The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-01-12
f"WASH AND BE CLEAN"
 SERMON BY DIR. M'NEILL

At the South Highlands Presbyter1an church Sunday morning the subject or Dr. McNeill's sermon was, Wash and Be Clean" The lesson was taken from the fifth chapter of Second Kings, and. the story was the cleansing of the leper Naaman.
 The mornings message was con tinuation of last Sundays which showed the little girl speaking for Gods gospel, of Naaman's following her suggestion and going to Samaria to be cured of his leprosy. Dr. Me Neill pictured the wrath of Naaman when told by the prophet Elisha to "Go wash in the River Jordan seven times" The Jordan interpreted in the life of Christ is the river of salvation, which brings healing and cleansing and life to all who wash in it.
 pr. McNeill continued. There are several indispensable points in the in- depreciation of our leprosy of sin. First, the final difficulty, which is self. Naaman himself stood in the way to prevent his cleansing and only the true,
 loyal servant prevailed on him to wash His friends in Syria had sent him to the King of Israel instead of to the prophet as the little girl had sug- gested They had stuck the wrong label on him and dumped him at the wrong door. If we are to get away from the 1eprosy of sin we must get out of self into Him.
 "The last point we find is the battle
 with the 1eprosy of pride. This pride has to be overcome as the last sin be-
 tween man and cleansing. There is nothing fine in pride; it is as coarse as hell. If you want to be common, be 'chesty,' but if you want to be uncom-
 mon and attract attention. just be fnx huy pie today. Naaman the leper was a great man who could not be cured until every vestige of his foolish pride was obliterated.
 'In the city of London--I use that il- lustration because it is far way off, it might happen here--fneni and women go to a woman who gazes into a crys- ta lball or deals a hand of cards, and then tells them in six weeks they will see trouble through a dark -hairet man. Then others try to communicate to the
 unseen, through every means but the cross and prayer. They pay more than a nickel or a suarter for all of this humboggery. That same sin of pride
 makes them rejeit the old gospel, for 1 while it is healing itsis humbling. The command given to Naanan was Go wash, Gods word is always simple 1 and direct.
 'I believe it was the soldier in Naa-
 man that saved him. Theirs not to ' reason why, Theirs not to make reply Theirs but to do and die"--the obe- | dience of the soldier. That spirit has
 written most brilliant chapters in tht annals of British and American his tory Naaman was at the crisis of his destiny as maybe one of us here today
 "We have a poker of self righteous ness up our back and until we can get ] rid of it we shall not be cleansed. Naa- 1 man washed six times. but the sixth i time he was no cleaner than the first l The word was secven and the soldies
 obeyed. When God says seven, scix and I a try wont do. You can't dodge Him you'll meet this at the Judgment seat 1 I am pinning you up to the blood ol ] Jesus Christ. The seventh time Naa' 1 man was clean and his leprosy was speeding down the River Jordan to os lost in the Dead sea. Man may cayi ! at the gospel. but when he has triee
 it he will say: What can wash away 1 my stain: Nothing but the blood Q Jesus"