Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-08-25
swimmer spreadeth forth his hands to

a drowning soul ana SnflSt the SWIM
mer. / believe it was in lS4S, when
there were six English soldiers of the
Fifth Fusiliers who were hanging to
the bottom of a capsizcd boat-a boat
that had been upset by a squall three
miles from shore. 1t was in the night,
but one man swan nightly for the
beach, guided by the dark mountains
that lifted their top through the night.
He came TO the beach. He found a
I shore man that consented 10 go with
him and save the other men, and they
put out. 1t was some time before
they could find the place where the
men were, but after awhile they heard
their cry; Help! Help! and they
bore down TO them, and they saved
them, and brought them TO shore.
/ Oh, that this moment our cry might
be lifted long. loud and s~lrill, till
Christ the swimmer shall come and
take us lest We drop a thousand faith
onls down.
If you have been much by water,
YOU know very well that when II is
in peril help must come very quickly,
or It will be of no use. One minute
may decide everything. Immediate
help the man wants or no help ut all
Now. that is Just the kind Of a relief
we want The Ease is urgent, immi-
nent. instantaneous. See that soul
sinking. Son of God, lay hold of him.
Be quick! be quick! Oh, | wish you
all understood how urgent this Gospel
is. There was a man in the navy at
sea who had been severely whipped
for bad behavior, and he was madden
ed by il, and he leaped into the sea,
and no sooner had he leaped into the
sea than, quick as lightning, an alba.
tross swooped upon him. The drown.
ing man, brought 10 his senses, seized
hold of the albatross and held on. The
h~uttering Of the bird kept him on the
wave until relief could come. Would
now the dove of Gods convicting,
converting and saving spirit might
flash from the throne upon your soul,
and that you, taking hold of its potent
wing, might live and live forever.
LAY HoLD OF THIS STRONG SWIMMER.
| want 10 persuade you 10 lay hold
of this strong swimmer. NO" you
say, lit is always disastrous for a
drowning man to lay hold of a swim.
mer." There is not a river or lake
but has a calamity resultant from the
fact that whena strong swimmer went
out TO save a sinking man, the drown.
ing man clutched him, threw his arms
around him, pinioned his arms, and
they both went down together.
When you are saving a man in the
water you do not want 10 come up by
his face; you want to come up 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 is so strong a swimmer, he
comes not to our back, but 10 our face,
and he asks US TO throw around him
the arms OF our love, and then prom
ises TO take us TO the beach, and he
will do it. Do not trust that plank Of
good works. Do not trust that shiv-
cred spar Of your own righteousness.
Christ only can give you t~ransporta-
ton. Turn your face upon him as the
dying martyr did in olden days when
he cried out: "None but Christi None
but Christi" Jesus has taken millions
to the land, and he is willing TO take
you there. Oh, what hardness to
shove him back when he has been
swimming all the way from the
throne of God to where you are now,
and is ready to swim all the way back
again, taking your redeemed spirit.
| have sometimes thought what a
spectacle the ocean bed will present
when in the last day the water is
all drawn off. II will be a line Of
wrecks from beach TO beach. There is
where the harpooners went down.
There is where the line of battle ships
went down. There is where the mer.
chantmen went down. There is where
the steamers went down, a long line
of wrecks from beach TO beach. What
a spectacle in the last day when the
water is drawn off But oh, how
much more solemn if we had an eve
to see the spiritual wrecks and the
places where they foundered. You
would find thousands along our roads
and streets. Christ came downin their
awful catastrophe, putting out for
their souls, ''spreadingfO forth his hands
as a swimmer sprcadeth forth his
hands 10 SWIM but they thrust him
in the sore heart, and they smote his
fair check. and the storm and dark
ness swallowed them up. ask you
10 lay hold Of this Christ and lay hold
of him now. You will sink without
him. From horizon TO horizon not
one sail in sight. Only one strong
swimmer, with head flung back and
arms outspread, hear a great many
in the audience saying: well, |
would like To be "A Christian. | am
going 10 work 10 become a Christian"
My brother, you begin wrong. When
a man is drowning, and a strong
swimmer comes out TO help him, no
says TO him: Now be quiet. Put
your arm on my arm or on my
shoulder, but don't struggle, don't try
TO help yourself, and I'll take you
ashore. The more you struggle and
the more you try TO help yourself,
the more you impede me. Now be
quiet and I'll take you ashore" When
Christ, the strong swimmer, comes
out 10 save a soul, the sinner says:
That's right. am glad 10 see Christ,
and | am going 30 help him in the
work Of my redemption. / am going
10 pray more and that will help him;
and ! am going 10 weep extrayagantly
over my sins and that will help him"
No, my brother, il will not. stop your
doing. Christ will do all or none.
You cannot lift an ounce, you cannot
move an inch, in this matter of your
redemption.