Connecticut western news., 1899-10-26

tue NOlCe OI COiSCleuCe Aul Lldh ever does anything wrong, however great or small, but his conscience brings that matter before him, and at every step of his misbehavior 1t says, Wrong, wrongp' Sin Is leprosy; sin Is a paralysis; sin Is consumption; sin Is pollution; sin Is death. Give 1t a fair chance, and it will swamp you and me, body, mind and soul, forever.
 In this world it only gives faint inti- nation of its vtrulence. You see pa tient In the first stages of typhoid fe- yer. The cheek Is somewhat flushed, the hands somewhat hot, preceded by slight chill. Why" you say, "ty- phoid fever does not seem to be much of disease" But wait until the pa- tient has been six weeks under 1t, and all his energies have been wrung out, and he is too weak to lift his little finger, and his intellect gone, then you see the full havoc of the disease. Now, sin in this world Is an atlment which Is only in it's first stages, but let 1t get under full sway, and 1t Is an all con- stunning typhoid. Oh, if we could see our unpardoned sins as God sees them, our teeth would chatter and our knees would knock together, and our respira- ton would be choked, and our heart would break. If your sins are unforgiv- en, they are bearing down on you, and you are sinking-sinking away from happiness, sinking away from God, sinking away from everything that is good and blessed.
 High Water Mark.
 Then what do we want? A swim mer-a strong swimmer, a swift swimmer! And, blessed be God, in my text we have him announced. He shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them. as he that swimmeth stretcheth forth his hands to swim" You have noticed that when swimmer goes to rescue any one he puts off his heavy ap- parel He must not have any such im- pediment about him If he Is going to do this great deed. And when Christ step- ped forth to save us he shook off the sandals of heaven, and his feet were free, and then he stepped down Into the wave of our transgressions, and it came up over his wounded feet, and 1t came above the spear stab in his side aye, it dashed to the lacerated tenn pie, the high water mark of anguish. Then, rising above the flood, He stretched forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spread eth forth his hands to swim"
 If you have ever watched a swim mer. you notice that his whole body is brought into play. The arms are flex- ed, the hands drive the water back, the knees are active, the head Is thrown back to escape strangulation, the whole body Is in propulsion. And when Christ sprang into the deep to save us he threw his entire nature into it-all his godhead, his omniscience, his goodness, his love, his omnipotence, head, heart, eyes, hands, feet. We were far out on the sea and so deep down In the waves and so far out from the shore that nothing short of an en- tire God could save us. Christ leaped out for our rescue, saying, ''Lo, come to do thy willp' 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 shaking the surf from his locks, he came on and on until he is now within the reach of every one here, eye om- heart infinite, arm omnipo- tent, mighty to save, even unto the 
 Oh, 1t was not half God that tram pied down believing Gennesaret; 1. was not a quarter of a God that mas tered the demons of 'Gadara; 1t was not two-thirds of God that lifted up Lag arus into the arms of his overjoyed sisters; it was not fragment 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 omnipotence and his eternity into this one act. It took both hands of God to save us both feet. How do prove It? On the cross were not both hands nailed? On the cross were not both feet spiked? His entire nature involved In our re- demptionl
 Jesus Alone.
 If you have lived much by the wa ter, you notice also that If any one is going out to the rescue of the drown ing he must be independent, self reli- ant, able to go alone. There may be a time when he must spring out to save one, and he cannot get Gfeboat, and If 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 pillows you will have two to drag out. When Christ sprang out into the sea to de liver us. he had no life 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, If he saves us he shall have all the credit, for -rthere 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 to cheer him. When Marshal Ney sprang into the contest and plunged In the spurs till the horses Hanks spurted blood, all France applauded him. But Jesus alone! "Of the people there was none to help" "All forsook him and fed" Oh, 1t was not a 1otiIla that sailed down and saved us. It was not clus- ter of gondolas that came over the wave. It was one person, independent and alone, spreading out his hands among us as a swimmer spreadeth forth his hands to swimw
 Behold, then, the spectacle of a drowning soul and Christ the swim mer! I believe 1t was in 1S4S when there were six English soldiers of the Fifth fusileers who were hanging to a boat-a boat that had been upset by a squall three miles from shore. It was in the night, but one man swan nightly for the beach, guided by the dark mountains that lifted their top through the night He came to the beach. He found shore man that consented to go with him md save the other men, and they put ont IT was sorna tiroo hafaro tbou