head,-they shall NEVER come down, till masts, and hull, and all come down together. O Lord, bless thy servants, and reward them and all others for the good they are doing among us poor sailors.'-Amen.

(The son referred to, is a young man, also a captain of a ship, that had received spiritual benefit at a former meeting, viz.: Capt. Z-, of the W—.)

Since the above date, according to request, the Bethel flag has passed to that mast-head, and the ship has been dedicated to the Bethel service, when both father and son were present, and took part in the service.' Cabin, filled to excess. Capt. Anderson gave first address, from Choose ye this day whom ye will serve, etc. Second by myself, appropriate to the young man and his crew about to sail in the morning, on the words, 'My presence shall go with thee unto the end, and I will give thee rest.' Want of room forbids further particulars at present. For about ten evenings in succession I have been favoured with similar meetings. May this work spread till the abundance of the sea be brought to the Redeemer, and He is

Crowned Lord of all.

Since my last report, Nov. 13th, I have obtained for the agents of the Society 34 ships; held 29 services myself. including river and shore. My services afloat have been attended by 199. A good number of whom have engaged in prayer. Visited East and West India, London and St. Catherine Docks; also the river, when its state would admit ; on sabbath-boarding as usual; distributed about fifty tracts per day.

Sixth Station.-Rev. T. MUSCUTT,— Why do men go to sea, and continue in the arduous employment of ploughing the ocean's waves, exposing themselves to its pitiless storms, and devouring element? Is it because they love to buf

fet the briny deep,-rise on its mountain billows, listen to its roaring sounds, and see its foaming surges? All this is grand, awfully grand; but one would think that having once witnessed would be sufficient to deter the most fearless from the service again. And yet our sailors go a second and third time, and many of them spend nearly all their lives on the mighty waters.

The gale drives their vessel with maddened fury. She mounts up to heaven, she descends to the deep, a dreadful sea covers her, the angry flood sports with her frailty,—she dashes on a rock, is split in pieces, - is swallowed up by sands, or sinks in deep waters, her men escape the wreck, in an open boat, after days of hard labour, and nights of restless anxiety,—through a kind providence they reach the shore in safety-but they have lost their all,-are far from home, and without a friend, or a shilling, yet they go to sea again.

Privations and sufferings meet them as they renew their voyage intense cold, and burning heat, furious winds, and alarming tempests, drifting snow, and dense fogs-harsh thunders and vivid lightning, pinching hunger, and insatiable thirst, daily fatigue, and imminent dangers press around them,they are at their wit's end,-expecting every moment to spring a leak, or be engulphed to rise no more,—unexpected deliverance comes, once more they reach the desired haven, and are quiet in port,-they refit their vesseltake in their cargo-and to sea they go again.

They know that many of their brethren perish every day, and find a watery grave. That such may be their end, and such their tomb, and yet they go again and again, on the troubled

ocean.

What then can induce them to do so? There must be some motives which prompt them. Some influences which impel them. The hope of gain has, no

doubt, something to do with it. Can we expect, that men will endure such things for nothing? Necessity compels thousands to continue in this work. They have addicted themselves to the sea in early life-have been trained in this hardy school,-they have learned its service, they know no other art, -they can do no other work,-therefore they must go to sea. Some would willingly relinquish the avocation, but cannot. They must take the helm, unfurl the sail, brave the terrors of the storm, and place their lives in jeopardy, or pine in want, or die of hunger at home.

which

May we not in all this, mark the hand of that divine Providence which directs the steps, and guides the movements of the sons of men; makes one man a statesman, another a mechanic; this one a ploughman, and that a scholar; one a minister, and another a sailor. If all men dreaded the sea, and none were compelled to go in ships,-if one voyage sickened our seamen, and all refused to embark a second time, there would soon be an end to commerce, and all intercourse with separate nations would cease; the east and the west, the north and the south would be inaccessible, at least, to adventurers from our sea-girt island; then our missionaries must stay at home, and never blow the gospel trumpet, or lift the standard of the cross on distant lands; then our Bible Society must erase one part of its designation, and could carry on none of its foreign operations. But that Providence which keeps all the wheels of nature in motion, and makes the tides ebb and flow without interruption, causes men, either from choice or necessity, to bat

tle the blue wave, and sail from port to port, from the rivers to the ends of the earth-that so communications may be kept up with the great family of man, and his own purposes of love to mercy be made known from one nation to another.

To this train of thought my mind has been directed, by the late distress and destructive havoc at sea. I have conversed with men who have escaped with their lives; have seen whole ship's companies, who have lost their all; have met with some who alone have escaped to tell the tale of woe; have heard of hundreds who have been lost; and have seen a sea-port town in the greatest excitement under the apprehension that a ship was lost,—the Fairy, which sailed from Harwich only two days before a tremendous gale arose, -she has not been heard of since, and it is feared has gone down with her spirited enterprising captain, (Hewitt) his eldest son, his wife's brother, and her officers and men, to the number of fifty.

Every heart appeared to heave with sorrow, and every voice uttered the tone of regret. If then such are the sufferings and dangers of our seamen, surely it becomes those who are benefited by their toils, not only to sympathize with them, but to render them all the good they can. Christians, especially, are bound to seek their spiritual improvement; and aim to fit them for a world, where storm and tempest never rise, but all is peace and joy.

