Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-08-23

lacerated temple, the high water mark OF
his anguish Then, rising above the food,
she stretched forth his hands in the midst Of
them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth
his hands to swim"
II you have ever watched a swimmer,
you notice that his whole body is brought
into play. The arms are fexed, the hands
drive the water back, the knees are active,
the head is tossed back TO escape strangula-
ton, the whole body is in propulsion. And
when Christ sprang into the deep to save US,
he threw his entire nature in tall his God
head, his omniscience, his goodness, his love,
his omnipotence-head, heart, eyes, hands,
feet. We were so far out on the sea and 50
deep down in the waves and so far out from
the shore that nothing short of an entire
God could save US. Christ leaped out for our
rescue, saying; "Loi l come to do thy will,
and all the surges of human and satanic hate
beat against him, and those who watched
him from the gates of heaven feared he
would go down under the wave, and instead
Of saving others would himself perish; but,
putting his breast TO the foam, and shak-
ing 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 unto the
uttermost. Oh, it was not half God that
trampled down believing Gennesaret. It was
not quarter of a God that mastered the de
mons Of Gadara It was not two-thirds of a
God that lifted up Lazarus into the arms of
his overjoyed sisters. It was not fragment
of a God who offered pardon and peace to all
the race. No. This mighty swimmer threw
his grandeur, his glory, his might, his wis
dom, his omnipotence and his eternity into
this one act, It took both hands of God to
save us-both feet How do I prove itl On
the cross, were not both hands naiedl On the
cross, were not both feet nailedl His entire
nature involved in our redemptionl
THE REsOUER MUST BE FEARLESS.
If you have lived much by the water, you
notice also that if any one is going out to
rescue the drowning he must be Independent,
self reliant, able to so alone. There may be
a time when he must spring out to save one,
and he cannot get lifeboat, and if he goes
out and he has not strength enough to bear
himself up, and bear another up, he viii sink,
and instead of dragging one corpse out Of the
torrent you will have two 10 drag out. When
Christ sprang out into the sea to deliver us
he had no life buoy His Father did not helr
him. Alone in the wine press Alone in the
pang. Alone In thedarkness. Alonein the sea.
o, if he saves us he shall have all the credit fol
''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 whole army to cheer him.
When Marshal Ney sprang into the contest
and plunged in the spurs till the horses
TANKS spurted blood, all France applauded
him. But Jesus alonet "Of the people there
was none to help" IAN forsook him and
fled" o, it was not a dotilla that sailed
down and saved US. 1t was not a cluster of
gondolas that came over the wave 1t was
one person, independent and alone, spread
ing out his hands among us as a swimmer
spreadeth forth his hands to SWIM
Behold then today, the spectacle of a
drowning soul and Christ the swimmer
believe it was In 1913, when there were six
English soldiers of the Fifth Fusilers who
were hanging to the bottom of a capsized
boat--a boat that had been upset by a sqaall
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 shore man who consented
to go with him and save the other men, and
they put out. It was some time before they
could find the place where the men were. but
after awhile they heard their cry: "Helpl
Helpm and they bore down to them and
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 thou
sand fathoms down..
If you have been much by the 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 may decide everything
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, instan-
taneous See that soul sinking Son of God,
lay hold of him. Be quick be quick Oh,
wish you all understood how urgent this Cos
pei is There was man in the navy at sea
who had been severely whipped for bad be-
havior, and he was maddened by it, and he
leaped into the sea, and no sooner had he
leaped into the sea than, 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 fluttering of
the bird kept him on the wave until relief
could come Would that now the dove Of
Gods convicting, converting and saving
spirit might fash 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
1 want to persuade you to lay hold Of this
strong swimmer. No. you say, lit is al
ways disastrous for drowning man to lay
hold of a swimmer" There is not river or
lake but has a calamity resultant from the
fact that when a strong swimmer went out
to S,ve 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 mai 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 to take hold of YOU while
you take hold Of him But, blessed be God,
Jesus Christ is 50 strong a swimmer, he
COMES not to our back, but to our face, and
he asks US to throw GROUND him the
arms OF our love- and then promises
to take us to the beach, and he viii
do it. Do not trust that planl, Of
good works Do not trust that shiyered spar
of your own Righteousness. Christ only can
give you transportation. Turn your face
upon him. as the dying martyr did in olden
days when he cried out: None but Christ
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 spectacle the ocean
bed will present when in the last day the
water is all drawn off, 1t will be line Of
wrecks from beach to beach. There is where
the harpooners went down There is whore
the line of battle ships went down. There is
where the merchantmen went down There
is where the steamers went down, 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 moro solemn
If we had an eye to see the spiritual wrecks
and the places where they fomdered You
would find thousands along our roads and
streets. Christ came down in their awful
catastrophe, putting out for their soul,
spreading forth his hands as swimmer
spreadeth forth his hands to swimn but they
thrust him in the sore heart, and they smote
his fair check, and the ste: m aud darkness
swallowed them up eie you to lay hold of
this Christ and lay hold Of him now. You
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