fervice. 
 
 Some years have pafled iince I firft met 
 with a copy of this work, and I ihall not 
 readily forget the efFeft its perufal had upon 
 my mind. 
 
 I 
 
 ■i' 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 I believe that the good Bifhop of Salis- 
 bury's account of the laft days of poor 
 young Rochefter would, if carefully read, 
 make more impreffion on the mind of a 
 faft young man (fuppofing him not utterly 
 wanting in confcience and brains) than a 
 hundred fermons from the pulpit would 
 eifeft. i 
 
 Can anything, indeed, be fadder than 
 that one fo highly gifted with intelled, 
 courage, and good looks as Wilmot Lord 
 Rochefter, ftiould have left a name almoft 
 proverbial for all that is moft diflipated and 
 abandoned ; and that a career which might 
 have rivalled in the reign of Charles 11. 
 that of Philip Sydney in that of Elizabeth, 
 ftiould (owing probably not a little to the 
 general licenfe of the time) have terminated 
 in early life by a difeafe brought on from 
 drink and debauchery ? 
 
 There are Rochefters in the reign of 
 Viftoria — not, however, gifted as was the 
 witty author of the " Satire againft Man" 
 and ^^ Verfes upon Nothing," but whofe 
 
 lives 
 
Preface, vii 
 
 lives refemble Wilmot's in a courfe of 
 felfifh and wicked indulgence, and who 
 appear as recklefs of the manner in which 
 they pafs their fliort fpan of exiftence as if 
 there was no fuch certainty as death, and 
 ' after death a judgment in ftore for them. 
 
 It is in the hope that fome of thefe 
 perfons, if they meet with and read this 
 book, may have their eyes opened to the 
 recklefs folly of leading what is called *' a 
 faft life," that I have had thefe pages 
 reprinted. 
 
 If objeftion be taken by the over-refined 
 to the almoft medical details recorded by 
 Biftiop Burnet, I can only fay that I do not 
 expedl his work to be placed in the hands 
 of young ladies. 
 
 RONALD GOWER. 
 
 May^ 1875. 
 
 
V^I' l^Hcrrldn \ fe)^ m^j£dr/c' of licclicftcr 
 IBarort \V,bnot ■Jl^^^^ofJMIcdani.n 
 
 in Ireland. S.vn .f iS+!<::^:^;^^-I)i^d.26-/u/i/.ibSc . - 
 
 !!N'lU'll!l'!illli!lll!l!llllllllili: !:ll!lllll:ll|li|ll|l|{||||||l||||||lll!lllll|ll 
 
 !l 
 
 ( 
 
 lU. ' VS. 
 
 inili{i/ii:lii>H! 
 
 I 
 
SOME 
 
 PASSAGES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Life and Death 
 
 Of the Right Honourable 
 
 O H N 
 
 Earl of ROCHESTER, 
 
 Who died the 26''' oi July ^i6So. 
 
 Written by his own Direftion on his Death-Bed, 
 
 By (filbert Burnet^ D.D, 
 
 LO N DON, 
 
 Printed for Richard Chifwel , at the 
 Roje and Crown in St. Pauls Church- 
 , Tard. 1680. 
 
THE 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 H E Celebrating the 
 Praifes of the Dead , 
 is an Argument fo worn 
 out by long and frequent ufe ; 
 and now become fo naufeous^ by 
 the flattery that ufually attends 
 ity that it is no wonder if Funeral 
 Orations y or Panegiricks, are more 
 confidered for the Elegancy of 
 Style , andfnenefs of Wit^ than 
 for the Authority they carry with 
 them as to the truth of matters 
 of Fa6i. And yet I am not here- 
 by deterred from medling with 
 this kind of Argument, nor from 
 
 A 3 handling 
 
The Preface. 
 
 handling it with all the plainnefs 
 I can t delivering only what I 
 my felf heard and faw^ without 
 any borrowed Ornament. I do 
 eajily forefee how many will be 
 engaged for the fupport of their 
 Impious Maxims and Immoral 
 PraSlices^ to difparage what I 
 am to write. Others will cenfure 
 it becaufe it comes from one of 
 my Profejfion^ too many fuppofng 
 us to be induced^ to frame fuch 
 Difcourfes for carrying on what 
 they are pleafed to call Our 
 Trade. Some will think I drefs 
 it up too artificially^ and others^ 
 that 1 prefent it too plain and 
 naked. 
 
 But being refolved to govern 
 my felf by the exaSi Rules of 
 T^ruth ; I fhall be lefs concerned 
 in the Cenfures I may fall under. 
 It may feem liable to great Ex- 
 ception^ 
 
The Preface. 
 
 ception^ that I Jhould difclofe fo 
 many things^ that were difcove- 
 red to me^ if not under the Seal 
 of Confejfon^ yet under the con- 
 fidence of Friendjhip ; But this 
 Noble Lord himfelf not only re- 
 leafed me from all obligation of 
 this kind^ when I waited on him 
 in his lafk Sicknefs^ a few days 
 before he died^ but gave it me in 
 Charge not to fpare him in any 
 thing which I thought might be 
 of ufe to the Living ; and was 
 not ill p leafed to be laid open^ 
 as well in the worfi as in the befi 
 and lafi part of his life^ being 
 fo fincere in his Repentance^ that 
 he was not unwilling to take 
 Jhame to himfelf ^ by f offering 
 his Faults to be expofed for the 
 benefit of others. 
 
 A /L I write 
 
The Preface. 
 
 / write with one great dif ad- 
 vantage^ that I cannot reach his 
 chief Dejign^ without mentioning 
 
 fome of his Faults : But I have 
 touched them as tenderly as the 
 Occafion would bear : and I am 
 
 fure with much morefoftnefs than 
 he defired , or would have con- 
 
 fen ted unto^ had I told him how 
 I intended to manage this part. 
 I have related nothing with per-- 
 
 fonalrefleSlions on any others ^con- 
 cerned with him^ wifjing rather 
 that they themfelves refleSiing 
 on the fenfe he had of his former 
 Diforders^ may he thereby led to 
 
 forfake their own \ than that they 
 
 fdould be any ways Reproached 
 by what I write : and therefore 
 though he ufed very few Referves 
 with me^ as to his courfe of life^ 
 
 yet Jince others had a Jhare in 
 mof parts of it^ I Jhall relate 
 
 nothing 
 
The Preface. 
 
 nothing but what more immedi^ 
 ately concerned himfelf : andjhall 
 fay no more of his faults^ than is 
 necejfary to illujlrate his Repen- 
 tance. 
 
 The Occafion that led me into 
 fo particular a knowledge of 
 him^ was an intimation given me 
 by u Gentleman of his acquain- 
 tance^ of his defre to fee me^ 
 This was fometime in Odlober,^ 
 1679. when he was Jlowly reco^ 
 vering out of a great Difeafe^ 
 He had underford that I often 
 attended on one well known to 
 him^ that died the Summer be- 
 fore \ He was alfo then enter -^ 
 taining himfelf in that low fiat e 
 of his healthy with thefrfi part of 
 the Hiftory of the Reformation 
 then newly come out^ with which 
 he feemed not til p leafed : and 
 we had accidentally met in tw(^ 
 
 or 
 
The Preface. 
 
 -1 
 
 or three places fometime before. 
 Thefe were the Motives that led 
 him to call for my Company. Af- 
 ter I had waited on him once or 
 twice ^ he grew into that freedom 
 with me^ as to open to me all his 
 thoughts , both of Religion and 
 Morality : and to give me a full 
 view of his p aft life * and feemed 
 not uneajie at my frequent Viftts. 
 So till he went from London, 
 which was in the beginning of 
 April, / waited on him often. 
 As foon as I heard how ill he 
 was , and how much he was 
 touched with the fenfe of his for- 
 mer life^ I writ to him , and 
 received from him an Anfwer , 
 that without my knowledge^ was 
 printed fince his Death ; from 
 a Copy which one of his Servants 
 conveyed to the PrejGTe. In it 
 there is fo undeferved a Value 
 
 put 
 
The Preface. 
 
 put on me that it had been very,^ 
 indecent for me to have pub- 
 lijht it: OTet that muji be at- 
 tributed to his Civility and way 
 of breeding : and indeed he 
 was particularly known to fofew 
 of the Clergy , that the good 
 Opinion he had of me^ is to be 
 imputed only to his unacquain- 
 tance with others. ,^ 
 
 My end of Writing is fo to 
 difcharge the lajl Commands 
 this Lord left on me^ as that 
 it may he effeSiual to awaken 
 thofe who run on to all the ex- 
 cejfes of Riot ; and that in the 
 midft of thofe heatSy which their 
 Lujis and Pajftons raife in them^ 
 they may he a little wrought on 
 by fo great an Injlance , of One 
 who had run round the whole 
 Circle of Luxury ; and as So- 
 lomon 
 
The Preface. 
 
 lomon Jays of htmfelf^ What- 
 foever his Eyes defired, he 
 kept it not from them ; and 
 withheld his Heart from no 
 Joy. But when he looked hack 
 on all that on which he had 
 wajled his T*ime and Strength^ 
 he ejleemed it Vanity and 
 Vexation of Spirit : though he 
 had both as much natural Wit^ 
 and as much acquired by Learn- 
 ings and both as much improved 
 with thinking and Jludy as per ^ 
 haps any Libertine of the Age. 
 Yet when he refeSie d on all his 
 former Courfes ^ even before his^ 
 Mind was illuminated with 
 better thoughts^ he counted them 
 madnefs and folly. But when 
 the Powers of Religion came ta 
 operate on him^ then he added 
 a detefation to. the Cpntemptk 
 
 he 
 
The Preface. 
 
 he formerly had of them fuit- 
 able to what became a Jtncere 
 Penitent , and exprejfed himfelf 
 in fo clear . and, Jo calm a man- 
 ner , fo fenfibh of his Failings 
 towards his Maker and his 
 Redeemer , that as it wrought 
 not a little on thofe that were 
 about him -^i So, ^I hope, the 
 making it Publtck may have a 
 more general Influence., chiefly 
 on thofe on whom his former 
 Converfaiion might have had ill 
 EiffeSis^ 
 
 I have endeavoured to give 
 his CharaBer as fully as I could 
 take it / for I who faw him only 
 in me light , in a fedate and 
 quiet temper , when ha was un- 
 der a great decay of Strength 
 md lofs of Spirits , cannot give 
 his PiSiure with that life and 
 
 advantage 
 
The Preface. 
 
 advantage that others may^ who 
 knew him when his Parts were 
 more bright and lively t Yet the 
 Compofure he was then in^ may 
 perhaps he fuppofed to hallance 
 any abatement of his ufual Vi- 
 gour which the declination of 
 his Health brought him under. 
 I have written this Difcourfe 
 with as much Care , and have 
 conjidered it as narrowly as I 
 could. I am fure I have faid 
 nothing but "Truths I have done it 
 Jlowly^ and often ufed my fecond 
 thoughts in it^ not being fo much 
 concerned in the Cenfures might, 
 fall on my felf as Cautious that 
 nothing Jhould pafs^ that might 
 obJiruB my only defgn of writings 
 which is the doing what I can 
 towards the reforming a loofe and 
 lewd Age. ..And iffuch a Signal 
 
 Injlance 
 
The Preface, 
 
 Inftance concurring with all the 
 Evidence that we have for our 
 mofl holy Faith ^ has no effeSi on 
 thofe who are running the fame 
 Courfe^ it is much to be feared 
 they are given up to a reprobate 
 fenfe. 
 
 SOME 
 
1 
 
 
 SOME 
 
 PASSAGES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Life and Death 
 
 OF 
 
 O H N 
 
 Earl of Rochefler. 
 
 John Wilmot Earl of Rochefler 
 was born in April, Anno 
 Dom. 1648. his Father was 
 Henry Earl of Rochefler, but befl 
 known by the Title of the Lord 
 
 B Wilmot 
 
^ome IpaCfages of tU life 
 
 Wi/mot , who bore fo great a 
 part in all the late Wars, that*^ 
 mention is often made of him 
 in the Hiftory : And had the 
 chief fhare in the Honour of 
 the prefervation of His Ma- 
 jefty that now Reigns , after 
 fF'orce/ier-Fighty and the Con- 
 veying Him from Place to 
 Place, till he happily efcaped 
 into France: But dying before 
 the King's Return, he left his 
 Son little other Inheritance, 
 but the Honour and Title de- 
 rived to him, with the preten- 
 fions fuch eminent Services 
 gave him to the Kings Favour : 
 Thefe were carefully managed 
 by the great prudence and dif- 
 cretion of his Mother,a Daugh- 
 ter of that Noble and ancient 
 Family of the St. yohns of Wilt- 
 Jhirey fo that his Education was 
 
 ■■;?iiv:v ■'^. carried 
 
anH Oeatf) of John <B, of Rochefter. 3 
 
 carried on in all things futably 
 to his Quality. 
 
 When he was at School he 
 was an extraordinary Proficient 
 at his Book : and thofe fhining 
 parts which have fince appear- 
 ed with fo much luftre ; began 
 then to fhew themfelves : He 
 acquired the Latin to fuch per- 
 fed:ion, that to his dying-day 
 he retained a great rellifh of the 
 finenefs and Beauty of that 
 Tongue : and was exadly verfed 
 in the incomparable Authors 
 that writ about Augujius\ time, 
 whom he read often with that 
 peculiar delight which the 
 greateft Wits have ever found 
 in thofe Studies. . 
 
 When he went to the Uni- 
 verftty the general Joy which 
 over-ran the whole Nation 
 upon his Majefties Reftauration, 
 
 B 2 but 
 
 U-' 
 

 %omz pa(rag;e0 of tbe life 
 
 but was not regulated with 
 that Sobriety and Temperance, 
 that became a ferious gratitude 
 to God for fo great a Blefling, 
 produced fome of its ill elFedts 
 on him : He began to love thefe 
 ] diforders too much ; His Tutor 
 I was that Eminent and Pious 
 Divine Dr. Blanford^ afterwards 
 promoted to the Sees of Oxford 
 and Worcejler : And under his 
 Infpe<3:ion, he was committed 
 to the more immediate care of 
 Mr. Phineas Berry , a Fellow 
 of W^adham-QoM^dgQ , a very 
 learned and good natured man ; 
 whom he afterwards ever ufed 
 with much refped; , and re- 
 warded him as became a great 
 man. But the humour of that 
 time wrought fo much on him, 
 that he broke off the Courfe of 
 his Studies ; to which no means 
 
 could 
 
ann Deatb of John (ZB. of Rochefter. 5 
 
 could ever effedually recall 
 him ; till when he was in Italy 
 his Governor Dr. Balfour a 
 learned and worthy man, now 
 a Celebrated Phyfitian in Scot- 
 land his Native Country ; drew 
 him to read fuch Books, as were 
 moft likely to bring him back 
 to love Learning and Study : 
 and he often acknowledged to 
 me, in particular three days be- 
 fore his Death, how much he 
 was obliged to Love and Ho- 
 nour this his Governour , to 
 whom he thought he owed 
 more than to all the World, 
 next after his Parents, for his 
 great Fidelity and Care of him, 
 while he vvas under his truft. 
 But no part of it afFedled him 
 more fenfibly, than that he en- 
 gaged him by many tricks (fo 
 he expreffed it ) to delight in 
 
 B 3 Books 
 
 A- 
 
^ome lparrage0 of tU JLffe 
 
 Books and reading; So that 
 ever after he took occafion in 
 the Intervals of thofe woful 
 Extravagancies that confumed 
 mpft of his time to read much : 
 and though the time was gene- 
 rally but indifferently employ- 
 ed, for the choice of the Sub- 
 jects of his Studies was not al- 
 ways good , yet the habitual 
 Love of Knowledge together 
 with thefe fits of ftudy , had 
 much awakened his Under- 
 ftanding, and prepared him for 
 better things, when his mind 
 fhould be fo far changed as to 
 rellifh them. 
 
 He came from his Travels in 
 the 1 8/^ Year of his Age, and 
 appeared at Court with as great 
 Advantages as moft ever had. 
 He was a Graceful and well 
 fhaped Perfon , tall and well 
 
 made, 
 
''i\ 
 
 ann Deatb of John (JE. of Rochefter. 7 
 
 made, if not a little too flender : 
 He was exactly well bred, and 
 what by a modeft behaviour 
 natural to him, what by a Civi- 
 lity become almoft as natural, 
 his Converfation was eafie and' 
 obliging. (He had a ftrange Vi- 
 vacity of thought,and vigour of 
 expreffion : His Wit had a fub- 
 tility and fublimity both, that 
 were fcarce imitable. His Style 
 I - was clear and ftrong : When 
 he ufed Figures they were very 
 lively, and yet far enough out 
 of the Common Road : he had 
 made himfelf Mafter' of the , 
 Ancient and Modern Wit, and 
 of the Modern French and 
 Italian as well as the Englijh.) 
 He loved to talk and write or 
 Speculative Matters, and did it 
 with fo fine a thread, that even 
 thofe who hated the Subjefts 
 
 B 4 that 
 
8 ®ome pairag;e0 of ttie life 
 
 that his Fancy ran upon, yet 
 could not but be charmed with 
 his way of treating of them. 
 i Boileau among the French^ and 
 i Cowley among the Englijh Wits, 
 were thofe he admired moft. 
 Sometimes other mens thoughts 
 mixed with his Compofures , 
 but that flowed rather from the 
 Impreflions they made on him 
 when he read them, by which 
 they came to return upon him 
 I as his own thoughts ; than that 
 ' he fervilely copied from any. 
 For few men ever had a bolder 
 flight of fancy , more fl:eddily 
 governed by Judgment than he 
 had. No wonder a young man 
 fo made, and fo improved was 
 very acceptable in a Court. 
 
 Soon after his coming thither 
 he laid hold on the firft Occalion 
 that offered to fliew his readi- 
 
 nefs 
 
\ 
 
 ann DeatJ) of John C of Rochefter. 
 
 nefs to hazard his life in the 
 Defence and Service of his 
 Country. In Winter 1665. he 
 went with the Earl of Sandwich 
 to Sea , when he was fent to 
 lie for the Dutch Eafl- India 
 Fleet ; and was in the Revenge^ 
 Commanded by Sir Thomas 
 Tiddiman , when the Attack 
 was made on the Port of Bergen 
 in Norway^ the Dutch Ships ha- 
 ving got into that Port. It 
 was as defperate an Attempt as 
 ever was made : during the 
 whole A6lion, the Earl of Ro- 
 chejier fhewed as brave and as 
 refolute a Courage as was pofli- 
 ble : A Perfon of Honour told 
 me he heard the Lord Clifford^ 
 who was in the fame Ship, often 
 magnifie his Courage at that 
 time very highly. Nor did 
 the Rigours of the Seafon, the 
 
 hard- 
 
I o ^ome Pairag:e0 of tbt life 
 
 hardnefs of the Voyage , and 
 the extream danger he had been 
 in, deter him from running the 
 hke on the very next Occajlion ; 
 For the Summer following he 
 went to Sea again , without 
 communicating his delign to 
 his neareft Relations. He went 
 aboard the Ship Commanded 
 by Sir Edward Spragge the day 
 before the great Sea-fight of 
 that Year : Almoft all the Vo- 
 lunteers that were in the fame 
 Ship were killed. Mr. Middleton 
 (brother to Sir Hugh Middleton) 
 was fhot in his Arms. During 
 the Aftion, Sir Edward Spragge 
 not being fatisfied with the be- 
 haviour of one of the Captains, 
 could not eafily find a Perfon 
 that would chearfully venture 
 through fo much danger , to 
 carry his Commands to that 
 
 Captain 
 
ann Deatft of John €♦ of Rochefter. j i 
 
 Captain, This Lord offered 
 himfelf to the Service ; and 
 went in a little Boat, through 
 all the fhot , and delivered his 
 Meffage, and returned back to 
 Sir Edward : which was much 
 commended by all that faw it. 
 He thought it neceffary to be- 
 gin his life with thefe Demon- 
 ftrations of his Courage in an 
 Element and way of fighting, 
 which is acknowledged to be 
 the greateft trial of clear and 
 undaunted Valour. 
 
 He had fo entirely laid down 
 the Intemperance that was 
 growing on him before his Tra- 
 vels , that at his Return he 
 hated nothing more. But fall- 
 ing into Company that loved 
 thefe Exceffes, he was, though 
 not without difficulty, and by 
 many fteps, brought back to it 
 
 again. 
 
