, 1876-11-18
and nsko1 tho Rev. Mr.. ray, Of South Chraeo,

DcF' tune whirll II often too lnilcl, for Tho
choir. Mr.. Mootly read n letter he Ind received
from the fugitive from just1"c, who ca,nc 10
sock salvation this week, saying that hu haul
hearl from Ills hume, that Ills nnly cl,tlst was
dead, and asktng tic prayers Ut the meeting for
himself antl brokon-heartcsl wife.
The other sonrs wcru. "1fn1lctn1nh! What a
saylor!" and There Is Lilo for Look at the
Crucilcd Onc."
Tho lesson wos from tho Second Book Of
Kings, tho 9Th chapter, being tho cleansinr OF
Naanon, tho lcpcr.
TnE SERMON.
HOnr subject Tonight Is Naarnan. We arc
told that he was A grcnt man, but hc was n
1epcr. lilo wns great General, but hc was u
lcpcr. lie might hnyo bcen very s,lccresfu in
war, but lle was lcpeT. ]Ic was greatly hum
night (his terrible fact tortured him, an,l sup
pjyc he thought hn Ind got to 70 tiowu to ills
urave with that loathsot,le disease upon him.
But among tho Hebrew ,captiyes waa little
,'ot, @ lad becn brought up by her pfnying mother
to trust ia tlte loi ii fsracf. shc: was not
ashauled to confess her faitf,, and there ls no
doubt but size was Euod and truthful GIRL or
else no ono would hAvo believed her strange
words.
Ono day she said to her 1nfstrcts, Would
that God my Lord wcrewltt tho prophet that Is
inlsamara, ior Hc would recover him q his lep-
rosy' ST ,nstrsss oo a. nor wi AnaSe 1o
of Ills % curing q iopcf p pP''' 9 'oa '''' "''A
Mp" says THO little girl, u didn't; but
have heard OF his doing greater things ttnn that
tic prophet bad taken trc mantlo' Of Etiia. and
sn1nto tho River JorlRn with It. and It Opc,,utl
and ltt him through tlry;al,od; md how lia l,ad
snycd Tho two SOUS Of thnt widow from bctrE
sold into slavery by means Of that ltltlc bit 81
uil; and how he had raised tho sul,
q that other woman, who WIS dead.
Naan,au heard IT, and believes the Ilttlo girl, 10
hc goes to thu King ats! tells him. about i:
write yuu a letter Of Introduction 10 tic King
Of safnaria, aud you 70 down and try It." 81,
1iu gives him letter TO tho King thinking, II
tho thug Is possible, the King viii know aIl
100 miles to sou tl!o King Of Israel. lie took
alung pretty good loctor's bill too; don't
just know how to Agyre 1t, hut II was over
800 0oO, and hc Ind tEe lottcr to tho King, md
10 d1Hp eG 3 3ogh ~ rS 5
tho gates Of Damascus, and coming up In DUG
time 10 the palace of tho King Of Israel IN grand
style.- llc sends in the letter, and when thu
Sassg SXeg 1ssas sesn o ri % rod @ and T. k 5 aa a
asivci Hcro is tho King of Syria sendEng Inc
letter snyng, NOW, when this letter II co,uo
unto thee, behold haye tlcrowith scnt Nannai,
my serya1t, to thee, that thou mayst recoscF
with .nc," aud the King Of Israel rcnis Ills
nlantlo from top to botto'n. 1t was not long
boforc tla news Of II went through thu Whole
tiInt the King had rent ts clothes on aecuunt
OF letter which Syrian General had brought
him, asking him to euro Ills leprosy:. s" llo
set.tts up word to tho King, saying, "Wt1y dost
and hu sliall know that there is q
ioan to tho house Of w the T prophet,
very plain house it might have hccn.
syaa, i outside. 10 doubt lo thought tic
prophet would feel very much llonorcd by tho
presence Of sisrh grcat ,nac, but tl.u prophet
ailn't even 70 out to SEQ lli!n. jfc sends out
Ills servant to s1y to lin, "dn w'Ish In Jor'lan
thee anl thou shalt 6e clcan."
And now Nnaman Is as mad as he can be:
Hs,cus. %S x'n'1 poes call o it mean river in 0!nt np
mot Docs hc mean TO illsinuato t!lat
don't keep my body clcanl thought-'
Ah. that is Just tlIo trouble. lie had marked
out way Of Ills own for thu prophct to heal
plan. That ts just tho trouble with great
inany people who tomc to God to be saved.
They think God will come from this wny, and
Ho comes from that why. No matter what way
some other way. You will ucyer gut Into Gods
Kingdom till you arc ready to come In God's
II thought he will surely como out to mo
md stand aud call gu the iiamc Of the Lord,
lls God, and strike bis hand over tho plaeo
md recover tho lcpcr."
!" 1 thought ho would como out md bow and
scrnPo aud bc very much honOrcl ut receiving
a caIl from such distinguished gunttonun, anl
instead Of that lla pays Inc no attention Ut al."
That Il lust the why with sonlc seekers Of r.
llRlon; they uUn't Waut to be converted this
way, but in that way; soncttnIes they wun't be
converted in such rGyisal meetings rs these,
Sometimes they say: " II won't BIZ converted ut
Methodist Church II amt converted at all.n
Dont they. DR.. 'r!ilauyi Or, " won't be con-
verted In ! Baptist Church, anyhow" but tho
60. for God scca It Is necessary to break their
stubborn Wills aud n,ortify their pride.
Naanan's pride got terrible 6low right over
tho head, and how terribly mud ho Isl But hla
him cool Oft lLttle, anl tlen they began - tals
to Him. tell you had Thousand tllncs rather
nlan should get mad untler u sermon than ~
to slcep under 1t: II hc gets mad ana goes ont,
but II he Is asleep, 4 ia all lost time trying t1
save hlm. "Now,n said tho servants, iii Ao
told you to do some grcnt thing, wouldn't you
have done lta supposr hc told you to take col.
you have dOne It.. II he haa prescribed sonu
nwfal bitter drug, wouldn't you kAve swallowed
III 1fhe llatl told you to ~ an4 bring him twlcs
as much tnoney, wouldn't you have thought tho
cure cheap cnuugh at that prteef And now,
whom 10 says 80 wash in tAsJordan seven times,
hadn't you Just better oheyl'
There Is ono thing in Mammals favor, he took
tho u,cssagc, though ho didn't llkc tho inesse1-
ger. So down " Jordan ho goes anil dips him
seit onee IN tho water. liz says to himself,
"Thcy will laugh at mo terribly wien yet
,nuy a we'll tEy t." hut when io comes Up aud
looks to see Il hIs leprosy fs onc.scvGnttl gone,
aud aecs no change at ali, hc begins. to be dis-
Gods prophet had told him to dip SEVEN
timca, aud ho is gong to 10 it.
Dchold, to obey Is botter than sacrifice" II
ever yon get out ot tile pit Of Adan. you Inu st
get out Just where ho got lii. liz got in by DIS
obeyinK God, and tie wuy out again is ohuut-
ence. 10 down he goes tho SECOND time. Now,
Il there had hcen somc ot these Chicago Chris
t!aus there they would haye sald, +" We'll,
Naaman. how do you feel nowt'' llaughterl but
he didn't feel any better. Down he goe;s. tho
change. The sixth tine lu comes out
and shakes himself, and r,lbs tho watrr
hNE ~rlA- ann