2952. The Church the World’s Hope

No. 2952-51:433. A Sermon Delivered In The Year 1863, By C. H. Spurgeon, At The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

A Sermon Published On Thursday, September 7, 1905.

Lo, God has given you all those who sail with you. {Ac 27:24}

 For other sermons on this text:
   {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 2952, “Church the World’s Hope, The” 2953}
   {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 3145, “Paul in the Tempest” 3146}
   Exposition on Ac 27:11-44 {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 2952, “Church the World’s Hope, The” 2953 @@ "Exposition"}
   Exposition on Ac 27:1-26 {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 3145, “Paul in the Tempest” 3146 @@ "Exposition"}

1. The apostle Paul had given some very good advice to the mariners of this ship. They had thought fit to reject it. What then? Now some of us are of such short temper that, if our advice should be rejected, we should be in a huff, and never offer any more, and we should feel some kind of pleasure in seeing those people get into mischief, who were so foolish as not to take our sage counsel. Not so the apostle Paul. After he had prudently abstained for some time from saying anything, — for there is a time to be silent, — he at length gave proof of his unabated affection for them by the good advice which he offered. Let us take a lesson from him, and let us forgive our brethren even to seventy times seven; and, if, after having done our very best, we still find our advice rejected, let us persevere in our work of love.

2. One other remark. Note the comfort that was given to the apostle. He had been long out at sea, and with the rest had suffered much. The comfort given him was, “Do not fear, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar.” No very great comfort, you will say. It seems no more comfort than if the angel had said, “You cannot be drowned, for you are to be devoured by a lion.” Some such comfort Bishop Ridley took for himself when, being rowed up the river to the burning, a little storm coming on, and the watermen being much afraid, he said, “Do not fear, boatmen, the bishop that is doomed to be burned cannot be drowned.” Yet there was real comfort in the words of the angel, for it was the apostle’s intense desire to preach Christ before Nero. He wished to proclaim the gospel at Rome; he had had great trouble of heart, for those who had not seen his face in the flesh; and, therefore, whether Nero was a lion or not, he was only too glad to subdue him for Christ’s sake. And when a man has no self remaining, but has given himself up as a living sacrifice for Christ, what would be a terror to another man becomes a comfort to him. “I am now ready to be offered,” said the apostle; and it was given to him even as a comfort that he must be offered up by some cruel death, and not escape by the milder method of a passage to heaven by sea, and he found comfort in the fact that those with him would be preserved. It had been the subject of his prayer, so that he was cheered not only with the prospect of himself preaching at Rome, but with the hope of seeing all his comrades safe on shore.

3. I have two or three things to talk about, so let me proceed with them at once.

4. I. The first practical observation founded on my text is this, — A GODLY MAN MAY OFTEN BE THROWN INTO A BAD SITUATION FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS.

5. Paul was put into a ship, — into a ship among thieves and other criminals, — into a ship among sailors and soldiers, who were none of the best in those days, but he was put there for their good. This, then, I would lay down as a general theory, — there are multitudes of Christians who are in places very uncomfortable, and, perhaps, very unsuitable for them, who are put there for the good of others.

6. If they were not so placed, they would not be like their Lord. Why was Christ on earth at all but for the good of sinners? Why does he sit there at a tax collector’s table? Why does he eat bread with a prostitute? Why does he permit an unclean woman to come and wash his feet? As for himself, it is pain to him, pain to his holy nature, to come into contact with evil. But our Lord was the great Physician, and where should a physician be but among the sick? Now, as you and I are to be made like our Lord, we must not marvel if sometimes we are thrown, as he was, into company which we would not choose for its own sake, but into which Providence puts us so that we may do good.

7. Moreover, is this not the reason why the saints of God are on earth at all? Why does he not send an express chariot to take them at once to heaven? There is no necessity for saints being on earth that I know of, except for the good of their fellow men. Sanctification might be completed in a moment; as for all the rest, it is already done. God “has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Why do we stay here then at all, but so that we may be salt in the midst of putrefaction, — light in the midst of darkness, — life in the midst of death? The Church is the world’s hope. Just as Christ is the hope of the Church, so the Church is the hope of the world. The saints become, under Christ, the world’s saviours. Then we must not marvel, being here for this very purpose, if Christ does throw us, like a handful of salt, just where the putrefaction is the worst; or if he should cast us, as he has often done with his saints previously, where our influence is most needed.

