The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-10-27

rowing, and that word is sin" You
| spell il with three letters, and yet those
three letters describe The circumference
and pierce the diameter of everything
bad in the universe. Sin is a sibiant
word. You cannot pronounce II With
out giving the siss of the flame or the
hiss of the serpent. Sin! And then II
YOU add three letters 10 that word
il describes everyone of us by nature
sinner Wehave outraged the law ofGod,
not occasionally, or now and then, but
perpetuauy. The Bible declares IL.
Iarkl 1t thunders two clnps! "rhe
heart is deceitful above all things aud
desperately wicked" THE soul that
sinneth. il shall die" What the Bible
says our own conscience aiiirms.
After Judge Morgan had sentenced
Lady Jane Grey TO death his con science
troubled him so much for the deed that
he became insane, and all through his
insanity he kept saying: Take her
away from me! Lady Jane Grey! Take
her away! Lady Jane Grey!" II was
the voice of conscience. And no man
ever does anything wrong. however
great or small, but his conscience brings
that matter before him. and at every
step OF his misbehavior it says; wrong,
wrong!" Sin is leprosy; sin is a par
alysis; sin Is consumption: sin Is
pollution; sin is death. Give IL fair
chance, and ii will swamp you and me.
body, mind and soul, forever. In this
world il only gives faint intimation
OF its virulence. You see a patient in
the first stages of typhoid fever. The
cheek is somewhat flushed, the hands
somewhat hot, percceded by n slight
chill. why" you say, typhoid fever
does not seem to be much Of disease"
But wait until the patient has been six
weeks under IL. 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
an ailment which is only in its first
stages, but let IL get under full way
and IL is an all-consuming typhoid. Oh,
IL we could see our unpardoned sins as
God sees them. our teeth would chatter
and our knees would knock together.
and our respiration would be choked,
and our heart would break. II your
sins are unforgiven, 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.
Then what do we want? A swimmer
"a strong swimmer. a swift swimmer!
And blessed be God. in my text We have
him announced. .IIe shall spread forth
His hands in the midst OF them. as He
that swimmeth stretcheth forth his
hands to swim" You have n6tixl that
when n swimmer goes TO rescus None
he puts off his heavy apparel ynKlst
not have any snch impeSjSoo,
him IL he is going TO do 49,
And when chr,st sotrpeHty, ma
us He shook of the sanddshere Il
and His feet were free, an&--kn sNs
stepped down into the wave e0our
transgressions, and il came on His
wounded feet, and il came above the
spear stab in His side-aye, il dashed
TO the lacerated temple, the high-water
mark of His anguish. Then, rising
above the food, Gle stretched forth His
hands in the midst OF them, as lc that
swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands
to swim"
IL you have ever watched n 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 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 !
His omniscience, His good |
ness, 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 entire God could |
ave us. Christ leaped out for our res
cue, saying: 10, ! come TO do thy |
Will" and all the surges Of human and |
hate beat against Him, and |
hose who watched Him from the gates
of Heaven feared lie would 90 down |
under the wave, and instead Of saving
others would Himself perish. but, put
ling His breast TO the foam and shaking |
he surf from His locks, He came on |
md on until lie is now within the reach
of everyone here, eye omniscient, heart
infinite, arm omnipotent, mighty to
ave, even unto the uttermost.
oh, il was not half God that tram
pied down believing Gennesaret; IL was
not a quarter OF God that mastered
he demons OF Gadara; II was not two.
birds Of God that lifted up Lazarus
nto the arms OF his overjoyed sisters;
t was not fragment OF God who Of
cred pardon and peace TO all the race.
10. This mighty swimmer threw His
'randeur, His glory, His might. His wis
Iom, His omnipotence and His eternity
nto this one act. 1t tcoa both hands of
Tod to save us-both feet. How do
rove it? On the cross were not both
lands nailed? On the cross were not
10Th feet spiked? His entire nature
involved in our redemption!
IL you have lived much by the water.
on notice also that IL anyone is going
ut to the rescue of the drowning he
'ust be independent, self-reliant, able
go alone. There may be time when
e must spring out to save one. and he
lnnOt get q lifeboat and 10 bo ooos |