The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1893-09-14
REV. DR.. 1ALNlGl'S SERMON,
Subject: ga Great Woman"
The BEooB lyp R:vine Sunday
sernI,.1,

The hotel OF our time had no counterpart
il any entertainment Of oiden time. Til,
vast ina jof.iy OF travellers must then be Ell.
t"rtsinel at private abode. Here com,
Elisha q servant OF the Lord. on divine
mission, AMI lie must find shelter 4 bal.
co2y overlooking tie valley EsdrGelon is OF.
fered him IL a private house, and it is es.
pecialIy furnished for his orcupancy-a chail
tosit on, a table from which to eat. a candle.
!,tick by which to raai aud 4 bed on which tc
s!umber-the whole establishment belonGin?
20 a great and good woman.
Her husband. 1t seems. was a Soily man,
but he WIS entirely overshadoWod by his
wifaS eXrelencies. just as now YOU some.
times find in household the wife the centre
Of dignity and influence and power, not ky
any arrogance or presumption, but by
superior intellect and force of moral nature
welding domestic affairs aud 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 mcT VINO are success III
only because there is a reason at home WIZ
they are successful.
II man marry good, honest soul. he
makes his fortune. II be 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
there oitentimo comes from the home circle
q potential and elevatinG influence.
This woman Of ny text Was ( ne superior OF
her husband. He, as lar Is I cen Under
stand, was what We often see in our day-a
man OF large fortune and only g modicum Of
brain, intensely quiet, sitting long while in
the same place without moving hand or foot
If You say yes" responding yes : i;
you say mo" responding 'no"-;nan2, eyes
hall shut, mouth wide open, maintaining his
position in society only because he has q
large patrimony. But his VIII, my text says,
was great wo:nan.
Her name has rot 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
r:elligcnce and her behavior, challenges the
admiration OF all ages? Long after the bill
liant women Of the court OF Louis Nv have
been forgotten, and tie brilliant women OF
the court OF Spain havo 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, she WAS great in her
hospitalities Uncivilizad AMI barbarious
nations honor this virtue. Jupiter had the
surname Of the hospirable. and he vas said
especially to avenSo 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 tarryinS that the occupant
has q right to ask his guest, "Who and
whence art thou?" If this virtue is so hon
ored even among bar5arians, how ought it to
be honored among those Of US who believe
In the Bible, which commands US to use hos
pitality one toward another without grudg
ing?
OF course do not mean under this cover
to 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, quarterinS themselves
on Christian families, with a great pile of
trunks in the hall and carpettaS portentous OF
tarrying. There is many a country parson-
age that looks out week by week upon the
ominous arrival of wagon with creakins
wheel and lank horse and dilapidatcd driver,
come under the auspices Of some charitable
institution to spend few weeks and canvass
the ueighborhood. Let no such religious
tramps take advantage of this beautiful rir-
tue Of Christian hospitality.
Not 30 much the sunptuousnes Of your
diet and the regality of your abode will i'm
press the friend or the stranger that steps
across your threshold a5 the warmth OF your
greeting, the informality OF your reception,
the reiteration by grasp and by look and by u
thousand attentions, insignificant attentions,
bt your earnestness Of welcome. There will
be high appreciation of your welcome,
although you nave nothing but 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 I am pastor Of a church where
strangers are always welcome, and there is
not State in the Union in which I have not
heard the alfability Of the ushers of our
church conplimented. But I have entered
churches were tners 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, ne
started back again, and coming to- some hall
filled pew with apoloSetic air entered it.
while the occupants clared on him with
look which seemed TO say, We'll, if must,
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 o. Christian hos
pitality.
A good man travelling in the far west, in
the wilderness, was Ov!rtaken by night and
storm, and he put il at i cabin. He SAW fire.
arms along the beams OF the cabin AMI he
felt alarmed. lie did not know but that he
had fallen into a den OF thieves. Ee sat
there greatly pcrturbed. After awhite the
man Of the house came home With Z gun On
his shoulder and set it down in 4 corner
The stranger WAS still more alarmed. After
awhile the man OF the house whispered with
his wife. ana the stranger tho1Sht his de-
struction was being planned.
Then the man OF the house came forward
aad said 20 the stranger stranger. wa are
Il rough AMI rude people out hc-.. and We
work hard for 4 living We MAKE our :ivin;3
b. hunting. and when We come 10 the night
fail we are tired. and We are apt 20 70 to be-
early and before retiring VIC are always IN
the habit Of reading 4 chapter from the word
Of God and making u prayer. IF You cont
like such things. if you will just step outside
the door until We get through Ill be greatly
Obliged 10 you" OF course the stranger tar
ried in the room. and the old hnntrr took
hold o. the nOrlS Oh the 3lt3F .Eu riouSht
down the blessing OF God upon his house
hold and upon the stranger within Their
gates. Rude but glorious Christian hosp;-
tally!
ASain. this woman in my text was great IN
her kindness toward Gods messenger. Elisha
may have been a stranger in that housho!d.
but as she found out lie had come Oh Il divine
mission he WAS cordially welcome. We have
a great many books III onr day about tho
hardshirs Of ministers anl tie trials OF
Christ ian ministers. l wish somebody would
write book abOIt tie Joys Of the Christian
minister a! out the synp::thies all ac2unsi
him. about the kinIn2sseS, about tue genial
considerations Of him
Does SORROW come to our hcnae and is there
a shadow Oh the cradle. there are hundr"is
Of rhan:s 10 help. AMI many Who weary not
through the lcn, night vltchin-. ard nun.
drc,Is Of prayers so;nS ~ that God woa;G
restore the SICK. Is there Z burning. prIif:-
ming cup OF calamity placed on the rastors
table, are there not many to help him tc
drink Of that cup and who will not be com