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MONSTROUS GIANTS OF 1907.

369

B.C. 1063. Against, at least, one of these besetting sins every youth, who wishes to be a Christian,-will have to go out, and with God's aid,-prevail. We cannot hope to kill them, as David disposed of Goliath,-but let it be our life's work to sling our little stone at them! If God wills it, we may give them a shrewd blow or two! To weaken and thwart these monstrous and cruel Giants,-the enemies of Mankind, -is the desire of every true Believer. There are other smaller Giants, but the Seven largest, and most terrible, in our day,are, I. Giant Drunkenness. 2. Giant Vice or Immorality. 3. Giant Covetousness. 4. Giant Dishonesty. 5. Giant Passion, Revenge, Brutality. 6. Giant Unbelief, Impiety. 7. Giant Selfishness,-or Do no good to anybody. (This last is not an aggressive Giant like the rest ;-in fact, he is generally asleep).

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Against these Monsters, no matter how many cubits high they are, we must, like good Christian in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress,-go out, and "fight the good fight of faith."

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An Atheist,-proud of his Wit,-and his "Reason,"--sat him under an Oak in the hot

summer season.

On the Oak grew an Acorn or two, it is said ;-on the Ground grew a Pumpkin as large as his Head.

Said the "Sage," ,"-" What's the reason that Oak is so strong, to bear a few Acorns scarce half an inch long, While that poor feeble Plant has a weight to sustain, which had much better hang from the Oak it is plain."

But just at the time our Philosopher spoke,-an Acorn fell plump on his head from the Oak. Then said he,-who just now thought his plan was so clever,-"Well, I'm glad that was not a Pumpkin, however.'

From his folly then let us, in future, beware, and Believe that such Matters are best as they

are.

Leave the Habits and Customs of Oak Trees alone,-of Acorns and Pumpkins, and look more

to our own.

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CHRISTIAN AND APOLLYON.

'RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU"

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"Then said Apollyon,- I am sure of thee now!' But, as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching his last blow,-thereby to make a full end of this good man,-Christian, with his sword-(' all prayer') -gave the Fiend, nimbly, a deadly thrust,-which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound. Christian,-perceiving this,-made at him again,-saying,- Nay, in all these things we are more than Conquerors, through Him that loved us!' And, with that,the foul Fiend spread forth his dragon's wings, and sped him away, so that Christian saw him no more!"-Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son."-Rev. xxi., 7.

"I have fought a good Fight! I have kept the Faith."

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CHAPTER XXXVII.

THE BOY JOSEPH-A "TYPE" OF CHRIST.

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Joseph being seventeen years old was feeding the flocks with his brethren. Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his Brethren saw that their Father loved him more than them, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Israel said unto Joseph, "Do not thy brethren feed the flocks in Shechem? Go, I pray, and see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks, and bring me word again."

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"And when they saw him afar off, they conspired against him, and said, "Behold this dreamer cometh! Let us slay him and cast him into some pit, and we will say some evil beast hath devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams." And they stript Joseph of his coat, and they took him and cast him into a pit, and there was no water in the pit.

And the Lord blessed

And Judah said, "What profit is it if we slay him? Come! let us sell him to the Ishmaelites." And they sold Joseph to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and a Captain of the Guard. the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake, and he made him Overseer over all that he had. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; for his Master saw that the Lord was with him. And Joseph was of a goodly person, and well favoured. And his Master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and said "lie with me." And as she spoke to Joseph day by day he refused, and said unto her," Behold, my Master hath committed all that he hath to my hand; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"-Genesis xxxvii., 2, 3, 4, 13, 19, 26, 36.-xxxix., 5, 7, &c.

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EFORE reading this chapter the young Reader is asked first to peruse the remarks at the commencement of the life of the Boy David.

If youths, in reading the Bible, will not consider the Boys mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, -as merely Youths like themselves, and persist in thinking that there was something very mysterious about them,-not like other Boys,-it seems useless to go any further.

If Joseph, David, Daniel, Josiah, were not real, actual, Boys like you are, what were they? If they were not, then we may as well shut up our Bibles. If the Scenes related were not real,-were never acted by real, living personages like ourselves, it seems mere waste of time to go any further. But once allow that the Boy Joseph was merely a worthy youth loved, no doubt injudiciously so,-by his Father,— and what was far better, and led to very different results,— loved also by God,-but disliked and hated by his stepbrothers, then all mystery ceases, and we have a family history which has been repeated for ages. For we must remember that Joseph and his youngest brother Benjamin were by the same Mother;-all the other sons of Jacob-(called Israel" frequently, hence the term Children of Israel ") were by a previous marriage. Thus little love seems to have existed between them, and when the boy Joseph,-now seventeen years old,-is impressed by his dreams of his future, and, with the open thoughtlessness of a youth, tells them to his father, and step-brothers, their evidently long-felt dislike turns to deadly hatred,-" We will see what will become of his dreams." We never hear a word of Benjamin,-Joseph's

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THE BOY JOSEPH-A TYPE OF CHRIST.

373 true brother,—taking any part in their cruel treatment. To a youth like Joseph, of naturally a loving, forgiving, and affectionate disposition, as his future reception of his wicked brothers into the land of Goshen proves,-it must have been a terrible day to him when his unfeeling brothers sold him for a slave. Very little prospects,-in those days,-of return, or of ever seeing his home and kind father again! That the youth's agony of grief was excessive is clear,--because, when misfortune fell upon themselves, his brothers remembered it, years after. We are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he sought us and we would not hear."-Gen. xlii. 21. How truly Jewish is the reason Judah gives for not killing Joseph right out. "Of what profit is it if we slay our brother? Twenty pieces of silver in those days must have been something to divide,-though a fine youth, at Joseph's age, was doubtless valuable as a slave. The Ishmaelites, we may depend upon it, if true to their traditions, were not the men to make on their side a bad bargain; what they obtained from Potiphar we are not told. These Ishmaelites are the modern Arabs of our day,-whose greed after ivory in Africa, and the ceaseless bloodshed they remorselessly effect to obtain it, is described by Dr. Livingstone, Mr. Stanley, and other Travellers.

JOSEPH A TYPE OF CHRIST.

The price given for Joseph was " twenty pieces of silver," very much the same "price of a Slave" which obtained 1700 years after. The traitor Judas received "thirty pieces of silver." Possibly, the change in the value of money during those ages would make the two sums identical.

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The chief priests probably offered Judas this "price of a slave," to show their contempt for Christ, and perhaps for Judas also. Zechariah,-nearly 500 years before Christ,savs, so they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver, and the Lord said to me, cast it unto the Potter,' a goodly price that I was priced at by them." Five centuries slowly passed by and then we read :

Then Judas, when he saw that he was condemned, brought again the pieces of silver to the chief priests, saying,' I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.' "And they said,-What is that to us? See thou to that!" "And Judas cast down the pieces of silver in the Temple, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, It is not lawful for to put them in the Treasury because it is the price of blood."

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