Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-09-11
REV, Or. TALMAGE.
THE BROOkLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "TuE CoENCmB OF EGYPT.'

TEXT: "Ye shall not sec nv face, ercept
| your brother be tcith you"-Genesis, xliii 8.
| This summer, having crossed. eighteen OF
the United States, North, South, East and
| West, have to report the mightiest har-
vests that this country or any other
country ever reape1. II the grain gam
| blers do not somehow wreck these har-
| vests, we are about TO enter upon the grand
| est scene OF prosperity that America has
! ever witnessed. But while this is so in our
own country, on the other side of the At
lantic there are nations threatened with
| famine, and the most dismal cry that is
! ever heard will fear be uttered, the cry
for bread. l pray God that the contrast
between our prosperity and their want may
not be as sharp as in the lands referred to
| by my text. There was nothing TO eat.
| Plenty OF corn in Egypt but ghastly fam
inc in Canaan. The cattle moaning in the
stall. Men, women and children awfuly
white with hunger. Not the failing of one
! crop for one summer, but tho failing of all
the crops for seven years. A nation dying
| for lack OF that which is so common on your
| table, and so little appreciated; the product
| OF harvest field, and grist-mill, and oven; the
! price of sweat, and anxiety, and struggle
Bread Jacob the father has the last
report from the flour-bin, and he finds
that everything is out; and ho
ons and start for Egypt and get us some
thing to eat The fact was, there was a
great corn crib in Egypt. The people of
Egypt have been largely taxed in all ages,
at the present time paying between sew
! cnty and eighty per cent. OF their products
! to the government. No wonder in that
time they had large corn crib, and
it was full To that crib they came from
hn 81, hoo h.
famished-some paying for corn in money;
when the money was exhausted, paying for
the corn in sheep and cattle, and horses and
camels; and when they were exhausted, then
selling their own bodies and their families
! into slavery.
The morning for starting out on the cru
sade for bread had arrived. Jacob gets his
family up very early. But before the elder
sons start they say something that makes
him tremble with emotion from head to
foot and burst into tears. The fact was,
that these elder sons had once before been
in Egypt to get corn, and they had been
treated somewhat roughly, the lord OF the
corn-crib supplying them with corn, but say
ing at the close OF the interview: Now,
you need not come back here for any
more corn unless you bring something
better than money-even your younger
brother Ben jamin.' All Benjamin-that
very name was suggestive Of all tenderness
The mother had died at the birth Of thst son
"A spirit coming and another spirit going
and the very thought Of parting with
Ben jamn must have been heart-break
The keeper of this corn-crih, nevertheless,
says to these older sons: There is no need
OF your coming hero any more for corn un-
| less you bring BENJAMIN, your fathers dar-
ling Now Jacob and his family very
much needed bread; but what struggle
1t would be to give up this son. Tho
Orientals are very demonstrative in their
grief, and / hear the outwailng of the father
as these older ones keep reiterating in his
ears the announcement of tho Egyptian
lord, "Ye shall not see my face unless your
brother be with YOU "Why did you tell
man, complaining and chiding them.
why, father" they said "he asked us
all about our family, and we had no idea
he would make any such demand upon us
as he has made" mo use Of asking me, :"
said the father ~ cannot will not, give
up Benjamin." The fact was that the old
man had lost children, aud when there has
been bereavement in household, and a
child taken, it makes the other children in
the household more precious So the day
for departure adjourned, and adjourned,
and adjourned. Still the horrors OF the
famine increased and louder moaned the
cattle, and wider open cracked the earth,
and more pallid became the cheeks until
Jacob, in despair, cried out to his sons,
Take jamin and be Off, The older
sons tried to cheer up their father. They
said: I'VE have strong arms and stout
heart, and no harm will come to Ben
Wen see that he gets back again" Fare
wellf said the young man 10 the father IN
a tone Of assumed good cheer. Fare
Ill" said.the old man; for that word has
more quavers in IL when pronounced by the
aged than by the young
Well, the bread party-the bread embassy
drives up in front Of the corn-crib OF
Egypt. These corn-cribs are filled with
wheat and barley, and corn in the husk,
for those who have travelled in Canaan and
Egypt know that there is corn there corre-
| spending with our Indian maize. HuZza
the journey is ended. The lord OF
the corn-crib, who il also the prime minis
ter comes down to these arrived Travellers
and saysI "Dine with me to-day. How IL
your fatherl Is this Benz njamin, the younger
brother whose presence demanded inc
travellers are introduced into the palace.
They are worn and bedusted of the way;
| and servants come in with basin
| OF water in one hand and towel
in the other, and kneel down before
these newly-arrived travellers, washing OH
the dust Of the way. The butchers, and
poulterers, aud caterers of the prime MIN
ister prepare the repast The guests are
seated in small groups, two or three at a
table, the food on tray; all the luxuries
from imperial gardens, and orchards, and
acuuariums and aviaries are brought
there and are filling chalice and platter.
Now is the time for this prime minister, II
he has a grudge against Benjamin, TO show
it, Will he kill him, now that he has him in
his hands2 Oh mol This lord OF the corn
crib is seated at his own table and he looks
over to the table OF his guests: and he sends
portion TO each of them, but sends a
the Bible quantity puts it: "Benja-
minis mess was five times as muca as any
of theirs.n Be quick and send word back
with the swiftest camel to Canaan to ole
Jacob, that Benjamin is well ; all is well
he is faring sumptuously the Egyptian lore
did not mean murder and death but h'
meant deliverance and life when he an
nounced to us on that day Ye shall not SCI
my face unless your brother be with you"
We'll. my friends, this world is famine
struck of sin. 1t does not yield a single
crop of solid satisfaction. 1t Is dying. II
is hunger-bitten The fact that it does
not, cannot, feed a mans heart was well
Illustrated in the life of the English com
edian. All the world honored him-dit
everything for him that the world coulC
do. He was applauded in England anC
apDlaudeQ III Jne OlllIeu CIdVes. ne IOusei
up nations into laughter He had nj
equal And, yet although many people
supposed him entirely happy, and that
this world was completely satiating his
soul, he sits down and writes: 81 nevei
in my life put on a new hat that 1t did moi
rain and ruin IT, l never went out In
shabby coat beca use it was raining an
thought all who had the choice would keel
in doors, that the sun did not burst fort
in its strength and bring out with it all tn
who knew me. never consented to &C
cept part hated, out Of kindness to an
other, that l did not get hissed by tn
public and cut by the writer | could no
take drive for few minutes with Terry
without being overturned and having M
elhow-bone broken, though my friend got
Off nnhnrmed. | could not make cove