devotions are worthy one who temptuous scorners of the day of was the friend of Bishop Andrews the Lord, as that day signifies and George Herbert.

afflictions in this life, have had no During the first year of his subject to work upon this congreentrance into holy orders, he had gation (as by God's grace there is offers of no less than fourteen none of that disteniper here). It is benefices, all wbich he refused, a piece of a sermon well lost; and because they were distant from God be blessed that it hath had no London, to which from long habit use, that nobody needed it. But he was attached, where he had as the woe is denounced in the many powerful and learned ac- second place against hypocrites, so quaintance, and where he was it is a chain-shot, and in every always at hand to wait on his royal congregation takes whole ranks; patron. In 1617 he was requested and here the day of the Lord is the by the gentlemen of Lincoln's Inn last day of Judgment, and the deto accept their lecture, to which he sire in the text is not, as before, a consented. This connexion was denying that any such day should agreeable to both parties; he con- be, but it is a hypocritical prestantly and faithfully preaching, tence, that we have so well perand they amply and liberally re- formed our duties, as that we should quiting him. About two years be glad if that day would come; after this appointment, the death and then the darkness in the text is of the German Emperor led to the everlasting condemnation. election of the Palatine to the “ For this day of the Lord then, crown of Bohemia, who was married the last day of Judgment, consider to the King of England's only only or reflect only upon these daughter the Lady Elizabeth, but three circumstances: First, there that Prince was upposed by Fer- is a Law given to thee, and broken dinand of Austria who succeeded by thee : Secondly, there is Evito the empire. James disapproved dence produced against thee, and the conduct of his son-in-law, and confessed by thee: And then there resolving to send the Earl of is a Judgment given against thee, Doncaster to Germany, appointed and executed upon thee. Dupne to accompany him, an “ For the Law first; when that arrangement much to the satisfac- Law is To love God with all thy tion of that nobleman, as well as power; not to scatter thy love of other friends of the Doctor, who upon any other creature; when the conceived that he required relaxa Law is Not to do, not to covet any tion and change of air for the ill, wilt thou say, this Law doth not re-establishment of his health and concern me, because it is impossible spirits. He returned after fourteen in itself, for this coveting, this first months absence to his duty at Lin- concupiscence is not in a man's coln's Inn, and to occasional minis- own power? Why, this law was tration at court.

possible to man, when it was given The following extract from a to man, for it was naturally imdiscourse preached at Whitehall, printed in the heart of man, when March 3, 1619, shews his manner man was in his state of innocency, of applying a subject. His text and then it was possible, and the was Amos v. 18. Woe unto you, impossibility that is grown into it that desire the day of the Lord: since, is by man's fault. Man, by what hare ye to do with it? the day breaking the law, hath made the of the Lord is darkness and not law impossible, and himself inexlight.

Donne.

383 thy youth ? Remember thy youth many years punishment expiate well, and what law thou kept so many years sinful pleasure?)— then, and thou wilt find it to be but it is seventy millions of millions another law; a law in the flesh of generations, for they shall live warring against the luw of the mind! so long in hell, as God himself in Nay, thou wilt find that thou didst heaven! It is not an imprisonnever maintain a war against that ment during the king's pleasure, law of the flesh, but wast glad that but during the king's displeasure, thou camest to the obedience of whom nothing can please or reconthat law so soon, and art sorry thou cile, after he shall have made up canst follow that law no longer.-- that account with his Son, and told This is the law, and wilt thou put him, "These be all you died for, this to trial ? Wilt thou say, who these be all you purchased, these be can prove it? Who comes in to all whom I am bound to save for give evidence against me ? All your sake--for the rest, their porthose whom thy solicitations have tion is everlasting destruction! overcome, and who have overcome “ Under this law under this thy solicitations, good and bad, evidence-under this sentencefriends and enemies, persons most woe to them that pretend to desire incompatible and contrary, here this day of the Lord, as though by shall join together, and be of the their own outward righteousness, jury. If St. Paul's case were so they could stand upright in this far thy case, as that thou wert in judgment! Woe to them that say, righteousness unblameable, no man, Let God come when he will, it no woman, able to testify against shall go hard, but he shall find me thee; yet, when the record of all at church, I hear three or four thoughts shall be laid open, and a sermons a week ; he shall find me retired and obscure man shall ap. in my discipline and mortification, pear to have been as ambitious in I fast twice a week ; he shall find his cloister, as a pretending man at me in my stewardship and dispenthe court; when the heart shall be sation, I give tithes of all that I laid open, and this laid open too, possess. When Hezekiah showed that some sins of the heart are the the ambassadors of Babylon all his greatest sins of all, (as Infidelity, treasure and his armour, the malethe greatest sin of all, is rooted in diction of the Prophet fell upon it, the heart) and sin produced to that all that treasure and that action, is but a dilation of that sin, armour, which he had so gloriously and all dilation has in it some degree showed, should be transported to of extenuation-(the body some- them, to whom he had showed it, times grows weary of acting some into Babylon. He that publishes sin, but the heart never grows weary his good works to the world, they of contriving of sin) —When this are carried into the world, and that shall be the law, and this the evi- is his reward. Not that there is dence, what can be the sentence, not a good use of letting our light but that, Go ye cursed into ever. shine before men too; for when lasting fire? where, it is not as in St. Paul says, If I yet please men, I the form of our judgment here, you should not be the servant of Christ, shall be carried to the place of and when he saith, I do please all execution, but Go; our own con- men in all things, St. Austin found sciences shall be our executioners, no difficulty in reconciling those and precipitate us into that con- two. When I go (says he) to the demnation! It is not a captivity haven to hire a ship, it is for the of Babylon for seventy years (and love that I have to my country; yet seventy years is the time of when I declare my faith by my man's life, and why might not so works to men, it is for the love that

