Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-10-08
THE GIRL HADASSAH.
Or. TALMAGE PRESENTS THE MORAL
OF ESTHER'S STORY.

centious and Incorporate Court, but
One Good Woman In 1t Was Able to
Save Her People.
BROOKLYN, Oct REV. DIR. Tai
mage, who is still absent on his round
the world tour, has selected as the sub
iect of today's sermon through the
press ''Hadassah, - the text chosen be-
ing Esther ii, z, ''And he brought up
Hadassah. -
A beautiful child was born in tho cap
iJal of Persia. She was an orphan and q
captive, her parents having been stolen
from their Israelitish homo and carried
to Shushan and had died, leaving their
daughter poor and in q strange land.
But an Israelite who had been carried
into the same captivity was attracted
by tho case of the orphan. HO educated
her in his holy religion, and under the
roof of that good man this adopted child
began to develop q sweetness and excel
lency of character, If ever oqualed, GER
t.lnly never surpassed. Beautiful Ha-
dassah Could that adopted father ever
spare her from his household? Her art
Iassness, her girlish sports, her inno-
cdnce her orphanagc, had wound them
se1ve. thoroughly around his heart, just
rs around each parents heart among us
there are tendrils climbing and fasten-
ing and poisoning and growing stron
ger.
I6Apect he was like others who have
loved ones at home-wondering some
times if sickness will come and death
and bereavement. Alas, worse than any
hot Io fat ny lannon's
his adopted child! Ahasuerus, prince
" scoundrel, demands that Hadassah,
the fairest one in all the kingdom, be-
como his wife. Worse than death was
marriage to such q monster of iniquity!
How great the change when this young
woman left the home where God was
wcrshiped and religion honored to enter
a palace devoted to pride. idolatry and
sensuality! GAS lamb to the slaugh
teri
The Captive Queen.
: Ahasuerus knew not that his wife was
Jewess. At the instigation of the infa-
nous 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 presenting herself III the
very face of death, crying, If l perish,
I perishp' Oh, it was sad time among
that cnslaved people! They had all heard
the decree concerning their death. Sor-
row, gaunt and CHASTITY, sat in thousands
of households, and mothers wildly
pressed their infants to their breasts as
the days of massacre fastened on, pray
ing that the same sword stroke which
ri, p, 1CrI,t ok Gle hn
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 re-
verse his decree for the Staying of the
Jews he sent forth an order that they
should arm themselves for defense. On
horseback, Oh mules, on drOmedarles,
messengers sped through the land bear
ing the kings dispatches, and a shout
of joy went UP from that enslaved peO
pie at the faint hope of success. / doubt
not many q rusty blade was taken down
and sharpened. Unbearded youths grew
stout as giants at the thought of defend
ing mothers and sisters Desperation
strung up towards into heroes, and
fragile women grasping their weap
swung them about the cradles, impatient
for the time TO strike the blow i'll behalf
Of household and country.
Triumph of the jews.
The day Of execution dawnCd. CIV
ernmc4t officials, armed and drilled,
cowed before the battle shout Of tho OPP
pressed people. The cry of defeat rang
back to the palaces, but above the moCn-
tains of dead, above rs, 600 crushed and
mangled corpses, sounded the triumph of
the delivered Jews and their enthusiasm
was as when the highlanders came TO
tho relief of Lucknow, and tho English
army, which stood in the very jaws of
death, at the sudden hopo of assistance
and rescue lifted the shoCt above belck-
ing cannon and the death grOan OF
hosts, crying: 1--WE are saved! We are
saved!"
My subject affords me opportunity of
illustrating what Christian character
may be u1-<3er the greatest disadvantage
There is no Christian now exactly what
he wants to be- Your standard is much
higher than anything you have attained
unto. If there be any man SO pueFcd up
as to be thoroughly satisfied with the
amount of excellency he has already at
tanned, L have nothing to say to such {:
one, but to those who are dissatisfied
with past attainments, who are toiling
under disadvantages which are keep
ing them from being what they ought
to be, have a message from God. You
each of you labor under difficulties
There is something in your tempera-
ment, i'll your worldly circumstances,
in your calling, that acts powerfully
against you Admitting all this, in
troduce to you Hadassah of the text.
noble Christian notwithstanding the
most gigantic difficulties She whom
you might have expected to be one OF