God grant that this faith with its consequent confidence may be ow constant experience as it was the confidence of this man of old; that me day long, presence of God.—and in that con-our will What It Meant Now in the time at our disposal this evening, let us look more closely at what that consciousness of God's presence at all times. meant to Joseph. Let us consider it, that we may more earnestly seek it for ourselves.
And first of all we see that the consciousness of that divine presence, with "him, brought comfort to him in his hours of loneliness. Few men are called upon to travel lonelier road than that which was the lot of Joseph, for the frst twenty years after "he left his father's house. Again and again he seemed to stand all alone, deserted by all. That scene at Dothan rises before us—Stripped of his coat of many colours, he is lowered into the pit in the wilderness, and there in the dark verminous pit, the cruel brothers leave him all alone. And then He is sold to the Midianites, and the lad, born and reared on the open range, is carried away into a strange land, where he serves as a slave in one of the great cities of Phatoh; How lonely he must have been there, surrounded by strange faces, with a strange language and religion, He serves faithfully, but is unjustly accused and cast into the dungeon.
Three years pash Once a ray of hope lights his way, when his friend and fellow prisoner is released and restored to dignity and power,—but he forgets Joseph: Fourteen long weary years pass, and he seems to be utterly forgotten. Alone, but not alone.—for "The Lord was with Joseph in the prison" and this consciousness df the presence of God made his loneliness bearable.—Indeed it was loneliness no longer. In that companionship he can triumph over disappointments, he can be cheerful in adversity.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.