and solid; his memory strong, his affections lively, and above all his piety was eminent. He spent much time in retirement, and when in health, constantly rose at four o'clock even in winter, and was much troubled if he heard smiths and other labourers at their work before he had entered on his. Till eight o'clock he was employed in reading, meditation, prayer, and singing of psalms, in which he much delighted, alone as well as in company. He was eminent also for liberality *, though his income was not large; and he rode about to rich men to procure relief for his poor nonconforming brethren. Humility was conspicuous in his whole deportment. And though he was distinguished by his zeal, he was equally so by his moderation. His zeal was really for peace and quietness, for love and all manner o good works. He was not used to inflame men against par ties, nor backbite those from whom he differed, nor make those odious who were willing enough to have made him so but he avoided one extreme, with fear and suspicion of another. His people had his heart, and were blessed with his fruitful labours. He thought it sacrilege for a minister to give over his work while he had ability and opportunity for it, and therefore he chose a long imprisonment, ra ther than cease from his ministry. But he often attended the worship of the parish church, and encouraged his peo ple to do the sanie. When he suffered for the sake of a good conscience, he spoke not evil of dignities, nor kindled se ditious principles in the people's minds, nor aggravated hi own sufferings to exasperate them against his persecutors but in patience he possessed his soul, rejoicing in the ho nour conferred upon him, and in the good others received by his suffering as well as his preaching. It is to be lament ed that this excellent man should, through the ardour of hi zeal, have attempted more than human nature is capable of and thereby have deprived the world of the benefit of hi labours at a premature period. He was buried in the chan There were few poor families in Taunton; especially pious ones, bu he knew their necessities, and either by himself or his friends relieve them. He kept several children at school at his own expence, and dis tributed thousands of books, catechismns, and prayers. When he receive any uncommon mercy, he used to dedicate something to the Lord, as thank offering, to be employed in charitable and pious uses. When h wife would have restrained him in some of these expences, he answere That he was laying out for God, and God would repay bim; which "found true: for at his death, besides a comfortable provision for his dow, he had something to leave his relations, and several of his poor br thren. cel of St. Magdalen's church in Taunton, at which time. Mr. G. Newton preached a sermon, before a large auditory, in which he said many things to his honour. Over his grave was placed on a stone : Hic jacet Dominus Josephus Alleine, which is thus translated by Wood: Here Mr. Joseph Alleine lies, To God and you a Sacrifice. He was author of, 1. "A familiar Explication of the Assembly's Catechism."-2. "A Call to Archippus; urging the ejected Ministers to continue in their Ministry."-3. "An Alarm to the Unconverted:" a book for which multitudes will have cause for ever to be thankful: 20,000 copies of it were sold under that title, and 50,000 under another: "The sure Guide to Heaven," besides great numbers since.-4. "Divers Cases satisfactorily resolved."-5. "His Remains; being a Collection of Sacramental Speeches, Letters, &c. written in Prison."-He left behind him, 6. "A Body of Natural Theology," in a good Latin style. He first laid down the Christian Doctrine, and then added, by way of Annotations, the Testimonies of the ancient Philosophers. Wood says, he left several theological MSS. but most of them imperfect, except this; "Theologiæ Philosophia; sive Philosophiæ Theologiæ Specimen ; in quo æterni Dei providentia," &c. written in 1661, and licensed for the press, but none would be at the expence of printing it.-8. "A Soliloquy; representing a Believer's Trial."-9. "A form of covenanting with God."-10. " Prayers for the Use of his People." -Besides some small things printed with his Assembly's Catechism.-Mr. Baxter says, in the introduction to his life, that he also wrote the Synopsis of the Covenant; being the 3d. part of Mr. R. Allein's Vindiciae Pietatis. ALLEN, THOMAS, was born at Norwich, in 1608, where he received the rudiments of his education, after which he was entered of Caius College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of M. A. some time after which he was minister of St. Edmund's in the city of Norwich. He was silenced, by bishop Wren, as was also Mr. Bridge and several others, about 1636, for refusing to read the Book of Sports, and not conforming to other impositions in that diccese. In 1638, he fled to New England, and approved himself, says Mr. Cotton Mather, a pious and painful minister of the gospel at Charles Town. Mr. Allen remained in America till about 1651, and then returned to Norwich, where he continued to exercise himself in the ministry till 1662, when he was ejectVOL. I.-No. 3. H ed ed from the rectory of St. George's in that city. Mr. Harmer tells us, that he was chosen pastor of the Congregational church there, (as appears from the church book,) in January, 1657, and continued in that situation till his death. This may seem inconsistent with his having been ejected from one of the parish churches; but he might become pastor to the Independent church, and yet continue preacher to the parish, as was the case with some others. After the passing of the Act of Uniformity he preached to his church here upon every occasion that offered, till the time of his death, which happened Sept. 21, 1673, when he was 65 years of age. He was a very pious man, greatly beloved, and an able practical preacher. Mr. Martyn Fynch, in a preface to one of his books, printed after his death, gives him a great character. Mr. Allen was author of, 1." An Invitation to thirsty Sinners to come to their Saviour;" printed in New England.-2. "The Way of the Spirit in bringing Souls to Christ."-3." The Glory of Christ set forth, with the Necessity of Faith;" in several Sermons.