Saved! Latitude 25, Longitude 54

Sailors have very practical ways of expressing themselves, whether they speak of sin or salvation. A case in point was recently mentioned by Archibald G. Brown when speaking at one of the meetings of the Seamen’s Christian Friend Society. He said: There came to me here one day a grand looking fellow. I had not to ask whether he did business on the water, for the sea breeze had kissed his brow so often that it had left its mark there. I said, “Where did you find the Lord?” In a moment he answered, “Latitude 25, Longitude 54.” I confess that rather puzzled me.
I said, “Latitude 25, Longitude 54! What do you mean?” He replied, “I was sitting on the deck, and out of a bundle of papers before me I pulled one of Spurgeon’s sermons. I began to read it. As I read it I saw the truth, and I received the Lord Jesus as my Saviour. I jumped up off the coil of ropes saved. I thought if I were on shore I would know where I was saved, and why should I not know on the sea? And so I took my latitude and longitude. That’s where I found the Lord — latitude 25, longitude 54.”
The sailor knew that he needed a change. In his anxiety he picked up one of Spurgeon’s sermons, so clear as to man’s utter ruin by the fall and God’s glorious remedy through the shed blood of His Son. The gospel, which declares that “Christ died for our sins, was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1-51Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: (1 Corinthians 15:1‑5)), was there and then believed, and there, and then he was “saved.”
The Saviour had died, the sailor had believed, the Scriptures gave the assurance of a present and perpetual salvation (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)). Sailor like, he took his bearings and found the SPOT of his salvation — latitude 25, longitude 54.
Ask yourself: If I am saved, when was I saved? Where was I saved? How did I get saved?
Hy. P.