Wilmington journal., 1875-12-31

LEPERS GOING TO RDAN.
stirring Talk About "a Man''-The
Employees Of the City Gas
Works prayed For.

| G"PAoJ SC0 Va SuC SAty ~G8
Works Prayed For.
Mr.. Sankey led the six thousand
persons present last evening in sing
ing the 56th hymn, ''The Great Ply
sician now is near" and after prayer,
offered by Rev. LII. Leyburn, the con-
gregation sang ''Down ife's dark vale
We wander" Mr.. Moody read from
III. Kings, ", of the curing of Naa-
man, the leper, by Elisha, who sent
HIM to dip seven times In the Jordan.
When Mr.. Sankey had sung the 18th
hymn, where are the nine?' Mr..
MOODY said: I'm going to take to-
night man for my text. It's the man
I've been reading about-Naaman.
He was leper. I'd rather have lep-
rosy of the body than of the s1ul. /
can see the little maiden of the text
waiting on Mrs. Naanan, saying:
Would God my Lord were with the
prophet in Samaria; for he would re-
cover him of his leprosy.' This man
wanted to get rid of his disease. Now
perhaps the prophet lived in q con-
mon house, and Naaman, who was
high officer. thought maybe he was
doing him a great honor by calling on
him. So he sends in word: Major
General Naaman is here. But VIII en-
the messenger came back and told
what Elisha said Naa man got mad
terribly mad-at the idea of him hav-
ing to go and wash-to dip seven
times in the Jordan. like q man to
get mad in such things. Some go
away from here raging and saying,
Why, that Moody and Sankey is
humbug, but next day they're per-
haps converted, because they were
touched. We'd rather hsFe a man get
mad than to go asleep. Naaman
thought-he Mought-the prophet
would come out to him, and he had
brought up enough to pay big doc
tors bill-perhaps half a million.
A person who was in here the other
night said he was disgusted; that if he
wanted to be converted he'd go to or
dained ministers, and not to laymen.
It's just where they say they won't go
that they'll finally be converted.
Naaman lad it all marked out how to
be cured; he said I taougIt-. If
Elisha had told him to go down to the
Jordan on his hands aud knees, he'd
have done it willingly, but because he
had so little to do he hesitated-he
thought. can imagine Nsaman say
ing, what fool I've made of myself.
coming down here, a hundred and
fifty miles, to wash; how they'll laugh
at me when I go ba"k!' Mr.. Moody
initiated man dipping himself seven
times in water. He goes down
comes up-lnnks at himself-swhy
I'm a leper yet He goes down, Emu
up, and down, and up-I'm as bad as
ever; gu SIS I'd better give this up.
But his servant on the bank tells him
he'd better try again. He does try.
Down, up, and after the seventh dip
the leprosy was gone off, down the
Jordan or somewhere! The leprosy
was gone! Pride got staggering
blow thereto overcome the idea that
be should dip in river in despised
country when he had plenty of better
rivers at home. Now I must go back
and see the prophet, said he. He
wasn't mad then. Many time a man
gets mad here, goes out cursing and
swearing, und comes back converted.
There was a woman who never went
to bed of night till her son would
come home, and if he came home drunk
she would throw her arms about his
neck and kiss him. Through her
prayers and love she won him to
Christ. o, hope some of you will
go home to your mothers tonight and
meet the same blessing. 1 tell you
upon the authority of God IS word He'll
save every one of you from the leprosy
of sin if you'll come tc Him. Nowyou
haven't got a hundred and fifty miles
to go to get rid of it, as Naanan had;
you've only got to press into the in
quirers room. Rev. J. Wheaton
Smith offered prayer, and during the
singing of the 35th hymn, hear my
Saviour say, about two hundred
thronged to dip themselves in the
Jordan of the Inquiry rooms and be-
come healed of their leprosy.-N. Y.
Times.