every sermon think, What special Request am I now to address to the glorious God? And make it. Nor let the Lord's day evening pass you ordinarily without some serious thoughts on that question, Am I doing what I should if I now lay a dying wish to have done? What books of piety I would recommend to you I would have you from time to time enquire of me. Perhaps the church history of your own countrey, especially the lives of the excellent psons in it, may deserve a particular perusal with you.

VII. My son, let that word for ever make an awful impression upon you, He that walketh with the wise shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Shun the company of all prophane and vicious persons, as you would the pestilence. As much as you can, enjoy the company of such as may be your superiors. Betimes impose it as a law upon yourself, that whatever company you come into you shall speak something that shall be profitable, if it be decent for you to speak at all, before you leave it. And if you can find a companion with whom your conversation shall be still managed in the Latin tongue, this will be a great advantage to you.

I judge these few and short hints to be sufficient for y present conduct. These few and short hints well pursued will sufficiently answer and secure the intention of the Education wth wch you are now preparing to do good in the world.

Such a wise son will make a glad father. May he be rendered such a one by the blessing of the glorious GoD upon him.-[Dated 1719.

Instructions of Rev. Thomas Shepard, Minister of Charlestown, Mass. to his son, while a member of College.*

1. To remember the great end of this life even the glorifying of God through Christ, and the end of this turn of life even the fitting him for the most glorious work of the holy ministry. For this end, your father hath set you apart with many tears, and hath given you up to your God that he might delight in you. And I had rather see you buried in your grave, than grow light, loose, wanton or profane: God's secrets in the holy Scriptures are never made known to com mon and profane spirits; and therefore be sure to begin and

They were written about 1674.

end every day wherein you study, with earnest prayer to God; reading some part of the Scripture daily, and setting apart some time in the day (though but one quarter of an hour) for meditations of the things of God.

2. To remember that these are times of much knowledge, and therefore one almost as good be no scholar, as not to excell in knowledge; wherefore abhor one hour of idleness, as you would be ashamed of one hour of drunkenness. Though I would not have you study late in the night usually, yet know that God will curse your soul, while the sin of idleness is nourished, which hath spoiled so many hopeful youths in their first blossoming in the college. Hence don't content yourself to do as much as your tutor sets you about, but know, that you will never excel in learning, unless you do somewhat else in private hours, wherein his care can not reach you.

3. To make your studies as pleasant and as fruitful as can be, first by singling out two or three scholars, the most godly, learned and studious, and such as you can love best, and such as will most love you, of any that you find among your equals, as also some that are superiors, and often manage discourses with them on all subjects which you have before you; and mark diligently what occurred remarkable in every one's conferences, disputations and other exercises, but by no means letting too much leak away by visits. Next by having a variety of studies before you, that when you shall be weary of one book or theme, you may have recourse with another. Then, by prosecuting studies in some order and method; and therefore, every year at least, if not oftener, fixing the course thereof, so as you may not allow yourself to be ordinarily therein interrupted. Fourthly, by giving of difficult studies the flower of your thoughts, and not suffering any difficulty to pass you, till by industry or inquiry, you have mastered it. Fifthly, by keeping an appetite for studies, by intermixing meditation, and at fit seasons recreation, but by such as might moderately stir thee, and render the spirit more lively to its duties. Sixthly, by making of choice collections from what authors you peruse and having proper indices to your collections, and therewithal contriving still how to reduce all unto your more particular service in your exercises or otherwise. Seventhly, by taking pains in preparing for your recitations, declamations, disputations, and not upon any pretence whatever, hurry them off indigestedly.

Reading without meditation is useless; meditation without reading will be barren. But here I would not have you forget a speech of your blessed grandfather to a scholar that complained to him of a bad memory, which discouraged him from reading. Lege, lege, aliquid hærebit. That sentence in Proverbs xiv. 23, deserves to be written in letters of gold on your study-table, "In all labor there is profit." But, lastly, by praying much not only for heavenly, but also human learning; for remember that prayer at Christ's feet, for all the learning you want, shall fetch you in more in an hour, than possibly you may get by all the books, and helps you have otherwise, in many years.

4. To be grave in your carriage towards all the scholars; but be watchful against the two great sins of many scholars, of which the first is youthful lusts, speculative wantonness, and secret filthiness, for which God blinds and hardens young men's hearts, and his Holy Spirit departing from such unclean sties. The second is malignancy and secret distase of holiness, and the power of godliness and the professors of it. Both of these sins you will fall into, unto your own perdition, if you be not careful of your company; for there are, and will be such in every scholastical society, as will teach you how to be filthy, and how to jest, and scoff, and to scorn at godliness, and at the professors thereof; whose company I charge you to fly as from the devil, and abhor; and that you may be kept from these read often that Scripture, Proverbs ii. 10-12, 16.

