The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-17

must prosper" He brought Jacob down to Memphis just as he was. He said to the king: Pharaoh, my father has come If you honor me I know sou will honor him also and let him share with me my prosperity" And, it is a noble sight for successful lawyer or doctor or merchant prince not to be ashamed of his father and mother because they are country folks When Joseph went up in life he usad his success as a glorious means to all of his family. My friends, are sl willing to do the same?
 But the trouble is with many that when we begin to get much then we are apt to draw away from those we ought to help. There Is a powerful, beautiful Nor wegian legend told in reference to this law. Many years ago, when Christ was upon earth. he was supposed to have been wandering over the Norwegian hills in the garb of a peasant, He came to the hut of a poor woman who was kneading bread Give us of your bread for the love of Christ" said the traveller. With that the poor woman took small piece of daugh and was about to hand it forth to Jesus and his companion when the dough grew larger and larger and larger. At once the woman put it down as she said: Not this loaf. It is too large" Again she took off another small piece, and again the small piece grew larger and larger, and she put It down. She did thus thrice. Then she turned and said Stranger, cannot give you bread today Go your way, and God prosper you, but I cannot help you" With that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to her and said: Tt was 1 who made the bread grow larger. Now, for thy selffshness I con demn thee forever to the blight of poverty. Henceforth thou shalt seek thy food as bird, pecking between the bark and the wood of tree. Henceforth thou shalt be A.. is mere legend. but 1t Is legend which describes the acts of many of our own lives Like the poor Norwegian peasant are we. The little we might give, which God In his bounty would multiply we withhold. We grudge him the wealth he has given us and therefore he leaves us to learn the truth of the adage. 'There is that scattereth and yet inereaseth. and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty"
 But amid all his opportunities for doing good Joseph was rich in Gods grace, which helped him resist one of the darkest temptations which could ever enter mans life. You have read the legend of the temptation of St. Anthony? Well, Josephs temptations were even worse. David upon the housetop watching Bath sheba at the pool was not as great a moral danger from a human standpoint as was the hero of my text. Let me describe to you the scene.
 Rich in Grace.
 We are in the great capital of Mem- phis. We are standing under the shadows of mighty obelisks and temples and pyra- mits which these men we see about us have built and are building. Wonder are the great harvest fields where they grow the richest grain in the world. Here are the slaves at work. Joseph, the poor slave boy. has worked his way up until today he Is the right hand man of one of the chief potentates of Pharaoh's court. But as he has gone up in life until he has become manager of his masters estate he has kept all his rugged northern Hebrew beauty In this country of lasciviousness the wife of the Potiphar wishes to do with him as Cleopatra did with her paramours