Read Gen. 44-46
SEE! his very heart is bursting, glory must unfold its store;
Well he knows what hidden treasure from his fullness he can pour.
Jacob, in the land, in famine, in the standing God doth own,
Gazes on his state with sorrow—Joseph's person, place, unknown.
Mourners, tracing back your story know ye now the grace in glory
As ye weep, distressed and lone.
In his dealings "roughly " speaking, with a heart of love behind
Patient, till the wondrous moment when Himself their hearts shall find.
Like the God who spake from Sinai fiery words that crushed the man;
Far above—from goodness giving thoughts that law could never scan,
Not poor Aaron's present story but of robes of grace and glory,
And the Tabernacle plan.
"Buy a little food!" O hearken, ye who sank from Abr'ham's line!
Know ye that the Living dwelleth in His sphere of pow'r divine—
Like the rod that ope'd the holiest, bringing sons around the Son—
Where He yields the wealth of wisdom, riches by our Joseph won.
Wandering sheep may know a story learned in boundless grace in glory,
When their wayward course is run.
Grace is richest when the glory o'er its wondrous depths doth shine;
Mercy everlasting blesses in a righteousness divine,
Wine, the best when all is ruined, fullest fare when most we pined,
When we thought we should be givers 'tis His " silver bowl " we find,
And we sink our wretched story in the grace that flows from glory
Leaving all our "stuff " behind.
List! ye souls who seek His presence, let His voice atone be heard!
All " interpreters " must vanish if your hearts would know your Lord!
Ah! He handed back our money since He wanted not our store
Till He flooded us with favor and our hearts could ask no more:
Jacobs have to tell a story, debtors to the grace in glory
Not e'en Abraham knew before.
Are we fainting since we lost Him, groaning as our ways we trace,
Musing in our proud contentment, heedless of His outcast place?
O the songs that grace abounding gives poor wand'rers at the end!
O the streams of loving kindness God, the living God, can send!
Jacobs, Jacobs, yours a story (told in grace and planned in glory)
Only " dogs " can comprehend!
Davids tell of “grace and glory," use the "key " they only know,
Hope on earth forever ended, then thro' death their praises flow.
Grace it was that found the sinner gave the prodigal the kiss;
Grace it was that robed and fed him blessed him with the children's bliss.
Jacobs tell another story, singing like a "worm " in glory—
Never was there grace like this.
Little did they know that Joseph waited till their strength was past—
Riches won by Egypt's savior—till their famined souls at last
Once content with Shechem's altar, and their Rachels on the road
Noah's vines and Eden's fig-trees planted in their mean abode:
Beer's free and blessed story Joseph's grace from life in glory,
Still to come from Jacob's God.
See the pilgrim, in that chariot, bowing his adoring head,
Asking there to die in glory in the scene where grace has led!
'Tis not now his need he measures, 'tis not now his vow he brings,
Boundless grace with boundless blessings o'er its precious object sings.
Jacob loses thus his story drinking of the grace in glory,
Rising on the praiser's wings.
When the outward all is sinking Jacobs find the heart of God,
Fed upon the corn that feasteth Her who dwells in Love's abode.
First the oil, the wine of gladness, first the “beast " which glory gave
Then the "everlasting Father," full omnipotence to save.
Savior of the world, this story of Thy mighty grace in glory
Nothing less Thy people crave.
Have we not been loudly boasting, setting all our wealth in view;
Have we not been sounding trumpets where we move and what we do;
Till at last our Joseph's person faded from our faithless gaze,
'Tho His love amid our famine fed us through our willful ways?
Ah! ye Jacobs, own your story and His grace in pow'r and glory,
Own it all in closing days!
Righteousness of God has given all the corn to Joseph now,
Justice to the Son of counsel makes the heavens to overflow,
Ruined ones behold and worship, beggars stand and hopeful view,
Lepers learn who now can bless them as they find the treasures too.
Famined pilgrims end their story, humbled in the grace in glory
Round the Faithful and the True.
The accepted Sheaf has waited—sent before us—hid above,
Though His weak, yet costly, members turned away thro' earth to rove
Now, Himself must end the story—gold and raiment, sight, then glory
And His everlasting love.