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No. V.

THE CONVOY AT SEA.

"JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, FOLLOW ME."--Matt. viii. 22.

IN times of war, merchant vessels wait for, and sail under, the protection and guidance of the king's ships. Every vessel hoists a distinguishing vane, and has instructions given her; and all are commanded to observe and obey them, and to watch and follow the commodore's motions. It is their wisdom to observe and obey his signals, and their safety consists in being near him. But some are so perverse, that, after receiving instructions, and joining the fleet, they seem to try how they can neglect and disobey their orders. In the day time they are running too far a-head, and in the night, either dropping greatly astern, or losing sight of the commodore's lights altogether.

When signal guns are disregarded, he sometimes fires a shot over them. This, for a little while, alarms the inattentive and unruly, and they make sail; but soon they again fall astern, or run straggling too far to starboard or port;

the consequence of which often is, that some lurking privateer cuts them off, and conveys them into an enemy's harbour, while their obedient and attentive comrades are proceeding on, and, by and by, arrive with the commodore at their intended port.

In like manner, this world is, in a spiritual sense, one continued scene of warfare. We profess that at our baptism we came under the command of Christ, the captain of man's salvation. In the Holy Scriptures we receive our instructions how to act on every emergency; and all of us are alike commanded to observe the word and the providences of our heavenly Leader. This is not only our duty, but our privilege. Our greatest wisdom is to look constantly to these signals; and our greatest, nay, our only, safety consists in living near to Christ. This all Christians know and experience to their souls' comfort. But alas! there are many, who nominally join the convoy of Christ, and receive his instructions, who never obey them, and who feel no real desire to do so. And many there are who for a time run well, but in seasons of temptation fall away. The world, and satan, and their own perverse wills lead them from time to time far from the straight and narrow path of life. They run further and further into crooked ways; and, frequently, fall so far away, that the enemy,

finding them at a great distance from Christ, by one delusion or another, gets them completely into his own power, and makes them his easy, and, often, his willing prey.-Alas, for them! if the regions of darkness and despair can be ten times more intolerable for some than for others, they will be so to those who have had the faires opportunities of escaping them; but who would not attend to their mercies, or know the day of their visitation.-Had there been no way for such to escape that judgement, which ultimately overtakes them, then the agonies of a future punishment would be less tormenting; because they would not have to accuse themselves as the authors of their own misery. But to know that an open door of mercy, and a city of refuge, were set before them; that the long forbearance of their gracious, but neglected, leader was exercised time after time towards them; to remember how they once heard and received; how the same instructions, the same cautions, the same assistance, were freely offered to them in common with those of their neighbours who watched and prayed, and followed on to obey their Lord unto the end, and were finally saved; in one word, to know that it was they themselves, and not satan, who closed the door of mercy on their souls,this will make the misery of the condemned more intolerable than every thing else. There is, in

deed a great gulph fixed between those who have followed the Lord faithful unto the end, and those who have neglected or forsaken him. But though that gulph confines the unhappy spirits to their own place, it does not confine their thoughts, nor destroy their powers of recollection. They can and do remember the day when they professed to follow Christ. They remember all his gracious rebukes and threatenings, all his promises and loving commands, and how they slighted or fled from them. From the recollection of these their thoughts follow him where he is; and, it may be, their eyes behold him, and many with whom they once lived and worshipped, who are now in heaven, while they themselves are shut out.

Now it seldom happens that those who break convoy, and fall into the enemies' hands, ever see the face of their slighted commander again. It would be no small aggravation of their sufferings were he to visit them in prison, and there call them to account, and punish them for their folly and disobedience. But the pretended Christians who once joined, and afterwards forsook, the convoy of Christ, must behold him whom they disobeyed and forsook. No sooner is the soul absent from the body than it is present with the Lord, and receives the first part of its sentence; and at the last day both soul and body

must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, the obedient and the disobedient. The righteous and the wicked will then once more behold each other; and all will look upon that Judge who once offered to lead and conduct them by his counsel and power through the voyage of this life, and afterwards to receive them to his glory. At that day, what different emotions will fill the breasts of the different tribes! Joy unspeakable and full of glory will possess the one! Despair and unutterable anguish will seize on the other! Hence then, since many a vessel belonging to the convoy fails of making her intended port, and since many a professing Christian comes short of the kingdom of heaven, let the language of our souls be

"If to the right or left I stray,

That moment, Lord, reprove;
And let me weep my life away,
For having griev'd thy love.

"O may the least omission pain
My well instructed soul!

And drive me to Christ's blood again,
Which makes the wounded whole."

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