# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1885_S7 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) The Lutheran Pioneer. The Sailor Boy’s Bible. I have been a sailor for many years, writes one who is now a pastor, and have served in both the naval and merchant services; in the latter service I filled the position of chief officer on board a large vessel off Old Calabar, on the const of Africa, at a time when ‘‘Yellow Jack’”’ (fever) was committing fearful ravages among our poor fellows. It was my melancholy duty to go down each morning to the lower deck to ing ina loud and excited tone, ‘Stop, my boy, stop! read that again; and again the boy read the words, ‘‘God so loved the world, that He} gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever | believeth in Him should not perish, but have} everlasting life.”’ And again he was interrupted a second, a| third, and a fourth time by the dying request, “Stop, my boy, stop! read that again,” until the struggling soul learned by heart these pre- cious words, and the departing spirit was em- words: ‘‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’’ This narrative affords an instance of what one single copy of the Bible may achieve, when the blessing of God attends its reading. The great day alone will tell how much good the reading of that text, so singularly chosen by the Spirit’s teaching and direction, will have accomplished upon those others who where see if any had died during the previous night. | ployed in faintly repeating the sacred text,| impressed, and have been lost sight of by the On one oceasion I was fulfilling this sad but| upon which it was enabled with true faith to rest. | author. necessary duty, and after passing from hammock to hammock on that — —@ -o<>e-2____ portion of the deck given to the sick, I was grasped by a cold and clammy hand, and turning, I be- held a dying shipmate, for whom no earthly hope could be enter- tained, as he showed all the symp- toms of having reached that crisis in his fearful disease known as “black vomit.” } With great effort he was able to address me; and in a tone of voice so unearthly and pitiful as even to arrest the attention of many sufferers around him, he said; “‘QOh, sir! for God’s sake let some one read the Bible to me, for ’m dying; if you pass the word, sir, surely some one will have a Bible.” I immediately did so, but not a single seaman in the ship had a Bible. However, a little boy, who was an apprentice on board, came up to me and said: ‘Sir, I have a Bible in my chest in the half- deck, and I will bring it and read for poor Richards, if you will al- low me. “God bless you, my boy,” said the dying man in reply, as I gave him the order to bring the Bible. During the time the little boy was bringing the Word of God, many of the sailors and Kroo-men collected around the hammock of the dying. They did not-come to see the poor fellow die, for the sight of death there was a daily occurrence: it was, as one of the Kroo boys expressed it, to see what ‘‘dem good book to do for poor Massa Richie, dat time he no ketchy toder place.’’ The apprentice returned in a few moments, holding in his hand a new Bible; he came close to the dying man, and having opened the Bible at the third chapter of the Gospel of St. John, he read these words: ‘‘God so loved the world, ‘that He gave His only-begotten Son, that who- ssoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’”” 3 All our attention was fixed on the dying man ‘while those words were solemnly and quietly ‘read. The little boy was continuing to read when he was interrupted by Richards exclaim- Natives of Western Africa. After a short pause, I looked around, and beheld the tears rolling down many a weather- beaten face, and observed even the dark coun- tenances of the Kroo-men to turn pale. It is difficult, and I may say impossible, to describe the solemn, impressive awe which per- vaded the whole circle from the time the Bible was brought in. It made a lasting impression upon myself, which was considerably increased when I afterwards learned that the Bible was the gift of a widowed mother to her only child on his parting with her in Liverpool. Often, months after, when keeping my watch and walking the deck, that entire scene came before me; and my heart is now but too anx- ious to testify how God hath mercifully dealt with my soul in conversion through this inci- dent, and by the power of His grace on these Hidden and Safe. One morning a teacher went, as usual, to the school-room, and found many vacant seats. Two little scholars lay at their homes cold in death, and others were very sick. A fatal disease had entered the village, and the few children pres- ent that morning at school gath- ered around the teacher, and said, “Oh, what shall we do? Do you think we shall be sick, and die too?’’ She gently touched the bell as a signal for silence, and observed, “Children, you are all afraid of this terrible disease. You mourn for the death~of our dear little friends; and you fear that you may be taken also. I only know of one way of escape, and that is to hide.”’ The children were bewildered, and the teacher went on; “I will read to you about this hiding- place ;’’ and read Psalm 91: ‘‘Whoso dwelleth under the de- fense of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” All were hushed and composed by the sweet words of the Psalmist, and the morning lessons went on as usual. At noon a dear little girl sidled up to the desk and said, ‘‘Teacher, are you not afraid of the diphteria?”’ “No, my child,’’ she answered. “Well, -wouldn’t you be if you thought you would be sick and die?” “No, my dear, I trust not.” Looking at the teacher for a moment with wondering eyes, her face lighted, as she said, “Qh, I know! you are hidden under God’s wings. What a nice place to hide!”’ Yes, this is the only true hiding-place for old, for young, for rich, for poor—all. Do any of you know of a safer or a better? —Dr. Norton. s+ +o or oe ' He who belongs only half to God belongs wholly to the devil.