The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-08

tons TO pride and arbitrariness. and fool
I ish assumption. The NEUROLOGICAL story
. Of a man who seeing himself mirrored IN
+ a stream became so enamored Of his ap-
! pearauce that he died Of the effects, Illus
. trates the fatalities under which thOus-
. ands Of both sexes have fallen by view of
. their own superiority Extraordinary ca
. pacities cause extraordinary temptations.
. Men who have good moral health down in
the valley, on top of the mountain are
. seized OF consumption. MOnimia, the wife
of Mithriiates. was strangled with her
own diadem. While the most of US viii
not have the same kind of temptation
. which Hadassah must have felt from her
attraCtiveness Of personal appearance.
there may be some to whom il will be an
advantage 10 hold up the character Of the
beautiful captive who sacrificed not her
humility and earnestness Of disposition to
the worlds admiration and fattery. The
chief secret of the beauty of the violet, is
that away down in the grass from one
weeks end to another it never mistrusts
that IL is a violet.
Again, our subject exhibits what religion
may be under bad domestic influences. Ha-
dassah was snatched from the godly home
into which she had been adopted, and
introduced into the abominable associa-
tons Of which wicked Ahasuerus was
the center. What a whirl of blasphemy
ana drunkenness, and HCentiousnessi No
altar, no prayer. no Sabbath. no God If
then 1t is possible to be a Christian any
where. There are many of the best peo-
pie OF the world who are obliged TO con-
tend with the most adverse domestic in
huences, children who have grown up
into the love of God under the frown of
parents, and under the disbursement
Of bad example. Some sister of the fam
lily having professed the faith of Jesus
is the subject of Unbounded satire in
ficted by brothers and sisters Yea, Ha-
dassah was not the only Christian who
had a queer husband It is no easy mat
ter to maintain correct Christian prin-
ciples when there is a companion dis
posed to scof at them, and to ascribe
every tmperfeCtion of character to hypoc-
risy. What hard thing for one member
of the family to rightly keep the Sab
bath when others are disposed to make
it day of revelry; or to iHculcate pro-
priety of speech in the minds of children
when there are others to offset the in
structions by loose and profane utter
ances; or to be regularly in attendance
upon church when there is more house
hold work demanded for the Lords day
than for any secular day. Do l speak
to any laboring under these blighting
disadvantages? MY subject is full of
encouragement. Vast responsibilities
rest upon you. Be faithful, though you
stand as much alone as did Lot in Sodom,
or jeremiah in Jerusalem, or Jonah in
Ahasuerus. There are trees which grow
the best when their roots clutch among
the jagged rocks, and you verify have
but poor soil in which to develop, but
Grace is a thorough husbandman and
can raise a crop anywhere. Glassware
is nodded over the fire, and in the same
way you are to be fitted as a vessel of
mercy. The best timber must have on
it saw, and gouge, and beetle. The foun-
dation-stone of yours and every other
house came out only under croWbar and
blast. Files and wrenches, and hammers
belong to the Church. The Christian vic
tory will be bright just in proportion as
the battle is hot. Never dispair being
a thorough Christian in any household
which is not worse than the court of Aha
suerus.
Finally, our subject illustrates what re-
ligion may be in high worldly position.
The last we see in the Bible of Hadassah
is that she has become the Queen of Per-
STA. Prepare now to see the departure
of her humility, and self-sacrifice, and re-
ligious principle. AS she goes up you
may expect Grace to go down. 1t is cas-
Ter to be humble in the obscure house of
her adopted father than on a throne of
dominion. But you misjudge this noble
woman. What she was before she is now
the myrtle. Applauded for her beauty
and her crown, she forgets not the cause
OF her suffering people, and with all sim
DlltlIy OIL neaTI, SUN REMAINS d worship
per of the God of heaven.
Noble example followed only by a very
few. 1 address some who, through the
goodness of God, have risen to positions
of influence in the community where you
live. In law. in merchandise, in medi-
cine, in mechanics, and in other useful
occupations and professions you hold an
influence for good or for evil. Let us
see whether, like Hadassah, you can
stand elevation. Have you as much sim
plicitys of character as once you evil
denced? Do you feel as much depend
ence upon God; as much your own weak
ness; as much your accountability for
talents entrusted? Or are you proud,
and over-demanding. and ungrateful, and
unsympathetiC and worldly, and SEN
sual, and dcviish? Then you have been
spoiled by your success, and you shall
not sit on this throne with the heroine of
my text. In the day when Hadassah shall
come to the grander coronation, in the
presence of Christ and the hammered hosts
of the redeemed, you will be poor indeed.
oh, there are thousands of men who can
easily endure to be knocked down of
misfortune, who are utterly de-
stroyed if lifted up Of success. Satan
takes them to the top of the pinnacle of
| the temple and then shoves them off.
| Their head begins TO whrl and they lose
| their balance and down they go.
While last autumn all through the for
] eStS there were luNurldnt trees Win MOD
| crate out-branch, and moderate hight,
| pretending but little, there were foil
! age shafts that shot far up looking down
| with contempt on the whole forest, clap
| ping their hands in the breeze and shout
! irg, AHA! Do you not wish you were
/ as high up as we are?" But last week a
! blast let loose from the north, came
rushing along and graphing the boast
| ing oaks, hurled them to the ground, and,
| as they went down, an old tree that had
! been singing psalms with the thunder
/ one hundred summers, cried out, Pride
/ goeth before destruction, and a naughty
/ spirit before a fan" And humble hick-
/ DRY and pine and chestnut that had never
said their prayers before, bowed their
! heads as much as to say, "Amen!'
! My friends God resisteth the proud,
/ but giveth grace to humble" Take from
/ my subject encouragement. Attempt the
/ service of God, and whatever your dis
/ advantages, and whatever our lot. let us
/ seek that grace which outshone all the
/ splendors of the palaces of Shushan.