of esteem and respect by persons of the most eminent rank.

After her return, she seemed to be in a much better state of health, and bore the severity of the beginning of the winter of 1708 so well, that her friends hoped her constitution was grown stronger than it had been. But it pleased God, upon the breaking up of the frost, January 27, 1708-9, that she was seized with a pleuritic fever, the symptoms of which were not violent at first, nor were her friends at first apprehensive of her danger; but, her lungs being weak, she sank under the disorder in a few days, and died February 3, 1708-9. She was buried at Spetchly, by her former husband, according to a promise she had made him: as appears by the following clause in her will.

"I will that my body be buried in the parish "church of Spetchly, in the county of Worcester, in "a vault made for me by my former husband, Robert "Berkely, Esquire, and myself. I order this, to "fulfil a promise I made to him, and not out of any want of respect or kindness to my present husband, "who has by his great kindness and confidence "deserved from me all the gratitude and acknow"ledgments of love and respect I can testify."

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"After this brief account," says the writer of her memoirs," of some of the most remarkable circumstances of her life, in which she must appear a bright example of the most eminent virtue in a private station, I should not do justice either to "her or to the world, if I did not enlarge a little 66 more upon her character; in which, if I should be thought to have said too much by them that were not acquainted with her, I am confident what I say "will be judged by them who knew her, to fall below "her character."

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She knew exactly how to distinguish between the means and the end of religion; and was well aware of the necessity of joining them both together in her

practice; so that, as she came up to the strictest rules of piety in her devotions both in private and public, especially in her frequent receiving the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, she was also fully persuaded, that she was to maintain a strict government over her passions, to observe a constant care and watchfulness over her whole conduct, and to abound in every good work.

Though she had no skill in the learned languages, yet, by making the understanding of the Scriptures her chief study, with the help of English commentators, and the assistance of those clergy with whom she most frequently conversed, and with whom she often discoursed about texts of Scripture that were obscure to her, she attained to a great knowledge in the Divine writings. Though her mind was naturally inquisitive, her apprehension quick, and her judgment solid, yet, she confined her inquiries to a few things. Accordingly, when she had made some progress both in geometry and philosophy, she laid those studies aside, though she had a genius and relish for them. She considered the "one thing "needful," and applied herself wholly to what related to it; and even in that, she valued knowledge only as it purified the mind. Her chief care was, to govern her passions; to moderate her affections to created objects; and to elevate her soul to an entire resignation and conformity to the holy will of God.

MRS. ELIZABETH BURY.

MRS. ELIZABETH BURY was born, March 2, 1644, at Clare, in the county of Suffolk. Her father was Captain Adams Lawrence, of Lynton, in Cambridgeshire, a person of good character and great integrity, He died June 13, 1648. Her mother was Mrs. Elizabeth Cutts, daughter of Henry Cutts, Esquire, of Clare; a gentleman learned in the law, a great peace-maker among his neighbours, and a zealous promoter of the interest of the gospel. He died August 23, 1657, and his most eminently religious consort after him, August 5, 1667. His daughter, the mother of the subject of our memoirs, was a remarkably serious, heavenly-minded, and experienced Christian, an ornament to her family, a blessing to her children, and the delight of all her friends. She died full of grace and years, October 6, 1697, aged 78. Such were the truly respectable and heavenly roots whence Mrs. Bury sprang!

The freedom, ingenuousness, and pleasantness of Mrs. Bury's temper, were ordinarily known to all who conversed with her. She has often been taken notice of as a person of uncommon parts, ready thought, quick apprehension, and proper expression. In writing letters she had a great aptness and felicity of language, so that her correspondence was greatly valued by some of the brightest minds, even in very distant countries. Her genius led her to the study of almost every thing; and, having a fine understanding, accompanied with a very faithful and retentive memory, she soon became a proficient in whatever part of knowledge she was desirous to attain. She often entertained herself with philology, philosophy, and ancient and modern history. Sometimes she diverted herself with music, vocal and

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instrumental; sometimes with heraldry, the globes, and mathematics. She learned the French tongue, principally for the sake of conversing with French refugees, to whom she was an uncommon benefactress. But she especially employed herself in perfecting her acquaintance with the Hebrew language, which, by long application and practice, she had rendered so familiar and easy to her, as frequently to quote the original in common conversation, when the true meaning of some particular texts depended upon it. Very critical remarks the idioms and peculiarities of that language were found among her papers after her decease. Another study in which she took much pleasure, was that of anatomy and medicine; being led to it, partly by her own ill health, and partly by a desire of being useful among her neighbours. In this branch of knowledge she improved so much, that many of the great masters of the faculty have been often startled, by her stating the most nice and difficult cases in such proper terms as could have been expected only from men of their own profession.

But however she diverted herself with these parts of literature, yet, her constant, favourite, and darling study was divinity, especially the Holy Scriptures, having from her very childhood taken God's testimonies for her counsellors. In the latter part of her life she devoted most of her secret and leisure hours to the reading of Mr. Henry's Exposition of the Bible, whose volumes, she would often say, were the most plain, profitable, and pleasant books she ever read. Next to the Bible, her chief delight lay in reading practical divinity; and the plainer, and closer, and more penetrating any author was, he was always the more acceptable to her. But, notwithstanding all her knowledge and unusual improvements in such a variety of learning, and her deep acquaintance with the spiritual and most interesting truths of religion, she would always confess and bewail her own ig

norance, and that she knew little to what others did, or what she ought to have known in any of those matters.

The certain time and particular means of her conversion, she could not positively determine, but she thought that blessed event took place about the tenth year of her age. She had been under many convictions some years before; but she apprehended the effectual work was not accomplished till that time. But then, she judged, it was indeed performed; for, though she had many suspicions and jealousies of her state towards God after that period, yet, upon the most serious searches, she concluded with herself that she had more ground for hope than fear.

Her entrance upon a life of religion so young, gave her many opportunities of glorifying God, of doing much good to others, and of enjoying large experiences of the Divine grace and faithfulness towards her; and from the benefit and comfort she found in early religion herself, she always recommended it with much seriousness, affection, and importunity, to others. There was something very peculiar in the disposition of her mind and turn of thought, that adapted itself to the capacity, temper, genius, and relish of most children. Her first and principal attempt upon their tender minds, was to bring them in love with their Bibles, to teach them some short sentences and prayers, and the pleasant histories of the Scriptures, especially such as concerned children, and then to insinuate herself into their affections, and so instruct, persuade, and oblige them, by discoursing with them in their own phrase and dialect, as to render her company very acceptable and delightful to them; and, by the grace of God, she, by these methods, was made very useful to many.

Having set out thus early in the way to Sion herself, and allured and persuaded all she could into the