her godfather and godmothers. No wonder they trembled and hesitated to come. They must have remembered the hour of joy, in which they had borne the fair infant in her white robes to the font. Yet if it was fear that made them shudder to own their holy relationship, surely their child's courage must have shamed them, when they at last yielded to her repeated summons. She asked them what they had promised for her in her baptism, and repeating the commandments, asked if she was bound to do,—and the creed, if they had engaged on her behalf that she should believe more than this? They answered that they had not. "Then," said she, "I die a Christian woman! Bear witness of me!" And have we dared to trifle with these

holy memorials? "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Let us no longer allow ourselves to believe that it is a little matter to slight the mercy of God, in the establishment of a pure church in our country,-we have been cold-hearted long enough. A time may come sooner than we expect, when we shall look with more of fellow feeling on these protestant troubles. In the mean time I will end

my chapter with Fox's somewhat quaint, but beautiful remark and prayer. Speaking of another company of the English martyrs, he says, "Thus ended all these glorious souls that day their happy lives unto the Lord, whose ages all did grow to the sum of four hundred and six years, or thereabouts. The Lord grant we may well spend our years and days likewise to his glory!"

September 2, 1835.

127

OUR MISSIONARY MEETING,

November 12, 1835.

I HAD said, “I shall try to go to the missionary meeting," for circumstances had long prevented me, and I am sure I little know when I may be able to go again. But at half-past six it was very dark and cold, and the rain began to fall. I was but just recovered from a seriously bad cough, and the time was past with me,—at least for the present-in which overcoming difficulties makes half the pleasure of the adventure; so I doubted whether I should go:-but not long, so much interest was excited on that most deeply interesting topic, the approach of the time when all shall fear Him, from the least to the greatest; when His knowledge shall cover the earth, as the waters do the sea:-so many that I loved best were going, that I did not deliberate long.

The cold, dark, dirty walk was short, and I had a kind and strong arm to lean on; and, "O how glad I am we came !" I said, as we opened the school-room door, and saw the large congregation already assembled. What would those, who only know humble life as it is described to them in the language of sentiment, who speak of poverty as the companion of peace, and health, and content; as the dweller in a woodbine cottage, the listener to the song of the nightingale --what would they think of our Thursday evening meeting? I always remember the company at the five porches of Bethesda. Oh! may these wait in faith for the moving of the waters, and we doubt not the Angel of the Lord shall at last bring healing to all,-withered, lame, halt, and blind. The room looked exceedingly comfortable; there was a noble fire-that is one of the privileges we obtain by living in a mining country, amongst colliers and coal-dust. For whatever else we want, and we do want many things that more fertile neighbourhoods boast; our hedges are shattered, our trees are shrouded and stunted, and we lie too cold for peaches and myrtles to thrive-still our fuel is so cheap that

the poorest amongst us can contrive to keep good fires.

In the space on the other side stood a little table, on which lay music-books and hymns for the occasion, copied by the boys on scraps of paper, for we are too poor to apply to the printer; and there, in order due, sat our faithful friend the school-master and his five steady sons, with their flutes and fife; for of all his six sons "the only one," said his cousin, "that doesn't turn out well, is the one that's gone to try his fortune in London, and he never took to the music." For the vocal part of the choir there were about a dozen of the elder boys and girls; and it is pleasant to see them attend on such occasions, when neither obliged to come, nor paid for doing so. We went on through the room, where many a kind eye welcomed us; and it was with much pleasure that, as I returned their kind greetings, I observed how every bench was filled; and how many were there of whom I cannot but hope and believe that they came eagerly desiring to know more of the value of their own souls, and consequently prepared to feel more the value of the souls of others. There was poor Sarah, once so much better off, now