to die, to do which he stood in need of no longer time; for he had studied it long, and to so happy a perfection, that in a former sickness he called God to witness, "He was that minute ready to deliver his soul into his hands, if that minute God would determine his dissolution." In that sickness he begged of God the constancy to be preserved in that state for ever; and his patient expectation to have his immortal soul disrobed of her garment of mortality, makes me confident he now had a modest assurance that his prayers were then heard, and his petition granted. He lay fifteen days earnestly expecting his hourly change; and in the last hour of his last day, as his body melted away and vapoured into spirit, his soul having, I verily believe, some revelation of the beatifical vision, he said, "I were miserable if I might not die" and after these words closed many periods of his faint breath by saying often, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." His speech, which had long been his ready and faithful servant, left him not till the last moment of his life, and then forsook him not to serve another master, (for who speaks like him,) but died before him; for that it was then become useless to him that now conversed with God on earth, as angels are said to do in heaven, only by thoughts and looks. Being speechless, and seeing heaven by that illumination by which he saw it, he did, as St. Stephen, look stedfastly into it, till he saw the Son of man standing at the right hand of God his Father; and being satisfied with this blessed sight, as his soul ascended and his last breath departed from him, he closed his own eyes, and then disposed his own hands and body into such a posture as required not the least alteration by those who came to shroud him. Thus virtuous was the life, thus excellent, thus exemplary was the death, of this memorable man "." REFLECTION.-Though every child of Adam must use the words of holy Job, xvii. 13, 14, "The grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness, I have said to corruption, Thou art my father, to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister," yet most consolatory and exalting is the declaration of St. Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 54, that "this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality;" and that "then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." He was rector of Bemerton, near Salisbury, author of "The Temple," &c., and a Divine eminent for his ardent devotion. About a month before his death, his friend, Mr. 9 Life of Dr. John Donne, by Izaak Walton, in Wordsworth's Eccl. Biog., vol. iii. p. 668, et seq. Farrer 10, hearing of Mr. Herbert's sickness, sent the Rev. Edward Duncon, Rector of Friern Barnet, to see him. An interesting account is given by Izaak Walton of this meeting, at which Mr. Duncon prayed with him. The next morning Mr. Duncon left him, and took a journey to Bath, but with a promise to return back to him within five days. According to his promise, he returned the fifth day, and then found Mr. Herbert much weaker than he left him, and therefore their discourse could not be long; but at Mr. Duncon's parting with him, Mr. Herbert spoke to this purpose; "Sir, I pray, give my brother Farrer an account of the decaying condition of my body, and tell him I beg him to continue his daily prayers for me; and let him know that I have considered that God only is what He would be, and that I am by his grace become so like Him as to be pleased with what pleaseth Him; and tell him that I do not repine but am pleased with my want of health; and tell him my heart is fixed on that place where true joy is only to be found; and that I long to be there, and do wait for my appointed change with hope and patience." Having said this, he did, with so sweet a humility as seemed to exalt him, bow down to Mr. Duncon, and with a thoughtful and contented look say to him, "Sir, I pray, deliver this little book to my dear brother Farrer, and tell him he shall find in it a picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have passed between God and my soul, before I could subject mine to the will of Jesus my Master, in whose service I have now found perfect freedom: desire him to read it; and 10 This Mr. Farrer is the Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, the memorial of whom, by Dr. Peckard, succeeds the present narrative. then if he can think it may turn to the advantage of any dejected poor soul, let it be made public; if not, let him burn it; for I and it are less than the least of God's mercies." Thus meanly did this humble man think of this excellent book, which now bears the name of "The Temple, or Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations," of which Mr. Farrer would say, "There was in it the picture of a divine soul in every page; and that the whole book was such a harmony of holy passions as would enrich the world with pleasure and piety." And it appears to have done so; for there have been more than 20,000 copies of them sold since the first impression. At the time of Mr. Duncon's leaving Mr. Herbert, (which was about three months before his death,) his old and dear friend Mr. Woodnot came from London to Bemerton, and never left him till he had seen him draw his last breath, and closed his eyes on his deathbed. In this time of his decay he was often visited and prayed for by all the clergy that lived near him, especially by his friends the Bishop and prebendaries of the cathedral church in Salisbury, but by none more devoutly than his wife, his three nieces, (then a part of his family,) and Mr. Woodnot, who were the sad witnesses of his daily decay, to whom he would often speak to this purpose: "I now look back upon the pleasures of my life past, and see that the content I have taken in beauty, in wit, in music, and in pleasant conversation, are now all past by me like a dream, or as a shadow that returns not, and are now all become dead to me, or I to them; and I see that as my father and generation hath done before me, so I also shall now suddenly, with Job, make my bed also in the dark: and I praise God I am prepared for it; and I praise him that I am not [685] to learn patience now I stand in such need of it, and that I have practised mortification, and endeavoured to die daily, that I might not die eternally; and my hope is, that I shall shortly leave this valley of tears, and be free from all fevers and pain, and, which will be a more happy condition, I shall be free from sin, and all the temptations and anxieties that attend it: and this being past, I shall dwell in the new Jerusalem, dwell there with men made perfect, dwell where these eyes shall see my Master and Saviour Jesus, and with Him see my dear mother, and all my relations and friends. But I must die, or not come to that happy place: and this is my content, that I am going daily towards it, and that every day which I have lived hath taken a part of my appointed time from me, and that I shall live the less time for having lived this and the day past." These and the like expressions, which he uttered often, may be said to be his enjoyment of heaven before he enjoyed it. The Sunday before his death he rose suddenly from his bed or couch, called for one of his instruments, took it into his hand, and said, My God, my God! My music shall find thee, And every string Shall have his attribute to sing. And having tuned it, he played, and sung, The Sundays of man's life, Threaded together on time's string, Make bracelets, to adorn the wife Of the eternal glorious King: On Sundays, heaven's door stands ope; More plentiful than hope. Thus he sang on earth such hymns and anthems as the angels, and he and Mr. Farrer, now sing |