Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-12-07
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q N;TsssERM N !, On i Nj OBJ
q Moral Drawn from the Hallsysd Also.
ssciations Of the Ancient Cit True Char
s1itys-what 1t Is and What stt nIeans.;f!5
g. sIorpA, Dec. ysis memo rable
In tile sacred history OF Joppa,s tho
Rev. I. DE Eth Ia Image D. D.,lf
preac hing here company OF
Christian people ofsyario us:d olnii, III
Sons on The Birthp lace Sewing So:
ciieties. He tool for llis text Acts
89 md Ill r the widows stood
:Sy;s him weepin and showing the
coats and { garments which sDorcas4
made while she was with them. the
preach er5said ~: 5. *. :, =
Christ of Joppal Impressed asI
an wit your mosque, the first Lever
saw, aid Starred as / am with the,facts
that your harbor once iloated: The;
erect RATS of Leblanc cedar from;
sWhich@rhestemples at j erusalemI were,
ibri lded. Solomon's oxen drawing tue.
Efogs through th is We, towll5on the
swa az Is ) erusal EN- ,not thing ansnlakes,,
ssle- forget oppa Eassstbs'
abirthYlace of the sewing society that
his st rad6se.r nf q, iapGsGteaffe iffS5
sEour town when Judas l1accab@us
l:sset it on fire, and Napoleon had five
l8hundred prisoners massacred i'll your
lsneighborhood, cannot make me forget
that one Of the most magnificent char
| tiles of the centuries was started in
I3this seaport by Dorcas, a woman with
l:her needle embroidering her name III
I:dfaceably into the benelicenee of tho
world. see her sitting in yonder
home. In the doorway. and around
.,sbout 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
invalid woman, and to the cripple that
comes crawling on his hands and
knees. She gives n coat to tlfs 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 OH the
Street corners by those whom she has
blessed, and all through the street the
cry is heard: "Dorcas is comingl" 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 halo of light about
her brow, and a trail OF glory in her
pathway. That nighta half paid ship
wright climbs the hill and reaches
home, and sees his little boy well clad,
and says: Where did these clothes
come from2n And they tell him,
i..s.Dorcas has been here" IN another
place "a woman is trimming 4 lamp;
.llorcas bought the oil. In another
place, a family that had not been at
table for many week are gathered
nov. for Dorcas has brought bread
DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF DoRCAs.
But there is g. sudden pause in that
Soman's ministry. They say: where
issDorcas9 Why, we haven't seen her
many a day. Where is Dorcas2"
and knocks at the door and finds the
mystery solved ALI through the
haunts of wretchcdness, the news
comes, "Dorcas is sickl" No bulletin
flashing from the palace gate, telling
the stages of a kings disease, is more
anXiously awaited for than the news
from this sick bencfactress. Alas for
Joppal there is wailing, wailing. That
voice which has uttered SO many cheer
full 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 mid
night of wretchedness is dimmed by
the binding mists that coup from the
river of death. In every God forsaien
place in this town; wherever there is
sick child and no balm; wherever
there is hunger and no bread; wher-
ever there is guilt and no commisera-
ton; wherever there is a broken heart
and no comfort, there are despairing
looks and streaming eyes, and frantic
gesticulations as they cry: "Dorcas is
dead" They send for the apostle
Peter, who happens to be in the sub
urbs of this place, stopping with tan
ner by the name of Simon. Peter
urges his way through the crowd
around the door, and stands in the
presence of the dead. What expostu-
fation 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 q lifeless bodyl The
apostle gets down on his knees and
prays and then he comes to the life
less form of this one all ready for the
sepulcher, and in the strength of him
who is the resurrection he eXclaims:
s'Tabitha, arisel" There is a stir i'll the
Mountains of life; the heart flutters;
1.-THE nerves thrill the check fushes;
\ lilo n--o ora,,s. she sitsunl
disciple; Dorcas the. benefactress; Dor
cas- the lamented; Dorcas the resur-
facted.
IF l had not seen that word disciple
in my text, l would have known this
woman was u Christian. Such music
as that never came from heart which
is not chorded and strung by divine
grace. Before show you tue needle
work of this woman, want to show
you her regenerated heart, the source
of a pure life and Of all Christian char
tiles. I wish that the wives and mo-
o.,l Ila,, o,.: aI,d 81 Star.s of oil