The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-12-16

Naaman does as Elisha commands him he will
die Of his awful sickness And unless you dc
as Christ commands you, you will be seized
upon by an everlasting wasting away Obey
and live; disobey and die. Thrilling, over.
arching, under-girding, stupendous alterna-
tive!
Well, Gen. Naaman could not stand tbs
test. Tho charioteer gives jerk to the right
line until the bit snaps iii the horses mouth,
and the whirr of the wheels and the flying of
the dust show tho indignation of the great
commander. "He turned and went away in
rage" So people now often get mad at re-
licion. They vituperate against ministers,
against churches, against Christian people
Ono would think from their irate behavior
that God had been studying how to annoy
and exasperate and dcmolish them. What
has He been doing! Only trying to cure their
death-dealing leprosy. That is all. Yctthey
whip up their horses, they dig in their spurs
and they 60 away in rage.
So, after all, it seems that this health e1cur-
sion OF Gen. Nnalnan is to be dead failure.
That little Hebrew captive might as well
have not told him Of tho prophet, and this
long journey might as well not have been
taken. Poor, sick, dying Naamanl are you
going away in high dudgeon, and worse than
when YOU camel As his chariot halts a
moment his servants Chamber up III it and
Goa. him to do as Elish said. They say: ats
easy. II the prophet had told you to walk
for mile on sharp spikes in order To got rid
Of this awful disease you would have done It
It is easy. Come. my lord, just get down
and wash in tho jordan. You take bath
every day, anyhow, and in this climate it Is
so hot that it will do you good. Do
it on our account, and for the sake Oh
the army you command, and for the
sake of tho nation that admires you. Come,
my lord, just try this Jordanic bath"
@Well," he says, ito please you will do as
you say" Tho retinuo drives to the brink OF
tie Jordan. Tho horses paw and neigh to
get into the stream themselves and cool their
hot fianks. General Naaman, assisted by his
attendants, gets down out Of the chariot and
nainfully comes to the brink Of the
river, and steps in until the. water
comes to the ankle, and goes on deeper
until the water comes to the girdle, and
now standing so far down in the stream
inst little inclination Of the head will thor
ouchly immerse him. He bows once into the
flood, and comes up md shakes the water out
of nostrils and eyes; and his attendants look
at him and say: "Why, general, how much
better you do look" And he bows Q Second
time into the flood and comes up, and the
wild stare is gono out Of his eyes. He bows
the third time into tho flood and comes up,
and tho shriveled flesh has got smoothagain.
He bows the fourth time into the flood and
comes up, and tho hair that had fallen out is
restored in thick locks again all over the
brow. He bows the fifth time into the food
and comes up, and the hoarseness has gone
out of his throat He bows the sixth time and
comes up, and all the soreness and anguish
have gone out of the limbs. "Why," he says,
II am almost we'll, but ! will mako
complete cure" and no bows the seventh time
into the flood and he comes up, and not so
much as a tester or scale or eruption as big
as the head of pin is to be seen on him. He
steps out on tho bank and says: us it pos
sible" And tho attendants look and say: us
it possibe2" And as, with the health Of on
athlete, he bounds back into tho chariot and
drives on there goes up from oil bis attend
ants wild "Huzza! huzza!" OF course they
60 back to pay and thank the man Of God
for his counsel, SO fraught with wisdom.
When they left the heprophet's house theJ gent
|offfnad; they Nave come back glhS~1AI
People always think better of minister
after they are converted than they do before
conversion. Now-yye are to them On intoier-
able nuisance because we tell them to do
things that go against tho grain; but some OF
US have great many letters from those who
tell us that once they were angry at what we
.>.a,,Loa 1,,,t or+ GLADLY rncpivpd tlln
gospel at our hands They once called us ia
natics CT terrorists or enemies; now they call
us friends. Yonder is aman-I speak lit
eral fact-who said that he would never come
into tho church again. Ho said that two
years ago. He said: my family shall never
come here again if such doctrines as that are
preached" But he came again, and his fam
ily came again. He is Christian, his vito
q Christian, all his children Christians, the
whole household Christian, and I 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 Gen.
Naaman did two things in order to get well.
The first was, he got out of his chariot. he
might have staid there with his swollen feet
on Ule SCulIeO OIVOLlollt ocaVeo OiA Gntte JILL
broidered cushion until his last gasp. he
would never hnve got my relief. He had to
net down out of bis chariot. And you huye
got to get down out of the chariot of your
pride if YOU ever become Christian. You
cannot drive up to the cross with coach and
four and bo saved among all the spangles.
You seem to think that the Lord is going to
be complimented by your coming, Oh, no;
you poor, miserable, scaly, leprous sinner, get
down out of that! Wo all come in the same
naughty way. We expect to ride into the
kingdom of God. Never until we get down
on our knocs will we find mercy. The Lord
has unhorsed us, uncharioted U.s. Get down
out of your pride. Get down out of your self
righteousness and your hypercriticism. We
have all got to do that That is the journey
we have got 70 make on our knees. 1t is our
Internal pride that keeps US from getting rid
of the leprosy of sin. Dear Lord, what havo
we to be proud Of! Proud Of our scales'
Proud of our uncleannessl Proud of this kill
ing infection Bring us down at Thy feet
weeping, praying, penitent, believing suppli-
cantS!