Democratic messenger., 1894-11-24
Sl.OO \ YEAR

comes up. and the shriveled flesh has
got smooth again. He bows the fourth
| time into the fioosi and comes up, and the
hair tina; had fallen out is restored in
| thick locks again ali over the brow. He
bows the fifth time into the food and
comes up, and the huarScne>s has gone
out of mis- throat. He bows the sixth time
and comes up, and all the soreness and
anguish have gone out of the limbs.
why, he SAYS, Il am almost well,
lat / will make "a complete cure" and
he hows the seventh time into tho food.
and hc comes up. and not 50 much as u
| Tester or a scale or an eruption rs big rs
the head Of a pin is TO bc seen ON him.
| His Wonderful Cure.
| lie steps GU; on The hank and says, rs
it pnSsible:" And the attendants look
and say. is it pos>ible:'' And as with
| the health of an athlete he bounds back
| into the chariot aud drives on there
goes up from all his attendants n wild
''HuZza, huzza!' Of course they go
back 10 pay and thank the man Of God
for his counsel Sc fraught with wisdom.
When they left the prophets house.
they went III mad. They have come back
glad. People always think better Of
minister after they are converted than
they Il" before conversion. Now we are
/ Ia them an intOlerablc nuisance because
we tell them To do things that 20 against
the grain. but some uf us have great
many letters from those who tell Us
that once they We're angry ut what we
| preached, but afterward gladly received
the gospel at our hands. They once
called Us fanatics or terrorists or enc
mics. Now they call rs friends. Yondcr
i q man who said 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 doc
trines a. that are preached. But he
came again. and his family came again.
He j. Christian, his wife Christian.
| all his children Christians, the wholc
| household Christians. and you 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.
The True Remedy.
Now. my hearers, You know that this
General Naaman did two things in or
der To- get well. The first was, he got
out of his chariot. He might have staid
there with his swollen feet on the stuff
cd ottoman. seated on that embroidered
cushion. until his last gasp, he would
never have got any relief. He had TO
get down ont of his chariot. And you
| have got To get down ont of the chariot
of yOur pride if You ever become a Chris
tian. You cannot drive up To tho cross
with n coach and four and be saved
among all the spangles. You seem to
think that the Lord Is going to be COM
pGmented by your coming. Oh, no, you
poor. miserable, scaly, leprous sinner,
get down ont 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 unhorscd us.
uncharioted us. Get down out of your
pride. Get down out of your self right
eousness and your hypercriticism. We
have all got to do that. That is the
| journey We have To make on our knees.
Ii Is our internal pride that keeps Us
from getting rid of the leprosy of sin.
| Dear Lord, what have we to be proud
of: Proud of our scales: Proud of our
uncleanncss: Proud of this killing in
fection: Bring US down at thy feet.
weeping, praying. penitent. believing
suppliants.
For sinners Lord. thou cam'st to bleed.
And I'm sinner vile indeed
! Lord believe thy grace IL free.
/ Oh, magnify that grace IN
But he had not only TO get down ont
of his chariot. He had to wash. "Oh."
yon say. Il am very careful with my
ablutions. Every day plunge into .
bright and beautiful bath" All, my
hearcr, there is flood brighter than any
that pours from these hills. Il is the
food that breaks from the granite of
the eternal hills. l; is the flood of par
don and peace and life and heaven. That
flood started i'll the tears Of Christ and
the sweat Of Gethsemane and relied ON.
accommodating flood. until all earth and
heaven could bathe in it. Zechariah
called it the fountain open for sin and
uncleanness. William Cowper called it
the fountain filled with blood. Your
fathers and mothers washed all their
sins and sorrows away in that fountain.
| oh. my hearers, do you not feel like
wading into il: Wade down now into
this glorious flood, deeper. deeper, deep
er. Plunge once, twice, thrice, four
times, five times. six times, seven times
Ii will take rs much as that to cure your
soul. oh, wash. wash ard he cleani
| Naaman's Cure.
| / suppose that was a great time e
Damascus when General Naaman got
back. The charioteers did not have to
drive slowly any longer. lest they jolt
the invalid, but rs the horses dashed
through the streets of Damascus think
the people rushed ont to hail back their
chieftain. Naaman' wife hardly recog-
nizcd her husband. He was so wonder
fully changed she had to look AZ him
TWO or three times before she made out
that il was her restored husband And
| the little captive maid. she rushed out
clapping her hands and shouting: Ibid
he cure You? Did he cure you:" Then
music woke up the palace, and the tap
estry of the windows was drawn away.
that the multitude outside might min
/ FiN WIN ohH
the feet went up and down in the dance,
and all the streets of Damascus that
night echoed and re-echoed with the
news: "Naaman's curedl Naaman's
cured" But a gladder time than that
il would be If your soul should get cur
ed Of its leprosy. The swiftest white
horses hitched To the Kings chariot
would rush the news into the eternal
city Our loved ones befole the throne
would welcome the glad tidings Your
children Cn earth, with more emotion
than the little Hebrew captive. would
notice the change in your look and the
change i'll your manner and would put
;hcir arms around your neck and say:
Mother, | guess You must have be-
come Christian Father. | think you
| t,.,.., Il s tl., la,N,.n-x- ~