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she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? Then he said

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(Copyright, 1903, by William H. Rau, Phila.)
Plain of Esdraelon.

to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child. And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked. And when

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Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.-2 Kings IV. 8-37.

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(Copyright, 1903, by C. H. Graves, Phila.)

Reaping grain, Esdraelon.

NAAMAN HEALED OF LEPROSY.

THE name Damascus brings to mind a most interesting old city. It was in Syria, the region northeast of Canaan. Two streams rise in the mountains; one from the slopes of Hermon, the Pharpar, and one from a gorge in the AntiLebanon mountains further north, the Abana, and run out into the plain, making a beautiful garden spot in the desert. The Abana, now called the Barada, "cold," is a very beautiful stream. The greater part of its water bursts out at one great spring, the Fijeh, at the foot of a rocky slope, and is at once a river of clear beryl water some thirty feet wide and three feet deep. It is joined by a smaller stream

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from higher up the gorge, and goes rushing down to give life to Damascus. The water is led about in little canals through the gardens and orchards, so that the city is bowered in fresh green which seems to the eyes of weary travellers from the desert like paradise itself. No wonder they are fond of their city, and of the beautiful river from the mountains which gives it its life.

The king of Syria lived in Damascus, and Naaman the captain of his army. But Naaman was a leper. This was perhaps in those days a general name for many diseases chiefly of the skin. The skin was dead and white or dis

colored, in places, or over the whole body, and sometimes there were sores.

Among the Jews leprosy was considered very dreadful and unclean, and very severe rules about it were given in the law, because it pict

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ures a state of life which is very evil. Lepers were not allowed to live in the town, and if they saw others coming near they must cry out, "Unclean, unclean," to warn them away. When the Lord was on earth He laid His hands upon the lepers and made them clean. His power was with Elisha.

(Published by C. H. Graves, Phila.)

Now let us read the story. We think of a company of attendants going with Naaman, with horses and chariots. He brought silver and gold to give for his healing. The talent of silver means a weight worth

Great spring of the Barada, Anti-Lebanon mountains.

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nearly two thousand dollars; the piece or shekel of gold was a weight worth about ten dollars.

So Naaman and his company came to the city of Samaria

where the king of Israel lived. Ahab had died, and the king at this time was probably Jehoram, Ahab's son. Elisha also lived in Samaria, but he was forgotten till he sent to the king and reminded him of the Lord, and that he was the Lord's prophet.

When we read how Naaman despised the Jordan in comparison with the Abana and Pharpar, we remember that the Jordan is a muddy river and not so beautiful as the clear mountain streams which the people of Damascus loved. Naaman took home earth to make an altar, for he felt that Canaan was the Lord's land, and that offerings made on any

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Great spring of the Barada River, another view.

other earth would not be acceptable to Him. Rimmon, which means "most high," we see was the name given by the Syrians to the god that they worshipped. It was the Lord who showed Elisha all that Gehazi did, and what was in his heart. There is nothing hidden from Him.

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were

with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make aiive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? Wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of

Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 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? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. And Naaman said, Shall there

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(Photograph by E. W. Strawbridge.)

The eastern gate, Damascus.

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