8. And will you please remember, dear friends, that there have been special cases in Scripture where the putting of a person into an unpleasant condition has been a great blessing to his fellow men? There is Joseph in the dungeon. What is he there for? Why, with his haggard look and shaggy beard, is he sitting down in the round dungeon tower of the chief of the executioners? He is put there that he may relieve his fellow prisoners in their distress; and yet more full, that he may provide food for his ungrateful brothers who had sold him for a slave. The salvation of Israel’s offspring depended on Joseph being put into prison. Look at a more majestic case. There, on the ruins of a once glorious temple, sits a grand old man, weeping as though he had been a masculine Niobe; {a} tears flow down both his cheeks, and these are the words he utters, “Oh that, my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” It is old Jeremiah. Why is he there? Why is he not in Babylon? Why is he not in some place where he could be comfortably cared for? Because Israel needs him. The women, who flock around him like wounded deer, need his comfort; and the sinners in Zion, who hide their faces from his weeping eyes, need him to pour out those burning syllables which make their consciences smart, seared though they are. If you should say that these are two examples which are above your level, let me ask you why was that little maid taken prisoner by the Syrians, and carried away from her own country? It was not a pleasant thing for a child to be torn away from her family, and become a slave, even in the house of the kind Naaman. Why was she there? Naaman the leper must be healed; the Syrian king must know that the Lord of Israel can work wonders; and therefore that little maid must be carried away, and she must be where otherwise she would not wish to be placed.

9. I need not give any more proofs that such has been often the case. Instead of that, let me give more examples. There is a young man here, — he is hardly a man yet, — whose father in binding him as an apprentice made a mistake. Parents should be very careful whom they choose to be instructors of their sons. They should not deliberately put a youth, who has been trained under pious influences, under subjection to an ungodly man, however business-like he may be. Well, evidently your parent made a mistake, and now you are in a family where religion is lightly esteemed. You get out on the Sabbath; you do not get out at other times; and if you mention religion, you are either are met by a sneer, or, perhaps, with something worse. Well, young believer, this is a hard trial for you. We do not generally send our lads to battle, but our Master knows how sometimes to do the greatest feats by the feeblest instrumentality. What if God should intend to bless your master’s family through you? What if he has ordained to send you to that house on purpose so that, in the garb of an apprentice, you may be a missionary of the cross. It may be so. Opportunities will occur to you; there will be fitting occasions for their use; and you will see God’s wisdom even in your father’s mistake!

10. Another of you happens to be one of a family, not by mistake, but in the common course of providence. Electing love has fixed on you, and left an ungodly parent behind, and brothers and sisters run the downward road. Do not be too sad over this. I do not know whether this may not be a reason for joy for you. Today God has lit a lamp in your father’s house which will never go out. Inasmuch as you are converted, salvation has come to your house. Oh, watch for your brother’s soul; pray for your sister’s conversion; take your parents in the arms of faith before God; and who can tell but that it shall prove to be the best thing in your life that you were placed in a family where Christ was not feared: Or you are a workman, — I know a great many such cases, — and you have come up from the country for the sake of better work. It may be that, in the country, you worked in some little shop where there was a godly man with you, and now you have come into one of our large shops in London, and gotten work. There is a great deal of swearing on both sides of you, and if you are known to go to a house of prayer, the other men single you out, and call you some odd name or other. I know you say, “I wish I could get into another place; I will quit my work, and go somewhere else.” Do not do that. It is very likely that God has sent you there just as he sent Paul into the ship. Instead of leaving, gird up your loins like a man, and cry to God to give you all those who sail with you, so that they may yet be saved. Your advent into that workshop may be as if an angel had come straight from heaven, and gone down to the vilest place to make it ring with the songs of joy.

