Amen.

[Sidenote:  Wise submission]

In these disturbances of tearing his servicebook, a neighbour came on a Sunday, after the Evening service was ended, to visit and condole with him for the affront offered by the soldiers.  To whom he spake with a composed patience, and said; “God hath restored me to my desired privacy, with my wife and children; where I hoped to have met with quietness, and it proves not so:  but I will labour to be pleased, because God, on whom I depend, sees it is not fit for me to be quiet.  I praise him, that he hath by his grace prevented me from making shipwreck of a good conscience to maintain me in a place of great reputation and profit:  and though my condition be such, that I need the last, yet I submit; for God did not send me into this world to do my own, but suffer his will, and I will obey it.”  Thus by a sublime depending on his wise, and powerful, and pitiful Creator, he did cheerfully submit to what God had appointed, justifying the truth of that doctrine which he had preached.

About this time that excellent book of “The King’s Meditations in his Solitude” was printed, and made public; and Dr. Sanderson was such a lover of the Author, and so desirous that the whole world should see the character of him in that book, and something of the cause for which they suffered, that he designed to turn it into Latin:  but when he had done half of it most excellently, his friend Dr. Earle prevented him, by appearing to have done the whole very well before him.

[Sidenote:  Preaching without book]

About this time his dear and most intimate friend, the learned Dr. Hammond, came to enjoy a conversation and rest with him for some days; and did so.  And having formerly persuaded him to trust his excellent memory, and not read, but try to speak a sermon as he had writ it, Dr. Sanderson became so compliant, as to promise he would.  And to that end they two went early the Sunday following to a neighbour Minister, and requested to exchange a sermon; and they did so.  And at Dr. Sanderson’s going into the pulpit, he gave his sermon—­which was a very short one—­into the hand of Dr. Hammond, intending to preach it as it was writ:  but before he had preached a third part, Dr. Hammond,—­looking on his sermon as written,—­observed him to be out, and so lost as to the matter, that he also became afraid for him:  for ’twas discernible to many of the plain auditory.  But when he had ended this short sermon, as they two walked homeward, Dr. Sanderson said with much earnestness, “Good Doctor, give me my sermon; and know, that neither you nor any man living, shall ever persuade me to preach again without my books.”  To which the reply was, “Good Doctor, be not angry:  for if I ever persuade you to preach again without book, I will give you leave to burn all those that I am master of.”

Part of the occasion of Dr. Hammond’s visit, was at this time to discourse with Dr. Sanderson about some opinions, in which, if they did not then, they had doubtless differed formerly; it was about those knotty points, which are by the learned called the Quinquarticular Controversy; of which I shall proceed, not to give any judgment,—­I pretend not to that,—­but some short historical account which shall follow.