return to his pastoral charge, to his affectionate and beloved people, at Wilby. In that place, by his awakening sermons, and very exemplary life and conversation, a most signal and comfortable reformation was, under the Divine blessing, speedily effected. His holy life was an excellent practical comment upon his pure doctrine. While he warmly urged the necessity of holiness upon other persons, he carefully practised it himself. He was a burning and shining light. His people revered and loved him as a father. Mr Ainsworth says, "He was full of spiritual warmth, filled with an holy indignation against sin, active in his work, and never more in his element than when he was in the pulpit." As his life was holy, so his death was happy. He blessed God that he was not afraid to die; nay, he earnestly desired to be gone; and often cried out, during his last sickness,"When will that hour come? One assault more, and this earthen vessel will be broken, and I shall be with God."

He died Dec. 13, 1654, aged about sixty years. Mr Samuel Ainsworth, one of the silenced nonconformists, preached and published his funeral sermon. His remains were interred in the chancel of Wilby church; where, at the foot of the altar, is the following monumental inscription erected to his memory: Here lieth interred, Mr Andrew Perne, a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, a zealous owner ever of God's cause in perilous times, a powerful and successful preacher of the Gospel, a great blessing to this town and country, where he lived twentyseven years. He departed Dec. 13, 1654.*

Mr Perne has a place in Burnham's Pious Memorials, and in Lives of the Puritans. I have seen only one sermon of his, which is entitled, Gospel-Courage, or a Christian Resolution for God and his Truth; in a sermon

a Wood's Athenæ Oxon. vol. i. Fasti, col. 80. Neal's Puritans, vol. iv. Brook's Puritans, vol. iii. Cat. of the Preachers before Parliament.

preached from Micah iv. 5. before the honourable House of Commons, at Margaret's, Westminster, at a Publick Fast, the 31st of May, 1643." 4to. pp. 32. London,

1643.

JOHN PHILIPS.

JOHN PHILIPS is in the list of those eminent divines, who met in the famous Assembly at Westminster. His name is also in the ordinance of Parliament for calling an Assembly of learned and godly divines. In that ordinance, he is said to be, "John Philips of Wrentham." And, in my copy of Neal's list of those divines, he is marked as giving constant attendance in the Assembly. But I have not seen any of his writings, nor found any more account of him. Wood, in his Athenæ Oxon. 2d edit. London, 1721, mentions different persons of this name. One John Philipps, who was bishop of the Isle of Man, and who died in 1633, or about that time; another who wrote A Summons to Repentance, Lond. 1584; and one who wrote The Way to Heaven. The first was not our divine; and we have not evidence that any of them was.

BENJAMIN PICKERING.

BENJAMIN PICKERING was a member of the As sembly of Divines at Westminster. In the ordinance of Parliament for calling an Assembly of Divines, he is said to be, of East-Hoathly. He seems to have been pastor of that place, when he was called to sit in the Assembly of Divines. In the year 1644, when he was a member of the Assembly, we are informed, in the title-page of a Sermon, which he preached at that time before the House of Commons, that he was minister of God's Word at Buckstead in Sussex. He wrote his name Pikering.

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Life and Writings of Benjamin Pickering. Mr Pickering has published the above Sermon, which is entitled, "A Firebrand Pluckt out of the Burning," from Zech. iii. 2. 4to. pp. 28. London, 1645. And he has also published a very handsome Epistle, addressed to the honourable House of Commons, which is prefixed to that Sermon. In this epistle, he exhorts the honourable senators, to set up a faithful ministry, and to establish judgment and justice in the gates to let their zeal for the Lord burn, setting up his worship and ordinances in purity. He says, "Be zealous for Christ's cause: delay not to establish his government and discipline with vigour. Proceed so in your reforming, that glory may dwell in our land; that mercy and truth, righteousness and peace may meet together, and kiss each other.Continue in your integrity, and the Lord will continue a sun and shield to you.-Although Satan be at your right-hand, fear not, so long as our Mediator sits at the right hand of God."

The following are some of his remarkable expressions and sayings, in his sermon. "It is the Lord's pleasure that the condition of his church many times should be such, as the prophet expresseth: I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light, Jer. iv. 23. Thus it was with God's people in the Babylonish captivity. Heaven and earth, church and commonwealth, were in confusion. The best undertakings meet with greatest discouragements. The devil will still be hindering the acting hand, in the things of God. The devil hateth all divine order and pure ordinances, therefore he resists Joshua, in whom the priesthood and divine worship were restored.-Doctrine: God's people may be in the burning, but they shall certainly be rescued and perfectly delivered.-God's wisdom is best seen, when we are at our wit's end; and the Lord's power is most manifest, when we are at the extremity of misery; when we think and say, we are cut off for our parts.-Every sin makes us as ready to take fire, even as gun-powder: let us therefore have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming

fire: and this fire of the enemy is dreadful.-He has now drawn out his sword to avenge the quarrel of his Covenant, and the fire of his anger burns; but he may complain as of old, The Founder melts in vain.-When we are in the burning, look up to Jesus Christ.-In Christ we shall have safety. Labour for the Spirit of comfort; the refreshings of this Spirit, as living water, will cool the heat of the spent soul. Pray that the Lord would mitigate the flames and labour to be constant-hold fast the name of Christ.".

From what our author has published to the world, he appears to have been furnished with considerable abilities, -to have been pious and learned, and very courageous in the cause of truth.

SAMUEL DE LA PLACE.

SAMUEL DE LA PLACE was Minister of the French church, and a member of the Assembly of Divines at ?) Westminster. His name is in the ordinance of the Par. liament for calling an Assembly of learned and godly di vines, in the year 1643; and it is also in the list of the divines- who met in the Assembly at Westminster that year. And, he was one of the divines in that Assembly, who subscribed the proposition, "That Jesus Christ, as King of the Church, hath himself appointed a churchgovernment distinct from the civil magistrate."

I cannot give any farther account of Mr de la Place.

WILLIAM PRICE, B. D.

WILLIAM PRICE was one of the Assembly of Divines

at Westminster. His name is both in the ordinance of the Parliament for calling the Assembly, and also in the list of those divines who met in it. In the ordinance of the Parliament, he is said to be, "Mr Price of Paul's Church in Covent-Garden." In the title-page of his sermon, in 1646, he is said to be "Pastor of WalthamAbbey, and one of the Assembly of Divines." And we find, that in the year 1646, Mr Obadiah Sedgwick be came preacher at Paul's, Covent Garden. Mr Baillie considers Mr Price among the ablest divines in the Assembly, when speaking of his being against the institution of the ruling elder by divine right. Mr Price subscribed the above-mentioned proposition, respecting Jesus Christ, as King of the Church.

a

Mr Price has published a Sermon, which is entitled, "Man's Delinquency attended by Divine Justice, intermixed with Mercy; displayed in a Sermon from Ezra ix. 6, 7, 8. to the House of Lords assembled in Parliament, in the Abbey-church, Westminster, Nov. 25, 1646. Fast." 4to. London, 1646. In that valuable sermon,, Mr Price has the following choice sayings.-"We are ashamed of our glory, and glory in our shame.-When the soul-wounded publican durst not look up to heaven, heaven looked down to him." Speaking of sinning against clear light, he says, "Great knowledge greatens sins; for knowledge is like the unicorn's horn, that doth well in a wise and good man's hand, but ill on a beast's head." I have seen this sermon of Mr Price's both in England and in Scotland.