The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-09-10
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Crusade of Jacob and His
Family for Bread.
The Corn-Cribs of Egypt and the Religion
of the Gospel LSkened-Jesus Our
Joseph who VIII give Us
the Bread OF Life.


taking for his text:
We shall not see my face except your
brother be with you.-Genisis Kill, g.
This summer, having crossed eighteen
of the United States, north, south, east
and west, | have to report the mightiest
harvests that this country or any other
ever reaped. If the grain gamblers do
not somehow wreck these harvests, we
are about to enter upon the grandest
scene of prosperity that America has
ever witnessed. But while this is so in
our own country, on the other side of
the Atlantic there are nations threat
ened with famine, and the most dismal
cry that Is ever heard will fear be ut
tered, the cry for bread i pray God
that the contrast between our pros
perity 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 famine in Canaan. The cat
tie moaning in the stall. Men, women
and children awfully white with hun
ger. Not the failing of one crop for
one summer, but the failing of all the
CtpDS lOI StNtll years. n IldllOD lilS
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 fiour-bin, and he finds that every
thing is out, and he says to his
sons: Boys, hook up the wagons
and start for Egypt, and get us
something TO cat" The fact was,
there was great corn-crib in Egypt.
The people of Egypt have been largely
taxed in all ages, at the present time
paying between seventy and eighty per
per cent of their products to the gov
eminent. No wonder in that time they
had a large corn-crib, and it was full.
To that crib they came from the re-
gions round about-those who were
famished-somc paying for corn in
money; when the money was exhaust
ed, paying for the corn in sheep and
cattle, and horses and camels; and
when they were exhausted, then sell
ling their own bodies and their families
into slavery.
The morning for starting out on the
crusade for bread has arrived. Jacob
gets his family up very early. But be-
fore the elder SONS start they say some
thing 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 saying at the close of the interview:
Now, you need not come back here
for any more corn unless you bring
something better than mouey-even
your younger brother, BENJAMIN.
All. Benjamin-that very name was
suggestive of all tenderness.
The mother had died at the birth
of that soma spirit coming and an
other spirit going and the very thought
of parting with benjamin must have
been hcart-break. The keeper of the
corn-crib, nevertheless, says to these
elder Sons: There is no need of your
coming here any more for corn unless
you bring Benjamin, your fathers
darling" Now Jacob and his family
very much needed Bread but what a
struggle it would be to give up this
son. The Orientals are very demon
strative in their grief, and hear the
putwailing of the father as these
older sons keep reiterating in
his ears the announcement of
the Egyptian lord: "Ye shall not
see my face unless your brother be with
you" Why did you tell them you had
brother?" said the old man, complain
ing and Gliding them. "Why, father
they said The asked us all about our
family, and we had no idea he would
make any such demand upon us as he
has made" NO use of asking me, .
said the father; 81 can not, will not,
give up benjamin" The fact was that
the old man had lost children; and
when there has been bereavement in a
household and child taken it makes
the other children in the household
more precious. So the day for de-
parture was adjourned, and adjourned,
and adjourned. Still the horrors of
the famine increased, and louder
moancd the cattle, and wider open
cracked the earth, and more pallid be-
came the cheeks, until Jacob, in despair,
cried out to his sons: Take BENJAMIN
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 Benjamin.
Well see that he gets back again. ~
''Farewell"' said the young men to the
father, in tone of assumed good cheer
"F-a-r-e-w-e-l-l ~ said the old man, for
that word has more quivers in it when
pronounced by the aged than by the
young.
Well, the bread party-the bread en-
bassy-drives up in front of the corn
crib of Egypt These corn-cribs are
filed with wheat and barley, and corn
in the husk, for those who have trav-
elcd in Canaan and Egypt know that
there is corn there corresponding with
our Indian maize. Huzza! the journey
is ended. The lord of the corn-crib,
who is also the prime minister, comes
down to these arrived travellers and
says: "Dine with me to-day. How is
your father? Is this Benjamin, the
younger brother whose presence l de-
manded?" The travellers are introduced
into the palace. They are worn and be-
busted of the way; and servants come
in with basin of water in one hand
and a towel in the other, and kneel
down before these newly-arrived trav-
elers, washing off the dust of the way.
The butchers and poulterers and cater