COUNCIL OF PUBLICATION. W. LINDSAY ALEXANDER, D.D., Professor of Theology, Congregational Union, Edinburgh. JAMES BEGG, D.D., Minister of Newington Free Church, Edinburgh. THOMAS J. CRAWFORD, D.D., S.T.P., Professor of Divinity, University, Edinburgh. D. T. K. DRUMMOND, M.A., Minister of St Thomas's Episcopal Church, Edinburgh. WILLIAM H. GOOLD, D.D., Professor of Biblical Literature and Church History, Reformed Presbyterian Church, Edinburgh. ANDREW THOMSON, D.D., Minister of Broughton Place United Presbyterian Church, Edinburgh. General Editor. REV. THOMAS SMITH, M.A., EDINBURGH. A COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF THIRTY YEARS' WEDNESDAY'S LECTURES AT BLACKFRIARS, LONDON. BY THAT HOLY AND LEARNED DIVINE WILLIAM GOUGE, D. D., AND LATE PASTOR THERE. BEFORE WHICH IS PREFIXED A NARRATIVE OF HIS LIFE AND DEATH. VOL. I. EDINBURGH JAMES NICHOL. LONDON: JAMES NISBET AND CO. DUBLIN: G. HERBERT. M.DCCC.LXVI. A NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE AND DEATH OF DOCTOR GOUGE. WILLIAM GOUGE was born in Stratford-Bow, in the county of Middlesex, November 1. 1575. His father, Mr Thomas Gouge, was a pious gentleman. His mother was a virtuous and pious daughter of one Mr Nicholas Culverel, a merchant in London; she was a sister of those two famous preachers, Mr Samuel and Mr Ezekiel Culverel. And her two sisters were married unto those two famous divines, Dr Chaderton, the master of Emmanuel College; and Dr Whitaker, the Regius Professor of Divinity in Cambridge. So as by the mother's side he came of a stock of preachers. In his younger years he was first trained up in Paul's School, London, and afterwards was sent to a free school at Felsted in Essex, where he was trained up three years under the public ministry of his uncle, Mr Ezekiel Culverel, and thereby much wrought upon, and if not first begotten, yet much built up in his holy faith, as himself often expressed; and then was sent to Eton, where he was trained up six years. During which time, he was more than ordinarily studious and industrious; for when other scholars upon play days took their liberty for their sports and pastimes, he would be at his study, wherein he took more delight than others could do at their recreations.3 At this time, when he was a scholar of Eton, he was possessed with an holy fear of God, conscionable in secret prayer and sanctifying the Sabbath, and much grieved at the ordinary profanation thereof by public sports and recreations, then too much allowed; as he did often in his lifetime, with much thankfulness unto God, express. From Eton he was chosen to King's College in Cambridge, whither he went anno 1595: where he first addicted himself to Ramus his logic, and therein grew so expert, as in the schools he publicly maintained him; insomuch as on a time divers sophisters, setting themselves to vilify Ramus, to which end the respondent put up this question, Nunquam erit magnus, cui Ramus est magnus? which some of the sophisters then hearing, and knowing the said William Gouge to be an acute disputant, and a stiff defender of Ramus, came to the divinity schools, where he was hearing an act, and told him how they were abusing Ramus. He |