Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-02-18

and obey Gods commandments.
Naaman had to learn this lesson be
fore lie could he cured of his leprosy
His way was that the prophet should
come out To him and stand and call OH
the name of the Lord and strike his
hand over the place. Gods way was
that he dip seven times in the Jordan.
When he took Cod. way he was cured.
but not until he took il. Gods way can
cure you. q immortal. of your sin. Are
you ready 10 welcome this divine peace,
like Il river. which will come To you
through Jesus Christ: The way of the
cross is the source of this peace. From
tie mount of Calvary that stream
gushes forth. as from Mount Hermon
flows the Jordan and from the Adj
irondacks the mighty Hudson.
But the pleading river teaches us an
other lesson about the divine peace
which passeth all understanding. The
longer Il disciple of Jesus Christ lives Il
Christian life the deeper and wider does
the river of his peace become. 1t
should deepen and widen and grow
more majestic in volume. even as the
waters OF the Hudson grow deeper and
wider as they slip past the highlands
and lap the feet of the Palisades and
sweep on in their grandeur to the place
where they are married TO the waters
of the mighty deep ut the nuptial altar
of Governors island. in upper New York
bay. 1t should 90 on growing deeper
and wider. even as become the waters
of the river Orinoco where they empty
themselves into the unfathomable
depths of the sea. When. in 119S.
Christopher Columbus for the first time
touched the mainland of South Ameri-
Gu and saw this great river. one of his
officers congratulated him because he
had discovered another island. The
immortal explorer replied: No such
river as that flows from an island.
1nat mighty torrent drains the waters
of Il continent" The pleading river of
Gods peace grows wider and deeper as
we travel along its banks i'm the journey
of life. At the beginning of our Chris
tian course il may seem Il small stream,
but as the years pass and our feet come
eternity the volume of the river in
creascs until it becomes n peace that
paSseth understanding.
Is this increasing. power true in ref
erencc 10 our spiritual peace! AS You
compare your present life with that
of Your spiritual life ten. twenty. thir-
~ years ago are you conscious that you
love God more now than you did then?
DO you read the Bible more now than
you did when you joined the church
and prepared for your first commun-
ion: Is your enjoyment of prayer and
your dependence upon il more intense
now than they We're at first: Are you
striving more earnestly than formerly
TO gather the showers of blessing that
are everywhere falling around You into
your own spiritual nature: Are you
more ready now than at the beginning
of your Christian career To go into the
house of Il nei.hbor on whom sickness
or bereavement has fallen to admins
ter comfort and 10 cheer him with re-
minders of Gods promises? There is
something awfully wrong with Chris
tian who. while his wealth and menta!
power increase with the passing years,
finds that his spiritual nature does not
widen and deepen like the pleading
river of Gods peace.
Not Like a River.
Indeed. | sometimes think that our
so called peace is not like a river at
all Ii is more like a brackish, stag
nant pool or as dried up well that
gives forth no water. There was a
very good well here once" said an old
farmer in reference to Il certain drink
ing trough Indeed" answered a
preacher on his vacation. "is that SO?
l wonder what is the matter with it.
How did il get filed up?" Neglect,
SIR" answered the farmer. First a
little rubbish got in it. then little
more and a little more and little
more. The dirt and refuse We're not
cleared out. and the water grew worse
and worse and less and less until at
last the well became choked up.
wonder il there is any water at the
bottom of this well?" Yes" said the
PiCuNhCt. NOiNSi ~ thCiN 10 any Wa-
ter at the bottom of the well:" Is
that the figure of our peace? Is it
well and not n river:
AS the Mississippi river is fed by the
Missouri. the Ohio. the Tennessee and
the Red rivers and indirectly by the
Allegheny. the Monongahela. the Vel
lowstone and the Platte. SO from many
sources might the river of our peace re-
ceive the waters of blessing, but in
stead we allow the dirt and refuse Of
this world 10 choke the passages by
which they might enter and our river
dwindles into Il stagnant pool. Have
we become dried up spiritual wells: AS
the tourists dropping pebbles into
jacobs well have choked it up. some
Of us have choked up our gospel wells.
Years ago we dropped the pebble Of
Sabbath Dissertation into it. Years ago
in went another pebble absence from
Sunday school and church worship
Years ago we took 10 reading the
Sunday newspapers instead of the BIZ
BILE. No wonder that our peace. which
should paSs all understanding and he