Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-12-11
WOMAN.
Sermon by the Rev. Dr.. Iaimags,
in Brooklyn Tabernacle. :
Adorned With What All Earth or Heaven
Could Bestow, in Every Gesture,
Dignity and Love,
She Comes.
WOMAN HER NAME, OF MAN EXTRACTED.
Special 10 the Register
snhieef: "a Great Woman"

Text: III Kings iv, s, "And 1T fell on
day that Elisha passed to Shunem, Where
was great woman
The hotel of our time had no counterpart
in any entertainment OF olden time. Inc
vast majority of travellers must be enter
tanned at private abodes. Here comes
Elisha, a servant of the Lord, on a divine
mission. and he must find shelter. A bal
cony overlooking the valley OF Esdraeion Is
offered him in a private house and 1t is es-
peclally furnished for his occupancy-a
chair to sit on, a table from which to eat, Q
candlestick by which to read and bed on
which TO slumber, the whole establishment
belonging to a great and good woman. Her
husband, il seems, was q godly man. bQt
he was entirely overshadowed by MS wlIe
e&cellencies; just as now you sometimes
find in household the wife the centre OF
dignity and influence and power, not py
any arrogance or presumption, but by su-
perior intellect and force of moral nature,
welding domestic affairs and at the same
time supervising all financial and business
! affairs. The wife's hand on the shuttle or
the banking house or the worldly business.
| You see hundreds OF men who are success
full only because there is q reason at home
whv they are successful II a man marry
a good, honest soul, he makes his fortune.
II ne
Marry a Fool,
the Lord help him! The wife may be the
change but there oftentimes comes from
the home circle a potential and elevating
influence. This woman of my text was
the superior of her husband. He, as far as
| can understand, was what we often see
in our day, man OF large fortune and only
modicum of brain, intensely quiet; set.
ting long while in the same place without
moving hand or foot, if you say yes re
spending yes" if you say mo, respond
ing "nO'--inane, eyes half shut, mouth
wide open, maintaining his position III So
ciety only because he has large patrl-
mony. But his wife, my text SAYS, was
great woman. Her name has not come
down to us. She belonged to that collec'
tion of people who need no name TO dis.
tinguish them. What would title OF
Duchess or Princess or rQueen--what would
escutcheon or cleaning diadem be TO this
woman of my text who by her intelligence
and behavior challenges the admiration OF
all ages. Long after the brilliant woman
of the court OF Louis NN. have been forgot
ten and the brilliant woman OF the court
of Spain have been forgotten and the bril-.
liant women who sat on the throne OF
Russia, have been forgotten, some grand
father will put on his spectacles and hold.
Ing the DOOh the OlllcI ollC liShV' ANNNa
to his grandchildren the story of this great
woman of Shunem who was so kind and
courteous and Christian to the good prophet
Elisha. Yes, she was great woman.
In the first place she was great III her
HOspitalities.
Uncivilized and barbarous nations have
this virtue. Jupiter had the surname OF
the hospitable, and he was said especially
to avenge the wrongs of strangers. Homer
entolled it in his verse. The Arabs are
punCrilious on this subject and among
some of their tribes il is not until the ninth
day of tarryiug that the occupant has a
right to ask his guest "Who and whence
art thou?" If this virtue is so honored
among barbarians how ought it TO be hon
ored among those of us who believe in the
Bible, which commands us to use hospital
ity, one toward another, without grudging.
OF course do not mean under this cover
to give any idea that | approve OF that
vagrant class who go around from place to
place arranging their whole lite time, per.
haps, under the auspices of some benevO-
lent or philanthropic
Society,
quartering themselves on Christian fam
lilies with great pile of trunks in the hall,
and Carpet. bag portentous OF tarrylng.
There Is many country parsonage that
looks out week by week upon the ominous
arrival Of wagon with creaking wheel and
lank horse and dilapidated driver, come
under the auspices of some charitable in
stitution, to spend few weeks and canvass
the neighborhood. Let no such
Religious Tramps
take advantage of this beautiful virtue Of
Christian hospitality. Not so much the
sumptuousness of your diet and the regu.
larity of your abode will impress the friend
or the stranger that steps across your
threshold as the warmth OF your greeting,
the infOrmality of your reception, the re-
iteration by grasp and by looks, by thou.
sand attentions, insignificant attentions, OF
your earnestness Of your welcome. There
will be high appreciation of your wei
come, though you have nothing but the
brazen candlestick and the plain chair to
offer Elisha when he comes to Shunem.
Most beautiful is this grace of hospitality
when shown in the house of God. l am
thankful that | am pastor OF church
where strangers are always welcome, and
there is not State of the Union in which
have not heard the affability of the
ushers of this church complimented. But
have entered churches where there was
no hospitality. A stranger would stand in
the vestibule for awhile and then make a
opended to him until, flushed and excited
and embarrassed, he started back again,
and coming to some half-flled pew, with
apologetic air entered il, while the oCcu'
pant elared on him with q look which
seemed to say: well, | must, | must"
Away with such
Cursed Indeceucy
from the house of God. Let every church
that would maintain large, Christian intiu-
ence in community, culture, Sabbath by
Sabbath, this beautiful grace of Christian
hospitality, A good man travelling in the
far West in the wilderness was overtaken
by night and storm and he put in at a
cabin. He saw fire arms along the beams
of the cabin and he felt alarmed. He did
not know but that he had fallen into a den
of thieves. He sat there greatly pertubed.
After awhile the man of the house came
home with gun on his shoulder and SET
| it down in a corner. The stranger was
| still more alarmed. After while the man
| Of the house whispered with his wife and
| the stranger thought his destruction was
being planned. Then the man of the
| house came forward and said to the stran
ger: Stranger, we are rough and rude
peOple our here and we work hard for 9
living. We make our living by hunting
and when we come to the night fall We are
| IlTeu anu APT W EO W Oeu carly ahN oStoaS
retiring we are always in the habit Of read
| ing chapter from the Word Of God and
making a prayer. II you don't like such
things, if you will just step outside the
door until we get through I'll be greatly
Obliged to YOU OF course the stranger
tarried in the room, and the old huntel
took hold of the horns of the altar ant
brought down the blessing of God upor
his household and upon the stranger with
in their gates. Rude, but glorious Christ
ian hospitality!
Again, the woman Of my text was grea
| in her kindness towards Gods messenger
Elisha may have been stranger in tha
household, but as he found she ad com'
on q
Divine Mission
he was cordially welcomed. We have
great many books in our day about th'
hardships OF ministers and the trials o
| Christian ministers. l wish somebod,
would write q book about the joys OF th'
Christian minister, about the sympathie
ell around about him, about the kindnesses
about the genial considerations OF him
Does sorrow come tn our home, and is ther'
q shadow in the cradle? There are hundred
OF hands OF help and many who are no
weary through the night watching ant
hundreds of prayers going up that Coz
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