Pursuing that thought—that_the Bible is a book for all—that popular it must be illustrate parabolic—that the emblems figures employed must be such will be easily puder-tood by the} reader—and then reniembering. the vast multitudes who are familia with the ocean, we see the Prov ence which #0 ordered it that the home of the writers of the Bible was] not. inland but had the sea as one] of its boundaries. And yet, though the western coast of Palestine is washed by the Mediterranean, the Jews were not a maritime people. Nor waa it by chance that the people who were to be kepe separate from all other nations should have world we find that the great centres to which the Apostles went were] usually the seaports to which con-Rregated "men from every nation under Heaven". The Epistles in the New Testament are nearly all of them addressed to Churches in seaport cities. It is natural therefore for us to have such a Service fas this this evening. We should expect, too, to find in our Prayer Book, which is based on the Bible, something to guide us. When the first] Prayer Book was printed in English in 1549 there was no section of Prayers for those at sea but in 1662 possibly drawn up by Bishop] Sanderson—this section was added. was introduced by this statement:—"Whereas there are thousands ships belonging to this which have not Ministers with them to guide them in Prayer, and therefore either use the old form of Common Prayer or no Prayer at all; to avoid thave inconveniences it} hath been thought fit to frame seme Prayers agreeing with the Directory} established by Parliament."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.