First, Such as do but mock God, and delude themselves by heart- less, dead and empty formalities. Some there be that dare not altogether slight and neglect prayers, but pro forma, they will do something themselves ; and it may be as a compliment, or, at most^ as a customary thing, will desire the prayers of others : but, alas ! there is no heartiness or sincerity in these things ; they are no way affected with the sense of their own wants, sins, or dangers ; they never understood the use, nature, or end of prayer. We blame the blind Papists, and that justly, for their blind devotions, who reckon their prayers by number, and not by weight ; and truly, there is but little difference between theirs, and some of our devotions. It is * St. Augustine's counsel, " Do you learn to have in your hearts what " every one hath in his lips."" O that you would once learn to be in earnest with God ! to pray as men that understand with whom you have to do ; and what great things you have to transact with God I ah, my friends, you may believe it, that if ever you had felt the weight of sin upon your consciences, and had had such sick days and nights for it, as some have had, you would not ask a pardon so coldly and indifferently as you do. If you did but know the benefit of God's presence with you in troubles, how sweet it is ; or could but apprehend how terrible a thing it is to be left of God, as Saul was in the day of distress, you would weep and make supplication for his gracious pre- sence to go forth with you ; and would say, with Moses, " If thy " presence may not go with me, then carry me not hence." But, alas ! these things appear not to you in their reality and importance. And hence is all that wretched formality and deadness of spirit.
Secondly, It rebukes much more such as wholly slight and neglect prayer, as a useless and vain thing ; who undertake designs without prayer, not at all acknowledging God in any of their ways. And it is justly to be suspected, there are multitudes of such practical atheists among seamen, as well as other orders of men. Poor men ! my heart mourneth over you ; you are certainly a forlorn set of men, who live without God in the world. It was anciently said, " he that would " learn to pray, let him go to sea-l-:" But now, how long may a man be at sea, before he hear a praying seaman ! Let your families from which you part, witness what conscience you have made to seek God, as you have been here directed, before your outset : it is said, Deut. xxxiii. 18. to the tribe of seamen, " Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy *' going out." But in this case we may invert the words, and sav. Mourn, O ye seamen, in your going out. How deplorable a case is this? Let your cabins witness what conscience you make of the duty of prayer : you can talk and sleep there, but when did you pray there ? You there hear the voice of God in the roaring seas; but when did God hear your voice in prayer "^ You see the wonders of God in the
• Discite habere in corde, quod omnis homo habet in lingua. Aug. in Ps, o'i, t Q,ui nescit arare^ discat riavigare.
Srj4 THE SEAMAK^S farewell.
deeps, wonders of creath?}, and wonders of preservation ; but mean time you yourselves are the greatest wonders that are to be seen in the sea : men imediately depending upon God for their hves, hber- ties, and estates, every moment, and not once owning or acknowledg- ing him by prayer.
The \ery * Heathens will rise up in judgment against you, and condemn you. I remember Plato brings in Alcibiades asking So- crates, How he ought to express his resolution and purposes? To M-hom he thus answereth ; " Before every undertaking thou must say, " If God will." And we know the eastern nations would undertake nothing of moment, without first acknowledging God by prayer. The Greeks tryy 0£w, by the leave or blessing of God is known to all. The Turks will condemn such as you are, for they fail not to pray five times a day, how urgent soever their business be. The blind and superstitious Papists will condemn 3'ou, with whom it is a proverb, Ma^s and meat hinder no man. Oh ! whither will you turn ? And ■who shall comfort you when trouble comes u]X)n you ? AYonder not at crosses and disappointments in your business; how can you expect it should be otherwise, as long as God is neglected, yea, disowned ? Say not, this is the fruit of ill lucJi, but of your profane neglects. If the success of all your business depends upon God (as none but A- theists dare deny) then certainly the directest and readiest course a man can take to destroy all, is to disengage God by a sinful neglect of him. The most compendious way to ruin, is to forget God, and cast off prayer. " Pour out thy fury (saith the prophet) upon the heathen " that know thee not, and upon the families that call not upon thy *' name," Jer. x. 25. Will nothing less than extremity make you cry to God ? Wonder not then, if God bring you unto that extre- mity which your profancness makes necessary for your awakening.
Thirdly and lastly^ How much sadder, and more deplorable, is the case of those that not oiily neglect to call upon the name of God by- prayer, but do also wound his name through and through by their cursed oaths and blasphemies ? who instead of going on board pray- ing, as Paul here did, go on board cursing, swearing, and blasphem- ing his great and dreadful name ; not going from their bended knees, but drunken ale-benches^ to the ship.
O the admirable patience of God ! Othe power of his long-suffering! that ever that ship should swim one hour above water, that carries such loads of sin and guilt within it ! It is noted in Gen. iv. 26. in the days of Seth, " That then men began to call upon the name of the ** Lord.'' Some translate the vrord js^npb invocation^ or prayer, and some profanation ; tlien began profaneness in calling upon the name of the Lord. In a mournful feeling of tliis dishonour done to God by it, Seth calls the son that was born to him in those times, Enochs or Sorrozcful. Sure I am, however the word be here to be translated,
* A/./^ 'TTUi -Q71 >,«jK«/v; 6ui respondet Socrates. Or/ focK (divg iCi}^ri, Plato in Timeo.
I HE seaman's FAHEV'ELL. 355
there is a vile generation in our days, that instead of calHng upon the name of the Lord by prayer, do call upon it profanely, rending and tearing tliat great and terrible name with the language of hell. Poor man ! with what hope or encouragement can those lips of thine, in the day of thy extremity, cry, Mercy ! mercy ! that have struck through the sacred name of God so many times with blas- phemy ! O that you would lay it to heart ! O that this day Grod would set your sins in order before you.
Is this a beginning that promises a comfortable issue ? Do you thus prepare yourselves to meet death and danger? O my soul! come not thou into their secrets ! O let God rather strike me per- fectly dead whilst I live, than afflict my soul through my ears with these dreadful dialects of the damned.