But the quietude of his shepherd life was mot the preparation necessary for the fulfilment of his dream-shadowed destiny.—Not the education that would form the man who could withstand the temptations of Egyptian life, in its great cities, and amid its civilized peoples.—Not the education that would form the ruler whose duty would be to discern the course of safety in an hour of national peril, and steadfastly carry out the task committed to him.
All ti is could not be gained among the tents of Jacob hi: father. It must come through trial, and be forged in the fires of bitter exp rience.—And so a great and startling change is forced upon him—a con plete revolution in his manner of life; a change that seemed to forbid the fulfilment of that dream prophecy, must have tempted him to doubt its reality. He is sold into Egypt as a slave, and then cast int prison, and that, through his ver fidelity to God. In the gloom and monotony of the prison, and as his captivity drags on year after year, it must have been hard to hold fast his belief in God's faithfulness, and more especially so, since his very affliction had arisen from his obedience; and most hard to keep the promise clearly before him, when his surroundings and limitations and responsibility, may teach us all lesson. Like Joseph, many of us may be called upon to bear many great and seemingly unnecessary difficulties. We may have been on the, threshold of attaining some cherished ambition, and then, like Joseph, from ruler of the household of the Captain of the Guard, we fall back, and all our striving and carefulness seem to have been wasted effort. We are apt to become discouraged. when one hindrance after another blocks our way. But this story teaches us that hindrances may be Stepping stones to higher things.
One might almost say that if one of Joseph's misfortunes had been mitted his good fortune would not ave come, If his brethren had not hated him—it he had not been sold: if he had not been imprisoned—he would never have reached his post of authority, and been saviour of his family, Not one thread in the tapestry could have been withdrawn without spoiling the pattern. And perhaps one day we will come to see that we cannot afford to lose one of our sorrows, or one of these which now seem so inexplic-For as one has well said, e would be no summer unless winter had gone before. There is a bud or a fruit for every snowflake, and a bird's song for every howl of the storm."
But not only is our God faithful, He is Almighty, and He is on the throne ruling over all. He is, as we aid in our prayer for the King, a w. moments ago, King of Kings, and Lord of L Not only is he supreme as cre: or, but that which he has created, he sustains b; his divine providence. He directs and controls, and sustains—and when man's self-will mars that had planned, he over-rules, and brings good even out of our mistakes and failures.
Doing our Best And plainly too does the story teach us the lesson of doing faithfully and to the very best of ability, the work that falls to lot, It may be humble, it may seem insignificant and unworthy, but it may be a vital link in the chain of God's purpose. Let us remember that Joseph was prepared for the administration of a kingdom by his oversight of Potiphar's household, and learnt patience and endurance by the prison routine. We may be sure that he made the most of every opportunity. We know that by his cheerfulness, willingness and de bendability, he won his way into the hearts of all in the prison. Temptutions abounded, not only in Potiphar's house in the prison, but he fought against them, and in that very resistance his character was being slowly built and matured as iron is consolidated by heavy hammers.
And we shall find that to resist temptations, no matter how easily circumstances seem to excuse them— to do-modestly and with all our might whatever work comes our way, to be content to look after a prison, even if we have dreamed of the sun and moon bowing to us—is the very finest apprenticeship for whatever God has in store for us And then we shall do well to mind ourselves that outward ssu is not God's best gift. It was bette: to be Joseph who deserved a high place, than to have the place. The character which he had acquired by patience and faith, and self-control. as much more worthwhile than all the trappings which Pharoh put upon him—the right to ride in the second chariot of the kingdom and to command the applause the people.—And such a character is always the reward of patience and faith and self-control, whether chains and would be a constant temptation to him to regard his boyish hopes as idle and impossible dreams. But he refuses to be discouraged. He keeps his trust in God's faithfulness in spite of all that would seem to deny it rewarded his faith with deepening sense of. his s We are told The Lord was with Joseph in the prison." chariots are added or not tle need be s in the story—hi went throughout the land of Egypt
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.