The directions as to salvation are clear as day. He that runs may read them. " Believe and live." " Eepent, and your sins shall be blotted out." The blessing is assured the moment the condition is fulfilled; yet many hesitate. They say: "That is too easy a way ; there is surely something more to do." But that is God's way, and God's way is the right way.
. ^ On the West Coast I stood one day on the cliffs whilst a man pointed out a reef of rocks about which the wild seas foamed, and told me of an Austrian barque that in some fierce storm had struck upon the rocks, indeed was flung up on them by some huge sea. The rocket apparatus was on the spot and fired the rocket right over the ship, so that the rope was made fast in the rigging. Instantly every sailor on the ship rushed below, and not a man was to be seen. There was the rope attached, and there hung the board in half-a-dozen languages directing as to its use. They knew that the seas would rend the ship to pieces very soon and all must perish. At last this man could stand it no longer, and getting into the buoy he went down to the ship, and in at the forecastle he flung the painted board. A score of frightened faces looked up in terror at him. They took the board and read it ; hastily they explained it to one another, and crept forth wonder- ing. Then one, then another, availed himself of the apparatus, until all were safely on shore ; and, overwhelmed with gratitude, they fell on the necks of their deliverers and wept and kissed them in their great joy. " We thought you wanted to shoot and kill us," they explained in their broken English.^
1. Naaman was angry with the Prophet. — Why did not Elisha come out? Was it because he wanted to humble Naaman? Such might be the way of men, but the way of God, and of God's servants, is not so cold, so calculated, so pitiless, or the Gospel had been long ago undone. Elisha had no power to heal the leprosy. He had no power to come out and wave his hand over ^the spot and recover the leper. We see how, in the case of the dead child, " he went in, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord," his heart all pity, his soul all open to the whisper of God's voice, and the whole man ready to hear and obey
^ M. a. Peatee.
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the revelation of His will. No ; it is no cold and haughty- prophet that we see within that lowly dwelling seeking to humble Naanian. It is one whose heart is filled with pity for a case that is pitiable indeed ; a great man by whom the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria, but a leper. And in his pity Elisha sees / not the horses and chariots and giftS; but the leper. /
^ Pride, arrogance, conceit, and self-will stand in the way of men's receiving God's blessing. Naaman's conduct was typical. Every day men are betrayed by these malign influences into hasty acts and foolish courses, by reason of which they fail to benefit from God's loving-kindness and gracious purpose to do them good. Happy are they who have wise and faithful counsellors in their" mothers, wives, children, friends or servants, to suggest better second thoughts and persuade them to heed these and to act sanely, instead of insanely as anger prompts ! One act of folly done in a hasty moment may work irreparable mischief, may frustrate God's gracious purpose of mercy, and destroy all chance ' of fulfilling hopes ardently cherished, to accomplish which we and those who love us have made great endeavours and sacrifices.
2. Naaman was angry at the Message. — -Not only was Naaman angry at what he considered the want of respect shown by the prophet, but he was also angry at the message. Wash and be clean ! It seemed to make so light of his sickness.
(1) He wanted something else. He had been thinking the matter over in his ovm mind, and had pictured to himself what the prophet would do. He said, " Behold, I thought, He will ' surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper." And when at last the command came he was displeased, because it was not what he had expected.
It is so common a failing this of Naaman. Instead of sub- scribing to God, we prescribe to Him. We say, " I thought God would act in this way " ; but God's thoughts are not our thoughts,^ neither are His ways our ways.
(2) Naaman thought the task too mean, too poor, too unim- portant. He failed to recognize that nothing can be unimportant that God's Providence has assigned. Human Nature which is capable of much grandeur of achievement in great things, in special things, often breaks down in the presence of small things. So it was with Naaman. Most assuredly Naaman would have
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done any difficult task that had been imposed upon him ; but he found it hard to do a very simple thing. He stumbled at the simplicity of the prophet's method of cure, just as many stumble at the simplicity of the Gospel.