No. II.

See page 255

THE HE following excellent Letter was written by Lady JEAN FERGUSSON to Dr. DODDRIDGE, in answer to one he had sent her on the death of her son, who had been his pupil at Northampton: which, as it may be useful to parents, in affording them some important hints in the education of their children, and in comforting those who may be deprived of such valuable blessings, the editor ventures to insert it, as copied from her ladyship's own hand-writing.

Rev. and Dear Sir, Aug. 18, 1750. The kind expressions of your sympathy with us under our heavy affliction, tho' most tender and affectionate, is no more than I had reason

to expect from the great love you had to your dear pupil, and the compassion your benevolent heart ever feels for the distresses of your friends.

Tho'

Tho' my present depression of spirits makes me very unfit to write to you, yet I know your goodness will excuse incoherence and confusion in one oppressed with sorrow; and I did not chuse to employ any other to write upon a subject which has engrossed my whole thoughts for some months past. I am sensible, I ought not to mourn as those who have no hope, when I have reason for the greatest with regard to my dear child: but it would be the highest stupidity not to be deeply humbled under the mighty hand of God, who by this awful dispensation tells me that I have heinously offended, since I have drawn down such a stroke from the Father of mercies, who does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. He has taken from me Him, who above all my children, was the delight of my eyes, and the joy of my heart; Him, who for twenty-three years past, has engrossed a great share of my care and tenderness, my hopes and fears: but I ought to be dumb with silence and not open my mouth, because HE has done it, who has wise and holy ends to serve in his dispensations. Happy will it be for us, if we have a right to those comforts you so kindly administer in your letter. You inquire about my beloved child's behaviour in his last illness, and you have a right to be informed

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formed about it, as you were at such pains to instill into his mind right principles and sentiments in every thing becoming a man and a christian; and your labour was not lost, since it tended to ripen him for another and a better life, as well as to fit him for a useful and honourable appearance in this, had it pleased God to lengthen his days.

He had a most grateful sense of all your favours, as well as the highest esteem and regard for you, and has often entertained us with an account of your indefatigable labour of various kinds, which would make one wonder how any man had time or strength to go thro' so much. He to the last remembered your affectionate care for him, and the confidence and intimacy you honoured him with, and he mentioned you with tender affection a very few days before he died: he was also very sensible of Mrs. DODDRIDGE'S tender and motherly care about him. I mention this only because the natural reserve and modesty of his temper make me imagine he never told how much he loved you.

you

It would be needless and improper for me to say any thing of the happy talents he was blessed with, tho' his early capacity and desire for knowledge were indeed surprising. What I have reason to remember with still more pleasure is, that his whole life

was

was free from any gross vice, even those which most children are incident to; neither can I recollect, that from his earliest infancy I ever heard any indecent' or proplane words proceed from his mouth. He never liked, when in his best health, those trivial amusements or gay entertainments which other youths are so generally fond of; insomuch, that I have often told him he was too grave for his age; but this did not proceed from want of natural sprightliness and vivacity, as you well know; but I have reason to believe, that he had early presages that his life was not to be long, and therefore spent the small time allotted him to better purposes.

That he had a sincere regard for, and firm belief of our holy religion, I certainly know: that he was a constant advocate for it, and better acquainted with the proofs and principles of it than most young people, you cannot but know, as you' were a happy instrument of his instruction: that he had a sincere love and esteem for all good people, however much decryed or undervalued by a prophane world, he ever declared. I believe he punctually read the scripture every day; for I remember three years ago when he was at home with us, that I often looked into his room in a morning, and at every one of these times I found him so employed. He

punctually attended publick worship wherever he was; and when at home here last winter, no day was so bad as to keep him from church, and he was much affected by the preaching of the word even in his childhood.

You will have heard, that he was seized with a fatal hectick fever, attended with much other sore distress at Wigan, on his way to the regiment. When he wrote us accounts of this, he did it with so much chearfulness, that one would have thought him in perfect health; yet the symptoms he mentioned were so bad, that our physician, a very skilful one, told us he believed it impossible we could ever see him again. But it pleassed God, mercifully to disappoint him, and to give my child strength to return to us in five days after we got the first accounts of his illness. He often expressed great thankfulness for the divine goodness, which gave him strength for such a journey, which he said he could not have undergone without a supernatural support. I saw him so much weakened, that I had little hopes of his recovery by any human means; but every thing was tried that could be of any use to him, and his spirits were supported to the last in remarkable chearfulness and serenity; insomuch, that I do not think I ever saw him more entertaining and sprightly than

he