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On a dark, stormy night, when the waves rolled like mountains and not a star was to be seen, a boat, rocking and plunging, neared the Cleveland harbour.

"Are you sure this is Cleveland?' asked the captain, seeing only one light from the light-house.

"Quite sure, sir,' replied the pilot.
"Where are the lower lights?'
"Gone out, sir."

"And with a strong hand and a brave heart, the old pilot turned the wheel. But, alas! in the darkness he missed the channel, and with a crash upon the rocks the boat was shivered, and many a life lost in a watery grave. Brethren, the Master will take care of the

great light-house: let us keep the lower lights burning!"

The following was the suggestion which led to his writing " Pull for the Shore"

"We watched the wreck with great anxiety. The lifeboat had been out some hours, but could not reach the vessel through the great breakers that raged and foamed on the sand-bank. The boat appeared to be leaving the crew to perish. But in a few minutes the captain and sixteen sailors were taken off, and the vessel went down.

"When the lifeboat came to you, did you expect it had brought some tools to repair your old ship?' I said.

"Oh no, she was a total wreck.

Two of her masts were gone, and if we had stayed mending her only a few minutes, we must have gone down, sir.'

"When once off the old wreck and safe in the lifeboat, what remained for you to do?'

Nothing, sir, but just to pull for the shore.""

Was he killed? Was he drowned? Was he burnt? We in England all heard of the Tay Bridge accident. In its awful suddenness and completeness, not even one being rescued to tell the tale, perhaps it was not so appalling as the Ashtabula disaster. But dear Bliss and his wife were safe in the Lifeboat,

GOOD FOR MINISTERS TO BE IN A GALE.-One visit to any country is worth more than the reading of a lifetime. To have crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic is an event the influence of which upon the mind can never be lost, especially if the voyager find a real hurricane from the south-west challenging his right to advance. The man who has ridden on the back of a hurricane for forty-eight hours is thenceforth the proprietor of a feeling which ennobles him. If his references to the sea be thereafter a little more frequent, they will also be a little more intelligent than formerly; and it will do him and his congregation no harm if prayers for seamen should have in them a reality and a pathos not previously experienced.—Boston Correspondent of the Christian World.

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'HIS glorious Institution has just held its annual meeting. National in its support, but international in work of rescue. These terrible rocky islands need an extension of this Society. The grand old Bible man, the Earl of Shaftesbury, in an eloquent speech, (whatever his theme he is always eloquent,) moved the first resolution. The report stated that since the last meeting nineteen new lifeboats had been placed on the coasts of the British isles. During the year 1880 the lifeboats of the Institution had saved 577 persons from wrecked vessels, nearly the whole of them under perilous circumstances. The storms of the past winter had been unusually violent, and most destructive to life and property, but happily the lifeboat-men had performed some of the most heroic exploits that had ever been recorded, testifying not only to their humanity and courage, but to their wonderful physical endurance. In addition, the lifeboats had helped last year to rescue twenty-seven vessels from destruction. For those services, and for saving 120 lives by fishing-boats and other means, gold and silver medals, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum, and £4,287 had been granted. The number of lives saved

since the establishment of the Institution, either by its life-boats or by special exertions for which it had granted rewards, was 27,603. The Committee appealed with renewed confidence for support to the Institution, which had under its immediate control a noble life-saving fleet of 270 boats, many of which, under the blessing of God, rendered such signal services to shipwrecked crews during the storms of last winter.

GEORGE MULLER,

PHILANTHROPIST, PREACHER, AND PASTOR.

VERY man is known, associated with, and remembered by one thing. He may be many-sided, but people will look at one side. He may do many things, but people remember one thing. He may write many books, but as a rule he is only known to the many by ONE. A warrior may fight many battles; he is chiefly associated with one. Mr. Spurgeon will be known as the preacher; Mr. Muller as the philanthropist, or orphanagecreator. Not as a writer, though so talented and varied; not as an organizer, though so gifted; but as the preacher will Mr. Spurgeon be known. So good, honest George Muller will be known-though a most gifted expositor and hard-working preacher, though possessing qualifications which would shine in many departments of life-yet he will be known by George Muller's orphanages.

Strange to say that even while he lives he is not known as a preacher, though he preaches more than most men; and much less as a pastor, though he has been pastor of a large church for many years. Good George Muller is the Lord's almoner. This is his speciality. For this he was raised up.

As we think of this grand old man, this hard-working servant of God, it is hard to realize he was once the devil's slave. Yet he tells us in his narrative how that his wrong-doings got him into the felon's prison. It is a strange fact that a man must be capable of doing something very bad, or he has not the capacity for great usefulness. Every great man, thanks to the preventing grace of God, does not, Paul-like, Bunyan-like, Newton-like, become the devil's slave before he is Christ's servant; but there is within a sleeping devil, held by the invisible but omnipotent chain. George Muller was the slave of the flesh before he became the man of faith.

