with his people the following fabbath, upon earth; the Lord prepared him for, and took him to the fruition of, in the eternal fabbath of reft and glory, in heaven. His fickness, which was long and fharp, he bore with the greatest patience, for he faw HIM that is invifible. It was his whole delight to enjoy fweet communion and fellowship with his GOD and Saviour; and in intervals of eafe, he would utter fuch expreffions as thefe: "O! "when will this good hour come? When fhall I be "diffolved? When fhall I be with Chrift ?" Being told, that it was indeed better for him to be diffolved, but that the church would be fenfible of their great lofs in him, and the benefit of his miniftry; he anfwered, " If Ï "fhall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring "me again, and fhew me both it and his habitation;

but if otherwife, lo! here I am, let him do what "feemeth good in his eyes." Another person asked him, Whether he could not be content to live, if GOD would grant him life? To whom he answered, "I grant that life is a great bleffing of GOD; neither will I neglect any means that may preferve it, and do heartily "defire to fubmit to GOD's will; but of the two, I infinitely defire to be diffolved, and to be with * Chrift."

In the time of his fickness, there came many to visit him, but he admitted none but his intimate friends ; ufing an expreffion of St. Auguftine, who defired, ten days before he died, that none might come to him, that he in that time might the better be fitted for GOD. But to those that came, he gave very wife exhortations; for notwithstanding his body was wafted, yet his underftanding and memory were as active and quick, as in the time of his health. He encouraged the ministers, that vifited him, to be diligent and courageous in the work of the Lord, and not to faint under their afflictions. He exhorted all, that came to see him, to make fure of Christ, before they came to die. He thanked GOD for his wonderful mercy, in pulling him out of hell, and in fealing his miniftry with the converfion of many fouls, which he wholly afcribed to his grace and glory.

About a week before he died, when his filver cord began to loofen, and his golden bowl to break; he called for his wife, and defired her to bear his diffolution with a chriftian fortitude; bidding her make no doubt, but the fhould meet him again in heaven. And turning towards his children, (one fon and four daughters), he told them,

that

that they should not expect he could now fay any thing to them, neither would his ability of body give him leave; he had told them enough in the time of his fick→ nefs and before, and begged they would remember it ; hoping, that none of them would meet him, at that great tribunal, in an unregenerate ftate. Two days after, feveral of his parishioners vifiting him, one moved, that as he had discovered to them by his doctrine the exceeding comforts that were in Chrift, he would now tell them what he felt in his foul. "Alas! (faid he) do 76 you look for that now from me, that want breath "and power to fpeak? I have told you enough in my "miniftry; yet to fatisfy you, I am, by the wonderful " mercies of GOD, as full of comfort as my heart can "hold, and feel nothing in my foul but Chrift, with "whom I heartily defire to be:" Then feeing fome weeping, he faid, "O what a deal ado there is before 66 one can die !"

The night before he died, when the doors without began to be fhut, the daughters of music to be brought low, and he lay very faint, expecting every moment when the wheel hould be broken at the ciftern; he was told, that fome of his dear friends were then about him, to take their last farewell: He defired to be raised up in bed; when, after gasping a while for breath, he said to them, "I am now drawing on apace to my diffolution. Holá "out faith and patience; your work will speedily be "at an end." And then fhaking them by the hand, prayed heartily, and particularly for them; and "defired "them to make fure of heaven, and to bear in mind "what he had formerly taught them in his ministry; "protefting, that the doctrine which he had preached "to them for the space of twenty years, was the truth " of GOD, as he fhould answer at the tribunal of "Chrift, before which he fhould fhortly appear." This he fpake when in the very pangs of death: Upon which a dear friend, taking him by the hand, asked him, If he did not feel great pain?" Truly no, (faid he) the "greatest I feel is your cold hand." And then defiring to be laid down again, he fpake no more till the next morning, when he took his laft leave of his wife and children, prayed for them, and bleffed them all; and a few hours after, being Saturday the feventeenth of December 1631, and in the fixtieth year of his age, he yielded up his fpirit to GOD; and, according to his

Own

own expreffion, celebrated the enfuing fabbath in the "kingdom of heaven."

READER; pray, that thou mayeft thus follow them, who, through faith and patience, inherit the Promifes!

ARTHUR HILDERSHAM.

A

RTHUR HILDERSHAM was born at Stechworth, near Newmarket, in Cambridgeshire, October the fixth, 1563. He was the fon of Thomas Hilder fham of the faid town, (a gentleman of an antient family) and Ann Poole, his fecond wife, daughter to Sir Jeffery Poole, fourth fon to Sir Richard Poole (who was coufin-german to K. Henry VII), and Margaret countefs of Salisbury, who was daughter to George duke of Clarence (the fecond brother to K. Edward IV), and Ifabel the eldest daughter and co-heir of Richard the great earl of Warwick and Salisbury. Thus much for his birth. His education was as follows: In his childhood he was brought up in the popifh religion, taught to fay his prayers in Latin; both his parents and their kindred, especially his mother, being zealous papifts. When he was to be fent abroad to school, his father's aim was only to fend him to a good fchool, where many gentlemen's fons were taught; but GOD fo ordered it (by his good providence), that his father placed him at Saffron-Walden fchool in Effex, with one Mr. Desborough, a godly man and a religious proteftant, who, taking great affection to him for his wit and difpofition, was very careful of him, and taught him not only fuch human learning as was fitting for his years, but the grounds of the proteftant religion. This fchool-mafter was the firft bleffed inftrument GOD was pleafed to make ufe of to work in him a liking and relifh of the reformed religion. He continued with him till he was fit for the university, which was not long. When he was about thirteen, he was placed by his father with a very religious tutor in Chrift-college, Cambridge, where he continued till after he was mafter of arts, and gained, much love and efteem for his piety, learning, ingenuity, affability, and inoffenLive witty converfation.

