Earlier text: GOD’S LOVING-KINDNESSIs It a Benefit to Humanity?
Is It a Benefit to Humanity?
BEYOND a doubt Mr. Roosevelt's motives were laudable. He earnestly desired to serve the cause of humanity by bringing to an end the fearful waste of human life and energy in Manchuria. But to the Russian masses the cost of his benevolence is incalculable. In the abasement of the autocracy alone lay the assurance of liberty for the people. By his personal intervention Mr. Roosevelt rescued the czar from deeper humiliation and disaster, and snatched from the hands of his subjects their most effective weapon. It was a stroke of high statesmanship on Mr. Roosevelt's part. No ruler in Europe dared undertake what he carried through with dazzling success. His prestige has been immensely augmented. But whether he consulted expediency or loftier principles, the effect of his mediation is nothing short of calamitous to the Russian people. By no single act has Mr. Roosevelt ever done so much toward perpetuating despotism and preventing liberty. Despotism would not yield except through terror. In its hour of peril it was comforted and fortified, and instead of being ruled by the laws of human rights, Russia is again left at the mercy of a self-willed and capricious czar.7 Well-meaning as Mr. Roosevelt was in his policy of peace, he served absolutism as none of the czar's servants had been able to do.—New York World. Another Fight against Graft.
MILWAUKEE is in the midst of a fight against the municipal graft, and much remains to be done if it is to be made a successful one. The grand jury has reported indictments against twenty-four persons, who are accused of various forms of public corruption. It declares that civic corruption and bribery have been rampant in Milwaukee, and that most outrageous perjury was committed by witnesses who gave testimony before that body. It is to be hoped that the prosecution of those who have been brought within the range of the courts will be thorough and searching. One good feature is that there have been indictments for perjury, as well as bribery, in connection with a street railway franchise.—Springfield Republican. WHY and whence we come, why and whither we go—we can not answer. Religion alone can free men's minds from doubt, worry, and the strain of a questioning effort that can bring no response. Science tries its wisdom and fails. There is talk of chemical combinations that “produce life automatically,” and further talk of destructive organisms within the organism that end, eventually, the life that they have protected. Energy and matter, the childish scientists tell us, produce life in some more or less accidental and inevitable way. They simply talk pseudo-scientific drivel around the puzzling questions of existence. They know nothing, and can tell nothing.—S. F. Examiner. England's New Lock and Key.
WHILE spending a week at Gibraltar, Britain's key to the Mediterranean, watching the coming and going of her mighty ships, says Mr. Buckley of the Christian Advocate, we were impressed that England was then the mightiest power on the globe. Now she is constructing a naval station at Singapore, which Admiral Fournier, of France, says gives her a strategic base sufficient absolutely to prevent the passage of naval forces within the China Sea, and which is capable of suppressing commercial communications between China and Europe. IN a neighboring city, says the Christian Advocate, the city clerk died. Resolutions of respect, appreciation, and condolence were adopted by the council and spread upon the minutes. A short time after his death he was found to be more than nine thousand dollars short in his accounts. At the next meeting of the council the chairman of the committee which prepared the eulogistic resolutions made a motion, which was unanimously carried, instructing the secretary to expunge the eulogy from the records. Henry Ward Beecher, standing by a coffin one day, said, “I seldom speak definitely on funeral occasions, but the community will sustain me in saying that if ever there was an honest man this man was honest.” In less than three weeks the most fearful defalcations, carried on for a series of years and which wrecked several institutions, came to light. Most happy should any man be who on his deathbed is tortured by no fears that post-mortem revelations will break the hearts of his friends. Autorosis and Automobile Driving
Autorosis is a new disease developed by the automobile. The automobile drivers of Chicago have combined for the purpose of seeking relief or cure from its inroads. Some months ago it was reported that an atrophied condition of the muscles of the legs had been discovered among chauffeurs, and relief was sought from this. But autorosis is a disease that affects the brain, nervous system, and the eyes, and is induced by the constant strain upon the brain and eyes, due to automobile driving through the streets of a crowded city. Physicians have, as yet, been unable to do anything with the disease. It begins with a burning sensation in the head and a dimness of vision, which is accompanied with a dull ache all over the body, and constant fear of danger, even a shadow on the roadside being sufficient to cause the chauffeur to throw on his brake. Finally the driver becomes as timid as a child. This is but one of the many indications the human race has received that its pace is too rapid for its constitution. Russia’s Tariff and Diplomatic Thanks
“Diplomacy,” as international scheming is popularly called, has been illustrated again. Russia had been enforcing a high tariff upon certain classes of American goods, in retaliation for certain American tariffs on Russian goods. But that government has called off the tariff of retaliation. This is given out with considerable pomp as a tribute to the United States for the work of President Roosevelt in bringing about peace. But back of this display of gratitude is the fact that the policy was an injury to Russian trade—merchants, mechanics, and farmers finally were bitterly complaining about it. However, the United States Government will be “diplomatic” enough to accept the concession on its face, and overlook the real cause. It would not do to allow the Russians to outdo us in the international game of gentlemanly deception. THE PRESIDENT'S THANKSGIVING-DAY PROCLAMATION.