He narrowly escaped before leaving Germany, his native country, that cursed thing, compulsory military service. How many NewTestament Christian Germans are there to-day who would rather

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have their property confiscated and their persons imprisoned rather than be forced to fight at the bidding of an Emperor? How many prepared to say, "We have another King, one Jesus"?

George Muller was a student for the ministry, and consequently his mind was thoroughly trained and disciplined. George Muller could never have been such a preacher of the Word and expositor (whatever his faith) if it had not been for this Pauline preparation. A very dear brother (Plymouth) said to us, "Our chief evangelists and preachers are EX-MINISTERS.” This one fact speaks volumes as to the future of this community. There can be no doubt that many of their gatherings have been broken up and scattered because there has been no practical pastoral oversight. From one-man ministry some have rushed to the other extreme of no-man ministry. George Muller shortly after his conversion bids farewell to his native land that he may find a more congenial home in England. Born in 1805, he arrived in London in 1829. More than half-acentury has passed, and the old man is still alive and, as a consequence, at work. It seems almost amusing to think of George Muller even for a time with his individuality, strong will, unflinching obedience to what he considered to be the teaching of the Word, utter repugnance of any thing or body coming between himself and Christ-UNDER A COMMITTEE!! It might almost have been prophesied that George Muller, with his decision-in factenergy of character, imperial autocratic (in a good sense) nature his almost radical sense of dependence upon God and independence of man, would not be long held bound even by such a shadow of authority long. The main spring of his action has been faith in God. No child ever ran to its earthly parent, no man to his patron more quickly, intuitively, expectantly, believingly than George Muller to his God. But the natural mould was formed to receive the spiritual life.

It was fortunate for George Muller, at least so far as the development of his faith and life-work were concerned, that shortly after his arrival in England he met with the first and best leaders of the Plymouth movement. Brethren Groves, Craik, with sisters also, greatly influenced George Muller. In those days to think was to act, and fresh light was followed by immediate action. Hence George Muller soon became the man of one book, and that book the Bible. His great natural common sense, with those gifts previously mentioned, combined with loyalty to the plain statements of Scripture, prevented his abandoning the FLEET to sail over dangerous seas with those who proved to be mutineers. They excommunicated however, both George Muller and his crew!! It was a good thing for Jonah that he was cast out of the ship; so it was for

George Muller. He has retained all the virtues without the vices of the "exclusives."

George Muller was and is a pastor. No pastor has ever had more influence over his church than he. Few evangelists have travelled more, and preached oftener than he. And he has done this not only for his own church, and what might be called Gospel halls, but in a great number of churches and chapels. We have preached from many pulpits in America from which George Muller had preached. Exclusive brethren would not enter churches and chapels, and had they lived in the days of Christ, they would not have accompanied Him to the Synagogue, and would have reproved Him for going. In fact, we believe if Jesus were to return to-day in the same lowly form, that there are gatherings of brethren and churches too who would not admit Him. While no man has held to his views of doctrines and practices with greater tenacity, consistency and persistency than George Muller, yet he recognized the entire brotherhood of saints. He says of one trip to Canada and America: "On September 6th, we landed at New York, and from that time up to June 5th, 1880, when we embarked at Quebec to return to Europe, I preached altogether 299 times in 42 different places, having been 272 days in America. In the saloon of the Germanic,' on our outward voyage, I preached once, and five times on board the 'Sardinian' during our voyage back to England."

The three mighty engines in these modern days-the Press, Platform, and Pulpit-have been seized and used by George Muller in a remarkable degree. It must not for a moment be supposed that George Muller shuts himself up in a little cell and does nothing but PRAY. No man prayed more than Jesus, but no man went in among the people as He did. George Muller in a prominent degree has made God his patron, and has not asked man in the ORDINARY WAY for money. But no man in these modern days has so appealed to all that is best in our redeemed humanity, to the unselfishness, the pity, the truth, the love, those scattered rays in us which come from the Heavenly source. And we believe that thousands who may not be called Christians have sent help to this man of God. The great human heart has responded to the touch of the Divine finger. Though he is a man of faith and prayer-in fact, because he is this—no means more philosophic, divinely natural, and better adapted for the end in view were ever adopted by the Philanthropist. His life is a chain, and the last big shackle is connected with the first little eyelet. Or to change the figure, his life work is a tree, the twig is connected with the branch, and the branch with the trunk, and the trunk with the root, and the whole