Produced by Distributed Proofreaders Female Scripture Biography: Including an Essay on What Christianity Has Done for Women. By Francis Augustus Cox, A.M. "It is a necessary charity to the (female) sex to acquaint them with their own value, to animate them to some higher thoughts of themselves, not to yield their suffrage to those injurious estimates the world hath made of them, and from a supposed incapacity of noble things, to neglect the pursuit of them, from which God and nature have no more precluded the feminine than the masculine part of mankind." The Ladies' Calling, Pref. VOL. II. BOSTON: LINCOLN & EDMANDS. 1831. Contents of Vol. I. Essay The Virgin Mary--Chapter I. Section I. Congratulation of the angel Gabriel--advantages of the Christian dispensation--Eve and Mary compared--state of Mary's family at the incarnation--she receives an angelic visit--his promise to her of a son, and prediction of his future greatness--Mary goes to Elizabeth, their meeting--Mary's holy enthusiasm and remarkable language--Joseph informed of the miraculous conception by an angel--general remarks Section II. Nothing happens by chance--dispensations preparatory to the coming of Christ--prophecy of Micah accomplished by means of the decree of Augustus--Mary supernaturally strengthened to attend upon her new-born infant--visit of the shepherds Mary's reflections--circumcision of the child--taken to the temple--Simeon's rapture and prediction--visit and offerings of the Arabian philosophers--general considerations Section III. The flight into Egypt--Herod's cruel proceedings and death--Mary goes to Jerusalem with Joseph--on their return their Child is missing--they find him among the doctors--he returns with them, the feast of Cana--Christ's treatment of his mother when she desired to speak to him--her behaviour at the crucifixion--she is committed to the care of John--valuable lessons to be derived from this touching scene Section IV. Brief account of the extravagant regard which has been paid to the Virgin Mary at different periods--the names by which she has been addressed, and the festivals instituted to honour her memory--general remarks on the nature and character of superstition, particularly that of the Catholics Elizabeth--Chapter II. The angelic appearance to Zacharias--birth of John characters of Elizabeth and Zacharias--importance of domestic union being founded on religion, shown in them--their venerable age--the characteristic features of their piety--the happiness of a life like theirs--the effect it is calculated to produce on others--the perpetuation of holy friendship through immortal ages--the miserable condition of the irreligious Anna--Chapter III.