NiC 
 
 L¥^^~- 
 
 LIBRA.RY 
 
 OP THE 
 
 Theolorjical Se-minary, 
 
 PRTiSTCETON, ■ N. J. 
 
 7ri.se, .H^C— -^-- 'Pivision... 
 
 C^ I -D Section... 
 
 Shelf 
 
 iiOO/,f 
 
 No,..., 
 
INTERESTING 
 
 NARRATIVES 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 SACRED VOLUME, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED AND IMPROVED. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. JOSEPH BELCHER. 
 
 FROM THE SECOND LONDON EDITION. 
 
 NEW-YORK: 
 
 ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET. 
 1839. 
 
New-York: 
 
 Prioted by Scatciierd & Adams, 
 
 No. 38 Gold Street. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Whoever lias taken a view of the litera- 
 ture of the present age, must have been 
 pleased with the efforts made, in a thou- 
 sand different ways, to simplify and ex- 
 tend the most important branches of in- 
 formation, both human and divine. The 
 day has for ever passed when the key of 
 knowledge was confined to a privileged 
 class ; the door is now thrown open, and 
 even the poorest are invited to partake of 
 the feast of intellectual pleasures. 
 
 But while religious truths have been 
 vsimplified, they have, in too many cases, 
 been presented to their readers in a man- 
 ner that appears to the writer of this vo- 
 lume objectionable. Fiction has been 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 blended with facts, and while the imagi- 
 nation has been pleased, the mind has be- 
 come enervated and unfitted for solid and 
 useful studies. 
 
 It furnishes no answer to this objection 
 to. say, that there are a class of persons 
 who will not read unless a subject can be 
 placed before them in a novel and striking 
 light ; for, is not truth presented in the 
 volume of Revelation in its most delight- 
 ful and engaging dress 7 And will not 
 the interesthig narratives of the Bible 
 continue to live and to impart instruction 
 w^hen the most popular writers of fiction 
 are altogether forgotten 1 A desire to di- 
 rect the minds of the inquiring to the vo- 
 lume of truth was the object of the writer 
 in commencing this work; and if the fee- 
 ble attempt he has made to- illustrate 
 and improve some of the facts of the in- 
 spired records should induce abler persons 
 to pursue the path he has marked out, he 
 will cordially rejoice. 
 
 Ulackhealh Road, Greenwich. 
 

 ^}. tn rr 'n A t n 
 ^A .i L\ ^At vJ A.I o 
 
 
 CONTENTS . 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 The Solemn Inquiry ------ 7 
 
 The First Muider 15 
 
 The Deluge S5 
 
 The Servant Expelled 31 
 
 The Affectionate Father sacrificing his Son - - 50 
 
 The Affecting Funeral 65 
 
 The Patriarchal Wedding ----- 81 
 
 The Dutiful Son - - 95 
 
 The Affectionate Brother ----- 112 
 
 The Faithful Steward 131 
 
 The Pious Prisoner ------ 143 
 
 The Righteous Governor 155 
 
 The Mistaken Saint 166 
 
 The Dying Patriarch - 174 
 
 The Foundling - 193 
 
 The Wise Choice 203 
 
 The Blasphemer Stoned 218 
 
 The Serpents - 229 
 
 The Hypocritical Prophet ----- 237 
 
 The Enemy Discovered ----- 251 
 
 The Affectionate Daughter-in-Law - - - 261 
 
 The Happy Gleaner 276 
 
PBII-iejnTn^j ^,, 
 
 
 NARRATIVES. 
 
 THE SOLEMN INaUIRY. 
 
 GEN. III. 
 
 Did not his heart within him burn, 
 
 Touched by the solemn tone 1 
 
 Not so ! for, never to return, 
 
 Its purity was gone. 
 
 Mrs. Hemans. 
 
 The natural disposition of man to inquire into 
 
 the past conduct of his fellow-creatures has been 
 
 frequently the subject of remark. We feel that 
 
 we are but tlie creatures of a day, and standing 
 
 on the common stage of life, we ask about the 
 
 events which occurred before our entrance, look 
 
 around upon the scenes moving before us, and 
 
 die while inquiring what shall be after us. This 
 
 spirit of curiosity may become useful or injurious 
 
 to us, as we improve or abuse it. Kept within 
 
 due limits, it leads to important discoveries ; but 
 
 carried beyond those bounds, it draws away our 
 
 attention from the most important pursuits, and 
 
 perverts our f.\culties to the study of momentary 
 
 trifles. 
 
8 THE SOLEMN INQUIRY. 
 
 To gratify our desires for useful and important 
 knowledge, it has pleased God to make a large 
 portion of the Holy Tolume a relation of the 
 most interesting events in which man hasbeen 
 concerned. We thus learn much of the charac- 
 ter and will of Jehovah ; we see the evil nature 
 and awful effects of transgressions of his law ; 
 and we learn, from facts presented to our view, 
 the way of escape from his anger, and the meth- 
 od of reconciliation with him. ^The goodness of 
 God IS thus made apparent, both in the revelation 
 he has been pleased to give us of himself, and in 
 the manner in which it has been presented to us. 
 Turning, then, to this only authentic history 
 of the human race for many of the first ages of 
 the world, we inquire briefly into the history of 
 man, the cause of his present unhappiness, and 
 especially the important connexion between him 
 and his great Creator. 
 
 We cannot go back to the primeval state of our 
 first parents without feelings of the greatest ad- 
 miration and gratitude. How beautiful, holy, 
 and happy were Adam and Eve when they first 
 came from the hands of their Maker ! AYhat 
 striking illustrations do their persons furnish of 
 the power, the wisdom, the benevolence of their 
 Creator ! How lovely and desirable their resi- 
 dence ! Its fruits and its flowers are alike delight- 
 ful ! All that man can desire has been placed 
 
THE SOLEMN INGIUIRY. ^ 
 
 at his feet by the Creator and Friend who has 
 constituted him the governor of the whole earth. 
 
 Nor were the blessino;s of a spiritual kind which 
 the Creator had bestowed on Adam less nume- 
 rous or striking. He who had formed man of 
 spirit as well as matter, imparted to that spirit a 
 sense of his tavour, and from day to day conde- 
 scended to hold intercourse with it. Delightful 
 indeed must have been the interviews between 
 the Father of spirits and the souls he had made ? 
 The holycomraunion and interchange of though; 
 between kindred minds presents the nearest re- 
 semblance to this friendship between heaven and 
 earth ; but even this falls almost infinitely short 
 of these scenes of Eden before humanity became 
 stained with sin. 
 
 The reflecting mind must be impressed with 
 the fitness of the entire alieo^iance of man to his 
 Maker. The creature should adore his Creator, 
 the subject should obey his sovereign, and the 
 servant should promote the interests of his mas- 
 ter. Hence it was desirable that some test should 
 be instituted by which the authority of Jehovah 
 should be manifested, and the dependence of man 
 should be felt. Adam could not then sin against 
 society, for it did not exist ; and thus the test 
 must be one relating to God himself. This test 
 is known to be that of abstaining from the fruit 
 
10 THE SOLEMN INQUIRY. 
 
 of a certain tree, which was pointed out by infi- 
 nite wisdom. So long as this requirement was 
 regarded, man would be happy ; if it were viola- 
 ted, he and his posterity would be the subjects 
 of the wrath of God. The fitness of this test 
 must be readily seen : it tended to cherish in the 
 minds of our first parents a sense of their depen- 
 dence upon God, — it would operate as a check 
 to the undue gratification of their animal appe- 
 tites, and their natural curiosity, — it was a rule 
 very easy to be observed,~and could not be se- 
 vere in itself, as it only regarded one tree, and 
 left them the opportunity of gratifying their full 
 desires with the fruits of all the rest. 
 
 How long our first parents continued in an 
 obedient and happy state we cannot tell ; but 
 several circumstances lead to the conclusion that 
 it could be but for a short time. During this 
 period, however, all was felicity. The world 
 was theirs ; their Maker was their friend ; the 
 past called for their gratitude ; and the future 
 was contemplated with confidence. Angels were 
 not happier, nor could infinite wisdom and love 
 contemplate the scene without pronouncing "all 
 very good !" 
 
 But alas ! this felicity did not long continue. 
 We are called to visit the g^arden of Eden under 
 circumstances of agonizing sorrow. The bright 
 
THE SOLEMN INdUIRY. 11 
 
 [uminary of day is just withdrawing his glorious 
 beams from Paradise, and setting in the west ; 
 when Jehovah appears in the garden, as usual, 
 to hold intercourse with man, in whom he has 
 so much delighted. But how changed the scene ! 
 Adam, who had been accustomed, with a heart 
 overflowing with joy, to come to meet his Father 
 and his God, has now retired, as he supposes, 
 from the Divine view, and attempted to hide 
 himself among the trees. What is the cause of 
 all this ? Why should the God of love have to 
 propose the striking inquir}?-, " Adam, where art 
 thou ?" What, has man begun to suppose his 
 Creator is his enemy 7 Has he found a being 
 who can make him happier ? Or has he disco- 
 vered that he is most blessed when living at a 
 distance from the fountain of felicity ? It was 
 certainly impossible that almighty wisdom had 
 done him wrong, or that infinite love had chang- 
 ed in its regards to him. The mind of man must 
 contemplate this question with astonishment and 
 awe ; and its consideration must fi.ll every well- 
 regulated heart with grief. 
 
 The very proposal of the question seems to 
 imply the anger of Jehovah. He had created 
 man, and put him into Eden, where he had sup- 
 plied his wants, and given him every proof of 
 his favour. And is this the conduct which he 
 
{2 THE SOLEMN IK'ilTIRY, 
 
 ou^ht to meet with in return ? What cause Fins 
 God ^iven, that his creature should thus flee from 
 his presence? 
 
 Nor does the question appear less adnpted to 
 induce in Adam a spirit of self-examination. He 
 must well know that the eye of Omniscience was 
 upon him ; and that the inquiry was designed 
 to penetrate his heart, and induce feelings to 
 which he had hitherto been a stranoer. The 
 blessed God employs powerful means to direct 
 our attention to ourselves, and to convince us 
 how awfully we have sinned against him. 
 
 But in the midst of all, we must see that infi- 
 nite benevolence mingles itself with the inquiry. 
 Jehovah does not appear in the garden clothed 
 in vengeance ; he does not come to destroy man, 
 even though he has sinned ; but he condescends 
 to inquire, and to reason with him as to his con- 
 duct. How vast the love which the Supreme 
 Being is thus pleased to manifest to us ; strnnge 
 that we should be disposed to hate and to dis- 
 obey him ! 
 
 But we turn to the culprit, who has been com- 
 pelled, as every sinner shall be, to appear before 
 Iiis Creator and his Judge. Nor can we doubt, 
 when we see him, the cause which led to his 
 withdrawment from the sight of God. We see 
 in his countenance the power of his conscience. 
 
THE SOLEMN INaUIRY. 13 
 
 We perceive his deep sense of his guilt, and his 
 conviction that he deserves punishment. Me- 
 mory now forcibly presents to him the opposition 
 his conscience made to his eatins^ the forbidden 
 fruit, and the recollection fills him with horror. 
 Well, then, may he be burdened with sorrow. 
 
 Still it is a matter of lamentation that the trans- 
 gressor manifests nothing like true repentance 
 for his sins. He has now no real love for God. 
 He fears his wrath, he denies not his claims to 
 his obedience, he refuses not to answer his in- 
 quiries ; but alas ! he does not implore his par- 
 don, he tacitly throws the blame of his sin upon 
 his Maker ; and thus shews how rebellion against 
 God blinds the understanding, hardens the affec- 
 tions, and perverts the whole soul. 
 
 But who shall describe to us all the emotions 
 which pass now through Adam's heart ! He can- 
 not hide himself from God ; his sins are open to 
 the Divine view, before whom he stands a con- 
 victed culprit. He has approached the forbidden 
 tree, he indeed knows good and evil, but all the 
 bias of his soul is to the latter, and the punish- 
 ments due to sin are overtaking him in rapid 
 succession. We pity the unhappy subject of 
 sorrow, but we feel that the whole blame of his 
 condition rests on himself. We are compelled 
 to admit the infinite justice of the Deity in his 
 2* 
 
14 THE SOLEMN INaUIRY. 
 
 expulsion from Paradise, while we adore the 
 mercy which permits him for more than nme 
 hundred years to continue on earth. 
 
 And higher still must our admiration rise 
 when we hear a just God — at the same time thut 
 he declares his displeasure against sin and pro- 
 nounces upon our first parents the sentence of 
 death — graciously promises redemption through 
 the mediation of his own Son, who shou d die in 
 their stead, and bring in an eternal salvation for 
 all who believe in his name. Guilty indeed ujust 
 be the man who, having ruined himself by trans- 
 gression against God, perfects his destruction by 
 rejecting Jesus, the refuge from the wrath to come. 
 
 The whole subject thus viewed should impress 
 our minds with the nature of sin, as disobedience 
 against God ; we should learn that all our unhap- 
 piness arises from departure from holiness; we 
 should feel the folly of attempting to extenuate 
 transgressions against the Divine law, and should 
 confess all our transgressions against him ; and 
 finally, seeing that Jehovah has been pleased to 
 make overtures of mercy to us, and has pnl)lish- 
 ed reconciliation through the death of Christ, we 
 should thankfully accept the blessing, and yield 
 ourselves to his service. 
 
THE FIRST MURDER. 
 
 GENESIS IV. 
 
 To the broad earth's farthest verge, 
 
 Me the Almighty's curse has driven ; 
 
 My crime pursues me everywhere, 
 
 And ' Vengeance ! vengeance !' cries to Heaven. 
 
 Woe is me ! my brother's blood 
 Eclioes through the wild sea-shore; 
 It murmurs in the hollow b!ast, 
 It thunders in the torrent's roar. 
 
 Whitehodse. 
 
 To the contemplative mind, it must needs be a 
 source of pleasure to survey the earth when new- 
 ly created by Almighty power. It was designed 
 by infinite wisdori:, intended to ilhistrate the di- 
 vine benevolence, and was built for the residence 
 of man, one of the noblest works of Jehovah. It 
 presented beauty and glory ; its completion was 
 celebrated by the songs of angels; and its great 
 Creator pronounced his work "all very good." 
 Man, in a peculiar and complete sense, was hap- 
 
16 THE FIRST MURDER. 
 
 py. The earth and its diversified scenery charm- 
 ed his sicrht; the various sounds of its inhabitants 
 were melody in his ears; and its fruits were 
 pleasant to his palate. The companion whom 
 God had created for him, was all he could wish 
 her to be, and, what was belter than all this, he 
 was on terms of friendship with his Maker, and 
 held constant communion with him. 
 
 But, alas ! while we indulge ourselves in the 
 contemplation of this delightful scenery, we are 
 reminded of the av/ful change that has taken 
 place. Man has offended God by rebelling 
 against his laws ; and, now the divine favour is 
 withheld, angels look at us with pity, and devils 
 with triumph ; the earth is cursed for the sin of 
 man, while its various inhabitants rise up in op- 
 position to him, and man himself is awfully de- 
 graded, the energies of his mind are contracted, 
 and his prospects of future glory are obscured. 
 Unless a Mediator is found, to reconcile him to 
 God, he must perish without hope ; and except 
 his soul undergoes a new creation, he cannot 
 dwell in the future paradise of bliss. 
 
 The awful consequences of the fall of Adam 
 were soon seen in the barrenness of the earth, 
 the wildness of the brute creation, and the T^ad 
 passions, the diseased bodies, and the dying frames 
 of the human race. The first-born of our pa- 
 
THE FIRST MURDER, 17 
 
 rents is introduced to our notice as a sinner and 
 a nmrderer. Let us enter on the short and affect- 
 ing history, and be concerned to derive improve- 
 ment from it. 
 
 Il is perfectly natural, when parents are blest 
 wilh children, to entertain the highest hopes of 
 their future excellence and happiness. When 
 our first parents had sinned, Jehovah graciously 
 promised a deliverer ; and when her first-born 
 entered the world, Eve imagined that he was the 
 promised Messiah. It shewed her faith in the 
 promise of God : but she did not then know that, 
 before the Saviour appeared, it v/as necessary 
 that the awful nature of sin should be made fully 
 evident, and that the providential arrangements 
 of Jehovah would take four thousand years to 
 accomplish his designs, and bring "the fulness 
 of time" for the appearance of Christ. She could 
 not suppose that her beloved child had brought 
 into the world a depraved heart, which would 
 lead him to rebel against God, distress his parents, 
 and murder his brother. Well might the wise 
 man check inordinate joy at the birth of a child, 
 and ask — " Who knoweth whether he will be a 
 v/ise man or a fool ?" 
 
 There can be little doubt but that Cain and his 
 brother Abel were both instructed in the know* 
 ledge of God, so far as their parents themselves 
 
18 
 
 THE FIRST MURDER. 
 
 knew him. But, valuable as is a reliorions edu- 
 cation, and powerful as are its restraints, it does 
 not always preserve iis possessors from the most 
 awful crimes. Depravity is deep-rooted and in- 
 veterate ; and when all may appear amiable and 
 promising without, dispositions of the most sinful 
 nature may be ranlding within the heart, Cain 
 presented an offering to the Lord. He did not 
 slight the forms of religion ; but, alas ! that offer- 
 ing was not composed of (he proper materials, 
 nor was it accompanied with suitable feelings. 
 Hence, while the offering of Abel, of the firstUngs 
 of his flock, presented in humble expectation of, 
 and dependence on, the promised Messiah, was 
 accepted, the sacrifice of Cain was rejected by 
 that jealous Being, who not only requires us to 
 pay him homage, but expects it to be done in the 
 way of his own appointment. 
 
 Persecution, or opposition, to those who serve 
 God in an acceptable manner, seems inherent in 
 the human heart. As men, since the fall, are 
 naturally haters of their Creator, they must dis- 
 like those who enjoy his favour, and are con- 
 cerned for his honour. When the fire from hea- 
 ven descended, and shewed the divine accept- 
 ance of Abel's offering, and the same token was 
 withheld from Cain, it called into exercise all his 
 stiong feelings of jealousy and hatred towards 
 
THE FIRST MURDER, 19 
 
 his brother. The affection he owed him by na* 
 ture seemed to have fled, and revenge, however 
 unreasonable, to have taken its place ; and as he 
 could not shew his opposition to God in any 
 other way than injuring his brother, he selected 
 the most hateful methods in which to manifest 
 the malice that reigned in his bosom. 
 
 It has often been remarked, that religious dis- 
 putes rise higher than any other ; and we see it 
 exemplified here. True, Abel has imbibed 
 much of the spirit of that world to which he is 
 rapidly hasting, and he shews the meekness and 
 the affection which adorn the saintly character ; 
 but this spn'it increases the rage of Cain, who 
 is only influenced by Satan. His anger knows 
 no bounds, and he is careless as to the conse- 
 quences of shewing that disposition. Wearing 
 the mask of friendship, he invites Abel to the 
 field, where they had probably often held bro- 
 therly intercourse ; and there, his smothered 
 rage bursting forth, and strengthened by its ap- 
 parent suspension, he deprives him of his life. 
 
 What a series of reflections rush into our 
 minds as we contemplate this awful fact ! Per* 
 haps death had never before entered our world ; 
 and how affecting the thought, that the first de- 
 parture of a human being from our earth was 
 occasioned by a murder, and that murder the re- 
 
20 THE FIRST MURDER. 
 
 suit of eminent piety in the person of its sub- 
 ject ! What must have been the feehn2:s of our 
 first parents, as they looked upon the remains of 
 their beloved son ! Well might they call him 
 Abel, and mourn; well might ihey say that 
 " man, at his best estate, is vanity.^'' 
 
 On the supposition that Abel was the first 
 who entered the realms of felicity from our 
 world, we cannot but imagine that feelings of 
 delight would fill the breasts of each of the an- 
 gels on his account ; while they would, if indeed 
 it were possible, feel a momentary horror at the 
 means by which he was dismissed from earth. 
 But his sufferings are now over, and he Fhall 
 for ever enjoy an infinite reward for his attach- 
 ment to ihe service of God; angels hail him as 
 delivered from the sufferings and persecutions of 
 a sinful world, and as being their companion 
 for ever ; and Jesus must view him with holy 
 delight, as being the first fruits of that harvest of 
 immortal souls given him as the reward of the 
 sufferings he had engaged to endure. 
 
 But what are the feelings of the wicked fratri- 
 cide? Who can describe the agonies of his 
 conscience, or represent the horrors of which he 
 is the subject? The scene is viewed with an 
 awful interest by the Supreme Governor of the 
 Universe ; and it is not long before he calls the 
 
THE FIRST MURDER. 21 
 
 sinner to account for his crimes. Cain acts the 
 hypocrite even before his Maker, denies a know- 
 ledge of Abel, and impudently asks — "Am I my 
 brother's keeper?" We are shocked at such 
 conduct on his part ; but do we never exemplify 
 his spirit? Do we never profess that before 
 God which we never felt? Do not we willing- 
 ly remain ignorant of misery which we could 
 readily relieve? Do not we sometimes cherish 
 the spirit of Cain towards perishing sinners, and 
 make but little exertion for their salvation? 
 And will not God surely visit us for these 
 things ? 
 
 The despair of Cain, when he was sentenced 
 by Jehovah as accursed, and to be a vagabond 
 in the earth, was indescribably awful. The 
 Supreme Governor, by some mark, distinguish- 
 ed him from all other men, and threatened the 
 most tremendous punishment to him who should 
 take away his life. Thus did he long continue 
 him in the world, shewing men the dreadful 
 consequences of transgression, by his suffering 
 the vengeance of divine wrath. What distin- 
 guishing mark he bore, we cannot say : perhaps 
 it was, as Saurin suggests, a garment different 
 from those worn by others ; possibly it was some 
 mark on his forehead, as some have thought ; 
 or might it not have been the agony of despair 
 3 
 
22 THE FIRST MURDER. 
 
 depicted in his countenance ? His feelings 
 must be most acutely harassed, or he would not 
 have exclaimed, " My punishment is greater 
 than I can bear !" • 
 
 The question has been asked, "Who could 
 take vengeance on Cain for the death of Abel, 
 when we read not of his having any other rela- 
 tives, his father and mother excepted?" A mo- 
 ment's consideration must convince the inquirer, 
 that, though Moses has not mentioned the fact, 
 (here must have been many inhabitants on the 
 globe besides them. A very learned writer, refer- 
 red to by Saurifi, supposes the melancholy event 
 to have occurred in the year of the world 128 ; 
 and shews, that by that time, there might have 
 descended from our first parents not less than 
 421,164 persons. Among such a number, Cain 
 might well imagine there were many who 
 would be disposed to revenge the death of such 
 a man as " righteous Abel." 
 
 We will not attempt to describe the misery 
 which Cain felt through the remaining part of 
 his life. He travelled from place to place ; 
 then attempted to drive the load from his 
 mind by engaginof in the building of a city, and 
 employing himself in business: but all was in 
 vam. He endured a life of misery, and is ex- 
 hibited as an object of infamy to the end of time. 
 
THE FIRST MURDER. 23 
 
 " His life is an oppressive load, 
 That hangs upon him like a curse ; 
 For all the pleasure — thoughts that glowed, 
 Are now extinguished by remorse ! 
 And death ! oh, death ! 'tis worse ! 'tis worse ', 
 How dreadful in the grave to lie, 
 Yet sleep not ! — evermore to nurse 
 The worm that will not, cannot die !" 
 
 Let it ever be the concern of each of my read- 
 ers anxiously to guard ao^ainst those risings of 
 an«^er which are displeasing to God, and which 
 lay the foundation of unliappiness to ourselves 
 and others; — let us learn the impossibility of 
 concealing sin from the eye of O.uniscience ; 
 and may the consideration that all our actions 
 and thoughts are open to his view, preserve us 
 from transgressing his law ; — let us reflect on 
 Abel as a type of the holy Jesus, who manifested 
 the spirit of love and of meekness when murder- 
 ed by his enemies; — let us see that sin will be- 
 followed by the reproaches of conscience, the 
 faithful witness for God in every human 
 breast ; — and may we ever recollect that Jehovah 
 will avenge himselfon every transgressor. The 
 day of punishment may be long deferred, but a 
 period will come when we shall receive the re- 
 ward of our doings before an assembled universe. 
 The last great day will bring to light many 
 transactions tnat have been hitherto concealed 
 
24 THE FIRST MURDER. 
 
 from human view, but which the Judge of all 
 will fully disclose. *' For there is nothing hid 
 that shall not then be revealed," 
 
THE DELUGE. 
 
 GENESIS VI, VII. VIII. 
 
 Behold the wrathful Deity enthron'd 
 
 In darkness awful, inaccessible, 
 
 And order almost into chaos changed ; 
 
 Tremendous gloom ! that blots the sun's bright beams, 
 
 And more than midnight's horrors shroud the skies ! 
 
 The faint grey twilight gleaming through the clouds, 
 
 Discover, floating on a shoreless sea, 
 
 The chosen eight embosom'd in the ark, 
 
 One family preserv'd to renovate 
 
 The world Jehovah's judgments have destroyed. 
 
 S. Hughes. 
 
 Very few historical events are adapted to make 
 so deep and abiding an impression on the mind 
 as that recorded by Moses, in tlie book of Gene- 
 sis, which is usnally spoken of as the delvge. 
 It is one of the facts which infidelity has never 
 been able to account for. All nations, in some 
 form or other, have preserved memorials of such 
 an event ; constant discoveries of a geological 
 kind are giving us new proofs of the fact ; and 
 we may ask the man who rejects tlie Bible to tell 
 us when this event occurred, why it tooic place, 
 and what were its designs, but he will be u»able 
 3* 
 
26 THE DELUGE. 
 
 to give us a reply. We do not intend to examine 
 this subject very critically, but are desirous to 
 present to our readers a few of the leading facts 
 connected with the event, and to suggest some 
 of the lessons arising out of it. 
 
 We learn, then, that from the period of man's 
 first apostacy from God, the depravity of his heart 
 was manifested in the whole tenor of his conduct. 
 As the human family increased, the energies of 
 its different members were devoted to sin, and the 
 whole earth became full of moral pollution. Cen- 
 tury after century rolled along, and men " waxed 
 worse and worse." The justice of Jehovah was 
 roused, and infinite purity threatened the exer- 
 cise of Omnipotence in the destruction of his 
 enemies. Noah, an eminent servantof God, was 
 instructed to declare the Divine determination to 
 punish men for their sins by drowning the world, 
 to exhort them to repentance, and to testify his 
 own faith in the message he delivered by con- 
 structing an ark, or floating house, in which the 
 Supreme Being graciously promised to preserve 
 him and his family. 
 
 Noah, believing God, was found obedient to 
 his commands. The ark was begun, and the 
 design completed, in all probability, amidst the 
 contempt and the opposition of his ungodly neigh- 
 bours. The liatred of the world has always 
 
THE DELUGE. 27 
 
 been, and always must be, the lot of the pious ; 
 but he who receives as infallibly true the testi- 
 mony of heaven, will only be influenced by a 
 sense of his duty. Noah was unmoved hy the 
 opposition of man, and actively engaged in the 
 duty to which God called him. How happy 
 must be the created being who feels that he is 
 doing what his Creator commands ! He may 
 bid defiance to the opposition of earth and of ht;l]. 
 Infidels have attempted to laugh at the size of 
 the ark, and to represent the impossibility of its 
 containing the multitude of creatures who were 
 commanded to be contained in it. But it would 
 be well for such persons fairly to calculate, be- 
 fore they reject statements which millions of the 
 wisest and best of the human race have believed. 
 We will take the very lowest computation, and 
 reckon the cubit at only eighteen inches, thouo-h 
 strong arguments might be adduced in proof of 
 its being twenty-one. But reckoning- it at eigh- 
 teen, the ark was four hundred and fifty feet long, 
 seventy-five wide, and forty-five high, nearly 
 half the size of St. Paul's Cathedral, in London. 
 It was divided into three stories, independent, 
 probably, of the hold below, and would contain, 
 as shewn by Dr. Hales, 42,413 tons burthen, be- 
 ing about the size of eighteen of the larsfest ships 
 now in use, and capable of carrying 20,0U0 men, 
 
28 THE DELUGE. 
 
 with provisions for six months, besides the weight 
 of one thousand eight hundred cannons and all 
 requisite military stores. Who, then, can doubt 
 its capabihty of containing eight persons, two 
 hundred and fifty-pair of four footed animals, (for 
 to this number, according to Buffon, all the va- 
 rious species may be reduced,) and what fowls, 
 insects, and reptiles could not live in the water, 
 with provisions for twelve months ? 
 
 The ark was built, the scoffers laughed, but 
 God was serious. In the sixth hundredth year of 
 Noah's age, on the seventeenth day of the second 
 month, answerins: to November 17, in the year 
 of the world 165(i, and before the incarnation of 
 the Mjssiah 2348 years, he entered that abode, 
 with his wife and family, and the beasts he had 
 been commanded to preserve. And now, amidst 
 the tliunders and the lightnings of heaven, the 
 fountains of the deep were broken up, the clouds 
 poured down their torrents, nay, every part of 
 creation threw its moisture to the surface of the 
 earth, and the water continued to increase in 
 height for about six weeks, till it covered the tops 
 of the highest mountains. O what consternation, 
 what agonies, what terrors would now be felt 
 among those who had rejected the word of Jeho- 
 vah ! Very long was the forbearance of the 
 Governor ot the universe exercised, but his wrath 
 
THE DELUGE, 
 
 29 
 
 fell unspeakably heavy at last. How clearly 
 would it now be seen that, " though hand join in 
 hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished !" 
 Men may be found, from year to year, rebelling 
 against God, but what are they when his anofer 
 rises as^ainst them ? Many of those who had as- 
 sisted Noah to build the ark were now destroyed. 
 Millions would ask for mercy when it was too 
 late. Oh, sinner, remember that God will assur- 
 edly visit thee, and that thou must render to him 
 an account of thy opposition to his government. 
 Awful, indeed, must have been the destruction of 
 the whole world, when it was far more populous 
 than at present ; aid still more terrible will be 
 the period when the Lord shall summon the 
 whole human race to his bar, drive his enemies 
 from his gracious presence, and burn up the 
 earth with fire. 
 
 But amidst the mighty and awful ravages of 
 human life, arid of worldly beauty which passed 
 around him, Noah, with his family, was safe- 
 He who had disposed him to render obedience to 
 his commands, had carefully shut him in the 
 ark, steered it amidst the contending elements of 
 nature, and, after a residence of more than a year 
 within it, placed him again on dry ground, and 
 constituted him the deputy governor of earth. 
 They are well kept who are guarded by Jeho- 
 
30 
 
 THE DELUGE. 
 
 vah ; and they are highly honoured who honour 
 Him. 
 
 DeHvered from the deluge, which had phmged 
 the whole world, excepting themselves, into ruin, 
 the holy patriarch presents unto God the first 
 burnt-offering of which we read, desiofned as an 
 atonement in behalf of the remnant that was left, 
 and " for the making of a covenant with the 
 Lord!" They who are preserved in a season of 
 peculiar calamity, should consider themselves 
 bound to be entirely God's. 
 
 This whole subject shews us that Jehovah will 
 certainly punish the wicked, and save his own 
 people ; — it proves that God blesses some persons 
 for the sake of others ; as the children of Noah 
 were saved for his sake, though o/«e, at least, was 
 not holy, — so sinners are saved for the sake of 
 Christ. It illustrates the infinite importance of 
 seeking salvation from the wrath to come in the 
 way of divine appointment, and of cleaving to 
 Jesus, who was so clearly typified by the ark; — 
 it encourages us to avow our faith, in the worst 
 of times, and before the vilest sinners; and it 
 proves to us, that though God may delay his com- 
 ing to judge the world, yet " that day," as m the 
 instance of the flood, "shall come suddenly," 
 throwins: millions into awful confusion, and *'as 
 a thief in the night." 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 GEN. XVI. XXI. 
 
