It was with great pleasure that he received any intelligence of a like kind from England; whether the clergy of the established church or dissenting ministers, whether our own countrymen or foreigners, were the instruments of it. And whatever weaknesses or errors might mingle themselves with valuable qualities in such as were active in such a work, he appeared to love and honour them, in proportion to the degree in which he saw reason to believe their hearts were devoted to the service of Christ, and their attempts owned and succeeded by him. I remember, that mentioning one of these gentlemen, who had been remarkably successful in his ministry, and seemed to have met with some very unkind usage, he says, "I had rather be that despised, persecuted man, to be an instrument in the hand of the Spirit in converting so many souls, and building up so many in their holy faith, than I would be emperor of the whole world." Yet this steady and judicious Christian (for such he most assuredly was), at the same time that he esteemed a man for his good intention and his worthy qualities, did not suffer himself to be hurried away into all the singularity of his sentiments, or to admire his imprudences or excesses. On the con

trary, he saw and lamented that artifice which the great father of fraud had so long and so successfully been practising; who, like the enemies of Israel, when he cannot entirely prevent the building of God's temple, does, as it were, offer his assistance to carry on the work, that he may thereby get the most effectual opportunities of obstructing it. The colonel often expressed his astonishment at the wide extremes into which some, whom on the whole he thought very worthy men, were permitted to run in many doctrinal and speculative points; and discerned how

evidently it appeared from hence, that we cannot argue the truth of any doctrine from the success of the preacher; since this would be a kind of demonstration, if I may be allowed the expression, which might equally prove both parts of a contradiction. Yet when he observed that a high regard to the atonement and righteousness of Christ, and to the free grace of God in him, exerted by the operation of the Divine Spirit, was generally common to all who had been peculiarly successful in the conversion and reformation of men, how widely soever their judg-ments might differ in other points, and how warmly soever they might oppose each other in consequence of that diversity, it tended greatly to confirm his faith in these principles, as well as to open his heart in love to all of every denomination who maintained an affectionate regard to them. And though what he remarked as to the conduct and success of ministers of the most opposite strains of preaching, confirmed him in these sentiments, yet he always esteemed and loved virtuous and benevolent men, even where he thought them most mistaken in the notions they formed of religion, or in the methods by which they attempted to serve it.

While I thus represent what all who knew him must soon have observed of colonel Gardiner's affectionate regard to these peculiar doctrines of our holy religion, it is necessary that I should also inform my reader, that it was not his judgment that the attention of ministers or their hearers should be wholly engrossed by these, excellent as they are; but that all the parts of the scheme of truth and duty should be regarded in their due connection and proportion. Far from that distempered taste which can bear nothing but cordials, it was his deliberate judgment

that the law should be preached, as well as the gospel; and hardly anything gave him greater offence, than the irreverent manner in which some, who have been ignorantly extolled as the most zealous evangelical preachers, have sometimes been tempted to speak of the former, much indeed to the scandal of all consistent and judicious Christians. He delighted to be instructed in his duty, and to hear much of the inward exercises of the spiritual and Divine life. And he always wished, so far as I could observe, to have these topics treated in a rational, as well as a spiritual manner, with solidity and order of thought, with perspicuity and weight of expression; as well knowing, that religion is a most reasonable service; that God has not chosen idiots or lunatics as the instruments, or nonsense as the means, of building up his church; and that though the charge of enthusiasm is often fixed on Christianity and its ministers, in a wild, undeserved, and indeed, on the whole, enthusiastic manner, by some of the loudest or most solemn pretenders to reason; yet there is really such a thing as enthusiasm, against which it becomes the true friends of revelation to be diligently on their guard, lest Christianity, instead of being exalted, should be greatly corrupted and debased, and all manner of absurdity, both in doctrine and practice, introduced, by methods which, like persecution, throw truth and falsehood on a level, and render the grossest errors at once more plausible and more incurable. He had too much candour and equity to fix general charges of this nature; but he was really, and I think not vainly, apprehensive that the emissaries and agents of the most corrupt church that ever dishonoured the Christian name, by which it will easily be understood I mean that of Rome, might very possibly insinuate

themselves into societies, to which they could not otherwise have access, and make their advantage of that total resignation of the understanding, and contempt of reason and learning, which nothing but ignorance, delirium, or knavery can dictate, to lead men blindfold whither it pleased, till it set them down at the foot of an altar, where transubstantiation itself is consecrated.

I know not where I can more properly introduce another part of the colonel's character, which, obvious as it was, I have not yet touched upon; I mean, his tenderness to those who were under any spiritual distress, wherein he was indeed an example to ministers in a duty more peculiarly theirs. I have seen many amiable instances of this myself, and I have been informed of many others; one of which happened about the time of that awakening in the western parts of Scotland which I touched upon above, when the rev. Mr. MacLaurin, of Glasgow, found occasion to witness to the great propriety, judgment, and felicity of manner, with which he addressed spiritual consolation to an afflicted soul, who applied to the professor at a time when he had not an opportunity immediately to give audience to the case. And, indeed, as long ago as the year 1726, I find him writing to a friend in a strain of tenderness on this subject, which might well have become the most affectionate and experienced pastor. He there congratulates him on some religious enjoyments lately received, in part, it seems, by his means, when among others he has this modest expression: "If I have been made any way the means of doing you good, give the whole glory to God; for he has been willing to show that the power was entirely of himself, since he has been pleased to make use of so very weak an instrument.”

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In the same letter he admonishes his friend, that he should not be too much surprised if, after having been, as he expresses it, upon the mount, he should be brought into the valley again; and reminds him that we live by faith, and not by sensible assurance;" representing, that there are some such full communications from God as seem almost to swallow up the actings of faith, from whence they take their rise: "whereas when a Christian who walks in darkness, and sees no light, will yet hang, as it were, on the report of an absent Jesus, and," as one expresses it, in allusion to the story of Jacob and Joseph, can put himself as on the chariot of the promises, to be borne on to Him, whom now he sees not; there may be sublimer and more acceptable actings of a pure and strong faith, than in moments which afford the soul a much more rapturous delight." This is the substance of what he says in this excellent letter. Some of the phrases made use of might not, perhaps, be intelligible to several of my readers, for which reason I do not exactly transcribe them all; but this is plainly and fully his meaning, and most of the words are his own. The sentiment is surely very just and important; and happy would it be for many excellent persons (who, through wrong notions of the nature of faith, which was never more misrepresented than now among some, are perplexing themselves with most groundless doubts and scruples), if it were more generally understood, admitted, and considered.

An endeared friend, who was most intimately conversant with the colonel during the last two years of his life, has favoured me with an account of some little circumstances relating to him, which I esteem as precious fragments, by which the consistent tenor of his character may be further illustrated. I shall