Lookers-On and Players
“They that stand upon tJie skofc may easily say to those that are in the midst of the wares, and confiicting for life or death, Sail thus and sail th us.’ But what of that? When we are well we give counsel to the sick; but, if we were ill ourselves, how should we act f” Yes, we are usually ready with our good advice for others; but what are we willing to do ourselves? Men who never smelt powder know exactly how a commander should have acted in a battle; probably they would themselves have run away at the first shot. Safely on land, the wiseacre decides most positively how the pilot should steer — which sail should be hoisted, and which should be put away. If he were on board the labouring barque, he would be lying down below, forgotten as a dead man out of mind. This ought to render us a little more diffident in our advising. It is rather awkward when, after having prescribed for others, we fall sick ourselves, and then refuse our own remedies: yet many have done so. It is sad when the preacher of patience is himself petulant, and the advocate of faith is himself dubious. No: we must teach more by our example than by our advice, or else we shall be poor pleaders for the right.
Few things are more galling than to be at our wits’ end in managing a difficult matter, and then to be charged and counselled by some intermeddling novice who could not even understand our difficulty, much less assist us out of it. When Balaam’s ass spoke, it uttered sound sense, and we shall never welcome the speech of another such animal until it has as weighty a message to deliver. Alas! we do not always suffer iaoXs gladly: though suffer them we do. We have wished ourselves deaf at times when the most idle nonsense has been proffered us in the moment of greatest suspense.
O Lord Jesus, we bless thee that thy counsel comes to us as that of experience! Thou art on the sea with us. Thou hast the tone and manner of one who is tried in us and with us. Our Counsellor art thou; and thus our surest helper, because thy counsel is infallible.