they, for they "have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and they shall
serve Him day and night in His temple."

But what of them who have always been His despisers? In the days of
their health they cried--"We will not have this man to reign over us;"
and now, what could He be to them but a judge whom they feared? To
them death by drowning was a very different thing from that which it
was to those who were his friends. It gave them too little time to
prepare. They wanted to pray, but the waters were over their heads,
and in the darkness they could not find Him. They wanted to repent,
but no space for repentance was given to them then. It was too
late--too late! They had had time. For months and years the patient
Spirit had been striving with them; but they had resisted Him. Christ
had been saying--not as a judge, but as a pleading Saviour--"Come unto
me, all ye that labour, and I will give you rest." "Behold, I stand at
the door and knock. If any man will hear me, and open the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." But it had
been no use. Deaf ears, that would not hear His voice, blind eyes,
that saw no beauty in Him that they should desire Him, unresponding
lips that would give Him no invitation--these were all that the Lord
had met with. And now it was too late, for that storm had burst, and
the ship was settling down, and there remained for the rejecters of
Christ nothing but hopeless desolation!

Does not this, and every shipwreck, cry aloud to the sons of men to be
wise? "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." "To
day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Death must
come soon, and it may come any night, and, rousing the sleeper, may
hurry him into eternity. Is it not folly to remain unprepared?

The "Forfarshire," soon after the first shock, was struck by a powerful
wave, which lifted her for a moment off the rock, but only to dash the
doomed ship on it again with greater violence than before. On this
occasion, the sharp edge of the rock struck the vessel about midships
aft of the paddle-boxes. Then the survivors rushed on deck, and about
three minutes later, another shock cut the vessel completely in halves.

The part containing the stern, quarter-deck and cabin, was instantly
carried away, with all who were upon it, and went rushing into the
terrible current, known by the name of the "Piper Gut." Th