State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-02-16
From tho Ny. Observer.
DIR. HUMPHREYS TOURING. ].
the OCEAN.

mighty ocean These and such as these
arc the terms every day applied to that
world of waters which rolls between us
and our father land But you have only
TO pass over the ocean once, TO ieel now
poor and inadequate all the descriptions OF
ii which ever have been attempted, are
There it is--deep, dark, boundless-aIwys
and equally great, whether in It's wrath or
its repose-- aud always ready to mt up lis
solemn voice, as ifin scorn OF the puny
impotency both of the pen and the pencil.
In order to form any thing like an adequate
conception of what the ocean IS, You must
launch ont far into its tathomless domain,
and see it, sleeping and waking, in storm
and sunshine, and hear it utter its voice in
the dark night, when 1t lifts up lis hands on
high
How vast, how infinite, in comparison
with all human power! And yet there is
One who 'measuroth the waters in the hol-
low of his hands, and taieth up the isles as
a very little thng--lhe Lord Ivy whom the
heavens were made, and all the host of
them by the breath his mouth. lie gath
ereth the waters of the see together as an
heap: lie layeth up the depth in store-hous-
es; lie gave to the sea his decree, that the
waters should not pass his commandments
lie shut up the sea with doors, and made
the garment thereof aud thick darkness
sWaddling band for il, and brake mp tcr it
his decrecd place, and set bars aud doors;
and said, Hitherto shalt thou come and no
farther, and here shall they proud waves he
stayed: O Lord, how manifold are thy
works. in wisdom hast thon made them all;
the earth is full OF thy riches. so is the
great and wide sea, wherein are things cree
ping innumerable, both small and great
beasts. There 60 the ships; there is that
leviatlan which thou hast made to play
therein. These all wait upon three, that
thou maycst give them their meat in due
season.
In both my passages across the Atlantic,
one thing, which do not recOllcct TO have
ever noted any where, made deep I'M
preston on my mind. | seemed to myself,
in some sense, to be, not in time, but eter-
nifty. / knew we were going rapidly on, for
the impetuOus waters over the sides Of the
ship, and the log-line, and the chronometer,
and the quadrant, all told me so; and yet,
we seemed to stand still in the centre Of a
great circle. Night came and went, and
came and went; hut there we were, appar
emily without the least change Of position
for there was nothing visible with which
10 compare our progress. lay down aud
rose up in the same place. ] went upon
deck in the morning, and looked around
upon the ship, upon the great circle, and up
10 the silent, solemn vault over our heads
At evening left all things just as ] found
them; and the next day, when again found
myself looking abroad, it was from the
same deck, upon the same great circle, and
up to the same high and solemn vault. No
shore-no island no lighthouse no
change. Thus days and weeks roll on,
and nothing seems TO move at all.
and what to me was, if possible, still
more impressive, the opposite of long and
short duration, seemed to be brought t.
gether. Each waking hour passed slow
ly and heavily away Every day TAX
ell by ITSELF seemed much longer than
upon land, and yet, the weeks were sur
prisingIy short. The Sabbath came and
went and when another came, ] could not
realize that any thing like a week had rolled
over our heads. The twenty-five days that
we were at sea, oh they were long enough
for fifty, as they passed but in looking
back upon them, they were only an inch or
two Of time for we had almost no change
Of scene or incident, to keep them distinct
or separate in our minds, when they were
gone.
Observation-Disclosures shoreless, mysteri-
Gus eternity! We shall all soon be in the
centre OF that awful ilimitable circle-nev-
er, never 10 change our place! VIII it be
to look ont upon the sea Of glass, clear as
crystal, and up TO the throne of God and
the Lamb, or will it be to buffet the pillows
ofAlmighty wrath without hope and with
out end
THE SABBATH AND PUBLIC WORSHIP AT SEA
My first voyage across the Atlantic keep
me three Sabbaths at sea; ard though
could say with the Psalmisi, IioW amiablC
gre they tabernaclos, O Lord of hosts
blessed are they that dwell in thy house
they will be still praising thee;' | enjoyed
each return of holy time better than ] hat
anticipated. The Lord and Giycr of thr
S0bbath-day gave us remarkably tint
weather. The air was soft aud health
giving the wind slept; the heavens wer,
bright; and the waters were spread out n
round us like a molten looking-gass
Every thing, especially on the last Sabbath
seemed hushed to a kind Of sacred rcposc
Delightful emblem Of shat rest which re
nlainelh for the people Of Cod
Having laid in large bundle Of tract
before we left New York, took the oppor
tunity Of distributing them on the sabbatl
among the crew and steeragc passengers
and they were apparently well received
Some of the cabin passengers proposed
religious service, to which NJ very rcadii
acceded, and made the necessary arraug,
ments for meeting on deck, Where all 0
board (about 1870 in number) might hav
opportunity to hear There beiugno otht
clergyman on hoard, was asked to onic
ate ; and am sure that, half sea sick us
was, never did so with more cheerulues
spoke to my little audience from the hun
dred and thirty-nnth Psalm: - 'Whith,
shall ! go from thy Spirit? or whittier sha
flee from thy presence; If ascend u