Westminster, and his funeral fermon was preached by his friend, Dr. Gilbert Burnet, bishop of Salisbury, from Eccles. xi. 26. The bishop gives a large account of Mr. Boyle's fincere and unaffected piety, and more efpecially of his zeal for the chriftian religion, without having" any narrow notions concerning it, or mistaking, as fo many do, a bigoted attachment to a particular fect, for that zeal, which is the ornament of a true christian.” He goes on to mention his large benefactions for the pread of chriftianity; and thus fpeaks of him in another place. "He had the moft profound veneration for the great God of heaven and earth, that I ever obferved in any man. The very name of God was never mentioned by him, without a paufe and a vifible ftop in his difcourfe ;" and adds, "I might challenge the whole tribe of libertines, to come and view the usefulness, as well as excellence of the chriftian religion, in a life that was entirely devoted to it."

Biographia Britannica, Vol. II.-British Plutarch.

JOHN LOCKE, Es2.

JOHN LOCKE, Efq. one of the greateft men that England ever produced, was defcended from a genteel family in Somersetshire; he was born at Wrington, near Bristol, in 1632. His father, who was a lawyer, eduoated him with great strictness in his infancy, and then sent him to Westminster school. At the age of nineteen he became, ftudent of Christ Church in Oxford, where he foon diftinguished himself by the force of his genius, and the va riety and extent of his acquirements.

Soon after Mr. Locke left the univerfity he commenced the ftudy of phyfic, and having finifhed through the preparatory courses, begun to practice in Oxford. But, finding the ftrength of his conftitution unequal to the fatigue of this profeffion, he relinquifhed it, and accepted the office of secretary to Sir William Swan, who in 1664, was appointed envoy to the elector of Brandenburg, and fome other German princes.

This employment, though of short duration, was beneficial. It gave him an insight into men and business, and paved the way for his better reception afterwards in the world.

He returned, the year following, to Oxford; where he continued to improve his knowledge in natural philofophy and phyfic. In 1666, he became acquainted with Lord Afhley, afterwards the celebrated earl of Shaftefbury; as his lordship was in an ill ftate of health, Mr. Locke prefcribed for him, and was inftrumental in preferving his life. From this period, his lordship received him into his house, and introduced him to the acquaintance of other noble and diftinguifhed perfons.

In this feat of elegance and refinement he continued feveral years, with little intermiffion, and sketched the plan of his great work, " An Effay on the Human Understanding;" but was prevented from making any confiderable progrefs in it, by other employment in the fervice of his patron, who being created earl of Shaftesbury, and made lord chancellor the following year, appointed him fecretary of the prefentations.

This place he held till November 1673, when the great feal was taken from Lord Shaftesbury. He afterwards

contributed his affiftance to fome pieces, which the earl procured to be published, in order to excite the nation to an attention to the intereft of liberty. His patron being ftill prefident of the board of trade, Mr. Locke was fecretary to a commiffion from that board, which he held till the year 1674, when the commiffion was diffolved.

After he had diligently employed a great part of his life in useful occupations, he accepted an offer that was made him by Sir Francis Masham and his lady, of an apartment in their country feat at Oates in Effex. There he spent the greatest part of the remainder of his days; and had the happiness of finding a moft agreeable friend. and companion in lady Mafham,* a woman of great ability and learning, who difcuffed with judgment and ability the moft abftrufe points in metaphyfics and divinity.

In the decline of life, he refigned his feat at a board of trade; and entirely devoted his time to the study of the Scriptures. He was never weary of admiring the great views of that facred book, and the just relation of all its parts, and every day made discoveries in it, which gave him fresh caufe of admiration. This great philofopher ever expreffed the most profound veneration for the word of God, and earnestly exhorted chriftians to make it their fudy. In a letter written the year before his death, to one who asked this question, "What is the shortest and fureft way, for a young gentleman to attain to a true knowledge of the christian religion, in the full and just extent of it?" His answer is, " let him Atudy the Holy Scripture, particularly the New Teftament. Therein are

* See life of lady Mafham, in Female Biography, Vol. V.

contained the words of Eternal Life. It has God for its author; Salvation for its end; and Truth without any mixture of errour for the matter."

The death of this excellent man was agreeable to his life; his diffolution approaching by fenfible but flow ad- ' vances, he prepared himself for the laft conflict with the calmness of a philosopher, and the fortitude of a christian. The day before his death, while lady Masham was fitting by his bed fide, he exhorted her to regard this world only as a ftate of preparation for a better; adding, that "he had lived long enough, and thanked God for having paffed his life fo comfortably; but that this life appeared to him mere vanity."

The fame day, he particularly advised all about him to read the Scriptures; and defired to be remembered by them at evening prayers. Being told that, if he chofe it, the whole family fhould be with him in his chamber, he faid, "he fhould be very glad to have it fo, if it would not give too much trouble; and an occafion offering to fpeak of the goodness of God, he especially exalted his kindness to man in justifying him by faith in Jefus Chrift; and returned God thanks, in particular, for having bleffed him with the knowledge of the Divine Saviour."

On the following day, he expired without a groan, (October 28, 1704,) and was interred in the church of Oates, where a monument was erected to his memory, with a modeft infcription written by himself. He died fincerely lamented by the good and wife, and his fame has fuffered no diminution, by the lapfe of nearly an hundred years.

This great man was the author of various learned

works, which have been highly celebrated. His "Letters on Toleration” were printed 1689. His "Treatife on Government," and "Effay on the Human Underftanding," was published 1690; and his "Thoughts Concerning Education," &c. 1693. He alfo has written a number of valuable works on religious fubjects, as, “A Difcourfe on Miracles ;" A Treatife on the Reafonableness of Chriftianity," as delivered in the Scriptures, published 1695; "A Vindication of this Reasonablenefs," 1696; and a "Paraphrafe and Notes on the Epiftles of St. Paul," publifhed 1709. The whole catalogue of his works is too large to be particularly enumerated. The greateft part of them were published in 1714, in three volumes folio.

A late celebrated writer thus characterizes Mr. Locke. "He was rendered truly illuftrious by his wifdom and virtue; by the difinterestednefs and uprightnefs of his conduct; by his love of truth, and his ardent attachment to the great interefts of mankind. He analyfed the hu man mind; explained its operations, and illumined the intellectual world by the fagacity of his researches. He examined the foundation of civil government; traced it to its fource, and illuftrated and enforced its genuine princi ple. He maintained the juftice, the reasonableness of religious toleration, with a clearness, a precifion, and a force of argument, that has not been equalled by any preceding writer. He laboured to elucidate the Sacred Scriptures; to advance the interefts of Revelation and of virtue; to loofen the bands of tyranny, to promote the cause of liberty, of juftice, and of humanity. His fentiments are founded upon reason, truth, and justice; and his name will con