which Dorcas made, while she | Disinterested love to God, by was with them. These coats which is meant that love which and garments, made for the does really regard the divine poor, were proofs of the sinceri-glory, without having an ultity of her love, that she did not mate reference to one's own good, say, Be ye warmed, and be ye is the very foundation of all true clothed, without giving the piety. "The end of the comthings which were needed mandment is charity," and "chaThese proofs were exhibited rity seeketh not her own.”after she slept in death. We Within less than a week of her are required to be followers of death, Mrs. Pixley told me, that them who through faith and when she was going to be expatience are inheriting the pro-amined for admission into the mises: but, in order to follow church, she was exceedingly them, we must know what path comforted to think, that if she they went; or, in other words, should walk disorderly, there we must know how they lived. was a way that she could be I think my principal motive, in turned out of the church, so wishing to bring into view any that God would still be honored. traits in the character of the By this it appeared, that the deceased, is to stir up her be- honor of God was dearer to her, reaved children, grand-children, than her own honor. Several relatives, friends and neighbors, years ago I heard her express to follow in her steps, so far as a desire that she might have her she is worthy of imitation, (for reason in her last sickness, and I do not indulge the thought, when she came to die; so that with all my veneration for her if she was a Christian, she might character, that every action of honor God in her death; and her life can with safety be imi-that if she was not a Christian, tated for there is not a just manit might then be manifest that on earth, that doeth good and ein- she was a hypocrite, so that neth not.) Her particular faults others might learn, from her (if particular faults she had,) sad example, the importance of have not come directly under being more thorough in their my observation: neither is it religion. I would here remark, probable, that I am acquainted that she appeared to have her with all her particular excellen- reason during her last illness, cies and virtues. Therefore the and, while she had strength to picture which I shall exhibit hold conversation with her must not be considered her cha- friends, manifested unshaken racter in full. Such features in confidence in God. her character, however, as 1 have become acquainted with, I shall endeavor to exhibit, and that in distinct and separate articles, with the express view of holding up each to your imitation. : 1. Mrs. Pixley was eminent for her disinterested love to God. Mrs. Pixley always spoke of God, with reverence, esteem and admiration. The Lord reigneth, was a text which she often repeated with apparent delight. She appeared to be exceedingly grieved, to see the Most High treated with so great and so general contempt. I believe that passage in the cxix. Psalm, she | plete enemy to God and to all might have applied to herself, holiness. And it is most mani "I beheld transgressors and was grieved; because they kept not thy word." In some good degree, the following lines might be applied to her : Reproaches at thy glory thrown, "He feit and mourn'd them as his own." fest, that the scripture considers all natural men as having a mind, which is enmity against God. 2. Mrs. Pixley manifested a great regard to the revealed will of God. I remember, at one time in particular, some years ago, to have heard her speak, in the most affecting language, of the excellency of the word of God. She could not bear to hear any light things said of that book, which she prized above fine gold. It grieved her to think there should be any who could see no excellence in such a divine book. She was a firm In her love to God, the supreme excellence, surely she is worthy of being imitated. Can any doubt of the duty of loving God? He cught to be loved with all the heart, with supreme affection. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, it is no more than reasonable, that we should do all to the glory of God. We ought to be wil-believer in those peculiar docling to be God's servants, to have trines of the bible, which make our honor, interest and comfort the grace of God appear most all subservient to him. We conspicuous in our salvation. should make all our views, feel- She was also very fond of readings and movements in life con- ing, not only the bible, but those form to the interests of his king-religious books, which clearly dom, instead of wishing to have him make his designs conform to our private views. We do not pretend, that any saint on earth fully gives the Lord his place in the universe, but every Sanctified one has a degree of supreme love to him. Though the woman, whose character we are attempting, fell vastly short of that constant and undivided love to God, which is his due from all creatures; yet, for our apostate world, she appears to have been an example of an uncommon degree