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THE OCEAN OF LIFE

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Sep 21, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 37.

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THE OCEAN OF LIFE.

By Kathrina Blossom Wilcox

BY KATHRINA BLOSSOM WILCOX.
WE stood that beautiful June afternoon on the long beach of the broad Pacific, whose ever-restless waves, crowned with white foam, break with never-ceasing fury upon the cold, gray stones of the rugged cliffs, then, kissed by sunbeams, leap into the air, reflecting in their sparkling spray the seven colors of the rainbow.
Such a scene filled us with awe and admiration, and we were led to exclaim, Roll on majestic ocean! Roll on, thou mighty deep, ever bespeaking in thy unsurpassed grandeur the glory and majesty of thy Creator!
As we gaze upon the surging billows, a white speck appears on the horizon. Nearer and nearer it comes until we recognize a large and beautiful ship with her white sails all spread to catch the merry breeze which gently bears her over the rippling waves to her desired haven.
She has come from a far-distant port, and has encountered fierce winds and heavy storms. Her passengers are weary with their long and perilous voyage, and long to place their feet on solid ground once more. But now the storms are all past, the journey will soon be over, and the storm-tossed vessel, with decks drenched and bulwarks beaten, will soon be safely anchored in the peaceful harbor.Ah! what a fitting symbol of the journey of life! As our frail barks are launched upon life's ocean, already strewn with many a shipwreck, to battle with howling winds and fearful tempests, how will it fare with us? Will we be stranded on the shoals of error and delusion? Will our captain prove false, our compass fail, or our guidebook disappear?
O beware, of the rocks and shoals. Beware of the artful siren, who seeks, by her most enchanting strains of enticing music to lure the passers-by from their course! Beware, O beware!
But, if we are led astray, is there no hope? Must we be tossed hither and thither in the tempest, by the cruel waves, or sink beneath the deep, dark waters, a prey to that hideous monster, Death?—Ah, no! Not so with the Christian. His Father is at the helm. No matter how fiercely the storm is raging, His "peace be still," quiets the surging billows and allays his fears. The great Guidebook—God's holy Word—a beacon light to the wandering mariner—guides his frail bark safely past the dangerous rocks, away from the enchanting siren's notes, on and on, through storm and calm, until he drives safely into port.
O friend, commit your bark into the care of the great Helmsman. Look out over the stormy waters and see the Pilate of Galilee stretching out to you a welcoming hand—"then your vessel shall in safety outride the storm, and enter in triumph the haven of eternal rest."