The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-10-10
HADASSAH.
Rev. Talmage Draws Wonderful
Lessons from the Life
Tight Places-How to be Rich With
out Money, Strong without Mus
Gle aRd Attractive With
out Beauty.

Rev. DR.. Talmage, who is still absent
on his round-the-world tour, selected
as the subject of his latest sermon
through the press: "Hadassah," the
text chosen being Esther IL, 7: sand
he brought up Hadassah.
A beautiful child was born in the cap
ital 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 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 developa sweet
ness and excellency of character if
ever equaled, certainly never surpassed,
Beautiful Hadassah Could that adopted
father ever spare her from his house
hold? Her artlessness; 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 fastening and
blossoming, and growing stronger
expect he was like Others who have
loved ones at wondering some
times If sickness will come, and death,
and bereavement. Alas! Worse than
anything that the father expects hap
pens to his adopted child. Ahasuerus,
princely scoundrel, demands 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 worshiped and religion
honored toenter palace devoted to
pride, idolatry and sensuality! "As a
lamb to the slaughter"
Ahasuerus knew not that his wife
was Jewess At the instigation of the
infamous prime minister the king de-
creed 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 in the very face of death, cry
ing: IF l perish, / perish" o, it was
a sad time among that enslaved people!
They had all heard the decree concern
ing their death. Sorrow gaunt and
CHASTITY, sat in thousands of house.
holds, and mothers wildly pressed their
infants to their breasts as the days oi
massacre hastened on, praying that
the same sword-strolSe which slew the
mother might also slay the child, rose
bud and flower 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 OF
horseback, on mules, on dromedaries
messengers sped through the land bear
ing the kings dispatches, and a shou
OF joy went up from that enslaved peo
pie at the faint hope of success.
doubt not many rusty blade was take1
down and sharpened. Unbeardet
youths grew stout as giants at thu
thought Of defending mothers and sis
ters. Desperation nerved up coward
into heroes, and fragile women grasp
ing their weapons swung them abou
the cradles, impatient for the time tt
strike the blow in behalf of householt
and country.
The day of execution dawned. Gov
ernment officials, armed and drilled
cowed before the battle shout of tn,
oppressed peosle. The cry of defea
rang back to the palaces, but above tn,
mountain of dead, above 49, 900 crushec
and mangled corpses sounded the tri
umph Of the delivered Jews, and thei
enthusiasm was as when the High
landers came to the relief of Lucknow
and the English army which stood il
the very jaws of death, at the suddel
hope Of assistance and rescue, liftet
the shout above belching cannon an,
the death-groan of hosts, crying: "W,
are savedl We are saved!"
My subject affords me opportunit,
Of illustrating what Christian char
acter may be under the greatest disad
vantages. There is no Christian nov
exactly whet he wants to be. You
standard is much higher than anythin,
,xo,, have affa;nad ,,nto If 4bo.o /,
any man so puffed up as to be thor
oughly satisfied with the amount o
excellency he has already attained,
have nothing to say to such one. Blu
to those who are dissatisfied with pas
attainments, who are toiling under dis
advantages which are keeping then
from being what they ought to be,
have a message from God. You each o
you labor under difficulties. There
something in your temperament; il
your worldly circumstances; in you
calling, that acts powerfully agains
you. Admitting all this, l introduce t
you Hadassah of the text, nobl
Christian, notwithstanding the mos
gigantic difficulties. She whom yo
might have expected to be one Of tn
worst of women is one of the best.
In the first place, our subject is a
illustration of what Christian characte
may be under orphanage. This Bibl
line tells a long story about Hadassah
"She has neither father nor mother.
A nobleman had become her guardian
but there is no one who can take tn
place of a parent. Who so able at nigh
To hear n child's PRAYER. or at tWiliph