: For the Seaman's Magazine. ON Sabbath morning, 21st January last, a new flag, the signal for meeting, was hoisted at the Mariner's Church in Philadelphia. This flag was procured by the exertions of Miss Elizabeth White and sister, of the Northern Liberties, in collecting subscriptions for the purpose. It was made by Mr. Dunton at a very low charge, and gratuitously painted by Mr. Woodside; so that, with the money obtained, besides the flag, several chairs have been purchased for the use of the Church, and some tracts for distribution. The flag is in size, 13 by 8 feet, with an azure field, and white border. The symbols are on the top, the morning and evening stars; in the centre, a dove on the wing, with an olive branch in her mouth; and at the bottom, an anchor. Inscription-" MARINERS' CHURCH." The Rev. Mr. Eastburn, the stated preacher, addressed the congregation from the four last verses of the 6th chap. Hebrews. He spoke of the stability of the Christian's refuge as predicated of God's immutability; and of the necessity for sinners actively to endeavour "to obtain salvation," by "flying for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them in the gospel." He illustrated the import of the doctrine by refering to the emblems on the flag; that as the evening star indicated the approaching darkness of night, so the shades of death were advancing; and as the morning star denoted the dawn of day, so the light of everlasting day would rise upon every soul, who, like the dove that " found no rest for the sole of her foot," would fly to Jesus Christ, the Ark of safety, and thus become personally interested in that heavenly hope, which, as an anchor, would secure him from shipwreck, and insure him an abundant entrance into the haven of rest. The following hymn, of which a number of printed copies were pre sented by Mr. Mentz, was sung on the occasion. A MARINERS' HYMN, C. М. Presented to the Rev. JOSEPH EASTBURN, a Pilot of JESUS CHRIST, the Captain While o'er the swelling sea of life Poor sinners heedless sail, Their guilty passions drive them far, Then gloomy storms and fearful roar But oh! how merciful! how good [Along the dang'rous coast of Time, The dove of peace portends the land saints With him forever blest. JOURNAL OF THE BETHEL FLAG. e THE NEW-YORK BETHEL UNION commenced holding Bethel Prayer Meetings on board of vessels last month, and hitherto the success of the plan has equalled the expectations of its most sanguine friends, and has, we presume, convinced the most incredulous, that seamen will assemble for Divine worship and attend to the concerns of their souls, when the means are adapted to their peculiar circumstances. The number of attendants, the good order and decorum, the interest manifested by captains and sailors at these meetings, have surpassed the anticipation of all; and we do most earnestly pray, that God will continue to prosper the work so happily commenced; that he will revive his own work in the hearts of Seamen, and train up a people to praise Him, amongst those who have so long neglected his word and ordinances, and lived without hope, without Christ, and without God in the world,-And He will do it. God is ready to bless us even before the request has gone from our lips; He will hear the cries of his people, as soon as they humbly and earnestly present their petition, for the conversion of seamen. It is only, then, for Christians to pray and to labour, and the Mariner shall be ready to receive the proffered blessings of the Gospel, and to offer himself, his soul, and his body, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto the Lord his God. Friday, June 22. This morning the Bethel Flag was hoisted at the mast-head of the ship Cadmus, Capt. W. at Pine-street wharf. At 8 o'clock in the evening, a committee of the society, with several friends from the shore, and a considerable number of sea captains and sailors, assembled on the deck of the ship under an awning, and Divie Bethune, Esq. President of the Bethel Union, opened the meeting by stating the object and plans of the society, and inviting the cordial co-operation of captains and their crews, in furthering the benevolent designs of the Board. Mr. T. read the Seaman's Psalm, (107th Ps. Dwight,) which was sung with great animation and feeling. Capt. C. P. led in prayer, a hymn was sung, and the Rev. Dr. Spring delivered a short and appropriate address. Capt. H. prayed. After singing another Hymn, Mr. L. B. made the concluding prayer. The President then informed the seamen that the Mariners' Church, in Roosevelt-street is open three times every Sabbath, and urged them to attend, and to inform their shipmates and fellow seamen of the Mariners' Church and Bethel Flag. He recommended to them the SEAMAN'S MAGAZINE, and requested them to procure, and read it. The christian doxology was then sung, and Dr. Spring pronounced the benediction. Upwards of 50 suitable tracts were distributed to the seamen present, who received them with many thanks. The evening was remarkably still, and we were pleased to observe many seamen, and others, on the wharf and on the vessels lying alongside