1 2 ^ome Paflrage0 of t^e life 
 
 again. And the natural heat 
 of his fancy, being inflamed by 
 Wine , made him fo extrava- 
 gantly pleafant, that many to be 
 more diverted by that humor, 
 ftudied to engage him deeper 
 and deeper in Intemperance : 
 which at length did fo entirely 
 fubdue him; that, as he told 
 me, for five years together he 
 was continually Drunk : not all 
 the while under the vifible ef- 
 fed: of it, but his blood was fo 
 inflamed, that he was not in 
 all that time cool enough to be 
 perfectly Mafl:er of himfelf. 
 This led him to fay and do 
 many wild and unaccountable 
 things : By. this, he faid, he had 
 ' broke the firm conftitution 
 of his Health, that feemed fo 
 ftrong, that nothing was too 
 hard for it ; and he had fuffered 
 
 fo 
 
ann DeatD of John e. of Rochefter. i 3 
 
 fo much in his Reputation, that 
 he almofl difpaired to recover 
 it. There were two Principles 
 in his natural temper, that be^ 
 ing heighten'd by that heat car4 
 ried him to great exceffes : a vi-i 
 olent love of Pleafure,and a dif4 
 pofition to extravagant MirthI 
 The one involved him in great 
 fenfuality : the other led him to 
 many odd Adventures and 
 FroUicks, in which he was oft 
 in hazard of his life. The one 
 being the fame irregular appe- 
 tite in his Mind, that the other 
 was in his Body, which made 
 him think nothing diverting 
 that was not extravagant. And 
 though in cold blood he was 
 a generous and good natured 
 man, yet he would go far in 
 his heats, after any thing that 
 might turn to a left or matter 
 
 of 
 
1 4 ^ome IPaCfages of tfje life 
 
 of Diveriion : He faid to me, 
 He never improved his Intereft 
 at Court, to do a premeditate 
 Mifchief to other perfons. Yet 
 he laid out his Wit very freely 
 in Libels and Satyrs , in which 
 he had a peculiar Talent of mix- 
 ing his Wit with his Malice, 
 and fitting both with fuch apt 
 words, that Men were tempted 
 to be pleafed with them : from 
 thence his Compofures came to 
 be eafily known, for few had 
 fuch a way of tempering thefe 
 together as he had ; So that 
 when any thing extraordinary 
 that way came out, as a Child 
 is fathered fometimes by its Re- 
 femblance, fo was it laid at his 
 Door as its Parent and Au- 
 thor. 
 
 Thefe Exercifes in the courfe 
 of his life were not always 
 
 equally 
 
anU DeatJ) of John €, of Rochefler. 1 5 
 
 equally pleafant to him ; he 
 had often fad Intervals and fe- 
 vere Reflections on them : and 
 though then he had not thefe 
 awakened in him from any ^ 
 deep Principle of Religion, yet 
 the horrour that Nature raifed 
 in him, efpecially in fome Sick- 
 neffes, made him too eaiie to 
 receive fome ill Principles, 
 which others endeavoured to 
 pofTefs him with ; fo that he 
 was too foon brought to fet 
 himfelf to fecure , and fortifie 
 his Mind againft that, by dif- 
 DofTefling it all he could of the 
 relief or apprehenflons of Re- 
 ligion. The Licentioufnefs of 
 his temper, with the brisknefs of 
 his Wit, difpofed him to love 
 the Converfation of thofe who ^ 
 divided their time between 
 lewd Adions and irregular 
 
 Mirth. 
 
1 6 anU Deatf) of John C of Rochefter. 
 
 Mirth. And fo he came to 
 bend his Wit, and direct his 
 Studies and Endeavours to fup- 
 port and ilrengthen thefe ill 
 Principles both in himfelf and 
 others. 
 
 An accident fell out after this, 
 which confirmed him more in 
 thefe Courfes : when he went 
 to Sea in the Year 1665, there 
 happened to be in the fame 
 Ship with him Mr. Mount ague 
 and another Gentleman of 
 Quality, thefe two, the former 
 efpecially , feemed perfwaded 
 that they fhould never return 
 into England. Mr. Mountague 
 faid , He was fure of it : the 
 other was not fo pofitive. The 
 Earl of Rochejier^ and the laft 
 of thefe, entred into a formal 
 Engagement, not without Ce- 
 remonies of Religion, that if 
 
 either 
 
^i:;- 
 
 anti Deat5 of John (B. of Rochefter. 1 7 
 
 either of them died, he fhould 
 appear, and give the other no- 
 tice of the future State, if there 
 was any. But Mr. Mountague 'W- 
 would not enter into the Bond. 
 When the day came that they 
 thought to have taken the 
 Dutch-Y\^tt. in the Port of Ber- 
 gen. Mr. Mountague though 
 he had fuch a flrong Prefage in 
 his Mind of his approaching 
 death, yet he generoufly llaid 
 all the while in the place of 
 greateft danger : The other 
 Gentleman fignalized his Cou- 
 rage in a moft undaunted man- 
 ner, till near the end of the 
 A<Si:ion; when he fell on a 
 fudden into fuch a trembling 
 that he could fcarce ftand : and 
 Mr. Mountague going to him 
 to hold him up, as they were 
 in each others Arms, a Can- 
 
 C non 
 
1 8 ^ome Ipaflra0e0 of tfje Life 
 
 non Ball killed him outright, 
 and carried away Mr. Moun- 
 tague\ Belly , fo that he died 
 within an hour after. The 
 Earl of Rochejier told me that 
 thefe Prefages they had in their 
 minds made fome impreflion 
 on him, that there were fepa- 
 rated Beings : and that the Soul 
 either by a natural fagacity, or 
 fome fecret Notice communi- 
 cated to it, had a fort of Divi- 
 nation ; But that Gentlemans 
 never appearing was a great 
 fnare to him , during the reft 
 of his life. Though when he 
 told me this, he could not but 
 acknowledge, it was an unrea- 
 fonable thing for him, to think, 
 that Beings in another State 
 were not under fuch Laws and 
 Limits, that they could not 
 command their own motions, 
 
 but 
 
ann 2:)eat|j of John €» of Rochefter. 1 9 
 
 but as the Supream Power 
 fliould order them : and that 
 one who had fo corrupted the 
 Natural Principles of Truth^ as 
 he had, had no reafon to expert 
 that fuch an extraordinary • 
 thing fhould be done for his 
 Convidtion. 
 
 He told me of another odd 
 Prefage that one had of his ap- :^ 
 proaching Death in the Lady 
 Warre^ his Mother in Laws 
 houfe : The Chaplain had 
 dream't that fuch a day he 
 lliould die, but being by all the 
 Family put out of the belief of 
 it, he had almoft forgot it : till 
 the Evening before at Supper, 
 there being Thirteen at Table ; 
 according to a fond conceit 
 that one of thefe muft foon 
 die, One of the young Ladies 
 pointed to him, that he was to 
 
 C 2 die. 
 
2 o ^ome IpaDTages of tbe life 
 
 die. He remembring his Dream 
 fell into fome diforder, and the 
 Lady Warre reproving him for 
 his Superftition, he faid, He was 
 confident he was to die before 
 Morning, but he being in per- 
 fect health , it was not much 
 minded. It was Saturday- 
 Night, and he was to Preach 
 next day. He went to his 
 Chamber and fate up late, as 
 appeared by the burning of his 
 Candle, and he had been pre- 
 paring his Notes for his Ser- 
 mon, but was found dead in his 
 Bed the next Morning : Thefe 
 things he faid made him in- 
 clined to believe, the Soul was 
 a fubftance difl:in6t from mat- 
 ter : and this often returned in- 
 to his thoughts. But that which 
 perfe«3:ed his perfwafion about 
 it , was , that in the Sicknefs 
 
 which 
 
anH Deatb of John €. of Rochefter. 2 I 
 
 which brought him fo near 
 death before I firft knew him, 
 when his Spirits were fo low 
 and fpent , that he could not 
 move nor ftir, and he did not 
 think to live an hour ; He faid, 
 His Reafon and Judgment were 
 fo clear and ftrong, that from 
 thence he was fully perfwaded 
 that Death was not the fpend- 
 ing or diffolution of the Soul ; 
 but only the feparation of it 
 from matter. He had in that 
 Sicknefs great Remorfes for his 
 paft Life, but he afterwards 
 told me, They were rather ge- 
 neral and dark Horrours, than 
 any ConviAions of finning 
 againft God. He was forry 
 he had lived fo as to waft his 
 ftrength fo foon, or that he had 
 brought fuch an ill name upon 
 himfelf, and had an Agony in 
 
 C 3 his 
 
2 2 ^ome ipaDTaffes of t^e life 
 
 his Mind about it, which he 
 knew not well how to exprefs : 
 But at fuch times, though he 
 complied with his Friends in 
 fuffering Divines to be fent for, 
 he faid, He had no great mind 
 to it : and that it was but a piece 
 of his breeding, to defire them 
 to pray by him, in which he 
 joyned little himfelf. 
 
 As to the Supream Being, he 
 had always fome ImprefTion of 
 one : and profeffed often to 
 me. That he had never known 
 an entire Atheifiy who fully be- 
 lieved there was no God. Yet 
 when he explained his Notion 
 of this Being, it amounted to 
 no more than a vaft power , 
 that had none of the Attributes 
 of Goodnefs or Juftice , we 
 afcribe to the Deity : Thefe 
 were his thoughts about Reli- 
 gion, 
 
anU Deatb of John dB* of Rochefter. 2 3 
 
 gion, as himfelf told me. For 
 Morality, he freely own'd to 
 me, that though he talked of 
 it, as a fine thing, yet this was 
 only becaufe he thought it a 
 decent way of fpeaking , and 
 that as they went always in 
 Cloaths, though in their Frol- 
 licks they would have chofen 
 fometimes to have gone naked, 
 if they had not feared the peo- 
 ple : So though fome of them 
 found it neceflary for humane 
 life to talk of Morality, yet he 
 confeffed they cared not for it, 
 further then the reputation of 
 it was neceflary for their credit, 
 and affairs : of which he gave 
 me many Inftances , as their 
 profefling and fwearing Friend- 
 Ihip, where they hated mortal- 
 ly ; their Oaths and Imprecati- 
 ons in their Addrefles to Wo- 
 
 C 4 men. 
 
24 ^ome palTages of tfte life 
 
 men, which they intended ne- 
 ver to make good ; the pleafure 
 they took in defaming innocent 
 Perfons , and fpreading falfe 
 Reports of fonae , perhaps in 
 Revenge , becaiife they could 
 not enage them to comply 
 with their ill Defigns : The 
 delight they had in making peo- 
 ple quarrel ; their unjuft ufage 
 of their Creditors, and putting 
 them off by any deceitful Pro- 
 mife they could invent, that 
 might deliver them from pre- 
 fent Importunity. So that in 
 deteftation of thefe Courfes he 
 would often break forth into 
 fuch hard Expreflions concern- 
 ing himfelf as would be indecent 
 for another to repeat. 
 
 Such had been his Principles 
 and Practices in a Courfe of 
 many years ^yhich had almoft 
 
 quite 
 
anD Deatf) of John €. of Rochefter. 2 5 
 
 quite extinguifh't the natural 
 Propenlities in him to Justice 
 and Vertue: He would often 
 go into the Country, and be 
 for fome months wholly im- 
 ploded in Study, or the Sallies 
 of his Wit : Which he came 
 to dired: chiefly to Satyre. And 
 this he often defended to me ; 
 by faying there were fome peo- 
 ple that could not be kept in 
 Order , or admonifhed but in 
 this way. I replied , That it 
 might be granted that a grave 
 way of Satyre was fome times 
 no improfitable way of Re- 
 proof. Yet they who ufed it 
 only out of fpite, and mixed 
 Lyes with Truth , fparing no- 
 thing that might adorn their 
 Poems , or gratifie their Re- 
 venge , could not excufe that 
 way of Reproach , by which 
 
 the 
 
2 6 €)ome Ipairage0 of t&e Htfe 
 
 the Innocent often fuffer : fince 
 the moft malicious things, if 
 wittily expreffed , might ftick 
 to and blemifli the best men in 
 the World, and the malice of 
 a Libel could hardly confift 
 with the Charity of an Admo- 
 nition. To this he anfwered, 
 A man could not write with 
 life, unlefs he were heated by 
 Revenge : For to make a Satyr e 
 without Refentments, upon the 
 cold Notions of Phylofophy, was 
 as if a man would in cold blood, 
 cut mens throats who had ne- 
 ver offended him : And he faid. 
 The Lyes in thefe Libels came 
 ofen in as Ornaments that 
 could not be fpared without 
 fpoiling the beauty of the 
 Poem. 
 
 For his other Studies, they 
 were divided between the Co- 
 mical 
 
ann Dcatfj of John <B* of Rochefter. 2 7 
 
 mical and witty Writings of 
 the Ancients and Moderns, the 
 Roman Authors, and Books of 
 Phyfick : which the ill ftate of 
 health he was fallen into, made 
 more neceffary to himfelf; and 
 which qualifi'd him for an odd 
 adventure, which I fhall but 
 jufb mention. Being under an 
 unlucky Accident , which ob- 
 liged him to keep out of the 
 way ; He difguifed himfelf, fo 
 that his neareft Friends could 
 not have known him, and fet up 
 in Tower-Jlreet for an Italian 
 Mountebank^ where he pradlifed 
 Phyfick for fome Weeks not 
 without fuccefs. In his later 
 years, he read Books of Hiflory 
 more. He took pleafure to dif- 
 guife himfelf, as a Porter, or as 
 a Beggar ; fometimes to follow 
 
 fome 
 
2 8 Some i)airage0 of tfje titc 
 
 fome mean Amours, which, for 
 the variety ofthem,heaiFed:ed; 
 At other times, meerly for di- 
 ver/ion, he would go about in 
 odd fliapes, in which he a^led 
 his part fo naturally, that even 
 thofe who were on the fecret, 
 and faw him in thefe fhapes, 
 could perceive nothing by 
 which he might be difcove- 
 red. 
 
 I have now made the De- 
 fcription of his former Life, 
 and Principles , as fully as I 
 thought neceffary , to anfwer 
 my End in Writing : And yet 
 Vith thofe referves, that I hope 
 I have given no juft caufe of 
 offence to any. I have faid 
 nothing but what I had from 
 his own . mouth , and have 
 avoided the mentioning of the 
 more particular Paffages of his 
 
 Hfe, 
 
anU 2Dcatf) of John €. of Rochefter. 2 9 
 
 life, of which she told me not a 
 few : But fince others were 
 concerned in them , whofe 
 good only I defign, I will fay 
 nothing that may either pro- 
 voke or blemifh them. It is 
 their Reformation , and not 
 their Difgrace , I defire : This 
 tender confideration of others 
 has made me fupprefs many 
 remarkable and ufeful things, 
 he told me : But finding that 
 though I fhould name none , 
 yet I mull at leaft Relate fuch 
 Circumftances , as would give 
 too great Occalion for the 
 Reader to conjecture concern- 
 ing the Perfons intended right 
 or wrong , either of which 
 were inconvenient enough , I 
 have chofen to pafs them quite 
 over. But I hope thofe that 
 know how much they were 
 
 engaged 
 
3 o ^ome PaOTage^ of tbt life 
 
 engaged with him in his ill 
 Courfes , will be fomewhat 
 touched with this tendernefs I 
 exprefs towards them : and be 
 thereby the rather induced to 
 reflecSt on their Ways, and to 
 conlider without prejudice or 
 paflion what fenfe this Noble 
 Lord had of their cafe, when he 
 came at laft ferioufly to reflect 
 upon his own. 
 
 I now turn to thofe parts of 
 this Narrative , wherein I my 
 felf bore fome fhare, and which 
 I am to deliver upon the Ob- 
 fervations I made, after a long 
 and free Converfation with 
 him for fome months. I was 
 not long in his Company, when 
 he told me , He fliould treat 
 me with more freedom than 
 he had ever ufed to men of my 
 Profeflion. He would con- 
 ceal 
 
anU Deatb of John <B* of Rochefter. 3 i 
 
 ceal none of his Principles from 
 me, but lay his thoughts open 
 without any Difguife ; nor 
 would he do it to maintain 
 Debate, or jQiew his Wit, but 
 plainly tell me what ftuck with 
 him ; and protefted to me , That 
 he was not fo engaged to his 
 old Maxims, as to refolve not 
 to change, but that if he could 
 be convinc'd, he would choofe 
 rather to be of another mind ; 
 He faid, He would impartially 
 Weigh what I Ihould lay before 
 him, and tell me freely when 
 it did convince him, and when 
 it did not. He exprefled this 
 difpoiition of mind to me in a 
 manner fo frank, that I could 
 not but believe him , and be 
 much taken with his way of 
 Difcourfe : So we entred into 
 almoft all the parts of Natural 
 
 and 
 
3 2 ^ome l^aflfasej of tht life 
 
 and Revealed Religion, and of 
 Morality. He feemed pleafed, 
 and in a great meafure fatified, 
 with what I faid upon many of 
 thefe Heads : And though our 
 freeft Converfation was when 
 we were alone, yet upon feve- 
 ral Occafions , other perfons 
 were WitnelTes to it. I under- 
 ftood from many hands that 
 my Company was not diftaftful 
 to him, and that the Subjects 
 about which we talked moll 
 were not unacceptable : and he 
 exprefled himfelf often, not ill 
 pleafed with many things I faid 
 to him, and particularly when I 
 vifited him in his laft Sicknefs, 
 fo that I hope it may not be al- 
 together unprofitable to pubHlh 
 the fubftance of thofe matters 
 about which We argued fo 
 freely, with our reafoning upon 
 
 them : 
 
anU DeatJ) of John €♦ of Rochefter. 3 3 
 
 them : And perhaps what had 
 fome effects on him, may be 
 not altogether ineffe(9:ual upon 
 others. I followed him with 
 fuch Arguments as I faw were 
 moft likely to prevail with him : 
 and my not urging other Rea- 
 fons, proceeded not from any 
 diftruft I had of their force, but 
 from the neceflity of uiing 
 thofe that were moft proper 
 for him. He was then in a low 
 ftate of health, and feemed to 
 be flowly recovering of a great 
 Difeafe : He was in the Milk- 
 Diet, and apt to fall into Hecti- 
 cal-Fits ; any accident weak- 
 ened him ; fo that he thought 
 he could not live long ; And 
 when he went from London^ 
 he faid, He believed he Ihould 
 never come to Town more. 
 Yet during his being in Town 
 
 D he 
 
3 4 ^onte ipanraps of tU fii^c 
 
 he was fo well , that he went 
 often abroad , and had great 
 Vivacity of Spirit. So that he 
 was under no fuch decay , as 
 either darkened or weakened 
 his Underftanding ; Nor was 
 he any way troubled with the 
 Spleen, or Vapours, or under 
 the power of Melancholy. 
 What he was then, compared 
 to what he had been formerly, 
 I could not fo well judge, who 
 had feen him but twice before. 
 Others have told me they per- 
 ceived no difference in his parts. 
 This I mention more particular- 
 ly, that it may not be thought 
 that Melancholy, or the want of 
 Spirits, made him more inclined 
 to receive any Impreffions : for 
 indeed I never difcovered any 
 fuch thing in him. 
 
 Having 
 
anH Deatf) of John (ZH. of Rochefter. 3 5 
 
 Having thus opened the way * 
 to the Heads of our Difcourfe, I 
 fliall next mention them. The 
 three chief things We talked 
 about, were Morality^ Natural 
 Religion and Revealed Religion^ 
 Chrijlianity in particular. For 
 Morality^ he confeffed, He faw 
 the necefHty of it, both for the 
 Government of the World , 
 and for the prefervation of 
 Health, Life and Friendfhip : 
 and was very much afhamed 
 of his former Pracflices, rather 
 becaufe he had made himfelf 
 a Beaft, and had brought pain 
 and ficknefs on his Body, and 
 had fufFered much in his Re- 
 putation , than from any deep 
 fenfe of a Supream Being, or 
 another State : But fo far this 
 went with him, that he refolved 
 firmly to change the Courfe of 
 
 D 2 his 
 
2 6 ^ome Panrage0 of t&e life 
 
 his Life ; which he thought he 
 fhould effedt by the ftudy of 
 Philofophy^ and had not a few no 
 lefs folid than pleafant Notions 
 concerning the folly and mad- 
 nefs of Vice : but he confefTed 
 he had no remorfe for his paft 
 Actions , as Offences againft 
 God, but only as Injuries to 
 himfelf and to Mankind. 
 
