Connecticut western news., 1889-08-21

took both hands of God to save us-both feet. How do prove it? On the cross, were not both feet nailed! His entire nature involved in our redemption.
 If you have lived much by the water, you rotice also that if any one is going out to the rescue of the drowning he must be indepen- dclt. self reliant, able to go alone. There may be time when he must spring out to save one and he cannot get life-boat, 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 de liver us he had no life buoy. His Father did not help him. Alone in the wine press. Alone in the pang. Alone in the darkness. Alone in the mountain. Alone in the sea. 0, if he saves us he shall have all the credit, for ''there was none to help." No oar. Moving. No ladder. When Nathaniel Lyon fell in the battle charge in front of his troops. he had whole army to cheer him. When Marshal Ney sprang into the contest and plunged in the spurs till the horses Hanks spurted blood, all France applauded him. But Jesus alone! "Of the people there was none to help.' '.AI forsook him and fled." O, it was not flotilla that sailed down and saved us. It was not cluster of gOndOlas that came over the wave. It was one per son independent and alone, "spreading out his hands among us as a swimmer spreadeth forth his hands to swim."
 Behold then today, the spectacle of drown ing soul and Christ the swimmer. I believe it was in 1S4S, when there were six English soldiers of the Fifth Fusieers who were hanging to the bottom of a capsized boat-a boat that had been upset by squall three miles from shore. It 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 that 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: "Help! Helpw and they bore down to 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 it will be of no use. One minute may decide everything. Immedi- ate help the man wants or no help at all. NOW that is just the kind of relief we want. The case is urgent, imminent, 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 behaviour, 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 drowning man, brought to his senses, seized hold of the alba tross and held on. The f1uttering 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, talk ing hold of its potent wing, might live and live forever.
 want to persuade you to lay hold of this strong swimmer. "NO," you say, it is always for Av snn tO 1ov hn1 of swimmer" There Is not river or lake but has calamity resultant from the fact 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 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 to take hold of you while you take hold of him. But, blessed be God, 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, and he will do it. Do not trust that plank of good works. Do not trust that shivered can give you transportation. Turn your face upon him as the dying martyr did in olden days when he cried out: "None but Christ l! None but Christr' Jesus has taken millions to the land, and he is willing to take you there. Oh, what hardness to shove 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 re deemed spirit. I have sometimes thought when in the last day the water is all drawn of. It 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 merchant men went down. There is where the from beach to beach. What spectacle in the last day when the water is drawn off! But oh, how much more solemn if we had an eye to see the spiritual wrecks and the places where they foundered. Yeu 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 swimmer spreadeth forth his hands to swim;" but they thrust him in the sore heart, and they smOte his fair cheek, and 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. 1 hear great many in the audience saying: "Well, I would like to be Christian. I am going | to work to become 8 Christian" My brother, you begin wrong. When , . man is drowning, and strong swimmer comes out to help him, he says to him: "Now 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 to save soul, the sinner says: ''That's | right. I am glad to see Christ, and I am | going to help him in the work of my re. demption. I am going to pray more and
 that will help him; and I am going to weep
 help him.' No, my brother, it 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. This is the difficulty which keeps thou.
 sands of souls out of the kingdom of heaven Christ begin and complete the work of theil
 redemption. ''Why," you say, ''then is
 there nothing for me to!'' Only one thing
 have you to do, and that is to lay hold on Christ and let him achieve your salvation and | achieve it all. I do not know whether
 to show you that man cannot save himself
 but that the Almighty Son of God can do it
 and will do 1t if you ask him. O, fling your | two arms, the arms of your trust and love
 around this omnipotent swimmer of the
 cross.
 That is thrilling time when some one
 swamped in the surf is brought ashore and
 being resuscitated. How the people watct for the moment when he begins to breathe
 again, and when at last he takes one full in halation, and opens his eyes upon the by islanders, shout of joy rings up and dowr | the beach. There Is joy because a life
 has been saved. O., ye who have
 been swamped in the seas of trouble and sin! We gather around you. Would | that this might be the hour when you begir | to live. The Lord Jesus Christ steps down
 he gets on his knees, he puts his lips to youl | lip, and would breathe pardon and life anC
 heaven into your immortal soul. God grant | that this hour there may bt | thouSanAs SOrlls ros,!scitQted