ole old man might be assured his son possessed power to support and protect him and his family.

When Pharaoh was informed that Joseph's bre thren were arrived, he commanded him to send carriages to bring down his father and family into Egypt, saying, "Regard not your stuff, or cattle, for the good of the land is yours."

We cannot but admire the gratitude and condescension of this amiable king, who was superior to the narrow prejudices of his time, and felt no uneasiness at having for his prime minister the son of a shepherd. The character of the sovereign and his servant agreed well with each other; and if the king was pleased in manifesting his regard to Joseph, by taking care of his family, Joseph was also eager to secure the favour of his master on their behalf.

Some men, when they rise in the world, are apt to forget, or shun, their indigent relations; but Joseph was too wise and good a man to be guilty of such a criminal neglect. He was not ashamed to own his alliance to shepherds, though he knew that the occupation which they followed was held in the greatest contempt among the Egyptians.

Joseph eagerly accepted the commission of his sovereign, and sent a considerable train with his brethren, to whom he also gave a liberal present; still showing his particular regard for Benjamin, by bestowing upon him a larger portion of raiment and money than upon any of the others. "And to his father he sent ten asses, laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses, laden with corn, and bread, and meat, for his father by the way."

So provident was Joseph, and so attentive to the little conveniences of his parent in this journey. His prudence was manifested also in the advice which he gave to his brethren when he took his leave of them: "See that ye fall not out by the way." He was apprehensive that a remembrance of their past behaviour would produce mutual accusations, the

consequence of which, from the violence of their tempers, might be fatal.

Joseph's caution showed an affectionate concern for the peace of his family; and a more important piece of advice could not have been given. It would be well if, in the journey of life, mankind would take the same lesson as the rule of their conduct, especially in those social relations which are essential to human happiness, but which, from the want of attending to this rule, are often embittered with envy, hatred, and malice.

When Jacob came to the province of Goshen, the most fertile part of Egypt, Joseph hastened thither in his chariot, and a most affecting interview took place between the venerable patriarch and his dutiful, his long-lost child.

The exalted Hebrew next presented his brethren and his father to Pharaoh; and, so far from being ashamed either of them or their employment, Joseph directed them to acknowledge their calling, that they might obtain a free grant of Goshen for their esidence, and be separated from the Egyptians.

We are now to consider Joseph as a vigilant and provident statesman, in a season of peculiar distress and difficulty. The famine having continued two years, the private supply of the Egyptians was exhausted, and they were compelled to purchase corn from the public granaries, which greatly enriched the royal treasury. As long as the people had money they bought corn of Joseph with specie; but, in the sixth year of the famine, they were obliged to sell their cattle, and, in the last year, they were under the necessity of selling themselves and their lands.

Joseph has been unjustly accused of promoting tyranny and slavery by this conduct; but let us look a little closely into the history of this people, before we rashly encourage a charge so unworthy of the history and the character of this great man. Some bloody rebellions had happened in Egypt before the administration of Joseph; and from a re

gard for his royal master, no less than for the people themselves, he took this opportunity of binding them to allegiance. He wisely also adopted a method by which the evil of famine should be prevented in future, by taking the lands which were suffered to lie fallow, and compelling the people who held them, as vassals of the crown, to turn the same into tillage.

We behold here a judicious and benevolent line of conduct, instead of one cruel and unjust on the part of Joseph. By his superior wisdom the seven years of famine were provided against; and by laying the Egyptians under the necessity of selling their lands, he obtained that power which enabled him to render the country more fruitful than it ever had been, or indeed would be, if the inhabitants were not in a manner compelled to a life of agriculture. But Joseph made no undue advantage of the people's necessities; for though they exchanged all their possessions, and even their liberty for corn, he reserved only a fifth part of their estates for Pharaoh, who was before the owner of a tenth of all the land, except what belonged to the priests.

Again we turn to view Joseph in his private character, and still have reason to admire him as a dutiful son, and a kind and forgiving brother.

Seventeen years did he enjoy the pleasing and pious conversation of Jacob; and when he heard that his father was sick, he hastened with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to visit him.

The dying beds of the righteous are awfully instructive, and are well calculated to make serious impressions on the minds of youth. Wisely, therefore, did Joseph bring his children with him, that from the lips of their venerable ancestor they might learn the value of true religion. Jacob, full of the Divine spirit, pronounced a solemn blessing upon Joseph and upon his two sons, adding, that the younger should have the pre-eminence over the elder; and though he was dim with age, he guided

his hands, by a Divine instinct, in such a manner as to place his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, and his left upon that of Manasseh. Joseph was vexed at this preference, and endeavoured to correct what he took to be a mistake: but the dying prophet confirmed the action and the blessing, by saying, "Manasseh also shall become a people; and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall all Israel bless, saying, GOD make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh."

After this he said unto Joseph, "Behold I die, but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

The last scene of Jacob we have contemplated; but here we must observe, that though the good man addressed all his sons by name in the spirit of prophecy, and delivered a striking prediction of the Messiah, as the Shiloh that should descend from Judah, his heart rested on Joseph with most affection.

He dwelt with much delight upon the character and circumstances of his favourite son; and the language in which the blessing is expressed, is richly metaphorical, elegant, and appropriate. "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: the archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him ; but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty GOD of Jacob: from thence is the shepherd the stone of Israel: even by the GOD of thy father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breast and of the womb: the blessings of thy father have

prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” The afflictions and deliverances of Joseph are beautifully described under the figure of a hunted hart pursued by envy and malice; and the promise of high favour and extensive possessions to his posterity, is expressed in a variety of terms, to give it more weight and dignity.

When the strength of Jacob was exhausted, and the lingering pulse ceased to beat, Joseph's heart was full of grief, and "he fell upon his face, and wept upon him, and kissed him."

But the sorrow of Joseph, though tender, was not immoderate. He attended to the charge which he had received from his father, and, after the days of embalming were ended, he solicited leave of absence, and went up with the precious remains of the venerable saint to the family sepulchre in Canaan.

On his return from this pious office he had another occasion to show the generosity of his mind.

His brethren were apprehensive that the death of their common parent would draw forth the latent spirit of revenge. Their guilty consciences made them afraid; and they judged, as wicked men always do, that the mind of Joseph was like their own, prone to "recompense evil for evil." The life of their father, according to their judgment, was the only security they had against the resentment of their brother; but as this impediment was now removed, they had no doubt that they should be made to feel that he had neither forgotten nor forgiven them. How unjustly did they judge of the heart of Joseph! what a wrong did this guilty suspicion put upon that noble-minded man! With a creeping and humiliating petition, these men sent a messenger to Joseph supplicating his pardon, in the name of the GoD of their father.

Some men would have been wonderfully gratified