masts? grey, murky clouds? and darkness looming round on every side? "I like a good fight," I have heard an old soldier say; and, perhaps, some sailors might say, "I like a good storm." But, on the whole, I think we should all prefer a bright prospect to a dark and gloomy one.

In the great Life Chart of our Father's Word, we find a good many calls to LOOK UP. And when we look up through the telescope of faith, what do we see? One thing that I find "aloft," and which I want you to share with me, if you will, is SALVATION. "Look unto ME, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth," Jesus says. When Moses saw the people dying from the serpent's fatal bite, he erected, by God's command, a pole, on which was placed a brazen serpent. Then the cry went forth throughout the camp, ‘He that LOOKETH upon it shall LIVE." Many and many a time, I dare say, you have heard this verse, and, perhaps, thought about it; but have you ever taken to your heart the little comment that the Lord Jesus gave us on it? and have you ever taken a look up at HIM for yourself? "So must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should NOT PERISH, but HAVE everlasting life."

Another "look aloft" that we find in the Bible is, an assuring one for the anxious or troubled heart. "Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" That is a grand look, though a very simple one. It shows us that the Father, who clothes and feeds the birds. He has created, cares STILL MORE for you and me; and tells us we are of

MORE VALUE than many sparrows." We have many needs and many sorrows; and for these the Lord has provided great supplies and great comforts. Do see if you can find these provisions through the appointed channel? Christ Jesus is THE WAY by which these gifts may be obtained. In His name ask what you will, and "it shall be done unto you."

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Then there was the look of the lame man, who was healed at the Beautiful Gate. "Look on us," the disciples said; and when he "looked earnestly, expecting to receive something" from them, he received FAR more than he expected. Strength" came into "his ankle bones," and he followed them into the temple, "leaping, and walking, and praising God." Oh! what a change! Would you like to be STRONG in doing right, in serving God, in making others happy, in living for Heaven? Then "look earnestly" to Jesus, and come inside the Beautiful Gate! You have a warm welcome, a loving invitation.

So it is true, that God's sky is full of sunshine for us, even here!

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

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What will it be when we get above earth's smoke-clouds altogether, and live in His beautiful glory! If we want to get cheerful on our way, happy in work, happy in leisure, there is nothing like a good LOOK UP. Our sails should be set to catch the breeze; our course had better be straight. No veering, no steering to the right hand or the left; the Sun of Righteousness shining down into our hearts! Yes! The man who is ploughing along amidst the waves of sin, and yielding to its power every day, may well covet a bit of our sunshine; and we would like him to get a share, would we not?

Dear friends, we must not be fair weather Christians only! That would never do. In sunshine and storm alike may He be our guide, who has said, "I will NEVER leave thee, nor forsake thee;" and may He be our captain, who Himself passed through sufferings" that we might be SAVED. He wants us to TRUST, REST, REJOICE IN HIM.

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JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

Written for "Chart and Compass," by Miss Harris, of Brixton. THE REV. JOHN BERRIDGE writes thus:-"Justification by faith, the jewel of the Gospel covenant, the ground-work of the Reformation, the glory of the British Church, is now derided as a poor old beggarly element, which may suit a negro, or a convict, but will not save a lofty scribe nor a lewd gentleman. And the covenant of grace, though executed legally by Jesus, purchased by His life and death, written and sealed with His blood, is deemed of no value, till ratified by Moses.

Paul declares no other foundation can we lay beside that which is laid-Christ Jesus. But men are growing wise above that which is written, and will have two foundations for their hopes. These are, fancied merit, added to the meritorious life and death of Christ. If an angel should visit our earth, and proclaim such a kind of Gospel as is often hawked from the press and pulpit, though he preached morality with most seraphic power, and till his wings dropped off, he would never turn one soul to God, nor produce a single grain of true morality arising from the love of God, and aiming only at His glory."

Extracts from Whitfield's last sermon :- "I go, I go to a rest prepared; my sun has given light to many, but now it is about to set-no, to rise to the zenith of immortal glory. I have outlived many on earth, but they cannot outlive me in heaven. Many shall outlive me on earth, and live when this body is no more; but there-oh, thought divine! I shall be in a world where time, age, sickness, and sorrow are unknown.

42 FLOATING LIBRARIES GOING OUT FROM THE THAMES.

My body fails, but my spirit expands. How willingly would I live for ever to preach Christ. But I die to be with Him. How brief-comparatively brief-has been my life, compared to the vast labours which I see before me yet to be accomplished. But if I leave now, while so few care about heavenly things, the God of peace will surely visit you."

A censorious professor of religion asked Whitfield whether he thought they would see John Wesley in heaven? "No, sir, I fear not; he will be so near the throne, and we shall be at such a distance, that we shall hardly get a sight of him."

FLOATING LIBRARIES GOING OUT FROM THE THAMES.

DESIRE to make here some statements respecting the sphere wherein the work has to be done, viz., the River Thames and the Docks. From London Bridge to the entrance of the Royal Albert Dock in Galleon's Reach, the river pursues a serpentine course; but the distance in a straight line between these two points is seven miles and a small fraction, and nearly due

east.

Let us follow this imaginary line. From London Bridge we pass, as we proceed, on the left bank of the river, the St. Katherine Docks, the London Docks, and the Regent's Canal Dock; and, nearly opposite, on the right bank of the river, the upper entrance to the Surrey Commercial Dock, which is a congeries of small docks and ponds, having each their own name, as Greenland Dock, Norway Dock, &c.

