the compofition of religious and literary works. The life of fuch a perfon can admit of little variety. It was not, however, for want of opportunity, that he lived thus obfcure. His character was celebrated through the western world: the bishop of Rome invited him warmly to the metropolis of the Church; but, in the eyes of Bede, the great world had no charms. It does not appear that he ever left England; and, however infected with the fashionable devotion to the Roman See, he was evidently fincere and difinterested.

Conftantly engaged in reading or writing, he made all his ftudies fubfervient to devotion. As he was fenfible, that it is by the grace of God rather than by natural faculties that the most profitable knowledge of the Scriptures is acquired, he mixed prayer with his ftudies. He never knew what it was to do nothing. He wrote on all the branches of knowledge then cultivated in Europe. In Greek and Hebrew he had a fkill very uncommon in that barbarous age; and, by his inftructions and example, he raised up many scholars. Knowledge indeed in thofe times was more familiar in the British ifles than in any part of Europe.

The catalogue of Bede's works exhibits the proofs of his amazing induftry. His Church-history is to us the most valuable, because it is the only British monument of the Church which we have for the feventh century. His expofitions and homilies, however, muft in that dearth of knowledge have been abundantly ufeful. The ignorance of the times is indeed but too vifible in him; and he followed Augustine and other fathers fo closely, and collected fo much from various authors, that his want of original genius is more than problematical. Genuine godlinefs, rather than taste and genius, appear on the face of his writings. His

labours in the fciences fhew a love of learning; however inconfiderable his acquifitions muft appear, in comparison with the attainments of the prefent age.

In his laft fickness he was afflicted with a difficulty of breathing for two weeks. His mind was, however, ferene and cheerful; his affections were heavenly; and, amidst these infirmities, he daily taught his disciples. A great part of the night was employed in prayer and thanksgiving; and the first employment of the morning was to ruminate on the Scriptures, and to address his God in prayer. "God fcourgeth every fon whom he receiveth," was frequently in his mouth.

Even amidst his bodily weakness he was employed in writing two little treatifes. Perceiving his end to draw near, he said, " if my Maker please, I will go to him from the flesh, who, when I was not, formed me out of nothing-My foul defires to fee Chrift my king in his beauty." He fung glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, and expired with a fedatenefs, compofure, and devotion, that amazed all, who faw and heard.

This is the account of his death by one of his difciples; and a very few quotations from his expofitory writings will fhew on what folid grounds. thefe religious affections were founded. In expounding Acts ii. 28. " thou haft made known to me the ways of life; thou fhalt make me full of joy with thy countenance;" he says, "These things are not only to be understood of our Lord, who needed no other guide to overcome the kingdom of death, but having received at once the fulness of divine strength and wisdom, was able to conquer death by himself, rife again to life, and afcend to his Father, but also of his elect, who, by his gift, find the well of life, by which they rife to the

blifs,

66

blifs, which they loft in Adam, and shall be filled with heavenly joy. This fhall be our perfect blifs, when we shall see him face to face." Philip knew this well, when he said, Lord, fhew us the Father, and it fufficeth us. That pleasure of seeing the face of God fufficeth: there fhall be nothing more; nor is there a call for any thing more, when he is feen, who is above all*."

"Other innumerable methods of faving men being set aside, this was selected by infinite wisdom, namely, that, without any diminution of his divinity, he affumed alfo humanity, and in humanity procured fo much good to men, that temporal death, though not due from him, was yet paid, to deliver them from eternal death, which was due from them. Such was the efficacy of that blood, that the devil who flew Chrift by a temporary death, which was not due, cannot detain in eternal death any of thofe, who are clothed with Chrift, though that eternal death be due for their fins."

Such were the evangelical views, which, in a night of fuperftition, burft forth from the northern extremity of England. But the doctrines revived by Auguftine flourished ftill in Europe in a good degree, though in no part more than in the British ifles. Monaftic fuperftition grew, indeed, exceffively among our fathers at the fame time, and, in the end, entirely corrupted the doctrines themfelves. But that was not yet the cafe: fuperftition itself, though deplorably childish and abfurd, was not incompa tible with fincerity and the fear of God. The real

• Retractat. on Acts of the Apoftles. I cannot prevail on myself to omit this paffage, though the expreffion of Philip be not fo pertinent to the purpose of the author, as some other portions of Scripture might have been.

† On Rom. v.

real nature of the Gofpel, and its practical exercife in faith, humility, and true mortification of fin, were understood and felt by the Saxon prefbyter, whole comments on St. Paul's epiftles are, in depth of understanding, and penetration into the facred fenfe, even with all the defects of the times, greatly fuperior to feveral admired expofitions of this, which calls itfelf an enlightened age.

The feventh chapter to the Romans may defervedly be called a touchftone of fpiritual understanding. Too many modern divines, by fuppofing that the Apoftle is only defcribing the conflict between reason and paffion, after the manner of the antient philofophers, have demonftrated their own total ignorance of St. Paul's argument. He only, who feels, abhors, and fincerely ftruggles with indwelling fin, who is confcious of its unutterable malignity, and is humbled under this conviction, can understand the Apoftle aright, and prize the real grace of God in Jefus Chrift. Such was Bede: the very best expofitors in the most evangelical times do not much exceed him, in clearness and solidity, in the expofition of this chapter. I will not delay the reader by quoting largely from his explication. Suffice it to give a hint or two. He obferves, from the Apostle, that the defire of finning itself is increafed by the prohibitions of the law, which therefore increases fin, without giving any strength; and the purport of this part of the divine economy is, that men groaning under the law might come to the Mediator. He ftrongly contends, that the wretched carnal perfon, fold under fin, in this chapter, was no perfonated character, but Paul himself, and he confirms this by obferving, from the epiftle to the Philippians, that the Apoftle confeffed "he was not perfect, and had not attained unto the refurrection of the dead:" and

from

from another epiftle, that he was even buffeted by Satan, and had a thorn in his flesh, left he should be exalted above measure. This inward warfare, our author contends, must last through life. " In the refurrection, every thing," fays he, " fhall be perfected. In the mean time it is a great thing to keep the field, and remain unconquered, though not discharged from war."

But though he fully reached the fcope of Auguftine, from whofe labours he profited abundantly, he feems never to go beyond it. Indeed his expofitions are extracts and compilations from the fathers, chiefly from Auguftine. In this fenfe they were his own, that he understood and experienced their truth and efficacy. But judgment and industry, not genius and invention, were the talents of this writer. Though the thought I am going to mention is most probably not his own, yet it gives fo instructive a view of the state of all mankind ranked in four claffes, that I cannot prevail on myself to withhold it from the reader. Speaking of the conflict with indwelling fin, defcribed in Rom. vii, he obferves, "that there are those who fight not at all, and are drawn away by their lufts; others who fight indeed, but are overcome, because they fight without faith, and in their own ftrength; others who fight and are still in the field, not overcome, which was the cafe of St. Paul and all true Chriftians in this world; and laftly, others who have overcome and are at reft above." Bede, like Auguftine, allegorizes to excefs, and is very often defultory and vague in his comments: his views of Solomon's fong are folid, though in the explication too minute: ftill more faulty perhaps are his expofitions on the tabernacle and on Solomon's temple. His homilies, at the time, muft have been very edifying, notwithstanding the puerile fancies, with which they are difcoloured.