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"I call for nothing (said he) but mercy, free mercy. "But who is it that shall bring an accusation against the "elect of GOD? It is GOD that justifieth: So that "neither life, nor death, nor things present, nor things to come, "shall ever be able to separate him from the love of his Sa"viour."

In the morning of the day he died, he prayed in Latin, saying, "Lord open thou my lips, and I will shew forth "thy praise. Lord, make me to know my sins, to weep "for them, to detest them, and to have them in execra"tion." And this prayer he uttered twice. He then said after the apostle, and with great emphasis, "We know "that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we "have a building of God, a house not made with hands." After which being asked, If he were not assured of sharing in that eternal weight of glory spoken of by the apostle? he answered, "He was perfectly persuaded of it, and was "so by the demonstration of the Holy Spirit, more pow❝erful, more clear, and certain than any demonstration "of Euclid." And on this occasion he repeated the words in Greek, 1 Cor. ii. 4. Ἐν ἀποδείξει πνεύματος καὶ δυκούμενους.

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In the afternoon he was heard to say to himself, in a broken manner, "I fly, I fly to heaven: The angels carry me into the bosom of my Saviour. I know that "my Redeemer liveth, I shall see him with these eyes, "these very eyes, hisce oculis ;" and he repeated the Latin words, again and again.

As he became weaker and weaker, he was asked from time to time, if he felt not in his soul the power of the Holy Spirit, sealing to him the promises of GOD, and filling him with consolation? One of his answers to this question was, "Yes, indeed.” Another was, "I am "assured of it." And a third was, "The love of GOD " is in my heart." And thus, in the lively exercise of faith, this great man rendered up his soul to GOD; in November, 1623, and in almost the seventy-fourth year of his age.

His great and noble WORK of "The Truth of the Christian Religion," was translated into English, partly by Sir Philip Sidney, and partly by Mr Arthur Golding. His Mystery of Iniquity," hath also been translated into our language, and, according to Maunsel, some other of his Writings. Thuanus speaks of our Author with high commendation; and the author of the History of Lewis XIII. above-mentioned, never mentions him without the epithets wise and good.

RALPH

RALPH HOSPINIAN.

RALPH HOSPINIAN, a learned Swiss writer,

who has done eminent service to the Protestant cause, was born at Altorf, near Zurich, where his father was minister, on the seventh of November, 1547.

He was sent at seven years of age to begin his studies at Zurich, under the direction of John Wolphius, his uncle by his mother's side; and made a vast progress. Losing his father in 1563, he found an affectionate patron, in his godfather Rodolphus Gualterus.

He left Zurich in March, 1565, in order to visit the other universities; and he spent some time in Marpurg and Heidelberg. He was afterwards recalled and received into the ministry in 1568, and the year after married a wife, by whom he had fourteen children: Nevertheless, when she died in 1612, he married a second. He had more success in this respect than falls to the share of most men; for they were both good women, and made him very happy.

The same year also, 1569, he obtained the freedom of the city; and was made provisor of the Abbey-school in 1571. Though his school and his cure engrossed so much of his time, he had yet the courage to undertake a noble work of vast extent: And that was an "History of the "ERRORS of Popery." He considered, that the Papists, when defeated by the holy scriptures, had recourse to tradition; were for ever boasting of their antiquity, and despised the Protestants for being modern. To deprive them of this plea, Hospinian was determined to search into the rise and progress of the popish rites and ceremonies; and to examine by what gradations the truth, which had been taught by Christ and his apostles, had given way to innovations. The circumstance, which first suggested this thought was, his falling accidentally into conversation in a country ale-house with a landlord, who was so silly as to imagine, that the monastic life came immediately from paradise.

He

He could not complete his work, agreeably to the plan he had drawn out; but he published some considerable parts of it, as, 1. De Templis : Hoc est, de origine, progressu, usu, et abusu Templorum, ac omnino rerum omnium ad Templa pertinentium, 1587 in folio. 2. De Monachis: Seu de origine, & progressu monachatus et ordinum monasticorum, 1588, in folio. 3. De Festis Judæorum et Ethnicorum: Hoc est, de origine, progressu, ceremoniis, et ritibus festorum dierum Judæorum, Græcorum, Romanorum, Turcarum, et Indianorum, 1592 in folio. 4. Festa Christianorum, &c. 1593, in folio. 5. Historia Sacramentaria: Hoc est, libri quinque de Cœna Dominica prima institutione ejusque vero usu et abusu in primava ecclesia, necnon de origine, progressu, ceremoniis, et ritibus Missa, Transubstantiationis, et aliorum pene infinitorum errorum, quibus Cœnæ prima institutio horribiliter in papatu polluta profanata est, 1598, in folio. 6. Pars altera: De origine et progressu controversia sacramentaria de Coena Domini inter Lutheranos, Ubiquistas, et Orthodoxos, quos Zuinglianos seu Calvinistas vocant, exorta ab anno 1517 usque ad 1602 deducta; 1602, in folio.