the Cadmus, lending an attentive ear to the interesting and solemn exer cise. Thus we have witnessed the first essay of the Bethel Union, under circumstances which promise great success in promoting the establishment of prayer meetings among (To be Continued.) seamen. TO READERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. "ERASMUS;" "A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER," in answer to Query No. 1;"* "Address of the Presbytery of Westchester," and several other communications, are received. We are unable to complete the "Mariners' Church Journal for May" for this number, not having been present all at the meetings. An account of the Religious Celebration of the FOURTH OF JULY, in the Mariners' Church, is also unavoidably postponed to our next. * We repeat the Query No. 1, for the information of those who may desire to offer remarks upon it: "What are the best means of making Union Quarterly Meetings interesting?" SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF MR. ROBERT MUNRO was a native of Scotland, and descended of pious parents, who devoted much of their time to his religious instruction. In childhood, he was taught to fear his Maker, to read the Holy Scriptures, to repeat the questions of the Shorter Catechism, and commit to memory various Psalms, Hymns, and other devotional pieces. He was regular in seasons of retirement to his closet. At the time he left his parents, he entertained a respect for the Lord's day, and desired to be a christian. Until the 20th year of his life, the influence of parental instruction on his outward conduct may be clearly traced. But shortly after this period, he came to America, when he soon lost every good impression from his mind, giving evidence at the same time of the most confirmed habits of vice. Though he had evidently never been made a partaker of the Divine nature, we must admit, that the change in his principles was great, when he deliberately adopted the following opinions, which we take from his own record. 1st. Denying the Bible to be a rule of conduct. 2nd. The special Providence of God. 3d. The doctrine of the Trinity. 4th. The necessity, or obligation of prayer. He had now become a deluded infidel, and such principles could not fail to lead their possessor into vice. The fruits of such opinions were seen, 1st, In a neglect of all Divine Ordinances. 2nd, Violating the Sabbath by sinful amusements. 3d, Profane swearing, abuse of talents, neglect of every duty. 4th, Ingratitude to parents and teachers, and above all, murmuring at the dispensations of Providence, for circumstances which his own extravagance had occasioned. During a long season, it pleased God to give him mingled evidences of his displeasure and compassion. Often was he visited by the deepest remorse of conscience, and to this were added various incidents, and remarkable escapes from death. He has recorded not less than twelve instances, in which the Divine goodness was signally displayed in preserving his life. Often have we heard him recount these interpositions in his behalf, and dwell with an elevated heart on that rich passage, Thou shalt remember all the way, which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years, in the wilderness, to humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his command ments or not." VOL. VIII. 17 Hitherto, from his arrival in America, Mr. Munro had been a resi dent in the District of Columbia; but in 1802 he received an appointment, as a public agent in Detroit, Michigan territory. Of the three years which he spent in that place, he always spoke with melancholy recollections, for there he pursued his accustomed habits of vice, until a providential circumstance compelled him to pause. About this time, a conflagration took place, which consumed a great part of the town, and swept away all the little property which he had there accumulated. He was now cast friendless and poor on the wide world; it is impossible to present a picture of the state of his mind at this melancholy period. From the commencement of his difficulties at Detroit, he had been overtaken by a succession of the most mortifying circumstances, wounded pride, disappointed ambition, gloomy prospects, attended, however, with occasional glimmerings of hope. In this state of mind he resolved on a voyage to the West Indies, with a view of seeing his brother, a resident in the island of Jamaica, a gentleman of great wealth and influence. He embarked from the city of New-York in the month of February, 1806. He was now cast on the world at large, evidently dejected and unhappy. The weather was cold, and in a few hours after setting sail, it was discovered that the vessel had sprung a leak, but this deluded wanderer began now to view all consequences with equal indifference. In this state, he opened two packages, which were addressed to him, containing the Bible, Rippon's Hymns, and the Refuge, from a lady in New-York, and Doddridge's Rise and Progress, from the venerable Mrs. Graham. Not having access to his own books at this time, and needing some solace, he read the Refuge, with a few of the hymns of Cowper, on