of it. Perhaps you may think, my hearers, that love to God is nothing peculiar to the saints-You may think, that every body loves God. But this woman did not think so: she was free to acknowledge, | that by nature she was a com exhibit the religion of the gos pel. She did not grudge being at some expense to obtain such food for her mind. She took and read all the numbers of the seven volumes of the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine, a periodical publication, which has afforded much instruction and entertainment to her and others of God's dear children. Love to the holy scriptures and divine truth is an essential part of religion. In this she is worthy of our imitation. It is not enough, my friends, that we are not the disciples of Paine. If we have not an unfeigned delight, yea, at times an unspeakable pleasure in perusing the sacred pages,— if we cannot say, with sincerity, "O, how love I thy law-Thy word was found of me, and I did eat it, and it was the joy and rejoicing of my heart," then we are only nominal and not real, experimental Christians. 3. The religion of our deceased friend had much of Christ in it. About six days before her death, she told me, that, for some time past, she had had distressing views of her sins, but that of late she had felt more comfortably. I asked her, if she appeared to herself less sinful? She replied that she did not, but that she had such a view of the merits of Christ, that it took away her distress. As she proceeded further to speak of her great sinfulness, she cried out, "Oh, what should we do, if it were not for Christ!" These views appeared to be of a piece with the whole of her religion, as far as I have been acquainted with it. She always seemed to suppose herself to be a very great, even an uncommonly great sinner before God, who searcheth the hearts. When she spoke of her vileness, she did not seem to have so much reference to the sins committed before her profession of religion, as to the sins committed since. She had such a sense of the spirituality and perfection of the law, that she saw infinite demerit in herself, where others, who have not such strict notions of the law, would have tho't there had hardly been a fault. It is presumed, that it is evident to all, who have been favored with an acquaintance with Mrs. Pixley's religious views and feelings, that she strikingly felt the need of just such a religion, as the religion of the gospel, which is manifestly a religion contrived on purpose for lost, VOL. I. NO. 10. "I came to undone creatures. seek and save that which is lost." And let me ask, is not the religion which she embraced, in this respect, worthy of all acceptation? Are we so whole, that we need no physician? Have we so few sins that we need no atonement? Oh, what pity, that a lost world, to whom a Saviour is sent, should not know their lost condition! While we are not convinced, that it is utterly impossible we should be, justified before God, from the consideration that we have done so many good deeds and so few bad ones, we shall not one of us make the publican's prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner;" nor lay hold upon Christ, the only hope set before us. 4. Mrs. Pixley's religion had init much love to the Sabbath, and delight in public worship. This part of her religion has been peculiarly tried. It is 17 years, this month, since she removed into these new settlements. This has been the largest part of her religious life. Here she found things very different from what they were in the place where she had lived before. Here there never has been any church of Christians, with which she could unite; nor any stated preaching of the gospel for any length of time; nor even any stated public worship on the Sabbath,until within two or three years past. She has seen much profanation of holy time, which, they who knew her will readily testify, appeared to cause her much grief. When missionaries and other ministers of the gospel came this way, they were all kindly received and hospitably entertained by her and her Y y will keep them from the place where God's honor dwelleth. When persons in the enjoyment of that health, which enables 5. We have all the evidence, that the nature of the case will admit, that Mrs. Pixley was a family. She never failed, if her health would possibly admit, of being one of their hearers. And how did she long to have others follow her example in this res-them to attend to their worldly pect! I have seen her often ap-business, attend only now and pear to be deeply affected, that then upon the worship of God, the Missionary Societies should they make it manifest, that their take so much pains to send the faces are not yet set Zionward; gospel to the people, and ma-that they do not yet prefer the ny of them not attend and hear things of heaven to the things it, when it was sent to their of this present world. Let me, doors. After there was a pro- my friends, strongly recom. fessor of religion come into the mend to your imitation Mrs. settlement, who set up reading Pixley's example in sanctifying