e guilty conscience; and there was no rest for Jacob.

Oh! Why had he so easily and so weakly yielded to that strong
temptation to obtain by fraud the coveted blessing? Why had he
not, like Abraham, patiently waited for the fulfilment of the
sure promise made on his behalf? Why had he not waited till God
Himself had brought it about--that the elder should serve the
younger--instead of faithlessly and sinfully hurrying it on himself,
and bringing down upon himself and his home all this misery?

There was no book of sweet Psalms to comfort him and assure him of
forgiveness; but, as he turned uneasily on his hard bed, and looked
up to the quiet heavens, something of their peace stole into his
heart. He thought of the great God who dwells above; of the kindness
which He had shown to Abraham and Isaac; of the gentle, loving way in
which He had drawn near to them; and of the gracious promises which
He had made to them.

And he felt sure that such a God must be merciful and compassionate
to a poor erring wanderer like himself; and that, enthroned in glory
as He was, He would listen to his cry, as He had listened to the
outcast Ishmael's before him; and forgive. He would tell Him how
sorry he was for what he had done, and ask Him to take away the load
that was weighing him down.

So the restless young man arose; and, kneeling upon the bare ground,
and raising his beseeching eyes to the star-lit heavens, he poured
out to Him who reigns above them the tale of his griefs, and asked
Him, in mercy, to forgive the sins that he had committed against Him.

And there, as he knelt, his prayer was heard; the weight of guilt was
lifted from his oppressed spirit; and he breathed more freely than he
had done since he committed that dark sin. He could not now go back
to his old home. Early on the morrow he must go forward on his long
journey, and endure all that he had brought upon himself; but his
mind was at ease; his heart was at rest. The God of his fathers had
heard him, and with His forgiveness and blessing he could be happy.

So he lay down again, not to toss uneasily about as before, but to
sleep the sleep of those who are at peace with Heaven.

And the pitying Father above, who, as the Bible assures us, does not
deal with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our
iniquities, not only put away Jacob's transgression, but drew near to
the poor, erring, but repentant wanderer, lying out there in the lone
desert, to comfor