By Theodore Roosevelt
By the President of the United States of America—A Proclamation: When, nearly three centuries ago, the first settlers came to the country which has now become this great Republic, they fronted, not only hardship and privation, but terrible risk to their lives. In those grim years the custom grew of setting apart one day in each year for a special service of thanksgiving to the Almighty for preserving the people through the changing seasons. The custom has now become national and hallowed by immemorial usage. We live in easier and more plentiful times than our forefathers, the men who, with rugged strength, faced the rugged days; and yet the dangers to national life are quite as great now as at any previous time in our history. It is eminently fitting that once a year our people should set apart a day for praise and thanksgiving to the Giver of good, and, at the same time, that they express their thankfulness for the abundant mercies received, should manfully acknowledge their shortcomings and pledge themselves solemnly and in good faith to strive to overcome them. During the last year we have been blessed with bountiful crops. Our business prosperity has been great. No other people has ever stood on as high a level of material well being as ours now stands, we are not threatened by foes from without. The foes from whom we should pray to be delivered are our own passions, appetites, and follies; and against these there is always need that we should war. Therefore, I now set apart Thursday, the 30th day of this November, as a day of thanksgiving for the past and of prayer for the future, and on that day I ask that throughout the land the people gather in their homes and places of worship, and, in rendering thanks unto the Most High for the manifold blessings of the past year, consecrate themselves to a life of cleanliness, honor, and wisdom, so that this nation may do its allotted work on the earth in a manner worthy of those who founded it and of those who preserved it. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this second day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and five, and of the independence of the United States the one hundred and thirtieth. Sunday-Law Morality in Terre Haute
The principle that immoral practises are to be deemed immoral just because they are committed on Sunday, has been carried to an unusual extent in Terre Haute, Ind. It is said that the president of the board of public safety and the superintendent of police recently made an inspection of the “red-light district,” and were satisfied with the conditions, excepting that they thought there ought to be a better observance of Sunday. Therefore orders have been issued that keepers of houses of ill-repute in the levee district must not burn lights Sunday nights, and must keep their curtains down. This is a very pertinent illustration of Sunday-law morality. The logic of Sunday-law righteousness is that anything may be tolerated if only it be not done on Sunday. “Tainted” Universities will soon be the danger of this country, if they be not indeed at present, judging from the manner in which the money of trust magnates is sought, and the disposition of educational institutions to honor the men who encourage the great combines. The Chicago Review says: President Thwing of Western Reserve University, who has returned from a visit with Andrew Carnegie at the latter’s castle in Scotland, announces that Mr. Carnegie has given $25,000 toward the establishment of a fund of $100,000 for the endowment of a chair of political economy at Western Reserve University, to bear the name of the late United States Senator M. A. Hanna. The education of the coming men of influence under the patronage and inspiration of the capital classes, is not likely to produce statesmen and financiers and professional men whose sympathies will be antagonistic to the great monetary schemes of the country. Soon the great school with a purpose to better the prospects of the plebeian population will be a rarity, and be at a disadvantage. The man who erected a monument to Satan in Detroit did not need to do it or to defend it after he had done it; he is himself a better monument. The good people of Detroit will make more Satan-worshipers by trying to tear it down than to let it stand. It will thereby preach its builder's folly. At any rate, before they destroy the poor insensate pile, let them purify their city from many of the evil things in it that are vicious and illegal. They will never by force convert the poor insane man who erects the evidence of his monstrous fealty: he is at least honest. There are many monuments to Satan all over this land which are professedly otherwise. Really, reader, what would you name the thousands of body-wrecking, mind-wrecking, soul-wrecking saloons? Relic Hunters and Civilized Liberty
