The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-10-27
A STRONG SWIMMER.
From Him Dr.. Talmage Draws a
Noble Lesson.
The Always Ready ueipfulness Of
Religion for Those Who >trug-
Gle Against Adverse Cir
cumstarces.
Copyright. Louis Kiopsch. isi9)

In this discourse Dr. Talmage EN-
ploys a very bold figure of the Bible Il
bring out the helpfuuess of religion FOL
an those in any kind of struggle. The
text is Isaiah 25:1l: "ue shall spread
forth His hands in the midst of them, a.
he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his
hands"
In the summer season multitudes o.
people wade into the ponds and lakes
and rivers and seas to dive or float OF
swim. In aworld the most of which Is
water all men and women should learn
TO swim. Some of you have learned the
side stroke introduced by George Pew
tiers in 1850, each stroke of that kind
carving the swimmer a distance of SIX
feet. and some of you may use the over
hand stroke invented by Gardener, the
expert who by il won the 500 yard cham
piopship in Manchester in 1862, the
swimmer by that stroke carrying his
arm in the air for "a more heightened
reach, and some of you may tread the
water as though you had been made TO
nalk the sea, but most of you usually
take what is called the breast stroke,
placing the hands with the backs up
ward, about five inches under the water,
the inside of the wrists touching the
breast, then pushing the arms forward
coincident with the stroke of the feet
struck out to the greatest width posi-
BILE, and you thus unconsciously Illus
trate the meaning of my text: He shall
spread forth His hands in the midst of
them. as he that swimmeth spreadeth
forth his hands TO swim"
The fisherman seeks out unfrequent-
ed nooks. You stand to-day on the
bank of river in the broiling sun and
ling out your line and catch nothing.
while an expert angler breaks through
the jungle and goes by the shadow of
the solitary rock and, in place where
no fisherman has been for ten years,
throws out his line and comes home at
night, his face shining and his basket
full. / do not know why we ministers
VI tine Gospel need always be fishing In
the same stream and preaching from
the same texts that other people preach
of the minister who, in Blackfriars,
Lordon, England, every week for 30
yeats preached from the Epistle to the
Hebrews. Ii is an exhilaration TO me
when / come across a theme which /
feel no one else has treated, and my
text is one of that kind. There are
paths in Gods Word that are well beat
en- by Christian feet. When men want
to quote Scripture, they quote the old
passages that everyone has heard.
When they want a chapter read, they
read a chapter that all the other peo-
pie have been reading, so that the
church to-day is ignorant of three
fourths of the Bible.
You go into the Louvre, at Paris. You
confine yourself TO one corridor of that
opuleDt gallery of paintings. As you
come out your friend says 20 you: Did
you see that Rembrandt?" mo" ibid
you see that Reubens?" mo" Ibid
you see that Titan? ?" mo" did you
see that Raphael?" "No.' Well"
says your friend, then you did not see
the Louvre" Now, my friends, think
We are too much apt to confine ourselves
TO one of the great corridors of Scrip
tuTe truth, and SO much so that there is
lot one person out of million who has
'ver noticed the all suggestive and pow
srful picture in the words of my text.
The text represents God as a strong
swimmer, striking out to push down in
putty and save the souls of men. He
shall spread forth His hands in the
midst of them, as he that swimmeth
ipreadeth forth his hands to swim"
The figure is bold and many tided.
Most of you know how to swim. Some
IF you learned il in the city school,
where this art is taught; some of you
II boyhood, in the river near your
athcr's house; some of you since you
,ame TO manhood or womanhood, while
on the beach of the sea. 1t is
/ good thing 10 know how to swim, not
)nly for yourself, but because you will
'ftcr awhile perhaps have to help 9TH
RS.
do not know anything more stirring
,r sublime than TO see some man like
Norman Mckenzie leaping from the
hip Madras into the sea TO save Charles
Turner, who had dropped from the roy
Il yard while trying 10 loosen the sail,
him back TO the deck amid the
luzzas of the passengers and crew. III
man has not enthusiasm enough 10
heer ia such circumstances, he de-
erves himself to drop into the sea and
ave no one help him. The Royal HUI
name society of England was estab-
shed in l77i, its object to applaud and
eward those who should pluck up life
rom the deep. Anyone who has per- |
ormed such deed of daring has all the |
of that bravery recorded in
public record, aud oh his breast a
ledal done in blue and gold and bronze,
nchor and monogram and inscription, !
cling to future generations the brav-
~ of the man or woman who saved |
Dme one from drowning. But IL it is
UGH worthy thing to save body from
re deep ask you IL il is not a worth
n thing TO save an immortal soul. And
on shall see this hour the Son of God
ep forth for this achievement. "He
,all spread forth His hands in the
idst Of them, as he that swimmeth
,readeth forth his hands TO SWIM"
" order 10 understand the full force
this figure, you need to realize that
IT race is In sinking condition. You