 Upon this Subjedt I fhewed 
 him the Defeats of Philofophy^ 
 for reforming the World : That 
 it was a matter of Speculation, 
 which but few either had the 
 leifure, or the capacity to en- 
 quire into. But the Principle 
 that mull reform Mankind, 
 muft be obvious to every Mans 
 Underftanding. That Philofo- 
 phy in matters of Morality, be- 
 yond the great lines of our 
 Duty, had no very certain fixed 
 ' Rule, 
 
anU Deat|> of John €» of Rochefter. 3 7 
 
 Rule, but in the leffer Ojffices 
 and Inftances of our Duty 
 went much by the Fancies of 
 Men, and Cuftoms of Nations ; 
 and confequently could not 
 have Authority enough to bear 
 down the Propenfities of Na- 
 ture, Appetite or Pafllon : For 
 w^hich I inftanced in thefe two 
 Points; The One was, About 
 that Maxim of the Stoicks, to 
 extirpate all fort of Paffion and 
 concern for any thing. That, 
 take it by one hand , feemed 
 defireable, becaufe if it could 
 be accompliih'd, it would make 
 all the accidents of life eafie; but 
 I think it cannot, becaufe Na- 
 ture after all our ftriving againft 
 it, will ftill return to it felf : 
 Yet on the other hand it diflbl- 
 ved the Bonds of Nature and 
 Friendlhip , and flackened In- 
 
 D 3 duftry 
 
3 8 ^otne paDTages of tbt life 
 
 duftry which will move but 
 dully, without an inward heat : 
 And if it delivered a man from 
 many Troubles, it deprived him 
 of the chief pleafures of Life, 
 which rife from Friendfhip. 
 The ot^er was concerning the 
 reftraint of pleafure , how far 
 that was to go. Upon this he 
 told me the two Maxims of his 
 Morality then were , that he 
 fhould do nothing to the hurt 
 of any other , or that might 
 3rejudice his own health : And 
 le thought that all pleafure, 
 when it did not interfere, with 
 thefe, was to be indulged as the 
 gratification of our natural 
 Appetites. It feemed unreafon- 
 able to imagine thefe were put 
 into a man only to be reftrain- 
 ed, or curbed to fuch a narrow- 
 nefs : This he applied to the 
 
 free 
 
anU K>tW^ of John <!B. of Rochefter . 3 9 
 
 free ufe of Wine and Wo- 
 men. 
 
 To this I anfwered, That if 
 Appetites being Natural , was 
 ian Argument for the indul- 
 ging them, then the revenge- 
 ful might as well alledge it for 
 Murder, and the Covetous for 
 Stealing ; whofe Appetites are 
 no lefe keen on thofe Objed:s 5 
 and yet it is acknowledg'd that 
 thefe Appetites ought to be 
 curb'd. If the difference is 
 urged from the Injury that 
 another Perfon receives, the In- 
 jury is as great, if a Mans Wife 
 is defiled, or his Daughter cor- 
 rupted : and it is impoflible for 
 a man to let his Appetites loofe 
 to Vagrant Lufts, and not to 
 tranfgrefs in thefe particulars : 
 So there was no curing the 
 Diforders, that muft rife from 
 
 D 4. thence. 
 
40 ^ome Ipadra0:e0 of (be life 
 
 thence, but by regulating thefe 
 Appetites : And why fhould we 
 not as well think that God in- 
 tended our bruitifli and fenfual 
 Appetites Ihould be governed 
 by our Reafon,as that the fierce- 
 nefs of Beafts fhould be managed 
 and tamed, by the Wifdom, 
 and for the ufe of Man? So that 
 it is no real abfurdity to grant 
 that Appetites were put into 
 Men, on purpofe to exercife 
 their Reafon in the Reftraint 
 and Government of them : 
 which to be able to do, mini- 
 fters a higher and more lafting 
 pleafure to a Man , than to 
 give them their full fcope and 
 range. And if other Rules of 
 Philofophy be obferved, fuch as 
 the avoiding thofe Objects that 
 ftir Paflion ; Nothing raifes 
 higher Paflions than ungo- 
 
 vern'd 
 
anH aDeatft of John €. of Rochefter. 4 1 
 
 Vern'd Lull , nothing darkens 
 the Underftanding, and depref- 
 fes a mans mind more, nor is 
 any thing managed with more 
 frequent Returns of other Im- 
 moralities , fuch as Oaths and 
 Imprecations which are only 
 intended to compafs what is 
 defired : The expence that is 
 neceflary to maintain thefe Ir- 
 regularities makes a man falfe 
 in his other dealings. All this 
 he freely confeffed was true, 
 Upon which I urged, that if it 
 was reafonable for a man to re- 
 gulate his Appetite in things 
 which he knew were hurtful to 
 him; Was it not as reafonable 
 for God to prefcribe a Regula- 
 ting of thofe Appetites, whofe 
 unreftrained Courfe did pro- 
 duce fuch mifchievous effe<5i:s ? 
 
 That it could not be denied, 
 
 but 
 
4 2 %omt paOages of tbt iLffe 
 
 but doing to others what we 
 would have others do unto us^ 
 was a juft Rule : Thofe men 
 then that knew how extream 
 fenfible they themfelves would 
 be of the diflionour of their 
 Families in the cafe of their 
 Wives or Daughters , muft 
 needs condemn themfelves, for 
 doing that which they could 
 not bear from another : And 
 if the peace of Mankind^and the 
 entire fatisfadtion of our whole 
 life, ought to be one of the 
 chief meafures of our Adlions, 
 then let all the World judge, 
 Whether a Man that confines 
 his Appetite, and lives contented 
 at home, is not much happier, 
 than thofe that let their Defires 
 run after forbidden Objedis.The 
 thing being granted to be bet- 
 ter in it felf, than the queftion 
 
 falls 
 
anil Deatfl of John €. of Rochefter. 43 
 
 falls between the reflraint of - 
 Appetite in fome Inflances , 
 and the freedom of a mans 
 thoughts, the foundnefs of his 
 health, his application to Af- 
 fairs , with the eafinefs of his 
 whole life. Whether the one 
 is not to be done before the 
 other ? As to the difficulty of 
 fuch a reftraint, though it is not 
 eafie to be done, when a man 
 allows himfelf many liberties, in 
 which it is not poffible to flop ; 
 Yet thofe who avoid the Occa- 
 fions that may kindle thefe im- 
 Dure Flames , and keep them- 
 selves well employed, find the 
 Victory and Dominion over 
 them no fuch impoffible , or 
 hard matter , as may feem at 
 firft view. So that though the 
 Philofophy and Morality of this 
 Point were plain; Yet there is 
 
 not 
 
44 ^oni^ Pairage0 of tjie life 
 
 not ftrength enough in that 
 Principle to fubdue Nature, and 
 Appetite. Upon this I urged,that 
 Morality could not be a ftrong 
 thing, unlefs a man were deter- 
 mined by a Law within himfelf : 
 for if he only meafured himfelf 
 by Decency, or the Laws of the 
 Land , this would teach him 
 only to ufe fuch caution in his 
 ill Praftices , that they fhould 
 not break out too viiibly : but 
 would never carry him to an 
 inward and univerfal probity : 
 That Vertue was of fo compli- 
 cated a Nature , that unlefs a 
 man came entirely within its 
 difcipline, he could not adhere 
 ftedfaftly to any one Precept : 
 for Vices are often made ne- 
 ceflary fupports to one another. 
 That this cannot be done, ei- 
 ther fteddily, or with any fatif^ 
 
 faction. 
 
ant Deatl) of John €, of Rochefler. 45 
 
 fadion , unlefs the Mind does 
 inwardly comply with, and de- 
 light in the Didates of Virtue. 
 And that could not be eiFecSted, 
 except a mans nature were in- 
 ternally regenerated, and chang- 
 ed by a higher Principle : Till 
 that came about, corrupt Na- 
 ture would be ftrong, and PAi- 
 lofophy but feeble : efpecially 
 when it ftruggled with fuch Ap- 
 petites or PafHons as were much 
 indled , or deeply rooted in 
 the Conftitution of ones Body. 
 This, he faid, founded to him 
 like Enthtijiafme , or Canting : 
 He had no notion of it , and fo 
 could not underftand it : He 
 comprehended the Dictates of 
 Reafon and Philofophy, in which 
 as the Mind became much con- 
 verfant , there would foon fol- 
 low as he believed , a greater 
 
 eafinefs 
 
46 ^ome lPa(rage0 of t&e life 
 
 eafinefs in obeying its precepts : 
 I told him on the other hand, 
 that all his Speculations of Phi- 
 lofophy would not ferve him in 
 any flead , to the reforming of 
 his Nature and Life, till he ap- 
 plied himfelf to God for inward 
 affiftances. It was certain, that 
 the Impreflions made in his 
 Reafon governed him, as they 
 were lively prefented to him : 
 but thefe are fo apt to flip out 
 of our Memory, and we fo apt 
 to turn our thoughts from 
 them, and at fome times the 
 contrary Impreflions are fo 
 ftrong, that let a man fet up a 
 reafoning in his Mind againft 
 them, he finds that Celebrated 
 faying of the Poet, 
 
 Video 
 
aim DeatI) of John <B. of Rochefter. 4 j 
 
 Video meliora proboq^ deteriora 
 fequor. 
 
 I fee what is better and approve 
 it ! but follow what is worfe. 
 
 to be all that Fhilofophy will 
 amount to. Whereas thofe 
 who upon fuch Occalions ap- 
 ply themfelves to God, by ear- 
 neft Prayer , feel a difengage- 
 ment from fuch Impreilions, 
 and themfelves endued with a 
 power to relift them. So that 
 thofe bonds which formerly 
 held them, fall off. 
 
 This he faid mufl be the 
 effedt of a heat in Nature : 
 it was only the ftrong diverfion 
 of the thoughts, that gave the 
 feeming Vidiory ; and he did 
 not doubt but if one could turn 
 
 to 
 
4 8 ^ome l^alTageg of tfte life 
 
 to a Problem in Euclid, or to 
 Write a Copy of Verfes , it 
 would have the fame effect. To 
 this I anfwered , That if fuch 
 Methods did only divert the 
 thoughts, there might be fome 
 force in what he faid : but if 
 they not only drove out fuch 
 Inclinations, but begat Impref- 
 fions contrary to them , and 
 brought men into a new difpo- 
 iition and habit of mind ; then 
 he muft confefs there was 
 fomewhat more than a diver- 
 lion , in thefe changes, which 
 were brought on our Minds 
 U by true Devotion. I added, 
 that Reafon and Experience 
 were the things that determi- 
 ned our perfwafions : that Ex- 
 perience without Reafon may 
 DC thought the delulion of our 
 Fancy, fo Reafon without Ex- 
 perience 
 
anU Deatb of John (B* of Rochefter. ^g 
 
 perience had not fo* convincing 
 an Operation : But thefe two 
 meeting together, mufl needs 
 give a man all the fatisfa(9:ion 
 he can defire. He could not 
 fay, It was unreafonable to be- 
 lieve that the Supream Being 
 might make fome thoughts ftir 
 in our Minds with more or lefs 
 force, as it pleafed : Efpecially 
 the force of thefe motions, be- 
 ing, for moil part, according 
 to the Impreffion that was 
 made on our Brains : which 
 that power that diredled the 
 whole frame of Nature, could 
 make grow deeper as it pleafed. 
 It was alfo reafonable to fup- 
 pofe God a Being of fuch 2ood- 
 nefs that he would give his 
 afUftance to fuch as defired it : 
 For though he might upon 
 fome greater Occafions in an 
 
 E extras 
 
5 o %omz IpaDTages of tbt life 
 
 extraordinary manner turn 
 fome peoples minds ; Yet fince 
 he had endued Man with a 
 faculty of Reafon, it is fit that 
 men fliould employ that, as far 
 as they could; and beg his 
 affiftance : which certainly they 
 can do. All this feemed rea- 
 fonable, and at leaft probable : 
 Now good men who felt upon 
 their frequent Applications to 
 God in prayer, a freedom from 
 thofe ill Impreffions, that for- 
 merly fubdued them, an inward 
 love to Vertue and true Good- 
 nefs, an eafinefs and delight in 
 all the parts of Holinefs, which 
 was fed and cherifhed in them 
 by a ferioufnefs in Prayer, and 
 did languifh as that went off, 
 had as real a perception of an 
 inward ftrength in their Minds, 
 that did rife and fall with true 
 
 Devotion, 
 
ann Deatib of John (B» of Rochefter. 5 1 
 
 Devotion, as they perceived the 
 ftrength of their Bodies in- 
 creafed or abated, according as 
 they had or wanted good 
 nourifhment. 
 
 After many Difcourfes upon 
 this Subject, he ftill continued 
 to think all w2ls the eifed: of 
 Fancy : He faid, That he under- 
 ftood nothing of it, but ac- 
 knowledged that he thought 
 they were very haypy whofe 
 Fancies were under the power 
 of fuch Impreflions ; fince they 
 had fomewhat on which their 
 thoughts refted and centred : 
 But when I faw him in his laft 
 Sicknefs, He then told me. He 
 had another fenfe of what we 
 had talked concerning prayer 
 and inward afllftances. 
 
 This Subje6t led us to dif- 
 courfe of God , and of the 
 
 E 2 No- 
 
5 2 ^ome paDTages of ^z life 
 
 Notion of Religion in general. 
 He believed there was a Su- 
 pream Being : He could not 
 think the World was made by 
 chance, and the regular Courfe 
 of Nature feemed to demon- 
 ftrate the Eternal Power of its 
 Author. This, he faid, he could 
 never fhake off; but when he 
 came to explain his Notion of 
 the Deity, he faid, He looked 
 on it as a vaft Power that 
 Wrought every thing by the 
 neceflity of its Nature : and 
 thought that God had none of 
 thofe Affections of Love or 
 Hatred , which breed pertur- 
 bation in us , and by confe- 
 quence he could not fee that 
 there was to be either reward or 
 punifhment. He thought our 
 Conceptions of God were fo 
 low, that we had better not 
 
 think 
 
'.. '-M ■-;- 
 
 / 
 
 an0 ©eatll of John <B. of Rochefter. 5 3 
 
 think much of him : And to 
 love God feemed to him a pre- 
 fumptuous thing, and the heat 
 of fanciful men. Therefore 
 he believed there fhould be no 
 other Religious Worfhip , but 
 a general Celebration of that 
 Being , in fome fhort Hymn : 
 All the other parts of Worfhip 
 he efteemed the Inventions of 
 Priefts, to make the World be- 
 lieve they had a Secret of In- 
 cenfing and Appealing God as 
 they pleafed. In a word, he 
 was neither perfwaded that 
 there was a fpecial Providence 
 about Humane Affairs ; Nor 
 that Prayers were of much ufe, 
 fince that was to look on God 
 as a weak Being, that would be 
 overcome with Importunities. 
 And for the ftate after death, 
 though he thought the Soul 
 
 E 3 did 
 
 ■r- 
 
5 4 ^ome ipaflfages of tU Itt'e 
 
 did not diffolve at death; Yet 
 he doubted much of Rewards 
 or Punifhments : the one he 
 thought too high for us to 
 attain, by our flight Services ; 
 and the other was too extream 
 to be inflided for Sin. This 
 was the fubftance of his Specu- 
 lations about God and ReU- 
 gion. 
 
 I told him his Notion of 
 God was fo loWjthatthe Supream 
 Being feemed to be nothing 
 but Nature. For if that being 
 had no freedom , nor choice 
 of its own Aftions, nor ope- 
 rated by Wifdom or Goodnefs, 
 all thofe Reafons which lead 
 him to acknowledge a God, 
 were contrary to this Conceit ; 
 for if the Order of the Univerfe 
 perfwaded him to think there 
 was a God, He muft at the fame 
 
 time 
 
anH Deatb of John <B. of Rochefter. 5 5 
 
 time conceive him to be both 
 Wife and Good, .as well as 
 powerful,Ji«ce tliefe all appear'd 
 ^qyally in the Creation : though 
 his Wifdom and Goodnefs had 
 ways of exerting themfelves, 
 that were far beyond our No- 
 tions or Meafures. If God was 
 Wife and Good, he would na- 
 turally love,and be pleafed with 
 thofe that refembled him in 
 thefe Perfedions , and diflike 
 thofe that were oppolite to him. 
 Every Rational Being naturally 
 loves it felf, and is delighted in 
 others like it felf , and is averfe 
 from what is not fo. Truth is a 
 Rational Natures ad:ing in con- 
 formity to it felf in all things, 
 and Goodnefs is an Inclination 
 to promote the happinefs of 
 other Beings : So Truth and 
 
 E 4 Goodnefs 
 
5 6 ^ome IpaOfage? of tfje Life 
 
 Goodnefs were the eflential per- 
 fections of every reafonable 
 Being , and certainly moft 
 eminently in the Deity : nor 
 does his Mercy or Love raife 
 Paflion or Perturbation in Him ; 
 for we feel that to be a weaknefs 
 in our felves, which indeed on- 
 ly flows from our want of 
 power, or skill to do what we 
 wifli or deiire : It is alfo reafon- 
 able to believe God would aflift 
 the Endeavours of the Good, 
 with fome helps fuitable to 
 their Nature. And that it could 
 not be imagined , that thofe 
 who imitated him, Ihould not 
 be fpecially favoured by him : 
 and therefore fince this did not 
 appear in this State, it wa« mofl 
 reafonable to think it fliould be 
 in another, where the Rewards 
 
 ftiall 
 
ailD Deatb of John C of Rochefter. 5 7 
 
 fliall be an admiflion to a more 
 perfedt State of Conformity to 
 God, with the felicity that fol- 
 lows it , and the Punifhments 
 Ihould be a total excluiion from 
 him, with all the horrour and 
 darknefs that muft follow that. 
 Thefe feemed to be the natural 
 Refults of {uch feveral Courles ft 
 of life, as well as the EfFeds of 
 Divine Tuftice , Rewarding or 
 Dunifhing. For fince he be- 
 ieved the Soul had a diftin6t 
 fubfiftance, feparated from the 
 Body ; Upon its diffolution 
 there was no reafon to think it 
 Daffed into a State of utter Ob- 
 'ivion, of what it had been in 
 formerly : but that as the re- 
 flections on the good or evil it 
 had done, muft raife joy or 
 horrour in it ;^ So thofe good 
 or ill Difpofitions accompany- 
 ing 
 
5 8 ^ome Pairage0 of tU life 
 
 ing the departed Souls , they 
 mull either rife up to a higher 
 Perfedion, or fink to a more 
 Jepravedj and miferable State. 
 In this life variety of AiFairs and 
 Objedls do much cool and di- 
 vert our Minds ; and are on 
 the one hand often great temp- 
 tations to the good, and give 
 the bad fome eafe in their 
 trouble ; but in a State wherein 
 the Soul fhall be feparated from 
 fenfible things, and employed 
 in a more quick and fublime 
 way of Operation , this muft 
 very much exalt the Joys and 
 Improvements of the good, 
 and as much heighten the hor- 
 rour and rage of the Wicked. 
 So that it feemed a vain thing 
 to pretend to believe a Supream 
 Being, that is Wife and Good 
 as well as great , and not to 
 
 think 
 
ant Oeatb of John <B* of Rochefter. 5 9 
 
 think a difcrimination will be 
 made betwteen the Good and 
 Bad, which, it is manifeft, is not 
 fully done in this life. 
 
 As for the Government of 
 the World, if We believe the 
 Supream Power made it, there 
 is no reafon to think he does not 
 'govern it : For all that we can 
 fancy againft it,is the diftradtion 
 which that Infinite Variety of 
 Second Caufes, and the care of 
 their Concernments, muft give 
 to the firft, if it infpe<9:s them 
 all. But as among men, thofe of . 
 weaker Capacities are wholly 
 takenjup with fome one thing, 
 whereas thofe of more enlarged 
 powers can,without diftradion, 
 have many things within their 
 care, as the Eye can at one view 
 receive a great Variety of Ob- 
 jeds, in that narrow Compafs, 
 
 without 
 
6o ^omc paOTages of ttt life 
 
 without confufion ; So if we 
 conceive the Divine Under - 
 ftanding to be as far above ours, 
 as his Power of creating and 
 framing the whole Univerfe, is 
 above our limited activity ; We 
 will no more think the Govern- 
 ment of the World a diflradion 
 to him : and if we have once 
 overcome this prejudice , We 
 fliall be ready to acknowledge a 
 Providence direding all Affairs; 
 a Care well becoming the Great 
 Creator. 
 
