The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-06-05
TALMAGES SERMON.
Weekly Discourse OF the Great
Brooklyn Preacher.

most offensive man in Hebrew history,
Hannah by name. He plotted for the dc.
struction o, the Isrdelit,s2 nation, aud |
wonder not that in some o; the Hebrew
synagogues 10 this day, When Humans
name Is mentioned, the congregation ciinca
their fists, and stamp their feet and ere:
"Let his name be blotted out" Hamau
was prime minister in tao magnificent
court OF Persia. Thoroughly apprsoiative
of the honor conferred, he expects every-
body that he passes to be obseluious. Com.
ing in one day az the gate OF the palace the
servants drop their heads in honor of his
office but a Hebrew namsi Mordecai,
gazes upon the passing dignitary without
bending his head or taking off his hat. He
was good man, and would not have been
negligent OF the ordinary coartesies OF life
but he fe.t no respect eitier for Hanan or
the nation froA wnica he hal come But
he could not be hypocritica!; aal while 9th.
ers made oriental salaani, getting clear down
before this prime minister when he passed,
horiecai, the Hebrew, relaxed not muscle
Of his neck, and kept his cain clear up Be
cause OF that atfront Hanau gets decres
rom Ahasueri,s, the dsstardly King. for
0he massacre of al this lsraetes, and that,
OF course. will include Mordecai.
10 make 4 long story short, through
Queen Esther this whole plot was revealed to
her husband, Ahasuerus One night Alias.
uerus, WAC was afflicted with insomnia, in
his sleepless hours calls for his secretary TO
read to him few passages Of Persian his
tory, and so while away the night. In the
book read that night to the King an account,
was given OF conspiracy. from which
Mordecal, the Hebrew, had saved tina
Kings life, and for which kindness
Mordecai had never received any reward.
haman, who had been fixing up a nice gal.
lows TO hang Mordecsi on. was walking out
side the door of the Kings sleeping apart
ment and was called in The King told hin,
that he had just had read to him the account
Of SONS one who had saved his, the Kings
life, ana he asked what reward ought to be
gwen to such a one. Selt-concaited Hannah,
supposing that he himself was to get tn.
honor and not imagining for moment
that tue delirerer of the Kings life wa.
Mordscai, says: "Why, your majesty ough,
to make triumph for him, and put a
crown on him, and set him on q
splendid horse, high stepping and full blood
ed, and then have one Of your princes
lead the horse through the streets, crying:
Bow the knee, here comes a man who has
saved the Kings life" Then said Alias.
uerus in severe tones to Hannah: 81 know
all about your scoundrelism. Now you 90
out and make triumph for Mordecai, tn.
Hebrew, whom you hate. Put the BEST
saddle on the finest horse, aud you, the
| gets on, and then lead his horse through til.
| street. Make hastew
What spectacle! A comedy and tragedy
| at one and the same time. Thare they go
| Mordecai, who had been despised, nov
starred and robed, in the stirrups, Haman
the chancellor, afoot, holding the prancing
rearing, champng stallion. Mordecai bend
his neck at last, but it is to look down at th'
| degraded prime minister walking beneath
| fa, lie. 20. He,
| But what a pity to have the gaIlows recent,
built entirely wasted 1t is fifty cubics high
and built with care. And Hanlan hat
erected it for Mordecai, by whose stirrups h,
now walks as groom. Stranger and NOR
startling than any romance, there go up tn.
| steps OF the scatolding, side by side, tn
hangman and Hanal the e1-chance!lor. IS
they hanged Hannah on the gallows that h
had prepared for Mordecai."
Although SO many years have passed
| since cowardiy Ahasuerus reigned, AID tht
beautiful Esther answsfed to, his whims, ans
Persia persisted yet from tn HE and dsatt
| of Haman We may draw living lessons OF
warning and instruction. Aud. first, we
come to the practical suggestion that,
when the heart is wrong, things very in.
significant will destroy our comfort.
