August 17

Genesis xlv.—1. Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me; and there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

2. And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

3. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph: doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

4. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you; and they came near. And he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

5. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life.

6. For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and yet there are five years in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

7. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and he hath made me a father to Pha-

raoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

9. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me; tarry not.

10. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast;

11. And there will I nourish thee (for yet there are five years of famine), lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

12. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.

13. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste, and bring down my father hither.

14. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

15. Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him.

The attempt has been made to dramatize the story of Joseph, and to produce it upon the stage with the accessories of scenery and music; but to portray it, to expand it, even to comment upon it, is to take away its charm. We see magnanimity triumphing over meanness; generosity requiring envy and malice; the man who had become so great in wisdom and in power showing himself greater still in love; but, above all, we see the spirit of piety honoring God in all the events of life, and dictating forgiveness toward men for injuries which God had turned to blessings. Up to the time of his sudden exaltation, each particular event of Joseph's life had seemed to tell against him; everybody was his enemy; and yet all things were working together for his good! Who would not trust and magnify the Lord, who

holds all the complicated threads of life in the guiding hand of love? But, like Joseph, we should retain under all circumstances purity of life, simplicity of faith, integrity of character. The promise of God to Abraham would be best fulfilled by the removal of Israel into Egypt. Had the family of Jacob remained in Canaan, they or their descendants might have become separated in their interests, corrupted in their faith, and finally absorbed in the native population. Removing to Egypt, and dwelling compactly, they grew to be a nation. But to remain in Egypt would be to frustrate the covenant; and so, when they had become strong enough to take permanent possession of Canaan, they were dislodged from Egypt by oppression, and led forth to the land of promise.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 96, 124.

We thank thee, O Lord! for thy watchful care over us, and for all thy bounty towards us. Grant that we may show our thankfulness to thee, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by daily endeavoring to do such things as are pleasing to thee.

We bless thee that in thy holy Word thou hast made known to us thy will and thy love. Teach us to hide its truths and precepts in our hearts, that we may not sin against thee. Teach us also to read thy love in all thy works, and in all the ways of thy providence.

Lord, preserve us this day in body and soul. Be pleased to grant us health and strength, that we may rightly fulfil the duties of our different stations; and do thou keep our hearts steadfast in thy

fear. Hold up our goings in thy paths, that our footsteps slip not. In word and deed may we seek to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, and to prove ourselves thy true disciples! May our light so shine before men, that they, seeing our good works, shall glorify thee, our heavenly Father, and desire to be numbered with thy children!

[May these children confide in their heavenly Father, who watches over the sparrows! and, oh, may they fear to sin, remembering that wherever they are, and whatever they do, the eye of God is upon them!]

We commit ourselves to thy care for the coming day. May we act as in thy presence, and do all this day to thy glory! Hear us, we beseech thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.