Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-04-16
THE LIFE OF JOSEPH,
REV. DR.. TALMAGE SHOWS 1T TO BE
FALL OF PRACTICAL LESSONS.

Keep a Good Man Down and That the
World Is Compelled to Honor Christian
Character.
WASHINGTON, April 12.--The sermon of
Rev DR.. Talmage today Is full of stirring
and practical lessons for all Washington
has many mon who, like the hero of the
texts, started from almost nothing and
rose to high place. The texts chosen were
Genesis xxxvii, 2S, "Thcy drew and lifted
up Joseph out Of tho pit and sold Joseph to
the Ishmaelites for 90 pieces of silver"
Genesis xiv, &c. He Is governor over all
the land of Egypt"
You cannot keep q good man down.
God has decrecd for him certain point Of
elevation Flo will bring him to that
though 1t cost him Athousand worlds. You
sometimes find men fearful they will not
be properly appreciated. Every man comes
TO BIO valued at just what he is worth. You
cannot write him up, and you cannot write
him down. These facts are powerfully IL
Illustrated In my subject. 1t would DO an
insult to suppose that you were not all
familiar with the life Of Joscph-how his
Jealous brothers threw him into pit, but
seeing a caravan Of Arabian merchants
trudging along on their camels. with
spices and gums that loaded tho air with
aroma, sold their brother to these mer-
chants, who carried him down into Egypt
Joseph there sold to Potiphar, q man Of
influence and office; how by Joseph's in
tegrity he raised himself to high position
in the realm until, under tho false charge
of a vilo wretch, he was hurled into the
penitentiary; how In prison he command
cd respect and confidence; how by tho in
terprotation of Pharnoh's dream no was
freed and became the chief man in the
realm, the Bismarck of his century; how
In the time of famine Joseph had the con-
troll OF magnificent storehouse which he
had filed during seven years OF plenty;
how when his brothers, who had thrown
him into the pit and sold him into captiv-
ity, applied for corn he sent them home
with the beast of burden borne down I'M
der 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 the only revenge no took.
You see, in the first place, that the
world Is compelled to honor Christian
character. Potiphar was only a man Of
the world, yet Joseph rose in his cstima.
ton until all tho affairs OF that great
house werc committed To his charge.
From his servant 10 honor or confidence
was withheld. When Joseph was In III '';,
no soon won the heart Of tie ST. Cr ItG.
though placed thcro for bc!A4 a. u.l' D.t /.
he soon convinced tho jailrr It al - H.
an innocent and trustworthy 4 49,. iA'.
released from close coniin,Etit, Iul .'' D.
general superintendent of rriSuH .......,
Wherever Joseph was placed, N,i',.'r (;
servant In the house Of poilphar or "a H.
oncr in tha lrnitcntiary, lac EC:Hiiit TIA
first MN everywhere ANA is an iliLStH.,io'
of tho truth | lay dUwn--that thr world i
compelled IT, honor Christian character
There AFRO those who affect to dcSpiSo re
ligious life. They speak OF 1t las II system
Of phlobotumy by witch tho man Is blud
of all his courage and nobility. They say
he has bemonned himself. They pretend
to havo no moro confidence in him since
his conversion than before his conversion.
But all this is hypocrisy. There is great
deal of hypocrisy In the church. and there
Is great deal of hypocrisy outside the
church. 1t Is impossible for any man not
to admire and conhdo In q man who shows
that he has really become q child Of God
and is what he processes to be. You cannot
despiso son Of tho Lord God Almighty.
OF course we have no admiration for tho
sham of religion.
Religious Pretenae.
was at place u few hours after the
rufIians had gone into the rail train and
demanded that the passengers throw up
their arms, and then these rufIlans took
the pocketbooks and satan comes and sug
gests to IA man that he throw up his arms
in hypocritical prayer and pretension, and
then steals his soul. For the mere proton.
sion of religion We have abhorronco. Red
valid, tho king, after baptism, had an
altar OF Christian sacrifice and an altar for
sacrifice to DEVILS and there arc many men
now attempting tho same thing-half q
heart for God and half heart for the
world-and 1t Is n dead failure, and it Is q
caricature Of religion, and the only sue
Cessful assault ever made on Christianity
Is the Inconsistency Of Its professors. You
may have a contempt for pretension to re
ligion, but when you behold the exoellency
OF Jesus Christ como out in the life of one
Of his disciples all that there is good and
noble in your soul rises up into admira
tion, and you cannot help it. Though
that man DO far beneath you in estate u:
the Egyptian slave Of whom We arc dis
courGng was beneath his rulers, by an ir
revooablo law Of your nature Potiphar nnt
Pharaoh will always esteem Joseph.
When Eudoxia, the empress, threatened
Chrysostom with dl\th, he made the re
ply, "Tell the empress fear nothing blu,
SIM" Such n scene rs that compels tho ad
miration of tho world. There was some
thing IL Agrippa and Felix which do
mnnded their respect for Paul. tho robe
against government. 1 doubt not thoy
would willingly have yielded their Ollie,
and dignity for thousnndth part of that
true heroism which beamcd in tho cye ant
apostle Paul did not cover before Felix
Felix covered before Paul. Tho inlde
and wording are compelled to honor II
their hearts, although they may not eulo
gize with their lips a Christian firm ii
persecution, cheerful in poverty, trustfu
In losses, triumphant In DEATH / fine
Christian men In all professions and occu
pations, and l find them respected ant
honored and successful. John Fredoricl
Oberlin alloviating Ignorance and distress
Howard passing from dungeon to lazarett'
with healing for tho body and soul; Eliza
beth Fry going to the prodigacy of New
gate prison to shake its obduracy us thu
angel came to the prison ut Philippi, driv
ing open the doors and swapping loose tn
chain, as we'll as the lives Of thousands o
followers of Jesus who have devoted them
selves to the temporal and spiritual vel
fare OF the race are monuments Of tn
Christian religion that shall not crumbl
while tho world lasts. A man said to mt
In tho cars; What Is religion? judging
from the character Of many professors o
religion do not admire religion" / said