-4. "A Chain of Scripture Chronology, from the Creation to the Death of Christ, in seven Periods." London, 1659. Mr. Cotton Mather calls this a most learned and useful piece; and Mr. Greenhill prefixed a high commendation to it. ALLIX, PETER, a learned Protestant divine, whose whole life was devoted, with equal success and ability, to the service of the church against Popery, and to the cause of Christianity itself against several sorts of heretics, who endeavoured to sap its foundations. He was born at Alençon, in France, in 1641, where he received a liberal education. He became minister of the Reformed church at Rouen, in Normandy; where, before he was 35 years of age, he distinguished himself by several learned works in support of the Protestant religion. These raised his character, and occasioned his appointment to the church at Charenton, then the principal church of the French Reformed, about a league from Paris, at the confluence of the rivers Seine and Marne. In this situation, he applied himself to repel the artful attacks of the bishop of Meaux, who was then labouring to overturn the Protestant religion, by seeming concessions to its professors. His sermons upon this occasion were afterwards printed in Holland, and met with deserved commendations from Mr. Bayle, and from every body else capable of judging in such matters. Upon the revocation of the edict of Nantes, Mr. Allix, with multitudes of his profession, fled from the tyranny and superstition of their na tive land; many of whom, with himself, found a welcome. asylum in the British dominions, in 1685. His capacity, zeal, and learning, procured him a most deserved as well as distinguished reception. He immediately applied himself to the gaining our language, which he attained to a surprising perfection. The degree of doctor in divinity was an honour immediately conferred; and, in 1690, the treasurership of the church of Salisbury followed it for his support. As no man was ever better qualified, it was thought of to engage him in writing an authentic history of the councils; but the design unhappily dropped, for want of encouragement. Dr. Allix, however, could not be idle, but wrote several equally learned and entertaining pieces in the Protestant cause, which established his credit in England, as high as it had been in his own country. In the year 1699, he wrote a very learned and admirable book in defence of the Trinity, which had considerable effect upon the public. Mornay, Witsius, and others, had walked over much of the same ground; but Allix's principal view was to defeat a new paradox of the Unitarians in their answer to bishop Bull. They contend ed, that all the Jewish authors, which mention that doctrine lived after Justin Martyr, that is, since the year 140, or at least after the publication of the gospel; that even the books of these Jewish authors are pious frauds, as well as those of Philo the Jew, and the Book of Wisdom; that the Jews, prior to that period, could not speak of the Trinity or the Divinity of Christ, because they knew nothing of those things; and that, at most, whatever is to be found, either in the Scriptures or among the Jews, agrecable to those doctrines, probably proceeded from the Platonists, and were adopted in order to render the religion of Jesus acceptable to the Pagans. Against these preposterous assertions, founded both in ignorance of the language of the Bible, and of ecclesiastical antiquity, Dr. Allix set himself, and has proved, that the ancient Jewish church, with respect to the Trinity and Divinity of the Messiah, had the very same ideas at the bottom, though less clear and explicit, which the Christian hath at this day. This was a great work; and be has executed it with the greatest erudition and fidelity. While we are treating on this subject, we might also mention, that another work of this kind has since been published, to shew, that the doctrine of a Trinity not only obtained (as Mr. Allix had prepared a most pathetic discourse, which he intend d to have delivered as a farewell to his congregation, but which he was liged to omit. This sermon was afterwards printed. H 2 well well it might according to the scriptures) among the ancient Jews, but also in all parts of the world, where any fragments of remote opinions, or even the origins of nations, have been preserved. This is done, but rather succinctly, in the introduction to a book, entitled, "Hora Solitariæ, or Essays upon the Divinity of Christ." Dr. Allix, after these elaborate performances, still continued to oblige the Christian world by his writings for many years. They have been attacked, as such works always will be, by a variety of adversaries to the truth of the Gospel. Among the rest, the Doctor had a conversation with Mr. Whiston, which being of some curiosity and importance, shall be subjoined in a note *. He enjoyed a very uncommon share of health and The little Treatise of our Author, from which this conversation is taken, is now become extremely scarce, and bears the following title: "Remarks upon some Places of Mr. Whifton's Books, either printed or in manuscript. By P. Allix, D. D. London, 1711, 8vo." The account he gives us of his conversation with Mr. Whiston is very particular, and very worthy of the reader's notice; and therefore, as well as in regard to the scarceness of this tract, which is but a pamphlet, I will give the whole passage in the author's own words, esteeming ita very entertaining part of his personal history. "The late Dr. Payne, as Mr. Whiston saith, (for I think they both joined in the question,) having asked me, whether the Holy Spirit was addressed to in the public prayers of the primitive church? I answered, "That if they ever had read the works of St, Basil the great they would have found a satisfactory answer to their question; for that he had writ a large discourse on that very subject, in which, he not only supposes, that all their public prayers were directed to the Father by the intercession of the Son in the Holy Spirit; but proves likewise, that the Deity of the Spirit, was generally supposed by the church, in that form, though it was not formally directed to him alone." I advised him to read that piece of St. Basil, who had a natural occasion of examining this matter, by the complaint which was made against him; that in the doxology he ufed indifferently these words: Glory be to the Father, with the Sou, and in, or with the Holy Ghost. And indeed, St. Basil writing near fifty years after the rise of Arianism (which gave the hint to Macedonius, bishop of Constantinople, to deny the divinity of the Holy Ghost, and to do all he could to support his heresy) had solidly defended the sense of the primitive church, in all times, and places, concerning the Deity of the Holy Spirit and confuted all the arguments of the Macedonians. This is the substance of that conversation; and, I am sure, the divines, and ministers, who were there, and then present, little thought, I had therein given any occasion for such a charge as Mr. Whiston has now, at the distance of twelve or thirteen years, publicly brought against me. He has given me indeed, the title of the very learned doctor, &c. But, as he doubtless has his reasons for what he does, I suppose, he might design at the same time, that it should serve for the justification of himself. "Timeo Danaos & Dono ferentes." Some months ago, one of Mr. Whiston's friends told me, he had heard from Mr. Whiston, such an account of that conversation, as he has since printed. I then told the gentleman the whole truth |