stretched out for their relief For standing within his own Shop with his own hands he ministred supplies unto them all and so dismissed them for the present And the next morning when there was a renewall of their sad complaints his charitable care of them was renewed also and thus he continued morning by morning even for the space of near three moneths till the return of the Mayor into the City Besides his great care of supplying the wants of such poor as came unto him he had a speciall respect to poor House-keepers and Tradesmen such as were ashamed and unwilling to make their sad and necessitous condition known and a peculiar care of the godly poor concerning whom he used to advise with the Constables and Churchwardens of every Parish and according to their need would proportion some relief and help unto them and send it by the hands of the said Constables or Churchwardens And his care for the poor was not only in that extraordinary season as their exigents did require but so long as he continued in the land of the living And he was so constantly exercised in this great work of charity that he did it as it were naturally as the Apostle speaks of Timothy Phil. 2. 20. But though he did well yet heard he ill even for this and by some it was cast in his teeth that he made beggars and when he was asked by a man of place and estate what he would give to keep the poor from begging supposing that he would not be so forward therein as he was in relieving them he freely offered a great part of his estate upon condition that the other would do the like But when he saw his forwardness the other pulled back his shoulder and would not joyn with him therein He was given much to hospitality He would not eat his morsels alone by himself as Job 31. 17. He well remembred the Apostles direction Heb. 13. 2. Be not forgetfull to entertain strangers He was most loving and friendly to them and especially to such as did suffer for conscience sake As those godly Ministers who were silenced for Non-Conformity although his own judgement was well satisfied in that point To him they did continually resort and by him they were kindly entertained Insomuch as by the profaner sort he was cried out on as an Arch-Puritan But by those that took Religion to heart he was honoured with the title of Gaâ—us mine Hoste and of the whole Church as Rom. 16 23. If we consider his last Will and Testament we shall find in it very great and unparalleled acts of charity As he gave one third part of his temporall estate to his wife and another third part to his children according to the custome of the City so out of the other third part he left very large Legacies especially to the poor We will here omit many Legacies given to Ministers and others and point only at some that were more remarkeable and take them in his own words in his Will First I give to all the poor of this City and County that receive pay of Parishes and also to those that dwell in Almes-houses I give five shillings to each to be paid at my Buriall I give to one hundred more poor people ten shillings to each to be given to such as my Overseers shall think to have most need the honest poor to be chiefly looked unto Also I give to the poor of Lime where I was born and to the poor of Garnsey where I was new born five pounds to each place Also I forgive all the Moneys owing to me if it be under the value of twenty shillings to each These smaller summes which he had lent to the poor were very many Also my Will is and I give now more to fifty poor people of this City and County twenty shillings to each by my Overseers or the major part of them Thus out of that estate which God had given him he gave again by way of gratitude to God viz. to the poor who are Gods receivers God gave him and left him a competent estate after his many and great losses and which is more he gave him an heart to honour him with his substance Prov. 3. 9. and to lay it forth as became a faithfull Steward in the service and for the honour of his Lord who had intrusted him with it It 's true some did wonder and others did sharply censure him for his extraordinary charity and liberality and especially for that he left no greater a part of his estate to his wife But this may be said in his defence That the strait and close hearts of others are no fit pattern to measure his large heart by And besides God had opened his hand in giving very liberally unto him blessings both spirituall and temporall and especially spirituall even the graces and comforts of his Spirit and he enjoying such sweet communion with God even above most other men what marvel is it if he did more for God than other men use to do And as for his wife as he left her the third part of his estate so likewise he made her Executrix of his Will and thereby much more had come to her than there did had not some Debts which he accounted good failed and come short both of his and her expectation Besides he did assure himself that her Brother who was then living and a man of great estate would be ready to supply any of her wants Thus we have heard what Mr. Jurdaine did for God In the next place let us see also what God did for him Besides all those graces which were eminently in him and whereby he was enabled to act so zealously and vigorously for God which all were Gods free gift and that comfortable assurance that he had which was part of his reward The Lord also advanced him from a mean and low estate to the highest place of honour and dignity in that City His beginnings were but small as appears