The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1900-07-20

ing b2nefactress. Reclaimed vagrancy
comes and kisses the cold brow of her
who charmed it away from sin, and
all through the streets of Joppa there
is mourning because Dor
cas- is dead. When Josephine of France
was carried out to her grave, there
were a great many men and women
of pomp and pride and position that
went out after her, but | am most
affected by the story of history that
on that day there were 10000 Of the
poor of France who followed her cof-
fin, weeping and wailing until the air
rang again, because when they lost
Josephine they lost their last earthly
! friend Oh, who would not rather
have such obsequies than all the tears
that were ever poured in the lach-
rymals that have been exhumed from
ancient cities? There may be no mass
for the dead; there may be no costly
sarcophagus; there may be no elab-
crate mausoleum, but in the damp cell
lars of the city and through the lonely
huts of the mountain glen there will
be mourning, mourning, mourning, be-
cause Dorcas is dead: BLESSED are
the dead who die in the Lord; they
rest from their labors, and their
works do follow them"
/ speak to you OF Dorcas the resur~
rected. The apostle came to where
she was and said: "Arise, and she
sat up!" In what short compass
the great writer put that "She sat up"
Oh, what time there must have been
| around that town when the apostle
brought her out among her old
friends! How the tears Of Joy must
have started What a clappng OF
hands there must have been What
singingl What laughterl Sound 1t
ali through that lanel Shout IL down
that dark alley! Let all Joppa hear
it! Dorcas is resurrectedl
You and have seen the same thing
many time; not dead body re-
suscitated, but the deceased coming
up again after death in the good nc
eomplished. II man labors up TO so
years of age, serving God, and then
dies, we are apt TO think that his
earthly work is done. No, His In
fuence on earth will continue till the
world ceases. Services rendered for
Christ never stop. A Christian wom-
an tolls for the upbuilding of a church
through many anxieties, through
many self-denials, with prayers and
tears, and then she dies. Ii Is Is
years since she went away Now the
spirit Of God descends upon that
church, hundreds Of souls stand up
and confess the faith Of Christ Has
that Christian woman, who went away
is years ago. nothing TO do with these
things? / see the Towering out Of
her noble heart. / hear the echo of
her footsteps in all the songs over sins
forgiven, in all the prosperity of the
church The good that seemed to be
buried has come up again. Dorcas is
resurrectedl
After awhile these womenly friends
of Christ will put down their needle
forever, After making garments for
others, some one will make a garment
for themi the last robe we ever wear
the robe for the grave, You will have
heard the last cry Of pain, You will |
have witnessed the last orphanaee,
You will have come In worn out from
your last round of mercy. | DO not
know where you will sleep. nor what
your epitaph viii be, but there will be
n lamp burning at that tomb. and an |
angel of God guarding II, and through |
all the long night no rude foot will dis
turb the dust. Sleep on, sleep on.
Soft bed, pleasant shadows, undis.
turbed reposel Sleep onl
Asleep In Jesusl Blessed sleep
From which none ever wake 10 weepl
Then one day there will be sky
rendfng and whirr Of wheels and the
flash of pageant, armies marching,
chains clanking, banners waving thun-
ders booming. and that Christian wom-
an will rise from the dust and she will
be suddenly surrounded
by the wanderers OF the street whom
she reclaimed, surrounded by the
wounded souls 20 whom she had adj
Daughter of God, so
strangely surrounded, what means
this? 1t means that reward has come,
that the victory is won, that the crown
Is ready, that the banquet Is spread.
Shout il through all the crumbling
earth, Sing II through all the flying
Heavens. Dorcas is resurrected.
Tn 1855, when some Of the soldiers
came back from the Crimean war to
London, the queen OF England distrib-
uted among them beautiful medals
called Crimean medals. Galleries were
erected for the two houses Of parlia-
ment and the royal family TO sit in.
There was a great audience to witness
the distribution Of the medals. A
solonel who had lost both feet in the
battle of Inkermann was pulled in on
a wheel chair; others came In limping
On their crutches. Then the queen of
England arose before them in the name
Of her government and uttered words
Of commentator to the officers and
men and distributed those medals, In
scribed with the four great battlefields
Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann and Sc
vastopol. AS the queen gave these to
the wounded officers the bands Of music
struck up the national air, and the
people. with streaming eyes, joined in
the song
Goa .aya our errac ious oueanf