At about seventeen years old he was chose to King’s-college in Cambridge. He was chosen first, and an elder brother of his the sixth; but he was very willing to change places with his elder brother, letting him have the first, and thankfully accepting of the sixth place.
Besides his great learning, his deportment was so sweet and lovely, his demeanor so courteous and obliging, that many of them who had little kindness for religion could not but speak well of him. His great wisdom did even command respect: he had an excellent power over his passions, and was free from vices which usually attend such an age and place.
But all this while he understood little of Christ, or his own soul. He studied the heavens and the motion of the sun, moon, and stars, but thought little of God, who made them; the creature had not led him to the Creator; but God, when he was about eighteen years old shone in upon his soul with power; and convinced him what a poor thing it was to know so much of the heavens and never come there. He now thought Mr. Bolton had reason to say, Give me the most magnificent glorious worldling, that ever trod upon earthly mould, richly crowned with all the ornaments and excellencies of nature, art, policy, preferment, or what heart can wish besides; yet without the life of grace, to animate and ennoble them, he were to the eye of heavenly wisdom, but as a rotten carcase, stuck over with flowers, magnified dung, guilded rotteness, golden damnation.
CHAPTER II.
Of his conversion and carriage when fellow of [♦]the college.
[♦] duplicate word “the” removed
THE great work of conversion, was not [♦]carried on upon his soul, in that dreadful manner that it is upon some, but the Lord was pleased, sweetly, to unlock his heart, by the exemplary life, and heavenly discourse of a young man in the college whose heart God had inflamed with love to his soul. He quickly made an attempt upon this young man, and the Spirit of God set home his councils with such power, that they proved effectual for his awakening; being accompanied with the preaching of Dr. Hill, and Dr. Arrowsmith, together with the reading of Mr. Baxter’s Saints Everlasting Rest.
[♦] “carcarried” replaced with “carried”
Now a mighty alteration might be discerned in him. He did not taste so much sweetness in those kind of studies, which he so greedily employed himself in as formerly. He began to pity them who [♦]were curious in their enquiries after every thing, but that which is most needful, Christ, and themselves; and that which sometimes was his gain he now counted loss for Christ. Not that he looked upon human learning as useless; but when not improved for Christ? He looked upon wisdom as folly, and learning as madness, and that which would make one more like the devil.