The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-24
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Hadasssah ;"
TEXT: "And he brought up Hadassah," !"

TEXT: "And he brought up Hadassah,"
Esther H.. z.
A beautiful child was born In the CAPITAL
OF Persia. She was an orphan and captive.
her parents having heen stolen from their
Israelitish home and carried TO Shushan and
had died. leaving their daughter poor and
In strange land. But an Israelite who had
been carried into the same captivity was at-
tracted by the case of the orphan. He edu-
Gated her in his holy religion. and under the
roof Of that good man this adopted child he
gan to develop sweetness and excellency
Of character, II ever equaled. certainly never
surpassed. Beautiful Hadassah! Could
that adopted father ever spare her from his
household? Her artlessneee, ner girlish
sports. her Innocence. her orphanage. had
heart, just as around each parents heart
among US there are tendrils climbing and
fastening and blossoming and growing
stronger.
I expect he was like others who have
loved ones at thome-wondering sometimes II
sickness will come and death and bereave-
ment. Alas. worse than anything that the
father expects happens to his adopted child2
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 in'-
quityl How great the change when this
young woman left the home where God Was
worshiped and religion honored to enter
palace devoted TO pride. idolatry and sensu-
ality! Gas lamb to the slauehter!"
Ahasuerus knew not that his wife was
Jewess. At the instieation Of the infamous
prime minister the king decreed that all the
Jews in the land should be slain. Hadassah
pleads the cause OF her people. breaking
through the rules of the court and present.
Ing herself In the very face of death, crying,
"If perish, perish"' Oh. It was sad
time among that enslaved people They had
all heard the decree concerning their death.
Sorrow. gaunt and ghastly. sat In thousands
OF households, and mothers wildly pressed
their infants to their breasts as the days OF
massacre hastened on. praying that the same
sword stroke which slew the mother might
also slay the child, rosebud and bud perish
ing 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 de-
cree for the staying OF the Jews he sent forth
an order that they should arm themselves
for defense. On horseback, on mules, on
dromedaries. messengers sped through the
land bearing the kings dispatches, and a
shout OF Joy went up from that enslaved
people at the faint hope of success. T doubt
not many rusty blade was taken down and
giants at the thought OF defending mothers
and sisters. Desperation strung up towards
into heroes, and fragile women grasping
their weapons swung them about the cradles,
impatient for them to strike the blow In be-
half OF household and country.
The day OF execution dawned. Govern
ment officials, armed and drilled, cowed be-
fore the battle shout Of the oppressed people.
The cry of defeat rang back to the palaces,
but above the mountains of dead, above
$4,000 crushed and mangled corpses, sounded
the triumph OF the delivered Jews, and their
enthusiasm was as when the highlander5
came to the relief OF Lucknow, and the Eng
lish army, which stood In the very jaws of
rescue lifted the shout above belching can
Eon and the death groan of hosts, crying:
"We are saved! We are saved"
MY subject affords me opportunity OF IL
lustrating what Christian character may be
under the greatest disadvantage There Is
no Christian now exactly what he wants to
be. Your standard is much higher than any
thing you have attained unto. Ifthere be
any man so pufred up as to be thoroughly
satisfied with the amount Of e1cellency he
has already attained, have nothing to s1y
to such one, but to those who are dissatis-
fled with past attainments, who are toiling
under disadvantages which are keeping
them from being what they ought to be,
labor under difficulties. There is something
In your temperament, In your worldly cir
cumstances. in your calling, that acts pow
erfully against you. Admitting all this, I
introduce to you Hadassah OF the text. a
noble Christian Notwithstanding the most
gigantic difficulties. She whom you might
have expected to be one Of the worst OF wo-
men Is one ofthe best.
In the first place. our subject Is an illus
tration' OF what Christian character may be
under orphanage. This Bible line tells a
long story about Hadassah. "She had
neither father nor mother" A noblenan
become her guardian, but there Is no ons
who can take the place OF parent. Who so
twilight to chide youthful wanderings, or to
soothe youthful sorrows? An individual will
go through life bearing the marks OF orphan
age. It will require more strength, more
persistence, more grace to make such one
the right kind Of q Chhrls:ian. He who at
forty years loses parent must reel under
the blow. Even down to old age men are
accustomed to rely upon the counsel or
be powerfully influenced by the advice OF
parents, II they are still alive. But how
much greater the bereavement when 1t comes
In early life. before the character is self re-
liant, and when naturally the heart Is unso-
phisticated and easily tempted!
And yet behold what q nobility Of disposi-
tion Hadassah exhibited! Though father
mother were gone, grace had triumphed over
all disadvantages. Her willingness to self
sacrifice, her control OYER the king, her
humility, her faithful worship Of God. show
her to have been one ofthe best Of the worlds
Christians.
There ARE those who did not enjoy re-
markable carly privileges. Perhaps, like the
beautiful captive OF the text, you were an
orphan. You had huge sorrows In your lit
tie heart. You sometimes wept In the night
when you knew not what was the matter
You felt sad sometimes oven on the play.
ground. Your father or mother did not
stand in the door to welcome you when you
came home from long journey. You still
feel the effect OF early disadvantages, and
you havo sometimes offered them as a reason
as you would like to be. But these excuses
are not sufficient. Gods grace will triumph
II you seek it. He knows what obstacles you
have fought against, and the more trial the
more help. After all. there are no orphans
In the world. tor the great God is the Father
Of US all.
Again. our subject Is IN illustration OF
what religion may be under the pressure OF
poverty. The captivity and crushed condi-
tion OF this orphan girl and OF the kind man
who adopted her suggest q condition OF
poverty. Yet from the very first acquaint-
ance we had with Hadassah we find her the
same happy ami contented Christian. It
was only by compusion she Was afterward
taken into sphere OF honor and anluence.
Il the humble homo OF Mordecai. her
adopted father she was light that H.