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He did, in his laft will, give an account of his faith and perfuafion in point of religion and church-government, in these very words :-

J Robert Sanderson, Doctor of Divinity, an unworthy minister of Jefus Chrift, and, by the providence of God, Bishop of Lincoln, being by the long continuance of an habitual distemper bought to a great bodily weakness and faintnels of spirits, but (by the great mercy of God) without any bodily pain otherwile, or decay of underdtanding, do make this my Will and Teftament (written all with my own hand) revoking all former Wills by me heretofore made, if any fuch thall be found. Firft, I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, as of a faithful Creator, which I humbly beseech him mercifully to accept, looking upon it, not as it is in itfelf (infinitely polluted with lin), but as it is redeemed and purged with the precious blood of his only beloved Son and my moßt (weet Saviour, Jefus Chrift; in confidence of whole merits and mediation alone it is, that I cat myself upon the mercy of God for the pardon of my fins, and the hopes of eternal life. And here I do profels, that as I have lived, so I defire and (by the grace of God) refolve to die in the communion of the Catholic Church of Chrißt, and a true son of the Church of England; which, as it flands by law eltablished, to be both in doctrine and worship agreeable to the word of God, and in the most, and most material points of both, conformable to the faith and practice of the godly churches of Chrift in the primitive and purer times, I do firmly believe: led to to do, not so much from the force of custom and education (to which the greatest part of mankind owe their particular different perfuafions in point of religion) as upon the clear evidence of truth and realon, after a serious and unpartial eramination of the grounds, as well of Popery as Puritanism, accoding to that measure of understanding, and those opportunities which God hath afforded me: and herein I am abundantly satisfied, that the fchifm which the Papills on the one hand, and the fuperfti

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tion which the Puritans on the other hand, lay to our charge, are very juftly chargeable upon themlelyes relpectively. Wherefore I humbly beseech Almighty God the Father of Mercies, to preserve the Church by his power and providence, in peace, truth, and godliness, evermoze to the world's end: which doubtless he will do, if the wickedness and security of a finful people (and particularly those lins that are so rife, and feem daily to increase among us, of unthankfulness, riot, and facrilege) do not tempt his patience to the contrary. And I also fartber humbly beseech him, that it would please him to give unto our gracious Sovereign, the reverend Bilhops, and the Parliament, timely to consider the great danger that visibly threatens this Church in point of religion by the late great increase of Popery, and in point of revenue by facrilegious inclosures; and to provide such wholesome and effectual remedies as may prevent the fame before it be too late.

And for a further manifeftation of his humble thoughts and defires, they may appear to the reader, by another part of his will which follows:

As for my cozzuptible body, I bequeath it to the earth whence it was taken, to be decently buried in the parith-church of Bugden, towards the upper end of the chancel, upon the second, or, at the farthest, the third day after my decease; and that with as little noife, pomp, and charge as may be, without the invitation of any person, how near foever related to me, other than the inhabitants of Bugden; without the unneceffary expence of escutcheons, gloves, ribbons, ec. and without any blacks to be hung any where in or about the house or church, other than a pulpit-cloth, a hearte-cloth, and a mourning-gown for the preacher; whereof the former, after my body shall be interred, to be given to the peacher of the funeral fermon, and the latter to the curate of the parish, for the time-being. And my will further is, that the funeral fermon be preached by my

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own houthold chaplain, containing fome wholesome difcourfe concerning mortality, the refurrcation of the dead, and the last judgment; and that he shall have for his pains five pounds, upon condition that he speak nothing at all concerning my perfon either good. or ill, other than I myself shall dire&; only fignifying to the auditoy that it was my exprefs will to have it fo. And it is my will that no coäly monument be erected for my memory, but only a fair flat marble flone to be laid over me, with this infcription, in legible Roman charaders:-DEPOSITUM ROBERTI SANDERSON NUPER LINCOLNIENSIS EPISCOPI, QUI OBIIT ANNO DOMINI MDCLXII. ET ÆTATIS SUÆ SÈPTUAGESIMO SEXTO, HIC REQUIESCIT IN SPE BEATÆ RESUR-This manner of burial, although I cannot but fozefee it will prove unfatisfa&oyy to fundry my nearest friends and relations, and be apt to be censured by others, as an evidence of my too much parlimony and narrowness of mind, as being altogether unufual, and not according to the mode of these times; yet it is agreeable to the sense of my heart, and I do very much delire my will may be carefully obferved herein, hoping it may become exemplary to fome or other: at leaßt howsoever testifying at my death, what I have so often and earneßtly profelfed in my life time, my utter diflike of the flatteries commonly used in funeral sermons, and of the vast expences otherwife laid out in funeral folemnities and entertainments,

RECTIONIS.

