Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-29
HAMAN HUNG.
Discourse Of Rev. DR.. Talmage
in the City Of Brooklyn.
$50 They Hanged Hannah on the Gal
lows That He Had Prepared For
Mordecai" His Text.
Vacations and Disturbances of Spirit in Your
Past Life Produced by Circumstances
Unworthy of Notice.
LET HIS NAME BE BuorrED OUT.

BRooKLYN, N. Y, May 25.-In the Brooklyn
academy of music this morning., after the pre-
liminary exercises which in this congregation
are considered as important any of the others.
DR.. Talmage preached from the text, 80 they
hanged Haman on the galIows that he had pre-
pared for Mordecai. - Esther VII. TO- Following
is his sermon in full:
Here is an oriental courtier, about the most
offensive man in Hebrew history, Haman by
nsme. He plotted for the destruction OF the IS
raelitish nation, and I wonder not that i'll some
of the Hebrew synagogues to this day when Ha-
mans name is mentioned, the congregation
clench their lists and stamp their feet and cry,
LET his name be blotted out!'' Haman was
prime minister in the magnificent court of Per
STA. Thoroughly appreciative of the honor
conferred, he expects everybody that he
passes to be obsequious. Coming in one
day at the gate of the palace, the servants drop
their heads in honor of his office, but Hebrew,
named Mordecai, gazes upon the passing dig
nltary without benuing his head or taking off
his hat. He was good man, and would not
have been negligent of the ordinary courtesies
OF life but he felt no respect either for Hannah
or the nation from which he had come. But he
could not be hypocritlcal; and while others
made Oriental salaam, getting clear down be-
fore this prince minister when he passed, Nor
decai, the Hebrew, relaxed not muscle of his
neck, and kept his chin clear up. Because of
that affrout Hannah gets decree from Ahssu-
erus, the dastardly king, for the massacre of all
the Israelites, and that of course, will include
Mordecai.
TO MAKE A LONG
through Queen Esther this whole plot was re-
vealed to her husband, Ahasuerus. One night
Ahasuerus, who was afflicted with insomnia, in
his sleepess hours calls for his secretary to read
to him q few passages of Persian history, and so
while away the night. In the book read that
night to the king an account was given of the
conspiracy, from which Mordecai, the Hebrew,
has saved the kings life, and for which kind
ness Mordecai bad never received any reward.
Hannah, who had been fixing up nice gallows
to hang. Mordecai on, was walking outside the
door Of the kings sleeping apartment
and was called in. The king told
him that he had just had read to
him the account OF some one who had saved his,
the kings life, and he asked what reward ought
to be given to such a one. Self-conceited
Hannah, supposing that he himself was to get
that the deliverer of the kings life was
Mordecai says: ''Why your majesty ought to
make triumph for him, and put crown on
him. and set him on splendid horse, high
stepping and full blooded, and then have one of
your princes lead the horse through the
streets, crying, Bow the knee, here comes
Then said Ahasuerus n severe tones to Hannah:
~ know all about your scoundrelism. Now
you go out and make triumph for Mordecai,
the Hebrew, whom you hate. Put the best sad
die on the finest horse, and you, the prince,
hold the stirrup while Mordecai gets on and :
then lead his horse through the street. Make
haste!''
and the same time. There they go! Nor
robed, in the stirruDs. Haman, the chancellor,
afoot. holding the prancing, rearing, chanping
stallion. Mordecsi ben 5 his neck at last, but
1t is to look down at the degraded prime minis
ter walking beneath him.
HUzzA FOR MoRDEcAI! ALAS FOR HAMANl
But what pity to have the gaIlows, but
Gently built, entirely wasted! Il is fifty cubits
high, and built with care. And Haman had
erected it for Mordecai. by whose stirrups he
now walks as groom. Stranger and more start
Tf,rv,
the scaffold side by SIDE, the hangrnan and
Haman, the ex-chancelIor. 80 they hanged
Hannah on the gallows that lie had prepared for
Mordecai.'