VOL. III.

E

When

When he had been in Cambridge about two years, his father fent him up to London, intending to fend him to Rome, being confident he fhould neither want respect, encouragement, nor preferment, for his great uncle's (cardinal Pole's) fake, brother to his mother's father; but he refufing to go, his father kept him long at London, taking him from one popifh ordinary to another, hoping that fuch company would at length have prevailed with him to have gone according to his defire. But he continuing firm in his refolution not to go to Rome, his father refolved to caft him off, which foon after he did. Thus he, whom GOD had appointed to fuffer much for him, began to bear the yoke in his youth; and in his tender years became a confeffor, in forfaking father, friends, all prefent maintenance and probable hopes of great future preferment, for Chriff's fake.

Being in this apparently forlorn condition, GOD who comforteth thofe that are caft down, comforted him by meeting with Mr. John Ireton (then fellow of Chrift-college, afterwards rector of Kegworth in Leicestershire, a man famous for piety and learning) in London, who at their meeting faid unto him, Arthur, why art thou fo long from thy book, and lofeft fo much time?" "Alas,` "Sir, (faid he), I fhall go no more to Cambridge;" and related to him his condition, and the occafion of it. Be not difcouraged, faid Mr. Ireton, thou haft a noble kinfman, whom I will acquaint with thy cafe; and I < doubt not but he will provide for thee.' Accordingly, Mr. Ireton foon after went to the earl of Huntingdon, lord-prefident of the North (whofe mother and Mr. Hilder fham's mother were brother's children), and reprefented to him the fad condition of his poor kinsman : The noble earl gladly embraced this opportunity of doing good; and fent for him, encouraged him, promised him maintenance, and gave order to Mr. Ireton to fend him back to Cambridge, and to place him with a good tutor, for, faid he, 1 fuppofe his father placed him with a papift.' But when Mr. Ireton affured him the contrary, he gave orders for him to return to his former tutor, of whofe love to him and care of him Mr. Hilder ham often nted to speak.

6

He was of fuch good repute for his piety and learning, that by the major part of the fellows he was chofen fellow of that college; but Dr. Barwell, the master, making ule of his negative voice, stopped him; and the matter came to the vilitors, two of whom, namely, Dr.

Perne,

Perne, and Dr. Goad, favoring his competitor, Mr. Willet, (who was afterwards Dr. Willet) made him fellow. Not long after, he was chofen Divine of Trinityball, in the faid univerfity, where he continued till September the fourteenth, 1587, at which time, by the aforefaid noble earl, he was placed preacher at Abbyde-la-Zouch in Leicestershire; the impropriate tithes of the fame parifh being fettled upon him for his life by the faid earl, and continued to him by the favor of the two fucceeding earls, until his death. He hath given public notice to the world of his duty and thankfulness to that noble houfe, in his dedicatory epiftle to his lectures on the fourth chapter of St. John.

January 5, 1590, he married Mrs. Ann Barfoot, (daughter of Mr. Barfoot, of Lamborn-hall, in Effex), who was a very valuable wife to him, and a good mother to his children; fhe furvived him about eight years. He was filenced in June 1590, and reftored again in January 1591. He was inftituted and inducted into the vicarage of Ashby, October the fourth, 1593.

In the year 1598, there was an attachment fent out of the high commiffion for his apprehenfion. In the beginning of K. James's reign, when many petitioned for Reformation, (which petitions were fubfcribed by above feven hundred and fifty godly able preachers, in twenty-five counties, and directed to the parliament, to his majefty, the lords of the council, and to the bifhops); he, with fome few others of his brethren, were chofen and chiefly intrufted to manage that important bufinefs, to profecute the petitions, to folicit the cause, and, if required, to difpute it. And whereas there were fome appointed to deal (for those that defired Reformation) in the conference at Hampton-court, he, with Mr. Stephen Egerton of London, and Mr. Edward Fleetwood of Lancashire, delivered to them ten demands and requests, made by thirty minifters, in the name of themfelves and many others, which they intreated them to folicit his majefty for, in the behalf of the church,

He was deprived and filenced by the bishop of Lincoln, April 24, 1605, for refusal of fubfcription and canformity; yet, after fome time, by the connivance and favor of the bishop of Litchfield and Coventry, he preached fametimes in that diocefe, efpecially at those two famous ex ercises at Burton upon Trent, in Staffordshire, and Repton, in Derbyshire, which were the means of great good to the fouls of many, both ministers and private chriftians in

E 2

the