The Seaman's Magazine. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. - They cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.-Psalms. From the Sailor's Magazine. A FEW months since a vessel sailed from England with a captain whose habitual blasphemy, drunkenness, and tyranny, so disgusted the crew, that some of the most fatal consequences might have taken place, but for the sudden and alarming illness of their cruel and depraved commander. The mate took charge of the ship, and the captain, greatly afflicted in his cabin, was left, by the unanimous voice of a hardened crew, to perish. He had continued nearly a week in this neglected state, no one venturing to visit him, when the heart of a poor boy on board was touched with the sufferings of this wicked man, and he determined, notwithstanding the opposition of the crew, to enter the cabin and speak to the captain. He descended the companion ladder, and opening the state-room door, called out, "Captain, how are you?" A surly voice replied, "What's that to you? be off." Thus repulsed, the boy went on deck; but next morning he determined to make another attempt, and at the state-room door cried, "Captain, hope you are better." Bob, I'm very bad, been very ill all night." The boy, encouraged with this mild answer, drew nigh the bed-place, and said, " Captain, please to let me wash your hands and face, it will refresh you very much." The captain nodded assent. Having performed this kind office, the boy said, "Please, master, let me shave you." He was permitted to do this also, and having adjusted the bed-clothes, he grew bolder, and proposed "some tea." The captain had been a desperate and wicked man beyond many, and as he knew he had no mercy to expect from his crew, so he was determined not to solicit any. "I'll perish," said his obstinate perverse soul, "rather than ask one favour of them;" but the unsolicited and undeserved kindness of this poor boy, found its way to the heart of this violent man, and, in spite of all his daring independent spirit, his bowels melted, and his iron face displayed the starting tear, while his soul involuntarily sighed, O brotherly kindness, in the hour of need, though issuing from a stripling, how amiable thou art! How many ways the Almighty has of gaining access to the hearts of his stubborn and rebellious creatures! A little captive maid directs the leprous Naaman, and a menial servant mildly subdues the haughty general into compliance with the prophet's orders. See II Kings, chap. v. The captain soon felt the good effects of the boy's attendance, and therefore permitted him to do what he pleased in future, for the alleviation of his pains, or the restoration of his health. The captain now declined apace: his weakness was daily increasing, and he became gradually convinced that he should not live many weeks at farthest. His mind was filled with increasing terror, as the prospect of death and eternity drew nearer to his confused and agitated view. He was as ignorant as he was wicked. Brought up among the worst of seamen in his early life, he had imbibed all their principles, followed their practices, and despised remonstrance or reproof. A man-of-war had finished his education, and a long course of successful voyages as master of a vessel, had contributed to harden his heart, and not only to say there is no God, but to act under that persuasion. Alarmed at the idea of death, and ignorant of the way of salvation, with a conscience now thundering conviction to his guilty soul, he cried one morning, just as Bob opened the state-room door, and affectionately inquired, "Well, master how is it with you this morning ?" "Ah, Bob, I'm very bad; my body is getting worse and worse, but I should not mind that so much, were it not for my soul. O Bob, what shall I do? I'm a great sinner, I'm afraid I shall go to hell, I deserve it. Alas, Bob, I'm a lost man." "Oh no, master," said the boy, "don't be alarmed. God is merciful, and I'm sure you'll not be lost. He knows what sailors are, and I dare say he'll save you." "No, Bob, no, I cannot see the least prospect of being saved. O what a sinner I have been, what will become of me!" His stony heart was broken, and he poured out his complaints before the boy, who strove all he could to comfort him, but in vain. One morning the boy just appeared, when the Captain sung out, Bob, I've been thinking of a Bible. I know there is not one in the cabin, go forward, and see if you can find one in the men's chests." The boy succeeded, and the poor dying man beheld him enter with tears of joy. "Ah, Bob, that will do, that will do; you must read to me, and I shall soon know whether such a wicked man as I am can be saved, and how it is to be done. Now, Bob, sit down on my chest, and read to me out of that blessed Book." "Where shall I read, master ?" "I do not know, Bob, I never knew how to read myself; but try and pick out some places that speak about Sinners and Salvation." "Well, master, then I'll take the New Testament; you and I shall understand it better, for, as my poor mother used to say, there are not so many hard