A civilization that is not coupled with a due regard for the rights of our fellow-men, for the property rights of individuals or the people at large, is a questionable accomplishment. That class of people who pose as relic hunters—a class comprising many people of so-called higher culture—come in for no little share of censure in this respect. The Sacramento Union draws this comparison: “It is reported that the trees planted in New York by Li Hung Chang [the late noted Chinese statesman] have been almost carried away piecemeal by relic hunters. On the other hand, the trees planted by General Grant in Tokyo are surrounded by a railing, and guarded by soldiers. It is not a pleasant comparison, nor does it reflect favorably upon the civilized liberty of which we talk so much.” Japan’s Wartime Sanitation
A lesson in medical science—perhaps we might call it hygienic common sense—has been given to the world by Japan. Before the late war in the Orient the universal military theory was that four men would die of disease to every one killed by the enemy. The San Francisco Examiner sums it up in this brief paragraph: The Japanese fought one of the greatest wars of modern times, with larger armies than we employed against the South, amid extremes of climate, and they did it without letting a single epidemic get headway among their massed half million soldiers. They kept the disease statistics almost to the point they are in peace times, and instead of losing four men in five of the total of mortality by sickness, they lost only one in six. ACCORDING to figures furnished by the East Indian Secretary in the House of Commons, 750,000 have already died of the plague in India this year. From January 1 to April 1 the mortality was 471,741, and 215,961 more died from April 1 to and including April 29. Some high authorities believe that within the next two years it will spread throughout the civilized world.—Christian Advocate. EVOLUTION AND GEOLOGY
By Geo. McCready Price
The battle was now fairly on between the Catastrophists and the Uniformitarians. Let the reader clearly understand the situation. The geologists had all arrived at the conviction that the various kinds of fossils represented succession in time from the low to the high, that certain types in England corresponded in age to similar fossils on the continent and elsewhere, and were positively different in age from very diverse fossils, just as the older geologists had their periods of limestone-making and sandstone-making, and wrapped the earth in “onion coats” of these deposits. “How glorious,” wrote the great Cuvier in his famous “Preliminary Discourse,” “it would be if we could arrange the organized products of the universe in their chronological order, as we can already do with the more important mineral substances!” But just how these successive faunas came into existence, or how their remains were deposited in their present positions, was an altogether separate and subsequent inquiry. The Result of the Investigation.
“The world by wisdom knew not God.” But having abandoned the truth of God, and gone off after an ignus fatuus of their own invention, it was now necessary for the good of the world that a complete investigation should be made in line with this anti-Biblical theory and in opposition to God’s record of creation, in order to complete the demonstration of the truth of that Word, and to direct the attention of the last generation of men to the Creator, and to the Sabbath, the sign of His creative power. The latter part of this inquiry, viz., the manner in which the geological changes of the past had occurred, was even then being definitely settled (?) by James Hutton, also “from the subjective standpoint,” for Zittel acknowledges that he “had no great array of facts” before him, a deficiency which made his theories “necessarily inadequate for purposes of generalization.”—“History,” page 48. Scientists Undermining Science.
