Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-10-24
RRV. DR.. ThLhAGR
rksR BROOKLYN DIVINEs sun
DAY 6AkMON.
Subject: s'Hadasssah -

Tsxr: "And he brought up Hsdassah,"
ERber IT,
A beautiful child was born in the capital
OF Per-ia. She was an orphan and q captive,
her par.-nts having been stolen from their
1sYaeiitish home and carried TO Shushan and
had die !, leaving their daughter poor and
In = strange land. But an Israelite who had
been carrei info the same captivity was at
tPacsei 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 BE-
gan to develop sweetness and e1cellency
Of character, if ever equaled. certainly never
surpassed. Beautiful Hadassah! Could
that adopted father ever spare her from his
household" Her artlessness, her girlish
sports. her innocence, her orphanage, bad
wound themselves thoroughly around hh
heart, just around each parents heart
among us there are tendrils climbing and
lRst"ninS and blossoming and growing
Stronger.
e1pect he was like others who have
lovaG ones at thomp-wondering sometimes IL
sickness will come and death and bereave-
ment. Alas. worse than anything that the
father expects happens to his adopted child?
Ahasueru-, princely scoundrel, demands
that Hadassah, the fairest one In all the
kingdom, become his wife. Worse than
death was marriage to such monster OF int
euifyl How great the change when this
young woman left the home where God was
palace devoted L o pride, idolatry and sensu-
anvil GAS lanh to the Slaughter
Ahasuerus knew not thar his wife was .
Jewess. AT the insti-ation OF the infamous
prime minister the king decreed that all the
Jews in he land should be slain. Hadassah
p eads the cause of her people, breaking
through the rules of the court and present.
In herself in the very face OF death, crying,
eff l perish. perish ~ Oh. 1t was a sad
time among that ensaved people They had
nj hon r1 hR Hper, inc
Sorrow. gaunt AMI yhastly, sat in thousands
of households, and mothers wildly pressed
their in ants to their breasts as the days OF
massacre hastened on, praying that the samo
swor,, stroke which slew the mother might
Rso slay the child. rosebud and bud perish.
Ing IN tue same blast.
But Hadassah is busy at court. The hard
heart OF the king is touched by her story,
and although h. could not reverse his de-
cree or the staying OF the Jews he sent forth
an order that they should arm themselves
for ueiense. On horseback, on mules, on
dromedaries. messengers sped through the
lani bearing the kings dispatches, and .
shout OF Joy went up from that enslaved
people at the ia nj hope OF success. doubt
not many rusty blade was taken down and
sn"rprn-d. Unoearded youths grew stout as
giants at the thought of de ending mothers
AMI sisters. Desperation strung up cowaris
into heroes. and fragile women grasping
their weapons swung them about the cradles,
tmpat ,ent for them to strike the blow in bee
half o. household and country.
The day of execution Gawned. Govern
usnr officials, armed AMI drilled, cowed be
fore he aifle out OF the oppressed people
Tne cry OF defeat rang back to the palaces,
but above the mountains OF dead, abova
1000 crushed AM man gied corpses, sounded
the triumph o d. the delivered Jews, and their
enthusiasm was as when the highlanders
came to the relief OF Lucknow, and the Eng
hsh army, which stool in the very jaws OF
death, at the sudden hope of assistance and
rescue lifted the shout above belching can
non AMI the death "roan of hosts. cry!ag4
''W. are saved! We are saved ~
Nv subject affords me opportunity OF il
lusratiny what Christian character may be
an er the greatest disadvantage. There is
10 Christian now exactly what he " unts to
be. Your STANDARD IS much higher than any
thing you have attained unto. II there be
any man so puffei up rs to be thoroughly
satisfied with the amount OF excellency he
has already attainel, L have nothing to say
10 such a one, but to those who are dissatis-
fed with past a;tainments. who are toilinC
unier disadvantages which are keeping
them from being what they ought to he, I
have a message from God. You each OF you
labor under difficulties. There is something
In your temperament in your worldly cir
, curnstances, in your calling. that acts pow
erfuily avainst you. Admitting all this, I
Intro. uce 10 you Hadassah Of the text, a
gigantic iffi -uties. She whom you might
have expccte to he one OF the worst of wo-
men is one o'the best.
In the first place, our subject is an Illus
tr;r on OF what Cnristian character may be
un Ter orphanaga This Bible line tells a
long story aout Hadassah. 'She had
neither father nor MOTHER A nobenan
become her guardian, but there is no oAs
who cin take the place OF u parent. Who 50
able at night to hear a child's pras er, or at
twilight TO chide youth nj wanderings, or to
soothe youfhfu sorrows? An individual will
go through life o-arin = the marks of orphan
age. 1t will require more strength, moro
persist nee. more grace to make such a ono
the ght K; ld of a Chhris ian. He who at
ioriy 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 tho advice oil
parents. If they are still alive. But how
mucn greater the bereavement when 1t comes
In early lite, before the character is self re-
liant, and when naturally the heart is unso-
phist :cltei aud easily tempted!
An vet behold what rosility Of dispost-
tion Ha1assah exhihitedl Though fai her
mother were gone, grace had trumphed over
all disadvantages. Her " willingness TO Sci,
sacrifice, her control over the king, her
humility, her faitn:ul worship of God. show
her to have been one OF the best OF the worlds
Christians.
, There are those who did not enjoy re-
marx able early privileges. Perhaps, like the
beautiful captive o. 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
grounL Your. father or mother did not
stand in the door 10 welcome you when you
came home from long journey. You still
feel the effect of early disa tvanta2es, and
you have sometimes offered them as reason
for your not being thoroughly religious
as you would like to be. But these excuses
are not sufficient. Gods gracs will triumph
If you seek it. He knows what obstacles you
have fought against, and the more trial the
more help. Alter all. there are no orphans
IN the world. Tor the great God isthe Father
, Of US all.
Again. our subject is an illustration o
WA, religion may bs under the pressure o
poverty. The captivity and crushed condi
ton OF this orphan girl and OF the kind man
who adopted her suggest condition o
poverry. Yet from the very first acquaint
asc. we had with Hadassah We find her tht
same happy AMI contented Christian.
was ouiy by compusion she was afterwart
In the humble homo OF Nor 'eca,. b.
adopted father, she was . Hight tAae n
lumIned every privatfcn. In some periot
in almost every mans ufe there comes
season of straitensd circumstances, whel
the s-verest calculation and most scrapins
economy are necessary in order to subsist
ence and responsibility. At the commence
ment Of business, at the entrance upon
pro esslon, when friends arc lew and tn
worla is afraid OF you because there IS
possibility of failure, many OF the mobiles
hearts have struggled against poverty an
ar now struggling.
To such bear . message Of good cheel
You say it Is a hard thing for you to be
Christian. This constant anxiety, this un
resting calculation, wear out the buoyanc
! OF your spirit, and although yea ha~s tol
perhaps no one about It cannot tell ths
FMS Is the very trouble winch k~"ps 20
from being what you ought to be? You hav
no time to think about laying up treasure
in heaven when it is a matter Of great dout
whether you will be enabled to pay your ne1
quarters rent. You cannot think OF strivin
alter a robe of righteousness until ysu o.