Democratic messenger., 1894-11-24

INTO cnliulsn 1nulEnatlOl, Sno might
have said Good for them I'm glad
Naaman's got the leprosy. / wish all
the Syrians had the lcprosv. M. For
getting her personal sorruws. she SYM
pathizes with the suffering Of her mas
ter and commcnds him 1" the famous
Hebrew prophet,
Pointed In the Right Direction.
And how often il is that the finger of
childhood has pointed grown persons in
the right direction, o Christian soul.
how long is il since you got rid of the
leprosy of sin: You say, Let me sec.
IL must be- five wears now Five years
Who was it that pointed You Ia the d
vine physician: "Oh, you say, lit
was my little Annie or Fred or Charley
that clamhered up on my knees and
looked into my face aud asked ne why
didn't hecomc u Christian. and, all
the time stroking my cheek, So could
not get angry. insisted upon knowing
why / didn't have family prayers. :"
There are grandparents who have been
brought To Christ hv their little grand
children. There are hundreds of Chris
tian mothers who had their attention
first called Ia Jesus ny their little chill
drcn. How did yuu get rid of the lcpro-
sy of sin: How did you find y"ur way
To the divine physician: 'Oh, Ven say.
my child, my diving child, with wan
and wasted finger. pointed that way.
OH. never shall forget you say.
that scene at the cradle and the criE
that awful night. II was hard, hard,
very hard. but if that little one on its
dying bed had not pointed mo TO Christ
/ don't think l ever would have got rid
Of my leprosy" Go into the Sabbath
school any Sunday, and you will find
hundreds of little fingers pointing in the
same direction, toward Jesus Christ and
toward heaven.
Years ago the astronomers calculated
that there must bc world hanging at
"a certain point in the heavens, and q
large prize WAS offered for some one
who could discover that world. The tel
were pointed i'll vain, hut a girl at Nan
tucket. Mass. fashioned a telescope.
and looking through it discovered that
star and won the prize and the admira-
tion of all the astronomical world, that
stood amazed at her genius And so it
is often the case that grown people can
not see the light. while some little child
beholds the star of pardon. the star Of
hope, the star of consolation, the star Of
Bethlehem. the morning star of Jesus.
Not many mighty men. not many wise
men, are called, but t;od hath chosen
tho weak things of the world to con-
found the mighty and base things and
things that are not To bring Ia naught
things that are" Oh, do not despise
the prattle of little children when they
are speaking about God and Christ and
heaven. You see the way Your child is
pointing. Will you take that pointing
or wait until. i'll the wrench of some
awful bereavement, God shall lift that
child to another world. and then it will
beckon you upward: Will you take the
pointing. or will yon wait for the beck
oning: Blessed he God that the little
Hebrew captive pointed in the right di-
rection. blessed bc God for the saving
ministry of Christian children.
4 Sick Man.
No wonder the advice of this little
| Hebrew captive threw all Naaman S
mansion and Ben -hadad's 5 palace into ex-
citement. Goodby. Naaman, With face
scarified and ridged and infiamed by
the pcstilencc and aided by those who
supported him on either side. he stag
gers 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
tive may be mistaken. and the mex:
time Naaman comes ~ that place he
may be dead weight on the shoulders
of those who carry him, an expired chief
tain seeking sepulture amid the lamen-
tations of an admiring nation. Goodby.
| Naaman. Let the charioteer drive gen.
| tly over the hills of Hermon, lest he
jolt the invalid. Here goes the bravest
man of all his day captive of horri-
| lie disease AS the ambulance winds
through tho streets of Damascus the
tears and prayers of all the people go
after the world renowned invalid.
Perhaps you have had an invalid go
out from your house on Il health excur-
sion. Yen know how the neighbors
stool around and said, "Ah. no will
never come back again alive" oh. it
was solemn moment, tell you. when
the invalid had departed. and You went
into the room to make the bed, and TO
remove the medicine vials 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 look
/ ing at him, and that is the face of the
little Hebrew captive, who is sure he
will get cured, and who is so glad she
helped him. AS tho chariot winds out
and the escort of mounted courtiers.
and the mules. laden with sacks of gold
and silver and embroidered suits of ap-
parel, went through the gates of Da-
mascus and out on the long way. the
hills of Naphtali and Ephraim look
down on the procession, and the retinuo
goes right past the battlefields where
Naaman in the days of his health used
to rally his troops for fearful onset. and
then the procession stops and reclines
awhile in the groves Of olive and olean-
! der, and General Naaman 81 sick. SO
very. very sick.
How the countrymen gaped as the
procession passed. They had seen Naa-
man go past like n whirlwind i'll days
gone by and had stood aghast at the
clank of his war equipments. but now
they commiseratc him. They say: Poor
man. he will never get home alive, Poor
mani
His Two Diseases.
General Naaman wakes up from a
restless sleep i'll the chariot. and he says
20 the charioteer, How long before We
shall reach the Prophet Elisha?" The
charioteer says to a waysider, How far
is it to Elisha's house," lie says. 1.-Two
miles Z" Two miles" Then they whip