The Yale expositor., 1894-10-12
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
HADASSAH. The LOVELY JEW
ESS OF SHUSHAN.
Ths Most Beausffui Character In the
history of RcsigLon--she Cared Moth
ing for Ear,R,Iy Joys and Met Martyr
dom With Gentle Firmness.

LdlmdRts VINO II sllll uDSthb oti hiS
round-the-world tour, has selected as
the subject of to-day's sermon, through
the press: "Hadassah," the text chosen
being Ester II: z: "And he brought up
Hadassah."
A beautiful child was born in the
capital of Persia. She was an orphan
aud a captive, her parents 'baving been
stolen from their Israelitish home and
uarried to Shushan, and Ind died, leav-
iug their daughter poor and in strange
laad. But an IsEaelite who had been
.oarried into the same captivity was at
itracted by the case of the orphan. lie
educated her in his ho'y religion, and
rnnder the roof of that good man this
adopted child began'to develop sweet
ness and excellency' of character if ever
equalled, certainly never surpassed.
Beautiful Hadassah! Could that
adopted father even spare her from his
household? HerHrtlessness; her girl
ish sports; hser inrocence; her orphan
age, had wound themselves thoroughly
around his Aeart, just as around each
parents heartaElong us there are ten
drills climbing, lend fastening and bios
soming, and growing stronger. L
expect I've was like others who have
loved ones at rhome--wondering some
times if sickness will come, and
death, and bereavement. Alasi
Worse than anything that the father
expects happens to his adopted child
AhasueUus, ~ princely scoundrel, de-
mands that .lladassah, the fairest one
in all the llingdom, become his wife.
Worse thar death was marriage TO
such monster of iniNuity! How great
left the home where God was wor-
shipped and religion honored, to enter
a palace devoted to pride, idolatry and
sensnalityl "As n lamb to the slangh-
terri
Ahasuevus knew not that his wife
was a Jewess. At the instigatiO0 OF
the infamous prime minister the
king .dscreed that all the Jews in
the land should be slain. Hadassah
pleads the cause of her people, break
ing through the rules of the court, and
presenting herself in the very face of
death, crying: "If / perish, perish p
Oh, it,was a sad time among that en-
shaved people! They had all heard the
decree concerning their death. Sor-
row, gnunt and ghastly, sat in thou
sands of househ olds, and mothers
wildly pressed their infants To their
breastsas the days of massacre hast
ened On, praying that the same sword
stroke which slew the mother might
also slay the child, rosebud and bud
perishing in the 81 me 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-
fense. On horseback; on mules; on
dr@4Garies, messengers sped through
the land bearing the kings dispatches,
and n shout of joy went up from that
enslsVed 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.
heroes, and fragile women grasping
their weapons swung them about the
cradles Impatient Tor the time TO strike
the blowin behalf of household and
country.
The day of execution dawned. Gov
ernment officials, armed and drilled,
cowed before the battle shout of the
oppressed people. The cry of defeat
rang back to the palaces, but above
the mount1ins of dead, above $4,000
crushed aud mangled corpses sounded
the triumph of the delivered
Jews, and their enthusiasm was
as when the Highlanders came
to the relief of Lucknow, and
the EnglishHrmy which stood in the
very js~vs OF death, at the sudden hope
of assistance and rescue, lifted the
shout above bnlching cannon and the
death-gusoan Of hosts, crying, I'VE are
saved! We are saved!"
My subject affords me opportunity OF
illustrating ,what Chris ian character
may be nnder the greatest disad-
vantages. There is no Christian row
exactly wfat he wants TO be. YOur
standard is muGh higher than any
thing you have attained unto. If
there be any man 80 pulled
up as to be Thoroughly salts
fed with the amount of eXcesAency he
has already attained, l have nSthing TO
say to such one. But TO those who
are dissatisfied with past attaiEments,
who are toiling under disadvantages
which are keeping them from being
what they ought TO be, i have @ess-
age from God. You each of you labor
under difficulties. There is something
in your temperament in your worldly
circumstances; in your calling, that
acts powerfully against you. Admit
ting all this, / introduce TO you Hadas-
sah of the text, noble Chris
tian, Notwithstanding 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, CIR subject is an
illustration ~ what ChYiSfian cha rae