and defire of his friend the Archdeacon, ordained a Deacon by Dr. Moreton, Bishop of Kildare. The ordination was held for him alone, on the day of the confecration of the Church of Kildare, in the presence of a very numerous congregation; and our pious divine, ever after, kept the anniversary of it holy, and poured forth his heart to God in a particular prayer on the occafion, which he left in his memorandum book. This book was given to him by his friend Hewetfon, foon after the coremony of his ordination. Mr. Wilfon carefully preserved it, and continued to enter in it minutes of fuch occurrences as he thought worthy of notice; as well as his prayers on particular occafions. From this, and other books of the like kind, this account of his life is compiled. Mr. Wilfon's good conduct, and his confequent preferment, gave great pleafure to the Archdeacon, who continued to correfpond with him till the year 1704. The exact time of Mr. Wilfon's leaving Dublin is not known; but it is understood, that he quitted the univerfity fooner than he at first intended, on account of the political and religious difputes of those days; nor could it have been long after his ordination that he took his leave of Ireland; for on the, 10th of December, in the fame year (1686) he was licensed by Thomas Lord Bishop of Chefter, to the curacy of New Church, in the parish of Winwick, in Lancashire, of which Dr. Sherlock*, his maternal uncle, was then rector.-His ftipend was no more than thirty pounds a year; but being an excellent economist, and having the advantage of living with his uncle, this fmall income was not only fufficient to fupply his own wants, but it enabled him to adminifter,to the wants of others; and for this purpose he fet apart one-tenth of his income. On the 20th of October, 1689, Mr. Wilfon was ordained a priest by Nicholas Lord Bishop of Chester; an event that occafioned the following refolutions, to which he ever after faithfully and religiously adhered. "Certain things to which, after ferious confideration, I think fit to oblige myself in the beginning of my days, that I may not be tempted by any worldly advantage to fin against God, to do violence to my confcience, fcandalize that holy profeflion of the miniftry, to which it has pleafed God to call me, nor bring a curfe upon what it fhall please him to put into my hands." 1. "I refolve never to give any perfon any manner of bribe or gift, nor make any manner of contract or promife, for a Church Preferment, though never fo good, and the confideration how inconfiderable foever it be. 2. "That I will never give a bond of refignation upon any confideration whatever; being fully perfuaded, that when God fees me fit for fuch an employment, he can bring me into it without fubjecting me to these conditions, (which I verily believe are unlawful) and if I can never have any ecclefiaftical preferment but upon these terms, I am fatisfied it is God's will I fhould have none. 3. " Confidering the fcandal and injury of pluralities, to the Church; I refolve never to accept of two Church Livings with cure of fouls (if fuch fhould be ever in my choice) though never fo conveniently seated. This Dr. Sherlock was a very pious and worthy divine. He was the author of fome excellent prayers and meditations, entitled "The Practical Chriftian; or Devout Penitent," of which several editions have been printed. To the fixth of which there is prefixed a fhort account of his life, written by Bifhop Wilfon. 4. "I re 4. "I refolve, that whenever it fhall please God to bless me with a parish and a cure of fouls, I will refide upon it myself, and not trust that to a curate which ought to be my own particular care. "That I may not enfnare myfelf by refidence, I mean fuch as the Bishop of the diocese fhall determine, not only to be confiftent with the laws of the land, but fuch as an honeft confcientious man may venture his falvation upon; because, for ought I know, fome such cases there may be*." It was not long before Mr. Wilfon's religious deportment and amiable conduct in private life, recommended him to the notice of William, Earl of Derby; who, in the year 1692, appointed him his domestic chaplain, and preceptor to his fon James, Lord Strange, with a falary of thirty pounds a year.-He was foon after elected mafter of the alms-houfe at Latham, which brought him in twenty pounds a year more.—He had now an income far beyond his expectation,-far beyond his wishes, except as it increased his ability to do good. Bleffed with a liberal heart, and thoroughly difpofed to charity, he made ufe of the good gifts which God had bestowed, to fuch purposes only as he confidered were for the glory of the great author and giver, and the benefit of his neighbours in distress. Accordingly we find that he now fet apart one-fifth of his income for pious ufes, and particularly for the poor.