The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-09-04

| tuB OIuefS WOulu aIulSSiI PERISH, DuG
His breast to the foam, and shaking the surf
from His locks, He came on and on until He
| IS now WlJnln the reacn OF every one here.
Eye omniscient, heart infinite, arm omnipo-
tent. Mighty to save, even unto the utter
most. Oh, it was not half God that
trampled down believing Gennesaret. It
was not quarter Of God that mastered
the demons of Gadara. It was not two-thirds
Of God that lifted up Lazarus into the arms
of his overjoyed sisters. 1t was not fragment
Of God who offered pardon and peace to
oil the race. No. This mighty swimmer
threw His grandeur, His glory, His might. His
wisdom, His ,omnipotence and His eternity
into this one act It took both hands Of God
to save us-both feet. How do prove iG?
| On the cross, were not both hands nailed?
On the cross, were not both feet nailed? 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 drowning he must be independ-
ent, self reliant, able to 60 alone. There may
/ be q time when we must spring out to save
one and he cannot get lifeboat, and he goes
himself up, and bear another up, no 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 us He shall
have ell the credit, for 'there vas none to
help" No oar. No wing No ladder.
Wien 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 tho horses fanks spurted blood,
all France applauded him. But Jesus alone.
stAll forsook him and fled" o, it was NOT
aotilla that sailed down and saved us. 1t
was not cluster Of goudolas that came over
the wave 1t was ono psrson, independent
and alone, spreading out His hands among
US as swimmer spraadeth forth his hands
TO SWIM"
Behold then, to-day, the spectacle Of
drowning soul and Christ, the swimmer. 1
believe it was in 1S4S, when there were six
English soldiers of thu Fifth Fusiliers, who
were hanging to thu bottom Of q cap5iz,d
boat-a boat that had bsen upset by a suuall
thraa miles from shore. 1t was in tha night,
but one man swan nightly for tho beach,
guided by the dark mountains that lifted their
top through the night. He came to the beach
He found shore man that consented. to go
with him and save the other men, and they
put out. 1t WIS some time before they could
find the place where the men were, but after
awhile they heard their cry: "Help! HclpI'
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. ..
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.
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 Gospel is. There was a man in the
navy at sea who had been severely whipped
for bad behavior, 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 albaross and held on. The
fiuttering 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 to lay hold Of this
strong swimmer. "No," you say, lit is al
ways disastrous for a drowning man to lay
hold Of swimmer" There Is not a river or
lake but has a calamity resultant from the
fact that when strong swimmer went out
to save sinking man, the drowning man
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 Jesus Christ is so strong a swimmer, BE
comes not to our back, but to our face, and
| Heasks us to throw around Him the arms Of
our love, and then promises to take us to the
| 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 the dying
martyr did in olden days when
he cried out: "None but Christ! None but
Christi Jesus has taken millions to the
land, aud He is willing to take you there.
| Oh, what hardness to shove Him back when
He has been swimming all the way from the
ready to swim all the way back again, taking
your redeemed spirit. I have sometimes
| Thought what q spectacle the ocean bed will
present when in the last day the water
is all drawn off. It will be q line Of
wrecks from beach to beach. There Is
| where the harpoons went down.
There is where the line Of battle ships
went down. There is where. the merchant
men went down. There is where the steam
ers went down, q long line of wrecks from
beach to beach. What a spectacle in the
last day when the water is drawn of But
oh, how much moro solemn if we had an eye
| to see the spiritual wrecks and the places
| where 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 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
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. l am
going to work to become a Christian" MY
brother you begin wrong. When q man Is
drowning, and strong swimmer comes out
Put your arm on my arm or on my shoulder,
but don't struggle don't try to help your
self, and I'll take you ashore. The more you
struggle and the more you try to help your
self. the more You impede me. Now be
quiet and pll take you ashore" When
Christ, the strong swimmer, comes out to
save q soul, the sinner says: "Thats right.
am glad to see Christ, and am going to
help Him in the work Of my. redemption.
Him: and I am going to weep extravagantly
over my sins and that will help Him." Mo-
my brother, it will not. Stop your doing:
Christ will do all or none You cannot H't