Brethren, pray for them, that the word of the Lord may run among them and be glorified in their conversion to the faith and hope of the gospel.

To

REVEREND SIR,-Although personally unknown to you, yet I am, I trust, united in one spirit in the great and glorious work of labouring for the conversion of my brother seamen. God, on their behalf, I cry. A few months past, I had the high honour of receiving a new Bethel flag from your Missionary, Mr. Welch; since that period I have visited the Channel islands, Jersey and Guernsey and by Divine grace have not been ashamed of my colours, much less of the gospel of Christ, with which it is so interestingly connected. This flag, sir, has already waved over many a happy scene to myself, and, I doubt not, profitable to others : although, after it has called together the blue-jacket worshippers, and other visitors from the shore, it has sometimes placed me in rather awkward circumstances, something like a ship at sea, that has lost her reckoning. But having commenced in this good work, I dare not stand still. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Captain of salvation, who has given me many tokens of encouragement, and by whose grace I have made at least some headway to this present.

At Jersey, our meetings on board were abundantly blessed to my soul, and to the spiritual advantage of many who attended. There were many ships in this port; and I must observe, in one month, I never saw any other flag hoisted. How much room for labour there! Our meetings on board the Jane and Margaret, of Sunderland,

were

attended with a solemnizing effect. On board of the yacht, our labour was not in vain in the Lord. The convincing Spirit of our God moved upon the minds of our assemblies, and I cannot doubt that the impression made will be lasting.

With great pleasure I record, that my brother captains were at all times ready to attend, and assist in the devotions; patronizing, by their example, this great work. I felt much indebted to the kind assistance, and hearty cooperation, of our Christian friends from the shore, who were ever ready to devise and carry out measures for the glory of God, and the good of their fellow-men. Sir, I am a babe in Christ, and my humble standing almost deters me from mentioning particulars; yet I must observe, at Jersey I met a captain, whom I knew years previously ; drinking had in an awful manner affected both body and soul. He was prevailed upon to attend our meetings, and by the grace of God in connection with means he was humbled to tears, confessed his guilt, laid aside his besetting sin, and determined to serve God. I left him in a hopeful state. O that these impressions may endure, that this man's soul may be saved. And what encouragement to me, sir, to learn, that another captain, whose character must endear him to all who knew him, was compelled to bring the written word of God from its hiding place it had been neglected and stowed away. May the gospel be the power of God unto his salvation!

Since my arrival in London, I am happy to find the work of the Lord in a most prosperous state among sailors. I accompanied your missionary, Mr. Welch, a few evenings in the past week; and I think I never before witnessed more impressive scenes. A remarkable influence has attended all the meetings, in the chapel and on board the various ships in the river: cabins always quite full; and the simplicity and heart-felt expressions of poor sailors beginning to pray, has caused the

tear to flow down my cheek, again and again. One captain I heard pray that the Bethel flag might come on board his ship. Surely, sir, the christian public are not aware of these things. Could they but view the last week's services, in particular detail, methinks it would cause them to double your valuable agency, again and again. I rejoice that the Lord is pouring out

his Holy Spirit among seamen. A glorious visitation appears at hand; and by them, (under God,) may we not hope for the conversion of the whole world. May your hands be strengthened, and your faith increased, in the divine promise; and may you be a happy instrument in promoting the spiritual welfare of seamen. So prays THOMAS ANDERSON.

We will now in conclusion call to remembrance the days that have passed since this important Institution was first established in the town of Dartmouth. We will, in other words, take a glance at some of the events which have occurred in connexion with the history of the Institution. We have already reminded you, that some who composed the original committee, no longer exist in this world, but are numbered with the dead; but their places have been filled up by others, successively, year after year, and now we have a committee, equal if not more in number, than at first, who are alive in some degree (O, that it were more so,) to the spiritual interests of seamen frequenting our Port. It will recur to the remembrance of some present, (and the recollection will produce mingled emotions of pain and pleasure,) that some who have been on our committee, during the existence of the Bethel Union in this town, and whose energies have been actively employed for the promotion of its objects, have died far from home either by disease, or by finding a watery grave. But we have "not to sorrow for them as those who have no hope," but believing they died in Christ, we anticipate, (O delightful thought!) that he will bring them with him at the last day, and that we shall then again be associated for ever. are led moreover in this part of the

We

history of our Bethel Union, to think of others who have occupied the position of hearers of the word at our Bethel meetings, but who are now no more on earth. Some of them whose names will recur quickly to your minds have terminated their mortal career on the mighty deep, others have died in foreign lands, where they have had no sympathizing wife, child or friend, to cheer them in their dying moments. Some have closed their eyes on mortality in their own beloved homes, after having been preserved by divine mercy through many a storm. These have died and given up the ghost, and where are they? Concerning some, methinks, you have every reason to hope they have reached their desired haven, and are now for ever safe. The motto, under the picture of the missionary, Knill, occurred to my recollection, while writing these lines,-"The heathen are perishing! Shall we let them perish? God forbid." Our sailors are are perishing! they are perishing by drunkenness, licentiousness, swearing, etc. etc. They are perishing all around. They are perishing within sight. Shall we let them perish? God forbid. Let christian sympathy aud compassion and tenderness be awake in every heart, and let us hasten to them with the life-boat, the doctrines of the cross and press them to enter it, that they may not perish, but have eternal life.