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IVE years before my extremity in the Sound of Elsineor, I was brought under the power of the Divine Spirit, and made to feel my lost condition; far out on the Western Ocean on a passage home from the West Indies, in a dogwatch on a Sunday evening, I passed from death to life, from darkness to light; from the power of sin to the service of the Saviour.

For two weeks I had been in Egyptian darkness; and the one cry of the burden of my heart was the cry of the Philippian jailor, 66 'What must I do to be saved?" When the Lord revealed Himself to me as my Saviour, great was my deliverance, great was my joy, and great was my desire to serve Him.

Young in years, and full of zeal, I let my light shine at sea and on shore, witnessing for Jesus, and His power to save.

In the end of 1848, I shipped mate of the brig, "North Esk," to load at Llanelly for the Mediterranean. In this ship I did not begin worship at first, excusing myself till I would see how the captain turned out, and if he sanctioned such things. He was young and gay; and full of the pleasures and follies of this world.

I did not begin to serve the Lord at first, and in a little while I found I had not the desire to do so. I was a Christian with my light hid, or burning dimly; the captain, a pleasant man, with a social disposition, and fond of fun. Ere I was aware I was caught in the atmosphere, and God was not honoured in all this ship.

We were at Messina and Palermo, and returned to Queenstown, for orders in May, where we were ordered to Cronstadt, and arrived there in June, 1849. Cronstadt was full of shipping at this season; many with clean holds lying waiting for better freights. Some of the zealous east country Wesleyan captains had their vessels' holds fitted up with seats for service. I saw the Bethel flag flying at a mast-head, and went on board; but not with that holy zeal that ussd to characterise me. I sought a back seat, and not, as I once was, on the front, helping. I felt among the people of God like a Samson shorn; I had quenched the spirit and grieved God, and now was the hiding of His face.

I mourned my lot. Declension is sin, and backsliders shall be filled with their own ways. I prayed that God would again visit me with His love, and restore me His salvation's joy; but He appeared ta take no notice, only telling me, with pang of soul, that I had forfeited all claim to the rights and privileges of the sons of God.

I now thought the Lord would chasten me sore. I was healthy and robust. I expected daily to see some distressing malady seize my frame. But no; this was not the way of the Lord. He doth not afflict willingly; but for our profit. I was alive to this. The way He took, was to lay it mentally, heavy on. I prayed, then thought I need not pray; but stand as His mark, till He should say, "Stay now thine hand; it is enough."-(2 Sam. xxiv. 16.) I ceased to pray for two days, but found, if it was bad before, it was worse now. So I took again to pray and thought, If I perish, I will perish there. At this point a little dawn broke on my mind; that the Lord would again shine on me with the light of His countenance if I would follow on to seek the Lord. Before this, I often thought, and said too, that I did not comprehend the weight of such passages as, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it."-(Jer. xvii. 9.) "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."-(Job xlii. 6.)

Being shut up for some months among a notoriously wicked and drunken crew, and having myself found out that I had a deceitful and desperately wicked heart, inasmuch as I should leave my first love, or ill requite my Saviour's love to me.

We came down from Cronstadt to Memel to load staves for Oporto, in July, 1849; there I passed as a Christian. Attending Bethel meetings, reading my Bible on board, still I was not in full

A VOW IN THE SOUND OF ELSINEOR.

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confidence with the Lord. We left Memel on the 10th August. I formed a resolution to live more closely with God than I had lately done.

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A few days after leaving Memel we arrived at Elsineor; cleared and sailed the same day. The wind was not fair; we had to beat out. Night came on, and the tide set in; and we had not cleared the Narrows. The night began to look angry, we made several tacks with little progress. Standing again towards the Swedish shore, it was now time to tack. Everything was in readiness as before; but the ship missed stays, stood on to try a second time, but again she refused to stay. Tacks and sheets were flying. And now the rocks were seen to leeward, and no room to ware," ," and she had again paid off. The captain called out, "Stand by the anchor." This was in readiness; but I thought it of no use. Alas! thought I, and is our ship now to be cast away, and this all on my account? I had not the most distant idea that any lives would be lost, but only the ship. With me it seemed the Lord was angry; and this calamity befallen us on my account. To all human appearance, there was not the least hope that the ship would now come round. Tacks and sheets were flying, nor had again been hauled off.

As I stood with the anchor stopper in my hand, I prayed to the Lord that, if He would bring the ship round to her deliverance, I would serve Him all my life. It was no sooner uttered than, as if an angel hand had taken her by the flying jibboom, and, with God-like power, pulled her round. I had never seen the like before, nor since. She came too, and, not even stopping at the wind, gave us a fine hurry to get the sheets aft on the other side. When I saw this I burst into tears, that I should be such a wretch to God; but for all this He turned not away, but stretched His hand out still and heard my prayer. O my God, it was more than a prayer! It was a vow! I must never defer to pay. The night was dark; and none but He who seeth in secret saw those tears, nor heard that vow. It was a transaction betwixt God and myself. The captain got such a fright that he tacked no more that night, but run for anchorage, and the morning revealed a brig that was in company with us the night before, high on the rocks from which we had been delivered.