by his answer to some that threatened to follow him with Suits and not to give over till they had not left him worth a groat To whom he chearfully replied That he should be then but two pence poorer than when he came first to Exeter For said he I brought but six pence with me hither and yet through Gods blessing on his labours he gat a competent and comfortable estate whereby he maintained a large Family of children and servants kept hospitality was liberall to the poor and open-handed to any pious use even far beyond many who yet had larger estates But when he had the greatest temporall estate he set no great estimate upon these fading perishing things He set them not up in his heart as worldlings use to do but trod them under his feet And usually also he set them very low in his ordinary discourse of them and especially when he was speaking of Heaven and heavenly things And yet he did not
been made happy in the enjoyment of two such Husbands as few women in our times have attained to Whilst he was labouring as aforesaid in the work of the Lord for more publick service he was chosen by the Parliament for one of that County to attend and assist in the Assembly of Divines called together by their Authority at Westminster where being of very good use he was often ordered by the Parliament to preach before them at their publick Fasts and upon other their more solemn occasions He was also chosen by them to be one of their Morning week-dayes Preachers in the Abbey at Westminster besides his constant Sabbath-dayes labours in another great Congregation St. Martins in the Fields where he was a blessing to many thousands From thence he was ordered to be Master of Emanuel Colledge in the University of Cambridge which being not a sphere large enough for his activity he was after a while removed to the Mastership of Trinity Colledge where what great good he did many that lived under him can give an ample Testimony and that happy change proclaimed from that confusion by reason of those distracted times in which he found it to that orderly composure and frame in which through Gods blessing he left it How sollicitous he was for their best welfare his frequent preaching in their Chappel to them all and his writing to their Seniors speaks out fully and many can bear witness how humble and loving he was to them in his carriage how studious to keep up College-Exercises how zealous to advance Piety and Learning and for that purpose to countenance and prefer such as he observed to be eminent in either As he was a University-man he was zealously carefull 1. Of its Honour which the Parliament can witness in an unkindly contest about it and also his care in collecting the decayed Antiquities of that University whose pains in that Argument it is pity but that they were communicated to the world 2. Of its Priviledges as alwayes so especially in those two years together in which he was Vice-Chancellor for which he suffered in some mens reputes unjustly 3. Of its Profit and Emolument being a special means of procuring to it from the Parliament the Lambeth Library which of right as it was judged fell to that University as also from a worthy Knight Sir John Wollaston Alderman of the City of London a yearly stipend for a Mathematick Lecturer and also large summes of money for the fitting of the Publick Library that it might be of general use for the accomplishment whereof the University is more wayes than one his Debtor 4. Lastly Of the general good and well-ordering of it Surely it was his careful thought in private with himself as appeared by his making it the subject of his discourse with others scarce was there a time wherein he met with his intimate and judicious friends but he would be asking or proposing something that way By this it appeared that his care was to keep up those Universities which some in those times would have ruined upon which occasion Gâ—â—tius pronounceth many Christians to be worse than the Philistines for they 1 Sam. 10. 5. would let the company of Prophets alone even where they kept a Garrison As he was a Divine he was sound in the Faith orthodox in his judgement firmly adhering to the good old Doctrine of the Church of England even that which in that University was taught and maintained by famous Whitaker Perkins Daunant Ward and many others in their times and in the other University amongst other great Names there he was a great admirer of the Right Reverend and Judicious Dr. Robert Abbot Bishop of Salisbury and well were it if there he had many more such Admirers The Doctrines of Gods Sovereignty in his Decrees Of his In-conditionate Free-electing-love Of his Free-grace against Free-will and the power of Nature in Spirituals Of justification by the imputed Righteousness of Christ against the perfection of inherent Righteousness now attainable by us in this life Of perseverance in Grace against the Apostacy of the Saints and the like were not with this pious and learned man as they are now called by some Sects and Notions matters onely of learning and curiosity and of the Presbyterian Faction But of the life-blood of Faith which at his death as he expressed to a Friend of his he had singular comfort from and in his life firmly beleeved constantly preached and by his Pen endeavoured to maintain and defend and that against the great daring Champion of the contrary errors whom the abusive wits in the University with 〈◊〉 impudent boldness could say none there durst adventure upon whose immodest scurrility his learned ananswer to that