Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-08-30
his arm, and thew both went down to-

his arm, and thel both went down to-
gether. When you are saving a man in
the water you do net 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
u swimmer. he comes not to our back,
put 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
not trust that shivered spar of your
own righteousness. Christ only can
give You transportation. Turn your
face upon him rs the dying mar
tyr did in olaen 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
ali the way from the throne of God to
where you are now, and is ready to swim
al the way back again, taking your re-
deemed spirit. 1 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 where the line of battle ships
went down. There is where the steam
ers went down, a long line of wrecks
from beach to beach. What spectacle
IN the last day when the water is drawn
on! But oh, how much more solemn if
we mad an eye to see the spiritual wrecks
and the places where they Aounaered.
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 swimmer spreadeth forth his hands
to swim; but they thrust Him in the sore,
heart' and they smote His fail}
cheek, and the storm and dark!
ness swallowed them up. 1 ask yeh
to lay hold of this Christ and Law holdof
Him now. You will sink without Him.
From horizon to horizon not one sal in
sight. Only one strong swimmer, with
head flung back and arms outspre.d. I
hear great many in the audience say
ing: Well, I would like to be Chris
tian: l am going to work to become
gin wrong. When man is drowning,
and strong swimmer comes out to help
him, he snys to him: Now be quiet.
Put your arm on my arm or on my shoul-
der 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" Whom Christ, the strong
swimmer, comes out to save a soul, the
sinner says: That's right. am glad
to see Christ, and am going to help
Him in the work of my redemption. I
am going to pray more and that will
help him; and am going to weep ex-
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
thousands OF souls out Of the kingdom
of Heaven. 1t is because they cannot
consent to let Jesus Christ begin and
complete the work of their redemption.
Why, you say, then is there nothing
for me to do DOE" Only one thing have
you to do, and that is to lay hold OF
Christ and let him achieve your saliva
ton and achieve it all. l do not know
whether 1 make the matter plain or not
1 simply want to show you that mar
cannot save himself, but that the AL
I mighty Son of God can do it, and will
} do it, if you ask him. o, fling your two
} arms, the arms of your trust and love
! around this omnipotent swimmer of the
, cross.
t That is q thrilling time when some
r one swamped in the surf is brought
| ashore and being resuscitated. How the
, people watch for the moment when he
, begins to breathe again, and when at
, last he takes one full inhalation, an6
) opens his eyes upon the bystanders, {
shout Of JOY rings up and down the
, beach. There is Joy because life
, has been saved. 0, We who have beer
swamped in the seas of trouble anC
} sin! we gather around you. Would
, that this might be the hour when
you begin to live. The LORD
| Jesus Christ steps down, he gets on his
knees. he puts his lip to your lip
: and would breathe pardon and life and
i Heaven into your immortal soul. Goo
| grant that this hour there may be thou
/ sands of souls resuscitated. I stand Oh
, the deck of the old Gospel ship amid q
crowd of passengers, all of them hop
| ing that the last man overheard may be
saved. May the living Christ this hour
put out for your safety, spreading forth
| his hands in the midst of you. as q
, swimmer spreadeth forth his hands to
, swim.