Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1906-01-29
Calnnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. d.

Ing IS shown IN this sermon. Tor which
the preacher has taken as his text the
story OF Joseph in Genesis xxx, %
And he was a prosperous man."
did you ever stop to think how much
God appeals to the selfish motives Of
the children Of Israel in the Old Tesla
mentT' 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 a few weeks ago, with
my daughter, decided to start at the
first chapter of Genesis and go straight
through the Old Testament. Though
/ have read the Bible many times be-
fore, 1 was never struck with this fact
so much as during the last reading.
All through the Rentateuch and up to
the time Of Joshua and the Judges
God keeps saying: Follow me- and 1
will increase Your herds. Follow me,
and | will give you land. Follow me.
and l will make you powerful peo-
pie God seems to be appealing al
most entirely to mans self interest in
stead of to mans duty to make sacri-
fees for himn well" l said that is
so. | never thought of that matter be
fore. l anl2going to look into it."
When l went home l began to turn
the leaves vf my Bible, and I found
what my god friend said was literally
true. In dhat child age of the world
God wooed men as we WOO children,
to be god with promises of reward.
And he kept his promises. When the
childreniof 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 ali sorts. He seemed to say, "Obey
me and prosper" or, "Disobey me and
suffer.n He seemed to appeal to their
selfish motives in order to make them
Rs,3d And yet, as 1 sat in my study
a,fpbding over this thought, l said to
myself, lis it not possible to find the
4l1se of every mans actions and deeds
81 4 selfish motiveF
abraham Lincoln said, mo man ever
bid anything in life unless it was with
Aselfsh motive" One day when riding
brother lawyer he argued this question
by the way. At last as the two law
yers were passing a mudhole the flu
ture president saw a little pig strug-
Cling in the mud and about to be
drowned. Lincoln dismounted from his
. horse He waded through the mud,
picked up the little pig and placed it
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 a man does nothing but
with q selfish motive. What selfish
motive did you have in saving that lit
tie ptg?' My motive was purely a
selfish one" answered Lincoln. Il did
not want to go into that puddle and get
my clothes covered with mud any more
than you did. But 1 said to myself,
abe, if you don't save that pig you
will hear him squealing all night long,
calling for help, and you won't get a
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 at the bottom. 1t is
not always pity for the sufferer that
prompts the charitable gifts so much
as fear of the self upbraiding we would
have to endure if we refused to give
OF course that is a very low motive
but it is a very potent one with the ma
jority of people. Now, want to show
you that even on that low plane reli
gion has claims that no one can afford
TO ignore. Goodness is profitable fol
the life that now is as well as for that
which is to come Like Joseph, you
want TO become a prosperous man, and
like Joseph, we all want to make the
best of our lives.
Wants to Be Prosperous.
Every man, in the first place, wants
TO be financially prosperous This does
not mean that he necessarily wants to
be a millionaire and have a private
yacht and palaces scattered all over
the country, like the DukeNof Westmin-
ster, or a wardrobe crowded full of
garments which he can never wear out,
like the head of the German empire,
who has different uniform to CORE
spond with every regiment of his army
and a different uniform for every for
eign regiment and navy of which he is
an honorary colonel or admiral. That,
does not mean that he wants to 90 ON
boarding up his gold until his wealth
becomes so great that he does not
know where 10 invest his surnlus cant
tai. But it does mean that every man
wishes TO be financially independent.
lie wants 10 have home over his
head. He wants to be able to nav his
butcher and baker and clothier's billa
He wants 10 be able. to buy books
! When his family is sick hs wants TO be-
"a able to hire physician, and nurse
and to have tie proper medicines ant
deIieaeies for them. Now all thes,
financial blessings are associated Wit
the eonsecrated Christian life As Coz
cared for Joseph and clothed him ans
FED him and made it possible for hin