penditure. To supply this deficiency, he availed himself of various expedients, which, whilst they effected for a time the intended purpose, roused the attention of the people to the enormities and abuses of the church, and, in some measure, drew aside that sacred veil, which, in shading her from the prying eyes of the vulgar, has always been her safest preservative. The open sale of dispensations and indulgencies for the most enormous and disgraceful crimes, was too flagrant not to attract general notice. Encouraged by the dissatisfaction which was thus excited, a daring reformer arose, and, equally regardless of the threats of secular power and the denunciations of the Roman See, ventured to oppose the opinion of an individual to the infallible determinations of the church. At this critical juncture LUTHER found that support which he might in vain have sought at any other period, and an inroad was made into the sanctuary, which has ever since been widening, and will probably continue to widen, till the mighty fabric, the work of so many ages, shall be laid in ruins. It is not, however, so much for the tenets of their religious creed as for the principles upon which they founded their dissent, that the reformers are entitled to the thanks of posterity. The right of private judgment, which they claimed for themselves, they could not refuse to others; and, by a mode of reasoning, as simple as it was decisive, mankind arrived at the knowledge of one of those great truths which form the basis of human happiness. It appeared that the denunciations were as ineffectual to condemn as its absolution was to exculpate; and, instead of an intercourse between the man and his priest, an intercourse took place between his conscience and his God.

MISPLACED PANEGYRIC.

LIKE the Egyptians, who embalm a putrid carcase with the richest odours, the artist and the poet too often lavish their divine incense on the most undeserving of mankind.

ANECDOTES

OF

JEMIMA WILKINSON.

[From the Duke de la Rochefoucault's Travels in North America.]

ONE

In

NE Jemima Wilkinson, a quaker, and a native of Rhode Island, manifested so fervent a zeal in her religion, that at the age of twenty she was admitted to all the meetings of the society, which were held weekly, monthly, and quarterly, for settling the general concerns, and watching over the conduct of the brethren. She at length fancied that she was called to act some great and extraordinary part, and in this persuasion formed the project of becoming the leader of a sect. the course of a long and dangerous illness, she was suddenly seized, or gave it out that she was seized, with a lethargy, so that to her friends she appeared as really dead. She continued several hours in this situation; and preparations were actually making for her interment, when she suddenly started up, called for her cloaths, declaring "that she had risen from the dead, and that she had cast off all her material substance, and retained only the spiritual." She went, accordingly, to the next meeting, as if with the authority of some celestial being, spoke there as one inspired, and gained some followers. She, ere long, expressed her displeasure at some religious observances of the quakers, and D

was, on this account, reprimanded by the meeting; which appears to have been precisely the thing she wished for and expected. In the opinion of others, she met with this reproof, because at the beginning of the revolutionary war she had been much attached to the tories, and favoured the English party, by declaiming against the war, according to the principles of the doctrine she professed. She continued preaching and proceeding in this manner, till she was excluded from the meetings, which indeed all along appeared to be her particular wish. Being now a persecuted person, at least by her own account, she began to gain some partisans. She preached publicly on the necessity of the abolition of all meetings convened to censure, of a reform of the church-establishment, of granting to the friends universal liberty to preach what they pleased, without first asking leave so to do, &c. She soon made some proselytes, and at the same time drew upon herself the displeasure of all who adhered to the old forms of the religion of the quakers. She experienced, therefore, a very unfavourable reception for herself and doctrines, both in Philadelphia and New York. Wherever she came, every quaker turned away from her with abhorrence, as the enemy of his religion; and all other persons deemed her a fool or an enthusiast. This disposition of the public she again called a persecution, it being favourable to her ultimate views. The number of her followers was now daily increasing; and as she confidently trusted it would become still more considerable, she thought they might perhaps be willing to follow her. Accordingly she proposed to a number of them to flee from these regions of intolerance, and to settle in a place where they might worship God undisturbed, and free from that bitter spirit of persecution which men had introduced in opposition to the divine will.

Soon after, the country about Lake Seneca and Crooked Lake was fixed upon as the place of their settlement. The company of New York, which had purchased this land from the Indians, entered into a treaty for the sale of it with these reformed quakers. They were promised three tracts of land, containing each six thousand square acres, which were to form three districts, and to which Jemima instantly gave the name of Jerusalem. Thirty families removed hither with her; but she had confidently expected three or four hundred more, of whom, however, not above twenty at last arrived. This society soon spread over the three districts, which it was to occupy; but was not sufficiently numerous to replenish the fourth part of each. The enchantment, however, had already been broken by Jemima's absence, and with it had also vanished their zeal for peopling this new land of promise.

We saw Jemima, and attended her meeting, which is held in her own house. We found there about thirty persons, men, women, and children. Jemima stood at the door of her bed-chamber on a carpet, with an arm-chair behind her. She had on a white morning-gown, and waistcoat, such as men wear, and a petticoat of the same colour. Her black hair was cut short, carefully combed, and divided behind into three ringlets; she wore a stock, and a white silk cravat, which was tied about her neck with affected negligence. In point of delivery, she preached with more ease than any other quaker I have yet heard; but the subject matter of her discourse was an eternal repetition of the same topics-death, sin, and repentance. She is said to be about forty years of age, but she did not appear to be more than thirty. She is of middle stature, well made, of a florid countenance, and has fine teeth, and beautiful eyes. Her action

Dz

is studied; she aims at simplicity, but there is somewhat pedantic in her manner. In her chamber we found her friend, Rachael Miller, a young woman of about twenty-eight or thirty years of age, her follower and admirer, who is entirely devoted to her. All the land which Jemima possesses is purchased in the name of Rachael Miller, an advantage which she owes to her influence over her adherents, and to her dexterity in captivating their affections.

Her

Jemima, or the Friend (as she is called by way of eminence), inculcates, as her leading tenet, poverty, and resignation of all earthly possessions. If you talk to her of her house, she always calls it "the house which I inhabit." This house, however, though built only of the trunks of trees, is extremely pretty and commodious. Her room is exquisitely neat; and resembles more the boudoir of a fine lady, than the cell of a nun. It contains a looking-glass, a clock, an arm-chair, a good bed, a warming-pan, and a silver saucer. garden is kept in good order; her spring-house * is full of milk, cheese, butter, butcher's-meat and game. Her hypocrisy may be traced in all her discourses, actions, and conduct, and even in the very manner in which she manages her countenance. She seldom speaks, without quoting the Bible, or introducing a serious sentence about death, and the necessity of making our peace with God. Whatever does not belong to her own sect is with her an object of distaste and stedfast aversion. She sows dissension in families, to deprive

*These are small offices or detached houses in America, iu which butter, milk, and fresh meat are generally kept. They are called spring-houses, because a stream of fresh water is always running through them.