Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-12-15

Dredu TOT All anu 10 spare. Out or
your seven years OF plenty are you
helping TO care for any who are strug-
Cling I'm the seven years OF want? You
told me ouly the other day that you
made more money last year than any
three years OF your previous life An.
swer me now this question: During all
the months OF last year how many hun
CRY mouths did you feed which did
not belong to your own family? Fiji.
teen? Ten? Five? Two? Not one.
not one, My God. Can it be that we
are the selfish Dives, caring not for
the poor Lazaruses starving upon our
very doorsteps,
Joseph's Sacrifice.
Then picture the great prime minister
OF Pharaoh taking bis old father and
brothers into the royal court and intro
ducing them there as his relatives. ia
cob. the father. and Reuben and ST.
neon and Judah and the other brothers
were nothing but shepherds. With
their focks they were nomads. or al!
classes in Egypt the shepherd life was
despiscd the most. Yet when Joseph
went up in the world and made a sue
cess lie did not despise his family be-
cause they were living n humble life.
He said. IF prosper my family must
prosper" lie brought Jacob down TO
Memphis Just as he was. He said 70
the king "Pkaraoh. my father has
come IL Won honor me know YOU will
honor hliE also and LET him share with
me my prosperity Alb. II Is noble
sight tor a successful lawyer or doctor
or merchant prince not TO De ashamed
or bis father and mother because they
are country folks When Joseph went
up In life he used his success as a GO
rious means 20 lift all OF his family
My friends. are you and I willing 10 do
the samee
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 n powerful.
beautiful Norwegian legend told in ref.
erence 10 this law. Many years ago.
when Christ was upon earth. he was
supposed 20 have been wandering over
the Norwegian hills In the garb OF n
peasant. He came to the hut OF n 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 a small piece OF
dough and was about to hand 1t forth
TO Jesus and his companion when the
dough grew larger and larger and lar
ger. At once the woman put it down as
She said: Not this loaf. Il is too
large" Again she took Off another
nj nj
grew larger and larger, and she put 1t
down. She did thus thrice. Then she
turned and said: Stranger, / cannot
give you bread today. Go your way.
and God prosper you, but cannot help
you" With that the Lord Jesus Christ
revealed himself TO her and said: 1T
was who made the bread grow larger.
Now, for thy selhshness condemn
thee forever 10 the blight OF poverty.
Henceforth thou shalt seek thy food as
n bird, pecking between the bark and
the wood OF tree. Henceforth thou
shalt be called the Gertrude bird"
That, OF course. Is a mere legend, but Il
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 i'm his boun-
ty would multiply. we withhold. We
grudge him the wealth he has given MS.
and therefore he leaves us to learn the
truth OF The adage. There is that scat
tereth and yet increaseth, and there Is
that withboldeth more than Is meet.
and it tendeth to poverty"
But amid all his opportunities for do
ing 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. An
thony? Well, Joseph's temptations
were even worse. David upon the
housetop watching Bathsheba at the
pool was not in as great n moral dan
ger from 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 Men,
phis. We are standing under the shad-
ows OF mighty obelisks and temples
and pyramids which these men we see
about us have built and are building.
Yonder 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 Ire 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
ne has kept all his rugged northern
Hebrew beauty. In this country OF
lascivicusness- the wife OF Potiphar
wishes TO do with him as Cleopatra
did with her paramours. When this
evil woman cast her eyes upon this
youth he either had TO yield or In dis
grace leave the masters house and be
ENGAGED In dungeon. From affiuence
he was TO 80 to poverty, from honor
to disgrace. from a position OF power
TO wear conyicts garb. Aye. the
temptation was awful. But IL came.
And when 1t came Joseph's God was
the God OF his strength. Ny young
friend. Just as certain as you 60 up In
the world awful temptation Will come
wooing you. Her smile will be the
smile OF the enchantress. but her hand
will be the claw OF demon. You will
be face TO face with seeming annihila-
ton. And you must choose. Will the
God OF Joseph be your God in that aw-
full day?
Even the very best OF men have
these awful temptations thrust upon
them. Mr.. Mckinley In an address
before graduating class said that
short time after his election 80 congress
quite number OF young men wished
10 be appointed 70 West Point from
his district. He had almost decided
to send one young man there and had
told him so. Much TO his surprise, the
next day this young man sent him
letter inclosing ten $100 bills. Mr..
Mckinley was then comparatively a
poor man. At once he sent for this
young man. why did you give me
$1,000" he asked. Because" said the
young man. Il thought IL might offer
you that you would be more willing to
nominate me-" At once Mr.. Mckinley
gave the young man back his money.
He said: "Cnder 10 conditions will 1
now nominate yOn If Won ora ,,ntr,ta