Milford chronicle., 1889-12-06

TRUE CHARITY.
This woman was representative Of all
those women who make garments for the
destitute who knit socks for the barefooted,
who prepare bandages for the lacerated, who
fix up boxes of clothing for missionaries, who
90 into the asylums of the suffering and des-
titute bearing that gospel which is sight for
the blind, and hearing for the deaf, and
which makes the lame man leap like a hart,
and brings the dead to life, immortal health
bounding in their pulses What contrast
between the practical benevolence Of this
woman and great deal OF the charity of
this dayl This woman did not spend her
time idly planning how the poor of your city
Joppa were to be relieved; she took her nee
die and relieved them. She was not like
those persons who sympathize with imagi-
nary 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 benevolent plat
form, and goes out to kick the beggar from
the step, crying: "Hush your miserable howl
ingp The sufferers of the world want not
so much theory as practice; not so much
tears as dollars; not 50 much kind wishes as
loaves Of bread; not 50 much smiles as shoes;
not so much God bless yOu's!" 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 1
about church architecture who never in their ,
life helped to build a church. There are
men who can give you the history of Budd- /
hism and Mohammedanism, who never sent /
farthing for their evangelization. There /
are women who talk beautifully about the 4
suffering of the world, who never had the
courage like Dorcas to take the needle and /
assault it.
woMAN's BENEvoLENcE.
am glad that there is not a page of the
worlds history which is not a record Of fe-
male benevolence. 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 |
help the famine stricken. Queen Blanche,
the wife Of Louis VIII Of France, hearing
that there were some persons unjustly incar-
cerated in the prisons, went out amidst the
rabble and took stick and struck the door
as a signal that they might all strike it, and
down went the prison door, and out came the
prisoners Queen Maud, the wife Of Henry
I, went down amidst the poor and washed
their sores, and administered to them cor
dials. Mrs. Retson, at Matagorda, appeared
on the battle field while the missiles Of death
were flying around, and cared for the wound
ed Is there a man or woman who has ever
heard of the civil war In America who has
not heard of the women Of the Sanitary aud
Christian commissions, or the fact that, be-
fore the smoke had gone up from Gettysburg
and South Mountain, tho women of the north
met the women of the south on the battle
field, forgetting all their animosities while
they bound up the wounded, and closed the
eyes of the slainl Dorcas the benefactressl
DORCAs THE LAMENTED.
Gonna NOW IN enaalr of Dorcqc the la
mented When death struck down that good
woman, oh, how much sorrow there was in
this town Of Joppal l suppose there were
women here with larger fortunes; women
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 Mediterranean
sea, dashing against the wharves of this sea
port, than there were surgings to and fro of
grief because Dorcas was dead, There are a
great many who go out Of life and are un-
missed. There may be a very large funeral;
there may be a great many carriages and
plumed hearse; there may be high sounding
eulogiums; the bell may toll at the cemetery
gate; there may be very fine marble shaft
reared over the resting place; but the whole
thing may be a falsehoOd and sham. The
church of God has lost nothing; the world
has lost nothing. 1t is only a nuisance
abated; it is only grumbler ceasing to find
; fault; it is only an idler stopped yawning; it
is only a dissipated fashionable parted from
his wine cellar; while, on the 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.n Widowhood comes and
shows the garments which the departed had
made Orphans are lifted up to look into
3 the calm face of the sleeping benefactress.
{ Reclaimed vagrancy comes andkisses the cold
l brow of her who charmed it away from sin,
and all through the streets Of Joppa there is
5 mourning - mourning because Dorcas is
8 dead
S When Josephine Of France was carried out
to her grave there were a great many men
and women Of pomp and pride and position
e that went out after her; but am most affect
t ed by the story Of history that on that day
E; there were ten thousand Of the poor Of Franco
who followed her coffin, weeping and wailing
J., until the air rang again, because when they
lost Josephine they lost their last earthly
friend. Oh, who would not rather have
such obsequies than all the tears that were
= ever poured in the lachrymals that have
a been exhumed from ancient cities There
Q NAV be no mass for the dead; there may be
2 no costly sarcophagus; there may be no elab-
e crate mausoleum; but in the damp cellars Of
' the city and through the lonely huts of the
a mountain glen there will be mourning
] mourning, mourning, because Dorcas is
+ dead. blessed are the dead who die in the
e Lord; they rest from their labors, and their
S works do follow them"
r DoRcAs THE REsURREcTED.
= speak to you Of Dorcas the resurrected.
4 The apostle came to where she was, and said:
It "Arisel and she sat up" In what short
It compass the great writer put that: "She sat
+ upln Oh, what a time there must have been
d around this town when the apostle brought
e her out among her old friendsl How the
r tears of joy must have startedi What clap
d ping Of hands there must have beeni What
10 singing! what laughter Sound it all
# through that lanei Shout it down that dark
/ alley Let all Joppa hear i'll Dorcas is res
d urIectedl
It You and have seen tho same thing many
Il time; not a dead body resuscitated, but
Is the deceased coming up again after death in
l. the good accomplished. IL a man labors up
'e to 50 years Of age, serving God, and then
h dies, we are apt to think that his earthly
p work is done mol His influence on earth
;. viii continue till the world ceases. Services
y rendered for Christ never stop. A Christian
# woman tolls for the upbuilding Of church
through .rany anxieties, through many self
denials, with prayers and tears, and then she
3 dies It is fifteen years since she went away.
- Now the spirit of God descends upon that
nd confess