The dates of very few of these sacred compositions are known; perhaps the most notable example is the anthem "They that go down to the sea in ships". In thankfulness for a providential escape of the King from shipwreck, Gostling, who had been of the royal party, put together some verses from the Psalms in the form of an anthem, and requested Purcell to set them to music. The work is a very difficult one, including a passage which traverses the full extent of Gostling's voice, beginning on the upper D and descending two octaves to the lower.
The dates of many sacred compositions are unknown; however, "They that go down to the sea in ships" is a notable example.  Gostling, who was part of the royal entourage, composed verses from Psalms into an anthem as a thank you for the King's escape from shipwreck. He then asked Purcell to set the verses to music. The work is challenging because it requires Gostling's voice to travel across two octaves, starting on the high D and ending on the low D.