The Russellville Democrat., 1888-02-16
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Fifth Discourse OF the Series to the
Women of America.
" The Vail of Modcsty," Showing the
Beauty Of This Virtue ms illustrated
by Scripture Charaeter-A Writ
ue Not Fully Understood.

ue Not Fully Understood.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage preached the
fifth Of the "Series of Sermons TO the
Women OF America, with Important Hints
TO Mem" His subject was "The Vail of
Modesty," and his text:
The Queen vashti refused TO come.-Esther,
L.,
If you will accept my arm win escort
Won into a throne room. In this fifth
sermon of the series of sermons there are
certain womanly excelencies which /
wish 10 commend, but instead Of putting
them in dry abstraction, / present you
their impersonation in one who seldom,
If ever, gets sermonic recognition.
We stand amid the palaces of Shush an.
The pinnacles are aflame with the morn
ing light. The columns rise festooneu and
wreathed, the wealth of empires flashing
from the grooves; the ceilings adorned
with images of bird and beast, and scenes
OF prowess and conquest The walls are
hung with shields and emblszoued until
IL seems that the who round OF splen-
doris is exhausted. Each arch is mighty
leap of architectural achievement. Gold
en- stars shining down on glowing
arabesqus. Haneings OF embroidered
work, in which mingle the blueness Of
the sky. the greenness of the grass, and
tho vhiteness Of the sea foam. Tapes
tries hung on silver rings, wedding to-
cether the pillars OF marble. Pavilions
reaching out in every direction. These
for repose, filed with luxuriant couches,
in which weary limbs sink until ali ia
tiguo Is submerged. These for carousal,
where kings drink down a kingdom at one
swallow. Amazing spectacle! Light of
silver dripping down over stairs of ivory
on shields OF gold. Floors of stained
marble, sunset red aud night black, and
inlaid with cleaning pearl. Why, 1t
seems as If a heavenly vision of anne
thyst, and jacnth, and topaz, and chrys-
oprasus had descended aud alighted upon
Shushan. 1t seems If bilow
OF celestial glory had dashed clear
over heavens battlements upon
this metropolis Of Persia. In connection
with this palace there is a garden, where
the mighty men OF foreign ands are seat
ed at a banquet. Under the spread Of
oak, and linden, and acacia the tables are
arranged. The breath of honey suckle and
frankncense fills the air. Fountains leap
up into the light, the spray struck through
with rainbows falling in crystalline bap-
tsm upon Towering shrubs, then rolling
down through channels of marble and
widening out here and there into pools
swiring with the fnny tribes of foreign
aquariums, bordered with scarlet anem-
onies, hypericums and many-col
ored ranunculus. Meats of rarest
bird and beast smoking up amid
wreaths of aromatics. The vases
filed with aprcots and almonds. The
baskets piled up with aprcots and dates,
and figs, and oranges, and pomegran-
ates. Melons tastefully twined with
leaves of acacia. The bright waters of
Euiaeas filling the urns, and sweating
outside the rim in flashing beads amid
the treceries. Wine from the royal watts
of 1spahan and Shiraz, in bottles of
tinged shell, aud lily shaped cups of
silver, aud hagons and tankards of solid
gold. The music rises higher and the
revelry breaks out into wilder transport,
and the vino has flushed the cheek and
touched the brain. and louder than all
other voices are the hiccough of the inc
b late, the gable of fools, and the song
of the drunkard.
In another part of the palace, Queen
Vashti Is entertaining the Princesses of
Persia at banquet. Drunken Ahasuerus
says to his servants: "You go out and
fetch Vashti from the banquet with the
women and bring her to this banquet with
the men, and let her display her beauty"
The servants Immediately started to obey
the Kings command. but there was a
rule in Oriental society that no woman
gkt appear in public without having
her face vailed. Yet, here wa,
mandate that no one dare dis
pute. demanding that Vashti come
in unvailed before the multitude.
However, there was in Vashti's soul a
principle more regal than Ahasuerus,
more brilliant than the gold of Shushan,
of more wealth than the realm of Persia,
which commanded her to disobey this
order of the King; and so all the right
eonsness, and holiness and modesty of
her natures rise up into sublime refusal.
She says: az win not go into the ban.
gust unvailed." OF course Ahasuerus
was infuriated; and vashti, robbed of her
petition and her state, is driven forth in
poverty and ruin to suffer the scorn
of a nation and yet to receive
the applause of after gener-
ations who shall rise up TO admire this
martyr to kingly insoence. Well, the
last vestige of that feast is gone; the last
garland has faded; the last arch has
fallen; the last tankard has been de-
stroyed, and Shushan is a ruin; but as
long as the world stands there will be
multitudes OF men and women, familiar
with the Bible, who will come into this pict-
uib RdllblN Dl you dlu huiEiTt tnt uiflnt
portrait of Vashti the Queen, Vashti the
vailed, Vashti the sacrifice, Vashti the
silent.
In the first place, l want you TO look
upon Yashti the Queen. A blue ribbon,
rayed with white. drawn around her
forehead, Indicated her queenly position.
IL was no small honor to be Queen in such
a realm as that. Hark TO the rustic of
her robes! See the blaze Of her jewelsl
And yet, my friends IL Is not necessary
TO have palace and regal robe in order to
be queenly. When see a woman with
stout faith in God putting her foot upon
all meanness, and selfishness, and god
less display, going right forward TO serve
Christ and the race by grand and glori-
Gus service. l say: "That woman is a
queen" and the ranks of Heaven look
over the battlements upon the coronation,
and wi ether she come up from the
shanty on the commons or the
mansion of the FASH onahle square,
/ greet her with the shout: "All hall
Queen Vashti." What glory was there
on the brow Of Mary OF Scotland, or
El zabeth of England, OF Margaret of
France, or Catherine OF Russia compared
with the worth of some OF our Christian
mothers, many Of them gone into glory!
Or Of that woman mentioned in the
Scriptures who put her all into the Lords
treasuryY--or OF Jephthah's daughter,
who made a demonstration of unselish
patrlotismy-or OF Abigail, who rescued
the herds aud focks of her husband?-
or Of Ruth, who toiled under a tropical
sun for poor, old, helpless Naomil--or OF
Mrs. Adomrain Judson, who kindled the
lights Of salvation amid the darkness Of
Burmah?-or OF Mrs. Hemans, who
poured out her holy soul in words
which will forever be associated
with hunters horn, and captlve's chair
and bridal hour, and lute's throb, and cur
few's kneil at the dying day7--and scores
and hundreds of women unknown on