The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1896-04-17

him down. These factS are powerfully
illustrated 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 Aara-
bian 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 influence and
office. How by Joseph's integrity he
raised himself to high position in the
realm, until under the false charge OF q
vile wretch he was hurled into the peni-
tertiary. How in prison he command
ed respect and confidence. How by the
Interpretation of Pharaoh's dream he
was freed and became the chief man
in the realm, the Bismarck OF his CEN
fury. How in the time of famine Jo-
seph had the control of a magnificent
storehouse which he had filled during
seven years 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 forgive
ness 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 esti-
nation until all the affairs of that great
house were committed 10 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 a scoundrel, he soon con-
WINGED the jailer that he was an inno-
cent and trustworthy man, and re-
leased from close confinement he be-
came general superintendent of prison
affairs Wherever Joseph was placed,
whether servant in the house of Poti-
phar, or prisoner in the penitentiary,
he became the first man everywhere.
and is an illustration OF the truth |
lay down, that the world is compelled
to honor Christian character. There
are those who effect to despise q re-
ligious life. They speak of it as a
system of phlebotomy by which the
man is bled of all his courage and no.
bility. They say he has bemeaneG
himself. They pretend to have no more
confidence in him since his conversion
than before his conversion. But all
this is hypocrisy. There is a great
deal of hypocrisy in the church and
there is great deal of hypocrisy out
side the church. 1t is impossible for
any man not to admire and confide in
a man who shows that he has really
become a child of God and is what he
processes to be. YOU cannot despise a
son of the Lord God Almighty. or
course we have no admiration for the
sham of religion.
| was at place a few hours after
the rufIians had gone into the rail-train
oAu N'"huSu 'haI tIle pdSSSuSerS
throw up their arms, and then these
ruftans took the pocketbooks: and
Satan comes and suggests to man
that he throw up his arms in a hypo-
critical prayer and pretension, and
then he steals his soul. For the mere
pretension of religion We has abhor-
renee. Redwald, the king, after bap-
tism, had an altar of Christian sacrifice
and an altar for sacrifice to devils: and
there are many men now attempting
the same thing-half heart for God
and half heart for the world-and il
is a dead failure, ard it is caricature
of religion, and the only successful as
sault ever made on Christianity is the
Inconsistency of its professors. You
may have a contempt for pretension
to religion, but when you behold the
eXcellency of Jesus Christ come out In
the life of one Of his disciples, all there
is good and noble in your soul rises up
into admiration, and you cannot help
it. Though that man be as far beneath
you in estate as the Egyptian slave Of
whom we are discoursing was beneath
his rulers. by an irrevocable law Of
your nature, Potiphar and Pharaoh
will always esteem Joseph. When
Eudoxia, the empress, threatened
Chrysostom with death he made the
reply: Tell the empress l fear moth
ing but SIM" Such scene as that
compels the admiration of the world.
There was something in Agrippa and
Felix which demanded their respect for
Paul, the rebel against government. !
doubt not they would willingly have
yielded their office and dignity for a
thousandth part Of that true heroism
which beamed in the eye and beat In
the heart Of che rnconquerable apostle.
Paul did not cover before Felix; Felix
covered before Paul. The infidel and
wording are compelled to honor in
their hearts, although they may not
'eulogize with their lips, Christian
firm in persecution, cheerful in power
ty. trustfull in losses. triumphant in
death. In find Christian men In all
professions and occupations, aud l find
them respected ana honored and sue