daring adversary which he had made so fair a progress in had shortly consuted had not he by his more sudden death been therein prevented As a Minister of the Gospel In his preaching he was plain powerful spiritual frequent and laborious For besides what in that kinde he did as to the University in St. Maries and in the Colledge Chappel which was very happy in his often pains there In the Town he set up one Lecture every Sabbath morning in the Parish Church of St. Michael performed only by himself and cheerfully frequented by a great confluence both of Schollars and Townsmen and another in the Church of All-Hallows every Lords day in the afternoon in which he did bear at least the fourth part of the burden and both of them Gratis as there were many more such Lectures there performed much about the same rate weekly by other pious learned men and more indeed than are in any Town or City upon those tearms in all England or are like to be there again which is mentioned that God may have the glory in the first place and then for the honour of that Reformation which so many do traduce and spit at as also of those more noble spirited Preachers who so freely offered unto God that which did cost them so much for which of men they received nothing But that place of Cambridge did not bound the course of this our laborious Preachers Ministry but as it is said of our Saviour Matth. 9. 35. That he went about all Cities and Villages teaching and preaching and of St. Paul Rom. 15. 17. That from Jerusalem and round about and that to Illyricum which was in right line three hundred and thirty German miles as Pareus upon the place computes it he did fully preach the Gospel imitating herein as Jerom observes his Lord and Master that Sun of Righteousness whose going forth is from the ends of the Heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it Psa. 19. 6. In these their blessed steps our Brother trod and followed them in his painful Ministry diligently preaching when he had occasion to be abroad in remoter parts but especially in many Towns and Villages nearer hand round about the
his Family he was very exemplary His house was another Bethel for he did not onely constantly upon conscientious principles use morning and evening Prayer and reading the sacred Scriptures in his Family but also he catechized his children and servants wherein God gave him a singular gift for their edification for in teaching them he used not any set form but so as that he brought them whom he instructed to express the principles taught them in their own words so that his children as Gregory Nazianzen saith of his Father found him as well a spiritual as a natural Father Yea never any servant came to his house but gained a great deal of knowledge therein So likewise did diverse others who at the request of their Parents were instructed by him He was in a special manner a strict and conscionable sanctifier of the Lords day and that not onely in the exercise of publick duties incumbent upon his Office but also in the private sanctification of it in the duties of piety in and with his Family and secret in his Closet and for this end as he did forbear providing of Suppers the Eve before the Sabbath that servants might not be occasioned thereby to sit up late so neither would he suffer any servant to stay at home for dressing any meat upon the Lords day for the entertainment of friends whether they were great or mean few or many On the Sabbaths after his publick labours were ended divers Neighbours wanting helps in their own Families came to his house where he repeated his Sermons after so familiar a manner that many have professed that they were much more benefited by them in that his repetition than they were in the first hearing of them for he did not use word by word to read out of Notes what he had preached but would by Questions and Answers draw from those of his own houshold such points as were delivered and this Exercise being ended his constant course was to visit such of his Parish as were sick or by pain and weakness were dis-inabled to go to the publick Ordinances with each of whom he would discourse of some spiritual and heavenly subject suitable to their condition and after that he prayed with them wherein he had a more than ordinary gift being able in apt words and expressions to commend their several cases unto God and to put up Petitions suitable to their several needs His usual course was to pray eight times in the publick Congregation on the Lords dayes for as he prayed before and after each Sermon so also before and after his reading and expounding the Scriptures which he performed both in the forenoon and afternoon And in his Family his constant course was to pray thrice every Lords day and that in a solemn manner viz. in the morning and evening and after his repetition of the Sermons He was ordained Minister in the two and thirtieth year of his age and about a year after which was in June 1608. he was called to the exercise of his Ministry in the Parish of Black-Friars London where he continued to his dying day which was about five and forty years and six months never accepting of any other Ministerial imployment though he had the proffers of many great places His manner of coming to Black-Friars was thus That Parish being destitute of a preaching Minister Mr. Hildersam a famous pious powerful Preacher being in company with some of the better sort of the Inhabitants of Black-Friars who complained of their want he told them that there was one living in Stratford-Bow