words there." The boy read for two hours, while the Captain, stretching his neck over the side of the bed-place, listened with the eagerness of a man on the verge of eternity. Every word conveyed light to his mind, and his astonished soul soon beheld sin as he had never seen it before. The justice of God in his eternal ruin, struck him with amazing force, and though he heard of a Saviour, still the great difficulty of knowing how he could be saved, appeared a mystery unfathomable. He had been ruminating a great part of the night on some passages Bob had read, but they only served to depress his spirits, and terrify his soul. The next morning, when the boy entered the state-room, he exclaimed, "O Bob, I shall never live to reach the land, I am dying very fast; you'll soon have to cast me overboard, but all this is nothing-my soul, my poor soul. Ah, Bob, my dear lad, what will become of my soul! O I shall be lost for ever." "No no, master, don't be alarmed. I believe you will be saved yet; remember I read many fine things yesterday about Salvation." "Bob, can you pray?" "No, master, I never prayed in my life, any more than say the Lord's Prayer my mother taught me." "O Bob, pray for me; go down on your knees, and cry for mercy; do, Bob, there's a good lad. God will bless you for it. O kneel down and pray for your poor wicked captain." The boy hesitated, the master urged, the lad wept, the master groaned, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Both cried greatly. "O Bob, for God's sake, kneel down and pray for me." Overcome by importunity and compassion, the boy fell on his knees, and with heavy sobs cried out, "Lord, have mercy on my poor dying Captain. O Lord, I'm a poor, ignorant, wicked sailor-boy. Lord, I don't know what to say. Lord, the captain says I must pray for him, but I don't know how-I am but a child. I should be glad to get him tea, or do any thing I can for him; but, Lord, I don't know how to pray for him. Lord, have mercy on him. He says he shall be lost, Lord, save him! He says he shall go to hell, Lord, take him to heaven. He says, he shall be with devils, O that he may be with angels. Don't let him perish, O Lord. Thou knowest I love him, and am sorry he's so ill. The men won't come near him, but I'll do the best I can for him as long as he lives, but I can't save him. O Lord, pity my poor captain; see how thin and how weak he is! O comfort his troubled mind. Lord, I never prayed before like this. O help me, Lord, to pray for my master." Rising from his knees, he said, "There master, I have done the best I could for you. Now cheer up; I think you'll go to heaven." The captain was too much affected to speak; the simplicity, sincerity, and humility of the lad's prayer, had so much impressed his mind, that he lay groaning inwardly with spiritual anguish, and wetting his couch with his tears. Bob retired on deck, for the scene had quite overcome him. In the evening, he again read the Bible to the captain, whose soul appeared to receive every word with indescribable eagerness. The next morning, on entering the state-room, the boy was struck with the extraordinary change visible in his master's features. That gloomy horror, which had so long added to the natural ferocity of his weather-beaten countenance, was fled, and while his affliction had softened and more fully exhibited the various parts of his countenance, the circumstances of the past night had settled the whole arrangement of his features into a holy, pleasant, calm, and resigned state, that would seem to say, And heir of grace can find Bob had scarcely time to notice, with a smile of congratulation, this pleasing change, when the master, in a low tone of voice, but with great humility, began, "O Bob, my dear lad, I have had such a night! After you left me I fell into a sort of doze-my mind was full of the many blessed things you had been reading to me from the precious Bible; all on a sudden I thought I saw in that corner of my bed-place Jesus Christ hanging bleeding on his cross. Struck with the sight, I arose and crawled to the place, and casting myself at his feet in the greatest agony of soul, I cried out for a long time, like the blind man you read of; Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. At length I thought he looked at me-yes, my dear lad, he looked at your poor wicked captain-and, O Bob, what a look it was-I shall never forget it-my blood rushed to my heart-my pulse beat high-my soul thrilled with agitation, and waiting for him to speak, with fear not unmixed with hope, I saw him smile. O, my child, I saw him smile-yes, and he smiled on me-on me, Bob. O, my my dear boy, he smiled on wretched guilty me. Ah, what did I feel at that moment! my heart was too full to speak: but I waited, and ventured to look up, when I heard him say, hanging as hé did on the cross, the blood streaming from his hands, and feet, and side, -O Bob, what sounds were these-shall I ever hear his beloved voice again! I heard him say in sounds that angels cannot reach, " Son, be of good cheer, thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee!" My