The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-11-03
SATURDAY. MIGHT
SERMONSSlEzAAo
BY.::Z%HE&NSs
IL.y-iiN&i
REySAMUELW. PURyISD.D
THE GOD or THE LUCKY

toilcd while other slaves slept. He
looked after Potiphar's affairs. while
the other slaves looked after them
selves. He busted himself lettering
the prison, while others busted them
selves trying to break out. There are
plus and minus people. Joseph was
plus. Still God and man said Joseph
was "a lucky fellow"
One ought to define luck" THAT
which chances to II person for good or
H." But when you say chance you
confess ignorance. The very dip OF the
coin Is governed by nerve. muscle,
thumb and brain that flip 1t. IL you
could calculate the mental and physi-
ical forces between the coins leap and
return you could buy the world. But
you can't. And It's Just that bit OF
ignorance we call "chance." II boy
hated to saw wood land OF the load OF
pine, hickory and beech most OF the
pine fell to his brothers side, and the
hard, knotty wood fell to him, he
would say he had bad luck. Neverthe-
less there would be n cause for the
wood so falling. If. however. the
boys father had so stacked the wood
that the pine fell to one and the
hickory to another, because one was
better fitted for his lot than the other.
the word "chance" would have no
place there. If one sawed wood while
the other taught his dog to balance n
chip Of wood on his nose there might
be still another reason.
Tho Luck of Having a Job.
Joseph's good luck was in having an
opportunity of demonstrating his fit
ness for doing large things by faith
fulness to small things. He had the
luck of being a servant. That was
his chance Every fellow who has n
Job has a chance. Don't think for
moment that things went smooth and
without opposition. There were court
intrigues and high officials, who en-
We'd him and tried to knife him on
the sly. Let's admit for the mo-
ment that there's 'luck." Well, to
Joseph 1t broke wrong" He was
sold slave. Blessed Is the man
whom misfortune doesn't sour. II our
Ill luck makes us sour we're 'goners."
II we are brave and smile things start
to "come our way" Some men are
Graded on feathers, some on rocks
Bunyan in Bedford Jail was better Off
than the king OF England. John the
Baptist In dungeon at Machaerus cas-
tie was in better 'luck" than Herod
on the throne. though the former was
beheaded. Franklin munching his
penny roll on the streets of Philadel-
phia looking for job, George w.
Childs wheeling his barrow when the
other boys had gone home, the New
York judge who rammed paving
stones on the street to get money to
make start are instances of hard
luck" When some official pushed
stumbling block in Josephs way he
stepped up on 1t. A postal clerk in
| Washington got bounced" had saved
800. worked his way to Japan. start
ed there postal system and got SILL
600 year.
| A Bible Cindereila7
No; no magic or miracle about It.
HE had n pulp" Yes, In sense.
He took his i'll luck-i e.. his brothers
envy. fathers foolshness. boyish van
| ity, love Of money, a woman's lust. ~
ing lips, an ungrateful buffers forget
fulness. despot's caprice, troubled
dreams and ignorant magicians. strung
them together into a rope to pull"
himself to the throne next to Pharaoh.
He was faithful" the book says. In
this shoddy age, shoddy clothes. shod-
dy ideas. shoddy morals. faithful"
needs emphasizing. He had a clear
record. Remember John B. Coughs
last words-"Young man, keep your
record clear" No skeleton in his souls
closet no Banquos ghost; no Belshaz-
Ears fear OF shadows; no Macbeth cry
ing "Out. damned spot" And in pros
perity? Adversely develops character;
prosperity demands It. Weight of pris-
on may be lighter than weight Of pow
er. Flowers that bloom under snow
wlther under sun. From slave pen to
throne was but a night; prison rags
to palace robe. fetter of iron to chain
of gold. bed of straw to couch Of down
all in a day? No: it took lifetime.
Tho Essence of Luck.
The great word in Joseph's vocabu
larry was not luck" but God" No
accident to him that The Lord was
with Joseph" Joseph was with the
Lord. Gods hand was on the helm OF
his life. He acknowledged God. as did
Captain Philip on the deck of the Tex
as after battle OF Santiago. like Grant
declining royal reception in Europe on
Sunday. like Victoria telling Indian
princes secret Of her empires power
was the Bible. Joseph found Gods
will and went that way. He looked at
his difficulties through God. not at God
through his difficulties. Commit thy
way unto the Lord: trust also in him
and he shall bring it to pass" was the
first article in his creed. section one in
his constitution. His disappointment
were Gods appointments. He saw God
In slave pen, prison. temptation. be
fore Pharaoh Them that honor me
I will honor" Joseph was true to God.
God to Joseph. The secret OF his sue.
cess was God. Get that. friend? THE
Lord was with Joseph. and he was
lucky fellow" His was the God OF