and praying meetings statedly the Sabbath and attending on upon the Sabbath, I was at her the instituted means of grace. house, when she told me of this interposition of providence in favor of the cause of religion in this place. She said, she wan-woman, who loved prayer. She ted to have others help her praise God for his mercies.She also observed, that she had enjoyed some of these meetings as well as ever she did any in her life. And now let me ask, is not her example, in her love to the Lord's day and to public instruction, worthy of imitation? They certainly have no religion, who do not turn away their foot from the Sabbath, from doing their pleasure on the Lord's holy day, and who do not call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and who do not honor him, not doing their own ways, nor finding their own pleasure. nor speaking their own words. The Lord has also appointed the preaching of the gospel; and to them, who love the gospel, how beautiful will their feet be who bring these good tidings! A people, who feel the worth of religion, will always have public worship, and nothing but urgent necessity was a woman, and therefore could not, with propriety, lead in the devotions of a public assembly; but she made it evident, that she took delight in public devotions as well as in hearing sermons. She also made it evident, that family prayer would have been an agreeable stated. exercise to her. Whenever the ministers of Christ lodged there, she seemed to set her heart much upon their prayers with her family, and took pains to have all the family, the laborers, as well as others, attend at such seasons; and whenever she found, that any of them were gone into the field before morning prayer, or were gone to bed before the offering up of the evening sacrifice, she seemed to be griev ed, to think that such a privilege should be so undervalued. There is no doubt but that she was a woman, who kept up the stated devotions of the closet. In the most intimate discourse with her upon religion, I have heard her flictions, I have heard her express adoring views of divine goodness, that things were no worse. She seemed deeply sensible, that she was punished far less than her iniquities deserved. Let us imitate her in this particular branch of religion. It is most reasonable, that we should express a great sense of the im- uncommonly clear and feeling portance and privilege of this sense of the perfection of divine duty. She has spoken of it as government. This truth, "The a privilege, that we were not Lord reigneth," appeared to be restricted to two or three sea- the sovereign balm that healed sons of closet prayer a day; all her wounds. When speakbut that we might, if we founding of some of her greatest afopportunity to attend to more than the ordinary seasons of devotion, and occasion called for it, enter into our closet repeatedly and at any time in the day. It was here, no doubt, that she unbosomed herself often to her Almighty friend, who seeth in secret. It was here, that she sought and obtained those co-be contented with every allot pious supplies of divine grace, by which she was enabled to shine as a light in a dark world. Christ both taught and practised secret devotion: and much of the life and pleasure of religion consist in a careful observance of this duty. It is an undoubted truth, that all the pious pray to their Father in secret. If therefore, my hearers, your consciences testify, that you are strangers to closet religion, you ought to know that you are strangers to the religion of Christ-You are strangers to that religion, which you need to meeten you for glory. ment of providence: for providence never errs, but is invariably wise and good. The event, which we now so deeply lament, is a part of a most holy and wise system of divine government.. Though to us there are clouds and darkness surrounding it; yet to him, who seeth things as they are, it is full of light. And could our deceased friend be permitted, from the eternal world, to speak to us, she would no doubt, repeat her favourite text, "The Lord reigneth ;" or something equivalent to it, and bid us rejoice still to have the disposal of all things in the 6. Mrs. Pixley has been a pat-hands of God. tern to us of enduring trials, 7. Another thing, which is with patience and apparent sub-worthy of being noticed in the mission to the will of God. She character of this venerable wohas had many mercies, and, on man, is the tender concern which many accounts, much prosperi- she manifested for the salvation of ty; but she has also had, per- her fellow men. She had a tenhaps, an uncommon share of der compassion for souls. She severe trials. I have seen her appeared most fully convinced, when the hand of God was upon that nothing short of a radical her, and she appeared entirely change would prepare any for calm. Her calmness did not the enjoyment of a holy God: appear to be stoicism, but a holy she therefore longed exceeding submission to the will of a holy ly, that her family, and her felGod. She appeared to have an low sinners in general might |