ON a certain mercantile ship the crew was very much under-manned, and there was especially a great lack of helmsmen. This often proved very awkward, and was the occasion of the following curious incident.
One day the man at the wheel being called away shouted to the ship's carpenter to take his place. Before leaving he told him the helm the ship was carrying, and the course he had to keep her on.
The helmsman was detained longer than he expected, but as soon as he was free, he hurried back to relieve the carpenter. Quickly glancing at the compass he realized the ship was on the wrong course.
“Gracious me, man," he cried, "you've got the ship miles out of her course.”
“That's a lie," the carpenter at once replied, and whipping out his rule he applied it to the compass, and said, "See I'm only a couple of inches out.”
The carpenter, ignorant of work at the helm, did not understand that, although he was only a couple of inches off his course on the compass, yet it would have meant at the end of a day's run, that the ship would have been out many, many miles in the wrong direction.
So in like manner does the foolish man act in regard to the things of eternity.
Instead of coming to Christ at once, as urged so to do by the living God in His Word, he puts off and procrastinates. At first only a day, then a week, and so on till years have crept by, and he is still unsaved.
Suddenly death calls on a lightning visit, and in a moment of time he is hurled into a lost eternity.
Despite the warnings of God, and the entreaties of his fellow-man, he has missed the Harbor of Rest. He thought he was only a little way out of his course, until at the end of his short day, he found himself on the shores of eternal despair.
In many other ways too, sinners wander from Him who alone can save. But listen in time, "Behold, NOW is the accepted time, behold, NOW is the day of Salvation" (2 Cor. 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)). Come to the Lord Jesus now and He will save you, and keep you, until that day when your soul is anchored forever in the tranquil harbor of eternal rest.
J. GILFILLON