Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-10-11
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
HADASSAH, THE LOVELY JEW
ESS OF SHUSHAN.
The Most Beautiful Character In the
History of Religion--She Cared Moth
ing for Earthly Joys and Met Martyr
dom With Gentle Firmness>

/
round-the-world tour, has selected as
the subject of to-day's sermon, through
the press: ''IIadassah, the text chosen
being Ester II z: "And he brought uT
Hadassah.
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 captivity was at
tracted 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 sweet
ness and excellency of character if ever
equalled, certainly never surpassed.
Beautiful Hadassah! Could that
| adopted father ever spare her from his
household? Her artlessness; her girl
ish sports; her innocence; her orphan
| age, had wound themselves thoroughly
around his heart, just as around each
, PARENTS heart among us there are ten
, drills climbing, and fastening and bios
soming, and growing stronger |
expect he was like others who have
loved ones at home--wondering some
times if sickness will come, and
death, and bereavement. Alas.
Worse than anything that the father
expects happens to his adopted child.
Ahasuerus, a princely scoundrel, de-
mands that Hadassah, the fairest one
in all the kingdom, become his wife.
Worse than death was marriage to
such monster of iniquity! How great
the change when this young woman
left the home where God was wor-
shipped and religion honored, to enter
palace devoted to pride, idolatry and
sensuality! LAS lamb TO the Slaugh-
terri
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 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 l perish, perish. :"
Oh, it was sad time among that en-
shaved people! They had all heard the
row, gaunt and CHASTITY, sat in thou
sands of households, and mothers
wildly pressed their infants to their
breasts as 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 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
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 women 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
ofGc;o1c arrpaI anI Iri1lc5
cowed before 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 Highlanders came
to the relief 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, "Wc are
saved! We are saved"
My subject affords me opportunity of
illustrating what Christian character
may DC unutr inc GREATEST ulSdu-
vantages. There is no Christian now
exactly what he wants to be. Your
standard is much higher than any
thing you have attained unto. If
there be any man so pulled
up as to be Thoroughly salts
fed with the amount of excellency he
has already attained, have nothing to
say to such a one. But to those who
are dissatisfied with past. attainments,
who are toiling under disadvantages
which are keeping them from being
what they ought to be, have mess
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-
sab of the text, noble Chris
tian, Notwithstanding the most
I 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 Had
assah. ''She had neither father or
mother" A nobleman had become heI