Democratic messenger., 1893-08-26
REV. DR.. TALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divins's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: ga Great woman"

Inc uOtet OF our ttne uAu no counterpart
In any entertainment OF olden time. The
vast majority OF travellers must then be en-
tertnined at private abode. Here comes
Elisha, q servant of the Lord, on divine
mission, and he must find shelter. bal-
cony overlooking the valley Esdraelon Is Of
fered him In private house. and II is es-
pecially furnished for his occupancy-a chair
tosit on, n 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. It seems was a godly man.
but he was entirely cvershadowed by his
wife's excellencies. just ms now you some
times find In household the wife the centre
OF dignity and influence and power. not by
any arrogance or presumption, but by
superior intellect and force OF moral nature
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 OF men who are successful
only because there is a reason at home why
they are successful.
II 9 man marry n good. honsst soul. he
makes his fortune. II he marry a fool, tho
Lord help him. The wife may be the silent
partner In the firm. therc may be only
masculine voices down on exchange, but
there oftentime comes from the home circle
potential and elevating influence.
This woman Of my text was the superior of
stand. was what we often see in our day-a
man OF large fortune and only modicum OF
brain, intensely quiet sitting n long while in
the same place without moving hand or foot
If you say yes" responding ives" II
you say ''no," responding ''no"--inane. eyes
half shut, mouth wide open, maintaining HE
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-
dren the story OF this great woman Of Shu-
nem who was so kind and courteous and
Christian to the good prophet Elisha. Yes.
she was great woman.
In the first place. abe was great in her
hospitalities. Cncivilized and barbarious
nations honor this virtue. Jupiter had the
surname OF the hospitable. and he was said
especially 10 ayenRe the wrongs OF strang-
en-. Homer exalted IL in his verse;
The Arabs are punctilious upon this subject,
and among some OF their tribes Il Is not until
the ninth day OF tarrying that the occupant
has right to ask his guest. who and
whence art thou II this virtue is so hon.
ored even among barbarians. how ought Il to
be honored among those OF us who believe
in the Bible, which commands US to use hos
p.ssiity one toward another without grudg-
ing.
OF course do not mean under this cover
10 give any idea that approve OF that va.
grant class who go 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 q great pile OF
trunks In the hall and carpetbag portentous OF
tarrying. There Is many country parson-
age that LOOKS out 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 few weeks and canvass
the neighborhooi Let no such religious
tramps take advantage of this beautiful vir-
tue OF Christian hospitality.
Not so much the sumptuousnes OF YOUR
diet and tho regality of your abode will i'm
press the friend or the stranger that steps
ncross your threshold as the warmth Of your
greeting, the informality OF your reception,
the reiteration by grasp and by look and by
thousand attentions, Insignificant attentions,
of your earnestness of welcome. There will
De high appreciation of your welcome,
although you have nothing hut the brazen
candlestick 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 am pastor Of a church where
Strangers are always welcome, and there Is
not n State In the Union in which have not
heard the affability Of the ushers OF our
church compiimented. 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 hail.
nlled pew with apoiogetic air entered IL,
look which seemed to say. ''well, IL I must,
l 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
Sabbaththis beautiful grace of Christian hos
pitality.
good man travelling in the far west in
the wilderness, was overtaken by night and
storm, and he put In at 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 q den Of thieves. He sat
there greatly perturbed. After awhile the
man OF the house came home with gun on
his shoulder and set IL down in a corner.
The stranger was still more alarmed. After
awhile the man OF the house whispered with
his wife, ssd the stranger thought his de-
structicn 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 living. We make our living
BY hunting. and when we come 20 the night
fall we are tired and We are apt 10 go to be- |
early, and before retiring we are always in
h. A..raf II H.. -. n
OF God and making prayer. II you don't
Ike such things, IL you will just step outside
the door until we get through I'll be greatly
Obliged 20 you" or 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 his house.
hold and upon the stranger within their
gates. Rude but glorious Christian hospi-
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 q divine
mission he was cordially welcome. We have
n great many books in our dav about the
hardships OF ministers AM tire trials OF
Christian ministers. I wish somebody would
write a book about the joys OF the Christian
minister about the sympathies all around
him, about the kinin-sses, about the genial
considerations OF him.
Does sorrow come to our homo and Is there
n shadow on the cradle. there are hundreds
of hands to help. and many who weary not
through the long night watching. and hun.
dreds OF prayers going up that God would
restore the sick. Is there burning, brim-
ming cup OF calamity placed on the pastors
table, are there not many 20 help him tn
drink OF that cup and who will not be com
forted because he is stricken oh, for some
body to write a book about the rewards OF
the Christian minister his surround
ings OF Christian sympathy.
This woman OF the text was only type o.
thousands OF men and women who come
down from the mansion and from the cot "a
DO Kindness TO tho Lords servants l sup,
pose the men ofShunem had TO nav the bills
hut II was the large hearted Christian sympa
thies OF the women OF Shunem that looked
after the Lords messenger.
Again. this woman in the text was great IN
her behavior under trouble
Her only son had died on her lap. Avery
bright light went ont in that household. The
sIrrcd writer puts IL very fersaiv ,vl,on H.,