But on board the sinking _London_, amidst the storm, the gospel was preached, earnest prayers presented, the Bible read, and anxiety for the soul experienced. All as yet at least were in the place of hope on which the gospel ladder was planted, the top whereof touched heaven. They had not passed away to the region where faith would be impossible, and from whence there could be no escape. The way of salvation was singly pointed out to them again and again. They were not, we may be sure, burdened with details and theories, but the simple yet glorious truth was proclaimed, “Here is a Saviour waiting to save you, believe in Him and be saved. You are a sinner, but He died for sinners; you are the very one He came to seek; trust yourself entirely to Him; turn with a holy hatred and grief from your sins, and rely upon his promise to save you, if you only this moment, with all your heart, ask Him to do so.” And we may believe, and we ought to believe, that the gospel does not only _offer_ immediate salvation, but that Christ does grant it to every man who penitently asks His help. The gospel preached during the storm was not, “Repent and believe the gospel, and you shall be saved at some future day;” the promise was, “You shall be saved _now_, and this day, though thy body may go to the bottom of the sea, thou shalt be with Christ in Paradise.” Poor sinking one, only believe, and thou shalt see the glory of God. There is light behind the cloud indeed, in the remembrance that such a gospel was proclaimed hour by hour; and in the conviction we also cherish that many believed it, gave themselves up to the influence of its promises and encouragements, and were so filled with faith in Him who had died to put away their sins and open the kingdom of heaven to them, that they were not afraid to die, seeing not death but heaven before them. “Where all the ship’s company meet, Who sailed with the Saviour beneath; With shouting each other they greet, And triumph o’er trouble and death. The voyage of life’s at an end, The mortal affliction is past, The age that in heaven they spend, For ever and ever shall last.” “And so,” doubtless it will be said, “you want to make them all religious, before the ship went down?” We would, indeed, kind reader, that we could cherish this hope concerning all, for then the light behind the cloud would increase in brightness every day. As sinful men opposed to God we would have had all on board believers in the Great Reconciler, who can make both one, and fill the souls of those who trust Him with the most blessed assurance that there is no longer any gulf of separation between them. Where there is this faith there is no fear, neither of dying, nor of what lies beyond death.