Mr. Fisher, of Glafgow, gave the charge, and concluded the fervice with a fermon from Col. i. 7. "Epaphras, our dear fellow-fervant, who is for you a faithful minifter of Chrift." Mr. Erfkine having been for feveral years much afflicted with a fiftula, was advifed to undergo an operation; to which he confented. On the day when this was to be performed, he was remarkably cheerful; and every thing being ready, "Come," faid he," let us take a glafs of wine before the doctor begins to mangle my body." This fpeech feems to have been prophetic, for the wound never healed; and, after languifhing for a confiderable time, under much pain, which he bore with christian meeknefs and magnanimity, he fell afleep in Jefus on the 2d day of June, 1754, in the 74th year of his age, and fifty-firft of his miniftry, having been twentyeight years minifter at Portmoak, and twenty-three at Stirling. By his own defire, his body was interred in the middle of his meeting, oppofite his pulpit; and a large stone covers his grave. With a clear head and a warm heart, he was poffeffed of ftrong natural powers of mind, and an healthy conftitution, which rendered him capable of great application in the ftudy of divine truths. As a fkilful textuary, he entered deeply into his fubject, and spoke like one who felt the power, and believed the truths of the Gospel. Having known the truth, he was fteady in his attachment to it; and, in the ecclefiaftical courts, he stood forth a champion for what he believed to be the caufe of Chrift, with a degree of fortitude which increased in proportion to the oppofition that was raised against it. He was a popular preacher in the moft proper fenfe. His manner of preaching was peculiarly fuited to the capacity of his hearers, His language was equally free from bafe vulgarity, or unmeaning pomp; and, while he took the Scripture for his model, he freely spoke the dialect of his country, which was beft understood. With a manly countenance, a clear voice, a pleasant delivery, and a commanding eye, he kept the attention of his audience through a long difcourfe, while fome of them wifhed that it had been much longer. Mild and condefcending in his behaviour, he ftood high in the cfteem of his brethren in the ministry; and although he was endued with gifts fuperior to the moft of them, yet his modefty and felf-denial were fuch that he was fometimes afraid to fucceed them in the pulpit. After the the death of the Rev. Mr. Wilfon, of Perth, he was chofen, by the Affociate Synod, to be their Profeffor of Divinity; and was eminently ufeful in training up a number of excellent young men for the holy miniftry, among whom were the Rev. William M'Ewen, of Dundee, and the Rev. John Brown, of Haddington, who is well known in the religious world by his numerous writings; as is Mr. M'Ewen, by his elegant effays. Mr. Erfkine had a moft affectionate regard for his brother Ralph; and many innocent pleafantries paffed between them. When the news of his brother's death reached him, he faid, with much emotion, "And is Ralph gone?-He has twice got the ftart of me; he was in Chrift before me, and he is in Heaven before me too." As he was preaching at Glendovan, on Monday immediately after the celebration of the Lord's fupper in that parish, and, in the close of his fermon, was preffing home the offer of Christ upon the people, he faid, "You will, perhaps, tell me you cannot believe? Very true, you cannot; but the offer of Chrift to finners is the mean by which they are enabled to receive him; and, if I had a commiffion from my great Lord and Mafter, I would offer him to thefe rocks, and they would anfwer me." He pronounced these laft words with an uncommon elevation of his voice; and there being an echo in the place, the word rocks was immediately reverberated. The people were fo ftruck with this incident, that they all looked back to the rocks which were behind them. During his laft illness, and in the intervals of pain, he converfed upon different fubjects with great vivacity. One of his elders calling on him, said, Sir, you have given us many good advices, pray what are you now doing with your own foul? "I am doing with it," faid he, "what I did forty years ago: I am refting upon that word, I am the Lord thy God—and on this I mean to die."-To fome friends, who were converfing with him one afternoon, he faid, "O Sirs, my body is now become a very difagreeable habitation for my foul; but, when my foul goes out of this body, it will as naturally fly into the bofom of Chrift as a ftone will fall towards the centre."-One of his relations, who had come to vifit him, faid, Sir, I hope you get, now and then, a blink (glimpfe) to bear up your fpirits under your affliction.' "I know more," faid he, " of words than of blinks, "Though he flay me, yet will truft in him." The covenant is my charter; and if it had not been for that I: bleffed bleffed word, I am the Lord thy God, my hope and Strength had perifhed from the Lord." The night on which he died, his eldeft daughter was reading in the room where he was; and, after awaking from a lumber, he faid, "What book is that you are reading, my dear?" It is one of your fermons, Sir." "What one is it?" It is the fermon on that text, I am the Lord thy God. "O woman," faid he, "that is the beft fermon I ever preached." It was, perhaps, the beft to his own foul; but the fermon will fpeak for itfelf, as it has been long in print. A little afterward, he defired his daughter to bring the table and candle near the bed; after which, with his finger and thumb, he fhut his own eyes, and laying his hand below his cheek, breathed out his foul into the hands of his living Redeemer. The following Letter to his daughter, Mrs. Scot, a worthy chriftian, now living in Dalkeith, exhibits a picture of his mind, drawn by himself, while under fore bodily affliction : My dear Alice, My nephew James read me your letter to him yesterday, which brought me under a new fympathy with you on account of the death of your dear uncle Ralph, and the ftaggering condition of your father. According to the courte of nature, it was my turn to have gone off before him; but the will of a good and fovereign Lord has determined otherwife, and that I fhould tarry behind for a while in this weary wilderness. It feems I am not