their salvation--if, I say, we question over the Bible in that
child-like, simple, respectful spirit, which is the true spirit of
wisdom and understanding, by which our eyes will be truly opened to
see the wondrous things of God's law: then we may not only seek as
our Lord bade us, but we shall find, as our Lord prophesied that we
should. We shall find some good reason for this story of Joseph
being so long, and find that the story of Joseph, like all the rest
of the Bible, reveals a new lesson to us concerning God and the
character of God.

I said that the story of Joseph looks, at first sight, to be merely
a family history. But suppose that that were the very reason why it
is in the Bible, because it is a family history. Suppose that
families were very sacred things in the eyes of God. That the ties
of husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, were
appointed, not by man, but by God. Then would not Joseph's story be
worthy of being in the Bible? Would it not, as I said it would,
reveal something fresh to us concerning God and the character of
God?

Consider now, my friends: Is it not one great difference--one of
the very greatest--between men and beasts, that men live in
families, and beasts do not? That men have the sacred family
feeling, and beasts have not? They have the beginnings of it, no
doubt. The mother, among beasts, feels love to her children, but
only for a while. God has implanted in her something of that
deepest, holiest, purest of all feelings--a mother's love. But as
soon as her young ones are able to take care of themselves, they are
nothing to her--among the lower animals, less than nothing. The
fish or the crocodile will take care of her eggs jealously, and as