 As for Worlliipping Him, if 
 . we imagine our Worfhip is a 
 thing that adds to His Happinefs 
 or gives Him fuch a fond Plea- 
 fure as weak people have to 
 hear themfelves commended ; 
 or that our repeated Addreffes 
 do overcome Him through our 
 meer Importunity , We have 
 
 certainly 
 
■m 
 
 anD Deati) of John (B. of Rochefter. 6 1 
 
 certainly very unworthy 
 thoughts of him. The true 
 ends of Worlhip come within 
 another confideration : which ^ 
 is this, A man is never entirely 
 Reformed, till a new Principle 
 governs his thoughts : Nothing 
 makes that Principle fo flrong, 
 as deep and frequent Meditati- 
 ons of God ; whofe Nature 
 though it be far above our 
 Comprehenfion, yet his Good- 
 nefs and Wifdom are fuch Per- 
 fections as fall within our Ima- 
 gination : And he that thinks of- 
 ten of God,and confiders him as 
 governing the World, and as 
 ever obferving all his Adlions, 
 will feet a very feniible effe(5t 
 of fuch Meditations , as they 
 grow more lively and frequent 
 with him ; fo the end of Re- 
 ligious Worfhip either publick 
 
 or 
 
6 2 ®ome paflfages of t&e U(z 
 
 or private , is to make the Ap- 
 prehenfions of . God , have a 
 deeper root and a ftronger influ- 
 ence on us. The frequent re- 
 turns of thefe are neceflary : 
 Left if we allow of too long 
 intervals between them, thefe 
 Impreflions may grow feebler, 
 and other Suggeftions may- 
 come in their room : And the 
 Returns of Prayer are not to be 
 confidered as Favours extorted 
 by meer Importunity , but as 
 Rewards conferred on men fo 
 well difpofed, and prepared for 
 them : according to the Promi- 
 fes that God has made, for an- 
 fwering our Prayers : thereby to 
 engage and nourifli a devout 
 temper in us, which is the chief 
 root of all true Holinefs and 
 Vertue. 
 
 It 
 
anD 3;)eat^ of John €» of Rochefler. 6 3 
 
 It is true we cannot have 
 fuitable Notions of the Di- 
 vine EfTence ; as indeed we 
 have no juft Idea of any Eflence 
 whatfoever : Since we com- 
 monly confider all things, ei- 
 ther by their outward Figure, 
 or by their Effects : and from 
 thence make Inferences what 
 their Nature muft be. So 
 though we cannot frame any 
 perfed: Image in our Minds 
 of the Divinity , Yet we may 
 from the Difcoveries God has 
 made of Himfelf, form fuch 
 Conceptions of Him , as may 
 poffefs our Minds with great 
 Reverence for Him, and be- 
 get in us fuch a Love of thofe 
 Perfedions as to engage us to 
 imitate them. For when we 
 fay we love God ; the meaning 
 is. We love that Being that is 
 
 Holy, 
 
64 ^ome Pairage3 of ttt life 
 
 Holy, Juft, Good, Wife; and 
 infinitely perfedl : And loving 
 thefe Attributes in that Objedt, 
 will certainly carry us to defire 
 them in our felves. For what 
 ever We love in another. We 
 naturally , according to the 
 degree of our love, endeavour 
 to refemble it. In furti, the 
 Loving and Worfhipping God, 
 though they are juft and rea- 
 fonable returns and expreilions 
 of the fenfe We have of his 
 Goodnefs to. us; Yet they are 
 exacted of us not only as a 
 Tribute to God, but as a mean 
 to beget in us a Conformity to 
 his Nature, which is the chief 
 end of pure and undefiled Reli- 
 gion. 
 
 If fome Men, have at feveral 
 times, found out Inventions to 
 Corrupt this , and cheat the 
 
 World ; 
 
anD Deatf) of John e. of Rochefter. 6 5 
 
 World ; It is nothing but what 
 occilrs in every fort,, of Em- 
 
 ...ployment , to which men be- 
 take themfelves. Mountebanks 
 Corrupt Phyfick ; Petty-Foggers 
 have entangled the matters of 
 Property , and all Profeffions 
 have been vitiated by the Kna- 
 veries of a number of their 
 Calling. ^ 
 
 With all thefe Difcourfes he 
 was not equally fatisfied : He 
 feemed convinced that the Im- 
 preflions of God being much 
 
 "in Mens minds , would be a 
 powerful means to reform the 
 World : and did not feem de- 
 termined againft Providence ; 
 But for the next State , he 
 thought it more likely that the 
 Soul began anew, and that her 
 fenfe of what fhe had done in 
 this Body, lying in the figures 
 
 F that 
 
6 6 ^me paira0e0 of tfte life 
 
 that are made in the Brain, as 
 foon as {he diflodged, all thefe 
 perifhed , and that the Soul 
 went into fome other State to 
 begin anew Courfe. But I faid 
 on this Head, That this was at 
 beft a conje6ture, raifed in him 
 hy his fancy : for he could 
 give no reafon to prove it true ; 
 Nor was all the remembrance 
 our Souls had of paft things 
 feated in fome material figures 
 lodged in the Brain : Though 
 it could not be denied but a 
 great deal of it lay in the Brain. 
 That we have many abftracEted 
 Notions and Ideas of immate- 
 rial things which depends not 
 on bodily Figures : Some Sins, 
 fuch as Falfhood , and ill Na- 
 ture were feated in the Mind, as 
 Lull and Appetite were in the 
 Body : and as the whole Body 
 
 was 
 
ant Deatl) of John €. of Rochefter. 6 7 
 
 was the Receptacle of the Soul, . 
 and the Eyes and Ears were the 
 Organs of Seeing and Hearing, 
 fo was the Brain the Seat of 
 Memory : Yet the power and 
 faculty of Memory, as well as of 
 Seeing and Hearing, lay in the 
 Mind : and fo it was no uncon- 
 ceivable thing that either the 
 Soul by its own ftrength, or by 
 the means of fome fubtiler 
 Organs, which might be fitted 
 for it in another ftate, fhould 
 ftill remember as well as think. 
 But indeed We know fo little of 
 the Nature of our Souls, that it 
 ' is a vain thing for us to raife an 
 Hypothecs out of the con- 
 je6tures We have about it, or 
 to reject one, becaufe of fome 
 difficulties that occur to us; 
 fince it is as hard to underftand 
 how we remember things now, 
 
 F 2 as 
 
6 8 ^ome IpalTages of tf)t life 
 
 • as how We fhall do it in ano- 
 ther State ; only we are fure we 
 do it now, and fo we jfhall be 
 then, when we do it. 
 
 When I preffed him with the 
 fecret Joys that a good Man 
 felt, particularly as he drew 
 near Death, and the Horrours 
 of ill men efpecially at that 
 time 5 He was willing to afcribe 
 it to the Impreilions they had 
 from their Education : But he 
 often confefTed , that whether 
 the bufinefs of Religion was 
 true or not, he thought thofe 
 who had the perfwafions of it, 
 and lived fo that they had quiet 
 in their Confciences, and be- 
 lieved God governed the 
 World, and acquiefced in his 
 Providence, and had the hope 
 of an endlefs bleffednefs in 
 another State, the happieft men 
 
 in 
 
anD Oeatf) of John €* of Rochefter. 69 
 
 i 
 
 in the World: And {aid , He I 
 would give all that he was 
 Mailer of, to be under thofe 
 Perfwafions , and to . have the 
 Supports and J^ys that mufi: 
 needs flow from them. I told 
 him the main Root of all Cor- 
 ruptions in Mens Principles was 
 their ill life ; Which as it dark- 
 ened their Minds, and difabled 
 them from difcerning better 
 things ; fo it made it neceflary 
 for them to feek out fuch Opi- 
 nions as might give them eafe 
 from thofe Clamours , that 
 would otherwife have been 
 raifed within them : He did not 
 deny but that after the doing 
 of fome things he felt great and 
 fevere Challenges within him- 
 felf : But he faid, He felt not 
 thefe after fome others which I 
 would perhaps call far greater 
 
 F 3 Sins, 
 
7 o ^ome parages of tf)t life 
 
 Sins , than thofe that afFefted 
 him more fenlibly : This I faid, 
 might flow from the Diforders 
 he had. caft himfelf into, which 
 had corrupted his judgment, 
 and vitiated his tail of things ; 
 and by his long continuance in, 
 and frequent repeating of fome 
 ImmoraHties , he had made 
 them fo familiar to him, that 
 they were become as it were 
 natural : And then it was no 
 wonder if he had not fo exaft 
 a fenfe of what was Good or 
 Evil ; as a Feaveri£h-man cannot 
 judge of Tafts. 
 
 He did acknowledge the 
 whole Syfteme .of Religion, if 
 believed, was a greater founda- 
 tion of quiet than any other 
 thing whatfoever : for all the 
 quiet he had in his mind, was, 
 that he could not think fo good 
 
 a Being 
 
ann Oeatll of John (ZH» of Rochefter. 7 1 
 
 a Being as the Deity would 
 make him miferable. I asked if 
 when by the ill courfe of his life 
 he had brought fo many Difea- 
 fes on his Body, he could blame 
 God for it : or expert that he 
 fhould deliver him from them 
 by a Miracle. He confefled 
 there was no reafon for that : 
 I then urged, that if Sin fhould 
 caft the mind by a natural Ef- 
 fedt, into endlefs Horrours and 
 Agonies, which being feated in 
 a Being not fubjeiSt to Death, 
 muft laft for ever, unlefs fome 
 Miraculous Power interpofed, 
 could he accufe God for that 
 which was the effect of his own 
 choice and ill life. 
 
 He faid. They were happy 
 that believed : for it was not in 
 every mans power. 
 
 And upon this we difcourfed 
 
 F 4 ^ long 
 
7 2 ^ome IpaCfages of tbe life 
 
 J 
 
 long about Revealed Religion. 
 He faid, He did not underftand 
 that bufinefs oF Infpiration ; He 
 believed the Pen-men of the 
 Scriptures had heats and ho- 
 nefty, and fo writ : but could 
 not comprehend how God 
 fliould reveal his Secrets to Man- 
 kind. Why was not Man made 
 a Creature more difpofed for 
 Religion , and better Illumina- 
 ted ? He could not apprehend 
 how there fhould be any cor- 
 ruption in the Nature of Man, 
 oraLapfe derived from Adam. 
 Gods communicating his Mind 
 to one Man, was the putting it 
 in his power to cheat the 
 World : For Prophefies and Mi- 
 racles, the World had been al- 
 ways full of ftrange Stories; for 
 the boldnefs and cunning of 
 Contrivers meeting with the 
 
 Simplicity 
 
ann Deatft of John <B. of Rochefter. 7 3 
 
 Simplicity and Credulity of the 
 People, things were eafily re- 
 ceived ; and being once received 
 paffed down without contra- 
 diction. The Incoherences of 
 Stile in the Scriptures, the odd 
 Tranfitions, the feeming Con- 
 tradictions , chiefly about the 
 Order of time , the Cruelties 
 enjoyned the Ifraelites in de- 
 fboying the Canaanites , Cir- 
 cumcifion , and many other 
 Rites of the yewijh Worfhip; 
 feemed to him infu table to the 
 Divine Nature : And the firft 
 three Chapters of Genefis , he 
 thought could not be true, un- 
 l^fs they were Parables. This 
 was the fubftance of what he 
 Excepted to Revealed Religion 
 in general, and to the OldTefta- 
 ment in particular. 
 
 I an- 
 
74 ^ow^ PaDfages of tU life 
 
 I anfwer'd to all this, that be- 
 lieving a thing upon the tefti- 
 mony of another, in other mat- 
 ters where there was no reafon 
 to fufped the teftimony,chiefly 
 where it was confirmed by 
 other Circumftances , was not 
 only a reafonable thing, but it 
 was the hinge on which all the 
 Government and Tuftice in the 
 World depended : Since all 
 Courts of Tuftice proceed upon 
 the Evidence given by Wit- 
 neffes ; for the ufe of Writings 
 is but a thing more lately 
 brought into the World. So 
 then if the credibility of the 
 thing, the innocence and difin- 
 terednefs of the Witneffes, the 
 number of them, and the pub- 
 lickeft Confirmations that could 
 pofllbly be given, do concur to 
 perfwade us of any matter of 
 
 Fad, 
 
aim Deatf) of John €. of Rochefter. 7 5 
 
 Fa(9:, it is a vain thing to fay, 
 becaufe it is poflible for fo ma- 
 ny men to agree in a Lye, that 
 therefore thefe have done it. In 
 all other things a man gives his 
 affent when the credibility is 
 ftrong on the one fide, and there 
 appears nothing on the other 
 fide to ballance it. So fuch 
 numbers agreeing in their Tefti- 
 mony to thefe Miracles ; for 
 inftance of our Saviours calling 
 Lazarus out of the Grave the 
 fourth day after he was buried, 
 and his own rifing again after 
 he was certainly dead ; If there 
 had been never fo many Im- 
 poftures in the World, no man 
 can with any reafonable colour 
 pretend this was one. We find 
 both by the yewijh and Roman 
 Writers that lived in that time, 
 that our Saviour was Crucified : 
 
 and 
 
 ..^h-. 
 
7 6 ^omc palTages of tfje life 
 
 and that all his Difciples and 
 Followers believed certainly 
 that he rofe again. They be- 
 lieved this upon the Teftimony 
 of the Apoftles, and of many 
 hundreds who faw it, and died 
 confirming it : They went about 
 to perfwade the World of it, 
 with great Zeal, though they 
 knew they were to get nothing 
 by it, but Reproach and Suffer- 
 ings : and by many wonders 
 which they wrought they con- 
 firmed their Teftimony. Now 
 to avoid all this, by faying it is 
 pofilble this might be a Contri- 
 vance, and to give no prefumpti- 
 on to make it fo much as proba- 
 ble, that it was fo, is in plain 
 Englijh to fay, Jf^e are refolved 
 let the Evidence be what it willy 
 We will not believe it. 
 
 He faid. If a man fays he can- 
 not 
 
*• 
 
 anU Deatft of John €♦ of Rochefter. 7 7 
 
 not believe, what help is there ? 
 for he was not mafter of his 
 own Belief, and believing was 
 at higheft but a probable Opi- 
 nion. To this I Anfwered,That 
 if a man will let a wanton con- 
 ceit poffefs his fancy againft 
 thefe things, and never confider 
 the Evidence for Religion on 
 the other hand, but reject it 
 upon a flight view of it , he 
 ought not to fay he cannot, but 
 he will not believe : and while 
 a man lives an ill courfe of life, 
 he is not fitly qualified to exa- 
 mine the matter aright. Let 
 him grow calm and vertuous, 
 and upon due application exa- 
 mine things fairly, and then let 
 him pronounce according to 
 his Confcience, if to take it at its 
 loweft, the Reafons on the one 
 hand are not much ftronger 
 
 th 
 
 an 
 
7 8 Some IpaDTages of tfye JLife 
 
 than they are on the other. For 
 I found he was fo poffefled with 
 the general conceit that a mix- 
 ture of Knaves and Fools had 
 made all extraordinary things 
 be eafily believed, that it carried 
 him away to determine the 
 matter , without fo much as 
 looking on the Hiftorical Evi- 
 dence for the truth of Chrijli- 
 anity , which he had not en- 
 quired into, but had bent all 
 his Wit and Study to the fup- 
 port of the other fide. As for 
 that, that believing is at beft but 
 an Opinion ; if the Evidence be 
 but probable, it is fo : but if it 
 be fuch that it cannot be 
 queftioned, it grows as certain 
 as knowledge : For we are no 
 lefs cfertain that there is a great 
 Town called Conjiantinople, the 
 Seat of the Ottoman Empire, 
 
 than 
 
arm Deatb of Jolm e. of Rochefter. 7 9 
 
 than that tliere is another called 
 Lotfdon. We as little doubt that 
 Queen Elizabeth once Reigned, 
 as that King Charles now Reigns 
 in England. So that believing 
 may be as certain , and as little 
 fubjedt to doubting as feeing or 
 knowing. 
 
 There are two forts of be- 
 lieving Divine matters ; the 
 one is wrought in us by our 
 comparing all the evidences of 
 matter of Fad:, for the confir- 
 mation of Revealed Religion ; 
 with the Prophefies in the 
 Scripture ; where things were 
 pundiually predidted , fome 
 Ages before their completion ; 
 not in dark and doubtful words, 
 uttered like Oracles , which 
 might bend to any Event : But 
 in plain terms, as the foretelling 
 that Cyrus by name fhould fend 
 
 the 
 
8 o ^ome ipaCfases of tbe life 
 
 the yews back from the Capti- 
 vity, after the fixed period of 
 feventy years : The Hiftory of 
 the Syrian and Egyptian Kings 
 fo pundually foretold by Da- 
 niel^ and the Prediction of the 
 deftrudiion of yerufalem, with 
 many Circumftances relating to 
 it, made by our Saviour ; joyn- 
 ing thefe to the excellent Rule 
 and Defign of the Scripture in 
 matters of Morality, it is at leaft 
 as reafonable to believe this as 
 any thing elfe in the World. 
 Yet fuch a believing as this, is 
 only a general perfwafion in 
 the Mind, which has not that 
 effed:, till a man applying him- 
 felf to the Directions fet down 
 in the Scriptures ( which upon 
 fuch Evidence cannot be denied, 
 to be as reafonable, as for a man 
 to follow the Prefer iptions of a 
 
 learned 
 
ant) Deat^ of John €♦ of Rochefter. 8 
 
 'ifc->- 
 
 learned Phyfitian , and when 
 the Rules are both good and. 
 eafie, to fubmit to them for the 
 recovering of his health) and by 
 following thefe, finds a power 
 entring within him, that frees 
 him from the flavery of his 
 Appetites and Pailions, that ex- 
 alts his Mind above the acci- 
 dents of life , and fpreads an 
 inward purity in his Heart, 
 from which a ferene and calm 
 Joy arifes within him : And 
 good men by the efficacy thefe 
 Methods have upon them, and 
 from the returns of their pray- 
 ers, and other endeavours,grow 
 affured that thefe things are 
 true , and anfwerable to the 
 Promifes they find regiftred in 
 Scripture. All this , he faid,. 
 might be fancy : But to this I 
 anfwered, That as it were un- 
 
 G reafonable 
 
 
8 2 ^ome IpaDTages of tU Life ' 
 
 reafonable to tell a man that is 
 abroad, and knows he is awake, 
 that perhaps he is in a dream, 
 and in his Bed, and only thinks 
 he is abroad, or that as fome 
 go about in their fleep, fo he 
 may be afleep ftill : So good 
 and religious men know , 
 though others may be abufed, 
 by their fancies,thatthey are un- 
 der no fuch deception : and find 
 they are neither hot nor Rnthu- 
 jiajiical^ but under the power 
 of calm and clear Principles. 
 All this he faid he did not un- 
 derftand, and that it was to af- 
 fert or beg the thing in Quefti- 
 on, which he could not com- 
 prehend. 
 
 As for the poffibility of Re- 
 velation, it was a vain thing to 
 deny it : For as God gives us 
 the fenfe of feeing material 
 
 Ob- 
 
ant Deat!) of John <B. of Rochefter. 8 3 
 
 Objeds by our Eyes, and open- 
 ed in fome a capacity of ap- 
 prehending high and fublime 
 things , of which other men 
 feemed utterly incapable : So it 
 was a weak affertion that God 
 cannot awaken a power tin 
 fome mens Minds , to appre- 
 hend and know fome things, 
 in fuch a manner that others 
 are not capable of it. | This is 
 not half fo incredible to us as 
 fight is to a blind man,who yet 
 may be convinced there is a 
 ftrange power of feeing that 
 governs men, of which he finds 
 himfelf deprived. As for the 
 capacity put into fuch mens 
 hands to deceive the World, We 
 are at the fame time to confi- 
 der, that befides the probity of 
 their tempers , it cannot be 
 thought but God can fo forci- 
 
 G 2 bly 
 
8 4 ^on^^ Ipatrages of thz life 
 
 bly bind up a man in fome 
 things that it fliould not be in 
 his power to deliver them 
 otherwife then as he gives him 
 in Commiflion : befides the 
 Confirmation of Miracles are a 
 Divine Credential to warrant 
 fuch perfons in what they deliver 
 to the World : which cannot be 
 imagined can be joyned to a 
 Lye, fince this were to put the 
 Omnipotence of God, to atteft 
 that which no honefl: man will 
 do. For the bufinefs of the 
 Fall of Man, and other things 
 of which we cannot perhaps 
 give our felves , a perfed: ac- 
 count : We who cannot fa- 
 thome the Secrets of the Coun- 
 cel of God, do very unreafon- 
 ably to take on us to reject an 
 excellent Syfteme of good and 
 holy Rules, becaufe we cannot 
 
 fatisfie 
 
anB Deatfj of John €. of Rochefter. 85 
 
 fatisfie our felves about fome 
 difficulties in them. Common 
 Experience tells us, There is a 
 great diforder in our Natures, 
 which is not eafily red:ified : All 
 Philofophers were fenfible of it, 
 and every man thatdefigns to 
 govern himfelf by Reafon, feels 
 the ftruggle between it and na- 
 ture : So that it is plain, there is 
 a Lapfe of the high powers of 
 the Soul. 
 
