The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-02-06

disstpatcd fashionable parted iron 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. u
Widowhood comes and shows the gar
ments which the departed had made.
Orphans are lifted up to look into the
calm face of the sleeping benefactress.
Reclaimed yagrancy comes and kisses
the cold brow of her who charmed it
away from sin, and all through the
streets of Joppa there is mourning
mourning because Dorcas is dead.
When Josephine of France was car
ried out to her grave, there were a great
many men and women of pomp and
pride and position that went out after
her; but am most affected by the story
of history that 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. Oh, 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 sarcophagus; 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. BLESSED are
the dead who die in the Lord; they rest
from their labors, and their works do
follow them"
l speak to you of Dorcas, the resur-
rected The apostle came to where she
was, and said: ''Arise; and she sat up!"
In what short compass the great writer
put that-''She sat up!" Oh, what
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 clapping of
hands there must have been! What sing
ing! Whatlaughter! Sound it all through
that lane! Shout it down that dark alley!
Let all Joppa hear it! Dorcas is resur-
rected!
You and l have seen the same thing
many time; not dead body resusci-
tated, but the deceased coming up again
after death in the good accomplished.
If a 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 CON
tinue till the world ceases. Services
rendered for Christ never stop. A Chris
tan woman tolls for the upbuilding of
church through many anxieties, through
many self-denials, with prayers and
tears, and then she dies. 1t 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
woman, who went away fifteen years
ago, nothing to do with these things?
see the Towering out of her noble heart.
hear the echo of her footsteps in all
the songs over sins forgiven, in all the
of the church. The good
that seemed to be buried has come up
again. DOrcas is resurrected.
After awhile all these womanly friends
Of Christ will put down their needle for
ever. After making garments for 9th
ers, some one will make garment for
hem; the last robe we ever wear-the
'obe for the grave. You will have heard
5he last cry of pain. You will have wit
lessed the last orphanage. You will
AVE GENE in worn out from your last
'ound of mercy. l do not know who're
7ou will sleep, nor what your epitaph
will be, but there will be lamp burn
ng at that tomb and an angel of God
Guarding it, and through all the long
hight no rude foot will disturb the dust
Sleep on, sleep on Soft bed, pleasant
hadows, undisturbVd repose! Sleep or
Asleep in Jesusl Blessed sleep!
From which mono ever wake to wee.
Then one day there will be a sky rend-
ng, and whirl of wheels, and the flash
# a pageant; armies marching, chains
lanking, banners waving, thunders
and that Christian woman will
rise from the dust, and she will be sud |
emily rounded-surrounded bv the
wanderers of the street whom she re-
laimed, surrounded by the wounded |
ouls to whom she had administered
Daughter of God, so strangely surround.
d, what means this? It means that re-
Tard has come, that the victory is won.
hat the crown is ready, that the ban
uet is spread. Shout it through all the
rumbling earth. Sing it through all
he flying heavens. Dorcas is resur.
ected!
In 1855, when some of the soldier,
anne back from the Crimean war to
'ondon, the Queen of England distrib-
ted among them beautiful medals,
allied Crimean medals Galleries were
rected for the two houses of Parliament
nd the royal family to sit in. There
as a great audience to witness the dis
'ibution of the medals A Colonel who
ad lost both feet in the battle of Inker-
ian was pulled in on wheel chair:
theirs came in limping on their
rutches. Then the Queen of England
rose before them in the name of her
overnment, and uttered words of COM
lendation to the officers and men.
nd distributed these medals. in
ribbed with the four great battletields.
lima, Balaklava, Inkerman and SIebas-
pol. As the Queen gave these TO the
I