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ground." And to one who looked sorrowful, in expect on a tion of his death, he said, "O! you should rather rejoice had When death was approaching, he said to those who asks H how he did, "Better and better;" and to the same que poss tion, just before his departure, "Almost well." The but after near fifty years' indefatigable labour, with as great success in his Master's vineyard as any man in the compaston: of his own time, this very eminent and distinguished sereng vant of Jesus Christ fell asleep, Jan. 11, 1721, in the dee seventy-first year of his age. He left behind him an aged had widow, and a church suffused in tears. Some time after tic his decease, the church removed to a place of worship, ge which they erected in Ayliffe Street, Goodman's Fields, da which is not, at this period, distinguished either for its ria numbers, its zeal, or its orthodoxy.

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His publications were few:-1." Treatise at the Close of it his Catechetical Exercises."-2. "Three New Year's Day Sermons preached to Young People."-3." An excellent in Discourse, addressed to the Society for Reformation of Man- tia ners;" on the delivery of which, he was waited upon by many he gentlemen of rank, with the thanks of the principals of the society, and was also complimented, on the occasion, by a dige nitary of the established church; which, in those times, was a mark of high respect.

PONET, JOHN. Though the life of this excellent man was but short, and the memorials of that life are handed down to us but in fragments; he was of eminent importance in his time, and was a burning and a shining light in the church of God. Bishop Godwin, in his book "De Præsulibus Angliæ," says of him, that he was born in the county of Kent, in or about the year 1516, and received his academical education in King's College, Cam. bridge. He must have obtained the knowledge of the Gos pel pretty early in life; for he was in so much confidence with the great Reformers, that, so soon as the beginning of Edward the VIth's reign, June 26, 1559, when Ponet could not have been more than thirty-three years of age, he was consecrated bishop of Rochester; and, upon the deprivation of Gardiner, was, within a year afterwards, translated to the see of Winchester. The reason of his preferment does as much honour to the admirable young King Edward, as it could reflect credit upon the bishop;

for,

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for, we are told, that it was by the king's own motion, on account of some very excellent sermons which Ponet had preached before him.

He was a man of great learning, as well as grace; and possessed the knowledge, not only of the Latin and Greek, but (what is not a frequent attainment among divines) a thorough acquaintance with the Dutch and Italian tongues. He was, in particular, a great Grecian, and had engaged his mind, probably when a young man, very deeply in mathematical learning. To such a proficiency had he arrived in the mechanical branch of the mathematics, that he constructed a clock, by the effort of his own genius, which pointed both to the hours of the day, the day of the month, the sign of the Zodiac, the lunar va riations, and the tides. This was presented to Henry VIII. and was received very graciously, for (what indeed it was in those days) a wonderful piece of mechanism. Besides all this variety, as well as extent, of knowledge, in so young a man, Heylyn, who was by no means partial to the principles of our Reformers, informs us, that he was "well studied with the ancient fathers."

Thus fraught with human knowledge and with divine grace, we cannot wonder, that Dr. Ponet was so soon and so much taken notice of. Above all, God gave him the desire to devote his great abilities to the cause and service of the Gospel. He not only preached much, but is said to have written much for the truth, both in Latin and English. But the piece, for which he is most remembered, is the composition called, "King Edward's Catechism," which was approved and passed by the synod, which passed the book of articles, under the king's warrant. Fuller says, that this catechism" was first compiled (as appears by the king's patent prefixed) by a single dis vine, charactered pious and learned; but afterwards perused and allowed by the bishops and other learned men, &c. and by royal authority commanded to all schoolmas ters to teach it their scholars." All the great Reformed revised it, and particularly archbishop Cranmer, without whom nothing was undertaken or set forth in religion, during king Edward's reign.

This catechism is highly Calvinistic, and perfectly correspondent with the articles, which were published about the same time. It came out in 1553, in two editions,

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the one Latin, and the other English, with the royal pri vilege. Indeed, the pious king himself prefaced this catechism by a letter, dated at Greenwich, May 20, in which he "charges and commands all schoolmasters whatsoever, within his dominions, as they did reverence his authority, and as they would avoid his royal displeasure, to teach this catechism, diligently and carefully, in all and every their schools; that so, the youth of the kingdom might be settled in the grounds of true religion, and furthered in God's worship."-At that time, and afterwards in the reign of queen Elizabeth, the catechizing children and servants was thought to be of so much importance to posterity, that the neglect of it was entitled to some very severe penalties.

When queen Mary came to the crown, and gave a bloody earnest of what Protestants may expect to receive from bigoted Papists; Dr. Ponet, with some other great and good men, thought it prudent to quit the kingdom. He accordingly retired to Strasburgh in Germany, where hedeparted this life, on the 11th of April, aged only forty

years.

Bishop Godwin mentions that, Ponet published several works in Latin and English, which were extant in his time, but which we have not seen. They are however supposed to be chiefly upon theological subjects.