account of his admiration for the genius of the author. At this period Mr. Munro was in declining health, and calculated that he should probably never recover. But a storm, which took place during the voyage, threatened him with a more speedy dissolution than the ravages of disease, and nothing but a special Providence saved him from a watery grave. After the storm had subsided, he felt some effects from the books which he had read; a state of doubts, fears and wishes, whilst he attempted, occasionally, to raise his thoughts to his Creator. Such was his situation when he reached Jamaica, where all the allurements of pleasure were addressed to him, so well calculated to destroy serious impressions. But his reduced state of health made him averse from gay society, and even the appearance of a stranger gave him the deepest distress. el. In this situation he passed several months, feeling the want of something which he did not possess. In the day time, he felt weary of life, and in the shades of the night, he waited anxiously for the morning beam, which he called his comforter. At length these painful feelings were partially removed by an excursion of pleasure to the mountains, and the charms of polished life took renewed hold on his heart. But He, who had determined to call him by his grace, condescended once more to awaken him from this delirium. An attack of yellow fever, accompanied with great weakness of breast, disclosed to him fresh discoveries of the vanity of the world. After a partial recovery from the fever, he determined to retrace his steps to America. The reason of this determination appears to have been, that he did not wish to give pain to his relatives, by witnessing his death, for the weakness in his lungs had increased to such a degree, as to leave but little hope of a permanent recovery. He took leave of his brother with a sorrowful heart, so that the boatmen, who conveyed him to the vessel, could not help remarking how he wept. He set sail, and after a long and perilous voyage, reached the city of Alexandria. Soon after his return, as his health unexpectedly improved, he thought it his duty to seek some employment, which might yield him a comfortable support. Ample encouragement was given to believe that the President would soon appoint him a public agent at Detroit, to collect the moneys due on the sale of public lands. But a dread of falling into his former vices, caused him to decline an appointment, so politely and generously proffered. But whatever serious impressions Mr. Munro might have had, it was evident, they were not sufficiently strong to withstand any very powerful temptations. During his years of darkness, he was always peculiarly attached to the pleasures of the ball-room. He had resisted many signal displays of Providence in his behalf, but that instance of the Divine goodness was about to take place, which was to be most happy in its consequences: a severe fall, whilst engaged in dancing, and by which his wrist was fractured, was the incident to which I allude. It produced pain so excruciating, that it had well nigh terminated his life. The substance of his reflections was now so various, as not to admit of description. The succession of unfortunate events which he had experienced, the circumstances which led to the last-mentioned incident, the singular manner in which it took place, and the severe pain which it occasioned, all conspired to produce a gloomy desperate state of mind, which neither asked for, nor wished any solace. In this state of mind he wrote a letter to his brother in the West Indies, giving him a narrative of his misfortunes. This letter concluded with the following words, which, considering his impenitent state, are not a little remarkable: that "these were medicines, intended by the Author of nature to improve the heart, and, by withdrawing its affections from the scenes of life, to form that disposition of mind which is necessary to qualify it for happiness in a future world." It was, in all probability, whilst writing the above sentences, that the first ray of spiritual light streamed forth upon his mind; for it occurred to him most impressively, that the solace of which he spoke, might actually be applied; that the many incidents he had experienced ought to be attributed to something more than chance; and he prayed, for the first time, that they might be sanctified to his present and future benefit. Thus commenced the happy consequences, that changed the iron rod into a sceptre of love. He began by devoting the dusk of the evening to reflection, and sometimes to prayer. He read occasionally some chapters in the psalms, and the prophecies of Isaiah, but as yet experienced no deep convictions of sin; his impressions were dark and fluctuating, without any settled purpose, nor was he punctual in the few duties which he attempted. After these occurrences, which took place in the city of Alexandria, he returned to Washington, where he happened to lay his hand on a volume of Blairs, which he read with eagerness, particularly his sermon on the advantages of prayer; and he continued occasionally to peruse the Scrip |