A

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

OF

THE AUTHOR.

1. THE subject of this memoir, John William de la Flechere, or Fletcher, was born at Nyon, in Switzerland, September 12th, 1729. He was the youngest son of a gentleman of the first rank in the Canton of Berne, and a branch of a noble family of Savoy. The father of our author had been an officer in the French service before his marriage; and was afterwards colonel in the militia of his own country. After a suitable education at home, John was sent with his two elder brothers, to the university of Geneva, where he was soon distinguished by his superior talents and extraordinary application. He obtained the two first prizes for which he stood candidate, and was much admired and applauded by professors at the College. After a close confinement to study during the whole day, he frequently sat up a great part of the night, to write out such remarkable passages as had occurred in the course of his reading by which means he soon acquired a classical taste, and laid the foundation for that eminent degree of philosophical and theological learning, by which he was afterwards so highly distinguished. From Geneva his father sent him to Lentzbourg, a small town in the Swiss Cantons, where he acquired the German language, and diligently prosecuted his other studies. On his return home he studied the Hebrew, and made a further progress in the mathematics.

2. His conduct both at home and abroad was marked with an uncommon degree of moral rectitude, and he was under deep religious impressions at an early period of life. When about seven years of age he was sharply reproved by the nursery-maid; for what cause is not known, but it produced such fearful apprehensions, that after he went to bed he durst not sleep, lest he should awake in a place of torment. Under these VOL. I.

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impressions he arose, kneeled down, and prayed for a considerable time, and then feeling his fears removed, he lay down and slept in peace.

During his residence at Geneva, his sister, Madame de Botens, kept a house in that city for the convenience of her brothers, and was visited one day by a widow lady and her three sons, from Nyon: and the conduct of the sons so exasperated the mother, that she uttered a dreadful imprecation. On hearing this Mr. Fletcher rose from his chair, and began to admonish her, saying, parents provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And he concluded a warm and appropriate address, by alarming her fears, lest the imprecation she had uttered should be followed by some unexpected family affliction; declaring that her conduct had filled him with horror, and he could not but tremble for the consequences. The same day the lady embarked upon the lake, in her return to Nyon, and was overtaken by a violent storm; and in the midst of her danger, the words of her young prophet, as she called him, were deeply impressed on her mind. But they were shortly after applied in a more forcible manner, by the dismal intelligence, that two of her sons were lost upon the lake, and the other crushed to death at one of the gates of Geneva. At that time Mr. Fletcher was not more than fourteen years of age. Respecting this circumstance, Mr. Gilpin justly observes, that those who are divinely appointed to eminent services in the church, are frequently distinguished, in the earlier part of life, by striking peculiarities, which awaken in all around an expectation of something extraordinary in their future character.

3. On several occasions the life of Mr. Fletcher was in imminent danger; but the guardian care of a watchful providence was conspicuously displayed in his preservation. At one time he climbed up to the top of his father's garden wall, which was very high, and fell to the bottom, which might have cost him his life, had he not happened to fall into a quantity of fresh-made mortar. At another time he and his brother went out in a little boat on the lake of Geneva, till they had lost sight of land, and it began to grow dark, and they knew not which way to steer. But in consequence of some news arriving in town, the bells began to ring, which they could but just hear, and found they were receding further from the shore: but by following the direction of the sound, they at last reached land, when their strength was quite exhausted. Hence had it not been for the accidental ringing of the bells, in all probability they had perished on the lake. He had many other providential escapes, which our limits will not permit us to notice; but the following is too remarkable to be omitted. Some years since," he

says, "I lived at a place very near the river Rhine.

In that part it is

broader than the Thames at London Bridge, and extremely rapid. But having been long practised in swimming, I made no scruple of going into it at any time. Only I was careful to keep near the shore, that the stream might not carry me away. Once, however, being less careful than usual, I was unawares drawn into the mid-channel. The water there was extremely rough, and poured along like a galloping horse. I endeavoured to swim against it, but in vain, till I was hurried far from home. When I was almost spent, I rested upon my back and looked about for a landing place, and with much difficulty got near the shore; but the rocks were so ragged and sharp, that I saw if I attempted to land there, I should be torn to pieces. So I was constrained to turn again to the mid stream: at last, despairing of life, I was cheered by the sight of a fine smooth creek, into which I was carried by a violent stream. A building stood directly across it, which I did not then know to be a powder-mill. The last thing I can remember was, the striking of my breast against one of the piles whereon it stood. I then lost my senses and knew nothing more, till I arose on the other side of the mill. When I came to myself, I was in a calm safe piace, perfectly well, without any soreness or weariness at all. Nothing was amiss but the distance of my clothes, the stream having driven me five miles from the place where I left them. Many persons gladly welcomed me on shore; one gentleman in particular, who said, 'I looked when you went under the mill, and again when you rose on the other side, and the time of your being immerged among the piles, was exactly twenty minutes.''

