Bid the seas more calm become,
Bid the waves more lowly grow;
Check the winds, and call them home,
That the deeps they stir not so.
Hear, whilst call on Thee we may ;
For, if Thou the word but say,
Winds and waves will Thee obey.

More the tempest doth not rage,

Than when Jonah shunned Thy face; But that storm Thou didst assuage, When the seamen sought Thy grace. When, in dangers like to these, Thy disciples grew afraid, Thou didst then the winds appease, And the tempest was allayed. They for help invoked Thee! Lord, they cried, and so do we! Therefore, saved let us be!

Though our lives we value dear,

And our goods, too, highly rate;
Death is not our chiefest fear,
Nor the loss of our estate.
More we fear to lose Thy love,
More we fear Thy wrathful frown;
For our conscience doth reprove,
And to us our guilt hath shown.
Sense and conscience of our sin
I's more terrible within,

Than the storm without hath been.

It sometimes appears that God suffers the rebellious passions of wicked men to triumph for a time, in order that through them He may train and discipline His faithful servants. This is signified to us in the Gospel under the emblem of the ship at sea. The stormy sea represents the trouble and misery which. the devil stirs up in the world. The ship is the Church, in which Christ is guiding His faithful people through "the waves of this troublesome world" to their everlasting rest. His being with them, though asleep, shows how He watches over His faithful members, even while He makes as though He heard them not. Hook.

O let me walk the waves of this wide world Through faith unshrinking; stretch Thy saving hand

To a lone castaway upon the sea,

Who hopes no resting-place, except in heaven.
And oh! this holy calm, this peace profound,
That sky so glorious in infinitude,

That glorious host of softly-burning stars,
And all that floating universe of light,
Lift up my spirit far above the grave,

And tell me that my prayers are heard in heaven.

Long the sun hath gone to rest,
Dimm'd is now the deepening west,
And the sky hath lost the hue
That the rich flowers o'er it threw :
Lovely on the pale blue sky
Gleam faint strokes of crimson dye;
Gloriously the evening star

Looks upon us from afar;

Aid us o'er the changeful deep,
God of power;

Bless the sailor's ocean sleep
At midnight hour!

On the stilly twilight air

We would breathe our solemn prayer,-
Bless the dear ones of our home,
Guide us, through the wild waves' foam,
To the light of those dear eyes
Where our heart's best treasure lies,
To the love in one fond breast-

That unchanging home of rest!

Hear her when, at eventide,

She kneels to pray,

That God would bless, defend, and guide Those far away!

Now the moon hath touched the sea,

And the waves all tremblingly

Throw towards heaven their silvery spray.

Thus, Redeemer, let Thy love

Shine upon us from above;

Touched by Thee our hearts will rise,
Grateful, towards the glowing skies.
Guard us, shield us, mighty Lord!
Thou dost not sleep :

Still the tempest; with Thy word
Rule the deep.

Scripture Texts

ON RIVER AND SEA SHORE INCIDENTS.

The Word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. St. Luke iii. 2, 3.

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. St. Matthew iii. 5, 6. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him; and a Voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased.

St. Luke iii. 21, 22.