demned to the saltness of the sea by night? and how lame a picture, how faint a representation, is that, of the precipitation of man's body to dissolution! Now all the parts built up, and knit by a lovely soul, now but a statue of clay, and now these limbs melted off, as if that clay were but snow; and now, the whole house is but a handful of sand, so much dust, and but a peck of rubbish, so much bone. If he, who as this bell tells me, is gone now, were some excellent artificer, who comes to him for a cloak, or for a garment now? or for counsel, if he were a lawyer? If a magistrate for justice? Man, before he hath his immortal soul, hath a soul of sense, and a soul of vegetation before that: this immortal soul did not forbid other souls to be in us before, but when this soul departs, it carries all with it; no more vegetation, no more sense: such a mother-in-law is the earth, in respect of our natural mother; in her womb we grew; and when she was delivered of us, we were planted in some place, in some calling in the world; in the womb of the earth, we diminish, and when she is delivered of us, our grave opened for another, we are not transplanted, but transported, our dust, blown away with prophane dust, with every wind.→ Meditations.

VII.

JOSEPH HALL, BISHOP OF NORWICH.

1574-1656.

JOSEPH HALL was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, July 1st, 1574. He was educated at the Grammar School of Ashby, and at the age of fifteen was entered at Cambridge, at Emmanuel College, of which College he became Scholar, and in 1595 Fellow. In 1598 he published his Satires, and established his fame as a genuine humourist. After taking his degree as Master of Arts, he held a lectureship in rhetoric, but resigned it, finding that it interfered with the study of theology, and soon afterwards he entered holy orders. His preaching soon attracted attention, and after obtaining some small pieces of preferment, he was made Dean of Worcester in 1616. Until this time, when he was upwards of forty years of age, Hall had suffered from poverty, and often, as he said, 'wrote books in order to buy books.' In 1618 he was a deputy at the Synod of Dort. In 1627 he was made Bishop of Exeter. In 1641 he was translated to the see of Norwich. Hall was a man of singular moderation, and great sweetness of character. In an age of fierce and truculent controversy, he set a noble example of charity in polemics. The Long Parliament deprived him of the revenue of his bishopric, and he died on the 8th of September, 1656, at Heigham, near Norwich. Bishop Hall did not escape altogether from the literary vice of his age. His pages are studded with conceits and sententious passages, which are too common, and repel many readers. At times, however, he rises to the very highest eloquence, and all his writings attest the sincerity and piety of his nature. The Contem

plations on the principal passages of Holy Story are, perhaps, his most popular work, and display the powers of his thought and style in great perfection. Besides these he left many sermons and numerous treatises on moral, religious or polemical topics. He was suspected at one time of being a favourer of the Puritans, but though his principles were tolerant, he published, even when it was hazardous to do so, several able treatises in defence of the Liturgy and Discipline of the National Church of England.

It is observable that the later writings of Hall are in a simpler and more easy vein. The same progress, which has been noted in Clarendon's later efforts, may be traced in Hall's. During the long struggle of those eventful years, many colloquial expressions, formerly deemed inadmissible, seem to have crept by degrees into ordinary use, and to have found their place in literature. As a controversialist, Bishop Hall won a high place, and his modest yet manly defence of his own Church, is acknowledged to have had considerable influence with some of his Nonconformist adversaries. In times when the pulpit was too often degraded by the sallies and impertinencies of preachers, it is no slight praise to say, as may be said of Hall, that there is hardly a passage in his sermons which the most fastidious critic would desire to expunge.

1. David.

EVER since his anointing was David possessed with God's Spirit, and thereby filled both with courage and wisdom: the more strange doth it seem to him that all Israel should be thus dastardly. Those that are themselves eminent in any grace cannot but wonder at the miserable defects of others; and the more shame they see in others' imperfections, the more is their zeal in avoiding those errors in themselves.

While base hearts are moved by example, the want of

example is encouragement enough for an heroical mind: therefore is David ready to undertake the quarrel, because no man else dare do it. His eyes sparkled with holy anger, and his heart rose up to his mouth when he heard this proud challenger; Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should revile the host of the living God? Even so, O Saviour, when all the generations of men ran away affrighted from the powers of death and darkness, thou alone hast undertaken and confounded them.

Who should offer to daunt the holy courage of David but his own brethren ! The envious heart of Eliab construes this forwardness as his own disgrace: 'Shall I,' thinks he, 'be put down by this puisne? Shall my father's youngest son dare to attempt that which my stomach will not serve me to adventure?' Now therefore he rates David for his presumption, and instead of answering to the recompense of the victory, (which others were ready to give,) he recompenseth the very inquiry of David with a check. It was for his brethren's sake that David came thither, and yet his very journey is cast upon him by them for a reproach; Wherefore camest thou down hither? and when their bitterness can meet with nothing else to shame him, his sheep are cast in his teeth: 'Is it for thee, an idle proud boy, to be meddling with our martial matters ? Doth not yonder champion look as if he were a fit match for thee? What makest thou of thyself, or what dost thou think of us? fitter for thee to be looking to thy sheep than looking at Goliath; the wilderness would become thee better than the field: wherein art thou equal to any man thou seest, but in arrogance and presumption? The pastures of Bethlehem could not hold thee, but thou thoughtest it a goodly matter to see the wars: I know thee, as if I were in thy bosom, this was thy thought, "There is no glory to

Ywis it were

be got among fleeces, I will go seek it in arms; now are my brethren winning honour in the troops of Israel, while I am basely tending on sheep, why should I not be as forward as the best of them?" This vanity would make thee straight of a shepherd a soldier; and of a soldier, a champion: get thee home, foolish stripling, to thy hook and thy harp: let swords and spears alone to those that know how to use them.'

It is quarrel enough amongst many to a good action that it is not their own.

There is no enemy so ready or so spiteful as the domestical: the hatred of brethren is so much more as their blood is nearer: the malice of strangers is simple, but of a brother is mixed with envy. The more unnatural any quality is, the more extreme it is: a cold wind from the south is intolerable.

David's first victory is of himself, next of his brother: he overcomes himself in a patient forbearance of his brother; he overcomes the malicious rage of his brother with the mildness of his answer. If David had wanted spirit, he had not been troubled with the insultation of a Philistine. If he had a spirit to match Goliath, how doth he so calmly receive the affront of a brother? What have I now done? Is there not a cause? That which would have stirred the choler of another allayeth his: it was a brother that wronged him, and that his eldest; neither was it time to quarrel with a brother while the Philistines' swords were drawn, and Goliath was challenging. O that these two motives could induce us to peace! If we have injury in our person, in our cause, it is from brethren, and the Philistines look on. I am deceived if this conquest were less glorious than the following. He