The Russellville Democrat., 1889-08-29

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? swimmeri A strong swimmer A swift swimmer And, blessed be God, in my text we have Him announced. "He shall spread forth His hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim" You have noticed that when swimmer goes out to rescue any one he puts off his heavy apparel. Ho must not have any such impediment about him if he is going to do this great deed. And when Christ stepped forth ta save us He shook off the sandals of Heaven, and His feet were free; and 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 flood, HI @ stretched forth His hands 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 flexed, the hands drive the water back. the knees are act i've, the head is thrown back to escape strangulation, the whole body is in pro- pulsion. And when Christ sprang into the deep to save us, He threw His entire nature into it--all His Godhead, His om- niscienoe, His goodness, His love, His omnipotence-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 en tire God could save us. Christ leaped out for our rescue, saying: "Lol l 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 om- nipotent. Mighty to save, even unto the uttermost Oh, it was not half God that trampled down believing Gennesaret. It was not quarter of a God that mastered the demons of Gadara. It was not two-
  to the arms of his overjoyed sisters. It 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 omnipotence and His eternity into this one act. It took both hands of God to save us-both feet. How do I 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- demptionl
 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 independent, self-reliant able to go alone. There may be time when he must spring out to save one and he can not get a life boat, and he goes out and has not strength enough to bear himself 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 darkness. Alone in the mountain. Alone in the sea. o, if He saves us He shall have all the credit, for 'there was none to help" No oar, DO 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 Mar shal Ney sprang into the contest and plunged in the spurs till the horses Hanks spurted blood, all France ap- plauded him. But Jesus alonel "Of the people there was none to help" "All forsook Him and fed" 70 it was not a hotilla that sailed down and saved us. It was not cluster of gOndolas that came over the wave. It was one person, inde- pendent and alone, "spreading out His hands among us, as swimmer spreadeth forth his hands to swim"
 Behold then to- day the spectacle of drowning soul and Christ the swimmer. I believe it was in 1Sl8, when there were six English soldiers of the Fifth Fusi- leers who were hanging to the bottom of capsized boat-a boat that had been upset by a sq uall 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 tops through the night. He came to the beach. He found shore man that con- sented 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: "Helpi help" 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 a thousand fathoms deep.
 If you have been much by water you know very we'll that when one is in peril help must come very quickly, or it will 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, immediate, 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 man in the navy at sea who had been severely whipped for bad be- havior, 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 couvicting, converting and saving spirit might flash from the throne upon your soul, and that you, taking hold of it's potent wing, might live and live forever.
 want to persuade you 10 lay hold of this strong swimmer. "No," you say, '.it Is always disastrous for 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 a sinking man. the drowning man clutched him, threw his arms around him, pinioned his arms, and they both wont down together. When you are saving a man in the water you do not want to come up to his face; you want to come up by his back. You do not want him to take hold of you while you tako hold of him. But, blessed be God, Jesus Christ is so strong swimmer He comes not to Our hack but to Our PacA and ua