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over the coffin, which they told her could not be avoided, as the church yard laid so damp, and were astonished to see her in such agonies, at the burial of so helpless an old man ; but she said, she reflected in her mind, that she had not taken him to her own house, fearing proper care had not been taken of him, and she was angry with me, when they told her, that I said I praised the Lord when he had taken him out of a miserable world. I asked her, how she could wish to see him live in such misery, when he had told her he was perfectly miserable with the people he was with. Then how could I wish to see him live in that misery? My Sister said, she would have altered that misery, if she had known his end was so near; and now her conscience did reproach her, I told her, I had nothing to reproach my conscience with; for I had done for my Father to the utmost, and supported him to the last penny.

"Now these shadows thou hast mention'd,

"Tis the substance must appear,

So let all men drop contention,

Like you two, 'twill soon appear.
Repentance strong in some will come,
And like thy sister say,
"If we had known the day at hand;
"We'd done a different way."
Repentance late will be the fate
Of thousands in your land;
I tell you plain, ye sons of men,
Like these two all do stand:
The one appear" my conscience clear,
"I'm glad to see the hour

"The heavenly music for to hear,

"And see my Saviour's power.'

While others say another way-
"No here my heart doth burn;-

"My conscience I can never clear,
"He did intreat to come
"And dwell with me, I plain do see,

"But him I did refuse."

And now I tell thee, in the end,

This must come to the Jews;

Because that there, they'll see it clear,

The watery graves must come
The resurrection to appear,
When I arose again:

D

The one lament, without content,
And did my sufferings see;
The others say another way,
No grief for him can be.
Then thou say here do I appear
The sister not to mourn;
No, no; to thee can never be,

Thou art not the sister there:
Because in all, I now will call,
And prove thy conscience clear,
Then sure the two bring to your view,
The Gentiles must be come,

And clear their conscience they will prove,

1 tell thee now in one:

When thou art gone, and I am come,

The substance all will see

"Our conscience clear doth now appear,
"There is no grief in we:

"For she is free from misery,
"Deliver'd from her foe,'

Whilst some will say, in that great day,
"Had I believ'd it so,

"That she was near, her death appear,

"And did us so invite,

"That from her foe we'd take her here
"And bring the truth to light;
"But we refus'd, and like the Jews,
"In cruelty did stand,

"And every way she begg'd of we

"To free her heart and hand;

"But we would not until the stroke

"Of death to her was near,"

June the 20th, 1804.

THE PARABLE OF THE HERMIT..

The HERMIT was called OSMYN.

ORLANDO, the revengeful Rival of OSMYN.
BELINDA, the Fair.

OSMYN, an officer in the Navy, was gone to sea and left Belinda, whose affections he had gained, and she was deeply in love with him.

Orlando was a Rival to Osmyn, and used his ut most endeavours to gain Belinda.

He practifed all his wary schemes,
To gain the Fair One's heart;

But she despis'd his every love
And shun'd his powerful arts.

1

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When he found all his attempts vain and fruitless to gain the fair one, he thought if he could gain one to aid his scheme, in gaining the ring from Belinda, which Osmyn had given her, that then he should be successful in his projects to procure himself admittance to her by the ring, for he had agreed with villains to kill Osmyn as soon as he returned from sea-Thus when he had made known his deep-laid scheme

A Hermit did appear

And promis'd for to lend his aid
To gain the Fair One there.
He offer'd gold and great rewards
To gain the Fair One's Ring-
Because his Rival he'd destroy
When he did complete the thing-
The Hermit promis'd then his aid,
And to the fair one goes:
Complain'd of poverty and woe,
Her goodness soon he proves,
As Heaven had taught her to be good
To charity inclin'd!

She gave him gold, she gave him food,
And promis'd he should find

A friend in her, if he appear d

Assistance more to crave

The Old Man bless'd her generous heart
And did this warning give,

"Beware, beware, he faid, of One,
"Beware thou generous good:

"May Heaven protect thy generous heart,
"In virtue thou hast stood."

