Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-07-12
The meeting of Joseph and Jacob. We

Egypt and dwell there while the famine
| ragged in Canaan. | can hear the wagons
| rumbling outside the palace door. and Pha
raoh stands at his palace with Joseph be-
| side him. the ring upon his hand and
chain of authority about his neck. Wagon
after wagon passes away ladened with corn
and wheat and a change OF raiment. and
can see Jacob az he sits in front of his
home thinking of his absent sons and or
Joseph, l am sure, for whether our boys
go out to the ends of the earth or heaven
they never get away from us. Suddenly
he sees a cloud of dust in the distance, and
he knows that some one is coming. His
heart begins to beat rapidly when he i'm
agnes it to be lAs sons. When they are
near enough to cry out to him they ten
him. "Joseph is yet alive" 4: tais the old
man tainted, Bat when he saw the
him the spirit of Jacob their father re-
| vived." And he said. 1T is enough.
joseph my son is yet alive. I will go and
see him before | die" From all OF this
beautiful Old Testament incident l learn
these helpful lessons.
FIRST, the wagons have come for US,
bringing us the best blessings OF heaven,
containing change OF raiment. so that we
| need be clad no longer in the garments OF
our own righteousness. but IN the robes OF
| His Righteousness. In this garment there
| is the mark of the blood shed for orr re-
| demption and the reflection of the glory of
the throne of God. bringing us food to
cat that the world cannot give. and which
| ii a man eat he shall live forever.
Second. bringing US good news. These
| wagons shall come 10 us as they came to
| Jacob. The best of the news was that
| Joseph was yet alive. In the Old Tesla
| ment when the day OF atonement came the
| priest took off his garment of glory and
| beauty and clad in linen robes made his
way into the presence of the Ark of the
| Covenant. and then the service over he
| came out and put on again the garment OF
| glory and beauty, on the hem OF the robe
| OF which there was a golden bell. and a
| pomeg-anate the whole length of the hem
| round about. and Is he moved around the
| people heard the ringing OF the bells and
| knew that the priest was yet alive. Jacob
| knew that Joseph was alive because he
| saw the wagons. and we know that our
| Joseph is yet alive because of the bless
ings He Is showering upon Us and the
| peace which passeth understanding filling
our souls. and Jacob heard that Joseph
| himself would come to meet him. and one
day our Joseph shall appear. We know
not when that dav shall be. but the skies
| shall brighten with our coming Lord. and
when He comes we shall step into the cha
riot and be taken away from this earth to
heaven. Lord Jesus come quickly.
Third. the wagons took Jacob IN to his
| ost boy. and one day the wagon will come
lor US to take us up to or friends who
have gone from us. jacob did not think
of the Nile in Egypt. which he was to see.
put OF Joseph, and that is what heaven
IS to .rs. the presence OF Jesus. II He is
not there, there will be no music: il He IS
not there. there will be no glory: If He is
not there. there will be no JOY. but thanks
be unto God these wagons shall take us
M to meet our loved ones to whom we
! have said goodbye in this world, and that
will be JOY unspeakab!e.
III.
Home at last The end has come for
| jacob. His has been a great life, and his
! great fight. We scarcely appreciate him
until ne is going. We have looked upon
great buildings in process OF construction
and said, That is the greatest building
| in the CITY," but never until the scaffold-
ing is taken down do we appreciate the
| work CT the architect or the skill of the
men who carried out his plans. and now
that the scaffo!ding is being taken down
from about Jacob we see his real manhood.
Il shall be gathered to my people" he
said 10 those who were about him, and
that settles for me the question as to
whether we shall know each other in the
| other land.
| What is death O what is death?
lis siumber 70 the weary,
! IT'S rest 70 the for!orn.
| lis shelter To the dreary.
lis peace amid the storm.
lis the entrance to our home,
| lis the passage to that God
| Who bids His children come
| When their weary course is tred."
Fury me with my fathers" ne said,
Genesis 40: 1851. And he charged them.
| ard said unto them, | am to be gathered
| unto my people; bury me VITA my fathers
in the cave that is in the field OF Ephrcn.
the Hittite. In the cave that is in the
| field of Nachpelah. which is before Mamre,
in the land of Canaan. which Abraham
bought with the field of Ephron. the Hit
| tite, for possession of bury-olace.
| There they buried Abraham and Sarah,
| his wife; there they buried Isaac and Re.
bekah. his wife, and there | buried Leah"
and that must nave been great process
sion which started from Egypt to Canaan.
| can think of another procession little
like it: In 1881, not far from Luxor, a
| great find was made OF kings and queens
1t place called Del Ell Bahri For long
time the tourists had keen picking up
pieces OF jewelry and other valuabes
which the scholars knew belonged to the
kings and queens OF other ages. and at
last after much work 1t was found that
discovery had been mail OF the greatest
value, and when the representatives of the
| Government made their way to Del FL
Bahri they really found the mummy OF the
great Pharaoh and Others who we're bur
led with MN. lneSe BODIES were taken
ont of the place of hiding carried to the
Nile and hoated off 70 Cairo, and it is
said as the procession moved along the cell
ebrated river the Egyptians lined the bank
all the way to the city. threw dust into
the air. fell upon their faces and cried
aloud. Pharaoh the great has come again,
Pharaoh the great has come again" 1t
must have been like this when Jacob was
taken back to Canaan. Jacob. the great.
has come again. but at last they reach
the cave OF Machpelah, and they place
him there to rest. Abraham is there with
Sarah and Isaac with Rebekah and Jacob
with Leah, and there they shall wait until
the tomb is opened by the co-,ing of
Christ. and hand in hand they shaft go
! forth to meet Him. May God speed the
day.
The Estimate of u Man.
II 4 man be gracious and courteous to
| strangers, it shows that he is citizen o:
the world and that his heart is no island,
cut off from other lands. but a continent
that joins to them. If he be compassion.
ate towards the Affections of Others. it
| shows that his heart is like the noble tree