The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-12-30
DR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
TIE BROOKLYN, DIvINE's SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject of Discourse: THE Proud In.
valid"

PASasiSsco vi iu6uulAukotIlo OF COuSullptlOLsS,
but with disease worse than all these put
together. A red mark has come out on the
forehead, precursor OF complete disfigure-
ment and dissolution Ihave something aw-
full to tell you. General Naaman, the Com
mander-in- Chief Of all tie Assyrian forces
has the leprosyl 1t is on his hands, on his
face, On his feet. on his entire person. The
leprysyi Get out of tie way OF the pastilencei
II his breath strikes you, you are dead man:
The Commander-in-Chief OF all the forces Of
Assyria And yet he would be glad to ex-
change conditions with the boy at his stirrnp,
or the other that blankets his charger. The
news goes like wild fire all through the realm
and the people are sympathetic and they cry
out: is it possible that our great hero who
shot Ahabe, around whom we came with
such vociferation when he returned from vic
torious battle-can it be possible that our
grand and glorious Naaman has the lep-
rosyl
Yes. Everybody has something he wishes
he had not David, an Absalom to disgrace
him; Paul, thorn to sting him. Job, car
bunces to plague him; Samson, Delilah to
shear him; Ahab, a Naboth to deny him.
Haman, Mordecai to irritate him; George
Washington, childlessness to afflict him;
John Wesley, termagant wife to poster him;
Leah, weak eyes; Pope, n croob obed back;
Byron, club foot; John Milton, blind eyes;
Charles Lamb, an insane sister, and you, and
you. and you, AMI you, something which you
never bargained for and would like to get
rid of. The reason Of this is that God does
not want this world to be too bright; other
wise, we would always want to stay and eat
these fruits, and lie on these lounges and
shake hands in this plea ant society. We are
only in the vestibule of grand temple. God
does not want us to stay on the doorstep, and
therefore he sends aches and aunoyances and
sorrows and bereavemeuts and all sorts to push
US on and push us up toward ripper fruits and
brighter society and more radiant prosperi-
ties. God is only whipping us ahead. The
reason that Edward Payson and Rob
ert Hall had more rapturous views Of
heaven than other people had was be-
cause, through their aches and pains, God
pushed them nearer up to it, If God dashes
out one of your pictures it is only to show
| you brighter one. If He sting your foot
with gout, your brain with neuralgia, your
| tongue with an inextingu shable thirst, it Is
only because He is preparing to substitute
better body than you ever dreamed Of, when
the mortal shall put on Immortality 1t is to
push you on and push you up toward some
thing grander, that God sends upon you as
He did upon General Naaman something you
do not want Seated iu his Assyrian man
sior-all the walls glittering with the shields
which he had CAPTURED in battle; the corri-
dors crowded with admiring visitors who lust
| wanted to see him once; music and mirth and
banqueting filling all the mansion, from t,s-
seated floor to pictured ceiling-Naaman
would have forgotten that there was any
thing better and would have been glad to
| stay there ten thousand years. But, oh, how
the sh ellis dim and how the visitors fly from
the hall and how the music drops dead from
| the string. and how the gates of the mansion
slam shut with sepulchral bang, as you
read the closing words of the eulogium: "He
was leper! He was leperp
There was one person more sympathetic
| 10 fl,,.,
Naaman's wife walks the floor, wringing her
hands and trying to think what she can do
to alleviate her husbands suffering. All
rem edies have failed. The Surgeon.General
and the doctors of the royal staff have met,
and they have shaken the + heads as much as
to say; "No cure; no cure" think that
the office-seekers had all folded up their
recommendations AID gone home Probably
most of the employees Of the establishment
had dropped their work, and were thin King
of looking for some other situation What
shall now become of poor Mammals wife
She must have sympathy somewhere. Iu her
despair she goes to a little Hebrew captive, a
servant girl in her house, to whom she tells
the whole story as sometimes, when over
borne by the sorrows of the world, and find
ing no sympathy anywhere else, you have
gone out and found in the sympathy of some
humble domestic-Rose or Dinah or Bridget
"a help which the world could not give you.
