2. Consider (seamen) what extraordinary help you liave by the book of the creatures ; " The whole creation is God's voice ; it is •' God's excellent f hand-writing, or the sacred scriptures of the " most High,'' to teach us much of God, and what reasons we have to bewail our rebellion against God, and to make conscience of obey- ing God only, naturally, and continually. The heavens, the earth, the waters, are the three great leaves of this book of God, and all the creatures are so many lines in those leaves. All that learn not to fear and serve God by the help of this book, will be left inexcusable, Rom. 1. 20. How inexcusable then will ignorant and ungodly sea- men be ! Seamen should, in this respect, be the best scholars in the Lord's school, seeing they do, more than others, see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the great deep, Psal. cvii. 24.
3. Consider how often you are nearer heaven than any people in the world. " They mount up to heaven," Psal. cvii. 26. It has been said of an ungodly minister, that contradicted his preaching in his life and conversation, that it was pity he should ever come out of the pulpit, because he v/as there as near heaven as ever he v/ould be. Shall it be said of you, upon the same account, that it is a pity you should come down from the high towering waves of the sea ? Should not seamen that in stormy weather have their feet (as it were) upon the battlements of heaven, look down upon all earthly happiness in this world but as base, waterish, and worthless ? The great cities of Campania seem but small cottages to them that stand on the Alps. Should not seamen^ that so oft mount up to heaven, make it their main business here, once at last to get into heaven.? What ! (seamen) shall you only go]to heaven against your wills ? When seamen mount up to heaven in a storm, the Psalmist tells us, That " their souls " are melted because of trouble." O that you were continually as unwilling to go to hell, as you are in a storm to go to heaven !
4. And lastly. Consider what engagements lie upon you to be sin- gularly holy, from your singular deliverances and salvations. They that go down to the sea in ships, are sometimes in the valley of the shadow of death, by reason of the springing of perilous leaks; and yet miraculously delivered, either by some wonderful stopping of the leak, or by God's sending some ship within their sight, when they
* Terror ubique tremor, timor undeque terror. Ovid.
t Mundi creatio est Scriptura Dei, Clemens. Uni versus mundus est Deus eT^HcatiLS*
S16 THE AUTHOR TO THE READER.
have been far out of sight of any lancl ; or by his bringing their near- perishing ship safe to shore. Sometimes they have been in very great danger of being taken by pirates, yet wonderfully preserved, either by God''s calming of the winds in that part of the sea where the pi- rates have sailed, or by giving the poor pursued ship a strong gale of wind to run away from their pursuers, or by sinking the pirates, &c. Sometimes their ships have been cast away, and yet they themselves wonderfully got safe to shore upon planks, yards, masts, &c. I might be endless in enumerating their deliverances from drowning, from burning, from slavery, &c. Sure (seamen) your extrarordinary salva- tions lay more than ordinary engagements upon you, to praise, love, fear, obey, and trust in your Saviour and Deliverer. I have read that the enthralled Greeks were so affected with their liberty, procured by Flaminius the Roman general, that their shrill acclamations of 2w7/j^, 2w7'/5^, a Saviour, a Saviou?'! made the very birds fall down from the heavens astonished. O how should seamen be affected with their sea-deliverances ! many that have been delivered from Turkish sla- very, have vowed to be servants to their redeemers all the days of their lives. Ah ! Sirs, will not you be more than ordinarily God's servantsall the days of your lives, seeing you have been so oft, so wonderfully re- deemed from death itself by him ? Verily, do what you can, you will die in God's debt. " As for me, God forbid that I should sin against *' the Lord in ceasing to pray for you," 1 Sam. xii. 23, 24. That by the perusal of this short and sweet treatise, wherein the judicious and ingenious author hath well mixed utile dulci, profit and pleasure, you may learn the good and right way, even to fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your hearts, considering how great things he hath done for you. This is the hearty prayer of
Your cordial Jr ie7id, earnestly desirous of a prosperous voyage for your precious and immortal soids. T. M.
THE AUTHOR TO THE READER.
HEN dewy-cheek'd Aurora^doth display Her curtains, to let in the new-born day. Her heavenly face looks red, as if it were DyM with a modest blush, 'twixt shame and fear. Sol makes her blush, suspecting that he will Scorch some too much, and others leave too chill. With such a blush, my little new-born book Goes out of hand, suspecting some may look Upon it with contempt, while others raise So mean a piece too high, by flatting praise. Its beauty cannot make its father dote ; *Ti5 a poor babe clad in a sea-green coat.
A NEW COMPASS FOR SEAMEN, &C. 217
'TIs gone from me too yoniifr, and now is run To sea. among the tribe of Zebulun. Go, little book, thou many friends wilt find Among that tribe, who will be very kind; And many of them care of thee will take, Both for thy own, and for thy father's sake. Heav'n save it from the dangVous storms and gusts That will be rais^l against it by men's lusts. Guilt makes men angry, anger is a storm, But sacred truth's thy shelter, fear no harm. On times, or persons, no reflection's found ! Though with reflections few books more abound. Go, little book, I have much more to say, But seamen call for thee, thou must away : Yet ere you have it, grant me one request, Pray do not keep it prisoner in your chest.
NAVIGATION SPIRITUALIZED,
The launching of a ship plainly sets forth Our double state, hy first and second birth.
1.^ O sooner is a ship built, launched, rigged, victualled, and manned, but she is presently sent out into the boisterous ocean, where she is nev^r at rest, but continually fluctuating, tossing, and labouring, until she be either overwhelmed, and wrecked in the sea; or through age, knocks, and bruises, grow leaky, and unserviceable ; and so is haled up, and ript abroad.
No sooner come we into the world as men or as Christians, by a natural or supernatural birth, but thus we are tossed upon a sea of
218 A NEW COMPASS FOR SEAMEN; OR,