The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-11-29

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p.f,', horooyement God shall lift that child
| to another world. and then it Will peckon
| rou inward? VIII Won take that poInf1ng.
| or will Won wait for the reckoning? Blessed
be God that the little Hebrew captive point,
ed in the right direction. Blessed De Goa
| for the saving ministry OF Christ'an cIlluI1 TEL,
| No wonder the advice of this little He
| brew CAPTIVE threw all Naamans mansion
| and Ben-hadad's palace into excit ement.
| Goodby. Naaman! With face scarfied ana
| ridped and innamed by the pestilence and
| aided by those who supported him on either
| side he stapgers out to the chariot. Hold
| fast the fiery coursers OF the royal stable
! while the poor sick man lifts his swollen
| feet and pain struck limbs into the vehicle.
| Bolster him up with the pillows and let him
take lingering look at his bright apart
| ment. for perhaps the Hebrew captive may
| be mistaken. and the next time Naaman
comes to that place he may he n dead weight
| on the shoulders of those who carry him, an
expired chieftain seeking sepulture amid the
| lamentations Of an admjring nation. dood-
by. Naaman! Let the charioteer drive gem
tIy over the hills OF Hermon, lest he jolt
the invalid. Here goes the bravest man
of all his dav captive of a horrible disease.
As the ambulance winds through the streets
Of Damascus the tears and prayers OF all the
people 60 after the world renowned invalid.
Perhaps YOU have bad an invalid go out
from your house on health excursion. You
know how the neighbors stood around and
said, "Ah, he will never come back again
alive Oh 1t was a solemn moment. tell
YOU. when the invalid had departei j. ana
YOU went into the room to make the bed,
and to remove the medicine walls from the
shelf. and to throw open the shutters. so
that the fresh air might rush into the long
closed room. Goodby, Naaman
There is only one cheerful face looking at
hin, opJ that lie tha faoa of the little
Hebrew captive who is sure he will get
cured, and who is so glad she helped hin.
As the chariot winds out and the escort OF
mounted courtiers and the mules, laden
with sacks Of gold and silver and en-
hroidered suits Of apparel, went through
| the gates Of Damascus and ont on the long
way, the hills Of Naphtaia and Ephralm
look down on the procession and the re-
tjnue goes right past the battlefieldS wnera
Naaman in the days Of his health USED to
rally his troops for Iearrul onset. and rhen
the procession stops and reclines awhile in
the groves of olive and oleander. and
General Naaman so sick 80 very. very SICK!
How the countrymen gaped rs the process
sion passed They had seen Naaman GO
past like whirlwind in days gone by and
had stood aghast at the clank OF his war
equipments. hut now they commiserate him.
They say: "Poor man. he will never get
home alive! Poor man.
General Naaman wakes up from restless
sleep in the chariot. and he says to the
charioteer "How long before we shall reach
the Prophet Elsha?" The charioteer says to
waysider. chow far is it to Eisha's
house?" He says, "Two miles" "Two
mies?" Then they whip up the lathered
and tagged out horses. The whole procession
brightens up at the prospect of speedy ar
rival. They drive up TO the door OF the
prophet The characters shout whoa" to
the horses. and tramping hoofs and grinding
wheels cease shaking the earth. Come out,
Elisha, come out. You have company. The
grandest company that ever came to your
house has come to it now No stir inside
Elisha's house. The fact was. the Lord had
informed Elisha that the sick captain was
coming and how to treat him. Indeed when
you are sick and the Lord wants you to get
we'll, He always tells the doctor how to treat
you, and the reason we have so many
bungling doctors is because they depend
upon their own strength and instructions
and not on the Lord God, and that always
makes malpractice. Come out, Elisha, and
attend to your business.
General Naaman and his retinue waited
and waited and waited. Tho fact was,
Naaman had two diseases-pride and
leprosy The one was as hard to get rid OF
us the other. Elisha sits quietly in mis-
house and does not go out. After awhile.
when he thinks he has humbled this proud
General Naaman to battle seven times in the
river Jordan, out yonder five miles, and he
will get entirely we'll" The message comes
out. "What ~ says the commander-in-chiei
of the Syrian forces, his eye kinding with
an animation which it had not shown for
weeks and his swollen foot stamping on the
bottom of the chariot. regardless of pain.
"What Isn't he coming out TO see mei
Why, I thought certainly he would come and
utter some cabalistic words over me or make
some enigmatical passes over my wounds
Why, l don't think he knows who ]
am Isn't he coming out? Why, when
the Shunamite woman came to him, he
rushed out and cried rs ii we'll with thee?
Is it we'll with thy husband? Is 1t we'll with
thy child?' And will he treat IA poor un.
known woman like that and let me, "a titled
per sonage, sit here in my chariot and wait
and wait? / won't endure it any longer
| Cnarioteer, drive on Wash in the Jordan
| Ha, ha The Shiny Jordan-the muddy Jor
dan-the monotonous Jordan L wouldn't
| be seen washing in such river as that.
| Why, we watered our horses in a better rive
| than that ON our way here-the beautiful
| river, the jaspar paved river OF Pharpar. Be.
sides that we have in our country another
| Damascene river, ALBANIA, with foliaged bank
| and torrent ever swift and ever clear, under
the Pickering shadows OF sycamore and ole
ander. Are not ALBANIA and Pharpar, rivers
| OF Damascus, better than all the waters oil
| Israeli
| suppose Naaman felt very much a.
| Americans would feel If, by way OF medical
prescription, some ole should tell us to 20
wash in the Danube or the Rhine. We
would answer. "Are not the Connecticut and
the Hudson Just as good?' Or as an Eng
| lishman would feel il 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, care not the
Thames and the Shannon just as well?"
The fact was that naughty Naaman needed
! to learn what every Englishman and every
| American needs to lenrn-that when God
tells you to do thing you must go and do
it,whether you understand the reason or not.
Take the prescription, whether you like it or
| not. One thing Is certain. Unless naughty
| Naaman does as Elisha commands him. he
will die of his awful sickness. And unless
you do as Christ commands you you will be-
seized upon by an everlasting wasting away.
Obey and live u; disobey and die. Thrilling,
overarchinc, undergirding, stupendoua
alternative
Well. General Naaman could not stand the
test. The cbarioteer gives II jerk 10 the right
line until the bit snaps the horses mouth,
and the whir OF the wheels and the flying OF
the dust show the indignation of the great