Page:The Story of Joseph and His Brethren.djvu/116

Rh we accomplish this all-important object, the happy result surely and quickly follows.

What, then, do we learn from this beautiful and instructive history under this last view? We learn that, after we have entered on the life of religion, there are two different kinds of affections within us, some that come from heaven and others that come from the world. We learn, further, that these two kinds of affections and thoughts draw the mind in opposite directions, one prompting and telling us to place our hearts on heavenly things, the other prompting and telling us to place our hearts on earthly things. The Lord in His providence permits us to undergo trials and sufferings, anxieties and privations, in order to exalt the spiritual and humble the natural, as Joseph was exalted and his brethren were humbled. And the Lord's purpose in this is to bring the spiritual and natural into a state of agreement, in which they act harmoniously together. This is finally and fully effected by obedience to the truth, by resolutely and constantly doing what we know to be our duty to God and to man. This is sure to bring