Gilpin observer., 1911-11-16
queen ESTHER

At st. James NJ. Il. church last
took for his subject the character
and heroism of Esther, the beautiful
queen Of the Babylonian empire. He
took as a text the words, so will
l go In unto the King which is not
according. to the law and II l perish
l perish. Esth. 4-16. He said in
part:
The reason fer my selecting this
subject, is that the character ! wish
to place before you is that of wo-
man.
We speak often OF Abraham and
Moses and Isaiah. II these men were
mighty in their faith, drawing the
world after them with their deeds OF
heroism; then Ruth and Esther and
Mary were as mighty with their devo-
tiOn, planting the flowers, and singing
the songs along the way to heaven.
making 1t the way of pleasantness
and OF peace. II these men have
broken hearts that were hard in sin.
these women have melted others with
their love and tears.
There are not recorded In Gods
word quite SO many instances OF
mighty deeds wrought at the hands
of women as at the hands Of mon.
yet the old saying is still true that
the hand that rocks the cradle
moves the world" and behind the
man who has made his Influence felt
in the world. is the mother who trai1
ed him for his. mighty deeds.
The world has not expected wo-
On to take the sword and go out to
the battle field, and yet we are not
without examples of even this. You
remember the story OF Joan OF Arc.
the Maid OF Orleans" who with her
sword and white banner placed he--
self at the head of the French troops
and compelled the English to raise
the "Siegc of Orleans"
No mn have gone more fearlessly
to the block or to the stake than
have the women who have died for
some great cause. When, after her
brief reign OF lat ten days IS Queen
Of Erittian, the priest came to Lady
Jane Grey. she replied to his entreat-
les. Il ground my faith upon Gods
word and not upon the church. for il
the church be coed church the
faith of the church must be tried by
Gods wori ard not Gods word by
the church" She said. My guiltless
blood may cry before the Lord mercy
to the innocent" Four days later
when they led her forth to execution,
beautiful in her youth. in her devo-
ton. in her faith in God, girl OF
about sevent -en summers. she knelt
down and repeated the 51st psalm
and then with her face covered. she
groped for the block until one guided
her there: and she herself laid that
beautiful ncck over on the block and
said Lord into thy hands | com
mend my spirit The executioner
struck off her head and Lady Jane
was not. She died as heroes die, Feb
ruary l2th. 1854.
During the Poker uprising in
China. no people did or could go to
tn cir death with greater herOism than
did our women missionaries that suf-
ferod martyrdom. In the great crices
women have been found as heroic as
men.
Esther. the Jewish maiden. was
chosen Queen OF the Babylonian EN-
pire in the place of Vashti, who was
put away for refusing to obey the
King Ahasrenus. After reciting the
story of the heroism of Esther in go
ing before the kind to plea for her
people. who wcrc sold to be destroy
ed, when she knew that the law said
"whosoever whether man or woman
shall come unto the kind into the in
ner court who Is not called, there is
one law of his to put him to death.
except such to whom the king shall
hold out the Golden Sceptre, that he
may live"
had two purposes in selecting
this theme. One was to tell briefly
the story Of Esther. This you may
find written here In the Book. The
other was to say to these young peo-
pie, especially these young ladies',
some things that so far as |
know are not written in any book
anywhere. The first have done.
The second | proceed to do.
God has placed In the hands Of the
large measure. the success ana the
destiny of men. We are in the habit
of blaming the brothers and fathers