The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1889-12-19

working, against i've tnouSlnt LleTe lneOilStS
ON the subject of charity. There are great
many wko have fine ideas about church archi-
lecture who never i'll their life helped to
build church. There are men who CAN
give YOU the history Of Buddhism and Mo-
!snl, who never sent n farthing
for their evangelization. There are women
who talk beautifully about the suffering OF
the world, who never had the courage like
Dorcas to take the needle and assault it..
am glad that there is not a page of the
worlds history which is not q record Of fe-
male benevolcnce God says to all lands and
people, Come now and hear the widows mite
rattle down into the poor box. The Princess
of Cont sold all her jewels that she might
helm the famine stricken. Queen Blanche,
the wife of Louis VIII, of France, hearing
that there were some persons unJustly IN
carcerated in the prisons, went out AMIDST
the rabblc and took stick and struck the
door as signal that they might oil strlkelt,
and down went the prison door and out
came the prisoners. Queen Maud, the
wife of Henry l., went down amidst the
poor and washed their sores and ad-
rministered to them cordialS. Mrs. Ketson
ut Matagorda, appeared on tho battlefield
while the missiles OF death were lying
around, and cared for the wounded. Is
there 4 man or woman who has ever heard
of tho Civil War ip America who has not
heard of the women OF the Sanitary and
Christian commissioners, OF the fact that, be-
fore the smoke had gone up from Gettysburg
AMI South Mountain, the women OF the
North met the women Of tine South on the
battlefield. forgetting all their aninlositles
while they hound up the wounded, and closed
the eyes Of tlic slain? Dorcas the benefac
treSS.
| come now to speak OF Dorcas the
lamentad. When death struck down that
rcol woman oh, how much sorrow there
was in this town of Joppa! suppose ther'
were women here with larger fortunes;
women, perhaps, with handSomer faces; but
there was no griei at their departure like this
at the death of Dorcas. There was not more
turmoil and upturning i'll the Mediterran-
can Sea, dashing against the wharv2s OF this
seaport. than there were Surslngs ~ and ITO
of grief because Dorcas was dead. There
are n great many who go out OF life and are
unmiSsal. There may be very large
funeral; there may be q great many carriages
and n sl'lumsl hcarsc; Shere may be high
sounding eulos'umS; the bell may toll al tne
cemetery gate; tharc may bo very ins
marble shaft reared over the resting place;
but the whole thing may be fGlsehood ana
q sham. The church Of God has lost nothing,
tao world has lost nothing 1t is only
nuisance abate,l; it is only u grumbler cess,
ing to find fault; it is only an ider stopped
yawning; it is only dissi pated fashionable
parted from his wine cellar; while, on
thal other hand, no useful Christian leaves
this world without being missed. The church
OF God cries out like the prophet: Howl,
fir tree for the cedar has fallen" WIDOW
hood comes and shows the garments whicn
the departed had made. Orphans are htted
up 10 look into the calm face OF the sleeping
I, F. 1o.,
and kisses the cold brow OF her who charmed
it away from sin, and all through the streets
of Joppa there is mctlrning-momning be-
cause Dorcas iSdead.
When Josephine of France was carried
out to her grave, there were great many
men and women of pomp and pride ana posi-
ton that went out after her; but am most
affected by the story of history that on that
day there were ten thousand Of the poof OF
France who followed her coffin, weeping and
waiiing until the air rang again, because,
when they lost Josephine they lost
their last earthly friend. Oa, who
would net rather have such obse-
Juies than all the tears that were
ever poured in the lachrymals that have
been cxhumel from ancient cities. There
may be no mass for the dead; there may be
no costly sarcophagus; there may be no
lars Of the city. and through the lonely huts
Of the mountain glen, there will be mourn
ing, mourning, mourning, because Dorcas IS
dead BLESSED are the dead who die IN the
Lord they rest from their labors, and their
works do follow them"
I speak to you of Dorcas the resurrected.
The apostlc ca,ne to where she was and said:
"Arise: and she sat upm In what short
compass the great writer put that-"She sat
un"' Oh, whata 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 clap
plng OF hands there must have been! What
singing. What laughter! Sound it all
through that lane! Shout it down that dark
alley! Let all Joppa hear it! Dorcas IS res
urracted!
You aud have seen the same thing many
q time; not q dead Eody resuscitated, but
the deceased coming up again after death IN
the good accomplished. II q man labors up
to fifty years of ngc, serving God, and then
dies, we are apt to think that his earthly
work is done. No. His influence OH earth
will continue till the world ceases. Services
rendered for Christ never stop. A Christian
woman tolls for the upbuildins of a church
many self denials, with prayers
and tears, and then she dies Il 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 women, 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 foot
steps in oil the songs over sins forgiven in
all the prosperity of the church. The good
that seemed to be buried has come up again.
Dorcas is resurrected.
After a while all these womanly friends
of Christ will put down their needle Forever.
After making garments for others, some one
will make q garment for them; 10 last robe
we ever wear-the robe tc'lhc grave You
will have heard thnIast cry OF pain. You
will have Witnessed the last orphanage. You
will haze come in worn out from your last
unnd OF llercy. do not know where you
will Sleep nor what your epitaph will be;
but there will be lamp burning at that tomb
aud an angel Of God guarding it, and through
all the long night 10 rude foot will disturb
tho dust Sleep on, sleep on! Soft bed,
pleasant shadows undistorbed repose! Sleep
on
Asleep In Jesus. Biessel sleepi
from which nouc ever wake 10 weep.
Then one day there will he a Sly reudipS,
end 4 whirl Of wheels, and the fash OF
pageant: armies marching, chains ciankng,
banners waving, thunders booming. aud that
Christian woman will arise from the dust,
and she will be suddenly surroIndeG-sur-
by the wanderers of the street whom
she reclaimed, surrounded 10y the wounded
souls to whom she administered! Daughter
of God, SO strangely surrounded, what means
this9 1t means that reward has come, that
the victory is won, that the crown is ready,
that the banquetis spread. Shout it through
all the crunbling earth. Sing it through
all tac flying heavens. porcas is resurrected!
In 1855, when some of the soldiers came
back from the Crimcan war to London: tho
Queen of England distributed 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 great audience to witness the
Ia & I,lnlh,nai Nxnn