The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-08-30

teeth would chatter, ana our respiration
would be choked, and our heart would
| break. If your sins are unforgiven, they
| are bearing down on you, and you are
/ sinking-sinking away from happiness,
| sinking away from God, sinking away
from every thing that is good and blessed.
Then what do we want? A swimmer! A
| strong swimmer A swift swimmer!
| And, blessed be God, in my text we have
/ Him announced. 'tHe shall spread forth
1 His hands in the midst of them, as he
/ that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands
/ to swim.S You have noticed that when
/ swimmer goes out to rescue any one he
puts off his heavy apparel. Ho must not
/ have any such impeachment about him II
/ he is going to do this great deed. And
/ when Christ stepped forth 10 save us He
/ shoe off the sandals Of Heaven, and His
feet were free; aud then He stepped
/ down into the wave of our transgressions,
| and it came up over His wounded feet,
! and it came above the spear-stab in His
! side-aye, it dashed to the lacerated tenn
| pie, the high-water mark of His anguish.
/ Then, rising above the food, II
stretched forth His hands in the midst OF
them, he that swimmeth spreadeth
forth his hands to swim"
/ If you have ever watched a swimmer,
/ you notice that his whole bodyis brought
into play. The arms are hexed, the hands
drive the water back, the knees are act
/ I've, the Q6dQ Is thrown DaCR TO escape
/ straugulatiOn, the whole body is in pro-
pulsiOn. And when Christ sprang into
/ the deep to save us, He threw His entire
nature into it-au His Godhead, His ON
| niscience, His goodness, His love, His
| omuipOtence-head, heart eyes. hands,
feet. We were 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: 10! 1 come
to 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 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 ON
nipotent. Mighty to saw, even unto the
uttermost Oh, it was not half God that
trampled down believing Gennesaret. 1t
was not quarter OF a God that mastered
the demons of Gadara. 1t was not two
thirds of God that lifted up Lazarus in
to the arms of his overjoyed sisters. 1t
was not fragment Of q God who offered
pardon and peace to all the race. No.
This mighty swimmer threw His grandeur,
His glory, His might, His wisdom, His
Omnipoteuce and His eternity into this
one act. 1t took both hands of God to
save us-both feet. How do 1 prove it?
On the cross were not both hands nailed?
On the cross were not both feet nailed?
His entire nature involved in our re-
demptionI
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 Independents, self-reliant able to go
oIn ha ha7 IA
must spring out to save one and he can
not get life b oat, and lie goes out and has
not strength enough to bear himself up,
: he will sink, and instead of dragging one
I 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
darkness. Alone in the mountain. Alone
I | in the sea. o, if He saves us He shall
: have all the credit, for ''there was none
: to help" No oar, no wing, no ladder.
J | When Nathaniel Lyon fell in the battle
: | charge in front of his troops he had q
!. whole army to cheer him. When Mar
= shall Ney sprang into the contest. and
: plunged in the spurs till the horse's
: TANKS spurted blood, all France APP
plauded him. But Jesus alOnel ''Of the
- people there was none to help" "Al
> fOrsook Him and fled" 80 it was not a
nOIlIla Iu6G SulIeu down ana SaV6I us. IL
was not cluster of gOndolas that came
: rover the wave. 1t was one person, indie
" pendent and alone, spreading out His
= hands among US, a swimmer spreadetI
= forth his hands to swim"
- Behold then to- day the spectacle Of q
: drowning soul aud Christ the swimmer.
a 1 believe it was in 1S4S, when there we're
# six English soldiers of the Fifth Fusi-
>. | leers who were hanging to the bottom of
q a capsized bOat-a boat that had been
y upset by q SO uall three miles from shore,
= It was in the night, but one man swan
a nightly for the beach, guided by the
4 dark mountains that lifted their tops
I through the night. He came to the
N beach. He found a shore man that con-
! scented to go with him and save the other
n men, and they put out. 1t was some time
before they could find the place where
y the men WERE but after awhile they
+ heard their cry: "Helpl helpp aud they
"a bore down to them and they saved then
Is and brought them to shore. Oh that this
Is moment our cry might be lifted long
loud and shrill till Christ the swimmer
st shall come and take US, lest we drop
h thousand fathOms deep.
If you have been much by water, yoU
q know very we'll that when one is in peri
II help must come very quickly, or it will bt
l. of no use. One minute may decile every
= thing. Immediate help the man wants Oh
/ no uGlil tb dl1s Now Lndb Is just the KING
n of a relief we want. The case is urgent
s immediate, instantaneous. See that sou
) sinking. Son of God, lay hold of him
9 Be quickl be quick Oh, wish you al
Q understood how urgent this Gospel is
d There was man in the navy at sea who
10 had been severely whipped for bad be-
> havior, and he was maddened by it and
d he leOped into the sea, and no sooner haC
" he leaped into the sea than, quick al
st lightning, an albatross swOOped upOI
l. him. The drowning man, brought to hi,
= senses, seized hold of the albatross and
a held on. The fluttering of the bird KEEP
it him on the wave until relief could come
'r Would now the dove of Gods couvicting
n converting and saving spirit might fiasl
1t from the throne upon your soul, and tina
- you, taking hold of its potent wing, mi h
of live and live forever.
4, i want to persuade you to lay hold o
t. this strong swimmer. NNo," you say
rt ''it is always disastrous for drowning
= man to lay hold of a swimmer" Their
b. is not river or lake but has a calamit,
resultant from the fact that when a strOnj
% swimmer went out to save a sinking man
l. the drowning man clutched him, threw
l. his arms around him, pinioned his arms
IA and they both went down together. Whel
ii you are saving a man in the water you d.
:; not want to come up to his face; you wan