11. Possibly, dear friends, to multiply examples, some of you may happen to live in a very low locality. In such a crowded place as London, and especially now that the railways make the houses of artisans so scarce, you may have to live where you do not like to live. On both sides of you, you know, the houses are not what you would wish them to be; and down in the court on Sunday what a scene there is! You went home this morning, and you saw people in their shirtsleeves lolling around, and waiting at the corner until the public house was opened so that they might go in and drink. And you will go home tonight, and see what you do not like to see. Now, I do not know that you should be in a hurry is get out of that place. It is just possible that you are put there for some purpose or design. Who can tell the benefit your good example may be? And if you are bold enough to speak a word for Christ, there may be a neighbour in that court, or in that alley, who, though he never did go up to the house of God before, will go with you. It may have been written in the book of God’s predestination, that you need to pass through that Samaria, so that you might find that fallen woman, and that she might be brought to Christ, — who knows?

12. And there are some of you going to emigrate. Some dear friends, who have been among us for years, find it best to cross the seas. I would not weep, my brethren, — I would not sorrow at your departure, for who knows, unpleasant though it is to tear oneself away from one’s relatives, and to leave one’s native land, you may go out to carry seed that shall be wafted over a continent, and bring out fruit in years to come? Let a Christian be where he may, however unpleasant to himself, he cannot be out of place if Providence puts him there. Indeed, and if what some of you dread so much should come to pass, — if, in your old age, the workhouse should be the only place that is to receive you, — ah! it is not pleasant to look forward to that; but I can conceive of a Christian pauper doing more good for God in the house of poverty than many a peer has been able to do in Parliament. I can imagine you shedding a light and lustre along the walls which shall rebuke the harshness of those who are masters, and kindle light, and love, and hope in some hearts that had grown to be strangers to all those heavenly things. Good Master, if you shall cast us into a ship, we will ask you to give us all who sail with us; and if you do put us anywhere, we will look around us to see what we can do there to honour you!

13. I must not leave this point, even though time flies, until I have just made one or two remarks rapidly.

14. Do not get into these places by your own choice. “Put your finger in the fire,” said one to a martyr once, “and see whether you can burn.” “No,” he said, “I do not see the use of that. If I put my own finger into the fire, I have no promise from God about it; but if he calls me to burn for his sake, I have no doubt he will give me strength to do it.” You have no business to pick bad places to live in; you have no right to expose yourself to danger. That is a foolish thing; but if God shall do it, — take this for my next remark, — do not be in a hurry to undo it. You may leap out of the frying pan into the fire. You may go from bad to worse. It is just possible that, if the present place has one set of temptations, the next may have another set. For my part, I do not like changing temptations. I know my old temptations, — not as well as I would like to know them; but, still, if the devil could change the whole set of my temptations, I do not know what would become of me. Better keep the old ones, I think. You have been tried in one point, you have gotten used to it, and are growing stronger in that point.

15. You have no need to run after a fresh ordeal; but, if God has placed you there, be like Paul, — be very prudent. Do not talk very much. There is wisdom in holding your tongue. Paul gave his advice, but he abstained a long time before he gave it again. He timed himself; and there is nothing like watching for opportunities. You young people especially, if you live in families, and want to do them good, take care that you are willing to do good in temporal things. Lend a hand when they need your help. Paul and Luke helped to throw the tackling into the sea, — so the chapter tells us; — indeed, and the sailors liked them all the better for it. They said, “There is Luke, a passenger, and here is Paul, a prisoner; neither of them are bound to work, but they have buckled down and helped us: we will listen to them, for they are very handy fellows.” Young man, just try and make the best use of yourself. If you are placed in a family that is irreligious, make them value you; just show them that you will do anything you can to serve them. They will not believe in the reality of your spiritual affection unless you show a temporal affection too. And when the time comes, do not hesitate to speak, but let your speaking be mainly by your actions. The best sermon Paul preached happened when he took bread, and gave thanks. He did not do that for show. It was just in the daily course of his habitual godliness that the man of God came out boldly before their eyes. Do not conceal your godliness from those around you. Though at first they may laugh at you, and despise you, who can tell but that, like Paul, you may gain influence until they will do anything you tell them, and like Paul, by means of that influence, you may save all who are in the house, and so the text may come true for you, “God has given you all those who sail with you”?

16. II. A second lesson suggested to us is this. WHEREVER WE ARE CAST, WE SHOULD ANXIOUSLY ASK GOD FOR ALL THE SOULS THAT SAIL WITH US.

