246 ESTHER BEAMISH: A VOICE THAT IS STILL. middle life, pouring out their souls for mercy, and some of them brought to see Jesus as their Saviour.' “One of the best indications of new and living earnestness in the Episcopal Church is the organisation of missions,' in which meetings are held daily in the churches of a given neighbourhood, and in factories, schools, and public halls, to awaken the people to an interest in Christ's glad tidings. Miss Beamish engaged heart and soul in the mission’ at Derby, in 1873, and in London in the following year. Concerning this London mission' she wrote to her sister: There were fifteen engagements kept daily from the parsonage. I cannot remember them all, but, in addition to those mentioned, there were two other hospital wards; the casuals of the workhouse; the whole of the workhouse people ; omnibus-washers ; railway men (about three hundred); an address in the mission room; my work in St. John's Training school, where, thank God, over fifty children out of one hundred and thirty came clearly to Jesus ; also a free tea for navvies, tramps, &c. (two hundred and fifty), for ten nights. I had to speak four times to the navvies, as such a number of roughs came that Mr. Sherbrooke saw that they could not be controlled by a man. It is perfectly evident that when a woman speaks to roughs the influence is felt at once. One morning I took the casuals,' poor, desolate fellows, fallen very low in the world. There were two very remarkable conversions in church; one a clergyman, who had preached the truth without ever realising it; and the other a convict, eight times in prison, with close-cropped hair, and the real criminal stamp. Poor fellow, his agony about sin kept him awake four nights. He was so ignorant that he asked one of the workers whether our Lord was a man or a woman; and yet, directly the Holy Spirit had conquered his heart he threw up two plans for house-breaking, and cut himself off from his companions except to get them to the free tea. He makes his living now by chopping firewood. I had one talk with him alone since his life was changed, and he said (pointing with his thumb over his shoulder), “They say He don't make count whether He forgives much or little. I don't want to be half good, nor three-quarters, I want to go to the whole pitch.' I was telling him very simply about Christ's substitution, and that now He lives for us, as our counsel,' a word very familiar to the prisoner, and he said, “It's as if you had a great rich friend as backs you up.'' “ Here is another touching incident of the same 'mission.' 'People came to church that week who never enter a church, and among them a young woman who had been six years without going to church, and two years without writing to her mother. She was a lost girl ; but she was impressed, and stayed for the after-meeting; and a lady dealt with her, and at length she came then and there to Jesus, and believed that His blood cleanseth from all sin.' Just as she was going out, quite bright, she said, There is one thing I should like—a Bible.' The lady, never expecting to see her again, said, “You shall have mine,' and gave it just as it was, with her name in it. The next afternoon this lady was, as usual, visiting a large hospital (Guy's I think), and one of the nurses said, “We had such a bad case to-day, a young woman run over by an omnibus, and she is dead; and the curious thing is she had your Bible in her pocket. The lady said, • Did she say anything?' 'Yes, when the doctors stood round her bed she asked if it was hopeless, and when they said “Quite hopeless,” she said, “Thank God it was not yesterday; I am going to Jesus."! She had also written to her mother late the night before, saying, “ After so long you will be glad to hear from me. I have given my heart to Jesus, and mean to live for Him.". “At the suggestion of Mrs. Pennefather, Miss Beamish spent the winter of 1874-5 in Spa and Brussels, addressing drawing-room meetings of ladies, and ESTHER BEAMISH : A VOICE THAT IS STILL. 247 visiting the working classes in the lodging-houses. “The men were seated at long tables, about thirty to forty in each room, smoking and playing cards, poor fellows; and in two there was rapt attention. I was happy, indeed; it was so delicious to speak to earnest, anxious faces, after the deadly cold of prejudiced ladies.' " She hired a large workshop, and set it in full swing as a mission room, with Gospel preaching and night school on alternate evenings. The following winter she resumed this work, with the assistance of Lord Radstock, and the Rer. Horace Noel, and distributed 14,000 Danish and Flemish Testaments and Gospels in Brussels and Antwerp. One result was the building of a mission church at Spa, as a permanent centre of evangelistic effort. "Drawing-room meetings for ladies occupied her during the winter of 1880-81 in London; and in the spring she accompanied her friend, Lady Sebright, to Algiers, where she carried on similar work among the English ladies; and held meetings for the French ladies, and the French poor people. The summer and autumn she spent in incessant evangelistic work in England and Scotland, addressing at Perth one meeting of two thousand persons. Everywhere the power of the Holy Spirit attended her word. “ After a few week's work in Belgium, she rejoined her friend in Algiers, and resumed her Christian work—English Bible-readings for ladies, French meetings for soldiers ; opening also a Bible depot. “ A happy and busy year was spent between England, Belgium, and Algiers, till, in December, at Algiers, Lady Sebright's little daughter, Olive, was seized