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MR.

R. SAURIN, the father of our author, was an eminent proteftant lawyer at Nifmes, who, after the repeal of the edict of Nantz, 1685, retired to Geneva. He was confidered at Geneva as the oracle of the French language, the nature and beauty of which he thoroughly underftood. He had four fons, whom he trained up in Tearning, and who were all fo remarkably eloquent, that eloquence was faid to be hereditary in the family. The Reverend Lewis Saurin, one of the fons, was afterwards paftor of a French church in London. Saurin, the father, died at Geneva. James, the author of the following fermons, was born at Nifmes, in 1677, and went with his father into exile, to Geneva, where he profited very much in learning.

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In the feventeenth year of his age, 1694, Saurin quitted his ftudies to go into the army, and made a campaign as a cadet in lord Galloway's company. The next year, 1695, his captain gave him a pair of colours in his regiment, which then ferved in Piedmont; but the year after, 1696, the duke of Savoy, under whom Saurin ferved, having made his peace with France, Saurin quitted the profeffion of arms, for which he was never defigned, and returned to Geneva to Atudy.

Geneva was, at that time, the refidence of fome of the best scholars in Europe, who were in the highest estimation in the republic of letters. Pic tet, Lewis Tronchin, and Philip Mestrezat, were profeffors

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profeffors of divinity there; Alphonfo Turretin was profeffor of facred hiftory; and Chouet, who was afterwards taken from his profefforfhip, and admitted into the government of the republic, was profeffor of natural philofophy. The other departments were filled with men, equally eminent in their feveral profeffions. Some of them were natives of Geneva, others were exiles from Italy and France, feveral were of noble families, and all of them were men of eminent piety. Under thefe great mafters, Saurin became a fludent, and particularly applied himself to divinity, as he now began to think of devoting himself to the miniftry, 1696. To dedicate one's felf to the miniflry in a wealthy, flourishing church, where rich benefices are every day becoming vacant, requires very little virtue, and fometimes only a frong propenfity to vice; but to choofe to be a minifter in fuch a poor, banished, perfecuted church as that of the French proteftants, argues a noble contempt of the world, and a fupreme love to God and to the fouls of men. Thefe are the beft teftimonials, however, of a young minifter, whofe profeffion is, not to enrich, but to save himself, and them who hear him. 1 Tim. iv. 16.

After Mr. Saurin had finished his ftudies, 1700, he visited Holland and England. In the firft he made a very fhort ftay; but in the laft he ftaid almost five years, and preached with great acceptance among his fellow exiles in London. Of his perfon an idea may be formed by the annexed copper-plate, which is faid to be a great likeness, and for which I am indebted to my ingenious friend Mr. Thomas Holloway. His drefs was that of the French clergy, the gown and caflock. His addrefs was perfectly genteel, a happy compound of the affable and the grave, at an equal distance from rufticity and foppery. His voice was ftrong, clear, and harmonious, and he never

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Loft the management of it. His ftyle was pure, unaffected, and eloquent, fometimes plain, and fometimes flowery; but never improper, as it was always adapted to the audience, for whofe fake he fooke. An Italian acquaintance of mine, who often heard him at the Hague, tells me, that in the introductions of his fermons he used to deliver himfelf in a tone modeft and low; in the body of the fermon, which was adapted to the understanding, he was plain, clear, and argumentative, paufing at the clofe of each period, that he might difcover, by the countenances and motions of his hearers, whether they were convinced by his reafoning; in his addreffes to the wicked, (and it is a folly to preach as if there were none in our affemblies, Mr. Saurin knew mankind too well) he was often fonorous, but oftener a weeping fuppliant at their feet. In the one he sustained the authoritative dignity of his office, in the other he expreffed his Master's and his own benevolence to bad men, praying them in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. 2 Cor. v. 20. In general, adds my friend, his preaching refembled a plentiful fhower of dew, foftly and imperceptibly infinuating itfelf into the minds of his numerous hearers, as the dew into the pores of plants, till the whole church was diffolved, and all in tears under his fermons.. His doctrine was that of the French proteftants, which, at that time, was moderate calvinifin. He approved of the difcipline of his own churches, which was prefbyterian. He was an admirable fcholar, and, which were his highest encomiums, he had an unconquerable averfion to fin, a fupreme love to God and to the fouls of men, and a holy unblemifhed life. Certainly he had fome faults; but, as I have never heard of any, I can publish none.

During his ftay in England, he married a Mifs Catherine Boyton, in 1703, by whom he had a fon, named Philip, who furvived him; but whethe

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er be had any more children I know not. Two years after his marriage he returned to Holland,. in 1705, where he had a mind to fettle; but, the paftoral offices being all full, and meeting: with no profpect of a fettlement, though his. preaching was received with univerfal applause,he was preparing to return to England, when a chaplainship to fome of the nobility at the Hague, with a ftipend, was offered to him. This fituation exactly fuited his wishes, and he accepted. the place.

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The Hague, it is faid, is the finest village in. Europe. It is the refidence of the States General, of ambaffadors and envoys from other courts, of a great number of nobility and gentry, and of a multitude of French refugees. princes of Orange have a fpacious palace here, and the chapel of the palace was given to the refugees for a place of public worship; and, it being too fmall to contain them, it was enlarged. by above a half. This French church called him to be one of their paftors. He accepted the call, and continued in his office till his death. He was conftantly attended by a very crowded and. brilliant audience, was heard with the utmost at tention and pleasure, and, what few minifters can. fay, the effects of his minifterial labours were. feen in the holy lives of great numbers of his people.

When the princefs of Wales, afterward. Queen, Caroline, paffed through Holland in her way to England, Mr. Saurin had the honour of paying his refpects to that. illuftrious lady. Her royal highness was pleafed to fingle him out from the reft of the clergy, who were present, and to fay to him, "Do not imagine that, being dazzled with the glory which this revolution feems to promife me, I have loft fight of that God from whom it proceeds. He hath been pleased to dif tinguish it with fo many extraordinary marks,

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that I cannot mistake his divine hand; and, as I confider this long train of favours as immediately coming from him, to him alone I confecrate them." It is not astonishing, that Saurin fpeaks of condefcenfion with rapture. They are the kind and christian actions of the governors of a free people, and not the haughty airs of a French tyrant, infulting his faves, that attach and inflame the hearts of mankind. The hiftory of this illuftrious christian queen is not written in blood, and therefore it is always read with tears of grateful joy.

Her royal highnefs was fo well fatisfied of Mr. Saurin's merit, that foon after her arrival in England the ordered Dr. Boulter, who was preceptor to prince Frederick, the father of his prefent majefty, to write to Saurin, to draw up a treatife on the education of princes. Saurin inmediately obeyed the order, and prefixed a dedication to the young princes. The book was never printed; but as it obtained the approbation of the princefs of Wales, who was an incomparable judge, we may conclude that it was excellent in its kind. This was followed by a handfome prefent from the princess to the author.

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His moft confiderable work was entitled, Discourses, historical, critical, and moral, on the most memorable events of the old and new testaThis work was undertaken by the defire of a Dutch merchant, who expended an immenfe fum in the engraving of a multitude of copperplates, which adorn the work. It confifts of fix folio volumes. Mr. Saurin died before the third was finished; but Mr. Roques finished the third, and added a fourth on the old teftament; and Mr. de Beaufobre fubjoined two on the new teftament. The whole is replete with very extenfive learning, and well worth the careful perufal of students in divinity. The first of thefe was

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