much earnestness as ever you fought the pleafures and vanities of life; but do not make the refoJution in your own ftrength. Go to God for affiftance; reft not till Chrift be formed in you the hope of glory; until you have a hope that will be as an anchor to your foul both fure and ftedfaft. It is probable if you live many years in the world, you will be called to pafs through some scenes in which you will need that divine-fupport which the world can neither give nor take from you; and you certainly will in the hour of death when all dependance upon creatures muft fail. Then you will want a God to go to as a friend. Do be perfuaded now to accept of Christ as he is offered in the gofpel, the chief among ten thoufands and altogether lovely; view the glorious fon of God calling and inviting finners to come to him that they may have life. And can you ftill refufe? Is eternal life fo fmall a trifle, in your esteem as not to deferve the renunciation of a few tranfitory enjoyments? How can you act fo unlike a rational creature as to fell your immortal foul for the pleafures of a moment? Leave them all my friend and join that noble few, Who dare ftray upward and pursue The unbeaten way to God. election fure. I know that after we have done all that we can do, we are unprofitable servants; yet we are told to work out our own falvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in us both to will and do of his good pleasure. As we have no claim to mercy we fhould the more earnestly and humbly plead for acceptance through the Redeemer. Perhaps you will think that the felf-denial which is required in the fcripture, will make Chriftians unhappy. On the contrary, thofe Chriftians who live most in the exercife of this duty, and seek the glory of God more than their own good are the most happy. That you may know by experience what this happinefs is, is the fincere with friend of your EMMA. Some account of the character and religious experiences and exercifes of Mrs. NANCY BISHOP. T HIS perfon was the daughter of Mr. Adino Pomeroy of Middletown in this ftate. She was born at Northampton in the Commonwealth of Maffachusetts, where her father formerly refided, February 15th, 1764; in her childhood Mr. Pomeroy removed to Middletown, where fhe received her education, and where the refided until March 2, 1797, when he was married to the Honourable Nathaniel Bifhop of Richmond in In what can we manifeft fuch folid wisdom as by choofing that good part which fhall not be taken from us? I truft you have a doc-faid Commonwealth. Her perfon trinal belief in the spirit and power of religion, and of the total depravity of the human heart; if fo you must believe that God, out of Chrift, cannot be reconciled to you, and you cannot think a reconciliation with the great fovereign of the univerfe unimportant; ftrive therefore to make your calling and was tail and graceful-her coun- She ces, could have been expected; and the want of a studied arrange. ment is more than compenfated by that artless fimplicity of manner which feems calculated to exprefs, to the best advantage, the genuine feelings of the heart. The trans. ition from contemplation to prayer is frequently. fudden, but this also feems to be, under the circumstances of the writer, deeply impressed with divine things as the was, a more natural effufion of the heart, than could exift under forms ever fo logical and correct. It is apprehended beft therefore to prefent these writings to the reader, with little variation of style and none of meaning or fentiment. tive duties, and adorned the holy religion which the profeffed. In the prime of life, in eafy circum ftances, and happy in the tenderest of all human connections, he was attached to the world by many powerful ties; yet under the inBuence of divine grace, fhe met the King of Terrors with a smile. She died of the puerperal fever on the 19th day December 1797, ten days after the birth of her child, and in the 33d year of her age. The infant allo dying the day preceding, was shrouded with her and interred in the fame grave; the affured hope which he had expreffed fome years before, of paffing in triumph at last thro' the dark dominions of the King of Terrors, thro' the grace of the son of God her divine conductor, was eminently realized. Tranquil and compofed, at the certain approaches of death, fhe faid, to the inexpreffi-"profeffion, nor renewed for myble comfort of her weeping part"felf, what my parents had done ner: "I am not afraid to die." "for me in my infancy; I thereThus, as her life had been a pattern "fore took pains to get what light for imitation fo the manner of "I could on that fubject. I knew her death was a ftriking proof of " my unworthiness of fuch a feaft the value of Christian piety in a as the Sacrament of the Lord's dying hour. : Her obfervations begin as follow, "The forepart of July 1790, my "thoughts were troubled that I 66 never had owned the Lord "Chrift by my own voluntary fupper; yet my Saviour feemed "to invite me, in language very "pathetic to his table; but how "to come without a faving change "wrought in my foul, was mat"ter of long debate with myself. "That paffage in 1 Cor. xi. 29, "feemed to forbid that which I Thus much for her general character, and the manner and circumstances of her departure. What remains will be to bring the reader more acquainted with fome of the exercises and operations of her mind, at feveral periods, during her progrefs in the Chriftian" longed for." She then relates courfe. This will be done by tranf eribing fome writings compofed, as it appears, for her own private ufe, which the left behind her. These writings were never defigned for the public eye, but merely as a help to private devotion, and of courfe no fpecial attention was paid either to style or method. Still they appear much more correct than, under these circumftan the meafures fhe took to obtain fatisfaction as to her duty, first by writing to a Clergyman and then by converfing with him, and other Minifters of the gospel on the fubject, the refult of which was, her doubts were removed, and on the 14th of November 1790, when a preparatory lecture before the Sacrament was preached, her defire to be admitted into full cammunion with the first church of Christ in Middletown was propofed to the church. This being done, and reflecting on the fubject in her retirement, fhe exclaims, "Is it pof fible they can admit fo unworthy a creature to Chriftian fellow. fhip? Yet the eye of man is nothing-God is the fearcher of hearts, let me abide in his word, and prepare for the important ⚫ tranfaction which is before me." She then addreffes the throne of grace in manner following. "O Lord God, rectify the dif ⚫ order that fin has made in my foul. -Renew my foul in the knowl. edge of thy grace.