Article September 30, 1922 ISSUE

The Gold of Spirituality

PETER B. BIGGINS

In many passages of the Bible, gold is used to typify the most precious qualities of thought, even spiritual qualities. When we think of the radiance of gold, its purity, its beauty, its value, and when we remember that it is indestructible by fire, we see that the use of this term is as fitting as the use of any material term could be. Material symbols at best, however, express spiritual facts but imperfectly. The Bible is an accurate record of many instances of divine power as proved in human experience. For this reason the Bible is a ceaseless source of spiritual help and comfort to pilgrims in every age, as they journey along the upward way.

The experiences of Joseph present much that is helpful. The vision of the Christ which Jacob had caught in his mental struggle by the brook Jabbok, had surely helped to guide the thoughts of the youthful Joseph, the son of his old age. It was this perception of the Christ which preserved and sustained Joseph during his years of trial, misrepresentation, and injustice. It was this that kept him safely in the straight and narrow path of integrity, and gave him that spiritual clear-sightedness which enabled him to utilize the abundance provided by God to preserve Egypt from famine. When Joseph had interpreted aright the dreams that had troubled Pharaoh, the Egyptian monarch "arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck," fitting symbols of the priceless value of the spiritual understanding which Joseph enjoyed, and which had been developing during his years of seeming adversity.

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