Times-promoter., 1909-02-25
THE STORY.

A RTAXERXES, king of Persia. was
n not happy or contented. His king
dom was great and he had all the
power and pleasure that heart could
wish, but in 1t all there seemed to be
something lacking. There was an
unrest at his heart and dissatisfac-
tion after the business of the enjoy
ment of the moment was over. There
was an unreality about 1t all. He
was conscious of the superficial at
mosphere in which he lived-of the
fattery and subseryiency of his coun-
sellors and attendants, even to the
priests who ministered in temple and
who strove to center the worship of
the gods about the king and make him
feel that he himself was a deity. But
In 1t all he felt the element of in
sincerity. He could not tell why, but
he did.
One day while in such frame of
mind his chief counsellor had come
to him with request from a young
Hebrew of the realm that he be
given permission to return to Jeru-
salem.
What can lead a young Hebrew to
want to make such long and perilous
journey as that?" he asked himself
with sudden interest, and more as a
passing whim he ordered the young
man brought into his presence.
mo-" exclaimed the king, after he
had listened to the young mans story
"you cannot CO." and he watched to
see what effect his words would pro-
duce. There was no reason why he
should not grant the request, but in
a spirit of willful obstinacy he de-
cided he would not.
For an instant the king thought he
detected a shadow Of disappointment
on the young mans face, but when he
spoke it was with voice clear and
firm.
Then can serve my God here" he
said
"Was that what you were going
to Jerusalem to do?" asked the king.
1T was" said the young man.
well, thou shalt indeed stay in
Babylon, and thou shalt serve me here
in the palace" and waving his hand
as sign that the interview was at
an end and there was nothing more to
be said, the chief counsellor led the
young man out of the audience cham
Der and had soon assigned him quar-
ters in the palace, telling him at the
same time that he could not leave the
palace save by special permission of
the king.
And the chief counsellor left him,
the former to ponder over the new
whim of the king, and the young man
to think over the strange happenings
of the past few hours.
When the words of the king had fall
en- on his ear and he had replied that he
would serve his God there, he had
not realized all that those words had
cost him, but as he sat there alone,
virtually prisoner in the palace with
uncertainty as to what would next be-
fall him, he almost felt like upbraiding
himself for having had the ambition to
go to Jerusalem. Then, ashamed of
himself for the thought, he ex-
claimed:
mo, 1t was a worthy impulse, and
was acting from the highest sense Of
duty. If such lead into difficulty then
shall not bemoan my fate, for, in
deed, / can serve the God of Israel as
| had intended to serve him at Jeru-
salem"
Ezra, for this was the young mans
name, from his earliest childhood as
he sat at his mothers knee, had eager
ly listened to the stories Of his people,
and of their return under the decree
of Cyrus to Jerusalem to rebuild the
city and the temple, and as he had
listened he had thought in his child
ish heart of the day when he, too,
would go back. Was not he of the
priestly line? And was not he some
day to take his place In the temple
worship? He would go back and
serve his God And so he had grown
up with this thought ever before him,
and when the time, as he thought, had
arrived, he made bold to seek to OBJ
tain the consent of the king.
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