The Bossier banner., 1894-11-22
TALMAGES SERMON.
The Trials Attending the Practice
Of True Religion
" AS Lamb to the Slaughter Was Led the
Beautiful Hadassah, But She Tri-
umphed Over All Tempta-
tions by Her Faith.


world tour, selected the following SER
mon for publication this week 1t is
based on the text:
And he brought up Hadasssh- Esther H., T.
A beautiful child was born in the
capital of Persia. She was an orphan
and 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 captivi-
ty, was attracted 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 sweetness and exellency of
character if ever equaled, certainly
never surpassed. Beautiful Hadassahi
Could that adopted father ever spare
her from his household? Her artless-
ness; her girlish sports; her innocence;
her orphanage, had wound them
selves 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
home-wondering sometimes if sick
ness will come, and death, and be-
reavement. Alas! Worse than any
thing that the father expects happens
to his adopted child. Ahasuerus, a
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 worshlped and religion
honored to enter palace devoted tc
pride, idolatry and .sensuality! GAS, a
lamb to the slaughter!"
Ahasuerus knew not that his wife
was Jewess. At the instigation of
the infamous prime minister the king
decreed that all the Jews in the lard
should be slain. Hadassah pleads the
cause of her people, breaking through
the rules of the court and presenting
Lerself in the very face of death cry
ing: ''If perish, perish" Oh, it was
sad time among that enslaved people!
They had all heard the decree concern
ing their death. Sorrow, gaunt and
ghaStly, sat in thousands of house
holds, and mothers wildly pressed their
infants to their breasts as the day of
massacre FASTENED on, praying that
the same sword-stroke which slew the
mother might also slay the child, rose
bud 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-
fense. On horseback, on mules, on
dromedaries messengers sped through
the land bearing the kings dispatches,
and shout of joy went up from that
enslaved people at the faint hope of
success. l 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 wo-
men 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
ernment officials, armed and drilled,
cowed before the battle shout of the
oppressed people. The cry of defeat
rang back to the palaces, but above the
,+o. NF Z q
thousand crushed and mangled corpses,
sounded the triumph of the delivered
Jews, and their enthusiasm was as
when the Highlanders came to the re-
lief of Lucknow, and the English army
which stood in the very jaws of death,
al the sudden hope of assistance and
rescue, lifted the Shout above belching
cannon and the death-groan of hosts,
crying: we are saved We are
savedi"
My subjest affords me opportunity of
illustrating what Christian character
may be under the greatest advantages
There is no Christian now exactly what
he wants to be. Your standard is much
higher than anything You have at
ldiIlctt liGo. IL F6IitES Dc dllY IlldH 81
puffed up as to be thoroughly satisfied
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 keep
ing them from being what they ought
to be. / have message from God.
You each of you labor under difficult
ties. There is something in your tenn
perament; in your worldly circum-
stances; in your calling, that acts
powerfully against you. Admitting all
this, introduce to you Hadassah of
ths. teSJ, noble Christian, notwith-
standing the most 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 long story about
Hadassah. .'She had neither father