I bear to the glory of God; but if as many as shall be within, there I desire the Lord's day upon my will need no grace to supply defects, confidence in these works, as Job nor eschew dangers, because there expresses it, Woe unto me poor we shall have neither defects nor rush (says he), the rush is green, dangers. There shall be no night, till the sun come; that is, says no need of candle, nor of Sun. for Gregory upon that place, till the the Lord shall give them light, and fire of the judgment examine our they shall reign for ever and ever. works, they may have some verdure, There shall be no such light of some colour, but wo unto them grace, as shall work repentance to that put themselves into tbat judg- them that are in the light of glory; ment for their work's sake!

neither could they that are in outFor, to what end is it for you, if ward darkness comprehend the your hypocritical security could hold light of grace, if it could flow out out to the last, if you could delude upon them. First, you did the the world at the last gasp, if those works of darkness (says the Aposthat stand about you then could be tle), and then that custom, that brought to say, he went away like practice brought you to love darka lamb!' Alas, the Lamb of God ness rather than light; and then as went not away so; the Lamb of the Prince of Darkness delights to God had his colluctations, disputa- transform himself into an Angel of tions, and expostulations, appre- Ligbt; so by your hypocrisy you bensions of God's indignation upon pretend a light of grace, when you him then ! This security, call it by are darkness itself; and therefore, a worse name, stupidity, is not a what will you get by that day which Jying down like a lamb, but a lying is darkness and not light? down like Issachar's ass, between Now as this woe and comminatwo burdens; for two greater bur- tion of our prophet bad one aim, to dens cannot be, than sin, and the beat down their scorn which derided senselessness of sin! What will ye the judgments of God in this world, do at that day, which shall be dark and a second aim to beat down their ness and not light? God dwells in confidence that thought themselves such light, as no man by the light of themselves able to stand in God's of nature can comprehend here; judgments in the next world; so but when that light of grace which it hath a third mark better than was shed upon thee here, should these two. It hath an aiin upon have brought thee at last to that them in whom a weariness of this inaccessible light, then thou must life, when God's corrections are be cast into darkness, and darkness upon them, or someother mistaking without the kingdom of beaven! of their own estate and case, works And if the darkness of this world, an over-hasty and impatient desire which was but a darkness of our of death; and in this sense and making, could not comprehend the acceptation the day of the Lord is light, when Christ in his person the day of our death and transmibrought the light and offered gration out of this world, and the repentance ; certainly, in that out- darkness is still everlasting darkward darkness of the next world, ness. Now for this we take our the darkness which God bath made lesson in Job, Man's life is a warfor punishment, they shall see fare. Man might have lived at nothing, neither by receiving offer peace, he himself chose a rebellious of grace from heaven, nor in the war, and now, that war which he disposition to pray for grace in willingly embarked himself in at hell. At our regeneration in the first, though it be against his will next world, the light of glory shall now, he must go through with. In swallow up the light of grace. To Job we have our lesson, and in St. Paul we have our law, Take ye the him at dinner the next day. As whole armour of God, that ye may soon as his Majesty was seated, he be able having done all to stand; said, “Dr. Donne, I have invited that is, that having overcome one you to dinner; and though you sit temptation, you may stand in battle not down with me, yet I will carve against the next, for it is not war you of a dish that I know you love; for youth, but life; that we should for knowing you love London, I do think to triumph if we had overcome therefore make you Dean of Paul's; the heat and intemperance of youth, and when I have dined, then do you but we must fight it out to our takē your beloved dish home to lives end. And as we have our your study, say grace there to yourlesson in Job, our rule and reward self, and much good may it do you!” in the Apostle, who were both great His election to the Deanery took commanders in the warfare; so we place on the 27th of November. bave our example in our General 1621. The next quarter following, Christ Jesus, who though his soul when his father-in-law, Sir George were heavy, and heavy unto death More, whose feelings towards him

