Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-12-06

! ness and anguish nave gone out o. one
limbs. why" he says, II am almost
well, but will make complete cure
and he bows the seventh time
into the flood and comes up, and not SO
much as a tester, or a scale, or an erup-
ton as big as the head of pin is to be
seen on him. He steps out on the bank
and saws: is it possibleY" And the
attendants look and say: SIS it posi-
ble?" And as, with the health OF an
athlete, he bounds back into the char
lot and drives on, there goes up from
all his attendants wild sHuzza! luz
zal" OF course they go back to pay
and thank the man of God for his coun-
sci, 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 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 a great many letters from those
who tell us that once they were angry
at what we preached, but afterwards
gladly received the gos pei at our hands.
They once called us fanatics, or terror
lists, or enemies! Now they call us
friends Yonder is a man who said ne
would never come into the church
again. lie said that two years ago lie
said: my family shall never come here
again If such doctrines as that are
preached" But he came again, and
HE family came again. He is Chris
tian. his wife is a Christian, all his
children Christians, the whole house
hold Christians, and you shall dwell
with them in the house of the Lord for
ever. Our undying conductors are
those who once heard the gospel, and
went away in a rage"
Now, my hearers, you know that this
Gen. Naaman did two things in order
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 ii you ever
become Christian. You cannot 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. o, no, you poor, miserable,
scaly, leprous sinner, get down out of |
that We all come in the same naughty |
way. We expect to ride iuto the king
dom of God. Never, until we get down
on our knees will we find mercy. The
Lord has endorsed us, uneharioted us
Get down out of your pride. Get down
out of your self-righteousness and your
We have all got to do
that. That is the journey we have to
make on our knees 1t is our Internal
pride that keeps us from getting rid Of
our leprosy Of sin. Dear Lord, what
have we to be proud of? Proud Of our
scales? Proud of our uncleanliness?
Proud of this killing infection? Bring
us down at Thy feet, weeping, praying,
penitent, believing, supplicants
For sinners, Lord. Thou cam'st to bleed.
And I'm sinner vile indeed;
Lord, believe Thy grace Is free,
O, magnify that grace in me-
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
iblutions. Every day ! plunge into
bright and beautiful bath All. my
nearer, there is flood brighter than
nv that ,,a,,rs fro,,, tbasa b;l1. T.. =. |
he flood that breaks from the granite
If the eternal hills. IL is the food of
,ardon, and peace, and life and Heaven.
That flood started in the tears Of Christ,
md the sweat of Gethsemane. and
oiled on, accommodating flood. until all
arth and heaven could battle in it.
called it the fountain open
or sin and uncleanliness" William
'owper called it the fountain filed {
With blood" Your fathers and mothers
washed all their sins and sorrows away {
n that fountain. o, my hearers. do
'ou not feel like wading into it? Wade |
own now into this glorious food. |
eeper, deeper, deeper. Plunge once,
vice. thrice, four times, five times, six !
ouch as that to cure your soul. Of
wash. wash, wash, and be clean
| suppose that was a great time at c
damascus when Gen. Naaman got c
'ack. The characters did not have to
rive slowly any longer, lest they Jolt !
he invalid; but as the horses dashed
trough the streets of Damascus. /
hink the people rushed out to hail
ack their chieftain. Naaman's wife
ardly recognized her husband: he was
o wonderfully changed she had TO
Dok at him two or three times before
he made ont that il was her restored
usband. And the little captive maid.
he rushed out-clapping her hands. and
houting; did he cure you? Did he
nre you?" Then music woke nm
ne palace, and the tapestry was
rawn away, that the multitude
inside might mingle with the prince
: mirth inside, and the feet went
p and down in the dance, and all the
reefs of Damascus that night echoed