The Tupelo journal., 1905-12-01


left?"
Such was the state Of mind Of the
brothers as they drew near to the
Egyptian city. Their disquieted con-
sciences were busily at work and
breaking down their proud spirits and
bringing them nearer to real repent
ance than they had ever known before.
What would they not have given Ii
they could have undone the evil which
they had wrought, they thought; but in
the days to follow they were to learn
that marvellous truth that God over
rules the affairs of men and that even
the wrath of man and the evil which
he works may be made to praise Him
and to work out His purposes in the
world.
In accordance with his instructions
the chief steward at once notified Jo-
men from the east, and the governor,
dressed in his robes of state, fastened
from his home to the great warehouse,
where people came to buy grain.
With d%eferential air, and ~furtive, I'M
easy glance they enter the private
audience room, and as they come OPP
posite to where the governor is seated
they cast themselves down with their
faces to the ground, and wait for him
to speak and bid them rise. But after
the first glance at those ten PROSTATE
forms the governor sees them no more,
but before his eyes there comes the
vision of the long gone years when as
a boy he slept in the wheat field with
his brothers about him. He sees again
as wildly as on that night the sheaves
of his brothers fall down before his
own sheaf. which remains upright,
and a cry escapes his lips as he again
looks upon the men before him and he
realizes hat God has established their
identity. His first impulse is to throw
aside his robe and raise his brothers
to their feet and fall upon their necks
and kiss them, but something whis-
pers in his heart: NAY, that is not
Gods way. Unless you can win back
the hearts of your brothers through
true repentance, thy kindness will be
to their hurt and thy sorrow" So, re-
straining the yearning of his heart, he
sternly babe them rise and inquired:
Whence come ye?"
From the land of Canaan to buy
food"
Nay" sharply replied the governor.
''ye are spies. To see the n~akedness
of the land are We come"
mot so, my lord" they cried, trem-
bling and again falling down before
him, 1--WE speak truly when we tell thee
that to buy food are thy servants
come. We are - brethren, the sons
of one man in the land of Canaan;
and behold, the youngest is this day
with u father, and one is not"
Joseph's heart leaped within him as
he heard them speak of himself, whom
they thought dead. They reckoned
him among their number, even though
it brought the conviction of sin to their
hearts, but he must let God probe still
deeper, and so he exclaimed:
eye are spies, indeed. Hereby ye
shall be proved: By the life of Phar-
aoh We shall not go forth hence, ex-
cept your youngest brother come
hiIher. Send one of you, and let him
fetch your brother, and ye shall be
kept in prison, that your words may
be proved, whether there be any truth
in YOU; or else by the life of Pharaoh
surely We are spies"
And Joseph ordered them bound and
cast into prison, where for the space
of three days they were left to the
burden of their own thoughts and
their guilty consciences. Three days
of awful darkness and anguish. Three
days in which God probed deeper and
deeper into their hearts and made
them bitterly repent. And on the third
day Joseph came unto them and said:
IF We be true men, let one of your
brethren be bound in the prison, while
the others go and carry corn for the
famine of your houses. But bring
your youngest brother unto me; SO
shall your words be verified, and ye
shall not die"
And having thus spoken, the gov
ernor signified that the interview was
at an end by dismissing the inter-
prefer. and waited while they should
choose one of their number in accord
ance with his word. Then did they
begin to confess to one another their
faults, not knowing that Joseph un-
derstood them, saying:
1--WE are verify guilty concerning our
brother. in that we saw h anguish
of his soul, when he oesought us, and
we would not hear; therefore is this
distress come upon US"
Reuben broke the silence which fol-
lowed by the bitter complaint:
"Spake not l unto you, saying: Do
not sin against the child and We
would not hear? Therefore, behold,
also his blood is required of us"
And it was l who persuaded the
others not to yield to your %entreaty."
Simeon cried, struggling to his feet,
land it is | who will lie bound in
Egypt while We return home. And
NAV God have mercy upon me for my
sin and deliver me- And as he fin
ished speaking he signifed to the gov
ernor that he was the one to remain,
and the following day the others with
heavy hearts took their departure.
Then followed days OF anxious watt
ing and longing for Joseph, and they
vrora no Iocc dayS nj discipline for him