ways, grows into moral strength and religious grace, becomes honourable in the sight of all men, and saves our old age from going down with sorrow to the grave.  The golden harvest of our lives grows not where we look for it, but often in the neglected places where God bids it grow.  Where our pride built its palace of content we find emptiness and shame, and that which we almost cursed God for sending us becomes our crown of rejoicing.  She called his name Jabez, my sorrow, and lo! he became her very consolation, most honourable of all.

II.

Faith wins the battle of life against many odds.

Yes! this is indeed a romance of faith—­faith overcoming the world.  This child or youth starts out with all things against him.  He is likely to grow up into an Ishmaelite if he grows up at all.  He starts with an ill-starred name—­a name that spells misfortune.  He starts without his mother’s blessing and without a glimmer of hope to cheer him; no father to give him a helping hand by the way—­without endowment, fortune, family, or friends.  What chance can there be in the race for one so heavily handicapped?  Failure is written on his brow by the hand that nursed him.  Failure is written on all his circumstances.  It will be a desperate struggle all through.  There will be none of the prizes of life for him.  If he gets a bare living wage, it is as much as he may expect.

That is what he has before him, apparently!  Well, for one thing, he puts on courage, and starts on his way singing Nil desperandum.  And then, knowing well that he has few or no human friends, he falls back on the Father of the fatherless and the Helper of those who have no other help.  He relies on faith instead of fortune.  He will make prayer his main weapon, and the light of the Lord his guide, and duty his pole star.  He will pursue a straight course, avoiding evil, trying to feel the hand of God upon him, and the watchful eyes of God over him.  And he will make a brave fight of it day by day, doing his best, and leave a higher power to determine what shall follow.  That is what we read between the lines of this story.  Nay, that is all expressed. “He called on the God of Israel.”  He committed his life to the ordering of the Almighty.  And the Almighty promoted him.  He became more honourable than his brethren.

They are poor creatures who complain that the battle is lost before it is even begun, who groan that the chances of life are all against them before they have made one brave venture and endeavour; and they are vain and self-deceiving men who fancy that the victory will be easy because somebody has given them a good start, and they have the backing of family, social position, wealth, and mental gifts.  If some of you think because your fathers stand high, because your education has been well looked after, because there are unlimited money and plenty of friends to