Joseph Bates The Reformed Sea Captain

Have you ever heard of a sailor who did not drink? In the 19th century, it was virtually unheard of—and that made Joseph Bates the odd man out.

Born in 1792, Bates desperately longed for adventure on the high seas. Finally able to convince his parents, he began his career as a teenage cabin boy, enduring his share of peril, including an encounter with a shark and a shipwreck in ice. He was also held captive during the War of 1812. But none of that cured his desire for more excitement and enterprise on the deep blue.

Disinterested in spiritual things, he married in his 20s and continued sailing, oftentimes away from his family for more than a year at a time. But his wife was a Christian, and before he left for one voyage, she snuck a New Testament into his stack of romance novels. And once he discovered it, he actually began reading it. Soon, he lost interest in all other books.

Now a captain, he yearned to become a Christian, but his profession made him hesitant. How would that look to his crew? But then, something happened that drove him to a decision.

One of his crew had gotten sick to the point of death. Bates was deeply moved to pray for him and for his own sinful self, but at the same time he was terrified at the prospect. Finally, weighed down by the grievous realization that he, an ungrateful fool, had been spared from death multiple times by God—the shark, the shipwreck, the war—he fell to his knees, asking for forgiveness.

The sailor died, but Bates had too in a way. The experience brought him to understand his dire need for God. After that tragic day, a marked change came over Bates. He manned his last voyage as a Christian, replete with daily prayer and a weekly worship service as well as prohibition of alcohol and swearing. Convicted to perform his duties as a husband and father, he quit his maritime life and eventually gave his full support to the Advent Movement, particularly in the areas of temperance, anti-slavery, the Sabbath, and the establishment of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Reflect: We must all face the reality of our own mortality. How can death, however scary it may be, bring you to a new understanding of God and your eternal life?

Key Bible Texts

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelation 14:7 KJV)