The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1888-09-05
THE PRIME MINISTER.
Good Men Can Not be Kept
Down.
Christian Character Compels the World
to Honor 1t, and u Religions Life Is Not
to be Despised-Sermon by Rev. I. DE
Witt Talmage, ID. ID.

1almage ttsJx his text from Genesis XII,
Al: And fharoah said unto Joseph: See,
have set thee over all the land of Egypt"
The subject OF the sermon was: THE
Prime Minister Dr.. Talmage sand:
You can not keepa good man down.
God has decreed for him certain eeva-
ton to which he must attain. He will
bring him through though it cost Him u
thousand worlds. There are men con-
stantly in trouble lest they shall not be
appreciated. Every man comes in the
end to be valued at just what he is worth.
How often you see men turn out all their
forces to crush one man or set OF men
How do they succeeds No better than
did the government that tried to crush
Joseph, Scripture character upon which
we speak to-day. 1t would be an insult to
suppose that you were not all familiar
with the life Of Joseph; how his
Jealous brothers threw him into the
pit, but, seeing a caravan of Arabian mer-
chants moving along on their camels with
spices and gums that loaded the air with
aroma, sold their brother to these mer-
chants, who carried him down into Egypt;
how Joseph was sold to Potiphar. man
OF influence and Office; how, by his in
tegrity, he raised himself to high position
in the realm, until under the false charge
OF vile wretch he was hurled into the
penltentiary; how, in prison, he command
ed respect and confidence; how, by the in
depreciation of Pharaoh's dream, he was
freed and became the chief man in Gov
ernment--the Bismarck of the nation;
n ~ fny b,1
OF store-house which he had filled dur
ing the seven years of plenty; how, when
ms brothers, who had thrown him into
the pit and sold him into captivity, applied
for corn, he sent them home with their
beasts borne down under the heft Of the
corn sacks; how the sin against their
brother, which had SO long been hidden,
came out at last and was returned by
that brothers forgiveness and kindness,
an illustrsous triumph of Christian prin-
ciple.
Learn from this story, in the first place,
that the world is compelled to honor Chris
tian character. Potiphar was only man
OF the world, yet Joseph rose in his esti-
nation until all the affairs Of that great
house were committed TO his charge From
this servant no honors Or con fidences were
. withheld. When Joseph was in prison he
soon won the heart of the keeper and
though placed there for being scoundrel,
he soon convinced the jailor that he was
: an innocent and trustworthy man, and, re.
leased from close confinement, he became
a general superintendent fprson affairs
Wherever Joseph was placed, whether Q
| ant IN, fhnh n,,
oner in the penitentiary, he became the
8 first man everywhere, and in an illustra
:, ton OF the truth lay down that the worlC
is compelled to honor Christian character
ThereSdis, those who affect to despis {
5 religious life They speal; of it as a sys
! TEN OF phlebotomy by which a man is blec
of all his courage and nobility. They say
Z. he has bemeaned himself. They pretend
y to have no more confidence in him since hi
conversion than before his conversion
But all that is hypocrisy. 1t is impossible
for any man not to admire and contide il
e a Christian who shows that he has reall,
: become child of God and is what he pro
G fesses to be. You can not despise sol
+ or daughter of the Lord God Almighty
OF course half-and- half religious charac
ter wins no appreciation. Redwald, tn
King of the Saxons, after Christian bar
; tism, had two affairs, one for the WORSHIP
: of God and the other for the sacrifice 0
= devils. You may have contempt 70
i such men for mere prctenson Of religion
n but when you behold the excelenc
J. of Jesus Christ come out in the life o
= one of His Disciples, all that there is goo
y and noble in your soul rises up into az
10 miration. Though that Christian be as ia
beneath you in estate as the Egyptia
q slave of whom we are discussing, by
= irrevocable law of our nature Potipha
RI and Pharaoh will always esteem JOSEPH
"a Chrysostom, when threatened with deaf
4 by Eudoxia, the Empress, sent word ,
her, saying: go tell her that / fea
Y nothing but SIM" Such nobility of cha
g acter will always be applauded. Thel
Il was something in Aggrippa and Fell
n which demanded their respect for Pau
a the rebel against government. Idoubt n,
\. they would willingly have yielded the
Office and dignity for the thousandth pa
of that true herosm which beamed in Il
eye and beat in the heart of the unco
querable Apostle.
ID The infidel and wording are compellt
"a to honor in their hearts, though they ms
not eulogize with their lips, a Christie
= firm in persecution, cheerful in povert
:" trustful in losses, triumphant in death.
~ find Christian men in all professions ar
is occupations, and l find them respecte
" and honored and successful John Ere
It. erick Oberlin alleviating ignorance al
III distress, John Howard passing fro
,t dungeon to lazaretto with healing for Il
l., body and soul, Elizabeth Frye coming
y the profligate of Newgate prison, to shall
~ down their obduracy as the angel came
g. the prison at Phillippi. driving open Il
III doors and swapping locks and chains,
to well as the lives of thousands of the f,
n. lowers Of Jesus who have devoted ther
selves to the temporal and spiritual W,
m fare of the race, are monuments Of Chr
ed tan religion that shall not crumble VIII
* the world lasts.
:, man in the cars said: 81 would like
a. become Christian if only knew VIII
~ religion is. But if thisiying and cheatil
and bad behavior among men who prcfc
to to be good is religion, want none of it
in But, my friends, if am an artist in RoI
ed and man comes to me and asks what t
If art OF painting is, must not show him t
A daub Of some mere pretender. Twill Ia
him to the Raphaels and the Michael
gelos. 1t is most unfair and dishonest
Ell take the ignominious failures in Christi
profession instead OF the glorious s,
cesses. The Bible and the Church q