Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-10-27

awful catastrophe, putting out for theil
souls. spreading forth his hands as q
swimmer spreadeth forth his hands
to SWIM" but they thrust him In the
sore heart, and they smote his fan
cheek, and the storm and darkness
swallowed them up. | ask you to lay
hold 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 out
spread.
l hear many saying: "Well. would
like to be Il Christian. am going to
work to become a Christian" Ny
brother. you begin wrong. When a
man is drowning and a strong swim
mer comes out to help him, he says to
him: Now, be quiet. Put your arm on
my arm or on my shoulder. out 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 III take you
ashore" When Christ. the strcng
the sinner says: That's right. | am
glad to see Christ, and | am going to
help him in the work Of my redemp-
ton. | am going to pray more. and
that will help him, and am going to
weep extravagantly over my sins, and
that will help him." No; 1t 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.
Eny Hold of Christ.
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 redemp-
ton. Way" you say. then is there
nothing fOr me to do? Only one
thing have you to do, and that is to
lay hold Of Christ and let him achieve
your salvation and achieve it all.
do not know whether | make the mat
ter plain or not. simply want to
show you that u man cannot save him
self, but that the Almighty Son Of
God can do it and will do it If you ask
him. Oh, ding your two arms. the
arm OF your trust and the arm Of
your love. around this omnipotent
swimmer Of the cross.
"IIave you ever stood by and seen
some one under process Of resuscitation
after long submergcncef The strong
swimmer has put him on the beach aft.
er a struggle in the waters. TO excite
breathing IN the almost Iifeless body
what manipulation. what friction Of
the cold limbs. what artificial move
ment of the lungs. what breath of the
rescuer blown into the mouth Of the
rescued. And when breathing begins,
and after awhile the slight respiration
becomes the deep sigh. and the eyes
open, and the blue lips take on a smile
what rejoicing, what clapping of
hands all up and down the beach. what
cOngratulation for the strong swimmer
and for all who helped in the restora-
tlon, what shouting of "He lives, he
liyesw Like this is the gladness when
n soul that has been submerged in sin
and sorrow is coming to-" What de-
sire on the part Of all to help, and,
when under the breath Of God and un-
der the manipulation by the wounded
hands Of Christ. the life eternal Of the
soul begins to show itself, all through
the ranks Of spectators. terrestrial and
celestial. goes the cry: He lives! Re
jolce, for the dead is alive agaiu." May
the living Christ this moment put out
for your rescue. spreading his hands
in the midst Of you. as a swimmer
spreadeth his hands to swim"