SUNDAY SNOWDROPS. I. HERO WORSHIP. "And his servants came near and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean.”—2 Kings v. 13. You probably all know something about the story from which these words of my text are taken. Naaman the Syrian was a mighty man, and the chief man in the kingdom of Syria: but he was a leper. It happened that a little maid had been captured by the Syrians, and brought away from her home far away in Israel to serve in Naaman's house. This little maid waited on Naaman's wife, and in her eager zeal to do some good to her master she told her mistress of a man of GOD in her own land of Israel who could heal even such a disease as leprosy. Naaman, hearing of this, went B in great state with his chariot, horses, and atten dants, and stood at the the prophet of Israel. prophet would at once man as he was, and heal him at once by some wonderful means. Surely such a great man as the captain of the host of Syria would not be cured in any common way. But Naaman was disappointed. For the prophet Elisha did not come down himself, but only sent a messenger, who bade him go and wash seven times in the river Jordan. and wash seven times in Jordan! And to be told this through a messenger! The pride of Naaman could not put up with such treatment. He turned away in anger. "Why should I wash in Jordan?" said he ; 66 are there not in my own land of Syria such rivers as Abana and Pharpar? may I not wash in them, and be cleansed from this leprosy ?" door of the house of Elisha Naaman thought that the come down to such a great Go Now, if Naaman had gone home again and not done the simple bidding of the prophet, as far as we know, he would never have been cured. But his servants were wiser than their master. They came up to Naaman-and he must have been a kind master for them to dare to take such open interest in his welfare-and said to him the words of my text. What they said in effect was this. "If Elisha had bidden you go and do some great thing, you would have been willing to do it; but you don't like doing such a mere simple act as washing in the little river of Jordan." And GOD |