against thee, and against thy holy and righteous laws, and desire to lay down the weapons of my rebellion against thee as my lawful Sovereign, Creator, and Preserver. Great and exalted God, who art the Lord of lords and King of kings, though thou art exalted above all comprehension, yet thou condescendest to become the Saviour of sinners through Jesus Christ thy dearly beloved Son.

In the name of this precious Saviour do I, who am a lost, perishing sinner, desire to come to thee and take hold of thy strength, that I may make peace with thee, O Lord, and be enabled to be at peace with thee. With a heart filled with gratitude at thy condescension to the children of men, I desire, by this solemn and deliberate act, to accept of this precious Saviour, Jesus Christ, as he is offered in the Gospel; to renew the vows made for me in baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and those vows which by thy grace thou hast enabled me to make in a public manner in thy sanctuary, and this day again renewedly to dedicate myself to thee, O my God, to be thine in an everlasting covenant, choosing and cleaving to thee as the desire of my heart, and only portion for time and for eternity, renouncing the world and its vanities, consecrating myself and all that I am and have to thy service and glory.

Be pleased, blessed God, to accept the offering here made thee (with an humble dependance on thy helping grace, which alone will enable me to perform my vows). Grant me, O my Father, the fulness of thy love and grace in Jesus Christ. Let me be washed in the precious blood of the dear Redeemer; let me be clothed in his righteousness; let me be sanctified by his spirit, and transformed more and more into his image. Number me among thy peculiar people; inscribe my name in the Lamb's book of life; grant me the blessed Comforter to comfort me, to teach me, and to lead me in the way of all truth. Put thy fear in my heart, that it may never depart from thee; write thy law upon my heart that it may be a light to my feet and lamp to my path; grant me a double portion of meekness, lowliness, and humility. Enable me to walk humbly with thee, my God; grant me perfect resignation to thy holy will; enable me to spend the remainder of my days in thy service, and in the light and under the smiles of thy countenance. O my God and Father, when thou seest me going astray from thy holy commandments, let this cove

nant pass in remembrance before thee, O my beloved Father, and wilt thou in tender mercy lead me quickly back to the true and living way! Grant me grace to keep this covenant: and when it shall please thee to call me hence, wilt thou look down on me, thy languishing, dying child, and in covenant love strengthen and support me in that trying moment, and enable me with my latest breath to glorify thee, the faithful and everlasting God, and then receive my spirit, that it may dwell with Jesus its Redeemer, and behold his glory. And now, holy and blessed Father, for the sake of Jesus the Son of thy love, blot out all my manifold transgressions, and forgive me freely for his sake who died for sinners.

What thou seest amiss in this solemn transaction, forgive; what thou seest I need that I have not asked, grant.

Accept me now, O my beloved Father. My heart's desire is to be thine for ever. O that this desire might be sincere, and come up acceptably before thee. To thee, the only true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be rendered everlasting praises. Amen. ELIJAH PIERSON. [L. S.] New-York, Sunday, January 2, 1820.

Most holy and blessed God, my heavenly Father, I desire to confirm this covenant, and renewedly to dedicate myself to thee, my God and Creator, to deplore and lament my past unworthiness and unprofitableness, and in view of them to be deeply humbled before thee, my God, and cast myself upon thy free and sovereign mercy in Jesus Christ; and with an humble dependance upon thy helping grace, desire to renounce the world and its vanities, to choose thee, my heavenly Father, as my portion for time and for eternity.

O Lord God, for Christ's sake, accept me; draw my affections from all created good, that they may centre in thee alone; give me holiness of heart; give me greater conformity to thee; fire my soul with holy love to thee; sanctify me by thy holy spirit; grant me sweet communion with thee, my Father, and give me the spirit of thy children.

Greatly strengthen thou me for all the duties and trials of life; as my day is, so let my strength be. Fit me to live, and prepare me for death; and when I shall have finished my course, may my spirit for ever rest in the bosom of Christ its Redeemer. Amen. ELIJAH PIERSON,

New-York, July 4, 1820,

B.

FORMATION OF MR. PIERSON'S CHURCH AT BOWERY HILL.

