We were seated, my sister and I on the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. My sister was drawing and I was read to her.
A group of boys was standing smiling: not far from us, and some of them approached near enough to throw a furtive look on the album where my sister was taking her sketch. Attracted by the story which I was reading aloud, they ended by seating themselves close to us. After a while I drew some booklets from my satchel and distributed them among them. Doing so, I spoke a few words to one of them:
“And you, little man, how old are you?”
“I am thirteen.”
“What is your name?’’
“Louis Bertaud.”
“And what do you do?”
“I am a cabin boy, and I have already had it shipwreck.”
“A shipwreck already! And where? Tell me all about it.”
“I was on board a vessel carrying copper ore. That is heavy, you know. We were trying to enter the port. The wind was blowing terribly hard, and we turned too quickly, so that we struck our side against a rock. The vessel could not stand the blow. She was torn all along the bottom. At the second shock she sank.”
“And what did you do then?”
“I held on to the mainmast, together with four other men of the crew. The top of the mainmast was sticking up above the water.”
“Did somebody see you in that position?”
“O, the time seemed terribly long, beaten as we were by the wind and waves. We remained there till ten o’clock at night. At last a boat brought us help.”
“A life boat?”
“Yes, an unsinkable boat. They came to our help and saved us all. O, how delicious it was to find ourselves on solid ground before a good fire, and with dry clothes on. After a little while, I went home, and how glad my mother was to see me!”
“I am sure of it. But tell me, Louis, who saved you?”
“I don’t know. They were brave men.”
“But who told them to save you?”
“I suppose it was the Admiralty,”
“No doubt, but who could have suggested to the marine authorities to do such a kind thing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Whence comes all that is great and good and noble?”
“O, from God!”
“Certainly; and therefore it is to God that you owe your salvation. Have you thanked Him?”
“My mother has done so, and I also.”
“Well done. Do not forget to do so every day. But do you know, your ship wreck makes me think of another ship wreck, and another life boat, and another Saviour. All sinners are like ship wrecked sailors. We are all, by nature, sinners, and we are so tossed about by the waves of the circumstances of life, that ai any moment we are ready to be swallowed up, and to perish in an abyss which is an eternity of pain deserved by our sins. We could not save ourselves, anymore than you could save yourself when you were holding on to the top of the mast of the frigate. But think! From the height of heaven God has seen us. He was not obliged to take pity on us, for we had offended Him with our sins. Nevertheless, he loved us so much that He sent His Son.”
“Jesus Christ?”
“Yes, Jesus Christ. He has not only courageously exposed His life, like those men in the life boat, but He has really given it for us. He bore the wrath of God against sin. He died, and in doing so has saved us from the abyss into which we were just going to fall. He has risen, and has now sent to announce the Gospel of salvation by grace, saying, ‘He that believed in ‘Me hath everlasting life.’
‘Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out He is directing the life boat towards every sinner, towards everyone who is, perishing, and saying to them, ‘Save your life,’ What did you do, Louis, when you saw the life boat within your reach?” “I let myself fall into it.”
“Without hesitation?”
“Certainly!”
“You did not wait till the danger became greater?”
“O, no!”
“Did any of the men beg you to believe in their good intentions of saving you?”
“No, indeed! There was not a minute to lose.”
“Well, neither is there now a moment to lose, nor to hesitate. You need to let yourself fall into the arms of the Saviour, Jesus Christ. The work which He has finished for you is the unsinkable life boat in which you find eternal salvation. God grant that you may feel the danger your soul is in, as keenly as when you saw and felt the waves foaming and dashing, all around you, in order that you may, like Peter, cry to Jesus, ‘Lord, save me!’ He is ready to take you by the hand and carry you to safety.”
Little Louis listened attentively to what I said, and willingly received a little New Testament, which he promised to read.
You, dear reader, do the same. Do not hesitate to get a New Testament and to read it. There you will learn of the life boat which God sends to save you from the water of judgment, and to conduct you safely to the land of eternal salvation.
ML 08/16/1942