July 29

Genesis 37:5. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren; and they hated him yet the more. 6. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7. For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field; and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words. 9. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11. And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying. 12. And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

13. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here Amos 1:14. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 18. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh! 20. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit; and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 21. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, Let us not kill him. 22. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

Though his mother's partiality for himself over Esau had brought him so much trouble in his earlier life, Jacob now fell into the same snare, and made a favorite of Joseph, the child of his old age. The vanity of the boy was encouraged by the coat of many colors in which his father decked him; and this made him an object of envy to his brethren. This spirit was kindled even to hatred by the childish exultation with which he told his dreams. His father, however, suspecting nothing, did not hesitate to put Joseph in the power of his brethren at a distance from home.

Jacob still retained his tract of land in the well-watered Vale of Shechem; and, when the pasturage around Hebron had dried up, he sent his flocks up to Shechem, about four days' journey. Joseph found them still farther to the north, — at a point near the southern edge of the great fertile Plain of Esdracion. He went among his brethren in the innocence of his heart; but the spirit of malice which they had indulged for years was now ripe for murder. So fearfully do evil passions grow, choking natural affection, honor, truth, and, for a time, even conscience itself. Let us beware of the beginnings of envy.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 56, 63, 91.

Our Father in heaven, we come to thee with wants which thou knowest far better than we, and for blessings which thou art more ready to give than we to ask. Thou hast kept us in the watches of the night from every trouble, sorrow, and alarm; thou hast given us refreshing sleep. And now we bless thee for the day, for life and health, for food and raiment, for home and friends, for means of education and of enjoyment, for means of occupation and of support, for means of improvement in the knowledge of thyself from thy works and thy Word, and for opportunities of doing good to others. Oh! grant us grace that we may use to thy glory the lives which thou didst give, and which thy mercy doth continually spare.

We acknowledge, O Lord! our unworthiness and our sinfulness, and beseech thee to pardon our transgressions and heal our infirmities. Help us this day to live aright. In the business of life

may we be diligent, faithful, true! and do thou, Lord, prosper the labor of our hands. In our intercourse with others, may we manifest the gentleness, the sincerity, the charity, of the gospel of Christ! May we be patient under trials, meek under injuries, firm against temptation, bold for the truth, zealous for thy cause! May we be kind to the poor, helpful to the suffering, gentle toward all men! [Give unto these children, O Lord! grace to serve thee in the morning of life, and in their thoughts and words, their studies and their play, always to please their Father in heaven.] Remember with thy mercy all our friends; visit with thy grace the homes of all who are dear to us. Build up, O Lord! thy Church; prosper thy kingdom in our land, and throughout the world. Ever guide, keep, and bless us. Bring us to the close of the day in peace, and to the close of life in a hope full of immortality, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.