-The manner in which he made the dedication was as follows: On the receipt of all monies, he regularly placed the portion, defigned by himself, as well as what was given by others, for charitable ufes, into the drawer of a cabinet, with a note of the value; to be kept facred for any purpose. The form of the note, as follows, is copied from the original. "Jan. 29, 1750-1. Put into this drawer twenty pounds British, being one year's money, the bounty of the Right Honourable Lady Eliz. Haftings, for the year, and payable at Martinmas, 1750. THOMAS SODOR AND MAN." If the money placed there was his own, the note differed only in diftinguishing from whence, or how the money had been paid to him: and into this facred repofitory, called The Poor's Drawer, at first a tenth, then a fifth, a third, and at length the half of his revenues, were placed; and whenever he depofited the poor man's portion, he did it with the fame awe and reverence, as if it had been an offering to heaven. Mr. Wilfon's refolutions, which we have before related, being entered into from a full conviction of their propriety, and confidered by him as matter of religious obligation, no motives of intereft could induce him to depart from them. And accordingly, when he was foon after put to the trial, by Lord Derby's offering him the valuable living of Baddefworth, in Yorkshire, (his Lordship intending that he fhould still continue with him as his chaplain, and tutor to his fon) he refused to accept it, as being inconfiftent with "the refolves of his conscience against non-refidence, On Friday the 29th of September, 1693, as he was returning from Litchfield, he fell ill at Nantwich; but the next day, he fays, "Having used fome means grew better, and fo with fome difficulty got home to Knowefly the next day I fell fick of a violent fever; the phyficians despaired of my recovery; and yet it pleased God, of his great mercy and : *MS, Memorandum Book. K k 2 goodness, goodness, to bring me back from the gates of death. The reflections I cannot choose but make upon this are as follow." 1. "That very day fe'nnight before, I was guilty of a very great fault, which I am fure was very offenfive to God, and which I had not repented of; and perhaps had not done it to this day, but had gone on in my wickedness, if God had not by this or fome other fatherly correction diverted me. 2. "I began my journey, contrary to a former refolution, on a Sunday, which, without great neceflity, I think I ought not to have done; that day being particularly appointed for God's fervice. 3. "I cannot but reflect how very dangerous a thing it is to leave the fettling of a man's temporal and fpiritual affairs till he is feized with ficknefs; fince I find, by a juft experience, how very unfit one then is for any manner of bufinefs. 66 4. That my recovery and fecond life was manifeftly owing to God, is what I cannot but acknowledge; that therefore, as I ought never to forget the mercy, fo ought I to spend the remainder of this life, to the honour, and in the fervice of the authour of it; which, by the grace of God, I will do. 5. "I am now moft fenfible, that fickness is an excellent means of bringing us nearer to God. As then I am, by what God has wrought in me, extremely fatisfied that it was the great blefling of my life, I ought, as my mafter's fervice obliges me to it, to take all occafions of making God's fatherly correction useful to those who are chaftifed by this, or any other affliction." The fame regard to the dictates of his confcience, which urged Mr. Wilfon to thefe refolutions, influenced his whole behaviour; and it was not long before he gave his noble patron an extraordinary and convincing proof, that nothing could deter him from pursuing the path of his duty, or reftrain his zeal in a good caufe. In confequence of an extravagant way of living, and a negligent inattention to his affairs, Lord Derby was very much involved in debt. Mr. Wilfon beheld with concern, and wifhed to correct, this error in his Lordfhip's conduct.-His reflections upon this occafion difplay, in a moft pleafing manner, his active benevolence, and his difinterested regard to juftice and equity*. Impelled by these reflections, he waited on Lord Derby the next morning, in his dreffing-room; and, after a converfation on the fubject, left him the following letter. "MY LORD, "Nothing but a fenfe of duty and gratitude could have put me upon taking fuch a liberty as this, which, becaufe I have reason to believe concerns your Lordfhip, I can willingly hazard all the future favours your Lordthip defigns me, rather than be unconcerned and filent in a matter of this moment, though I have no reason to fear fuch a confequence. I do therefore, with all imaginable fubmiflion, offer thefe following particulars, touching your creditors, to your Lordflip's confideration. 1. "Though feveral debts, as your Lordship urges, may be unjust, and perhaps most of the bills in part unreasonable, yet it is very probable that a * See Mr. Hewetfon's book. great great many are really juft; and if these are not paid, those who suffer have a juft complaint to God and man, which must certainly have a very ill influence upon your Lordship's affairs. 2. "That feveral in the neighbourhood are undone if they are not fpeedily confidered; they are forced to the laft neceffity, fome to fell their eftates, and others ready to leave the country, or to lie in gaol for debts which are owing to them from your Lordship. They come every day with tears and petitions, which nobody takes notice of, and fo your Lordship never comes to know what they fuffer and complain of. 3. "Your Lordship fees what methods the reft who are more able are taking, and you best know what may be the confequence of what they are doing; but, however it ends, if their demands are juft, they will still have reason to complain of the wrong that is done them. 4. "Your Lordship is never fuffered to know what influence these things have upon your temporal affairs; but I am ready to make it out, whenever your Lordship fhall think it your intereft to enquire into this matter, that you pay conftantly one-third more for what you want, than does any other perfon.