 Ah, be not sad, aUhoagh thy lot be cast 
 Far from the flock, and in a boundless waste! 
 No shepherds' tents within thy view appear, 
 But the chief Shepherd even there is near ; 
 Thy tender sorrows and thy plaintive strain 
 Flow in a foreign land, but not in vain ; 
 Thy tears all issue from a source divine, 
 And every drop bespeaks a Saviour thine! 
 
 COWPER, 
 
 In whatever view we contemplate the awfiil 
 consequences of the entrance of sin into our 
 world, we are struck with astonishment and hor- 
 ror. Not only has it thrown all nature into con- 
 fusion, causing the ground to bring forth thorns 
 and briers and poisonous herbs, and set the brutes 
 in array against man, their original governor j 
 but its dreadful effects have seized on man him- 
 self. Sin has banished him from God, and de- 
 prived him of much of his capacity to enjoy hap- 
 
32 THE SERVANT EXl*ELLEO. 
 
 piness : it has placed him in opposition to the 
 greater part of his fel!o\v-creatiires, and rendered 
 his happiness incomplete wi<h those whom he yet 
 tenderly loves. Like a mighty earthquake it has 
 buried most of his joys, and like the simoom or 
 burning wind, it has blasted the rest. It has 
 mixed poisons with our pleasures, and our very 
 enjoyments are made to remind us that we are 
 sinners, and that therefore our happiness must be 
 imperfect. 
 
 Probably few men, in any age^ have enjoyed 
 more felicity in this world, than Abraham, '• the 
 Father of the faithful," and "the Friend of God.'' 
 It is true, he had to endure great trials, but they 
 were sweetened by the calm serenity of soul pro- 
 duced by faith in the Divine testimony. In ad- 
 dition to this, he was blest with a liberal share 
 of the bounties of Providence, with the honours 
 of his fellow men, and with the society of an 
 amiable wife. But, alas ! his enjoyments were 
 imperfect, and even his domestic circle afforded 
 him much uneasiness. His wife Sarai, or, as she 
 was afterwards called, JSarah, had a thousand 
 charms ; she was distinguished for the loveliness 
 of her form, and the beauty of her countenance ; 
 she appears to have been a woman of warm and 
 affectionate feelings, and enjoyed the highest re- 
 gard of her iiusband ; but, alas ! she had no off- 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 33 
 
 spring. Children, by the people of that age, 
 were highly valued, because they very essentially 
 aided them in their labours, and contributed to 
 their comfort ; besides which, each believing fe- 
 male indulged the hope of being the mother of 
 the promised Messiah ; but they were withheld 
 from Sarah. What added to her anxiety on this 
 subject was, that God had promised to Abraham 
 " that his seed should be as the dust of the earth, 
 so that if a man could number the dust of the 
 earth, then should his seed also be numbered." 
 But year after year had passed along, and no sign 
 appeared of the fulfilment of his word ; the con- 
 sequence of which was, sorrow on the part of 
 Abraham, and still greater grief on that of his 
 wife. 
 
 It is a sad proof of the depravity of the human 
 heart, and should deeply humble us in the reflec- 
 tion, that we are prone to disbelieve the testimony 
 of God. Even Abraham, eminent as he was for 
 his faith in the Divine v/ord, fell into this crime. 
 Indeed, it is remarkable, that the Holy Spirit has 
 been careful to record the failings of his most 
 eminent people, in the very excellences for which 
 they were conspicuous. Job, with all his pa- 
 tience, cursed the day of his birth, and murmured 
 against the providence of God. Peter, with al: 
 his zeal, denied his Master ; and John, not wit h- 
 4 
 
34 THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 Standing all his love, forsook him. And so Abra- 
 ham, on more than one occasion, acting on the 
 principle of unbelief, sought to obtain good ob- 
 jects by improper means. When God had pro- 
 mised him the blessing, the most implicit confi- 
 dence ought to have been placed in his word ; 
 and, had he entertained proper views of the Di- 
 vine character, he had not fallen into the sin of 
 distrust. Ten years elapsed, and as both he and 
 his wife were descending into the vale of life, 
 and the probability of having children conse- 
 quently decreasing, Sarah suggested to her hus- 
 band that he should go in to her maid Hagar, 
 by whom she thought the promised children 
 might probably be borne. Ah ! thou unbeliever; 
 knowest thou not that though God may delay in 
 the fulfilment of his promises, their accomplish- 
 ment is certain, even though all may be dark, 
 and apparently opposed to their completion? 
 He never requires us, even in the most extreme 
 cases, to have recourse to sinful actions to accom- 
 plish his designs ; nor are we justifiable in doing 
 so ; and if we depart from the straight line of 
 rectitude, we shall, in some way or other, suffer 
 on account of it. 
 
 Hagar was an Egyptian ; it is supposed she 
 was one of the maid servants whom Pharaoh 
 gave to Abraham, when he took Sarah into his 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 35 
 
 house. Gen. xii. 15, 16. Such persons were 
 entirely under the control of the mistress of the 
 family. It was not uncommon for them to be 
 raised to the marriage bed, and thus to become 
 wives to their masters ; but in this case they 
 were reckoned inferior to the mistress, who di- 
 rected their labour, and claimed its produce, while 
 she assumed the entire control of their children, 
 who, if she had none of her own, were reckoned 
 as hers, and became heirs to the riches of the fa- 
 mily. If, on the other hand, the principal wife 
 had children, these descendants of the concu- 
 bines were shut out from all claim to inherit- 
 ance. This was a system which, however com- 
 mon, was never sanctioned by the blessed God, 
 and though permitted in the early ages of the 
 world, is expressly condemned in the New Tes- 
 tament. 
 
 If no other argument could be adduced against 
 polygamy, or plurality of wives, it would be 
 enough to shew us its impropriety, were we to 
 consider the confusion introduced into the fami- 
 lies where it has been practised, and its conse- 
 quent unhappy effects on general society. It 
 must of necessity divide the affections of the 
 husband, create jealousy and ill-will between the 
 wives, and foster feelings of the most improper 
 kind among the children. This was fully illus- 
 trated in the instance now before us. Sarah 
 
36 THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 siig-gested Abraham's improper connexion with 
 Hagar : the good man, without seeking for Di- 
 vine direction, consulted his own inclinations, 
 and his wife's desires, and thus brought on him- 
 self one of the greatest trials with which he ever 
 had to contend. 
 
 Raised as Hagar now was above her former 
 station, enjoying the love of so great a man as 
 Abraham, and having reason to think herself 
 more fruitful than her mistress, she soon began 
 to assume airs of importance, to despise Sarah, 
 and, probably, to use language and to manifest 
 conduct altogether unbecoming her station. Sa- 
 rah now began to see, in the decreasing regard of 
 her husband and the insolence of her servant, 
 the folly of her conduct ; and, as though she had 
 forgotten that the whole plan had originated with 
 herself, she throws the blame upon Abraham. 
 '• My wrong be upon thee : I have given my 
 maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that 
 she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes : 
 the Lord judge between me and thee." There is 
 much in this language that we cannot approve ; 
 but Abraham, seeing the ill effect of his conduct, 
 reminds Sarah that Hagar was " in her hand ;" 
 intimating that he would cease to treat her as his 
 wife, and that she was entirely at the disposal of 
 her mistress. Though Abraham was rig^ht in 
 acceding to the wishes of Sarah in leaving Hagar, 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 37 
 
 it by no means shewed his wisdom to place her 
 so completely under the government of her mis- 
 tress, at a time when she was under the influence 
 of improper feelings, and disposed to act towards 
 her in an unkind and improper manner. 
 
 In what precise way Sarah conducted herself 
 towards her servant, the sacred writer has not 
 told us, but has merely remarked, that " she dealt 
 hardly with her." The Jews say, she beat her ; 
 it possibly was so, or she might withhold from 
 her the comforts which her situation required, or 
 have exacted from her a larger portion of labour 
 than she was able to perform. At all events 
 poor Hao^ar resolved on leaving her ; which she 
 did, and fled to the wilderness in the way to 
 Shur ; intending, no doubt, to return to her na- 
 tive country, and report the treatment she had 
 met with in Abraham's family, by which means 
 she would probably have reproached the religion 
 of that devoted patriarch. 
 
 How wonderful are the ways of God ! He 
 entertained designs towards Hagar and her un- 
 born son, concerning which she had no idea. 
 He had watched over her, and directed her move- 
 ments to this wilderness, from which he will de- 
 liver her, place her again in the family of her 
 master, and make her the mother of a great 
 nation ! 
 
 4* 
 
38 THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that the first appear- 
 ance of an angel as a messenger to man, was on 
 the errand of benevolence. It is a very delight- 
 ful view that the Scriptures give us of these be- 
 ings, as " ministering spirits, sent forth to minis- 
 ter to them who shall be heirs of salvation." 
 When Hagar was in trouble, and had placed 
 herself in the wilderness, by the fountain of 
 water, to refresh herself with its cooling streams, 
 "the angel of the Lord found her." There is 
 something very pleasing in the conversation he 
 held with her. He called her by name, and re- 
 minded her of her station as Sarai's maid ; thus 
 intimating her duty to submit to the woman un- 
 der whom a divine Providence had placed her, 
 even though she might have treated her impro- 
 perly. When she was interrogated, " Whence 
 camest thou, and whither wilt thou go ?" she 
 displayed a very great degree of candour and 
 good temper. She said, that she was fleeing from 
 the face of her mistress, but neither defended 
 herself, nor exposed the improper conduct of 
 Sarah. She appeared to be sensible of the supe- 
 rior character of the inquirer, to perceive that he 
 was acquainted with all her circumstances, and 
 to leave the whole afl"air to his direction. A 
 spirit like this is equally wise and profitable. We 
 ought, in all our difficulties, to " trust in the 
 liord with all our heart, and lean not to our own 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 39 
 
 understandings." The angel instructed her to 
 return to her mistress and submit to her control, 
 promised that her seed should be exceedingly 
 multiplied, that the fruit of her womb should be 
 a son whom she should name Ishmael, that is, 
 7'he Lord heareth^ in commemoration of her pre- 
 sent state of affliction and deliverance out of it ; 
 and withal told her the character of her son, and 
 all his descendants, by which he gave the most 
 satisfactory proof of his heavenly dignity, which 
 indeed has been more fully established by the 
 fulfilment of the prophecy, that we shall just now 
 see to have been very remarkable. 
 
 Hagar being thus encouraged, and brought, it 
 is probable, to know more of God than she had 
 done, shews a very proper feeling on the occasion. 
 Having had the privilege of living in Abraham's 
 family, she had heard of Jehovah, and had proba- 
 bly observed the external forms of his worship ; 
 but now that she had seen his servant, and receiv- 
 ed favours from his hands, it is supposed, by 
 some, that she began to love him. She acknow- 
 ledged his kindness to her in her distress, and 
 gave the well a name which should make it a 
 memorial of the Lord's goodness to her. Having 
 done all this, she returned to her mistress, whose 
 heart God inclined to receive her, and in wliose 
 house in due time her son was born. Abraham, 
 in conformity to the Divine command to Hagar, 
 
40 THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 named him Ishmael. and for several years he 
 considered him as his promised son and the heir 
 of his property. 
 
 We cannot forbear a'^niring here the goodness 
 of God to the children of affliction. When we 
 are cast forth from onr fellow creatures, he has 
 pity upon us, provides for us, and directs our 
 steps. That is a blessed affliction which brings 
 Jehovah to our help, and teaches us to love him. 
 Hagar could never forget his kindness to her, or 
 the solemn dedication she had made of herself to 
 him. Nor is it unworthy of remark, that the 
 Divine conduct towards Hagar probably led 
 Abraham into a mistake. He now supposed that 
 Ishmael was the child that God had promised 
 him ; and he loved and educated him according- 
 ly. Little do we know of the future designs of 
 Heaven ; and as little did Abraham think that 
 many years would elapse before the promised 
 child would be given, or that he would be the 
 son of his beloved Sarah. Such, however, was 
 the assurance given him when Ishmael was about 
 four years old, and such was the fact when he 
 had attained the age of fourteen. 
 
 We may suppose, that for a series of years the 
 family of Abraham lived on terms of general 
 peace ; but when Isaac was born, unpleasant 
 feelings began to operate. As Sarah had former- 
 ly disliked Hagar, so she now appears to have 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 41 
 
 hated her, and to have encouraged Ishmael in his 
 opposition to Isaac, who was thus persecuted from 
 a principle of envy. His hirth was out of the 
 common course of nature ; he was given to his 
 parents to enjoy peculiar blessings, and had ex- 
 pectations superior to those of Ishmael, who by 
 this time had become old enough to know the 
 good tilings he had lost by the birth of his rival. 
 Several years, however, elapsed before any very 
 serious inconvenience arose to the family ; the 
 good sense of Abraham probably leading him to 
 act with all the moderation he could command. 
 
 At length Isaac had passed through the first 
 years of infancy, and was about to be weaned. 
 Such times were then seasons of rejoicing, be- 
 cause there was a probability of the child's life 
 being continued, — and he began to excite the 
 tender feelings of his parents by his interesting 
 prattle. A feast provided to commemorate this 
 event was not likely to please either Hagar or her 
 son ; and when the day came, Ishmael was found 
 " mocking " Isaac. Perhaps he laughed at him 
 in derision, or imitated him in some of his childish 
 actions to create sport among the spectators, or, 
 as some of the Jews think, possibly he beat him. 
 Sarah, who on such an occasion would be tena- 
 cious of her own honour and that of her son, 
 saw what passed between the children ; and be- 
 
42 THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 inor aware that Ishmael was eiicouraofed i:i his 
 improper conduct by his mother, she desired 
 Abraham to expel both Hagar and her son from 
 the house, declaring, with much vehemence, 
 that Ishmael should not be heir with her belov- 
 ed Isaac. Here, then, we have a pretty full dis- 
 play of the evil of polygamy, a practice that had 
 injured the peace of Abraham's mind, and dis- 
 turbed the harmony of his family. 
 
 The patriarch had learnt by experience the 
 folly of doing things of importance in haste. He 
 had seen the wrong of taking Hagar to his bed ; 
 he had felt the impropriety of her former expul- 
 sion ; his affectionate he.irt could not bear the 
 idea of making them miserable outcasts ; and he 
 therefore felt extreme reluctance to follow the 
 counsel of his wife. We may readily imagine 
 another reason for this, — he waited to know the 
 Divine will ; and when he had ascertained that, 
 he was equally ready to expel one son and to 
 sacrifice the other. When God told him to at- 
 tend to the suggestions of his wife, and send out 
 Hagar and her son, " he rose up early in the 
 mornino:," intimatinsf his entire readiness to do as 
 he was commanded. 
 
 It may appear at first view an act of cruelty on 
 the part of Abraham, thus to treat those who de- 
 manded his affection. But let it be remembered, 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 43 
 
 he acted not from the impulse of feeling, but by 
 the express direction of Jehovah, who, while he 
 enjoined his servant to expel Hacrar and her son, 
 promised to make of Ishmael a great nation, be- 
 cause he was his seed. By their conduct too, 
 they had merited this punishment ; they had 
 persecuted Isaac ; their treatment of him arose 
 from unholy feelings, which God determined to 
 chastise ; added to which, their expulsion was 
 done in the kindest way the act would admit of ; 
 provisions being given them for their present 
 support, and arrangements probably made for 
 their future supply. Hagar, it is certain, felt no 
 resentment ; and if we may judge from what 
 passed between Abraham and Ishmael in after- 
 times, we should suppose that he had none. 
 
 How affecting the situation of Hagar, now she 
 was banished from the house of her master ! 
 Seventeen or eighteen years before, she had been 
 a voluntary exile ; but now she was " forced 
 from home and all its pleasures." She resolved 
 to go with her son to her native land ; but she 
 soon lost herself in the wilderness of Beersheba, 
 and was brought into circumstances which at- 
 tract the strongest sympathies of our hearts. The 
 bottle of water which they had carried out with 
 them was soon emptied, and they were "in a dry 
 and thirsty land," where no more was to be rea- 
 
44 THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 dily found. Ishmael's strength was quite ex- 
 hausted, and his mother expected nothing but his 
 speedy death. She had not courage to see him 
 die ; his groans pierced her heart, and she fear- 
 ed that her tears would add to his sufferings. 
 Laying him " under one of the shrubs," to screen 
 him as much as she could Irom the rays of the 
 sun, she went to a little distance from him ; and 
 who can tell their mutual feelings? The mother 
 would think perhaps of the fountain at which 
 she sat when the angel of God appeared to her on 
 a former occasion, and would tremble both for 
 her own safety and that of her son, who was then 
 dying for the want of a little water, and withal 
 exposed to the rage of wild beasts. Both of them 
 would learn the folly of persecuting those whom 
 the Lord loves, and we would hope that they 
 cherished repentance for their past follies in this 
 particular. Under these circumstances, Hagar 
 might be well filled with despair : no human be- 
 ing was near to administer to their wants ; and 
 though it is true that, on a former occasion, the 
 angel of Jehovah appeared to give her direction, 
 yet she would remember that then she was 
 driven into the wilderness by the unkind ness of 
 her mistress : now she is banished by the com- 
 mand of God for her improper conduct ; she 
 does not now seem to expect help, and, what is 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 45 
 
 worse, she does not even appear to have prayed 
 for it. Let us indulge the hope, that if the duty 
 was omitted, it arose from a deep sense of her 
 impropriety of conduct. This, though it will 
 not excuse us in neglecting a throne of grace, 
 may lessen the criminality of one who never en- 
 joyed our privileges. She ought, however, to 
 have trusted the Being who had been her helper, 
 and to have prayed to him for needful favours for 
 herself and her son. 
 
 It is a fine description which is given us of the 
 omnipresence and benevolence of the Deity in 
 the hundred and second Psalm. " He hath 
 looked down from the height of his sanctuary ; 
 from heaven did the Lord behold the earth ; to 
 hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those 
 that are appointed to death ;" and never was it 
 more fully realized, than in the case of Hagar 
 and Ishmael. " The water was spent," and the 
 lad was dying. God saw him, heard the lan- 
 guage of his groans, and sent down an angel to 
 deliver him. It was just when Abraham was 
 about to slay his son, that Jehovah addressed him 
 and stayed his hand ; it was when the brook 
 Cherith was dry, the Divine Being appeared for 
 the prophet : the last night that Peter was to 
 have lived, he was delivered by an angel. And 
 so in this instance ; when Ishmael was just 
 5 
 
46 
 
 THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 
 
 ready to die, the angel of (he Lord once more 
 spoke to Hagar, to inquire into her distress, to 
 encourage her heart by telling her that God re- 
 garded her son, who should live, and become a 
 great nation ; and opening her eyes, she was 
 directed to a well of water, where she filled her 
 bottle, and gave Ishmael to drink. 
 
 " Joyful she rose, and on her list'ning ear 
 
 Broke the sweet sound of water murm'ring near ; 
 She fill'd her thirsty cruise, and to the boy 
 Brought the cool bev'rage with a mother's joy.'* 
 
 Through the Divine blessino:, Ishmael recov- 
 ered, and settled in the wilderness of Paran, 
 where, by the use of the bow, he obtained a liv- 
 ing for himself and his mother, who, in due time 
 selected for him a wife from the land of Egypt, 
 the place of her own birth. 
 
 There are several subjects connected with this 
 narrative of too much importance to be passed 
 over. It supplies us with a most important and 
 luminous display of the truth of scriptural pro- 
 ])hecy. It was said to Hngar by the angel, 
 speaking of Ishmael, "He will be a wild man ; 
 his hand will be against every man, and every 
 man's hand against him : and he shall dwell in 
 the presence of all his brethren." This prophecy 
 not only related to Ishmael, but to all his posteri- 
 ty. Mr. Jones has well observed in his Biblical 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 4T 
 
 VyclopcBdia^ article Hagar, " It is remarkable 
 that the Saracens, who v/ere of the posterity of 
 Ishmael, never set their hands to the plough, but 
 got their living almost entirely by the bow; sup- 
 porting themselves on wild flesh and venison, 
 and on such wild fowl as the desert affords, with 
 herbs and milk." The same writer, on the arti- 
 cle IsHMARL, as well as Bishop Newton^ in his 
 second Dissertation on the Prophecies, shews 
 very clearly how the different parts of the pro- 
 phecy relating to Ishmael have been accomplish- 
 ed, even to the present hour ; and that it has 
 ever remained impossible either to civilize or 
 subdue the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael. 
 Though the influence and the armies of mighty 
 nations and conquerors have been exerted upon 
 them, they remain the same people, " and still 
 preserve unimpaired a most exact resemblance to 
 tlie first descendants of Ishmael." Thus, like the 
 Jews, they stand as living witnesses of the truth 
 of Divine revelation. 
 
 Another circumstance that we must not omit 
 to notice is, the use that Paul makes of the sub- 
 ject we have been considering, in his epistle to 
 the Galatians ; where he speaks of the facts con- 
 nected with Hagar and Ishmael, and with Sarah 
 and Isaac, as an at-legory. As the descend- 
 ants of Hagar resided in Arabia, so they symbol- 
 
48 
 
 THE SERVANT EXPELLEDf. 
 
 ized the covenant of Mount Sinai in that coun- 
 try. It was an economy that placed the Jews 
 under bondage. The very reading of it inspires 
 us with an idea of slavery, condemnation, and 
 terror, while it excludes all who violate its con- 
 ditions from the heavenly world. As Ishmael 
 persecuted Isaac, so the adherents to this cove- 
 nant persecute those who are interested in the dis- 
 pensation of grace. On the other hand, Sarah 
 appears as the free-woman, and the mother of all 
 believers ; as Isaac was born by supernatural 
 means, so believers are born by the power of the 
 Holy Spirit ; as he was the child of promise, so 
 are believers included among the many nations 
 of which Abraham was the fother. This alle- 
 gory is singular and instructive, but to dwell up- 
 on it would be to wander from our design, and 
 to occupy more room than is consistent with our 
 plan. 
 
 To bring our remarks on this narrative to a 
 close, we may observe, that it teaches us the su- 
 perintendence of a divine Providence over all our 
 affairs, and that nothing takes place among his 
 creatures but what is overruled to accomplish the 
 designs of his glory ; — that we can be in no cir- 
 cumstances, nor in any place, but we are in the 
 sight of God, whose eye is ever fixed upon us. 
 This consideration, while it should preserve us 
 
THE SERVANT EXPELLED. 49 
 
 from sin, should comfort us in the season of af- 
 fliction. We see, farther, the evil consequences 
 resultinor from an association with the wicked. 
 It led Abraham into painful circumstances, and 
 was the foundation of lasting sorrow. And 
 finally, we learn that duties required by the 
 moral Governor of the world must be performed, 
 however painful their observance may be to us. 
 If, indeed, they are hard, our sins make them so. 
 Had Abraham never improperly associated with 
 Hagar, he had not been called to the painful task 
 of dismissing her from his house. If the people 
 of God break his law, they must expect to suf- 
 fer his chastisements ; and happy are they if re- 
 stored to his fjivour, however painful the process 
 that is carried on in their hearts to hnug; them 
 back to the enjoyment of his love from whom 
 they have departed. 
 
 5* 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE FATHER 
 
 SACRIFICING HIS SON. 
 
 GEN. XXII. 
 
 -Mo>t mysterious Heaven 
 
 What hast thou said 7 thine only son — thine Isaac, 
 A burnt oblation ! And a father's hands 
 To execute the deed ! 
 
 Farrer.' 
 
 The venerable patriarch Abraham is immortal- 
 ized, in the inspired volume, as " the Father of 
 the faithful," and " the Friend of God." And 
 what titles can be so honourable, or what honour 
 so abiding, as that which cometh from heaven ? 
 The tablets of brass and of marble which blazon 
 forth the deeds, or mark the tombs of the great, 
 are many of them already crumbled away ; and 
 the places which at present know others shall 
 soon " know them no more for ever." But 
 though thousands of years have rolled on since 
 the dei^ds of Abraham were performed ; the nar- 
 rative appears before us in ail its native vigour 
 and beauty. We seem to accompany him in the 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE FATHER. 51 
 
 most retired walks of his life, and derive from 
 him instruction and entertainment of the highest 
 kind. 
 
 The existence and value of the gifts and graces 
 of the Holy Spirit can only be shewn by trial, 
 This is especially true of /ai^A. Hence the bless- 
 ed God has seen fit in all ages to exercise his 
 people with the most severe calamities, "that the 
 trial of their faith, being much more precious 
 than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried 
 with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, 
 and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ." The 
 faith of Abraham, whom Jehovah had chosen as 
 his favourite and " friend," was to be handed 
 down to future ages, to be admired and imitated ; 
 it was therefore important that its nature, propor- 
 tion, and effects should be marked by some great 
 transaction. 
 
 The Supreme Being appears to have address- 
 ed his servant Abraham, on this occasion, in an 
 audible manner. That voice had become de- 
 lightfully familiar to him ; for daring his journey 
 through life, of nearly one hundred and thirty 
 years, it had often arrested his attention, and call- 
 ed forth all the grateful emotions of his soul. 
 With what readiness of mind, and devotion of 
 heart, does he reply, " Behold, here I am." And 
 what is the gracious communication which God 
 
63 THE AFFECTIONATE FATHElt 
 
 has to make to his servant ? for we can readily 
 imajrino that the expectations of the venerable 
 patriarch are highly raised. Alas, never did 
 such a sound before enter his ear — "Take now 
 thy son, thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest, and 
 got thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him 
 there for a burnt offerinor, upon one of the moun- 
 tains which I will tell thee of" What a myste- 
 rious command ! How unusual a requirement 
 this from the soirrce of goodness and compassion ! 
 Into what a consternation must the mind of the 
 saint be thrown ! Perhaps for a moment he 
 doubts whether or not the injunction proceeds 
 from the God of heaven. But a little reflection 
 convinces him both of the reality of the com- 
 mand, and of the divinity of its Author. The 
 awful subject now becomes deeply interesting ; 
 the command is trying ! The man revolts at 
 the idea of slaying a lovely son ; but the saint 
 submits to tlie command of the great Creator, 
 who says, ''All souls are mine ; as the soul of 
 the father, so also the soul of the son, is mine." 
 Heaven and hell watch the event in suspense ! 
 Unbelief suggests disobedience ; but his faith is 
 strengthened, and he hesitates not. Such a scene 
 as this would never have been disclosed ; such 
 an event would never have been recorded in the 
 sacred volume, liad it not been fullof mstructiou. 
 
SACRIFICING HIS SON. 53 
 
 Let us, then, attempt our own improvement by 
 glancing at the difficulties of Abraham's task — 
 the triumphs of his faith — the approbation of his 
 God — and the lessons the subject suggests. 
 
 We think, then, on the difficulties of the task. 
 Self-denial is essential to the genuine religion. 
 He who has not learnt to deny himself, is yet 
 destitute of an acquaintance with vital, practical 
 godliness. There are occasions when the claims 
 of religion will come in contact with our affec- 
 tions and worldly interests ; when it must be made 
 apparent whom we love best, our Creator or our- 
 selves. We are called upon, in comparison of 
 God, to hate our nearest and dearest friends. 
 Abraham shewed that religion had firmly taken 
 up its seat in his heart, when he went out at the 
 Divine command, leaving his beloved friends 
 and his home, to an unknown land : nor had he 
 ever repented of this conduct, for he had reaped 
 an abundant reward. But he had never before 
 met with a trial like this ; for he had here to 
 struggle against the feelings of humanity : and, 
 in this instance we meet with a combination of 
 circumstances eminently calculated to affect the 
 heart. Who can read the narrative without 
 tears 1 It calls up all the finer feelings of the 
 man, and especially harrows up the sensibilities 
 of the parent. Isaac was the son of his old age ; 
 
54 TIIM AFFECTIONATE FATHER 
 
 promised m^ny years before his birth ; and born 
 at a period when all human probability of his be- 
 ing a father had ceased. As his youngest child, 
 and the son of his old aire, he felt pecuUarly at- 
 tached to him. and the trial on this account, too, 
 would be groat. He is emphatically spoken of 
 as his beloved son " Isaac, whom thou lovest." 
 Had it been hluiiael, the trial would have been 
 severe, for even towards him he had all the ten- 
 der feelings of a kind f;\ther. But it must be the 
 child of his beloved Sarah. God calls for the 
 fairest flower ; he demands the darling son. It 
 must be his most aflectionate child ; for Isaac 
 appears to liave been an example of obedience. 
 He was iimocent of every open crime ; he was 
 the comfort of his holy parents, and evidently the 
 subject of ardent piety, or he would not have 
 submitted to such a death ; as at this time, it is 
 evident, he was capable of making resistance, and 
 of overcoming his father. The good old man 
 must witness his own son die an unnatural death. 
 To see the death of an enemy ^ even when he re- 
 poses on his own pillow, is affecting ; but to at- 
 tend the deathbed oiajriend, and that friend a 
 relative^ and that relative a child — a son, cut off 
 ill the prime of life, cut of!' in a way at which hu- 
 manity shnddcrs, this is painful indeed ! And, to 
 4dd to the trial, he must inflict this death himself. 
 
SACRIFICING HIS SON. 55 
 
 We are ready to ask, may not this deed be done 
 by some enemy, who has before imbrued his hands 
 in human blood, and whose heart is steeled against 
 the cry of suffering ? May it not be done by some 
 of the heathen, who have not so high a sense of 
 parental duties as himself? Or, at least, may 
 not some of his servants perform the horrid act ? 
 Who does not wish to spare the parent the deed ? 
 But, no ! he is commanded, " Take now thy son, 
 thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer 
 him for a burnt offering." Be it remembered too, 
 that it was a most horrid kind of death. He was 
 not to witness his gradual submission to the pow- 
 er of disease ; he is not instructed to slay him by 
 administering what should gently undermine his 
 constitution, and by degrees remove him to anoth- 
 er world ; but he was to slay and " offer him for 
 a burnt offering." It is indescribably affecting to 
 hear, in a time of general distress, a woman say- . . 
 
 ing to her sovereign — "This woman said untolJZ^A^ 
 me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day,l ^ • ^ 
 
 and we will eat my son to-morrow. So we boil 
 ed my son, and did eat him. And I said unto her 
 on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat 
 him." In that case, however, there was a fa- 
 mine, and we can endure almost anything rather 
 than die by the pains of hunger ; but in the case 
 before us, Isaac seemed the very blessing that 
 
 / 
 
56 THE AFFECTIONATE FATHER 
 
 Abraham needed, to give value to all his other 
 mercies. And to have the task of slaying this 
 son with a knife, and burning him with fire, was 
 painfully distressing. And, once more, to com- 
 plete the trial, how could he bear the thought of 
 disclosing it to Sarah? How would she look at 
 him, when she found him to be the executioner 
 of the lovely youth, in whom all their earthly 
 happiness centered ? How could he bear to wit- 
 ness her tears, " refusing to be comforted, because 
 her Isaac was not ;" to hear her bitter reflections 
 upon hiin, for what she would consider his cru- 
 elty towards him ? His case was trying indeed ! 
 But Abraham had an enemy to contend with, 
 stronger than nature itself : he had to overcome 
 all the suggestions of unbelief. The present 
 command appeared opposed to the Divine law. 
 When Cain had killed his brother, the blessed 
 God set a mark upon him, manifesting his high 
 disapprobation of the crime, and afterwards or- 
 dained, (Gen. ix. 6,) " Whoso sheddeth man's 
 blood, by man shall his blood be shed." And 
 could it be supposed that this same Being had 
 now called upon a father to slay his son ? Be- 
 sides, man generally seeks a reason for the com- 
 mands of Heaven, and is usually unwilling to 
 obey, unless he sees the wisdom of the requisition. 
 Moreover, there appeared a direct opposition be- 
 
SACRIFICING HIS SON. 5^ 
 
 tween the command and the previous promises 
 of Jehovah : God had promised that he would 
 make of Abraham a great nation ; — that in him 
 should all the flimilies, or nations of the earth be 
 blessed ; — and that these blessings should descend 
 through Isaac, with whom, and his seed, God 
 would establish his covenant. How can these 
 promises comport with the present command? 
 Do not the ways of the Lord seem unequal ? 
 Does not all the previous faith of Abraham, and 
 his trust in the Divine testimony seem in vain? 
 Do not the promises of Jehovah appear likely to 
 be broken ? And is not the religion in which, 
 no doubt, Abraham had often gloried before his 
 wicked neighbours, likely to be brought into de- 
 rision ? The heathen would be ready to ask. Is 
 this the nature of thy religion ? Doth the Deity 
 thou servest call to the perpetration of murder ? 
 Surely no such combination of circumstances 
 ever before met ! At once leading the saint to 
 duty, and tempting him from it. 
 
