A HYMN. Love and Hatred. NOW by the bowels of my God, Clamour, and wrath, and war, begone, Envy and spite for ever ceasé; The spirit, like a peaceful dove, Flies from the realms of noise and strife; Why should we vex and grieve his love, Who seals our souls to heav'nly life? Tender and kind be all our thoughts, Through all our lives let mercy run: So God forgives our num'rous faults. For the dear sake of Christ his Son. Watts, LECTURE LECTURE XXXVIII. JOSEPH SOLD FOR A SLAVE. GEN. 37. 28. Then there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites, for twenty piec es of silver and they brought Joseph into Egypt. You have heard why Joseph was called "the dreamer." Have you read his dreams? If you had dreamed two such remarkable dreams, I think you would have done as Joseph did, told it to your father and mother, and brothers and sisters. I am not quite sure, whether you would not also have told your school-fellow, but I rather think you would. Joseph's father saw that his brethren were angry, and in order to soften their resentment, he thought it necessary to rebuke Joseph. He intimated that it was but a dream, and his mother who had been loug dead, being brought in, that it could not be fulfilled, whereas no doubt Leah was alive; and and by the sun, moon and eleven stars, the whole family was intended. His brethren envied him, but his father observed the saying; like Mary he treasured up these dreams in his mind, and pondered on them in his heart. The consequence was that Joseph's brethren gave him a new name, and call him the DREAMER. His father sent Joseph to Shechem, to see if his brethren were well; see whether the people of the country had not fallen upon them and killed th m, for the murder they committed in slaying all the males of the city of Shechem with the edge of the sword, -Not finding them at Shechem, he went to Dothan, in which place he heard from a man, whom he met with while seeking for his bre thren, that they had departed. They see him at a distance, and agree together to slay him, and conceal his death from their fa ther, by a lie. As soon as he came up to them, they seized upon him and took off his coat of many colours, and cast him into a pit. This was done by the advice of Reuben. They then sat down to eat bread, and while 1 they they were feasting themselves, some merchants passed by, going down to Egypt, with spices. Seeing these men, Judah proposed that they should sell Joseph to them and not take away his life. Let us attend, I. TO JUDAH'S PROPOSAL TO SELL Jo. SEPH. "And Judah said unto his brethren, what profit, is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh: And his brethren were content." This was Judah's proposal; they thought by selling Joseph to these merchants, that he would be. carried so far away as not to be able to retura to bear rule over them. They expected never to hear of Joseph any more. It will be less guilt, more gain to us, if we sell. Why did Joseph's brethren want money? Were they poor? Would not their father have given them money if they had asked him for some? Certainly he would. There was no necessity for them to sell their brother, in order to obtain money to supply their wants. They had provisions with them. They thought if Joseph Joseph was sold for a slave, he would never be their Lord. The Lord wonderfully kept them from taking away Joseph's life, by put ing it into the heart of Ruben to plead, that he might be put in a pit; but if Joseph had remained there, he might have died of hunger and fatigue. Reuben intended to take him out of this, and had left his brethren for the purpose of going to the pit and saving his life. God put it into Judah's heart to propose to his brethren, that they should sell him: they all consented to this, (one only being absent) and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph for twenty pieces. of silver. Jesus Christ was sold by one of the same name for thirty pieces of silver. "The wrath of man shall praise God, and the remainder of that wrath he will restrain." II. REUBEN'S DISTRESS AT NOT FIND ING JOSEPH IN THE PIT. "And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren and said: The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?", Reuben, it seems, went round |