James Hutton (1726–97) was a contemporary of Werner, and originated the theory in opposition to Werner’s which is known as the Plutonic Theory. It was first formulated in 1785, read as a paper before the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and published ten years later in two volumes. Zittel has occasion to apologize for some mistakes about the origin of minerals and rocks, due to “the undeveloped state of physics and chemistry” at the time, tho Hutton himself certainly understood all the chemistry there was then a-going. His theory, too, of “the uprising of continents, owing to the expansive force of the subterranean heat,” reads strangely indeed in the modern light of what Hopkins, Lord Kelvin, and the other physicists have proved about the earth’s rigidity. Neither had Hutton any clear conception of the significance of fossils as affording evidence of a gradual evolution in creation. Yet in spite of these disadvantages, Hutton’s “Theory of the Earth” is one of the masterpieces in the history of geology. Many of his ideas have been adopted and extended by later geologists, more particularly by Charles Lyell, and form the very groundwork of modern geology.—“History,” page 72. Scientists Again at Variance.
Hutton as his chief point dwelt on the present slow action of the elements, the air and water, in wearing away the land surfaces and carrying them down to the sea, where they slowly accumulate in the form of gravel, sand, and mud, and thus form new rock-strata. And he argued that the rocks of the past were formed in precisely the same way as they are now, by the slow, ordinary action of the elements. And here is his conclusion as stated by an enthusiastic admirer: Hutton impresses upon his readers the vastness of the geological æons necessary for the completion of any such cycle of destruction and construction. In proof of this, he calls attention to the comparative insignificance of any changes that have taken place in the surface conformation of the globe within historic time.—“History,” page 71. It will surely be evident to my readers that the reasoning employed in this last sentence is the exact reverse of the true method. Hutton is here dealing altogether with erosion and deposition. We may freely admit that, if time were to last long enough, the whole surface of the continents would be wasted away to the sea-level, and the watery element again reign over all. But where are the new continents to come from? This is not the place to discuss the matter in detail, but the greatest living geologist in the world, Professor Suess of Vienna, claims that no one has ever satisfactorily shown that any tract of dry land whatever is now being formed by elevation from the sea bottom—save a few insignificant areas due to volcanic action. The True Cause of the Transformation.
The present continents are being all worn away, tho very slowly, but there is absolutely no evidence that sea bottoms are now being raised up so as to form new land surfaces. Hence I say that the very “comparative insignificance” of any such change “within historic time” becomes one of the strongest of proofs that the present conditions of “our quiet earth” have not always prevailed. And this conclusion is emphasized a thousand fold when we see that since man was on the earth land and water have changed places over nearly all the earth, and nearly all the great mountain ranges have been formed. Hence, as no approach to anything of this kind has taken place during the last few hundred years, the conclusion is inevitable that at some time in the past the accustomed quiet of the elements must have been disturbed, and all this geological work must have been done in a comparatively short space of time. The Bible speaks of this period of elemental disturbance as the Flood. But to proceed with our quotation:— When we compare Hutton’s theory of the earth’s structure with that of Werner and other contemporary or older writers, the great feature which distinguishes it and marks its superiority is the strict inductive method applied throughout. Every conclusion is based upon observed data that are carefully enumerated, no supernatural or unknown forces are resorted to, and the events and changes of past epochs are explained from analogy with the phenomena of the present age.—“History,” page 71. Not the Inductive Method of Reasoning.
