WORSHIP ON THE SABBATH. 29 LETTER IV. MORAL ASPECT OF THE CREW. U. S. ship Guerriere, at sea, BELIEVING with Pope, that "the proper study of mankind is man," I have ever delighted in opportunities of observing my fellows in new lights and relations; and find daily amusement, with an admixture of other emotions, in the development of character among those around me. A man-of-war is a world in miniature, in which every different kind of temper and disposition is to be found, under the various modifications of a diversity of early habits and impres sions. The moral field in which I am to labor is confessedly a hard one; but I am far from being discouraged in attempts to recover, and eventually draw from it both fruitfulness and beauty. A right use of the means of grace will ever produce, in a greater or less degree, both in ourselves and others, their destined results; and in the persuasion of this efficacy, I found all my confidence and my hopes. A more interesting and attentive audience than that formed by the five hundred of our crew at worship on the Sabbath, I have seldom addressed; and every look, and the whole appearance of the men, after the first sermon I preached, as I passed among them while at dinner to distribute a set of tracts, plainly told they were far from being indifferent to the services of my office, and regard me personally with feelings of kindness and good will. Commodore Thompson informed me at an early period, that it was the desire, both of himself and Captain Smith, to have public prayers daily on board the Guerriere, according to a prescribed, though hitherto disregarded rule of the naval service. The hour of sunset was fixed on, as the most convenient and most appropriate for the duty; and the first day the weather permitted, it was commenced. A more desirable and salutary observance could scarce be devised, nor one more pleasing and more impressive. It was well remarked in reference to it by a principal officer, though not professedly a religious man, that wanderers as we are upon the deep, separated widely from all the rest of the world, there should be, at least once in every twenty-four hours, a common and appointed time for all to pause in the daily round of occupation, and, as intelligent and immortal beings, to reflect for a moment what we are and for what created, what we are about, and whither we are going, unitedly to join in the worship of our God, and anew commend us to his grace and mercy. It is no common spectacle thus presented by our ship, when, as the curtains of the night begin to drop around us, the busy and varied occupation of so large a company is seen to cease, and, at the appointed signal, all, from the highest to the lowest, quietly gather to the altar we have here erected, to offer to heaven an evening sacrifice of thanksgiving and prayer. It is a noble sight to behold men thus situated openly ac- · knowledging to their Maker and to themselves the high source and destiny of their existence; and thus, tacitly at least, encouraging one another to lay hold of the joyous hopes of the gospel. To believe it an unwelcome and irksome duty to the crew, is a mistake. There may be individuals who regard it as such, but they are few indeed in comparison with the many, who give the most evident proofs of the interest and satisfaction with which they engage in it. Ten minutes is the utmost limit of the time thus occupied: the reading of a hymn, or a few verses in the Bible, or the making of half a dozen remarks, to prepare the thoughts and feelings for the more hallowed exercise of a short prayer, constitutes the whole. All give the most serious and respectful attention; while a youthful company of some fifty or sixty, the flower of our crew, usually press closely to me with more than ordinary interest. Among them are several professedly religious, and others seriously disposed; and not unfrequently, the satisfaction they take in the service is expressed towards me, by a smile of · pleasure, or kindly glance from a sparkling eye, as, with the closing amen, they replace their hats, and join their fellows turning silently away under the influence of a chastened, if not a devotional feeling. From the observations already made on the effect of this regulation, I am fully persuaded that a more powerful auxiliary in the discipline of a ship could not be adopted; and that this single service, properly performed, would soon be found to do more in promoting the good order of a crew, than all the harshness of the rope's end, backed by the terrors of the cat-o'nine-tails. This is far from being my own solitary opinion. It is that of many of the officers on board. Prayers had scarce been established a week, before one of the most skillful and popular, but at the same time, one of the most gay and thoughtless of their number, in expressing his sentiments on this subject, closed with the following remark :-" Whatever may be said to the contrary, Mr. Stewart, there is nothing like a service of religion in elevating the character of a crew-it makes different men of them, and it is the only thing that will do it." An opinion in which I fully concur and were the experiment once rightly made by every commander in our service, I am fully persuaded the same sentiment would universally prevail. No class of men are more open to convictions of truth than seamen, and none more susceptible of religious impressions, except where the demon of intemperance incases the soul with adamant, and 66 "Hardens all within." I find no difficulty in gaining access to their confidence; and, in several instances, have met with interested and deep feeling. On a sabbath evening, not long since, while walking the main deck, I perceived an open hearted young fellow, with whom I had formed some acquaintance, leaning against a gun; and going up to him, said, Well, J—————, how has the day gone with you ?" "One of the happiest I ever knew, sir," was his reply, "and I have heard many of the crew say the same. I never expected such a sabbath at seaearth can scarce know a better." Adding, on further conversation, "When I had been on board the Guerriere several weeks, before you, sir, joined us, without any public worship, I began to fear I had made a bad choice in coming to this ship; but I was mistaken. This will be a happy voyage to me, and I believe the time will yet come when the ship herself will be called the happy Guerriere!" His face beamed with pleasure as he spoke, and I rejoiced to meet one so warmhearted and seemingly pious. I almost daily meet with those more or less interested on the subject. Only a short time ago, while visiting the sick, I observed a middle-aged man following me from cot to cot, but said nothing to him, supposing him an attendant engaged in some duty. At length he himself spoke, saying, "There is no comfort for these poor fellows, sir, but in the few words you may drop them," adding, while the tears started in his eyes, and his lips faltered as he placed his hand upon his heart, "they are poor sinners, sir! and I too am a poor sinner-guilty-miserable sinner, sir! and God in mercy has sent you to preach the gospel to us. know well what it is to be weary and heavy laden with sin, and rejoiced from the first moment I saw you, sir, step upon our quarter-deck." On conversing more fully with him, I had reason to believe that he was sincerely disposed to learn of Him who " is meek and lowly in heart, and whose yoke is easy, and his burden light." I In an adjoining hammock lay a young man slightly ill, and to whom I had the day before given two or three tracts. On asking him how he did, he hid his face in the pillow, and it was some moments before he recovered sufficient composure to say, "For once, at least, in my life, sir, my hard heart has been touched: one of the tracts you gave me, that of Charles Grafton, melted my very soul! My parents, too, tried to |