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THE

New-York Miffionary Magazine,

AND

Repository of Religious Intelligence.

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

TH

(Continued from vol. i. page 418.)

HE effect of Mr. Sherriff's converfion very foon appeared in his life and converfation. He no longer wafted precious time, in the amusements and unprofitable ftudies to which he had formerly been addicted, but applied himself, with diligence, to fearch the fcriptures, and prepare difcourfes for his flock, which might, by the bleffing of God, bring them to the faving knowledge of thofe truths, from which he had experienced fo much comfort. He compofed a courfe of fer'mons upon the most effential doctrines of chriftianity, which he delivered with great plainnefs and fimplicity of ftyle, fpeaking from the fulness of his heart, the things which he knew and felt, and often exhorting his people with tears to come to that gracious Saviour, who had fhewn mercy to him, the chief of finners, that they alfo might be faved. He fet up a weekly meeting in the regiment, for private exhortation and prayer, which was of much vfe to many who attended it. It pleafed God remarkably to blefs his labours; feveral of the officers and private men were brought under serious impreffions, as well as fome others who occafionally heard him.*

* Among his occasional hearers was a gay young lady of quality, who understood English, and with whom Mr. Sherriff had been intimately acquainted before his conversion.--Upon hearing of the change Vol. II. No. 1.

A

About this time, Mr. Sherriff wrote to a pious relation of his in Scotland, informing him of the change that had been wrought upon his heart by divine grace, and defiring him to acquaint his firft companions at the college of it, who had but too much reafon to confider him as an apoftate from the truth. They received, with great joy, the glad tidings that this their long loft brother was found, and he whom they had accounted fpiritually dead, was now made alive. They foon renewed their correspondence with him, and earnestly entreated him to revifit his native country, in order to preach the gospel in that place, where he had fo lately poured contempt upon it, and its profeffors.

By Lady Glenorchy's defire, they invited him to fupply the chapel in Edinburgh for fome months, in the view of being fettled there, if he proved acceptable to the congregation.-This he at first declined, having a very great attachment to the people among whom his labours had been bleffed, and it grieved him to think of leaving them as a flock without a fhepherd. But, upon his health beginning to decline, and the doctor of the regiment advifing him to try his native air for a few months, he confented to come to Edinburgh; and accordingly arrived there the latter end of September, 1777, and took up his refidence in Lady Glenorchy's houfe, where he continued till the 12th of June following,

that had passed upon him, curiosity led her to hear him preach, which she no sooner did, than her heart (like Lydia's) was opened of the Lord, that she attended to the things which were spoken, and received the truth in the love of it. She immediately forsook her former follies, and openly confessed herself to be a disciple of Christ, in the strictest sense of the word, enduring, with much patience and christian meekness, the trial of cruel mockings from her former companions in gaiety, and the severe reproaches of near relations.-She continues to this day stedfast in the faith, and adorning the gospel by a holy walk and conversation; and there is reason to believe that she has been the happy instrument, in the hand of God, of the conversion of some of those very companions, who, at first, considered the change that had been wrought upon her, as the effects of enthusiasm or mad

ness.

when it pleased God to remove him to a house not made with hands-eternal in the heavens.

Soon after his arrival, he was feized with a cough, and other symptoms of an approaching confumption. Notwithstanding which, he continued for fome time performing minifterial duties, both in public and private, with much fervour and zeal to promote the glory of God, and the welfare of the fouls under his care. His very exemplary life in private, gave much weight to what he delivered from the pulpit; every one being perfuaded that he advanced nothing there that he did not feel the power of himself. It might be faid of him, that his daily walk and converfation was a living comment upon the Apostle's exhortation in Rom. xii. 1, 2. for he was transformed by the renewing of his mind, and he fought continually to prove what was the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. He was no longer conformed to the world, in their vain amufements, or idle converfation, but retaining a deep fenfe of the mercies of God, he offered up foul and body a living facrifice to him, and accounted this a reasonable service. Thus convincing all who knew him, that God had wrought a thorough and an abiding change in his fentiments, temper and conduct, and from thence they concluded, that he was intended by the head of the church for an instrument of extenfive usefulness in the congregation to which he was now, by divine providence, called. But God's thoughts are not as our thoughts,

The few fermons he preached at Edinburgh were attended with remarkable fuccefs; and his private exhortations to thofe who came for examination to his apartment (after he was confined from public labours) were bleffed by God to many. He was very defirous of feeing his congregation brought into church order, and the ordinances regularly dispensed to them. To effectuate this, he devoted feveral weeks together to the examination of his flock-and often faid, "If I can but have the fatisfaction of feeing the ordinance of the Lord's fupper administered to a body of ferious Chriftians in the cha

pel, I fhall willingly take to my bed next clay, and never rife more." This indeed proved in the event to be nearly the will of God concerning him; for, upon the 15th of March he was enabled to go to church, and difpenfe the ordinance to 400 of his flock, to whom he gave a very animated exhortation; and a day or two after he was feized with a complaint in his bowels, which, though it did not immediately confine him to his bed, yet very foon appeared to be the laft ftage of the diforder, which, about twelve weeks after, put a period to his life.

During the first part of his illnefs, he enjoyed much fpiritual comfort in his foul, particularly in the night feafon, when his cough did not permit him to fleep. He was then favoured with fuch manifeftations of the love of God, and had fuch joy and peace in believing, that he used to call them good nights. At thofe fea fons he rejoiced in the view of death, and longed much to depart, that he might be with Chrift. But when he was firft feized with the complaint in his bowels, thofe fpiritual joys greatly abated; from the nature of the difcafe his animal fpirits funk, his ftrength began to decay, and, for fome weeks, it was painful for him to receive vifits, or to speak to any body; but though he fpoke little, yet it was eafy to perceive that his mind was continually employed on fpiritual things; and that he had no doubts concerning his intereft in Chrift, and the promises of the gospel. He knew in whom he had believed; and having committed his foul, and all his concerns, to his Lord and Saviour, he poffeffed that peace which paffeth all understanding. It was not till the 23d of April that he apprehended himself to be in a dying way. A variety of remedies had been prefented to him, from which he was made to expect benefit.The fummer feafon coming on, he was told would remove fome of his complaints; and the difease itself being of a flattering nature, he remained in ignorance of his real fituation till that day when he was feized with fome fymptoms of immediate death. He then faid to a friend, "I am now evidently dying; I do not think I

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