4. While at college, Mr. Fletcher studied fortification with a view to enter the army. "Once indeed," he says, "my friends having a prospect of obtaining preferment for me, wanted ine to go into the church. But that motive I thought by no means right, and therefore still pursued my plan of being a soldier." It appears however that before this time he had himself formed the design of entering the church. In a letter to Mr. Wesley, he says, " From the time I first began to feel the love of God shed abroad in my soul, which was I think at seven years of age, I resolved to give myself up to him and the service of the church, if ever I should be fit for it; but the corruption which is in the world, and that which was in my heart, soon weakened, if not erased, those first characters which grace had written upon it. However, I went through my studies, with a design of going into orders; but afterwards, upon serious reflection, feeling I was unequal to so great a burden, and disgusted by the necessity I should be under to subscribe to the doctrine of Predestination, I yielded to the desire of those of my friends who would have me to go into the army. But I met with such disappointments as occasioned my coming to England."

Not finding an opportunity to engage in military service at home, he went to Lisbon, and obtained a Captain's commission, to serve the king of Portugal, on board a man-of-war, which was then getting ready with all speed, in order to sail to Brazil. But in the morning, the maid waiting at breakfast, let the tea-kettle fall, which scalded his leg so severely, that for some time he was confined to his bed; and before he recovered the ship sailed, and was never heard of any more. After his return from Lisbon, he heard that his uncle, a Colonel in the Dutch service, had procured him a commission; and he joyfully set out for Flanders. But just at that time the peace was concluded; and his uncle dying soon after, all his hopes from that quarter were lasted, and he gave up all thoughts of being a soldier.

Being now disengaged from business, he thought he would spend some time in England, and took his passage for London, with some other young gentlemen, none of whom could speak English. Wher. they came to land, the custom-house officers treated them with great incivility and rudeness, and took away their letters of recommendation, telling them, that all letters must go by post. At the Inn they were under another difficulty; as they could not speak English, they did not know how to exchange their foreign coin, till Mr. Fletcher going to the door, heard a Jew talking French, and he told him the difficulty they were in with regard to the exchange of money. The Jew replied,give me your money, and I will get it changed in five minutes.-Mr. Fletcher, without any suspicion, gave him his purse, containing ninety pounds. As soon as the company understood what he had done, they all declared he would never see his money again. In this unpleasant situation Mr. Fletcher sat down to breakfast; but before it was over, the Jew returned and brought him all his money.

Inquiring for a person to instruct him in the English tongue, he was recommended to Mr. Burchell, who then kept a boarding-school at South Mimms, in Hertfordshire, and afterwards at Hatfield. At these places he resided eighteen months, and diligently studied both the English language and all the branches of polite literature. Here his behaviour was serious, and his conversation lively and ingenious ;evincing so much of the scholar and the gentleman, that he was highly esteemed by the first families in the neighbourhood, which he frequently visited. Mr. Burchell loved him as his own son.

5. In the year 1752, he procured the place of tutor to the two sons of Thomas Hill, Esquire, at Tern-hall, in Shropshire. At this place, one Sunday evening, a servant observed him to be writing music, aud said,—Sir, I am sorry to see you so employed on the Lord's day. At first, he felt his pride and resentment moved at being reproved by a

servant, but, upon reflection, he saw the reproof was just, and he laid aside the music, and from that time became a strict observer of the Lord's day. When Mr. Hill went to London to attend the Parliament, he took his family with him. While they stopped at St. Alban's, Mr. Fletcher walked out into the town, and did not return till the family were set out for London. A horse being left for him, he rode after, and overtook them in the evening. Mr. Hill asked him,-why he staid. behind?-He said, as I was walking, I meet with a poor old woman, who talked so sweetly of Jesus Christ, that I knew not how the time passed away. I shall wonder, said Mrs. Hill, if our Tutor does not turn Methodist. Methodist! madam, he said, pray what is that? The Methodists, she replied, are a people that pray day and night. Are they? he said, then I will find them out if they be above ground. At London he soon found them out, and united with them, and whenever he went to town he met in class with Mr. Richard Edwards.

After hearing the Methodists, he became conscious of needing a deeper work of grace, and began to strive, according to the light he had, to render himself acceptable to God. But one day hearing a sermon by a clergyman, whose name was Green, he was convinced he did not understand the nature of saving faith. On this he reflected with great surprise, saying to himself,-Is it possible that I, who have always been accounted so religious, who have made divinity my study, and received the premium of piety from the university for my writings on divine subjects, is it possible that I should yet be so ignorant as not to know what faith is? From this time he experienced deep convictions, and became more sensible of the corruptions of his own nature; he felt inexpressible sorrow for sin, and was often overwhelmed with doubts and fears, and was much distressed with a variety of inward conflicts. But from this distressing state he obtained a happy deliverance ;-by faith in the merits of Christ, he was brought out of the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

In the twenty-sixth year of his age he wrote a full account of the change of heart he had experienced, to his brother in Switzerland, whom he earnestly exhorted to seek the same blessing.

From this period of his life he continued to walk worthy of his high vocation, growing in grace, and adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. He towered above the generality of Christians, earnestly desiring the best gifts, and anxious to walk in the most excellent way; while others were content to taste the living stream, he traced that stream to its source, and lived at the fountain head of blessedness. To such as were most conversant with him, he appeared as an inhabitant of a better world, dead to the enjoyments of the present