The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-08-24

49, - ~.A ANhN"c JOY hNH hoA i SOllO w
do Thy viii" and all the surgos of human
and satanic hate beat against Him, and
those who watched Him from the gates of
Heaven feared He would 60 down under
the wave, and instead of saving 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
omnipotent. Mighty to save even to the
uttermost. o, it was not half a God that
trampled down believing Gennesaret. 1t
was not n quarter of a God that mastered
the demons of Gadara. 1t was not two
thirds of a God that lifted up Lazarus into
the arms of bis overjoyed sisters. 1t was
not a fragment of a God who offered par
don and peace to all the race. No. This
mighty swimmer threw His grandeur, His
glory, His might. His wisdom, His omnip-
otence and His eternity into this one act.
1t took both hands of God to save us-both
feet. How do | prove it? On the cross,
were no both hands nailed? On the cross,
We're not both feet nailed? His entire nat
ure was involved in our redemptionl
If you have lived muc by the water
you notice also that If any one is going
out to the rescue of the drowning he must
be independent, self-reliant, able to go
alone. There may be- time when he must
spring out to save one and he can not get
a lifeboat, and he goes out and has not
strength enough to bear himself up, and
bear another up, he will sink, and instead
of dragging one corpse out of the torrent
you will have two to drag out. When
Christ sprang out into the sea to deliver
us He had no life buoy. His father did
not help HIM Alone in the wine press.
Alone in the pang. Alone in the dark
ness. Alone in the mountain. Alone in
the sea. o, if He saves us He shall have
all the credit, foe ''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 n
whole army to cheer him. When Marshal
Ney sprang into the contest and plunged
in the spurs till the horses fianks spurted
blood all France %applauded him. But
Jesus alone! 'Of the people there was
none TO help. All forsook Him and fed"
o, II was not a fiptilla that sailed down
and saved us. 1t was not n cluster of
gondolas that came over the wave. 1t
was one person, independent and alone,
spreading out his hands among us as a
swimmer spreadeth forth his hands to
swim"
Behold them to-day, the spectacle of a
drowning soul and Christ the swimmer.
| believe it was 1913, when there we're six
English soldiers of the Fifth Fusiliers
who were hanging to the bottom of a cap
sized boai-a boat that had been upset by
n squall three miles from shore. 1t was
in the night, but one man swan nightly
for the beach, guided by the dark mount
aims that lifted their top through the
night. He came to the beach. He found
a shoreman that consented to 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 b)re down to them, and
they saved them, and brought them to
shore. D, that this moment our cry might
be lifted long, loud and shrill, till Christ
the swimmer shall come and take us lest
we drop a thousand fathoms down.
IL you nave been much by water, you
know very well that when one is in peril
help must come very quickly, or it will be
of no use. One minute m decide every
thing. Immediate help the man wants, or
no help at all. Now, that is just the kind
of a relief we want. The case is urgent,
imminent, instantaneous. See that soul
sinking. Son of God, lay hold of him. Be
du'Sh 10 quiShA ~, WISH you all unu6T-
stood 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 maddened by II, and he leaped
into the sea, I'd no sooner had he leaped
into the sea han, quick as lightning, an
albatross swooped upon him The DROWN
ing man, brought to his senses, seized hold
of the albatross and held on. The futter-
ing of the bird kept him on the wave until
relief could come. Would now the dove
OF Gods convicting, converting and saw
ing spirit might fash from the throne up
on your soul, and you, taking hold of
its potent wing. might live and live for
ever.
l want to persuade you to lay hold of
this strong swimmer. 'tNo," you say, at
is always disastrous for a drowning man
TO lay hold of a swimmer" There is not
a river or lake but has a calamity result
ant from the face that when a strong
swimmer went out to save a sinking man
the drowning 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 to come up by his face, you want
TO come up by his back. You do not want
him 10 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, and He
asks us to throw around Him the arms of
our love and then promises to take us to
the beach. mt He will do it. Do not trust
that plank Of good works. Do not trust
that shivered spar of your own righteous
ness. Christ only can give you transporta-
ton. Turn your face upon Him as the dy-
Ing martyr did in olden days when he cried
out: None but Christi None but Christ"
Jesus has taken millions to the land, and
He is willing to take you there. o, what
hardness to shove Him Lack when He has
been swimming ali the way from the
throne OF Goo 10 whore you are now, and
Is ready TO swim all the way back again,
taking your redeemed spirit.
L have sometimes thought what a spec-
tacle the ocean bed will present when in
the last day the water is all drawn off. 1t
will be a line of wrecks from beach to
beach. There is where the harpooners
went down. Thers Is where the line of
battle ships went down. There is where
the merchantmen went down. There is
where the steamers went down-a long
line of wrecks from beac CHI to beach. What
a spectacle in the last day when the water
is drawn off But o, how much more SOL
emn II 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 a swimmer spreadeth forth
his hands to SWIM" but they thrust
Him in the sore heart, and they smote His
fair cheek, and the storm and darkness
swallowed them up. l ask you to 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. / lei a great many
in the audience saying: "Well, l would
like to be a Christian. / am going to work
to become a Christian" My brother, you
begin wrong. When n man Is drowning,
and a 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, dom try to help
yourself, and Trl help you ashore. The
more you struggle and the more you try
to help yourself the more you impede me.
Now be quiet and PIl take you ashore"
When Christ, the strong swimmer, comes
out to save a soul, the sinner says:
''That's right. | am glad to see Christ
and l am going TO help Him in the work of
my redemption. | am going to pray more
and that will help Him; and / am going to
weep ~extravagantly over my sins, and
that will help Him" No. my brothers, it
will not. Stop your doing. Christ will
do all or none. You can not lift an ounce.
you can not move an inch in this matter
of your redemption.