Year: 1873

The Sale or Joseph Into Egypt and Com
fusion or His Brethren in His Presence
Conscience the Accuser and Judge OF
the Sinner-Sermon by Rev. DIR.
Vidavcr.


DR.. Vidaver addressed his congregation yester
day on the slavery OF Joseph in Egypt and the
confusion OF his brethren they stood before him
his sell-accused murderers. Their surprise can
scarcely be imagined when he said 81 am Joseph
your brother whom We sold INTO Egypt &C, and
with tears OF JOY he extended to them the hand Of
brothers love. They were completely overcome.
and we are told they could not answer him word.
What was 1t that made them tremDe in the pres
ence OF OF Joseph their brotherH 1t was that power
iul monitor which lives and acts in every mans
soul-conscience-and which on this occasion as
serted its authority and right in them and made
them turn aside from their own guilt-a guilt
which now became doubly greater in the presence
or him against whom they had sinned.
Conscience now awakened in them a remembrance
OF what they had done. 1t conjured up all their
past sins before their minds. Years had passed
since they committed the offences against their
brother and they had almost forgotten them.
Little did they think that day they would
stand in the presence OF that injured brother. But
here they stand before him, face to face Con-
science arises to accuse them and terrible, in
deed, Is its accusation. They trembie and fear
and quake before each other, while the tears and
CRIES or THAT INNOCENT BROTHER
come up before them, and the anguish which
almost rent their fathers heart stares them In the
face The blessed Creator has implanted in the
soul faculty whereby we may dstn guish right
from wrong, and this principle produces in us
lear OF punishment. 1t approves Of that which IS
good in us and abn0rs that which Is evil. When 1t
assumes the right thus to Judge OF motives and
actions it is called conscience. When Joseph's
brethren were thus thrown INTO his presence all
their evil deeds came up before them and they
said among themselves that all this trouble and
chastlsemenJ had come upon them because they
deserved 1t for their crimes. The dread OF punish
ment remained with them as long as they remem-
bered the sin they had committed. Conscience
brought In verdict OF guilty and pronounced the
Judgment OF condemnation against them. And
those who do such things haunted by day and
by night. He sees spectral appartl0n or all his
msdeeds thousand times this sense OF SIN and
fear OF punishment burns in the bosom OF the
whom we referred last Sabbath man of an in
famous life, who declared his fixed purpose to
destroy Israel and blot his name out Of the Book OF
Life. Look at him on his couchl He fears and
trembles like an aspen leaf. All his sins arise
before him and he acknowledges that all these
crimes committed against an innocent people.
The Doctor gave another Illustration also from
morse became a raving maniac Many
man tries to escape from this pursuer
which sits enthroned in his own bosom. Appeal
ing to the young men OF the congregation, he bade
them beware OF sinful lives; for they are thereby
selling their youth INTO worse than Egyptian cap
tivty 'Take care,' he said: '.you will find your
selves some day in the presence OF that youth, and
you will recognize it as your flesh and be con-
founded before it as you shall hear 1t say:-' am
Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.'' The Doctor
addressed some


WORDS OF WARNING ALSO TO PARENTS


who neglect the religious instruction OF their chill
dren, cOntenting themselves with merely intel
lectua or business education. They will one day
feel the pangs of conscience for this and confess,
as did Josephs brethren, unat they were verify
guilty OF their children's blood. There people
who shut their eyes against misery and sit In judg.
ment on the poor; but they do not go and help the
poor nor ask God why IL Is that they themselves
are better OIL. Obey that monitor IN your own
heart, said the Doctor. 1t is fashionable now
as IL always has been to administer moral NOR
phine to this monitor OF the soul; but 1t will awake
and assert It's authority. IL Is that prophet like
unto Moses, who was promised to be given to
men, and whom they should hear, because he lives
in their hearts. There Is path that leads to
garden OF poisonous weeds and whose end is mis-
cry. You may say you don't believe in conscience,
that man Is allied to the brute creation, and that
this life Is the beginning and the end or man. But
such sophistry and such philosophy are false. Man
Is made little lower than the angels that he may
be crowned with glory and honor, and a time VIII
come when


THE ANGEL IN MAN WILL SPEAK,


and blessed Is the man in whom II does speak and
who nearkens to Its voice. But to him who
turns away from 1t and VIII not listen to its tender
pleadings! Joseph's brethren could not answer
him. Inc ghost or their sins STOOD there before
Let us, said the Doctor in conclusion, beware that
we do not stand dumb before the eternal bar OF
Justice as Joseph's brethren stood before him; but
let US be able TO say that we have done what we
could, and have TO the extent OF our ability, obeyed
His WILL