 But why, faid he, could not 
 this be redtiiied, by fome plain 
 Rules given ; but men mull 
 come and fhew a trick to per- 
 fwade the World they fpeak to 
 them in the Name of God ? I 
 Anfwered, That Religion being 
 a defign to recover and fave 
 Mankind, was to be fo opened 
 as to awaken and work upon 
 all forts of people : and gene- 
 
 G 3 rally 
 
9 
 
 8 6 ^ome IpaOfage? of tbt life 
 
 rally men of a fimplicity of 
 Mind, were thofe that were the 
 fitteft Objects for God to fhew 
 his favour to ; Therefore it was 
 neceflary that Meffengers fent 
 from Heaven ftiould appear 
 with fuch allarming Evidences 
 as might awaken the World 
 and prepare them by fome afto- 
 nifliing Signs , to liften to the 
 Doctrine they were to deliver. 
 Philofophy^ that was only a mat- 
 ter of fine Speculation, had few 
 Votaries : And as there was 
 no Authority in it to bind the 
 World to believe its Di<ftates, 
 fo they were only, received by 
 fome of nobler and refined 
 Natures , who could apply 
 themfelves to , and delight in 
 fuch Notions. But true Reli- 
 gion was to be built on a Foun - 
 dation, that fliould carry more 
 
 weight 
 
M 
 
 antJ ©eat!) of John <B, of Rochefter. 8 7 
 
 weight on it, and to have fuch 
 Convictions, as might not only 
 reach thofe who were already 
 difpofed to receive them , but 
 roufe up fuch as without great 
 and fenfible excitation would 
 have otherwife flept on in their 
 ill Courfes. 
 
 Upon this and fome fuch 
 Occafions , I told him, I faw 
 the ill ufe he made of his Wit, 
 by which he flurred the graveft 
 things with a flight dafli of his 
 Fancy : and the pleafure he 
 found in fuch wanton Exprefli- 
 ons, as calling the doing of Mi- 
 racles, T&e Jhewmg of a tricky did 
 really keep him from examining 
 them, with that care which fuch 
 things required. 
 
 For the Old Tejiament^ We 
 are fo remote from that time. 
 We have fo little knowledge 
 
 G 4 of 
 
8 8 ^onte PaDTagcs of tfje life 
 
 of the Language in which it 
 was writ, have fo imperfedl an 
 account of the Hiftory of thofe 
 Ages, know nothing of their 
 Cuftoms , Forms of Speech, 
 and the feveral Periods they 
 might have , by which they 
 reckoned their time, that it is 
 rather a wonder We ITiould 
 underftand fo much of it, than 
 that many paffages in it fhould 
 be fo dark to us. The chief ufe 
 it has to us Chrijiiansy is, that 
 from Writings which the yews 
 acknowledge to be divinely in- 
 Ipired, it is manifeft the Mejftas 
 was promifed before the De- 
 ftru6lion of their Temple : 
 which being done long ago ; 
 and thefe Prophelies agreeing 
 to our Saviour, and to no other, 
 Here is a great Confirmation 
 given to the Gofpel. But 
 
 though 
 
anU Deatfl of John €♦ of Rochefter. 89 
 
 though many things in thefe 
 Books could not be underftood 
 hj us, who live above 3000 
 years after the chief of them 
 were written, it is no fuch ex- 
 traordinary matter. 
 
 For that of the Deftrudiion 
 of the Canaanites by the Ifrae- 
 lites ^ It is to be conlidered, 
 that if God had fent a Plague 
 among them all, that could 
 not have been found fault with. 
 If then God had a Right to take 
 away their Lives, without In- 
 juftice or Cruelty , he had a 
 Right to appoint others to do it, 
 as well to execute it by a more 
 immediate way : And the taking 
 away people by the Sword, is a 
 much gentler way of dying, 
 than to be fmitten with a 
 Plague or a Famine. And for 
 the Children that were Inno- 
 
 ' cent 
 
90 ©ome paflfages of t&e Life 
 
 cent of their Fathers faults, God 
 could in another State make 
 that up to them. So all the 
 difficulty is, Why were the Ifra- 
 elites commanded to execute a 
 thing of fuch Barbarity ? But 
 . this will not feem fo hard , if 
 we confider that this was to be 
 no Precedent, for future times : 
 fince they did not do it but up- 
 on fpecial Warrant and Com- 
 miffion from Heaven, evidenc'd 
 to all the World by fuch migh- 
 ty Miracles as did plainly fhew. 
 That they were particularly de- 
 fign'd by God to be the Execu- 
 tioners of his Tuftice. And God 
 by imploying them in fo fevere 
 a Service , intended to poffefs 
 them with great horrour of 
 Idolatry, which was punifhed in 
 fo extream a manner. 
 
 For 
 
antJ Oeatf) of John <ZE. of Rochefter. g i 
 
 For the Rites of their Reli- 
 gion, We can ill judge of them, 
 Except We perfectly under- 
 ftood the Idolatries round a- 
 bout them : To which we find 
 they were much inclined : So 
 they were to be bent by other 
 Rites to an extream averfion 
 from them : And yet by the 
 pomp of many of their Cere- 
 monies and Sacrifices, great In- 
 ■1 1 . * 
 
 dulgences were given to a peo- 
 ple naturally fond of a vifible 
 fplendor in Religious Worfhip. 
 In all which, if we cannot de- 
 fcend to fuch fatisfadlory . An-t,, 
 fwers in every particular, as a 
 curious man would defire, it is 
 no wonder. The long interval 
 of time , and other accidents, 
 have w^orn out thofe things 
 which were neceflary to give us 
 a clearer light into the meaning 
 
 of 
 
 
9 2 ^ome paCTages of t&e life 
 
 of them. And for the ftory 
 of the Creation, how far fome 
 things in it may be ParaboHcal, 
 and how far Hiftorical , has 
 been much difputed : there is 
 nothing in it that may not be 
 hiftorically true. For if it be 
 acknowledged that Spirits can 
 form Voices in the Air , for 
 which we have as good Autho- 
 rity as for any thing in Hiftory ; 
 Then it is no wonder that Eve 
 being fo lately created, might 
 be deceived, and think a Serpent 
 fpake to her, when the Evil Spi- 
 rit framed the Voice. 
 
 But in all thefe things I told 
 him he was in the wrong way, 
 when he examined the bufinefs 
 of Religion , by fome dark 
 parts of Scripture : Therefore 
 I defired him to conlider the 
 whole Contexture of the 
 
 Chrijlian 
 
ann Deatft of John €♦ of Rochefter. 9 3 
 
 Chrijiian Religion^ the Rules it 
 gives, and the Methods it pre- 
 fcribes. Nothing can conduce 
 more to the peace, order and 
 happinefs of the World, than 
 to be governed by its Rules. 
 Nothing is more for the Inte- 
 refts of every man in particular : 
 The Rules of Sobriety, Tempe- 
 rance and Moderation , were 
 the beft Prefervers of life, and 
 which was perhaps more , of 
 Health. Humility, Contempt 
 of the Vanities of the World, 
 and the being well employed, 
 raifes a mans Mind to a free- 
 dom from the Follies and 
 Temptations that haunted the 
 greateft part. Nothing was 
 fo Generous and Great as to 
 fupply the Neceffities of the 
 Poor , and to forgive Injuries : 
 Nothing raifed and maintained 
 
 a mans 
 
94 ^ottie PaDfageg of tbe life 
 
 a mans Reputation fo much, as 
 to be exactly ju ft, and merciful; 
 Kind, Charitable and Compaf- 
 fionate : Nothing opened the 
 powers of a mans Soul fo much 
 as a calm Temper , a ferene 
 Mind, free of Paflion and Dif- 
 order : Nothing made Societies, 
 Families, and Neighbourhoods 
 fo happy, as when thefe Rules 
 which the Gofpel prefcribes , 
 took place. Of doing as we would 
 have others do to us^ and loving 
 our Neighbours as our [elves. 
 
 The Chrijlian Worfhip was 
 alfo plain and fimple ; fuitable 
 to fo pure a Dod:rine. The 
 Ceremonies of it were few and 
 Significant, as the admiflion to 
 it by a wafhing with Water,and 
 the Memorial of our Saviour's 
 Death in Bread and Wine ; The 
 Motives in it to perfwade to 
 
 this 
 
ann Deatfi of John <B* of Rochefter. 9 5 
 
 this Purity, were ftrong : That 
 God fees us, and will Judge us 
 for all our Actions : That we 
 fliall be for ever happy or mife- 
 rable, as we pafs our Lives here : 
 The Example of our Saviour's 
 Life, and the great expreflions 
 of his Love in Dying for us, 
 are mighty Engagements to 
 Obey and Imitate him. The, 
 plain way of Expreffion ufed 
 by our Saviour and his Apoftles, , 
 Ihews there was no Artifice , 
 where there was fo much Sim- 
 plicity ufed : There were no 
 Secrets kept only among the 
 Priefts, but every thing was 
 open to all Chrijiians : The 
 Rewards of Holinefs are not 
 entirely put over to ano- 
 ther State, but good men are 
 fpecially bleft with peace in 
 their Confciences, great Toy in 
 
 the 
 
9 6 ^ome paDTages of tU life 
 
 the Confidence they have of 
 the Love of God, and of fee- 
 ing Him for ever : And often a 
 fignal Courfe of Bleflings fol- 
 lows them in their whole Lives ; 
 But if at other times Calamities 
 fell on themjthefe were fo much 
 mitigated by the Patience they 
 were taught, and the inward 
 Affiftances , with which they 
 were furnifhed, that even thofe 
 CrolTes were converted to Blef- 
 fings. 
 
 I defired he would lay all 
 thefe things together , and fee 
 what he could except to them, 
 to make him think this was a 
 Contrivance. Intereft appears 
 in all Humane Contrivances : 
 Our Saviour plainly had none ; 
 He avoided Applaufe , with- 
 drew Himfelf from the Offers 
 of a Crown : He fubmitted to 
 
 Poverty 
 
anti 2:)eatl) of John €♦ of Rochefter. ' 9 7^ 
 
 Poverty and Reproach , and 
 much Contradidlion in his Life, 
 and to a moft ignominious and 
 painful Death. His Apoftles had 
 none neither,They did not pre- 
 tend either to Power or Wealth; 
 But delivered a Do6lrine that 
 muft needs condemn them, if 
 they ever made fuch ufe of it : 
 They declared their Commifli- 
 on fully w^ithout referves till o- 
 ther times : They Recorded their 
 own Weaknefs : Some of them 
 wrought with their own hands ; 
 and when they received the 
 Charities of their Converts , it 
 was not fo much to fupply 
 their own Neceflities , as to 
 diftribute to others : They knew 
 they were to fuffer much for 
 giving their Teftimonies , to 
 what they had feen and heard : 
 In which fo many in a thing lo 
 
 H ^vfvifible, 
 
) 8 ^ome paflTages of t5e life 
 
 . vilible, as Chrift's Refurre<5lion 
 and Afcenfion, and the Effufion 
 of the Holy Ghoft which He 
 had promifed , could not be 
 deceived : And they gave fuch 
 publick Confirmations, of it by 
 the Wonders they themfelves 
 wrought, that great multitudes 
 were converted to a Dodlrine, 
 which , befides the oppofition 
 it gave to Luft and Paflion, was 
 born down and Perfecuted for 
 300 years : and yet its force was 
 fuch, that it not only weathered 
 out all thofe Storms, but even 
 grew and fpread vaftly under 
 them. Pliny about threefcore 
 years after, found their Num- 
 bers great and their Lives Inno- 
 cent : and even Lucian amidfl 
 all his Raillery , gives a high 
 Teftimony to their Charity 
 and Contempt of Life, and the 
 
 ether 
 
anti Deatf) of John €♦ of Rochefter. 99 
 
 Other Vertues of the Chrijlians \ 
 which is likewife more than 
 once done by Malice it felf, yu- 
 lian the Apoftate. 
 
 If a man will lay all this in 
 one Ballance, and compare with 
 it the few Exceptions brought 
 to it , he will foon find how 
 ftrong the one,' and how flight 
 the other are. Therefore it was 
 an improper way, to begin at 
 fome Cavils about fome Paffa- 
 ges in the New Tejiament^ or the 
 Old^ and from thence to pre- 
 poflefs one's Mind againft the 
 whole. The right method had 
 been firft to confider the whole 
 matter, and from fo general a 
 view to defcend to more parti- 
 cular Enquiries : whereas they 
 fuifered their Minds to be fore- 
 ftalled with Prejudices; fothat 
 they never examined the matter 
 impartially. H 2 To 
 
1 oo %omt ipaflfages of tbz iLife 
 
 To the greateft part of this 
 he feemed to affent , only he 
 excepted to the belief of Myfte- 
 ries in the Chriftian Religion ; 
 which he thought no man 
 could do, fince it is not in a 
 mans power to believe that 
 which he cannot comprehend : 
 and of which He can have no 
 Notion. The believing Myfte- 
 ries, he faid, made way for all 
 the Juglings of Priefts, for they 
 getting the people under them 
 in that Point, fet out to them 
 what they pleafed ; and giving 
 it a hard Name, and calling it 
 a Myjlery , The people were 
 tamed , and eafily believed it. 
 The reftraining a Man from the 
 ufe of Women, Except one in 
 the way of Marriage, and de- 
 nying the remedy of Divorce, 
 he thought unreafonable Impo- 
 
 Utions 
 
anti ©eatf) of John (B* of Rochefter. i o i 
 
 fitions on the Freedom of Man- 
 kind : And the bufinefs of the 
 Clergy, and their Maintenance, 
 with the beUef of fome Autho- 
 rity and Power conveyed in 
 their Orders , lookt , as he 
 thought, like a piece of Con- 
 trivance : And why , faid he, 
 muft a man tell me, I cannot 
 befaved, unlefs I believe things 
 againft my Reafon , and then 
 that I mull pay him for telling 
 me of them ? Thefe were all the 
 Exceptions which at any time I 
 heard from him to Chrijiianity . 
 *To which I made thefe An- 
 fwers. 
 
 For Myfteries it is plain there 
 is in every thing fomewhat that 
 is unaccountable. How Ani- 
 mals or Men are formed in 
 their Mothers bellies, how Seeds 
 grow in the Earth , how the 
 
 H 3 Soul 
 
1 o 2 ^ome Jpairages of tbt life 
 
 Soul dwells in the Body, and 
 adls and moves it ; How we re- 
 tain the Figures of fo many- 
 words or things in our Memo- 
 ries, and how We draw them 
 out fo eafily and orderly in our 
 Thoughts or Difcourfes ? How 
 Sight and Hearing were fo 
 quick and diftin6t , how We 
 move , and how Bodies were 
 compounded and united ? Thefe 
 things if we follow them into 
 all the Difficulties, that we may 
 raife about them, will appear 
 every whit as unaccountable as 
 any My fiery of Religion : And a 
 blind or deaf man would judge 
 Sight or Hearing as incredible, 
 as any Myftery may be judged 
 by us : For our Reafon is not 
 equal to them. In the fame 
 rank, different degrees of Age 
 or Capacity raife fome far 
 
 above 
 
anU Deatb of John €♦ of Rochefter. 103 
 
 above others : So that Children 
 cannot fathome the Learning, 
 nor weak perfons the Counfels 
 of more illuminated Minds : 
 Therefore it was no wonder if 
 we could not underftand the Di- 
 vine EfTence : We cannot ima- 
 gine how two fuch different 
 Natures as a Soul and a Body 
 fhould fo unite together, and 
 be mutually affected with one 
 anothers Concerns , and how 
 the Soul has one Principle of 
 Reafon, by which it adts Intel- 
 le6tually , and another of life 
 by which it joyns to the Body 
 and a6ts Vitally ; two Princi- 
 ples fo widely differing both in 
 their Nature and Operation , 
 and yet united in one and the 
 fame Perfon. There might be 
 as many hard Arguments 
 brought againft the poffibility 
 
 H 4 of 
 
1 04 %omz IpaDTages of tbe life 
 
 of thefe thingSjwhich yet every- 
 one knows to be true, from 
 Speculative Notions, as againfl 
 the Myfteries mentioned in the 
 Scriptures. As that of the 
 Trinity , That in one Eflence 
 there are three different Prin- 
 ciples of Operation, which, for 
 want of terms fit to exprefs 
 them by,We call Perfons^zxidi are 
 called in Scripture The Father^ 
 Son^ and Holy GhoJ}^ and that the 
 Second of thefe did unite Him- 
 felf in a rrioft intimate manner 
 with the Humane Nature of 
 Jefus Chrift : And that the Suf- 
 ferings he underwent, were a9- 
 cepted of God as a Sacrifice for 
 our Sins ; Who thereupon con- 
 ferred on Him a Power of 
 granting Eternal Life to all that 
 fubmit to the Terms on which 
 He offers it ; And that the 
 
 matter 
 
 ri I 
 
anti ©eatb of John €. of Roeliefter. 105 
 
 matter of which our Bodies 
 once confifted, which may be 
 as juftly called the Bodies we 
 laid down at our Deaths , as 
 thefe can be faid to be the Bo- 
 dies which We formerly lived 
 in,being refined and made more 
 fpiritual , fliall be reunited to 
 our Souls, and become a fit In-_ 
 ftrument for them in a more 
 perfedt Eftate : And that God 
 inwardly bends and moves our . 
 Wills, by fuch Impreflions, as 
 he can make on our Bodies and 
 Minds. 
 
 Thefe , which are the chief 
 Myfteries of our Religion, are 
 neither fo unreafonable , that 
 any other Objection lies againft ^^ 
 them, but this, that they agree 
 not with our Common Noti- 
 ons, nor fo unaccountable that 
 fomewhat like them , cannot 
 
 be 
 
1 06 ^ome Palfages of t5e life 
 
 be afligned in other things , 
 which are believed really to be, 
 though the manner of them 
 cannot be apprehended : So 
 this ought not to be any juft 
 Objeftion to the fubmiflion of 
 our Reafon to what we cannot 
 fo well conceive, provided our 
 belief of it be well grounded. 
 There have been too many 
 Niceties brought indeed , ra- 
 ther to darken then explain 
 thefe : They have been defend- 
 ed by weak Arguments , and 
 illuftrated by Similies not al- 
 ways fo very apt and pertinent. 
 And new fubtilties have been 
 added, which have rather per- 
 plexed than cleared them. All 
 this cannot be denied ; the 
 Oppofition of Here ticks anci- 
 ently , occafioned too much 
 Curiofity among the Fathers : 
 
 Which 
 
I* 
 
 '%:. 
 
 ■^''■s 
 
 anti iDmh of John aB, of Rochefter. f o 7 
 
 Which the School-men have 
 wonderfully advanced of late 
 times. But if Myfteries were 
 received, rather in the fimpli- 
 city in which they are delivered 
 in the Scriptures , than accor- 
 ding to the defcantings of fan- 
 ciful men upon them , they 
 would not appear much more 
 incredible, than fome of the 
 common Objects of fenfe and 
 oerception. And it is a needlefs 
 'ear that if fome Myfteries are 
 acknowledged, which are plain- 
 ly mentioned in the New Tefta- 
 ment , it will then be in the 
 Power of the Priefts to add 
 more at their pleafure. For it is 
 an abfurd Inference fromt* our 
 being bound to affent to fome 
 Truths about the Divine EfTence, 
 of which the manner is not 
 underftoodjto argue that there- 
 fore 
 
I o 8 %ome IpatTage^ of tfje iLffe 
 
 fore in an Objed: prefented 
 duly to our Senfes , fuch as 
 Bread and Wtne^ We fliould be 
 bound to believe againft their 
 Teftimony, that it is not what 
 our Senfes perceived it to be, 
 but the vv^hole Flefl) and Blood 
 of Ghrift ; an entire Body being 
 in every Crumb and Drop of 
 it. It is not indeed in a mans 
 oower to .believe thus againft 
 lis Senfe and Reafon, where the 
 Object is proportioned to 
 them, and fitly applied, and the 
 Organs are under no indifpofiti- 
 on or diforder. It is certain that 
 no Myflery is to be admitted, 
 but upon very clear and ex- 
 prefs Authorities from Scrip- 
 ture, which could not reafon- 
 ably be underftood in any 
 other fenfe. And though a 
 man cannot form an explicite 
 
 Notion 
 
ann Ceatb of John <B, of Rochefter. 109 
 
 Notion of a Myftery, for then 
 it would be no longer a Myfte- 
 Tj, Yet in general he may be- 
 lieve a thing to be, though he 
 cannot give himfelf a particu- 
 lar account of the way of it : 
 or rather though he cannot 
 Anfwer fome Objediions which 
 lie againft it. We know We 
 believe many fuch in Humane 
 matters, which are more within 
 our reach : and it is very un- 
 reafonable to fay. We may not 
 do it in Divine things, which are 
 much more above our Appre- 
 henfions. 
 