Although so many years have passed since
cowardly Ahasuerus reigned, and the beautiful
Esthur answered to his whirns, and Persia per
ished, yet from the life and death of Hannah we
may draw living lessons OF warning and instruc
ton. And, first, come to the practical sug-
gestion that. when the heart is wrong. things
very insignificant will destroy comfort.
Who would have thought that great prime
minister, admired and applauded by millions OF
Persians, would have been so nettled and har-
assed by anything trivial? What more could
the great dignitary have wanted than his
chariots and attendants, and palaces and ban
quets? If af1uence of circumstances can make
a man c0ntented and happy. surely Haman
should have been contented and happy. No;
Mordecai's refusal of bow takes the glitter
from the gold, and the richness from the purple,
and the speed from the chariotS. With heart
pulled up with every imitation Of vanity and re-
venge, it was impossible for him to be happy.
The silence of Mordecai at the gate was louder
than the braying of trumpets in the palace.
Thus shall it always be if the heart is not right
Circumstances the most trivial viii disturb the
spirit.
1t is not the great calamites of life that create
the most worriment. have seen men, felled
by repeated blows of misfortune, arising from
the dust, never responding. But the most of
the disquiet which men suffer is from insignifi-
cant causes; as q lion attacked by some beast of
prey turns easily around and Stays him, yet
runs roaring through the forest at the alighting
on his brawny neck of few insects. You meet
some great loss IN business with comparative
composure; but you can think of petty trick
cries inflicted upon You, which rouse all your
capacity for wrath, and remain in your heart an
unbearable annoyance. If you look back upon
your life, you will find that the most Of the vexa-
lions and disturbances of spirit which you felt
were produced by circumstances that
WERE NOT WORTHY oP NOTCH.
Ifyou want to be happy you must not care for
OF the treatment you receive from others. Who
cares whether Mordecai bows when you pass, or
stands erect and stiff cedar? That wood
man would not make much clearing in the forest
who should stop to bind up every little bruise
and scratch he received in the thicket; nor will
that man accomplish much Tor the world or the
church who is too watchful and appreciatiYe of
petty annoyances. There are multitndes of
people in the world constantly narrowed be- |
cause they pass their lives not in searching out
those things whidh are attractive and deserv
ing but in spying out with all their powers of
vision to see whether they cannot find Nor
decai.
Again, learn from the life Of the man under |
our notice that worldly vanity and sin are very |
anxious to have piety bow before them. Haman |
was a fair emblem OF entire wordliness, and |
Mordecai the representative of unhinching god |
illness. Such were the usGges OF society in4an- |
cent times that, had this Israelite bowed to the
prime minister, it would have been an acknowl- |
edgment of respect for his character and nation.
Mordecai would. therefore. have sinned against !
his religion had he made3sany ooelsance or |
dropped his chin half an inch before Haman. |
When, therefore, proud Hannah attempt
ed to compel an homage which was not felt, he |
only did what the world ever since has tried to do
when It would force our holy rengion IN any |
way to yield to its dictates. Daniel, II he had
Geeq 9 man of religious compromises, would |
never have been thrown into the den OF lions.
Ee might have made some arrangement with |
King Darius whereby he could have retained |
part of his form of religion without making him
self so completely obnoxious to the ldolators.
Paul might have retained the fAVors OF ms rulers
and escaped raFtyrdom If he had only been
willing to mix up his Christian fslth WITH few /
error. His unbending Christian character was |
taken an insult.
Fagot and rack and halter IN all ages have
been only the different ways in which the world |
has demanded obeisance, It was once, away /
up on the top of the temple, that satan com
manded the Holy One Of Nazareth to kneei be-
fore him But 1t is not now SO much onthe top |
of churches as down in the aisle and the pew
and the pulpit that satan tempts the esponsers
OF the Christian faith to kneel before him. Why !