Part 35
In his domestic relations, friendships, and the whole commerce of business, he was easy and humble, frank and open, tender-hearted and bountiful, to such an extent, that, while he was in a private station, he laid aside two tenths of his income for charitable uses. He despised wealth but as it furnished him for charity, in which he was judicious as well as liberal. His affability and candor, as well as abilities in his profession, made him frequently consulted in points relating both to practice and opinion. His love for the real philosophy of nature, and his conviction that the study of it is the most solid support of religion, induced him, not many years after the establishment of the Royal Society, to desire to be admitted into that assembly of the greatest men of the age; into which he was accordingly elected on the 25th of January, 1672. His kindness towards the dissenters was attended with the consequence intended by him, of reconciling many of them to the communion of the established church, and almost all of them to a greater esteem of it than they had before entertained.
He died poor, the copy-right of his Posthumous Sermons (which, however, sold for two thousand five hundred guineas) being all that his family inherited. His works form three folio volumes.
Isaac Newton.
A most celebrated English philosopher and mathematician, and one of the greatest geniuses that ever appeared in the world, descended from an ancient family in Lincolnshire, where he was born in the year 1642. His powers of mind were wonderfully comprehensive and penetrating. Fontenelle says of him, “that in learning mathematics, he did not study Euclid, who seemed to him too plain and simple, and unworthy of taking up his time. He understood him almost before he read him: a cast of his eye on the contents of the theorems of that great mathematician, seemed to be sufficient to make him master of them.” Several of his works mark a profundity of thought and reflection that has astonished the most learned men. He was highly esteemed by the university of Cambridge, and was twice chosen to represent that place in parliament. He was also greatly favored by Queen Anne, and by George I. The princess of Wales, afterwards queen consort of England, who had a turn for philosophical inquiries, used frequently to propose questions to him. This princess had a great regard for him, and often declared that she thought herself happy to live at the same time as he did, and to have the pleasure and advantage of his conversation.
This eminent philosopher was remarkable for being of a very meek disposition and a great lover of peace. He would rather have chosen to remain in obscurity, than to have the serenity of his days disturbed by those storms and disputes, which genius and learning often draw upon those who are eminent for them. We find him reflecting on the controversy respecting his optic lectures (in which he had been almost unavoidably engaged) in the following terms:—“I blamed my own imprudence, for parting with so real a blessing as my quiet, to run after a shadow.”
The amiable quality of modesty stands very conspicuous in the character of this great man’s mind and manners. He never spoke, either of himself or others, in such a manner as to give the most malicious censurers the least occasion even to suspect him of vanity. He was candid and affable; and he did not assume any airs of superiority over those with whom he associated. He never thought either his merit or his reputation sufficient to excuse him from any of the common offices of social life. Though he was firmly attached to the church of England, he was averse to the persecution of the Nonconformists. He judged of men by their conduct; and the true schismatics, in his opinion, were the vicious and the wicked. This liberality of sentiment did not spring from the want of religion; for he was thoroughly persuaded of the truth of revelation; and amidst the great variety of books which he had constantly before him, that which he loved the best, and studied with the greatest application, was the Bible. He was, indeed, a truly pious man; and his discoveries concerning the frame and system of the universe, were applied by him to demonstrate the being of a God, and to illustrate his power and wisdom. He also wrote an excellent discourse, to prove that the remarkable prophecy of Daniel’s weeks was an express prediction of the coming of the Messiah, and that it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The testimony of the pious and learned Dr. Doddridge to the most interesting part of this great man’s character, cannot be omitted on the present occasion. “According to the best information,” says he, “whether public or private, I could ever obtain, his firm faith in the divine revelation discovered itself in the most genuine fruits of substantial virtue and piety, and consequently gives us the justest reason to conclude that he is now rejoicing in the happy effects of it, infinitely more than in all the applause which his philosophical works have procured him, though they have commanded a fame lasting as the world.”
He departed this life in the eighty-fifth year of his age, and, in his principles and conduct through life, has left a strong and comfortable evidence that the highest intellectual powers harmonize with religion and virtue, and that there is nothing in Christianity but what will abide the scrutiny of the soundest and most enlarged understanding.
How great and satisfactory a confirmation is it to the sincere, humble Christian, and what an insurmountable barrier does it present to the infidel, to perceive, in the list of Christian believers, the exalted and venerable name of Newton! a man who must be acknowledged to be an ornament of human nature, when we consider the wide compass of his abilities, the great extent of his learning and knowledge, and the piety, integrity, and beneficence, of his life. This eminent character firmly adhered to the belief of Christianity, after the most diligent and exact researches into the life of its Founder, the authenticity of its records, the completion of its prophecies, the sublimity of its doctrines, the purity of its precepts, and the arguments of its adversaries.
