A FEW days since, I was sailing on the Frith of Clyde, when I witnessed a scene which I shall never forget, it brought so many precious truths of the gospel, in fresh power, before my mind, that I feel led to write a brief account of it for the benefit of others.
Our steamer came in collision with a small fishing boat, and knocked in the side of it, so that it began to fill rapidly. There were two fishermen on board the small boat. One of these was an old man, whose hat was thrown into the water by the shock. His gray locks floated in the wind, he stretched out his hands towards the steamer, and cried, in piteous accents, for help; while his companion endeavored, with all his might, to bale out the water which was fast sinking their little boat. It was truly a solemn scene. Two immortal souls trembled on the very brink of eternity. Not a moment was to be lost. Quick as thought, the sailors on board the steamer lowered the life boat, and rowed rapidly towards the drowning men, while all on deck looked on with breathless interest. Never have I beheld aught so solemn or so interesting. Each second seemed like an hour, while the sailors were making their way to the sinking boat. Through mercy, they reached it just as it was about to go down, and took the two poor fishermen on board.
Oh! thought I, what a figure of Christ is that life boat! The God of all grace beheld poor sinners about to sink, not beneath the waters of the Frith of Clyde, but beneath the eternal surges of the lake of fire. There they were, vainly struggling and toiling in the broken boat of their own righteousness. The waters of death were rapidly rising around them, and nothing that they could do was of any value whatever. Death and judgment stared them in the face, ‘What was to be done?’ Redeeming love let down from the throne of God a perfect life boat, in order that perishing sinners might be saved. That life boat is Jesus, who. in the energy of divine love, made His way down from the bosom of God into the very midst of man’s ruin—took the sinner’s place on the cross—bore the sinner’s curse—died the sinner’s death—paid the sinner’s ransom—secured the sinner’s salvation; so that all who believe in His name might he eternally saved.
But let us look at one or two of the leading points in the touching scene of the life boat.
1. The sailors let down the life boat and rowed towards the drowning men, just because they were drowning. Had they not been in that condition there would have been no need. None but drowning men need a life boat. They alone know the need of such. The very thing that drew the sailors to them was their perishing condition. The fishermen did not say, “Oh! we are too far gone; our boat is too much broken; we are not fit to get into the life boat; we must wait until we mend our boat and then we shall have a right to get in; no one could think of being saved so easily as that; we must bale out a little more water; we must do what we can to help ourselves, and then, it may be, you sailors will back us.” They never thought of reasoning thus. The case was quite simple. A life boat is for drowning men, and drowning men are for a life boat. To wait to be aught but a drowning man, would be to wait to be unfit for a life boat.
Thus it was with the fishermen, and thus it is with us. A Saviour is for the lost, and the lost are for a Saviour. They are fitted for each other. If I am not lost—totally, hopelessly lost, I do not want a Saviour. It is my lost state that makes me fit for Christ; and the more I feel it, the more I shall value Him. The nearer the fishermen were to drowning, the more they valued the life boat. They did not reason about the matter. Men never reason when eternity with all its dread realities stares them in the face. It was simply a question of life or death, of going to the bottom in a broken boat, or going to shore in a life boat.
Thus it was with the poor fishermen, and thus it is with us. There is no use arguing or reasoning. We are lost—ruined—guilty—undone. We have not to wait to know that we are lost; we are lost already, and Christ has died to save us. There is full salvation in Him for the lost, the ruined, the guilty, the undone. To wait to be anything else, is to put ourselves without the range of Christ’s mission; for “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10).)
2. It was not the efforts or the cries or the entreaties of the drowning men that saved them, or that formed any part of their salvation. It was the life boat that saved them and nothing else. Their efforts, cries, and entreaties only proved that they were drowning; they neither saved, or helped to save them. Their effort to bale out the water proved that their boat was broken. No such effort was needed in the life boat. When they found their place in the latter, they glided calmly and thankfully over the very billows which, just before, threatened to swallow them up.
Thus it was with the fishermen, and thus it is with us. Our boat is broken. It cannot keep out the waters of death and judgment. We may struggle, cry, pray, labor; but all the while we are in a broken, sinking boat. Our condition is bad, and we cannot make it better. We must get into the life boat. Christ has wrought out a full, perfect, and everlasting salvation for lost sinners, and God “commandeth all men, everywhere” to rest in that—“to change their mind,” and find their ALL in Christ now, henceforth, and forever. (Acts 13:26-39; 17:30, 3126Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 27For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. 28And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 29And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30But God raised him from the dead: 31And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. 32And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. 35Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 36For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: 37But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. 38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:26‑39)
30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30‑31).)
3. When the fishermen got into the life boat they knew they were in it. They were not hoping, or desiring, or praying, to be in it. They knew they were in it, and they rejoiced to be in it. They felt sure they had passed from a broken boat into a sound one. Hence, had any one asked them if they were at rest, as to their condition, they could at once have said, “yes.” They would not have said, “we fear we do not value the life boat as we ought, or feel as grateful to our deliverers as we ought, and we are afraid we are not just what we should be.” All this might be true. Their feelings might be defective. They might be very far short of what they ought to be; but their feelings had nothing whatever to do with their salvation. They were not saved by their feelings, hut by the life boat. True, they had confidence in the life boat, else they would not have got into it. It had been brought so very near to them that they could say, “we have seen with our eyes, we have looked upon, and our hands have handled” it. Moreover, they had “the record” of those already on board, to assure them of the reality of the salvation of all who would put their trust in the life boat.
Thus it was with the fishermen, and thus it is with us. Our feelings have nothing to do with the ground of our salvation and peace. CHRIST HAS DONE ALL. He has finished the work. He has put away sin by His precious blood. He has satisfied God’s claims with respect to sin, and manifested His perfect love to the sinner. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other,” in the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone who believes this precious record is “justified from all things”—he has peace with God—he stands in grace—and he hopes for glory. (Rom. 5:1, 21Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1‑2).) He sees that all that was against him has been fully met by Christ; that the death and judgment which threatened him have been borne by Christ in his stead, and that nothing remains for him but to enjoy cloudless favor, now, and look for cloudless glory, hereafter.
Reader, I cannot close this paper without making a solemn, pointed, yet affectionate appeal to your heart and conscience, in the presence of God. Let me ask you, then, how is it with your precious soul, at this moment? Are you in the life boat, or are you not? Which? Oh! which? Be honest with yourself. Remember there is no such thing as being half in and half out. You are wholly in or wholly out. If you are in Christ, you are as safe as He is; but if there is the thickness of a gold leaf separating you from Him, you have no life in you. If you ask, ‘What is the meaning of being in Christ?’ the answer is very simple. What was the meaning of being in the life boat? Cease from your own doings, and rest in what Christ has done. Believe what God says, because He says it. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31).) Christ is the true life boat which can carry the believer safely over the stormy billows of time, and land him in the haven of eternal rest and glory.
God grant my beloved reader may, now, rejoice in that perfect life boat!