صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

affert the refurrection of dead bodies, he was ready to prove it to be fo, both out of the words of the text and context in the original language, and from the best expofitors, both Chriftian and Jewish. But that, if this be not denied, and Sir Henry's difcourfe of the refurrection of doctrines true and falfe, was defigned by him only in the way of occafional meditations from those words in Daniel, and not to enervate the literal fenfe as the genuine one, then he had nothing further to say.

Mr. Boyle then fitting down, Sir Henry rofe up, and faid, that his difcourfe was only in the way of fuch occafional meditations, which he thought edifying to the people; and declared, that he agreed that the literal fenfe of the words was the refurrection of dead bodies, and fo that meeting broke up.

Mr. Boyle afterwards fpeaking of this conference to Sir Peter Pett, obferved, that Sir Henry Vane, at that time, being in the height of his authority in the ftate, and his auditors at that meeting, confifting chiefly of dependants on him, and expectants from him, the fear of lofing his favour would, probably, have reftrained them from contradicting any of his interpretations of fcripture, how ridiculous. foever. "But I," faid Mr. Boyle, having no little awes of that kind upon me, thought myfelf bound to enter the lifts with him, as I did, that the fenfe of the fcriptures might not. be depraved."

G 2

[ocr errors]

The

The extenfivenefs of his knowledge furpaffed every thing but his modefty, and his defire of communicating it; which appears equally in all his compofitions; for in them we may difcern his fear of offending, and his fear of concealing and this, not from any timid apprehenfions of oppofition, but from a benevolent inclination to inftruct without severity, and to part with wisdom as freely as he had received it.

He had the jufteft conception of truth that the human mind can frame; fo cautious in examining and reporting, as to avoid, in the opinion of all true judges, the leaft imputation of credulity; and, on the other hand, fo well acquainted with the power of nature, that he never prefumed to fet any limits thereto, or hindered any acceffion of knowledge, by that fort of incredulity which fometimes attends fuperior learning. In a word, confidered in every light, as a man, as a philofopher, as a Christian, he came as near perfection as the defects of human nature would allow; and, though he never fought it, yet the moft univerfal praife, both at home and abroad, waited on his labours living, and have constantly attended his memory; for it may be truly faid, that never any fame was more unquestioned than that of Mr. Boyle's both was and is; and we may, with great fafety, add, that, as he is the peculiar honour of his family, and the great glory of this nation, fo foreigners, who

cannot

cannot contend with us in these points, endeavour to outvie us in their commendations.

In treating this fubject, we have, perhaps, gone too far; but whoever confiders it attentively, will eafily excufe a fault that it was almoft impoffible not to commit; and for which we can only atone by confeffing, that all we have or could fay, is fo much below his merit, that it ferves only to exprefs our fenfe of it, and our defire of rendering him that justice, which, without abilities equal to his own, can never be performed.

[ocr errors]

THE LIFE OF

JOHN TILLOTSON.

OCTOR JOHN TILLOTSON, archbishop of Canterbury, was defcended of a family antiently of the name of Tilfton, of Tilfton, in Cheshire, the ancestor of which was Nicholas de Tilfton, lord of the manor of Tilfton, from whom defcended Nicholas de Tilfton, in the ninth year of king Edward III. The doctor's father was Mr. Robert Tillotson, a confiderable clothier, of Sowerby, in the parish of Hallifax, in the county of York, where he was born, at a houfe called Haugh, about the end of September, or beginning of October, 1630; and baptized there on the third of October: his mother being Mary, (the daughter of Thomas Dobfon, a gentleman of the fame place) a woman of excellent character, but unhappy, for many years of her life, in the lofs of her understanding. Both his parents were nonconformists.

After he had, with a quick proficiency, paffed through the grammar-fchools, and attained a skill in the learned languages, fuperior to his years, he was fent to Cambridge, in the year 1647, at the age of feventeen, and admitted

Aveline sculp

ich Bishop Tillotson

« السابقةمتابعة »