Charles V.
Emperor of Germany, king of Spain, and lord of the Netherlands, born at Ghent, in the year 1500.
He is said to have fought sixty battles, in most of which he was victorious, to have obtained six triumphs, conquered four kingdoms, and to have added eight principalities to his dominions—an almost unparalleled instance of worldly prosperity and the greatness of human glory.
But all these fruits of his ambition, and all the honors which attended him, could not yield true and solid satisfaction. Reflecting on the evils and miseries which he had occasioned, and convinced of the emptiness of earthly magnificence, he became disgusted with the splendor that surrounded him, and thought it his duty to withdraw from it, and spend the rest of his days in religious retirement. Accordingly, he voluntarily resigned all his dominions to his brother and son; and, after taking an affectionate and last farewell of the latter, and a numerous retinue of princes and nobility who respectfully attended him, he repaired to his chosen retreat, which was situated in Spain, in a vale of no great extent, watered by a small brook, and surrounded with rising grounds covered with lofty trees.
A deep sense of his frail condition and great imperfections appears to have impressed his mind in this extraordinary resolution, and through the remainder of his life. As soon as he landed in Spain, he fell prostrate on the ground, and considering himself now as dead to the world, he kissed the earth, and said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked I now return to thee, thou common mother of mankind!”
In this humble retreat, he spent his time in religious exercises and innocent employments, and buried here, in solitude and silence, his grandeur and his ambition, together with all those vast projects, which, for near half a century, had alarmed and agitated Europe, and filled every kingdom in it, by turns, with the terror of his arms, and the dread of being subjected to his power. Far from taking any part in the political transactions of the world, he restrained his curiosity even from any inquiry concerning them, and seemed to view the busy scene he had abandoned with an elevation and indifference of mind which arose from his thorough experience of its vanity, as well as from the pleasing reflection of having disengaged himself from its cares and temptations.
Here he enjoyed more complete contentment than all his grandeur had ever yielded him; as a full proof of which he has left this short but comprehensive testimony:—“I have tasted more satisfaction in my solitude, in one day, than in all the triumphs of my former reign. The sincere study, profession, and practice, of the Christian religion have in them such joys and sweetness as are seldom found in courts and grandeur.”
Francis Bacon.
Baron of Verulam, viscount St. Albans, and lord high chancellor of England, born in the year 1561. He was one of the most remarkable men of whom any age or country can boast; and his writings furnish incontestable proofs that his knowledge, wisdom, and benevolence, were very extraordinary. Lord Bacon died in 1626.
That this illustrious character was deeply influenced by a truly humble and religious spirit, is manifest from the following prayer, which was found amongst his papers, in his own hand-writing:—
“Most gracious Lord God, my merciful Father; my creator, my Redeemer, my Comforter! thou soundest and searchest the depths and secrets of all hearts; thou acknowledgest the upright; thou judgest the hypocrite; vanity and crooked ways cannot be hid from thee.
“Remember, O Lord, how thy servant has walked before thee; remember what I have first sought, and what has been principal in my intentions. I have loved thy assemblies; I have mourned for the divisions of thy church; I have delighted in the brightness of thy sanctuary; I have ever prayed unto thee, that the vine which thy right hand hath planted in this nation, might have the former and the latter rain, and that it might stretch its branches to the seas and to the floods. The state and bread of the poor and oppressed have been precious in my eyes; I have hated all cruelty and hardness of heart; I have, though a despised weed, endeavored to procure the good of all men. If any have been my enemies, I thought not of them, neither has the sun gone down upon my displeasure; but I have been as a dove, free from superfluity of maliciousness. Thy creatures have been my books, but thy Scriptures much more so. I have sought thee in the courts, the fields, and the gardens; but I have found thee in thy temples.
“O Lord, my strength! I have, from my youth, met with thee in all my ways; in thy fatherly compassions, in thy merciful chastisements, and in thy most visible providences. As thy favors have increased upon me, so have thy corrections; as my worldly blessings were exalted, so secret darts from thee have pierced me; and when I have ascended before men, I have descended in humiliation before thee. And now, when I have been thinking most of peace and honor, thy hand is heavy upon me, and has humbled me according to thy former loving-kindness, keeping me still in thy fatherly school, not as a bastard, but as a child. Just are thy judgments upon me for my sins, which are more in number than the sands of the sea, but which have no proportion to thy mercies. Besides my innumerable sins, I confess before thee, that I am a debtor to thee for the gracious talent of thy gifts and graces; which I have neither put into a napkin nor placed, as I ought, with exchangers, where it might have made best profit; but I have misspent it in things for which I was least fit: so I may truly say, my soul hath been a stranger in the course of my pilgrimage. Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for my Savior’s sake, and receive me into thy bosom, or guide me into thy ways.”
