Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-12-05
WHERE D0RCAS LIVED.
Or TALMAGE breaches AN ELo-
QUENT SERMON IN JoPPA.
4 Moral Drawn from the HaIlowed Asso-
Citations OF the Ancient ciry-True Charity
What 1t Is and What 1t Means-GoOd
Deeds Live Always

Sunday, the 1st day Of December,
1889, was rendered memorable in the
Iacred history of Joppa, the Rev. I. De
Witt Talmage preaching there to q COM
pany of Christian people of various de-
nominations on ~The Birthplace of
Sewing Societies" He took for his text
Acts il, 80: And all the widows stood
by him weeping, and showing the coats
and garments which Dorcas made while
she was with them" The preacher said:
Christians of Joppa! Impressed as 1
am with your mosque, the first I ever
saw, and stirred as l am with the fact
that your harbor once hoated the great
RATS of Lebanon cedar from which the
temples at Jerusalem were builded, Solo
mons oxen drawing the logs through
this very town on the way to Jerusalem,
nothing can make me forget that this
Joppa was the birthplace OF the sewing
society that has blessed the poor of all
succeeding ages in all lands. The dis
asters to your town when Judas Mac
cab@us set it on fire, and Napoleon had
I've hundred prisoners massacred in
your neighborhood, cannot make me
forget that one of the most magnificent
charities of the centuries was started in
this seaport by Dorcas, a woman with
her needle embroidering her name in
effaceably into the benefcence of the
world. see her sitting in yonder
home. In the doorway, and around
about the building, and in the room
where she sits, are the pale faces of the
poor. She listens to their plant, she
pities their woe, she makes garments for
them, she adjusts the manufactured
articles to suit the bent form of this in
valid woman, and to the cripple that
comes crawling on his hands and knees.
She gives a coat to this one, she gives
sandals to that one. With the gifts she
mingles prayers and tears and Christian
encouragement. Then she goes out to
be greeted on the street corners by those
whom she has blessed, and all through
the street the cry is heard: "Dorcas is
coming!" The sick look up gratefully
in her face as she puts her hand on the
burning brow, and the lost and the
abandoned start. up with hope as they
hear her gentle voice, as though an
angel had addressed them; and as she
goes out the lane, eyes half put out
with sin think they see q halo of light
about her brow, and a trail of glory in
her pathway. That night half paid
shipwright climbs the hill and reaches
home, and sees his little boy we'll clad,
come from?" And they tell him, Dor
cas- has been here" In another place a
woman is trimming lamp; Dorcas
bought the oil. In another place, o
family that had not been at table for
many week are gathered now, for Dor
cars has brought bread.
But there is a sudden pause in that
woman's ministry. They say: Where
is Dorcas? Why, we haven't seen her
for many q day.. Where is Dorcas?"
And one of these poor people goes up
and knocks at the door and finds the
mystery solved. Ali through the haunts
of wretchedness, the news comes,
'Dorcas is sick!" No bulletin flashing
from the palace gate, telling the stages
of kings disease, is more anxiously
awaited for than the news from this
sick benefactress. Alasl for Joppa!
there is wailing, wailing. That voice
which has uttered SO many cheerful
words is hushed; that hand which had
made SO many garments for the poor is
cold and still; the star which had
poured light into the midnight of
wretchedness is dimmed by the binding
mists that go up from the river of death.
In every God forsaken place in this
town; wherever there is asick child and
no balm; wherever there is hunger and
no bread; wherever there is guilt and no
commiseration; wherever there is a
broken heart and no comfort, there are
despairing looks and streaming eyes,
and frantic gesticulations as they cry:
~Dercas is dead!" They send for the
Apostle Peter, who happens to be in the
suburbs of this place, stopping with q
tanner by the name of Simon. Peter
urges his way through the crowd around
the door, and stands in the presence of
the dead. What expostulation and grief
all about him! Here stand some of the
poor people, who show the garments
which this poor woman had made for
them. Their grief cannot be appeased.
The Apostle Peter wants to perform a
miracle. He will not do it amidst the
excited crowd, so he kindly orders that
the whole room be cleared. The door
is shut against the populace. The
apostle stands now with the dead. Oh,
it is serious moment, you know, when
you are alone with lifeless body! The
apostle gets down on his knees and
prays, and then he comes to the lifeless
form of this one all ready for the
sepulcher, and in the strength of Him
who is the resurrection he exclaims:
-Tabitha, arise!" There is stir in the
fountains of life: the heart futters; the
nerves thrill; the cheek fushes; the eye
opens; she sits up!
We see in this subject Dorcas the dis
ciple; Dorcas the benefactress; Dorcas
the lamented; Dorcas the resurrected.
If had not seen that word disciple
in my text, I would have known this
woman was Christian. Such music as
that never came from heart which is
not chorded and strung by divine grace.
Before show you the needle work OF
this woman, want to show you her re-
generated heart, the source of pure
life and of all Christian charities.
wish that the wives and the mothers and
daughters and sisters of all the earth
would initiate Dorcas in her disciple
ship. Before you cross the threshold
of the hospital, before you enter upon
the temptations and trials of to- morrow
I charge you, in the name of God, and
by the turmoil and tumult of the judg-
ment day, oh womenl that you attend tC
the first, last and greatest duty of YOU
life-the seeking for God and being al
peace with Him. When the trumpet
shall sound, there will be an uproar
and wreck of mountain and continent
and no humnn arm can help you. Amidst
the rising of the dead, and amidst thu
boiling of yonder sea, and amidst thu
live, leaping thunders of the fyint
heavens, calm and placid will be ever.
woman's heart who hath put her trust IL