Sailors and fishermen have been in all ages superstitious, and those of that day generally held the belief that storms were raised by spirits, who delighted in the turmoil of the elements, and in the terror and destruction that were caused. Some superstitious thought of this kind seems to have been the first that entered the minds of the disciples, as they saw the figure approaching on the water. What followed is thus described by St. Matthew:—
“And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered Him, and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And Jesus said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me! And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”
The want of a thorough, unbounded faith and confidence in the power and divinity of our Saviour, was a fault which He had to contend against even in the disciples, who beheld His miracles almost daily. Peter and others who were in the boat became afterwards apostles of Christianity, and performed miracles themselves, when their faith must have become perfect; but it seems to have grown up gradually; and the words of Christ signify that Peter failed to walk on the water himself on this occasion only through his want of faith.
St. Matthew goes on to tell us that when our Saviour came into the ship, the wind ceased. Then the disciples came round Him, worshipping Him, saying,—“Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
SOME OF MY LITTLE FRIENDS:
Sammy.
Sammy is a great friend of mine, and a brave boy too, I can tell you: he is only seven years old, but quite a little man. Sammy’s grandmamma was my nurse when I was a child, and through her I came to know him. She married a fisherman at Hastings one summer when we were staying there, and has lived from that time to this in a cottage on the beach just out of the town. Her husband no longer follows the calling of a fisherman, for he is very old; but he lets out rowing boats, of which two or three are generally to be seen drawn up on the beach close to the cottage.