The Literature of the Church of England Indicated in Selections from the Writings of the Eminent Divines Volume 2; With Memoirs of Their Lives, and Historical Sketches of the Times in Which They Lived (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1844 Excerpt: ... Every particular in the childhood and youth of this prelate, --the solemn occurrences of the time, the religious character of his parents and first schoolmaster, some providential escapes from sickness and accident which he has recorded, the sedate and learned society he fell into at the university, --all these circumstances conspired to develope that profound, but simple spirit of piety, which appears conspicuously throughout his life and writings. Symon Patrick was born at Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, in the year 1626. His father (who, though bred to a trade, was the son of a gentleman of some property and good education, ) was much reduced in circumstances by the breaking out of the civil war. He did not, however, despair of accomplishing the intention which he had formed in his more prosperous circumstances, of training up his son a scholar. When the youth had arrived at seventeen or eighteen years of age, he procured letters of introduction to Whichcote and Cudworth, then (1644) both of Emmanuel College; depending on which, for the means of entering him as a sizar, he took him with him to Cambridge. Emmanuel College he found already full; but on the recommendation of those powerful friends, the young scholar was admitted of Queen's. Here his piety and application to his studies soon attracted favourable notice: he obtained the best scholarship in the college, and within a year from taking his first degree was chosen fellow; "before which time," he records, "I had been so studious as to fill whole books with observations out of various ancient authors, with some of my own, which I made upon them. I find one book begun in the year 166, wherein I have noted many useful things; and another, more large, in 1647, having the word 'jEternitas, ' at the top of m...