The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-05-27

pOluLlDR OF WhlI uulll' III wv
some awful bereavement, God shall lltt
that child to another world, and then II
will beckon you upward? B ,essed be
God that the little Hebrew captive pom
ted in the right dire elton. Blessed be
God for the saving ministry OF Christian
children, .,
No wonder the advice of this little He
brew captive threw all Naaman's man
sion and Benhaddd's palace into excite
ment. Good by, Naamap! With face
sacrificed and rigid and inhamed by the
pestilence, and aided by those who sup
ported him on either side, he siaggers
to the chariot. Hold fast the fiery cour
sers of the royal stable while the poor,
sick man lifts his swollen feet and pain
struck limbs into the vehicle. Bolster
him up with the pillows, and let him
take a lingering look at his bright apart
ments, for perhap. the captive Hebrew
may be mistaken, and the next time be
comes to that place, lie may be a dead
weight on the shoulders of those who
carry him. Good,by, Naaman! Let the
charioteer drive gently over the hills OF
Hermon, lest he jolt the invalid. Here
goes the bravest man of all his day a
captive of a horrible disease, Perhaps
you have had an invalid go out from
your home on a health excursion. You
know how the neighbors stood around
and said: ooh, he will never come back
alive again!" II was a solemn moment,
| tell you, " en- the invalid had depart
ed, and you went into the room to make
the bed and remOve the medicine walls
from the shelf; and open the shutters to
let the fresh air into the closed up room.
There is only one cheerful face looking at
him, that is the little Hebrew captive,
who is sure he will get cured, and is 30
glod she helped him. AS the chariot and
mounted courtiers wind out, and the
mules, laden with gold and silver and
embroidered suits went out through the
gates of Damascus, the hills of Naphtall
and Ephraim look down on the process.
sion, and go past the battle fields where
Naaman, in the days Of his health, used
| to rally his troops for fearful onset, and
then the procession stops and rests a lit
tie in the groves of olive and oleanderi
and Naaman so sick. How the country
men gaped as the procession passed.
They had seen Naaman 60 past like q
whirlwind in days past, and stood aghast
at the Clank of his war equipments, but
now they pity him and say, Poor man.
you will never get home alive" Naa'
man wake up from ares less sleep in the
chariot, and says to the Charioteer, How
long before we shall reach this prophet
Elisha2" The charioteer says to a way
slider, How far is it to Elisha's house?'
He says, 1.-TWO miles," They whip W
the lathered and fagged.out horses. The
whole procession brighten up at the ides
of a speedy arrival. They drive up tC
the door of the Prophet. Tle horse
men shout whoa" to the horses, and
all stop. "Come out, Elisha, come out
you have grand company" No stir in
side Elisha's house. The fact was, the
Lord had informed Elisha that the sick
captain was coming, and just how tc
treat him. Indeed, when you are sick
and the Lord wants you to get well, He
always tells the doctor how to treat you
and the reason we have so many bung'
ling doctors is because they depend or
their own strength and instructions, anC
not on the Lord God, and that always
makes NAL practice. Come out, Elisha
and attend to your business. Gen. Naa'
man and Lis men waited, and waited
The fact was, Naaman had two diseases
pride and leprosy; one vas as hard to gel
rid of as the other. Elisha sits quietly
in his house and does not 60 out. After
while, when he thinks he has humbled
this proud man, he says to a Servant
Go out and tell Gen. Naaman to battle
reven times in the river Jordan, out yOn.
der, five miles, and lie will get entirely
we'll" The message comes out. "What!'
says Naaman, his eye %kindiing with ami
nation which it had not shown for many
weeks, and his swollen foot stamping on
the bottom of the chariot. What, isn't
he coming out to see me2 | thought he
would certainly come and utter some Ca
balistic words over me, or make some
enigmatical passes over my wounds. |
don't think he knows who | am. Why,
when the Shunamite woman came to
him, he rushed out and said, 1T is well
with thee, and thy husband, and Child?"
Will he treat a poor unknown woman 80,
and let nae, a titled parsonage, sit in my
chariot and wait? Charioteer, drive on!
Wash in the Jordanl Ha, hal The mo-.
notonous, Shiny Jordan, l wouldn't be
seen in such a river as that. We water.
ed our horses in a better river than that
on our way here-the beautiful river of
Pharpar. Besides, we have in our own
country the Damascene, the ALBANIA. Are
they not better than all the waters of
Israeli"
l suppose Naaman felt very much as
we would feel if, by way Of medicinal
prescription, some one should tell US to
go and wash in the Danube and Rhine.
We would answer: Are not the Con
n|eCtiCut and the Hudson just as good2"
The fact was, naughty Naaman needed
to learn what every American needs to
learn, that when God tells you to do a
thing you must go and do it, whether
you understand the reason or not. I'm.
less naughty Naaman does as Elisha
commands him, he will die Of his awful
sickness. And unless you do as Christ
command you, you will be seized upon
by an everlasting wasting away. Obey
and live-disobey and die. Thrilling,
stupendous alternatiVel
Well, Gen. Naaman could not stand
the test. The CHI rioteer gives a jerk to
the right line, until the bits snap in the
horses mouth, and the whirr of the
wheels and the flying dust show the IL
dignation Of the great commander. "He
turned and went away in great rage"
So people now often get mad at religion.
They vituperate against ministers, chur-
Ches, and Christian people. One would
think from their irate behavior that God
had been studying how to annoy and de.
molish them. What has He been doinOP