The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-10-28

out TO TIE rescue Of the drowning he
must he Independent. ~selt-retanL able
20 90 alone There may be a time when
ne mus, spriug out to save one, aud Ne
cannot get = iteboai, and u he soss
out and has 10: strength enough to
hrar himself up end bear another up
he viii sink. and instead OF dragging
one corpse out % the bllows you VII
have two to drag out when christ
spranr out into the sea 20 deliver Us,
he had no life buoy. His Father did
not Help Him. Alone in the wine press,
alone In the pang, alone In the dark
ness alone on the mountain, alone IN
tht seal Oh. n He saves US, he shall
have all the credit. for "there was none
TO help" No oar. no wing, no ladder'
When Nathaniel Lyon fell in the battle
charge in 'front.' OF his troops, he had
a whole army 10 cheer him. When Mar
shall Ney sprang into the contest and
plunged in the spurs till the horses
banks spur,ed blood, all France ap.
plauded him. But Jesus alonel "Ot
the people there was none to help"
~AIl forsook Him and fed" oh. II was
not q hotilla that sailed down and saved
US. II was not a cluster OF gondoias
that came over the wave. II was n
person. independent and alone, spread
ing out His hands among us as a swim
mer spreade;h forth his hands TO
swiml"
want to persuade you to lay hold of
this strong swimmer. "No," you say;
sft Is always disastrous for q drowning
man to lay hold Of a swimmer" There
Is not a river or lake but has n calamity
resultant from the fact that when a
strong swimmer went out to save a sink
ing man the drowning man elutehed
him, threw his arms around him, pin
toned his arms, and they both went
down together. When you are saving a
man In the water you do not want TO
come up by his face. You want to come
up by his back. You do not want him
to hold you while you take hold Of him.
But, blessed be God, Jesus Christ is so
strong a swimmer He comes not TO our
back, but to our face. and He asks us to
throw around Him the arms of our love
and then promises to take us to the
beach, and He will do 1t. Do not trust
that plank Of good works. Do not trust
that shivered spar of your own right
eousness. Christ only can give you safe
transportation. Turn your face upon
Him. as the dying martyr did in olden
times when he cried out: "None but
Christi None but Christi" Jesus has
taken millions to the land, and He Is
willing to take you there. Oh, what
hardness to thrust Him back when He
has been swimming all the way from
the throne Of God, where you are now,
and is ready to swim all the way back
again, taking your redeemed spirit
l have sometimes thought what q
spectacle the ocean bed will present
when In the last day the water is all
drawn of. II will be a line of wrecks
from beach 10 beach. There Is where
the harpooners went down. There Is
where the line OF battleships went
down. There Is where the merchant.
men went down. There is where the
steamers went down, q long line OF
wrecks from beach to beach. What q
spectacle in the last day, when the wa,
ter is drawn OIL But, oh. how much
more solemn II we had an eye to see the
spiritual wrecks and the plnces where
they ~founderedl You would find thou.
sands along u roads and streets
Christ came down in their awful catas
tropbe, putting out for their souls
spreading out His hands as a swimmer
spreadeth forth his hands to swim" bui
they thrust Him In the sore heart, and
they smote His fair cheek, and III,
storm and darkness swallowed then
up. ! AJAX you to lay hold Of this Chris
and lay hold Of Him now. You will sinl
without Him. From horizon TO horizon
not n sail in sight. only one strong
swimmer, with head flung back ant
arms outspread.