5. Remember to entreat God with tears before you come to hear any sermon, that thereby God would powerfully speak to your heart, and make his truth precious to you. Neglect not to write after the preacher always in handsome books, and be careful always to preserve and peruse the same. And upon Sabbath days make exceeding conscience of sanctification; mix not your other studies, much less vain and carnal discourses, with the duties of that holy day, but remember that command, Leviticus xix. 30-" Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord."

6. Remember that whensoever you hear, read, or conceive any divine truth,'you study to affect your heart with it. Take heed of receiving truth into your head, without the love of it in your heart, lest God give you to strong delusions. If God reveal any truth to you, be sure you be humbly and deeply thankful.

311

ART. V.-RICHARD BENTLEY.

RICHARD BENTLEY was born Jan. 27, 1662, at Oulton, near Wakefield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was taught the rudiments of Latin by his mother, and received the principal part of his education preparatory to the University, in the grammar school at Wakefield, under Mr John Baskerville. He entered St John's College, Cambridge, at the age of fourteen, in 1676. At this time he began an acquaintance, which afterwards became an intimate friendship, with Sir Isaac Newton, who was then Lucasian Professor of Natural Philosophy. Among his contemporaries at the University were Garth and William Wotton. He commenced bachelor of arts after the usual term, and was at the age of twenty, appointed head master of the grammar school at Spaulding in Lincolnshire. During this year he was selected by Dr Stillingfleet,‡ then Dean of St Paul's, as the private tutor

Samuel Garth, author of the Dispensary, well known as a poet, physician, and philanthropist. During the controversy with Boyle on the Epistles of Phalaris, Garth inserted in his Dispensary the following judgment of the combatants.

So diamonds take a lustre from their foil,
And to a Bentley 'tis we owe a Boyle.

An unfortunate couplet, as posterity have reversed his judgment.

William Wotton was not only a university contemporary but a friend through life of Bentley. It is testified not by one, but by many persons of sense and learning, that at six years of age he was able to read and translate Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, to which at seven he added some knowledge of the Arabic and Syriac. On his admission at Catharine Hall, in his tenth year, the master, Dr Eachard, the anatomist of Hobbes, recorded, Gulielmus Wotton, infra decem annos, nec Hammondo nec Grotio secundus. When he proceeded Bachelor of Arts, he was acquainted with twelve languages; and as there was no precedent for granting that degree to a boy of thirteen, Dr Humphrey Gower, one of the Caput, thought fit to put upon record a notice of his extraordinary proficiency in every species of literature, as a justification of the University. In after life Wotton maintained a reputation much higher than is generally the case with persons famed for precocious intellect in childhood.

Edward Stillingfleet, of whom Bentley says, "that by his vast and comprehensive genius he is as great in all parts of learning, as the greatest next himself are in any." He was the confidential adviser of Queen Mary, in the matter of ecclesiastical patronage. It is said that a nobleman dining with Bentley, at the Bishop's, was struck with his powers of conversation, and remarked after dinner, "that chaplain of yours is an extraordinary man." "Yes," said Stillingfleet, "had he but the gift of humility, he would be the most extraordinary man in Europe."

of his son. In this station he resided in London for several years, having free access to the noble library of his patron, and mingling with the refined society of that city. In this period of his tutorship "he wrote, before he was twentyfour years of age, a sort of Hexapla; a thick volume in quarto, in the first column of which he inserted every word of the Hebrew Bible alphabetically; and in five other columns all the various interpretations of those words in the Chaldee, Syriac, Vulgate Latin, Septuagint and Aquila Symmachus and Theodotion, that occur in the whole Bible. This he made for his own use, to know the Hebrew, not from the late Rabbins, but from the ancient versions; when bating Arabic, Persic, and Æthiopic, he read over the whole Polyglot." In the same period he wrote another quarto volume, containing the various readings of the Hebrew text of the Bible, which are found in the ancient versions, "which though done in those green years, would make a second part of the famous Capella's Critica Sacra." He was also accustomed to prepare indexes of the authors quoted by the scoliasts, &c. From this it appears that his labors were bestowed upon theological subjects and a preparation for orders, and that classical philology, in which he afterwards became the foremost of English scholars, was made subordinate, for we can hardly suppose it neglected.

In 1689, Bentley accompanied young Stillingfleet to Oxford, where he entered Wadham College. Bentley was here made Master of Arts, a degree which he had before received at Cambridge. He soon buried himself in the rich libraries of Oxford, and began by collating three manuscripts of Hæphæstion, with annotations. The next year he was ordained deacon, and made chaplain to Dr Stillingfleet, who had been promoted by King William, to the see of Worcester. He was here strongly urged, by friends who knew his powers and habits, to publish the remains of the Greek Lexicographers, a work which it was supposed would fill four folio volumes. The plan was abandoned; not however till Bentley had made five thousand corrections in the text of Hesychius. About this time a plan was formed of publishing the chronicle of Johannes Malelas, a work of value only for the fragments quoted in it from writers whose works have perished. Dr Mill was the editor. He showed the sheets as they came from the press, to Bentley, who wrote comments