CHARACTERS.
247
moH learned and exemplary divines of the age, attended him at his country-houfe, tbe doftor defired his prayers, and afterwards entered into a moft remarkably judicious difcourfe with him on the fpiritual and immaterial nature of the foul ; and this he iliuftrated to Mr. SchuU tens with wonderful perfpicuity, by a defcription of the effefls which the infirmitiesof his bodyhad upon his faculties ; which yet they did not fo opprefs or vanquifh, but his foul was always malter of itfeif, and always refigned to the pleafure of its maker — and then he added,
- ' He luho loaves God ought to think
- ■ nothing dejirable hut 'what is moft
- pleajing to the fupreme goodne/s.'*
Thefe were his fentiments, and fuch was his condufl in this ftate of weaknefs and pain. As death approached nearer, he was fo far from terror or confufion, that he feemed lefs fenlible of pain, and more chearful under his torments, which continued till the 23d day of September, 1738, on which he died (much honoured and lament- ed) between four and five in the morning, in the 70th year of his age — often recommending to the by-ftanders a careful obfervation of St. John^s precepts concerning the love of God, and the love of Man, as frequently inculcated in his firrt; epiille, particularly in the ^th chapter.
Such were the qualities of the
great Boerkaave. ^So far was
this truly eminent man from being made impious by philofophy, or vain by his extraordinary genius for phyfic, that he afcribed all his abilities to the bounty, and all his goodnefs to the grace of God.— — = May his example extend its in- fluence to his admirers and follow- ier$ ! Msy thofe who liudy his writ-
ings as a phyfician, imitate his life as a chriftian ! And thus, while they are endeavouring after his me- dical knowledge, be afpiring like- wife to his exalted piety, as he was fo admirable a pattern of pa- tience, fortitude, chearfulnefs, cha- rity, candour, humility, and de- votion.
His funeral oration was fpoken in Latin before the univerfity of Leyden, to a very numerous au- dience, by Mr. Schultens, and af- terwards publilhed at their particu- lar defire.
^fter thefe remarkable chara3ers, tH I'jhich the advantages of birth or education hanje joined to adorn and perfect natural genius, ive prefent the reader ivith as remarkable an infiance of the po-tver of natural capacity and application contending tuith e-Tjery difficulty, and 'without any of thefe advantages arriv- ing at a very high point of eru- dition. After this njoe have placed one of the moji curious accounts that perhaps ever 'was publifhed» As in the cafe of John Ludvjig one fees the triurnph of indujiry and perfeverance over all the ob~ fades of a hard fortune : in the cafe of a lady 'who ftiffered by the fmall'pox, 'we ha<ve a flrong infiance of the poiver of thefe virtues in overcoming even natu- ral defers y in fupplying the nvant of feveral of the fenfes them- felves, and of thofe fenfes too 'which are the general inlets of knovjledge.
An account offohn Ludnulg.
T is ufual for the commi/Taries
of excife in Saxony to appoint
a peafant in every village in their R 4 diltria
