“And as the sailors were seeking to flee out of the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would lay out anchors from the foreship, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved.” '
And as day approached the sailors pretended that they were about to drop the forward anchors. But their real intention was to lower the life boat while the light was still dim and desert the ship. They were like false shepherds who did not care for those for whom they had responsibility. They were abandoning the sheep. And sure enough they set about lowering the boat secretly. It is clear that there was only limited space in the lifeboat. But Paul, either through divine guidance or astuteness and suspicion (he knew men's hearts) recognised what they were doing in the dim light and called to the centurion to stop them. He warned that without the sailors to steer the ship they would all be lost.