With fair and most refreshing breezes, a clear sky overhead, and a smooth sea, we now continued for many days to sail onwards in the most happy mood.
Our chief employment during those pleasant days of our voyage, and, indeed, our greatest pleasure as well, was to search and ponder over those marvelous Royal charts, wondering much how we could ever have considered them dull and uninteresting, and surprised at our folly, too, in stowing them away so long out of sight. They were now to us our most sweet and precious treasures, while the more we looked into them, the more we admired their exquisite beauty and the depth of their infinite wisdom.
Much of our time, too, was occupied in listening to the edifying discourses of Mr. Thoughts and Mr. Understanding. One day we well remember when Mr. Thoughts, with holy enthusiasm glowing in his eyes, began by saying, “Will our beloved Prince really come again in person to this world?”
Understanding. “Assuredly, for He has said so Himself, ‘I will come again and receive you unto Myself’; and two angels have also testified: ‘This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.’”
Thoughts. “How and in what particular manner then will He come?”
Understanding. “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God.”
Thoughts. “Then what will take place?”
Understanding. “The dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Thoughts. “But when shall this grand and marvelous coming be?”
Understanding. “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
Thoughts. “But did not the Prince say, ‘Behold I come quickly’?”
Understanding. “Yes, truly, and furthermore, that we are, therefore, to be continually on the watch for him, so as to be ready when He comes.”
Thoughts. “But hundreds of years have passed since those words were uttered, and yet the Prince has not come.”
Understanding. “The duration of time is not computed in the Heavenly Courts above as we compute it by our limited standards down here. For what is time when compared with eternity? A mere speck or moment, and thousands of years are as but a day.
“Hence, many, in looking at these words from their own narrow point of view, have sadly erred and become scoffers, saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation,’ forgetting the answer given in the Word, ‘Be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’”
Thoughts. “Well, but as hundreds of years have already passed, may not many hundreds more elapse before the Prince comes?”
Understanding. “We have no authority for saying so; for the King has had a gracious purpose in permitting the delay, and that purpose may now be well nigh accomplished: especially as we are all those hundreds of years nearer to the time of the end: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’”
“Besides, it is the express desire of the Prince that His return, or coming again, should be an ever-present thought to all His followers, so that they might always have His personal presence before them as their blessed hope (instead of looking for death) and thus be ever waiting for Himself in person; even though they may have to pass over to the other side of this ocean before He comes. For it is written of certain disciples, ‘Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven.’ The Prince hath also said, ‘Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ Then again, nothing can be so cheering to us as to be ever thinking of our beloved Lord and Prince, and on the lookout continually for His coming to receive us unto Himself.
“It is indeed a most delightful and animating prospect, and all who have such a blessed hope will assuredly strive to keep themselves from the defilements of this wicked world, so as to be ready at any moment to meet their glorious Prince.”
Thoughts. “Ah well, I think I see it more clearly now. Truly the beauty and sublimity of these bright prospects far surpass our highest efforts of expression. But what say you of all this Mr. Heart?”
Heart. “Even, so come, Lord Jesus”; to which all on board with one accord immediately responded with a deep and solemn “Amen.”
“Now, in view of all these grand anticipations,” said Mr. Feelings, “what should we now be doing?”
Understanding. “Let our lights be more brightly burning, and a close watch be set to look out continually for the coming of our Prince, that we may be like unto the wise virgins—not only ready, but waiting to meet the Bridegroom.”
The Captain then had our lamps carefully trimmed and lighted afresh, and a special watch sent aloft to keep a constant lookout for the coming day. And as the days of our waiting and watching were prolonged, and our yearning desires to meet the Prince increased, we often sent up the cry, “Watchman, what of the night?” When the watchman would answer again and again, “The morning cometh.”
Thus waiting for the morning, the glorious resurrection morn, we frequently cheered one another with our happy songs of the night, in prospect of that bright morn.
“The night is now far spent,
The day is drawing nigh,
Soon will the morning break,
In radiance through the sky:
O let the thought our spirits cheer,
The Lord himself will soon appear”
It was while we were thus rapidly progressing on our way (happily meditating on the amazing love of our adorable Prince, and considering Him in all His perfections, as they were unfolded to us by the Holy Presence) that we sighted an immense shoal of icebergs floating down with the tide, and to our dismay, we soon found ourselves surrounded by them. At the same time, we all felt suddenly chilled by the frigid blasts of cold air that seemed to come from them. Collision, too, with some of these gigantic ice blocks was now imminent, and we noticed that numerous other vessels were in the same plight, so we had to steer with the utmost caution to avoid them. Some of our officers—particularly Mr. Feelings and the Boatswain—were so chilled by the cold currents of air from these dangerous icebergs, as to fall ill and become for a time incapacitated for service.