 But mark now the triumph of Abraham's faith. 
 We have often heard of the wonders that faith 
 has achieved ; how it has "subdued kingdoms, 
 wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stop- 
 ped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence 
 of fire," (fee. ; but we never heard of its effecting 
 a greater conquest than the one now before us. 
 6 
 
68 THE AFFECTIONATE FATHER 
 
 We have road of an Alexander who conquered 
 the world, but never subdued himself. Here is 
 a hero who, through faith in God, triumphed 
 over his natural dispositions, rose superior to hu^ 
 man reoson, and discharged the most painhil du- 
 ties in obedience to the Divine command. Faith 
 convinced him, that though the Creator had com^ 
 manded man not to slay his kind, yet he had, if 
 he pleased, a right to impose it as a duty; that 
 though he had implanted in his soul affections 
 which revoked from this act, yet he could do 
 nothing but Avhatwas right; though leason could 
 not unfold the mysterious subject, he felt persuad- 
 ed that infinite wisdom could ; and, therefore, 
 he resolved to trust God where he could not trace 
 him. Let us see how his faith was manifested. 
 See it in his punctual obedience. Listen to 
 the command, " Take now thy son," &c. One 
 would imagine Abraham ready to say, with a 
 deep-fetched sigh, Well, if I must discharge this 
 most painful of all duties, I will defer it, at least 
 for a little season ; perhaps, by my prayers, I may 
 prevail on the blessed God to change his pur- 
 pose ; or I may gradually wean my affections 
 from my beloved Isaac ; or at least, by familiar- 
 izing the awful scene 1 must pass through. I may 
 strip it of some of its horrors. Is this the case? 
 No. He " conferred not with flesh and blood." 
 
SACRIFICING HIS SON. 59 
 
 He delayed not the duty, because it was painful ; 
 but "he rose up early in the morning, and sad- 
 dled his ass," and proceeded in search of the 
 awful spot where the event w:>is to take place. 
 Convinced of the power and the love of his hea- 
 venly Father, and well knowing that all his de- 
 sio^ns were founded in infinite wisdom, and would 
 at once promote his own. glory and the good of 
 his people, he hastened to the discharge of his 
 duty. Long had he received favours from Hea- 
 ven ; and he could not suppose that he had chang- 
 ed his purposes of mercy towards him. If God 
 demands an Isaac, He first gave him, and he has 
 a right to take him away ; ^' Shall not the Judge 
 of the whole earth do right?" Abraham is sa- 
 tisfied too, that Jehovah could raise Isaac from 
 the dead. His power to do this could never have 
 been denied ; but his design of raising the dead 
 had never, that we know of, been revealed. No 
 resurrection had taken place ; but Abraham well 
 knew, that thous^h Isaac should die, "the pur- 
 pose of God should stand, and he would do all 
 his pleasure." The promise was, •• In Isaac shall 
 thy seed be called ;" and he was persuaded that 
 Omnipotence would fultil '-the promise on which 
 he had caused him to hope." " Accounting," 
 says the Apostle, " that God was able to raise 
 him from the dead, from whence also he received 
 
60 THE AFFECTIONATE FATHER 
 
 him in a figure." "He judged him faithful who 
 had promised.'' S e this faith, in his order to his 
 servants, and his conversation with Isaac. To 
 the former he says, '' Abide ye here with the ass, 
 and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, 
 aiid come again io you .•" and to the latter, "My 
 son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt 
 offerin<T." We cannot think that the lamb here 
 referred to, was Isaac himself, because he would 
 have then said, " God has provided a lamb," &c. 
 He no doubt believed, either that the Lord would 
 interpose in some miraculous manner to prevent 
 his death, or rather, perhaps, that he would after- 
 wards restore him to life. Certainly he had a 
 conviction that the Majesty of heaven would ap- 
 prove the obedience he required to his commands; 
 and this alone enabled him to adopt this lan- 
 guage. How strikingly do we see in this narra- 
 tive '-the work of faith and labour of level" 
 
 Contemplate now the approbation of the bles- 
 sed God, as shewn to Abraham. And but for 
 the confidence of his enjoying this, the patriarch 
 could not have braved the trials, or have per- 
 formed the painful task before us. But possessing 
 this assurance, he is not to be moved by the 
 suggestions of a depraved heart ; or even, if he 
 had heard them, the taunts of infidelity ; he re- 
 mains steady to his purpose. To please Jehovah 
 was the great object to which he had devoted his 
 
SACRIFICING HIS SON. 61 
 
 life. And that he had the Divine approbation, 
 we learn from several facts connected with the 
 narrative. We see it in the gift of strength to 
 enable his Aiitli to conquer. Was Abraham 
 ''strong in faith," and disposed to give "glory to 
 God ;'- — that faith was increased, and that dis- 
 position promoted, by Him who is '• the giver of 
 every good and perfect gift :" "He that hath, to 
 him shall be given." Abraham furnishes a proof 
 that, in reference to the man who trusts in the 
 Lord, '' as his day so shall his strength be." We 
 sometimes say, that, were we called to this or the 
 other trial, we could not sustain it. Thus do we 
 distrust Him who has graciously declared, " My 
 grace is sufficient for thee." Does not this declar- 
 ation extend to the most trying circumstances the 
 Christian has to meet with ? By indulging in 
 fears of this kind, we destroy our confidence in 
 the blessed God, and render ourselves unequal 
 to bear with suitable feelings what he is pleased 
 to inflict. This approbation was shewn in the 
 acceptance of the off^jring, and the restoration of 
 Isaac. "He that honoureth me, I will honour," 
 is the rule by which the supreme Governor of the 
 world acts in dealing with his creatures : and 
 here the rule is exemplified. God had intended 
 singular honours for Abraham ; but these ho- 
 nours must be preceded by a painful trial ; for 
 thus does the Divine Being teach his people to 
 
 6* 
 
62 THE AFFECTIONATE FATHER 
 
 value Ijis blessings. Abraham obeys the painful 
 command ; but Isaac shall not die. His design 
 is accepted, instead of its execution. The lad 
 is restored to his father ! And, oh ! how must 
 his heart rejoice to receive his son, as it v/ere from 
 the embraces of death ! What scenes would 
 he have to disclose to his beloved Sarah after this 
 marvellous deliverance ! See this approbation 
 in God's providing an offering : thus proclaiming, 
 "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen," that 
 infinite wisdom and mercy will provide a substi- 
 tute to die for his people, that he will appear for 
 them in the hour of distress, and that he will 
 abundantly reward those that serve him. While 
 Abraham stood, in silent, grateful surprise^ mar- 
 velling at the miraculous interposition of the great 
 Jehovah in its behalf, he '• lifted up his eyes and 
 looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in 
 a thicket by his horns ; and Abraham went and 
 took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offer- 
 ing in the stead of his son." God farther shewed 
 his approbation of his conduct, by renewing and 
 enlarging the covenant he had formerly made 
 with him. While the Most High never blesses 
 disobedience, he rewards those who obey him: 
 " By myself have 1 sworn, saith the Lord, for 
 because thou hast done this thing, and hast not 
 withheld thy son, thine only son ; that in blessing 
 
SACRIFICING HIS SON. 63 
 
 I will bless ihee, and in multiplying I will mul- 
 tiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the 
 sand upon the sea-shore; and thy seed shall 
 possess the gate of his enemies : and in thy seed 
 shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, be- 
 cause thou hast obeyed my voice." And see, 
 finally, the approbation of God in holding up the 
 deed to the admiration of all succeeding" ag-es. 
 So long as the volume of Revelation shall en- 
 dure, '' shall this that he hath done be told for a 
 memorial of him." This is the man whom the 
 Majesty of heaven delighteth to honour; this is 
 the individual he calls upon us to imitate. 
 
 It only remains that we hint at the lessons 
 which this most interesting subject suggests to 
 us. It presents us with a type of the death of 
 Christ. It was to this the Saviour referred, when 
 he said, " Your father Abraham rejoiced to see 
 my day, and he saw it and was glad." But how 
 far does the antetype exceed the type ! Abra- 
 ham was ready to offer his son ; but " God spar- 
 ed not HIS Son, but freely gave him up for us all." 
 Isaac was offered on a mountain ; Christ on the 
 same mountain, or very near it, yielded up his 
 life. The offering up of Isaac brought blessings 
 to Abraham ; the sacrifice of the Saviour opened 
 a channel through which eternal mercies shall 
 flow to man. The narrative farther teaches us, 
 
64 THE AFFECTIONATE FATHER, &C. 
 
 that our clangers cannot be too great for Him who 
 ruleth in the heavens to dehver us from them. 
 We could hardly have supposed it possible, when 
 Abraham had bound Isaac to the altar, and had 
 already lifted up his hand to strike the flitalblow, 
 that he could have been delivered : but with the 
 God of the Christian all things are possible. 
 Who can harm, when he protects? Who will 
 fear, when he is nigh ? We see that Deity 
 enjoins hard duties, to try his people. "God 
 tempted," or tried^ Abraham ; not because he 
 was unknown to Omniscience, but to shew us the 
 nature of his relio^ion. In all succeeding: ao;es he 
 ever has, and will visit his people with his severe 
 dispensations, " to try them and prove them ; to 
 see what is in their hearts, and whether they will 
 keep his commandments or no." And finally, 
 the subject illustrates the necessity of faith to 
 our happiness. Had not Abraham possessed 
 faith in tiie Divine testimony, he had not been 
 happy ; nor could he have thus endured the tri- 
 als he was called to sustain. He could not have 
 glorified his Creator, nor been thus held up to the 
 admiration of all holy beings. "All men have 
 not faith." This makes the world full of misery. 
 Let us impress deeply on each of our hearts the 
 important injunction of the Saviour, " have 
 FAITH IN God." 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 
 
 OKN. XXIII. 
 
 Lapt in the slirouil, the earth's cold breast 
 trh:ill be thy hed for many a year ; 
 And not a dream disturb tliy rest, 
 Nor pain provoke a single tear. 
 
 Safer than gold in eastern mine, 
 Safer than gnn in ocean's cave, 
 Thy scatter'd relics shall recline 
 In the deep coffers of the grave. 
 
 There, till the angel trumpet sound, 
 Ages of silence thou shalt lie ; 
 Then, from thy earthly cell rebound, 
 Beauteous in immortality. 
 
 Edmeston. 
 
 It is a task pleasing both to the philosopher and 
 the Christian, to turn from the contemplation of 
 the show and glare — the hypocritical pretensions, 
 and but half-disguised insincerity of the present 
 times, to the patriarchal ages, when the manners 
 of men were distinguished for their simplicity and 
 ingenuousness. When we see the sincere aflec- 
 tion mankind then manifested to each other, their 
 freedom from everything like empty comphment, 
 their hospitality to strangers, and their whole de- 
 
6G THE AFFECTING FUNKKAL. 
 
 portmeiit both at home and abroad, we seem to 
 live in another world, and almost wish that our 
 lot had been cast in their day. And when we 
 look at the abundance they possessed, the length 
 of their lives, and the happiness they seem to have 
 enjoyed, we are almost ready on tlie one hand to 
 envy them their comforts, while on the other, we 
 turn to weep over the human heart, which makes 
 even the improvements of science contribute to 
 the increase of sin, and consequently lessens, in 
 many respects at least, the happiness of man. 
 
 But while there were some things peculiar to 
 the patriarchal times, there were others they had 
 in common with us. They experienced their 
 trials. Some of these, in the case of Abraham, 
 we have already glanced at ; and have seen that, 
 though in his connexion with Sarah, his beloved 
 wife, he enjoyed much happiness, yet there was 
 something in her temper not very lovely ; a dis- 
 position to embrace every opportunity to disturb 
 the peace and harmony of the family ; and some- 
 thing harsh and unkind towards her inferiors. 
 Nor was she a little disposed, when unhappiness 
 occurred in the domestic circle, to throw more 
 blame on her husl)and than really belonged ta 
 him. Added to which, there was about her a 
 strong tendency to disbelieve the promises of God. 
 It was Jong before she could be brought to place 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 67 
 
 an implicit reliance on the promises of Jehovah 
 in reference to the great blessings he would be- 
 stow on them and their descendants. All these 
 things must be very painful to a man so peaceable 
 and pious as was Abraham; and must materially 
 tend to embitter his days. Of how much impor- 
 tance is it, that those whom a kind Providence 
 has united together in conjugal bonds should 
 study the peace and comfort of each other, and 
 "walk as heirs together of the grace of hfe, that 
 their prayers be not hindered." 
 
 But notwithstanding that Abraham found in 
 Sarah these imperfections, he loved her with the 
 fondest regard. She was the wife of his youthj 
 — was distinguished for her beauty, and in their 
 old age was the mother of their beloved Isaac. 
 Long had they shared the joys and the sorrows 
 of life together, and talked to each other of the 
 goodness of Jehovah which they had already ex- 
 perienced ; while looking forward, the eye of their 
 imaginations delineated the happy scenes that 
 should appear, when the promises which God had 
 made to them, as to the increase of their children, 
 and their happiness as his peculiar people, should 
 be completely fulfilled. And especially must they 
 rejoice in the blessings of the Messiah's reign, 
 whom they knew was to be reckoned among 
 their descendants : these were indeed causes for 
 gratitude to the God of their mercies. 
 
68 THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 
 
 But great and pure as were the joys of these 
 holy persons, they were not lasting. The great- 
 est beauty must fade, the strongest limbs must de- 
 cay, and the longest life must end. One hun- 
 dred and twenty-seven years had Sarah travelled 
 the wilderness of this world ; long had she en- 
 joyed the company of an affectionate husband; 
 thirty-seven years had she been the mother of the 
 amiable Isaac; and twelve years had elapsed from 
 the period when he was offered to God, and 
 again restored to his parents a greater blessing 
 than ever ; and now the painful separation must 
 take place : she must be torn from her beloved 
 husband, and her affectionate son ; she must leave 
 the scenes on which her fond eyes had often gaz- 
 ed with exquisite pleasure, and bid adieu to the 
 world, the pleasures of which, as well as its sor- 
 rows, she had long known. This must be the 
 end of mortals. Whatever we are, whatever we 
 possess, however long we may live, it must be 
 said of us, "and they died." Sin has conquered 
 the world, and we must all bow before the " king 
 of terrors," whom that sin has introduced to 
 shew the power of his conquests. In every 
 death that occurs, we trace the Divine anger 
 against transgression, and see cause why, as 
 men, our pride should be humbled, and why, as 
 guilty sinners, we should seek pardon through 
 the mediation of Jesus Christ. 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 69 
 
 But, besides these, there were other reasons 
 why Sarah should submit to death. She had 
 been taught, by the good Spirit of God, the van- 
 ity of all earthly things ; she had been enabled to 
 believe the testimony of Jehovah ; and this faith in- 
 fluenced her conduct for a considerable portion of 
 her life. Hence she is enrolled by Paul on the 
 list of worthies, in the eleventh chapter of his 
 Epistle to the Hebrews, as one of those who re- 
 ceived not the accomplishment of the promises, 
 in the advent of the Messiah and the introduction 
 of his dispensation ; " but saw them afar off, and 
 were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and 
 confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims 
 on the earth." And thus being weaned from this 
 world, and having her affections placed on an- 
 other, "' that is, a heavenly," it was desirable she 
 should be removed to it. The good man, though 
 he lives in this world, considers his home to be 
 in another ; and to that state his steps are direct- 
 ed : to possess its spirit is the object of his present 
 desire, and to glorify its Author his daily aim. 
 Thus he is raised above the pursuits and the en- 
 joyments of earth, and only waits the command 
 of his Father, to remove hence. And though, 
 to be separated from our beloved connexions may 
 be painful, yet it is soon over ; while, if they are 
 united to Christ as well as ourselves, we shall 
 7 
 
70 THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 
 
 ere long meet again, to be divided no more. The 
 union between believers in Jesus is one that is 
 lasting ; that death cannot put asunder, but upon 
 which he acts as a friend, removing from them all 
 that divides their affections, and mars their joys, 
 and conducting them to a world where the possi- 
 bility of a frown, or the least alienation of feel- 
 ing, shall for ever be utterly unknown. 
 
 It has been remarked, that Sarah is the only 
 woman in the sacred writings whose age, death, 
 and burial, are distinctly noted ; and certainly, 
 though not without great faults, she merited an 
 honourable distinction. As the wife of Abra- 
 ham, and as, in a sense, at the head of the faith- 
 ful women in Scripture, she is mentioned ; but 
 even this memorial of her is adapted to remind 
 us of our origin and home — the dust. 
 
 The death of friends, whom we have long 
 loved and associated with, is a trying event. 
 They were essential to our comfort, and to have 
 them torn from us is to be plunged into sorrow. 
 They leave the world, as to us, a barren waste ; 
 their death proclaims the ravages of sin, while 
 it reminds us of our own mortality, and that we 
 also must go down to the grave. Abraham, 
 therefore, might well " mourn for Sarah, and 
 weep for her." This was perfectly natural ; we 
 ought to be sensible of our losses; and while we 
 bless the God who gave us our comforts, he does 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 71 
 
 not forbid us to mourn when he takes them 
 away. The Saviour himself sanctified grief for 
 the loss of our friends, when he shed the tear of 
 sorrow over the grave of Lazarus. It was fit, 
 then, that Abraham should weep over the corpse 
 of his wife ; it was a tribute due to her virtues ; 
 it was a proof of his sensibility as to her loss ; and 
 it had a tendency to impress both his own heart, 
 and the hearts of those around him, and lead 
 them to reflect on the vanity and uncertainty of 
 the present life. 
 
 But while it is lawful to indulge in sorrow 
 when we are visited by bereaving providences, it 
 does not become us to give up ourselves entirely 
 to the influence of grief. There are duties to be 
 discharged both to the dead and the living, which 
 we are inexcusable if we neglect. We should 
 remember the Being who takes away "the desire 
 of our eyes," and be concerned to submit to his 
 will, knowing that he cannot err in his designs 
 or his conduct. Besides which, it becomes us to 
 seek our own comfort in the pursuit of our law- 
 ful callings, and the welfare of such of our con- 
 nexions as the providence of God has still kind- 
 ly spared to us. In all this we have the example 
 of Abraham, who, though with great sincerity 
 he wept over the corpse of his beloved Sarah, 
 soon remembered he had duties of an important 
 nature to discharge, and rose to fulfil them. 
 
70 THE AFFECTINa FUNERAL. 
 
 The land of Canaan, in which M raham and 
 his family had long lived, had, for a series of 
 years, been promised him by the goodness of 
 God ; but his providence had not yet given him 
 possession of enough of it to set his foot upon ; 
 and now that he has lost his beloved wife, he has 
 not a grave in which he can lay her corpse. 
 Rising, then, before the inhabitants of the land, 
 he tells them of his bereavement, reminds them 
 of his being only a stranger in their country, 
 and entreats them to allow him land enough for 
 "a burying place" for his deceased wife, and such 
 of his family who yet remained alive, but who 
 in a few years must all be numbered with the 
 beloved object whose remains he had just left. 
 It is really pleasing to see with what courtesy he 
 addresses them. Religion is not opposed to the 
 polite usages of society, unless indeed they are 
 inconsistent with sincerity ; it rather enjoins 
 upon us the command, " Be courteous," a duty 
 which at once recommends us to the esteem of 
 our fellow men, and tends to shew them that 
 religion makes it possessors amiable. 
 
 And while, on the one hand, we admire the 
 simplicity and the courtesy of Abraham ; so, on 
 the other, we are pleased with the conduct of the 
 children of Heth towards him. They appear 
 to have sympathized with him in his trial ; they 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 73 
 
 justly considered him a favourite of Heaven, and 
 very handsomely offered him the choice of their 
 tombs, declaring that no man would withhold 
 his sepulchre from him. It looks well when those 
 who have no just sense of religion pay respect to 
 those who have ; and it excites our hope, that as 
 they have begun to discover their personal worth, 
 they may in time ascertain what it is that makes 
 Christians superior to themselves. 
 
 The religion of Abraham had given him cor- 
 rect views of justice ; and as he was a rich man, 
 he very properly declined the offer of the sons of 
 Heth. Farther than this, he knew that the dis- 
 positions of men were liable to change, and that 
 the very persons who now offered him a burying 
 place, might, in a little time, disturb the bones 
 of her whom he so tenderly loved, or place by 
 her side their own friends, whom in life she 
 did not know, or whose crimes had excited her 
 abhorrence. Added to which, the good old man 
 wished his whole family to be finally interred 
 in the same tomb ; that, as they were united in 
 life, so they might be in death ; and in the 
 morning of the resurrection, when their bodies 
 burst from the grave, their eyes might first mu- 
 tually fix on each other, and renew at once the 
 intercourse they held on earth. Besides all this, 
 the land of Canaan had, by promise, been given 
 7* 
 
74 THE AFFECTIRG FUNERAL. 
 
 to him, and he wished in this way to take pos- 
 session of it. The bones of Sarah became a de- 
 posit ; from this time he would look on it as his 
 home, and indulge the most confident assurance 
 that his seed should possess the whole country. 
 
 Influenced by these views, he entreated the in- 
 habitants of Hebron to use their influence with 
 Ephron, to sell him a field in Machpelah, of 
 which he was the owner, and which had in it a 
 cave suitable for a family vault. Though Abra- 
 ham was a rich man, and enjoyed the good will 
 of his neighbours, yet, being comparatively a 
 stranger, he does not presume on possessing in- 
 fluence himself, but begs the kind offices of his 
 neighbours. In this way did he manifest his hu- 
 mility. Ephron, immediately, very handsomely 
 makes him an offer of the field as a token of his 
 friendship ; but, for the reasons we have already 
 assigned, Abraham declined its acceptance, and 
 paid him down the sum at which he estimated 
 its value — about fifty pounds of our money. 
 
 Let us pause here, to indulge in one or two 
 reflections. — The first land that Abraham bought 
 was not to build houses upon, or to convert into 
 vineyards, but to afford him a burying place. He 
 painfully felt the fact of human mortality ; and 
 remembering that he was but dust, be shewed a 
 concern, first of all, to provide his last home. 
 The Jews frequently had their sepulchres pre- 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 74? 
 
 pared long: before their deaths, to remind them of 
 their mortality. Joseph of Arimathea had his 
 tomb in his garden,to moderate his delights with the 
 thoughts of his end. The Egyptians had a death's 
 head carried about the table at their feasts ; and a 
 stonemason waited on the emperors of Constan- 
 tinople, on the day of their coronation, with a 
 choice of tombstones. And so Abraham, on this 
 occasion, as death had begun his inroads on his 
 family, would make provision of a burying place 
 for them all ; as they had lived together on earth, 
 so he would have them lie togetlier after death, 
 " Sepulchres," an old divine has remarked, 
 " are symbols of the communion of saints, and 
 of the resurrection of the dead ; hence the He- 
 brews called burying grounds the houses of the 
 living." The living and the dead are united^ 
 and will before long meet together in one place. 
 Another remark, not unworthy of notice, is^ 
 that the first time we read of money is in con- 
 nexion with the purchase of a grave; as though 
 the Spirit of God would teach us the folly of 
 those who make gold their god, and place their 
 affections on what will purchase a tomb, rather 
 than the blessings and enjoyments of life. The 
 man who seeks to be rich may ensure a magni- 
 ficent mausoleum, but his money cannot pur- 
 chase his exemption from the evils of the pre- 
 
76 THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 
 
 sent life, or ensure him the enjoyment of the Di- 
 vine favour after death. These must be obtain- 
 ed from a world where the coin of the present 
 state does not pass current. The favour of God 
 may be enjoyed by the poorest among men, by the 
 exercise of faith in the revelation he has given 
 of his Son ; this alone will bring us to the en- 
 joyment of the friendship of our Maker on earthy 
 or introduce us to the joys of heaven hereafter. 
 And though we possessed the wealth of the In- 
 dies, without an interest in the Mediator, we 
 should, as to all permanent blessings, be poor in- 
 deed. 
 
 Having paid down the value of the land, 
 Abraham was anxious to have it secured to him. 
 The body he was about to lay there, he reckon- 
 ed of great value, and he could not bear the idea 
 of its removal ; besides which, though he was 
 content to wander about while he lived, he 
 wished when he died that his body might " rest 
 in hope," that he might lie among his connex- 
 ions, and be laid in the land that his descendants 
 should long continue to inhabit. The desire of 
 his heart was granted, " and the field and the 
 cave that is therein were made sure unto Abra- 
 ham, for a possession of a burying place, by the 
 sons of Heth." 
 
 These preliminaries baing all settled, the ven- 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 7/ 
 
 erable patriarch buried liis beloved Sarah. The 
 very object on which he once delighted to look 
 had now become offensive to his senses, and 
 must be buried out of his sight. Dust we are, 
 and to dust we must return. Who does not, as 
 she falls into the grave, drop the tear of sym- 
 pathy and grief over such a corpse ? She leaves 
 her family in the midst of their fairest prospects, 
 and "her sons come to honour, hut she seeth it 
 not." However we may be distinguished for our 
 beauty and activity, however eminent for our 
 bodily strength, or our mental powers, we must 
 go down to the grave and become food for 
 worms. It must be said of us, as Pope said of a 
 deceased lady. 
 
 How lov'd, how valued once, avails thee not, 
 To whom related, or by whom begot; 
 A heap of dust alone remains of thee, 
 'Tis all thou art, and all the proud must be. 
 
 And though we may appear essential to the hap- 
 piness of our connexions, and throw a lustre 
 over general society, — though by our property 
 we may feed the poor, or by our talents contri- 
 bute to the welfare of a kingdom, or render im- 
 portant services to the church of God, — all will 
 be of no avail when death receives his commis- 
 sion to summon us hence. The tear of regret 
 
78 THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 
 
 may fall from many an eye, but the affairs of 
 our families and of general society will soon 
 move on as though we had never been. Death 
 makes the most cruel separations, and tears us 
 from our dearest connexions, while he calls on 
 those who once worshipped us as their idols to 
 look on our remams with disg^ust, and say to 
 their neighbours, '' give me possession of a bury- 
 ing place, thut I may bury my dead out of my 
 sight." 
 
 But w^hile we take a view of the subject so 
 eminently calculated to mortify our pride, and 
 to wean us from an undue attachment to the 
 present world, we should not forget that the 
 body of Sarah was laid here m the firm per- 
 suasion that the whole land, of which Abmham 
 thus took possession, should be occupied by her 
 descendants ; and, however melancholy the com- 
 mencement of their entering upon it, should make 
 them happy ; for here God would be worship- 
 ped, and his people blest. There is a still more 
 pleasing view that we may take of the tomb, 
 when it is occupied by a believer in the Son of 
 God. In such a case, the grave is made the 
 means of purifying the body from the defilement 
 of sin ; the precious dust is watched over by the 
 adorable Redeemer, who at the last day shall not 
 merely raise it from the grave, for this shall be 
 
THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 79 
 
 the lot of men universally, but shall bring his 
 people from the dnst, and confer upon them, as 
 bearing his own image, immortal glory. While 
 they shall be for ever secured from death, they 
 shall enjoy all that can make their existence in- 
 finitely happy. At that day Abraham and Sarah 
 shall burst from their tomb, and experience hap- 
 piness unspeakably superior to any they knevf 
 on earth, in the presence of their God and Sa- 
 viour, and that for an eternal period. 
 
 Hiving buried his beloved Sarah, the vener- 
 able patriarch began to set his house in order, 
 and to prepare for the great change that he him- 
 self must undergo. One of the strongest ties 
 which bound him to earth had been cut asunder ; 
 while heaven now possessed an additional at- 
 traction. He felt himself still united in heart to 
 the beloved object who had been torn from his 
 embraces, and could enter into the sentiment 
 that has been well expressed by a modern poet, 
 
 " Hearts in the holy bands of love combin'd 
 Death has no power to sever. Thou art mine ! 
 A little whi'e, and thou shalt dwell with mc 
 In scenes where sorrow is not. Cheerily 
 Tread thou the path that leads thee to the grave; 
 Rough though it be, and painful ; for the Grave 
 Is but the threshold of Eternity." 
 
 But while he looked forward to the happy pe- 
 
80 THE AFFECTING FUNERAL. 
 
 riod when he should be re-united to Sarah, he 
 was concerned, in the meantime, to discharge 
 the duties that God had commanded him. He 
 probably breathed the spirit of another of the 
 patriarchs, possibly his contemporary, when he 
 said, " All the days of my appointed time will I 
 wait, till my change come." 
 
 Let us rise from the consideration of this sub- 
 ject deeply impressed with the vanity and muta- 
 bility of all earthly good ; and remembering 
 that, however lovely and engaging our compa- 
 nions may be, we must soon be separated from 
 them by death. Let us learn the folly of placing 
 our affections on worldly riches ; seeing thai 
 even if they do not "take to themselves wings 
 and fly away," they will not ward off death, nor 
 furnish us, after it, with a better residence than 
 the grave. Let us rejoice that the intimate 
 and delightful connexion between the people of 
 God does not end with the present life, but is re- 
 newed, and that for ever, in the world of eternal 
 glory, where they shall be drawn closer together 
 in the bands of the purest affection and joy. 
 And let it be our anxious concern to enjoy the 
 favour of Christ, which shall enable us to smile 
 at the last enemy, to descend to the grave with 
 a calm serenity, and to rise with unutterable joy, 
 to the realms of immortal life, " and so shall we 
 be ever with the Lord." 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 
 
 GEN. XXIV. 
 
 Across the road a seraph flew : 
 
 ' Mark,' said he, * that happy pair ; 
 
 Marriage helps devotion there. 
 
 When kindred minds their God pursue, 
 
 They break with double vigour, through 
 
 The dull incumbent air.' 
 
 Watts. 
 
 In reading the page of history, who has not 
 been struck with the rapid and numerous changes 
 in the Hfe of man 7 Here we see an individual 
 in his boyish years ; he rapidly hastens to man- 
 hood, and sets sail on the ocean of life, filled 
 with expectations of happiness from the world : 
 but alas ! at the period when he expected full 
 possession of enjoyment, misfortunes pursue 
 him, or death enters his dwelling, and snatches 
 from his arms some of his dearest connexions ; 
 and, before he can recover from the effects of 
 this disappointment, he feels the infirmities of 
 age oppress him, and sees death on his rapid 
 8 
 
82 THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 
 
 march towards him. He lays himself on his dy- 
 ing pillow, and while, if a believer in the truths 
 of divine revelation, and one who has been en- 
 abled by divine grace to flee to Christ for hap- 
 piness, he is willing to depart hence, he wishes 
 to guard his children against the evils he has 
 observed in the world, into many of which he 
 has himself fallen ; and to lead them to the paths 
 of virtue and happiness. 
 