with diphtheria. Regardless of the risk of infection, her mother had been all along close to the child ; Esther, at Lady Sebright's earnest request, had taken the precautions urged by the doctors; but on one occasion little Olive rose in her bed, and drawing Esther's head down to her, gave her a loving kiss on her lips. Lady Sebright was just behind, and caught hold of Esther (for an awful fear seized her mind), saying, as she drew her back, How can you, how dare you, do that?' Olive died on the 22nd of December. Miss Beamish was seized with the dreaded complaint the same day, and in eight days more was laid in Olive's grave. “That last week of the earnest Christian life was sacred. Lady Sebright's description of the close is extremely beautiful. I spent a long time lying with my head on her shoulder, and I asked her if it oppressed her, but she said, “ No, it is delicious; stay there." I asked her forgiveness for often having been cross, and vexing her, and she raised her weak hand, as if to strike me playfully, saying sweet words—"That I made her very happy, and satisfied her with my great love ; that my heart had been her home," and other words too sacred to write down. ... Towards morning, seeing the light on her face, and hearing more frequently the Saviour's name, they asked her if she saw Him, but she said, “No; only His glory, intense glory." Near the end she spoke rapidly, but less clearly ; but scraps of prayer, and one name, especially, were heard, as even in death she pleaded for unsaved souls. But at the last they heard distinctly the words, “Oh, Lord! Oh, pity! Oh, love !” With this last aspiration towards the Divine love, she entered His presence, and heard His greeting at five o'clock on Friday morning, December 29. “It is not every Christian woman that has the ability and force of Esther Beamish, but all may emulate her devotion; and the loving work of every handmaid of Christ will be equally recognised by the Master's approving word, She hath done what she could.' «D." FISHERMEN AT SHETLAND. DEAR MR. MATTHEWS, I have been of late impressed with the great necessity that exists for missionary effort in the Shetland Islands where thousands of fishermen are collected from the different fishing places of Britain, and from the Isle of Man alone last year; about 100 vessels were down at Shetland fishing, besides the inhabitants are for the most part fishermen and sailors, and not a Sailors' missionary from any society among them. Now, if we do not take the field God has so long kept open for us I have no doubt the Church will. No doubt God will graciously bless such an effort, and that all the great seaports of Britain and Australia, if requested, would come nobly out in aid of our cause, as many belonging to those islands have both the heart and hand, who are residents in those parts, indeed they are all over the world. You will remember the response that was made to the poor widows and orphans when so many fishermen were lost in Shetland some years ago ; likewise, they are better able to help such an enterprize, and also to appreciate it, now than ever they were before; thus it would be no drag on the Parent Society, but mutual blessing I believe. I have been acquainted with their manners and customs for upwards of fifty years. I began to preach and work first among them by land and water, and having charge of several of their vessels, both in the fishing and coasting trades, and being a Wesleyan local preacher I bave had many services during i seven years among them before I went to Antwerp, and my holidays since have for the most partand most profitable part—been spent among them, where God has been graciously pleased to grant me the great blessing of seeing souls brought to Him through the precious blood of Jesus, and I hope yet to have the privilege of preaching among them the unsearchable riches of Christ. My dear father-in-law has laboured as a successful local preacher and class leader among them for about sixty years, so that it is not wonderful that I should bring this matter before you. As I was over seeing one of my old hands, who is a missionary at Gateshead, and who followed you and me up to the train when you were going away from Sunderland he showed me a petition he had drawn up to get a place of worship repaired for some of those people, where there is no preacher within two or three miles of country that has a fair average population as a fishing part of the coast, which is only one out of many places in such a condition. Now, your prayerful attention to the foregoing statement will greatly oblige your very humble brother in Christ. I have just received this letter from Mr. H. Henderson, 3, Cumberland Terrace West, Sunderland, dated June 24th, 1885:-“ Mr. J. Mouatt,Dear brother in the Gospel, I have just received a letter from home and understand there is about a thousand boats at the fishing there this season. In each boat there is seven men, which would be 7,000 men at work, and, as far as I know, without any special missionary or spiritual workers among them, unless what can be done by the ordinary staff of the different churcheswhich at the best cannot be very much. This, therefore, seems to be one of the most needful fields for Christian enterprize I know of in Great Britain. I was thinking this would be a great field for your Society to take in hand, as it seems to be most adapted and best acquainted with work of that nature. I should like much to see it brought under their notice.” J. MOUATT. LIFE BEFORE PROPERTY.