 For the fevere Rellraint of 
 the ufe of Women, it is hard 
 to deny that Priviledge to Jefiis 
 Chrifl: as a Law-Giver, to lay 
 fuch Reftraints, as all inferiour 
 Legiflators do ; who when they 
 find the Liberties their Sub- 
 
 jecSls 
 
1 1 o ^ome ipa{ra0e0 of tbt life 
 
 je<fls take , prove hurtful to 
 them , fet fuch Limits , and 
 make fuch Regulations, as they 
 judge neceifary and expedient. 
 It cannot be faid but the Re- 
 ftraint of Appetite is neceffary in 
 fome Inftances : and if it is ne- 
 ceifary in thefe, perhaps other 
 Reftraints are no lefs neceifary, 
 to fortifie and fecure them. For 
 if it be acknowledged that Men 
 have a property in their Wives 
 and Daughters, fo that to defile 
 the one, or corrupt the other, 
 is an injuft and injurious thing ; 
 It is certain, that except a man 
 carefully governs his Appetites, 
 he vt^ill break through thefe 
 Reftraints : and therefore our 
 Saviour knowing that nothing 
 could fo effectually deliver the 
 World from the mifchief of 
 unreftrained Appetite , as fuch 
 
 a Con- 
 
anH Deatb of John (B. of Rochefter. 1 1 1 
 
 a Confinement , might very 
 reafonably enjoyn it. And in 
 all fuch Cafes We are to bal- 
 lance the Inconveniences on 
 both hands , and where We 
 find they are heavieft, We are 
 to acknowledge the Equity of 
 the Law. On the one hand 
 there is no prejudice, but the 
 reftraint of Appetite ; On the 
 other, are the mifchiefs of be- 
 ing given up to pleafure , of 
 running inordinately into it, 
 of breaking the quiet of our 
 own Family at home, and of 
 others abroad : the ingaging 
 into much Paflion , the doing 
 many falfe and impious things 
 to compafs what is defired, the 
 Waft of mens Eftates, time, and 
 health. Now let any man 
 judge. Whether the prejudices 
 on this fide , are not greater, 
 
 than 
 
1 1 2 %omz Pairag:e0 of tbc life 
 
 than that fingle one of the o- 
 ther fide, of being denied fome 
 pleafure ? For Po/ygamj^ it is but 
 reafonable fince Women are 
 equally concern'd in the Laws 
 of Marriage, that they fhould 
 be confidered as well as Men : 
 But in a State of Polygamy they 
 are under great mifery and 
 jealoufie , and are indeed bar- 
 baroufly ufed- Man being 
 alfo of a fociable Nature , 
 Friendfhip and Converfe were 
 among the Primitive Intend- 
 ments of Marriage, in which as 
 far as the Man may excel the 
 Wife in greatnefs of Mind, and 
 height of Knowledge, the Wife 
 fomeway makes that up with 
 her Affedlion and tender Care : 
 So that from both happily 
 mixed, there arifes a Harmony, 
 which is to vertuous Minds 
 
 one 
 
ann 2Deatb of John €. of Roehefter. 1 1 3 
 
 one of the greatefl joys of life : 
 But all this is gone in a ftate of 
 Polygamy^ which occafions per- 
 petual Jarrings and Tealou- 
 fies. And the Variety does but 
 engage men to a freer Range 
 of pleafure, which is not to be 
 put in the Ballanee with the fai* 
 greater Mifchiefs that muft 
 follow the other eourfe. So 
 that it is plain , Our Saviour 
 Gonfidered the Nature of Man, 
 what it could bear, and what 
 was fit for it, when he fo re- 
 ftrained us in thefe our Liber- 
 ties. And for Divorce,a power 
 to break that Bond would too 
 much encourage married per- 
 fons in the little quarrellings 
 that may rife between them j If 
 it were in their power to depart 
 one from another. For when 
 they know that cannot be, and 
 
 I that 
 
1 1 4 Some ipaorages of tbz JLife 
 
 that they muft live and die to- 
 gether, it does naturally incline 
 them to lay down their Refent- 
 ments , and to endeavour to 
 live as well together as they 
 can. So the Law of the Gof- 
 pel being a Law of Love, de- 
 figned to engage Ghrijtians to 
 mutual love ; It was fit that all 
 fuch Provifions fhould be 
 made, as might advance and 
 maintain it : and all fuch Liber- 
 ties be taken away, as are apt to 
 enkindle or foment ftrife. This 
 might fall in fome inftances to 
 be uneafie and hard enough, 
 but Laws^confider what falls out 
 moft commonly, and cannot 
 provide for all particular Cafes. 
 The beft Laws are in fome In- 
 ftances very great grievances. 
 But the Advantages being bal- 
 lanced with the Inconveniences, 
 
 Mea- 
 
ann Deatfj of John €♦ of Rochefter. 115 
 
 Meafures are to be taken accor- 
 dingly. Upon this whole mat- 
 ter I faid, That pleafure flood 
 in oppofition to other Confide- 
 rations of great Weight, and fo 
 the decifion was eafie. And fince 
 our Saviour offers us fo great 
 Rewards. It is but reafonable 
 He have a Priviledge of loading 
 thefe Promifes with fueh Con- 
 ditions, as are not in themfelves 
 grateful to our natural Inclina- 
 tions : For all that propofe high ' 
 Rewards, have thereby a right 
 to exa<9: difficult performan- 
 ces. J 
 To this he faid. We are fure 
 the terms are difficult, but are 
 not fo fure of the Rewards. Up- 
 on this I told him, That we have 
 the fame afTuranee of the Re- 
 wards , that we have of the 
 
 I 2 other 
 
1 1 6 %omt Ipaffagcs! of tbc life 
 
 other parts of Chrijlian Reli- 
 gion. We have the Promifes 
 of God made to us by Chrift, 
 confirmed by many Miracles: 
 We have the Earnells of thefe, 
 in the quiet and peace which 
 follows a good Confcience : 
 and in the Refurre^bion of 
 Him from the dead, who hath 
 promifed to raife us up. So 
 that the Reward is fufficient- 
 ly affured to us : And there is 
 no reafon it {hould be given to 
 us, before the Conditions are 
 performed, on which the Pro- 
 mifes are made. It is but rea- 
 fonable that we fliould truft 
 God , and do our Duty , In 
 hopes of that eternal Life^ which 
 God who cannot lie, hath promi- 
 fed. The Difficulties are not 
 fo great, as thofe which fome- 
 times the commoneft concerns 
 
 of 
 
arm 2Deat!) of John aB. of Rochefter. 117 
 
 of Life bring upon us : The 
 learning fome Trades or Sci- 
 ences , the governing our 
 Health and AiFairs , bring us 
 often under as great ftraights. 
 So that it ought to be no juft 
 prejudice, that there are fome 
 things in Religion that are un- 
 eafie, fince this is rather the 
 effe^ of our corrupt Natures; 
 which are farther deprav'd by 
 vitious habits, and can hardly 
 turn to any new courfe of life^ 
 without fome pain, than of the 
 Di(States of Chriftianity^ which 
 are in themfelves juft and rea- 
 fonablcj and will be eafie to us 
 when renew'd, and in a good 
 meafure reftor'd to our Primi- 
 tive Integrity. - 
 c As for the Exceptions he 
 had to the Maintenance of the 
 Clergy , and the Authority to 
 c ;i I 3 which 
 
1 1 8 ^ome lPairag;e0 of tbc life 
 
 which they pretended ; if they 
 ftretched their Defigns too far, 
 The Gofpel did plainly reprove 
 them for it : So that it was very 
 fuitable to that Church, which 
 was fo grofly faulty this way, 
 to take the Scriptures out of the 
 hands of the people, fince they 
 do fo manifeftly difclaim all 
 fuch pradiices. The Priefts of 
 the true Chrijiian Religion have 
 no fecrets among them, which 
 the World mull not know, but 
 are only an Order of Men de^ 
 dicated to God , to attend on 
 Sacred things, who ought to be 
 holy in a more peculiar man- 
 ner, fince they are to handle 
 the things of God. It was ne- 
 ceffary that fuch perfons fliould 
 have a due Efteem paid them, 
 and a fit Maintenance appoint- 
 ed for them : That fo they 
 
 might 
 
ann DeatF) of John (ZH. of Rochefter. 1 1 9 
 
 might be preferved from the 
 Contempt that follows Pover- 
 ty, and the Diftradions which 
 the providing againft it might 
 otherways involve them in : 
 And as in the Order of the 
 World, it was neceflary for 
 the fupport of Magiftracy and 
 Government , and for prefer- 
 ving its efteem, that fome ftate 
 be ufed ( though it is a happi- 
 nefs when Great Men have 
 Philofophical Minds, to defpife 
 the Pageantry of it.) So the 
 plentiful fupply of the Clergy, 
 if well ufed and . applied by 
 them, will certainly turn to the 
 Advantage of Religion. And if 
 fome men either through Am- 
 bition or Covetoufnefs ufed in-, 
 xiire£t means, or fervile Com- 
 pliances to afpire to fuch Dig- 
 nities , and being pofTeffed of 
 
 I 4 them 
 
1 20 %omt ipaflfages of tbt life 
 
 them, applied their Wealth ei- 
 ther to Luxury or Vain Pomp, 
 or made great Fortunes out of 
 it for their Families ; thefe were 
 perfonal failings in which the 
 Do<5lrine of Chrifl: was not con, 
 cerned. 
 
 He upon that told me plain^ 
 
 l5r,There was nothing that gave 
 
 him, and many others, a more 
 
 fecret encouragement in their 
 
 j ill ways,than that thofe who pre<- 
 
 ! tended to believe, lived fo that 
 
 I they could not be thought to 
 
 \ be in earneft, when they faid it : 
 
 For he was fure Religion was 
 
 either a meer Contrivance, or 
 
 the moft important thing that 
 
 could be : So that if he once 
 
 believed, he would fet himfelf 
 
 in great earneft to live fuitably 
 
 to It. The afpirings that he 
 
 had obferved at Court, of fomei 
 
 4. of 
 
arm Dealt of John (B. of Rochefler. 1 2 I 
 
 of the Clergy, with thefervile 
 ways they took to attain to 
 Preferment, and the Animofi- 
 ties among thofe of feverai 
 Parties, about trifles, made him 
 often think they fufpeded the 
 things were not true, which in 
 their Sermons and Difcourfes 
 they fo earnefUy recom- 
 mended. Of this he had ga- 
 thered many Inftances ; I knew 
 fome of them were Miflakes 
 and Calumnies; Yet I could 
 not deny but fomething of 
 them might be tcx) true : And 
 I publifh this the more freely, 
 to put all that pretend to Reli- 
 gion, chiefly thofe that are dei 
 dicated to holy Fun^ions, in 
 mijid of the great Obligation 
 ithat lies on them to live futably 
 to their Profeflioh : Since other- 
 wife a great deal of the Irreli- 
 ' gion 
 
J 2 2 ^ome Patrage0 of tU life 
 
 gion and Atheifm that is among 
 us, may too juftly be charged 
 on them : for wicked men are 
 delighted out of meafure when 
 they difcover ill things in them, 
 and conclude from thence not 
 only that they are Hypocrites, 
 but that Religion it felf is a 
 cheat. 
 
 ^ But I faid to him upon this 
 Head , that though no good 
 jman could continue in the 
 pracSlice of any known fin, yet 
 fuch might, by the violence or 
 furpife of a Temptation, to 
 which they are liable as much 
 as others, be of a fudden over- 
 come to do an ill thing, to their 
 great grief all their life after. 
 And then it was a very injuft 
 Inference , Upon fome few 
 failings, to conclude that fuch 
 men do not believe themfelves. 
 
 But 
 
anH Deatb of John €. of Rochefter. 123 
 
 But how bad foever many are, 
 it cannot be denied but there 
 are alfo many both of the 
 Clergy and Laity , who give 
 great and real Demonftrations 
 of the power Religion has over 
 them J in their Contempt of 
 the World, the ftrid:nefs ojF their 
 Lives, their readinefs to forgive 
 Injuries , to relieve the Poor , 
 and to do good on all Occali- 
 ons : and yet even thefe may 
 have their failings,either in fuch 
 things wherein their Conftitu- 
 tions are weak, or their Tempta- 
 tions ftrong and fuddain : And 
 in all fuch cafes We are to 
 judge of men , rather by the 
 courfe of their Lives, than by 
 the Errors, that they through 
 infirmity or furprize may have 
 flipt into. : - ^ 
 
 fc^., 
 
 Thefe 
 
124 ^<^^^ lpa(ra0e$ of tbe tite 
 
 Thefe were the chief Heads 
 we difcourfed on ; and as far as 
 I can remember, I have faith- 
 fully repeated the fubftance of 
 our Arguments : I have not 
 concealed the ftrongeft things 
 he faid to me, but though I 
 have not enlarged on all the 
 Excurfions of his Wit in fet- 
 ting them off. Yet I have given 
 them their full ftrength, as he 
 expreffed them ; and as fe.r as I 
 could recolle(9:, have lifed his 
 own words : So that I am afraid 
 fome may cenfure me for fet- 
 ting down thefe things lb 
 largely , which Impious Men 
 may make an ill ufe of, and 
 gather together to encourage 
 and defend themfelves in their 
 Vices : But if they will com- 
 pare them with the Anfwers 
 made to them , and the fenfe 
 :i . : that 
 
anU 2Deat5 of John OE. of Rochefter. 125 
 
 that fo great and refined a Wit 
 had of them afterwards, I hope 
 they may through the bleiling 
 of God be not altogether inef- 
 fe<3:ual. 
 
 The iflue of all our Dif- 
 courfes was this,He told me, He, 
 faw Vice and Impiety were as| 
 contrary to Humane Society, as 1 
 wild Beafts let loofe would be ; 
 and therefore he firmly refolded 
 to change the whole method of 
 his Life : to become ftridily juft' 
 and true, to be Chaft and Tem- 
 perate, to forbear Swearing and 
 Irreligious Difcourfe, to Wor- 
 fhip and Pray to his Maker : And 
 that though h« was not arrived 
 at a full perfwafion of Ghrijti- 
 amtjy he would never employ 
 his Wit more to run it down,or 
 to corrupt others. 
 
 Of 
 
126 ^ome IpalTages of tbz life 
 
 Of which I have fince a fur- 
 ther affurance, from a Perfon of 
 QuaUty, who converfed much 
 with him, the laft year of his 
 life ; to whom he would often 
 fay, That he was happy, if he 
 did believe, and that he would 
 never endeavour to draw him 
 from it. 
 
 To all this I Anfwered, That 
 a Vertuous Life would be very 
 uneafie to him, unlefs Vicious 
 Inclinations were removed : It 
 would otherwife be a perpetual 
 conftraint. Nor could it be 
 efFedted without an inward 
 Principle to change him : and 
 that was only to be had by ap- 
 plying himfelf to God for it 
 in frequent and earneffc Pray- 
 ers : And I was fure if his Mind 
 were once cleared of thefe Dif- 
 orders , and cured of thofe 
 
 Diftem- 
 
atrn DeatD of John (ZB. of llochefter. I ? 7 
 
 Diftempers, which Vice brought 
 on it, fo great an Underftanding 
 would foon fee through all 
 thofe flights of Wit,that do feed 
 Atheifm and Irreligion : which^ ' 
 have a falfe glittering in them, 
 that dazles fome weak-fighted 
 Minds, who have not capacity 
 enough to penetrate further 
 than the Surfaces of things : 
 and fo they flick in thefe Toyls, 
 which the ftrength of his Mind 
 would foon break thorough, if 
 it were once freed from thofe 
 things that deprefled and dark- 
 ened it. 
 
 At this pafs he was when he 
 went from London^ about the 
 beginning of April: He had 
 not been long in the Country 
 when he thought he was fo 
 well, that being to go to his 
 Eftate in Somerfetjhire he rode 
 
 thither 
 
1 2 8 @ome ipalTageis of tfje life 
 
 thither PolL This heat and 
 violent motion did fo injflame 
 an Ulcer, that was in his Blad- 
 der, that it raifed a very great 
 pain in thofe parts : Yet he 
 with much difficulty came 
 back by Coach to the Lodge 
 at Woodfiock-Park. He was then 
 wounded both in Body and 
 Mind : He underftood Phylick 
 and his own Conftitution and 
 Diftemper fo well, that he con-- 
 eluded he could hardly reco- 
 ver : For the Ulcer broke and 
 vaft quantities of purulent mat- 
 ter paft with his Urine. But 
 now the Hand of God touched 
 him, and as he told me. It was 
 not only a general dark Me- 
 lancholy over his Mind , fuch 
 as he had formerly felt \ but a 
 moft penetrating cutting Sor- 
 row. So that though in his 
 
 Body 
 
ant) DeatI) of John (B* of Rochefter. , 20 
 
 Body he fuffered extream pain, 
 for fome Weeks, Yet the Ago- 
 nies of his Mind fometimes 
 fwallowed lip the fenfe of what 
 he felt in his Body. He told 
 me> and gave it me in charge, 
 to tell it to one for whom he 
 was much concern'd , that 
 though there were nothing to 
 come after this life, Yet all the 
 Pleafures he had ever known in 
 Sin, were not worth that torture 
 he had felt in his Mind: He confi- 
 dered he had not only negledled 
 and dilhonoured, but had open- 
 ly defied his Maker , and had 
 drawn many others into the 
 like Impieties : So that he look- 
 ed on himfelf as one that was 
 in great danger of being 
 damn'd. He then fet himfelf 
 wholly to turn to God unfeign- 
 edly , and to do all that was 
 
 K poffible 
 
1 3 o ©ome Paflfaffes of m uic 
 
 poflible in that little remaind 
 of his life which was befo 
 him , to redeem thofe grt 
 portions of it, that he had fc 
 merly fo ill employed. T 
 Minifter that attended co 
 ftantly on him, was that gO( 
 and worthy Man Mr. Parfoi 
 his Mothers Chaplain,who ha 
 fince his Death Preached, a 
 cording to the Directions 
 received from him, his Fune: 
 Sermon : in which there are 
 many remarkable Paffages, tt 
 I fhall refer my Reader to thei 
 and will repeat none of the 
 here, that I may not there 
 leffen his defire to edifie himf 
 by that excellent Difcourf 
 which has given fo great ai 
 fo general a fatisfadiion to ; 
 good and judicious Readers. 
 fhall fpeak curforily of eve 
 
 thin 
 
anD ^Zditfy of John (ZE» of Rochefter. 1 3 
 
 thing , but that which I had 
 immediately from himfelf : He 
 Was vifited every Week of his 
 Sicknefs by his Diocefan , that 
 truly Primitive Prelate,the Lord 
 Bifhop of Oxford y who though 
 he lived fix miles from him, yet 
 looked on this as fo important 
 a piece of his Pafloral Care, 
 that he went often to him ; and 
 treated him with that decent 
 plainnefs and freedom which is 
 fo natural to him; and took 
 care alfo that he might not on 
 terms more eafie than fafe, be 
 at peace with himfelf. Dr. Mar- 
 jhal the Learned and Worthy 
 ReElor of Z//;^co//z-Colledge in 
 Oxford y being the Minifter of 
 the Parifh, was alfo frequently 
 with him : and by thefe helps 
 he was fo direded and fupport- 
 ed, that he might not on the 
 
 K 2 one 
 
132 ^ome ipanrage0 of the life 
 
 one hand fatisfie himfelf with 
 too fuperficial a Repentance, 
 nor on the other hand be out 
 of meafure oppreffed with a 
 Sorrow without hope. As foon 
 as I heard he was ill, but yet in 
 fuch a condition that I might 
 write to him, I wrote a Letter 
 to the beft purpofe I could. 
 He ordered one that was then 
 with him, to affure me it was 
 very welcome to him ; but not 
 fatisfied with that, he fent me 
 an Anfwer, which, as the Coun- 
 tefs of Rochejler his Mother told 
 me, he diiStated every word, and 
 then figned it. I was once un- 
 willing to have publilh'd it, be- 
 caufe of a Complement in it to 
 my felf, far above my merit, and 
 not very well fuiting with his 
 Condition. 
 