17. God says he gave to Paul all who sailed with him, therefore I conclude that Paul had asked him to do so. How many were there? Some two hundred and seventy; and yet he gave them all to Paul. Father, some seven or eight make up your family; or if it is of larger dimensions, at least you do not have in all your relatives, I should think, so many as the two hundred and seventy. Do not, therefore, in your prayers leave out one child, or one relative, or one friend. Pray to God for them all.

18. They will be of all kinds. Let me describe those who sailed with Paul. There was one good one; that was Luke. Well, Luke was saved. You have one pious son, or one converted daughter. Continue in your prayer until you see that child safely landed with you in heaven. Perhaps you have one courteous passenger with you in the ship, like Julius the centurion, of whom we read, in the third verse of the chapter, that he courteously entreated Paul. Be very earnest in prayer for those who are willing to hear the Word. Oh how good it is if we have in our families brothers and sisters, or servants, or masters, who treat the Word of God with deference and respect! Do not let these be omitted from your supplications; anxiously pray for them.

19. Perhaps you have among your relatives some knowing ones; Paul had. There was the master of the ship; he knew better than Paul, or, at least, he preferred his own conceit to Paul’s counsel. Do not give up the self-conceited, the suspicious, the critical, the sceptical; pray for them until you have all in the ship. Possibly, no, certainly, you have some worldly friends. You have a son, perhaps, who is extremely careful about this world, but careless about the next; do not give him up. There was the owner of the ship on board. All he cared about was getting his grain to Rome in time to catch the next market. He did not care what became of the sailors, or what became of Paul. So, pray for your worldly relatives, do not leave any of them out.

20. And then it may be that you have on board, or in connection with you, some who are very careless, and some who add to this carelessness even cruelty and a lack of gratitude; such were the soldiers. They counselled to kill the prisoners, including Paul, — Paul who had preserved them; but, nevertheless, Paul prayed for the soldiers. Please do not leave out the most unkind, the most flinty-hearted of your friends and neighbours. Or it may be that you have a cunning and selfish friend. Do not forget him. Such were the sailors. Under pretence of casting anchors out of the foreship, they were attempting to get into a boat and escape, and leave the ship, and its hundreds of passengers, to perish in the storm. Paul prayed for the sailors. Do the same. There were many on board who could not swim, but he prayed that those who could not swim might be saved; and there were some who could swim, but he prayed for them quite as much as for those who could not. So, you have some who are converted, and some who are not; you have some who are moral, and some who are not; yet plead with the Lord for all those who sail with you.

21. I want you to notice, — especially you who are parents, — something that the apostle did not pray for. I do not read that he ever prayed, “Lord, save the ship.” Now, the ship is like your family name, like your family dignity. Do not pray about that; but cry, “Lord, give me my children’s souls, and let my name be blotted out, if you wish, as long as their souls are saved.” And I do not find that the apostle ever prayed about the cargo. He let them fling the wheat out, and never troubled about that. So, you need not pray about your wealth. Put that into God’s hand, and say, “Lord, do as you wish with my sons and daughters, only save their souls. I do not ask for fortunes for them; I ask for grace. I wish, if it were your will, that they might always have enough food, and never lack bread; but still, Lord, I would rather see their souls saved, and see them in poverty, than see them rich, and their souls be lost.”

22. Moreover, I do not find that Paul made any conditions in his prayer. He did not tell the Lord when he wanted these people saved; so you are not to expect that God will save your children just when you please. You may never live to see it; it may be when you are dead and gone; but still plead earnestly that God will give you all of them. And Paul did not make a stipulation as to how it should be done. I remember my mother saying to me, “I prayed that you might be a Christian, but I never prayed that you might be a Baptist”; but, nevertheless, I became a Baptist, for, as I reminded her, the Lord was able to do for her very abundantly above what she asked or thought, and he did it. She expected, of course, that I should be an Independent. Well, as long as your children are saved, you need not put in any conditions as for the mode. Sooner see your son and daughter go to the Established Church saved, than see them go to your own place of worship and be lost. We like to see them go with us to our place of worship. I think it is right that they should; and it is a great joy to a Christian’s heart to see all his children walking with him to the same sanctuary; but that is a mere trifle compared with the solemn matter of seeing them saved. And, once more, though Paul did get them all saved, yet he did not ask God to save them without means; nor did it please God to do so either, for though the means were contemptible, yet, they were means: “Some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.” We must try to put the “boards and broken pieces of the ship” in the way of those we wish to see saved. We must try to give them a plank to float to shore on in our earnest instructions, and our indefatigable exertions to bring them to know the Lord.

