I READ a story the other day which would, perhaps, interest some of the children, who read this magazine.
It was the story of a little girl, who, sad to say, was a leper. Now I daresay some of you know what a terrible disease leprosy is; the unfortunate person who has it, is covered with sores, which by degrees eat away his flesh, so that some lose their eyes, or hands, or feet. There is no cure for this sickness, and it is so infectious, that no one likes to go near to a leper.
In the Bible we read a great deal about leprosy. You may remember the story of Naaman, the Syrian, who came to Elisha, the prophet, to be healed, and how Elisha sent him to dip seven times in the river Jordan when his flesh came again like a little child’s. You may read the whole of this interesting story in 2 Kings 5.
When the Lord Jesus was in the world, He cured numbers of lepers. One poor creature came to Him, in his pain and misery, saying, “Lord if Thou wilt thou canst make me clean.” Then Jesus put forth His hand and touch him, saying, “I will, be thou clean.” Think of that holy, spotless One, touching the unclean leper, but He could not be harmed by it—on the contrary, immediately He touched him, the poor man was cleansed, and could go about like other people.
The little girl I read about the other day, did not live in the same country as the lepers we hear of in the Bible. Her home was in India, and when it was discovered that she had the leprosy, she was put in an asylum for lepers. Here she was taken care of and made as happy as she could be under the circumstances, but just think, children, for a moment, how you would feel, if you had a dreadful and loathsome disease, which could never be cured, and had to live all your life with no one to associate with, but men, women and children all afflicted in the same way!
A kind English lady heard of this poor little girl, and her heart went out to her in love, and a great longing came over her, that the child should learn to know the Lord Jesus. She knew that He alone could comfort her in her sad lot down here, and He alone could make her ready for that pure and holy home above, where even poor lepers are welcome, when cleansed from their sins in Jesus’ blood. The lady thought and prayed for a long while, and then what do you think she did? She went to a shop and bought a beautiful don. This she brought home, and dressed just as prettily as she could in silk and lace and ribbon. When dolly was all finished, she was carefully packed in cotton, and many wrappings of paper, and over the sea she travelled, in the post bag, all the long, long journey to distant India. With the doll went a little letter to the afflicted child. In the letter the lady told her that she loved her so much that she had bought and dressed this beautiful doll on purpose for her, but she also told her that God loved her so. much more than she did, that He had sent His only and well-beloved Son into the world to DIE for her.
When the little sick girl got the doll, her delight knew no bounds; she hugged her dolly and danced for joy. Then she read the lady’s letter, and grew grave. “I will try to love God” she said. DO you notice that she began at the wrong end? She talked about her love to God, not His love to her. “We love Him, BECAUSE He first loved us.” But I am glad to be able to tell you that the story does not end here. It was not long before the lady’s prayers were answered; the little leper saw that she had a worse disease than leprosy, even sin, a disease which none but God can heal, and so she took the burden of her sins to Him, and He washed them all away. Now she can say “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.”
ML 11/25/1906