November 9

Acts xxvii. — 21. But, after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

22. 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.

23. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24. Saving, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer; for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

26. Howbeit, we must be cast upon a certain island.

27. But, when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;

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

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

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

31. Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

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

33. And, while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

34. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat; for this is for your health: for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you.

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

38. And, when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.

39. And, when it was day, they knew not the land; but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.

41. And, falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmovable; but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

42. And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape.

43. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land;

44. And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land.

Paul had advised against the voyage which now came to such a disastrous end. The soundness of his judgment, together with the character he had exhibited in danger, inspired such confidence, that the seamen, worn out by watching, fasting, and toil, were revived by his assurance of their safety. His practical good sense was again shown in preventing the desertion of the sailors, without whose strength and skill the passengers could not hope to be saved. Here is a striking illustration of the harmony of God's foreknowledge with human freedom. An angel had announced to Paul without qualification, that, though the ship would be wrecked, not a

life should be lost. But Paul was no fatalist: he used his common sense; and, when he saw the sailors trying to escape, he said, "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." Both statements were true; and a third thing was also true, — that the sailors would be kept on board, and this by the free agency of Paul and the centurion. God's foreseeing does not hinder man's free acting.

The scene of this shipwreck was the Island of Malta; and the name, "St. Paul's Bay," has been given to a small tongue of land where "two seas meet;" and, during a storm, the waves beat strongly from opposite quarters.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 69, 168, 178.

Heavenly Father, we bless thee for the light of the morning. Oh for a heart to love thee, to praise thee, to serve thee, as we ought! Thou didst create us for thy glory; thou hast enriched us with thy bounty; thou hast redeemed us with the precious blood of thy Son; thou hast sent forth thy Spirit into our hearts to quicken us to a new life, that we might receive the adoption of children. Disobedient and unthankful children we have been; and we confess our waywardness and our sin. Forgive us, we beseech thee, O our Father! for the sake of thy dear Son.

We pray thee this day to deliver us from temptation, to defend us from evil. Make sure to this family the mercies of thy covenant. Remember all dear to us. Visit, O Lord! with thy grace, the community in which we live. Bless thy Church here, and in our land, and throughout the world. Oh! send thy salvation to all people. We beseech thee to comfort the poor, the sick, the sorrowing, the dying; and, O Lord! when heart and flesh shall fail us, be thou the strength of our heart, and our portion forever, for Christ's sake. Amen.