 Every reader will perceive the application of 
 these remarks to " the Father of the Faithful." 
 One hundred and forty years had the pious Abra- 
 ham trod the wilderness of the world ; and trials, 
 numerous, complicated, and heavy had been his 
 lot. But the goodness of God had, notwith- 
 standing, blessed him with great favours. He 
 enjoyed a large portion of this world's happi- 
 ness ; Jehovah had given him a beloved Isaac, 
 had delivered him from death, and had connect- 
 •ed with his deliverance promises the most inter- 
 esting and important. But he had lost his af- 
 fectionate Sarah, and was at present, as he ap- 
 prehended, near to an eternal world. The anx- 
 ious feelings of a parent for the happiness of 
 his son, arose in his heart. Isaac was forty years 
 old, but had not taken to himself a wife. It is 
 probable that his affection towards his parents 
 was great; and he was, therefore, unwilling to be 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 83 
 
 separated from them ; he feared Jehovah, and 
 he saw none around him possessed of " like pre- 
 cious faith," with whom he could form so close 
 a connexion ; besides which, he considered him- 
 self at the disposal of his father, in whose wis- 
 dom and prudence he placed the most unlimited 
 confidence. Abraham, who was every way 
 worthy of such a son, felt anxious, both that Isaac 
 should marry, and that the object of his best 
 earthly regard should not be an idolater, with 
 whom they were entirely surrounded. There 
 can be no doubt that the affair had long been with 
 him a matter of deliberation and prayer: but 
 the manner in which God would bring about 
 the marriage had not been disclosed to him till 
 now. 
 
 A pious, disinterested, faithful, and affectionate 
 servant is an acquisition of inestimable value. 
 Such an one had Abraham in the person of Elie- 
 zer, who was born in his house, and resided with 
 him more than fifty years, and in whose hands 
 Abraham had entrusted the management of many 
 of his domestic affairs ; " for all the goods of his 
 master were in his hands." This man was once 
 the heir apparent of Abraham's property ; but 
 though God had disappointed his expectations on 
 that head, he had not relaxed in his attention to 
 his master's interest, but, fearing Jehovah, and 
 
84 THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 
 
 loving Abraham his master, continued anxiously 
 to seek the welfare of his family. 
 
 The venerable patriarch called this tried and 
 faithful servant, and entrusted him with the im- 
 portant business of ^oing to the land of Mesopo- 
 tamia, and seeking, from among his kindred, a 
 wife for his son Isaac. We hardly know which 
 to admire most in this transaction ; — the careful 
 solicitude of Abraham, that his son might be pre- 
 served from idolatry ; his wisdom in entrusting 
 the commission to Eliezer, and the solemn man- 
 ner in which the transaction was performed ; — 
 or the willingness of the servant to undertake the 
 journey ; the commendable caution he shewed, 
 in enterino^ into an eno^aorement of so solemn a 
 nature as to be connected with an oath, or the 
 anxiety he shewed to fulfil the wishes of his 
 master. 
 
 Having made the preparations which a journey 
 of so much importance required, he set out, ac- 
 companied, no doubt, with many an ardent pray- 
 er that the God of Abraham would guide him. 
 We see here the manner in which this important 
 matter of marriage should be proceeded in,— with 
 much caution and prayer. We cannot expect 
 happiness unless we watch the leadings of divine 
 Providence, and follow wliere he leads us. Per- 
 haps if the fact could be ascertained^ we should 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. bO 
 
 find that very few persons are unhappy in the 
 marriage state, who enter upon it in the fear of 
 God, having first sought his wisdom to direct 
 them in their choice, and made, like Isaac, true 
 religion an essential quaUfication in the character 
 of their partners. 
 
 See, then, Eliezer pursuing the wearisome 
 journey, of four hundred and sixty miles, over 
 ground that perhaps had hardly been travelled 
 before. He goes on an important errand, and is 
 concerned suitably to discharge the duties which 
 devolve upon him. His young master could not 
 marry among his neighbours, because, as idola- 
 ters, they were under the curse of God ; and 
 though the family to which he was travelling, 
 the descendants of Shem, were partially the vo- 
 taries of idolatry, yet did they possess the know- 
 ledge of the true God, whom they worshipped ; 
 on which account he was far more likely to meet 
 with genuine religion among them. 
 
 Arrived without the city of Nahor, Eliezer 
 stopped ; and, knowing that " the steps of a 
 good man are ordered by the Lord," he looked to 
 Heaven for help. Now, indeed, was the time he 
 needed Divine direction, and now, as at all times, 
 was the Supreme Being ready to afford it. 
 Anxious that his way might appear to him quite 
 clear, he prayed that God in his providence 
 8* 
 
86 THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING, 
 
 would send the damsel whom he had appointed 
 for his master Isaac to the well ; and that when 
 he requested water of her, she should draw both 
 for him and his camels. It is not wise in us to 
 dictate to the blessed God in what way he shall 
 answer our prayers ; this, in us, who have a 
 clearer revelation from Heaven than Eliezer had, 
 would be presumption : but as in this case the 
 petition flowed from the purest motives, and was 
 not opposed to the revelation Jehovah had then 
 given oi himself, he was pleased to answer the 
 good man in his own way ; who, finding that 
 his prayer was regarded, was filled with astonish- 
 ment. Perhaps the littleness of his faith had 
 hardly led him to expect an answer ; or probably, 
 when he received the answer he expected, he was 
 filled with surprise, that the Most High would 
 hsten to the prayers of one so unworthy. It is a 
 fact not a little remarkable, and which tends to 
 confirm the doctrine of human depravity, that 
 even the best of men — those who believe that 
 God is willing to fulfil their requests — look so 
 httle for those answers, and express so much 
 astonishment when they receive them. Surely 
 this is a proof of the weakness of their faith in 
 the Divine promises, and ought to be a motive 
 for the deepest humiliation before the Lord. 
 One cannot dwell on the events of the patri- 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDINa. 87 
 
 archal age without being delighted with the 
 simplicity that characterized their manners. We 
 have admired the conduct of Isaac, who referred 
 even the business of his marriage to his father ; 
 and here we are led to mark the same simple and 
 lovely conduct in the character of Rebekah. 
 Women, even in the highest ranks of life, were 
 not then above tiie discharge of domestic business. 
 The wife of the monarch would "seek wool and 
 flax, and work willingly with her hands," and 
 the daughter of the wealthiest man would water 
 the cattle, and carry home the vessel filled with 
 water for culinary purposes. And who sees not 
 in all this, manners more truly respectable than 
 those of the present day, when the time of a fe- 
 male is consumed at the toilet, in frivolous plea- 
 sures, or in retailing the tales of scandal 7 
 
 While Eliezer was addressing his God in pray- 
 er, the lovely, industrious, and courteous Rebekah 
 Game, with her pitcher upon her shoulder, to the 
 well, and filled it with water. Struck with this 
 speedy answer to his petitions, — with the beauty 
 of her person, for — 
 
 Her form was fresher than the morning rose 
 When the dew wets its leaves, — 
 
 and feeling the effect of heat and^thirst, he solicit- 
 ed a little water from her, that he might drinkr 
 
8S THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 
 
 Her heart overflowing with benevolence to the 
 needy, in the spirit of genuine politeness, leads 
 her readily to accede to his request ; and, feel- 
 ing the kind sympathies of humanity, she propos- 
 es also to draw water for his camels ; which, 
 without waiting for his answer, she hastens to 
 do ; thus shewing her industry, as well as her 
 courtesy. 
 
 All this is viewed by the good man with as- 
 tonishment ; and he at length concluded that God 
 had prospered his journey. He proceeded to give 
 Rebekah proofs of his regard to her, by present- 
 ing her with handsome gifts, the custom of that, 
 and indeed, more or less, of every age and coun- 
 try. He inquired who she was, and whether her 
 father could furnish him and his attendants with 
 accommodations for a short period ? She readily 
 gave him her own name, and that of her parents, 
 and assured liim of a welcome reception at her 
 father's house. Ah ! thou lovely female ! little 
 dost thou think of the designs of Providence ; 
 thou knowest not that thy name and conduct 
 shall be immortalized on the page of inspiration ; 
 and tliat events the most important are suspended 
 on thy present conduct. It is not for us to know 
 the designs of Heaven. The greatest affairs of- 
 ten depend on the most trifling events. A word, 
 or even a look, has frequently led to very surpris- 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 89 
 
 Thus was it here : Rebekah's 
 kindness convinced Eliezer that she was intend- 
 ed to be the wife of Isaac ; and having with joy 
 and gratitude lifted up his heart to the Giver of 
 his mercies, who had hitherto prospered him, he 
 proceeded towards the house of Bethuel, the dam- 
 sel's father. How unUke the conduct of EUezer 
 to that of many persons, who can receive un- 
 numbered mercies at theh;Mids of Jehovah with- 
 out a single expression, or indeed a single feeling 
 of gratitude to him. Such persons give awful 
 proof that they are far from God, and that he " is 
 not in all their thoughts." 
 
 Rebekah, fillf'd with joy and surprise at an in- 
 terview so singular, had ran forward, and told the 
 family the particulars of her meeting with the 
 stranger ; this induced her brother Laban, on 
 whomappearsto have devolved much of the man- 
 agement of the family affairs, probably through 
 the infirmities, or perhaps death of the aged fath- 
 er, to run to meet him, and to offer him a hearty 
 welcome to their house. When he had entered, 
 all were anxious to perform the kindest offices ; 
 being influenced, possibly, not only by feelings of 
 respect to the stranger, or by the laws of hospi- 
 tality, but by the hope of sharing his riches, as 
 Rebekah had done before them. 
 
 Arrived at the house of Bethuel, they placed 
 
00 THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 
 
 before Eliezer the food he required to recruit his 
 strength. But the good man was too sensible of 
 the importance of his errand, too much filled with 
 astonishment at the movements of Divine Pro- 
 vidence, and, probably, too desirous to gratify the 
 curiosity he had excited in their bosoms, to eat or 
 drink, till he had told them his business. And in 
 what a simple and yet eloquent manner does he 
 deliver his tale ! He tells them his own station 
 as "Abraham's servant," but does not once hint 
 at the office he filled as his steward, or the confi- 
 dence his master reposed in him. He informs 
 them how God has blessed his master, and made 
 him rich ; — that he has a beloved son by his fa- 
 vourite Sarah, yet unmarried, but for whom he 
 is anxious to obtain a suitable wife; and that for 
 the purpose of seeking such an one, he has now- 
 left home. In a strain of simple piety, he relates his 
 prayer and its accomplishment at the well, states 
 his conviction that Rebekah is the woman desiofn- 
 ed by Jehovah for Isaac's companion, and asks 
 them for their reply to his statement and request. 
 How straightforward and honest is all this ! and 
 who can forebear regretting that this simplicity 
 does not now distinguish our conduct, and pre- 
 vail in the ranks of fashionable society ? " How 
 sweet," remarks Mr. Fuller, " would all our tem- 
 poral affairs be rendered, if they were thus inter- 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL ATEDDING. 91 
 
 mixed with godliness." Instead of this, luxury 
 and sin have introduced refinements which put 
 moraUty and nature to the blush. 
 
 To a statement like that of Eliezer, but one re- 
 ply could be given, — " The hand of the Lord is 
 in it.''' The whole family saw that Isaac and his 
 father were not influenced by worldly policy, but 
 concerned to follow the leadings of infinite wis- 
 dom in a concern of so much moment ; and if 
 true piety existed among them at all, they would 
 rejoice in the good providence of God in selecting 
 for Rebekah such a husband, and placing her in a 
 family where she would be free from temptations 
 to idolatry. They consented to the union ; and 
 the pious servant again worshipped Jehovah, 
 who had granted his desires and prospered his 
 journey] 
 
 The business being so far settled, Eliezer ate 
 and drank, and distributed presents to the whole 
 family, who indulged in the cheerfulness suita- 
 ble to the occasion. Rising on the following 
 morning, the faithhil servant requested that they 
 might depart. Having fulfilled the object of his 
 journe^^, he was unwilling to waste even a day, 
 but to return to the business that needed his at- 
 tention at home. But here the family found 
 themselves involved in a considerable difficulty. 
 Rebekah had never been from home ; she had a 
 
92 THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 
 
 warm place in their affections, and they could not 
 bear the idea of parting with her ; they wished 
 therefore to prevent her, for a season, from going. 
 But Ehezer, seeing the Lord had prospered him, 
 aware that a separation would never be less pain- 
 ful, and unwilling to withhold the news of his 
 success from his master an hour longer than was 
 necessary, would not delay their departure. At 
 length the question was wisely referred for deci- 
 sion to Rebekah ; who, recognising the hand of 
 God in the whole affair, and anxious to see those 
 of whom she had heard so much, as well as look- 
 ing forward, no doubt, in the expectation of hap- 
 piness, said, without hesitation, " I will go." An 
 affectionate parting, attended ^vith mutual prayers 
 and good wishes, took place, and Rebekah, throw- 
 ing herself on the care of Providence, set out on 
 her journey to the land of Canaan. 
 
 Isaac was a man eminently devoted to God ; 
 he loved to trace his liand in his works. On one 
 evening durino^ the absence of Eliezer, he walked 
 out in the fields. Perhnps he went to contem- 
 plate the beauties of creation, and to rise from 
 them to the Bein^: u ho made lliem ; perhaps he 
 was desirous, apart from society, to hold inter- 
 course with his God and Father, or perhaps he 
 wished seriously to reflect on the responsibility 
 and the duties that would devolve on him when 
 
THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 93 
 
 he entered into the connexion to which he was 
 looking forward ; nor is it improbable that he 
 might indulge some hopes of seeing the return of 
 a party in whose business he was so deeply inter- 
 ested. While thus walking, the eye of Rebekuh 
 caught the sight of Isaac ; and when on inquiry 
 she found who he was, she alighted from her 
 camel, and covered herself with a veil ; and in 
 this manner, expressive of her modesty and sub- 
 jection, she was introduced to Isaac. The good 
 man having heard from his servant the whole 
 narrative of events, saw the kind hand of Jehovah 
 in the whole arrangement, and took Rebekah for 
 his wife. She enjoyed his undivided affection 
 till death separated them, for he never stained his 
 hfe by indulging in the sin of polygamy. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that in this narrative, 
 as well as in the other instances of marriage re- 
 corded in the inspired volume, no mention is made 
 of the observance of any religious ceremony. 
 They neither went up to the temple, offered a sa- 
 crifice, or had the presence of a priest. Marriage 
 with them was regarded as a civil contract ; but we 
 cannot suppose that on so important an occasion 
 as this they would neglect the important duty of 
 praying for the blessing of Him who can alone 
 make his creatures happy. 
 
 We have seen the simple manner in which 
 9 
 
94 THE PATRIARCHAL WEDDING. 
 
 the conjugal state was entered upon in the primi- 
 tive ages ; and we must rejoice, that as Isaac and 
 Rebekah were thus clearly brought together by 
 the hand of God, so he continued through life to 
 bless them, and to crown their union with a larg- 
 er portion of happiness than usually falls to the 
 lot of mortals. 
 
 Let us learn from the whole to watch the lead- 
 ings of Divine Providence in all our ways, and 
 never to seem to run before it. In all our cir- 
 cumstances let us commend our affairs to God 
 by fervent prayer, and then expect his gracious 
 answer to our requests. Before young persons 
 enter on a state so momentous as that of mar- 
 riage, let them consult the wise and the good, 
 whose greater knowledge of the world, and ex- 
 perience, qualify them to give counsel. And in 
 all things let us seek " the wisdom that cometh 
 from above," remembering that interesting com- 
 mand and promise of holy writ, " In all thy ways 
 acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON . 
 
 GEN. XXXVU. L. 
 
 Joseph ! ' my Son ! — Thou God of heaven! 
 
 Restore the prop of sinking age ! 
 Or, if that hope no more is giv'n, 
 
 O, yield his murderer to my rage.' 
 
 Among the innumerable illustrations of the Di^ 
 vine goodness with which we are furnished by 
 his works of creation and providence, there are 
 few more interesting, or that contribute more to 
 the happiness of man, than the institution of so- 
 ciety. Were every man to be left to himself, he 
 could not possibly be so happy as he now is. 
 Our Creator has, therefore, implanted in our 
 hearts affections of a sympathetic kind, which 
 lead us to feel a lively interest in the \Arelfare of 
 others ; and this anxiety exists, or ought to do 
 so, in proportion as they are nearly or more re- 
 motely allied to us in nature. Hence, the pa- 
 rent and the child, with a solicitude that knows nq 
 
96 THE DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 bounds, seek each other's enjoyment; and those 
 of the same family mutually share their sorrows 
 and their joys, lightening the burden of the one, 
 and adding greatly to the reUsh of the other. 
 
 In consequence, however, of the disobedience 
 of man to the commands of God, which has* 
 thrown the universe into disorder, and pervert- 
 ed the passions of our nature, we are sometimes 
 compelled to mourn over improper feelings shewn 
 by the different branches of families, creating: do- 
 mestic feuds, and tending to destroy the affec- 
 tionate regard which ought to display itself in 
 every movement. And, surely, no scene can be 
 more unlovely than that of discord and animosity 
 reigning where harmony and love ought to have 
 an undisputed dominion. But over such scenes 
 we have often wept, while we have been desir- 
 ous for the spread of Divine truth, which can 
 alone subdue the improper feelings of man, and 
 attune, in sweetest harmony, the kind and ten- 
 der sensibilities of the soul — which shall make 
 the lion and the lamb lie down together, and in- 
 fuse the mild and gentle spirit of the child into 
 every bosom. Such blessings the gospel can 
 impart, and over such scenes the whole world 
 shall ultimately rejoice. 
 
 Scarcely any part of the inspired volume has 
 been read with so much interest as the history of 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON. 97 
 
 Joseph. It is a moral pain tin 2:, on which the 
 man of taste and the ignorant rustic may gaze with 
 equal admiration — a narrative which displays 
 human nature in its best and its worst dress; 
 and that shews the grace of God influencing the 
 heart, and teaching it how to act in circimistan- 
 ces the most trying ; — a history which striking- 
 ly illustrates the providence of God, as guiding 
 all human affairs to promote the happiness of his 
 people — exhibits him as allowing the wicked to 
 prosper for a time in their designs, wiiile it de- 
 monstrates the infinite importance of being num- 
 bered with those who enjoy the Divine favour. 
 It is a relation of events to which the child hs- 
 tens with wonder, and on which he may dwell 
 with increasinor admiration even to old ao^e. 
 
 Many attempts h-.^ve been made, in different 
 ages and nations, to illustrate the principal events 
 contained in the narrative, and to exhibit its most 
 striking beauties. But we may almost as well 
 attempt to add new glories to the sun, or to clothe 
 nature in a more lovoly green, as to make the 
 tale more interesting than it appears in the art- 
 less language of the inspired writer. Time, who 
 robs language of its excellence by the improve- 
 ments he confers on science, has not stolen one of 
 its beauties, but left it to impress our minds with 
 all its native grandeur. Hence, every such at- 
 9* 
 
98 THE DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 tempt has failed, and it continues to bid defi- 
 ance to man, however gifted and learned, to pro- 
 duce a story that shall so closely entwine around 
 every heart. 
 
 My reader will begin to suspect that I am 
 about to act inconsistently with these sentiments, 
 in attempting an illustration of the history. Let 
 me beg, then, to declare in the outsef, that I dis- 
 claim all idea of adding fresh beauty to the story, 
 or of deepening the interest which a careful pe- 
 rusal of it in the sacred volume would excite. 
 Its excellences appear to every eye, and its les- 
 sons are offered to every understanding. The ob- 
 ject I have in view, is merely to divide the story 
 into parcels ; — to exhibit the character of Joseph 
 in several points of view, and to hold him up as 
 an example to different classes of persons. And 
 should any one, by reading the remarks I have 
 to offer on his character, be inclined to discharge 
 the duties he owes to his family and society in a 
 way more accordant with the commands of God, 
 and the example of this amiable individual, I 
 shall consider myself amply repaid. 
 
 It is impossible to reflect on the character of 
 Joseph in the view in which I would now intro- 
 duce him — as the Dutiful Son^ without think- 
 ing of the affecting circumstances in which he 
 was placed, even in early life. He was the son 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON- 99 
 
 of the beloved Rachel, the distinguished favour- 
 ite, and the only proper wife of his father. In 
 early childhood he was deprived of all the ten- 
 der anxieties, and all the unspeakable advantages 
 of her maternal care. He was, it is true, the fa- 
 vourite of his flitlier ; but, alas ! he was also ex- 
 posed to the envy of his brethren, and to the 
 snares of a wicked world ; he was destitute of 
 the affectionate counsels of a mother, whose so- 
 licitude frequently preserves the young from 
 evils from which even the stronger arm and the 
 greater authority of a father cannot save them. 
 
 Jacob, though an affectionate parent, and con- 
 cerned for the happiness of all his children, does 
 not appear to have been eminently distinguish- 
 ed for his prudence. As Joseph was the son of 
 his old age, being born when he was upwards of 
 ninety years old, and the child of his beloved 
 Rachel — possessed too of an amiable temper and 
 of ardent piety — and, as his years increased, fur- 
 nished constant and new proofs of the highest 
 excellence, Jacob marked the favourite son by 
 clothino: him with a g^arment different in its co- 
 lours, and probably in its form, from those of his 
 brethren. It is true, the good conduct of Joseph 
 might deserve this, but the worthy old man 
 should have seen the impropriety of thus plac- 
 ing him in danger of the envy of his brethren, 
 
100 THE DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 and exciting in his own bosom feelings exceed- 
 ingly unfavourable to his humility. In the ma- 
 nao^ement of our children, we should consult our 
 judgment much more than our affections. 
 
 As Joseph seems but seldom to have left his 
 fond father, to mingle with the world, we are not 
 surprised at his indulgence of a childish simpli- 
 city, and of his want of that prudence which ex- 
 perience alone can impart. His pious soul griev- 
 edover his brethren's improprieties ; and, perhaps 
 somewhat imprudently, he told them to his fa- 
 ther; — the openness of his disposition led him to 
 divulge before these brethren some dreams he 
 had dreamt, which seemed to promise his future 
 exaltation and honour, which only tended to ex- 
 cite their envy. His father, though he rebuked 
 him, lest he should indulge in pride, yet "ob- 
 served the saying ;" he saw something of its pro- 
 bable meaning; and, no doubt, would love 
 Joseph so much the better on account of what 
 he believed God would do for him. 
 
 Whatever ideas this lovely youth might be led 
 to entertain of future greatness, they did not pre- 
 vent the discharge of the duties which his father 
 required of him. His brethren were employed 
 in tending their flocks at Shechem, now called 
 Naplouse^ a distance of about sixty miles from 
 the residence of Jacob, who, both because he 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON. 101 
 
 possessed all the anxieties of a parent, and knew 
 they were exposed to danglers from the men of 
 Shechem, whom, on a former occasion, they had 
 grievously offended, requested Joseph to pay 
 them a visit and inquire after their welfare. 
 Ever ready to obey the wishes of his father, he 
 hastened to the place, and not finding them there, 
 he went on to Dothan, a distance of eight miles 
 farther. Thus did he manifest at once his affec- 
 tion towards his brethren, and his regard to his 
 father's commands. With what anxious solici- 
 tude would Jacob seem to follow his son, and 
 how desirous would he be for the return of one 
 in whose happiness he felt so deeply interested, 
 and whose conversation gave him so much plea- 
 sure. 
 
 It often happens that when we estimate our 
 mercies too highly, and place them in the stead 
 of iheir Giver, they are removed from us till we 
 are effectually taught our dependence upon God. 
 Thus was it in the case of Joseph. His father had 
 manifested towards him an undue partiality ; 
 this at once called forth the malevolent feelings 
 of his brethren and the displeasure of the blessed 
 God ; who to chastise his servant for his impro- 
 priety, and to accomplish the future designs of 
 his mercy towards the fiunily, allowed his breth- 
 
1U2 THK DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 ren to gratify their wicked dispositions by selling 
 him as a slave into Egypt. 
 
 When a representation was made to good old 
 Jacob, which induced him to believe that Joseph 
 had been torn in pieces by wild beasts, with what 
 grief would he contemplate the death of such a 
 son ! Little did he imagine that he was yet 
 alive, and a slave in a strange land ! And as 
 little did he suppose that the prayers of his be- 
 loved son ascended from day to day on his behalf, 
 to the throne of Divine mercy ! Never once did 
 he tliink that more than twenty years hence he 
 should see his beloved Joseph in the tleshj and 
 again hold the most delightful intercourse with 
 him. How is the future hid from our view 1 and 
 how ignorant are we of 
 
 " What gloomy linos are writ for us, 
 Or what bright scenes may rise." 
 
 It appears to us very extraordinary that Joseph, 
 who entertained towards his father sucli an affec- 
 tionate regard, should remain twenty years in 
 Egypt without sending to make inquiry after 
 him. But there are some things, which, if consi- 
 dered, will tend to remove our surprise. Let it 
 then be remembered, that in those early days 
 there were but few opportuuities afforded for 
 communication between one country and ano- 
 ther. Years might revolve, and Joseph might 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON. 103 
 
 not know of a single person going to Canaan ; 
 besides which, he was for many years a slave. 
 and after that a prisoner, and he might rather 
 wish to suffer what he did, and be considered 
 dead, than send intelligence which must reflect 
 severely on his brethren, and rob his father of 
 happiness. It is true that he was, after this, 
 elevated to high dignity in the government of 
 Egypt, and we might have supposed that he 
 would have been desirous to inform his father of 
 so gratifying a circumstance ; but we must re- 
 member that even this could not be done without 
 blame resting on those by whose means he was 
 sent from home ; and, in addition to all that has 
 been said, we must consider his movements to 
 have been under the direction of a wise and gra- 
 cious Being, who saw fit to carry on his plans 
 without the knowledge of Jacob. It is impossi- 
 ble to view the conduct of Joseph towards his fa- 
 ther, both in his early life and in after-days, and 
 suppose that this omission sprung from indiffer- 
 ence, or the want of affection towards his vener- 
 able parent. 
 
 At length the period arrived when Joseph 
 should see most of his brethren, hear of the 
 welfare of his father, and see events which, 
 governed by the hand of God, should ultimately 
 bring them together. Famine, the scourge 
 
104 THE DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 which so often visited the world in its early ageSj 
 overspread tiie land of Canaan ; and it became 
 necessary that a supply of corn should be obtain* 
 ed from Egypt for the support of Jacob and his 
 family. The venerable man commanded his 
 ten eldest sons to go down to that country, with 
 money in their hands, and buy what they so 
 much needed. Who could have imagined the 
 scenes that were to be exhibited before they re- 
 turned ? Not one of them expected that Joseph 
 was alive, much less that he was the governor of 
 Egypt ; — they imagined not that they were going 
 to pay homage to him ; that they would be treat- 
 ed as spies, and involved in difficulty ; or that the 
 sin which twenty years ago they had commit- 
 ted against their amiable brother, would now be 
 brought before them, in all its horror, by their 
 terrified consciences. 
 
 Arrived in the land of Egypt, they had to 
 make tfieir appearance before its governor. It is 
 probable that foreigners had to contract with him 
 in person, as by this means he could most effec- 
 tually learn the condition of the countries in 
 which they resided ; besides which he might hope 
 that in this way he should at some time or other 
 have an interview with his brethren. No sooner 
 did they enter his presence than he recognised in 
 their countenances the family features : they did 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON. 105 
 
 not imagine that, bowing to the governor of Egypt, 
 they were fulfilling the dream of their brother ; 
 but he could not fail to be impressed with the fact. 
 They had no knowledge of him, for twenty years 
 had made a considerable alteration in his person ; 
 he spoke the language of Egypt, and was sur- 
 rounded with the pomp of a court ; it was there- 
 fore no wonder, that, notwithstanding all the ex- 
 traordinary circumstaaces which subsequently 
 occurred, they did not know him. He charged 
 them with being spies, and detained them, evi- 
 dently with the view of eliciting from them all 
 the information he could obtain m reference to 
 his father, Benjamin, and the whole family. He, 
 notwithstanding his apparent harshness, shews 
 kindness to them, and while he furnishes them 
 with provisions for their future necessities, orders 
 their money to be again placed in their sacks. 
 
 It is true that, by detaining Simeon in bonds, 
 and demandmg a sight of Benjamin before he 
 would release him or grant them a future sup- 
 ply of corn, he is adding to the sorrow of his fa- 
 ther ; but for this, as we shall see hereafter, he 
 had important reasons. At the same time, a fine 
 opportunity was afforded to the venerable patri- 
 arch, to exercise resignation to the painful dis- 
 pensations of Providence, and a foundation was 
 being laid for his future happiness and gratitude. 
 10 
 
106 THE DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 After the expiration of a few months, it be- 
 came necessary for the sons of Jacob again to go 
 down to Egypt to purchase food. It is affecting 
 to see the anxiety the worthy old man feels at the 
 idea of parting with his beloved Benjamin ; and 
 impossible not to admire his piety and resigna- 
 tion as he consents to his journey : "And God 
 Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he 
 may send away your other brother, and Benja- 
 min ; if I am bereaved of my children, I am be- 
 reaved !" We see them hastening to Egypt ; 
 they travel with sentiments of pleasure, not sup- 
 posing events will occur before their return 
 which shall fill them with the deepest anxiety, 
 and ultimately afford them the highest happi- 
 ness. 
 
 It is exceedingly interesting to be present, in 
 imagination, at the affecting interview which took 
 place, when the sons of Jacob were presented, with 
 their gifts, to the governor of Egypt. " And he 
 asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your fa- 
 ther well ? — the old man of whom ye spake, is 
 he yet alive?" And they answered, " Thy ser- 
 vant our father is in good health ; he is yet 
 alive." This was what .Joseph wanted to know, 
 and the information gave him a pleasure of which 
 they could at present form no idea. 
 
 When Judah, under the persuasion that the 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON. 107 
 
 governor entertained an opinion of them unfa- 
 vourable to their honesty, delivered an oration, 
 with a view of saving Benjamin from prison, 
 which touched every fine feeling of the soul, and 
 which has been the admiration of every age, with 
 what feelings must Joseph listen ! As he spoke 
 of the grief that the absence of Benjamin must 
 give to the good old man his father, how must 
 it harrow up the sensibilities of Joseph, and lead 
 him to rejoice that his father now possessed the 
 love of his children ! 
 
 We must not at present describe the scene that 
 exhibited itself when Joseph made himself known 
 to his brethren, excepting so far as it relates to 
 the inquiry, " Doth my father yet live ?" The 
 fact he knew before ; but the question includes 
 in it feelings of love, of thankfulness, and of so- 
 licitude for his happiness, that could not be so 
 well expressed in any other words, at least not 
 in so short a sentence. 
 
 When the anxiety and confusion necessarily 
 attendant on the discovery of himself to his bre- 
 thren is over, how affectionate is the message he 
 sends to his father ! Having been absent from 
 him more than twenty years, we cannot be sur- 
 prised at his wishing to see him. Nor will it be 
 enough for him merely to pay a visit to his son ; 
 but he must take up his residence in Egypt. 
 
108 THE DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 Though the providence of God has exalted Jo- 
 seph, he is not ashamed of his father, nor back- 
 ward to acknowledgehim, even though he be but 
 a shepherd, and therefore held by the Egyptians 
 in contempt. 
 
 How many instances has the pen of history re- 
 corded in which young persons, when they have 
 risen in society, have allowed their parents still to 
 struggle in adversity, and even permitted them 
 to depend upon the bestowments of charity for 
 their bread. How ungrateful the conduct of 
 such children ! How do they expose them- 
 selves to the frown of Jehovah, and the dises- 
 teem of the good ; while in many cases their con- 
 duct to their parents lays the foundation of their 
 own ruin. Filial aifection reigns in the heart of 
 Joseph, and he will provide for liis father the ne- 
 cessaries of life, as long as he may be spared a 
 sojourner on earth. Such an example is every 
 way worthy of the imitation of my juvenile read- 
 ers. " Honour thy father, and they mother, for 
 this is the first commandment with promise." 
 
