Page:Causes and cure of spiritual darkness.pdf/22

22 Berkshire ; this friendly business he cheerfully undertook, and happily effected. But in his return to London, being overtaken with excessive rain, he came to a friend's, on Snow Hill, very wet, and was seized with a violent fever, the pains of which he bore with great patience, resigning himself to the will of God, and desiring to be dissolved, that he might be with Christ ; looking upon life as a delay of that blessedness which his soul was aspiring to, and thirsting after. In this holy longing frame of spirit, after a sickness of ten days, he breathed out his soul into the hands of his blessed Redeemer, on the 31st of August, 1688, aged 60 years.

His natural abilities were remarkably great ; his fancy and invention uncommonly fertile. His wit was sharp and quick ; his memory tenacious, it being customary for him to commit his sermons to writing after he had preached them. His works are collected in two volumes folio, and contain as many Tracts as he lived years. His judgment was sound and deep in the doctrines of the Gospel, as his writings sufficiently evince. His piety and sincerity towards God were apparent to all who conversed with him. He constantly maintained the God-like principle of love, resolving to have commnunion with the saints, as such, without respect to lesser differences and opinions ; often bewailing the distinguishing appellations and denominations of Christians. He was a man of heroic courage, resolute for Christ and the Gospel, and bold in reproving sin, both in public and private ; yet mild, condescending, and affable to all. Thus lived and died a man, in whose character, conduct, and usefulness, that