Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-04-24
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington pivine's
Sunday Sermon.
Subject: "Practical Lessons from the
Life of Joseph


xxxvii., %. HE is governor over all the
land of Egypt. "-Genesis XIV, 26.
You cannot keep a good man down. God
has decreed for him certain point Of eleya-
ton. He will bring him to that though 1t
COST Him thousand worlds. You sometimes
find 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 write 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 bis jealous brothers threw him
into pit, but seeing a caravan OF Arabian
merchants trudglng 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 in
huence and office; how by Joseph's integ-
rity he raisel himself to high position in the
realm until, under the false charge OF vile
wretch, he was hurled into the penitentiary;
how in prison he commanded respect and
confidence; how by the Interpretation OF
Pharaoh's dream he was freet and became
the chief man in the realm, the Bismarck OF
his century; how in the time OF famine JOS
eph had the control OF magnificent store
house, which he had filed 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 re-
turned by that brothers forgiveness and
kindness, the only revenge he took
You sea- 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 estimation until all
the affairs of that great house were COM
mitted to his charge. From his servant no
honor or confidence was withheld. When
Joseph was in prison, he soon won he heart
Of the keeper, and though placed there Ior
being scOun Ire, he soon convinced the
taller that he was AN innocent and trust
worthy map. and released from close con-
flnement he became general superintendent
of prison affairs. Wherever Joseph was
place !, whether u servant in the house OF
Potiphar. or q prisoner 10 the penttentiary
he became the first man everywhere, AMI is
an illustration Of the truth | lay down, that
the world is compelled to honor Christian
character. There are those who affect to
despso religious life. They speak of it
as a system OF phlebotOmy by which the man
is bed Of all his courage aud 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 a great deal
of hypocrisy in the church, and there Is
great deal of hypocrisy outside the church.
Ii is impossible for any man not to admire
and conflde in man who shows that he has
really become child of God and is what he
processes to be. You cannot desp SO a son
Of TIE Lord Col Almighty. OF course We
have no admiration for the shame of religion.
was at a place fOw hours after the ruff
fans hal gone into the rail train and de.
anled that the passengers throw up their
arms, aud then these ruff1ans took the pocket
books, and satan comes and suggests to a
man that he throw up his arms in hypocrit-
ical prayer AMI pretension, and then steals
his soul. For the mere reenson of relig.
ion we have adherence. Redwald, the
king. after baptism, had an altar OF Chris
tian sacrifice and au altar for sacrifice to
devils and there are many men now at
tempting the same thing--half heart for
God and half heart for the wOrld-and ii
is dead failure, aud it is carcature Of re-
ligioD, aud the only successful assault ever
made ON Christianity is the inconsistency OF
its professors. You may have contempt for
pretension to religion, but when you behold
the excelency OF Jesus Christ come out In
is good and mob in your soul rises up into
admiration, and you cannot heIpit. Though
that man be as far beneath you in estate as
the Egyptian slave Of whom We are dis
coursing was beneath his rulers, by an ire
vocable 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 fear nothing but sin.
Such s.ene rs that cOmpe S the admiration
of the world. There was something IN
Agrippa and Felix which demanded their re-
spect for Paul, the rebel against government
doubt not they would willingly have yield
ed their office ard dignity for thousandth
part of that true heroism which beamed In
the eye and beat in the heart of that uncon-
querable apostle. Paul did not cover before
Felix; Felix covered tefore Paul. The inf
del and wording are compele | to honor in
their hearts, although they may not eulogiz,
with their lips, a Christian firm in persecu.
ton, cheerful in poverty, trustful In losses
triumphant in death. l find Christian men
in all professions and occupations. and find
tbem respected and honOred and successful.
John Frederick Oberlin alternating ignorance
and Distress Howard passing f1cm dungeon
10 lazaretto with healing for the body
and soul; Elizabeth Fry going to the profit
gacy of Newgate prison to shake its obdur'
acy as the angel came 10 the prison at
Philipp, driving open the doors and snap
ping loose the chain, as we'll as tue lives OF
thousands of followers of Jesus who have
devoted themselves 10 the temporal and
spiritual welfare of the race are monuments
of the Christian religion that shall not
crumbe while the world lasts. A man said
to me in the cars: "What is religion? Judg-
ing from the character of many professors OF
religion do not admire religion" l said
'NOw, suppose we went to an artist in tho
city of Rome. and while in his gallery asked
him, what is the art of painting2 Would
he take us out in a low alley and show us a
m re daub OF a pretender at paintings, or
woull he take us down into the corridors
and show us the Rubens, and the Raphaels,
and the Michael Ange os? When we asked
him, What is the art Of painting? he would
point 10 the works OF these great masters
and say, THAT is painting Now, you pro-
pose TO find the mere caricature OF religion,
to seek after that which is the mere preten-
sion of holy life, and you call that religion.
point you to the splendid men and women
whom this gospel has blessed and lifted and
crowned. Look a, the masterpieces OF divine
grace if you want to know what religion is.
We learn also from this story OF Joseph
that the result Of persecution is elevation.
Had it not been for his being sold into Egypt
ian bondage by his malicious brothers and
his false Imprisonment Joseph never would
have become a governor. Everybody accepts
the promise, BLESSED are they that are per-
secuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven" but they do not
realize the fact that this principle applies to
worldly as we'll as spiritual success. 1t is
true in all departments. Men rise to high
official positions through misrepresentation.
Public abuse is all that some OF our public
men have had TO rely upon for their eleva-