Matthew Hale.
Lord chief justice of England, born in Gloucestershire, in the year 1609, and, by the care of a wise and religious father, had great attention paid to his education.
In his youth, he was fond of company, and fell into many levities and extravagances. But this propensity and conduct were corrected by a circumstance that made a considerable impression on his mind during the rest of his life. Being one day in company with other young men, one of the party, through excess of wine, fell down, apparently dead, at their feet. Young Hale was so affected on this occasion, that he immediately retired to another room, and, shutting the door, fell on his knees, and prayed earnestly to God that his friend might be restored to life, and that he himself might be pardoned for having given countenance to so much excess. At the same time, he made a solemn vow that he would never again keep company in that manner, nor “drink a health” while he lived. His friend recovered, and Hale religiously observed his vow. After this event, there was an entire change in his disposition; he forsook all dissipated company, and was careful to divide his time between the duties of religion and the studies of his profession.
He became remarkable for his solid and grave deportment, his inflexible regard to justice, and a religious tenderness of spirit, which appear to have accompanied him through life. His retired meditations on religious subjects manifest a pious and humble frame of mind, and a solemnity well adapted to excite kindred emotions in the breast of the reader.
“True religion,” says he, “teaches the soul a high veneration for Almighty God, a sincere and upright walking, as in the presence of the invisible, all-seeing God. It makes a man truly love, honor, and obey him, and therefore careful to know what his will is. It renders the heart highly thankful to him, as his Creator, Redeemer, and Benefactor. It makes a man entirely depend on him, seek him for guidance, direction, and protection, and submit to his will with patience and resignation of soul. It gives the law, not only to his words and actions, but to his very thoughts and purposes; so that he dares not entertain any which are unbecoming the presence of that God by whom all our thoughts are legible. It crushes all pride and haughtiness, both in a man’s heart and carriage, and gives him an humble state of mind before God and men. It regulates the passions, and brings them into due moderation. It gives a man a right estimate of this present world, and sets his heart and hopes above it; so that he never loves it more than it deserves. It makes the wealth and the glory of this world,—high places and great preferments,—of but little consequence to him; so that he is neither covetous, nor ambitious, nor over-solicitous, concerning the advantages of them. It makes him value the love of God and the peace of his own conscience above all the wealth and honor in the world, and to be very diligent in preserving them. He performs all his duties to God with sincerity and humility; and, whilst he lives on earth, his conversation, his hope, his treasures, are in heaven; and he endeavors to walk suitably to such a hope.”
“They who truly fear God, have a secret guidance from a higher wisdom than what is barely human, namely, the Spirit of truth and goodness; which does really, though secretly, prevent and direct them. Any man that sincerely and truly fears Almighty God, and calls and relies upon him for his direction, has it as really as a son has the counsel and direction of his father; and though the voice be not audible, nor discernible by sense, yet it is equally as real as if a man heard a voice, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ ”
“Though this secret direction of Almighty God is principally seen in matters relating to the good of the soul, yet, even in the concerns of this life, a good man fearing God, and begging his direction, will very often, if not at all times, find it. I can call my own experience to witness, that even in the temporal affairs of my whole life, I have never been disappointed of the best direction, when I have, in humility and sincerity, implored it.
“The observance of the secret admonition of this Spirit of God in the heart, is an effectual means to cleanse and sanctify us; and the more it is attended to, the more it will be conversant with our souls, for our instruction. In the midst of difficulties, it will be our counsellor; in the midst of temptations, it will be our strength, and grace sufficient for us; in the midst of troubles, it will be our light and our comforter.”
Chief Justice Hale died on the twenty-fifth of December, 1676.
Princess Elizabeth.
Princess of the Rhine, born in the year 1620. She was the eldest daughter of Frederick V., elector palatine and king of Bohemia, by Anne, daughter of James I., king of England. This excellent princess possessed only a small territory; but she governed it with great judgment and attention to the happiness of her subjects. She made it a rule to hear, one day in the week, all such causes as were brought before her. On these occasions, her wisdom, justice, and moderation, were very conspicuous. She frequently remitted forfeitures, in cases where the parties were poor, or in any respect worthy of favor. It was remarkable that she often introduced religious considerations as motives to persuade the contending parties to harmony and peace. She was greatly beloved and respected by her subjects, and also by many persons of learning and virtue not resident in her dominions; for she patronized men of this character, whatever might be their country or religious profession.
