Faithful souls shall be with Christ the certainty proved and their Christianity described, and…

IV. He greatly hated backbiting, and obloquy: Speak evil of no man] was a Text which he often had in his Mouth: I never knew any noted Men so free from that vice, as Judge Hale and Mr. Ashhurst: If a Man had begun to speak ill of any Man behind his back, either they would say nothing▪ or divert him to something else, or show their distaste of it: Sin he would speak against, but very little of the Person. Only one sort of Men he would take the liberty to express his great dislike of; and that was The Hinderers of the Gospel, and Silencers of faithful Preachers of it, and Persecutors of Godly Christians, and Oppressors of the Poor: and their pretences of Government, and Order, and talk against Schism, could never reconcile him to that sort of Men: But his distaste was never signified by scurrility, nor any thing that savoured of an unruly or Seditious Spirit.

IV. He greatly hated backbiting, and obloquy: Speak evil of no man] was a Text which he often had in his Mouth: I never knew any noted Men so free from that vice, as Judge Hale and Mr. Ashhurst: If a Man had begun to speak ill of any Man behind his back, either they would say nothing▪ or divert him to something else, or shew their distast of it: Sin he would speak against, but very little of the Person. Only one sort of Men he would take the liberty to express his great dislike of; and that was The Hinderers of the Gospel, and Silencers of faithful Preachers of it, and Persecutors of Godly Christians, and Oppressors of the Poor: and their pretenses of Government, and Order, and talk against Schism, could never reconcile him to that sort of Men: But his distast was never signified by scurrility, nor any thing that savoured of an unruly or Seditious Spirit.

V. His Heart was set on the hallowing of Gods Name, the coming of his Kingdom, and the doing of his Will on Earth, as it is done in Heaven: on the propagating of Religion, and encouraging all able faithful Preachers, and Practicers of it to his power. Ever since I knew him, it seemed much more of his serious business in the World than his Trade or worldly gain was: He was a right hand to his faithful Pastor good old Mr. Simeon Ash: How seldom did I visit Mr. Ash at any time, but I ound or left them together: And now they are together with Christ: He did not Love with barren words, nor serve God of that which cost him nothing: Few, but I knew from his own mouth, that he gave these 18 years (since August 24. 1662.) an hundred pound a year to the ejected Ministers of Lancashire and some Schools there, and in the neighbour parts, and many Bibles, Catechisms and other good Books to divers places besides the said 100l. a year. And a friend of his and mine tell me, that it was to him that he yearly delivered it to be distributed, save that lately twenty pound a year of it went to Northumberland.