they went, they were previously perfuaded that they fhould go in the fulness of the bleffing of the gospel of Chrift: and it was fo. God always caufed them to triumph in Chrift, and made manifeft the favour of his knowledge by them in every place. Could we but imbibe this fpirit, furely we should be able, in fome good degree, to fay fo too. "Believe in the Lord our God, fo shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye profper."

But why is it that God fhould thus honour the exercife of faith? Is it not because faith is a grace that peculiarly honours him? We cannot do greater difhonour to a person of kind and generous intentions, than by thinking ill of him, and acting towards him on the ground of fuch evil thoughts. It was thus, that the flothful fervant thought and acted towards his Lord. On the other hand, we cannot do greater honour to a character of the above defcription, than by thinking well of him, and placing the moft unreferved confidence in all he fays. Any man who had a just regard to honour, would, in fuch a cafe, feel a strong inducement to answer the expectations which were entertained of him. And God himfelf hath condefcended to intimate fomething like the fame thing: "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." In believing his word we think well of him, and he takes pleafure in answering fuch expectations; proving thereby that we have thought juftly concerning him. It was on this principle that our Lord ufually conferred the bleffings of healing in anfwer to the faith of the patient, or of those that accompanied him-" If thou canft believe, all things are poffible to him that believeth.-According to your faith, be it unto you."

GAIUS.

A fhort Account of the Life, Experiences, &c. of the Rev, Mr. Francis Sherriff.

MR

R. FRANCIS SHERRIFF was born in the year 1750, of respectable parents, in the county of Haddington, in Scotland. At eight years of age he was put to Muffelburgh school, and at fourteen was sent to the Univerfity at Edinburgh, being deftined by his parents for the work of the ministry.

About this period he got acquainted with fome pious young men, from whofe converfation and example he reaped much benefit. He affociated with them in a meeting for prayer and religious conference, and regularly attended upon all other means of grace.

From a letter of his, addreffed to his grandmother in 1764, it would appear, that he had then a zeal for God, and a relifh for divine things. About two years after this he began to keep a diary, in which there appears much fervour of fpirit, and fimplicity of heart. Upon the day on which he entered the Divinity-hall, he writes as follows:

"This day I entered the Divinity-hall. O what ferious confiderations ought this to imprefs upon my mind, and with how much affiduity and care ought I now to be living, as I have inlifted myself to be one of God's paftors to feed his flock. God forbid that I enrol my name upon any other end or footing, but to the glory of God, and the good of his people's fouls. I now vow before God, that, by his affiftance, I fhall devote my time and talents to his glory; and that, for the future, I will not trifle away my time with any one thing that is not profitable to myself or others. I fhall spend all of it (through grace) in reading the languages, divinity and devotion, or fome other thing that may be of advantage to myself, or for God's glory.-O Lord, fend a bleffing upon my undertakings.'

His religious impreffions feem to have continued in the year 1767, as appears by another letter of his of that

date, in which he points out the true fource of comfort under an afflictive difpenfation, and the improvement a Christian ought to make of the death of friends. But foon after this, he got acquainted with fome of his fellow-ftudents of a very different character from his firft affociates, who, by degrees, led him into their favourite amusements and vices: And though, at first, his confcience smote him feverely for his new course of life, infomuch that he compared what he fometimes felt in his mind to a foretafte of hell; yet, by yielding repeatedly to temptation, his heart became hardened, and, in the course of a few years, the very traces of his former serious impreffions were fo obliterated, that they feldom occurred to his remembrance; and, when at any time they did, he confidered them as the effects of mere delufion, and congratulated himself upon having got rid of that fit of enthufiafm. In the year 1775, he wrote upon the diary, from whence the foregoing extract was taken, "This diary does not fay much for my understanding but it is a memorial of piety."

