that being fequeftered from the common toils and anxieties of life, we fhould, with lefs interruption and diftraction, every day apply ourfelves to devotion; that we fhould continually own the divine providence, and implore its bleffings on our ftudies and enquiries; that we fhould begin and end every day with the more immediate fervice of God, and attain, by degrees, that devout and heavenly temper of mind, which may direct all our studies to the fervice of religion, and devote even our profane learning to the miniftry of the altar. And it will be worthy our care to provide, that, while we are labouring to improve ourselves in human fciences, we at the fame time may not neglect what is of much greater importance, I mean, that heavenly-mindednefs, devotion, refignation to the will, and dependance upon the goodness of the Almighty: In fhort, that divine nature, and god-like difpofition of foul, which is the perfection of the chriftian life here on earth, and will make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light hereafter in heaven. And give me leave in this place to say, that as this conftant and ferious attendance upon the publick prayers, is a duty incumbent upon all who are, in any degree, members of our fociety; fo is it moft especially fo, of those who enjoy the greatest advantages, and have the principal fhare in the government of the fame. It is an observation that is fometimes made, (and I fear me is not always without truth;) that thofe who enjoy lefs of the advantages, and fo are, on that account, under smaller ties to our daily morning and evening facrifice of prayer, are yet, by fome motives or other prevailed upon to a more constant and uninterrupted attendance on the fame, than, perhaps, fome of those whofe years and confideration, to say nothing of any other motives, ought to prevail

upon

and

upon them to fet a better example, and take a better care of the conftancy of their devotions. Nay, I doubt fome have been fo ready to betray the imperfection of their religion in this point, that they have chose that very time for the flackening their attendance on thefe daily prayers, when, by their admiffion to the highest benefits and advantages of 'the fociety, they were under a new and ftricter obligation to a greater conftancy; when their example and authority was likely to have a greater influence on the reft of the college. Which obfervations, if in any cafe true, are fo fhameful, that a juft indignation will not permit me to wave the taking notice of them. And I wish that all future obfervations may fhew, that every one concerned is fo conftant, as well as ferious, in the worship of God in this place, that no one may be able to make any reflections of this nature; but that all of us, from the higheft to the lowest, as far as our health, our age, and our neceffary engagements will allow, may meet unanimously together, and join univerfally, with one heart and one voice, in the prayers and praises which are here offered to the Almighty: it being not fit for us to expect, that our inferiors fhould be by us obliged to a conftant attendance on thofe prayers, which we ourselves but rarely frequent; and our fociety never to be so properly filed a religious one, as when equal numbers appear in the chapel at their devotion, as do the like in the college upon the other occafions of life.

But (2.) befides devotion towards God, we of thefe collegiate focieties are under the highest obligations to temperance and fobriety towards ourfelves. And, indeed, this is a duty that has a very neceffary dependance on the nature of our foundations; which are no other than thofe of charity. And fure it is the groffeft piece of abufe

of the charity of our founders, to fpend in extravagancies that allowance, which was only intended for the relief of our neceffities, and the affiftance of our learning. But to wave that confideration, there is another, which ought to have the greatest influence upon us in this cafe; and it is this: that nothing has more contributed to the difhonour of our way of education here; to the reproach of the best of churches; and to the rendring its clergy contemptible, and their labours unfuccefsful; and to the increafing the unreafonable divifions and feparations in this kingdom, than the general opinion of the too free and loofe courfe of life which fome amongst us, and that without any effectual difcouragement, are fuppofed to lead. How far this opinion or prejudice taken up againft us is falfe, or at least aggravated by our enemies, as is too ufual in all fuch cafes, I fhall not now enquire. But I fhall only fay, God fend our future reformation in this point, (of fo vaft importance to the well-being of our whole community, nay, of the whole church of England,) may be remarkable enough to filence even our sharpeft enemies; and may every one of us in particular, who either have already, or are here defigning to take upon us the holy office of the miniftry, be fo far from any inftances of rioting, or excefs, that, with the bleffed apoftle St. Paul, we may be temperate in all things; and be on the other fide difpofed to beat under our bodies, and bring them into fubjection; left, when we have preached to others, we ourfelves fhould at laft become caftaways. 1 Cor. ix. 25, 27.

(3.) Laftly, we, who enjoy the advantages of thefe generous foundations, are under a mighty obligation, not only to devotion towards God, and fobriety towards ourfelves, but alfo to diligence in our ftudies and learning, in order to the advantage

vantage of others. Since the extraordinary effufions of the gifts of the bleffed fpirit are ceased in the church, those qualifications which are proper to fit us for the understanding the holy fcriptures, for the propagation of chriftianity, for the converfion of infidels, for the edification of believers, and for the maintenance of true religion in the world, are to be acquired, under the divine bleffing, by our own labour and diligence; by conftant study and application. And this acquifition of folid and useful learning was generally one principal intention in all the collegiate foundations of the chriftian world, as well as of ours in particular. So that a diligent purfuit of useful knowledge, and found learning, muft needs be one of the great duties which is incumbent on us all in this place; and which no fecurity of a perpetual provifion ought to excufe us from, nor any ability of living without the dependance on learning for our fubfiftence, ought to difcourage us in. Let us all then, upon the confideration of the bounty of our benefactors, and that plentiful provifion of books, the inftruments of learning, as well as of a liberal maintenance, without our own folicitude about it, which is the great encouragement to the fame; let us, I fay, look upon ourselves obliged both to a conftant application to our ftudies; and, by all proper means, to the affiitance and encouragement of those who do so likewife. That being the true welfare and happiness of a fociety for learning, when all the primary members of it do not only apply themselves to the improvement of their own, knowledge, but do all they can, that thofe, and only thofe, who, to their piety and good morals, have added diligence in their ftudies, and made the best progrefs in learning, may have encouragement and advancement in the fociety: and when defert and preferment conftantly accom

pany

pany one another in a college, then and only then, do we intirely fecure the ends of a collegiate body, and take an effectual care that the fame shall be fecur'd for the future generations alfo. To conclude, God grant, that we may lead fuch pious and devout, fuch temperate and fober, fuch diligent and ftudious lives, in this religious fociety, inftituted by our generous and bountiful benefactors, whom we are now to commemorate, that we may bring glory to God, and fecure our own and others everlafting falvation, in the great day of the Lord Jesus. To whom, &c.

But to go on now with my other materials.

In the year 1692, Dr. Bentley preached Mr. Boyle's lectures; which, indeed, were the firft that were preached; and, perhaps, are the most valuable of all that great critick's performances. Herein he demonstrated the Being and providence of God, from Sir Ifaac Newton's wonderful difcoveries, to fuch a degree of fatisfaction, as to the fcepticks. or infidels themselves, that he informed me himfelf, of a club of fuch people, who had heard his fermons, and were afked by a friend of his, at his defire, What they had to fay against them? they honeftly owned, they did not know what to fay. But added withal, what is this to the fable of Jefus Chrift? Which made him fay, that he doubted he had done harm to christianity by those fermons; as occafioning thefe fcepticks or infidels to divert from their denial of a God and a providence, from which they might be always driven with great ease, to the picking up objections against the bible in general; which would certainly afford them a much larger field for contradiction. But this has been already related in my aftronomical principles of religion, page 243.

Very foon after the preaching of these fermons it was, that Dr. Bentley, as he informed me him

felf,