Ir is said of a great captain, that he thought nothing done while there yet remained any thing to do; and that he was wont to dwell rather on what he should perform, than on what he had accomplished. Now such is the attitude in which we this day. stand. And if during this sacred moment we pause and look back on our past efforts, with their great moral results, it is not that we may indulge in self-complacency and self-gratulation, and, reposing on our former deeds, give ourselves up to inactivity and supineness, but rather that the review of the past may fire us with purer ambition,-nerve us to greater action,-lift us to loftier aims, and fill us with thoughts of yet nobler achievements. The field is yet to be fought, and the glory won. The enemy still before us; and having pledged our faith to the great Captain of salvation, at his command we must advance-rush into the thickest of the foe-and think neither our duty done, nor our joy full, till we see the banner of final victory floating in the breeze, and hear the voices in heaven and on earth all mingling in one full tide of harmony, to celebrate the completeness and the grandeur of the triumph.

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In this holy crusade one veteran warrior has fallen, in the person of Robert Humphrey Marten, Esquire,-the long-tried and sincerely attached friend of the Sailors' Society. He has entered into rest. And animated by his virtues and his labours

we would again pledge our faith to the cause he so loved, and for which he poured forth one of his latest prayers.

Still we cannot lightly estimate what has been effected. We have abundant cause for thanksgiving. Notwithstanding various circumstances of a depressing and painful nature, some of which were indeed anticipated, but others wholly unexpected, it has mercifully pleased the great Head of the church to favour the Institution with his special blessing. In its diversified operations, as well as in the extent of its resources, it has succeeded beyond our expectation. Without controversy the Sailors' cause has taken a deeper hold of the public mind. There are but few who question its magnitude and importance; and of late a thousand hearts have been touched, and a thousand hands been opened to cherish and support it. These facts it is pleasing to record, nor is it less grateful to give the glory to Him to whom alone it is due.

The Directors having thus first offered their tribute of praise to the Father of mercies, would now proceed to lay before their friends and constituents a brief relation of their efforts, both at home and abroad, during another year. And in so doing would adopt their former course, and begin with

THE PORT OF LONDON.

And among its forest of ships and its yet uncounted thousands of hardy men, have been witnessed scenes on which Heaven has smiled, and over which angels have rejoiced. This will appear from the testimony of

THE THAMES MISSIONARIES,

who during the year, have boarded above 6000 vessels in the Thames, and above 1500 in the various docks and canals;-have obtained about 7000 ships for agents;-have been personally present at, and conducted at least 240 services;-have visited the shipping in various parts of the river as far down as to Gravesend ;-have embraced every favourable opportunity of intercourse with the sailor on the things which belong to his

peace;-have dedicated seventy-two additional vessels to the service of God, and enrolled them on the Bethel list;-have been called to a variety of labour on shore, in connexion with the Sailors' Chapel,-—the boarding-houses,-the abodes of vice and suffering, and the visitation of the sick and dying;-and have, in these various walks of usefulness, given wings to 100,000 of those little messengers of mercy which tell of a Saviour's blood to cleanse, and a Saviour's power to bless.

These men being wholly devoted to the work, and with such facilities of judging, it is their recorded opinion, that never was the aspect of things so pleasing, and never were the results more impressive. The senior missionary thus writes:

"It is now twenty-three years since I first enrolled my name in the Bethel cause, and began to seek the spiritual interests of my brother-sailors, both at home and abroad. Since that period, various schemes of christian benevolence have been prosecuted, but the effects of recent efforts are most apparent. The past year has been one of great ingathering into the church of Christ from among those that go down to the sea in ships. Many, once dead in trespasses and in sins, have through the instrumentality of the gospel, the distribution of tracts, the circulation of the Scriptures, and books of approved principles and sentiments, been led to seek salvation through faith in Christ; and we rejoice to know that they have obtained redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of divine grace. In not a few instances the tear of penitence has been seen to roll down the furrowed cheek of the veteran tar,-the sigh of contrition has been heard,-the cry for mercy raised,-the prodigal has been brought back to his father, and the wanderer restored to the fold of Christ,—the breathings of the humble spirit have been fully poured forth,—and the soul has agonized for full redemption."

