The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-11
DISCUSSED"W OMEN"
FIRST OF A SERIES OF SERMONS AT
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
DELIVERED BY DR.. JORDAN.
A LARGE CONGREGATION PRESENT
DESPITE THE WEATHER.

RuIers-As Prophets, Poets and
Teachers-An Inspiration to the
Man Refined and Pure; N Tempta-
ton to Him of Low and British
Instincts-She Has the Power to
Make Man or to Wreck an EN-
pire.
At the first Baptist Church last night
Rev. DR. ]. D. Jordan delivered the first
of a series OF sermons on Women" In
spite of the bad weather there was a
large congregation.
Thou shalt be called woman" was his
text, taken from Genesis ii, 23. He said,
in part: Woman is made 70 bear the
brunt of many a jest, but she is no jest.
She is one of the sweetest realities and
one of the most charming personalities
that God has given to the universe-the
last of creation and the best of creation.
The range of her powers and the realm of
her possibilities are wonderful almost
limitless. Woman at her best is most
God-Mke, while at her worst she is most
demon-like. She can be as soothing as an
angels chant, or as vexing as a demons
goad She has power to make a man or
to wreck an empire.
ITO the man refined and pure she is
an inspiration; to the man low and brut-
ish she is a temptation. To regard woman
as mans helpmeet, to cook his food, mend
his clothes and sweep his house is ignor-
ance and base ingratitude; but to regard
her as mans helpmate in thought, feel
ing and action-the essential of his broad
Il. IA
life.
LAS air and water used, mean life,
abused mean death, so it is with woman.
She almost has power to make alive; she
quite has power to kill. Life-sustaining
air and water must be pure and the life
enlarging woman must be pure.
THAT woman is the weaker vessel in
some respects is true That she is the
stronger vessel in more respects likewise
is true. The sacred records show that
God has always honored true womanhood,
and that true womanhood has always hon
ored God. A true woman always has
universal respect whether it be God man,
angel or demon who contemplates her."
In a subdivision of his sermon DR.. Jor-
dan then spoke of women among the
judges and rulers. First among these in
point of time" he said, lis Deborah. The
villages ceased in Israel until Deborah
arose and became mother in Israel.
With Barak, the captain of her hosts she
marched against Canaanites and cleared
the land of them. Our glimpses of the
Queen of Sheba are very delightful. She
heard of the wisdom of Solomon, the
splendor of his court, and the greatness
of his kingdom, and so made a journey to
Jerusalem with a very great train on
tour of investigation and display as
anxious to show her own wisdom and
wealth as to see Solomon's. But being
out-matehed she showed the spirit of
| truly great woman, saying, Behold, the
| half was not told me-
THE wisdom of God and Satan have
often struck me as being alike in one re-
| spect-if a man is to be ruled a woman
is set for the task; if a woman is to be
ruled they have to take the matter in
their own hands. 1t is better to be sub
ject with the friendship and praise of
good women than to be a king without it.
He that hath the love and friendship of
the best women is king-for they are
queens, and the love of a queen makes a
man a king"
DR.. Jordan also discussed women as
prophets mentioning among them Miriam,
Deborah, Huldah, and Anna, also the
daughters of Philip of Cesarea who
vealed to Paul that bonds and Affections
awaited him in every city.
''As women are always among the good
so they are among the bad. There was
the false prophecies Noadiah and in
Ezekiel we read of the false prophetesses
who made the hearts of men sad
Women have been the inspiration of
much poetry and they have written much
poetry. This is true not only in classic
erature also. Women are specially gifted
in writing song. After Pharoah and his
hosts had been swallowed up in the Red
Sea, Miriam led all the women in singing
When Deborah and Barak had conquered
the Canaanites she wrote the events of
the war and the victory in verse, and it
became the song of Israel. Hannah the
mother of Samuel, had the gift of
poetry; Elizabeth, the mother of John the
Baptist, became poetic in her old age,
when she learned that God would give
her a son; and Mary. the mother of our
Lord, worshipped God in a Pslam equal
to any of David's. when she learned that
she was to be the mother of the long
promised Messiah. A true woman can
grace any place to which God may call
her; but she appears "a her best in the
worship and service of God"
Under the head of Women as Teach
ers," DR. Jordan cited Moses and Sam
uel as examples of religious mothers
teaching. More fault lieth at womans
door for bad sons than many think. The
boy seldom departs entirely and forever
from the teachings of his mother. The
home should be the first theological SEM
| mary, and mother and grandmother
should be the teachers. and no child
should pass its threshold untaught.
I'm prayer only God knows woman's
power. Comparatively little is said in the
Old Testament about the prayers of wo-
men, but am sure many of them prayed.
Think you not that Miriam and the mother
! of Moses prayed when they placed him
| among the flags by the rivers brink
| Samuel. the wise. the true and the good.
was given to his mother Hannah in an
swer to prayer, and with prayer she dedi-
Gated him to the Lord all the days of his
| life. Hagar, when i'm disgrace and an
outcast, prayed, Thou God seest me- He
not only saw, but heard and answered.
| Women have always been the best OF
| givers. In Exodus we are told that they
/ brought their jewels to the Tabernacle
/ and gave them an offering to God And
again in Exodus. that the women brought
their brass mirrors to be used to adorn
| the house of God. IL was the woman who
/ gave the two mites-her oil. A woman's
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