The commonwealth., 1905-10-06

nit, as he pondered his fathers last
words, that he must not be satisfied
with the present attainment. and that
II he was to possess the full blessing
of God he must go forward in faith and
obedience. And | WILL" he vowed
at last after an inward struggle But
as he resolved tnus TO walk with God
where He should lead. he did not real
ize the opposition and difficulties
which were to confront him. He had
not yet fully learned that the choos-
ing Of right course was only the
vestibnle TO higher attainment and that
it took courageous faith and the earn
|est conviction of settled purpose to
go steadfastly forward In spite of the
obstacles encountered in the way.
why should they go?' was the
united protest. "Was not the location
delightful? and did they not have all
that the heart could wish?"
"But would go to Bethel, there to
pay my VOWS to the Lord Who met me
in that place as fed from this land
and promised me His blessing. He has
brought my feet thither again, and
must needs return to Bethel"
Rachel was the first to yield to the
earnest pleading, and the others soon
gave reluctant consent to depart, and
few days later found Jacob proceed
ing southwark with his focks and
hnrAc nnH oil that hn haJ Int oc
they drew near to Shalem, city Of
| Shechem, Jacob listened to the en-
treaties and consented to rest there for
a season. But what he had intended
should be only short respite from
the journey heightened into the
months, and the months soon com
pleted the sum Of year. He had not
intended that 1t should be so, but as
is so often the case when one dallies
with duty and tarries by the wayside,
he gradually forgot his high purpose
and the place for which he had set
out, and though 1t did occasionally
trouble him, as the better promptings
came, he dismissed them with the
promise that soon he would depart.
Better remain while trade is so
good. We can go to Bethel later" ad-
vised Reuben, the eldest son, and with
him the Others agreed and Jacob,
after half-hearted protest, yielded.
"And tomorrow there is to be a
festiValin in the town." Reuben continued.
There will be big demand for the
finest of the cattle and the sheep for
the sacrifices and the feasting. How
foolish it would be not to make the
most Of it, ...
Jacobs brow clouded. The best Of
his cattle and sheep for sacrifice to
the heather gods, and for the feasting
Of those who bowed down to them?
But his protests were quieted by the
promise of the rich gain which would
be theirs, and the next day he watched
as his sons departed, trying to quiet
hil troubled conscience with the
thought that the tenth of all his in
crease would be the Lords, At the
last moment Dinah, after much
pleading, had won his consent to go
with the boys and witness the merry
making.
Not many days after this Hamor,
the prince Of the country and the
ruler Of Shalem, came with his son
Shechem to visit Jacob with the
ostensible purpose of Offering him a
permanent dwelling place there, but
| the real reason was that the young
man Shechem had seen Dinah at the
feast and, becoming enamored of her,
resolved that she should become his
wife. But his advances had been so
rebuffed by the brothers that he had
realized that only by subtlety could
he obtain his desires. On appealing
! to his father, the latter had thought
to win Jacobs favor by the offer of
| land.
Nay, I will not accept thy land ex.
cept | pay thee its value" replied the
wary Jacob. What is thy price,"
"a hundred pieces of silver would
but be its worth. but what is that be-
twixt thee and me? Take the land"
And Jacob weighed unto him the
hundred pieces Of silver, and while
they we're thus engaged with the bust.
ness in hand Shechem found oppor-
tunity to speak to the Winsome Dinah,
and her heart had gone out to the
handsome, noble-looking Hivite. She
knew the abhorrence with which her
people looked upon alliance with the
uncircumcised Canaanites, but secret
ly she resolved that she would favor
Shechem's suit And Jacob, all uncon-
scious of the shame and sorrow which
was gathering like a thick cloud about
his home, continued to dwell in con-
tentment before Shalem, Bethel un-
attained, and the sacrifices he had In.
tended to make there still unoffered
he sought to find comfort in the erec
tion of an altar to his God at Shechem.
He would offer his sacrifices there
Would it not do just as well after
all as IL he were at Bethel? Sum
moning all the family and the sery-
ants to gather on certain day for
the appointed service he prepared to
worship his God. Instinctively he
felt that the influence Of the peo-
pie of Shalem upon his family was
not of the best, but he tried to per
suade himself that the building of the
altar and the offering Of sacrifice
would somehow make things come out
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