登陆注册
19875300000017

第17章

The Sermon Father Mapple rose, and in a mild voice of unassuming authority ordered the scattered people to condense. "Star board gangway, there! side away to larboard- larboard gangway to starboard! Midships!

midships!"

There was a low rumbling of heavy sea-boots among the benches, and a still slighter shuffling of women's shoes, and all was quiet again, and every eye on the preacher.

He paused a little; then kneeling in the pulpit's bows, folded his large brown hands across his chest, uplifted his closed eyes, and offered a prayer so deeply devout that he seemed kneeling and praying at the bottom of the sea.

This ended, in prolonged solemn tones, like the continual tolling of a bell in a ship that is foundering at sea in a fog- in such tones he commenced reading the following hymn; but changing his manner towards the concluding stanzas, burst forth with a pealing exultation and joy-The ribs and terrors in the whale, Arched over me a dismal gloom, While all God's sun-lit waves rolled by, And lift me deepening down to doom.

I saw the opening maw of hell, With endless pains and sorrows there;Which none but they that feel can tell-

Oh, I was plunging to despair.

In black distress, I called my God, When I could scarce believe him mine, He bowed his ear to my complaints-No more the whale did me confine.

With speed he flew to my relief, As on a radiant dolphin borne;Awful, yet bright, as lightning shone The face of my Deliverer God.

My song for ever shall record That terrible, that joyful hour;I give the glory to my God, His all the mercy and the power.

Nearly all joined in singing this hymn, which swelled high above the howling of the storm. A brief pause ensued; the preacher slowly turned over the leaves of the Bible, and at last, folding his hand down upon the proper page, said: "Beloved shipmates, clinch the last verse of the first chapter of Jonah- 'And God had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.'""Shipmates, this book, containing only four chapters- four yarns- is one of the smallest strands in the mighty cable of the Scriptures. Yet what depths of the soul Jonah's deep sealine sound! what a pregnant lesson to us is this prophet! What a noble thing is that canticle in the fish's belly! How billow-like and boisterously grand! We feel the floods surging over us, we sound with him to the kelpy bottom of the waters; sea-weed and all the slime of the sea is about us! But what is this lesson that the book of Jonah teaches? Shipmates, it is a two-stranded lesson; a lesson to us all as sinful men, and a lesson to me as a pilot of the living God. As sinful men, it is a lesson to us all, because it is a story of the sin, hard-heartedness, suddenly awakened fears, the swift punishment, repentance, prayers, and finally the deliverance and joy of Jonah. As with all sinners among men, the sin of this son of Amittai was in his wilful disobedience of the command of God- never mind now what that command was, or how conveyed-which he found a hard command. But all the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do- remember that- and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists.

同类推荐
  • The World's Desire

    The World's Desire

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 春卿遗稿

    春卿遗稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 灵宝天尊说禄库受生经

    灵宝天尊说禄库受生经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 菊谱

    菊谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • Eben Holden

    Eben Holden

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 丑颜绝色:妖孽大小姐

    丑颜绝色:妖孽大小姐

    佛说,前世的五百次回眸,才换来今生的擦肩而过。相知相惜相爱、相依为命为何却离我如此遥远……曾经她以为他就是她的所有,但最后不过是过眼云烟,往事如风,终将要散。一步一惊心的人生,一步一痛心的爱情,只有爱过才会痛、才会恨,所以,我再不爱你。她——身份不明,她只知道自己被困了很久很久,最终回到前世,可她却再也不是以前的身份了。到底为什么要让她再次经历这些痛苦。被他一剑刺穿胸膛的一瞬间,这一刻,她想如果还有下一世,我愿意用我一世容颜换下一世再不爱你!爱一个人这样容易,恨一个人这样容易,但是……为何不爱一个人那么难!再次重生的她将一展风华,天下苍生为之倾倒——今日起,宁教我负天下人,不教天下人负我。
  • 网游之最终决战

    网游之最终决战

    新世纪游戏莫名失控,十万玩家被困在游戏世界,唯有打败最终boss,才能走出游戏回到世界。但是他们不可能找到最终boss,因为最终boss就在他们的身边
  • 道何欢

    道何欢

    世上有仙,我欲夺之。少年一朝醒来,却发现这方天地变得再不相同。十年所得,是梦,还是现实?是彗星崛起,还是王者归来?是虚幻的臆想,还是未来的预言?那年那寺血花开,我观沧海道佛哀。千秋万代遍地庸才!万古诸圣,谁敢一战!
  • 寰宇:千秋记

    寰宇:千秋记

    瀛洲烜朝国运衰退,练气登仙被景帝严禁!星辰变幻,天下将乱!看谁能重开登仙力挽狂澜!
  • 我是警察

    我是警察

    两个男人携手破获的一起离奇迷案,两个男人命悬一线的生死诀别,一桩桩离奇而又悬疑的案件,一次次与犯罪分子明争暗斗,一个片警以血肉之躯铸就出良好的社会治安。翻开本书,看一个警察如何用一次次感动,融化一块块走了歪路的“顽石”。
  • 龙神幻

    龙神幻

    "父亲,皓儿真有这么弱吗?““怎么可能!我皓儿最厉害了。”父亲,放心吧,皓儿一定会变强的,强大到所有人都不敢欺负我们!
  • 第一形态

    第一形态

    形态各异的宇宙飞船忙碌的飞行在这属于XM的宇宙中,发出色彩不同的光芒!然而,吸引“你们”的不是这些!而是宇宙中非人类生物建造的XM星域!此刻,焱彬正带着他神界中所有修真者以最快的速度在星球与星球之间穿梭着,目标直指XM星域!与此同时“吼!!!”另一边,一声兽吼响彻几千万光年范围!赫然是那神界惩戒者踏破真空,带着神界所有的亘古奇兽,在怒吼声中临近XM星域……神界真的是“你们”想象中的“神,界”吗?这个问题却在本书中变得不重要了!吸引“你们”的……是“我们”!本书《第一形态》为大家展现未来世界最强生命的崛起!
  • 异世药王

    异世药王

    “帝国皇帝找我求药?告诉他把传国玉玺拿给我玩玩再说。”“至尊榜第二高手伤重求医?那就让他签个卖身契给我吧!”“鹰隐阁阁主求药?传话给他,让他把脖子洗干净等着我去宰他。”“什么?有个美女求医?你这废物,还不快点把人领进来。”药王谷最杰出的传人来到异世,一切将因为他的到来而风起云涌……
  • 星峰

    星峰

    这片星空演绎一场杀戮盛宴,血色纷呈!若进一步九死一生,则退一步十死无生!
  • 联盟欢乐颂:萌物二货太腹黑

    联盟欢乐颂:萌物二货太腹黑

    季念冷是一个不知不扣的二货,没有之一;安筱若是一个不折不扣的傻货,没有之一;左夜宸是一个不折不扣的拽货,没有之一;作为一个资深二货的季念冷,腹黑是必不可少的属性之一,然而,左夜宸这个拽货的属性是不是突变了,安筱若身上的傻又啥时候变成傻白甜属性了她怎么不知道?二货归来,和其他两人又将会演绎一场怎样的校园青春剧?