In the year 1677, the famous William Penn paid her a visit, and was treated by her with great respect. The following account of her is taken from his works:—
“The meekness and humility of the princess appeared to me extraordinary: she did not consider the quality, but the merit, of the people she entertained. Did she hear of a retired man, seeking after the knowledge of a better world, she was sure to set him down in the catalogue of her charity, if he wanted it. I have casually seen, I believe, fifty tokens of her benevolence, sealed and directed to the several poor subjects of her bounty, whose distance prevented them from being personally known to her. Thus, though she kept no sumptuous table in her own court, she spread the tables of the poor in their solitary cells; breaking bread to virtuous pilgrims, according to their wants and her ability.
“She was abstemious in her living, and in apparel void of all vain ornaments. I must needs say, that her mind had a noble prospect: her eye was to a better and more lasting inheritance, than can be found below. This made her not overrate the honors of her station, or the learning of the schools, of which she was an excellent judge. Being once at Hamburgh, a religious person, whom she went to see for religion’s sake, remarked to her, that ‘it was too great an honor for him, that a visitant of her quality, who was allied to so many great kings and princes of this world, should come under his roof:’ to whom she humbly replied, ‘If they were religious, as well as great, it would be an honor indeed; but if you knew what that greatness was, as well as I do, you would value it less.’
“After a religious meeting which we had in her chamber, she was much affected, and said, ‘It is a hard thing to be faithful to what one knows. O, the way is strait! I am afraid I am not weighty enough in my spirit to walk in it.’
“She once withdrew, on purpose to give her servants, who were religiously disposed, the liberty of discoursing with us that they might the more freely put what questions of conscience they desired to be satisfied in. Sometimes she suffered both them and the poorest persons of her town to sit by her in her own chamber, where we had two meetings. I cannot forget her last words, when I took my leave of her:—‘Let me desire you to remember me, though I live at so great a distance, and you should never see me more. I thank you for this good time. Be assured that, though my condition subjects me to divers temptations, yet my soul has strong desires after the best things.’
“She lived till the age of sixty years, and then departed at her house in Herwerden, in the year 1680, as much lamented as she had been beloved by her people. To her real worth I do, with a religious gratitude, dedicate this memorial.”
Robert Boyle.
An eminent philosopher, and a truly good man, was the son of Richard, earl of Cork, and was born at Lismore, in Ireland, in the year 1627. At Eton School, where he was educated, he soon discovered a force of understanding which promised great things, and a disposition to improve it to the utmost. During his education, and before he was ten years old, he was much afflicted with an ague, which considerably depressed his spirits; and, to divert his attention, he was persuaded to read Amadis de Gaul, and other romantic books. But this kind of reading, he says in his memoirs, produced such restlessness in him, that he was obliged to apply himself to mathematical studies, in order to fix and settle the volatility of his fancy. He died in the sixty-fifth year of his age.
He was a man of great learning, and his stock of knowledge was immense. The celebrated Dr. Boerhaave has passed the following eulogium upon him:—“Boyle was the ornament of his age and country. Which of his writings shall I commend? All of them. To him we owe the secrets of fire, air, water, animals, vegetables, fossils; so that from his works may be deduced the whole system of natural knowledge.”
He was treated with particular kindness and respect by Charles II., as well as by the two great ministers Southampton and Clarendon. By the latter he was solicited to enter into orders; for his distinguished learning and unblemished reputation induced Lord Clarendon to think that so very respectable a personage would do great honor to the clergy. Boyle considered the proposal with due attention. He reflected that, in his present situation of life, whatever he wrote with respect to religion, would have greater weight, as coming from a layman; for he well knew that the irreligious fortified themselves against all that the clergy could offer, by supposing and saying that it was their trade, and that they were paid for it. He considered, likewise, that, in point of fortune and character, he needed no accessions; and, indeed, his desire for these was always very limited. But Bishop Burnet, to whom Boyle had communicated memorandums concerning his life, tells us that what had the greatest weight in determining his judgment, was, “the not feeling within himself any motion or tendency of mind which he could safely esteem a call from the Holy Spirit, and so not venturing to take holy orders, lest he should be found to have lied unto it.”