The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-12-11
DR.. TALMAGE AT JOPPA.
A PORT MADE FAMOUS BY SOLOMON.
Dorcas Lived There Once and the Divine
Pays a Tribute to the Founder of
Magnificent Charity-The Nee
die Blessing.

mage, ID. d., preached there 10 q company
of Christian people of various denomi-
nations on "The Birthplace Of Sewing
Societies" He took for his text Acts, tx,
80: "And al the widows stood by him
weeping, and showing the coats and gar
ments which Dorcas made while she was
with them" The preacher said:
Christians of Joppal Impressed as l am
with your mosque, the first l ever saw, and
stirred as 1 am with the fact that your
harbor once floated the great RATS fLeDan-
on cedar from which the temples at Jeru-
salem were builded, Solomon's oxen draw
ing the logs through this very town on the
way to Jerusalem, nothing can make
me forget that this Joppa was the birth
place Of the sewing society that has
blessed the poor Of all succeeding ages IN
all lands. The disasters to your town
when Judas Maccabeus set it on fire and
and Napoleon had 500 prisoners massa-
cred in your neighborhood can not make
me forget that one OF the most magnificent
charities of the centuries was started in
this seaport by Dorcas, woman with her
needle embroidering hername intellectually
into the benefcence of the world. l see
her sitting in yonder home. In the door
way, 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 gar
ments for them she adjusts the manufac-
tured articles to suit the bent form Of this
invalid woman and to the cripple that
comes crawling on his hands and knees.
She gives a coat to this one, she gives san
dals 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 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 trail oil
glory in her pathway. That night half
paid shipwright climbs the hill and reaches
home and sees his little boy well clad and
says: where did these clothes come
fromP' And they tell him., "Dorcas has
been here In another place a woman Is
trimming a lamp; Dorcas bought the oil.
In another place a family that had not
been at table for many week are gath
cred now, for DOrcas has brought bread.
But there IS q sudden pause in that wO-
mans ministry. They sav: "Where is
Dorcas? Why, we haven't seen her for
many a day? Where is Dorcas ~ And
one OF these poor people goes up and
knocks st the door and finds the mystery
solved All through the haunts of wretch
edness the news comes, "DOrcas is sick !"
No bulletin flashing from the palace gate,
telling the stages OF a kings disease.
is more anXi0uslV awaited for than the
news from this sick benefactress Alas
for Joppa! there Is wailing, waiting. That
voice which has uttered so many cheerful
words Is hushed; that hand which has
made so many garments for the
poor Is cold and still; the star
which has poured lighC into the midnight
of wretchedness Is dimmed by the blind
ING mists that 90 up from the river Of
death In every Godforsaken place in
this town; wherever there is a sick child
and no balm; wherever there IS hunger and
10 bread; wherever there is guilt and no
comIniseratiOn; wherever there Is a broken
heart and no comfort, there are despairing
looks and streaming eyes, and frantic ges-
ticuLations as they cry 'Dorcas is dead
They send for the apostle Peter, who hap
pens to be in the suburbs of this place,
stopping with a 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 stands 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. lie viii not do it amid
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 q seri-
Gus moment, you know, when you are
alone with a 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: "Ia1itha, arise" There is a
stir in the fountains of lie; the heart fut-
tiers; the nerves thrill; the cheek flushes;
the eve opens; she sits up
We see in this subject DOrcas the dis
ciple, DOrcas the benefactress, Dorcas the
lamented, DorcaS the resurrected.
Ii | had seen that word disciple in nv
text would have known this woman was
a Christian, such music as that never
came from q heart which is not chOrded
and strung by divine grace. Before ]
show you the needlework of this woman !
want TO show you her regeneTated heart
the source of pure life and of all Chris
tan charities / wish that the wives
and mothers and daughters and sisters
OF all the earth would initiate
Dorcas in her discipleship. Before
YOU cross the threshold of the hospital
before you enter upon the temptations and
trials OF tomorrow, 1 charge you, in the
name of God and by the turmoil and
tumult of the judgment day, O women
that you attend 10 the first, last and great
est duty Of your life-the seeking for God
and being at peace with Him. When the
trumpet shall sound there will be an up
roar, and wreck OF mountain and con
tinent, and no human arm can help you
Amid the rising OF the dead, and amid
the boiling of yonder sea, and amid
the live, leaping thunders of the hying
heavens, calm and placid will be every
woman's heart who hath put her trust il
Christ; calm, notwithstanding all the tn
mutt, as though the fire in the heavens
were only the gildings of an autumna
sunset, as though the peal of the trumpe
were only the harmony Of an orchestra
rs though the awful voices Of the SKI
were but a group Of friends bursting
through gateway at eventime with laugh
Ter and shouting: "Dorcas. the disciple z
Would God that every Mary and ever