The Red Cloud chief., 1889-08-23

his arms around him. pinioned his ARM
and they both went down together. When
you are saving . man in the water you do
not want to come up BY his faca you want
to come mp BY his back. You do not want
him to take hold Of you while you take
hold Of him. But blessed be God. Jesus
Christ 10 90 strong . swimmer. He ONE
not to our bach, but to our face. and He
asks rs to throw around Him the arms Of
cur love and then promises to take us to
the beach. and He will do it Do not trust
that plank Of good works Do not trust
that shivered spar Of your W righteous.
ness. Christ only a give you transporta.
tion. Turn your face upon Him as the dy.
ing martyr did in olden days when be cried
I out: None but Christ! None but Christ"
Jesus has taken millions to the land, and
He is willing to take You there. O. what
hardness to shove Him back when He has
been swimming all the way from the
throne Of God 10 where you are now. and
Is ready to swim all the way back again,
taking your redeemed spirit.
Ihave sometimes thought what q sDec.
tacle the ocean bed will present when in
the last day the water is all drawn of. II
will be . line of wrecks from beach to
beach. There 10 where the harpoOners
went down. Their, is whore the line Of
battle ships went down. There is where
the merchantmen went down. There 10
where the steamers went downs long
line Of wrecks from beach to beach. What
. spectacle in the last day when the water
is drawn OF! But o. how much more sol.
m il We had an eye to see the spiritual
wrecks and the places where they foun-
dered. You would find thousands along
our roads and streets. Christ came down
in their awful catastrophe. putting out
for their souls, spreading forth his
hands as . swimmer spreadeth forth
his hands to SWIM" but they thrust
Him in the sore heart, and they smote His
fair cheek, and tho storm and darkness
swallowed them up ask you to lay hold
Of this Christ and lay hold OF Him now.
You will sink without Him From horizon
to horizon not n sail In sight Only ono
strong swimmer, with head flung back
and arms outspread. l hear q great many
in the audience saying: 'Wel. I would
like to be q Christian. I am going to work
to become . Christian" NV brother, you
begin wrong. When q man 10 drowning,
and o strong swimmer comes out to help
him, he says to him "Now, be quiet
Put your arm on my arm or on my shoul.
der, but don't struggle, don't try to help
yourself, and I'll help You ashore. Tho
more you struggle and the moro you try
to help yourself the moro you impede me.
Now be quiet and I'll take you ashore"
When Christ the strong swimmer. comes
out to save . soul, the sinner says:
''Thst's right I am glad to see Christ
and I am going to help Him in the work Of
my redemption. I am going to pray more
and that will help Him; and I am going to
that will help Him" No. my brothers. it
do all or none. You can not lift an ounce.
Of your redemption.
This is the difficulty which keeps thou.
sands Of souls out Of the Kingdom Of
Heaven. It il because they q not con.
sent to let Jesus Christ begin and complete
the work Of their redemption. why"
you say. ''then II there nothing for me to
do:" Only q thing have You to do, and
that il to lay bold Of Christ and let Him
achieve your salvation and achieve it all.
I do not know whether ! make the matter
plain or not. I simply want to show o
that q man can not save himself but that
the Almighty Son Of God do it and
will do 1t il you ask Him O. ding your
two arma the arms Of your trust and love,
around this omnipotent swimmer OF the
cross.
That Is . thrilling time when some n
swamped in the surf is brought ashore and
il being resuscitated. How the poo.
pie watch for the moment when
he begins to breathe again, and
when ct last no takes q full
inhalation, and opens his eyes upon the BY.
ISLANDERS. o shout of joy rings up and down
the beach. There 10 Joy because Q life Q
bssn saved. O, 70 who have boon swamped
in the seas Of trouble and sins we gather
around you. Would that this might be the
kour when you begin to live Tho Lord
Jesus Christ steps down, He gets on His
knees. He puts His lip to your lip and
would breathe pardon and life and Heaven
into your immortal soul. God grant that
his hour there may be thousands OF souls
resuscitated. I stand ON the deck Of the
old Gospel ship amid . crowd OF pas.
sengers, all Of them hoping that the last
man overheard may be saved. May the
living Christ this hour put out for your
safety, spreading forth his hands in the
midst Of you a. Q swimmer ~spreadeth his
hands to aHim.O