And equally explicit is the statement of your junior missionary, who says:

"On reviewing my labours in the Bethel work during another eventful year, I am constrained to adore the Divine goodness for the more than usual manner in which my feeble efforts on behalf of my brethren have been crowned with success. Were it not that to some it might seem a thing incredible, I could record many interesting cases of genuine conversion to God. Yet from a sense of duty to the friends of seamen, and to the honour of Divine grace, I am induced to state the fact, leaving the results to be fully made known on the great day of account. A door, wide and effectual, has been opened before the Society,-ships on the various stations can now be obtained for Bethel meetings with little, if any difficulty:-but to occupy the ground or meet the demand, the agency would require to be multiplied seven-fold. The services I have held have truly been times of refreshing."

It is, however, but part of the work which is undertaken and

accomplished by your missionaries. To view it in its full extent, we must include the corresponding labours of

THE THAMES AGENTS.

The duty devolving on these men is, on the evening of specified days, to board the vessels previously obtained for them by the missionaries, and in the simplest form to conduct a purely devotional service, with reading and expounding a small portion of holy Scripture. Of such services at least one thousand have been held during the year in the port of London alone. Of their results, however, it becomes us to speak with humility. Not that we lack evidence of their beneficial tendency and moral effects, but because with our limited knowledge we may be deceived. Still we have enough to compensate all our sacrifices and all our exertions. If worlds are not to be weighed against the value of one soul, then how precious is its redemption? And to souls redeemed we can point.

Among the Welch seamen also, similar results have followed the devoted labours of your agents. These will be found detailed in the Appendix, with those of the other agents.

The uniform evidence of your agents, is, that the desire and the facilities for religious services on board ship, are greater and more pleasing than at any former period. If the means and the agencies could be multiplied ten-fold, the sphere of action is sufficiently enlarged, and the design to be accomplished sufficiently important. But while the Directors are restricted in their operations, and are not in possession of finances to justify any very extended effort, they cannot but rejoice in the powerful aid afforded to them in the sacramental host of above

TWO HUNDRED BETHEL CAPTAINS,

solemnly pledged to maintain and promote the cause of God among their brother-seamen, both at home and abroad. It is a pleasing fact, that since the publication of the "VOICE FROM THE OCEAN," their numbers have increased to nearly two hundred and fifty; among whom are not a few, who, with a zeal according to knowledge, and constrained by the love of Christ, are resolved on the salvation of their brethren. One of these

pious masters having been furnished, some months ago, with a Bethel flag, gives the following pleasing account of its first display at the mast-head :—

On Monday, 21st of October, the Bethel flag (which belonged to the captain) was hoisted on board the A-, of Sunderland. And on arriving with my boat, with most of my crew, the cabin was quite filled. We, however, succeeded in getting in. The captain, a pious man, gave a short address, which was followed by the prayers and supplications of several captains and sailors. At the close of the service, there seemed a strong desire to remain. We could say, like Peter, on the mount of transfiguration, 'Lord, it is good to be here;' and determined, like good old Jacob, to wrestle in prayer till we should obtain the blessing. The service was continued, and, I believe, will be long remembered. There were present four or five captains, and from twenty-five to thirty seainen. Before the meeting dismissed, I stated that the following evening, my Bethel flag would be hoisted on board the B-; and as it was a new flag, and had never been hoisted before, I urged them to attend.

The following evening arrived.—Every preparation having been made for the reception of a goodly number, and the time to commence the service drawing nigh, another pious captain and myself were pacing the deck, when on a sudden our attention was arrested by the melody of distant singing. We began to conjecture from whence it arose; but did not surmise long, before we perceived a boat tending its way towards our ship, where the Bethel flag was displayed; in which there were about twenty persons singing one of the sweet songs of Zion. And what rendered it more delightful was, the evening was particularly fine-the moon casting forth her silvery rays-the winds hushed into a calm-the river still and peaceful as a summer's eve-nature and nature's God approved the sight. All conspired to add a lustre—a heavenly charm to the scene. The boat having arrived alongside, and having been welcomed on board, we proceeded below. Our cabin was soon filled to excess. Our service commenced by singing a hymn and prayer. I endeavoured to address the meeting, after which several pious captains and sailors engaged in prayer. It was estimated that there were about fifty present, including six captains of ships. As the field was sufficiently large for two or three services every evening, it was proposed that we should divide ourselves, and take different sections, which was acceded to. We then dismissed, trusting that the word spoken might be blessed by the Holy Spirit, and that our prayers and praises might be accepted through the all-prevailing name and merits of Jesus Christ.

Nor are these exertions of our pious captains confined to home. In every port they are prepared to avow their principles as men of God, and put forth their efforts to secure the good of others.

One of these holy and devoted men has, during the year, finished his course, and entered into rest. In death, his faith proved triumphant. On being asked,-" what would you do without religion?"—he replied," why, sink !" but added," the