most miserable; nor more strong, than when he feemed most weak; for at once he was lamed and bleffed, conquered and victorious. A lively emblem this of what ufually befalls the remnant of Jacob! for "hapРу is the man whom God correcteth." The love of the Lord towards the children of Ifrael is written in the most rigorous difpenfation: when they are weak, then are they strong; and what he takes away from them in one way, he restores to advantage in another. O happy they, who think it no folitude to be alone with God! Glorious things are fpoken of thee, O duty of prayer! He who can prevail with God, needs not fear that man fhould prevail against him.

His burial in Canaan, the land of promise, after a life of fingular affliction, may reprefent the diftinguished lot of all the faithful, chofen, and called, who, after a fhort courfe of pilgrimage, harraffed with anxious cares and forrows, do reft in the promised land of the heavenly Canaan. And truly the beloved Jacob had shared no happiness, to be compared with hated Efau's, if in this life only he had hope. Who would not rather judge, that Efau was beloved of God, and Jacob hated, if love or hatred could certainly be known by that which happens under the fun? And were the Christian to bound his views by the grave, fhould his hopes terminate in death; ah! then, he were the most wretched of his race, and at his beft cftate he were altogether vanity.

O eternal joys above ! O glorious rewards! referved in heaven for thofe who feek for glory, honour and blissful immortality, by patient continuance in well-doing; without you, even pure and undefiled religion could fcarce compenfate the afflictions of this prefent life, to which we are expofed as men and Chriftians. But thefe affert the glorious prerogative of religion, and the fuperior happiness of faints. Though the days of their pilgrimage, like Jacob's, be few and evil; yet ftill they are a people faved by the Lord, who has bleffed them, and they thall be bleffed.

VI. The Hiftory of Jofeph.

TH HE hiftory of Jofeph's life is doubtlefs, one of the moft entertaining and eventful which all antiquity can boast of. Upon it are infcribed, in most lively characters, at once the terrible effects of malice and envy, and the watchful care of Providence over the cause of injured virtue and innocence. But the most remarkable thing that claims our attention here, is the furprifing likeness betwixt the whole narrative and the hiftory of Jefus Chrift, of whom it may truly be faid, "The archers have forely grieved him, but his bow abode in its ftrength, and the arms of his hands were made ftrong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob*."

He was the beloved fon of his father Jacob; and truly he feems to have been worthy of fuch paternal favour; for detefting the wickedness of his brethren, he reported their faults. This, with his prophetic dreams which he told them of, fo ftung them with envy and refentment, that they could not speak peaceably to him, nor look at him but with difgust and averfion. Their caufelefs anger is turned into obdurate hatred of their brother, and foon they find an opportunity of wrecking their bloody rage. He is fent by his father to inquire of their welfare, when feeding their flocks in the wildernefs; and dreading no harm, as he was innocent and stranger to offence, he carefully inquires after them, till at last he finds them out. But, ah!" he looked for brethren, and behold murderers! Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous: but who can ftand before baneful envy†?" Transported with this blind fury, they not only forget that they are brethren, but forget that they men; and take horrid counsel against the darling youth, to embrue their hands in his guiltless blood. One more merciful than the reft moves, that they caft him into a pit, rather than murder him outright: for he intended by this artifice, at once to indulge their fury, and to elude it, by finding means to reftore him again to his father. The motion takes. *. Gen. xlix. 23, 24. Prov. xxvii. 4.

CO

They ftrip him of his garment with many lours; and regardless of the anguish of his foul, they let him down into the pit; but themselves, O cruel monsters!"fat down to eat and drink, for they were not grieved for the affliction of Jofeph." Here they defigned to leave him to perish miferably in mournful folitude; but Providence preferved him to better things: for lifting up their eyes, they fee approaching a company of merchants who were of ishmael's race, and carried balm and myrrh from mount Gilead into Egypt. Then did his favage brethren refolve to fell Egypt's future lord to the merchants for twenty pieces of filver and to cloak their matchlefs villany, they dipt his garment in blood, and fhewing it to his father, pretended that fome wild beaft had devoured him. Such were once the men, O ye Jews in whom ye glory as your progenitors! The innocent fufferer is fold a fecond time to Potiphar in Egypt, in whose service he acquitted himself fo well, as to gain the good graces of his mafter, who repofed in him the most entire confidence, and entrusted him with the fole management of his affairs. But foon, alas! the temptations of his miftrefs are likely to prove no lefs dangerous than the malice of his brethren. He preferved indeed his chastity by the fear of the Lord; but incurring the undeferving fufpicion of a base crime, he is committed to the dungeon by his too partial master, as before he had been caft into the pit by his cruel brethren. But the king fent and loofed him, and the ruler of the people fet him freet." For as he expofed himself to all his troublefome adventures, by telling his own dreams; fo by interpreting the dreams of others, he laid the foundation of his fubfequent grandeur. On a fudden his prifon is turned into a palace, his irons a chain of gold. Potiphar's fervant is become Potiphar's lord. He "whofe feet were hurt with fetters, now binds the princes at pleasure, and teaches the fenators wif dom." And as he moves along the crouded freets, a herald proclams before him, "Bow the knees."

