8 



REFLECTION. 



It has often struck me^ and may not here be 

 inapplicable^ that a sailor's life, above all others, 

 is the one that ought to inspire him with holy 

 thoughts and incline him to piety ; having the 

 force of his own insignificance so continually 

 before his eyes, he cannot but hourly feel what 

 he is in the great scale of creation. 



To show his constant dependence for preserv- 

 ation aud protection on the goodness of the Al- 

 mighty power, and prove that he ought to feel 

 his own insignificance in the scale of creation 

 more than any other man, I will only place him 

 on his own element in a little boat. Does he not 

 feel that his sole dependence for security is in 

 that frail bark ? But, if a breeze should spring 

 up or the clouds darken, he flies for refuge to 

 his ship, and soon forgets his dependence on the 

 boat, because she is so insignificant compared to 

 the ship. Now, let him compare himself to the 

 boat, then the boat to the ship, the ship to the 

 sea, the sea to the whole universe, and the whole 

 universe to the great Creator of all things; 



