Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-12-12


the dead who die IN the Lord; they rest
from their labors, and their works do
follow them"
speak TO YOU of Dorcss, the resur-
rected. The apostle came to where she
was, and said: Arise; and she sat up"
In what a short compass the great writer
put that-'She sat up" Oh, what a
time there must have been around this
town, when the apostle brought her out
among her old friends How the tears Of
JOY must have started, What clapping of
hands there must have been! What sing
ingI What laughter! Sound it all through
that lane! Shout it down that dark alley!
Let all Joppa hear it! Dorcss is resur-
rected!
You and l have seen the same thing
many a time; not dead body resusci-
tated, but the deceased coming up again
after death in the good accomplished.
If man labors up to fifty years of age,
serving God. and then dies, we are apt
to think that his earthly work is done.
No His influence on earth will con-
tinue till the world ceases. Service
rendered for Christ never stop. A Chris
tan woman tolls for the upbuilding of
church through many anxieties, through
many self-denials, with prayers and
tears, and then she dies. 1t is fifteen
years since she went away. Now the
spirit of God descends upon that church;
hundreds of souls stand up and confess
the faith of Christ. Has that Christian
woman, who went away fifteen years
ago. nothing to do with these things? l
see the towering out of her noble heart.
I hear the echo of her footsteps in all
the songs over sins forgiven, in all the
prosperity of the church. The good
that seemed to be buried has come up
again. DOreas is resurrected.
After awhile all these womanly friends
of Christ will put down their needle for
ever. After making garments for 9th
ers, some one will make q garment for
them; the last robe we ever wear-the
robe for the grave. You will have heard
the last cry of pain. You will have wit
messed the last orphanage. You will
have come in worn out from your last
round of mercy. l do not know where
you will sleep, nor what your epitaph
ing at that tomb and an angel of God
guarding it, and through all the long
night no rude foot will disturb the dust.
Sleep on, sleep on. Soft bed, pleasant
shadows, undisturbed repose! Sleep onI
Asleep in Jesusl Blessed sleep!
From which none ever wake to weep.
Then one day there will be sky rend.
ing, and a whirl of wheels, and the flash
of pageant; armies marching, chains
clanking, banners waving, thunders
booming, and that Christian woman will
arise from the dust, and she will be sud
denly surrounded-su surrounded by the
wanderers of the street whom she re-
claimed, surrounded by the wounded
souls to whom she had administered!
Daughter of God, so strangely surround
ed, what means this? 1t means that re-
ward has come, that the victory is won,
that the crown is ready, that the ban
uuet is spread. Shout it through all the
crumbling earth. Sing it through all
the flying heavens. DorcaS is reSur-
rected!
In 1865. when some of the soldiers
came back from the Crimean war to
London, the Queen of England distrib-
uted among them beautiful medals,
called Crimean medals. Galleries were
erected for the two houses of Parliament
and the royal family to sit in. There
was a great audience to witness the dis
tribution of the medals. A Colonel who
had lost both feet in the battle of mixer
man was pulled in on wheel chair:
others came in limping on their
crutcheS. Then the Queen of England
arose before them in the name of her
government, and uttered words of COM
incubation to the officers and men,
and distributed these medals. in
scribed with the four great battlefields,
Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman and Sebas-
topOl. AS the Queen gave these to the
| wounded men and the wounded officers,
| the bands of music struck up the nation
al air, and the people, with streaming
| eyes, joined in the song:
God save our gracious Queeni
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen
And then they shouted "Huzza! huz-
zar' Oh, it was a proud day for those
returned warriors! But brighter, bet
ter and gladder day will come when
| Christ shall gather those who have
| toiled in His service, good soldiers of
Jesus Christ. He shall rise before them,
and in the presence of all the glorified
of Heaven He will say: "Well done,
good and faithful servant" and then He
will distribute the medals of eternal
victory, not inscribed with works of
righteousness which we have done, but
with those four great battle-fields, dear
to earth and dear to Heaven-Bethle-
hem. Nazareth Gethsemane! Calvary!