The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-17

locks again all over the brow. He bows
the fifth time into the food and comes up,
and the hoarseness has gene out of his
throat He bows the sixth time and comes
up. and all the soreness ard anguish have
gone out Of the limbs. "Why," he says,
81 am almost well, but I will make a COM
plete cure" and he bows the seventh time
into the food and comes up, and net SO
! much as tester, or scale, or eruption az
big as the head Of pin is to be seen ON
him. He steps out on the bank and says:
Is it possibler' And the attendants look
and say: " Is it possibleP' And as, with
the health of an athlete, he bounds back
into the chariot and drives on, there goes
up from all his attendants wild 4" Huzzai
huzza!' OF course, they go back to pay
and thank the man Of God for his counsel,
so fraught with wisdom. When they left
the prophets house they went OF mad;
they have come back glad.
People always think better of 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 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 mani speaL literal fact-who
said that he would never come into the
church again. He said that two years ago.
He said: My family shall never come here
again if such doctrines as those are
preached" But he came again. and his
family came again. He is Christian, his
wife Christian. all his children Chris
tians. the whole household Christian. and
shall dwell with them in the house of the
Lord forever. Our undying coadiutors 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 we'll The first was, he got out of his
chariot. He might have staid there with
his swollen feet on the stuffed ottoman,
seated on that embroidered cushion until
his 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 if 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 complimented
by your coming. Oh. no: you poor. misera-
BILE, scaly. leprous sinner, get down out of
that We all come in the same naughty way.
We expect to ride into the Kingdom
of God. Never until we get down
on our knees will we find mercy. The
Lord has endorsed Us, uncharioted Us. Get
down out of your pride. Get down out of
your self-righteousness and your hyper
criticism. We have all got to do that. That
is the journey we have got to make on our
knees. 1t is our Internal pride that keeps
us from getting rid of the leprousy of sin.
Dear Lord, what have we to be proud off
Proud of our scales! Proud Of our un-
cleannessl Proud of this killing infec-
tom Bring us down at Thy feet, weeping,
praying, penitent, believing suppliants
For sinners, Lord. Thou earnest to bleed,
And L IN sinner vile, indeed:
Lord, believe, Thy grace is free,
Oh. magnify that grace in me!
But he had not only to get down out OF
his chariot: he had to wash. "Oh," YOU
say, II am very careful OF my additions.
Every day Iplunge into bright and beau
tiful BATH All, my hearers, there is a
food brighter than any other 1t is the
flood that breaks from the granite of eter-
nal hills. 1t is the food of pardon, and
peace, and life, and Heaven. That food
started in the tears Of Christ and the sweat
of Gethsemane, and rolled on, an accumu-
lating food, until all earth and Heaven
could battle in it. Zachariah called it ''the
fountain open for sin and uncleanness."
William Cowper called it "the fountain
filled with blood" Your fathers and moth
ers washed all their sins and SORROWS away
in that fountain. Oh. my hearers. do you
not to-day feel like wading into it! Wade
down now into this glorious food, deeper,
deeper, deeper. Plunge once, twice, thrice,
times. 1t will take as much as that to cure
your soul Oh, wash, wash, wash, and be
clean!
suppose that was a great time at Da-
mascus when General Naaman got back
The characters did not have to drive slow
ly any longer lest they jolt the invalid;
but as the horses dashed through the
streets Of Damascus l think the people
rushed out to hail back their chieftain.
Naaman's wife hardly recognized her hus-
band: he was so wonderfully changed she
had to look at him two or three times be-
fore she made out that it was her restored
husband. And the little captive maid. she
rushed out, clapping her hands and shout |
ing: "Did he cure youi Did he cure you'"
Then music woke up the palace, and the
tapestry Of the windows was drawn away, |
that the multitude outside might mingle |
with the princely mirth inside, and the feet
went up and down in the dance, and all the |
streets of Damascus that night echoed and |
re-echoed with the news: Mammals cured |
Naaman's cured!'
But gladder tune than that it would be
in all this place, or wherever this sermon
shall be read, if the soul should get cured |
of its leprosy The swiftest white horse |
hitched to the Kings chariot would rush
tho navys nj IN tho EferDal Cify Our loved |
ones before the throne would welcome the |
glad tidings. Your children on earth with |
more emotion than the little Hebrew cap |
tive would notice the change in your look !
and the change in your manner, and would
put their arms around your neck and say:
=" Mother, guess you must have become a |
Christian. Father, think you have got |
rid of the leprosy." o, Lord God Of Elisha,
have mercy on US! |