Though in the Prefaces of the useful Books which he now Published, he Repeated an Ungrantable Request unto his Friends, No longer to Pray for his Life; They only Prayed the more for it. When he had finished Forty nine Years of his Public Ministry, he Preached a Sermon full of Rare and Rich Thoughts upon, A Jubilee; And he requested for a Dismission from any further Public Labours. His Flock Prized them too much, to hear of That: But anon, when they saw the Proper Time, for it, that they might render his Old Age as easy as might be to him, they Wisely and Kindly Voted it, That the Labours of the Pulpit should be expected from him, only when he should find himself able and inclined for them.—It would be no strange thing, if while he wanted yet some Years to reach Fourscore, there should be found some little thing that might carry something of Senile Weakness in it. But, he held it unto Four score in a Wonderful Exercise of his Intellectual Powers, and with Public Ministrations to very Great Congregations, which his Ministry continued still to give the greatest Satisfaction to. A Treatise, which he Published about this Time, concerning An Hoary Head found in the Way of Righteousness, notably Described what he was himself, and as notably Declared, what he was yet able to do. He continued Preaching to vast Assemblies; and ⟨p. 198⟩such well-composed Sermons, that the Notes taken by some Ready Writers after him, when Communicated unto the Public by the way of the Press found their Acceptance in the Churches: Among which Ready Writers, we owe our particular Thanks to a Virtuous Gentlewoman, whose Exquisite Pen helped several of his Treatises into the World: in some sort as the Excellent Lady Rich did the most Valuable and Admirable Book of Mr. Strong, on, The Covenant. Yea, and even After Fourscore the old Prophetic Strain had not forsaken him.
Though in the Praefaces of the useful Books which he now Published, he Repeated an Ungrantable Request unto his Friends, No longer to Pray for his Life; They only Pray'd the more for it. When he had finished Forty nine Years of his Public Ministry, he Preached a Sermon full of Rare and Rich Thoughts upon, A Jubille; And he requested for a Dismission from any further Public Labours. His Flock Prized them too much, to hear of That: But anon, when they saw the Proper Time, for it, that they might render his Old Age as easy as might be to him, they Wisely and Kindly Voted it, That the Labours of the Pulpit should be expected from him, only when he should find himself able and inclin'd for them.—It would be no strange thing, if while he wanted yet some Years to reach Fourscore, there should be found some little thing that might carry something of Senile Weakness in it. But, he held it unto Four score in a Wonderful Exercise of his Intellectual Powers, and with Public Ministrations to very Great Congregations, which his Ministry continued still to give the greatest Satisfaction to. A Treatise, which he Published about this Time, concerning An Hoary Head found in the Way of Righteousness, notably Described what he was himself, and as notably Declared, what he was yet able to do. He continued Preaching to vast Assemblies; and ⟨p. 198⟩such well-composed Sermons, that the Notes taken by some Ready Writers after him, when Communicated unto the Public by the way of the Press found their Acceptance in the Churches: Among which Ready Writers, we owe our particular Thanks to a Vertuous Gentlewoman, whose Exquisite Pen help'd several of his Treatises into the World: in some sort as the Excellent Lady Rich did the most Valuable and Admirable Book of Mr. Strong, on, The Covenant. Yea, and even After Fourscore the old Prophetic Strain had not forsaken him.