We must now consider whether this high praise is really due Hutton, and whether he is following a “strict inductive method.” It must be noted at the outset that he did not take the trouble to start from the present living species of plants and animals or man himself, and, after inquiring how their remains occur in the earth, endeavor to find out what cause placed them there. We do not even read that he first explained the superficial deposits so thickly scattered over the surface of his own country of Scotland—deposits being left by the science till all else had been definitely arranged according to theory, have given his modern disciples a “glacial nightmare” for nearly half a century. Either of these methods, or a combination of the two, would be applying the “strict inductive method” to at least the beginning of his science, and might inspire an interested public with confidence in the sound methods of this research when extended backward in time. But Hutton did not reason in this way. Not at all. He dwelt principally on the wearing down of the present land surface, and the deposit of these materials in strata by water; and of course this method, so far as it goes, is sound enough, and we may even give it the credit for what we now know about the possibilities of earth, air, and water. As already remarked, these forces are sufficient to produce any amount of denudation and deposition as to quantity, if time enough be granted; the question as to the kind of results, i. e., whether the forces now at work are laying down modern analogies to the crowded graveyards which we find in all the formations, does not seem to have occurred to him. In short, like all other theorizers “from the subjective standpoint,” he sought to show how all these deposits may have occurred, not how they positively must have occurred. Sublime in his disregard of nature’s possible disclosures, he seems never to have dreamed that we might in the rocks themselves find fossils of living species of animals, or man himself, under such tell-tale circumstances as make all theories of uniformity seem utterly childish. If a coroner, called upon to hold a post mortem, were to content himself, as Hutton did, with glittering generalities about how people are all the time dying of old age, fever, or other causes, coupled with assurances of the quiet, regular habits and good reputation of all his fellow citizens, I do not think that Professor Zittel or any other sensible man would praise him for following a “strict inductive method” if we could get at clear and decisive evidence that the poor fellow had been shot. Just so with common-sense methods in geology. A true induction is capable of finding out for certain whether the present regular action of the elements has always prevailed; and it is most unscientific to assume, as the followers of Hutton have done for a hundred years, that the “comparative insignificance of any changes” noticed “within historic time” has always been maintained, when there is clear and decisive evidence to the contrary. YOU can not dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.—Thoreau. THREE CALLS TO AWAKE.
By H. A. St. John
1. “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Eph. 5:14. DEATH is a profound sleep. All sinners are dead in trespasses and sins; and the first call of the Saviour of the world, the first call of the Gospel to all such is, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead.” Christ is the Light of the World; He is the Sun of Righteousness; and His rising upon the world, like the rising of the orb of day, our natural sun, is a call to all sleepers to rise from the sleep of death, to awake, and Christ will give them light. Happy indeed, are all they that heed this call, for in heeding they become, for the first time in all their lives, truly awake. While in the unconverted state, men think they are alive and awake. They have many beautiful visions of pleasure, of prosperity, of success, and hence they think they are awake. It is all a dream in the night, a delusion, a lie, a cheat, an illusion that will be dispelled some day to their great sorrow, if the call to awake now is not heeded. Every person that heeds the call of Jesus to “arise from the dead,” to awake, will have as great a miracle performed for him, and in him, as was performed for Lazarus at the end of his four days sleep in death in the sepulcher in Bethany. Jesus, the giver of light and life, stood by the sepulcher of Lazarus and called upon him to awake, to rise from the dead. And he that was dead heard the voice of the Son of God and came forth. Wonderful miracle, we say truly, but no greater than when that same Jesus, who loved and resurrected Lazarus, stands by the sinner whom He loves and calls him to awake, to arise from the dead, and that sinner obeys, as Lazarus obeyed, and comes forth into the light of Christ. And hence, ever after such an experience, the awakened and converted soul will have reason to praise God for this wonderful miracle of His grace. Suppose that Lazarus, hearing the call of Jesus to awake and come forth, had said, I hear Your call, but go Your way; leave me alone; I like this place and prefer to stay where I am. How strange! how unreasonable! HOW TERRIBLE! Yet all the time, and everywhere in this world, there are thousands who hear the call of Christ to awake, to arise from the dead and He will give them light, who constantly persist in disobedience to the gracious call, make excuses, and stay where they are. They enjoy their delusive dreams and refuse to awake and come forth. Every one that comes to Christ joyfully conscious that he is a new creature in Christ Jesus, puts on new beauties such as he in his darkness and blindness had never seen before. To the soul that is born again and has entered the light and life of Christ, the very “heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.” The whole face of animated nature is lighter, the flowers are brighter, the birds sing sweeter, and even our fellows are, to us, more lovely. Wonderful transformation! wonderful awakening! 