The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-09-24
itN|. DR. TALMAGE
II" Noted Diyine's Sunday sermon.
Subject; Full Granaries."

ing, The man did SOtemniy protest unto us.
saying. Ye shall not see my face, except your
brother be with you."-Genesis xiii, 3.
Nothing to eat. Plenty of corn in Egypt,
but CHASTITY famine in Canaan. The cattle
moaning IN the stall. Men, women and
children, aWfuly white with hunger. Not
tn" failing Of one crop for one summer, but
the failing Of all the crops for seven years.
A Nation dying for lack of that which is so
common Oh your table, and so little appre-
ciated; the product of harvest field and
Grist mill and oven; the price Of sweat and
anxiety and straightforward Jacob, the
father, has the last report from the flour bin.
and he finds that everything is OUT and he
says to his sons: "BOyS. hook up the wagons
and start for Egypt and get us something to
ea'. The fact was, there was great corn
crib in EgFpt. The people OF Egypt have
been LARGELY taxed in all ages, at the present
time paying between seventy and eighty per
cent. OF their products to the Government.
No wonder III that time they had a large
corn:rib. ana it was full. To that crib they
came from the regions around abOut-thOse
who were faniShnl-sOme paving for the
corn in money; when the money was e1-
hauste|. I2Ving for the corn in sheep and
Gait e and horses and campls: and when they
Wer" exhausted. then selling their own
bodies AMI !hNjr families into slavery.
IN" morning fnr starring out on the cru
sasia for 5re1l has arrived. Jacob gets his fam
lily uIr very easily. Bat bafura the elder Sons
start they say something that makes him
tre,ntse with emotion from head to foot, anI
burst into tears The fact was that these
elder sons had once before bean in Egypt to
get corn and they ha0 been treated some
what roughly. the lord Of the c0rn-crih sup
plying them with corn. but saying at the
close OF the interview. ''Now, you need not
come back hero for any more corn unless Won
b-ir
your younger brother Ben iamin." All. Ben
jamin--that very name was suggestive of all
tend rncSS. The mother had died at the
birth Of that son--a spirit coming and an
other spirit g0ing-ani the very thought Of
parting with BcnjaH1in must have been a
heNrthreak. The keeper Of this "orn-crib.
nevertheless. says to these elder sons, "Thcrt,
is no need of your coming up here auv more
for corn unless YOU can bring B miamn.
your fathers darling" Now Jacob and his
family very much needed hreat; hut what a
struggle it WOuIt be 10 give up this son. The
Olienta'S are very demonetrGtiye in their
grief and near the outwailng OF the father
as these elder sons keep reitcratlug in his
ears the announcement of the Egyptian lord.
''Ie shall not see my face unless your brother
be with yo"." "Why did you tai him you
had Il bro1her?' says the Old man complain
ing and chi1ing them. "Why, fax her." they
said, she asked us all about our family. and
we had no te0 that he would make any such
demand upon us us he has made mo use OF
asking me, said the father. II can not,
! will not. give w 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 chit
. dren in the household more precious. So
! the day for the departure was adjourned and
adjourned. Still the horrors of the famine
; increased, and louder moaned the cattle, ami
wider open craciie the earth, and more pal
lid became the checks, until Jacob in de-
spar, cried QUIT 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 a stout hear. and no harm
{ Will come to Ben jamD. We'll see that he
gets back again. FAREWELL" said the young
men to the father. in q tone of assumed good
cheer. "Fa-r-e-w-e--ln said the old man;
tor that word has more quavers in it when
pronounced by the aged than by the young.
/ Well, the bread party, the breadv mbassv,
drives up in front ofthe corn-crib OF Egypt.
/ Those corn-cribs are filled with wheat and
! barley and corn in the husk, for modern
travellers in those lands, both in Canaan and
! in Egypt, tell us there js corn there CORE
spending with our Indian maize. HuzHa
t The journey is ended. The lord Of the corn
/ crib who is also the Prime Minister. comes
/ down to these newly-arrived travellers, and
father?ls this Ben amin, the Younger brother
whose presence [ demanded?' The travellers
are introduced into the palace. They arc
Worn and bedusted Of the way: and servants
come in with a basin Of water Ia one hand
and towel in the other, and kneel down be-
fore these newly arrived travellers. washing
of the lust Of the way. The butchers and
poulterers and caterers of the Prime Mnistc,
prepare the repast. The guests are seated in
small groups two or three at a table, the
. 1904 on tray; al the luxures from in.
perial gardens and orchards and aquariurD>
and aviaries are brought there and are fill
ing chaI!ce and platter. Now is the time fox
this Prime Minister, il. be has grudgt
against Ben amin, to show it. Will he Kill
him, now that he has him In his hands? 0,
no. This lord of the corn-rrib is seated at
his own table, and he looks over the tables
OF his quests; and he sends a portion to each
Of them, but sends larger portion to Ben.
jamin, or, as the Bible quantity puts il
''Beniamin'a mess was five times Us much as
any Of theirs" Be quick and send word bac,
with the sWiftest camel to Canaan to old
Jacob. that benjamin is farins we'll; all is
well; he is farinC sumptuously; the Egyptian
lord did not mean murder and death; but he
/ meant deliveranee and life when he an.
nounced to us on that day. 'Ye shall not see
my face unless your brother be with you y
Well, my friends, this world is famine
+ stfuck OF SIN. ii does not yield a single
crop Of solid satisfaction. It is dying. 1t is
hunger-btten. The fact that 1t does not, can
not feed q mans heart was we'll illustrat ed
in the life of the English comedian. All the
world honored him-did everything for him
that the world could DO. He was applauded
in England and appauded in the United
States. He reused up Nations into laughter
He had no equal. And yet, although many
people supposed him entirely happy. and
that this world way completely satisfying his
soul. he sits down and writes:
II never in my life put on a new hat that
1t did not rain aud ruin it. never went cut
in shabby coat because it was raining and
thought all who had the choice would keeI
indoors, that the sun did not come out in its
strength and bring out with it all the butter
flies Of fashion whom knew and who knew
me. L never consented to accept part
hated out of kindness to anC Their, that did
not get Kissed by the public and cut by the
writer. | could not take a drive for a few
minutes with Terry without being overturned
and having my elbow broken. though nv
friend got off unframed. I could not MAKE
covenant with Arnold, which [ though,
was to make my fortune, without making
his instead, than in an incredibly short space
Of tlme-I think thirteen mOnths--I earned
for him go 900. and for myself 81 | an
persuaded that If | were to set up as a baker
ever one in my neighborhood would leave
Off - nC bread"