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despise the chastenings of the Lord, nor to faint when rebuked of Him.

His conduct on one occasion towards lord Derby, in a case of considerable delicacy, and one in which he risked his present comfortable situation and all his expectations, shows him to have been actuated by no other feeling than that it was his duty to do good, when it seemed to be in the power of his hand to do it. His noble patron was very much involved in debt, through extravagance and carelessness; and Mr. Wilson, trusting that God, who had favoured him up to that period of his life, would still "give a blessing upon his honest endeavours," and sure that even if he were thrown upon the world, he should "have the glory and satisfaction of having done a great good work," resolved to seek an interview with Lord Derby on the subject. After a short conversation, he left the room, placing in his lordship's hand a letter, which began as follows:

"MY LORD,-Nothing but a sense of duty and gratitude could have put me upon taking such a liberty as this, but because I have reason to believe it concerns your lordship, I can willingly hazard all the future favours your lordship designs me, rather than be unconcerned and silent in a matter of this moment, though I have no reason to fear such a consequence." The letter proceeded to declare that dishonour was done to the noble family, and ruin brought upon many worthy persons, by the irregularity of the payments; and concludes by saying, that none but a faithful servant would expose himself to the consequences of speaking with such boldness, and therefore that in this character, as well as that of a dutiful chaplain, he presumed to subscribe himself. This letter bears the date of October 22, 1696.

The result was equally honourable and satisfactory to both parties. The earl saw at once that nothing but the best motives could have induced his chaplain to take this step, and was equally convinced that there was much need for reformation; and to effect this desirable object, he applied immediately for the advice and assistance of Mr. Wilson, and thus in a short time removed the cloud which obscured his reputation, and relieved the distresses of those whom his extravagance was ruining.

A few remarks which Mr. Wilson made in his Life of Dr. Sherlock, show that he was fully alive to the responsibilities and difficulties belonging to the situation which he now held. "The office of a chaplain," he says, "is an employment that requires as much christian courage, conduct, and piety, to discharge it faithfully, (where there are so many temptations, and so much need of virtue to overcome them,) as any state of life whatever ; and, therefore, it often happens that such as seek or accept that charge in hopes of preferment, do find a necessity of quitting either those hopes or a good conscience."

And it is probable that his own conduct on this occasion was influenced by his recollection of the example of his uncle, who was once placed in a similar situation, as is related in the following manner :—

Dr. Sherlock's patron, sir Robert Bindlosse, “had a just esteem for the church and her ministers, both at that time under a cloud: and being every way what they called an accomplished gentleman, it was no wonder that very many were fond of the honour of conversing with him which had this unhappy effect, that it made him in love with company, and many of the evils that attended it; and too many of the family followed his example. To make some amends, as they thought, for

these liberties, they expressed an uncommon concern for the interests of the suffering church; not considering that if we shall be shut out of heaven for our sins, it will be no great comfort to us what church we were members of on earth.

"The chaplain saw this with grief, and therefore, after general discourses and intimations that had little or no effect, he applied to his patron more closely, and in a letter he wrote to him laid down his and the vices of the family, in terms so home and serious, and yet so manly, that one could not imagine a mind so void of goodness as to be offended with his holy freedom. He desired him to consider what injury he did to the distressed church for which he always expressed so commendable a zeal. He intimated to him that this was both the cause of her sufferings, and that which made her the scorn of her enemies that her friends did her more dishonour than her enemies could do her hurt, so that she may truly say, in the words of Zechariah, xiii. 6. These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends!' He assured him, that for his own part, he durst not seem to countenance such criminal liberties, lest the enemy should say that the ordinances of the Gospel were profaned with the consent of her ministers. And then, forgetting, or rather despising his own interest, the uncertainty of the times, and all the expectations he might have from a person of so good an interest in the world, he earnestly pressed either to be hearkened to in this matter, or to be immediately discharged from his office.

"His patron was so far from being offended with this first liberty of his faithful chaplain, that he heard him with submission, knowing well whose ambassador he was; and ever after honoured him as his friend."

The prayer which Mr. Wilson constantly offered up in

private for the family, has been preserved in the memorandum book, from which other extracts have been already made.

But little is known of the character and disposition of lord Strange, or of his progress while under the care of Mr. Wilson. His tutor's desire 66 was, to instruct him in all the ways of religion, piety, and honour," that he might be" useful to the world, and that his station and power might be beneficial to mankind." One little anecdote only has been preserved concerning him. One day, as lord Strange was going to set his name to a paper which he had not read, Mr. Wilson dropped some burning sealingwax on his finger: the sudden pain made him very angry; but his tutor soon pacified him by observing, that he did it in order to impress a lasting remembrance on his mind never to sign or seal any paper which he had not first attentively examined. Lord Strange died at Venice in 1699, the year after the removal of Mr. Wilson to another sphere of action.

Had George Herbert lived a little after this period, we might have supposed that the example of this excellent man suggested the following remarks extracted from the second chapter of his Country Parson. "Let not chaplains think themselves so free as many of them do, and because they have different names think their office different. Doubtless they are parsons of the families they live in, and are entertained to that end, either by an open or implied covenant. Before they are in orders, they may be received for companions or discoursers; but after a man is once minister, he cannot agree to come into any house where he shall not exercise what he is, unless he forsake his plough and look back. Wherefore they are not to be over-submissive and base, but to keep up with the lord and lady of the house, and to preserve a

boldness with them and all, even so far as reproof to their very face, when occasion calls, but seasonably and discreetly. They who do not thus, while they remember their earthly lord, do much forget their heavenly: they wrong the priesthood, neglect their duty, and shall be so far from that which they seek with their over-submissiveness and cringing, that they shall ever be despised. They who, for the hope of promotion, neglect any necessary admonition or reproof, sell, with Judas, their Lord and Master."

The year 1697 was the last in which he was to reside with the family of the earl of Derby, for early in the following year he was appointed to the bishopric of Sodor and Man.

The circumstances attending this appointment were singular and characteristic. The nomination to the see was vested in his patron, the earl of Derby, subject to the approbation of the king; and it had been suffered to continue vacant from the death of Dr. Baptiste Levinz in 1693. After a lapse of four years, the earl offered the bishopric to his chaplain, who declined it, alleging that he was unequal to so great a charge, as well as unworthy of it. Thus the matter rested till Dr. Sharp, archbishop of York, complained to king William that a bishop was wanting in his province, to fill the see of Man. The king was thus induced to send for the earl of Derby, who was then master of the horse, and urged the necessity of immediately nominating a bishop; upon which the earl again pressed the preferment on Mr. Wilson who (to use his own expression) was thus "forced into the bishopric." On the 15th of January 1697-8, he, being first created doctor of laws by the archbishop of Canterbury, was confirmed bishop of Man, at Bow church, by Dr. Oxenden, dean of the Arches: and the next day he was

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