The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-09-04
THE STRONG SWIMMER.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage breaches
q Sermon at Seattle, w. T.
How Christ, the Mighty Swimmer. Strikes
Out to Save sinful and Perishing
World-An Can be Saved Who
Will Accept His Aid.

How Christ, the Mighty Swimmer, Strikes
Out to save sinful and Perishing
world-An Can be Saved who
VIII Accept His Aid.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, D. D., preached
. sermon recently at Seattle, W. T. His
text was Isaiah XIV. II: HE shall spread
forth his hands in the midst Of them, as he
that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands
70 swim" Following is the sermon:
At this season Of the year multitudes of
people wade into the ponds and lakes and
rivers and seas. At first putting out eau
tiOusly from the shore, but having learned
the right stroke Of arm and foot, they let
the waters roll over them, and in wild glee
dive or float or swim. So the text will be
very suggestive: she shall spread forth
his hand in the middle of them, as he that
swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to
SWIM"
The fisherman seeks out unfrequented
hooks. You stand all day on the bank OF a
river in the broiling sun, and fling out your
line, and catch nothing, while the expert
angler breaks through the jungle and goes
by the shadow of the solitary rock, and in
9 place where no fisherman has been for ten
years, throws out his line and comes home
atnight, his face shining and his basket full
] do not know why we ministers of the gos-
pei need always be fishing in the same
stream and preaching from the same text
that other people preach from. can not
understand the policy OF the minister who,
In Blackfriars, London, England, every week
for thirty years preached from the Epistle
to the Hebrews. 1t is an exhilaration tome
when come across theme which / feel no
one else has treated, and my text is one Of
that kind. There are paths in Gods word
that are well beaten by Christian feet. When
men want to quote Scripture, they quote
the old passages that every one has heard.
When they want chapter read, they read
schapter that all the other people have been
reading, 80 that the church to-day Is ignor-
ant Of three-fourths Of the Bible. You go
into the Louvre at Paris. You contine your
self to one corridor of that opulent gallery
Of paintings. As you come out your friend
says to you, ibid you see that Rembrandt"
'.No." 'Did YOU see that Ruebenss" "No."
ibid you see5 that Titian9" ~'.Na' ibid
you see that Raphaelg'' ''No."S "Well,''
says your friend, 'then you didn't see the
Louvre" Now, my friends, think we are
too much apt to confine ourselves to one OF
the great corridors Of this Scripture truth,
and 80 much so that there ia not one person
out Of million who has ever noticed the
oil suggestive and powerful picture in the
words of my text
The text represents God as strong swim
mer, striking out to push down iniquity and
save the souls of men. HE shall spread
forth his hands in the midst of them, as he
that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to
swim" The figure is bold and many sided
Most Of you know how to swim. Some o1
you learned it in the city school, where this
art is taught; some Of you in boyhood, in
the river near your fathers house; some Of
you since you came to manhood or woman
hood, while summering on the beach of the
sea. You step down in the wave, you throw
your head back, you bring your elbows tt
the chest, you put the palms Of your hands
downward and the soles Of your feet out
ward, and you push through the water a.
though you had been born aquatic. It is 8
grand thing to know how to swim, not only
for yourself, but because you will, after {
while, perhaps, have to help others. d.
not know any thing more stirring or sub
lime than to see some man like Norman Nc
Kenzie leaping from the ship Madras int
the sea to save Charles Turner, who hat
dropped from the royal yard while trying Il
loosen the sail, bringing him back to tn
deck amid the huzzas of the passengers ant
crew. If a man has not enthusiasm enough
to cheer in such circumstances he deserve
himself to drop into the sea and have no on
TO help him. The Royal Humane Society o
England was established in 1774, its objec
to applaud and reward those who shout,
pluck up life from the deep. Any one VIII
has performed such deed of daring has al
the particulars Of that bravery recorded il
public record, and on his breast media
done in blue, and gold, and bronze; anchor
and monogram, and inscription, telling
future generations the bravery of the ma
or woman who saved some one from drown
ing. But, my friends, If It is such worth
thing to save a body from the deep, as
you if it is not worthier thing to save a
immortal soula And you shall see this hou
the Son of God step forth for this achieve
ment "He shall spread forth his hand /
the midst of them, as he that swimmet
spreadeth forth his hands to swim"
In order to understand the full force {
this figure you need to realize, first Of al
that our race is in sinking condition. 70
sometimes hear people talking of what the
consider the most beautiful words in on
language. One man says it is "home," al
other man says it is the word mother" al
other says it is the word Jesus" but / wi
tell you the bitterest word in our Language
the word most angry and bale full, the wor
saturated with the most trouble, the wor
that accounts for all the loathsomeness, an
the pang, and the outrage, and the harrowir
and that word is "sin." You spell it wit
three letters, and yet those three lettel
describe the circumference and pierce Il
diameter Of every thing bad in the univers
Sin it is sibilant word. You can not pr
nounceit withoutgiving the siss of the fan
or the hiss of the serpent Sin! And then
you add three letters to that word it describ
every one of US by nature-sinner. We ha,
outraged the law of God, not OCCASIONAL
or now and then, but perpetually. The Bib
declares it. Hark! It thunders two clap
1.-THE heart is deceitful above all things al
desperately wicked" 1.-THE soul that 81
: 3eth, it shall die.n What the Bible says o.
town conscience aflrms. After Judd
Morgan had sentenced Lady Jane Gray
death his conscience troubled him 80 mu
for the deed that he became insane al
all through his insanity he kept sayin
.t"Take her away from me! Lady Jane Gre
Take her away Lady Jane Grey" 1t W
the voice of his conscience. And no m
ever does any thing wrong, however gre
or small. but his conscience brings that m,
ter before him. and atevery step of his m
sshavior itsays: wrong, wrong" Sin
! leprosy, sin II paralysis, sin il consun
ton, sin il pollution, sin is death. Give 1