 What must have been the feelino;s of the ve- 
 nerable Jacob when he found that his son Joseph 
 was yet alive ! No wonder that it overpowered 
 him, and that he fainted at the intelligence. 
 With what pleasure did he prepare for his jour- 
 ney to go down and see him, and what would be 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON. 109 
 
 bis gratitude, when he found that such a determi- 
 nation was in perfect accordance with the will 
 of God ! And what a meeting did they have ! 
 Who can contemplate it without a tear ? " And 
 Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to 
 meet Israel his father to Goshen, and presented 
 himself unto him, and he fell on his neck, and 
 wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said 
 unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen 
 thy face, because thou art yet alive." 
 
 The affection which Joseph shewed to his fa- 
 ther on this occasion was not a sudden ebullition 
 of feeling, that soon evaporated. It continued, 
 and led him to make a permanent provision for 
 the comfort of his aged parent for the seventeen 
 years he had yet to live. 
 
 It is easy to trace the partiality of Jacob to- 
 wards his beloved Joseph, in the oath he requir- 
 ed of him in preference to his other sons, that he 
 should be carried after death to the land of his 
 fathers, as also in the blessing he pronounced on 
 him and his children on his dying pillow. 
 
 As the affection of Joseph towards his father 
 continued till death called them to separate, so it 
 led him to weep in bitterness over his dead body. 
 He was deeply afflicted to lose one whose exam- 
 ple, counsel, and prayers had rendered him most- 
 essential service. That grief, however, would be 
 10* 
 
110 THE DUTIFUL SON. 
 
 moderated by the delightful expectation of meeting 
 him in a state where separation shall be unknown. 
 Having thus maintained the character of a duti- 
 ful son through the life of his father, Joseph could 
 shew but one farther proof of affection, and that 
 was to bury the good old man with circumstan- 
 ces of honour. This was done ; and some re- 
 marks connected with this deeply interesting 
 event will be found in a subsequent part of this 
 volume, under the title of " The Dying Patri- 
 arch^ 
 
 It appears impossible to study the history of Jo- 
 seph without seeing the incalculable value of gen- 
 uine piety, especially to young persons. While 
 it supports the mind under trials, it raises its pos- 
 sessor in the rank of moral worth. We see far- 
 ther the loveliness of rendering due honour and 
 respect to our parents. So much importance did 
 the righteous Governor of the world attach to 
 this duty under the Levitical economy, as to re- 
 ward its observance with long life, and to punish 
 those who broke it with death by stoning. Let 
 young persons aspire after the honour of belonging 
 to the family of God, and then they may look 
 forward to the happy period when they shall 
 meet their believing relatives in a state where 
 there is neither sorrow nor separation. Wilt thou 
 not, my young reader, from this time cry unto 
 
THE DUTIFUL SON. Ill 
 
 Jehovah, My Father^ thou art the guide of my 
 youth! Such a surrender of the heart and the 
 conduct to the government of God, not merely 
 brings us into a closer and indissoluble union with 
 our pious friends, but prepares us for all the du- 
 ties and the trials of life, and ultimately conducts 
 us to the mansions of eternal glory, where Jeho- 
 vah, as the father of his people, ever enriches them 
 with the choicest proofs of his unchangeable re- 
 gard. 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 GEN. XXXVII. 
 
 And is it thus a brotlier hails 
 A brother's fond remembrance here 1 
 If thus aiTectioa's strength prevails, 
 What may we not expect from fear '? 
 
 It is exceedingly common for us to imagine that 
 " the former times were better than the present." 
 This feeUng in many cases arises from a dispo- 
 sition to murmur against Divine Providence, or 
 to find matter of complaint against our feilow- 
 creatures. But when all needful allowance is 
 made for improper tendencies of this sort, it must 
 be admitted that the earlier ages of time presented 
 scenes of a moral kind far more lovely than we 
 can now view. Poets and painters have invested 
 the circumstances of a country life in colours so 
 iliscinating and gay, that the citizen is almost 
 tempted to resign his splendour, his connexions, 
 and his luxuries, to enter the peaceful cottage, 
 away from the bustle of the world, to engage in 
 agricultural labours, and to associate with those 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 113 
 
 whom he has been led to suppose are all inno- 
 cence and simplicity. But, alas ! he soon finds 
 that sin possesses the heart of the peasant as well 
 as that of the courtier, — that vice is found alike 
 in the village and the city, — and that the country, 
 with all its charms, cannot render him happy 
 without the possession of that divine " peace 
 which passeth all understanding." This will fill 
 us with happiness, reside where we may ; and, 
 destitute of it, the palace will be without happi- 
 ness, society will impart no blessing on which 
 the soul can feast, honour can give no genuine 
 satisfaction, and the haunts of pleasure will af- 
 ford no true enjoyment. 
 
 In the contemplation of the patriarchal ages, 
 we must have observed that moral evil had not 
 then risen to the awful pitch it has now attained ; 
 for though sin really existed, it did not shew 
 itself in so many forms as it does in the present 
 day. The inhabitants of the world, as they were 
 generally engaged in agricultural pursuits, and 
 that in a country where art had done little to im- 
 prove the soil, were compelled to live in remote 
 stations, and seldom assembled to encourage each 
 other in the ways of sin ; in addition to which, 
 idleness and luxury, those parents of a thousand 
 crimes, were nearly unknown, while shame 
 would prevent many of the practices in which 
 mankind at present too often glory. 
 
114 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 We must not suppose, however, that even then 
 iniquities awfully glaring, and cruelties painful 
 to an extreme, were altogether unknown. Vice 
 frequently triumphed, and virtue was often per- 
 secuted. The depravity of the heart burst all 
 bounds, and, like the tempestuous sea, could not 
 be stopped in its progress ; it refused attention to 
 the voice of reason, and defied the restraints of 
 authority, human or Divine. The tenderest feel- 
 ings were violated, — the most consummate hy- 
 pocrisy was practised, and all the obligations 
 which one relative owes to another were tram- 
 pled on. All this will be illustrated, as we con- 
 sider Joseph in the pleasing character of an o^ec- 
 tionate brother. 
 
 The first time this amiable youth is introduced 
 to our notice by the inspired writer is, as feeling 
 the tenderest concern on account of the faults 
 that he saw committed by his brethren, and as 
 reporting them to his venerable father. It must 
 not be supposed that this was done from feelings 
 of an improper kind, as though he would ingra- 
 tiate himself into the affections of his parent by 
 leading him to indulge an unfavourable opinion 
 of the rest of his children ; he was grieved on ac- 
 count of their sins, and very properly hoped that 
 the reproofs and instructions they would receive 
 from their wise and pious monitor would check 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 115 
 
 the evils which he had attempted in vain to pre- 
 vent. This conduct, however, while it raised 
 him in the estimation of his father, provoked the 
 enmity of his brethren, who from this time, such 
 was tlieir rage, " could not speak peaceably to 
 him." 
 
 It is one of the awful effects of the depravity 
 of man, that the simplicity and frankness which 
 form a part of the disposition of many amiable 
 persons, and which ought to recommend them to 
 others, frequently operate to their disadvantage. 
 Joseph had one dream after another which seem- 
 ed to intimate that he should rise in society above 
 his brethren. With all possible openness and 
 artlessness he communicated them to his brethren, 
 who at once saw their meaning, and probably 
 imagined that he even now wished to assume 
 authority over them. If, indeed, as is not impro- 
 bable, Joseph related his dreams with a view of 
 conciliating their good will, he was disappointed 
 in his expectations, and soon found that he had 
 so increased their malice and hatred, that they 
 would henceforth thirst for his blood. 
 
 However the anger of his brethren was excited 
 against him, Joseph knew that he could not be 
 excused from the discharge of the duties that he 
 owed to them. He felt all the affection that is 
 due from one branch of a family to another, and 
 
116 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 when his brethren had been absent for many 
 weeks, feeding their flocks at a distance of more 
 than sixty miles from home, with what readiness 
 did he attend to his father's request to visit them ! 
 He knew they were exposed to danger in a 
 neighbourhood where some of them had com- 
 mitted a daring outrage, and was assured that of 
 such danger — as he went alone and unprotected 
 — he would experience a full share. He had not 
 forgotten that his brethren had been sorely dis- 
 pleased wilh him, but he hoped that the time 
 which had elapsed since they saw each other had 
 destroyed their animosity, and that they should 
 meet in peace ; and with this disposition he set 
 out on his journey. Those who experience cor- 
 rect and peaceable feelings themselves, are too 
 apt, for their own safety, to give others credit 
 for better views and dispositions than they really 
 have. 
 
 We see then the young man on his errand of 
 benevolence. Little does he suppose, that as soon 
 as his brethren see him, they will begin to plot 
 his murder ! They must surely have been ac- 
 customed to deeds of blood, or they would not 
 have talked thus, and that in reference to a bro- 
 ther ! When he arrives where they are, he sa- 
 lutes them in terms of peace ; but they treat him 
 first in a surly and morose manner, and then pro- 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 117 
 
 tieed to acts of violence. They strip him of his 
 coat of many colours, in which the partiality of 
 his father had clothed him ; and, in language 
 not at all reserved, they describe to him the treat- 
 ment he has to expect. 
 
 It is by no means difficult to see that, in their 
 conduct towards him, the brethren of Joseph were 
 actuated by the principle of envy. This diabol- 
 ical and worst of all dispositions had long reign- 
 ed in their hearts, and now found an opportunity 
 to complete its wicked designs. It is true 
 that Joseph had given them no just cause of 
 olTence : Abel had never done Cain an injury ; 
 David had done Saul no harm ; the Saviour had 
 never injured the rulers of Israel ; but all this 
 prevented not their enemies from doing them inju- 
 ries. "Envy," says an instructive writer, "views 
 its object and cause as good — as a source of hap- 
 piness — as actually rendering a feilow-creature 
 happy, and, perhaps, honourable and useful too. 
 At the benevolence which blesses its object, while 
 it delights every well constituted mind, by the 
 effects which it produces, and the scenes which 
 it exhibits, envy repines and grieves. It is hurt 
 by the light, and offended by the bounty of Hea- 
 ven. It extracts poison and misery from excel- 
 lence, usefulness, and happiness. Its eye is evil, 
 because God is good, and its fellow-creatures are 
 11 
 
118 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 blessed. Wrath and anger have sometimes a 
 sympathetic feeling in heaven itself; that which 
 excites them is censured by angels, and condemn- 
 ed by God. The storms which they raise on 
 earth to punish their object, not unfrequently 
 mingle with the tempests of Divine indignation 
 from above ; and the wrath of man, in that in- 
 stance at least, works the righteousness of God. 
 But envy ^vorks in opposition to every heavenly 
 agent and sentiment; it is chagrined at that 
 which God has bestowed in the exercise ol his 
 benevolence, and at that which angels contem- 
 plate with heavenly pleasure." 
 
 That Divine Being, who has all hearts in his 
 hands, saw the movements and knew the desigfns 
 of this guilty party, and interposed in behalf of his 
 servant. The feelings of nature will sometimes 
 work, even in the hearts of the cruel. Reuben, 
 influenced by humanity and the fear of his Oth- 
 er's anger, and Judah, by covetousness, united in 
 opposing his being slain, and eventually it was re- 
 solved that such a crime should not be committed, 
 but that their brother should be sold as a slave 
 into Egypt. 
 
 Next to the sin of murder, it is hardly possi- 
 ble to conceive of a crime greater than that of 
 dealing m the persons and liberties of our fellow- 
 men. Slavery is a state abhorrent to every man 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 119 
 
 who has a just sense of the value of his Uberty 
 and his domestic comforts. How, then, must we 
 view the men who can tear from the bosoms of 
 their families — from the comforts of their homes 
 — from the land that gave them birth, those who 
 possess the same nature and feelings as them- 
 selves, and who claim relationship to them? 
 Oh, what callousness of heart must such men pos- 
 sess ! But many, very many are there to be found, 
 who even now buy and sell those whom the 
 Creator regards as their equals, and treat them 
 with a cruelty they would not show to the brute 
 creation. Such was the character of Joseph's 
 brethren, who undervalued his affection, despised 
 his entreaties, and sold him into slavery. But 
 who can tell the agony their consciences endured 
 on account of their crime, even to the end of 
 their lives ? The inspired writer has handed 
 down their names to us branded with infamy, 
 warning us against a £ifi <xi which all our sensi- 
 bilities revolt. 
 
 We shall almost invariably find, that those 
 who are cruel and unkind to some branches of 
 their families, are deficient in their duties to the 
 rest. The brethren of Joseph, having treated him 
 with cruelty, lied to their father. They took home 
 their brother's coat dyed in blood, leading Jacob 
 to suppose that his son had been killed by a wild 
 
120 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 beast ; they affected to condole with him on ae- 
 count of his loss, and imagined their brother would 
 be heard of no more. But events of which they 
 could form no conception were in the womb 
 of Providence : the very plan they had adopted 
 to degrade Joseph, and lead him to misery, would 
 conduct him to honour and happiness. 
 
 Years rolled along: and while the amiable 
 youth was supposed by his father and brethren 
 to be dead, he passed through a series of changes, 
 — was at length raised to distinguished honours 
 in the court of Egypt, and enjoyed the blessing 
 of Him who had long been the God of his fa- 
 thers. 
 
 To obtain food in the time of famine, men will 
 make many sacrifices, and do what at other 
 times they would shrink from. Of this we have 
 a striking proof in the case of the woman, who, 
 in the season of extreme scarcity, slew her 
 child for her sustenancey v And so now : under 
 any other circumstances, Jacob would have been 
 unwilling that his sons should have gone down 
 to that country ; for he had not forgotten the 
 consequences of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, 
 leaving the promised land on similar occasions ; 
 but hunger must be supplied, and as provision 
 had been made in Egypt for the persons who 
 needed a supply of corn, he sent his ten sons on 
 that errand. 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 121 
 
 Arrived in that country, they were obliged to 
 make personal application to the governor of the 
 land, who himself attended to the requests of 
 foreigners. No sooner did they enter his pre- 
 sence, than he recognised their features ; he knew 
 them all ; while, owing to the various changes 
 that twenty years had made in his person and 
 circumstances, they had not the least knowledge 
 of him; nor could anything have been farther 
 from their minds than that the governor of Egypt 
 was no other than their brother Joseph. 
 
 What a remarkable fulfilment of his dreams 
 would Joseph recognise when his brethren bow- 
 ed down to him, and rendered him obeisance ! 
 But he did not at once, as we might have expect- 
 ed, tell them who he was ; on the other hand, 
 he treated them with severity, ^- and spake rough- 
 ly unto them." Nor was this at all inconsistent 
 with his possessing towards them the warmest 
 affection, seeing that he was desirous of making 
 them sensible of their sins: he was' desir- 
 ous of obtaining all the knowledge he could 
 about the family ; and his purposes as to the 
 way in which he would make himself known 
 were not fully matured. Besides all this, he 
 wished in various ways to ascertain their present 
 dispositions, and see how far they were worthy 
 of his future confidence. As Joseph acted to- 
 ll* 
 
122 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHEP^ 
 
 wards his brethren, so does the blessed God act 
 towards his people ; he tries theirij to convince 
 them of their sins, and to prove the existence 
 and strength of their graces. " Blessed is the 
 man that endureth temptation ; for when he is 
 tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which 
 the Lord hath promised to them that love 
 him." 
 
 It frequently happens, that when persons are 
 brought into circumstances of peculiar trial, it 
 reminds them of their past sins, and they regard 
 their sufferings as judgments brought down 
 upon them by their crimes. Thus the poor wo- 
 man, whose barrel of meal and cruse of oil had 
 been increased by the prophet, when her son 
 was removed by death, inquired of Elijah, " What 
 have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art 
 thou come unto me to call my sin to remem- 
 brance, and to slay my son ?" And so when the 
 brethren of Joseph are thrown into prison, they 
 are at once sensible of the crime they committed 
 against him twenty years before, and said, " We 
 are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that 
 we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought 
 us, and we would not hear : therefore is this 
 distress come upon us." ITow little did they 
 suppose that he whose face was clothed with se- 
 verity, as he visited them from time to time, felt 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER, 123" 
 
 all the tender emotions of an affectionate brother j 
 and that, when he dismissed the rest, detained 
 Simeon that he might be sure to see them again, 
 with his beloved brother Benjamin, for whom, as 
 the child of his own mother, he naturally felt the 
 tenderest regard. 
 
 Scarcely had they passed from the presence of 
 the governor, than they discovered a new proof 
 of his regard in the money they found in their 
 sacks with the corn. One would have thought 
 that this, in addition to the other surprising cir- 
 cumstances they had witnessed, would have ex- 
 cited something like suspicion as to who the 
 governor might be ; but this does not appear to 
 have been the case. They were probably too 
 much impressed with the dark side of the picture 
 even to recollect that it might have a light one. 
 Joseph appears to have done much, both now and 
 hereafter, with a view that they might know 
 him ; but they remained ignorant of the person 
 with whom they had to do, till he plainly told 
 them that he was their brother. 
 
 We may very readily imagine, that he who 
 could not refrain from weeping, even when they 
 talked among themselves of their cruelty towards 
 him, would take care of the comfort of Simeon 
 in prison, and make his bonds light, would fre- 
 quently visit him, and feel more than an ordinary 
 
124 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHEK. 
 
 interest in the communications he made. And 
 would he not think the time long before they 
 made a second visit, and earnestly desire the in- 
 teresting period when he should have an oppor- 
 tunity to tell them who he was ? 
 
 It is essential to the very existence of man, that 
 he receive a continual supply of the bounties of 
 Providence. The corn brought from Egypt by 
 the sons of Jacob, notwithstanding the utmost 
 frugality, in so large a family, would soon be 
 exhausted ; and it was therefore needful that 
 they should pay a second visit to that country on 
 the same errand. Long and painful was the 
 struggle carried on in the good old patriarch's 
 mind, between affection and want ; but at length 
 he was compelled to allow Benjamin to go with 
 them. He, probably, had seen cause to suspect 
 some unfair dealing towards Joseph, and he was 
 not without his fears as to the safety of Benjamin. 
 It is both pleasing and painful to see how anx- 
 ious these sons were to satisfy their father's mind, 
 and to hear their solemn assurances as to the 
 safe return of his beloved son. 
 
 Having again arrived at the palace of the gov- 
 ernor of Egypt, they are solicitous to obtain the 
 good will of the steward, and to mention the cir- 
 cumstance of their money on a former occasion 
 being returned. They succeed in their wishes^ 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 125 
 
 and then prepare a present to the governor, in 
 presenting which, they acknowledge their sub- 
 jection, and entreat the enjoyment of his favour. 
 Who does not watch with interest, profound and 
 delightful, the events of this second interview T 
 With what kindness does he meet them ! What 
 difficulty would he feel in keeping the secret 
 that he was their brother ! Casting his eyes on 
 the lovely Benjamin, he asks, " Is this your 
 younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me 7 
 And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son." 
 Never did the poet imagine, or the painter pre- 
 sent, a scene more interesting and affecting than 
 this. The eye fixes itself on the page of narra- 
 tion, while the imagination causes the various 
 circumstances to pass before us, and :he unbidden 
 tear starts from the eye. But the time was not 
 yet come when he would shew them who he 
 was • he therefore pnidently retired to his cham- 
 ber, to give vent to his feelings, and to present 
 his thanksgivings to the God of his mercies. 
 
 When he had partly recovered from the strong 
 feelings of agitation, he returned to his brethren ;. 
 and having placed them at the table, according 
 to their ages, he sat down to dinner, sending 
 them from his own table, at which he sat alone, 
 a supply of their wants. This was shewing 
 them peculiar honour ; but to Benjamin he shew- 
 
126 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 ed still higher respect, by sending him a portion 
 of food five times as large as those of the rest ; a 
 mode of giving honour which was ever prevalent 
 in the eastern countries. The circumstances of 
 the governor having them to dine with him, and 
 his placing them according to their ages, excited 
 their astonishment, but they did not, even now, 
 suspect who he was. How would he enjoy their 
 company ! while his kind and amiable conduct 
 towards them would lead us to suspect that he 
 felt some relentings of heart on account of his 
 former severity ; or rather, perhaps, that he saw 
 so great an alteration for the better in them, that 
 he could not forbear to shew them marks of his 
 affection. 
 
 There are few enjoyments but what are follow- 
 ed with sharp and painful trials. After the sons 
 of Jacob had experienced the kindness of the go- 
 vernor, and their sacks were again filled, they set 
 out on their journey, hoping soon to arrive at the 
 residence of their venerable parent. Joseph, with 
 a view to ascertain the extent of their regard to- 
 wards his beloved brother, has ordered his stew- 
 ard to place in Benjamin's sack the cup out of 
 which he usually drank ; and when they had ad- 
 vanced a short distance towards Canaan, he sent 
 messengers after them, charging them with the 
 theft, and commanding their immediate return. 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER 127 
 
 Never were persons placed in a situation more 
 critical than they appeared to he, when the cup 
 was found in the sack of their youns^est brother. 
 To deny the crime under such circumstances, 
 however innocent they were, would be altogether 
 useless ; had it been found in the possession of 
 any of the rest, things had not been so bad ; as it 
 was, they would be ready to say with their fa- 
 ther, <' All these things are against us." 
 
 We will not stay to dwell on the different 
 feelings which would agitate the governor and 
 his brethren as they were led back prisoners to 
 his presence. How would they tremble ! And 
 what must be his emotions as he argued the mat- 
 ter with them, while he knew that of this crime they 
 were altoofether innocent 1 And when his brother 
 Judah dehvered his celebrated oration, in which 
 he implored mercy for Benjamin for the sake of 
 their beloved, aged, and already bereaved fa- 
 ther, how must it pierce a heart like that of Jo- 
 sepli ! And, on the other hand, keenly did his 
 brethren feel, when they imagined the justice of 
 God was following them with new sorrows, 
 for their conduct towards their amiable brother ! 
 
 Never does the painter feel so much dissatis- 
 fied with himself, as when he finds that, after 
 his utmost efforts, his pencil fails to delineate his 
 subject in its beauty — that nature outstrips art, 
 
128 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 and defies it to impart a glory equal to her own. 
 Such are the feelings of the writer, when engag- 
 ed on a history like that of Joseph. No pencil 
 can paint, like that of the inspired penman, the 
 delightful, the affecting scene of Joseph making 
 himself known to his brethren. The Egyptians 
 in attendance are ordered to withdraw, that they 
 may not be witnesses of their master's intense 
 feeling, or hear anything of the crimes of his 
 brethren. The order of the governor being obey- 
 ed, he burst into tears, and, addressing those who 
 stand before him as prisoners, he exclaims, " I 
 am Joseph ; doth my father yet live ? — I am Jo- 
 seph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt." 
 The feelings of each party baffle all description ; 
 we will therefore, with an interesting lecturer on 
 the subject, "follow the modest example of a ce- 
 lebrated painter, who, unable to delineate the 
 agony of a father hanging over the corpse of an 
 only child, hid his face in the robes which veiled 
 her lifeless remains." 
 
 When he saw that the discovery of himself to 
 his brethren had excited their fears on account of 
 their past conduct to him, with what kindness 
 does tfie governor remove their dread, and en- 
 Courage their confidence !— how piously does he 
 remind them of the superintending hand of Provi- 
 dence in the matter ! — liow kindly does he ad- 
 
THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 129 
 
 monish them not to debate among themselves 
 who was the greatest or the least offender ! and 
 with what affection does he send them back to 
 Canaan, to (etch their families; presenting a fine 
 contrast to their conduct when I hey sold him as 
 a slave into a strancre land ! Their feelino^s of 
 joy seem to have got the mastery of their pru- 
 dence ; for when they arrived at their father^s 
 house, the joyful news, wliich should have been 
 disclosed gradually, was abruptly told at once : 
 an excuse, however, for this, may be found both 
 in the nature of the intelligence itself, and in the 
 excited state of their feelings. 
 
 Seventeen years do good old Jacob, his sons, 
 and their families, reside together in Egypt, be- 
 fore death is permitted to make a separation 
 among them. At length the aged sire is removed 
 to a better world ; and now the brethren of the 
 governor are aofain alarmed, lest he should re- 
 member and punish their crime. But they know 
 not the extent of his benevolence, or the power 
 of his religion. He removes their fears, and 
 solemnly promises to continue the guardian of 
 them and their families. More than fifty years 
 rolled along, but at length Joseph also died, " in 
 the midst of his brethren," having first solemnly 
 commanded them to carry up his bones to the 
 12 
 
130 THE AFFECTIONATE BROTHER. 
 
 land of Canaan, to be buried with theirs, when- 
 ever they removed from Egypt. 
 
 The leFSons arising out of this portion of Jo- 
 seph's history can only be glanced at. How 
 strikingly does it displny the avvlul eflects of sin, 
 as tending to destroy all the finer feeUngs of the 
 soul, and preventing even the natural flow of the 
 affections ! How forcibly does it shew us the 
 power of conscience, and tench us that the sin- 
 ner is his own tormentor ! How clearly do we 
 see the importance of genuine piety to true dig- 
 nity of character ! And, above all, how fre- 
 quently are we reminded of Him of whom Jo- 
 seph was an eminent type, who " was holy, harm- 
 less, undefiled, and separate from sinners." If 
 we weep over the sufferings of Joseph, how much 
 more should we indulge grief over our own sins, 
 that put the son of God to death ? If we hear, 
 with feelings of interest, Judah interceding for 
 his brother, how much more admirable the con- 
 duct of Him who "ever liveth to make interces- 
 sion for sinners." Let the Christian be content, 
 like Joseph, to suffer for Christ, knowing, '' that 
 when He shall appear," he shall possess more joy 
 than the brethren of Joseph ever knew, and be 
 delivered from all grounds of fear; he shall see 
 his Saviour, and be separated from him no more, 
 but "be ever with the Lord." 
 
THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 
 
 GEN. XXXIX. 
 
 I do proclaim 
 One honest man, — mistake ms not, — but one ; 
 And he is a steward. 
 
 Shakspeark. 
 
 Come, peace of mind, delightful guest ! 
 Return, and make thy downy nest 
 Once more in this sad heart : 
 Nor riches I, nor power pursue, 
 Nor hold forbidden joys in view ; 
 We, therefore, need not part. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 There are few things more essential to our hap- 
 piness, or more difficult of attainment, than con- 
 tentment with the stations in which the provi- 
 dence of God has placed us. Without this dis- 
 position, it is impossible to be happy ; for he who 
 grasps at what he does not possess, shews his dis- 
 satisfaction with his present lot, and is restless 
 and uneasy after the good that seems before him, 
 which, when he possesses, only increases his de- 
 sires after something more. Thus does the man 
 
132 THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 
 
 who expects happiness, in the present world, go 
 on in seeking what he esteems the chief good, till 
 death, stopping his career, ushers him into the 
 light of another world, proves to him his mistake, 
 and convinces him that all he pursued on earth 
 was vain in its own nature, and unsatisfying in 
 its possession. 
 
 The world, however, has occasionally present- 
 ed us with persons who could adopt the lan- 
 guage of an inspired Apostle, and say, "I have 
 learned in whatsoever state I aii), therewith to be 
 content." And who have these persons been ? 
 Not those who have amassed the riches, or grasp- 
 ed at the petty enjoyments of earth ; but those, 
 rather, whose hearts have been raised above 
 them, and who possessed an earnest desire for 
 the enjoyments of heaven while they remained 
 on earth. These persons, blessed as they are 
 with the favour of Him who created the universe, 
 — an interest in the promises of his love, — and 
 the prospect of dwelling with him in heaven, are 
 not filled with undue anxiety about the affairs 
 of a world which they must shortly leave : 
 
 " They want but little, nor that little long," 
 
 Besides all this, they view every affair as go- 
 verned by Infinite wisdom, and know he will per- 
 form all the good things his boundless benevo- 
 
THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 133 
 
 lence has designed for them. Amidst the disap- 
 pointments and sorrows they have here to expe- 
 rience, they direct their eyes to him who sitteth 
 in the heavens, and say, " O Lord, I know that 
 the way of man is not in himself; it is not in 
 man that walketh to direct his steps." 
 
 A mono^ the mysterious events which a Divine 
 Providence has first permitted, and then over- 
 ruled for good, few things are more striking tlian 
 those recorded in the history of Joseph. It ap- 
 pears hard that so lovely a youth, so dutiful a 
 son, so affectionate a hrother, should be treated 
 as he was. We should have expected that God 
 would have dehvered him from going down into 
 Egypt, and have punished his brethren who de- 
 signed to send him there. But instead of this, 
 he allows the one to go into captivity, and the 
 others to prosper awhile in their unrighteous 
 conduct. We shall see, however, in the end, 
 that all was rio:ht, and was desio^ned to brinor 
 about the most important events ; — to shew the 
 wisdom of the Supreme Being, and " to save 
 much people alive." 
 
 We now contemplate Joseph sold by the Ish- 
 maeliteSj who had purchased him of his brethren, 
 as a slave to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. It 
 was a very painful situation, and we might have 
 expected that he would have escaped from it, and 
 
134 THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 
 
 have returned to his father's house. Had he 
 done thiS; however, he must have injured Poti- 
 phar, who had fairly bon2:lit him ; he would too 
 have hurt the mind of his father, by the repre- 
 sentations he must have made of the conduct of 
 his brethren, and have increased their rage 
 against him. But the most powerful reason that 
 can be assigned why Joseph staid in his unhappy 
 situation was, that, his mind being influenced by 
 the grace of God, he was satisfied that the hand 
 of the Lord was in the whole affair, and that, 
 when he pleased, he was able to release him 
 from his captivity, and'restore him to his former 
 happiness. 
 
 That is a very dehghtful promise, and of uni- 
 versal application : "When a man's ways please 
 the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at 
 peace with him." Not only was Joseph blessed 
 with contentment in his station, and enabled 
 with patience to submit to the trials connected 
 with it, — but He with whom he held communion 
 as the father of his spirit, and as his refuge in 
 every hour of trial, caused his master to treat 
 him with respect, and raise him to a station more 
 honourable than the one he had been destined to 
 fill when he was first brought into Egypt. 
 
 The fiwours of the blessed God are always 
 suited to the circumstances of those to whom 
 
THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 135 
 
 they are given. In the hour of extreme sorrow 
 we need more than usual supports ; and He 
 who is described as " the consoUxtion of Israel" 
 is ever near to afford them. When Joseph be- 
 came a " stranger in a strange land," the God of 
 his fathers " was with him." And what could 
 he want more than this to make him happy ? 
 He possessed more riches than his master, more 
 honour than Pharaoh, and more pleasure than all 
 Egypt could afford him. The comforts of God 
 delighted his soul, he prospered in spiritual en- 
 joyments, and in bodily health. And though he 
 must sometimes have felt a desire to return to 
 Canaan, yet did he rejoice in the providence of 
 God, that had made him happy in the house of 
 his master, the Egyptian. It is the Divine fa- 
 vour which makes us blessed, and not a resi- 
 dence in the lordly hall, or the magnificent pa- 
 lace ; it is his presence which fills us with true 
 enjoyment, and not that of our relatives, how- 
 ever great the affection they may bear towards us. 
 It is a fact which is very frequently placed be- 
 fore us in the sacred volume, that men are often 
 blessed on account of the people of God, with 
 whom they may be connected. The master of 
 Joseph was blessed for his sake ; the house of 
 Obed-edom was blessed for the sake of the ark of 
 God which was in it ; the house of Naaman was 
 
136 THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 
 
 blessed for the sake of the pious Hebrew maid, 
 who had been carried captive from the h\nd of Is- 
 rael, and who waited on his wife. Indeed, so 
 strongly was this idea imprest on the mind of 
 many, that in the days of the Judges, when a co- 
 vetous professor had engaged a strolling priest 
 to conduct his religious exercises, he said, " Now 
 know 1 that the Lord will do me good, seeing I 
 have a Levite to my priest." In this conduct Je- 
 hovah appears as the Supreme Governor of all 
 human affairs, — shews the love he bears to his 
 people, — illustrates the advantages of trne piety, 
 and proves the truth of his own word, " that his 
 people are the salt of the earth," preserving it 
 from destruction. 
 
