The Book of Religions Part 53

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 ill.u.s.trious 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 G.o.d, 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 princ.i.p.al in my intentions. I have loved thy a.s.semblies; 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 compa.s.sions, in thy merciful chastis.e.m.e.nts, 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 b.a.s.t.a.r.d, 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 Gloucesters.h.i.+re, 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 circ.u.mstance 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d, a sincere and upright walking, as in the presence of the invisible, all-seeing G.o.d. 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d and men. It regulates the pa.s.sions, 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, 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 G.o.d is princ.i.p.ally seen in matters relating to the good of the soul, yet, even in the concerns of this life, a good man fearing G.o.d, 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 G.o.d 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 n.o.ble 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 a.s.sured 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 grat.i.tude, 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 pa.s.sed 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."

Bishop Burnet, who was Boyle's particular friend, and who, during an acquaintance of twenty-nine years, had spent many happy hours in conversation with him, gives a full account of his genuine piety and virtue, and of his zeal for the Christian religion. "This zeal," he says, "was unmixed with narrow notions, or a bigoted heat in favor of a particular sect; it was that spirit which is the ornament of a true Christian." Burnet mentions, as a proof of this, his n.o.ble foundation for lectures in defence of the gospel, against infidels of all sorts; the effects of which have been very conspicuous, in the many volumes of excellent discourses, which have been published in consequence of that laudable and pious design.

The great object of his philosophical pursuits was to promote the cause of religion, and to discountenance atheism and infidelity. His intimate friend Bishop Burnet makes the following observations on this point:-"It appeared to those who conversed with him on his inquiries into nature, that his main design (on which as he had his own eye constantly fixed, so he took care to put others often in mind of it) was to raise in himself and others more exalted sentiments of the greatness and glory, the wisdom and goodness, of G.o.d. This design was so deeply impressed on his mind, that he concludes the article of his will, which relates to the Royal Society, in these words:-'I wish them a happy success in their attempts to discover the true nature of the works of G.o.d; and I pray that they, and all searchers into physical truths, may cordially refer their attainments to the glory of the great Author of nature, and to the comfort of mankind.' "

On another occasion, the same person speaks of him thus-"He had the most profound veneration for the great G.o.d of heaven and earth that I ever observed in any man. The very name of G.o.d was never mentioned by him without a pause and observable stop in his discourse." So brightly did the example of this great and good man s.h.i.+ne, through his whole course, that Bishop Burnet, on reviewing it, in a moment of pious exultation thus expressed himself:-"I might challenge the whole tribe of libertines to come and view the usefulness, as well as the excellence, of the Christian religion, in a life that was entirely dedicated to it."

John Locke.

A very celebrated philosopher, and one of the greatest men that England ever produced, born in the year 1632. He was well educated; and, applying himself with vigor to his studies, his mind became enlarged, and stored with much useful knowledge. He went abroad as secretary to the English amba.s.sador at several of the German courts, and afterwards had the offer of being made envoy at the court of the emperor, or of any other that he chose; but he declined the proposal, on account of the infirm state of his health. He was a commissioner of trade and plantations, in which station he very honorably distinguished himself. Notwithstanding his public employments, he found leisure to write much for the benefit of mankind.

His "Essay on Human Understanding," his "Discourses on Government," and his "Letters on Toleration," are justly held in the highest esteem.

This enlightened man and profound reasoner was most firmly attached to the Christian religion. His zeal to promote it appeared, first, in his middle age, by publis.h.i.+ng a discourse to demonstrate the reasonableness of believing Jesus to be the promised Messiah; and, afterwards, in the latter part of his life, by a Commentary on several of the Epistles of the apostle Paul. The sacred Scriptures are every where mentioned by him with the greatest reverence; and he exhorts Christians "to betake themselves in earnest to the study of the way to salvation, in those holy writings, wherein G.o.d has revealed it from heaven, and proposed it to the world; seeking our religion where we are sure it is in truth to be found, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

In a letter written the year before his death, to one who asked this question, "What is the shortest and surest way for a young man to attain the true knowledge of the Christian religion?" he says, "Let him study the holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament: therein are contained the words of eternal life. It has G.o.d for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter." This advice was conformable to his own practice. "For fourteen or fifteen years, he applied himself in an especial manner to the study of the Scriptures, and employed the last years of his life hardly in any thing else. He was never weary of admiring the great views of that sacred book, and the just relation of all its parts: he every day made discoveries in it that gave him fresh cause of admiration."

The consolation which he derived from divine revelation is forcibly expressed in these words:-"I gratefully receive and rejoice in the light of revelation, which has set me at rest in many things, the manner whereof my poor reason can by no means make out to me."

After he had diligently employed a great part of his life in a variety of occupations, he chose a pleasing retirement for the remainder of his days.

This leisure appears to have been productive of solid improvement, by enabling him to look calmly over the scenes of past life; to form a proper estimate of its enjoyments, and to dedicate himself more fully to the cause of piety and virtue.