Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-08-29

hDoNe tne HoOu- ne stfeJcneu fortn Ills ha1dS
In the midst of them. as he that swimmeth
spreadeth forth his hands to swim"
If you have ever watched swimmer,
you notice that his whole body is brought
into play. The arms are hexed, the hands
drive the water back, the knees are
active, the head is thrown back to
escape strangulation, the whole body is in
propulsion And when Christ sprang
into the deep to save us, He threw His
entire nature into it-an His Godhead,
bis omniSclence, His goodness. His love,
his mnipotence-head, heart, eyes, hands,
feet. We were far out on the sea and so 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: "Lol / 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 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 omnipo-
tent. Mighty to save, even unto the utter
most. Oh, it was not half a God that
trampled down believing Gennesaret 1t
was not a quarter Of a God that mastered
the demons of Gadara. 1t was not two-thirds
OF God that lifted up Lazarus into the arms
of his overjoyed sisters 1t 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
wisdom, His omnipotence 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 not both hands nailedg
On the cross, were not both feet nailedY His
entire nature involved in our redemption
If you have lived much by the water, you
notice also that If any one is going out to the
rescue of the Growing he must be independ-
emit self reliant, able to go alone. There may
be time when We must spring out to save
one and he cannot get 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 darkness. Alone in the mountain.
Alone in the sea. o, if He saves MS He shall
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 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 alone
,ssOf the people there was none to help
"All forsook him and fed o, it was noU a
fotilla 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, spreading out His hands among
us as a swimmer spreadeth forth his hands
to swim"
Behold then, to-day. the spectacle of q
drowning soul and Christ the swimmer. /
believe it was in 1S4S, when there were six
English soldiers of the Fifth Fusiliers, who
were hanging to the bottom OF a capsized
boat--a boat that had been upset by squall
three miles from shore. Ii 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. 1t 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 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.
II you have been much by water, You 1
know very well that when one is in peril /
help must come very quickly, or it win be OF /
no use One minute may 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 instan-
taneous. See that soul sinking. Son III
Sod, lay hold Of him. Be quick be quicS
Oh. | wish you all understood how urgent 4
his Gospel is There was a man in th
navy at sea who had been severely whipped /
Tor bad behavior, and he was maddened /
Dy it, and he leaped into the sea, and no
sooner had he leaped into the sea than, quick
IS lightning, an albatross swooped upon him.
The drowning man, brought to his senses,
ieized hold of the slbatross and held on. The
of the bird kept him ON the wave
If Gods convicting, converting and saving
ipirit might fash from the throne upon your
'oul and that you, taking hold Of its potent
wing. might live and live forever.
Iwant TO persuade you to lay hold Of this
trong swimmer. mo- you say, lit is al
yays disastrous for drowning man TO lay
lold of a swimmer There is not river or
axe but has a calamity resultant from the
act that when strong swimmer went out
o save sinking man, the drowning man
lutched him, threw his arms around him.
,inioned his arms. and they both went down
ogether. When you are saving man in the
water you do not want TO come up by
lis face; you want to come up by his back.
GU do not want him to take hold of YOU
While you take hold OF him. But, blessed be
Tod, Jesus Christ is so strong swimmer. He
ONES not to our back, but TO our face, and
lie asks us to throw around Him the arms of
ur love, and then promises to take us to the
each. and He will do it. Do not trust that
flank of good works. Do not trust that
hivered spar Of your own Righteousness.
'hrist only can give you transportation.
urn your face upon Him as the dying
nartyr did in olden days when
e cried out: None but Christi None but
'hristw Jesus has taken millions to the
and, and He is willing to take you there.
M. what hardness to shove Him back when
Te has been swimming all the way from the
hrone of God to where you are now, and is
eady to swim all the way back again. taking
our redeemed spirit. / have sometimes
bought what a spectacle the ocean bed viii
resent when in the last day the water
, all drawn off. Ii will be a line Of
,recks from beach to beach. There Is
there the harpoons went down.
here is where the line of hattie ships
rent down. There is where the merchant
len went down. There is where the steam
rs went down. a long line Of wrecks from
each to beach. What a spectacle in the
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