The true northerner., 1894-05-04


has in it some striking intimations OF
the Christ life. His was verify the
power of risen life. Put into a pit.
grave, as it we're, all beyond that vir-
tual burial seems TO have been instinct
with the power of divine resurrec-
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, t nat was left open. That way
Joseph looked, and that way came his
help.
POINTS IN THE LESSON.
Joseph returned into Egypt" Con-
trast thi august entrance with the
way in which Joseph first entered the
land.
The brethren mover did Joseph a
greater wrong than when they thought
of him as being withheld from revenge
his father lived. What man Joseph
was before his fathers death he was
afterward. Uprightness is net thing
of whim 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 tn & Joseph made was
of the gospel sort-good for evil. Sin
abounding, grace much more.
The picture Of joseph we sping is a
moving one. They sent to ask him what
he would do with them, reminding him,
necessarily, o. their iniquity. What
shall be his answer? See, he weeps. 1t
Is enough. So wept Jesus at Bethany.
So WEI he over Jerusalem. In those
tears are reelected the mercy and good
ness of heaven. And were there not
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 Jo.ephs
might that brought them sub 'ect; it
was his mercifulness, already deserted,
and coming now TO the full. Oh, the
most powerful thing in this universe,
u 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" tPs. l30: a. OF these
Paul gives intimation when he says
that the goodness of GCd leade.h thee
to repentance. And a very strong
leading it is. The soul that resists it
is hardened, obdu ate, joined to sin
and Satan. THAI cross Of Christ does
not repre- ent weakness. but strength,
for it is the very power of God unto
salvation. Ard so, after all, 10 eph
was here, as he says I'VE prefer to rem
der it positively, CT Sam. 2: 2S, in
the place of GOd"-God's spokesman
and representative.
HINTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
Again we say it, it pays to se"ve
God. Blessed, says Oh ist, "are the
pure in heart, for they shall see Cod"
and see Gods face, or rather, see God
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-
tion, and God walked with him il
peace and blessing. Believe it,
Blessed are the undetiled the pure i.
c., the single-hearted) in the way. who
walk in the law of the Lord Bring
out instances of the real, practie al
blessedness of such life. Get the
testimony of the pilgrims on the way
This world is poor place for self; a
glorious place for denying self.
Says Joseph Cook: the quality which
| admire most in man is "size and sym.
metry of soul.
In some way CT 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 "a he took
sail for America that the devotement
SIZE had made of him as child to the
ministry could never be realized. said
she, in solemn ca,nes tness, MY son,
GCd and your mother have something
TO say about that" Something TO say
and something to do; for Gods hand
was on the young man FIR his service,
and in due time, though by hard and
devious ways, he was led back to his
mothers GCd and Gods service.
Thank Gcd for this pictGre of Joseph,
the pure-hearted, clean-lived man. 1t
Is needed to day. Hold it up before
the young. For another sort OF living
has been conspiciously tlazoned forth
before the world of late. A statesman
in high station, emirent before the
public, in his p. itate life vile. un'aith-
full to the most sacred ties and obliga-
tions. And as If iniquity had not yet
gone far enough Tertullus is found
to foully advocate in behalf of such Ii
centiousness and infidel.ty, and to de-
clare that all men are more or less un-
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 the .
shall be more.
Next Lesson-Isracl in Egypt. Ex.
i: LII.