The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-22
IN THE TABERNACLE.
81 GENTLE WOMAN WAS THE SUB
JECT OF THE SERMON.
The Text Was: "And it Fell on Day
That Ell sha Passed to Shunem, Where
There Was Great w oman."

anu IL Iell on day that Elisha passed 10
Shunem, where was a great woman
The hotel of our time had no counter
part in any entertainment of olden time.
The vast majority of travellers must then
be entertained at private abode. Here
comes Elisha, servant of the Lord, on
divine mission, and he must find shelter.
A balcony overlooking the valley of Els
draelon is offered him, in private house,
and it is especially furnished for his oc-
cupancy-a chair to sit on, a table from
which to eat. a candlestick by which to
read. and bed on which to slumber the
whole establishment belonging to a great
and good woman
Her husband, it seems was godly man.
but he was entirely overshadowed by his
wlfes excellencies; just as now you some
times ind i'll household the wife the CEN
ter OF dignity and influence and power, not
by any arrogance or presumption, but by
superior intellect and force of
moral nature welding domestic af-
lars, and at the same time
supervising all financial and business af-
1alrS. The wlfe'S hand on the shuttle, on
the banking house, on the worldly business.
on see hundreds of men who are success
ful only because there is Il reason at home
why they are successful
If man marry good, honest soul, he
makes his fortune. If he marry a fool, the
Lord help him, The wife may be the silent
partner i'll the firm, there may be only
masculine voices down on exchange but
there ottentlme comes from the home cir
Gle potential and eleyating influence
This woman of my text was the sli-
perior of her husband He, az far as | can
understand, was what we often see in our
day, a man of large fortune and only a
modlcum of brain, intensely quiet, sitting
long while III the same place without
moving hand or foot-if you say yes" re-
spending 'yes'-if you say no respond
ing "no'-lnane, eyes half shut, mouth
Wide open, maintaining his position in So
ciety only because he has a large patri-
mony. But his wife, my text says was a
great woman.
Her lame has not come down to us
She belonged 10 that collection of people
who need no name to distinguish them
WHAT would utle Of duchess, or princess,
or queen-what would escutcheon or glean m
ing dladem be to tins woman of nv text
who by her Intelligence and her behayior
challenges the adInlratio of all ages? Long
after The brilliant women of the court oI
LOUIS Nv have been forgotten. and the
brllilant women OF the court of Spain have
been forgotten, and the brilliant women
who sat on mighty thrones have been for
gotten, some grandfather will put on his
spectacles and holding the book the other
side the light read to his grandchildren
the story OF this great woman Of ShuncIl,
who was so kind and courteous and Chris
tian to the good prophet Elisha. Yes, she
was Il great woman.
In the first place she was great in her
hospltallties. Uncivilized and barbarouS ma
tons honor this virtue. Jupiter had the
surname OF the hospltable, and he was said
especially To avenoe The wrongs Of Stran-
gers. Homer eXtolled it in his verse. The
Arabs are punctilioas upon this subject.
and amoGg some of thcr tribes it is not I'M
til the ninth day Of tarrying that the oc-
pant has right 10 ask his guest, WHO and
whence ART thou If this virtue is so
honored even among barbarians, how ought
1T TO be hon0red among those of us who
believe i'll the Bible which commands MS
to use hospitality one toward another with
out grudgng?
VI course. l. do not mean under this
cover to give any idea that | approve of
lnat Vdgfaht class who go around from
place TO place ranging their whole lifetime
perhaps under the auspices of some bepeyo-
tent or phllanthrOpic society. numbering
themselves on Christian families. with y
great pile of trunks in the hall and Garnet
bag portentiouS of tarTying. There is many
country parsonage that looks 0ut week
by week upon the onllnoGs arrival of wagon
dllapl'laied driver, come under the auspices
of some charitable institution 10 sppnd
few weeks and canvass The neighborhood
Let no such religious tramps take advan-
tage OF tins beautiful virtue of Christian
hospitality.
Not 50 much the sumptuousuess of your
diet and the regality of your abode will
impress the friend or the stranger that
steps across your threshold. as the warmth
Of your greeting the informality of your
reception, the reltcratiOn by grasp and BY
Il thousand attentions. insignificant atteu-
tionS, of your earnrstncSS OF welcome
There will be high appreciation of YOUR
welcome, although You have nothing but
the braZen candl"stirk and the plain chair
to offer Elisha when he comes to Shuneu.
Most beautiful Is this grace of hospitality
when shown i'll the house of i!od, | am
thankful that ! am pastor of church
Wher" strangers are always welcome. and
there is not state Of the union in which
| have not heard the affability of the ush-
erS of our church complimented But
have entered churches where there was no
hospitality. stranger would stand in
the vcStibue for Il while and then make
pilgrimage mp the long aisle No door
opened To him until flushed and excit ed
and embarrassed be started back again and
coming to some half-iled pew with apol-
ogetic air, entered it, while the occupants
glared on HIN with a look which seemed
to say: well, if | must | must" Away
with sucn accused ndeccncy 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 hospi-
tally.
good man travelling in the far west.
in the wilderness, was overtaken by night
and storm, and he put in al Il cabin. He
saw firearms along the beams of the cabin
and he felt alarmed. He did not know but
that he had fallen into a den of thieves
He sat there greatly perturbed After
a while the man of the house came home
with a gun on his shoulder and set it down
in corner. The stranger was still more
alarmed After while the man of the
house whispered with his wife ard the
stranger thought his destruction was being
planned. Then the man of the house came
forward and said to the stranger: stranger
we are a rough and rude people out here
and we work hard for a living. We make
our living by hunting, and when we come
to the nightfall we are tired and we are
apt to go to bed early, and before retiring
we are always in the habit of reading Il
chapter from the word Of God and making
a prayer; if you don't like such things; if
you will just step outside the door until
we get through I'll be great
ly obliged to you" OF course
the stranger tarred in the room
and the old hunter took hold of the horns
of the altar and brought down the blessing