an assistant teacher; and discharged the duties of that office punctually and conscientiously, as long as her health permitted. About this time she became more than usually concerned for the salvation of her soul, and evidenced a strong desire to attend the more private means of grace among us: and one Sunday I was most agreeably surprised to see her come to my class; and there she perfectly satisfied me as to the purity of her motives in attending that means of grace. It arose entirely from an earnest desire to obtain the salvation of her soul. She continued to evidence this desire until March, 1828, when her declining state of health no longer permitted her to attend. During her illness I frequently visited her. Hopes were enter tained of her recovery; but a consumption was hastening her to the grave. On Sunday, 31st August, I found her fast declining, and not perfectly satisfied with her state. She complained of hardness of heart. I endeavoured to encourage her, by pointing her to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. I prayed with her, and shall never forget her affectionate request that I would see her again in the course of the day. On the Tuesday following, she eagerly acceded to my proposal of soliciting the Rev. Mr. Catton to call and see her. He encouraged her, and prayed with her. She was greatly comforted and strengthened; and on the following day her soul was very happy in the love of God, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ. As a proof of her great desire for the spiritual welfare of others, especially of her brothers and sisters, after distributing her books, &c., amongst them, she solemnly charged them never to grieve their parents; for if they did, they could not expect to meet her in heaven. She also sent her earnest request that a young person who had left the school would come to see her. On her friend's entering the room, she said, " If you were as happy as I am now, you would be fit either to live or to die." Mr. Catton visited her repeatedly, and could not, when beholding her, refrain from exclaiming, "Praised be God for his love and mercy towards her!" When she saw her late teacher for the last time, she said, "If I see you no more in this world, I shall meet you in heaven." She continued in the same happy frame of mind to the last; and prayed that, if consistent with the divine wiil, the Lord would cut short his work, and take her to himself. She requested her father to write a letter to the school in her behalf, thanking the teachers for the labours bestowed upon her, and for the vast bene fits she had received from them. She also sent her dying love to the teachers and scholars, and requested them to prepare to follow her, and to meet her in heaven. In her last moments she raised her hand, and waved it thrice; and the immortal spirit winged its flight to the realms of bliss. THOMAS HILL. 2. Died, at Whitby, Oct. 14th, aged twenty-two, Miss L. Flin toff. At a prayer-meeting held in Pickering, Nov. 12th, 1824, she was first enabled to believe with her heart unto righteous hess; and then she made confession unto salvation. The circum stances connected with the commencement of the work of grace in her mind I have not the means of knowing; but that hers was a saving conversion, was never doubted by herself or others. In a letter to a friend, written only a short time after this event, she thus expresses herself on the subject:-" You will perhaps be surprised to hear that since I last wrote, my mind has undergone a great change. I am put in possession of the pearl of great price; I have set out for the kingdom of heaven, with a full determination that, with the Lord's assistance, I will never look back again, nor ever again join in the folies of this vain and wicked world. Indeed, there is more happiness to be derived from spending one hour in the service of God, than from a whole life devoted to sin. I now see all in this world to be vanity, and productive of vexation of spirit. Do not you often prove this to be the case? When you have cherished the hope of some expected pleasure, has it not proved delusive? Nothing but God can satisfy an immortal spirit. The love of Jesus infinitely surpasses every thing I ever felt before. Language fails to tell what it is; but experience it for yourself, and you will not be disappointed." In this strain did she write to her friend; and one cannot but be struck with the propriety of her language, the correctness of her sentiments, and the forcible manner in which her appeals to her friend were made. There is a peculiar loveliness in the character of a juvenile Christian. This remark was particularly applicable to our late sister. In her natural disposition she was very amiable; education had also done its part in fitting her for the social circle; but her decided and consistent piety was her best ornament. A female friend says, "I have for some years been favoured with the intimate acquaintance of the late Miss Flintoff; and I never met with one in whom genuine piety shone with so great a lustre as in her." Many young people have an apprehension that there is something gloomy and sad in religion. To Miss Flintoff, however, the subject appeared in a very different light. She had the experience of personal piety; and in a letter to the friend before referred to, she says, "The Lord loves an early sacrifice. Sacrifice, do I say? The world may give it that name; but we who experience the happiness derived from a religious life can say, Her ways are ways of pleasantness; and all her paths are peace.' Christ Jesus is a satisfying portion; he is a Friend always near to save. I am often lost in astonishment at his unspeakable love to me, one of the unworthiest of his creatures." This was the view she took of herself; and in the preceding quotation, we see also the estimate she formed of the nature of that religion which produces "joy unspeakable and full of glory." 