dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister and Abimelech King of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

"But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

"But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother. In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

"And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

"Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears and the men were sore afraid.

"Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

"And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

"And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came

to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

"And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and men

servants, and women-servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee" (Gen. xx. 1-15).

Abimelech did not know God. He was a Philistine of Gerar and a heathen, but he was a right-minded man. He had taken Sarah, Abraham's wife, because he thought she was his sister, and he wished to marry her; but he did not ask Abraham's consent; and Abraham did not tell him she was his wife; so both were wrong, and God set things right again by sending this dream to Abimelech.

QUESTIONS.

For what purpose did God send dreams sometimes? What was Jacob's dream? What was it to teach him? Who was Abimelech? What did he do to Sarah? How did Abraham do wrong? What truth was there in what he said? What did God say to Abimelech? How did he answer? What did God order him to do? To whom did Abimelech tell it? What excuse did Abraham make? What did Abimelech give to Abraham? What permission did he give him?

CHAPTER CXIII.

DREAMS (continued).

2. THE DREAMS OF PHARAOH'S BUTLER AND BAKER. There were the dreams of Pharaoh's butler and baker, which they dreamt in prison, when Joseph told them the meaning; and it happened just as Joseph said. You read part of them before, we will now read the whole, and see why they were sent, and why God shewed the meaning of them to Joseph.

"And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the King of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.

"And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and behold they were sad. Joseph asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day?

"And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.

"And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

"And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me: and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

"And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place; and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.

"When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and behold, I had three white baskets on my head: and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.

"And Joseph answered and said, this is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

"And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his

.

servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

"Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him" (Gen. xl. 5-23).

These two were sent by God to prepare the way for Joseph being brought to Pharaoh's notice, so that he might be made governor of Egypt, and make way for his father's family to settle in Egypt. So, when Pharaoh had two dreams, the chief butler recollected how Joseph told him his dream, and how it came true; then he named Joseph to the king, who fetched him out of prison. One good turn deserves another; and we never know when we do a good turn how it may turn out well for us some time.

QUESTIONS.

What two officers of Pharaoh were in prison? Who was in prison with them? Why did they look sad? To whom did they tell their dreams? What was the butler's dream? What was meant by the three branches? What by the butler's squeezing the juice into the cup? What did Joseph beg him to do for him with Pharaoh? What part of his history did he tell him? How did it turn out for the butler? What was the baker's dream? What did that mean? What happened to him? What great feast was held on the third day? What did Pharaoh do to the prisoners? What good did Joseph get by it?

CHAPTER CXIV.

DREAMS (continued).

3. THEN there were PHARAOH'S TWO DREAMS, which you also read in their proper place. You will remember he saw seven fat and seven lean cows come out of the Nile, and then seven good and seven bad ears of corn. These were sent to shew Pharaoh what was going to happen ;

so that Joseph might lay up corn in Egypt ready to keep alive his father and all his brothers.

But now we come to one which we have not read before, viz.

4. THE MIDIANITE'S DREAM,

"And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto Gideon, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

"But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down to the host.

Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea-side for multitude.

"And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley-bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

"And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

"And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he wor shipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian" (Judges vii. 9-15).

This dream was sent by God to make the Midianites afraid; so that when Gideon's men blew the trumpet and shewed their lamps, the Midianites were so frightened, there was a panic, and every man killed his neighbour.