 The diligence of Joseph in the acquirement of 
 the language of the country, — his industry in the 
 discharge of his duty, — his honesty in transacting 
 his master's business, — the cheerfulness with 
 which he submitted to perform the most degrad- 
 ing duties which devolved upon him, — and, above 
 all, his unostentatious, but fervent piety, won 
 upon his master, and convinced him that this 
 young man must be a favourite of the Supreme 
 Deity, who was alone worshipped by the He- 
 brews. How much good may even servants do 
 by a kind and Christian-like conduct towards 
 their masters! Tliey need not talk much of 
 
THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 137 
 
 their religion ; if it exists in their hearts, and ap- 
 pears in their conduct, it will be seen, and may- 
 produce effects that will astonish them. Poti- 
 phar, though an heathen, saw " that the Lord 
 was with Joseph," and he raised him, from being 
 an interior slave, to be the " overseer," or stew- 
 ard of his bouse, putting all his affairs into his 
 hands, and leaving them to his direction. Let 
 us, in every station in which we may be placed, 
 make much of God, and be concerned to sliew 
 forth his glory by a conduct consistent with our 
 profession of love to him, and regard to his law. 
 Ten or eleven years rolled away ; and Joseph 
 was quite as happy as his residence among those 
 who knew not God could allow him to be. He bad 
 almost forgotten the endearments of home, as well 
 as the cruelty of his brethren : he imagined he 
 had now found a resting-place, and probably ex- 
 pected to live and die in the service of his master. 
 But we know not what a day may bring forth. 
 While Joseph was happy in his station, and still 
 happier in the service of his God, adversity was 
 wringing sorrows into his cup, and preparing a 
 prison for his residence. We often need to be 
 exercised with trials, or else, like this amiable 
 young man, we should be content to take up our 
 residence in our enemy's land. The afflictive 
 dispensations of the Divine hand teach us our 
 
138 THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 
 
 State of dependence, and shew us the true source 
 of hiessedncss. 
 
 One of the most dangerous enemies that can 
 infest our way is sensual pleasure. It is far 
 easier to resist tfie teinpiatious of Satan in any 
 oth(*r form than when they unite with the propen- 
 sities of our nature. How important, then, that 
 we exercise the utmost vigilance over ourselves, 
 and direct our prayer to the God of our mercies 
 that we may be kept from dishonour and dis- 
 grace. No foe is more dangerous than an evil- 
 designing woman, who lieth in wait to deceive 
 the youth she professes to love, but whose ruin 
 she is actually accomplishing. Well might the 
 wise niiui say that, "her feet take hold on hell." 
 O let if be the constant concern of my juvenile 
 readers to shun the path which may indeed seem 
 pleasant, but which in the end leads to ruin, and 
 to death. 
 
 The precise nature of the temptation to which 
 Jehovah was exposed need not now to be enlarg- 
 ed on. 1 would rather direct the attention of my 
 readers to the spiritdisplayed by him on an occa- 
 sion which powerfully tried his virtue, and put 
 his religion to the severest test. Thus shall we 
 see how trrace triumphs over nature,and religion 
 exalts and dignifies its possessor. 
 
 An old commentator lias remarked, "that as 
 
THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 139 
 
 the beams of the sun shining upon fire doth dis- 
 courage its burning, so should God's mercies or 
 man's favours quell lust and licentiousness in us." 
 Joseph shewed a noble indignation against sin, 
 even when presented to him in its most attractive 
 form. He reminds his mistress of the honour to 
 which his master had raised him, mtimating that 
 to comply with her requests would be the 
 height of ingratitude ; and lest this should not 
 be sufficient to stop her progress in the way of 
 iniquity, he asks, " How can I do this great wick- 
 edness, and sin against God ?" Here was the prin- 
 ciple which governed his conduct — the fear of 
 God. It was not merely the good resolutions he 
 had formed which kept him from sin, but a deep 
 and abiding conviction of the obligations under 
 which he lay to Jehovah — a recollection of the 
 claims of his law — and a realizing sense of his 
 presence. O, if we felt, as we ought to do, what 
 we owe to the Supreme Being, if we ever con- 
 tinued to remember that he beholds all our goings, 
 and thought of the incalculable mischief which 
 sin effects among our fellow-creatures, what dif- 
 ferent persons should we be, to what we now are ! 
 Let us, like Joseph, not merely feel a spirit of in- 
 dignation against sin in the first instance ; but let 
 us boldly remonstrate against it, be firm in our 
 opposition to it, and, if it be necessary, flee from 
 
140 THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 
 
 it, even though the flight itself may expose us to 
 danger. 
 
 There is one circumstance connected with the 
 narrative which at first view excites our surprise. 
 When Potiphar returned, and his wife charged 
 Joseph with a crime of the most heinous nature, 
 it appears singular that he does not attempt to 
 defend himself. But it may be observed, that he 
 could not do this without criminating his mis- 
 tress in the eyes of her husband, and thus des- 
 troying the happiness of their lives ever after. 
 Besides this, as he had no witnesses to make good 
 the assertions he could make, he might justly 
 imajrine that a defence on his part, even though 
 true, would only aggravate his punishment. It 
 is, however, worthy our remark, that the law 
 which considered this crime a capital oftence, 
 and punished it with death, was not executed. 
 It is not improbable, but that Potiphar might sus- 
 pect the deception of his wife, and infer, from the 
 whole tenour of Joseph's conduct, his innocence 
 of the crime laid to his charge. Instead there- 
 fore of executing the punishment the law inflict- 
 ed, " he put him into the prison, the place where 
 the kind's prisoners were bound." 
 
 It may appear mysterious to us that the bles- 
 sed God permits his people sometimes to "suffer 
 as evil doers ;" but we know that he has impor- 
 
THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 141 
 
 tant reasons for all that he allows, and that in 
 some future day the righteousness of his people 
 shall shine as the noon-day sun, and all his con- 
 duct shall be justified to the world. Those who 
 are now suffering under false accusations may 
 safely commit their cause to " him who judgeth 
 righteously," and hope for the return of prosper- 
 ous days. Joseph found that the prison was the 
 way to a throne, and those who now suffer in 
 the cause of virtue and religion, may rely not 
 merely on an acquittal at the bar of Jehovah, in the 
 presence of an assembled universe, but on being 
 crowned with honours substantial as they are 
 pure, and lasting as they are satisfying. 
 
 While considering the conduct of Joseph in 
 the house of Potiphar, every reader must have 
 been struck with the coincidence between Joseph 
 and the blessed Redeemer, of whom he was so 
 eminent a type. They were both tempted, and 
 both resisted the tempter, and came off" victorious ; 
 affording us encouragement to resist also, that he 
 may flee from us. The subject suggests to us 
 the importance of praying to be enabled to con- 
 tend against the enemy of our souls, since listen- 
 ing to his suggestions is attended with the most 
 direful effects. We see in the case of Joseph that 
 true religion will make a man respected in every 
 station of society. As the Great Source of all good 
 13 
 
142 THE FAITHFUL STEWARD. 
 
 blesses one man for the sake of another, let us as- 
 sociate ourselves with the people of God ; and 
 above all, let us seek blessings from Heaven, for 
 the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, " whom the 
 Father always heareth" 
 
THE PIOUS PRISONER. 
 
 GEN. XXXIX. — XL. 
 
 The oppressor holds 
 
 His body bound, but knows not what a range 
 His spirit takes, unconscious of a chain ; 
 And that to bind him is a vain attempt, 
 Whom God delights in, and in whom he dwells. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 The most indifferent spectator of what passes on 
 the stage of the world must have been struck with 
 the apparent confusion in which its affairs are in- 
 volved ; and be impressed with the fact, that the 
 present state is one of trial or probation. The an- 
 cient philosophers, unblest as they were with the 
 light of Revelation, supposed that the trials of life 
 were designed to afford illustrations of the vir- 
 tues of the good, and that a period would pro- 
 bably arrive when the mighty Governor of the 
 world would reward the men who, notwithstand- 
 ing their sufferings, had walked in the paths of 
 virtue, and would punish those who indulged in 
 the practice of vice. The knowledge derived 
 
144 THE PIOUS PRISONER* 
 
 from reason is confirmed and improved by Reve* 
 lation. Here we are introduced to a Being who 
 sitteth in the heavens, controUing the affairs of 
 the universe, and doing whatsoever pleases him. 
 To fulfil the designs of his wisdom, and to furnish 
 an opportunity for the display of the holy princi- 
 ples which he has implanted in the hearts of his 
 people, as well as to shew the awful depravity of 
 which we are the natural subjects, he allows 
 men, to a very considerable extent, to go on in 
 their own ways. And oh, what scenes of wick- 
 edness do we sometimes witness ! What conduct 
 is shewn by the slaves of Satan towards those 
 who have left his service, and have devoted them- 
 selves to that of Heaven ! How do they seek to 
 injure their reputation, destroy their comfort, and, 
 in many instances, deprive them even of their 
 lives ! On the other hand, what delightful evi- 
 dences of the power of truth on the heart have 
 we seen in the patience with which Christians 
 have borne their trials, — the constancy with 
 which they have sought the good of their perse- 
 cutors,— and the simple reliance they have plac- 
 ed on the promises of Jehovah ! 
 
 In the midst of all this apparent confusion, we 
 must not forget, that He who presides over the 
 affairs of the world will both support his people 
 under their trials, and in due time deliver them 
 
"THE PIOUS PRISONER. 145 
 
 out of all their sufferings. He may now allow vir- 
 tue to be treated as though it were vice ; — he 
 may permit his people to be immured in prisons, 
 and even suffer some of them to be burnt at the 
 stake, that the reality and the power of their reli- 
 gion may be made manifest ; but when he has 
 accomplished the designs he has formed, he will 
 shew us the principles which regulated his con- 
 duct, and thus exhibit the infinite glory of his 
 own character, the superiority of holiness, and the 
 odious deformity of sin. 
 
 When we read the history of Joseph, we are 
 not a little surprised and grieved to find that a 
 youth of such extraordinary piety, and who dis- 
 played the strength of that piety as overcoming 
 temptation in its strongest forms, is treated as 
 one of the vilest of men. Prisons are only de- 
 signed for the residence of those whose sins des- 
 troy the peace and injure the safety of society ; 
 but they have sometimes been occupied by men 
 " of whom the world was not worthy ;" and in 
 some instances they have proved the means, in 
 the hands of God, of elevating his servants to 
 honours, to which they could not otherwise have 
 been raised. 
 
 1 need not remind my readers of the nature of 
 the crime with which Joseph is charged, as we 
 have referred to it in our preceding paper. And 
 13* 
 
146 THE PIOUS PRISONER. 
 
 if we pause again to express our surprise that 
 death, the sentence awarded to it by hiw, was 
 not executed, it will only lead us to admire the 
 goodness of that Being who controls the passions 
 of men, and restrains their wrath. He would 
 not, in this instance at least, allow the innocent 
 to suffer as the guilty ; and though he permits 
 him to be cast into prison, he will make his humi- 
 liation the means of raising him to the highest 
 dignity in the court of Egypt, and to immortal 
 honours on the page of inspiration. 
 
 In whatever circumstances the people of God 
 may be placed, their character, and the princi- 
 ples by which they are governed, will soon be 
 known. Religion, though it makes no noise, 
 encircles its possessor with a glory which distin- 
 guishes him above his fellows, and makes him 
 so prominent, that he cannot be hid. Joseph 
 may be treated as one whose sins render him un- 
 fit to enjoy the advantages of society, — he may 
 be thrust into a dungeon, and the irons may en- 
 ter his soul, — but even there he shall be happy, and 
 his worth shall become known. " The Lord was 
 with Joseph ;" and his presence was enough to 
 raise his mind above his trials, and to guide him 
 in a way that should influence the jailer to put con- 
 fidence in him, and place the other prisoners under 
 his care, as well as to crown with prosperity every 
 
THE PIOUS PRISONER. 147 
 
 work in which he was engaged. In the house of 
 Potiphar he was raised to the honour of having 
 everything placed under his charge, and it was 
 precisely the same in the prison. The fear of 
 the Lord confers on its subject a true respecta- 
 bihty in the eyes of men, and compels them prac- 
 tically to admit, that •' the righteous is more ex- 
 cellent than his neighbour." 
 
 The spirit of true religion is one of genuine be- 
 nevolence. Had a proud haughty man, destitute 
 of holy principles, but innocent of any glarino- 
 crime, been thrown into a dungeon, like Joseph, 
 he would have disdained to have had any kind of 
 communication with those who had been placed 
 there in consequence of actual transgression. 
 This, however, was not the case with this pious 
 young man. Two of the servants of the king, 
 his butler and his chief baker, had, it has been 
 supposed, engaged in a conspiracy against his 
 life and government, for which he had thrust 
 them into prison. As Pharaoh was " wroth" with 
 them, and was possessed of arbitrary power, it is 
 rather surprising that he did not at once deprive 
 them of life ; but He who has the hearts of all 
 men in his hand, and who turneth even the heart 
 of the king, inclined him to send them to prison, 
 as by the means of one of these he would ulti- 
 mately deliver his servant. We are frequently- 
 
118 THE PIOUS PRISONEK. 
 
 unable to account for remarkable actions on the 
 part of our governors ; but are too apt to forget 
 that the providence of God, by their means, may 
 be accomplishing important designs. Three per- 
 sons were specially committed to the care of Jo- 
 seph, who treated them with all the kindness 
 which a regard to the security of their persons 
 would permit. 
 
 Whatever controversy the subject may now ad- 
 mit of, it is certain that the blessed God frequent- 
 ly, in the early ages of time, used to convey inti- 
 mations of his will and the knowledge of future 
 events, by dreams ; and this not only to his own 
 people, but also to the heathen nations. The ex- 
 planation of dreams formed a real or supposed 
 science, which was studied, and that profession- 
 ally, by no inconsiderable number of persons in 
 different countries. One night, each of the ser- 
 vants of Pharaoh had a singular dream, which 
 they were unable to understand ; and as they had 
 no access to those whose province it was to inter- 
 pret dreams, they were filled with anxiety and 
 grief As Joseph visited them on the following 
 morning, he saw the sorrow of which they were 
 the subjects depicted on their countenances, and 
 very kindly inquired into its cause. They can- 
 didly explained to him the reason of their trouble, 
 expecting, no doubt, to receive the sympathy 
 
THE PIOUS PRISONER. 149 
 
 which lightens the burden of sorrow ; nor were 
 they disappointed ; for he had learned to weep 
 with those in grief, and to sympathize with these 
 men, as one " bound with them." 
 
 There are few situations in which Joseph could 
 have been placed that would have displayed to 
 greater advantage the feelings of his heart, or that 
 could have more strikingly illustrated his hu- 
 mility, and his devotedness to the God of Israel 
 than this. He "condescends to men of low 
 estate," — he inquires into their sorrows, — con- 
 veys, in the kindest manner, the intimation that 
 the God he served possessed all wisdom, and was 
 able to remove their perplexities, — and intimates 
 that, in answer to prayer, he would communicate 
 to him the information they so anxiously desired. 
 All this he spoke under the immediate direction: 
 and inspiration of Jehovah, who was thus ac- 
 complishing designs unknown even to Joseph. 
 
 Having by his former conduct, as well as his 
 present frankness and candour, obtained the con- 
 fidence of these persons, they freely tell him their 
 dreams. And in the interpretation of them, we 
 indeed find him " one of a thousand." While we 
 admire his benevolence, we are equally struck 
 with his fidelity. He would fain have communi- 
 cated intelligence equally happy to each ; but 
 this, neither the duty he owed to God, from 
 
150 THE PIOUS PRISONER. 
 
 whom he received his message, the regard he 
 must pay to his own conscience, or the debt of 
 justice due to them, would allow. He informed 
 the butler that in three days he would be restor- 
 ed to his former station in the house of Pharaoh ; 
 and the baker, that his royal master would, at the 
 same time, deprive him of his life. While this 
 news would be agreeable to the one, it would 
 much distress the mind of the other, who would 
 rather have had smooth things proclaimed in his 
 ears. Bat it ever becomes those whose office it 
 is to explain the Divine will to be faithful to their 
 trust. Had Joseph told the baker that he also 
 should be restored, it would have given him pre- 
 sent pleasure, but into what a delusion had he 
 been led ! To allow sinners to deceive themselves 
 in matters of eternal importance, as is too frequent- 
 ly done, is cruelty which the most powerful lan- 
 guage cannot fully represent. How melancholy 
 had been the situation of the chief baker, had Jo- 
 seph allowed him to hope for re-admission into 
 the house of Pharaoh, when the executioner came 
 but three days after to deprive him of his life ^ 
 and how much more distressing the state of 
 the man who, through life, indulges a system 
 of religious opinions which encourages him in 
 his sins, and leads him to expect with confidence 
 the joys of heaven at the hand of his Judge, when 
 
THE PIOUS PRISONER. 151 
 
 he shall be driven from the source of all happi- 
 ness, and shall fall into the regions of absolute 
 misery. Far safer is the man who tremblingly 
 listens to the scriptural representations of his dan- 
 ger, and flees to Jesus as the refuge of his soul, 
 than he who indulges in confidence which must 
 infallibly end in disappointment and shame. 
 
 It appears highly probable that the dreams 
 with which Joseph had been favoured in his 
 youth, of the dignity to which he should be rais- 
 ed, were designed to afford him comfort under 
 the sorrows he should be called to experience ; 
 and they seem to have had this effect, " He judg- 
 ed him faithful who had promised," and believed 
 he was able to perform his words. When these 
 servants of Pharaoh had dreamt, and he foresaw 
 the return of the chief butler to honour, it is by 
 no means improbable that he might suppose by 
 his means the object would be accomplished. 
 Little did he imagine that he had two long years 
 yet to endure his bondage. Who can read the 
 pathetic address of Joseph to the chief butler 
 without emotion ? " Think on me, when it shall 
 be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray 
 thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto 
 Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house." 
 
 What he had almost a right to demand, he 
 here solicited as a favour. It is true that his situ- 
 
152 THE PIOUS PRISONER. 
 
 ation had been made tolerable, and he was ena- 
 bled patiently to bear it ; but it was yet degrad- 
 ing, while he was unjustly deprived of many of 
 the enjoyments of life, and he was therefore per- 
 fectly justifiable in desiring to be freed from it. 
 Wishing to put the butler in possession of all the 
 facts which could interest him in his favour, and 
 promote the desired end, he went on to inform 
 him, that he was in the first instance stolen from 
 the land of the Hebrews, being brought from 
 thence, without the consent ofeither his father or 
 himself; and though he had been bought by the 
 Midianites, it had been of those who had no 
 right to sell him, and in a way which the law of 
 God condemned as unjust. He asserted farther, 
 that he had done nothing why he should be con- 
 fined in the prison. It is well worthy of our 
 remark, that while Joseph defended himself, and 
 protested his innocence, he neither criminated 
 his brethren nor his mistress. There was cer- 
 tainly wrong somewhere, but it was enough for 
 Joseph to shew that it was not with him. 
 
 Joseph had a very reasonable right to expect 
 that the request he had made to the servant of 
 Pharaoh, who was about being restored to his 
 station, would be attended to. He had shewn 
 him much kindness in the hour of adversity, 
 and it was but just to require a return of it when 
 
THE PIOUS PRISONER. 153 
 
 it lay ill his power. But, alas ! men are almost 
 universally selfish, and care for the interests of 
 non 3 but themselves. It is probable that the 
 butler, like our fellow creatures trenerally, made 
 very fair promises, assured him of his infiuenccj 
 and excited the warmest hopes ; a practice, alas ! 
 too often indulo^ed in by courtiers, — " yet did not 
 the chief builer remember Joseph, but forgat him.*' 
 In prison he continued to lie for many long and 
 wearisome months ; till the hand of God was 
 stretched forth for his deliverance, which was ef- 
 fected by a providence as mysterious as any of 
 which we can conceive, and which we shall en- 
 deavour to illustrate in our next paper. 
 
 The circumstances which have now passed 
 under our review teach us the propriety of set- 
 ting Jehovah always before us, and making him 
 the guide of our lives. We see that though the 
 pious man may for awhile lie under the cloud of 
 degradation, and be subject to persecution, yet 
 that God will appear for him, and deliver him out 
 of all his trials. We learn the odious nature, 
 and see the detestable fruits, of ingratitude, — a 
 vice which God abhors, which man execrates 
 while he practises it, and which some earthly 
 governments have punished with severity. While 
 we hate it in others, let us not practise it our- 
 selves, either towards God or our fellow crea- 
 14 
 
154 THE PIOUS PRISONER. 
 
 tures. And lastly, we are reminded of that Jesus 
 who stooped from his throne, and, for our sakes, 
 became a prisoner in the grave ; from whence he 
 rose to the right hand of his Father, where he is 
 adored as " Lord of all," and where he ever sits, 
 scattering the richest favours on the perishing 
 children of Adam. 
 
THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 
 
 GEN. XLI. — L. 
 
 I never did behold a man less proud, 
 More dignified, or grateful to admire, 
 Tlian was this ruler. 
 
 His fortunes nothing teased him from himself, 
 And he but filled his fortunes like a man, 
 Who did intend to honour them as much 
 As they could honour him. 
 
 Howard. 
 
 To a believer in Divine Revelation, it is a pleas- 
 iiig and consolatory thought, that He who creat- 
 ed the world governs the affairs of all his crea- 
 tures. Amidst the trials inseparable from hu- 
 manity, the infidel has no support, and from 
 them he has no refuge. Had not the excellent 
 and amiable Joseph possessed the knowledge of 
 the God of his fathers, he had pined with discon- 
 tent in the house of Potiphar, or have died in 
 despair in the gloomy recesses of a prison. But 
 supported by faith in the bei;ig and providence 
 of Jehovah, persuaded that all things were work- 
 ing for his good, he rose superior to his trials. 
 
156 TMK RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 
 
 and looked forward to the period when the de- 
 signs of the blessed God in his sufferings should 
 be fn hilled, and he should he exalted to prosper- 
 ity and honour. 
 
 It has sometimes been the case, that when God 
 has seen fit to try his { eople by adversity, he has 
 prepared them for their trials by previous com- 
 munications of his favour, and has endowed 
 them with strength to endure bodily or mental 
 pams, to glorify him in the fires of affliction, and 
 to expect a glorious deliverance from them all. 
 In early life, as we have already seen, Joseph 
 had intimations, by repeated dreams, of the hon- 
 ours which awaited him ; and though his father 
 attempted to check what he might possibly con- 
 sider the risings of anjbition, and the hunjility 
 which so eminently adorned the character of 
 Joseph prevented him, as he j^rew older, from 
 talkincr of them, there can be little doubt bnt that 
 his prophetic visions suj)ported liim under his 
 sorrows, and that the honours to which he rose 
 did not fill him with the surprise which they 
 otherwise would have done. 
 
 It would, indeed, be very trying to Joseph, 
 who thus expected to rise to honour and dignity, 
 to be sold by his brethren as a slave,— to lie year 
 after year in prison, — to suffer the sorrows of ab- 
 sence from his father, — and to hear the reviUngs 
 
THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 157 
 
 of the heathen against his God. But he relied 
 on the Divine testimony, he cast his care on the 
 Being who supports the universe, and waited, in 
 the exercise of hope, for the day when he should 
 "see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the 
 living." 
 
 Ttie blessed God very frequently instructs us 
 in his sovereignty, his wisdom, and his power, 
 by tfie disappointments he allows us to expe- 
 rience, and the manner in which he ultimately 
 delivers us from our trials. When Joseph in 
 prison had interpreted the dream of Pharaoh's 
 chief butler, and foretold his restoration to hon- 
 our, he very naturally expected that by his means 
 he should be brought out of prison, and that his 
 innocence would be vindicated ; but he was mis- 
 taken ; all this was forgotten ; the butler was un- 
 grateful, and Joseph for two long years yet re- 
 mained a prisoner. Perhaps he had now begun 
 to expect that here he must die ; but, behold, Je- 
 hovah works in his own way, and in a manner 
 least expected fiis servant shal! be raised to hon- 
 our. Little had he imagined that the prison was 
 the road to preferment ; and as little would he 
 suppose, now that two years had elapsed from 
 the event, that his interpretation of the butler's 
 dream would bring him before Pharaoh. 
 
 In more instances than on3 has the Governor 
 14* 
 
158 THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 
 
 of the world employed the most unlikely means, 
 and selected what have appeared the most im- 
 siiitahle persons, to accomplish his purposes. 
 Had we lived when the Saviour was on earth, 
 knowii)2^ he had determined to appoint a numher 
 of persons to publish his o^ospel, we should have 
 expected that lie would have chosen men oi in- 
 fl'uetice, of talent, and of learning to have perform- 
 ed so i^reat a work ; hut instead of this, that the 
 cause might appear entirely his own, he chose 
 the foolish things of the world to confound those 
 that were wise, and the weak thino:sof the world 
 to put to nought those that were strong. Had we 
 lived in the days of Pharaoh, we should have act- 
 ed like him, and have fled to the magicians for 
 an interpretation of our dreams. Had we been 
 in the place of Nebuchadnezzar, we hod gone to 
 the wise men of Babylon for help. But n\ all 
 these cases God had resolved to make his own 
 character known, and to bring his servants to 
 honour. The illustration of this remark in the 
 case of .Joseph is very striking. The kirg of 
 Egypt shall be troubled on his throne, th.it the 
 prisoner Joseph may be promoted to dignity; — 
 the magicians shall be confounded that Je'iovah 
 may b^ glorified. 
 
 Ill the days of ant'qnity, Pharaoh was a nnme 
 taken by all the sovereigns of Egypt, as Caesar 
 
THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 159 
 
 was ill after-tiiwes adopted by the emperors of 
 Rome, and Czar by those of Russia. The reign- 
 inormo arch of E^fypt in the days of Joseph was 
 one night much troubled by dreams. In this 
 manner, intimntions had been i^iven him of an 
 approaching supply of corn, whicli should be 
 succeeded by a famine, that should last for the 
 long period of seven years. Such, however, 
 were the precise means employed to convey this 
 information, that the magicians, with all their 
 wisdom, were unable to explain them. And now 
 that the chief butler saw it would please his 
 sovereign, and promote his own interest, he states 
 his recollection of his foimer improper conduct 
 which led his kini>- to throw him into prison ; he 
 informs his royal master that his restoration to 
 office had been foretold by a fellow-prisoner, and 
 intimates the probability that lie could interpret in 
 like manner the dream of the king. Self-inter- 
 est will sometimes lead us to discharge duties 
 which, on other accounts, we should entirely 
 neglect : so in this instance, "the chief butler 
 remembered not Joseph, but forcrat liim ;" but 
 when he saw the probability of promoting his 
 own advantaofe by it, he introduces his name to 
 the notice of the monarch. 
 
 It is with great pleasure that we hear the com- 
 mand for the appearance of Joseph before Pha- 
 
160 THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERIVOR. 
 
 raoh ; and, in imagination, we accompany him 
 with feelings of tlie deepest interest. We see 
 him display, on this occasion, the siime spirit of 
 piety and humihty which had distinguished him 
 through life. When the monarch tells him the 
 report he has heard of his wisdom, and express- 
 es a confidence that he can interpret the dream 
 he has had, Joseph replies with singular mo- 
 desty and simplicity of heart, " It is not in me : 
 God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." 
 Intimating by this language, that he was but a 
 man, like the magicians ; and if, as he expected, 
 he could be the means of interpreting the dreams 
 of Pharaoh, the honour would be due to God, 
 and not to himself Having laid the foundaiioa 
 of bis work in piety, we are neither surprised at 
 his succeeding in interpreting the dreams, or at 
 his being raised to the highest dignity he could 
 possibly enjoy. We seem to walk in the proces- 
 sion, when Joseph is exaUed in the sight of the 
 people ; we almost join in their acclamations, 
 and feel satisfaction and confidence in the thought 
 that the affairs of the state will gro on well.seeinof 
 that the king has a minister "in whom the Spirit 
 of God is." 
 
 It seldom happens when a man is suddenly 
 raised from an obscure station in life to the pos- 
 session of great honours, that he maintains a hum- 
 
THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 161 
 
 ble spirit. The best of men are but frail and im- 
 perfect creatures, easily elevated above them- 
 selves, and forgetting for a time the emptiness of 
 earthly good. It is only the individual who ful- 
 ly believes the word of God, keeps near to his 
 throne, and by daily intercourse with him has 
 learnt the superior value of the world to ome, 
 who appreciates the present state as he ought. 
 Happily for JosepI), grace was given him corres- 
 ponding to his station, and when raised to occu- 
 py the seat of dignity next to his sovereign, he 
 continued to manifest his accustomed humility. 
 He was still a man of prayer, yet attended to the 
 all-important duties of religion, ruled his family 
 in the fear of God, and impressed on the minds 
 of his servants the knowledge of Jehovah. In 
 all this he sets a very proper example of the way 
 in which they should act who have to conduct 
 the affairs of the state. Tliey must not plead 
 their want of time to attend to the important con- 
 cerns of eternity, seeinji* that Joseph, who was 
 so fully occupied in the affairs of a vast empire^ 
 could discharge the superior claims of devotion 
 and religion. The first things to be attended to, 
 are the duties we owe to God ; and if we devote 
 this time to other pursuits, we rob him of his just 
 demands. 
 
 Every station and office we can fill has its pe- 
 
162 THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 
 
 culiar temptations, and furnishes opportunities 
 for the display of human depravity, as well as the 
 exercise of Christian graces. The splendours of 
 a court, and association with the great, are un- 
 favourable to pnre undefiled religion. Notwith- 
 standing all the piety of Joseph, we find him im- 
 properly marrying the daughter of an idolatrous 
 priest. Such a marriage would bring with it its 
 own punishment, both in the happiness of which 
 it deprived him, and which he would have en- 
 joyed had his wife possessed the spirit of piety 
 like himself, and in the positive sufferings it 
 would inflict. The conduct of Joseph in this in- 
 stance cannot be justified, and to it we must prob- 
 ably attribute his improper conduct on a subse- 
 qui^nt occasion, when' we find him profanely 
 swearing by the life of Pharaoh. How necessa- 
 ry the prayer taught us by the Saviour, ^'Lead 
 us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." 
 The diligence of Joseph in travelling through- 
 out the land of Egypt, and the integrity and pru- 
 dence he manifested, in buying and storing up the 
 corn, must excite our admiration. And when 
 the famine commenced, instead of leaving the 
 sale of corn to others, as he noight have done, he 
 superintended it himself In the discharge of his 
 duties he manifested no partiality. When his 
 brethren came, and he Well knew them, he per- 
 
THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 163 
 
 formed his duty as a governor, taking care to sa- 
 tisfy all around him that he would not allow any 
 who might be suspected of being spies, or enemies 
 of Pharaoh, to be fed wiih the provisions which 
 had been reserved only for his friends. And 
 when, after a series of years, his father, with his 
 brethren, and their families, came to take up their 
 residence in Egypt, he did not allow them to live 
 in idleness as pensioners on the state, but placed 
 them in a situation where they could both obtain 
 their own livelihood, and contribute to the wel- 
 fare of the country. In all this he manifested a 
 fine and noble spirit, and shewed the happy ten- 
 dency of religious principles to make their pos- 
 sessors a blessing to society. 
 