 But 
 
anti SDeatl) of John <B* of Rochefter. 1 3 3 
 
 But the fenfe he expreffes in it 
 
 of the Change then wrought on 
 
 him, hath upon fecond thoughts 
 
 jrevail'd with me to publifhit, 
 
 eaving out what concerns mjr 
 
 Woodftock-Park, 
 yunei^ 1680. Oxfordjhire, 
 
 My tnoji Honour* d Dr. Burnett, 
 
 li 
 
 MT Spirits and Body de- 
 cayfo equally together ^ 
 that I Jhall write Ton a Let- 
 ter as weak as lam in per f on, 
 I begin to value Church-men 
 above all men in the World^ 
 c. If God be yet pleased 
 ^ K 0, to 
 
1 3 4 ^om0 IpaOTages of tbz life 
 
 to fpare me longer in this 
 World ^ I hope in your Con- 
 V erf at ion to he exalted to that 
 degree of Piety , that the 
 JV^orld may fee how much 
 I abhor what I fo long 
 loved J and how much I glory 
 in Repentance^ and in Gods 
 Service, Beflow your Pray- 
 ers upon me^ that God would 
 
 fpare me (^if it be his good 
 W^ill) tojhew a true Repenr 
 tance and Amendment of life 
 
 for the time to come: Or elfe 
 if the Lord pie afeth to put an 
 end to my worldly being now^ 
 that He wouldmercifully ac- 
 cept of my Death'Bed Re- 
 
 pentancCy and perform that 
 
 Promife 
 
aim K>tm of John e. of Rochefler. 1 3 5 
 
 Promife that He hath been 
 pleafedto make^ Tha t at what 
 time foever a Sinner doth 
 Repent, He would receive 
 him. Put up thefe Prayers^ 
 most dear DoBor^to Almighty 
 (^od for your moji Obedient 
 4nd Languijhing Servant, 
 
 H! ■-■ :■ ■■' -a . (■! 
 
 
 -^^r-^ 
 
 1 
 
 if 
 
 Rochefter 
 
 
 
 
 , - ■ '• : ■" r 
 
 1^ 
 
 
 K 4 He 
 
 X- ■ 
 
136 ^ome ipaOfages of t5e life ^ 
 
 . He told me when I fawhim, 
 That he hoped I would come to 
 him upon that general Infinua- 
 tionoTthe defire'he had of my 
 G6mp>ariy ; and he was loth tb 
 wiite more plainly : not know* 
 ing whether I could ealily 
 fpare fo much time. I' told 
 him. That on the other hand, 
 I looked on it as a pirefumptian 
 to come fo far, when he was in 
 fuch excellent handstand though 
 perhaps the freedom formerly 
 between us, might have excufed 
 it with thofe to whom it w^s 
 known ; yet it might have tHe 
 appearance of fo much Vanitj, 
 to fuch as were ftrangers to it; 
 So that till I received his Lettei'J 
 I did not think it convenient to 
 come to him/: And then not 
 hearing that there was any' 
 danger of a fudden change, I 
 
 delayed 
 
atlD Deatf) of John €. of Rochefter. 137 
 
 delayed going to him till the 
 Twentieth of ^uly. At my 
 coming to his Houfe an acci- 
 dent fell out not worth men- 
 tioning , but that fome have 
 made a ftory of it. His Ser- 
 vant,being a French-man^zzxr\&6. 
 up my Name wrong, fo that he 
 miilook it for another , who 
 hiad fent to him, that he would 
 undertake his Cure, and he be- 
 ing refolved not to meddle with 
 him, did not care to fee hini : 
 This miftake lafted fome hours, 
 with which I was the better con- 
 tented, becaufe he was not then 
 in fuch a condition, that my 
 being about him could have 
 4)een of any ufe to him : for that 
 Night was like to have been his 
 laftl- He had a Com)ulfion-Fiiy 
 and raved j but Opiates h€\Y\^ 
 given him , after 
 - reft, 
 
1 3 8 ^ome IpaDTages of tfje lift 
 
 reft, his raving left him fo en- 
 tirely, that it never again return- 
 ed to him. 
 
 I cannot eafily exprefs the 
 Tranfport he was in, v^'hen he 
 awoke and faw me by him : He 
 brake out in the tendereft Ex- 
 preflions concerning my kind- 
 nefs in coming fo far to (t^fuch 
 a One , ufing terms of great 
 . abhorrence concerning himfelf, 
 which I forbear to relate. He 
 told me, as his ftrength ferved 
 him at feveral fnatches, for he 
 was then fo low, that he could 
 not hold up difcourfe long at 
 once, what fenfe he had of his 
 paft life ; what fad apprehen- 
 fion for having fo offended his 
 Maker , and diflionoured his 
 Redeemer : What Horrours he 
 had gone through , and how 
 much his Mind was turned to 
 
 call 
 
antJ Deatft of John (JB. of Rochefter. 1 3 9 
 
 call on God, and on his Cruci- 
 fied Saviour ; So that he hoped 
 he fliould obtain Mercy , for 
 he believed he had fincerely 
 repented ; and had now a calm 
 in his Mind after • that ftorm 
 that he had been' in for fome 
 Weeks. He had ftrong Ap- 
 prehenfions and Perfwafions of 
 his admittance to Heaven : of 
 which he fpake once not with- 
 out fome extraordinary Emoti- 
 on^ It was indeed the only 
 time that he fpake with any 
 great warmth to me : For his 
 Spirits were then low, and fd 
 far fpent , that though thofe 
 about him told me, He had ex* 
 prefled formerly great fervor 
 in his Devotions; Yet Nature 
 was fo much funk, that thefe 
 were in a great meafure fallen 
 off. But he made me pray 
 
 often 
 
140 ^ome IpaOTageis oftbe Life 
 
 often with him ; and fpoke of 
 his Converfion to God as a 
 thing now grown up in him to 
 a fetled and calm ferenity. He 
 was very anxious to known my 
 Opinion of a Death-Bed Re- 
 pentance. :■! told him, That 
 before I gave any Refolution in 
 that, it would be convenient 
 that I fhould be acquainted 
 more particularly with the Cir-* 
 cumftances and Progrefs of his 
 Repentance, r : 
 
 ,Upon this he fatisfied me in 
 many particulars. -^He faid. He 
 was now perfwaded both of 
 the truth oi iChriJiianity ^ and 
 of the power of inward Grace, 
 of which he gave me this 
 ftrange account. He faid , 
 Mr. Parfons in order to his 
 Gonvidion , read to him the 
 53. Chapter of the Prophelie of 
 
 Ifaiah^ 
 
 
ann Deatl) of John dB* of Rochefter. 1 4 1 
 
 Ifaiah^ and compared that with 
 the Hiftory of our Saviour's 
 Pafllon, that he might there fee 
 a Prophelie concerning it, writ- 
 ten many Ages before it was 
 done ; which the yews that 
 blafphemed Tefus Chrill ftill , 
 kept in their hands, as a Book 
 divinely infpired. He faid to 
 me, T'hat as he heard it read., he 
 felt an inward force upon him., 
 which did fo enlighten his Mind^ 
 and convince him., that he could 
 refifi it no longer i For the words 
 had an authority which did Jhoot 
 like Raies or Beams in his Mind y 
 So that he was not only convinced 
 by the Reafonings he had about 
 it, which fatis fed his Underjiand- 
 ing, but by a power which did Jo 
 effeBually confirain him, that he 
 did ever after as firmly believe in 
 his Saviour, as if he had feen 
 
 him 
 
14^ ^ome IpaflTages of tfje life 
 
 him in the Clouds. He had made 
 it be read fo often to him, that 
 he had got it by heart : and 
 went through a great part of it 
 in Difcourfe with me, with a 
 fort of heavenly Pleafure,giving 
 me his Reflections on it. Some 
 
 •XT n 
 
 "'^' few I remember, JVho hath be^ 
 lieved our Report ? Here, he faid, 
 was foretold the Oppojition the 
 Go/pel was to meet with from fuch 
 ' Wretches as he was. He hath no 
 Form nor Comlinefsy and when we 
 (hall fee Him^ there is no beauty 
 that we Jhould defire him. On 
 this he faid. The meannefs of his 
 appearance and Perfon has made 
 vain and foolijh people difparage 
 Him, becaufe he came not in fuch 
 a Fools-Coat as they delight in. 
 What he faid on the other parts 
 I do not well remember : and 
 indeed I was fo affected with 
 
 what 
 
anD Oeatf) of John <ZE. of Rochefter. 1 4^, 
 
 what he faid then to me, that 
 the general tranfport I was un- 
 der during the whole Difcourfe,, 
 made me lefs capable to re- 
 member thefe Particulars, as I 
 wifh I had done. •# 
 
 He told me , That he had 
 thereupon received the Sacra-j 
 ment with great fatisfa£tion, 
 and that was encreBfed by the. 
 pleafure he had in his Ladies 
 receiving it with him : who 
 had been for fome years mifled' 
 in the Communion of the 
 Church of Rome, and he him- 
 felfhad been not a little In-, 
 llrumental in procuring it, as 
 he freely acknowledged. So 
 that it was one of the joyfulleft 
 things that befel him in his 
 Sicknefs, that he had feen that 
 Mifchief removed , in which 
 he had fo great a Hand : and 
 
 during 
 
144 ^ome IPaflTages of t{)e life 
 
 during his whole Sicknefs , he 
 expreffed fo much tendernefs 
 and true kindnefs to his Lady, 
 that as it eaiily defaced the re- 
 membrance of every thing 
 wherein he had been in fault 
 formerly, fo it drew from her 
 the moll paffionate care and 
 concern for him that was pof- 
 lible • which indeed deferves a 
 higher Character than is decent 
 to give of a Perfon yet alive. But 
 I {hall confine my Difcourfe to 
 the Dead. 
 
 He told me , He had over- 
 come all his Refentments to all 
 the World ; So that he bore ill 
 will to no Perfon , nor hated 
 any upon perfonal accounts. 
 He had given a true ftate of his 
 Debts, and had ordered to pay 
 them all , as far as his Eftate 
 that was not fetled , could go : 
 
 and 
 
 1 * 
 
am C>eat5 of John (ZE» of Rochefter. 145 
 
 and was confident that if all 
 that was owing to him were 
 paid to his Executors, his Cre- 
 ditors would be all fatisfied. He 
 faid, He found his Mind now 
 pofTeiTed with another fenfe of 
 things , than ever he had for- 
 merly : He did not repine under 
 all his pain, and in one of the 
 fliarpeft Fits he was under while 
 I was with him; He faid, He 
 did willingly fubmit ; and look- 
 ing up to Heaven, faid, God^s 
 holy Will be done^ I blefs Him for 
 all He does to me. He profefTed 
 he was contented either to die 
 or live, as fhould pleafe God: 
 And though it was a foolilh 
 thing for a man to pretend to 
 choofe. Whether he would die 
 or live, yet he wifhed rather to 
 die. He knew he could never 
 be fo well, that life fhould be 
 
 L com- 
 
T 46 ®omc ipaflfageg of tfje life 
 
 comfortable to him. He was 
 confident he fhould be happy 
 if he died, but he feared if he 
 Hved he might Relapfe : And 
 then faid he to me , In what a 
 condition pall I be^ tf I Relapse 
 after all this ? But^ he faid, he 
 trujled in the Grace and Goodnefs 
 of God^ and was refolved to avoid 
 all thofe Temptations^ that Courfe 
 
 ^, of Life ^ and Company^ that was 
 likely to infnare him : and he 
 defred to live on no other ac- 
 count , but that he might by the 
 change of his Manners fome way 
 take off the high Scafidal his for- 
 
 V mer Behaviour had given. All 
 thefe things at feveral times I 
 had from him , befides fome 
 MefTages which very well be- 
 came a dying Penitent to fome 
 of his former Friends , and a 
 Charge to publifh any thing 
 
 con- 
 
ann Deatft of John €♦ of Rochefter. 147 
 
 concerning him, that might be 
 a mean to reclaim others. Pray^ 
 ing God^ that as his life had done 
 much hurt^ fo his death might do 
 fome good. 
 
 Having underftood all thefe 
 things from him, and being 
 preffed to give him my Opinion 
 plainly about his Eternal State ; 
 I told him. That though the 
 Promifes of the Gofpel did all 
 depend upon a real change of 
 Heart and Life, as the indifpen- 
 fable condition upon which 
 they were made; and that it 
 was fcarce pofTible to know cer- 
 tainly whether our Hearts are 
 changed, unlefs it appeared in • 
 our lives ; and the Repentance 
 of moft dying men, being like 
 the bowlings of condemned 
 Prifoners for Pardon , which 
 flowed from no fenfe of their 
 
 L 2 Crimes, 
 
1 4 8 %omt paCTages of tbe life 
 
 Crimes, but from the horrour 
 of approaching Death ; there 
 was little reafon to encourage 
 any to hope much from fuch 
 Sorrowing : Yet certainly if the 
 Mind of a Sinner, even on a 
 Death-Bed , be truly renewed 
 and turned to God, fo great is 
 His Mercy, that He will receive 
 him , even in that extremity. 
 Hefaidjii/^ was Jure his Mind was 
 entirely turned., and though Hor- 
 rour had given him his firji 
 awaking , yet that was now grown 
 up into a fetled Faith and Con- 
 verjlon. 
 
 There is but one prejudice 
 lies againft all this, to defeat 
 the good Ends of Divine Pro- 
 vidence by it upon others, as 
 well as on himfelf ; and that 
 is that it was a part of his 
 Difeafe, and that the lownefs of 
 
 his 
 
anU Deatft of John (B» of Rochefler. i ^g 
 
 his Spirits made fuch an altera- 
 tion in him, that he was not 
 what he had formerly been : 
 and this fome have ' carried fo 
 far as to fay, That he died mad : 
 Thefe Reports are raifed by 
 thofe who are unwilling that 
 the laft Thoughts or Words of 
 a Perfon, every way fo extra-^ 
 ordinary , Ihould have any ef- 
 fect either on themfelves or 
 others : ■ And it is to be fear'd, 
 that fome may have fo far 
 feared their Confciences , and 
 exceeded the common Mea- 
 fures of Sin and Infidelity, that 
 neither this Teftimony, nor one 
 cbming from the Dead, would 
 fignifie t much towards their 
 Conviction. That this Lord 
 was either mad or ftupid, is a 
 thing fo notorioufly untrue^, 
 that it is the greatefh Impudence 
 
 L 3 for 
 
150 ^ome lpa(rage0 of tfte life 
 
 for any that were about him, 
 to Report it; and a very un- 
 reafonable Credulity in others 
 to believe it. All the while I 
 was with him, after he had flept 
 out the diforders of the Fit he 
 was in the iirft Night, he was 
 not only without Ravings ; but 
 had a clearnefs in his Thoughts, 
 in his Memory, in his refle£ti- 
 ons on Things and Perfons, far 
 beyond what I ever faw in a 
 Perfon fo low in his ftrength. 
 He was not able to hold out 
 long in Difcourfe, for his Spi- 
 rits failed : but once for half an 
 hour, and often for a quarter of 
 an hour, after he awakened, he 
 had a Vivacity in his Difcourfe 
 that was extraordinary, and in 
 all things like himfelf. He cal- 
 led often for his Children, his 
 Son the now Earl of Rochefter^ 
 
 and 
 
ann Deatft of John C of Rochefler. 1 5 i 
 
 and his three Daughters , and 
 fpake to them with a fenfe and 
 feeling that cannot be exprefTed 
 in Writing. He called me once 
 to look on them all, and faid, 
 See how Good God has been to me^ 
 in. giving me fo many BleJJtngs, 
 and I have carried myfelfto Him 
 like an ungracious and unthank- 
 ful Dog. He once talked a great 
 deal to me of Publick Affairs, 
 and of manjr Perfons and things, 
 with the fame clearnefs of 
 thought and expreflion, that he 
 had ever done before. So that 
 by no fign, but his Weaknefs of 
 Body , and giving over Dif- 
 courfe fo foon, could I perceive 
 a difference between what his 
 Parts formerly were, and what 
 they were then. 
 
 And that wherein the pre- 
 fence of his Mind appeared 
 
 L 4 mbft, 
 
152 %ome Panrage0 of tbc life 
 
 moft, was in the total change 
 of an ill habit grown fo much 
 upon him, that he could hardly 
 govern himfelf, when he was 
 any ways heated, three Minutes 
 without falling into it ; I mean 
 Swearing. He had acknow- 
 ledged to me the former Win- 
 ter, that he abhorred it as a bafe 
 and indecent thing , and had 
 fet himfelf much to break it 
 off: but he confeffed that he 
 was fo over- power 'd by that ill 
 Cuftom , that he could not 
 fpeak with any warmth, with- 
 out repeated Oaths , which, 
 upon any fort of provocation, 
 came almoft naturally from 
 him : But in his laft Remorfes 
 this did fo fenlibly affed: him, 
 that by a refolute and conftant 
 watchfulnefs , the habit of it 
 was perfe<5lly mafter'd ; So that 
 
 upon 
 
''V. 
 
 ant! Deatf) of John €. of Rochefter. 1 5 3 
 
 upon the returns of pain which 
 were very fevere and frequent 
 upon him, the laft day I was 
 with him ; or upon fuch Dif- 
 pleafures as people fick or in 
 pain are apt to take of a fudden 
 at thofe about them ; On all 
 thefe Occafions he never fwore 
 an Oath all the while I was 
 there. 
 
 t Once he was offended with 
 the delay of one that he 
 thought made not haft enough, 
 with fomewhat he called for, 
 and faid in a little heat, T/)at 
 damned Fellow', Soon after I 
 told him, I was glad to find his 
 Style fo reformed, and that he 
 had fo entirely overcome that 
 ill habit of Swearing ; Only that 
 word of calling any damned^ 
 which had returned upon him, 
 was not decent. His Anfwer 
 
 was 
 
154 ^^^^ Pairage0 of tfje life 
 
 was, Oh that Language of Fiends 
 which was Jo familiar to me^ hangs 
 yet about me : Sure none has de- 
 ferved more to he damned than I 
 have done. And after he had 
 humbly asked God Pardon for 
 it, he defired me to call the Per- 
 fon to him, that he might ask 
 him forgivenefs : but I told him 
 that was needlefs,for he had faid 
 it of one that did not hear it, 
 and fo could not be offended 
 by it. 
 
 In this dilpolition of Mind 
 did he continue all the while I 
 was with him, four days togcr 
 ther ; He was then brought fo 
 low that all hope of Recovery 
 was gone. Much purulent 
 matter came from him with his 
 Urine, which he pafTed always 
 with fome pain; But one day 
 with unexprefTible torment : 
 
 Yet 
 
 ;a5.. 
 
antJ Dcatft of John €. of Rochefter. ,155 
 
 Yet he bore it decently, without 
 breaking out into Repinings, or 
 impatient Complaints. He 
 imagined he had a Stone in his 
 Paffage , but it being fearched, 
 none , was found. The whole 
 fubftance of his Body was 
 drained by the Ulcer, and no- 
 thing was left but Skin and 
 Bone : and by lying much on 
 his Back, the parts there began 
 to mortifie. But he had been 
 formerly fo low, that he feemed 
 as much paft ail hopes of life as 
 now; which made him one 
 Morning after a full and fweet 
 Nights reft procured by Lau- 
 danum^ given him without his 
 knowledge, to fancy it was an 
 efFort of Nature, and to begin 
 to entertain fonie hopes of Re- 
 covery : For he faid , He felt 
 himfelf perfectly well, and that 
 ■..Hrf-f ne 
 
156 %ome parages of tU life 
 
 had nothing ailing him, but an 
 extream weaknefs, which might 
 go off in time : and then he en- 
 tertained me with the Scheme 
 he had laid down for the reft 
 of his life , how retired, how 
 ftri(9:, and how ftudious he in- 
 tended to be : But this was foon 
 over, for he quickly felt that it 
 was only the effect of a good 
 fleep, and that he was ftill in a 
 very defperate ftate. 
 
 I thought to have left him 
 on Friday , but not without 
 fome Paflion, he defired me to 
 ftay that day : there appeared 
 no fymptome of prefent death ; 
 and a Worthy Phyfitian then 
 with him, told me,That though 
 he was fo low that an accident 
 might carry him away on a 
 fuddain ; Yet without that, he 
 thought he might live yet 
 
 fome 
 
anU ©eatb of John <B. of Rochefter. 157 
 
 fome Weeks. So on Saturday 
 at Four of the Clock in the 
 Morning I left him, being the 
 2J^th of yuly. But I durft not 
 take leave of him ; for he had 
 expreffed fo great an unwilling- 
 nefs to part with me the day 
 before, that if I had not pre- 
 sently yielded to one days flay, 
 it was like to have given him 
 •fome trouble , therefore I 
 thought it better to leave him 
 without any Formality. Some 
 hours after he asked for me, 
 and when it was told him, I was 
 gone, he feem'd to be troubled, 
 and faid. Has my Friend left me^ 
 then I (hall die jhortly. After 
 that he fpake but once or 
 twice till he died : He lay 
 much lilent : Once they heard 
 him praying very devoutly. 
 
