282 THE WHALE AND 



Taking Wing. Pinions of Faith. Night-mare of Doubt. 



the even surface of the deck and soar aloft, 

 though unconfined and at liberty ; but we must 

 toss the noble bird overboard, and lift him quite 

 clear of the ship's rail, before he could use his 

 glorious pinions and mount aloft into the air. 

 Then he would stretch those ample wings, and 

 sail away through the ocean of space as easily 

 as one breathes, and as if the elastic element 

 of air and the bird were one, making the gazer 

 wonder, and fairly long to be taking the same 

 aerial flight. 



Even so is it, in the economy of grace, now 

 and then, with the real Christian. He is 

 brought by Providence into straits and perplex- 

 ities whence he can not rise and extricate him- 

 self alone ; where the wings of faith and love 

 seem to be of no avail to him, until a friendly 

 hand lifts him up, and throws him out upon 

 the deep, where he must say, with Peter, Lord, 

 save ; I perish. Then he loses despair ; he 

 surmounts the difficulty ; he breaks his prison ; 

 he mounts up as on eagle's wings ; the pinions 

 of faith and love sustain him, and bear him 

 away aloft ; and he wonders now at the night- 

 mare of doubt and fear that kept him from 

 using them before. 



