flung away; while the industrious Bee, who is busily employed in making his useful combs, daily flies abroad to enable him to do so, and, flying from one flower to another, gathers from each of them that which both renews his own strength, and yields sweetness to others.

By the Spider's work I am minded of a formalist or proud professor, who works all from himself and his own strength, and never goes out of himself to get strength for his performances, or to work by, and therefore his thin-spun righteousness is good for nothing, and will be thrown away.

The Bee's going abroad is an emblem of the real Christian, who is renewed in the spirit of his mind, and, that he may be enabled to work the great work for which he came into the world, he goes out to an ordinance, and to Christ in a promise for strength by which to work, and thus obtains it, and this makes his work yieid honey, and turn to advantage.

O Lord, I most humbly beseech thee let me not dare to work for myself, but let me go out daily to thee for ability, with which to work my great and indispensable work, that I may deny my own righteousness, and make mention of thine only, and find such sweetness from every ordinance and promise, that my soul may be like a garden which the Lord hath blessed, and may exceedingly thrive and prosper! We shall now give one of her pious reflections on several passages of Scripture.

REFLECTION ON PSALM CXix, 136.

Rivers of waters run down my eyes, because men keep not thy law.

Lord when I read in thy word of the man after thine own heart thus speaking, and yet consider that I am so far from imitating him, that I can many times suffer sin to be upon my brother, without so much as giving him a reproof for it, or advising him so much as to consider whom he offends by it; nay, that I am ready to smile at that which is a grief to thine Holy Spirit, I beseech thee, O Lord! to humble me under this consideration, and to make me, for time to come, to imitate holy David in my charity towards my offending brother, and with thy servant Lot, let my soul be vexed in hearing and seeing the filthy conversation of the wicked.* O let me be so charitable as to weep over the soul of my offending brother; and let me, as much as in me lies, deliver him out of the snare of sin, and by my prayers, and holy example, help him towards heaven!

* 2 Pet. ii. 8.

LADY ELIZABETH BROOKE.

THIS lady was born at Wigsale in Sussex, January, 1601. Her father was Thomas Culpepper, of Wigsale, esquire, a branch of an ancient, genteel family of that name, which was afterwards in her brother advanced to the rank of the nobility. He was created a baron by King Charles the First, with the title of John Lord Culpepper, of Thoresway. Her mother was the daughter of Sir Stephen Slaney.

Thus she had the favor of an honorable extraction, and a noble alliance; and as her family conferred an honor upon her, so she reflected an additional glory upon her family by her great virtues, having been one of the most accomplished persons of the age, whether considered as a lady, or a Christian.

While she was in her infancy she lost her mother, and in her childhood her father, so that she came early under the more peculiar care and patronage of God, who is in an especial manner the Father of the fatherless.

Her first education was under her grandmother on the mother's side, the Lady Slaney.

She had rare endowments of nature, an excellent mind, lodged in a fine form, and under a beautiful aspect, the traces of which were discernible even in her old age. She had an extraordinary quickness of apprehension, a rich fancy, great solidity of judgment, and a retentive memory.

She was married very young, about nineteen, to Sir Robert Brooke, knt. descended from a younger brother of the ancient and noble family of the Brookes, formerly Lord Cobham. Sir Robert was a person of good estate, and of virtuous character. and twenty years, and died July 10, 1646. three sons, and four daughters.

He lived with her six
Their children were

Sir Robert Brooke and his lady continued the two first years of their marriage in London, as boarders in the house of the Lady Weld, her aunt. Thence they removed to Langly in Hertfordshire, a seat which Sir Robert purchased purposely for his lady's accommodation, that she might be near her friends in London. After some years' residence there, they came to Cockfield in Suffolk, his paternal seat, where she passed the residue of her life, excepting the two first years of her widowhood. In all these places she lived an eminent example of goodness, and left a good name behind her, and especially in the last, where she passed the most, and best of her time, and whence her soul was translated to heaven.

She had many accomplishments, which recommended her to all who had the happiness of knowing her. But the greatest glory that shone in her, was that of religion, in which she was not only sincere, but excelled.

To which general head the following particulars may be referred, as the distinct jewels in her crown of righteousness.

She devoted herself to God and religion very early in life, remembering her Creator in the days of her youth, and making haste, and delaying not to keep his commandments. And as she begun, so she continued with great steadiness, her walk with God through the course of a long life; so that she was not only an aged person, but, which is a great honor in the church of God, an old disciple.

As she thus early applied herself to religion in the power and strictness of it, so her good parts, industry, length of time, and the use of excellent books, and converse with learned men uniting together, rendered her one of the most intelligent persons of her sex, especially in divinity and the holy Scriptures, which made her wise unto salvation.

This knowledge of the sacred writings was not confined to the practical, but extended also to the doctrinal and critical part of the book of God, even to the difficulties concerning Scripture-chronology, and the solution of many of them.

She was able to discourse pertinently upon any of the great heads of theology. She could oppose an Atheist by arguments drawn from the topics in natural theology; and answer the objections of other erroneous minds by the weapons provided against them in the holy Scriptures.

