It Is Difficult To Engage Their Attention In Mere Essays
And Arguments, But The Simplest And Shortest Story, In Which Home
Is Spoken Of, Kind Friends, A Praying Mother Or Sister, A Sudden
Death, And The Like, Often Touches The Heart Of The Roughest And
Most Abandoned.
The Bible is to the sailor a sacred book.
It may
lie in the bottom of his chest, voyage after voyage; but he never
treats it with positive disrespect. I never knew but one sailor
who doubted its being the inspired word of God; and he was one
who had received an uncommonly good education, except that he had
been brought up without any early religious influence. The most
abandoned man of our crew, one Sunday morning, asked one of the
boys to lend him his Bible. The boy said he would, but was afraid
he would make sport of it. "No!" said the man, "I don't make sport
of God Almighty." This is a feeling general among sailors, and is
a good foundation for religious influence.
A still greater gain is made whenever, by means of a captain who
is interested in the eternal welfare of those under his command,
there can be secured the performance of regular religious exercises,
and the exertion, on the side of religion, of that mighty influence which
a captain possesses for good, or for evil. There are occurrences at sea
which he may turn to great account, - a sudden death, the apprehension
of danger, or the escape from it, and the like; and all the calls
for gratitude and faith.
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