very worthy minister in Scotland, and which I shall give in his own words. "In this period," meaning that which followed the first seven years after his conversion, "when his complaint of comparative deadness and languor in religion began, he had a dream; which, though he had no turn at all for taking notice of dreams, yet made a very strong impression upon his mind. He imagined that he saw his blessed Redeemer on earth, and that he was following him through a large field, following Him whom his soul loved, but much troubled, because he thought his blessed Lord did not speak to him, till he came up to the gate of a burying-place, when, turning about, he smiled upon him, in such a manner as filled his soul with the most ravishing joy; and on after reflection animated his faith, in believing that whatever storms and darkness he might meet with in the way, at the hour of death his glorious Redeemer would lift up upon him the light of his life-giving countenance.' My correspondent adds a circumstance, for which he makes some apology, as what may seem whimsical, and yet made some impression on himself; "that there was a remarkable resemblance in the field in which this brave man met death, and that he had represented to him in the dream." I did not fully understand this at first; but a passage in that letter from Mr. Spears, which I have mentioned more than once, has cleared it: "Now observe, sir, this seems to be a literal description of the place where this Christian hero ended his sorrows and conflicts, and from which he entered triumphantly into the joy of his Lord. For after he fell in the battle, fighting gloriously for his king and the cause of his God, his wounded body, while life was yet remaining, was carried from the field of battle, by the east side of his own inclosure, till he came to the churchyard of Tranent, and was brought to the minister's house, where he soon after breathed out his soul into the hands of his Lord, and was conducted to his presence, where there is fulness of joy, without any cloud or interruption, for ever." I well know that in dreams there are diverse vanities, and readily acknowledge that nothing certain could be inferred from this: yet it seems at least to show which way the imagination was working even in sleep; and I cannot think it unworthy of a wise and good man, sometimes to reflect with complacency on any images which, passing through his mind even in that state, may tend either to express or to quicken his love to the great Saviour. Those eminently pious divines of the Church of England, bishop Bull and bishop Ken, do both intimate it as their opinion, that it may be a part of the service of ministering angels to suggest devout dreams :* and I know that the worthy person of whom I speak was well acquainted with that evening hymn of the latter of those excellent writers, which has these lines: "Lord, lest the tempter me surprise, Bishop Bull has these remarkable words: “Although I am no doater on dreams, yet I verily believe that some dreams are monitory, above the power of fancy, and impressed upon us by some superior influence. For of such dreams we have plain and undeniable instances in history, both sacred and profane, and in our own age and observation. Nor shall I so value the laughter of sceptics, and the scoffs of the epicureans, as to be ashamed to profess, that I myself have had some convincing experiments of such impressions."-Bishop Bull's Sermons and Discourses, vol. ii., pages 489, 490. F Nor would it be difficult to produce other passages much to the same purpose,* if it would not be deemed too great a digression from our subject, and too laboured a vindication of a little incident, of very small importance, when compared with most of those which make up this narrative. I meet not with any other remarkable event relating to major Gardiner, which can properly be introduced here, till the year 1726; when, on the 11th day of July, he was married to the right honourable the lady Frances Erskine, daughter to the late earl of Buchan, by whom he had thirteen children, five only of whom survived their father, two sons and three daughters; whom I cannot mention without the most fervent prayers to God for them, that they may always behave worthy the honour of being descended from such parents; and that the God of their father and of their mother may make them perpetually the care of his providence, and yet more eminently happy in the constant and abundant influences of his grace! As her ladyship is still (1747) living,-and for the sake of her dear offspring and numerous friends may she long be spared!—I shall not here indulge myself * If I mistake not, the same bishop Ken is the author of a midnight hymn, concluding with these words: "May my ethereal Guardian kindly spread His wings, and from the tempter screen my head; Close to my bed his vigils keep : His love angelical distil, To stop the avenues of ill! May he celestial joys rehearse, And thought to thought with me converse!" in saying anything of her; except it be that the colonel assured me, when he had been happy in this intimate relation to her more than fourteen years, that the greatest imperfection he knew in her character was, "that she valued and loved him much more than he deserved." And little did he think, in the simplicity of heart with which he spoke this, how high an encomium he was making upon her, and how lasting an honour such a testimony must leave upon her name, long as the memory of it shall continue. As I do not intend in these memoirs a laboured essay on the character of colonel Gardiner, digested under the various virtues and graces which Christianity requires, which would, I think, be a little too formal for a work of this kind, and would give it such an air of panegyric, as would neither suit my design, nor be at all likely to render it more useful, I shall now mention what I have either observed in him, or heard concerning him, with regard to those domestic relations which commenced about this time, or quickly after. And here my reader will easily conclude that the resolution of Joshua was from the first adopted and declared, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." It will naturally be supposed, that as soon as he had a house he erected an altar in it; that the word of God was read there, and prayers and praises were constantly offered. These were not to be omitted, on account of any guest; for he esteemed it a part of due respect to those that remained under his roof, to take it for granted they would look upon it as a very bad compliment to imagine they would have been obliged by neglecting the duties of religion on their account. As his family increased, he had a minister statedly resident in his house, who both discharged the office of a tutor to his children, and of a chaplain; and who was always treated with a becoming kindness and respect. But in his absence, the colonel himself led the devotions of the family, and they were happy who had an opportunity of knowing with how much solemnity, fervour, and propriety, he did it. He was constant in attending upon public worship, in which an exemplary care was taken that the children and servants might accompany the heads of the family. And how he would have resented the nonattendance of any member of it may easily be conjectured, from a free but lively passage, in a letter to one of his intimate friends, on an occasion which it is not material to mention. "O sir, had a child of yours under my roof but once neglected the public worship of God, when he was able to attend it, I should have been ready to conclude he had been distracted, and should have thought of shaving his head, and confining him in a dark room." He always treated his lady with a manly tenderness, giving her the most natural evidences of a cordial habitual esteem, and expressing a most affectionate sympathy with her under the infirmities of a very delicate constitution, much broken, at least towards the latter years of their marriage. He had at all times a most faithful care of all her interests, and especially those relating to the state of religion in her mind. His conversation and his letters concurred to cherish those sublime ideas which Christianity suggests, to promote our submission to the will of God, to teach us to centre our happiness in the great Author of our being, and to live by faith in the invisible world. These, no doubt, were frequently the subjects of mutual discourse: and many letters which her ladyship has had the goodness to |