Shortly afterward, to our astonishment, we saw several vessels running alongside some of the largest and most formidable looking of them; and then throwing out their grapnels—they actually endeavored to hold on to those slippery and ever-shifting ice-mountains.
These mariners appeared to be attracted, and indeed quite fascinated, by their tall, stately and sparkling appearance, looking as they did like floating castles of crystal, flashing with all manner of peculiar colors.
And strange to say, these fascinated mariners seemed to be quite heedless, or unconscious of the great peril to which they were exposed by getting into close proximity to such dangerous objects.
Even some of our own officers (particularly Mr. Thoughts) were at first much taken with these attractive ice crystals, and with their dazzling play of colors, and would fain have drawn near, through foolish curiosity, to inspect them. As it was, we lingered far too long in their presence, until we all shivered with cold and began to feel very heavy and drowsy, like travelers in the Arctic regions, who, when benumbed by severe cold, fall into a profound and fatal sleep.
We were, however, warned in time of our danger in keeping so near these frigid blocks by Mr. Conscience, who said, “Beware of these fine looking but most dangerous objects, which have not only chilled many precious souls to death by the cold blasts that always proceed from them, but have, in the end, proved their utter destruction.
“These chilling icebergs,” continued Conscience, “that rush down from the Frigid Zone of Intellectuality, and the regions of Vain Philosophy and False Science, have always been great obstacles in the way of voyagers on this perilous ocean, causing incalculable mischief by the chill atmosphere they always bring with them, and the destructive energy they possess in crushing all with which they come in contact.”
No sooner had Mr. Conscience uttered these words of warning than we beheld several of the largest icebergs suddenly topple over, crushing and carrying down with them into the depth of the ocean those reckless vessels that happened unfortunately to be moored to them. Alarmed at the appalling sight of destruction before us, but thankful that we had escaped through the timely warnings of our good Pilot, we now struck out vigorously in an opposite direction, to give these formidable icebergs as wide a berth as possible.
As we were getting clear, we noticed, to our further amazement, a great many more vessels attaching themselves and clinging to some of the larger ice blocks, notwithstanding what had happened, all proceeding together in a great flotilla down the stream, towards the terrible maelstrom. But they were soon out of sight, and we saw no more of them.
“Yon crystal mountains, with their lofty peaks,
Seen floating smoothly down with wind and tide,
Aglow with flashes of reflected light,
May to the eye be fair and beautiful:
And with their brilliant play of rainbow hues,
May fascinate the passing voyager.
Or by their gorgeous tints and stately size,
Excite his admiration and surprise.
But by the frigid blasts, that come there from,
And icy currents which they thus create,
They’ll chill and freeze all hapless mariners,
Who sail within their icy atmosphere;
Or maybe crush them, ‘neath their pond’rous weight.
Like such the coldly intellectual souls,
Who pride themselves upon their brilliant thoughts,
Their ample learning, or their cultured tastes;
And all that constitutes the “pride of life.”
But in whose chilly breasts, there never glowed
A higher spark of love than earth bestows;
Nor pure devotion’s flame had ever burned.
These are the moral icebergs of the world,
Whose cold indifference, pride, and unbelief,
Surround them ever with an icy breath;
That chills all pious souls well-nigh to death.
Their brilliant intellect, their sparkling wit,
And polished ways, may win and fascinate;
But every thought of heaven, and holy things,
Is by them quickly frozen and benumbed,
And in their presence all devotion dies.
Beware, O Christian mariner, beware!
For this their chilling cold, and deadening power,
Doth not go forth in loud and obvious storm;
But like the keenly quiet, gentle frost,
Performs its stealthy work insidiously.
It may be by a simple smile, or nod,
A playful laugh, in friendly bant’ring mood,
Or quiet word, that marks the cold proud sneer;
A doubting question, or a scoffing jeer,
Their chilling blasts may do their work of death.
And thus more dang’rous, like the subtle wiles
Of Satan’s power, that steal the heart away
From God, from faith, from heaven, and all that’s true.
Then of these chilling icebergs, aye beware,
O Christian mariner! and steer thy boat
To give them on this sea the widest berth.