—This article, in our last issue, has been very kindly spoken of. In fact, it has been suggested that it should be printed in leaflet form for wide circulation. Such interesting facts as these should be sown broadcast. It was the crew of the “Lowwood” that attempted to save the “Bend'or." -ED. QUIET WORK IN LONDON NOT ADVERTISED. TO-DAY is a day of advertising. The enormous development of the press has brought this about, so that it is difficult, as the Rev. Moor said at Mildmay, for a Christian to kill a lion and not publish it! Yet where would Christians be without the published Scriptures ? The command to write was no mistake. When the vicious wicked element comes in, is when the outward publicity is altogether out of proportion to the work done. It is the same as when the outward progression does not accord with the inward possession. How much quiet, unpublished, unobtrusive, work is done by Sunday Schools, Ragged Schools, it may be a chapel or church, unknown to the great populace and unseen in this mighty London ? We know much of this blessed work, that if in the hands of reckless religious adventurers, would be kept before the public eye, and thousands of pounds collected for its maintenance. There lived a few doors from our house a good minister of Jesus Christ, who was suddenly struck down with heart disease. We preached from his pulpit the first Sunday after the funeral. It was said, this Hampden Chapel, is heavily burdened by debt, the people are few and not rich, some are already leaving, the place will go down. Jonah like, we watched for the fulfilment of the dark prophecy, but unlike Jonah we prayed for its salvation ! On the first Sunday in July came pastor Hillman to guide the craft and minister to the crew. He came without guarantee of salary or any specified sum. This is how the early Apostles and pastors went forth. Those who stood by and loved the old ship were really too poor to promise anything. No sooner had he come than he began quietly but very earnestly to pay the debts. All this was beautifully honest and Christian. We immediately saw there was hope for the concern. When that glorious trinity of faith, hope, and love, begins to work, God will indeed bless it. He found the income something over £100; last year it was over £500. In the meantime this faithful pastor and his loyal little flock have successfully dealt with some £1,200, which to them were most crushing debts. Paying debts is thought by some to be a worldly business and forms no part of their religion ! He brought not only this business capacity with a courageous heart, but the gift to preach, the way, the truth, the life-Jesus. He found some 70 members, now there are 110, there would have been a much greater number but for the constant changes of London congregations. This surging life, like the great ocean, is ever on the move. Had he preached the two or three sermons we heard, in some gothic church, he would have been marked for preferment, if in 250 THE SAILORS' HOME, LONDON. some gorgeous dissenting cathedral, a D.D., or some official position in the “Union,” would have followed. But we hope he may not be tempted to leave the few sheep in the wilderness to go either to the one or the other. God is greatly blessing the quiet unknown ministeries of this great London. BETHELS. Each to its dreamer dear; (light, May coldly wander o'er,- Or barren sea-beat shore ; Hast yet thy lonely Patmos isles, But fond the conscious spirit dwells Where the world's banished stand, Where love's first gleam was given, Its early dream of heaven. Familiar all above ; For ever rest in love. Each twilight field, where musing men, There still shall come upon the heart, Have silently adored Though brighter scenes arise, Whate'er towards heaven a dove-like When thou, loved earth, shalt be resoul newed, On sun-bathed wing hath soared. And you be changed, fair skies ! SAILORS will read of these Bethels with delight. Its writer, Mrs. A. R. Cousins, one of the most spiritual poet writers of our day, is the writer of that beautiful hymn in our Sailors' Hymn Book, “ Jesus, Lord, receive my spirit.” We recently quoted this hymn at Colchester, and spoke of it as by the authoress of Immanuel's Land. A lady present felt its power, and wrote the following , which must be very cheering to our much esteemed friend, Mrs. Cousins : Dear Mr. Matthews,-Many thanks for your letter and “Sailors' Hymn Book.” I shall value it. Living many years in Swansea, I have an intense interest in sailors. Immanuel's Land helped two of my dear ones, who have “ entered in," and I have ever wished to write to the author. Wishing you the blessing of the Triune God, believe me, yours faithfully, LYDIA WHITLEY." THE SAILOR'S HOME, LONDON. The Annual Meeting of the Sailors' Home, Well Street, and Dock Street, London Docks, and of the Destitute Sailors' Asylum, took place on Thursday at the Home, and was numerously attended, a number of the boarders being present. Captain the Hon. Francis Maude, R.N., presided, and was supported by Sir. C. Buckle, Mr. T. Gray, of the Board of Trade. Admiral Beamish, Admiral Prevost, Rev. Mr. Simpson, of the South American Mission, Rev. Brook Lambert, Rev. G. Greatorex, Captain J. Steele, Captain Rowley, R.N., Mr. E. P. Stringer, Captain J. Holdsworth, Captain Vivian, R.N., Mr. W. R. Buck, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Howard, Rev. Edward W. Matthews, Secretary of British and Foreign Sailors' Society, Mr. Samuel Lonsdale, and several others. Mr. Thomas Balding, the manager, read the Fiftieth Report of the Sailors' Home, as follows: “Fifty years have passed since this, the first Sailors' Home, was opened in Well Street for the reception of Sailors, during which period it |