23. Now, dear friends, having pointed the arrow, I will try to shoot it. Surely you, who love the Lord yourselves, will take up this matter from this time on, and ask the Lord to give you all those who sail with you.

24. III. Just as we should ask for all, so WE SHOULD LABOUR FOR THE CONVERSION OF ALL WHO SAIL WITH US.

25. There were two Athenians who were to be employed by the republic in some great work. The first one had great gifts of speech; he stood up before the Athenian populace, and addressed them, describing the style in which the work should be done, and depicting his own qualifications, and the congratulations with which they would receive him when they saw how beautifully he had finished all their designs. The next workman had no power of speech, so standing up before the Athenian assembly, he said, “I cannot speak, but all that So-and-so has said, I will do.” They chose him — wisely chose him — believing he would be a man of deeds, while the other would probably be a man of words. Now, if you are men of deeds, you will be the best men. He who only prays for a thing, but does not work for it is like the workman that could talk well. He who works as well as prays is the best workman to be employed in the Master’s service.

26. It may be that you will say, “But what am I to do? How can I be the means of saving all those who sail with me?” Well, the first thing you can do is to begin early with good advice. Paul gave his advice before the storm came. As soon as your children can ever understand anything, let them know about Christ. Begin early. A certain minister called, some time ago, to see a mother, having heard that a child about twelve years old was dead. The mother was in very deep distress, and the pastor was not at all surprised by that. He talked to her about the Lord’s giving and the Lord’s taking away, when she suddenly stopped him, and said, “Yes, sir, I know the consolations which may be offered to a mother who has lost her child, and I appreciate them all; but I have a sting in my conscience that you cannot remove, there is a venom in my grief that you cannot cure.” He asked her what that was, and she said, “I have had it on my conscience to speak to my boy solemnly and privately about his soul for this last past year, but my deceitful heart has always said, ‘Do it tomorrow’; and I thought” — (here she burst into tears, and the pastor had to wait for a while until she could resume her story,) “I thought that, since his mind was opening, and he was twelve years of age, I would do it now. Yesterday morning I meant to do it, — the very morning he took ill, I thought I would do it; and when I heard him say that he had a headache, I was glad for it, thinking that, while I was soothing him, he would be more ready to hear a mother’s words; but, oh, sir, before I had an opportunity of speaking to him, he was much worse, and I had to take him to bed; and when he was in bed, he fell asleep. I sent for the physician, but my child had soon fallen into unconsciousness, and he was shortly after taken from me; he has gone before God, and I never solemnly and privately talked to him about his soul. That is a grief you cannot remove.” Oh mothers and fathers, never have that sting! Your children may die: begin with them now, so that they may not die before you have had an opportunity of telling them the way of salvation.

27. But after having given this early advice, you must not think the work is done. Your boy may forget it. He may turn out a wild youth, and run away from you; but continue in prayer. And let me say to you, continue in family prayer. I think, if we were to look into those cases where the sons and daughters of Christian people turn out badly, it would be found to be usually the parents’ own fault. I think you would find that they neglect to pray with their children. Oh dear friends, there can be no ordinance more likely to be blest than that heavenly institution of family prayer, when you can gather together, and, in the presence of the child, pray for his soul, and mother and father can unite their hearts in the desire that their offspring may live before God! Paul continued to pray. Follow Paul’s example, and you may hope to see God give you all those who sail with you.

28. And then remember, dear friends, if you would have your children saved, there is something you must not do. If Paul had prayed for these people, and then had gone down below into the hold with an auger, and had begun boring holes in the ship, you would have said, “Oh, it is no use that scoundrel praying, for see, he is scuttling the ship; he is praying to God to save them, and then going straight and doing the mischief.” You parents who are inconsistent, — you mothers who do not keep your promises, — you fathers who talk as you ought not to talk, — you careless, prayerless parents, I do not ask you to pray for your children. Pray for yourselves first. It would be an awful mockery for you to talk about wishing your children to go to heaven. You are dragging them to hell. You may think that your son will not swear. Why should he not swear, if his father does? Do you think the young cubs will not roar if the old lion sets the example? Of course they will. You will see in your children multiplied images of your own iniquity. Let our conduct be consistent; let our everyday life be pure and holy; so we shall hope to see our children and our relatives saved.