yet made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the faints in light; but need to be more beaten in the wilderness with the hammer of affliction, before I come to the upper temple. and fanctuary. But good is the will of the Lord. As for the ftate of my health, about which you are fo anxious, I bless the Lord I have no formed fickness; only I have borne and am ftill fo much afflicted with pain, that I am unable to follow the work of my miniftry. I am moftly confined to my bed. I fometimes get up; but in a little, I am forced to my bed again through pain, which abates as to the feverity of it, whenever I get to bed again, infomuch that my tottering hand becomes fteady, and both body and mind are more eafy. This letter is a proof of what I fay, for it is wrote in bed, leaning on my elbow. I could neither have written fo inuch nor fo well, had I been up, fitting at a table. The Lord makes me to fing of mercy on this account, that my bed is made to cafe me, and my couch to confort me: neither am I like poor Job, fcared with dreams, nor terrified with night-vifions. Many times my meditations of him are fweet in the filent feafon of the night. Many, many times the Lord fays to me, I am the Lord thy God; and then follows, "O my foul, thou haft faid unto the Lord, thou art my God. Thine am I, O David, and upon thy fide will I be, thou fon of Jeffe." I begin to weary, leaning on my elbow.-On Sabbath laft, in the afternoon, as the people were very urgent to fee and hear me, I went from my bed to the pulpit; and, after preaching half an hour from these words, "I know that my Redeemer liveth," I returned from the pulpit to my bed again. Your affectionate father, EBENEZER ERSKINE. Mr. Erfkine's Sermons, printed in his life-time, were republifhed, in 4 vol. at Edinburgh, in 1761. Another volume was published from his Manufcripts, feveral years after his death, by his only furviving fon David, now refiding in Muffelburgh. ORIGINAL LETTER FROM THE LATE DEAR SIR, Wefton, Dec. 12, 1756. THIS day fe'ennight I received your obliging Letter and welcome prefent. I join with the gentleman whose pen gave us the advertisement, in lamenting the lofs which the world has sustained by Mr. Some's death and dying orders. He appears, by this fpecimen, to have been, not only a pious, but a fine writer: an uncommon perfpicuity and an elegant fimplicity run through his compofitions. If the author of the Chriftian Oratory writes as pleasingly, I fhall not be weary of reading, though the pages were' twice as numerous as they are reprefented in the propofals. By this manner of expreffing myfelf, you will perceive that I am a ftranger to the work; but, as you recommend it, I fhall expect to find a treasure, and defire to have four books in fheets left with Mr. John Rivington, who will pay you, and tranfmit them to me. Moft heartily I wish you much of the comfort of the Holy Ghoft, and all peace and joy in believing. Jefus, who as the object of our faith, of whom that bleffed Spirit tefti fies-Jefus is a name that lightens out burthens, and fweetens our woes. To his tender love and infinitely rich grace I commit my unknown friend, together with his affectionate humble fervant, J. HERVEY. Mr. S. Sheafe. À SIXTH VILLAGE DIALOGUE, ON THE PRODIGAL'S CONVERSION. Between Mr. LOVEGOOD, FARMER LITTLEWORTH, SQUIRE WORTHY, and others. Mr. Littleworth comes down from Grace-hill farm, near Mapleton, and fits down in the kitchen, deeply affected. Mr. Lovegood foon afterward comes in from vifiting his parishioners. Mr. Lovegood. WHY, Mr. Littleworth, I am forry to fee you so much affected-is all well at home? Farmer. Oh, fir, I cannot ftand it; it quite overcomes me. Loveg. What overcomes you, fir? We fhould not be "caft down with over much forrow." Upon every event we should learn to say, "Thy will be done." Far. Oh, fir! My fon my fon! Loveg. What, then, is poor Harry dead? Far. Dead, fir! No; bleffed be God: this my fon was dead, and is alive again; he that was loft, and, as I thought, for ever loft, is found again; and, I truft, found in Chrift. Oh, fir, it fo overcomes me, that I think I never fhall be able to outlive it! But, bleffed be God, come what will of it, I can now fay, "Lord, now lettest thou thy fervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have feen thy falvation!" The Lord has not only faved me, a vile old finner, and my daughter Nance, but now my dear Harry is a faved foul. See, fir, what a fweet letter he has fent me. (The farmer gives the letter to Mr. Lovegood.) Here, fir, take and read it, if you pleafe, for I cannot read it again, it fo affects me. I was above an hour before I could read it through: I cannot stand it again: befides, you can read better than I. (Mr. Lovegood takes the letter, and reads it.) "Dear and honoured Father, "It is now full four years fince, in a moft wicked, disobedient, and rebellious ftate of mind, I left your houfe, and entered, as a captain's clerk, on board the Rambler. I confess you might have heard from me before, but I was afhamed to write. Whenever I thought of it, guilt flew in my face, while I confidered how kindly you treated me as your only fon! how you gave me the best education in your power; and which, I am sure, you did out of pure love, and to the best of your judg ment; though I confefs it laid the foundation of my conduct before you and my God, which must have been my eternal ruin, had not fuch undeferved mercies prevented, as muft for ever fill my heart with praise and glory to my moft merciful God and Saviour, Jefus Chrift. In that school, any dearest father, I met with those who firft fecretly led me into fin. Even when a school-boy, none but God knows the wicked devices of my heart; and as "evil men and feducers are fure to wax worfe and worse," fo it was with me. I look upon my abominable and cruel conduct to you and my dear mother with perpetual abhorrence and grief. I pray you both a thousand and a thousand times to forgive me, as I now truft that, vile as I have been, I myself am forgiven of God. I fhall for ever bless the most merciful name of God, my Saviour and Redeemer, if I find you both alive, fhould I return to my native fhore; for again and again have I done enough to bring your grey hairs with forrow to the grave. VOL. IX. " I have |
