voyage, and all its little accidents, that I may pass it by. I know
that I can forecast the storm somewhat; and if I do not try to do
that, I am tempting God: but I may pray, I will pray, that my
forecast may be correct. I will pray the Spirit of God, who gives
man understanding, to give me a right judgment, a sound mind, and a
calm heart, that I may make no mistake and neglect no precaution; and
if I fail, and sink--God's will be done. It is a good will to me and
all my crew; and into the hands of the good God who has redeemed me,
I commend my spirit, and their spirits likewise.

This much, therefore, we may say of prayer. We may always pray to be
made better men. We may always pray to be made wiser men. These
prayers will always be answered; for they are prayers for the very
Spirit of God himself, from whom comes all goodness and all wisdom,
and it can never be wrong to ask to be made right.

There are surely, too, evils so terrible, that when they threaten us-
-if God being our Father means anything,--if Christ being our example
means anything--then we have a right to cry, like our Lord himself,
'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:' if we only
add, like our Lord, 'Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.'

And of dangers in general this we may say--that if we pray against
known dangers which we can avoid, we do nothing but tempt God: but
that against unknown and unseen dangers we may always pray. For
instance, if a sailor needlessly lodges over a foul, tideless
harbour, or sleeps in a tropical mangrove swamp, he has no right to
pray against cholera and fever; for he has done his best to give
himself cholera and fever, and has thereby tempted God. But if he
goes into a new land, of whose climate, diseases, dangers, he is