ment: We are told, he was in a rage with the Man of God; who doubtless had treated him in the manner he did, on purpose to make trial of his faith ; and that he expreffed his refentment in language of contempt; thus rejecting the divine counsel against himself: And his pride had well nigh confirmed him in his leprofy for ever. But when he came to himself; when the form of his paffion was blown off, he prudently attended to good advice, though from his Servants; he confidered the matter, and, as we may infer from the event, repented and believed. For otherwise it is not to be fuppofed the experiment had proved effectual in the manner we are affured it did; fince upon actually dipping himfelf in Jordan feven times, according to the faying of the Man of God, his flesh came again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. From whence I cannot but observe,

4. Lastly;

4. Laftly; The abundant mercy and goodness of God, who is ever more provident of our welfare than we are of our own. He was not fo far provoked by the inconfiderate vanity of the leprous Syrian, though not of the Seed of Ifrael, but that upon his repentance and compliance He bleffed the appointed means, and rendered them effectual. No fooner was the inward man renewed, but the outward was made clean; and the recovery of the flesh bore happy testimony to the good difpofition and fincerity of the Spirit. Thus did it please the univerfal Father of Mankind, who is no respecter of perfons, to fhew this Heathen that there was indeed a God and a Prophet in Ifrael. 'Tis true, his original pride and unfaithfulness had entitled him to no fuch favour; however, for his own name's fake, and for the fake of his chofen people, he was pleased to fanctify the waters of Jordan to the healing

G 2

healing of a Stranger, who likewise, by his subsequent converfion and obedience, approved himself not altogether unworthy of the divine mercy.

And thus much for the obfervations naturally arifing from the text. I proceed now to make fome application of them to our own ufe and improvement.

2. Forafmuch then as the infirmities of the body do oftentimes bear fome analogy to the disorders of the foul; we may in this respect look upon Naaman the Syrian as no improper emblem of ourfelves. Sin is a kind of Spiritual

--

Leprofy, which too, like that fatal difeafe, falls not within the reach of human medicine: Nor is the one a whit lefs loathfome than the other. But had this Leper a Prophet to whom to apply for relief? We have more than a Prophetthe Son of God-one endued with an unlimited

unlimited power in and from himself. And we have all imaginable encouragement to apply to Him, who hath declared, that he came to heal the fick, to call finners to repentance, "and that whofo cometh unto Him he will in no wife caft him out." Since therefore we have confeffedly, the beft of us, much need of being healed, what have we to do but, like the diseased in the text, to go with all speed to this our Divine Physician? Nor is he far from any amongst us; his falutary word is within our reach, and open to every enquirer.

But we are to feek him in faith, and obey him with humility; otherwise his moft facred prescriptions will prove ineffectual. We are not to fpurn at his ordinances, because fimple and easy to be observed; nor take offence at his medicines, because we cannot comprehend their healing quality. For it often pleases G 3

the

the Almighty Creator, in order to make his power known, to fanctify the meaneft of his creatures to the noblest purpofes. Our Bleffed Lord anointed the eyes of a man blind from his birth with clay made of spittle, and bade him wash in the Pool of Siloam ; and he went, and washed, and came feeing. Not that He could not have cured him without any fuch application, by a fingle touch or a fingle word: But he chose rather by means fo infignificant and unpromifing in themfelves, at once to try the faith of the patient, and manifest his own power and authority. So in the cafe of Naaman the Syrian; it is not to be imagined there was any more inherent efficacy in the river Jordan, than in the waters of his own country; nor any peculiar virtue in the number of times he was directed to wash in it; but the orders of Elisha were plain and peremptory, on purpose to prove the obedience

of