These are all of them parts of his great work, which he enlarged in succeeding editions, and added confutations of the arguments of Bellarmin, Baronius, and Gretser. What he published on the Eucharist, and another work, entitled Concordia Discors, &c. printed in 1607, exasperated the Lutherans in a high degree; and they wrote against him very abusively. He did not publish any answer, though he had almost finished one, but turned his arms against the jesuits; and published Historia Jesuitica: Hoc est, de origine, regulis, constitutionibus, privilegiis, incrementis, progressu, & propagatione ordinis Jesuitarum. Item, de eorum dolis, fraudibus, imposturis, nefariis, facinoribus, cruentis consiliis, falsa quoque, seditiosa, et sanguinolenta doctrina, 1619, in folio.

These are his WORKS; and they justly gained him high reputation, as they did also good preferment. He was appointed archdeacon of Caroline-church in 1588; and in 1594, minister of the Abbey-church. He was deprived of his sight for near a year by a cataract, yet continued to preach as usual, and was happily couched in September, 1613. In 1623, being seventy-six years of age, he grew childish; and so continued till his death, which happened on the eleventh of March, in the year 1626. The public entertained so high an opinion of his learning from his writings, that he was exhorted from all quarters

to

to refute Baronius's Annals; and no one was thought to have greater abilities for the task. A new edition of his works was published at Geneva in 1681, in seven thin volumes in folio.

RICHARD STOCK, M. A.

THIS

HIS laborious and successful divine was born at York, where he received his school education till about eighteen years of age, when he was admitted of St John's-college, in Cambridge, and in a little time after chosen scholar of that college. His ingenuity, industry, and proficiency in his studies, soon recommended him to the notice of Dr William Whitaker, then master of St John's college, who gave him every proper encourage

ment.

He studied with great applause, and took his bachelor and master of arts degree; when, refusing the proposal of a fellowship in Sidney-college, he left the university; but not before he had given evident signs of great ability, in being a master-builder in GOD's work, and of much wisdom in winning souls to GOD. After some little time spent at Sir Edmund Cope's in Northamptonshire, and at lady Lane's, at Burton on the Water in Gloucestershire, being chaplain to the latter, he came to London, where he was chosen lecturer of St Austin's in Watling-street; He was also employed to preach twice every Lord's day at St Mildred's, Bread-street, during the life of an elderly clergyman who had the charge of it. He then removed a little higher to All-hallows, as an assistant to Mr Edmund's, who was aged and infirm, and continued to preach there with such acceptance and success, that, at Mr Edmund's decease, the benefice was conferred on him, which he held to the end of his days. Being settled, he married and had three daughters.

Mr Gataker, speaking of Mr Stock, says, he was a grave and reverend father in the English church, a faithful minister and servant of Jesus Christ, and a vigilant pastor over his congregation. His life and conversation, and constant labour in the work of the Lord, were well known through the whole city of London;

⚫ where

< where he constantly continued the work of his ministry by the space of about thirty years. His constant custom was to preach twice every Lord's day; and he took great pains in catechising the younger people on the week day, and was indeed most indefatigable in the discharge of every part of his pastoral office both public and private. And, in point of success, as the apostle Paul said of the Corinthians, You are the seal of my apostleship, and my letters testimonial; so might Mr Stock, with the utmost truth and propriety, say of many of the people in London; more people professing themselves to have been effectually called and converted under him, than almost any other minister of his day; and great numbers acknowledging themselves to have been edified, built up, and made better by him; who are all the seals of his calling, and of Christ's speaking in him and by him, not merely with a verbal or external call, but with letters of divine efficacy, and with the power of divine grace to their souls.

One saith, That the apostles were like fishermen, the suc ceeding ministers like huntsmen. The apostles like fishermen that caught many at one draught: The succeeding ministers like huntsmen, that with much toil and clamour, running up and down all day, scarce take one deer or hare ere night. And such is the hard condition of many of GOD's servants, that notwithstanding the faithful and painful discharge of their duty, yet are enforced to complain with the prophet, Who hath believed our report! and, I have laboured in vain. Scarce able to produce, or instance in any one, of whom they can with some good ground of assurance presume, that they have gained at least him unto GOD. But well might this happy Servant of Christ, through GOD's blessing upon his labours, stand out and say, not of one or two, but of troops, in the words of the same prophet, Behold I, and the children that God hath given me. And with the apostle, These have I begotten unto God by the gospel of Jesus Christ?'

Yea more than that, (continues Mr Clarke) many fa mous lights in GOD's church, and faithful ministers of his word do profess to have lighted their candles at his lamp; yea some of them to have received their first beginnings, not of light only, but of spiritual life and grace (without which all light, be it never so great, is no light, but mere darkness) from his ministry. It is no small honour for a man to win, if it were but any one soul; for to win a soul, is to win more than the whole world besides is worth: But, what an honour then is it to be, not a winner of a soul,

but

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