29. And I think, dear friends, just as the apostle Paul was very anxious to point out to them the way in which they might be saved, telling them that the sailors must stay in the ship, and they must do this and that, so we should be very careful to explain to our children, neighbours, and relatives, the way of salvation; and I think we ought to do this, as much as possible, in private ways. I will tell you an anecdote: — A good bishop of the Methodist Church, Bishop Arsbury, in travelling on horseback through South Carolina, about a hundred years ago, saw a negro sitting quite close to the edge of a forest, fishing with a line. This negro was an old man, called Punch, well known for his dissolute conduct and filthy speech. The bishop, as soon as he saw him, proceeded deliberately to dismount, tied his horse up to a tree, and went and sat down by the bank, letting his feet hang over the edge, like Punch’s. Finding that the negro was willing to talk, and pleased with his affability, he began to talk to him about his soul’s concern. He told him about the ruin of the Fall, about the result of sin, about the Redeemer, about faith, and about the sweet invitations of Christ to the sinner to come to him and live. Punch had never heard anything like it; and when the bishop had finished, he said, “Now I will sing you a song.” Punch was mightily fond of songs, and the bishop sang with him that hymn beginning, —

    Plunged in a gulf of dark despair,
       We wretched sinners lay,
    Without one cheerful beam of hope,
       Or spark of glimmering day.
    With pitying eyes, the Prince of Grace
       Beheld our helpless grief,
    He saw, — and, oh, amazing love! —
       He ran to our relief.
    Down from the shining seats above,
       With joyful haste he fled,
    Entered the grave in mortal flesh,
       And dwelt among the dead.
    He spoil’d the powers of darkness thus,
       And brake our iron chains;
    Jesus hath freed our captive souls
       From everlasting pains.

When he had sung through the hymn, he mounted his horse, and resumed his journey as a bishop should do when he has done his work. The negro went home, and masticated and digested what he had heard; and if you had been on the plantation, some months later, you would have seen the old hut where the negro lived crowded with the poor neglected sons of Africa; and who was preaching? Why, the negro, who was fishing by the river’s bank, had now become a fisher of souls. Months went on, the holy flame had begun to spread, the overseer was alarmed, and went down to Punch’s cabin to put a stop to it. Punch was preaching. He stopped outside to listen to what was said; conviction pierced his heart. He went in, fell on his knees, and joined in prayer; and throughout that state the gospel mightily spread and prevailed. Oh, what you might do, dear friends, if you would talk like this! You men and women do not need to be preachers in order to do good. I do not know — but I can guess — why the devil ever invented pulpit gowns and bibs, and all that kind of distinction between clergymen and laymen. I am no clergyman; there is no such distinction in the New Testament. We are all Christians if we are converted, and there is no other distinction. We are either brethren in Christ, or else, “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.” It is sometimes asked, “Ought laymen to preach?” Nonsense! any man may preach if he has the ability. I do not believe, in my soul, that there is authority for saying, “These men are to preach, and these people are to talk about Christ; and all the rest of you are to hold your tongues, and listen.” No, no, no! Let every man of you preach; let every woman among you, in her own sphere, talk, and tell of what the Lord has done for her soul. I believe it is the invention of Satan to lift up a few men above the rest, and say, “Only some of you are to fight the Lord’s battles.” “Up guards, and at them!” — not your colonels only, but every man in the ranks; — not here and there, a lieutenant, but every man! “England expects every man” — not merely the captains, but every man — “to do his duty”; and Christ expects every man — not here and there one who is paid for doing it, — the minister, — but every man — to tell what God has done for his soul. Do this, and who can tell what good may come of it?