-I know very few care, or are concerned at this; but I am one of those who cannot but fee and lament this hardship and misfortune, which cannot poffibly be remedied, till your Lordship has taken fome order with your creditors, and reformed those who shall have the difpofal of your monies for the time to come. 66 5. I am not able to foresee how these things will end, and one cannot tell what they may be forced to attempt. It is likely, that if any difturbance fhould happen in government, their wants may make them defperate, and their numbers infolent. I have been lately told, that fome of them have fecretly threatened fome fuch thing. "And now, my Lord, if I have faid any thing unbecoming me, I hope your Lordship will pardon me, and believe it a fault of indifcretion rather than defign. I mean honeftly; and, that your Lordship may think fo, I do proteft, in the prefence of God, that I had rather beg all my life, than to be fo far wanting to myself, and that duty which I owe to God and your Lordship, as not to have given your Lordship these fhort hints by word of mouth and writing, which your Lordship could not poffibly have, but from fome faithful fervant; as I prefume to fubfcribe myself, and, my Lord, your most dutiful chaplain, T. W."* Mr. Wilfon's behaviour had been fo uniformly regulated by the laws of virtue and religion, that his noble patron could not poflibly entertain any fufpicion of his being actuated by finifter motives in this proceeding; and having duly confidered the affair, he was perfectly convinced of the impropriety of his own conduct, and the fincere attachment of his friend, with whofe advice and affiftance he immediately fet about a reformation. Thus Mr. Wilfon, by his candour and fincerity, was at once the happy inftrument of retrieving the reputation of his patron, and procuring a fpeedy relief for his diftreffed tradefmen and dependants. Nor did his zeal and integrity go unrewarded; for in the following year (1697) the Earl of Derby offered him the Bishopric of the Ifle of Man, which had been vacant ever fince the death of Dr. Baptifte Levinz, who died in the year 1693.-This kind offer, however, Mr. Wilfon modeftly declined, alledging, that he was unequal to, as well as unworthy of, fo great a *Mr. Hewetfon's book. change; change; and thus the matter refted, till Dr. Sharp, Archbishop of York, complained to King William, that a Bishop was wanting in his province to fill the fee of Man; acquainting the King at the fame time, that the nomination was in the Lord of the Ifle, the Earl of Derby, but that the approbation rested in his Majefty; and urging the neceflity of fuch an appointment, as the See had now been vacant four years,-a circumstance with which he apprehended his Majefty might be unacquainted.-The King, hereupon, fent for the Earl of Derby, who was at that time Master of the Horse, and told him, that he expected an immediate nomination of a Bithop for the See of Man, and that if his Lordship delayed it any longer, he should take the liberty of filling up the vacancy himself. In confequence of this admonition, Lord Derby infifted on his chaplain's accepting the preferment; and accordingly Mr. Wilfon was, to use his own expreffion "forced into the Bishopric"-a promotion for which he was in all refpects eminently qualified, and which he juftly merited as a reward for his faithful fervices to the Earl of Derby and his fon. (To be continued.) SACRED CRITICISM, No. XII. A CRITIQUE ON PSALM XLV. TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE, GENTLEMEN, THE HE FORTY-FIFTH PSALM, a Critique on which I now fend you, may be confidered, as the fequel of the foregoing chain of Prophecies, further illuftrating, unfolding, and compleating the defcription of the auguft and divine character of THE MESSIAH:-as of confummate Grace and perfect Beauty; exercifing the moft tremendous vengeance on his enemies, and striking terror into all his foes; reigning triumphant for ever with delegated fway, as GOD and KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; furrounded with glory and majefty; his Spoufe THE CHURCH, moft fplendidly adorned, and highly favoured, for her beauty and devout fubmiffion; and his Sons, the eminently righteous, reigning as Kings and Priests throughout the world, under his aufpices, and propagating his praife for evermore. Several injudicious partizans of the Literal Scheme of Prophecy-Grotius, Patrick, &c. injuring the fublime and beautiful allegory, which pervades this enchanting compofition, confider it chiefly, if not folely, as an Epithalamium, written on Solomon's marriage with the King of Egypt's daughter; and the chafter ground-work of that luxuriant compofition, the Canticles. But the concurrent and unanimous teftimony of the primitive Jewish and Chriftian Churches, appropriates it to "a greater than Solomon"-to the MESSIAH, or JESUS CHRIST.-Moft exprefs indeed is the teftimony of the Chaldee Paraphrafe :-" Thy beauty, O KING MESSIAH, aboundeth above the fons of man: the Spirit of prophecy is stationed on thy lips"-which is adopted by David Kimchi, Abraham Ben Ezra, and Solomon Jarchi, the three ableft of the Jewish commentators: and "all the Rabbins agree, that this Pfalm doth Speak of THE MESSIAH:" as afferted by Muir Arama.-And it is judiciously selected as one of the proper |