The Penn's Grove record., 1894-10-12
RRV. DIR. TALMAGb
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S sun.
DAY SERMON.


TExr: "And he brought up Hadassah,'
Esther H., 2.
A beautiful child was born in the capita
OF Persia. She wasan orphan anil a captiya,
her parents having been sio'en from their
lsraelitish home and carried 20 Shushan and
had diet. leaving their laughter poor and
in a strange land. But an I~sraelite who had
teen carried into the same captivity was at
tracted by the case OF the orphan. He edu-
Gated her In his holy religion, and unde the
roof OF that good man this adopted child be-
gan TO develop a sweetness and excellency
OF character, If ever equHled. certainly never
surpassed. Beautiful Hadassahi Could
that adopted father ever spare her from his
household? Her artlpssness, her girlish
sports. her innocence, her orphanage, had
wound themselves thoroughly around his
heart, just as around each parents heart
among US there are tendrils climbing and
listening Inc blossoming and growing
| Stronger.
1 expect he was like others who have
loved ones ut home-;yondering sometimes II
sickness will come and death and bereave-
ment. Alas. worse than anything that the
iather~expects happens TO his adopted child2
Ahosurrus, a princely ~scoundrel, demands
that Hadassah, the fairest one in all the
kingdom, become his wife. Worse than
death was marriage to such n monster OF in
quity! How great the change when this
! NbTiHG NOuiNH ltll inc nome where JOu WAS
worshlped and religion honored 10 enter q
palace devoted to pride, idolatry and sensu-
a'ityl GAS a lamb to the slaughter !"
AhHsuerus knew not that his wife was n
Jewess. AT the i~nstigation of the infamous
Urine minister the king decreed that all the
Jews in the land should be slain. Hadassah
p eads the cause of her people, breaking
trough the rules of the court and present.,
ing herself in the very face of death, crying,
"lf l perish, l perish !" Oh, it was a sad,
time among that enslaved people! They had
all heard the decree concerning their death.
Sorrow, gaunt AMI CHASTITY, sat In thousands
of households, and mothers wildly pressed
lhclr infants to their breasts as the days OF
massacre fastened on, praying that the same
sword stroke which slew the mother might
also Stay the child, rosebud and bud perish
lsg in the same blast. 4
Bnt Hidassah is bus ; at court, The hard
heart OF the king is touched by her story,
und although he could not reverse his de-
cree Tor the Staying OF the Jews he sent forth
IN order that they should arm themselves
for defense. On horseback, on mules, on
demonstrates. messengers sped through the
land bearing the kings dispatches, and a
shout OF JOY went up from that enslayed
people at the faint hope Of success. I doubt
not many n rusty blade was taken down and
Sharpened. Unbearded youths grew stout as
giants at tho 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 bes
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, aboya
q, 900 crushed and mangled eorpses, sounded
the triumph of the delivered Jews, and their
enthusiasm was as when the highlanders
came 10 the relief of Lucknow, and the Eng
lish army, which stood in the very jaws of
death, at the sudden hope OF assistance and
rescue lifted the shout above belchlng cans
non and the death groan of hosts, crying I
W are saved! We are saved !"
MY subject affords me opportunity OF il
Illustrating 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. If there be
any man SO pulled up as to be thoroughly
satisfied with the amount Of excellency he
has already attained, 1 have nothing to say
to u o one, but to those who are dissatis-
fed with past attachments, who are toiling
under disadvantages which are keeping
them from being what they ought to be, I
have q message from God. You each OF you
labor under difficulties. There is something
in your temperament. in your worldly Cir
~cumstances, in FOUR calling, that acts pow
erfOlly against you. Admitting all this, 1
introduce TO you Hadassah OF the text. q
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 ~orplanage This Bible line tells q
long story about Hadassah. "She had
neither father nor mother" A nobleman
become her guardian, but there is no oRs
I who can take the place of q parent. Who so
able at night to hear a child's prayer, or at
twilight to chide youthful wanderings, or to
soothe youthful SORROWS? An individual will
go through life bearing the marks OF orphan
age. 1t will require more strength, more
persistence. more grace to make such n one
the right KIN Of a Christian. He WHO at
forty years loses a parent must reel under
the blow. Even down 10 old age men are
accustomed TO rely upon the counsel or
be powerfully influenced by the advice OF
parents, If they arc 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-
phistfcated n easily tempted!
And yet behold what a nobility OF DISPOSE
ton Hadassah exhibited Though father
hCNHS "NAV SShct 6AhSc ia tttulu DhCuO '
all disadvantages. Her willingness TO self
sacrifice, her control over 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-
mark able early 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 even on the play
ground. Your father or mother did not
stand in the door to welcome you when you
came home from a long journey. You still
feel the effect of early disadvantages, n
| YOU have sometimes offered them ass reason
for your not being as thoroughly religious
as you would like 10 be. Blu these excuses
are not sufficient. Gods grace will triumph
| II you seek II. 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 isthe Father
! Of us all.
Again, our subject is an illustration OF
what religion may be under the pressure OF
| poverty. The captivity and crushed condi-
ton of this orphan girl and of the kind man
who adopted her suggest a condition OF
| poverty. Yet from the very first acqualnt-
| ance we had with Hadassah we find her the
same happy and contented Christian. It
Il WAS Oul1 W COlhkhAEAOA ~ was ~ uhAN
taken into a sphere OF honor and afiuenee.
In the humble home OF Mordecai. her
| adopted father, she was a light that IL
lumined every privaticn. 10 some period
in almost every mans life there comes Il
season OF straitened circumstances, when
the severest calculation and most scraping
| economy ARE necessary in order to subsist-
| ence and respectabillty. AT thec commence
ment of business, at the entrance upon a
| profession, when friends are lew and the
world is afraid Of you because there is a
| possibility Of failure, many OF the nobiest
hearts have struggled against poverty and
are now struggling.
To such l bear a message Of good cheer.
! You say 1t is a hard thing for you to be .
| Christian. This constant anxiety, this un-
! resting calculation, year out the buoyancy
! oil your spirit, and although you have told
perhaps no one about 1t cannot ! tell thai
this is the very trouble which keeps yor
' from being what you ought to be2 You have
no time to think about laying up treasures
in heaven when It Is a matter OF great doubt
whether you Will be enAbledt to pay your next
| quarters rent. You nno think Of striving
/ after a robe Of righteousness until you can
, get means enought to buy an overeoat to keep
out the cold. o want the bread oflite, but
you think you must get along Without that