Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-05-03

The lesson for Sunday, May 8, may
be found in Gen. 80: 1926.
INTRODUCTORY.
Joseph's life, which beautifully
rounds itself up in this lesson OF to-day,
has in it some Striking intimations Of
the Christ life. His was verify the
power of risen life. Put into pit, a
grave, as it were, all beyond that vir-
tual burial seems to have been instinct
with the power of q divine resurTeo.
tion. Mans hand put Joseph into his
sepulchre. Gods hand raised him up
and set his feet upon rock and estab-
lished his goings They closed all
side-egress from the pit, but the way
up, taat was left open. That way
Joseph looked, and that way came his
heip. = s-s--.-5SlS-zI 80. - eesc4r
POINTS IN THE LESSON.
Joseph returned into Egypt" Con-
trast this august entrances with the
way In which Joseph first entered the
land.
OF Joseph it is said that he buried
his father; his brethr rem only went
with him to help. The chief dignity
is phis. Verify the first shall be last
and the last first
The brethren never did Joseph a
greater wrong than when they thought
OF him as being withheld from revenge
and retaliation only by the fact that
his father lived. What man Joseph
was before his fathers death he was
afterward. Uprightness is not thing
of within and emotion. 1t has to do
with an eternal principle which is from
God, with whom Is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
The brethren said he will certainly
requite us all the evil which we did
unto him." Return us is the original.
Such, indeed, is evil returning on ones
head, like the treacherous boomerang.
But the return that Joseph made was
of the gospel sort-good for evil. Sin
Astounding, grace much more.
The picture Of Joseph weeping is
moving one. They semitic ask him what
he would dowith them, reminding him,
necessarily, OF their iniquity. What
shall be his answer? See, he weeps. 1t
is enough. So wept Jesus at Bethany.
So wept he over Jerusalem. In those
tears are reflected the mercy and good
tears also in the words that dropped
from the cross, Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do"
And there lay the brethren PROSTATE
before him. 1t was not simply Joseph's
might that brought them subject; it
was his mercifulness, already deserted,
and coming now TO the full. Oh, the
most powerful thing in this universe,
to break hard hearts, is not force, but
forgiveness. forgiveness, indeed, is
force, the might of God. There is
forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest
be feared" Ps. 100: A. OF these
Paul gives intimation when he says
that "the goodness of God leadeth thee
to repentance" And a very strong
leading it is. The soul that resists it
is hardened, obdurate, joined to sin
and Satan. That cross of Christ does
not represent weakness. but strength,
for it is the very power of God unto
salvation. And SO. after all, Joseph
was here, as he says 1--WE prefer to rem
der it positively. CT. / Sam. =: 2S), "in
the place of God"-God's spokesman
and representative.
HINTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
Again we say it, it pays to serve
God. Blessed" says Christ, ARE the
pure in heart, for they shall see Cod"
Take it literally. Keep Gods mind
and see Gods face, or rather, see Gods
face, in his Word, and know Gods
mind. We need not wait till heaven
for it. Joseph did not. He walked
with God in purity of life and devo-
ton, and God walked with him in
peace and blessing. Believe it.
Blessed are the undetiled the pure j.
e., the single-hearted) in the way. who
walk in the law Of the Lord" Bring
blessedness Of such life. Get the
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This world is poor place for self: a
glorious place for denying self.
Saws Joseph Cook: the quality which
I admire most in man is size and SYM
metry OF soul.
In some way or other,
The Lord Will provide;
1t may not be my way,
II may not be thy way,
And yet In his own way
The Lord will provide.
The Lord reigneth. no man has got
ten beyond his power. There is de-
voted preacher laboring down town in
New York City to-day who, losing his
faith while at college. came to his
mother at last to say to her as he took
sail for America that the devotement
she had made of him as child to the
ministry could never be realized. Said
she, in solemn earnestness, MY son,
God and your mother have something
to say about that" Something to say
and something to do; for Gods hand
was on the young man for his service,
and in due time, though by hard and
devious ways, he was led back to his
mothers God and Gods service.
Thank God for this picture of Joseph,
the pure-hearted, clean-liyed man. It,
is needed to-day. Hold it up before
the young. For another sort OF living
has been conspiciously blazoned forth
before the world of late. A statesman
in high station, eminent before the
public, in his private life vile. unfaith-
full to the most sacred ties and obliga-
tions. And as II iniquity had not yet
gone far enough Tertullus is found
to foully advocate in behalf OF such Ii
centiOusness and infidelity, and to de-
clare that all men are more or less I'M
faithful and are to be condoned for it.
Perish the name of such barrister,
blind leader of the blind, foul apologist
of the foul. Men are not all vile.
There are some Josephs, many of
them, and by the grace of God there
shall be more. ~ w
May God give us more Josephs, and
bring them out splendidly into the
forefront: Josephs from the avenues,
Josephs from the streets and country
lanes. Men who keep faith with God
and hold themselves above the bondage
to world, flesh and devil. DR.. Wharton
says there are three classes in society.
"the slum, the scum, and the middle
L. Il