The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-04-13
Touring A LEPER'
Church. April 1907
BY REV.

INTL recently eprosy considered incurable Among
all peoples the eper social oucast. In Laos there
multitudes of hem hobbling about toeless, half
fooes feet receiving the coin umps OF hands-nos
less pess eyees creatures parody the human form oil
vine" Among the this added horror that the
eper stood for sn-God parable of it. Any other disease might
have taken type all pains and aches and weak
echoes from the through body
But God chose lepoy and truly fitted to show what
awful thing u.s. lightly speak it, with its corrodng
deforming, deadening effects on the SOUL
of
day. Capernaum early his public lfe Jesus
walking along country accompanied by large number
people, Suddenly they startled by the dismal Gun
cean uncean eper and the people shrank back lest they
de6d Slowly painfully the eper made his to Jesus
Frustrating himself homage said "Lord if willing
make cean Very heartily Jesus replied 81 viii
ling be cean At the time he stopped and laid his hand
the epe The people Mortified for Jesus had defed
himself but the leper leapt up we'll
The first thing that strikes in the story is
Startling
between religious leaders They
tremey careful themselves and their ceremonial purity Jesus
thought himself but only of the poor fellow he could
help Here, then, thing in religion It condemned
Judaism and showed Christianity to be broad
By its application extreme of physical need it showed
that the Founder of Christianity only able and willing
all the worlds but actually undertook to do To
this end he his disciples "hea the sick
dead cleanse the epe DEVILS that
the effects Of sin and restore them to une of manhood that
they would have had if they had nned We have large
measure lost sight of our Lords ideal We
with responsibility than with the desperate condition
fellow Not until get his idea of selAessness op
posed to eshne will either help anybody else
ourselves The Salvation Army good object lesson
eHuma Touch
"Jesus touched him" The word might have the
ease but the hearty tone and the friendly touch
him. What that ndescrbabe electrical something
down through and out his finger and vtaizes
anothers being in with them Teepahy suggestions
Christian science faith work wonders but they have limits
conditions and at best partial This certain in its results
for is mans life injected the others If that life
be Christ it will purify the other mans life and
will not itself become foul though will likely be suspected and
reproached with evil.
The hand that touched the leper and restored him
self and society has often reached the bottom Of the
and dragged souls those who thought pur
iy and and Wilderness of life No is low
not only but he willing Only the disciples hand
that must reach down We but the wlingnassa
the rub Only here and therea woman often a
child has caught the inspiration and the of Chrss
and yielded to it and blessed the world he has been
the church. sometimes outside heather but
always he has been Christian.
Sympathy the Magic Key
The eper instncvey knew his friend He
proud OF the religious
thought they could help him. be
hid Do the impotence Of church's
life? Has it not been Pharisaic than Chris But
love- Supply need. Help somebody-he first man you'll
meetln you canwh just the neighboriy feeling
The love will come-yes, has come already