Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-04-16
THE LIFE OF JOSEPH.
REV. Or. TALMAeE SHOWS IT TO BE
FULL OF PRACTICAL LESSONS.

mas many men WnOt ike the hero or the
texts, started from almost nothing and
rose to high place. The texts chosen were:
Genesis xxxvii 2S, "They drew and lifted
up Joseph out Of the pit and sold Joseph to
the Ishmaelites for 90 pieces of silver. "
Genesis xiv, 90, "He is governor over all
the land of Egypt"
You cannot keep O good man down.
God has decreed for him a certain point of
elevation. He will bring him to that
though 1t cost him thousand worlds. You
sometimes And 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 WI ts
him down. These facts are powerfully H.
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 pit, but
seeing caravan Of Arabian merchants
trudging 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;
Joseph there sold to Potiphar, man of
influence and office; how by Joseph's in
tegrity he raised himself to high position
il the realm until, under the false charge
Of vile wretch, he was hurled into the
penitentiary; how in prison he command
ed respect and condolences; how by the in
terpretation of Pharaoh's dream he 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 a magnificent storehouse which he
hD1 lnI1 1Y,afY - IL.
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 un-
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 he took.
You see, 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 estima-
tion until all the affairs of that great
house were committed to his charge
From his servant no honor or confidence
was withheld. When Joseph was in prison,
he soon won the heart of the keeper, and,
ubOuBh pluOOu VhCIO lOI DOluB u
he soon convinced the jailer that he was
an innocent and trustworthy man, and,
released from close confinement, he became
general superintendent of prison affairs.
Wherever Joseph was placed whether a
servant in the house of Potiphar or a pris-
orer in the penitentiary, he became the
first man everywhere and is an illustration
of the truth lay down-that the world is
to honor Christian character.
There are those who affect to despise re-
ligious lifo. They speak of it as q system
of phlebotomy by which the man is bled
of all his courage and nobility. They say
he has bemeaned himself. They pretend
to have no more 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 confide in man who shows
that he has really become child of God
and is what he processes to be. You cannot
despise a son of tho Lord God Almighty.
OF course We have no admiration for the
sham Of religion.
Religious Pretense.
was at place q few hours after the
ruffians had gone into the rail train and
demanded that the passengers throw up
their arms, and then these ruffians took
the pocketbooks, and satan comes and sug-
gests to man that he throw up his arms
in hypocritical prayer and pretension, and
then steals his soul For the mere preten-
sion Of religion we have abhorrence. Red
wald, the king, after BAPTISM had an
altar of Christian sacrifice and an altar for
sacrifice to devils, and there are many mon
now attempting the same thing-half
heart for God and half heart for the
world-and it is a dead failure, and it is
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 excellency
Of Jesus Christ como out in the life of one
of his disciples all that there is good and
noble i'll your soul rises up into admira-
ton, and you cannot help it. Though
that man be far beneath you in estate as
the Egyptian slave Of whom we are dis
was beneath his rulers, by an ir-
revocable law of your nature Potiphar and
Pharaoh will always esteem Joseph.
When Eudoxia, the empress, threatened
Chrysostom with DEATH he made the re-
ply, "Tell the empress fear nothing but
sim" Such scene as that compels tho ad-
of the world There was some
thing in Agrippa and Felix which de-
manded their respect for Paul, the rebel
against government 1 doubt not they
would willingly have yielded their office
nd dignity for thousandth part of that
rue heroism which beamed in the eye and
)eat in tho heart Of that unconquerable |
apostle. Paul did not cover before Felix
Felix covered before Paul. The infdel |
md wording are compelled to honor in
heir hearts, although they may not eulo-
yize with thoir lips, q Christian firm in
cheerful in poverty, trustful |
Il losses, triumphant in death. I find |
Christian men In all professions and occu-
)ations, and 1 find them respected and |
lonored and successful. John Frederick |
0berlin alleviating Ignorance and distress; |
Howard passing from dungeon to lazaretto |
With healing for the body and soul; Eliza |
,eth Fry going to the prohigaoy of New
,ate prison to shake its obduraoy as the |
nigel came to the prison at Philippi, driv-
ng open the doors and swapping loose tho
hain, as we'll as the lives Of thousands of |
ollowers of Jesus who have devoted them
elves to the temporal and spiritual well
are Of the race are monuments of the
christian religion that shall not orumble
while the world lasts. A man said to me
Il the cars: "What is religion? Judging
rom the character of many professors of
eligion do not admire religion" said
Now, suppose we went to an artist in the
ity of Rome and while in his gallery
ssked him, What is the art of painting?'
Would he take us out in low alley and
how us u mere daub of pretender at
painting, or.wonld he Jake US down into
dtnnhnr,cnI