Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-02-15
A GOOD MAN AT THE WHEEL.

From a volume of Sermons by Rev. Nehe--
miah Adams, d. D. of Boston; published
by d. Lathrop & Co.
In a voyage of a hundred and
sleven days to San Francigco, and
thence to the Sandwich Islands,
China, the East Indies and New
York, there was man at the wheel
every moment, day and night, in
storm and sunshine. Every man, ex-
cept the officers, was in his turn,
two hours at a time during the
whole voyage, the man at the wheel.
Not till the word of command was
given inside the Golden Gate, "Let
go the anchor" was the wheel de-
serted. Every two hours the man
at the wheel was relieved by some
shipmate who knew when it came
his turn. The man at the wheel
would say what point of the COM
pass must be kept in mind; the man
taking his place would repeat his
words. "South west by south half
south" says the man who seizes the
wheel to take his place.
Going on deck at midnight there
is the man at the wheel. Coming
up to watch the sunrise you salute
the man at the wheel. During a gale,
if you venture on deck curious to
see the swelling ocean, you find the
man at the wheel. In dead calm,
the ship motionless, there stands the
man at the wheel. The sea runs
high, the waves look down upon you
as though they would swallow you
up. "Meet her!' cries the mate; the
man at the wheel swings the bow
spirit in the teeth of the billow; you
go up to the heavens; then down
again into the deep.
You always feel on shipboard
that there is one man doing some
thing for you. During divine ser
vice on Sabbath morning, two men
at least are always absent, one, the
officer of the deck, the other, the
man at the wheel. If you start in
your sleep you instantly think:
There is at least one who is awake,
the man at the wheel. Inever passed
him day or night, without giving
and receiving salutation. You feel
that he is your personal friend.
The compass lies directly in front
of the wheel; the biDnacle lamp
shines all night upon the compass,
which points the way the ship is
headed, and the man at the wheel is
told to Keep her so. If the wind
sets her off her course the endeav-
or is to get as near to it as the wind
will allow, keeping the sails ''full
and by" the wind, the steersm&n
using his discretion how to do so.
One cannot see himself thus con-
tinually kept on his, course through
the deep without being reminded
that if he is a child of God, he has
Christ Jesus as the man at the wheel
to his soul as truly as st every mo-
ment of voyage, however long,
he has a man at the wheel of his
ship. Without presumption, but
with the utmost confidence, with
full assurance of faith, every one
who loves God may say to the Saw
Tor, "Thou shalt guide me with thy
council, and sfterward receive me to
glory" He may he rs confident of
the incessant guidance of his soul by
Christ, as the passenger is of the per-
petual service of man at the wheel.
1t used to occur to me: Suppose
that instead of having twenty-eight
men taking turn, to steer me across
the globe, the service were done by
single man who, day and night
should be my steersman, Standing
every moment at the wheel, buffet
ed by the gale, pelted by the rain,
scorChed by the sun, straining every