Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-13
Everybody Has Something which He
Never BargaiHed for and which
He Would Like to Get Rid Of.
God Sends Afliciion TO Push Us On
ward and Upward Toward Some-
thing Grander and Better.
We Have Got 20 Got Down Out OF the
Chariot of our Pride " We Ever
Expt CT 20 Become Christians.
special to tho Gazette.

DeWltt laimngei -. ID preacheu tnl
morning from the text, II Kings, ", /
''IIe was a leper." lie said;
Here we have warrior sick, not will
pleurlsles or rheumatisms or consump
lions, but with disease worse than al
these put together; red mark has CONE
out on the forehead, precursor of com
plete Disagreement and dissolution.
have something awful 10 tell you. Gen
Naaman, the commander-in chief Of all
the Syrian forces, has the leprosy 1t Il
on his hands, on his face, on his feet, OF
his entire person. The leprosyl Get out
OF the way Of the pestilencel II his
breath strike you, you are a dead man
The commander-ln chief Of all the forces
Of Syria And yet he would be glad 10
exchange conditions with the boy
at his stirrup, or the hostler
that blankets his charger The
news goes like wildnre all through
the realm, and the people are sympathetic
and they cry ont; sis itpossible that our
great hero who shot Ahab, and around
whom we came with such vocferation
when he returned from victorious battle
can II be possible that our grand and
glorious Naaman has the leprosy2n
Yes. Everybody has something he
wishes he had not--David, an Absalom TO
disgrace hImi Paul, q thorn to sting him I;
job, carbuncles to plague him; Samson, a
Delilah TO shear him; Ahab, a Naboth to
derry him; Hannah, Mordecal TO iiritate
him; George Washington, childessness 10
aillict him; John Wesley, a termagant
wife TO poster him; Leah, weak eyes
Pope, crooked back; Byron,
club foot John Milton, blind eyes;
ftbarlpg ami Va Il
and you, and you, and you, and you,
something which you never bargaiued
for, and would like to get rid Of. The
reason Of this ls, that God does not want
this world TO be too brlght otherwise,
we would always want 70 stay, and eat
these fruits, and lie on these lounges, and
shake hands In this pleasant society We
are only In the yestibule OF n grand tenn
pie. God does not want US 20 stay on the
doorstep, and therefore he sends aches,
and annoyances, and sorrows, ana be-
reavements Of ali sorts TO push US on, and
push US up toward ripper fruits, and
brighter Hoclcb, aud more radiant pros
peritles. God IL only
WHIPPING Us AHEAD.
The reason that Edward Payson and
Robert Hall had more rapturous views of
heaven tina. other people had was because,
tn, ough their aches and pains, God
pushed them nearer up to 1t. II God
dashes out one Of your pictures, It is only
TO show you brighter one. II He sting
your foot with govt, your brain with neu-
ralgia, your tongue with an inexlinguish.
able thirst, 1t Is only because
lie is preparing to substitute a.
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 something
grander and better, that God sends upon
you as He did upon Gen. Eaaman,
something you do not want. Seated in
his Syrian mansion-all the walls glitter
ing with the shields which he had cap.
tured In battle, the corridors crowded
with admirlng visitors who Just wanted
To see him once, music and mirth and
banqueting tilIing all the mansion, from
tesselated floor TO pictured ceiling-Naa-
man would have forgotten that there was
anything better, aud would have been
glad TO stay there ten thousand wears.
But, oh, how the shields dim, and how
the visitors fly from the hall, aud how the
music drops dead from tho string, and
how the gates Of the mansion slam shut
with sepulchral bang, AZ you read the
closing words OF the eulogium: cue was
leperl lie was leperln
There was one person more sympA thot.
&c with Gen. Nasman than any other per.
son. Naaman's wife walks the nlor
wringlng her hands and trying to thinl,
what she can do to alleviate her husbands
suferlngs All remedies have failed
The surgeon.genersl aud the doctors of
the royal stan have met, and they have
shaken their heads as much as to say:
"No curei no cure" think that the
oiice'seekers had all folded up their re-
Communications and gone home. proba-
bly, most OF the employees OF the estab
llshment had dropped their work and
were thinking Of looking for some other
situation, What shall now become OF
poor Naaman's wifeg She must have
sympathy somewhere. In her despair
ahe goes to little Hebrew captive, a
servant girl In her house, to whom she
teils the whole storyi a. sometimes,
When oVerhorno With sorrows OF the
world, and finding no sympathy any.
where else, you have gone out and found
In the sympathy Of some humble domes.
tlc--Rose, or Dinah or Bridget help
which
THE WORLD COULD NOT GIVE YOU.
what scene It wasl One OF the
Srandest women In all Syria In cabinet
council with a waiting maid over the de.
eilping health OF q. mighty generaP al
know something's" says the little captive
maidi 81 know something" as she bounds
to her bare feet. In the land from which
was stolen there Is a certain prophet
known by the name OF Elisha, who can
cure almost everything, and shouldn't
wonder II no could cure my master
Send for him right away" "Oh, hushlu
you say. "lt the highest medical talent
IN all the land cannot cure that leper
there Is no need OF your listening TO any
taiN OF servant girln But
do not scoff, do not snoer. The
nnger Of that little captive
maid Is pointing In the right direction.
She might have said "This Is a iudg.
meLt on you for stealing me from nv
native land, Didn't they snatch me of
In the night breaking my fathers and
mothef'a heartsi and many time | have
laid and cried all nieht because | was so
home'sick" Thor aushlng up into child
lSh INDIGNATION sha tnf,ht - 49,. -