Amos vi. 6. † Pfal. cv. 20. Ver. 18, 22. § Gen. xii. 43.

Book I. And now he feeds from his hoarded granaries the starving nations; for he wifely provided against the approach of the famine he foretold. The fubjects of Pharaoh acknowledge him the faviour of their lives. His unkind brethren, impelled by hunger, and hard neceffity, come alfo among the fupplicants, to fulfil his dreams, which they once, vainly imagined they had rendered for ever abortive. He remembered the traces of their countenances; and by various harsh methods he explores the fincerity of their repentance, and acquaints himself with the circumstances of their family. At laft his bowels yearned towards them, and pitious of their mifery, as being fufficiently chaftifed, he makes himself known to them; buries in oblivion their past misdemeanors; and tranfports them to dwell with him, where he nourishes them like a father in the midft of a terrible and extensive famine. And thus what was intended by the wickednefs of men as the means of extirpating the name of Jofeph out of the earth, was over-ruled, by the wifdom of God, for bringing about his glorious exaltation, for saving the lives of much people, and even the lives of those who fought his death.

Which things are an allegory. For Jefus Chrift is the true Jofeph, if you view him as a beloved Son ; an affectionate brother; a trufty fervant; an illuminated prophet; a refifter of temptations; a forgiver of injuries, but chiefly if you confider him as an innocent fufferer; an exalted Prince; and an univerfal Saviour.

Like Jofeph, he was a beloved Son, whom God the Father has bleffed above all his brethren. Jacob made for Jofeph a garment of divers colours; and God prepared for Chrift a body curioufly wrought in the lower parts of the earth. Like Jofeph he is an affectionate brother. He came to feek his brethren in the wildernefs of this world, though they received him not. He knows them when they know not him; and his bowels yearn towards them, even when he feems fevere. He may deal roughly with them at

firft, but he will have mercy upon them at the laft. He liberally fupplies their wants without money and without price; and at laft will bring them to dwell with him in the heavenly Canaan, where they shall behold his glory, and be abundantly fatisfied with the fatnefs of his houfe. Like Jofeph, he was a trusty fervant, acquitting himself dextrioufly in every part of the work that was given him to do: even as the prophet alfo foretells, "Behold my fervant fhall deal prudently, he fhall be exalted, he fhall be extolled, and be very high*." Like Jofeph he is a moft illuminated prophet, in whom the fpirit of God is, -none fo difcreet and wife as he,-the true Zaphnathpaneah, or revealer of fecrets, who is worthy to take the fealed book of God's decrees, and open its seven feals. Like Jofeph, he was a refilter of temptations; for he was folicited in vain to fpiritual adultry by the great enemy of falvation, when he faid unto him, "All these will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship met." Though this harlot world hath caft down, wounded, and flain many ftrong men, our Jofeph overcame her: his heart declined not to her ways: he went not aftray in her paths, though in the encounter he was ftript of his mortal life, which he willingly refigned. Like Jofeph, he was and is a forgiver of injuries: for as on the crofs he implored forgiveness to his murderers with his expiring breath; fo on the throne he gave repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion of fin, many of them whofe hand had been very deep in that bloody tragedy of his crucifixion, being brought to a fincere. profeffion that, "Verily, they were guilty concerning their brother," and the blood which they impioufly fhed, spoke better things than that of Abel.

But chiefly let us view him as an innocent fufferer, whofe fufferings iffued in glory to himself, and univerfal good to men. Jofeph is mortally hated of his brethren, and the butt of their envy, because he expofed their wicked courfes, and foretold his own advancement. For thefe fame reafons was Jefus + Matt. iv. 9.

* Ifa. liii. 13.

Gen. xiii. 21.