Who would have thought that q grea.
prime minister, admired and applau1s1 oy
millions of Persians, would have been s.
nettled and haTassed by anything trivial
What more could the great dignitsry have
wanted than his chaliots and attendants
and palaces and banquets? Ii afiuencs o
circumstances can make man contente
and happy surely Hannah should have beer
contented and happy. No. Mordecais re
fusal of bow takes the glitter from tn
gold, and the richness from ths purple, an.
the speed from the chariots. With a hear
pulled up with every imitation Of vanity ant
revenge, it was impossible for him to b
happy The silence of Mordacai at the gat
was louder than the braying of trumpets ii
the palace. Thus shall it always be if tn
heart is not right. Circumstances the mos
trivial will disturb the spirit
1t is not the great caamities Of life tha
create the most worriment. have seen men
felled by repeated blows of misfortune, arisin.
from the dust, never de- oondIng. But th
most of the dsquiet which men suffer i
from Insignificant causes, as a lion attacXe.
by some beast of prey turns easily arounc
and Stays him, yet runs roarinsly through
the forest at the alighting on his brawnt
neck of few insects. You meet some great
loss in business with comparative composure
but you can think of petty trickeries in
hictedupon you which rouse all your ca
pacity for wrath. and remain in your near
an unbearable annoyance. If you look blcl
upon your life you will find that most o
the vexations and disturbances O
spirit which you felt were produces
by circumstances that were no
worthy of notice If you want to oe happ.
you must no. care for tribes. Do not be to-
minute in your inspection of the treatment
you receive from others. Who cares whethe
Mordecai bows when you pass, or stand
erect and stiff as a cedar? That woodmal
would not make much clearing in the fores
who should stop to bind upevery little bruis
and scratch he received in the thicket, no
will that man accomplish much for the worlt
or the church who is too watchtul and appre
alive of petty annoyances There are mul
titudeS of people in the world constantly har
rowed because they pass their lives, not il
searching out those things which are attrac
tive and deserving, but in spying out with al
their powers Of vision to see whether they
cannot find Morieca.
Again: learn from the life of the mar
under our notice that worldly vanity ant
sin are very anxious 10 have piety bow be
fore them. Haman was "a fair emblem Of
entire woridlress, and Moriecai, the repre-
sentative of unhinching godliness. Suci
were the usages of society i'll ancient time:
that, had this Israelto bowed to the prime
minister it would have been an acinowledg
ment of respect for his character and nation
Mordecai would, therefore, have sinned
against his religion had he made any o5eis
ance, or dropped hi. chin half an incl
before Hannah. When, therefore proud
Hannah ATTEMPTED to compel an HON.
age which was not felt, he only did
what the world ever sinco has triei to do
when it would force oar holy religion in any
way to weld to its dictates. Da1ie!,if he hat
been u man of religious compromises, would
never have been thrown into the den o
lions. He might have made soma arrange
ment with KIM Darius whereby he coult
have retained part OF his form of religion
without making himself SO completely 90
uoxious to the idolaters. Paul might hav
retained the favor of his rulers and escape;
msrtyrdom il he had only been willing +
mix up his Christian faith with a few errors
His unbending Christian Character wa
taken as an insult.
Fagot and rack and halter. in all age
have been only the different ways in whic
the world has demanded obeisance. 1t wa
once away up ON the top of the temple. tina
Satan commanded the Holy One OF Nazaret
to kneel before him. But it is not now $
much OH the top Of churches as down i'll tn
aisle and the pew and ths pulpit that Sata,
tempts the espouSers of the Christian faith b
kneel be ore him. Why vast that the Pla
tonic philosophers of early times, "a well a
Toland, Spinoza and Bolingbroie Q
latter DAYS. were 50 madly oppose
to Christianity? Certainly not becaus
it favored immoralities, o. arreste
civilization, or dwarfed the intellect. Tn