 In investigating the character of Joseph as the 
 ruler of Egypt, it is proper we should notice a 
 charge which has been preferred against him, 
 by some who are ever anxious to point out defects 
 in the character of those who profess godliness. 
 It has been said thai Joseph acted improperly 
 in depriving the Egyptians of their liberties, by 
 requiring them to give up their lands, and, after 
 that, their personal services, to Pharaoh, in order 
 that they might possess the food necessary to 
 maintain their existence. But, surely, the per- 
 sons who have preferred this charge have never 
 fairly and fully examined the account. Let it be 
 
164 THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 
 
 remembered that the s^overnment of Egypt was 
 essentially diiFerent to the constitution of the hap- 
 py country in which we live. The dominion 
 of Pharaoh was altogether arbitrary ; the people 
 had no voice m making the laws, but were compel- 
 led to obey them, even though they merely result- 
 ed from the caprices of their sovereign ; nor had 
 they or their rulers any just notions of liberty, a 
 blessing which has only been enjoyed in coun- 
 tries where the religion of the Bible has prevail- 
 ed. Let it also be taken into the account, that 
 for the land and the people to become the prop- 
 erty of the kino:, was the offer of the people them- 
 selves, and not the proposal of Joseph ; and once 
 more, though they were accepted by Joseph at 
 the time, yet he afterwards restored four- fifths 
 of the produce of the land to the people, reserving 
 one-fifth only for Pharaoh; no more than is at 
 present paid by the inhabitants of some countries 
 for the expenses of the state. It is certain that the 
 Egyptians were highly pleased with the conduct 
 of their ruler ; and, in such a case, they must be 
 allowed to have been the best judges. 
 
 However wisely a ruler may discharge the du- 
 ties of his office, and however great a blessing he 
 may be to society, a period must arrive when 
 death shall strip him of his robes, and lay him 
 in the silent grave. For about eighty years did 
 
THE RIGHTEOUS GOVERNOR. 165 
 
 loseph preside, under the monarch, over the 
 affairs of Egypt ; but he at length died, at an ad- 
 vanced age, in the exercise of firm faith in the 
 promises of God, and amidst the regrets of his 
 children, his brethren, and the nation at large. 
 Happy the man who, when he comes to a death- 
 bed, can repose on the testimony of Jehovah, 
 and can exchange time for eternity, without fear 
 of banishment " from the presence of God, and 
 from the glory of his power." 
 
 As we have passed over the history of this 
 amiable man, we have pointed out some of the 
 lessons it was designed to teach. In addition to 
 those already referred to, we see the importance 
 of feeling entire resignation to the will of God, 
 seeing that from the lowest degradation he can 
 raise us to the highest honour. We learn with 
 what gratitude we ought to regard a pious edu- 
 cation, which guards us from so many dangers ; 
 and feel that he is tlie wisest man who ever acts 
 in obedience to the law of God, and ever seeks 
 to him for direction in all his ways. 
 
 15 
 
THE MISTAKEN SAINT. 
 
 Blind unbelief is sure to eir, 
 And scan his work in vain ; 
 God is his own interpreter, 
 And he will make it plain. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 It is both interesting and profitable to review 
 tlie lives and sorrows of the people of God in past 
 ages. As we read of the various incidents which 
 attended them through life, we seem to possess 
 their feelings, desire to imitate their virtues, and 
 are anxious to avoid their defects. We feel 
 sympathy with them in their sorrows, and as we 
 see them pouring out their griefs before a throne 
 of grace, and deriving support from " the God of 
 all consolation," we rejoice that we have the 
 same Father to flee to, the same arguments to 
 plead before him, and the same encouragement 
 to expect a gracious attention to our prayers. 
 
 Few of the patriarchs present a more interest- 
 ing character for our contemplation than Jacob. 
 iHe was a man of genuine worth. That he was 
 
THE MISTAI^EN SAINT. 167 
 
 the subject of many imperfections we cannot de- 
 ny, but that he eminently displayed many virtues 
 is equally evident. We may profit greatly by 
 the account given us of his errors and mistakes ; 
 and it will be happy for us if the review of his 
 improprieties should guard us from falling into 
 them ourselves. 
 
 The view which even the good man takes of 
 the divine conduct is often very contracted j 
 there remains in the hearts of even the best men, 
 a spirit of depravity, prone to misinterpret, and 
 murmur against the providence of God ; while 
 Jehovah is pleased to clothe his dealings with us 
 m mystery. These things may account for 
 Jacob saying, on the occasion to which our at- 
 tention is now directed, " All these things are 
 against me." 
 
 Language like this it is painful to hear, and the 
 man who utters it must surely be in very dis- 
 tressinar circumstances. What ! Is all darkness ? 
 Are there no light clouds in the horizon ? Is 
 there no sweetness in the cup of sorrow ? Was 
 there nothing to comfort him amidst his disas- 
 ters ? Of light and comfort he will not hear ; he 
 yields to the influence of despondency, and says, 
 «' All these things are against me." 
 
 And who that considers his trials can be sur- 
 prised at the exclamation? Look at him in 
 
168 THE MISTAKEN SAIKT. 
 
 youth; — exiled from the house of an indulgfenfi 
 father, and a still more affectionate mother, — 
 called to endure the persecution of a wicked bro- 
 ther, — compelled to labour as a servant for his 
 food, — and oppressed by his master, who owed 
 him every display of kindness. See him in mid- 
 dle age ; — when he enters on the enjoyments of 
 domestic life, he loses his beloved Rachel, and 
 then his darling Joseph. No wonder that he 
 thinks all things are opposed to his happiness. 
 
 His present condition too is painful, and seems 
 to justify the language. It had been well if his 
 sorrows had past, and brighter prospects opening 
 before him. But the present is painful, and the 
 future gloomy. He has a family of ungodly 
 children, who pierce his heart through with many 
 sorrows ; — he is threatened with poverty ; — his 
 son Simeon has just been taken from him, and 
 he dreads the worst ; he begins to bend under 
 the infirmities of age ; — and he is called upon to 
 give up his beloved Benjamin ; in a word, he 
 thinks his grey hairs are liastcning in sorrow ta 
 the grave. And who, then, can wonder at his 
 exclaiming, " All these things are against me?" 
 
 But yet he was mistaken. His views were 
 not correct. Had v/hat he said been true, it was 
 calculated to humble him, and should have led 
 to sorrow, on account of sin. We have no right 
 
THE MISTAKEN SAINT. 1G9 
 
 to complain of the dispensations of Jehovah, how- 
 ever severe ; for " wherefore should a living man 
 complain, a man for the punishment of his 
 sins ■?" If we set ourselves against God, we 
 ought not to murmur if his providence is against 
 us. But the language is that of mistake. These 
 things were not against him ; they would not 
 bear him down to the grave. Let him look over 
 his life again. If he had been exiled from home, 
 the Lord had found him another and a better ; 
 if he had laboured, the Supreme Governor had 
 given him a reward ; if he had been persecuted, 
 he had also been supported under it ; if he had 
 been oppressed, the Divine hand had interposed 
 in his favour ; if Jehovah had taken away his be- 
 loved Rachel, he had given Himself; and if Joseph 
 be indeed gone, he shall see him, and his endear- 
 ed Rachel, and each of his pious friends, in a future 
 world. Let him look at his present state ; and, 
 if poverty threatens him with its approach, is not 
 God also at his right hand ? If liis children are 
 wicked, and he cannot accuse himself of neo-- 
 I'ect, or of improper indulgences extended to 
 them, why should he be so much discouraged? 
 If Joseph, and Simeon, and Benjamin are all re- 
 moved, all is under the superintendence of Him 
 who must do right. And what a mistake in re- 
 ference to the future ! The dark clouds, that 
 now hover over him, 
 
 15* 
 
170 THE MISTAKEN SAINT',. 
 
 " Arebi°^ with mercy, and shall break 
 In blessings on liis head." 
 
 Joseph is yet alive, — Simeon shall soon be 
 free, — Benjamin is about to be elevated to ho- 
 nour, — and a fine old age of peace and happiness 
 awaits the patriarch himself. Ah, what mistaken 
 views do the people of God form, when they say, 
 *^ All these things are against me I" No such 
 thing : all work together for good to those who 
 love God. All was now tending to accomplish 
 the infinitely wise plans of Jehovah, to make 
 Jacob's family happy, and '•' to save much people 
 alive." 
 
 Christians now make the same mistake that 
 Jacob did, when afflictions overtake them, and 
 Borrows seem to oppress their souls. But they 
 are wrong ; for they are designed to sanctify 
 their hearts, to teach them the sinfulness and 
 vanity of the world, to endear to them the pro- 
 mises of infinite love, and to prepare them for 
 the enjoyments of the heavenly state. 
 
 But this mistake of Jacob was not only a great,. 
 but a criminal one. Most of our errors are of a 
 sinful character, and those which resemble this 
 are very criminaL The language of Jacob seem- 
 ed to reflect on the Divine character. Is not 
 God the friend and the father of his people ? 
 Does he not love them, and can he change in 
 
THE MISTAKEN SAINT. 171' 
 
 the purposes of his grace towards them? Why- 
 should such a thought be indulged ? Has he 
 not said, " I, the Lord, change not ?" And does 
 he not possess all the power we need to protect 
 us, and which is requisite to accomplish the de- 
 signs of his love? Has he not the wisdom which 
 can convert our sorest trials into the greatest be- 
 nefits ? Has he not always delivered us, and 
 would it not be our wisest plan to say, " He, wha 
 hath delivered, will yet deliver?" Why, because 
 all is dark and enveloped in misery, should we 
 encourage our fears ? If we loved God as we 
 ought to do, we should indulge a confidence that 
 he would direct all for our good. 
 
 Farther, the language of Jacob breathed a 
 spirit of disbelief of the Divine promises. God 
 had expressly assured him that, in all places 
 where he went, he would be with him, and that 
 he would never leave him till he had accom- 
 plished all the purposes of his mercy towards 
 him. Jacob had acted wisely for his own hap- 
 piness, and honourably towards his Creator, had 
 he believed this, and allowed the whole of his 
 conduct to bo influenced by it. This, howevefy 
 was not the case ; and in this respect the people 
 of Jehovah are ever too much like him. What 
 room for repentance and humility ! This cri- 
 minal cmiduct was not confined to the persoiik 
 
172 THE MISTAKEN SAINT. 
 
 or the times of Jacob. Though tlie Lord has 
 ever been kind to his people, we have hearts dis- 
 posed to murmur against all his arrangements, 
 and to say that all is against us ; when, if we 
 could see the whole of his designs, we should 
 know the reverse to be true. 
 
 Let us cast a glance towards Jacob when "the 
 mystery of God" towards him " is finished," and 
 he is comfortably settled in Goshen. Would he 
 not now be ashamed that ever he encouraged the 
 feelings of despondency, or entertained hard 
 thoughts of God ? Would he not be concerned 
 to humble himself before the Author of his mer- 
 cies, who had raised him above all his fears ! 
 Oh what gratitude must lie feel to that Being 
 who had been his friend amidst so many mur- 
 mur ings, and notwithstanding so much impro- 
 priety of conduct ! His future hopes would be 
 encouraged by a recollection of what God had 
 done for him. And he would be concerned to 
 encourage his children, and his children's chil- 
 dren, to let their foith and hope be in God. Let 
 it be the solicitude of each of my readers in this 
 respect to imitate the venerable patriarch. 
 
 " All things," saith an inspired apostle, " work 
 together for good to those who love God, to 
 them who are the called according to his pur- 
 pose." The grand inquiry then is, do we love 
 
THE MISTAKEN SAINT. 173 
 
 him ? If so, we have nothing to fear, for He is 
 our friend, his providence is on our side, and 
 nothing can be against us. But if we have no 
 love to Him, nothing can he for us, but all must 
 be armed in opposition to us. Let us seek an 
 interest in his mercy, and we shall then sing for 
 ever, ^' He hatii done all things well !" 
 
 And before we finally leave this subject, let U3 
 humbly resolve, in the strength of Divine grace, 
 to trust God more tlian we have hitherto done, 
 even when his conduct is enveloped in mystery; 
 let us weep over our past mistakes and ingrati- 
 tude ; and let us encourage our friends to place 
 their fiiith and hope in Him with whom there is 
 everlasting strengths 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 GEX. XLVIII. XLIX. 
 
 Yet mortal life is sad ; 
 
 Perpetual storms molest its sullen sky, 
 
 And sorrows, ever rife, 
 
 Drain the sacred fountain dry. 
 
 Away with mortal life \ 
 
 But hail the calm reality, 
 
 The seraph Immortality ! 
 
 H; K. White. 
 
 What subject is more interesting or impressive 
 than death ? It is a solemn event that concerns 
 us all — a change which mankind must univer- 
 sally undergo. In whatever situation men may 
 be placed, whatever station they may fill, what- 
 ever riches or honours they may possess, they 
 cannot be exempted from his stroke. And what 
 is death ? It is that which benumbs all our fa- 
 culties, stops the blood in its progress, and com- 
 mands the machine of life to stand still ; it is that 
 which separates us from the scenes we loved, 
 from the dearest and tenderest connexions we 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 17'5 
 
 have formed, and shuts our eyes and our hearts 
 against all that we see ; it is that which, leading 
 us from a world of changes, introduces us to the 
 awful bar of Jehovah, there to hear our unchang- 
 ing and eternal destiny. And, surely, a subject 
 so supremely important, and so profoundly in- 
 teresting, ought to occupy much of our thoughts, 
 and excite the most serious inquiries as to our 
 prospects hereafter. But alas ! though we are 
 surrounded by shadows which are rapidly flee- 
 ing away, and are travelling to a world of reali- 
 ties that shall remain for ever the same, our 
 hearts dwell on the present scenes, and almost 
 forget the future. The subject of death, nay the 
 very sound of it, is banished from the circles of 
 polite society ; but alas ! the event must happen, 
 to the high as well as to the low ; and though 
 they may refuse to reflect on his approach, they 
 cannot hinder his progress or ward off his stroke. 
 Surely then it becomes us more frequently to 
 dwell on the thoughts of this great change, and 
 to anticipate the arrival of this mighty enemy ; 
 having our lamps trimmed, that we may not be 
 taken at unawares, and our loins girt about with 
 truth, ready to engage in the solemn conflict. 
 And especially should this be the case when we 
 observe that the subject is so frequently intro- 
 duced, and occupies so prominent a place in the 
 
176 THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 sacred volume. We may rest assured that if we 
 cannot bear to contemplate death at a distance, 
 there is something about us awfully wrong, and 
 indeed that we are unprepared for his nearer ap- 
 proach. 
 
 Though death was originally inflicted on the 
 human race as a punishment on account of sin, 
 it is in some instances overruled, and converted 
 into a blessing. The best of men, v/ith one or 
 two exceptions, have submitted to its stroke ; but 
 in their case it has been a deliverance from sor- 
 rows and from pains, and an introduction to a 
 world where all is joy and happiness. The 
 same event, as to the fact and agony of dying, 
 happens to the righteous and the wicked, but the 
 consequences of death in the two cases are infi- 
 nitely different : the one is removed to a world 
 of immortal joys; the other falls into the re- 
 gions of eternal despair. 
 
 The various events in the life of the venerable 
 Jacob were intcrestinor and instructive. We see 
 in his character a mixture both of excellences 
 and defects of no comnjon order ; in his state, a 
 series of trials and of comforts that occur in the 
 history of but few men ; and in his general ex- 
 perience we have a most lively and impressive 
 commhintary on his own words, when in reply 
 to the question of Pharaoh, " How old art thou ?" 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 177 
 
 he says, " The days of the years of my pilgrimage 
 are an hundred and thirty years : few and evil 
 have the days of my life been." But the scene 
 is now to close, and the sorrows of his life are to 
 have an end. Conducted by the inspired writer, 
 let us visit his dying bed, hear his last senti- 
 ments, listen to his closing prayer, and mark the 
 spirit with which he exchanges worlds. The 
 death of a man who for a long series of years 
 has received peculiar mercies at the hands of 
 God, must be instructive ; let us learn the lessons 
 it is adapted to teach, — let us behold the advan- 
 tages of religion in the article of death, — let us 
 see his eyes closed upon all sublunary objects, 
 and follow in imagination the disembodied spirit 
 to the throne of God. 
 
 In reading his life, as recorded by Moses, it 
 would appear, that for several years before his 
 death he had little to do with the world : the 
 temporal affairs of his family he probably left to 
 be settled by his sons, while he fixed more in- 
 tently his thoughts on the immortal state that 
 was now opening to his view. It is lamentable 
 when we see old men, tottering on the verge of 
 eternity, all anxiety about the concerns of time, 
 and careless in reference to that world between 
 which and thetn there is but a single step. 
 Happily for Jacob, the grace of God had taught 
 16 
 
178 THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 him better. In an interview with Joseph, he 
 caused him to swear that he would lay his bones 
 in the same tomb with those of Abraham and 
 Sarah, and the rest of his beloved connexions, as 
 having already made his grave there, and being 
 like them desirous of inhabiting the land of pro- 
 mise ; and having been assured that this should 
 be the case, he bowed on the head of his bed, 
 blessing the God of his mercies for such a pros- 
 pect, and lor a son so willing to fulfil his de- 
 sires. 
 
 Not long after this, his last illness overtook 
 him; his bodily and mental powers rapidly fail- 
 ed, and indications were given that the end of 
 mortality was at hand. The whole family were 
 filled with anxious forebodings : every one began 
 to review his conduct towards his dying parent ; 
 and many a tear started from the e^^es of some of 
 his sons, as their memories placed before them 
 the many acts of disobedience they had commit- 
 ted, and the many instances of unkindness they 
 had shewn him. The period of separation from 
 our friends should lead us to reflection, and to re- 
 pentance on account of our improprieties ; while 
 it should be our wish to administer to their com- 
 fort as long as they may be spared to us, and to 
 smooth their dying pillows as they depart hence. 
 Such was the conduct of Jacob's sons towards 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 179 
 
 him : whatever might have been the previous 
 conduct of some of them, they now felt as it be- 
 came them to feel. 
 
 The affecting intelligence of his father's ill- 
 ness was soon conveyed to Joseph, his beloved 
 son, who, though he was full of business, and 
 surrounded with the cares of a mighty kingdom, 
 at once resolved to shew the regard he possessed 
 for a parent who had ever been eminently con- 
 cerned for his welfare. And because he would 
 teach his beloved sons Manasseh and Ephraim 
 the worth of true religion by example as well as 
 by precept, and that they might have the dying 
 prayers and blessings of their venerable grand- 
 father, he took them with him. It is well for 
 young persons to attend the bed of death, as it 
 reads them an impressive lecture on their morta- 
 lity ; and especially is it desirable they should 
 visit the last scenes of those who have long tasted 
 the grace of God, as they learn here in a most 
 delightful manner the value of genuine religion, 
 in supporting the mind under the agonies of dis- 
 solution, and enabling the soul without dismay 
 to enter on the conflict with the last enemy, se- 
 cure of the victory, though in the struggle he 
 may lay down his life. Oh! there is something 
 infinitely superior to anything that earth can 
 give, when the aged Christian, with a soul full 
 
180 THE DYING PATRIARCH, 
 
 of the calm peace of Heaven, can siiig with our 
 poet, 
 
 Then, while ye hear my heart strings break, 
 
 How sweet my minutes roll ! 
 A mortal paleness on my cheek, 
 
 And glory in my soul ! 
 
 Let us draw near, with his children, to the 
 bed of the dying patriarch. One hundred and 
 forty-seven years has he lived in our world ; 
 during that period he has found the path of life 
 to be chequered with pleasures and disappoint- 
 ments. His observation and experience must 
 have qualified him to give us many an important 
 lesson. For a large portion of this period he has 
 known the religion of his fathers; he has prac- 
 tised its duties, exemplified its spirit, and enjoyed 
 its privileges ; and he is now able to tell us how- 
 far its promises have been realized, and how 
 great a blessing it is to the soul of its possessor. 
 Often has he been surrounded by the tempta- 
 tions of Satan and the snares of the world : at 
 some times he has been drawn aside by them 
 from the path of duty ; and, at others, he has 
 been enabled to resist them. Let us learn from 
 him the evil effects of sin, and how by faith and 
 prayer we may overcome the attacks of our ene- 
 mies. He is just about to enter an eternal world : 
 its solemn realities are rapidly opening to his 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 181 
 
 view, and we may therefore rest on his words, 
 as those of truth and soberness. Where, then, 
 can we go to learn more impressive and impor- 
 tant lessons than we can acquire at the bed of 
 the dying saint? 
 
 When the beloved Joseph enters the chamber 
 of his venerable father, he finds him confined to 
 his bed, and rapidly hastening to his last hour ; 
 but while the powers of his body decay, the feel- 
 ings of his soul towards God and eternal realities 
 are all lively. Religion survives every other in- 
 terest : it prospers even in old age, and adminis- 
 ters consolation when the world retires, unable 
 to bless its possessor. It has been known to 
 flourish when the man in whose heart it has tak- 
 en up its residence has forgotten all the circum- 
 stances of his life, and has ceased to know his 
 nearest connexions. Who can listen to the lan- 
 guage of Jacob, as he revievv^s the divine dealings 
 with him and his family, without weeping? One 
 subject that occupies his thoughts, is the good- 
 ness of God towards him. He seems here to en- 
 ter on the work of reviewing and praising God 
 for his mercies, a task which shall employ him 
 throughout eternity in the heavenly world. How 
 ardent his gratitude, as he speaks of the appear- 
 ance of Jehovah to him at Luz, where he blessed 
 him, and gave him the land of Canaan ; — how 
 16* 
 
182 THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 does he admire the Divine goodness, which, 
 when he had given np all expectations of seeing 
 his beloved Joseph again, had not only brought 
 him to his dying pillow, but also his children 
 with him ; — with what pleasure does he remind 
 them of the fact, that though he died, God would 
 be with them, and bring them to the promised 
 land ; — what gratification does it administer to 
 his mind, that he was calmly leaving the world 
 in the midst of his children, and tliat the salva- 
 tion he had long waited for was nigh at hand ! 
 O, how diiferent this to the departure of an infi- 
 del ! — the man who, from the consciousness of 
 impending punishment for his crimes, shrinks 
 from the thought of appearing before his omnis- 
 cient and all-powerful Judge. The review of 
 his life is awfully painful, and the anticipation 
 of another world unspeakably distressing. 
 
 But while Jacob manifests his gratitude for the 
 benefits God has conferred upon him, he shews 
 himself considerably affected with a review of his 
 trials. He touches with exquisite tenderness on 
 the affecting manner in which he lost his belov- 
 ed Rachel, — hints at his long bereavement of 
 Joseph, and weeps over the sins of his sons, 
 Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. The happy resi- 
 dence of seventeen years in Egypt has not effaced 
 the recollection of these trials from his mind, and 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 183 
 
 he mentions them both to shew the sorrow they 
 have 2:iven him, and to remind his children that 
 trials mnst be expected to attend their path. Ven- 
 erable man ! thy sorrows are nearly over : ano- 
 ther struggle, and thou shalt take of them an 
 eternal farewell. One thing only could adminis- 
 ter pain to the dying servant of God ; and this 
 was, that he died not in the land of promise, but 
 among strangers : but on this subject he is com- 
 forted by rememberinsf that it matters little where 
 good men die, seeing that God will be with them, 
 to conduct them through the short valley which 
 separates the church of God on earth from the 
 Mount Zion above. Besides this, the patriarch 
 has his children around him, and possesses the 
 assurance that his remains shall be conveyed to 
 the land of Canaan, and laid among his beloved 
 connexions, while his soul, before that can occur, 
 shall have joined their pure and happy spirits, in 
 a purer and happier world. 
 
 Again, we remark, how lovely and impressive 
 the death-bed of a true believer ! and in what mi 
 amiable light does it place the religion of the 
 gospel, which scatters the shades of death, and 
 " brings life and immortality to light ;" which 
 bears up the soul above the world, and gives 
 heavenly joys before he leaves the earth I 
 
184 THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 Before we quite forsake our clay, 
 
 And drop this heavy load, 
 The wings of love bear us away 
 
 To see our smiling God- 
 
 Oh, that when we come to die, the God of 
 Jacob may be our God, and that the consolations 
 of religion may be enjoyed by us. 
 
 It was the opinion of the ancients, that when 
 men approached the confines of death, the future 
 scenes through which their successors were to 
 pass were revealed to them. This doctrine was 
 probably derived from the fact, that some of the pa- 
 triarchs were favoured with the spirit of prophecy, 
 and were enabled to foretel future events. Certain 
 it is, that Jacob and some others had such a spirit ; 
 and while he affectionately prayed for his chil- 
 dren, and gave them his dying benediction, he dis- 
 closed to them the character of their descendants, 
 and the leading events which should befal them 
 down to the end of time. It might be pleasing 
 and instructive to illustrate the prophecies in re- 
 ference to each of them, and shew how remark- 
 ably they have been fulfilled ; but as it would be 
 foreign to my design in these papers, and would 
 occupy a considerable space, I shall content my- 
 self with simply referring my reader, who wishes 
 to investigate the subject, to " Saurin^s Disser- 
 tatio7iSj Historical^ Critical^ ^'^-j" Diss. xli. 5 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 185 
 
 and to " Bishop NevHon^s Dissertations on the 
 Prophecies,^^ Diss. iv. ; where he will be grati- 
 fied by tracino^ the connexion between prophecy 
 and Providence. 
 
 We ought not, however, to omit the remark, 
 that while he was thus utterintr his prophecies, he 
 felt his 2:reat weakness of body ; and imagining 
 that death was suddenly coming upon him, he 
 turned from the task he was pursuing, and, direct- 
 ing Ins eyes and his heart to heaven, exclaimed, 
 " I have waited for thy snlvation, O Lord :" by 
 which he expressed his faith in the testimony of 
 God, not only as to the temporal blessings he 
 would confer on his family, but especially as to 
 the coming of the Messiah, to whom he looked, 
 as every guilty sinner must do, and in w^hose 
 name he trusted for salvation and eternal life. O, 
 how happy the man who can adopt this language 
 as his own ! — who delays not the concerns of his 
 soul till he comes to adyinof pillow, but is enabled, 
 when he takes a review of his life, to characterize 
 it as a continued waiting for the salvation of God I 
 And how suitable a work is prayer for the believ- 
 er to die engaged in ! as he lives, so should he 
 die, praying for pardon through the atonement of 
 the orreat Messiah : thus is he fitted to enter on 
 the still more delightful task of praise for the 
 mercies he has received. Nor can we refrain 
 
1S6 THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 from admiring the spirit of affection which Jacob 
 continues to the last to manifest for his children, 
 and the concern he shews for their enjoyment 
 of spiritual good. Their temporal welfare was a 
 matter of small importance, compared with the 
 spiritual favours he had enjoyed as the servant of 
 God, and with which he must of necessity be anx- 
 ious that others should be blessed. Religion re- 
 fines and expands the heart, and leads its pos- 
 sessor to bind up the spiritual interests of others 
 with his own. David on a dying bed prayed for 
 the welfare of Solomon, and for the spread of the 
 Messiah's glory throughout the earth. 
 
 Having thus discharged the last duties which 
 devolved upon him, and breathed forth the desires 
 of his heart to God, the sacred writer tells us that, 
 " he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yield- 
 ed up the ghost, and was gathered to his people." 
 With what composure does he lay himself down ; 
 death to him only resembles a kind and gentle 
 slumber ; or rather, while death passes over him 
 as a sleep, it really introduces him to the world 
 of glory : where he meets such of his family, who, 
 having been made perfect in holiness, have al- 
 ready been introduced into the paradise of God ; 
 while his body shall be laid by the side of his 
 friends, and his dust shall mingle with theirs till 
 the morninof of the resurrection. 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 187 
 
 How painful must be the task to the affection- 
 ate Joseph, to close the eyes of such a father ! 
 And what a loss must the death of such a man 
 be to his family and the public at large ! His 
 prayers and his counsels would be lost. The 
 righteous would be deprived of many encourage- 
 ments which his recitals of instances of the Di- 
 vine goodness towards him used to impart, and 
 would often be ready to sink into despondency ; 
 while the wicked would be without the restraints 
 which his presence imposed, and would more 
 frequently fall into the sins against which he 
 warned them. Jacob had wept when he supposed 
 Joseph to be dead, and his children may well 
 indulge their griel when he is really so. Me- 
 thinks I see Joseph falling on his father's neck, 
 and, kissing him, bidding farewell to the delight- 
 ful intercourse he had enjoyed with him till the 
 morning of the resurrection, when it shall be all 
 renewed. Happy indeed are those persons, who, 
 possessing an interest in his favour, who is " the 
 resurrection and the life," can look forward with 
 holy confidence to the period of his second ad- 
 vent, in the sweet expectation of resuming their 
 connexion with their beloved friends, who lived 
 to him on earth, and died to see him in all his glo- 
 ry, as seated on his heavenly throne. 
 
 It is, however, a very pleasing thought, that 
 
ISS THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 while the Supreme Being isremovin^^one of our 
 friends after another to the world of spirits, he 
 himself lives, and is ever ready to repair our loss- 
 es, and to raise up other friends in the room of 
 those he has taken from us. We often hear of 
 the death of eminent men, who occupied impor- 
 tant stations in the world and the churcl), and 
 we are told that their removal inflicts an irrepar- 
 able loss ; but is this true ? Is not the residue ol 
 the Spirit with God ? Does not he continue to 
 live? Cannot he raise up other instruments to 
 do his work as effectually as those whom he 
 takes away ? And does he not in fact do so ? 
 Was there ever a period when his cause stood 
 still for want of instruments to carry it on ? 
 His power is infinite, and his grace is boundless ; 
 why then should we indultre in despair ? 
 
 The E<{yptians were very celebrated for the 
 art of embalming the bodies of their friends ; so 
 that their very features should long be recoo^nis- 
 ed, and their forms continue uninjured for many 
 centnries. It is probable that a sort of necessity 
 first led to this practice among them. On ac- 
 count of the Nile so frequently inundating a very 
 large portion of their country, the bodies of their 
 friends would he washed away ; hence they de- 
 vised means to preserve them from putrefaction : 
 in which case they frequently preserved them 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 189 
 
 Bven in their own houses. This was at once a 
 token of respect to the dead, and a matter of gra- 
 tification to the living. Jacob was embalmed by- 
 Joseph's physicians ; and after the nsual period 
 for making preparations was elapsed, the fami- 
 ly set out with the corpse to their beloved coun- 
 try. 
 
 It appears that at the period in which these 
 events occurred, the attendants of an eastern 
 monarch never appeared before him in garments 
 of mourning ; probably, one great reason for 
 which was, that royal personages might not be 
 reminded of death till it came upon them. Ah ! 
 what a proof is this that all is not right, when a 
 man dare not contemplate his end ! How differ- 
 ent to the case of him who can say, " Come, 
 Lord Jesus, come quickly." Under these circum- 
 stances, Joseph requested the courtiers around 
 Pharaoh to state to him the circumstances in 
 which he was placed ; that his father having a 
 high regard for the burying place of his fathers 
 in the land of Canaan, had caused him to swear 
 that he would carry him there, and that he there- 
 fore solicited permission to be absent a period 
 lono^ enouo:h lo discharge his sepulchral duties. 
 Pharaoh, both from a sense of propriety, and from 
 feelin2:s of respect to J.»cob and the family, sent 
 the message to Joseph, "Go up and bury thy 
 17 
 
190 THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 lather, according as he made thee swear." The 
 Egyptian monarch, though a heathen, saw the 
 importance of Joseph fulfilling his oath. How 
 forcibly does he thus reprove some professing 
 Christians, who seem to consider it a matter of 
 indifference whether or not they complete their 
 engagements. 
 
 We see, then, the corpse of the patriarch mov- 
 ing with funeral honours towards the spot where 
 it is destined to rest, till the trumpet of the arch- 
 angel sounds, and he sliall rise to immortality. 
 He once contemplated being bereaved of his chil- 
 dren, or, at least, of those whom he loved best ; 
 but we see that they all attend him to his last 
 home, drop the tear of giief over his loss, while 
 Joseph, whom he long considered to have been 
 devoured by wild beasts, gives a strong charge 
 that his bones might lie with those of his father, 
 liittle did Jacob once think that he should be fol- 
 lowed to the grave by a great number of Pha- 
 raoh's household ; but such was th^ir esteem for 
 the man whom, as a shepherd, they counted an 
 abomination, that they left their pleasures to ac- 
 company his remains to the tomb, and to weep 
 over them. Reliijion compels men to esteem 
 those who exemplify the spiiit and conduct it 
 recommends. 
 
