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THE K I NG' S BUS I NESS over us?” or “ shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?” (Gen. 37:8), and afterward they said, “ Come, let us slay him and cast him into some pit and we will see what will become of his dreams.” (Gen. 37:20). Well, now they are to see. They bow before him with their faces to the earth. Once, they ate bread while he languished in the pit. Now they come to him to buy bread to keep themselves from perish ing. They sought diligently to make impossible the fulfillment of his dreams, and no doubt often jested together as the days passed and wondered in what position of slavery the dreamer was, and what he thought of his dreams. Joseph was looked upon as a spy by his brethren and now he is their judge. They did not know him, but he knew them. They stood in his presence and claimed to be true men, and yet they said “ one is not.” Where was he? And then their guilty consciences forced from their lips the awful confession, “ we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.” If twenty years will not efface the guilt of such a sin, by what process of reasoning do men come to believe that a thousand years will blot out the re membrance of their sins? Will the sin ner ever be able to rid himself of the sense of that awful guilt, the rejection of the pleading Christ, who with pierced hands outstretched has said to them over and over again, “ Come unto me?” Twenty years have failed to bring these men any rest of conscience, and twenty thousand years will not serve to quiet the consciences of those who refuse the tender entreaties of the Saviour. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) The revelation of Jesus will strike terror to the rebellious with the words, “ I am Jesus,. whom thou persecutest.” (2) Safety for the saints is in Jesus.
how he charged his brethren to tell his father of the glory that was his, so that Jacob might have no fear, either. HI. Joseph Reconciled to His Brethren, vs. 14, 15. It was not that anything in Joseph’s heart had come between him and his brethren. The barrier was in their hearts, not his. It was their misunder standing that had to be cleared away. See 2 Cor. 5:20. Now as they looked on the powerful ruler, and heard his kindly words, and saw the loving tears that ran down his face, they realized how they had misunderstood him and misjudged him. His boyish dream about the Sheaves had come true, and yet, here he was bestowing large blessings upon them, instead of lording it over them, as they, in their unkindliness, thought he would do. Tears, in his case, were not a sign of weakness but of strength. Did not the God-man weep on the way to Lazarus’ tomb? Note also that he planted a kiss of peace on the faces of the men who had mocked him. How it must have burned! Note in closing the long talk that they all had together. It was a time of real fellowship, and they had much to talk over.' When the sinner has been recon ciled tp God, and has come to under stand the one whom he had so persist ently misunderstood, what real fellow ship there is? Are you enjoying that fellowship now? , Sowing and reaping is the heart of this lesson. Twenty years seems a long time to wait for the fulfillment of a boyish dream. JUst to wait and not to attempt to force its ful- HEART OF Ailment,— just to wait THE LESSON and have all the cir- PRACTICAL cumstances of his life POINTS seemingly give the lie to the prophecy of his elevation— this was Joseph's task, and now the guilty men are in his presence. They had said “ Shalt thou indeed reign
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