2 With Miss Flintoff religion was not only a happy, but also a benevolent, principle. Her love to God was connected with love for the perishing souls of her fellow creatures. "She had," says her female friend, 66 an earnest desire that others might be par takers of like precious faith;" and, in a letter, she observed, "I often feel that I could willingly lay down my life for the salva tion of sinners." In this spirit of Christian philanthropy, she employed herself as a Sunday-school teacher, as a tract distributor, as a Missionary collector, and as a member of the Whitby Ladies' Missionary Association. In all these departments of duty she was zealous and successful. "While," says her female friend," she appeared panting after more of the image of God, she was made more useful in his work; and I believe that many will have to praise God in eternity that they ever listened to her advice and instruction in divine things. She took a very active part in our pri vate bands; and in our prayer-meetings, which were usually held in the vestry, her supplications were always attended with power. She took great delight in the Missiona: y cause; and often when we were making articles for the Missionary Repository, she would exclaim, 'How delightful it is to be thus employed, in order to promote the salvation of the perishing Heathen!"' There is reason to believe that, previous to her last affliction, her mind was gradually prepared for the event which awaited her. The following language, which I find in one of her last letters, prior to her sickness, is but a specimen of her usual manner of expression: Religion yields present happiness, and promises future glory; but were there no futurity, no heaven to win, the solid peace of mind, derived from fellowship with God, is a sufficient recompence for any cross we may have to take up in his service. There is truly a heaven in the way to heaven." There is something deeply affecting in the statements made by two of her friends, relating to the commencement of her illness. One of them says, "I asked her the state of her mind. She replied, Before my affliction, I found much nearness to God; and, seeing my danger of falling from him, I had an earnest desire that if the Lord saw I should live to deny him, he would now remove me to heaven. At present I do not feel such joy as I did previous to my affliction; but my mind is kept in perfect peace, and fully resigned to the will of God.' She told me, with a firmness I shall never forget, 'I shall not recover; but death has no terrors for me.' She also said, that for some time prior to her last illness, she had been favoured with unusual manifesta. tions of the love of God; and while engaged in private devotion, had felt her mind filled with peace and joy." In this state of mind she was at the commencement of her affliction; and during the whole of it, she manifested a calm, patient, happy resignation to the divine will, which may have been equalled, but has seldom been exceeded. Her prospects for this world were very flattering; but in no part of her afflic tion did she seem to advert to them. Often would she exclaim, "Praise God! Heaven is begun below!" On the Friday previous to her death, she suddenly said, " He is come! He is come!" "Who is come?" inquired a relation who was with her. She said, "Jesus is come: "" then added, "O that crown! how brilliant, how beautiful! Sweet angels!" To any question that was proposed to her respecting the state of her mind, her almost uniform answer was, "I am happy; quite happy!" She took every opportunity to advise, and warn, and caution those of her female friends who called to see her; especially some young friends who had turned aside from the way of truth; nor would she allow them to leave her till they promised to re-commence the work of prayer and piety. "On the morning before her death, I sat by her," says her young female friend, so often referred to, "and she pressed my hands, and said, 'I wish, my dear Hannah, that you were going with me; but you will soon follow. To me the separation will be very short. My happiness, in the interval, will far exceed yours. When, on the evening before her death, I asked her, if she was free from temptation; she replied, 'Peace, peace!? And now her eyes grew bright and brighter still, Too bright for ours to look upon, suffused With many tears, and closed without a cloud. They set as sets the morning star, which goes Not down beyond the darken'd west, nor hides, Obscured, among the tempests of the sky, But melts away into the light of heaven. LUKE BARLOW. 3. Died, at Fryup, in the Whitby Circuit, Oct. 12th, Miss Summerson. She was a subject of divine impressions from her childhood; but these, until the year 1824, were like the morning cloud and early dew; they were transient, and passed away. In July of that year, a revival of religion commenced at Fryup; and our lamented friend was among the first who experienced the power of saving grace. On the 25th of July she first felt the anguish of a wounded spirit; and on the following day, at a prayer-meeting held in a private house, she was brought into the liberty of the children of God, and was enabled to rejoice in God her Saviour. For some time she walked in the light of his countenance; but by giving place to temptations, not having any deep acquaintance with the devices of Satan, her evidence became clouded, and for a season she walked in darkness. But still she manifested a strong attachment to the means of grace, and particularly to her class meeting, which she conscientiously continued to attend until prevented by affliction. In her last illness she obtained a renewal of her confidence in God through Christ. While two friends were praying with her, the Lord manifested himself to her, and she could again rejoice in his salvation; and although she was, after this, frequently assaulted by the enemy, she never gave up her hope, but steadfastly retained it to the end. When her happy spirit was about to take its flight to heaven, she was asked how she felt; and, with a strong emphasis, she replied, "Happy!" and immediately, without a sigh or a groan, fell asleep in Jesus. Miss Flintoff, of Whitby, and Miss Summerson had been intimate friends. They were both afflicted at the same time, and died within two days of each other. The latter, during her illness, was often affected to tears, lest, because of her unfaithfulness, she should not be permitted to enjoy the society of her friend in heaven; but she subsequently was delivered from this uneasiness, and declared, with an animated countenance, that they should be soon associated in the regions of endless bliss. Happy spirits! they have, no doubt, congratulated each other in that world of blessedness, and joined in singing hallelujahs to God and the Lamb. LUKE BARLOW. POETRY. THE HOMES OF ENGLAND. BY MRS. HEMANS. THE stately homes of England, O'er all the pleasant land! The deer across their greensward bound And the swan glides past them with the sound The merry homes of England! Around their hearths by night, What gladsome looks of household love Meet, in the ruddy light! There woman's voice flows forth in song, Or childhood's tale is told, That breathes from Sabbath-hours! Solemn, yet sweet, the church-bell's chime Floats through the woods at morn; All other sounds, in that still time, Of breeze and leaf are born. The cottage homes of England! They are smiling o'er the silvery brooks, |