106 BOYS OF THE BIBLE.

tered Joseph! What a heartrending cry broke from _ his
trembling lips!

“Tt is my son’s coat! An evil beast hath devoured him.
Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces!”

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his
loins, and went mourning for Joseph many days. And when
his sons and daughters would have comforted him, he would
not be comforted, but said:

“T will go down into the grave unto my son, sorrowing!”

But God has not forgotten the young dreamer. He can
cause all things to work together for good. And He made
these strange events work for Joseph’s good, and _Jacob’s
good, and the good of his cruel brethren, add the good of
Egypt for many an eventful year.

Joseph soon began to find favor in the land whither he
had gone as a slave. It was not long before he became an
overseer in the household of Potiphar, a captain of the
guard of Pharaoh, King of Egypt. While in the house of
Potiphar he was tried by sore temptation, but Joseph feared
the God of his fathers, and said, ‘“Ilow can I do this
great wickedness and sin against God?” With that question
on his lips he was strong to resist temptation. He won
the victory and his name has been handed down through all
the generations since, as the type of virtue triumphant over
sin. One word of counsel will not be out of place at this
point. If boys or girls, or men or women, would only stop
and ask this question when temptation assails: “ How can
I do this wickedness and sin against God?” they would
oftener be the victors over sin and not the victims of
temptation.

Accused of the very sin against which he had fought,
Joseph was cast into prison. But God, who cared for Joseph