ONE summer I spent a pleasant holiday upon the coast of Fife in the vicinity of Largo, that rambling fishing village celebrated as the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, whose adventures formed the basis of the renowned story of Robinson Crusoe. From the cottage where I lived could be seen a smart steam yacht at anchor in the bay, the property of a gentleman who was spending the season at a neighboring estate. Sometimes the, crew came ashore in a small boat for pleasure or supplies, and not infrequently returned the worse of liquor, only too easily obtained at the taverns of the seaport about a mile distant.
One day while strolling along the beach I saw three men come to shore, who, without attempting to secure their boat, made for the town, leaving it in the shallow water well up on the strand. An hour or two after the tide began to ebb, and the little craft gradually receded from the shore. By and by the men appeared, but only to find their only means of transit to the yacht beyond their reach. One buckled up his trousers above his knees and waded out as far as he dared with a boat-hook, in hopes of reaching it, but failed. Then they tried throwing large stones into the sea beyond the boat, if possible to cause it to come nearer land. Their efforts were all in vain; the dingy had reached deeper water, the current was running out, and slowly but surely the boat was drifting to the open sea.
The men whistled often and loud to their companions in the yacht, so as to attract their attention to send another boat to their help, but all to no purpose; night was setting in, and the village too far off to get assistance there. It seemed as though the boat must be lost, and they obliged to stay ashore till morning. Ah! I thought, how like myself once, how like the unconverted soul, adrift upon the sea of time, borne by the waves of circumstances nearer the vast ocean of eternity, like the frail little bark with no anchor, no rudder, and no strong hand to steer. Nor is it all fair sailing; many cross winds and foaming billows sweep across the stormy main, and soon the awful tempest of divine wrath will break upon the world of the ungodly. Oh! dear unsaved one, what will you then do? where can you hide? With no prospect of heaven, how terrible your lot!
“He smiles in heaven, He frowns in hell;
He fills the earth, the air, the sea;
I cannot in His presence dwell,
I must before His presence flee,”
A guilty one feels ill at ease before a holy God.
The Word of God tells of the anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast (Heb. 6:18-2018That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:18‑20)). The Lord Jesus Christ passed within the veil of the heavens is the sure ground into which hope as an anchor sinks; faith is like the rope which connects the soul with the anchor. Though tossed about upon the tide of time, the moorage of the believer never fails. Hope is bright and certain in its prospect, for glory with Christ fills the radiant horizon of eternity; while the "strong consolation" is ministered to the heart that flees for refuge to this hope set before us. The risen Jesus put our sins away, and made peace by the blood of His cross; and we can rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
But to return to my story, the best of which is yet to be related. The men, baffled in their efforts to reach the boat, now held a consultation as to what was to be done. One of them was the captain, who, having his arm in a sling, could not be of much use. At last they began to walk out to a reef of black rocks, beyond which their craft was rapidly drifting. The evening was fast closing in, so I walked out to the rocks to see the result. When the furthest point was gained, Bill, one of the men, stripped off his upper clothes and plunged into the sea. Being a good swimmer, he struck off in a straight line for the boat. The captain knew his man, and, though he had been drinking freely, he believed him able to save the boat. But the task was a daring one, as the sea was icy cold, and when he reached the dingy the difficulty would be to get into it without upsetting it. The moments seemed minutes. The captain stood with watch in hand, noting the time. At last a hullo from Bill indicated that he had reached the boat. He skillfully got into it by the stern, when, seizing the sculls, he quickly rowed to the shore, amidst the cheers of the spectators. A few minutes later and he stood dripping and shivering in the kitchen of mine host before a blazing fire, while the guidwife supplied him with something warm to drink, and dry clothing.
Bill risked his life to save his master's boat, but the Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life to save your guilty soul. Oh the matchless love and power of Him who died for the ungodly. He alone can save you. How like the drifting boat you are, without cable or anchor to moor you to the Rock of Ages.
Often have your vows and resolutions snapped like spider-webs beneath the slightest temptation, and you sin and sin again without hope of deliverance.
You may have tried many ways to better yourself, but all have failed. Will you not trust Jesus? He faileth never. Look away from self to Christ. He bore the awful judgment blast upon Calvary, and now at God's right hand He lives for evermore to introduce you into the sunshine of the Father's love. Able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by Him, He says to you, " Come unto me, and I will give you rest.”
“Such an offer! Full and free—
Can it be really meant for me?
T. R. D.