Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-12-11

time idly planning how the poor OF your |
,itv of ,Joppa were to be relieve d; ST took |
her needle and relieved them. She was not
like those persons who sympathize with i'm
aginary sorrows, and go out in the street
and laugh at the boy who has upset his
basket of cold victuals, or like that charity
which makes a rousing speech on the be-
nevolent platform, and goes out to kick the
beggar from the step, crying: "Hush your
miserable howlingr' The sufferers of the
world want not so much theory as practice:
not so much tears as dollars; not so mucn
kind wishes as loaves of bread; not so much
smiles as shoes; not SO much 'God piess
yousr" as Jackets and frocks. l will put
one earnest Christian man, hard working,
against five thousand mere theorists On the
subject of charity. There are great many
who have fine ideas about church architec-
ture who never in their life helped to build
a church, There are men who can give you
the history of Buddhism and Mohamme-
danism, who never sent farthing or their
eyangelization. There are women who
talk beautiful about the suffering OF the
world, who never had the courage like Dor
cas- to take the needle and assault 1t.
I am glad that there is not page OF the
worlds history which is not record of fe-
male benevolence. God says to all lands
and people, Come now and hear the wild
owls mite rattle down into the poor-box
The Princess of Cont sold all her jewels
that she might help the famine stricken.
Queen Blanche the wife of Louis Will, of
France, hearing that there we're some per-
sons upiustly incarcerated in the prisons.
went out amidst the rabbe and took stick
and struck the door as a signal that they
might all strike it, and down went the pris-
on door and out came the prisoners. Queen
Maud, the wife of Henry l., went down
amidst the poor and washed their sores and
administered to them cordials. Mrs. Ret
son, at Matagorda, appeared on the battle
field while the missiles Of death were flying
around; and cared for the wounded. Is
there man or woman who has ever heard
of the civil war in America who has not
heard of the women of the Sanitary and
Christian commissions, or the fact that, be-
fore the smoke had gone up from Gettys-
burg and South Mountain, the women of
the North met the women OF the South on
the battlefield, forgetting al! their auimosi
ties while they bound up the wounded, and
closed the eyes of the slain? Dorcas the
benefaetress.
l come now to speak of Dorcas the Ia
mented. When death struck down that
good woman, oh, how much sorrow there
was in this town of Joppai | suppose there
were women here with larger fortunes; wo
men, perhaps, with handsomer faces; but
there was no grief at their departure like
this at the death of Dorcas. There was not
more turmoil and upturning in the Medi-
terrsnean sea, dashlDg against the wharves
of this seaport, than there were surSiDgs to
and fro of grief because Dorcas was dead.
There are great many who go out of life
and are unmissed. There may be very
large funeral; there may be great many
carriages and plumed hearse; there may
be high sounding eulogiums; the bell may
toll at the cemetery gate; there may be a
very fine marble shaft reared over the rest
ing place ;but the whole thing may be falls
hood and sham. The Church of God has
lost nothing, the world has lost nothing. 1t
is only nuisance abated; it is only grum-
bier ceasing to find fault; it is only an idler
stopped yawniDg; it is only dissipated
fashionable parted from his wine cellar;
while, on the other hand, no useful Chris
Jian leaves this world without being miss
ed. The Church of God cries out like the
prophet: "Howl fir tree, for the cedar has
| fallen" Widowhood comes and shows the
garments which the departed had made.
| Orphans are lifted up to look into the calm
ed vagrancy comes and kisses the cold brow
of her who charmed it away from SIP, and
all through the streets of Joppa there is
mourning because Dorcas ia
dead.
| When Josephine of France was carried
out to her grave, there were great many
men and women Of pomp aud pride and po-
| sition that went out after her: but | am
most affected by the story of history taat
on that day there were ten thousand of the
poor of France who followed her coffin,
weeping and wailing until the air rang
again, because, when they lost Josephine,
they lost their last earthly friend. On, Who
would not rather have such obseQuies than
all the tears that were ever poured in the
lachrymals that have been exhumed from
ancient cities There may be no mass for
the dead; there may be no costly sarcopha-
gus; there may be no elaborate mausoleum;
| but in the damp cellars of the city, and
through the lonely huts of the mountain
| glen, there will be mourning, mourning,
mourning, because Dorcas is dead. "B 'ess
ed are the dead who die in the Lord; they
rest from their labors, and their WORKS do
| follow them"
speak to you of Dorcas, the resurrected.
The apostle came to where she was and
said: "Arise; and she SAT upr' 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
ffiendsl now the tears of joy must have
started! What clapping of hands there
must have beeni What singing! What
laughter! Sound it ali through that lane!
Shout it down that dark alleyi Les al
Joppa hear il! Dorcas 10 resurrected!
You and I have seen the Same thing
many time; not dead body resuscitated,
but the deceased coming up again after
death in thu good accomplished. Ii 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 continue till the world ceases.
Services rendered for Christ never stop. A
Christian woman tolls for the upbuilding oil
church through many auxieties, through
many self denials, with prayers and tears
and then she dies. 1t is fifteen years since
she went away. Nov the spirit of God de
sceuds upon tbat church; hundreds of sanis
stand up aud confess the faith of Christ.
Has that Christian woman, who went away
fifteen years ago, nothing to DO with these
things? l see tia Towering out of her no
bio heart. hear the echo Of her footsteps
| al LILO uFCi eiAS tStStFCHsE iir
prosperity of the church. the good tina;
seemed to be buried has come up again.
| Dorcas is resurrected.
After while all these womanly friends
Of Christ will put down their needle for
ever. After making garments for Others,
some one will make garment for them; she
last robe we ever wear-the robe for the
grave You will have heard the last cry OF
pain. 1eu will have witnessed the last
orpha5 age. You will have come in worn
out from your last round of mercy. l do
not know where you will sleep, ner what
your epitaph will be: but there will be a
lamp burning at that tomb and az angel OF
God guarding it, and through all tho loag
night no rude foot will disturb the dust.
Sleep or, sleep On! Soft bed, pleasant sha-
dowa, undisturbed reposel Sleep on!
! Asleep in Jesusl Blessed sleep
| From whieh none ever wake 10 weep
d