Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-09-12

Il. Lee when he was one winter morn
ing walking over the SHOWS OF Arling-
ton? AS he looked back he saw his
ten-year-old boy trying to stretch his
legs to step In his fathers tracks.
Then said the greatest man the south
has produced for many Il year, ''If my
boy IS going to try TO walk in the path
I am walking I'm, l must be very care
full that l always walk I'm the path OF
purity and truth and honor and right"
IL our dear ones, those closest to us I'm
life, are those most In danger Of infec-
ton from our spiritual leprosy. there
is another reason why, for their sates
il not for our own, we should seek the
divine germicide, TO have the cleansing
which Naaman, the leper. received
when, at Gods command, he dipped
seven times In the river Jordan and
! his flesh became like unto that of n
little child
The Infection of sin.
| May none of Us ever experience the
remorse a broken hearted father felt
many years ago. He was bending over
the bleeding body OF his only son. who
had Just been brought home in dying
|
"Oh, my childv' he cried. "Why did
you do this? Why have you broken
your mothers and fathers hearts?''
The dying boy cruelty looked up into
.he face of his weeping parent and
answered: "Why. father, what are you
crying for? am dying as the result OF
your sins as we'll as mine. You first
taught me to drink at your own table.
You are as much to blame as l." Yes.
the infectious results of our own lep-
rous sins are evidenced in the temporal
and eternal destruction of those who
ought to be nearest and dearest to our
affectionate hearts.
Leprosy is to be found in the homes
of the rich and the poor alike; in the
| palace and in the hovel; at the kings
banquet table, as well as in the beg
CARS gutter. For many years the world
supposed that leprosy was able to
thrive only IN the pestilentiai alleys and
filthy dens of the east. That supposi-
ton was totally wrong. Leprosy may
originally start among the low social
outeasts, but the leprous germs can
Hive and thrive under the dazzling
| lights of a brilliant ballroom as well
rs I'm the sitting air of the dark howell
OF criminals retreat BY handling the
coin which is publicly used in India n
traveller may become infected with lep-
rosy, some leper having handled the
same coin. BY simply touching n rock
Mt the foot of which a leprous beggar
aad croucbed prince. arrayed I'm all
the brilliant robes of royalty. may be-
| come n lepcr.
few years ago the most influential
man of the kings court In the Sand
wich Islands was supposed to be an
eccentric individual because he always
wore a glove upon his left hand, but
one day that courticr Yves compelled to
take of his kid glove, and he was
found TO toe leper.
The Indifference 9sstba Rksn.
The last people on earth TO believe
that they can be destroyed by the Iep-
rous germs OF sin are the rich, the af-
fluent and the honored. 1t Is easy
enough TO persuade the poor outcast.
despised for her sins by the whole
human race, that she needs Christ. IL
Is easy enough. to persuade the poor
drunkard. writhing i'm the fatal clasp
of delirium, that he needs supernatural
aid; but OH. X is hard to persuade the
rich man, the honored, the respectable
man. to feel that the leprous germs OF
sin may be Embedded in his own flesh.
Afiluence and worldly honor some
times seem to make men Indifferent TO
all that is vital for time and eternity.
They are blinded to their sins and
scod at the warning that their own
fate may yet be that OF the multit,ries
who. in the palaces of the rich and the
great. have persisted from the same In.
difference.
Reckless and indifferent was the ntti.
tude OF the people OF London during
the great plague about two centuries
ago. Ainsworth, the historian. tells us
that during those narrowing and grew
some months the London stores were
nearly all closed. The doors OF the pri-
vate homes were nearly all barred and
bolted save when they were opened mt
the approach OF the bell ringer who
was seated upon n pile OF stenchful
corpses because he was out driving the
dead cart and collecting the different
bodies OF the dead. Yet at that time in
London there were men and women
who whistled and laughed and danced
and sang aud blasphemed under the
very shadow Of these horrors.
But, though the leprosy of the soul.
like the leprosy OF the flesh, be n DIS
case beyond the reach OF the human
soul, l would again draw your atten-
ton to the fact that IL yields 20 the
touch OF the Divine Physician. as the
affection OF Naaman yielded at the Jor.
dan waters. And there are especially
two or three incidents about the phys
zeal cure OF Naaman with which l
would drive this truth home and lead
you TO the fountain of life. The first
was that he was induced TO travel
from Damascus to the home OF the
Prophet Elisha through the influence
OF little captive Jewish maiden who
was slave of Mammals wife. / can
imagine the little Jewish slave lying
awake upon her humble couch as night
after night she hears the great Syrian
general tramping up and down In his
palace rooms. She hears him groan
when he is awake. She hears him
moan In his sleep because he Is a hone
less leper. She hears him toss restlessly
about upon his bed. She hears him
the more readily because she is Sleep
Ing In nearby room, ut the foot of
Naaman's wife's bed. or In an adjacent
room to her mistress. Then she hears
the general and his wife talking of the
cause OF Naaman's trouble. So one
day she timidly pulls at her mistress |
skirts and says: Mistress, why do you
not have master seek the prophet of |
Israel? He would cure him of his |
leprosyw Then the horses were hitch |
ed to the chariots. Then the journey |
was taken to the faroff prophets |
home.
The Christians Duty.
Here, my brother. Is the Christians
duty. The humblest cas5d % God coA
perform IT. The service rendered to the
great general by this captive child you
can render to the moral lepers around
you. / am doing no more than this
from this pulpit. l am telling you
where there is a cure for this fatal dfa