The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-29
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject of Discourse: "The Proud In
valid"


Here we have warrior sick; not with
pleurisies or rheumatisms or conSumptions,
but with disease worse than all these put
together. A red mark has come out on the
forehead, precursor of complete dishgure-
ment and dissolution have something aw-
full to tell you. General Naaman, the Com.
mander-in-C Chief Of all tie Assyrian forces
has the leproSy! 1t is on his hands, on hls
face, on his feet on his entire person. The
leprcsy! Get out of the way Of the pestllence!
II his breath strikes You, you are dead man:
The Commander-in-Ch Chief Of all the forces OF
Assyria And yet he would be glad to eS-
change conditions with the boy at his stirrup,
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: rs 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 oul
grand and glorious Naanan has the lep-
rosyi
Yes. Everybody has something he wishes
he had not. David, an Absalom to disgrace
him; Paul, thorn y sting him; Job, car
buncles to plague h,.-l: Samson. a Delilah to
shear him; Ahab, Naboth to deny him:
Haman, Mordecai to irritate him; George
Washington, childlessness to affiict him;
John Wesley, termagant wife to poster him;
Leah, weak eyes; Pope, q crossed back;
Byron, a club foot: John Milton, blind eyes;
Charles Lamb, an insane sister, and you, and
you, and you, anil you, something which you
never bargained for and would like to get
rid of. The reason of ibis is that God does
not want this world to be TOO bright: other
wise, we would always want 20 stay and eat
these fruits, and lie on these i02ugeS 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 ath hes and annoyances and
:sorrowS and bereavementS and all sorts to push
Us on and push us up toward ripper fruits and
brighter society aud 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 inextingushable 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 to
push you on and push YOU up toward some
thing grander, that God sends upon you as
He did uron General \aaman something you
do not want. Seated in his As>yrian man.
sior-all the walls giittering with the shields
dors crowded with admiring visitors who Just
wanted to see him once; music and mirth and
bap1ueting filling all the mansion, from tas-
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 shields 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 leper"
There was one person more sympathetic
with General Naaman than any other person.
Naaman's wife walks the floor, wringing her
hands and trying to think what she can do
to alleviate her husbands suffering. All
reredies have failed. The Surgeon-General
aud the doctors of the royal staff have met,
and they have shaken the r heads as much as
to say: "No cure; no cure" / think that
the office-seekers had all folded up their
recommendations d gone home. Probably
most of the employees of the establishment
had dropped their work, and were thinking
of looking for some other situation. What
shall now become of poor Naaman's wife:
She must have sympathy somewhere. In her
despair she goes to little Hebrew captive, a
uerralt 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
q waiting maid over the de lining health of
the mighty General! Il 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
certain prophet known by the name of
Elisha. who can cure almost everything, and
] shouldn't wonder if he could cure my mas
tor. Send for him right away" "Oh.
hush!" you say. ''If the highest medical
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 not
sneer. The finger Of that little captive maid
Is pointing in the right dire ton. She might
have said: "This is Judgment on you for
stealing me from my. native land. Didn't
they snatch me of in the night, breaking my
father and mothers hearta And many time
/ have laid and cried all night because was
SO homesick." Then, flushing up into child
ish Indignation, she might have said: "Good
for them; Pm glad Naaman's got the leprosy;
! wish all the Assyriaus had the leprosy."
No. Forgetting her own personal sorrows,
she symPathizes with the suffering of her
master and commends him to the famous
Hebrew prophet.
And how often it Is that the finger Of
childhood has pointed grown persons in the
right direction. Oh Christian soul, how long
is it since you got rid Of the leprosy of sin!
You say: 'tLet me see. 1t must be five years
now" Five years. Who was it that pointed
you to the Divine Physician?" "Oh," you
say, sit was my little Annie or Fred or
Charley, that c,ambered up ON my knees aud
looked in my fare and asked me why didn't
be ,ome Christian and all the time stroking
my check so [ couldn't Set angry, ins st.d
upon knowing why I didn't have family
prayers" There are grandparents here who
have been brought to Christ by their little
grandchildren. T.ere are many Christian
mothers here who had their attention first
called to Jesus by their little children. How
did you get rid of the leprosy O. sin! How
did ycu find your way to the Divine PhySl-
clan! oh" you say, my child, my dying
that way. Oh, shall never forget" you
say. 'that scene at the cradle and the crib
that awful night 1t was hard, hard, very
hard: but if that little one on its dying bed
had not poi.te me 20 Christ, I don think
ever would have got rid Of my leproSy." TO
into the SabbathSchool this afternoon and
you will find hundreds of little fingers point
iny in the same direction, toward Jesus Christ
and toward heaven.
Years ago the astronomers calculated that
there must be world hanging ut certain
noint ia The heavens and a large prize was.
offered for some one who could discover that
world. The taleSco Q, from the great OBJ
servatories were pointed in vain; but girl
at Nantaucket, Mass. fashioned telescope,
and looking through it, discovered that star
and won the prize and the admiration OF all
the ,tronomical world that stood amazed at
her genius And so it is Often the case that