The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-07-10

Bethel. lS TINS not LESSON ior soine ci 70
in these days, we have spiritually DEFINED
the mower that used to be ours, let US so
back to Bethel and pray as we used to
pray, read the Bible as we used to read 1t,
spend the Lords day as we used to spend
il, give ourselves to God again. doubt
not but that blessing will be ours without
measure. There are some other events
which we ought to keep in mind in the lie
of Jacob to appreciate the text. One was
the death OF Rachel as he came near to
Bethlehem. I have seen the tomb IN which
it is said her body was placed, and this IS
recorded in the 35th chapter OF Genesis,
the 18th to the 18th verses, And they
iourneyed from Bethel; and therc was but
a little way to come to Ephrath; and
Rachel Travelled. and she had hard labor.
And it came to pass as she was IN hard
labor that the midwife said unto her. Fear
not, thou shalt have this son also. And 1t
came to pass. as her soul was in depart
inr. for she died, that she called his name
Ben oni, but his father called him BenJa-
min And Rachel died, and was buried in
the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem"
The other was his loss of Joseph. For
twenty years he had mourned him. There
are some cries that are crushed out OF his
heart which enable US to see and under.
stand his grief, as, for example, =! shall
90 down to my grave mourning, and
again, Me ye have bereft of my children.
Joseph is not, Simion is not and now you
will take Benjamin from me-"
II.
The meeting of Joseph and Jacob. We
are familiar with the story of Josephs rev.
elation of peace to his brethren and now
at Pharaoh's suggestion the wagons were
sent for the old man and all his loved ones,
that they might come into the land OF
Egypt and dwell there while the famine
ragged in Canaan I 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 change Of raiment, and !
can see Jacob as he sits IN front OF h1s
home thinking Of his absent sons and OF
Joseph, am sure, for whether our boys
60 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
ne knows that some one is coming. His
heart begins to beat rapidly when he i'm
agines it to be his sons When they are
near enough to cry out to him they ten
him. "Joseph is vet alive" Ar this the old
man tainted. ttBut when be saw the
wagons which Joseph had sent to carry
him the spirit of Jacob their father re-
vived." And he said. at is enough:
joseph my son is yet alive. l will go and
sec him before die" From all Of this
beautiful Old Testament incident / 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
ha olo in
our own righteousness, but IN the robes OF
His righteousness. In TINS garment there
is the mark of the blood shed for our re-
demption and the reflection OF the glory OF
the throne of God, bringing rs food to
eat that the world cannot give, and which
if man eat be shall live forever.
Second, bringing US good news. These
wagons shall come to US as they came to
Jacob. The best of the news was that
Joseph was yet alive. In the Old Testa.
ment when the day Of atonement came the
priest took off his garment of glory and
beauty and clad in linen robes made his
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
pomeg-anate the whole length of the hem
round about and as 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,
Third, the wagons took Jacob up to his
lost boy, and one day the wagon will come
for US to take US up to our friends who
have gone from Us. Jacob did not think
of the Nile in Egypt, which he was to see,
but of Joseph, and that is what heaven
is to us, the presence of Jesus. If He is
not there, there viii be no music; if 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 rs
up to meet our loved ones to whom we
have said goodbye in this world, and that
will be joy unspeakable.
Home at last. The end has come for
Jacob. His has been great life, and his
until he 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 of the architect or the skill of the
men who carried out his plans, and now
that the scaffolding is being taken down
from about Jacob we see his real manhood.
II shall be gathered to my people" he
said to those who were about him, and
that settles for me the question as to
whether we shall know each other in the
other land.
BURY me with my fathers" he said,
Genesis 40: 29-3l. "And he charged them,
and said unto them, am to be gathered
unto my people; bury me with my fathers
in the cave that is in the field Of Ephron,
the Hittite. In the cave that is in the
field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre,
in the land of Canaan, which Abraham
bought with the field of Ephron, the Hit
tite, for a possession of a bury.place.
There they buried Abraham and Sarah,
his wife; there they buried Isaac and Re;
bekah. his wife, and there I buried Leah,
and that must have been q great process