The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-11-23

Americans would feel il, by way of
medical prescription. some one should
tell us to go and wash in the Danube or
the Rhine. We would answer: Are
not the Connecticut and the Hudson
Just as good?'' Or as an Englisnman
would feel If he were told. BY way of
medical prescription. he must GO and
wash in the Mississippi or the St. Law
renee. He would cry out: Are not
the Thames and the shannon just as
well?' The fact was that naughty
Naaman needed to learn what every
every Englishman and every American
needs to learn-that when God tells
you to do thing. you must go and do
it, whether you understand the reason
Or not.
Well. Gen Naaman could not stand
the test. The eharioteer gives jerk
to the right line until the bit snaps in
the horses mouth. and the whirr of
the wheels and the flying of the dust
show the Indignation of the great COM
mander." ''He turned and went away
in rage So people now often get
mad at religion
So, after all. il seems that this health
excursion of Gen. Naaman is to be n
dead failure That little Hebrew cap
tive might as well 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 dudgeon, and worse
than when You came? As his
chariot halts moment his servants
Chamber up in it and coax him to do as
Elisha said They say: Its easy. IL
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 Jordan
You take bath every day anyhow and
in this climate it is Sc hot that it viii
do you good Do it on our account,
and for the sake of the army you COM
mand. and for the sake of the nation
that admires you Come. my lord. jEst
try the Jordanic bath" Well" he
says Ito please you / will do as you
say The retinue drive to the brink
of the Jordan. Gen. Nasman. assist
ed by his attendants, gets down out
of his chariot and painfully 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 ths
girdle. and now standing so far down
in the stream. Just little inclination
of the head will thoroughly immense
him. He bows once into the flood, and
comes up and shakes the water out of
nostril and eye; and his attendants
look at him and say: why, general,
how much better you do look" And
he bows a second time into the food
and comes up, and the wild stare il
gone out of his eye He bows the third
time into the food and comes up. and
the shriveled flesh has got smooth
again He bows the fourth time in the
flood and comes up, and the hair that
had fallen out is restored in thick locks
again all over his 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 his limbs.
Why" he says, Il am almost well,
but 1 will make complete cure" and
he bows the seventh time into the flood
and he comes up, and not so much as a
tester. or scale, or an eruption as big
as the head of a pin is to be seen on
him. He steps out on the bank and
says: rs it possible?- And the attend
ants look and say: rs it possible9''
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 '-huzzs. huzzar' 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 off mad: they have
come back glad People always think
better of minister after they are con-
verified 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 fana-
tics. or terrorists, or enemies; now they
call US friends
Now. my hearers you know that
this Cen Naaman did two things to
get well. The first was-he got out of
his chariot He might have stayed
there with his swollen feet on the
stuffed ottoman. seated on that en-
broidered 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
But he had not only to get down out
of his chariot He had to wash 90"
you say, Il am very careful with my
additions Every day plunge into
bright and beautiful bath All my
nearer, there is food brighter than
any that pours from these hills 1t Is
the food that breaks from the granite
of the eternal hills. 1t IS the food of
pardon. and peace. and life and Heaven
The food started in the tears of
Christ and the sweat of Gethsemane,
and rolled on, accommodating food I'M
til all earth and Heaven could battle in
It Zechariah called it the fountain
open for sin and uncleanlinc-z- VIII
liam COwper called it the fountain
filed with blood Your fathers and
mothers washed all their sins AMI sor-
rows away in that fountain o, my
hearers. do you not feel like wading
into it,
L suppose that was a great time at
Damascus when Gen Nsaman got
back Naaman's wife hardly recog-
niZed her husband he Was % wonder