Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-12-14
CalnnaSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talma6e, D. D.

LUIS AuEeIes, CHI., dec. III. - In0t
godliness is profitable both in this
world and the next and that religion
brings In Its train enduring success
and material as we'll as spiritual bless
ing Is shown In this sermon. for which
the preacher has taken rs his text the
story OF Joseph in Genesis xxx, 2,
And he wns Il prosperous man"
ibid you ever stop to think how much
God appeals to the selfish motives Of
the children of Israel in the Old Tesla.
nent?" said an aged Christian some
time ago. II am nearly eighty years
Of age now, but am not too old to read
the Bible. SO Il few weeks ago. with
my daughter. I decided to start Mt the
first chapter Of Genesis and 60 straight
through the Old Testament. Though
I have read the Bible many times be-
fore, was never struck with this fact
so much as during the last reading.
All through the Pentatcuch and up to
the time of Joshua and the Judges
God keeps saying: Follow me. and
will increase your herds. Follow me.
and l will give you land. Follow me.
and l will make YOU a powerful pco-
pie God seems to he appealing al
most entirely to mans self interest in
stead Of to mans duty to make sncri-
fees for him. We'll" I said. that Ia
so. never thought Of that matter be-
fore. am going TO look into It,"
When l went home | began to turn
the leaves Of my Bible. and I found
what my good friend said was literally
true In that child age Of the world
God wooed men as we WOO children.
to he good with promises of reward
And he kept his promises. When the
children OF Israel obeyed God. then
God prospered them. And when they
went to worshiping false idols and dis
obeyed God. then God sent them wars
and pestilences and famines and trials
of all sorts. He seemed to say. "Obey
me and prosper" or. "Disobey me AMI
suffer-" He seemed to appeal to their
selfish motives in order 10 make them
good. And yet. as I sat in my study
brooding over this thought. | said to
myself is it not possible to find the
in a selfish motive:'
Abraham Lincoln said. mo man ever
did anything in life unless it was with
selfish motive" One day when riding
about on his Illinois circuit with a
brother lawyer he argued this question
yers were passing mudhOle the fu-
ture president saw little pig strug.
Cling in the mud and about to he
drowned. Lincoln dismounted from his
horse. He waded through the mud.
picked up the little pig and placed 1t
on the solid ground. Then he mounted
his horse to ride ON to the next county
seat. There" said the lawyer. Lin
coin, YOU have disproved your own
case. You say man does nothing but
with a selfish motive. What selfish
motive did you have in saving that lit
tie pig?' "My motive was purely a
selfish one" answered Lincoln. II did
not want to 60 into that puddle and get
my clothes covered with mud any more
than you did. But I said to myself,
ABE. il YOU don't save that pig you
will hear him squealing all night long.
calling for help. and you won't get
wink Of sleep saved him in order to
keep my conscience from bothering
me-" Like Abraham Lincoln are many
of us. When we analyZe our motives
for doing some good deed we often
find self interest nj the bottom. 1t is
not always pity for the sufferer that
prompts the charitable gifts so much
as fear Of the self upbraidng we would
have to endure if we refused to give.
or course that is a very low motive,
but ii is very potent one with the ma
jorty Of people. Now. want to show
you that even on that low plane rcl-
gion has claims that no one can afford
10 ignore. Goodness is profitable for
the life that now Is as we'll as for that
which Is to come. Like Joseph. you
want to become prosperous man. and.
like Joseph. We all want to make the
best of our lives.
Wants to he Prosperous.
Every man, in the first place. wants
to he financially prosperous. This does
not mean that he necessarily wants to
he millionaire and have n private
yacht and palaces scattered all over
the country. like the Duke of Westmin-
ster, or wardrobe crowded full of
garments which ne can never wear out,
like the head Of the German empire,
who has a different uniform to CORE
spond with every regiment OF his army
and different uniform for every for
eign regiment and navy Of which he il
an honorary colonel or admiral. That
does not mean that he wants to go on
boarding up his gold until his wealth
becomes SO great that he does not
know where TO invest his surplus CAPT.
tai. But ii does mean that every man
wishes to be financially independent.
He wants to have home over his
head. He wants to be able to pay his
butcher and baker and clothier's bills.
He wants to be able to buy books.
When his family is sick he wants to be
able to hire a physician and nurse
and TO have the proper medicines and
delicacies for them. Now all these
financial blessings are associated with
the consecrated Christian life. As God
cared for Joseph and clothed him and
ted him and made 1t possible for him
to care for his loved ones, so God will
clothe and feed us and care for us II
We trust him and, like Joseph. do our
1,np As.A vvrt On k.AO