The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-04-15
GODS PLANS.
They arc Magnificent Beyond All
Description.
Dr. Talmage Tells the Story of Joseph,
Draws from 1t Some Useful Lessons
and Urges His Hearers to Lay
Up Treasures In Heaven.

In his latest sermon the celebrated
Washington divine calls attention to
the honor that is sure to come to a
Christian character and shows how we
can all become millionaires for eter-
nifty. He chose two texts--Genesis
81: 2S: ''They drew and lifted up
Joseph out of the pit and sold Joseph
to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces OF sill
ver" Genesis 55: 26: He is governor
over all the land of Egypt"
You cannot keep good man down,
God has decreed for him certain point
of elevation. He will bring him to that
though it cost Him thousand worlds.
You sometimes find men fearful they
will not be properly appreciated.
Every man comes to be valued at just
what he is worth. You cannot write
him up, and you cannot write him
down. These facts are powerfully IL
lustrated in my subject. 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 a pit, but seeing a caravan of
Arabian merchants trudging along on
their camels with spices and gums
that loaded the air with aroma, sold
their brother to these merchants, who
carried him down into Egypt; Joseph
was there sold to Potiphar, a man of in-
fluence and office. How by Joseph's
integrity he raised himself to high
position in the realm, until under the
false charge of vile wretch he was
hurled into the penitentiary. How in
prison he commanded respect and con-
fidence. How by the Interpretation OF
| Pharaoh's dream he was freed and be-
came the chief man in the realm, the
Bismarck of his century. How in the
time of famine Joseph had the control OF
magnificent storehouse which he had
filled during seven hears of plenty.
How when his brothers, who had
thrown him into the pit and sold him
into captivity, applied for corn, he sent
them home with the beasts Of burden
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 kind
ness-the only revenge he took.
You sec, in the first place, that the
world is compelled to honor Christian
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 his servant no honor or conf
dence was 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 jailer that he was an innocent ane
trustworthy man, and released iron
close confinement he became genera
superintendent of prison affairs. Wher
ever Joseph was placed, whether ser
want in the house of Potipher, or ;
prisoner in the pcnitentiary, he became
the first man everywhere, and is an il
lustration of the truth lay down, tina
the world is compelled to honor Chris
tian character. There are those who
affect to despise religious life. Thel
speak of it as q system Of phlebotom.
by which the man is bled of all hi
courage and nobility They say he ha
bemeaned himself They pretend t.
have no more confidence i'll him sine
his conversion than before his conver
sion. But all this is hypocrisy. Their
is a great deal of hypocrisy in tn
church, and there is great deal of by
pocrisy outside the church. 1t is i'm
possible for any man not to admire an
confide in the man who shows that h
has really become a child OF God, an
is what he processes to be. You can
not despise a son of the Lord God Al
mighty. OF course we have no admira
tion for the sham of religion.
/ was at place few hour after tn
I ruffians had gone into the rail trai
and demanded that the passenger
throw up their arms, and then thes
r ruffians took the pocketbooks; and Sa
tan comes and suggests to man tina
he throw up his arms in hypocritica
prayer and pretension, and then steal
his soul For the mere pretension c
), religion we have adherence. Redwalt
the king, after baptism, had an alta
of Christian sacrifice and an altar fc
sacrifice to devils; and there are man
men now attempting the same thing
half o heart for God and half hear
for the world-and it is a, dead failure
and it is caricature of religion, an
the only successful assault ever mad
on Christianity is the inconsistency {
its professors. You may have cor
tempt for pretension of religion, br
when you behold the eXcellency OF j,
sus Christ come out in the life of one {
his disciples, all that there is good an
noble in your soul rises up into al
miration, and you cannot help i
Though that man be as far beneat
you in estate as the Egyptian slaN
of whom we are discoursing was b
meath his rulers, by an irrevocab
law of your nature, Potiphar an
Pharoah will always esteem Josepl
When Eudoxia, the empress, threa
ened Chrysostom with death, he mao
the reply: "Tell the empress fe'
nothing but sim" Such a scene as thf
compels the admiration of the worl,
There was something in Agrippa an
Felix which demanded their respe,
for Paul, the rebel against the govern
ment. l doubt not they would willing
ly have yielded their office and dignit