30. Still, — and here I shall conclude, — never be satisfied without clinching the whole work with prayer. You see, Paul did not get those who were in the ship by his works; God gave them to him. Everything is by grace. Paul may pray, and Paul may preach, but Paul does not purchase; that is Christ’s work. God gives, — gives freely; and if you see friends and relatives saved, it must be the gift of God’s grace to you. Just as much as your own salvation was God’s gift to you, so the salvation of friends and dependents must be a gift from God to you. What then? Be much in prayer for them. I wish some of you mothers would meet together sometimes, and pray for your children. I think it would be a noble thing for a dozen of you, perhaps, to come together only for prayer, if any of you have unconverted children. And you fathers, sometimes, when you meet, if you have children who have not yielded to divine grace, could you not say, “Come, friend So-and-so, you and I have the same burden, let us bear it together to the throne of grace”? Just at their back of that boarding there, while this place was being constructed, there was a prayer breathed one night by two souls, that God would bless this place. There were only two, and no one knew that that supplication went up to heaven; and I, for one, have felt strengthened by their prayer ever since. It was only a “chance” meeting, as we say. It was night, and they both looked in at the same time, and met each other. “Ah! friend So-and-so,” said one, “let us go up there, in a quiet nook, and pray, ‘God bless the Tabernacle.’ ” And God has blessed it, and will still bless it. Now, all of you may do something like that.

31. I was walking down the Old Kent Road, one day, and I was met by an excellent clergyman, not now in this neighbourhood. He said to me, “Our places are close to each other, but we do not often meet; come in, and pray.” We entered his house, walked across the hall into the library, and there the two ministers knelt down. One prayed, and then the other prayed. We then rose, shook hands, and parted. It took us only ten minutes, but I do not know how much it was worth to us both. We went to our work refreshed, for we had been with God. When we meet for this purpose, God will be with us, and he will give us all that are in the ship if we will only ask him; for it is by prayer, prayer, prayer, that we shall prevail. Let us wrestle and agonize until he gives us our desire.

32. There may be some of you, who are praying for yourselves, but have not gotten the answer yet. There was a mother, who went to hear George Whitfield preach, — that mighty man of God. After the sermon was over, the mother was convicted of sin. In deep anguish of spirit, she went home. Her husband was dead, and she only had a little girl, and having no one else to talk to, she told the child about her convictions. The little girl — you will think it strange, perhaps, — under the recital was made to feel the same. Mother and child wept together under the same sense of sin. Upstairs they went, and prayed. Neither of them found peace for some months; but, it pleased God, at last, to give mother and child, who had prayed together, peace at the same time. While the mother was rejoicing, the child, just like a babe in grace, said, “Mother, oh, what a joyful thing it is to be pardoned! What a blessed thing it is to be saved! I would like to run and tell our neighbours.” “No,” said the mother, “that would not be wise, child: they do not care about these things; they would not understand; they would laugh at you; and we must not cast pearls before swine. We will do it eventually.” “But, mother,” said the child, “I cannot leave it: I do feel so happy, mother, I must tell someone, so I will just run across the street to the shoemaker and tell him.” The shoemaker was at work with his lapstone, and the little one began by saying, “Do you know that you are a sinner? I am a sinner, but I am a pardoned sinner. I have been seeking Christ, and I have found him.” She then told her story, with tears in her eyes, until the shoemaker laid down his hammer to listen, and stopped his work for a while. He became converted, and the story was told abroad, and through the conversion of that man the work spread, a meeting was established, and the means of grace were soon set up, and there arose a flourishing church in that town, where not a believer in Christ had been known to live before. Ah! you young converts, you may tell the story; and even you, who are under conviction of sin, may tell it to your children. Please do not hesitate to let the light shine, — any of you; but I implore you, by the blood and by the wounds of him who was crucified for our sins, — by him who lived and died for us, never to cease praying until God gives you all those who sail with you. Oh my dear friends, pray for the congregations that come to the Tabernacle! Make this to be the burden of your never-ceasing cry, “Give us all those who sail with us!” May the Lord hear our prayers, and add his blessing on our labours, for Christ’s sake! Amen.

