The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-10-26

IL you have ever watched swimmer,
you notice that his whole body Is brought
into play. The arms are hexed the hands
drive the water back the knees are active
the head Is thrown back to escape strangu-
lation, the Whole body Is In propulsion.
And when Christ sprang into the deep to
save us He threw His entire nature into it
nll His godhead, His omnisclence, His good
| ness, His love, His omnlpotence, head,
heart, eyes, hands, feet. We were far out
| on the sea and so deep down In the waves
and so far out from tho shore that nothing
short OF an ontire God could save us.
Christ leaped out for our rescue, saying,
10, l come to do 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 waves and instead of
saving others would Himself perish; but,
putting His breast to the foam and shak.
Ing the surf from His locks, He came on
and on until He is now within the reach
OF every one here, eye omnisclent, heart
Infinite, arm omnipotent, mighty to save,
even unto the uttermost.
On, It was not half Il God that trampled
down believing Gennesarot It was not n
quarter OF God that mastered the de.
mons OF Gadara; IL was not two-thirds of a
God that lifted up Lazarus into the arms
OF his overjoved sisters; it was not Il frag.
ment OF God who offered pardon and
peace to all the race. No. This mighty
swimmer threw his grandeur, his glory,
/ his might, his wisdom, his omuipotence
, and his eternity into this one act. It took
both hands of God to save us--bolh feet,
How do | prove it2 On the cross wero
not both hands nailed? On the cross
were not both feet spiked? His entire
nature Involved in our redemptionl
/ II you have lived much by the water.
You notice also that II any ono Is going ont
to the rescue of the drowning he must be
Independent, self-rellnnt, able to go alone
There may be timo when he must spring
/ out to save one, and he cannot get life.
boat, aud II he goes out and has not
strength enough to bear himself up and
bear another up he will sink, and instead
] OF dragging one corpse out of the blllows
you will have two to drag out. When Christ
sprang out Into the sea to deliver us, He
had no lille buoy. His Father did not help
Him. Alone in the wine press, alone in the
pang, alone in the darkness alone on the
mountain alone in the seal oh, II He saves
us He shall have all the credit, for "there
was none to help" no oar, no wing no
ladderl When Nathaniel Lyon fell in the
battle charge in front of his troops, he had
whole army to cheer him. When Marshal
Ney sprang Into tho contest and plunged
IN the spurs till the horses flanks spurted
blood, all France appiauded him. But Jesus
| alonel "Of tho people there was none to
I help" "All forsOok him and fed" Oh It
was not 1otilla thnt sailed down aud
saved us 1t was not n cluster Of gondolas
that came over the wave. 1t was one por.
son, independent aud alone, spreading
out His hands among us 0s n swimmer
spreadeth forth his hands to swim"
Behold, then, the spectacle OF drown
ing soul and Christ the swimmerl | believe
1t was in l649 when there were six English
soldiers OF the Fifth fusileers who were
hanging to Il capsized boat-a boat that
had been upset by Il squall three miles
from shore. 1t 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 shoreman that consented to 20
| with him and save the other men, and they
put out. 1t was some time before they
could find the place where the men were
but after awhile they heard their or,
"Help, helpl" and they bore down to them,
and they saved them and brought them to
shore.
II you have been much by the water, Won
know very we'll that when one Is In peril
help must come very quickly, or it will ba
OF no use. One minute may decide every
thing. Immediate help the man wants or
no help Mt all. Now that Is just the kind
of relief we want. The case is urgent,
imminent, instantaneous. See that soul
sinking! Son of God, lay hold OF him.
Be quick, be quickl Oh, 1 wish you ali
understood how urgent this gospel is.
There was man in the navy ut sea
who had been severely whipped Cor
by 1t and 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 albntross and held on.
The tlutterlng of the bird kept him on tho
wave until relief could come. Would now
that the dove OF Gods convcting, convert
Ing and saving spirits might flash from the
throne upon your soul and that you, TAX
ing hold OF its potent wing might live and
live forever.
The world has had strolg swimmers bo-
sides the ono OF the text, perhaps the
grentest among them Matthew Webb, oftb5
British mercantile marine service. 4e
1 leaped from the deck OF the Russia. the Gun.
ard steamer, to save the life of II sailor who
had fallen overheard. No wonder the
/ passengers subscribed for him Il large re.
ward and the Royal Humane Society of
! London decorated him with honors. A
mighty swimmer was he, by the strength
I OF his own arm and foot pushing through
the waters from Blnckwall pier to Graves
! end pier, eighteen miles, and from ID over to
Calais. 80 miles, where he crossed, yet he
was drowned at last in our Niagaras
whirlpool. But the strong swimmer of my
| text put out alone to swim wrathler sea
and for vaster distance, even from world
to world, to save us who were swamped In
! guilt and woe, and brought us to the shore
OF safety, although He at last won't down
into the whirlpool OF human and satanic
rage. "He descended into holll"
! New modes have been invented for res
cuing drowning body, but there has been
| no new invention for rescuing n drowning
soul. In 1855 Lionel Luklu, London
coach builder, fitted up Norway yawl as
lifeboat and called 1t the Interchangeable,
and that has been improved upon until
from all the coasts of the round world per-
feet llfeboats are ready to put out for tho
relief of marine disasters. In sixteen years
the French Soclsty For Saving Life From
Shipwreck saved 2l29 lives. The Ger
man Association For tho Rescue of
Life From Shpwreck, the Royal Ma
tion Lifeboat institution and our
United States life saving service
have done work beyond tho power OF
statistics to commemorate. What rocket
lines and sling life buoys and tally boards
and mortars and hammocks and cork mat
tresses aud life saving stations filled with
machinery for saving tho bodies OF the
drowning! But let me hero and now make
1t plain that there has been no new way in
vonted for the moral and eternal rescue OF
n struggling soul. Five hundred attempts
at such contrivance have been made, but
! all OF them dead failures. Hear i'll
"There Is none other name under heaven
given among men whereby we must DO
saved" than the name oil Jesus.