262 THE WHALE AND 



A good Time coming. Commerce shall be Religious. 



yot have its Sabbath ; the holy Lord's day shall 

 be rescued from profanation by the great whal- 

 ing and merchant fleets ; the abundance of the 

 seas shall be converted to God, and to the ob- 

 servance especially of this great ordinance of 

 creation's Lord, THOU SHALT REMEMBER THE 

 SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY. 



There's a good time coming for seamen, and 

 that, we trust, not far. We thankfully recog- 

 nize the law of progress and reform as true of 

 them, and already remarkably developed in this 

 day. We gladly share in the cheering faith of 

 Dr. Bushnell, that the time is at hand when all 

 that pertains to commerce is to be sanctified by 

 virtue and religion, as of right it should be ; 

 " when, commerce itself shall become religious, 

 and religion commercial; when the mariners 

 will be blended with all the other worshipers 

 on shore, in the exercise of common privileges, 

 and as members of a common brotherhood ; 

 when the ships will have their Sabbath, and 

 become temples of praise on the deep ; when 

 habits of temperance and banks for saving will 

 secure them in thrift, and assist to give them 

 character ; when they will no more live an un- 

 connected, isolated, and therefore reckless life, 



