News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-10-11
THE GIRL HADASSAH.
DR.. TALMAGE PRESENTS THE MORAL
OF ESTHER'S STORY.

BROOKLYN, Oct. Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, who is still absent ON his round
the world tour, has selected as the sub
iect of today's sermon through the
rress "Hadassah, " the text chosen be-
ing Esther ii, z, "And he brought up
Hadassah.
A beautiful child was born in the cap
ital of Persia. She was an orphan and
captive, her parents having been stolen
from their Israelitish homo and carried
TO Shushan and had died, leaving their
daughter poor and in 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 excel
lency of character, if ever equaled, GER
tainly never surpassed. Beautiful Ha-
dassah Could that adopted father ever
spare her from his household? Her art
lessness, her girlish sports, her inno-
cence, her orphanage, had wound them
selves thoroughly around his heart, just
as around each parents heart among us
there are tendrils climbing and fasten-
ing and blossoming and growing stron-
ger.
expect 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.
thing that the father expects happens to
his adopted child! Ahasuerus, prince
ly scoundrel, demands that Hadassah,
the fairest one in all the kingdom, be-
come his wife. Worse than death was
marriage to such monster of iniquityl
How great the change when this young
woman left the home where God was
worshiped and religion honored to enter
palace devoted to pride. idolatry and
sensualityl GAS lamb to the slaugh-
ter!''
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 in the
very face Of death, crying, eff I perish,
/ perishl' Oh, it was a sad time among
that enslaved 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
slew the mother might also Stay the
child, rosebud and bud perishing i'll 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, ON mules, on dromedaries,
messengers sped through the land bear
ing the kings dispatches, and shout
of Joy went up from that enslaved peO-
pie at the faint hope of success. I doubt
not many 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 weapons
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. Gov
ernment officials, armed and drilled,
cowed before the battle shout Of the OPP
pressed people. The cry Of defeat rang
back to the palaces, but above the noun
tains of dead, above rs, 900 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
saved"
Ny subject affords me opportunity Of
illustrating what Christian character
may be under 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 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 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 difficulties
There is something in your tempera-
ment in your worldly circumstances
in your calling, that acts powerfully
against you Admitting all this, in
troduce to sou Hadassah Of the text, a
noble Christian notwithstanding the
most gigantic difficulties She whom
you might have expected to be one of
The worst of women is one of the best
The Pious Orphan.
In the first place, our subject is an
illustration Of what Christian character
may be under orphanage. This Bible
line tells long story about Hadas-
sab. ''She had neither father nor moth
er. " A nobleman had become her guard
ian, but there is no one who can take
the place of a parent. Who so able at
night to hear child prayer, or at twi-
blight to chide youthful wanderings, or