Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-04-13
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON III, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL is.

Text of the Lesson, Gen. xxxvIi, 1886
Memory Verses, 26-9S Golden Text,
Gen. |, 2O-Commentary by tho Rev. ID.
NJ. stearns.
% And 1t came to pass when Joseph
was come unto his brethren that they
/ stripped Joseph out of his coat" Being
sent by his father, he went forth cheerfully
/ to see if it was well with his brethren. but
when they saw him coming they determin-
ed to kill him oversees 10, IA. 1920 How
suggestive of the Jews hatred of Jesus,
their brother who came seeking their wei
fare (Math. xxi, 3S; xvii, u! They stripped
Him to mock Him, and when crucified
/ parted His garments among them (Math
xvii, 2s, 3d.
"a And they took him and cast him in
to pit and the pit was empty: there was
no water in it," Compare Zech tx, II and
contrast the miry pit in which jeremiah
was put (Jer. xxxviii, g.. The sinners de-
| liverance from sin is compared to being
taken from horrible pit and miry clay all
/ having his feet placed on a rock Fps xl, o.
% And they sat down to eat bread"
] When the decree had gone forth to kill all
/ the Jews, it is written that the king and
Hannah sat down to drink Olsth ill., 49,
When they crucified Jesus, it is said that
Sitting down. they watched Him there"
| (Math. xvii, 36) The question of Jere
miah concerning the sorrows of Jerusalem
as it nothing to you, all we that pass by?"
/ liam. i, l2) should come home to all who
are Indifferent to the sulTerngs of Jesus.
&C. And Judah said unto his brethren
/ What profit is it if we say our brother and
conceal his bloodY" This same Judah long
afterward became surety for Joseph's broth
or n n ION " q. vii t.
was from him that the Messiah the great
deliverer, came in the fullness of time q
Chron V, ?; Heb viii ~. They might CON
ceal Joseph's blood from his father, but
like Abel's it would cry to God Gen iv, lO)
"a Come and let us sell him to the Ish-
maelites, and let not our hand he upon him.
for he Is our brother and our flesh. And
his brethren were content" Thus Judah
saved his brother from death and his breth
rem from actual bloodshed See how one
can influence numberl One with God can
chase thousand (Deut. xxi, 3O).
%. And they drew and lifted up Joseph
out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ish
maclites for twenty pieces of silver, and they
brought Joseph into Egypt" Thirty pieces
of silver was afterward in Israel the value
of slave lex. xxi 32) This was the price
at which they valued Xechariah, the proph-
saviour Czech. ri, II; Math. XVI, ID. Some
people today seem to sell Jesus for the ver
est triles-that is, they do not care what
becomes of Him or His cause, if only they
can be gratfied.
4 80 And Reuben returned unto the pit
and, behold Joseph was not in the pit. and
he rent his clothes" 1t was Reuben who
first persuaded the other brothers not to
Kill Joseph, but to cast him into a pit.
thinking that he might, unobserved, get
him out and rest ore him to his father OVERSEES
81, 22). Reuben was the oldest of all the
brothers, he and Judah being both sons of
Leah Gen. xxx, 30, 3d. He had heart to
save his brother, but not the power to de-
liver him from those who hated him. He
was evidently absent when Joseph was sold.
80 And he returned to his brethren and
said, The child is not, and |, whittier shall
| goY" The same phrase is used concerning
the absent in chapter Xiii, 10, 80, and Jer
XXI, 10 W nat Il contrast IN that glorious
name of Jehovah, II am lex. iii, IA!
Whether in the body or out of the body, if
we are only identified with Christ, we can
never he said not TO be- for He Is our life.
and because He lives we live (John xiv. lg
The anguish of JoSeph's soul as he besought
his brothers not u sell him is spoken of in
chapter xiii, 81
81. And they took Joseph's coat, and
killed II kid of the goats, and dipped the
coat in the blood" Since the day that AID.
am sinned it has been sorrow and suffering
and death all along the line, and will be
TIL lie shall come again who, when He first
came, bore our griets and carried our sor
rows, and in His own body bore our sins on
the tree lisa. lii, 1; / Pet ii, pa While the
blood of a kid stained Joseph's coat it was
Jesus own blood that soiled III garments,
even the blood from that poor scourged
back and thorn crowned head But the
day comes when His enemies blood shall
stain His raiment lisa. lii, 3, ~
81 And they sent the coat of many
colors, and they brought it to their father
and said, This have we found; know now
whether it be thy sons coat or no." Jacob
was truly their father after the flesh, but
they were making it very plain that they,
like their descendants long afterward, had
another father, even he who is the father of
all liars and murderers John viii, A.
49, And he knew il and said, 1t is my
sons coat; an evil beast hath devoured him;
Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. ="
There was no chemical analysis TO prove
that the blood On that coat was not human:
there was no son honest enough TO tell the
facts III the case, and SO Jacob must be al.
lowed TO think that his much loved son was
actually slain, and for 20 years he believed
the same txliv, 2S) What an evil beast is
envy and hatred, true children of the roar
ing lion Il Pet. V, 81!
3D. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put
sackcloth upon his loins, and nlourned for
his son many days" Whatever we SOW we
reap. Jacob had sown the wind and was
reaping the whirlwnd (Gal. vi. 4 Hos viii,
y. He had cruelty deceived his father and
lied to him Chapter xvii, pa, and now he
was reaping terrible harvest. This prin-
ciple of retribution is seen continually and
enough of it TO make all but the most hard.
ened believe that God means what He SAYS.
30. And all his SONS and all his daugh-
tiers rose up to comfort him, but he refused
to be comlorted, and he said, For will 20
! down into the grave unto my son mourn
ing; thus his father wept for him" How
many daughters Jacob had we are not told.
One, Dinah, is mentioned by name (xxxiv,
u. We can understand how they might
Iincerely try TO comfort their father, but
how these lying sons could comfort him is