The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-10-19
TALMAGES SERMON.
The Trials Attending the Practice
OF True Religion
" As a lamb to the Slaughter Was Led the
beautiful Hadasszh. But She Tri-
nmphed over All TenlptR-
tiOns by Her Faith.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, who is now
headed homeward from his rnund-the-
world tour, selected the following ser
mon for publication this week. 1t is
based ON the text:
And he brought up Hadassah-Esther fl, :.
A beautiful child was born in the
capital Of Persia. She was an orphan
and a captive, her parents having been
stolen from their Israelitish home and
carried TO Shushan, and had died, leav-
ing their daughter poor and in a
strange land. But an Israelite, who
had been carried into the same captivi-
ty, was attracted by the case of the
orphan. He educated her in his holy
religion, and under the roof of that
good man this adopted child began to
develop a sweetness and exellency of
character if ever equaled, certainly
never urpassed. Beautiful Hadassahi
Could that adopted father ever spare
her from his household? Her artless-
ness; her girlish sports; her innocence;
her Orphanage, had wound them
selves thoroughly around his heart,
just as around each parents heart
among rs there are tendrils climbing
and fastening and blossoming, and
growing stronger. 1 expect he was
like others who have loved ones at
hOme-wondering sometimes If sick
ness viii come, and death, and be-
reavement. Alasl Worse than any
thing that the father expects happens
TO his adopted child. Ahasuerus, a
princely scoundrel. demands that
Hadassah. the fairest one in all the
kingdom, become his wife. Worse than
death was marriage to such monster
of iniquityl How great the change
when this young woman left the home
where God was worshlped and religion
honored to enter a palace devoted to
pride, idolatry and sensuality! "As a
lamb to the slaughterl'
Ahasuerus knew not that his wife
was a Jewess. At the instigation of
the infamous prime minister the king
decreed that all the Jews in the lard
should be slain. Hadassah pleads the
cause of her people, breaking through
the rules of the court and presenting
herself in the very face of death cry
ing: IF / perish, perish" Oh, il was
a sad time among that enslaved people!
They had all heard the decree concern
ing their death. Sorrow, gaunt and
CHASTITY, sat in thousands of house
holds, and mothers wildly pressed their
infants to their breasts as the day of
massacre FASTENED on, praying that
the same sword-stroke which slew the
mother might also STAY the child, rose
bud and bud perishing in the same
blast.
But Hadassah is busy at court. The
hard heart of the king is touched by
her story, and although he could not
reverse his decree for the Staying of
the Jews, he sent forth an order that
they should arm themselves for de-
Tense. On horseback, on mules, on
drOmedaries messengers sped through
the land bearing the kings dispatches,
and shout of joy went up from that
enslaved people at the faint hope of
success. / doubt not many a rusty
blade was taken down and sharpened.
Unbearded youths grew stout as giants
at the thought of defending mothers
and sisters. Desperation strung up
towards into heroes, and fragile wo-
men grasping their weapons swung
them about the cradles impatient for
the time to strike the blow in behalf of
household and country.
The day of execution dawned. Gov
eminent officials, armed and drilled,
eOwed before the battle shout of the
oppressed people. The cry of defeat
rang back to the palaces, but above the
mountains of dead. above seventy-five
thousand crushed and mangled corpses,
sounded the triumph of the delivered
Jews, and their enthusiasm was as
when the Highlanders came to the re-
lief of Lucknow, and the English army
which stood in the very jaws of death,
at the sudden hope of assistance and
rescue, lifted the shout above belching
cannon and the death-groan of hosts,
crying: I'VE are saved! We are
saved"
My subjest affords me opportunity of
illustrating what Christian character
may be under the greatest advantages.
There is no Christian now exactly what
he wants TO be. Your standard is much
higher than anything you have at
tanned unto. If there be any man so
pulled up as to be thoroughly satisfied
with the amount of excellency he has
already attained, / have nothing |
to say to such one. But to |
those who are dissatisfied with |
past attachments, who are toiling |
under disadvantages which are keep |
ing them from being what they ought |
to be. I have n message from God. |
You each of you labor under difficult !
ties. There is something in your tenn |
permanent; in your worldly circum- |
stances; in your calling. that acts |
powerfully against you. Admitting all |
this, ] introduce to you Hadassah of |
the text, a noble Christian, notwith- |
standing the most gigantic difficulties. |
She whom you might have expected to |
be one of the worst of women, is one of /
the best.
In the first place, our subject is an
illustration of what Christian charac-
ter may be under orphanage. This |
Bible line tells a long story about /
Hadassah. "She had neither father |
nor mother" A nobleman had become /
her guardian, but there is no one who |
can take the place of parent. WHO'S
allie ut night to hear child's prayer;
or at twilight to chide youthful /
or TO soOthe youth
full sorrows? An Individual will /
60 through life bearing the marks
of orphanage. 1t will require
more strength, more persistence, more