The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-08-22

| III you nave ever watched swimmer,
| you notice that his whole body is brought
into play. The arms are flexed, the hands
drive the water back, the knees arc
| active the head Is thrown back 10
escape strangulation, the whole body Is in
| propulsion And when Christ sprang
into the deep 20 save us He throw His
entire nature into it-all His Godhead.
| His omniscicnce His goodness, His love.
his omnipotence--head heart eyes hands
| feet We were far out on the sea and 50 dccp
down In the waves and so far out from tho
shore that nothing short Of an entire God
could save us. Christ lcaped out for our
! rescue, saying; "Lol come 20 do thy wili.n
and nll the surges of human and satanic hate
beat against Hin, and those who watched Him
| from the gates of heaven feared Uc would
| 80 down under the wave, and instead of saw
| ing others would Himself perish: but putting
His breast to the foam, and shaking The surf
from His locks, He came on and on. until He
IS now within the reach Of every one here.
Eye omniscient, heart infinite arm onninn-
tent. Mighty 10 save, even unto the uttcr-
most. oh, IL was not half q God that
trampled down believing Gennesatpt It
was not quarter of God that mastered
the demons OF Gadarn. lt was not two-thirds
OF n God that lifted up Lazarus iuto the arms
| OF hHoNerloyed sisters. 1t was not fragment
OF God WHO offered pardon and pcace 10
oil the race. No This mighty swimmer
threw His grandeur, His glory, His might, Ills
wisdom, His omnipOtencc aud His eternity
! into this one act. IL took both hands OF God
TO save us-both feet How 10 prove iD
On the cross, were not both hands nailcd9
On the cross were not both foot nailed, Ills
entire nature involved in our redemption!
IT you have lived much 10y the water. YOU
notice also that II any one is going out tO tho
rescue of the browning he must bc indepeud-
cnt, self reliant able to 20 alouc. There may
be tiUC when We must spring out TO save
pttn "a ng gun tf1f n Lao.
out aud has not strength enough O. bear
himself up and bear another up lac will
sink, and instead II dragging one corpse
out OF the torrent you will have two to
drag out. When Christ spraug out
! into the fcg o. deliver ~ lIr had no
! life buoy. llisiatlor did not help Him Alone
| In the Wine urcs-. Alone IN M" Daug Alone
IN tine darkness. Alone n the mountain
Alone in the sea. u, If lIc saves us He sha1
have all the credit, for there was none to
help No oar. No wing No ladder.
When Nathaniel Lyon fell in the battle
charge in front Of his troops, he had a whol1
army TO cheer him. Whom Marshal Ney
Bpraug into the contest AMI plunged in
the spurs till the horses ilanks spurtc1 blood,
oil France applau1c1 him. But Jesus alonei
"Of tho people there was mono 10 help
"All forsook him and lleln q, IL was not n
lotilla that sailed down and saved us. It
was not n cluster Of gonlolns that came over
the wave. IL was one person Independent
aud alone spreading out His hands among
/ Us rs swimmer spreadeth forth his hands
/ - swim
! Behold then, to-day the spectacle Of n
/ drowning soul and Christ the swimmer. 1
believe il was in 1913 when there were six
English soldiers of the Fifth Fusicrs who
were hanging % the bottom of a capszcd
.boat-a boat that had bccn upset by s1uall
three miles from shore II was in the night,
but one man swan nightly for tho beach,
guided by the dar, mountains that lifted their
top through the night. He came to the beach
! He found shore man that consented 90 go
with him and save the other men, and they
| put out IL was some time before they could
find the place where the men were but after
awhile they heard their cry: "Helpl Helpr'
and they bore down 20 thcm, and they saved
| them, and brought them TO shore. Oh, that
this moment our cry might be lifted long
loud and shrill, till Christ the swimmer shall
come and take us lest we drop thousand
fathoms down.
If you have been much by water, you
know very well that when one is in peril
help must come very quickly, or il will be Of
no use One minute may decide everything
| Immediate help the man wants or no help at
all. Now, that is just the kind of n relief we
want. The case Is urgent, imminent, instan-
: taneous. See that soul sinking Son of
God, lay hold OF him. BE quicR be quick!
oh, wish you all understood how urgent
this Gospel is. There was n man in tho
| navy nc sea who had been severely whipped
for bad behavior, and he was maddcned
, by it, and he leaped into the sea, and no
sooner had he lesped into the sea than, uuicl,
as lightning, an albatross swooped upon him.
The drowning man., brought TO his senses.
seized hold Of the albatross and held on. The
tluttering 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.
Iwant to persuade you 10 lay hold OF this
strong swimmer. mo- you say, 'it Is al
ways disastrous for drowning man TO lay
hold of n swimmer" 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, tho drowning man
clutched him, threw his arms around him,
pinioned his arms and they both went down
together. When you are saving man in the
water you do not want TO come up by
his face; you want 10 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 to our face, aud
He asks us TO throw around Him the arms OF
our love, and then promises TO take us to tho
beach, and He will do il. Do not trust that
plank Of good works. Do not trust that
shivered spar of your own righteousness.
Christ only can give you transportation.
Turn your face upon Him as tho dying
martyr did in olden days when
he cried out: None but Christ! None but
Christi Jesus has taken millions 20 the
land, and He is willing 10 take you there
Oh, what hardness TO shove Him back when
lie has been swimming all the way from tho
throne of God To whore you are now, and is
ready 10 swim all the way back again taking
your redeemed spirit l have sometimes
thought what spectacle the ocean bed will
present when in the last day the water
is all drawn Off 1t will be n line of
wrecks from beach 10 beach There is
where the harpoons went down.
There Is where tho line of battle ships
went down There is where the merchant
men went down. There is where the steam
ers went down, a long line Of wrecks from
peacn 10 Deacn. Wnat q spectacle In the
last day when the water Is drawn OIL But
OH how much more solemn If we had an eye
10 see the spiritual wrecks and the places
whore they foundered You would find
thousands along our roads and streets.
Christ came down in their awful catas-
trophe putting out for their souls spreading
forth His hands rs "A swimmer spreadeth
forth his hands TO SWIM" but they thrust
Him in tho sore heart and they smote His
fair cheek, and the storm and darkness
swallowed them up. l ask you 10 lay hold
Of this Christ and lay hold of Him
now. You will sink without
| Him From horizon to horizon not