HILDERSHAM. 387 was an excellent textuary, of exemplary life, pleasant in discourse, a strong enemy to the Brownists, and dissented not from the church of England in any article of faith; but only about wearing the surplice, baptizing with the cross, and kneeling in the sacrament. Most of the people in the town were directed by his judgment, and so con- tinued in it He was a divine of great moderation, and of a most amiable christian spirit. He used to say, " that he never heard any faithful preacher of the gospel, however mean his talents might be, but be could discover some gift in him that was wanting in himself, and could receive some profit from his preaching." He died in perfect satisfaction with his nonconformity, as appears from his last will., and testament, in which were these words :-" I do hereby " declare and protest, that I do continue and endmy days " in the very same faith and judgment, touching all points "of religion, as I have ever been known to hold and profess ; " and which I have, both by my doctrine and practice, and " by my sufferings also, given testimony unto."r The excellent Mr. Samuel Hildersham, ejected in 1662, was his son.r Mr. Hildersham's remains were interred in the chancel of Ashby church, where, on the south side, is the following monumental inscription erected to his memory.4 M. S. Near to this place lieth interred the body Of ARTHUR HILDERSH 4M, honourably descended from Sir RICHARD POOLE, by his wife MARGARET Countess of SALISBURY; but more honoured for his sweet and ingenuous disposition, his singular wisdom in settling peace, advising in secular affairs, and satisfying doubts, his abundant charity, and especially for his extraordinary knowledge and judgment in the Holy Scriptures, his painful and zealous preaching, together withhis firm and lasting constancy in the truth he professed. He lived in this place for the most part of forty-three years and six months, with great successin his ministry, love and reverence of all sorts, and died with much honour and lamentation, March the 4th, 1631. Lilly's Life and Times, p. 6. Edit. 1774. Clark's Lives, p. 120. Palmer's Noncon. Rem. vol. iii. p. 147. Nichols's Hist. of Leicestershire, vol.ii. p. 622. 1111=111111M-----
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