who was out of imployment whom he judged very fit for them Hereupon divers of them went thither on the Lords day where he frequently preached gratis to help the Minister that then was there and upon hearing of him they liked him so well that making report thereof to their neighbours he was by an un animous consent nemine contradicente chosen to be their Minister which election being made known to him he accepted of it and ever after shewed a great respect to the Inhabitants of that place Before Mr. Gouge came to them they had not so much as a Church of their own to meet and hear the word of God in nor any place wherein to bury their dead but by such means as he used the Church and Church-porch together with the Ministers house and Church-yard all which they enjoyed before but upon curtesie were bought in so as now they all as their proper Inheritance do belong to the Parish of Black-Friars And five years after his coming thither the old Church being found too little to entertain those multitudes that flocked thither from all parts of the City to hear him he was an instrument of purchasing in certain rooms adjoyning whereby the Church was enlarged almost as big again as it was before The sum of purchasing new building and beautifying of which Church amounted to above one thousand five hundred pounds all which was procured partly by Collections at his Lectures and partly by the voluntaâ—y contributions of his Parishoners without any publick Collections in other places After this there being divers rooms under the said Church belonging to several Land-lords he used such means as to purchase them also for the benefit of the Parish which he did the rather to prevent all dangers that by wicked minded persons might have befaln Gods people in that Church by any contrivance in the rooms under the same Thus they who had nothing of their own at his first coming have now through his procurement the whole Church the Church-porch a Church-yard a Vault to bury their dead in a very fair Vestry with other adjacent rooms besides the house wherein he himself dwelt so long as he lived all which they hold as a perpetual Inheritance They have also a Lease of certain Tenements of a considerable value for three hundred years all which were procured by his Prudence Interest and Industry Such was his love and respect to this Parish as though he was oft proffered places of far greater value yet he refused them all oft saying That the height of his ambition was to go from Black-Friers to Heaven At his first coming to Black-Friers being in the thirty third year of his age he preached constantly besides twice every Lords day a weekly Lecture viz. on the Wednesdayes in the forenoon which for the space of about thirty five years was very much frequented and that not only by his Parishioners but by divers City Ministers and by sundry pious and judicious Gentlemen of the Innes of Court besides many other well-disposed Citizens who in multitudes flocked to hear his heavenly Doctrine yea such was the fame of Dr. Gouge his Ministry that when any Country Ministers and godly Christians came to London about their affairs they thought not their business fully ended unless they had been at Black-Friers Lecture And it pleased God to give such a
all his former Degrees Such respect was generally shewed to him as that in sundry publick Imployments he was chosen a Trustee or Feoffee As in the year 1626 he was chosen one of the Trustees for Mr. Whetenhalls three Lectures Also in the year 1616. he was chosen one of the Trustees for buying in of Impropriations and for many other pious and charitable uses wherein indeed he alwayes approved himself a carefull and faithfull Trustee and in some cases by his great pains and cost he procured to be setled for ever such pious Donations as would otherwise have been wrested away and alienated from their intended use The business about the buying in of Impropriations was this There was a select society of thirteen persons joyned themselves together as Trustees to stir up and encourage such as were piously affected to contribute towards the buying in of Impropriations and giving them freely towards the maintenance of godly and able Ministers And these were so faithful to their trust as albeit they met very frequently and spent much time and pains in consultation about that business yet did they never spend one penny out of the publick stock for the refreshing of themselves yea though they had sundry Agents and Messengers whom they imployed about that business and that both far and near yet did they never diminish that stock wherewithall they were intrusted to the value of a penny but themselves at least most of them contributed out of their own purses for the discharge of all by-expences And when they had the opportunity of buying in any great Impropriation and wanted money in stock to go through with it they did amongst themselves give or lend so much as might effect it and amongst others our Dr. Gouge at one time lent 300 l. gratis for that use besides the monthly contribution which he gave By this means in a few years space thirteen Impropriations were bought in which cost betwixt five and six thousand pounds into which their care was to put godly able and orthodox Ministers and their design was to plant a learned and powerful Ministry especally in Cities and Market Towns in several parts of the Kingdome where there was the greatest need for the better propagation of the Gospel in those parts Indeed this was it that raised up so much envy