The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-04-06


prayer. 'They rowed hard to bring it
to the land, but they could not; where
fore they cried unto the Lord
Again, the unavaf1ing effort of those
Mediterranean oarsmen has a counter
part In every man that is trying to row
his own soul into safety. When the
Eternal Spirit flashes upon us our con-
d1t1on, we try to save ourselves. We
say. Give me stout oar for right
hand. give me a stout oar for my left
nand, and will pull myself into safe
ty-" No. A wave Of sin comes and
dashes you one way, and wave of
temptation comes and dashes you in
another way, and there are plenty of
rocks on which to founder, but seem
1ngly no harbor into which to sail. Sin
must be thrown overheard, or we must
perish. There are men who have tried
for years to become Christians. They
believe all I say in regard to a future
world They believe that religion is
the first, and last, the infinite necessity.
They do everything but trust in Christ.
Ihey make sixty strokes in minute
1hey bend forward with all the earn
estness, and they lie back until the
muscles are distended. and yet they
have not made one inche in ten years to
ward heaven. What is the reason?
That is not he way to go to work. You
might as well take frail skiff, and put
it down at the foot of Niagara, and then
head it up toward the churning thun-
derbolt Of waters, and expect to work
your way up through the lightning Of
foam into calm Lake Erie as for you to
try to pull yourself through the surf
of your sin into the hope, and pardon.
and placidity of the gospel You can
not do it in that way Sin is a rough
sea. and long boat, yawl, pinnace and
gondola 70 down unless the Lord de-
liver; but If you will cry to Christ and
lay hold Of divine mercy, you are as
safe from eternal condemnation as
though you had been twenty years in
heaven.
I wish I could put before my un-
pardoned readers their own helpless
ress. No human arm was ever strong
enough to unlock the door of heaven.
No foot was ever mighty enough to
break the shackle of sin. No oars'nan
swarthy enough to row him.
self into Gods 1arbor. The wind
is against you. The tide is ag ,inst
you. The law is against you. Ten
thousand cor1upting influences are
against you. Helpless and lnd,1e:
Not SO helpless Il sailor on a pl Ink,
midatlantic. Not so helpless a traveller
girded by twenty miles of prairie on
fire, Prove it, you say. I will prove
it. John vi, A: ''No man can como. to
me, except the father which hath sent
me draw him."
The Power of Christ.
But while have, shown your help
lessness, I want to put by the side of
it the power and willingness of Christ
to save you. I think it was in 1886 a
vessel was bound for Portugal. but it
vas driven to pieces on an unfriendly
coast. The captain had his son with
him, and with the crew they wan
dered up the beach and started ON a
long journey to find relief After a
while the son tainted by reason Of
hunger and the length Of the way. The
captain said to the crew: Garry my
boy for me on your shoulders. They
carried him on, but the journey was so
long that after awhile the crew tainted
from hunger and from WEAKNESS, and
could carry him no longer Then the
father rallied his almost wasted energy
and took up his own boy and put him
on his own shoulder aud carried him
on mile after mile, mile after mile,
until, overcome himself by hunger and
WEAKNESS. he, too, tainted by the way.
The boy lay down and died, and the
father, Just at the time rescue came to
him. also perished, living only long
enough to tell the story-sad story in
deed! But glory be to God that Jesus
Christ is able to take us up out Of our
shipwrecked and dying condition, and
put us on the shoulder Of MS strength.
and by the omnipotence Of his Gospel
bear us on through all the journey Of
this life, and at last through the open
ing gates of heaven! He is mighty to
save. Though your sins be long and
and black and inexcusable and out
Iagecals, the very moment you believe
/ will proclaim pardon-quick, full,
grand. unconditional, uncOmprOmiSing,
illimitable. infinite. Oh. the grace
of God! I am overwhelmed VIII n
I come to think of it. Give
me a thousand ladders, lashed fast to
each other, that may scale the height.
Let the line run out with the anchor
until all the cables of earth are ex
hausted, that we may touch the depth.
Let the archangel fly in circuit Of
eternal ages in trying to sweep, around
tI1S IQeme. On. the grace OIL OOu!. IL
is so high. It is so broad. It is SO
deep. Glory be to God, that where
mans oar gives out, Gods arm be-
gins! Why will We carry your sins
and your SORROWS any longer when
Christ offers to take them? Why will
you wrestle down your fears when this
moment you might give up and be
saved? Do you not know that every
thing is ready? t%...r>
Plenty Of room at the feast. Jesus
has the ring Of his love all ready to
put upon your hand. Come now and
sit down, We hungry ones, at, the ban
quet. Ye who are in rags of sin. take
/ the robe of Christ. .Ye who are
swamped by the breakers around you,
cry to Christ to pilot YOU into smooth,
still waters. On account of the pc
clliar phase of the subject, I have
t drawn my present Illustrations, YOU
see chiefly from the water I relneln-
j. ber that a vessel went, to pieces on the
Bermudas a great many years ago.
lit had a vast treasure on board. But
the vessel being sunk, no effort was
made to raise it, After many years
!, had passed. a company of adventures
went out from England. and. after Il
long voyage they I'eached the.
place where the vessel II, ms