9. True humility gaineth and overcometh God Almighty, and maketh thee also apt and meet to receive all graces and gifts; but alas! who can fay that he hath this bleffed meeknefs, it being fo hard, fo uncertain, fo fecret and unknown a thing, to forfake and mortify perfectly and exactly thyfelf, and that moft venomous worm of all goodnefs, vainglory?

Jo. Commit all to the high providence of God, and fuffer nothing to reft or enter into thy heart, fave only God; all things in the earth are too bafe to take up thy love or care, or to trouble thy noble heart, thy immortal and heavenly mind: Let them care and forrow, or rejoice, about these things, who are of the world, for whom Chrift would not pray.

11. Thou canst not please nor ferve two masters at once; thou canst not love divers and contrary things if then thou wouldst know what thou loveft, mark well what thou thinkeft moft upon; leave earth, and have heaven; leave the world, and have God.

12. All fin and vice fpringeth from the property of our own will: All virtue and perfection cometh and groweth from the mortifying of it, and the refigning of it wholly to the pleasure and will of God.

HISTORICAL

HISTORICAL FACTS in the Life of Bishop LEIGHTON, with his Laft Will; and fome Particulars about the founding of the Public Library at Dunblane. Extracted from the original Library Catalogue, and never before printed.

ARCHBISHOP LEIGHTON, after refigning his archbishoprick, took leave of the court and the world, and retired to the house of Mr Edward Lightmaker of Broadhurst, his nephew, by his fifter Madam Lightmaker, in Suffex, where he lived, in an abfolute retirement, a moft devout and contemplative life, for the space of about feven years. In all this time he met with no interruption of his folitude, but one, which gave no small alarm to his thoughts. It was by a private letter from the King, whereof the true copy follows, and is configned in this town:

"I am refolved to trye what clemencie and gentle"nefs can prevaill upon fuch in Scotland as will not "conforme to the government of the church there : "for effectuating of which defign, I defyre ye may

go down to Scotland, with your 1ft conveniencie, "and take all poffible paines for perfuading all you "can, of both opinions, to as much mutual correfpondence and concord as can be; and fend me, "from tyme to tyme, characters, both of men and things. In order to this defign, I fhall fend a pre"cept for two hundreth pounds Str. on my Exchequer, till ye refolve how to ferve me in a stated employment."

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Bishop Leighton mortified L. 300 for a philofophy burfary at Glasgow:-L. 300 for the maintenance of four old men in St Nicholas' Hofpital at Glasgow, in the town of Glafgow's hands :-L. 50 to the philofophy burfary in Edinburgh :-And L. 1024 Scots to the poor of Dunblane parish.

The Bishop's teftament and latter will follows:

"At Broadhurst, Feb. 17. 1683.

"Being at present (thanks be to God) in my ac"customed health of body, and foundness of mind "and memory, I do write this with my own hand, to fignify, that, when the day I fo much wifhed and longed for is come, that shall fet me free of this pri"fon of clay, wherein I am lodged,-What I leave be"hind me of money, goods, or chattels, or whatfo"ever of any kind that was called mine, I do de"vote to charitable ufes, partly fuch as I have re"commended particularly to my fifter Mrs Sophia "Lightmaker, and her fon Mr Edward Lightmaker "of Broadhurst, and the remainder to fuch other "charities as their own difcretion fhall think fitteft; "only I defign each of them to accept of a small "token of a little grateful acknowledgment of their "great kindnefs, and their trouble they have had "with me for fame years that I was their guest; the "proportion of which (to remove their fcruple of "taking it) I did exprefsly name to themselves while "I was with them, before the writing hereof, and likewife after I had written it: But they need not give any part of it to any other; the whole being left "to their difpofe: Neither, I hope, will any other "friend or relations of mine take it unkindly that "I leave no legacy to any of them, defigning, as is

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faid, fo entirely to charitable purposes the whole "remainder: Only, my books, I leave and bequeath "to the Cathedral of Dunblane in Scotland, to re"main there, for the ufe of the clergy of that dio,

" cefs.

"cefs. I think I need no more, but that I appoint "my faid fifter Mrs Sophia Lightmaker of Broad"hurft, and her fon Mr Edward Lightmaker of "Broadhurst, joint executors of this my will, if they "be both living at my decease, as I hope they fhall; "or, if that one of them fhall be furviving, that one "is to be fole executor of it. I hope none will raise "any question or doubt about this, upon any omif"fion or informality of expreffion in it; being, for "prevention thereof, as plainly expreffed as it could "be conceived neceffary by me. And this I de"clare to be the laft will and teftament of

"RO. LEIGHTON."

Having thus fettled his worldly affairs, he continued in his beloved retirement, waiting daily for his happy exit, which fell out the next year. He received a letter from Dr Gilbert Burnet, giving him an account, that some of his best friends were come from Scotland to London, who had a great defire to fee him, after fo many years abfence, and that one of them had thoughts to wait on him in his folitude in the country. He, to prevent this, and upon a tender regard to those noble perfons, then at Court, chofe rather to come up himself, than to give them the trouble to come down to the country. Proposals were then made him of coming down to Scotland; but he did abfolutely ftop his ears to all motions of that kind, affuring these noble persons that treated with him, that his race was near at an end, and that the time of his diffolution was drawing on. Accordingly, a few days thereafter, he fickened at London, 25th June 1684, and rendered up his spirit to the Father of fpirits. He keeped not his chamber above a week, nor his bed above three days. He was attended during his fickness by Dr Burnet, and Dr Call, Principal of the College of Glasgow, who may poffibly publish to the world a more full account of his life and death, there being in both very remarkable inftances wor

thy

thy of record; that the memory of the just may be had in remembrance, and that the example of fo great and good a man may preach, and prove an incitement to virtue and godliness, and a practical copy of holy living and dying. He was buried in Broadhurft church.

His nephew, feemingly a man of the fame spirit, fent L. 100 Sterling to build a chamber for the books; that too small, L. 60 more, afterwards remitted: Likewife, L. 200 for a librarian. Clerk Graham, who had been prefented to St Stephen's chaplainry in Dunblane for life, refigned it to the library. Lord Vifcount Strathallan gave the carriages;-James Robertfon, his chamberlain, master of work;-George, his fon, in 1688, after the house was finished. Sir Hew Paterfon carried on the correfpondence with Mr Edward Haverfield, of the Middle Temple; the former having been a special trustee of Bishop Leighton.

FINI S.

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