against them and made Dr. Laud the then Bishop of London to consult with Mr. Noy the Kings Atturney General about dissolving this Society and hereupon Mr. Noy brought them all into the Court of Exchequer picking this quarrel against them for that they had made themselves a body Incorporate without any Grant from the King When the Case had been debated by Learned Councel on both sides the result was that the Court adjudged their proceedings to be illegal that their Trust should be taken from them and that what Impropriations they had thus purchased should be made over to the King and that the King should appoint such as he thought meet to dispose of those Impropriations which they had bought in The aforesaid Atturney that strictly examined all their Receipts and Disbursments found that they had laid out of their own money at the time when they were questioned a thousand pounds more than they had received and thereupon obtained an Order of the Court that those debts should be first discharged out of the Revenues of the Impropriations before they should be disposed to particular uses Thus was their Trust quite wrested out of their hands and that excellent work fell to the ground Anno Christi 1653 Dr. Gouge was by the Authority of Parliament called to be a member of the Assembly of Divines wherein his attendance was assiduous not being observed during the whole time of that Session to be one day absent unless it were in case of more than ordinary weakness ever preferring that publick imployment before any private business whatsoever and therein he was not one to make up the number onely but a chief and useful member For he was chosen and sate as one of the Assessors and very often filled the Chair in the Moderators absence and such was his constant care and conscientiousness in the expence of time and improving it to the best advantage that in case of intermission in the Assembly affairs he used to apply himself to his private studies For which end it was his constant practice to carry his Bible and some other Books in his pocket which upon every advantage he drew forth and read in them as was observed by many Episcopacy also being voted down by both Houses of Parliament and so no ordinary way being left for the Ordination of Ministers the Parliament thought fit to set up an extraordinary way by Three and twenty Ministers who for the space of a year were to Ordain such as tendred themselves according to the Rules prescribed by them with the humble advice of the Assembly of which number Dr. Gouge was one and acted with his Brethen therein at which time I observed his strictness in keeping of Fasts For on an Ordination day which was alwayes accompanied with Fasting and Prayer in the afternoon one proffered him a peece of a candied Orange Pill which though he was then very ancient he refused to accept of till the work of the day was finished He was likewise chosen by a Committee of Parliament amongst others to write large Annotations upon the Bible being well known to be a judicious Interpreter of Scripture and how well he performed that Task is and may be evident to all that read his part which was from the beginning of the first Book of the King to Job In which the Intelligent Reader may observe such skill in the Original such acquaintance with the sacred Story such judgement in giving the genuine sence of the Text and such accuteness in raising pertinent Observations that without the help of any other Commentators a man may accommodate himself with the sense Doctrines and uses of most of those Scriptures that came under his hand in those brief Annotations Before this when the Book allowing Sports and Recreations on the Lords Dayes was by publick Authority injoyned to be read in all Churches throughout the Kingdome he as sundry others godly and faithful Ministers refused to read the same resolving rather to suffer the uttermost than to manifest the least approbation of so wicked and licentious a practice it being so contrary to the express letter of the Scripture By reason of his ability and dexterity in resolving Cases of Conscience he was much sought unto for his judgement in doubtful cases and scruples of Conscience and that not only by ordinary Christians but by divers Ministers also both in the City and Country sometimes by word of mouth and other sometimes by writing And indeed he was accounted the Father of the London Divines and the Oracle of his time He was likewise a sweet comforter of troubled Consciences wherein he
zeal as a Christian against prophane swearing and for the strict observation of the Sabhath wherein there is a remarkable instance of both at once and it was this Mr. Jurdaine returning from the Parliament in the company of a person of Honour he was invited by him to stay at his house that night being Saturday and the Sabbath following he having observed that Noble personage to swear as they travelled together told him that he would not go into his house for that he was a Swearer and he feared that the house would fall upon his head Answer was returned that he need not fear that for the house was newly built a fair and strong house To this he replied yea but the flying Rowl of Curses shall enter into the house of Swearers and shall consume the timber and stones of it But to obtain his company the Lord pressed the inconveniencies of his lodging in an Inne on the Sabbath day Mr. Jurdaine replied But I will never go into your house unless you will engage your self that no Oath shall be sworn â—nor cursing uttered by