We sung of the straits thro' the which we had steer'd;
How the aid of Jehovah had daily appear'd;

Of his provident eye, that refuseth to sleep;
And sung of the wonders of God in the deep.

We sung of his judgments attending his foes,
How they were all vanquish'd that dar'd to oppose;
We sung of the conquests we lately had won,
And ascribed salvation to Jesus alone.

But days of prosperity seldom are long;
For, ere we had finish'd our rapturous song,
Instead of a view of the havens to cheer,
We found on a sudden new dangers appear.

A rock on the larboard was seen from the deck;
We found it was Arius lying at wreck;
Large shoals on the starboard appeared by day,
And the pirate Socinus was there cast away.

Now breakers so visible fill'd us with fear,
Because we had few that were able to steer;
We said that the billows that tumbled and toss'd
Prefigur'd the doom of the souls that were lost.

Our terrors increas'd with approach of the night;
To pass such a strait we had need of the light.
The mariners trembled at every joint,
For fear we should founder, or miss of the point.

To shun all these breakers, we tried the sound,
For fear that the billows should run us a-ground:
The sea it began to be terribly rough;

But we had three fathom, and that was enough.

While the Captain was sought by credulent pray'r,
We watched the rudder, but found him not there;
But still we continu'd to watch and to wait,
In hopes of his presence in passing the Strait.

The prayer of Faith was not sent up in vain,
For a Comet appear'd with a fine brilliant train;
Where Arius wreck'd we perceived a buoy,
And shunn'd him with ease, and with raptures of joy.

Our faith was increas'd when petitions were heard;
The Ram and the Lion they sweetly appear'd;
Socinus the shoal by a light was discern'd,
And we pass'd him without being over concern'd.

If once constellations withhold but their light
The best navigator will hardly be right;
The unerring Ram he refused his ray
When both the old pirates were wreck'd in the way.

We shudder'd to pass them because it was night, Till we found that the planets afforded their light; Some said the Day-spring was beginning to rise, The bright Milky Way was perceiv'd in the skies.

Once more we attempted, and got under sail,
And favour'd we were with a prosperous gale;
The point was direct in the center to keep;
We passed without ever bulging the ship.

We often replied, How awful's the shock

That men, for their pride, are turn'd into a rock? Navigators turn'd shoals! O it makes one to quake, When so many thousands are wreck'd in their wake!'

We safely escaped the perilous strait,
Where so many dangers appeared to await;
The wake of the ship was as straight as a line,
But no sailing here in the eye of the wind.

We praised the Ram, who had guided uş right,
And blessed the Lion for giving us light;
Admired their aid in the dangers we crost,
Having sailed with safety where millions are lost.

The cloud was remov'd from the sweet Milky Way,
And the ray that appear'd was as bright as the day;
We blessed Jehovah for sending the breeze,
And worshipp'd Elohim, the God of the seas.

We tippled the wine, and we boozed the grog,
And balanc'd affairs in the book of the log.
The heavens were clear, and the climate was warm,
No sign did appear that predicted a storm.

The fearful on board now advanc'd in belief

At seeing the dangers and sudden relief;

Some who were on the poop would ascend the round top; And some on the mid-deck ascended the poop.

For several days we were under full sail,
And blessed we were with a prosperous gale;
The thoughts of the harbour amused the crew,
And kept them expecting the havens in view.

We saw on the leeward a whirlpool appear,
Not far from the course that the ship was to steer;
At sight of th' irruption the sailors were flat,

For fear on a sudden of falling in that.

But as we sail'd closer some gallies appear'd,
With numbers on board by the voices we heard;
The gallies were mann'd with some thousands of slaves,
Which often appear'd as if sunk in the waves.

The turbulent billows still compass'd them round:
At times they appear'd as if trying to sound;
They labour'd at rowing, and try'd to get out,
But still in the pool they were tossed about.

Their toil was in vain in that perilous deep,
But when they espy'd us they cry'd, Hoa, ship!'
Then gave us a signal as if in distress,

And some were inclin'd to afford them redress.

The Captain inform'd us the name of the fleet,
And said they had better ne'er loosed from Crete;
He told us their wisdom perverted their way,
And led them to toil in Arminius's bay.

'Isaiah foretells us of rivers and streams,
But that to Arminians a mystery seems;
However the prophet's prediction is clear,
No galley with rowers can ever go here.'

They hail'd us, and asked the name of the ship;
And how many days we had been in the trip?
They also inquired the state of the crew,
The rate of the ship, and the water she drew?

From whence we had sail'd, and where we were bound?
And what the success in the voyage we found?
Then whether our metal was mighty or weak?

And whether the sailors were healthy or sick?

The commander? his name? with what wewere stor'd?
And what was the number of sailors on board?
If we had engag'd? and who were the powers?
And how we could venture to sea without oars?

What strange new phænomena we could discern
In the various latitudes left at the stern?
The voyage of Vanharmin, if prized by us?
If any Baxterian point was the course?

With a jubilee trump we inform'd them her name,
And told them Free Grace, and exalted her fame.
We said that the vessel was built by the Lord,
And he by his power had put us on board.

The ship she was mann'd in fair Eden at first,
And bound for Flesh Island, on purpose for us;
Our number consisteth of millions and odd,
Tho' none on the books but the chosen of God.

Jehovah the Lord is the health of the crew;
Each sailor on board is created anew;
Provisions are fresh, and the liquor is good;
No scorbutic humours, he's cleansed their blood.

Our vessel contains an invincible force;
We sail on a point, 'tis an unerring course;
Our God is her builder, Free-Grace is her name,
There is but another that's built by the same.

Our noble commander is Jesus the Lord;
And, bless him for ever, he's mostly on board;
We are not afraid of his final elope;

We miss'd him but thrice from the Cape of Good Hope.