What scene it was! One of the grandest
women in all Assyria in cabinet council with
waiting maid over the de lining health of
the mighty Generall II know something, ,
says the little captive maid. II know some.
thing" as she bounds to her bare feet SIN
the land from which was stolen there is q
certain prophet known by the name OF
Elisha. who can cure almost everything, and
shouldn't wonder if he could cure my mas
ter Send for him right away" 'Oh
hush!n you say. ''lf the highest medica
talent in all the land cannot cure that leper
there is no need of your listening to any talk
of servant girl" But do not scof, do mo-
sneer. The finger Of that little ca otive maic
is pointing in the right dire ton. She nigh
have said: 81 his is a judgmen. on you fol
stealing me from my native land. Didn'
they snatch me off in the night breaking m,
father and mothers heart? And many tim
have laid and cried all night berause wa
SO homesick." Then, flushing up into ch Id
ish Indignation, she might have said: 500,
for them; Pm glad Naaman got the leprosy
wish all the Assyriaus had the leprosy
No. Forgetting her own personal sorrows
she sympathizes with the suffering of he
master ard commends him to the famou
Hebrew prophet.
And how often it Is that the finger O
childhood has pointed grown persons in th
right direction. Oh Christian soul, how long
is it since you got rid of the leprosy of sin
You say: "I.et me see. It must lie five year
now.n Five years. Who was it that pointed
you to the Divine physician." oh" 20,
say, cit was my liCtie Annie or Fred o.
Charley, that clambered W on my knees anC
looked in my fare and asked me why l didn'
become Christian and all the time strokin!
my cheek so / couldn't yet angry, ins st n
upon knowing why l didn't have fanil,
prayers There are grandparents here wh'
have been brought to Christ by their littl
grandchildren. Taera are many Christia
mothers here who had their attention frs
called to Jesus bY their little children. HOY
did you get nil of the leprosy o. sint HoI
did you tind your way to the Divine Phys
elan. oh you say, my child, my dyin
chill, with wan and wasted finger pointe
that way. Oh, shall never forget, yo
, say. that scene at the cradle and the cri
that awful night 1t was hard, hard, yer
hard; but il that little one on its dying be-
lad not pointe me to Christ, don think
ever would have got rid of my leprosy." e
into the Sabbath-school this afternoon an
r you will find hundreds of little fingers point
ing In the same direction, toward Jesus Chris
and toward heaven.
Years ago the astronomers calculated tha
there must be world hanging at a certain
J poin. in the heavens and large prize wa
. offered for some one who could discover tina
world The telescopes from the great oh
servatories were pointed ld vain; but giI
D
and looking through it, discovered that sta
and won the prize and the admiration of al
} the astronomical world that stood anna sed d
her genius. And so it is often the case tha
grown people cannot see the light, Will
4 some little child beholds the star of pardon
the star of hope, the star of consolation, tn
star of Beth chem, the morning star of Jesu
mot many mighty men, not many wise me
are calle1; but God hath chosen the wea
things of the world TO conf und the mighty
an / base things and things that are not, I
bring to naught things that are" oh, do nS
despise the pratt.e Of little child en- whe
they are speaking about God and Christ an
heaven. You see the way your child is poin
! pointing; will you take that pointing, or wa
I until, in the wrench of some awful bereavt
ment, Col shall lift that child to anotht
l world and thea it viii beckon you howard
VIII you taEc the pointing, or will you wa
for the beckoningi Blessed be God that Il
little Hebrew captive pointed in the right d
rection. Blessed lie God for the sa ,ing mil
istry of Christian children.
No wonder the aivice OF this little Hebre'
captive threw all Naaman's mansion an
Ben-hadafs palace into excitement Goo
be, Nsamaal With face scarified and ridge
and infiame1 by the pestiielce and aide
by those who supported him on either sid
D be sta aygered out to the cha iIt. Hold fa