During the courfe of nine years he continued an enemy to God, and fought with diligence the friendship of the world. In the year 1769 he went to London, at the defire of Mr. J- He, who recommended him to the Earl of D- -, as a proper person to go abroad with his eldest fon. Mr. Sherriff did not find, upon trial, that a situation of this fort was fuitable to his temper and difpofition. He left Lord D's family, and got a clerk's place in the War-office, where he continued till January 7, 1771. He then accepted an offer made to him of going with a family to Jamaica, where he staid a year, living all that time in diffipation and riot-his amiable natural temper and addrefs gained him adinittance into the gay company of the place; and he might have fettled advantageoufly in the island, had not an attachment to a young lady in England, and a fecret abhorrence at the brutish and wretchedly wicked life of the inhabitants of Jamaica, made him defirous of returning to Britain.

In April, 1772, he embarked for New-York, where, after a very dangerous voyage, he arrived. There he met with his coufin, Major S -, who introduced him to the most confiderable families of the place. He continued some time there, and at Philadelphia; and after vifiting the Jerfeys, and fome places upon the coast, he returned to England in the fummer of 1772. Upon his arrival in London, he immediately fought out Miss who appeared to him ftill the fame amiable friend as when they parted. Mutually defirous of entering into a matrimonial connection, the question now was, How he fhould get wherewithal to fupport a far mily? for though fhe had a genteel fortune for a young lady, it was not fufficient for both.

An opportunity now offered for Mr. Sherriff to go out to Turkey in the mercantile line, in a way by which he might probably make a confiderable fortune in a very fhort time; but neither he nor Mifs ***** could think of feparation for years. It was therefore agreed upon, that he should return to Scotland, purfue his original plan of the ministry, get a living there (which he hoped foon to procure, through the intereft of his friends in the church, who favoured patronage), and return to marry Miss *****, who was willing to retire with him to a country parish, rather than delay their marriage till he hould have acquired a fortune abroad.* No time was

t in putting this plan into execution; he returned home immediately, paffed trials, and was licenfed by the prefbytery of Haddington, in March, 1773.

Soon after this, he began to perceive fome alteration in the style of the letters he received from Mifs ***** ; he could not but fufpect what he was very unwilling to believe. He had now given up every profpect of making a figure in life, and embraced a profeffion little fuited to the gaiety of his temper, and the company he had fre

* It is to be feared, that Mr. Sherriff is not the only person who has entered upon the sacred office of the ministry, animated by no higher motive, than the prospect of forming a matrimonial connexion, and procuring a maintenance for a family.

quented, merely to accomplish his union with Mifs *****, a few a few years fooner than he could otherwife have done: How diftreffing then the leaft appearance of a change in her fentiments towards him! He wrote to beg a full explanation, and had the mortification to find, by her anfwer, that he had a rival in her affections, who was fo much the more formidable, as he poffeffed an independent fortune. Upon this a fovereign contempt for the character of Mifs ***** fucceeded to that warm affection he had fo long entertained for her: He wrote her a farewell letter, and fought to turn his thoughts upon fome other object more worthy of his attention.

In order to diffipate the gloom which this disappoint ment had occafioned, he went into all forts of company; gave way to the natural levity and gaiety of his temper; went from place to place amufing himself with every thing that occurred; fometimes preaching very unprofitable flowery fermons in the neighbouring churches; fometimes dancing with the young ladies, and oftener playing at cards, and drinking with the gentlemen and clergy of his acquaintance, with whom he freely joined in laughing at ferious godliness, calling all those who profeffed it, enthufiafts, righteous over much, weak mifted people, &c. &c.

His friends in the church did what they could to get him a living; but failing in this, he, by the advice of the Rev. Dr. R- accepted of the place of chap Jain to one of the Scotch regiments in the Dutch fervice, and was ordained at Haddington, in the year 1775. He

* Providence sometimes, in justice and mercy, frustrates those de signs which we attempt to accomplish by unwarrantable means.

It is somewhat remarkable, that the Chapel of which he after wards was minister, and the person in whose house he died, were pe culiarly the objects of his ridicule.

- One of his friends recommended him to a noble patron (whose church happened at that time to be vacant), as a young man who could take his glass, tell a merry story, and play well at cards and backgammon; but though by this he intended to serve Mr. Sherriff, he was mistaken. Patrons some times indulge themselves in practices, which they think unbecoming the character of a clergy man.