2. “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God; I speak this to your shame.” 1 Cor. 15:34. It often happens in this world, that the believers10 in Christ—yea, His church—let their lamps go out. Backsliding and apostasy come in, and consequently darkness, drowsiness, and sleepiness. Many then lose the knowledge of God. They will think they are “rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing,” when in fact they are wretched and miserable, poor, blind, and naked, and know it not. They are asleep, when they ought to be wide awake. They ought to be children of the day, and not of the night. But, to their shame, the Lord has need to call upon them again to arise and shine for their “light is come;” to “awake to righteousness, and sin not.” There is sin among them, and sin always tends to blindness, darkness, and death. Some may cherish the delusion that they can not live without sinning some, and hence they keep the rest-egg of sin alive in their hearts, and occasionally—yea, frequently—lapse into sin, thinking thereby they will be kept humble. But sin is deceiving, and tends to engender pride rather than humility. In this lukewarm condition the Lord finds His church in the last days, and now He is calling His people, to their shame, to “awake to righteousness, and sin not.” When this call is fully heeded, the whole earth will soon be lighted with His glory through the outshining of His church and children. Reader, does this call mean you? If so, be entreated to heed it without delay. Arise and shine. 3. “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” Isa. 26:19. The Lord says He will be as the dew unto all who are Israelites indeed. Hosea 14:5. The dew falls copiously in the East, and answers for rain. This figure teaches us that when the Lord calls to the millions of His people who sleep in the dust of the earth, they will spring forth from the earth like the beautiful flowers under the warm rains and dews of springtime. They will hear the voice of the Son of God, and come forth. It is the very same voice which they heard and obeyed in their lifetime. The call to them is, “Awake and sing.” Once before they were awakened, and came forth from the sepulcher of sin, with “a new song in their mouths, even praise to our God.” When awakened in the resurrection morning, they will joyfully sing the completed song of redemption. With immortal tongues they will sing, “Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ;” and all come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads. O, who of us will join in that song that will never grow old, in a country that will never grow old, inhabited by a people who will never grow old? Weakness of Reuben
By W. S. Sadler
LESSONS FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF JOSEPH. No. 1.
The Bible contains principles which are designed to guide us in dealing with the various contingencies of life. In studying the careers of prominent characters in the Bible, we shall be helped most by discovering the underlying principles which were recognized in the cases of those about whom we read, so that if we are ever called upon to pass through similar experiences, their example may help and guide us. In the Scriptures there are recorded such a variety of human experiences, that it is almost impossible to find any kind of an experience a person may go through that does not have its counterpart in some Bible narrative or biography. These experiences, with their practical lessons, should be as familiar to us as our own names. And we need to be acquainted with the lessons taught by these accounts for our own souls' good, and for the benefit of those who may come to us for counsel or advice in similar difficulties. Our Bible will have to become our guidebook more and more every day. We can have confidence in the Word of God till the very end. Now let us cull a few striking lessons that are to be noticed in a survey of the life of Joseph. We do not read anything about Joseph's complaining of his being taken down to Egypt as a result of the cruelty of his brothers; and his subsequent occupancy of positions of great trust leads us to surmise that when a man is willing to go wherever God sends him, in all probability the spirit of submission to the divine plan will develop such a character and trustworthiness that his fellowmen will be willing to trust him implicitly. So it was with Joseph, or he never would have been placed in charge of the prisoners who were confined at the same time he was. After his many years of varied life in Egypt, proceeding from position to position, and at last having again seen his brothers, he does not taunt them with their unkindness, nor take steps to have an unworthy revenge upon them, but tells them that “it was not you that sent me hither, but God,” and shall we not be justified in assuming that this same ability to recognize the hand of Providence in his wonderful