August 1

Genesis xli. — 14. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

17. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored; and they fed in a meadow: 19. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor, and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: 20. And the lean and the ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine; 21. And, when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22. And I saw in my dream; and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: 23. And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprang up after them; 24. And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me. 25. And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath showed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

27. And the seven thin and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he showeth unto Pharaoh. 29. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30. And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land: 31. And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33. Now, therefore, let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh; and let them keep food in the cities. 36. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land perish not through the famine.

Had Joseph been released from prison when the butler promised it, he might not have been thought of again, — might even have quit Egypt for his native land; but now the butler brought him to the notice of the king. It was according to the custom of the court that he should shave his beard and head before being presented to Pharaoh. The dream reflected

the peculiar features of the country. The river was the life of the land; the kine were a natural symbol of fruitfulness; the east wind, or Kamsin, suddenly wilts vegetation wherever it strikes it. The practical wisdom of Joseph marked him for statesman-ship of a high order: his years of solitary meditation and of communion with God had not been in vain.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 20, 47, 81.

Heavenly Father, we bless thee for the light of the morning: oh! lift upon us the light of thy countenance, that we may see thy glory in the sun, may feel thy presence in the breath of life, may discern thy hand in all the good that comes to us, may meet thy grace in thy holy Word. Oh for a heart to love thee, to praise thee, to serve thee, as we ought! Thou didst create us for thy glory; thou hast enriched us with thy bounty; thou hast redeemed us with the precious blood of thy Son; thou hast sent forth thy Spirit into our hearts to quicken us to a new life, that we might receive the adoption of children. Oh, may we feel that we are thy children, and be separate from the children of this world in our loves and hopes, our aims and joys! Disobedient and unthankful children we have been; and we confess our waywardness and our sin. Forgive us, we beseech thee, O

our Father! for Christ's sake; and help us this day to walk as children of the light, as children of heaven.

O God! thy watchful providence is over all our ways. We pray thee this day to deliver us from temptation, to defend us from evil. [Give to the children grace to serve thee in the morning of life; to be gentle, obedient, loving, and kind. May they grow up pure and holy!] Remember all dear to us; bless them in their hearts and in their homes. Visit, O Lord! with thy grace, the community in which we live. Bless thy Church here, and in our land, and throughout the world. Oh! send thy salvation to all people. We beseech thee to comfort the poor, the sick, the sorrowing, the dying; and O Lord! when heart and flesh shall fail us, be thou the strength of our heart, and our portion forever, for Christ's sake. Amen.