And now I live under a vow made in the Sound of Elsineor. The wise man says, "Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldst vow and not pay."-(Eccl. v. 5.) I will say with the Psalmist, "I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live."

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-(Ps. cxvi. 1.) "I will pay my vows unto the Lord now, in the presence of all His people."-(14.) Some are afraid to take covenant vows upon them, lest they should fail to fulfil them. But, O my soul, thank God that, through Jesus, you have been brought into such a relation as to make a vow with thy God; and He who heard thy prayer in the Sound of Elsineor can hear again, to supply thee all grace to fulfil it.

"High heaven that heard the solemn vow,

That vow renewed shall daily hear;

Till in life's latest hour I bow,

And bless in death a bond so dear."

Men of the sea, who read "The Chart and Compass," ye who know the Lord, when ye cannot trace Him, trust Him. Take hold of your privileges; hear Him speaking unto you. "Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High; and call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.-(Ps. 1. 14, 15,)

Glasgow, December 8th, 1880.

JOHN SMITH.

A NEW FLOATING BETHEL FOR GENOA. MY DEAR MR. Matthews,-You, and the readers of "Chart and Compass," will be interested to learn that we have the prospect of soon having a new floating Bethel for our Genoa Harbour Mission. The old one, as you are aware, was too far gone to stand repairing; indeed, so far gone, that last month the harbour authorities condemned her to be broken up. What was to be done without funds to build a new one? I could not tell; but I knew that one of the Lord's precious names is "Jehovah-Jireh ". the Lord will provide. And in a very remarkable way He showed us He could provide. At the very time when the old Bethel was being condemned here, the Committee of the Free Church of Scotland Sunday-schools were voting that the children's New Year's offering should be given to build a new Bethel!

I have obtained a respite of eight months for the old hulk, and by that time I hope we shall have a suitable and commodious structure to put in its place. I hope you may find it convenient to be present at the inauguration.

I send you a few extracts from Mr. Jones's journal, from which you will see that his work is going on well. I was much gratified by receiving from the captain of a small United States war-ship a cordial testimony to the sailors' appreciation of his services. Mr.

THE BOATSWAIN'S MATE.

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Jones had conducted service every Sunday morning on board this vessel during the few weeks she was in port; and, though the attendance was at first small, it steadily increased till 160 " mustered to church;" and the captain felt persuaded that, had the ship remained in port a few weeks longer, scarcely a man on board would have absented himself from the service. Before leaving, he handed a handsome contribution from the officers and crew towards the new Bethel building fund.

This is not the only evidence that the work is being blessed. Captains, and men of merchant vessels, continue to attend the services in the Bethel in considerable numbers, and many of them have been made to feel that God's Word has not returned unto Him void. I am persuaded that, on the last great day, it will be found that many a sailor received spiritual quickening in our old Bethel. Let us pray that the new one may be made the birth-place of many a soul. Yours sincerely,

Genoa, December 7th, 1880.

DONALD MILLER. P.S. Since writing the foregoing, I have been informed that Mr. Jones met with a serious accident on going round, last night, to gather the men to the Bethel service. When walking along the deck of the "Cervantes," in the dark, he fell down the hold, a depth of about twenty-four feet, and fractured his right wrist, besides bruising his face and severely shaking his whole body. It is matter of wonder, and of thankfulness to God, that he was not killed on the spot.-D.M.

We ask all our readers to rejoice with us in the prospects of a new floating Bethel for sailors in this great Italian port. But while on the earth prayers must mingle with praises. Let us then pray for our dear brother Jones in this accident, as also for his family and Mission. We sincerely hope our way may be opened to visit this station at the inauguration.-Ed.

THE LIFE OF THE REV. G. C. SMITH, OF PENZANCE INCLUDING PORTIONS OF HIS "BOATSWAIN'S MATE." THE REV. G. C. SMITH, of Penzance, was, in some respects, the most remarkable sailor of this century. His bound volumes of "The Sailors' Magazine' are very rare, but they are a monument of his ability,'energy, and activity. Though not dead many years, he did a life-work before the present generation were born. He will be best remembered by his "Boatswain's Mate," which gives the best idea of the religious state of the sailors at the beginning of this century, of any book ever printed, yet for a long time it has been out of print. The Editor has been urged to publish it by Mr. Richard Cory, of Cardiff, a great admirer of Mr. Smith, who has promised to help in the expense. It has been said by the

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