heart, they seem to have been far exceeded by their constant and untiring labours. They were, therefore, successful; proving the faithfulness of their Lord and Saviour, the promises of whose gracious presence and blessing to succeed their honest efforts filled their minds with unfailing confidence and sacred joy. Nor are we without encouragement in our more humble work. Divine inspiration, by the apostle thus addresses us, "Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." DEVOTIONAL SPIRIT must be cherished. Piety, orthodoxy, zeal, and diligence, we have seen, are necessary in the service of Christ; but, however they may adorn or constitute the Christian and the minister, they will not of themselves, if united in the highest degree in any individual, make him efficient as a labourer in the vineyard of the Lord. Efficiency is altogether and alone with God, and he only can give the blessing. In the midst of labours, therefore, the mind of the minister, as a servant of God, should be humble, deeply conscious of personal insufficiency. and devoutly depending on the Divine blessing. Depraved as is the heart of man, and prone to vanity as is that of the most sanctified of the servants of God, unless the mind be habitually disposed to seek and honour the grace of Christ, it will be in danger of self-dependence and folly, and so to lose the rich reward. Our Saviour's unwavering devotional frame of mind affords a lesson to all his servants; and so conscious was the apostle Paul of the danger of his losing this spiritual habit, that he says, "I glory in my infirmities," or trying difficulties, "that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'" Cherishing this humble devout spirit is indispensable to approve ourselves to God, and so to receive the tokens of his favour, in crowning our labours with his blessing. " DIVINE DEPENDENCE must be habitual. Self-sufficiency and delusive independence cannot fail to be fatal to success in the ministry of the gospel; as they inflate the mind with vanity, extinguish a devotional spirit, lead to various mental errors, quench the influences of the Spirit, and provoke the holiness of God. Nothing in the miraculously endowed ministers of Christ was more manifest than their habitual dependence on the Divine blessing. Regarding his extraordinary qualifications for his work, the great apostle of the Gentiles declared for himself and his brethren, their inability to prosecute their ministry but in Divine strength. "We are not sufficient of ourselves," says he, "to think any thing as of ourselves, our sufficiency is of God." Divine inspiration and scriptural eloquence, however valuable as possessed by the apostle and his colleagues, were felt to be insufficient to secure the conversion and salvation of a single soul: hence he testified, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, "Who then is Paul, or Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." In perfect accordance with this apostolic doctrine was the instruction given to the ancient Jews, in their united labours to restore the temple with its furniture, and to re-establish the ordinances of religion. All was decreed in the counsels of Heaven as certainly to be done but human skill and the resources of the whole nation and these with even prophetic endowments, were insufficient to accomplish the mighty work; God himself, therefore, to engage them to depend on his power and grace, testified "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." That agency, therefore, which is best adapted to secure the Divine blessing, must correspond with the delineation contained for our instruction on the pages of the word of God:- it must be distinguished by upright piety- ardent zeal-sound doctrine - diligent labour a devotional spirit, - and dependence on God: and with this described agency success is absolutely certain, "for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." 'God, even our own God, shall bless us : God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him." 66 Practically to apply this doctrine in conclusion, it will be necessary to add a few remarks: while we are thus led to the fountain of eternal wisdom for instruction on the subject under consideration and while we contemplate the character of that agency which we find has ever been blessed, and therefore adapted to secure the Divine blessing, it becomes us to inquire whether we ourselves possess that character, or whether we are seeking the moral and official dignity which comes as a gracious gift from God. It is required by our high profession as Christians — it is required by our solemn engagements in the work of the Lord it is required by our awful responsibilities: and happy for us, while our necessities are great, all that we require we are able to obtain from the provisions of eternal mercy. God himself will give it all "out of his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Joyfully we read in the inspired oracles, designed for our consolation, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." May the Spirit of our God be poured out upon us, to qualify us for every duty, advancing his glory in the salvation of a guilty and ruined world. