The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-11-03

hiss or the serpent. Sin! ana tneh III
you add three letters to that word, II
describes every one OF us by nature
sinner. We have outraged the law OF
God, not occasionally, or now and then,
but perpetually. The Bibles declares
1t. Hark! It thunders two claps: THE
heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked" "The soul that
sinneth, 1t shall die" What the Bible
says, our own conscience afiirms.
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!" 1t was the voice Of conscience.
And no man ever does anything wrong,
however great or small, but his con-
science brings that matter before him,
and at every step Of his misbehavior
1t says, Wrong, wrong!" Sin is lep-
rosy; sin is paralysis; sin is con-
sumption; sin is pollution; sin Is death.
Give 1t fair chance, and 1t will swamp
you and me, body, mind and soul, for
ever. In this world 1t only gives
faint intimation of its vlrulence. You
see patient in the first stages OF ty-
phoid fever. The cheek is somewhat
flushed, the hands somewhat hot, pre-
coded by 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
1t, and all his energies have been
wrung out and he Is too weak to lit
his little finger, and his intellect gone,
then you see the full havoc of the
disease Now, sin in this world is an
ailment which is only in its first
stages; but let 1t get under full sway
and it is an all-consuming typhoid. on,
II we could see our unpardoned sins
as God sees them, our teeth would chat
ter and our knees would knock to-
gether, and our respiration would be
choked, and our heart would break. II
your sins are unforgiven, they are
bearing you down, and you are sink
,ing-sinking away from happiness,
sinking away from God, sinking away
from everything that is good and
blessed.
Then what do we want? A swim
mer! 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 apparel. He must not have any
such impeachment about him If he Is
going to do this great deed And when
Christ stepped 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 transgres-
sions, and it came up over his wounded
feet, and it came above the spear stab
in his side--aye, it dashed to the LAGER
ated temple, the high-water mark of
his anguish. Then, rising above the
flood, "He stretched forth his hands in
the midst of them, as he that swim
meth spreadeth forth his hands to
SWIM"
I have sometimes thought what
spectacle the ocean bed will present
when in the last day the water is all
drawn off. 1t will be line Of wrecks
from beach to 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-a long line OF
wrecks from beach to beach. What a
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
thousands along our roads and streets.
Christ came down in their awful catas-
trophe, putting out for their souls,
spreading forth his hands as swim
mer spreadeth forth his hands to
SWIM; but they thrust him in the sore
heart, and they smote his fair cheek
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 outspread.
l hear many saying, well, 1 would |
like to be a Christian. l am going to |
work to become a Christian" My |
brother, you begin wrong. When a
nan is drowning, and strong SWIM
ner comes out to help him, he says to
him: Now be quiet. Put your arm
IN my arm or on my shoulder, but
lon't struggle, don't try to help your
elf, and I'll take you to the shore. The
more you struggle, and the more you
ry to help yourself, the more you i'm
,ede me- Now, be quiet, and I'll take
-ou ashore" When Christ, the strong
WINNER, comes out to save soul,
he sinner says: That's right. l am
lad to see Christ, and l am going to
,eln him in the work of nv redemD-