Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

or, The Tale of the “Nancy” Brig.

In the month of September, 1799, a most interesting trial was in progress in the old Court-house of Kingston, Jamaica.

A ship had been captured which was gravely suspected of piracy and other crimes calculated to harm the persons and property of the subjects of the King.

The trial had lasted some days, and the case seemed just about to fall through, as there was nothing at all amongst the ship’s papers that could be used in evidence against her except that they were perfectly new, and had not been handled at all, while the ship was said to have been sailing from port to port for two years.

It seemed evident to all that the prosecution must lose the case, and the sharp grey eyes of the Yankee skipper shone with excitement and triumph as his lawyer wound up a good speech in his defence by demanding the dismissal of the ship and substantial damages for wrongful detention.

Then rose the attorney for the Government. He held in his hand a bundle of papers, crumpled and soiled, which had but a few moments before been handed to him. His words were few, but startling; for turning to the Judge, he said: “May it please your honour I am now in a position to prove to you on the most undeniable evidence, and by a most disinterested witness, that the vessel in court is none other than the pirate ship “Nancy,” and thus save you any further trouble in this case.”

The face of the skipper flushed crimson he was taken completely by surprise; and, turning fiercely upon his men, he demanded to know who had betrayed them. But none of them had. The witness which the Government proposed to bring forward to prove their guilt was not one of the crew, but the bundle of papers which the lawyer held in his hand.

A great hush of eagerness fell on all present as he went on to tell the story of the way in which they had been discovered.

It was as follows: His Majesty’s ship-of-war “Abergavenny” was cruising near the coast of San Domingo, when the commander, Michael Fitton, noticed the carcase of a bullock floating on the water, surrounded by sharks. One of these sharks was caught, and in its maw was found the true papers of the brig Nancy, and these papers were the parcel that had just been produced in court.

When the ship was first pursued these had been thrown overboard, and the captain thought they — the evidences of his guilt — were buried in the depths of the sea for ever; but instead they had been swallowed by the shark, and now they had a resurrection — a resurrection which proved to be to the confusion and condemnation of the captain and his crew.

This tale of the sunny Caribbean seas shall teach us a lesson, and that lesson shall be that sins cannot be hidden away by the sinner.

In this matter it is necessary to be personal, even at the risk of offending the reader. You cannot hide your sins from the eye of God; the day is coming when your sins will all be uncovered and exposed. The Scripture says: “Be sure your sin will find you out.” And if you miss God’s forgiveness through the Name of Christ Jesus, what a terrible finding out it will be!

You remember the story of Sir Ralph the Rover (as told us by Mrs. Hemans), who in malice cut the warning bell from the Inchcape Rock. Little did he expect that his sin would find him out as it did. “He roamed the seas for many a day,” and doubtless forgot all about his wicked exploit; but when his ship’s keel went crash upon that dreaded reef, his sin had found him out; it met him when he least expected it, and hurled him to despair and destruction. So it must be; if you do not acknowledge to God that you are a sinner indeed, and seek forgiveness in this day of God’s grace, your sin will find you out in Eternity. Your sins will meet you at the judgment throne of God, and utter despair and condemnation will be your portion then, as you find yourself for ever banished from God and heaven and Christ and joy. You may excuse and seek to justify yourself now; in that day you will be speechless, for then you will see plainly that hell could be the only possible end of thy road of sin which you had chosen.

But why should you excuse yourself now, and why try to appear better than you are? To do so is worse than useless, for God knows you through and through. His eye never slumbers, and all your sins are faithfully recorded in His book. Don’t forget those four soul-searching words, “Thou God seest me.”

The Master of the “Nancy” gained nothing by pretending to be an honest man, nor will you gain anything in seeking to hide your sins from God; better by far for you to make a clean breast of all your guilt, and cry like the conscience-stricken publican: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” You will be safe in taking this ground; for it is here alone that you can find the Saviour. He did not come to call the righteous. It was for sinners He came to seek and save the lost. He died for the ungodly. If you trust in this Saviour, His blood will cleanse away your sins; then they will never come against you in judgment. Instead, God will bury them in the deep and fathomless sea of eternal forgetfulness, from which no hand can bring them. (1 John 1:7; John 5:24; Micah 7:19.)