Although we had escaped the awful fate of those admirers of the destructive icebergs, still we suffered for many a day afterward from the ill effects of the chilling blasts that came from them. For a while some of our officers fell sick in consequence of these chills, as I have already said, a strange feeling of torpor or lethargy came over all on board.
Even Mr. Heart and Mr. Conscience were also affected with this depressing torpor and spent much of their precious time in deep sleep in their berths.
Then as a result of this state of general drowsiness, the navigation of our boat was much neglected. Our sails often flapped idly in the wind from inattention, our officers neglected to take their sights regularly as they used to do, our lights burned feebly. Frequently, too, there was no one at the helm, while the watch were fast asleep at their posts; and in consequence of this sad negligence we unsuspectingly drifted considerably out of our course. Our Captain and first officer also seemed faint and irresolute in all their movements, and if they had been asked where we were at that time, they would have found it difficult to give an intelligible answer to such a question, as they had lost their reckoning. It happened likewise that the wind failed us altogether, while a thick fog gathered around and involved us in dense darkness.
Now, as we lay thus becalmed, and somewhat bewildered by reason of the darkness that enveloped us, we suddenly found one night, to our surprise, a huge bark drawn up close alongside, and heard a loud voice hailing us through a speaking trumpet, inquiring who we were, whither bound, and so on. But before we had time to answer these inquiries, the Captain of the big vessel jumped on board, and with a low bow asked for our Captain. Immediately, Mr. Thoughts and Captain Will met him and desired to know his business. “Well,” replied the stranger, “I must first apologize for making so sudden a visit, but finding that we were both in a dead calm, and lying idle here, I thought it might be well for me to come on board without further ceremony (as we are fellow voyagers, probably to the same port) to compare notes, and consult together as to our whereabouts, and the navigation of these seas.
“Besides, I am an old cruiser in these waters, and hold a commission from the King, to help and direct any mariners who may have lost their reckoning and gone somewhat out of their way. And it will afford me very much pleasure indeed if I can be of any service to you in these matters.”
Thanking him for his kind intentions, and seeing that he was polite and courteous in his manner, he was invited into the saloon to confer with Mr. Heart and the other officers.
“May I ask the name of your vessel, and of the Captain who commands her,” inquired Captain Will.
“My boat,” replied the stranger, “is the well-known cruiser, called the Angelico, and I, who have the honor of being Commander, am known all over these seas as Captain Brightness.
“Am I right,” he continued, “in supposing that you have set out on a voyage to the Celestial Shores?”
“Certainly,” said Mr. Heart, “and we have come hither by the proper channel marked on the King’s charts and known as the Strait-of-the-Cross.”
“Ah,” said Brightness, “and by that ugly rock of Repentance. Well, there are many other shorter and easier routes than that; you might have saved yourselves much trouble in selecting one of the nearer passages, instead of going that round-about way: for it strikes me you have encountered some difficulties, and have had hard times of it in these parts.”
Heart. “But all we passed through there was more than a thousand times made up to us when we got to the Cross, and the Port of Peace hard by. What other channels are there, pray?”
Brightness. “Why there are several good ones, all deep and broad, and easy of navigation; such as Natural-Goodness, Honest-Life, Never-wronged anyone, Lean-on-mercy, Good-works, Religiousness, and many others; and your going that round-about way accounts for your being now so much out of your course.”
“Surely,” said Thoughts in alarm, “we are not out of our course.”
Brightness. “But when did you take your last observations?”
Thoughts. “Not for some days now, I must confess—we have been rather remiss in this matter; but then the sky has been so overcast with clouds of late, that we have not been able to get a good sight for some time.”
Brightness. “That clearly shows you have gone out of your way and have been drifting down the stream considerably; but let me have a look at your compass.”
While examining our steering compass, Captain Brightness, with something in his hand, made a few rapid passes over it in a very peculiar way; then we noticed that the needle quivered and swung round from side to side greatly disturbed. “Here, see,” said Brightness, “how unsteady and wavering your compass is; besides it is out several degrees, and needs adjusting.”
Heart. “But we got it from the King’s own stores, stamped as you see, with the Royal Seal of King Elohim Himself.”
Brightness. “There are many imitations now-a-days, and nothing is easier than to counterfeit the King’s seal and pass it off as genuine. It may be, too, that you have not got a correct and authentic copy of the true charts of this ocean, or a proper navigating directory.”
