AT SEA. 



207 



land! and how well adapted to express the 

 feelings of the mind, humbled, and peniten- 

 tial! y exercised, yet exalted in hope at the 

 throne of a covenant God in Christ Jesus. 

 When the prayers are prayed, and not merely 

 read in the cold formality of office, instead of 

 wearying the mind by repetition, how often 

 are they the means of arresting our wan- 

 dering thoughts, and awakening a devotional 

 feeling ! This effect, I trust, was produced 

 in our minds, as we met together, for the 

 public services of the day, in the cabin of the 

 ship. 



From the 5th to the 9th, we had stiff gales of 

 wind from the same quarter, which caused the 

 sea to roll with a majesty and grandeur that I 

 never before witnessed. I stood on the quarter- 

 deck, in admiration of the scene, and of the 

 wonders of God in the deep, as wave rolled 

 after wave, occasionally breaking on its moun- 

 tainous top into a roaring and foaming surge. 

 But while the waves roar and the winds howl 

 around me, I am borne in safety through the 

 mighty waters towards the desired haven. 

 What a fit emblem is this experience of the 

 spiritual and eternal safety of the Christian, 

 in the ark of the covenant, amidst the foaming 

 billows of affliction, the wind of temptation, 



