The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-08
HADASSAH SAVES The JEWS.
TalmagG Tells The Story Of the Beauti-
full Orphan.

Fight for Their Lives-The Lessons
Deducted From the Story.
Brooklyn, Oct. Rev. DR.. Talmage,
who is tsiH absent on his round-the
world-tour. has selected as the subject of
to-days sermon through the press: "Ha-
dassah," the text chosen being Esther 2:
Z: And he brought up Hadassah.'
a beautiful child was born in the capt.
tai of Persia. She was an orphan and a
captive. her parents having been stolen
from their Israeltish home and carried
to shushan. and had died, leaving their
daughter poor and in a strange land. But
an Israelite who had been carried into
the same captivity 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 a sweetness and excellency Of
character if ever equaled. certainly never
surpassed. Beautiful Hadassah! Could
that adopted father ever spare her from
his household? Her artlessness, her girl
ish sports, her innocence; her orphanage,
had wound themselves thoroughly around
his heart, just as around each parents
heart among us there are tendrils climb
ing. and fastening, and blossoming, and
growing stronger. I expect he was like
others who have loved ones at home
wondering sometimes if sickness will
come, and death, and bereavement Alas!
Worse than anything the father expects
happens to his adopted child. Alias
uerus, prncely scoundrel, demands that
Hadassah, the fairest one in all the king
dom, become his wife. Worse than death
was marriage to such monster of in
ipuity How great the change when this
young woman left the home where God
was worshipped and religion honored, to
enter a palace devoted to pride, idolatry
and sensuality! LAS a lamb to the slaugh-
terr
Ahasuerus knew not that his wife was
a Jewess. At the instigation of the in
famous 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 in the very
face of death, crying: IF 1 perish, l
perish" Oh, it was a sad time among
that enslaved peoplel 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
slew the mother might also slay the child
rosebud and bud perishlng 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 defense. On horseback;
on mules; on dromedaries messengers
ana he lit,
dispatches, and a 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 sharp
ened. Unbearded youths grew stout as
giants at the thought of defending moth
ers and sisters. Desperation strung up
towards into heroes, and fragile women
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
eminent officials, armed and drilled,
cowed before the battle shout of the op-
pressed people. The cry of defeat rang
back to the palaces, but above the noun
tains of dead, above 1900 crushed and
mangled corpses, sounded the triumph of
the delivered Jews, and their enthusiasm
was as when the Highlanders came to
the relief of Lucknow, and the English
army which stood in the very Jaws of
death, at the sudden hope of assistance
and rescue, lifted the shout above belch-
ing cannon and the death-groan of hosts
crying: we are saved! We are savedr'
My subject affords me opportunity of
illustrating what Christian character
may be under the greatest disadvantages.
There is no Christian now exactly what
he wants to be. Your standard is much
higher than anything you have attained
INTO If there be any man so pulled up
as to be thoroughly satisfied with the
amount of eXcellency he has already at
tanned, ] have nothing to say to such a
one. But to those who are dissatisfied
with past attachments, who are tolling
under disadvantages which are keeping
them from being what they ought to be
i have message from God. You each
OF you labor under difficulties. There is
something in your temperament; in your
worldly circumstances; in your calling.
that acts powerfully against you. Ad-
uniting all this, introduce to you Hadas-
sab of the text, noble Christian, not
withstanding the most gigantic difficult
ties. 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 IL
lustration of what Christian character
may be under orphanage. This Bible line
tells a long story about Hadassah she
NA~@NA@N+
bleman had become her guardian, but
there is not one who can take the place
of 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 viii go through life bearing
the marks of orphanage 1t will
require more strength, more persistence,
more grace, to make such an one the
right kind of a Christian. He who at 40
years loses a parent must reel under the
blow. Even down to old age men are ac-
customed to rely upon the counsel, or be
powerfully influenced by the advice of pa
rents, II they are still alive. But how much
greater the bereavement when il comes
in early life, before the character is self
reliant, and when naturally the heart is
unsophisticated and easily tempted
And yet behold what a nobility OF dis
position Hadassah exhibited! Though IA
Their and mother were gone, grace had
triumphed over all disadvantages. Her
willingness to self-sacrihce; her control
over the king; her humility; her faithful
worship of God, show her to have been
one of the best of the worlds Christians.
There are those who did not enjoy re-
markedly early privileges Perhaps, like
the beautiful captive of the text Won