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v. 39. Peter arose.and went. Jesus never grudged trouble, never was im patient of interruption, never repelled opportunity, and if we live near Him, willingness to spend and be spent will mark our lives. Showing the coats and garments. It is as great to acknowledge kindness as ,to do it.— Sel. How is it we like the coats and garments better when the seamstress is dead than we did when she was making them? Oh, I would speak for a kind word on behalf of those who are sitting next you and making your house glad by their •deft fingers and their loving hearts.— Peo ple’s Bible. Those are best praised whose own works praise them, whether the words of others do or not.— Henry. While she was with them. No matter how mean our' calling, the Holy Spirit can make it great. Dorcas was as truly a missionary. as one who goes off to preach to the heathen.. v. 40. Peter put them all forth. He did not come to be seen and did not want lamentations to take his mind and weaken his faith. Do you let the un belief of others destroy your faith?—- Echoes. Kneeled down and prayed. In striking contrast with the Master (Luke 8:54). The kneeling became the lowly servant but not the Lord Him self of whom it is never once recorded that He kneeled in the performance of a miracle.— J. F. & B. Turning to the body said. When you have laid hold of God by prayer as Peter did, then you can lay hold of the dead as Peter did and bid them arise.— Torrey. The prayer of Peter penetrated Paradise and brought back the spirit of Dorcas. —Horton. By the Holy Spirit’s admoni tion Peter knew;* that his prayer was heard.— Lumby. What is the use of your solitude and prayer if when you turn around you cannot work some miracle of love?-—Sel. Tabitha, arise. Is it not singular and beautiful that Peter’s word by the bedside is with the exception of one letter (Tabitha and Talitha) absolutely identical with the words our Lord employed?—Maclaren. v. 42. Many believed. To live the resurrection life in Christ is to lead many to believe in Christ as the Resur rection and the Life.— Cook. M What a Kind Woman Did. Acts 9: 36-42. , Memory Verse: “ This woman was full of good works.” Acts 9:36.
people turning to the Lord today.^Tor- rey. A person who professes the name of Christ and exhibits a changed life is an unanswerable argument jj for the truth and power of Christ.—Haldeman. v. 36. A certain disciple named Tabitha. Dorcas is called a disciple that it may be seen that under the Gospel there is no distinction between male' and female. (Gal. 3:28.) She had learned of Jesus the great lesson that the love of God implies ministry to others and she gave herself to prac tice it by quiet feminine handwork which she distributed among the deso late of the town. , She has been crowned as the patron saint of women workers. -Meyer. Full of good works. She did not talk but lived great things.—Davis. Many people are full of good deeds which they dream of doing sometime.— Sel. Few names shine more brightly on the page of history than that of Dorcas and the story of her life so briefly recorded has been an inspiration to many. Why? Simply because good works and alms-deeds were not with her an occasional thing but her constant practice. She was a “ disciple indeed” (Jn. 15:8; Jas. 1:27; 1 Jn. 3:14, 16, 17; Titus 2:14; 3:8; Col. 1:10),— Tor rey. Many are full of good words and. are barren of good works.—Henry. Train your eye to watch for others1 needs, your soul to sympathy, your hand to helpfulness.— Burton. Which she did. The fault with most people is not that they have no way to do good but that they have no desire to.— Sel. v. 37. She was sick and died.— The theory that if we axe right with God sickness will not enter our lives breaks down under the description which the Holy Spirit Himself gives us of the case of Dorcas. God has His purposes in sickness. (Jn. 9:3; 11:3, 4; 2:Kings 13:14.)— Torrey. There are some peo ple who we almost wish would die and die they will not. They have a kind of earthly immortality in their evil do ing. Others whom you want to live, wither and die in the_ act of giving bread to the hungry, but so foolish are we and ignorant. Why should we shed tears when the noble life vessel touches shore? Why not throw up our arms and exclaim, “ Hallelujah, glory be to God!”— Parker. v. 38. Desiring him not to delay. A minister of Christ ought not to grudge' being at everybody’s beck and call.— Henry.
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