St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-12-25

| eyVcrN' e american NEcu5 10 tcGHn-lHlt NIlCn
! God tells you to do thing, you must go
and do it, whether you understand tbs rea-
son or not One thing is certain, unless
naughty Naaman does as Elisha commar-is
him he will die of his awful sickness. And
unless you do as Christ commands you, you
Will be seized upon by an everlasting vast
ing away. Obey and live; disobcy and die.
Thrilling, Cverarching, under girding,
stupcndOus altCrnativol
Well, General Naaman could not stand
the test. The chariOtccr gives d jerk to the
right line until the bit snaps in the hOS1o's
mouth, and the whir of the wheels and
the flying Of the dust show the Indignation
of the great commander. He turned and
went away in rage" SO people now often
get mad at religion. They yitupcrate against
ministers, against churches, against Chris
tian people. One would think from their
irate behavior that God had been studying
how to annoy and cXaspcTate and dcmolish
them. What has he been doing! Only
trying to cure their dcathdcaling lepcosy.
That is all. Yet they whip up their horses,
they dig in their spurs, and they go away
in Il rage.
So, after all, it seems that this health cx-
cursion Of General Naaman is to be dead
failure. That little Hebrew captive might
as well not have told him Of the prophet,
and this long Journey might as well not
have been taken. Poor, Sick, dying Naaman!
are you going away in high dudge0n, and
worse than when YOU came! As his char
lot halts moment his servants Chamber up
in it and coax him to do as Elisha said.
They say: ITS easy. If the prophet had
told you to walk for a mile on sharp spikes
in order to get rid Of this awful disease
YOU would have done it. 1t is easy. Come,
my lord, just get down and wash in the
JOrdOn. Y on take bath every day, any
how. and in this climate it is so hot that it
will do you good. Do it on our account and
for the sake Of the army you command, and
for the sake of the Nation that admircs you.
Come, my lord, just try this Jordanic
bath" "Well,n he says, ito please YOU
Will do as you say.''
The retinue drives to the bank of the Jcr-
can. The horses paw and neigh to get into the
etream themselves and cool their hot TANKS.
General Naaman, assisted by his attend
ants, gets down out OF the chariot and pain
fully comes 20 the brink Of the river. and
steps in until she water comes to the ankle,
ard goes on deeper until the water comes
to the girdlc. and now standing so far down
liz Hhe stream just 4 little inclination Of the
head will thoroughly immcrse him. He
btp's once into the food, and comes up and
shakes the water out Of his nOstrils and
eyes, and his attendants look at him and
say: "Whr, General, how much better YOU
looe., And lie bows second time into the
fOOtf and comes up, and the wild stare
is gone out OF his eyes He bows the
third time into the flood and comes
up, and the shrveled flesh has got
smooth again. He bows the fourth time
into the flood and comes up, and the hair
that Rad fallen cut IS restored in thick
locks again all over the brow. He bows
the fifth time into the flood aid comes up,
and tho hoarseness has gone out Of his
throat. He bows the sixth time and comes
up, ana all the soreness ard anguish have
gone OFT of the limbs. {: Why" he says,
Il am almost well, but will make COM
plete cure" and he bows the seventh time
into the flood and comes up, and not so
much aa tester, or scale, or eruption as
big as TIRE head of pin is to be seen on !
him He steps out on the bank and says:
{" Is it possble?" And the attendants look
and say: - Is it possible?" And as, with
the health of an athlete, he bounds back
into the chariot and drives on, there goes
up from al his attendants wild . Huzza!
huzza"' Of course, they go back to pay
and thank the man of God for his COUNSEL
SO fraugft with wisdom. When they left
the prophets house they went off mai;
they have come back glad.
People always think better of a minister
after they have been converted than they
do before conversion. Now we are to them
an intOlerable nuisance because we tell
them to DO things that go against the grain;
but some of US have q great many letters
from those who tell us that once they were
angry at what we preached, but afterWard
gladly received the Gospel at our hands.
They once called us fanatics or terrorists |
or enemies; now they call US friends. Yon- |
der is a mani speak literal fact-who |
said that he would never come into the |
church again. He sah that two years ago. |
He said: ~ Family shall never come here |
again II such doctrines as those are |
preached" But he came again. and his !
family came again. He is Christian, his |
wife a ChristiIn, all his children Chris
tians the whole household Christian and |
shall dwell with them in the house of the |
Lord forever. Our undying coadjutors are
those who once heard the Gospel and |
''went away in rage"
Now, my hearers. you notice that this
General Naaman did two things IN order to
get well. The first was, he got out CT his
charloC. tie might nave Stald there with
his swollen feet on the stuffed ottoman,
seated on that embroidered cushion until
MS last gasp, he would never have got any
relief. He had to get down out of his chariot.
And you have got to get down out of the
chariot of your pride il you ever become
Christian. You can not drive up to the
cross with coach and four and be saved
among all the spangles. You seem to think
that the Lord is going to be COMMUNICATED !
by your coming. Oh, no; you poor, misera-
ole, scaly, leprous sinner, get down out of
that We all come in the same naughty way.
We expect to ride into the Kingdom
# God Never until we get down
% our knees will we find mercy. The
Lord has endorsed Us, uncharioted us. Get
I own out of Nnur nrile Get down ont Of