Prefixed to the infcription on his monument are his arms: and there is also an addition denoting the day on which he died, viz. January 29, 1662. Mr. James Heath (of whom see "Wood's Ath. Ox." Vol. II. col. 337.) wrote an elegy with an epitaph on the much lamented death of Dr. Sanderson.

"It was the request of Rainbow Bishop of Carlifle, that no pomp or state should be used at his funeral, no more than any eulogium fhould be made of him (fuch was his rare modesty and humility); fo did he defire to be buried in Dalfton churchyard, and to have a plain stone laid over his grave, with no other inscription but that such a day and year died Edward, Bifhop of Carlifle." Life of Bishop Rainbow, p. 81.)

entertainments, with very little benefit to any, which, if bedowed in pious and charitable works, might redound to the public of private benefit of many perfons.—This is a part of his will.

I am next to tell, that he died the 29th of January, 1662, and that his body was buried in Bugden, the third day after his death; and for the manner, that it was as far from oftentation, as he defired it; and all the reft of his will was as punctually performed. And when I have, to his just praife, told this truth, that he died far from being rich, I fhall return back to vifit, and give a further account of him on his laft fick-bed.

His last will, of which I have mentioned a part, was made about three weeks before his death, about which time, finding his ftrength to decay, by reason of his conftant infirmity, and a confumptive cough added to it, he retired to his chamber, expreffing a defire to enjoy his last thoughts to himself in private, without disturbance or care, especially of what might concern this world. Thus, as his natural life decayed, his fpiritual life feemed to be more strong, and his faith more confirmed: ftill labouring to attain that holiness and purity, without which none fhall fee God. And that not any of his clergy (which are more numerous than any other bishop's of this nation) might fuffer by his retirement, he did, by commiffion, empower his chaplain, Mr. Pullin", with epifcopal power, to give institutions to all livings or church-preferments, during this his disability to do it himself. In this time of his retirement, which was wholly spent in devotion, he longed for his diffolution; and when some that loved him prayed for his recovery, if he at any time found any amendment, he seemed to be displeased, by faying, “His friends faid their prayers backward for him; and that it was "not his defire to live an useless life, and, by filling up a place, keep another out of it that might do God and his church more fervice." He would often with much joy and thankfulness mention," that during his "being

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" Mr. John Pullin, B. D. and formerly Fellow of Magdalen College, Cambridge. We find his name fubfcribed to a copy of commendatory Latin verfes prefixed to "Duport's Greek 1 'Verfion of Job." He was a Prebendary of Lincoln, and alfo Chancellor of Lincoln.

being a housekeeper, which was more than forty years, there had not "been one buried out of his family, and that he was now like to be the "first." He would alfo mention with thankfulness, "that, till he was "threescore years of age, he had never spent five fhillings in law, nor, upon himself, fo much in wine: and rejoiced much that he had fo lived, as never to cause an hour's forrow to his good father; and that he hoped "that he should die without an enemy.'

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He in this retirement had the church prayers read in his chamber twice every day; and at nine at night fome prayers read to him and a part of his family, out of "The Whole Duty of Man." As he was remarkably punctual and regular in all his ftudies and actions, fo he used himself to be for his meals and his dinner being appointed to be conftantly ready at the ending of prayers, and he, expecting and calling for it, was answered, “It "would be ready in a quarter of an hour." To which his reply was, with fome earneftnefs, "A quarter of an hour!-Is a quarter of an hour no"thing to a man that probably has not many hours to live?" And though he did live many hours after this, yet he lived not many days; for the day after (which was three days before his death) he was become fo weak and weary either of motion or fitting, that he was content, or forced, to keep his bed. In which I defire he may reft, till I have given fome fhort account of his behaviour there, and immediately before it.

The day before he took his bed (which was three days before his death) he, that he might receive a new affurance for the pardon of his fins past, and be ftrengthened in his way to the New Jerufalem, took the bleffed facrament of the body and blood of his and our bleffed Jefus, from the hands of his chaplain Mr. Pullin, accompanied with his wife, children, and a friend, in as awful, humble, and ardent a manner, as outward reverence could exprefs. After the praise and thanksgiving for this bleffing was

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* This narrative entirely confutes the rumour that was industriously propagated concerning this good man," that, before his death, he repented of what he had written against the Pres"byterians, and that on his death-bed, he would fuffer no hierarchical minifter to come to pray with him, but defired, and had only Presbyterians about him :" And further to contra

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