The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-06
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ga Great Woman"

man. III Kings w.. ..
i The hotel Of our time had no counterpart
in any entertainment Of olden time. The
vast majority of travellers must then be en-
tertained at private abode Here comes
Elisha, q servant Of the Lord. on a divine
mission, and he must find shelter. A bal
cony overlooking the valley Esdraelon Is OF
fered him in private house. and it is es-
,pecially furnished for his occupancy-a chair
tosit on, table from which to eat, candle
stick by which to read and bed on which to
slumber-the whole establishment belonging
to great and good woman.
Her husband, 1t seems, was cody man,
but he was entirely cvershadowed by his
wife's excellencies, just as now you some
times find in household the wife the centre
OF dignity and influence and power, notiby
any arrogance or presumption, but by
superior intellect and force Of moral natlre
WELDING domestic affairs and at the same
time supervising all financial and business
affairs. the wife's hand on the shuttle, on the
banking house, on the worldly: business.
You see hundreds o; men who are successful
only because there is reason at home why
they are successful.
Ii man marry good, honsst soul, he
makes his fortune. If no marry fool, the
Lord help him. The wife may be the silent
partner In the firm, there may be only
masculine voices down on exchange, but
ylor0 OII6QClIQ6 COuoS lEOu tHo uOh1O SihSAo
a potential and elevating influence.
This woman Of my text was the superior OF
her husband. He, as tar es l can under
stand, was whist we often see In our day-a
man of largo fortuns and only a modicum OF
brain, intensely quiet sitting long while In
the same place without moving hand or foot
If you say ''yes," responding "yes; II
YOU say '.no," responding ''no"-lnane, eyes
half st -, mouth wide open, matntsininS his
position in society only because he has a
large patrimony. But his wife, my text says,
was great woman.
Her name has not come down to US. She
belonged to that collection OF people who
need no name to distinguish them. What
would title Of duchess or princess or queen
what would escutcheon or cleaning diadem
be to this woman Of my text, who, by her
intelligence and her behavior, challenges the
admiration OF all ages? Long after the bril-
liant women of the court Of Louis XIV have
been forgotten, and the brilliant women OF
the court of Spain have been forgotten, and
the brilliant women who sat on mighty thrones
have been forgotten, some grandfather will
put on his spectacles. and holding the book
the other side the light read to his grandchil-
idren the story of this great woman OF Shu-
mem who was SO kind and courteous and
Christian to the good prophet Elisha. Yes.
she was great woman.
In the first place, she was great in her
:hospitalities. UnciviIized and barbarious
nations honor this virtue. Jupiter had the
surname of the hospitable, and he was said
especially to avenge the wrongs OF strang-
ers. Homer exalted it in his verse.
The Arabs are punctilious upon this subject,
and among some Of their tribes it Is not until
the ninth day of tsrrying that the occupant
has right to ask his guest, "Who and
whence art thou?" II this virtue is 80 hon.
ored even among barbarians, how ought 1t to
be honored among those OF us who believe
in the Bible, which commands US to use hos
pitality one toward another without grudg-
ing2
Of course do not mean under this cover
to give any idea that l approve Of that va
grant class who 60 around from place to
place ranging their whole lifetime perhaps
under the auspices Of some benevolent or
philanthropic society. quartering themselves
on Christian families, with a great pile OF
trunks in the hall and carpetbag portentous OF
tarrying. There is many country parson-
age that looks ou: week by week upon the
ominous arrival Of wagon with creaking
wheel and lank horse and dilapidated driver.
come under the auspices of some charitable
institution to spend a few weeks and canvass
the neighborhood. Let no such religious
tramps take advantage of this beautiful vir-
tue of Christian hospitality.
Not so much the sumptuousnes OF your
diet and the rsgality OF your abode will i'm
press the friend or the stranger that steps
across your threshold rs the warmth of your
greeting, the informality of your reception,
the reiteration by grasp and by look and bya
thousand attentions Insignificant attentions
of your earnestness Of welcome. There will
be high appreciation OF your welcome,
although you have nothing but the brazen
oandlestick and the plain chair to offer Elisha
when he comes to Shunem.
Most beautiful is this grace Of hospitality
when shown in the house of God. I am
thankful that I am pastor OF 4 church where
strangers are always welcome, and there Is
not State in the Union in which have not
heard the affa5ility OF the ushers Of our
church complimented. But have entered
churches were there was no hospitality. A
stranger would stand in the vestibule for
awhile and then make pilgrimage up the
long aisle. No door opened to him until.
flushed and excited and embarrassed, he
started back again, and coming to some halt
filed pew with apoioSetic dir entered it,
while the occupants glared on him with
look which seemed to say, ''Weu, if must,
I must" Away with such accursed in
decency from the house Of God Let every
church that would maintain large Christian
influence in community culture Sabbath by
Sabbath this beautiful grace of Christian hos
pitality.
SOOQ W1Q lf3VelluS III tu6 loE WeSl, III
the wilderness, was overtaken by night and
storm. and he put In at a cabin. He saw fire.
arms along the beams Of the cabin and he
felt alarmed He did not know but that he
had fallen into den OF thieves He sat
there greatly perturbed. After awhile the
man OF the house came home with gun on
his shoulder and set it down in corner.
The stranger was still moro alarmed. After
awhile the man Of the house whispered with
hfs wife, and the stranger thought his de-
struction was being planned.
Then the man OF the house came forward
and said to the stranger: stranger we are
rough and rude people out here, and We
work hard for q living. We make our living
by hunting, and when we come to tho night
fall we are tired, aud we are apt to go to bed
early, and before retiring we are always in
the habit OF reading chapter from the word
OF God and making prayer. II you don't
like such things, II You will just step outside
the door until we get through I'll be greatly
obliged TO YOU" OF course the stranger tar
ried in the room, and the old hunter took
hold of the horns OF the altar and brought
down the blessing OF God upon bis house
hold and upon Ibe stranger within their
gates. Rude but glorious Christian hosp.-
tality. :
Again. this woman in my text was great in
her Kindness toward Gods messenger Elisha
may have been a stranger in that houshold.
but as she found out he had come on divine
mission he was cordially welcome. We have
a great many books in our day about the
hardships Of ministers and the trials OF
Christian ministers. wish somebody would
write book about the joys OF tho Christian
e minister-about the sympathies all around