-though he had a baptism to be had undergone a great alteration, baptized with, and was straightened, came to pay him the covenanted and in pain till it were accomplish- sum of twenty pounds, in lieu of his ed—and though he had power to daughter's portion, the doctor, inlay down his soul, and take it up stead of repaying the knight's harshagain, and no man else could take ness, shown in time past, said, “You it from him-yet he fought it out have been kind to me and mine. I to the last hour, and till his hour know your present condition is such came, he would not prevent it, nor as not to abound ; and I hope mine lay down his soul! Woe unto them is or will be such as not to need it. that desire any other end of God's I will therefore receive no more correction, but what he hath from you upon that contract:" and in ordained and appointed, for what testimony of his sincerity he immeshall ye get by choosing your own diately resigned the bond to Sir ways ? Darkness and not Light! George. They shall pass out of this world, To his deanery was soon added in this inward darkness of melan- the vicarage of St. Dupstan's in choly and dejection of spirit into the West, and another ecclesiastical the outward darkness, which is an endowment, the former of which he everlasting exclusion from the owed to the friendship of Richard Father of lights and from the king- Sackville, Earl of Dorset, and the dom of joy. Their case is well latter to that of the Earl of Kent. described in the next verse to our These preferments enabled him to text, They shall fly from a lion, and be bountiful to the poor, and to a bear shall meet them; they shall make a suitable provision for his lean on a wall, aud a serpent shall family. In 1624 he was chosen bite them; they shall end this life prolocutor to the Convocation, on by a miserable and hasty death, and which occasion he delivered a Latin out of that death shall grow an Oration, which is still extant in the immortal life in torments, which no collection of his poems. weariness, nor desire, nor practice Capricious as his Majesty was in can ever bring to an end !”

his notice of many of the Dean's About a year after his return from contemporaries, his kindness to the Germany, Dr. Cary was made Dean himself was but once interBishop of Exeter, and by his remo- rupted. Some malicious informer val the deanery of St. Paul's being had told the king that Donne, like vacant, the King sent for Dr. many other preachers, had insiDonne, and appointed him to attend nuated a fear of his Majesty's inclining to popery, and animad- And you have seen bis death, the verted on the tendency of some of death of the righteous; his humilia. the measures of his government; tion, he fell to the earth: and there but more particularly on his direc- remains yet his resurrection : The tions that the Sunday evening Angel of the great council, Christ lectures should be turned into Jesus, with the trumpet of his own seasons of catechising, and ex- month, raises him with that “ Saul, pounding the Lord's prayer, the Saul, why persecutest thou me?" creed, and the commandments. The “ First, he affords him a call, a monarch was the more inclined to voice. Saul would not see: therelisten to this statement, as he had fore he deals not upon him by recently discarded from court a visions. He gives a voice; and a nobleman, who was an intimate voice that he might hear. God friend of the doctor, and bad also speaks often, when we do not hear. imprisoned him on account of soine He heard it—and heard it saying, religious dispute, to the no small Not a voice only, but a distinct discontent of the public. James and intelligible voice; and saying instantly sent for Donne, and unto him—that is, applicable to required him to answer the accusa- himself; and then, that which the tion, which was done to the royal voice said to him was, Saul, Saul, satisfaction. The Dean kneeled &c. We are unequal enemies : down and thanked bis Majesty, thou seest I am too hard for thee: desiring that he might not rise, till, wilt thou — thou in thy weakas in cases wherein he had dis- dess oppose me? And then, we charged his conscience he always might be good friends-thou seest had from the Almighty, so he might I offer parley, I offer treaty. Why have from his earthly sovereign, wilt thou oppose me-me that some assurance tbat he stood clear declare such a disposition to be and fair in his opinion. The king reconciled unto thee? In this so raised him up, protesting that he great a disadvantage on thy part, was truly satisfied of his honesty why wilt thou stir at all against and loyal attachment. His majesty, me? immediately after this interview, “ First then, God speaks. For, called some lords of his council beloved, we are to consider God, into his chamber, and said with not as he is in himself, but as he much earnestness, “My doctor is works upon us. The first thing an honest man; and, my lords, I that we can consider in our way to was never better satisfied with an God is bis word. Our regeneraanswer than he hath now made tion is by his word ; that is, by me; and I always rejoice when I faith, which comes by hearing: the think that by my means he became seed is the word of God, says Christ à divine."

himself, even the seed of faith. On the Sunday after the festival Carry it higher. The creation was of the conversion of St. Paul, in by the word of God: God spoke, 1624, he preached on that subject and all things were made. Carry in the metropolitan cathedral a very it to the highest of all; to eternity; edifying discourse from Acts ix. 4. the eternal generation, the eternal And he fell to the earth and heard a production, the eternal procession voice saying, Saul, Saul, why per- of the second Person in the Trinity; secutest thou me? He observed on was so much by the word, as that his third division-"You have seen he is the word. It was that word, Saul's sickness, and the exaltation that was made flesh. So that God, of the disease, then when he breath- who cannot enter into bonds to us, ed threatenings and slaughter, then bath given us security enough. He when he went in his triumph. hath given us his word-his written