As soon as our charts were produced, Brightness remarked, “I can see at a glance that you have a most imperfect copy, full of errors and contradictions; no wonder that with such charts and with such a defective compass you should be so much out in your bearings. Had you not Way-of-the-world’s at one time?”
Heart. “Yes, but we threw them overboard.”
Brightness. “That was a great loss, for though by no means perfect, there was much in them that would have been of good service to you in crossing this immense ocean, so full of rocks, shoals, and quicksand. Probably your other instruments are no better. May I just see your sextant?”
In taking it out of its case, where it had lain for some time unused, Captain Will could not disguise an expression of shame for his neglect as he showed it to the strange Captain.
“Why,” said Brightness, “its mirrors are, I see, quite dim and sadly blurred from want of proper attention, and the instrument in all its joints has become so rusty as to be almost unfit for use.”
This remark gave both our mates and the Captain a deep pang of sorrow, for it was but too true that they had sadly neglected to keep it bright by constant use, as counseled by our sage Instructor at the Port of Peace.
“What sort of chronometer have you?” continued Brightness. “Perhaps you have forgotten to wind it up.”
“No, indeed,” said Mr. Heart, with much earnestness. “It is going as correctly as ever,” as he opened it: for the power that set it going at first will ever keep it in motion.
This was perfectly true, though Mr. Heart should have consulted it more frequently and kept it free from the dust which had somewhat obscured it. Looking at it for a few moments and comparing it with a small chronometer in his hand, Brightness exclaimed, “It is entirely too slow, and must have been losing time for a long while; if indeed it were ever correctly set. You will need to put into the nearest port, so as to have your instruments adjusted, and to procure better and more trustworthy charts, or you may drift still further out of your course and never reach the place to which you are bound. Now there is a port, not far hence, called Worldly Prudence, into which I can safely pilot you, where you may have all these matters put right, and then take a fresh start on your voyage.
“But, pardon me, may I further inquire to what particular port in the Celestial land you are bound?”
Thoughts. “We have never heard of but one, the glorious Port of Paradise, to which, of course, we are bound.”
Brightness. “But have you ever been there, or have you ever seen anyone who has visited that port?”
Astonished at such a strange question, several officers exclaimed at once, “Why, no,” and Thoughts added, “Everyone knows that voyagers on this ocean can take but one voyage; for none are ever permitted to return.”
“Just so,” said Brightness, “and that is why I thought you should be sure there is really such a place in existence; for you must know, as well as I do, that all the information we have about it is from simple hearsay—in fact we have only mere rumors concerning it, handed down from generation to generation, and it may therefore be all a myth, as indeed many say it is.”
By this time, we were fairly stunned by the overwhelming audacity of the strange Captain and this daring onslaught upon all our most cherished hopes. Then a sickening sense of oppression crept over us, so that, for a moment or two, we were silent and wholly unable to utter a word. Taking advantage of our consternation, Brightness broke out again in a louder voice, saying, “Probably you have no sailing orders, or any documents to show whence you have come, or whither you are going, nor a certificate of your rating.” At this mention of our papers, our precious passports, both Thoughts and Feelings looked meaningfully at Mr. Heart, who then (suddenly remembering what had been told us by our wise Counselor) went towards the strong box in which they were kept, to see that it was locked; for the bold Captain was looking in that direction, as if he intended to pounce upon, and then attempt to seize, our precious records.
But before Mr. Heart had time to see that the strong chest was secure, the wicked Captain suddenly rushed forward and seized our valuable papers and was making off with them, to the horror of all our frightened officers.
The agitation that then ensued awoke Mr. Conscience, who all this time had been fast asleep in his cabin, and who, just as he was about awaking, heard in his dream the voice of the Holy Presence, saying, “Awake thou that sleepest,” “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
So, springing into the saloon and accosting Brightness, he said, “I know thee who thou art, thou emissary of darkness and all mischief; how darest thou intrude upon one of the King’s vessels—begone instantly!”
At this, the strange Captain changed countenance and assumed the most terrible and diabolical expression we had ever beheld, standing the meanwhile as if he intended to do battle, while most of our officers fell back cowering with fear.
Whereupon Conscience rushed into his cabin and fetched the sharp sword which had been given to us at the King’s Armory, at the very sight of which the intruder hastily fled, throwing away in his fright the passports he had just stolen, and was soon back in his own vessel again. Then with all haste we put about, to sail away and escape from our foe, for by this time a strong wind had sprung up.
But before we could get quite clear of our terrible enemy, red hot bolts were shot after us, wounding some of our officers, though not fatally.