[The following is Mr. Pierson's account of the manner in which he and his associates constituted the Bowery Hill Church, under his own ministration, describing the forms and ceremonies observed.]

Sunday, Feb. 28, 1830. It was a very rainy day, and none of us contemplated going out. Mrs. P. was ill in her bed, but well enough heartily to unite in this transaction. We assembled in the back room down stairs, E. P., S. P., Catharine P., and T. G. Freeman.

After reading the 1st of Acts, and prayer, we were moved by the Holy Ghost to form ourselves into a Church, after the following manner :

In the first place, I (E. P.) was set apart by prayer and laying on of hands for the work.

Next, Sarah was set apart in the same manner for the same purpose. After, Timothy and Caty, in the same way, to join and receive the right hand of fellowship, when they were regularly dismissed from their present connexions.

I then gave the right hand of fellowship to Sarah, and greeted her with a holy kiss, and welcomed her to all the privileges and blessings of the Church of Christ.

During the exercises, we all enjoyed, in a remarkable manner, the presence of Jesus.

Sarah and myself had special witness from the Lord that we had done according to the mind of the Lord, and that he was well pleased with our faith and obedience in doing it.

When we had done, the Lord bade me write it in a book. I then wrote the covenant, which was signed by me and her. We used frequently to unite together in prayer concerning the Church, and it appeared as if the Lord was well pleased with us in the matter, and always gave us precious encouragement about its prosperity. Once he presented a Bible, all gold, opened to the Acts of the Apostles, to the view of Sarah's mind. To me Jesus appeared to come in kingly attire, with

a crown.

I was exceedingly desirous of being instructed in his word, that we might in every thing follow him. I heard a word saying, When he came he would teach us all things.

C.

[It will be recollected, that Matthews pretended to be a Jew; and Mr. Pierson, after he was transformed first into Elijah the Tishbite, and afterward into John the Baptist, imagined himself to have become a Jew also. Matthias preached, and Pierson then believed, that the Jews were guiltless of the crucifixion of the Saviour. The following is Mr. Pierson's argument upon the question, found by the writer among his papers.]

Who are legally accountable for the death of Jesus of

Nazareth?

It is written, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles, and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him. Mark x., 33, 34.

Matt. xx., 19. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify.

Luke xviii., 32, 33. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on, and they shall scourge him and put him to death. Jesus delivered to the Gentiles.

Matt. xxvii., 2. And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

John xix., 10. Then saith Pilate unto Jesus, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

Luke xxiii., 24. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

Matt. xxvii., 26. Then released he Barabbas unto them. And when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto them the whole band. And they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe; and when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee Defore him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews.

And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after they had mocked him, they took the robe from off him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify.

Luke xx, 33. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the

malefactors.

John xix., 34, 38. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side.

And after this Joseph of Arimathea besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave him leave.

Comments.

From the above portions of Scripture we learn, that Jesus was betrayed unto the chief priests and scribes, and by them delivered to the Roman governor in Judea, Pontius Pilate, who gave sentence against him, and delivered him to his own soldiers, who put on him the scarlet robe, the crown of thorns, mocked him, spit on him, and crucified him, and pierced him in his side, when dead delivering his body to Joseph for interment.

This narrative in the Scriptures is so clear and conclusive, that no shade of doubt can arise against the conclusion that the Roman governor is legally accountable for the death of Jesus of Nazareth. And that when the Avenger of his blood shall come, it will be required of the Gentiles.

Again: long before the death of Jesus took place, the nationality of the Jews had ceased, and they were governed by governors put over them by the Roman emperors, Pontius Pilate being the Roman governor at that time.

The lawful rulers of a country are held accountable for the transactions done under their control; they only have a right to use force to prevent crime and to execute the laws.

Thus Paul was rescued by the Roman governor from the people, who were desirous of killing him. Acts xxi., 31, 32, 33.

The custom of the Roman government was to leave their conquered provinces the free exercise of their religious opinions and ceremonies, and this the Jews continued to do, with little interruption, till Jerusalem and the Temple were de>ved.

chief priests and scribes say, John xviii., 31, in an