The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent | Page 4

had laid by--that was a great surprise, and a
very unpleasant one.
SUBJECT.--Let us take care that we do not have some such a great and
unpleasant surprise ourselves. "Take heed," says our Lord, "to
yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares."
I. Now I am going to tell you a story of another great surprise. The king
of Syria was engaged in war with the king of Israel, and one of the
servants of the king of Syria told him that Elisha the Prophet saw and

knew all that was planned by him against the king of Israel, and that he
told the king of Israel, so that the Syrians were never able to catch him
at a disadvantage, and defeat him. Then the king of Syria enquired
where this prophet lived, and was told that he was then at Dothan.
"Therefore sent he thither horses and chariots, and a great host: and
they came by night and compassed the city about." Then Elisha prayed
to God to deceive and blind the eyes of the soldiers, and he went out of
the gates of Dothan to them, and said, "This is not the way, neither is
this the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you
seek." So he went before, and led them along the road to Samaria, the
capital of the king of Israel. Then he brought them all in through the
gates, and they followed, as docile as lambs, and when they were in the
market-place, he said, "Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may
see." And the Lord opened their eyes, and lo! they were in the
market-place in the midst of Samaria, and all around them were the
soldiers of their enemy, the king of Israel, with swords drawn, and in
the windows were others armed with stones and javelins and molten
lead to hurl down on them. Here was an unpleasant surprise!
The king of Israel and all his soldiers were eager to be at them and cut
them to pieces, but Elisha was too good-hearted for that, he persuaded
the king to be generous, to give them their breakfast and send them
home. So "He prepared great provisions for them; and when they had
eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master."
They were lucky to be let off so easily, and they owed their lives to
there being a Saint of God there to intercede for them. But you may be
assured to their dying day they carried with them a lively recollection
of the very unpleasant surprise it was to them when their eyes were
opened, and they found themselves in the midst of their enemies, when
they fondly supposed themselves in the humble and undefended little
town of Dothan.
II. Now for you!--Whither are you going? Whither are you being led?
Are you at all aware? I very much fear that a great many of you are as
blind and as ignorant of the road you are treading as were those soldiers
of the king of Syria. You are going on headlong, chattering with one

another, laughing and singing, in open order, very little discipline, and
perfectly confident that you will come to no harm. Take care! Some
day your eyes will be opened, and you will experience an unpleasant
surprise. Then, when your eyes are opened you will see yourselves
surrounded by the enemies of your souls, ready to drag you to
destruction, and no help near. Very unexpected was this case of the
Syrians, that the prophet prayed for them, and that instead of being put
to death they were fed and sent away in peace. That is not what you
must expect. Dives, when his eyes were opened, cried to Abraham, but
got no help, no, not even a drop of water to cool his tongue.
III. No man need go blindly to destruction, for God has given him
guidance, and power of seeing whither he goes. The prophet led these
soldiers of Syria into the midst of their enemies, but God's good Spirit,
which is our guide, will lead us into the Land of Righteousness if we
will listen to His voice, and go where he points the way.
We have no right to plead blindness and ignorance, if hereafter we find
that we have gone astray, and our eyes are opened when we are in the
midst of our enemies, for blindness can not come upon us unless we
wilfully shut our eyes to the light, and with the teaching of Christ and
His Church ever sounding in our ears, we have no right