The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-04-15

as well as the lives of thousands OF
followers of Jesus who have devoted
themselves to the temporal and spirit
ual welfare of the race, are monu-
ments of the christian religion that
shall not crumble while the world
lasts. A man said to me in the cars;
.'What is religion? Judging from the
character of many professors of re-
ligion / do not admire religion. l
said: "Now suppose we went to an
artist in the city of Rome and while in
his gallery asked him: What is the art
of painting?' Would he take us out in
low alley and show us mere daub OF
a pretender at painting? Or would he
take us down into the corridors, and
show us the Rubens, and the Raphaels,
and the Michael Angeles? When we
asked him: What is the art OF paint
ing?' He would point to the works OF
these great masters and say: That is
painting Now, you propose to find
the mere caricature of religion, to seek
after that which is the mere pretension
of holy life, and you call that relig-
ion. point you to the splendid men
and women whom this gospel has
blessed and lifted and crowned. Look
at the masterpieces of divine grace If
you want to know what religion is ("
! We learn also from this story of Jo-
seph that the result of persecution is
elevation. Had it not been for his be-
ing sold into Egyptian bondage by his
malicious brother, and his false impris-
onment, Joseph never would have be-
come governor. Everybody accepts
the promise: BLESSED are they that are
prosecuted for righteousness sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" but
they do not realize the fact that this
principle applies to worldly as well as
spiritual success. 1t is true in all de-
partments. Men rise to high official po-
sitions through misrepresentation.
Public abuse is all that some of our pub
lie men have had to rely upon for their
elevation. 1t has brought to them what
talent and executive force could not
have achieved. Many of those who are
making great effort for place and pow
er will never succeed, just because they
are not of enough Importance to be
abused. 1t is the nature of men-that
is of all generous and reasonable men
to gather about those who are perse-
cuted and defend them, and they are
apt to forget the fault of those who
are the subjects of attack while at
tempting to drive back the slanderers
Persecution is elevation. Helen Stirk,
the Scotch martyr, standing with her
husband at the place of execution, said:
Husband, let us rejoice to-day; we
have lived together many happy years.
this is the happiest time Of all our life;
you see we are to be happy together
forever. Be brave now, be brave.
will not say, Good night to you for we
, shall soon be in the kingdom of our
Father together" Persecution shows
the heroes and heroines
! l go into another department and
find that those great denominations ol
Christians which have been most abused
have spread the most rapidly. No good
man was ever more violently maltreat
ed than John Wesley-belied and carl
: catured and slandered until one day he
: stood in pulpit in London, and mar
arose in the audience and said: "Yor
;, were drunk last night" and John Wes
!. ley said THANK God, the whole cata
logue is now complete. / have beer
= charged with everything but thatP
. His followers were hooted at and ma
q ligned and called by every detestabl'
= name that internal ingenuity could in
vent, but the hotter the persecution
y the more rapidly they spread, unit
you know what great host they hav'
become and what tremendous fore,
\ for God and the truth they are WELDING
y that gave Scotland to Presbyterianism
1t was persecution that gave our lant
first to civil liberty and afterward t,
religious freedom. Yea, might G,
further back and say that it was perse
cution that gave the world the grea
g salvation of the Gospel. The ribal,
II mochery, the hungering and thirsting
5 the unjust charge, the ignominiou'
Z death, when all the force of hell S fur,
v was hurled against the cross, was the
u introduction of that religion which !
u yet to be the earth's deliverance an,
5 our eternal salvation. The state some
u times said to the church, "Come, TAX
l. my hand and will help YOU" Wha
VI was the result? The church went bac
'r and it lost its estate of holiness, and
y became ineffective. At other time
: the state said to the church, 81 viii
. crush you." What has been the result
:, After the storms have spent their fur,
a the church, SO far from having lost an
10 of its force, has increased and is wort
j infinitely more after the assault tina
/ before.
a. Learn also from our subject that 81
- will come to exposure. Long, long ag
- had those brothers sold Joseph int
! Egypt They had made the old fathe
: believe thathis favorite child was dead
h They had suppressed the crime, and
=, 70 was profound secret we'll kept by .th
" brothers. But suddenly the secret
- out. The old father hears that his so
"A is in Egypt, having been sold there b
!, the malice of his own brothers. Ho'
= their cheeks must Aave burned an
IL their hearts sunk at the flaming out {
- this long suppressed crime. The small
- est iniquity has thousand tongues
\ and they will blab out exposure. Sar
u u was sent to destroy the Canaanite
~ their sheep and their oxen; bu
- when he got down there anon
= the pastures, he saw some fin
;, sheep and oxen too fat to kill, 6
y he though he would steal them. N,