great Number of Places, preached in several Churches, fometimes twice a Day, and, from the Informations received in his Progress, laid the Foundation of a parochial Account of his Diocese, for the Benefit of his Succeffors. Finding, at the fame Time, the Affairs of his Parish of St. James's in great Disorder, he took the Trouble, in Concert with a few others, to put the Accounts of the feveral Officers into a regular Method, drew up a Set of excellent Rules to direct them better for the future, and, by the large Share which he always took in the Management of the Poor, and the Regulation of many other parochial Concerns, was of fignal Service to his Parishioners, even in a temporal View. But it was their fpiritual Welfare which engaged, as it ought to do, his chief Attention. As far as the Circumftances of the Times and the Populoufnefs of that polite Part of the Metropolis allowed, he omitted not even those private Admonitions and perfonal Applications which are often attended with the happiest Effects. Not being able, however, to do fo much in this Way as he wished, he was peculiarly affiduous in giving and promoting every Kind of public Inftruction. He allowed out of his

own

own Income a Salary for reading early and late Prayers, which had formerly been paid out of the Offertory Money. He held a Confirmation once every Year, and examined and inftructed the Candidates feveral Weeks before in the Veftry, and gave them religious Tracts, which he alfo diftributed, at other Times, very liberally to those that needed them. He drew up for the Ufe of his Parishioners that admirable Course of Lectures on the Church Catechifm, which have been lately published, and not only read them, once every Week on the usual Days, but also every Sunday Evening, either at the Church or one of the Chapels belonging to it. They were received with universal Approbation, and attended regularly by Perfons of all Ages and Conditions. The Judgement of the Public has fince confirmed the Opinion of his Parishioners, and established the Reputation of this Work, as one of the fulleft, cleareft, and exacteft Compendiums of revealed Religion that the English Language affords.

The Sermons which at the fame Time he fet himself to compofe were truly excellent and original. His Faculties were now in their full Vigour, and he had an Audience to speak before

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before that rendered the utmoft Exertion of them neceffary. He did not however feek to gratify the higher Part by amusing them with refined Speculations or ingenious Effays, unintelligible to the lower Part, and unprofitable to both; but he laid before them all, with equal Freedom and Plainnefs, the great Chrif tian Duties belonging to their respective Stations, and reproved the Follies and Vices of every Rank amongst them without Diftinction, or Palliation. He ftudied human Nature thoroughly in all its various Forms, and knew what Sort of Arguments would have moft Weight with each Clafs of Men. He brought the Subject home to their Bofoms, and did not feem to be merely faying ufeful Things in their Prefence, but addreffing himself perfonally to every one of them. Few ever poffeffed, in a higher Degree, the rare Talent of touching on the most delicate Subjects with the niceft Propriety and Decorum, of faying the most familiar Things without being low, the plaineft without being feeble, the boldest without giving Offence. He could defcend with fuch fingular Eafe and Felicity into the minuteft Concerns of common Life, could lay open, with fo much Addrefs, the various

Workings,

Workings, Artifices, and Evafions of the human Mind; that his Audience often thought their own particular Cafes alluded to, and heard with Surprize their private Sentiments and Feelings, their Ways of reafoning and Principles of acting, exactly stated and defcribed. His Preaching was, at the fame Time, highly rational, and truly evangelical. He explained with Perfpicuity, he afferted with Dignity, the peculiar characteristic Doctrines of the Gofpel. He inculcated the Utility, the Neceffity of them, not merely as fpeculative Truths, but as actual Inftruments of moral Goodnefs, tending to purify the Hearts, and regulate the Lives of Men; and thus, by God's gracious Appointment, as well as by the infeparable Connection betwixt true Faith and right Practice, leading them to Salvation.

These important Truths he taught with the Authority, the Tendernefs, the Familiarity, of a Parent inftructing his Children. Though he neither poffeffed nor affected the artificial Eloquence of an Orator who wants only to amuse or to mislead, yet he had that of an honeft Man who wants to convince, of a Chriftian Preacher who wants to reform and to fave, thofe that hear him. Solid

Argument, manly Senfe, ufeful Directions, short, nervous, striking Sentences, awakening Questions, frequent and pertinent Applications of Scripture; all these following each other in quick Succeffion, and coming evidently from the Speaker's Heart; enforced by his Elocution, his Figure, his Action, and above all by the corresponding Sanctity of his Example, ftamped Conviction on the Minds of his Hearers, and fent them Home with Impreffions not eafy to be effaced. It will readily be imagined that with these Powers he quickly became one of the most admired and popular Preachers of his Time. And though it is not to be expected that his Sermons will now afford the fame Pleasure, or produce the fame Effects, in the Clofet, that they did from the Pulpit, accompanied as they then were with all the Advantages of his Delivery; yet it will plainly appear, that the Applause they met with was founded no lefs on the Matter they contained, than the Manner in which they were spoken.

On the Death of Archbishop WAKE, Dr. POTTER was appointed to fucceed him in the See of Canterbury, and that of Oxford was offered to Dr. SECKER, who at firft declined it. But at the earneft Requeft of Bishop SHERLOCK,