career, was also what enabled him to submit as he did, knowing that God was working it all out for the best, and, like Moses, that he “endured as seeing Him who is invisible”? Joseph's brother Reuben is a type of those who fail firmly to take their stand for right when opportunity offers. Possibly if he had exhibited firmness in the matter of protesting against the cruel treatment of Joseph by his other brothers, he himself might have shared the fate of Joseph, and like him also have had a part in the glorious vindication of right and principle, which was afterwards brought to light in the case of Joseph himself. What a significant lesson we may learn from the treatment by Joseph of his brothers when the circumstances were so completely reversed! When the tables were turned, and Joseph, the ill-treated, had it within his power to severely punish those who in earlier years had mistreated him, instead of taking revenge upon them, he shows to them a feeling of exquisite pity, and marvelous forgiveness. What a Christlike attitude he adopted, and how forcibly it should remind us that “the Lord will repay.” From a human standpoint, it would appear oftentimes that we are being moved about in life just as the checkers are moved to and fro on the checker-board, but we must learn to recognize that under it all, and behind everything that occurs to us, “there's a Divinity that shapes our ends,” and we must never forget that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” The chief thing is for us to be sure that we do love God, then cheerfully submit to whatever happens, ever saying “Thy will, not mine, be done.” Some superficial readers of the history of Joseph's wonderful life may say, “How fortunate he was!” But no; there are really no fortunate or unfortunate incidents in God's plan. It was all a part of the great scheme for Joseph's life, and altho Joseph himself could not see it as he went along, yet he had faith in God, and knew that all would come out right in the end, and in God's own good time. Then there is surely a lesson in the fact that what Joseph's brethren did to him out of hatred really was but a stepping-stone to that very thing which they desired to prevent. Little did they ever think that in casting him into that pit, they were laying the first stone of the steps that would lead him up and up until he became ruler in Egypt. If any of us harbor ill-feelings or wicked designs against any one, let us pause and reflect that God may turn that thing which we are plotting and planning against our fellow men, to their best good. Joseph endeavored to get out of prison by asking the chief butler to speak for him. While this was a perfectly natural thing to do, it failed of its purpose because the time had not arrived in God's plan for his deliverance. So when our plans fail, let us remember this, and be content to leave our program in the hands of the Lord who knows the end from the beginning and “doeth all things well.” Only by so doing shall we be able to have patience, and await God's time. Another interesting point in Joseph's life is that God had a work for him to do, and led him, by painful and slow degrees, to the place where that work lay. It was Joseph's duty to do with his might whatever his hands found to do, every day, just where he was. That he did this we know, and in due time he was promoted, until he at length occupied the position God had destined him for even while he visited his brothers in Dothan, to inquire of their welfare. Sometimes it may happen that wicked persons are used of God as steps in bringing His chosen servants to their appointed places. In the case of Joseph, we see that he got free transportation to Egypt, the field of his future greatness. The varied experiences of Joseph, and the manner in which he conducted himself in all of them, will do us no good unless we take pains to study them carefully, and ask God to teach us in what they are capable of helping us, so that we may profit by them, and be better qualified to cope with life's difficulties and emergencies, its perplexities and temptations. “By exercise we gain strength.” The eternal stars shine out as soon as it is dark enough.—Carlyle. “WHATEVER may be the lot of the righteous here, their end is everlasting life.” CHRIST is our way; we walk in Him. He is our truth; we embrace Him. He is our life; we live in Him. He is our Lord; we choose Him to rule over us. He is our master; we serve Him. He is our teacher, instructing us in the way of salvation. He is our prophet, pointing out the future. He is our priest, having atoned for us. He is our advocate, ever living to make intercession for us. He is our Saviour, saving to the uttermost. He is our root; we grow from Him. He is our bread; we feed upon Him. He is our shepherd; leading us into green pastures. He is our vine; we abide in Him. He is the water of life; we slake our thirst from Him. He is the fairest among ten thousand; we admire Him above all others. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of His person; we strive to reflect His likeness. He is the upholder of all things; we rest upon Him. He is our wisdom; we are guided by Him. He is our righteousness; we cast all our imperfections upon Him. He is our sanctification; we draw all our power for a holy life from Him. He is our redeemer, redeeming us from all iniquity. He is our healer, curing our diseases. He is our friend, relieving us in all our necessities. He is our brother, cheering us in our difficulties.—Selected.