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5....And Jacob awaked out of his fleep, and he faid, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and faid, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the houfe of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rofe early in the morn ing, and took the ftone that he had put for his pillow, and fet it up for a pillar.

6....And Jacob vowed a vow, faying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, fo that I come again to my father's houfe in peace; then fhall the Lord be my God.

CHAPTER X.

THE AFFECTIONATE MEETING OF TWO BROTHERS WHO HAD BEEN AT VARI ANCE.

Now

A. M. 2265.

OW Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him : and when Jacob faw them, he

three thousand years ago, particularly in the twentyeighth chapter of Deuteronomy.

They areimplacable enemies of the Chriftian religion, and yet are the living and inconteftible witneffes of its truth; for they carry with them, every where, the prophetic writings, which had their accomplishment in "Jefus Chrift and the awful deftruction of their city, and the horrible calamities which the nation has fince fuffered moftremarkably correfpond with our Saviour's predictions.

:

faid, This is God's hoft. And Jacob fent meffengers before him to Efau his brother, unto the land of Seir and he commanded them, faying, Thus fhall ye fpeak unto my lord Efau; thy fervant Jacob faith thus, I have fojourned with Laban, and ftayed there until now. And I have oxen, and flocks, and men fervants, and women fervants : and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy fight.

2....And the meffengers returned to Jacob, faying, We came to thy brother Efau, and alfo he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and diftreffed and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands: and said if Efau come to the one company, and fmite it, then shall the other company efcape.

3....And Jacob faid, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Ifaac, the Lord, which faideft unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee, deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother Efau, for I fear him, left he will come and fmite me, and the mother with the children.

4....And he took of that which came to his hand, a prefent for Elau his brother. So went the prefent over before him, and himself lodged that night in the company. And Jacob looked, and, behold, Elan came, and with him four hundred men. And he paffed over before, and bowed himfelf to the ground feven times, until he came near to his brother.

5....And Efau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kiffed him and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and faw the women, and the children, and faid, Who are those with thee? And Jacob faid, The children, which God hath graciously giv.

en thy fervant. And he faid, what meaneft thou by all this drove which I met ?

6....And Jacob faid, Thefe are to find grace in the fight of my lord. And Efau faid, I have enough, my brother, keep that thou hafi unto thyfelf. And Jacob faid, Nay I pray thee; it now I have found grace in thy fight, then receive my present at my hand, because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough: and he urged him, and he took it. So Efau returned on his way to Seir.

CHAPTER XI.

The following fory is inimitably beautiful; it is related with an artless fimplicity, and abounds with interefting and most affecting incidents : perhaps nothing can be found equally pathetic among even the fictions of poetry and romance. I remember reading a deifical author, who faid, (though he was oppofed to the Bible in general) that he never read the story of Fofeph without tears. Some have affected to embellifh the ftory of Jofeph by adding fictitious circumftances,and dreffing it out in a florid ftyle; which has proved equally abfurd as to attempt to improve the native colours of the lily, or the rofe, by daubing them with paint.

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1....

THE STORY OF JOSEPH.

A. M. from 2276 to 2300.

Now Jacob loved Jofeph more than all his

children, because he was the fon of his old age; and be made him a coat of many colours and when his

brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peacebly unto him.

2.... And Jofeph dreamed a dream, and told it to his brethren ; and he faid unto them, hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, hehold, we were binding fheaves in the field, and, lo, my fheaf arose and alfo ftood upright and behold, your sheaves flood round about and made obeifance to my Theaf. And his brethren faid, fhalt thou indeed reign over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams.

3....And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem and Jacob faid unto Jofeph, Go, I pray thee, fee whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he fent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the ran asked him say. ing, What feekest thou?.

4...And he faid, I feek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man faid. They are departed hence: for I heard them fay, Let as go to Dothan And Jofeph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And when they faw him afar off, they confpired against him to flay him and they faid one to another, Behold this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us flay him, and caft him into fome pit; and we will fay, fome evil beaft hath devoured him: and we fhall fee what will become of his dreams.

5And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and faid let us not kill him. And Reuben faid unto them, Shed not blood but caft him into this pit that is in the wilderness: (defigning to rid

him out of their hands, that he might deliver him to his father again.)

6....And, when Jofeph was come unto his brethren, they ftripped Jofeph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; and they took him, and caft him into a pit; and they fat down to eat bread. And they looked and behold a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels, bearing fpicery, and balm, and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

7....And Judah faid unto his brethren, What profit is it if we flay our brother and conceal his blood; come, and let us fell him to the Ishmaelites, (and not murder him, for he is our brother, and our flesh. And his brethren were content. And they drew up Jofeph out of the pit and fold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of filver.*

8....And Reuben (who was abfent when Jofeph was fold) returned unto the pit; and, behold Jofeph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes: and he returned unto his brethren, and faid, the child is not; and I, whither fhall I go? And they took Jofeph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood.

9....And they brought the coat of many colours to their father; and faid, This have we found, know now whether it be thy fon's coat or no. And he knew it, and faid it is my fon's ccat ; an evil beast hath devoured him: Jofeph is without doubt rent in pieces.

10.... And Jacob rent his clothes, and put fackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his fon many days. And

Jofeph was Seventeen years old when his brethren fold him, and he was a flave in Egypt, under Potiphar, ten years, and was beund in prifon three years,

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