 And 
 
158 ^ome ipalTages of tbt life 
 
 And on Monday about Two of 
 the Clock in the Morning, he 
 died, without any Convulfion^ or 
 fo much as a groan. 
 
 ^ ■■^ m^ymjtm 
 
 .W^A-«i*»*^^^'* ' ^ *^ * ^ »i^ 
 
anD Deatt) of John €. of Rochefter. 159 
 
 7 HE CONCLVSIOtT^ 
 
 THus he lived , and thus 
 he died in the Three and 
 Thirtieth Year of his Age. 
 Nature had fitted him for 
 great things ^ and his Know- 
 ledge and Obfervation quali- 
 fy'd him to have been one of 
 the moft extraordinary Men 
 not only of his Nation, but .of 
 the Age he lived in ; And I do 
 verily believe, that if God had 
 thought fit to have continued 
 him longer in the World, he 
 had been the Wonder and De- 
 light of all that knew him. But 
 the infinitely Wife God knew 
 better what was fit for him, 
 and what the Age deferved. 
 For men who have fo call oiF 
 
 all 
 
J 60 ^ome IpaDTagcs of tfje life 
 
 all fenfe of God and Religion, 
 deferve notfo fignal a Blefling, 
 as the Example and Conviction 
 which the reft of his life might 
 have given them. And I am 
 apt to think that the Divine 
 Goodnefs took pity on him, and 
 feeing the fincerity of his Re- 
 I pentance , would try and ven- 
 ture him no more in Circum- 
 ftances of Temptation, perhaps 
 too hard for Humane Frailty. 
 Now he is at reft, and I am very 
 confident enjoys the Fruits of 
 his late, but fincere Repentance. 
 But fuch as live, and ftill go on 
 in their Sins and Impieties, and 
 will not be awakened neither 
 by this, nor the other Allarms 
 that are about their Ears, are, it 
 feems, given up by God to a 
 judicial Hardnefs and Impeni- 
 tency. 
 
 Here 
 
anH Deatjb of John €* of Rochefter. 1 6 1 
 
 Here is a publick Inftance of 
 One who lived of their Side, 
 but could not die of it : And 
 though none of all our Liber- 
 tines underftood better than he, 
 the fecret Myfteries of Sin, had 
 more ftudied every thing that 
 could fupport a man in it, and 
 had more refifted all external 
 means of Conviftion than he 
 had done ; Yet when the Hand 
 of God inwardly touched him, 
 he could no longer kick againji 
 thofe Pricks^ but humbled him- 
 fe If under that Mighty Hand ^ 
 and as he ufed often to fay in 
 his Prayers, He who hadfo often 
 denied Hitn^ found then no other 
 Shelter^ but his Mercies and Co m- 
 
 paj/ions. 
 
 I have written this Account 
 with all the ten dernefs and cauti- 
 on I could ufe, and in whatfoever 
 
 M I may 
 
1 6 2 %omt IpaDTages of tbt life 
 
 I may have failed, I have been 
 ftrid in the truth of what I 
 have related, remembring that 
 of yol^y will ye lie for God? Re- 
 ligion has Strength and Evi- 
 dence enough in it felf, and 
 needs no Support from Lyes, 
 and made Stories. I do not 
 pretend to have given the for- 
 mal words that he faid, though 
 I have done that where I could 
 remember them. But I have 
 written this with the fame Sin- 
 cerity, that I would have done, 
 had I known I had been to die 
 immediately after I hadfinifhed 
 it. I did not take Notes of 
 our Difcourfes lall Winter af- 
 ter we parted J fo I may have 
 perhaps in the fetting out of 
 my Anfwers to him, have en- 
 larged on feveral things both 
 more fully and more regularly, 
 
 than 
 
 ■ !V ^l ' 
 
ant) ©eat5 of John €♦ of Rochefter. 163 
 
 than I could fay them in fuch 
 free Difcourfes as we had. I 
 am not fo fure of all I fet 
 down as faid by me, as I am of 
 all faid by him to me. But 
 yet the fubftance of the great- 
 eft part , even of that , is the 
 fame. 
 
 It remains that I humbly 
 and earneftly befeech all that 
 fhall take this Book in their 
 hands, that they will confider 
 it entirely : and not wreft fome 
 parts to an ill intention. God, 
 the Searcher of Hearts, knows 
 with what Fidelity I have writ 
 it : But if any will drink up 
 only the Poifon that may be in 
 it, without taking alfo the An- 
 tidote here given to thofe ill 
 Principles ; or confidering the 
 fenfe that this great Perfon had 
 of them , when he refledted 
 
 M 2 feri- 
 
1 64 ^ome pairages of tU life 
 
 ferioufly on them ; and will ra- 
 ther confirm themfelves in their 
 ill ways, by the Scruples and 
 Objedlions which I fet down, 
 than be edified by the other 
 parts of it ; As I will look on 
 it as a great Infelicity , that I 
 fhould have faid any thing that 
 may ftrengthen them in their 
 Impieties ; So the fincerity 
 of my Intentions will, I doubt 
 not, excufe me at his hands, to 
 whom I offer up this fmall Ser- 
 vice. 
 
 I have now performed, in 
 the beft manner I could, what 
 was left on me by this Noble 
 Lord, and have done with the 
 part of an Hiftorian. I fhall in 
 the next place fay fomewhat as 
 a Divine. So extraordinary a 
 Text does almoft force a Ser- 
 mon, though it is plain enough 
 
 it 
 
anD Deatlj of John €. of Rochefter. 165 
 
 it felf, and fpeaks with fo loud 
 a Voice, that thofe who are not 
 awakened by it , will perhaps 
 conlider nothing that I can fay. 
 If our Libertines will become 
 fo far fober as to examine their 
 former Courfe of Life , with 
 that difingagement and impar- 
 tiality , which they mull ac- 
 knowledge a wife man ought 
 to ufe in things of greateft 
 Confequence, and ballance the 
 Account of what they have got 
 by their Debaucheries, with the 
 Mifchiefs they have brought 
 on themfelves and others by 
 them, they will foon fee what 
 a mad Bargain they have made. 
 Some Diverfion, Mirth, and 
 Pleafure is all they can promife 
 themfelves ; but to obtain this, 
 how many Evils are they to 
 fuffer ? how have many wafted 
 
 M 3 their 
 
1 6 6 ^omc paa*age0 of the life 
 
 their flrength , brought many 
 Difeafes on their Bodies , and 
 precipitated their Age in the 
 purfuit of thofe things ? and as 
 they bring old Age early on 
 themfelves, fo it becomes a mi- 
 ferable ftate oflifetothe great- 
 eft part of them , GoutSy Stran- 
 guries^ and other Infirmities, be- 
 ing fevere Reckonings for their 
 paft Follies ; not to mention 
 the more loathfome Difeafes, 
 with their no lefs loathfome 
 and troublefome Cures, which 
 they muft often go through, 
 who deliver themfelves up tp 
 forbidden Pleafure. Many are 
 disfigur'd befide,with the marks 
 of their Intemperance and 
 Lewdnefs, and which is yet fad- 
 der, an Infection is derived of- 
 tentimes on their Innocent, but 
 unhappy IfTue, who being de- 
 
 fcended 
 
anUC>eati)OfJohn(ZB. OfRochefter. 167 
 
 fcended from fo vitiated an 
 Original, fufFer for their Excef- 
 fes. Their Fortunes are pro- 
 fufely wafted , both by their 
 negled of their Affairs , they 
 being fo buried in Vice, that 
 they cannot employ either their 
 Time or Spirits , fo much ex- 
 haufted by Intemperance , to 
 confider them; and by that 
 Prodigal Expence which their 
 Lufts put them upon. They 
 fuffer no lefs in their Credit, 
 the chief mean to recover an 
 intangled Eftate ; for that irre- 
 gular Expence forceth them to 
 fo many mean fhifts , makes 
 them fo often falfe to all their 
 Promifes and Refolutions, that 
 they muft needs feel how much 
 they have loft, that which a 
 Gentleman, and Men of inge- 
 nuous tempers do fometimes 
 
 M 4 pre- 
 
1 6 8 ©ome IpaflTages of tU life 
 
 prefer even to life it felf, their 
 Honour and Reputation. Nor 
 do they fufFer lefs in the Nobler 
 DOwers of their Minds, which, 
 3y a long courfe of fuch diflb- 
 lute Prad;ices, come to fink and 
 degenerate fo far,that not a few, 
 whofe firft Bloflbms gave the 
 moft promifing Hopes, have fo 
 wither'd,as to become incapable 
 of great and generous Under- 
 takings, and to be difabled to 
 every thing, but to wallow like 
 Swine in the filth of Senfuality, 
 their Spirits being diflipated, 
 and their Minds fo nummed, 
 as to be wholly unfit for bufi- 
 nefs , and even indifpofed to 
 think. %. 
 
 That this dear price ihould 
 be paid for a little wild Mirth, 
 orgrofs and corporal Pleafure, 
 is a thing of fuch imparalelled 
 
 Folly, 
 
I. 
 
 anQ Deatf) of John €. of Rochefter. 1 6 g 
 
 Folly, that if there were not too 
 many fuch Inftances before us, 
 it might feem incredible. To 
 all this we mufi: add the Hor- 
 rours that their ill Adions raife 
 in them , and the hard fhifts 
 they are put to to flave off 
 thefe J either by being perpe- 
 tually drunk or mad, or by an 
 habitual difufe of thinking and 
 refleding on their Adlions , 
 and ( if thefe Arts will not per- 
 fe6tly quiet them ) by taking 
 Sanctuary in fuch Atheiftical 
 Principles as may at leaft miti- 
 gate the fowrnefs of their 
 thoughts , though they can- • 
 not abfolutely fettle their 
 Minds. 
 
 If the ftate of Mankind and 
 Humane Societies are confider- 
 ed, what Mifchiefs can be equal 
 to thofe which follow thefe 
 
 Courfes. 
 
170 %omt pairage0 of tbe life 
 
 Courfes. Such Perfons are a 
 Plague where ever they come ; 
 they can neither be trufted nor 
 beloved, having caft off both 
 Truth and Goodnefs , which 
 procure Confidence and attrad: 
 Love : they corrupt fome by 
 their ill Practices, and do irre- 
 parable Injuries to the reft ; they 
 run great Hazards , and put 
 themfelves to much trouble, 
 and all this to do what is in 
 their power to make Damnati- 
 on as fure to themfelves as 
 pofTibly they can. What In- 
 fluence this has on the whole 
 Nation is but too vifible ; How 
 the Bonds of Nature, Wedlock, 
 and all other Relations are 
 quite broken. Vertue is thought 
 an Antick Piece of Formality, 
 and Religion the effedt of 
 Cowardife or Knavery : Thefe 
 
 are 
 
anH DeatI) of John dB. of Rochefter, 1 7 I 
 
 are the Men that would Re- 
 form the World, by bringing 
 it under a new Syftem of In- 
 telleftual and Moral Principles, 
 but bate them a few bold and 
 lewd Jefts, what have they ever 
 done , or defigned'' to do , to 
 make them be remembred, ex- 
 cept it be with deteftation? 
 They are the Scorn of the pre- 
 fent Age,and their Names muft 
 rot in the next. Here they 
 have before them an Inftance 
 of one who was deeply cor- 
 rupted with the Contagion 
 which he firfl: derived from 
 ,Others,but unhappily heighten- 
 ed it much himfelf. He was 
 a Mafter indeed, and not a bare 
 trifler with Wit , as fome of 
 thefe are who repeat, and that 
 but fcurvily , what they may 
 have heard from him or fome 
 
 others. 
 
172 ^ome paorages of tbe Life 
 
 others , and with Impudence 
 and Laughter will face the 
 World down, as if they were to 
 teach it Wifdom ; who, God 
 knows, cannot follow one 
 Thought a ftep further than as 
 they have conned it ; and take 
 from them their borrow'd Wit 
 and their mimical Humour, 
 and they will prefently appear 
 what they indeed are, the leaft 
 and loweft of Men. 
 
 If they will, or if they can 
 think a little, I wifh they would 
 confider that by their own 
 Principles, they cannot be fure 
 that Religion is only a Contri- 
 vance , all they pretend to is 
 only to weaken fome Argu- 
 ments that are brought for it : 
 but they have not Brow enough 
 to fay , They can prove that 
 their own Principles are true. 
 
 So 
 
ailD Oeatf) of John (B, of P-ochefter. i j 3 
 
 So that at moft they bring their 
 Caufe no higher, than that it 
 is pofTible Religion may not be 
 true. But ftill it is pofTible it 
 may be true, and they have no 
 fhame left that will deny that 
 it is alfo probable it may be 
 true ; and if fo, then what mad 
 Men are they who run fo great 
 a hazard for nothing ? By their 
 own Confeflion it may be there 
 is a God,a Judgment, and a Life 
 to come ; and if fo, then He 
 that believes thefe things, and 
 lives according to them, as he 
 enjoys a long courfe of Health 
 and quiet of Mind, an innocent 
 rellifh of many true Pleafures, 
 and the Serenities which Vertue 
 raifes in him , with the good 
 Will a.nd Friendfhip which it 
 procures him from others; So 
 when he dies , if thefe things 
 
 prove 
 
1 74 ^ome Parages of t5e life 
 
 prove Miftakes , he does not 
 out-live his Error, nor £hall it 
 afterwards raife trouble or dif- 
 quiet in him if he then ceafes to 
 be : But if thefe things be true, 
 he fhall be infinitely happy in 
 that State , where his prefent 
 fmall Services fhall be fo ex- 
 ceflively rewarded. The Liber- 
 tines on the other fide, as they 
 know they muft die, fo the 
 thoughts of Death muft be 
 always Melancholy to them, 
 they can have no pleafant view 
 of that which yet they know 
 cannot be very far from them : 
 The leaft painful Idea they can 
 have of it is, that it is an ex- 
 tinction and ceafing to be, but 
 they are not fure even of that. 
 Some fecret Whifpers within 
 make them, whether they will 
 or not, tremble at the Appre- 
 
 henfions 
 
anH Deatb of John <2B. of Rochefter. i y ^ 
 
 heniions of another State ; nei- 
 ther their Tinfel- Wit , nor fu - 
 perficikl Learning , nor their 
 impotent Affaults upon the 
 weak fide as they think of Re- 
 ligion, nor the boldefl: Notions 
 of Impiety, will hold them up 
 then. Of all which I now 
 prefent fo lively an Infiance^ as 
 perhaps Hiftory can fcarce pa- 
 rallel. 
 
 Here were parts fo exalted 
 by Nature, and improved by 
 Study , and yet fo corrupted 
 and debafed by Irreligion and 
 Vice , that he who was made 
 to be one of the Glories of his 
 Age was become a Proverb, and 
 if his Repentance had not in- 
 terpofed, would have been one 
 of the greateft Reproaches of 
 it. He knew well the fmall 
 ftrength of that weak Caufe, 
 
 and 
 
176 %ome Paffagcs of tbz life 
 
 and at firft defpifed, but after- 
 wards abhorred it. He felt the 
 Mifchiefs, and faw the madnefs 
 of it; and therefore though he 
 lived to the fcandal of many, 
 he died as much to the Edifica- 
 tion of all thofe who faw him ; 
 and becaufe they were but a 
 fmall number, he defired that 
 he might even when dead yet 
 fpeak. He was willing nothing 
 fhould be concealed that might 
 call Reproach on himfelf, and 
 on Sin, and ofFer up Glory to 
 God and Religion. So that 
 though he lived a hainous Sin- 
 ner, yet he died a moft exempla- 
 ry Penitent. 
 
 It would be a vain and Ridi- 
 culous Inference, for any from 
 hence to draw Arguments 
 about the abftrufe Secrets of 
 Predeftmation ; and to con- 
 clude 
 
ann Deatb of John (£. of Rochefter. 1 7 w 
 
 elude that if they are of the 
 number of the Ele6t, they may 
 live as they will, and that Di- 
 vine Grace will at fome time 
 or other violently conftrain 
 them , and irrefiftably work 
 upon them. But as St. Paul 
 was called to that Eminent Ser- 
 vice for which he was appoint- 
 ed, in fo ftupendious a manner, 
 as is no warrant for others to 
 expe<9: fuch a Vocation ; So if 
 upon fome fignal Occafions 
 fuch Converlions fall out , 
 which, how far they are fhort 
 of Miracles, I fhall not deter- 
 mine, it is not only a vain but 
 a pernicious Imagination, for 
 any to go on in their ill ways, 
 upon a fond Conceit and Ex- 
 pedation that the like will befal 
 them : For whatfoever Gods 
 extraordinary dealings with 
 
 N fome 
 
1 7 8 ^ome ipaflfages of tbe life 
 
 fome may be, We are fure His 
 common way of Working is 
 by offering thefe things to our 
 rational Faculties, which, by the 
 affiftances of His Grace, if we 
 improve them all we can, fhall 
 be certainly effe6lual for our 
 Reformation ; and if we neg- 
 ledl or abufe thefe, We put our 
 felves beyond the common 
 Methods of Gods Mercy, and 
 have no reafon to expert that 
 Wonders fhould be wrought 
 for our Convidion ; which 
 though they fometimes hap- 
 pen, that they may give an ef- 
 fectual Allarm for the awaking 
 of others, yet it would deftroy 
 the whole defign of Religion, 
 if men fhould depend upon or 
 look for fuch an extraordinary 
 and forcible Operation of Gods 
 Grace. 
 
 And 
 
anti Dcatb of John €. of Rochefter. 179 
 
 And I hope that thofe who 
 have had fome fharp Reflexi- 
 ons on their paft Life, fo as to 
 be refolved to forfake their ill 
 Courfes, will not take the leaft 
 encouragement to themfelves 
 in that defperate and unreafon- 
 able Refolution of putting off 
 their Repentance till they can 
 fin no longer, from the hopes I 
 have exprefs'd of this Lords 
 obtaining Mercy at the laft ; 
 and from thence prefume that 
 they alfo fhall be received, when 
 they turn to God on their 
 Death-Beds : For what Mercy 
 foever God may fhew to fuch 
 as really were never inwardly 
 touched before that time ; Yet 
 there is no reafon to think that 
 thofe who have dealt fo difin- 
 guoufly withGod and their own 
 Souls, as defignedly to put off 
 
 N 2- their 
 
1 8 o ^ome Jpaflfages of tfje life 
 
 their turning to Him , upon 
 fuch Conliderations, ftiould be 
 then accepted with Him. They 
 may die fuddenly, or by a 
 Difeafe that may fo diforder 
 their Underflandings, that they 
 fhall not be in any capacity of 
 Refleding on their paft Lives. 
 The inward Converfion of our 
 Minds is not fo in our power, 
 that it can be effefted without 
 Divine Grace affifting. And 
 there is no reafon for thofe 
 who have neglefted thefe Af- 
 fiftances all their Lives, to ex- 
 pedb them in fo extraordinary 
 manner at their Death. Nor 
 can one, efpecially in a Sick- 
 nefs , that is quick and cri- 
 tical , be able to do thofe 
 things that are often indifpen- 
 fably neceffary to make his 
 Repentance compleat : And 
 
 even 
 
ann ^Deatf) of John €, of Rochefter. 1 8 i 
 
 even in a longer Difeafe, in 
 which there are larger Oppor- 
 tunities for thefe things; Yet 
 there is great Reafon to doubt 
 of a Repentance begun and 
 kept up meerly by Terrour, and 
 not from any ingenuous Prin- 
 ciple. In which, though I will 
 not take on me to limit the 
 Mercies of God , which are 
 boundlefs; Yet this muft be 
 confefled, that to delay Repen- 
 tance, with fuch a defign, is to 
 put the greateft Concernment 
 we have upon the moft dange- 
 rous and defperate IfTue that is 
 poflible. i \ 
 
 But they that will ftill go on 
 in their Sins, and be fo partial 
 to them,as to ufe all endeavours 
 to ftrengthen themfelves in 
 their evil Courfe, even by thefe 
 very things which the Provi- 
 
 N 3 dence 
 
1 8 2 ^ome palTaffes of tfje life 
 
 dence of God fets before them, 
 for the cafting down of thefe 
 ftrong holds of Sin : What is to 
 be faid to fuch ? it is to be fear- 
 ed, that if they obftinately per- 
 fift, they will by degrees come 
 within that Curfe , He that is 
 %)njuft , let him he Unjuji Jlill : 
 and he that is Filthy ^ let him be 
 Filthy Jlill. But if our Gofpel 
 is hidy it is hid to them that are 
 lojl^ in whom the god of this World 
 hath blinded the Minds of them 
 which believe not, leaf the Light 
 of the Glorious Gofpel ofChrifty 
 who is the Image of God, fhould 
 fhine unto them. 
 
 F I ^I S,