He press'd her hand, and eager gaz'd,
And blessings call'd from Heaven,

As she such favours had bestow'd,
Such bounties to him given-
He heav'd a sigh and went away,
And hasted o'er the plain:
Belinda look'd to see his way

And saw Orlando come

The Hermit stopp'd with him to speak-
The Lady then complain'd,

"Shall he another's favours seek

"When I so offer'd mine?"

She lift'd her hand and miss'd her Ring,

"Oh Heavens! be just," she cried,
"Was it for this the Old Man press'd
"To gain the paltry thing-

Then as she spoke, Orlando burst
So hasty o'er the plain.----

rises in

Then in she went, her door did bolt,
And fear'd to see him come-
Orlando came with hasty joy
That he had got the Ring;
And said that he would give it her
If she would let him in.
Now for her absent lover's sake

She did unbolt the door-
And for to gain her lover's Ring
She did him then implore!

With scornful smile he thus replied,
"Now thou art mine, my Fair!
"Whilst thou wert wearying Heaven, he cried, ́
"I did enjoy thy prayers-

"Oh black ingratitude!" she cried,

"Can man so cruel be,

"To boast of victories so by arts
"As now are gain'd by thee ?"
With scornful smile he then replied,
"Let Heaven reward the good"-
This being said flew ope the door,
Where the Old Beggar stood-
"I've seen a man," the Hermit cries,
That from far climates came,

"Bid me this picture to produce,
"And you would know his name."
With eager joy she then did gaze,
"It is my Lord!" she cries;
"It is, it is, my Osmyn brave."

ORLANDO He rose in haste-"My rival Foe-
Look to the Fair," he cries-
"'Tis time ere this my rival's dead;
"'Tis time that he should die."
He drew the sword and rushed out-
Ah! cruel heart of stone;

haste.

BELINDA

cries.

She heard a horrid, horrid shout,

That echo'd to the groan.

She shriek'd, she cried," Ah! let me go
To see my love" she cries.

HERMIT. "I am order'd not to let thee go,'

Replied the sturdy sage,

"Though of thy goodness I do know
Thou can'st not mock old age."

BELINDA. "Villain," she cried, “" as base as old,

"Let me be gone!" she cried,

"I must behold my hero brave,
"My love before he dies"--

HERMIT. "And so thou shalt," he then replied,
"Behold him on this board !”

And down he threw his silver locks,
And so confirm'd his word-

“I chose this innocent disguise

"To black a villain's arts;

Thy love and goodness to surprize,

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The more inflam'd my heart:
Thou hast not seen the Foe,

Perhaps ere this the villain's dead,
By friends prepar'd below.

Osmyn had prepared friends to destroy Orlando, as Orlando had thought to destroy Osmyn-And Osmyn by taking the disguise of the Herinit, became fully assured of the infamous and diabolical intentions of Orlando towards him, and therefore caught him in the very trap he laid for Osmyn.So will Satan be caught in the very trap he hath laid for others by the Goodness and Power of our Blessed Lord.

A LETTER FROM MR. SHARP TO THE BISHOP OF SEE THE BOOK ON THE PRAYERS FOR THE FAST, PAGE 33. "MY LORD,

Titchfield Street, London, June 23, 1804. If your Lordship would wish for any information about this extraordinary and respectable character, I shall feel it a duty, for the sake of Truth, to wait on you at any hour or day, when it suits your convenience; but I think it proper to inform your Lordship that Mrs. Joanna Southcott most certainly writes from a Spirit invisible, as I have frequently been with her and have wrote from her for these last two years; and what she has written before, as signs for future belief, have actually taken place. The whole tendency of her writings proves that the millennium, or Kingdom of Christ, is at hand. I trust that I have reputation, both as a man and an artist, to lose, which is of too much consequence to be sacrificed, for what may be called a delusion by the world; I have therefore taken every method to prevent myself from being deceived by any cunning contrivance.

I am, with respect,

Your Lordship's humble Servant,

WILLIAM SHARP.

P.S. I shall feel myself highly gratified by your Lordship's acceptance of two prints, being the labour of my hands, which allude to the subject of the present letter.