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we are able to ask or think, unto him be glory in the church, by Christ Jesus, world without end. Amen." WRECK OF THE "STIRLING CASTLE," AND MISERIES OF CAPTAIN FRASER. Most of our readers will probably have perused several accounts of Mrs. Fraser, which have appeared in the public papers but we cannot refrain from giving the following brief narrative a place in our PILOT, as it is so adapted to awaken sympathy on behalf of seamen. : "Out of sight out of mind," is a remarkable old English proverb; and its application to the case of our mariners will account for the little interest which many of the most benevolent of our countrymen feel in the condition of seamen. Living securely in the enjoyment of every comfort on land, and far from the great sea-ports of our country, they can have no adequate idea of the number, the privations, or the services of that worthy body of our fellow-countrymen. O that they all were supplied with the means of obtaining the saving knowledge and divine consolation of the gospel. This long-missed vessel, the STIRLING CASTLE, sailed from New Wales early in May last year, and was wrecked on the 21st of that month in lat. 34°, long. 155° 12′ east, on Eliza Reef. The crew immediately took to the boats, and put to sea with the intention of reaching Repulse Bay. The two boats parted company on the third day. One portion of the crew, consisting of the captain, his wife, chief mate, and some of the sailors, were thrown on an unknown island inhabited by savages, and the following interesting narrative, from the mouth of Mrs. Fraser, the captain's wife, who escaped, is taken from the Australian of October 18: "Mrs. Fraser called at our office on Saturday afternoon, and gave us the following particulars:- The long boat's company consisted of Captain Fraser, Mr. Brown, the chief mate, Mrs. Fraser, and Mr. Baxter, the second mate. After they had been on shore some time a great number of the natives were observed, and Mr. Fraser suggested giving themselves up quietly to the natives, as they were entirely defenceless, and of course already in their power. They had scarcely time to make the suggestion when several tribes came down upon them, one of which immediately captured Captain Fraser; another tribe took Mr. Brown, and a third Mr. Baxter. The natives would not allow Mrs. Fraser to go with either of them, and left her alone upon a sandy beach; and the next morning a number of old women, with some children, came down, and they gave Mrs. Fraser to understand that she must go with them, and carry one of the children upon her shoulders, which Mrs. Fraser of necessity complied with. Mrs. Fraser states that she travelled many miles into the bush with these women and the child, and was frequently exhausted upon the road. She remained about three weeks in the bush with these people, when she fell in with her husband, Captain Fraser, who was dragging a board for the natives, in which he had been principally engaged since the time he parted with his wife. Captain Fraser was so dreadfully fatigued with heavy labour that he could not move the load that had been assigned to him, and implored of his wife to assist him. Mrs. Fraser states she had neither the strength nor liberty to do so, she herself being employed in the same manner at the time, and the natives keeping a sharp look-out after her. She was under the necessity of leaving the captain. When she returned, shortly afterwards, she found he was speared in the back of the shoulder, which had been inflicted on him for not making any progress with the wood. Mrs. Fraser remained with her husband until sunset, when he expired of his wound. The last words he uttered were, Eliza, I am gone.' The savages immediately dragged Mrs. Fraser away from the body, dug a hole, and buried it. In eight days from this brutal affair, the same cannibals also killed Mr. Brown, the chief mate, by holding firebrands to his legs, and so burning him upwards. The cause of their destroying Mr. Brown was in consequence of his showing some signs of dissatisfaction at the death of his captain. The party now consisted of only two persons, Mrs. Fraser and Mr. Baxter; but they were parted from each other by many miles' distance, a large river running between them. These two unfortunate creatures remained with the natives about two months before they were rescued, enduring the greatest misery from hunger and fatigue. Mrs. Fraser was employed cutting down and carrying wood, fetching water, and fishing for the natives; and Mr. Baxter was engaged in the same manner on the other side of the river. The steward of the vessel had walked overland to Moreton Bay, and there gave information of the situation of Mr. Fraser and his unfortunate companion; when a man named Graham, who was well acquainted with the bush, volunteered to head a party to the shipwrecked people, and pledged himseif to rescue them from the savages. Lieutenant Otter and a party were immediately dispatched, and, with Graham, went in search of the unfortunate people. Mrs. Fraser states that he went into the midst of the natives, and, at the risk of his life, snatched her up and ran away to his party with her, and afterwards recovered the second officer in the same courageous manner. Mrs. Fraser requests us to make public her expressions of gratitude to those who have assisted her out of misery and relieved her distress, and begs us to thank them for their humane conduct towards her. Mrs. Fraser intends to return immediately to her native land, where she has a large family." MISSIONARIES AND SEAMEN CO-OPERATING IN EVANGELIZING THE HEATHEN. Mr. Editor, I send you an interesting extract from a very graphic letter from that remote country, New Zealand ; and if (as I hope and believe) it should be as interesting to your many pious readers, I shall not regret the time and trouble of transcribing it: and I owe thanks to the family of Mr. Wallis for the permission to give you this portion of it. I am, Mr. Editor, Your obliged Servant, A constant reader of, and warm well-wisher to |