Though she was not skilled in the learned languages, she had so great a knowledge in divinity that no scholar could repent the time spent in converse with her, for she could bear such a part in discourses of theology, whether didactical, polemical, casuistical, or textual, that some of her chaplains have professed that her conversation has been sometimes more profitable and pleasant than their own studies, and that they themselves learned, as well as taught.

This perhaps may seem incredible to those who were not acquainted with her; but something of the wonder will be abated, by shewing in what manner she attained her treasures of knowledge.

She was an indefatigable reader of books, especially of the Scriptures, and various commentators upon them, the very best our language afforded. She had turned over a multitude not only of practical treatises, but also of learned books; and, among many others, some of those of the ancient philosophers translated into English, gathering much light from those luminaries among the heathens, so that she could interpose with wisdom in a discourse purely philosophical.

She was also a most diligent inquirer, and made use of all learned men of her acquaintance, in order to increase her knowledge, by

moving questions concerning the most material things, as cases of conscience, hard texts of Scripture, and the accomplishmant of the divine prophecies.

She generally also took notes out of the many books she read, that she might with the less labor recover the ideas without reading the books a second time.

She was very industrious to preserve what either instructed her mind, or affected her heart, in the sermons she had heard. To these she gave great attention, while they were preaching, and had them repeated in her family. After all this, she would discourse of them in the evening, and in the following week she had them repeated, and would discourse upon them to some of her family in her chamber. Besides all this, she wrote the substance of them, and digested many of them into questions and answers, or under heads of common places, and thus they became to her matter for repeated meditation. By these methods she was always enlarging her knowledge, or confirming what she had already known.

Having thus acquired a great treasure of knowledge, she improved it, through Divine assistance, which she was most ready to acknowledge, into a suitable practice, working out her salvation with fear and trembling, and being zealous of good works.

Her piety was exact, laying rules upon herself in all things; and it was also universal, having a respect to all God's commandments, equally regarding the two tables of the law; and it may be truly added, that it was also constant and affectionate. Her whole heart was given up to religion, and an holy zeal accompanied it, which zeal was guided by much wisdom and prudence; her prudence never degenerating into craft, there being nothing apparent in all her conversation contrary to sincerity.

Her piety also was serious, solid and substantial, without any tincture of enthusiasm, though at the same time she had a great regard to the Spirit of God, as speaking in the Scriptures, and by them guiding the understanding and operating upon the heart.

As her own practice was holy, so she endeavored that her family might walk in the same steps, providing for them the daily help of prayer morning and evening, with the reading of the Scriptures, and on the Lord's day the repetition of what was preached in the public congregation. And for their further benefit, she for many years together procured a grave divine to perform the office of a catechist in her house, who came constantly every fortnight, and expounded methodically the principles of religion, and examined the servants. This work was done by her chaplains till the service of God in her family, and the care of the parish, centered in one person. Thus, with Joshua, she resolved that she and her house would serve the Lord.

With her piety was joined much christian love, which was universal, and extended to all mankind, so that she never suffered her

self to hate or despise, or overlook, unless in the way of censure for a crime, any persons in the world, abhorring only what was vicious and evil in them.

But this universal charity admitted a difference, so that, as the more Christian and holy any persons were, they had more of her regard. That image of God that shone out in a good conversation she could not overlook in any, though in some respects they might be less acceptable to her; as she valued grace above all the accomplishments of parts, breeding, and agreement in smaller things.

While all were dear to her in whom the fear of God appeared, she had a most peculiar regard for his ambassadors and ministers, the guides of souls, receiving them in their ministrations as angels of God, fearing the Lord, and obeying the voice of his servants, esteeming what they delivered in harmony with the holy Scriptures as his word and message.

She was very exact in matters of justice, and in rendering to all their dues. She could not endure to have any thing without a title in conscience as well as law; and was particularly tender in reference to tithes, giving away all she held by that title to him who took the care of the souls, and reserving only a little portion yearly for repairing the edifices.

Her almsgiving was very great, and drew the admiration of all who observed it, though they were acquainted with only some part of it. Every one who needed it received it in proportion to his necessities, and in the kind that was most suitable to his particular wants. She esteemed herself only as a steward of her estate, and therefore gave away a great portion of it to encourage the ministry, and relieve the indigent. She dispersed abroad, and gave to the poor, and her righteousness remains for ever. She most frequently cast her bread upon the waters, and gave a portion to seven, and to eight, and lent much to the Lord. All this she did cheerfully and willingly, and was so ready to do these good works, that, when there was any occasion that solicited her charity, it was never any question with her whether she should give, or not give, but only in what proportion she should communicate her bounty; and that she might fix the proportion she would many times most frankly refer herself to others, saying, "I will give whatever you think is meet and fit in this case," having in this respect a heart as large as the sand upon the - sea-shore, and a most open and bountiful hand.

And as the poor were blessed with her charity in abundance, so her friends, who needed not that kind of benevolence, were witnesses of her great liberality and goodness, by which she adorned religion, and won over many to speak well concerning it.

Her generosity was such, that one would have imagined there was no room for her alms; and her charity was such, that it was matter of wonder that she could so nobly entertain her friends. But her provident frugality and good management, with the divine blessing, enabled her to perform both to admiration.