hat He knows how
they suffer; that He was tempted, that they might feel assured He
pities, and will help them when they are tempted; that He was
crucified,--made a sacrifice, that He might take their sins on His
shoulders; that His blood was shed that it might wash away the sins of
all who trust in it, and look to Him; that He was buried, and rose
again, that He might conquer death, and show that all who follow Him
must conquer too; and that He ascended up on high, that He might present
all who place their faith in Him washed from their sins pure and
undefiled before the throne of God.

"But all that could not be done for such a wretch as me," says Collis.
"If God would let me live, I might repent, and lead a different sort of
life, and do all sorts of things to please Him; and then perchance He
might think me more fit for heaven."

"Oh, my dear shipmate," I say, "don't think of such folly. You could
never do anything to make you more fit for heaven than you now are,
vile, sinful, guilty wretch as you may be."

I then read to him how the Israelites, bit by the fiery serpents in the
wilderness, were saved from death and cured by looking at the brazen
serpent held up by Moses. And then I read about the thief on the cross,
and then I say:

"Just look to Jesus in that way. Feel that you are bitten by sin,
helpless, and dying, and deserving of death; and He says to you, as He
said to the thief on the cross, `To-day shalt thou be with Me in
paradise.'--`Thy sins are forgiven thee.'"

"What, sir!" exclaims Collis, "you don't mean to say that the Son of the
great God who made heaven and earth, and all those thousands of stars we
see up there, did all that for me, and such as me,--that He says all
that to me, and such as me?"

"Shipmate," I answer, solemnly, "He did do all that for you, and such as
you,--and He says all that to you. Take hold of but the hem of His
garment, so to speak, by faith, and you are saved. As to satisfaction
to Divine justice, it is done. You have nothing to do with that, you
have but to feel that you are sinful and guilty. You have to repent,
which, may God the Holy Spirit help you to do. You have to look to
Jesus as the only cure, as the only Saviour,--to His blood as the only
means by which you can be cleansed; and the holy word of God says it,
`Thy faith hath saved thee,'--`By faith ye are saved,'--`His blood
cleanseth from all sin.' He doesn't say from little sins, or slight
sins, b