of Reafon to believe. that the Thoughts of Death ⚫ had been familiar to his Mind: Frequent Illness for almost seven Years had deeply impreffed them. Yet. ⚫ when it made its nearer Approach, he started at it. In the Beginning of his laft Illness, he feemed earnestly to defire it; and to the last declared, that he fhould deliberately chufe it, rather than the • Continuance of an useless, afflicted Life, and that he had no anxious Fears as to the Confequence of it. Yet he told me, that he felt Nature recoil at the Apprehenfion of it, and that a Life of Vigour and Usefulness feemed to have fomething more charming in it than he had formerly feen. When • he found his Sickness so painful, and as much as • he could well endure, he seemed to fear the more • fevere Conflict, and dreaded it in one View, while •he longed for it in another. This Sentiment he expreffed, naturally enough, in two Lines which he fpoke extempore to me, as he lay on his Bed,

• Tir'd out with Life's dead Weight, I panting lie, A Wretch, unfit to live, awkward to die.

He fmiled at the Oddness of the Phrafe, but told me, • he could find none that was fitter to exprefs fome • Remainder of natural Reluctance, in Oppofition to <his rational and determinate Choice. This Awk

6

wardness to die, as he called it, proceeded from a Weakness of Spirit, which started at every Thing fhocking and violent, and rendered him incapable. of thofe lively Views of future Happiness, which he had fometimes experienced in more vigorous Days. Tho' he had not thofe tranfporting Joys, which fome good Men have had in their dying Moments, yet his Heart was fixed, trufting in

GoD

:

• GOD.-About a Fortnight before he died, we kept a Day of Prayer on Account of him and Mr. • Some. As I went into the Pulpit, he said to me, • very affectionately, Don't be importunate for my Recovery; only pray that GOD would give me a " more lively Senfe of his Prefence, and that I may ' pass my Trial well, whatever it may be. He apprehended his approaching End, and calmly defired to be left alone for fome time. He then calledin his Mother and Friends, talked seriously and chearfully to them; after a painful Struggle, he revived for a few Minutes, expreffed his Confidence in GOD, and humble joyful Expectation of approaching Glory and died very eafily.I wish thefe Hints may be of Service towards strengthening your Faith, and awakening your Defire after 'that glorious World, whither our excellent Brother is gone. Let us endeavour to express our Friendfhip by fuch Offices, as may fit us to meet him and each other there, where nothing fhall feparate us, or impair the Joy of our mutual Converfation.?

In 1729 he was chofen Affiftant to Mr. Some at Harborough; the Congregation there being defirous to enjoy his Labours more frequently than before: and he preached there, and at Kibworth alternately.

It was highly improbable, that fuch a burning and Shining Light fhould be long confined to fo narrow a Sphere. Some large Congregations having heard much, and known fomething, of his Worth, fought his Settlement with them. But his Regard to Mr. Some, Love to his own Congregation, and Defire to have more Time for Study, than he could have had in a populous Town and large Society, led him to decline

decline their Application. In 1723 he had an Invitation to the paftoral Care of a large Congregation in London; but he thought himself too young to undertake it; and was also discouraged by the unhappy Differences which at that Time fubfifted between the diffenting Minifters there, about fubfcribing or not fubfcribing to Articles of Faith in the Words of Man's Device, as a Teft of Orthodoxy; the Majority of them being Non-fubfcribers. In his Answer to the Gentleman who tranfmitted the Invitation to him, after mentioning fome other Objections to the Propofal, he adds, 'I might also have been required to subscribe, which • I am refolved never to do. We have no Disputes on that Matter in these Parts. A neighbouring Gen⚫tleman once endeavoured to introduce a Subscription; but it was effectually over-ruled by the Interpofition * of Mr. Some of Harborough, Mr. Norris of Welford, and Mr. Jennings, my Tutor. I fhall content myself here with being a benevolent Well-wisher to the • Interests of Liberty and Peace.'

In 1728 he received a preffing Invitation from one of the diffenting Congregations at Nottingham, and a few Months after, from the other. There were many recommending Circumstances in these Invitations. The Affection many of the People had expreffed for him, and the Profpect of greater Opportunities of Ufefulnefs in fuch a Situation, led him to take fome Time to confider the Affair. It appears, from fome Account he hath left of it, that he proceeded in the Deliberation with much Caution, and carefully examined his Heart, left any mean, unworthy Motives fhould influence him. He forefaw fome Inconveniencies attending a Settlement there, but profeffeth

his

his Readiness to expose himself to them, if he was convinced that Duty required it. After he had weighed all Circumstances, confulted his wifest Friends and fought divine Direction, he chofe to decline both thefe Applications, tho' a Settlement at Nottingham would have been greatly favourable to his worldly Intereft. I defire, faith he, upon the whole, to 'make this Ufe of the Affair, to be fo much the more diligent in Study and watchful in Devotion; fince I fee, that if ever Providence fixes me with I any confiderable Society, I fhall fir.d a great deal to exercife my Gifts and Graces, and have lefs Time for Study and Retirement, than I have here.?

CHAP.

III.

His Entrance on the Work of a TUTOR.

W

HEN he left the Academy, his Tutor Mr. Jennings, a few Weeks before his Death, much preffed him to keep in View the Improvement of his Course of academical Lectures, and to study in such a Manner, as to refer what occurred to him, to the Compendiums which his Tutor had drawn up, that they might be illustrated and enriched. Mr. Doddridge did not then fufpect, what he afterwards learned, that Mr. Jennings had given it as his Judgment, that, if it should please GOD to remove him early in Life, he thought

Mr.

Mr. Doddridge the most likely of any of his Pupils, to purfue the Schemes which he had formed; and which indeed were very far from being compleat, as he died about eight Years after he had undertaken that Profeffion.

During this his Pupil's Settlement at Kibworth, he, agreeable to the Advice of his Tutor, reviewed his Course of Lectures with Care. An ingenious young Gentleman, Mr. Thomas Benyon, Son of Dr. Samuel Benyon a celebrated Minister and Tutor at Shrewf bury, who died in 1708, had Thoughts of attempting to revive the Scheme of his deceafed Father. In Converfation one Day with Mr. Doddridge, the Difcourfe turned upon the best Method of conducting the preparatory Studies of young Men intended for the Ministry, Mr. Benyon earnestly defired he would write down his Thoughts upon the Subject. This he did, as a Letter to his Friend, which grew into a confiderable Volume. But when he had just finished this Work, his Friend, for whofe ufe it was principally intended, died, and the Treatife remained in his own Hands. The reverend Mr. Saunders of Kettering, happening to fee it in his Study, borrowed. it, and fhewed it to the reverend Dr. Watts, with whom Mr. Doddridge had then no perfonal Acquaintance. Dr. Watts was much pleased with the Plan, made fome Remarks upon it, and fhewed it to feve-ral of his Friends, who all joined with him in an Application to Mr. Doddridge, to folicit his attempting to carry it into Execution. As they were then in a great measure Strangers to him, Mr. Some was the Perfon principally employed in managing this Affair. He had long been well acquainted with

Mr.