holiness, the highest and most absolute pattern of whatsoever is lovely and excellent, and makes most for the accomplishing and perfecting of human nature.'

His Works published are but few, but truly excellent; which makes us wish, that no part of his labours left in manuscript, had been withheld from the public. Dr. Worthington published a short quarto volume in 1660, entitled SELECT DISCOURSES, treating, 1. Of the true Way or Method of attaining to Divine Knowledge. 2. Of Superstition. 3. Of Atheism. 4. Of the Immortality of the Soul. 5. Of the Existence and Nature of God. 6. Of Prophecy. 7. Of the Difference between the legal and the evangelical Righteousness, the old and the new Covenant, &c. 8. Of the shortness and vanity of a Pharisaic Righteousness. 9. Of the excellency and nobleness of true Religion. 10. Of a Christian's Conflicts with, and Conquests over, Satan."

WILLIAM GOUGE, D.D.

His

THIS excellent divine was born in Stratford, Bow, in the county of Middlesex, Nov. 1, 1575. His father was Mr. Thomas Gouge, a pious gentleman. mother was the religious daughter of one Mr. Nicholas Culverel, a merchant in London; and sister of those two famous preachers, Mr. Samuel and Mr. Ezekiel Culverel Her two sisters were married to those two famous divines, Dr. Chadderton, master of Emanuel college, and Dr. Whitaker, the learned and devout professor of divinity in Cambridge. In his younger years he was first trained up in St. Paul's school, London, and afterwards was sent to the free school at Felstead, in Essex, where he was led on for three years under the public ministry of his uncle, Mr. Ezekiel Culverel, and thereby much wrought upon, and if not first begotten, yet much built up in his holy faith, as himself often expressed. From thence he was sent to Eton, where he was instructed for six years, during which time he was more than ordinarily studious and industrious; for, when other scholars upon play-days took their liberty for their sports and pastimes, he would be at his study, in which he took more delight than they could do at their recreations. At this time, when he was a scholar

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of Eton, he was possessed with an holy fear of Gon, conscionable in secret prayer and sanctifying the Sabbath, and much grieved at the ordinary profanation thereof by public sports and recreations, then too much allowed; as often in his life-time, with much thankfulness unto God, he took occasion to express.

From Eton he was chosen to King's college, in Cambridge, whither he went, Anno 1595; where he first addicted himself to Ramus's logic, and therein grew so expert, as in the schools he publicly maintained him; insomuch as once upon a time, when several sophisters set themselves to vilify Ramus, to which end the respondent put up this question, Nunquam erit magnus, cui Ramus est magnus; and knowing our William Gouge to be an acute disputant and a stiff defender of Ramus, they came to the divinity schools, where he was hearing an act, and told him how they were abusing Ramus. He thereupon went into the sophisters' schools, and upon the moderator's calling for another opponent, he stepped up, and brought such an argument as stumbled the respondent; whereupon the moderator took upon him to answer, but could not satisfy the doubt. A sophister standing by, said with a loud voice, Do ye come to vilify Ramus, and cannot answer a Ramist's argument? Whereupon the moderator rose up and gave him a box on the ear; then the school was all in an uproar, but our Author was safely conveyed out from among them. In the time of his scholarship, he was moderator of the sophisters' acts in the public schools, and began every act with a solemn speech of his own in Latin, whereby much grace was added to the act, which was not usual in those days.

He took his degrees in order, performing for every one of them all the acts publicly in the public schools, which the statute required. He continued for three years together so close in the college, as not to lye one

night

Ramus was a Frenchman, who, in the year 1543, set the philosophical world in an uproar, by his opposition to the Aristotelian method and dogmas. He particularly opposed Aristotle's Logic, which at that time was held almost sacred in the schools. The controversy was carried to a prodigious height at Paris, and at length became the subject of discussion before the parliament, and also before the council of Francis I. In short, the tide ran so strong against Ramus, that his books were prohibited, and himself enjoined to teach philosophy no longer in the kingdom. The joy of the Aristotelians upon this occasion was equal to that which could be shewn upon the safety of a nation, and was as much celebrated throughout France.

night out of the walls thereof. At three years' end he was made fellow, and then went to visit his friends. He was a very close student, for he was a lover of learning, very laborious in his studies, sitting up late at night, and rising up early in the morning. He lived in the college nine years, and in all that time (except when he went out of town to his friends) he was never absent from morning prayers in the chapel, which used to be half an hour before six. He used to rise so long before he went to the chapel, as to gain time for his secret devotions, and for reading his morning task of Scripture; for he tied himself to read every day fifteen chapters in English of the Scriptures, five in the morning, five after dinner, before he fell upon his ordinary studies, and five before he went to bed. He hath been often heard to say, that when he could not sleep in the night time, he would in his mind run through distinct chapters of Scripture in their order, as if he had heard them read, so deceiving the tediousness of his waking, and depriving himself also sometimes of the sweetness of his sleeping hours, though by a better and greater sweetness; for he found the meditation of the word to be sweeter to him than sleep.

This also he would do in the day time when he was alone, either within doors or without doors. For this end he wrote in a little book, which he always carried about him, the distinct heads of every particular passage in every chapter of the Bible; that when, in any place, he meditated on the Scripture, and stuck, he presently helped himself by that little book. Whereby he made himself so expert in the text, that if he heard but a phrase of Scripture, he could tell the place where it was. Besides, he had his particular times to study the difficult places of Scripture, that he might find out the true meaning of them; and, by this means, through the divine blessing, he attained to a great exactness in the knowledge of them. He was not only close to his own studies, but would also send for others, whom he observed to be ingenuous and willing, in order to instruct them in scholastical exercises, whereby he was a great help to many, and brought them to be better students.

While he was a scholar in King's college, there was a Jew in Cambridge, who was entertained in several colleges to teach the Hebrew tongue, and, among others, in King's college. William Gouge took the opportunity

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