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DISCOURSE II.

CHRIST THE SEAMAN'S FRIEND.

MATTHEW VIII. 24, 25, 26.

AND, BEHOLD, THERE AROSE A GREAT TEMPEST IN THE SEA, INSOMUCH THAT THE SHIP WAS COVERED WITH THE WAVES: BUT HE WAS ASLEEP. AND HIS DISCIPLES CAME TO HIM, AND AWOKE HIM, SAYING, LORD, SAVE US: WE PERISH. AND HE SAITH UNTO THEM, WHY ARE YE FEARFUL? O YE OF LITTLE FAITH THEN HE REBUKED THE WINDS AND THE SEA, AND THERE WAS A GREAT CALM.

We have here a very memorable passage in the life of Christ. Not long after his sermon on the mount, he was crossing the sea of Galilee with his disciples in a small vessel, and their voyage was attended with some remarkable circumstances. They had sailed but a little way, when they had to encounter a mighty tempest that arose in the sea: their ship was tossed by the fierce winds, and lashed by the foaming waves, which sometimes completely covered it; so that, being nearly full of water, it was in danger of foundering. In the mean time Christ was asleep, resting on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship, as Mark informs us; and his sleep was so sound, that neither the winds nor the waves disturbed him; till the disciples, who were in the

utmost consternation, awoke him with their loud cries, saying, "Lord save us : we perish." Upon this the Saviour arose, not in agitation and alarm, but with a dignified composure of spirit; and looking round bim with all the majesty of the Son of God, he first reproved his terrified disciples, saying, "Why are ye fearful? O ye of little faith!" and then, in a tone of divine authority, he rebuked the winds and the sea, saying, "Peace, be still." And now, wonderful to tell! the elements instantly obeyed his voice; the raging storm was hushed, the swelling billows subsided, "and there was a great calm." Such a display of almighty power could not fail to make a strong impression on all the beholders; "The men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"

This narrative is interesting to every lover of our Lord Jesus Christ; but most of all to those who go down to the sea in ships, and do business in great waters and it is chiefly for the sake of seamen, and their relations, that I have selected these verses for my text on the present occasion. My brethren, God is teaching us, by the events of his providence, the great uncertainty of our lives; especially of the lives. of seamen, who are in jeopardy every hour. Instance after instance is occurring, to remind seamen that they walk on the verge of eternity; and to remind the relations of seamen, that they must humbly commit them to the disposal of a gracious God, and be ever ready to part with them at his call. Some very affecting

warnings of this description have lately been given you; and in particular, a most melancholy instance of shipwreck has taken place, by which two of our friends and fellow-worshippers, with others belonging to this town and neighbourhood, were overwhelined together in the waves. This mournful dispensation, with other recent events of the same painful nature, may well be expected to make a deep impression on every heart. I trust that our dear young friends, though lost to us, have experienced everlasting gain; and that the waves which swept them away from this world, have wafted them to the shores above. And may I not also hope, that God has designed these awful calamities for the good of survivers; that many may flee to Christ as their Saviour, and to the Lord as their God, for their eternal salvation? May God bless the observations that are now to be made, for comforting mourners, alarming the careless, and ex citing all to prepare for eternity! And O that seamen in particular, to whom these warnings are peculiarly directed, may be stirred up to seek everlasting life, through faith in Christ, the seaman's friend!

There are several precious truths in my text, interesting to us all, especially to seamen and their relations, whose attention I would earnestly invite to the following propositions contained in this passage. May the Spirit of God impress them on your hearts!

I. Seamen are exposed to the most awful dangers.This is a truth so well known to you, that I need scarcely stop to illustrate it. We have a lively descrip

tion of the perils of the sea in these well known words of the psalmist: "He commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves. They (the seamen) mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end."* Such was now the frightful situation of the disciples: "Behold there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves ;" and the disciples began to look upon themselves as dead men, ready to perish in the deep.

Awful are the dangers which seamen have to face. Their case is fearful in the extreme, when the furious winds attack them from above, and the raging billows from below, as if the elements were contending which could destroy them first; while their frail bark is tossed about on the mighty ocean, or driven towards a lee shore: especially when, as in the case of the disciples, the horrors of the tempest are increased by the darkness of the night. Ab! my friends, when we lie safely in our beds, or sit comfortably by our fire-sides in a stormy night, we little know the sufferings and perils of poor mariners, amidst howling tempests, dashing billows, hideous rocks, and treacherous shoals. And when we think in how many instances such dangers prove fatal, as they did to our dear departed friends, we need not wonder if the trembling sufferers cry out, in the midst of their terrors, "Lord, save us; we perish." But I observe,

*Psalm cvii. 25–27.

II. Christ goes to sea with his disciples, and is present in all their perils.-It was the safety of the apostles at this time, as at other times, that Christ was with them and on a future occasion, when he did not embark with them, they still found him at hand to help them for, in the hour of danger, he came to them walking on the waters, and the moment he came on board, the storm ceased.*

Here is a rich source of comfort for all godly seamen: wherever they go, they have Christ with them. Jesus still goes to sea with all his real disciples: and to whatever part of the globe they may have to bend their course, whatever seas they may cross, he is ever` near them, ever with them, attending them in all their dangers and hardships; and when no earthly friend can bring them relief, he is present to aid and comfort them. What a blessed privilege is this, my dear seamen, to have Christ himself at sea with you! If you belong to Christ, he will go with you in all your voyages, he will accompany you in all your perils. You have not Christ in the ship with you in respect of his bodily presence, as the disciples had, for the heavens must contain him until the times of the restitution of all things; yet he is with you really, and powerfully, and graciously; according to his kind promise, made when he was just going to ascend to heaven, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."+

Here too is a source of consolation for you, my christian friends, who have relations that go to sea.

* Matthew xiv. 22-33. † Matthew xxviii. 20.

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