yourâ— your Lady nor none of your servants or Family This was faithfully promised Yea but then said Mr. Jurdaine how shall the Sabbath be kept the answer was That he should have an honest Sermon in the forenoon And what in the afternoon said he Except we shall have a good Sermon in the afternoon also I will not go in That likewise was granted and as it is said all was faithfully performed He was not for judgement only but for mercy also and he shewed mercy to the souls of them that were brought before him as transgressors of the Law and to be punished according to their demerits For he would labour to convince them of the hainousness of their offences that so he might bring them to a sight of their sins and to repentance for the same He did much encourage the Officers under him to a diligent and faithfull discharge of their duty and indeed they stood in much need of it meeting with many discouragements from some others and when he found them somewhat backward through timerousness or other by-respects to execute his Warrants upon persons of high place he would exhort them to be active and forward in doing their duty telling them In good earnest for that was his usuall word that if he had as good a Warrant from God as they had from him to apprehend offenders if he were required to apprehend the Devil himself he would not be backward to put it in execution His zeal was not only in distributive justice as a Magistrate but he was conscienciously carefull as a Christian in commutative justice in his commerce and dealings with men wherein he made the Word the rule of his practice and if he found at any time that he had swerved from that rule he would retract it that so neither his own conscience nor other men might reproach him for walking disorderly and besides the rule and that appeared not only by his avoiding all usurious Contracts but also in making restitution of all that had been gotten thereby He had sometimes taken usury for Money lent to a person about Lime which he had received for divers years for at that time he held it lawfull by reason of the practice which he had observed in some forreign States and the concurrent judgements of some Divines of note who spake in favour thereof but upon his perusall of the Writings of other godly Divines of our Nation and by conference with some worthy Ministers of his acquaintance he was so convinced of the unlawfullness of usury that he did not only forbear the practice of it for the future but restored the interest formerly taken and took no more for the loan of Money than the party borrowing would voluntarily give him He did much bewail the common course of too many who sin against God both in getting and spending their worldly estates For said he as they get it unjustly and by indirect means so for the most part they spend it leudly and lavishly in satisfying their sinfull lusts Neither was he more famous for justice than he was for charity and that both in his life and at his death In his life-time he was a free-hearted man and open-handed He was a great patron of the poor Another Job in that respect He could truly say with him as Job 30. 25. Was not my soul grieved for the poor No doubt it was and the bowels of his compassion did yearn towards them He was an Advocate and did earnestly plead for them and especially for Gods poor honest poor persons whose hearts and faces were set Godward and Heavenward and his hands were very open to relieve them He did that for them which many of far greater estates had not hearts to do He would often say that he wondered what rich men meant that they gave so little to the poor and raked so much together for their children Do you not see quoth he what becomes of it and would reckon up divers examples of such as heaped up much for their children and they within a short time had scattered and consumed all and on the other side he often spake of such as had small beginnings and afterwards became rich or of a competent estate giving a particular instance in himself I came said he but with a groat or six pence in my purse to this City had I had a shilling in my purse I had never been Mayor of Exeter And therefore leave children but a little and they by Gods blessing on their labour and industry may become rich But leave them a great deal and they are in danger to be beggars His care for the poor was most remarkeable in the time of the great Plague in that City which was anno Christi 1625. For in the Maiors absence he was chosen his Lieutenant or Deputy and he seeing the deplorable condition of the City accepted of it and then he wrote divers Letters to many Towns in Devonshire and to some in Dorset and Sommersetshire by which meanes he procured severall summes of Moneys for the suppliall of the wants of the many hundreds of poor that at that time were in a very distressed estate One that was an eye-witness related that he had seen morning after morning coming to his door sometimes thirty sometimes forty yea fifty or sixty or more wringing their hands some crying that their husbands were dead Others that their wives were dead Others that their children were dead and that they had not any thing wherewithall to bury them Some again cried that their Families were sick and they had not wherewithall to relieve them Others that they had divers children but they neither had bread nor Money to buy it for them Some cried for bread Some for Physick Others for Shroudes for their dead and he not only heard them patiently but his bowels yearned towards them and his hands were