Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-12-13
U7HFEIJ mo w VA MONDAY MORNING.

night! 1t was hard, hard, very hard; but
| if that little one on its dying bed had
not pointed me to Christ, don't think
ever would have got rid of my leprosy."
Go into the Sabbath school this afternoon
and you will find hundreds of little
fingers pointing in the same direction, to-
ward Jesus Christ and toward heaven.
Years ago
THE ASTRONOMERS
calculated that there must be a world
hanging at certain point in the heavens,
and large prize was offered for some one
who could discover that world. The tele-
scopes from the great ohservatories were
pointed in vain, but girl at Nantucket,
Mass, fashioned telescope, and, looking
through it, discovered that star, and won
the prize and the admiration of all the as
Economical world, that stood amazed at
her genius. And so it is often the case
that grown people cannot see the light,
while some little child beholds the star of
pardon, the star of hope, the star of conso-
latiOn, the star of Bethlehem, the morning
star Of Jesus. ''Not many mighty men,
not many wise men are called; but God
hath chosen the weak things of the world
to confound the mighty; and. base things
and things that are not, to bring to naught
thingS that are" Oh, do not despise the
prattle of little children when thev are
speaking about God, and Christ, and
heaven! You see the way your child IS
pointing; will you take that pointing or
wait until in the wrench of some awful
bereavement, God shall lift that child to
another world, and then it will beckon
YOU upward? Will you take the pointing
or will you wait for the beckoning?
Blessed be God that the little Hebrew cap
tive pointed in the right direction! Blessed
be God for the saving
MINISTRY OF CHRISTIAN CHILDREN!
No wonder the advice of this little He
brew captive threw all Naaman's mansion
and en-hadad's palace into excitement.
Good-bye, Naaman! With face scaritied,
and ridged, and infamed by the pestilence,
and aided by those who supported him on
either side, he staggers out to the
chariot. Hold fast the fiery coursers Of
the royal stable while the poor sick
man lifts his swollen feet and
pain-strmck limbs into the vehicle. Boil
ster him up with the pillows, and let him
take lingering lonk at his bright apart
ment, for perhaps the Hebrew captive may
be mistaken, and the next time Naaman
comes to that place he may be dead
weight on the shoulders of those who car
ry Instrumentation of an admiring ma
tion. Goodbye, Naamanl
Let the charioteer drive gently over the
hills of Herman lest he jolt the invalid.
Here goes the bravest man of all his day,
captive of q horrible disease, AS the
ambulance winds through the streets of
Damascus the tears and prayers OF all the
people 90 after the world-renowned in
valid. Perhaps you have had an invalid
90 out from your house on health excur-
sion. You know how the neighbors stood
around and said: "Ah, he will never
come home again alivew Oh, it was a
solemn moment, tell you, when the in
valid had departed, and you went into
into the room to make the bed, and to re-
move the medicine phials from the shelf,
and to open the shutters that the fresh
air might rush into the long CLOSED room.
Goodbye, Namaan! There is only
ONE CHEERFUL FACE
looking at him, and that was the
face of the little Hebrew captive, who
is sure that he will get cured and who is
so glad she helped him. As the chariot
winds out and the scores of mounted
cOurtiers, and the mules, laden with sacks
ofgold and silver and embroidered suits Of
apparel, went through the gates of Da-
m8Scus and out on the long way, the hills
of Naphtali and Ephraim look down on
the procession, and the retinue goes right
past the battle fields where Namaan, in
the days of his health, used to rally his
troops for fearful onset; and then the pro-
cession stops and reclines awhile in the
groves of olives and oleander, and General
Namaan so sick-and 80 very, very sick!
How the countrynen gaped
as the procession passed. They
had seen Naaman go past like
whirlwind in days gone by, and had
stood aghast at the clank of his war-equip-
ments; but now they commiserate him.
They say: poor man, he will never get
home alivew G eneral Naaman wakes up
from restless sleep in the chariot, and
he says to the charioteer: "HOw long before
we shall reach this prophet Elisha's?" The
charioteer says to a waysider: "HOw far Is
it to Elisha's house?" He says: 1.-TWO
miles" 1.-TWO miles" Then they whip
up the lathered and fagged-out horses. The
whole procession brightens up at the pros
pect of speedy arrival. They drive up to
the door of
THE PROPHET.
! The chariOteer shouts: "WhoaW to the
borS.cS. and the tramping hOots and grind
ing wheels cease shaking the earth.
Come out, Elisha, come out, you have
company; the grandest company that ever
come to your house has come IN to 1t now;
No stir inside Dlisha's house. The fact
was the Lord had informed Elisha that
the sick captain was coming and just how
to treat him. Indeed when yoR are sick
and the Lord wants you to get well, lie
always tells the doctor how to treat you;
and the reason we have so many bungllng
doctors is because they depend upon their
own strength and instructions and not on
the Lord God, and that alwsys makes NAL
nr.ctice. Come out, Elisha, and attend to
vour business. General Naaman and his
retinue waited, and waited, and waited.
The fact was Naamau had two diseases
pride and leprosy; the one was as hard to
get rid of as the other. Elisha sits quietly
in his house and does not 60 out. After a
a while when he thinks he has humbled
this proud man, he says to servant: Go
ont and tell General Naaman to battle
seven times in the River Jordan, out yon.
der five miles, and he will get entirely
we'll"
The message came out. What says
the commander-in-chief Of Syrian forces,
his eyes kindling with an anima-
ton which it has not known
for weeks, and his swollen foot stamping
on the bottom of the chariot, regardless OF
pain: what! Isn't he coming out to
see me? Why, thought certainly he
would come and utter some cabalistlc
words over me, or make some enigmatical
passes over my wounds. Why, don't
think he knows who am. Isn't he COM
ing out? Why, when the shunamite wo,
man came to him, he rushed out and
cried: Is it we'll with thee? Is 1t well
with thy hushand2 Is il we'll with the