Surely this man was, at least, a reasonable and prudent man, and shewed his common-sense.  I say—­common-sense.

For suppose that you were set adrift in a ship at sea, to shift for yourself, would it not be mere common-sense to try and learn how to manage that ship, that you might keep her afloat and get her safe to land?  You would try to learn the statutes, laws, and commandments, and testimonies, and judgments concerning the ship, lest by your own ignorance you should sink her, and be drowned.  You would try to learn the laws about the ship; namely the laws of floatation, by fulfilling which vessels swim, and by breaking which vessels sink.

You would try to learn the commandments about her.  They would be any books which you could find of rules of navigation, and instruction in seamanship.

You would try to learn the testimonies about the ship.  And what would they be?  The witness, of course, which the ship bore to herself.  The experience which you or others got, from seeing how she behaved—­as they say—­at sea.

And from whom would you try to learn all this? from yourself?  Out of your own brain and fancy?  Would you invent theories of navigation and shipbuilding for yourself, without practice or experience?  I trust not.  You would go to the shipbuilder and the shipmaster for your information.  Just as—­if you be a reasonable man—­you will go for your information about this world to the builder and maker of the world—­God himself.

And lastly; you would try to learn the judgments about the ship:  and what would they be?  The results of good or bad seamanship; what happens to ships, when they are well-managed or ill-managed.

It would be too hard to have to learn that by experience; for the price which you would have to pay would be, probably, that you would be wrecked and drowned.  But if you saw other ships wrecked near you, you would form judgments from their fate of what you ought to do.  If you could find accounts of shipwrecks, you would study them with the most intense interest; lest you too should be wrecked, and so judgment overtake you for your bad seamanship.

For God’s judgment of any matter is not, as superstitious people fancy, that God grows suddenly angry, and goes out of His way to punish those who do wrong, as by a miracle.  God judges all things in heaven and earth without anger—­ay, with boundless pity:  but with no indulgence.  The soul that sinneth, it shall die.  The ship that cannot swim, it must sink.  That is the law of the judgments of God.  But He is merciful in this; that He rewardeth every man according to his work.  His judgment may be favourable, as well as unfavourable.  He may acquit, or He may condemn.  But whether He acquits or condemns, we can only know by the event; by the result.  If a ship sinks, for want of good sailing or other defect, that is a judgment of God about the ship.  He has condemned her.  She is not seaworthy.  But if the ship arrives safe in port, that too is God’s judgment.  He has tried her and acquitted her.  She is seaworthy; and she has her reward.