Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-07-20
PRACTICAL CHARITY.
REV. Or. TAlMAGE ExTOLS 85NEVO-
IENcE OF OoRcAS.

Contrasts Her wcr,S Win Present
Day Methods-woman Gods Hand
maiden I'm the Alienation OF Mis-
ery-A Record OF Self Denial
WASHINGTON. July 15.-Dr. Talmage.
who Is still travelling i'm northern Eu-
rope, has forwarded the following re,
port of a sermon i'm which he utters
helpful words TO all who are engaged
I'm alternating human distresses and
shows how such work win be crowned
at the last: text. Acts tx, 80, And all
the widows stood by him weeping and
showing him the coats and garments
which Dorcas made while she was
with them"
Joppa is a most absorbing city of
the orient. Into her harbOr once float
cd the RATS of Lebanon cedar from
which the temples of Jerusalem were
builded, Solomon's oxen drawing the
logs through the town. Here Napo-
leon had 500 prisoners maSSacred. One
Of the most magnificent charities of
the centuries was started in this sea
port by Dorcas. woman with her nee
die embroidering her name inefTacea.
bly, into the beneiicence Of the world.
| see her sitting i'm yoDdcr home. In
the doorway and around about the
building and i'm the room where she
sits are the pale faces Of the poor. She
listens to their plant, she pitieS their
woe. she makes garments for them. she
adjusts the manufactured articles to
suit the bent form OF this invalid wom-
10 f,s,A
ing on his hands and knees. She gives
coat 20 this one: she gives sandals TO
that one. With the gifts she mingles
prayers and tears ard Christian en-
enlargement. Then she goes out TO be
greeted on the street corners by those
whom she has blessed. and all through
the street the cry is heard. "Dorcas is
coming The sick look up gratefully
in her face as she puts her hand on the
burning brow. and the lost and the
abandoned start up with hope as they
hear her gentle voice, as though an an
gel had addressed them. and as she
goes out the lane eyes half put out
with sin think they see n halo of light
about her brow and trail of glory in
her pathway. That night half paid
shipwright climbs the hill and reaches
home and sees his little boy well clad
and says, where did these clothes
come fromT' And they tell him. Dor
cas- has been here" In another place a
woman is trimming n lamp: Dorcas
bought the oil. In another place n
family that had not been at table for
many week are gathered now, for
Dorcas has brought bread.
Dorcns she Disciple.
But there f. sudden pause in that
woman's ministry. They say: Where
Is Dorcas? Why, we haven't seen her
for many Il day. Where is Dorcas?'
And one of these poor people goes up
and knocks ut the door and finds the
mystery solved. All through the
haunts of wretchedness the news
comes. ''Dorcas is sickr' No bulletin
flashing from the palace gate telling
the stages cs kings disease Is more
anxiously waited for than the news
from this benefactress. Alas. for Jop-
pa there IS wailing. wailing, That
voice which.has uttered so many cheer
ful words Is hushcd that hand which
has made SO many garments for the
poor is cold and still; the star which
had poured light into the midnight of
wretchedness is dimmed by the blind
Ing mists that go up from the river OF
death. In every forsaken place in that
town. wherever there IS n sick child
and no balm. wherever there is hunger
and no bread. wherever there is guilt
and no commiseration. wherever there
Is broken heart and no comfort. there
are despairinS looks and streaming
eyes and frantic gesticulations as they
cry, "Dorcas is deadr'
They send for the apostle Peter. who
happens 20 bc in the suburbs of the
place. stopping with tanner of the
name OF Simon. Peter urges his way
through the crowd around the door ana
stands in the presence Of the dead.
what demonstration OF grief all about
him! Here stand some Of the poor
people. who show the garments which
this poor woman had made for them. |
Their grief cannot be appeased. The |
apostle Peter wants to perform a mira /
cle- He will not do IL amid the excited |
crowd. SO he orders that the whole 4
room be cleared. The APOSTLE stands /
now with the dead. Oh. IL is n serious
moment. you know, when you are alone |
with lifeless body! The apostle gets
down on his kr.ees and prays. and then
he comes TO the lifcless form of this
one ali ready for the scpulcher. and I'm
me strength OF him who is the resur-
rection he cries. "Tabitha. ariser'
There Is stir in the fountains OF life:
The heart fiutters; the nerves thrill: tho
cheek nushes; the eye opens; she sits
up,
we see In this subject Dorcas the
disciple, Dorcas the bcnefactress. Dor.
,as the lamented, Dorcas the resur-
'ected.
Iffc's Greatest Duty.
III had not seen that word disciple
n my text. l would have known this
woman WAS q Christian. Such mpsic
Is that never came from n heart which
; not chorded and strung by divine
trace Before show you the needle
work or this woman I want 10 show
'ou her reSenerated heart. the source
u pure life and of all Christian char
Ties. l wish that the wives and moth
rs ana daughters and sisters of all tbe
arth would initiate Dorcas i'm her dis
ipleship. Before you cross the thresh-
III or the hospital, before you enter
pom the temptations and trials of TO-
borrow. / charge you in the name of
iod c2d by the turmoil and tumult of
ne judgment day, O woman. that Won
ttend 20 the FIRST, last and greatest
uty OF your life-the seeking for God
no being at peace with himi When
Ne trumpet shall sound. there VIII be
uproar and a wreck of mountain
nd continent, and no human arm can
clip you. Amid the rising OF the dead
Nd amid the boiling of yonder sea and
MID the live, leaping thunders of the
yihg heavens calm and placid will be ,
very woman's heart who hath put her
'ust In Christ-calm Notwithstanding
IL the tumnlt, as though the fire in
he heavens were only the gildings of
n autumnal sunset, as though the peal
the trumpet We're only the harmony ,
an orchestra, as though the awful /,
oices or the sky Were but n group of