The Young Men of Scripture (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LECTURE III. JOSEPH; OK THE EEWARD OF CONQUERING TEMPTATION. TTERY beautiful is the history of Joseph. With it all y of us from early years have been more or less familiar. The inspired historian has recorded such thrilling incidents, with such striking gracefulness and simplicity, that we cannot fail to be enchanted by the narrative. As we first see the vile plot cunningly laid for the young man's ruin?then trace the unfolding of the deep scheme, the disclosure of the hidden truth, and the triumph of noble virtue?we feel that the history has all the attractions of the finest drama ever penned. The child of a few months and the veteran of threescore years?the unlettered rustic and the literati of renown?the believer in revelation and the avowed infidel, have turned with gratification to this story, and derived instruction, delight, and edification therefrom. They have discovered in it the exquisite and eloquent treatment of uncommon and important events, in such a manner as to convey to the reader's mind the sublimest lessons of morality and religion. From the very first time we meet with Joseph in the Holy Book we become unusually interested in his career. We think of him as the long expected son of the beauteous Eachel?as one who had known the bitterness of losing his loved mother?as the special object of his father's affection?and as a youth of seventeen years of age. Not designed for a life of indolence, he was engaged in tending the flocks, and was in this calling associated with "the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives." These were far from being suitable companions for the youth. Their lives were not calculated to improve his moral or spiritual character. He saw and heard, in these youthful associates, what wounded his spirit; and in...