heart burst with joy; I fell prostrate at his feet; I could not utter a word, but glory, glory, glory! The vision vanished, I fell back on my pillow -I opened my eyes-I was covered with perspiration-I said, Oh, this cannot be a dream. No, Bob, this is no vision, now I know my sins are pardoned-I know that Jesus bled and died for me I can believe the promises, the many precious promises you have read to me out of the Bible, and I feel that the blood of the cross can even cleanse me. I an not now afraid to die; no, Bob, my sins are pardoned through Jesus. I want no more, I am now ready to die, I have no wish to live. I cannot, I feel I cannot, be many days longer on this side of eternity. The extreme agitation of my mind, of late, has increased the fever of my body, and I shall soon breathe my last. (The boy, who had silently shed many tears, now burst into a flood of sorrow, and involuntarily cried, " No, my dear master, don't leave me.") Bob, said he calmly, my dear boy, comfort your mind I am happy-I am going to be happy for ever. I feel for you, my bowels yearn over you, as if you were my own child. I am sorry to leave you in such a wicked world, and with such wicked men as sailors are in general. O may you ever be kept from those crimes into which I have fallen. Your kindness to me, my dear lad, has been great:-God will reward you for it. To you I owe every thing, as an instrument in the Lord's hands! surely he sent you to me! God bless you, my dear boy; tell my crew to forgive me, as I forgive and pray for them." Thus the day passed in the most pleasing and profitable_manner, when Bob, after reading the Bible as usual, retired to his hammock full of mercy and good fruit. Eager the next morning to meet again, Bob arose at daylight, and, opening the state-room door, saw his master had risen from his pillow, and crawled to the corner of his bed-place, where he beheld the cross. There he appeared kneeling down in the attitude of prayer, his hands clapsed and raised, and his body leaning against the ship-side. The boy paused and waited a few moments, fearful of disturbing his master: at length he called, in a sort of whisper, master: no answer! - Master: no reply! He ventured to creep forward a little, and then said, master : all was silent! Again he cried, captain: silence reigned! He stretched out his hand and touched his leg; it was cold, and stiff, and clammy. He called again, captain: he raised his hand to his shoulder; he tenderly shook it. The position of the body was altered; it declined gently until it rested on the bed; but the spirit fled some hours before, to be with Christ, which is far better. JOURNAL OF THE BETHEL FLAG. (Continued from p. 158.) S. Monday, July 23.-According to appointment a prayer meeting was held last evening on board brig Hope, - Porter, master; the meeting was well attended-deck covered, and a number on the wharf; people perfectly orderly, solemn, and some much affected. Three pray 1 ers were offered, in which, mariners generally, and particularly the master, officers, and seamen of the Hope, were affectionately recommended to the providential care and forgiving mercy of the dear Redeemer. Three short addresses were delivered: one by Mr. Fay, a mariner. On the whole a very interesting time; to which it is earnestly hoped that God may add his blessing. Tuesday evening, 24th July, 1821.-Prayer meeting was this evening on board the sloop Haxall, capt. Samuel Holmes, lying near the head of Coffee-House Slip. The meeting was attended by a large number of seamen and others, the whole, including those standing on the adjoining wharf, were supposed to be not less than two hundred. The exercises were solemn and impressive-the audience silent and attentive. A number of Tracts were distributed among the seamen in the course of the evening, who received them with thankfulness. One of the seamen exhorted the association to persevere in the good work of praying with and for the seamen, for they did not know how much good they were doing. The following exercises were performed: the 104th psalm was read; prayer and singing three times each, and four addresses; two of the addresses by members of the committee, and two of them by seamen.One of the seamen, after reading the reply of our Saviour to Nicodemus, " marvel not," &c. testified his hope, that by the grace of God, since the commencement of this year, while at sea, he had experienced the new birth; that he was formerly a Roman Catholic. He exhorted his brother seamen to seek the Lord while he might be found, and call upon him while he was near. The other seaman, who declared he was not a professor, very pathetically acknowledged the vanity and emptiness of all earthly pursuits, and commended the service of God, with faith in Christ, as the only solid foundation of comfort and happiness, for time, and for eternity. The exercises were short, but we trust that many experienced it was good to be there. P. H., Chairman. For the Seaman's Magazine. 1. SEAMEN, the God of Heaven adore ; 2. When swiftly through the waves you glide, 3. When storms and hurricanes arise, |