Cuckold's Point, on the right bank, is a quarter-of-a-mile further down than the last-named place, and is, on our imaginary line, two miles from London Bridge, the river between not being exactly straight. Here the river turns to the south to Greenwich, then east, then to the north and east to Blackwall, enclosing, as in a semicircle, the district known as the Isle of Dogs.

Proceeding along our line from Cuckoids Point we skirt on our right the West India Docks, which runs right across the Isle of Dogs, or rather, form themselves the northern boundary of it. On the Isle of Dogs, and to the south of the West India Docks, lie the Millwall Dock. Arrived at Blackwall, we pass on our left the East India Docks. From hence the river forms, roughly speaking, another semicircle to the south, the Royal Victoria and Albert Docks running clean across, a distance of over 3 miles, and our

FLOATING LIBRARIES GOING OUT FROM THE THAMES.

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line goes straight through, and lands us in Galleon's Reach, 7 miles from London Bridge in a direct line.

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The aggregate water space of the docks of London is not less than 560 acres." These must contain at least 30 miles of quays, for the Royal Victoria and Albert Docks, and the West India Docks contain about 15 miles of quays, and in visiting ships this must be taken into account.

On the 31st December last, there were in the various docks 488 vessels. In addition, we have to notice single vessels, tiers of vessels, vessels in dry docks, and numerous sailing barges and river craft all along the river between the points named, but most numerous nearest the city.

On one day, December 31st, 1880, the Custom House reports the arrival of 31 vessels oversea voyages, 34 clearances for the same, and 142 vessels loading out for foreign voyages. In November of

1880, 536 ships, of 303,280 tons cleared for oversea. During 1879, and for the whole United Kingdom, we have 52,715,450 tons cleared for oversea, and 25,666,224 tons cleared coastwise. London it would seem, by putting some of these facts together, does onesixth of the whole oversea trade of the kingdom. (It is probably worthy of observation to remark that the tons spoken of are register tons of 100 cubic feet, and not the ordinary ton of 40 cubic feet.)

How many men are there in these vessels? This is a question difficult to answer. In 1879 there were 25,565 vessels registered as belonging to the United Kingdom, and in 20,629 of these were 213,577 men, which gives 10'60 men for each vessel. This is of course for British vessels only. If this proportion holds good for all vessels, then as 536 left in November for oversea voyages, 5,681 persons sailed from London. To this must be added men in coasters, river craft, which may be at least half as many more.

Nor have we given all yet, for there are ships to be found on London River below Galleon's Reach, and many of them always at Gravesend, and this is more than ten miles further in a straight line from the entrance, to the Royal Albert Dock in Galleon's Reach.

Having already exceeded, I fear, the space allowed, I can only say, (leaving other views of the subject for another occasion), "that the variety of minds to supply is great, as well as in the number of ships, and the space they occupy.' We meet with persons who can hardly read, and others having a superior education, with some shrewd, and others very dull, some given to all iniquity, and others serving the Lord. All want stories, some want books for pastime only, others for instruction, and some few will have no books at all,

which is very great degeneracy, and shows only the great need of our Library work.

W. B. CUSTARD, Agent of the Library Committee, January 1st, 1881. British and Foreign Sailors' Society. [Details of Libraries shipped, including names of ships and their destinations, regularly appear in the "Chart and Compass."]

DON'T GIVE.

"WE are trying to go forward with the noblest missionary work that can well be conceived; but some to whom we appeal seem still to read the D.G. on their coins as though the letters stood for an authoritative "Don't give." Let us supply what is lacking in the inscription, and allow the D.G. its full value of Dei Gratia, for us as well as for her Majesty. The Queen reigns, and the coins come, by the grace of God: let the gold, or the silver, or the copper, pass on to do Him service."

We take this from the "Quarterly Record" (National Bible Society of Scotland) and say, "well done Bible Friends across the Tweed." We once sailed with rather a close-fisted old captain, who was very fond of his money. He used to wash and scrub his sovereigns in the hand-basin, and make a regular noise over it! Surely the coins are carried long enough, and rubbed by the constant friction against each other, quite sufficiently to see the D.G., without washing them. To all friends of Seamen, look on your copper coins, and you will see Britannia sitting on the waters, with a lighthouse behind her, and a ship in front of her ;turn to the other side and you see D.G. what does all this mean to the sailors' cause, but-DO GIVE?- ED.]

WORK ON THE THAMES BELOW GRAVESEND.

N the "Quiver" for December, 1880, an unknown friend writes as follows:-A quiet, unostentious, but very effective good work is being performed at Gravesend by the respected agent of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society.

Day after day, in his boat, this indefatigable worker for Christ puts out and boards the vessels in our great. river. Here he finds all conditions of men, of various nationalities, and with many of these foreigners the agent is able to converse, and to let them hear in their own tongues the wonderful works of God. Nor is this the only good effected—and that good is done we are assured-for on fitting occasions services are held on board ships, when all can unite in prayer and praise.

The method employed to reach the individual sailor himself, not as a unit of a large body, but as the object of solicitude, is a very successful one, for the interest is at once awakened by direct and personal appeal. Suitable books and interesting literature are freely distributed; though the expenditure is small, assistance is welcome, and the result would be greater if funds were forthcoming.

To give a full account of this interesting mission we should require many of these pages. We must, therefore, confine ourselves to the more important part of the agent's work at this port. Of all