Daniel Harvey, Esq. High Sheriff of Surrey, 1655; Elias Ashmole, the antiquary; Edward Lloyd, Esq. probably related to the Lloyds of Yale, in Denbighshire; Thomas Shuckburgh, Esq. of Brydenbury, Warwickshire; John Carey of Stanstead, Hertfordshire, Esq.; Henry Puckering Newton, son and heir to Sir Henry P. Newton, Bart.; Roger Price, Esq. High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire; and the Lady Eleanor Roe, relict to the Hon. Sir Thomas Roe.

* See Burke's Extinct Baronetage.

CHAPTER XVIII.

From 1656 to the Restoration.

E may now conceive that Fuller after bringing to a close his principal work, had in his hands the materials for his "Worthies," a work upon which he appears to have set his heart, but which he was not permitted himself to publish. The only fruit of his industry that appeared in 1656, was a little volume comprising three discourses, one preached upon November 5, 1653, and already noticed under that year; another, entitled The Worst of Evils, Ephes. ii. 3, upon sin, and chiefly of original sin; and a third, Strange Justice, an assize sermon from Judges xix. 30. In that entitled The Worst of Evils, he, in his own inimitable manner, exposes the futility of Bellarmine's defence of the Romish doctrine, that Original Sin is but the privation of Adam's righteousness, without the depravation of our nature. Bellarmine would have it supposed, that Adam was created with a reluctancy and rebellion of the inferior powers of the soul against the superior faculties thereof; nay,

"Thus

that he could not, as a creature compounded of matter, have been made more perfect. they go about," says Fuller, "to make (as I may say) some corruption in Adam in his state of integrity, that they may make way for some integrity in the sons of Adam after their corruption."

He concludes in this manner, "Thus every day we sin, and sorrow after our sin, and sin after our sorrow, and do what we would not, and the wind of God's Spirit bloweth us one way, and the tide of our corruption hurrieth us another. Those things he that seeth not in himself is sottish-blind; he that seeth and confesseth not, is damnably proud; he that confesseth and bewaileth not, is desperately profane; he that bewaileth and fighteth not against is unprofitably pensive; but he that in some weak manner doth all these, is a saint in reversion, and shall be one in possession hereafter."

In the third of these discourses, he thus characteristically describes the so called Via Media of our age, and the Heylyns of his own ; "How many be there which have learning too much to be Papists, and yet religion too little to be good Protestants. They are loth to say that Luther is in the right, and they are loth to say that Bellarmine is in the wrong."

These sermons were, in 1657, followed by four more, together with notes upon Jonah.* To these was prefixed an indifferent portrait of the author. The first of these discourses, entitled, "The best

* Dedicated to his friends at St. Bridget's (commonly) Bride's parish, in London.

employment," from Acts x. 38, "Who went about doing good," is a perfect specimen of the author's ingenuity. But it may be doubted whether there is not too great a variety of subjects for one discourse, a fault common to that age, of which the sermons abounded as much in ideas as those of our own age do in words. The second entitled, " A gift for God alone," is from Prov. xxiii. 26; "My son give me thine heart." The third, on St. Peter's Repentance, entitled " The True Penitent," is amongst the best of his discourses. By this sermon, it appears, that vice and infidelity though heightened by the profligacy of the second Charles, antedated his Restoration. "Take heed; atheism knocks at the door of the hearts of all men, and where luxury is the porter, it will be let in. Let not the multiplicity of so many religions as are now on foot, make you careless to have any, but careful

to have the best."

The sermon entitled "The best Act of Oblivion," Ps. xxv. 7, Remember not Lord the sins of my youth, is a plain and earnest discourse against the sins of youth, pride, prodigality, rashness, disobedience to parents, and impurity. Admirable is the remainder of this volume, which consists of Notes upon Jonah, extending, however, only to the end of the seventh verse of the first chapter.

He observes how oppression was the great and crying sin of Nineveh. Nahum, iii. 1. Fuller had experienced the evils of oppression, oppression which the stronger party always seek to justify beneath

the cloak of law. Some, indeed, would have the world deceived into the opinion, that law and equity are of necessity one and the same; a doctrine fit for infidels and atheists. Christianity, by infusing equity into the spirit of legislation, seeks to maintain law. The selfish theory, that would exalt wealth as the idol of legislation, tends directly to the dissolution of all government, and to destroy all affection for the laws, by making them solely subservient to the interests of the few.

In the course of this year, Fuller preached and published a Funeral Sermon, delivered at St. Clement Danes, at the funeral of Mr. George Heycock. Here he drew the character of David (his text being, For David after he had served his own generation, after the will of God, fell asleep.) After animadverting upon those who served not their generation, he observed: "But now that my sword may cut on both sides, as hitherto we have confuted such who are faulty in their defect, and will not serve their generation; so others offend in the excess, not being only servants, but slaves and vassals to the age they live in; prostituting their consciences to do any thing (how unjust soever) to be a favourite to the times. Surely a cautious concealment is lawful, and wary silence is commendable in perilous times. Amos, v. 13. It is an evil time, therefore, the wise shall hold their peace. And I confess that a prudential compliance in religion in things indifferent, is justifiable, as also in all civil concernments, wherein the conscience is not