{a} Niobe: According to the Greek myth, Niobe boasted of her superiority to Leto because the goddess only had two children, the twins Apollo and Artemis, while Niobe had fourteen children (the Niobids), seven male and seven female. By using poisoned arrows, Artemis killed Niobe’s daughters and Apollo killed Niobe’s sons, while they practised athletics, with the last begging their lives. A devastated Niobe fled to Mount Sipylus and was turned into stone and, as she wept unceasingly, waters started to pour from her petrified complexion. Mount Sipylus indeed has a natural rock formation which resembles a female face, and it has been associated with Niobe since ancient times. See Explorer "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niobe"

Exposition By C. H. Spurgeon {Ac 27:11-44}

Paul had advised the captain not to set sail for a while, —

11-13. Nevertheless the centurion believed the captain and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. And because the harbour was not suitable to winter in, most of them also advised to depart from there, if by any means they might reach to Phenice, and to winter there; which is a harbour of Crete, and lies toward the south-west and north-west. And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing from there, they sailed close by Crete.

He is very unwise who trusts the winds, and equally so is he who sets his confidence on any earthly thing, for fickle as the wind that blows are all things beneath the moon.

14, 15. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

You may have a calm at one moment, and a storm at the next, and unless your protection is from above, and your confidence in something more stable than can be found in this world, woe betide you. Sometimes it is good to yield to the stress of circumstances. If you have struggled hard, and can do no more, it is good to leave the result with God.

16-21. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the lifeboat: which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksand, struck sail, and so were driven. And we being extremely tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; and the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship; and when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence —

They did not have the time or the heart to eat, and perhaps scarcely thought of doing so while they were in such imminent peril of their lives.

21. Paul stood up in the midst of them,

A prisoner, but the freest man there; despised, and yet the most honoured among them; the bravest heart of all that company of soldiers and sailors.

21-24. And said, “Sirs, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete, and to have suffered this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not fear, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God has given you all those who sail with you.’

Oh, what a privilege it would be if God would say the same to us! If, in the night of trouble, when you are tossed to and fro, mother, father, the Lord should say to you, “Do not fear, I have given you your whole family; they shall all be saved,” you would not mind how fiercely the storm might rage if you could be sure of that. And how happy would my heart be if all who sail in this big vessel were given to me! I should not be satisfied even then; I should want a great many more than that; but, still, what a blessed thing it would be to have every soul that sails with us saved!

25-27. Therefore, sirs, be of good cheer for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told to me. However we must be cast on a certain island.” But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the sailors deemed that they drew near to some country;

They could hear the roar of the breakers.

28. And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

They found that the water was shallowing very quickly, so they knew that they were getting near the shore.

29. Then fearing lest we should have fallen on rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

Then they “wished for the day,” and how often the Christian throws his great anchor out, and wishes for the day, — waiting “until the day break, and the shadows flee away.” Well, it will not be long. If night lasts through all of this life, the morning comes, — the everlasting morning.

30. And as the sailors were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under the pretence as though they would have cast anchors out the foreship —

These cowardly sailors intended to get away, and leave the prisoners and passengers and soldiers to perish.

31. Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

Yet God had said that they should be, so that it is quite consistent to believe in divine predestination and yet to see the utility, indeed, the necessity, of the use of means: “Unless these stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

32. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

So that the sailors could not get away.

33, 34. And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to eat food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have waited and continued fasting, having eaten nothing. Therefore please eat some food; for this is for your health: for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you.

What a grand speech this is! It is the utterance of faith. Speak of eloquence! This is real eloquence, — for Paul to be addressing the people in a storm-tossed ship as calmly as if he were safely on shore.

35. And when he had spoken like this, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

He would not eat without giving thanks to God. There are some who do even as the swine do; but the Christian finds it good at all times, before he eats, to bless the God that gave the food to him. It is a Christian habit which should not be given up. Paul gave thanks when it was most inconvenient to do so, — when a great storm was raging, and when there were only two or three on board who sympathized with him.

36. Then they were all of good cheer, and they also ate some food.

Courage is contagious, as well as timidity. The holy bravery of one good man my make many others brave.

37-39. And we were two hundred seventy-six souls in the ship in all. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and threw out the wheat into the sea. And when it was day, they did not recognize the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, where they intended, if it were possible to thrust in the ship.

They wanted to let her go ashore, and break up, and so save their lives.

40-42. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and made towards shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck firm, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

The soldiers were responsible for them. It would be required from them if a prisoner escaped; so, with that cruelty, and yet that obedience to law which was characteristic of the Roman legions, “the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.”

43, 44. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves first into the sea, and get to land: and the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they all escaped safely to land.

So God had said, “and so it came to pass.”