34 A View of the DEisTicAL Writers. Let. 2.

ne ident, and which is indeed of ſuch a hature, that I cannot pa it by without a particular notice.

Aa having obſerved, that Lord Herbert's tract de Veritate was his favourite work, he produced a large extraét relating to it in that Lord's own words, ſignifying, that tho' it had been

roved by ſome very learned men to whom he had ſhewn it, g whom he mentions Grotiug, yet as the frame of his

e book was ſo different from what had been written here- tofore on this ſubject, and he aphn rehended he ſhould meet with much oppoſition, he did conſi ider, whether it were not better for him for a while to ſuppreſs it. And then his Lordſhip pro- ceeds thus:

«Being thus doubtfal in my chamber, one fair day in the es ſummer, my caſement being open towards the ſouth, the ſun «e fhining clear, and no wind ſüirring. I took my book, de Ve- **ritate, in my hands, and, kneeling on my knees, devoutly ſaid * theſe words. O thou eternal Gad, aut hor of this light uhich ec nouν ſbines ußon me, and giver g all inward iiluminations; 3 ** I do beſeech the 2 of thine infinite goodneſi, to Bardon a „* greater requeſt tban a fiuner ought to make: I am not ſatis- 54 HRed enough, whether I ſpall u aiſ this book: if it be for thy glor y, unhea thee give me ſome ſign from heaven; I not, * I ſpall fußpreſi it. Ihad no ſooner ſpoken theſe words, but a 1s long, though yet gentle noiſe, came forth from the heavens „*(for it was like nothing on earthy which did ſo chear and „ comfort me, that I took my petition as granted, and that I ²* had the ſign Idemanded; whereupon alſo I reſolved to print ** my book. This, howf trange ſoever it may ſeem, I proteſt, * before the eternal God, is true: neither am I any way ſuper- 44 ſtitiouſly deceived herein; ſince I did not only clearly hear ² the noiſe, but, in Cueft ſky that ever Iſaw, being with- * out all cloud, did, to my thinking, ſee the place from whence 4s jt came.“

The ingenious writer of the letter ſays, he will make no re- marks on this incident, but ſen dit as he finds it; but he makes no doubt, that ſome obſervations upon this and other things In that life, would be acceptable to the friends of religion.

Iſhall mention ſome reflections that have occurred to me upon this occafion.

ve no doubt of his Lordſhip's fincerity in this account. The ſerious air with which he relates i it, and the ſolemn pro- teſtation he makes, as in the preſence of the eternal God, will not ſuffer us to queſtion the truth of what he relates; viz. that he both made that addreſs to God which he mentions, and that, in