ministrations so many souls are fed!
In union with the Father, she is the second Eve,
Dispensing full salvation to all who do believe."

Thus, in almost all ways,--in her title, in her assumption of a nature,
but little, if at all, lower than that of the Deity, and in the devotion
with which she inspired her followers,--Anne Lee was the prototype of
the most notable woman of our day in America. But Anne Lee is now, a
brief century after her death, held in memory only by a few
uninfluential and rapidly lessening people; and in this also she may
prove the true prototype.

The second and less noted of the two women religious leaders who will
find record in this chapter was Jemima Wilkinson, who was born in Rhode
Island in 1753, thus being a native American. When she was about
twenty-three years old she was taken seriously ill, and during the
illness suffered from suspended animation. Of this circumstance she took
advantage by giving out that she had been dead, and that during her
absence from the world she had been invested with divine attributes and
authority to instruct mankind in religion. By virtue of her delegated
powers she professed to be able to foretell the future, to discern the
secrets of the heart, and to have the power to cure any disease; and, as
is generally the case with such impostors, failure to heal was accounted
for by want of faith in the uncured individual. All these pretensions
have a familiar sound, and the present century cannot boast a great--or
at least universal--advance in such matters beyond its predecessors; but
Jemima made a dangerous innovation, not adopted by her rivals ancient
and modern, when she professed to be able to work miracles and offered
to demonstrate her powers in this respect by walking upon water. A frame
was constructed on the banks of Seneca Lake, and a crowd assembled to
see the test; but the matter ended in absurdity, for the prophetess, on
driving up in an elegant carriage, descended to the shore and entered
the lake to the depth of her ankles; then, turning to the assembled
people, she inquired if they had faith that she could accomplish the
miracle, since without that faith she could do nothing of herself. She
received unanimous answer in the affirmative; whereupon, rather
logically than effectively, she replied that in that case there was no
need for her to perform the miracle, and incontinently returned to her
carriage and drove away! This was ingeni