-Let me, O my God, be made an heir of glory.-Permit me to be impor'tunate with thee for a bleffing upon this day's tranfaction.I have taken a covenant into my mouth, to give up myself with ⚫ all my powers and faculties to be thine forever.-Here, on my bended knees, O my God, let me pay that homage which is due to thee only.-Thefe eyes, ⚫ which look to thee for mercy, ⚫ will shortly be closed in death. My original frame is mouldering 'back to duft.-O God of Grace, ⚫ hear me speedily, thou knoweft, " O Lord, in what I am defective, 'the importance of my eternal concerns, my frail existence, and by what a feeble tenure my life is 'fupported.-O God, I befeech thee, show me thy glory.-Thou ⚫haft commanded me to love thee with all my heart, foul, ftrength • and mind.-O God, kindle the ⚫ facred flame of love in my breast, ⚫ which knows no other love but thee. I refign all to thy difpofal.-I refign my heart and hand to thee.-My heart fill with love to thee. My hand employ in thy fervice, though in the meanest office in thy family. • Command me what thou wilt, O Lord, give me but ftrength to obey.I refign my choice, my will, my liberty.-I ask thy love as my inheritance. Let me not live to difhonour, or bring a reproach on, thy holy name.Let me not, O my Heavenly Father, grieve thy Holy Spirit. -My devotion to God has been mingled with levity and irreve rence; O God, enter not into judgment with me, for the best actions of my life cannot bear thy fcrutiny. O God, in covenant mercy receive me, for Chrift's fake.-May my folemn request, now figned on earth, be ratified in heaven; and may I awake to the life of a heaven-born foul "-thro' the mercy of Jefus our advocate and interceffor-in whofe worthy name, let me fet to my feal that God is true-and let my faithfulness endure to the ⚫ end. "Dear Saviour, let thy beauties be "My foul's eternal food, "And Grace command my heart away "From all created good." NANCY POMEROY. • December 2d, 1790." On the Sabbath next following, when fhe first communed at the Lord's table, fhe fays, "Be this day folemnly dedicated to that God who is the giver of all mercies, (as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, &c.) This inftitution of Chrift is a token of love to his church and followers. O God, when I cease to love and praife, let me grow unacquainted with peace.-Let my life be a life of felf denial.-Let me learn to be meek and lowly, and may I poffefs a holy ambition to know nothing but Jefus; and be deeply fenfible that no grace can be fupported, but by humil 156 Charader and experiences of Mrs. Nancy Bishop. [OCT. ⚫ity of heart and life. O God, 6 "My willing foul would stay, "In fuch a frame as this, We learn nothing further of the 6 6 [Ост. Father's househould who have to all appearance, left no stone been seeking falvation, and have • unturned, where there was any probability of finding the prize they have been fo long wrestling for. Yet the Lord is gracioushe has fet me as a monument of his fparing mercy, he has ever 'been drawing me with the tenderftrained to cry out Why me! • eft cords of love; I am conWhy me! My heart afpires, my wishes fly beyond the utmost bounds of creation, I long to behold thy celeftial glory, and to drink at thy exhauftlefs fpring.In triumph, O my foul, look 'forward beyond all terreftrials, when you fhall rejoice in that unof the wicked shall be put out.bounded love, though the candle May 1, O God, tread in none of their paths, but stand as a burning and fhining light, always lean upon the Lord, and flay myself upon my God." "I'll praife my maker with "breath," &c. 6 my The text for this day's meditation was furely for . things which are unutterable.- 6 and foes equally an intereft in the Redeemer; for I long to have them tafte of that love which paffeth knowledge. After the fcenes of fpiritual delight had got to the height of mortal happinefs, the temptations beforementioned next fucceeded; and when thofe had reached their limited period, I was restored to a calm unruffled ferenity of foul -no fudden starts of paffion, no 'mixture of envy or difcord ran'kled in my breast-all within was harmony and love.-Every breath prayer and praife. But with what language fhall I exprefs the full meaning of my enlightened foul? I cannot, I am fenfible, I cannot give you an adequate defcription. Come all ye that fear the Lord, and I will tell you what he has done for my foul; I will afcribe righteousness to my ma In a letter to a friend, dated April 12th, 1792, the fays ;"Dear as your friendship has ever been to me, and highly as I value it, I am constrained to fay, I' have found that friendship in Deity, which far tranfcends all earthly friendships.-Many waters cannot quench that divine love, neither can the fea drown it; my heart exults with the moft ardent praife and gratitude. How fhall I exprefs my thankful and feal with a loud-Amen." In another letter, dated the 8th of November following, she says, "If you defire to know what is the employment of your friend this day, let me tell you, that the richest ftreams of comfort which have been offered me, on 'the terms of obedience to the Divine will, have made me alas, fong? Yet fince my enlarge-ker, and will now fet my fign ⚫ment of foul, I have ftrange and powerful temptations from the adverfary to distrust the divine goodness. But, while I was in the gall of bitterness, in the dark⚫eft moments, the Comforter came. I alfo call to mind the gracious promife, I will not leave nor forfake thofe who put their trust in me. I will ever praife and bless his holy name, and not forget his benefits to fo unworthy a worm of the dust. What is top, too soon, trust to my own arm for an enjoyment, which it. is God's prerogative only to be'ftow. How fhort-fighted we The love and praises of the Deity are my delight and my fup'port. I would take the world around me, and carry them to ⚫ heaven in my arms, wishing friends' ⚫ weak mortals are! That which I thought, just now, within my grafp is, alas, gone, gone forev er. Had I trufted my God more, and my own ftrength lefs I never should have drank the dregs of this bitter cup.-May I learn this early leffon, and keep it ever upon my heart.-The ways of God are right and just, and if I cannot fathom his wif dom, I must ever trufl his word, |