POOL, FERDINANDO, was born at Ulsthorp in Leicestershire, of godly parents, and educated in the college of Dublin. He was afterwards forced to go for ordination to Ireland, where there was a more moderate bishop than his native country would then afford. He was there ordained without subscription to those things which his conscience could not comply with. The bishop (who stiled himself Laonensis) gave him deacon's orders Aug. 24, and priest's orders Sept. 3, 1626. Mr. Pool was a serious, plain, and constant preacher. For the greater part. of his time he was in the family of that grave and pious matron Mrs. Piggot of Thrumpton in Nottinghamshire, who by her interest and money sheltered him from the bishops' courts for several years. In her family he had seven children born and brought up. But when the civil war broke out, not being able to continue there any longer, he removed into Huntingdonshire, one of the associated

associated counties, where he had the living of Great Catworth, of about one hundred and thirty pounds per annum; yet such was his contempt of the world, such his affection to the good people of Thrumpton, and such his grateful respect to his good friend Mrs. Piggot, that when the war was over, he voluntarily left this living, and returned to his former, though he had a much smaller stipend. Here he continued till Bartholomew-day, 1662, and then was forced away again by his nonconformity. He died at Ashby-de-laZouch, in the house of his son-in-law Mr. Samuel Shaw, 1676, aged upwards of 80. He was a man of great humility and sincerity. He also possessed considerable ministerial abilities. He was particularly eminent in prayer, and had many remarkable answers to his prayers.

POOLE, MATTHEW, an eminent nonconformist minister, was son of Francis Poole, esq. of York, where he was born in 1624. Having laid a competent foundation of grammar learning, he was sent to Emanuel College, Cambridge, and put under the tuition of Dr. John Worthington. He afterwards took the degree of M, A. there; and falling in with the Presbyterian opinions, concerning ecclesiastical polity, which then prevailed, he entered into the ministry, and about 1648, became rector of St. Michael le Querne in London. In 1654, he published a piece in 12mo. entitled, "The Blasphemer slain with the Sword of the Spirit: or, a Plea for the Godhead of the Holy Ghost, wherein the Deity of the Spirit is proved, against the Cavils of John Biddle." In 1657, in that act at Oxford, when the protector Cromwell resigned that chancellorship, and was succeeded therein by by his son Richard, Mr. Poole was incorporated master of arts of that university, and April, in the following year, he projected a plan for maintaining at those places some choice students designed for the ministry. In 1659, he wrote a letter, in one sheet 4to. to the lord Charles Fleetwood, which was delivered to him Dec. 13, in reference to the juncture of affairs at that time. In the same view of supporting the Presbyterian power, he published also that year, in 4to. his "Quo Warranto: A moderate Debate about the preaching of anordained Persons: Election, Ordination, and the Extent of the ministerial Relation, in vindication of the Jus Divinum Ministerii, from VOL. III.-No. 75.

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the Exceptions of a late piece entitled, the Preacher sent." In the title page of his "Quo Warranto" it is said to be written by the appointment of the provincial assembly at London. In 1660 he took a share in the Morning Exercise, which was then set up by those of the London clergy, who were thus puritanically inclined. The same year he printed a sermon upon John iv. 23, 24. preached before the lord mayor of London, against re-establishing the liturgy of the church of England, and refusing to comply with the Act of Uniformity in 1662, he incurred an ejectment from his rectory; upon which occasion he printed a piece in Latin, entitled," Vox clamantis in Deserto." However, he submitted to the law with a commendable resignation. Being unmarried he was free from the charge of a family, and enjoying a paternal estate of one hundred pounds per annum, he sat down to his studies, resolving to employ his pen in the service of religion in general, without regard to the particular disputes among Protestants. In this view, meeting with suitable encouragement from all parties, he drew the design of a very laborious and useful work, and printed a specimen, which was approved particularly by Dr. Lightfoot, who also offered him assistance in the work. It was published by him in 1669, and the following years, under the title of "Synopsis Criticorum Bibliorum."

In the midst of this employment he found leisure to testify his zeal against Popery, in a treatise concerning the infallibility of the church, printed in 1666, 8vo. which was followed by another the next year, 8vo. entitled, "Dialogues between a Popish Priest and an English Protestant, wherein the principal Points and Arguments of both Religions are truly proposed, and fully examined." Besides these, he wrote "a Seasonable Apology for Reli gion, on Matth. xi. 14". London, 1673, 4to. The first of these pieces was reprinted in 1679. And the same year be observed his name in the list among those that were to be cut off, printed in the depositions of Titus Oates concerning the Popish plot; and an incident which befel him not long after, gave him so great an apprehension of his danger, that he thought proper to retire into Holland, where he died this year, about the middle of October, not without some suspicion of being poisoned. The incident was this. Having passed an evening at alderman Ashurst's