The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-10-27

shall Ney sprang into the contest ana |
plunged in the spurs till the horses |
TANKS spurted blood, all France APP |
plauded him. But Jesus alone! "Of |
the people there was none to help"
"All forsook Him and fed" Oh, ii was
not flotilla that sailed down and saved
us. 1t was not cluster of gondolas
that came over the wave. 1t was one
person, independent and alone, spread
ing out His hands among us as swim
mer spreadeth forth his hands to
swiml"
want to persuade you to lay hold of
this strong swimmer. NO" you say;
sit is always disastrous for drowning
man to lay hold of 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 clutched
him, threw his arms around him, PIN
toned his arms, and they both went
down together. When you are saving
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 n swimmer lie 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 lie will do it. Do not trust
that plank of good works. Do not trust
that shivered spar of your own right
eeusness. 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
Christ! None but Christi" Jesus has
taken millions to the land. and lie is
willing to take you there. Oh, what
hardness TO thrust Him back when lie
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!
| have sometimes thought what
spectacle the ocean bed will present
when in the last day the water is all
drawn off. 1t will he line of wrecks
from beach to beach. There is where
the harpoouers 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, a long line Of
wrecks from beach TO beach. What
spectacle in the last day, when the wa
ter is drawn Off But, oh, how much
more solemn if we had an eye TO see the
spiritual wrecks and the places where
they foundered! You would find thou
sands along our roads and streets.
Christ came down i'm their awful cntas-
trophe, putting out for their souls.
spreading out His hands as a swimmer
spreadeth forth his hands TO swim." but
they thrust Him in the sore heart and
they smotc His fair check, 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 outsprcud.
hear many saying: "Well, would
like to be a Christian. am going to
work to become Christian" My broth.
cr, YOU begin wrong. When a man is
drowning. and strong swimmer comes
out to help him. he SAYS to him: Nov
be quiet. Put your arm on my arm or
on my shoulder, but 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.
.
a soul, the sinner says: That's right /
am glad 10 see Christ. and am going "a
help Him in the work of my redemp-
ton. am going TO pray more, and that
will help Him. and | am going TO weep
eNtrayagautly over my sins, and that
will help Him" No, it will not. STOP
your doing. Christ will do all or none
you cannot lift an ounce, you cannot
move m inch, in this matter of your re-
demption.
This is the difficulty which keeps
thousands of souls out of the Kingdom
of Heaven. 1t is because they cannot
consent 10 let Jesus Christ begin and
complete the work of their redemption
"Why," you say, then is there nothing
]
you to do, and that is to lay hold OF
Christ and let Him achieve your saliva
tiou and achieve it all. | do not know
whether make the matter plain or not
, l simply want to show you that a mar
, cannot save himself, but that the Al
mighty Son Of God can do il and will dc
it if you ask Him. Oh, fling your tive
arms, the arm of your trust and the arm
, OF your love, around this omnipoten
swimmer of the cross!
Have you ever stood by and seen som,
one under process Of resuscitation aftei
long submergence? The strong swim
mer has put him on tie beach after {
G struggle in the waters. 10 eNcit,
breathing in the almost lifeess bod,
. what manipulation, what friction of tn,
Z cold limbs, what artificial movement o
/ the lungs, what breath of the rescue
, blown into the mouth of the rescued