Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1906-01-29


dough and was about to hand it 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. 1t 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, l cannot
give you bread today. Go your way,
and God prosper you, but l cannot help
you" With that the Lord Jesus Christ
revealed himself to her and said: 1T
was | who made the bread grow larger.
Now, fol-. thy selfshness | condemn
tllee forever to the blight Of poverty.
Henceforth thou shalt seek thy food as
a bird, pecking between the bark and
the wood of tree Henceforth thou
shalt be called the Gertrude bird"
That, of course, is mere legend, but it
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 boun-
ty 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 scat
tereth and yet increaseth, and there is
that withholdeth more than is meet.
and it tendeth to poverty"
But amid all his opportunities for do
ing good Joseph was rich il 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 a moral dan
ger 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 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 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 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 affluence
he was to go to poverty, from honor
to disgrace, from position of power
to wear a convict's garb. Aye, the
temptation was awful. But it came
And when it came Joseph's God was
the God of his strength. My young
friend, just as certain as you go 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 a graduating class said that a
short time after his election to congress
quite number of young men wished
to be appointed to 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 a
letter inclosing ten 500 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 if 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: Under no conditions will l
now nominate you. If you are untrue
to your government now you will be
untrue to your government when you
wear the United States uniform That
was noble. That was brave and true.
But if you had been a poor congress
man would you have returned that
money? Perhaps not, unless, like Jo-
seph or like Major Mckinley, in your
public as well as private life you were
and are sustained by the saving grace
eof God.
Thus, my friends, feel that | am
speaking to some Joseph now in Poti-
phar's house. | know not what NAV
be the temptation which is imminent.
1t is black for you, awfully black. But,
be of good courage. Remember the
God of Joseph will be your God. You
may seem to be defeated and destroy
ed if you do the right now. But wrong
will not triumph in the end. Put your