365.]
obtain : for, instead of following the direction given him by the prophet, ** he turned, and went away in arage*"." Here let us pause to inquire, what it was that so nearly robbed him of the desired blessing ? It was,
1. His offended pride — [He had come in great state, and with rich rewards in his hand, to the house of a poor prophet : and the prophet had not deigned to come out to him, but had only sent him word what he must do in order to a cure. This was considered by Naaman as an insufferable insult. In his own country he was regarded with the utmost deference ; and was he now to be treated with such indignity by a contemptible Israelite ? No : he would not Hsten for a moment to a message sent him in so rude a way.
Alas ! what an enemy to human happiness is pride ! How acute are its feelings ! how hasty its judgment ! how impetuous its actings ! But thus it is with all who have high ideas of their own importance. They stop not to inquire whether any insult is intended ; but construing every thing according to their own conceptions, they are as full of resentment on account of a fancied insult, as they would be if they had sustained the greatest injury : and in many instances do they sacrifice their most important interests to this self-applauding, but delusive, passion.]
2. His disappointed expectation —
[Naaman had formed an idea of the manner in which the prophet would effect the cure : nor do we at all condemn the notions he had formed. But wliat right had he to be offended because the cure was not wrought with all the formalities that he had pictured to himself? If he received the benefit, did it signify to him in what way he received it? or had he any right to dictate to the prophet and to God, in what way the cure should be wrought ? Yet behold, because his own expectations were not realized, he breaks out into a passion, and will not accept the blessing in God's appointed way.
This throws a great light on innumerable occasions of offence which are taken even among good people. We paint to our- selves the way in which we think others ought to act ; and then, because they do not answer our expectations, we are offended. We forget that another person may not view every thing in precisely the same light that we do, or have exactly the same judgment about the best mode of acting under any given circumstances ; and yet, as though we were infallible, and the
^ vcr. 12.