Brooks - BX9338 .B7 1813 v2

PERKINS. 129 of God's word," one of the supervisors of his will.* Mr. Goodman published the two following articles : " How Superior Powers ought to be obeyed of their Subjects, and wherein they may be lawfully, by God's Word, disobeyed and resisted, 1548.-"A Commentary on Amos." Wood ascribes to him, " The first Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women," 1558: But it is well known that Mr. John Knox, the celebrated Scotch reformer, was its author : our divine only wrote the preface to that work. WILLIAM PERKINS was born at Marton in War- wickshire, in the year 1558, and educated in Christ's college, Cambridge. For some time after his going to the university, he continued exceedingly profane, and ran to great lengths in prodigality. While Mr. Perkins was a young man, and a scholar at Cambridge, he was much devoted to drunkenness. As he was walking in the skirts of the town, he heard a woman say to a child that was froward and peevish, " Hold your tongue, or I will give "you to drunken Perkins, yonder." Finding himself become a by-word among the people, his conscience smote him, and he became so deeply impressed; that it was the first step towards his conversion. After he was called by divine grace, and become a preacher of the gospel, he laid open the workings of sin and vanity in others, exercised a spirit of sympathy over perishing sinners, and upon their repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, led them to the enjoy- ment of substantial comfort. He gave, at the same time, strong proofs of his great genius, by his deep researches into nature, and its secret springs of operation. When the Lord was pleased to convert him from the error of his ways, he immediately directed his attention to the study of divi- nity, and applied himself with such uncommon diligence, that in a short time, he made an almost incredible profici- ency in divine knowledge. At the age of twenty-four, he was chosen fellow of his college, when he entered upon the sacred function. Having himself freely received, he freely gave to others ; and in imitation of-our Lord, he went and preached deliverance to captives. Feeling bowels of compassion for the poor pri- soners confined in Cambridge, he prevailed upon the jailer Baker's MS. Collec. vol. iii. p. 314. TOL. II.

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