The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-12-13

will be mourning, mourning, Eaou-n1ng,
because Dorcas is dead. blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord; they rest
from their labors. and their works do
follow them"
1 speak to you of Dorcas, the resur-
rected. The apostle came'to where she
was, and said: arise; and she sat up!"
In what short compass the great writer
put that-"She sat up!'' Oh, what
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
ing! Whatlaughter! Sound it all through
that lane! Shout it down that dark alleyl
Let all Joppa hear It'll DOrcas is resur-
rectedi
You and have seen the same thing
many a time; not a 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 h9fuenee on earth will con-
tinue till the world ceases. Services
rendered flr Christ never stop. A Chris
tian womS7 tolls for the upbuilding of
church through many anxieties, through
many self-dFnials, with prayers and
tears, and th9n she dies. It is fifteen
years since she went away. Now the
spirit of God 3escends upon that church;
hundreds of souls stand up and confess
the faith of CHRIST. Has that Christian
woman, who Want away fifteen years
ago, nothing to 60 with these things? L
see the towering olI& of her noble heart.
h. oh It 4o-,e III
the songs over sins forgiven, in all the
prosperity of the 4hurch. The good
that seemed to be buried has come up
again. Oorcas is resurrected.
After twhile all these womanly friends
of Christ will put down their needle for
ever. After making garments for 9th
ers, some one will make garment for
them; tha last robe we ever wear-the
robe for the grave. You will have heard
the last cry of pain. You viii have wit.
messed the last orphanage. You will
have come in worn out from your last
round of mercy. 1 do not know where
you will sleep, nor what your epitaph
win be, but there will be lamp burn
ing at that tomb and an angel of God
guarding it, and through all the lorg
night no rude foot will disturb the dust.
Sleep on, sleep on! Soft bed, pleasant
shadows, undisturbed repose! Sleep on!
Asleep in Jesusl Blessed sleepl
From which none ever wake to weep.
Then one day there will be a sky rend-
ing, and 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
/ i L
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
quet is spread. Shout it through all the
crumbling earth. Sing it through all
the flying heavens. Dorcas is resur-
rected!
In 1855, 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
GElbublOu Oh JuS IH6udlS. n OOlOu6l VINO
had lost both feet in the battle of Inker-
man was pulled in on a 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
mendation 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 QueeaI
Long live our noble Queenl
COG save the Queen!
And then they shouted "Huzzal huz.
zan' Oh, it was proud day for those
returned warriors! But a brightcF, bet
ter and gladder day will come when
Christ shall gather those who Rave
tOiled in His service, good soldiers of
Jesus Christ. He shall rise before thela,
and in the presence of all the gIorifie1
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 oil
RICH teOusness which we have done, bus
with those four great battle-fields, dea1
to earth and dear to Heaven-Bethlg
hem! Nazareth! Gethsemane! Calvary