The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-08-01

able howling!" Sufferers of the world
want not so much theory are practice, not
SO much tears as dollars; not so much kind
wishes as loayes of Bread not. so much
smiles as shoes; not so much God bless
you," as jackets and frocks. ! will put
one earnest Christian man, hard-worEing,
against 5000 mere theorists on the subject
of charity: There arc great many who
have fine ideas about church architecturs
who never in their lives helped to build a
church. There arc men who can give you
the history of Buddhism and Mohamme-
danism who never sent a farthing for
evangelization. There are women who talk |
beautifully about the suffering of the world
who never had the courage, like Dorcassj
to talk, the needle and assault it.
am glad that there is not page of thel
worlds history which is not a record Of
fen lie benevolence. God says to all landsI
.dows mite rattle down into the poor|
Jewels that she might help the famine
stricken. Queen Blanche, the wife OIL
Ldlfis VIII. of France, hearing that thereI
were some persons unjustly incarccrate01
in;,the prisons, went out amid the ra5ble3
and took stick and struck the door as q
signal that they might all strike it, and
down went the prison door, and out came
the prisoners. Queen Maud. the wife OF
Henry. l.. went down amid the poor and
washed their sores and administered to
them cordials. Mrs. Retson. at Matagor-
missiles of death were flying around andI
cared for the wounded. Is there q man
or woman who has ever heard of the civil
war in America who has not heard OF the
women of the sanitary and Christian CONF
missions or the fact that before the smoke
had gone up from Gettysburg and South
Mountain the women of the north met thel
women of the south on the battlefield, tori
getting all their animosities, while theyi1
bound up Vie wounded and closed the eyes
of the slain Dorcas the benefactressr
come nov to speak of Dorcas the Ia.
mented. When death struck down thatI
good woman, OH how much sorrow thcref
was in the town of Joppa! / suppose there
were women there with larger fortunes,
women perhaps with handsomer faces, hut
there was not grief at their departure like
this at the death of Dorcas. There were
not more turmoil and upturning IN the
Mediterranean Sea dashing against the
wharves at that seaport than there were
surgings to and fro of grief because Dorcas
was dead. There arc great many who
may be very large funeral, there may be-;
a great many carriages and plumed
hearse, there may be high sounding eulo-1
gums, the bell may toll at the cemetery
gate there may be a very, fine marble
shaft reared over the resting place, but
the whole thing may be falsehood and
sham.
The church of God has lost nothing;
the world has lost nothing. 1t is only q
nuisance abated 1t is only grulabler
ceasing to find fault. 1t is only an id'er
stopped yawning. 1t is only .dissipated
fashionable parted from his wine cellar,
while on the other hand no useful Chris
tan leaves this world without being
missed. ......
The church of God cries out, like the
prophet, "Howl, fir tree, for the cedar has
fallen!" Widowhood comes and shows
the garments which the departed had
made. Orphans are; lifted upsto look into
the calm face of the sleeping benefactress.
Reclaimed vagrancy comes and kisses the
cold brow of her who charmed it away
from sin, and all through the streets. Of
EJoppa there is mourning meurning be-
cause Dorcas is dead: o. =
When Josephine. OF FranceSwas carried
|pnt:to her grave, there were a!ereat many
men and women of pomp and Sprsde and
Fam most affected BY the story Of history
that on that day there were l0000sof the
poor of Franee who followed her coffin,
creeping and wailing until the air rang
\ I'M because when they lost Josephine
Effteys lost their last earthly friend. Il. 4
3 Oh; Who would not rather have such OBJ
e6equies than all the tears that were ever
+ 5f0ured in, the Slachrymals that have been
E({humed from ancient cities.
Ehere; may be no mass for the dead,
Here may be no costly sarcoDhagus. there
may be no elaborate mausolcum, but IN
4hS damp cellars of the city and through
3 fES lonely hats of the mountain glen there
~ }be mourning, mourning, because Dor
rs dead
|{ysBlessed are the dead who die in the
Eofd.' They rest from their labors, and
S{{ieir works do follow them"
MI speak to you of Dorcas the resur-'
Irected The apostle came to where, she
was and said, "Arisc, and she sat up!' In {
awhat short compass the great writer put
that-"She sat un!" Oh. what time
there was around that town when the :
apostle brought Eer out among her old
friends. .l5
How the tears of Joy must have started!
What caDping of haRds there must have
been! What singing! What laughter!
Sound it all through that lane. Shout 1T
down that dark alley! Let all Joppa hear
it! Dorcas is rcsurTcctcd!
Has that Christian woman who Went
away fifteen years ago nothing to do with (
these things? | see the Towering out OF T
her noble heart hear the echo CT her
footsteps in all the songs over sins tor-
given, in all the prosperity of the church.
The good that seemed TO be buried has I
come up again. Dorcas is resarrected!
After awhile all these womanly friends
of Christ will put down their needle for q
ever. After making garments for others
some one will make garment for them;
the grave. You will have heard the last {
cry OF pain. You will have witnessed the
last orphanage. You will have come IN
worn out from your last round of mercy.
[ do not know where you Will sleep nor
what Your epitaph will be. but there will 4
be a lamp burning at that tomb and an
angel of God guarding it., and through all 4
the long night no. rude foot will disturb
the dust. Sleep on, sleep on ,Solt bed,
pleasant shadows, undisturbed repose!
Sleep on!
Asleep in Jesus! Blessed sleep II
From which none ever wake to weep!
Then one day there will be a sky rend-
ing and whirl of wheels and the flash OF
a pageant, armies marching, chains clank-
ing, banners waving, thunders booming, Z
and that Christian woman will arise from
the dust, and she will be suddenly sur:
rounded by the wanderers OF
the street whom she reclaimed. surround!
ed by the wounded souls to whom size had
Daughter of God, so strangely surround
ed, what means this? 1t means that re-
ward has come; that the victory is won;
that the crown is ready; that the banquet
is spread. Shout it through all the crumb-
ling earth! Sing it through all the flying :.
heavens! Dorcas is resurrected:
In 1855, when some of the soldiers came
hacl, from the Crimean war to London,