 My reader has long ago been ready to exclaim, 
 
THE DYING PATRIARCH. 191 
 
 "liet me die the denth of the righteous, and let 
 my hist end be Hke his ;" but let him be remind 
 ed, that if his death is to r emble tiiat of the pa- 
 triarch, so must his life. Jacob's was a life of 
 faith ; he beheved what God had spoken, and 
 trusted for salvation in the Messiah whom God 
 had promised ; and unless we do the same, we 
 cannot enjoy liappiness or heaven. It is a matter 
 of thankfuhiess, that to us the way of salvation is 
 so much clearer than to the patriarchs. They had 
 the testimony of God to rely on, it is true, but 
 they knew but little beyond the mere fact, that 
 Christ should come, to bring in an everlasting 
 righteousness and salvation for them : but on us 
 the full blaze of the gospel has shone, and awful 
 indeed will be our condition if we shut our eyes 
 and hearts against it. 
 
 The scripture account of the death of Jacob 
 teaches us that it is profitable to attend the dying 
 beds of true saints ; because here we see the im- 
 portance and excellence of true religion, and how 
 it takes away the fear of death, and enables us to 
 triumph over it, by shewing us "the path of life," 
 and the seat of Him in whose " presence is life, 
 and at whose right hand there are pleasures for 
 evermore." It exhibits Joseph in a very amia- 
 ble light, as continuing his most affectionate re- 
 gards to his father, though raised by Divine Pro- 
 
192 THE DYING PATRIARCH. 
 
 vidence to a very eminent station in the world. 
 It teaches lis that we may indulge the liveliest 
 hopes in reference to those who sleep in Jesus, and 
 that we may anticipate the triumphs of the resur- 
 rection with delight, because then we shall meet 
 those whom we loved on earth. And, finally, it 
 suggests the importance of examinino^ ourselves, 
 as to our spiritual condition before God. It is 
 not enough for us to profess an attachment to reli- 
 gion ; we must love its glorious Author, and be 
 strongly impressed with its influence. 
 
 My reader, forget not that thou also must die; 
 therefore, prepare to meet thy God. 
 
THE FOUNDLING. 
 
 With what compassion, with what angel sweetness, 
 
 She bends to look upon the infant's face ! 
 
 She takes his little hand in hers — he wakes — 
 
 She smiles upon him — hark ! alas ! he cries ; 
 
 Weep on, sweet babe ! weep on, till thou hasttouch'd 
 
 Each chord of pity, waken'd every sense 
 
 Of melting sympathy, and stol'n her soul. 
 
 H. More. 
 
 Few things are more humbling to the pride of 
 man than his being a creature of entire depen- 
 dence. He cannot, without the aid of others, en- 
 joy the conveniences or the comforts of Hfe. No 
 other creature comes into the world in a state so 
 complelely helpless. How admirably does this 
 arrangement. of infinite wisdom call forth and il- 
 lustrate the fine and tender feelings of parental 
 affection ! Nor does it less shew us the benevo- 
 lence of Jehovah, whose " tender mercies are over 
 all his works ;" for in infancy, and in after-life, 
 he delivers us from " deaths oft." How great is 
 17* 
 
194 THE FOUNDLING. 
 
 his goodness towards us, even when we are to- 
 tally insensible of his character, and before a sin- 
 gle prayer has ascended from our hearts, implor- 
 ing his protection and favour ! It is a circum- 
 stance worthy of our remark, that the Lord 
 Jesus was preserv^ed in infancy in a miraculous 
 manner from the rage of a cruel tyrant, who, in 
 order to ensure his destruction, commanded all 
 the infants of Bethlehem to be slain. But he 
 who sitteth in the heavens, superintending the af- 
 fairs of the universe, laughed at the decree, and 
 delivered his Son from the power of his enemy. 
 This event was typified by the preservation of 
 Moses from the designs of Pharaoh, the sanguin- 
 ary monarch of Egypt. Mortified at the increase 
 of the Israelites, whose numbers had multiplied^ 
 notwithstanding all his schemes to the contrary, 
 he decreed that every male child horn among 
 them should be thrown into the river. This was 
 the period when Moses, who was destined to 
 deliver his nation from the power of Pharaoh, 
 came into the world, and was rescued by the 
 good providence of God, in a most remarkable 
 manner, from a watery grave. On this deliver- 
 ance, which he has recorded with inimitable 
 simplicity and beauty, it is our present design 
 to make a few remarks. 
 
 The parents of Moses, Amram and Jochebed^ 
 
THE FOUNDLING. 195 
 
 were amon^- those who were Israelites indeed, 
 and were looking for the period when the God 
 of their fathers should deliver them, accordino: to 
 his promise, from the slavery they now endur- 
 ed. Great, indeed, were the sorrows witli wiiich 
 they were exercised. The tender mother was 
 called to see her darling^ son carried from her 
 breast, to be consigned to the merciless waters 
 of the Nile, there to be devoured by the crocodile, 
 the native of that river. Oh, what anxiety would 
 agitate the breast of the Israelitish female, when 
 looking forward to the interesting yet critical 
 hour of nature's sorrow, let the offspring of her 
 womb should prove a son ! The very blessing 
 which every mother wished to possess, in this 
 case added an almost intolerable burden to their 
 miseries. What a temptation was this to think 
 hardly of the blessed God. Their enemies, the 
 Egyptians, who were devoted to the service of 
 idols, had none of these sorrows ; while they, the 
 descendants of Abraham, the friend of Jehovah, 
 must endure the grief of having their helpless 
 sons torn from their affectionate embraces, and 
 thrown into the river. Instead of the mother re- 
 joicing " that a man child was born," it would 
 only increase her sorrows. Here, indeed, was a 
 trial of their faith, and their patience ; — here was 
 a dark cloud which eclipsed their hopes, and led 
 
196 THE FOUNDLING. 
 
 them to prefer their petitions at the footstool of 
 Divine mercy with increasing ardour. 
 
 AVhen Moses was horn, his parents saw he was 
 a beautiful and promisino- child. There seems to 
 have been something more than usually prepos- 
 sessing in his appearance ; and, as God i ad gra- 
 ciously promised them dehver;ujce from their 
 captivity, they probably felt a strong impression 
 on their minds that he was the promised deliver- 
 er of his people : for the apostle tells us. in his 
 Epistle to the Hebrews, that '' by faith^ Moses, 
 when he was born, was hid three months of his 
 parents, because they saw he was a proper child r 
 and they were not afraid of the king's command- 
 ment." Tlu'ee long months, notwithstanding the 
 stern decree of the monarch, did they conceal the 
 lovely babe in their own house. What anxious 
 feelings mustai^^itate the breast of the affectionate 
 Jochebed during this p'^riod ! Every one who 
 approached their humble dwelling would be 
 viewed v/ith suspicion, lest he should betray the 
 secret; every smile of the unconscious infant 
 would be a pang inflicted on her heart, because it 
 would remind her of the untimely death to which 
 he was doomed, and to which she feared he must 
 soon fall a victim ; and every cry he uttered would 
 excite her trembling dread, lest his hiding-place 
 should be discovered, and he^ by some cruel and 
 
THE FOUNDLING. 197 
 
 malicious neighbour, should be torn from her 
 arms ! Would not the tender motlier be rendy 
 to ask — Where is the Lord God of Israel ? Why 
 does he suffer us to endure these paiuiul priva- 
 tions, wliich are infinitely more trying than all 
 our bondage ? Why bless me with a son, and 
 thus snatch him from my arms^ and wring my 
 heart with grief? — But, then, under the influence 
 of holy principles, she would check her unbeliev- 
 ing fears, and resolve to trust Jehovah, even 
 where she could not trace his deep and myste- 
 rious designs. 
 
 But, alas ! when three months had passed 
 away, the parents of Moses, much as they loved 
 him, found it impossible any lonofer to conceal the 
 interesting babe. How, then, will the anxious 
 mother act ? Say, ye tender mothers, who weep 
 at the very idea of her situation, what would ye 
 have done? A little basket, that would float on 
 the water, is prepared, and pitched within and 
 without ; and in this frail bark the infant is plac- 
 ed. Miriam, his sister, an interesting girl, of pro- 
 bably ten or twelve years old, is employed to 
 pLace the ark on the water, and to watch at a 
 little distance what will become of it. " Who 
 knows," asks the feeling mother, whose anxiety 
 hasnovv reached its utmost height, "but that in 
 some way or other, I know not how, the God of 
 
198 THE FOUNDLING. 
 
 our fathers mny rescue him from dpstruction f 
 Take him, my Miriam, and O, that he who form- 
 ed him in the womb may have mercy upoti him ; 
 consign him to the river, and watcli till thou seest 
 him sink to its bottom, or till he be devoured by 
 the crocodile ; or, if such should be his happy lot, 
 till he be rescued from their perilous g^rasp." 
 
 I will not attempt to describe to my reader the 
 feelings of the mother or of the sister on this un- 
 happy occasion ; nor will 1 try to convey an idea 
 of the agonies endured by the affectionate father, 
 who, as he performed the task of a slave, could 
 not be ignorant of the passing scene. They may 
 be conceived of, but cannot be portrayed. Long 
 had the good man pleaded with God, both in his 
 private retirement and at the family altar, that his 
 Moses " might live before him ;" and even now, 
 in the dark hour of sorrow, he will trust in his 
 God. The magicians of E^rypt, celebrated as they 
 were, for their astonishing powers, could not save 
 him ; but the God of Israel " is wonderful in coun- 
 sel, and mighty in working," and who can tell, asks 
 the believer in his word, but he, who at the last 
 moment appeared for the deliverance of Isaac, 
 may deliver Moses also? 
 
 See, on yonder undulating wave, floats the 
 ark, composed of bulrushes ; on the neighbouring 
 hill stands Miriam, in torturing suspense : 
 
THE FOUNDLING. 199 
 
 She wonders where the scene will end. 
 
 Yonder comes a party of females. It is Ther- 
 matis, the daiio^hter of the monarchj with her at- 
 tendants. The religions system of her country 
 has commanded its votaries to wash their bodies 
 four times in every twenty- four hours. To obey 
 this requisition, and topromoteher health and spi- 
 rits, she is come down to the river to bathe. As she 
 amuses herself in the refreshing stream, the lit- 
 tle bark arrests her attention ; her curiosity is 
 excited, and she commands it to be brought to 
 her. With feelmgs hitherto unknown to her 
 bosom, she opens it. All ! httle did she think, 
 that he who hath the hearts of all men in his 
 hands had touched tiie secret springs of her soul, 
 and was now leading her to perforin his plea- 
 sure. '' And when she had opened it, she saw 
 the child, and the babe wept." Had it felt the cra- 
 vings of huno^er, — had its fears been excited by the 
 peculiarity of its situation, — or did the God of na- 
 ture design that it should thus appeal to the feel- 
 ino^s of the princess? "And she had compassion 
 on him, and said. This is one of the Hebrews' chil- 
 dren." She did not again consign him to the 
 waves ; but probably, in heart at least, blamed 
 the cruelty of her f tther in issuing a decree for 
 the death of harmless and inoffensive infants. 
 
200 THE FOUNDLING. 
 
 She was, perhaps, the only individual in the em- 
 pire possessed of the power to do it, who would 
 have felt disposed to save this lovely infant from 
 a watery grave. Little did she suppose that she 
 was about to train up a child who should, redeem 
 the Israelites from their slavery, and prove the 
 means of the destruction of thousands of the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 At the moment that the compassion of Thor- 
 mutis is excited by the cry of the babe, little Mi- 
 riam introduces herself to \he notice of the prin- 
 cess ; and hearing her remark that the child be- 
 long^ed to one of the Hebrews, she proposes to call 
 an Hebrew woman to nurse it. In almost every 
 other instance suspicion would at once have been 
 excited ; but this does not nppear to have been 
 the case on this occasion, fortiie wisdom of Jeho- 
 vah had planned and his awncy transacted the 
 whole of this affair. No Eo:yptian could have 
 imbued his tender mind wuh the knowledge of 
 God, or have instilled the leading facts of revela- 
 tion into his heart. " Mothers," said an old bi- 
 shop, " can do great things ;" and there can be no 
 doubt that the education Moses receive d from his 
 mother was eminently useful to him in his after 
 days. While his parents were bountifully pro- 
 vided for by the royal house, Moses was loaded 
 with the honours of the Kgyptian court, and fitted 
 
THE FOUNDLING. 201 
 
 for the important part he was hereafter to act on 
 the great theatre of life. 
 
 Oj what a source of gratitude was this to the 
 mother of Moses ! She never could forget her 
 obligations to God for his kindness to her son. 
 What a tale of delight for his father, when here- 
 turned from the slavish toils of the day ! Instead 
 of hearing the melancholy tale that his son was 
 no more, he found him still smiling on his mo- 
 ther's knee ; while she. weeping for joy, told the 
 wonderful dealings of God, and called upon him 
 to join her in a song of thanksgiving to their hea- 
 venly Father ; nor can we suppose that Miriam, 
 young as she was, could see all this unmoved. 
 She probably learned now, more clearly than she 
 had ever done before, the blessedness of trusting 
 in God, and sang, with her parents, the praises 
 of him whose wonderful works she afterwards 
 declared in her beautiful and immortal song. 
 
 The narrative, as we have now viewed it, 
 teaches us the doctrine of a particular providence 
 which God exercises towards his own people ; as 
 Bishop Hall has remarked, " when we seem most 
 neglected and forlorn in ourselves, then is God 
 most present, most vigilant." This encourages 
 us to put our trust in him under the darkest dis- 
 pensations with which we may be visited ; see- 
 
 18 
 
202 THE FOUNDLING. 
 
 i'g that wliat may appear to us thegreatest trials 
 may end in our unspeakable happiness. 
 
 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage fake ; 
 
 The clouds ye so much dread 
 Are big with mercy, and shall break 
 
 In blessings on your head. 
 
 We learn farlher, that the enemies ofGod, even 
 against their inclinations, may he constrained to 
 do good to his people, and to contribute essen- 
 tially to their happiness and their usefulness. 
 And, finally, we see the importance of iniusing, 
 in early life, the important truths of revelation 
 into the minds of our children. That instruction 
 was imparted lo Moses in the years of infancy 
 which preserved him amidst the temptations of 
 an Egyptian court, and prepared him for eminent 
 usefulness in the church of God. *' Train up a 
 child in the way lie should go, and when he is old 
 ije will not depart from it." 
 
THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 EXOD. II. III. HEB XI. 24—26. 
 
 Suffering with gladness for a Saviour's sake, 
 His soul exults, hope animates his lays, 
 Th^ sense of mercy kindles into praise, 
 And wilds, familiar with a lion's roar, 
 Ring with ecstatic sounds, unheard before: 
 'Tis love like his that can alone d.^feat 
 The foes of man, or mak-i a desert sweet. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Whether we search the records of sacred or 
 profiine history, it would be difficult to select, with 
 the exception of "the man Christ Jesus," a more 
 remarkable individual than Moses. Whether we 
 consider his talents, natural and acquired, — his 
 superiority as a legislator, — the public spirit he 
 manifested, and the anxious concern he shewed 
 for tlie prosperity of Israel, — or the meekness of 
 temper he usually displayed, we are impelled to 
 the conviction that he was no common character. 
 On his preservation in helpless mfancy, — his hap- 
 piness in communintr vvith God " face to face, as 
 
204 TEIE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 a man talketh with his friend," — his eminence as 
 a type of the great Deliverer and Legislator of 
 the church, — and his remarkable death and 
 burial, we dwell with interest profound and de- 
 lightful ; while, with Stephen, we pronounce him 
 a man " mii^hty in words and deeds." 
 
 Few portions of the sacred writings suggest 
 reflections more pleasing than the one in which 
 Paul, in wrltmg to the Hebrews, details the influ- 
 ence of faith on the heart and conduct of Moses, 
 — '' By faith Moses, when he was come to years, 
 refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daugh- 
 ter ; choosing rather to sufler aflliction with the 
 people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin 
 for a season ; esteeming the reproach of Christ 
 greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt: 
 for he had respect unto the recompence of re- 
 ward." 
 
 In reading this passage, our imagination is con- 
 ducted to the court of Egypt. Here, where royalty 
 dwells in splendour, possessing more than heart 
 could wish, — where idolatry is practised, and from 
 whence has issued many an edict to persecute and 
 oppress the people of Jehovah — here dwells Moses, 
 a man snatched in infancy, by the daughter of the 
 monarch, from a watery o^iave, and adopted into 
 the royal house as her own son — Moses, who had 
 been instructed in "arithmetic, geometry, physic, 
 
THE WISE CHOICE. 205 
 
 music, hieroglyphics, and astronomy," sciences 
 for which EiJ^ypt at that period was justly cele- 
 brated. Besides this, he no doubt filled high 
 offices in the state ; and probably was, as some 
 of the Jewish writers tell us, designed by Pha- 
 raoh himself to be the future sovereign of the 
 country. If ever man had reason to be satisfied 
 with the present world, it was Moses. Possessed 
 of influence and of honour, and able to enjoy 
 every gratification which a njan in his high sta- 
 tion could wish to pursue, what could be more 
 desirable than that " he siiould eat and drink, and 
 that he should make his soul enjoy good." 
 
 But happiness consists not in splendour, nor is 
 it necessarily connected with it. The royal 
 couch may be planted with thorns; and an ach- 
 ing heart may reside in a palace. While the 
 ignorant and inexperienced may be coveting 
 the pomp and circumstance of a crown, he who 
 sustains it may be groaning under the load which 
 oppresses his mind. Elevated as was Moses 
 in the house of Pharaoh, a burden haujgjs on his 
 soul which none can remove but the God of Is- 
 rael. The religion taught l)y Jehovah, and in- 
 spired by the Holy Spirit, and that alone, can 
 make a man truly happy. Forty years long has 
 Moses been seeking for enjoyment in a palace, 
 but he finds it not; it is imparted oiily l)y " the 
 18* 
 
206 THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," and by him 
 it is given lo every believing applicant. 
 
 It is a pleasing fact, that religion is occasionally 
 found where we have not supposed it to exist. 
 We should not have looked for Christians in the 
 household of Nero ; nor should we have expect- 
 ed that Moses, the adopted son of Pliaraoh's 
 daughter, would receive Divine hght, and feel the 
 importance of the truth. But, removed as such 
 persons generally are from God, and ignorant 
 as they almost universally appear of the great 
 things of the gospel, he, whose ways are not as 
 our ways, and whose thoughts are not as our 
 thoughts, can visit them by his Spirit, and 
 "shine into their hearts to give them the light of 
 the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of 
 Jesus Christ." And though it is true " that not 
 many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, 
 not many noble, are called" by Divine grace, yet 
 someoxQ visited by "the day-spring from on high," 
 and qualified for important offices in his church. 
 But for the sovereign grace of God, Moses had 
 contentedly revelled in the splendid pleasures of 
 the Egyptian court, engaged in the sin of idolatry, 
 and united with the ruling tyrant in his oppres- 
 sion of the Israelites. But God had marked him 
 for his own, and in his due time inclined him to 
 adopt the resolution we have already referred 
 to. 
 
THE WISE CHOICE, 207 
 
 The parents of this distinguished individual, 
 Amram and Jochebed, appear to have been 
 among the number of those who " called on the 
 name of the Lord," believed his promises to the 
 fathers, and were influenced by his fear. As 
 Moses, by the overruling providence of God, had 
 been brought up, in childhood at least, under their 
 eye, they, no doubt, had instructed him in the 
 language and religion of his fathers. He had 
 been told that the Israelites were now in Egypt 
 by the appointment of Jehovah, who by this 
 event was accomplishing his great purposes ; 
 that they should ultimately be delivered from 
 their slavery ; and possibly these pious persons 
 had endeavoured to stimulate him to use exer- 
 tions to accomplish this desirable object. He had 
 been farther told, that the land of Canaan should 
 be given them for a possession ; and that the 
 great Messiah promised to the fathers, should be 
 born of their nation, should instruct them in the 
 knowledge of God, and redeem them from spirit- 
 ual slavery by the shedding of his blood. The 
 Spirit of God impressed these truths on his heart : 
 he believed them ; and placing a simple reliunce 
 on those important facts, his views, his feelings, 
 and his conduct were changed. 
 
 Believers in the religion of the Bible have of- 
 ten been charged with enthusiasm. But why ? — ■ 
 
20S THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 Have iho'^G who prefer the cliarge examined the 
 matter; and is there ground on which it is sup- 
 ported ? The faith of the Christian has reofard 
 to the testimony of God. Jehovaii had revealed 
 the truths which Moses believed. See Gen. xv. 
 13— 19 ; xviii.8, 9, 13; xxii. IS;— and where, 
 we ask, is the enthusiasm — where the irrational- 
 ity of believing the word of him who made us ? 
 Awfnl, indeed, must be the condition of those 
 who live and die rejecting the testimony God 
 hath given of his Son. 
 
 Where the faith of the gospel has been produc- 
 ed in the heart by the influence of the Holy 
 Spirit, it will not be concealed as a hidden princi- 
 ple. It is a light that catjuot be hid ; it is leav- 
 en that must produce efl^ects ; — a fire that must 
 burn ; — a seed that must grow and produce fruit 
 — it icorks hy love. When a man believes what 
 God has revealed, he must of necessity venerate 
 his Creator, both on account of the loveliness of 
 his character and the grace displayed in his con- 
 duct: and having loved God, he will love his 
 people also ; because they bear the image of their 
 common Father, and are conslaiitly seekinor the 
 promotion of his glory. Besides which, Jesus 
 has made it the test of our Christian character 
 that we sliould love the brethren who, with us, 
 have been begotten again " by the word of truth.'* 
 
THE WISE CHOICE. 209 
 
 Hence we are not surprised at the resolution of 
 Moses to connect himself with "the people of 
 God." They alone possess the knowledge of Je- 
 hovah ; they are looking forward to the land of 
 promise, and they are hoping for the appearance 
 of the Messiah. And if there are so many rea- 
 sons why he should unite with them, — why 
 should he, or they who act like him, be cliarged 
 with enthusiasm ? 
 
 But if a man would enjoy the blessings of reli- 
 gion, he must be content to make expensive sacri- 
 fices. Moses sees the Israelites despised and per- 
 secuted ; they are in bondage, while he possesses 
 liberty, and is surrounded with plenty and with 
 grandeur. But the faith he possesses overcomes 
 the IV or Id ; it triumphs over the principles of 
 earth, and pities the motives which influence its 
 votaries ; it smiles at the sufferings which man 
 inflicts, and despises the offers which the world 
 presents ; it has in possession rich promises to 
 support the mind in the hour of trial, and in 
 prospect the enjoyment of immortal felicity. 
 Must Moses cease " to be called the son of Pha- 
 raoh's daughter," — this is a sacrifice he is quite 
 willing to make ; for he becomes by faith a son 
 of Jehovah — he belongs to the family of heaven, 
 and from henceforth he holds communion with 
 the Governor of the universe; pouring into the 
 
210 THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 bosom of Deity all his sorrows, and receiving- 
 from his infinite love the snpply of all liis neces- 
 sities. Must he •' suffer alHiction with the people 
 of God," — he is content to do so ; because they 
 are the favourites of heaven : he is quite sure 
 that the path of duty is tiie path of safety, and 
 must eventually conduct lo everlasting happi- 
 ness. Their common Father will always pro- 
 vide for them ; and tliouo^h he may now suffer 
 the n to endure trials and afflictions, it is hut to 
 furnish him with an opportunity of administering 
 grace, to support their minds, and to prepare 
 them for a residence in that land where ih(;se 
 sorrows and this bondaore shall be unknown. 
 Must he renounce "the pleasures" in which he 
 had engaged? — Yes; and all these he cheerful- 
 ly leaves ; he knows they are all impure — they 
 are •' the pleasures of sin ;" and what must be the 
 nature of the enjoyment of him who lives in a 
 state of rebellion against God, whose heart is 
 alienated from his Maker? His happiness can- 
 not be genuine; for this is the portion only of 
 him who has been reconciled to God by the death 
 of his Son. Moses felt also that these pleasures 
 are " but for a season ;" they last but a very short 
 time, are accompanied with dissatisfaction, and 
 end in sorrow. Like David, of after times, Mo- 
 ses would rather spend a day in the service of 
 
THE WISE CHOICE. 211 
 
 God, than a thousand elsevvfiere. Has he to suf- 
 fer reproach ? He has ; but he esteems " the re- 
 proach of Christ," or his sufTeriufrs for faith in 
 the Messiah to conie, "greater riches than the 
 treasures of Egypt." O what a different view- 
 does the word of God orjve us of the wealth of 
 
 o 
 
 this world from tfiat which men generally enter- 
 tain ! Man considers it as ali-impoitant ; Jeho- 
 vah represents it as of hut little value. Man 
 pursues the worM at the expense of his own sal- 
 vation ; while God teaches ns, that even the re- 
 proach attendtint on religion is to be preferred 
 before the best things which earth has to give. 
 Moses was aware of the persecutions he would 
 have to sutler ; and he l':ncw also the glory of him 
 for whose sake they would be endured. He was 
 not ignorant of the sneers with vvhich he would 
 be assailed ; but he felt the excellence of the 
 cause in which he had engao^ed, and knew that 
 a period would arrive when the wisdom cf his 
 conduct vvould appear befoie the assembled uni- 
 verse. He knew, even then, that a man could 
 not forsake his all for Christ without receiving 
 "a hu drt'd fold in this world, and in the world 
 to come (^vcrlasiing life." He saw things in 
 tlu'ir traie coloins: and what were the honours, 
 tlie riches, and the pleasures of Egypt ? Would 
 they saiisiy the claims of God ? Would they ease 
 
212 THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 a wounded conscience, or heal a broken heart? 
 Would they comfort in the hour of sorrow, or 
 bribe the kinor of terrors, when he should make his 
 approach ? — No : he fell their wortlilessness. Be- 
 sides this, he looked forward ; " he had respect 
 unto the recompence of the reward." Not mere- 
 ly did he anticipate the enjoyments of Canaan, 
 for that country he never entered, but he saw by 
 faith that heavenly land of which Canaan, with 
 all its riches, presented but a feeble shadow — 
 'Mie looked for a city which hath foundations; 
 whose builder and maker is God ;" his Fcither's 
 house — where he himself dwells, and where the 
 whole family of heaven shall finally assemble ; 
 where Jesus sits enthroned in immortal splen- 
 dour, scattering around him "joys unspeakable 
 and full of glory." 
 
 The splendid crown which Moses sought 
 
 Still beams around his brow ; 
 Though soon great I'haraoh's conquer'd pride 
 Was taught by deutii to bow. 
 
 What, then, are the treasures of the world, 
 compared with the exalted blessino:s which the 
 relii^iou of Christ exhibits to our view? All 
 which earth gives is, confessedly, and from its 
 very nature, confined to the present state. Its 
 pleasures end in the night of death — its honours 
 
THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 213 
 
 are buried with us in the grave — its riches pass 
 Slot current in the world to come. Preparation 
 for that solemn eternity into which death will 
 introduce us, it pretends not to give. It makes 
 no promises beyond the tomb. But Moses, and 
 every one who possesses faith in Christ, must 
 needs regfard another world. To the believer in 
 Jesus, eternity opens a vast and delightful pro- 
 spect. There he sees " the end of his faith, the 
 salvation of his soul." A dehverance from the 
 pains of hell, the dominion of sin, and the 
 power of death. There he enters on those 
 durable riches, those lasting honours, and ihose 
 substantial pleasures, which this world, with all 
 its boasting, could never afford him. 
 
 And who that reflects on the nature of world- 
 ly happiness, and the glories of the world to 
 come, — who that, by the aid of faith, sees "him 
 who is invisible," can blame Moses for such a 
 choice? What does the man enjoy who to-day 
 occupies the throne of a mighty empire, while 
 thousands how before him, adopting the fulsome 
 languageof flattery, and saying of him, ns tliey 
 did of Herod, "It is the voice of a god, and not 
 of a man ?" Is he quite certain, that those who 
 to-day load him witti plaudits, may not conspire 
 his death to-morrow ? He who has every plea- 
 sure at command, does his conscience never vvhis- 
 19 
 
214 THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 per in his ears tJiat he is a sinner ? Does he ne- 
 ver feel that the Christian, who in a mnd-walled , 
 cottao-e hiis his '-fellowship with the Father, and 
 with his Son Jesus Christ," is a character infinite- 
 ly more hononrahle than himself? Does his 
 heart never tell him thatall this proud distinction 
 is but a bubble, which will soon burst in disap- 
 pointment? Will affliction keep at a distance 
 from his throne ; and will death listen to his 
 edict, and forget to visit the palace ? — No ; he is 
 but a man, and must have his shaie of sorrows. 
 As a guilty rebel before God, he needs the par- 
 don of his sins ; and unless that pardon is ob- 
 tained, he will find that, like other impenitent 
 sinners, he must sink inio the regions of des- 
 pair. Already do tlie inhabitants of the grave pro- 
 claim in his ears, as he passes by their silent 
 dwellings — 
 
 Princes, this clay must be your bed. 
 
 In spite of all your towers ; 
 The tall, the wise, the rcveiend head, 
 
 Musi lie as low as ours. 
 
 And what becomes now of the charge of en- 
 thusui!-m? Or even supj-osing tbat a portirti of 
 it be possessed by the Christinn : it is forgiven in 
 the artist, who exclaimed — " I pant for eternity ;" 
 it is pjirdoiied in the state^nian, whose heart is 
 anxi(nisly seeking but the ten poral prosperity of 
 mankind ; it is not censured, nay. it is adUiired, 
 
THE WISE CHOICE. 215 
 
 in the man of science, who is so attached to his 
 studies as even to foriret the common duties of 
 life ; — and is it unpardinablec^nlyin theman who, 
 relying on the testimony of God, tramples on the 
 things of this world, because he is expectino-, and 
 that on the most rational grounds, soon to enter 
 on a better? May it not be excused, if, feeling 
 the vast solemnity of eternity, the thinsfs of time 
 dwindle in our view into absolute insignificance ; 
 and if, anxiously engaged in preparing for the 
 great cliange we must soon undergo, we care but 
 little for events which, compared with those that 
 engross our attention, are but like the shaking of 
 a leaf compared with the roaring of the thun- 
 ders of God ; or the light of a taper in compari- 
 son with the rays of the great orb of day, when 
 he shines fortli in all his noon- tide splendour ! 
 
 No longer, then, let the fieart of my reader be 
 fixed on the baubles of the present world ; but, 
 filled with sorrow for his past indifference to the 
 concerns of his soul, let him — • 
 
 Fly to the hope the Gospel gives ; — 
 The man that trusts the promise lives. 
 
 Let his soul no Ioniser be placed on the objects 
 of sense; but let him aspire after that grace 
 which shall enable him to " set his affections on 
 things above, where Christ sitteth at the right 
 
216 THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 hand of God," Like Moses, let him heartily- 
 cast in his lot with the followers of Christ, clieer- 
 fully sharing their sorrows here, and expecting 
 to enjoy their reward hereafter. 
 
 The estimate which Moses formed of the van- 
 ity of the world on the one hand, and the hless- 
 edness of religion on the other, was altogether a 
 correct one. True, he long lived as " a stranger 
 in a strange land," but the Lord never forsook 
 him, and at length promoted him to honour in 
 the sight of many nations. He is immortalized 
 as the deliverer and legislator of Israel ; in an- 
 swer to his prayers, they were again and again 
 preserved from entire destruction, and thongh on 
 some occasions he manifested an improper and 
 inconsistent spirit, yet did he generally display 
 that meekness for which he stands so eminently 
 distinguished. True, he was not perfect ; — " to 
 err is human ;" but he with whom is forgive- 
 ness, while he chastised him wi.h exclusion from 
 the land of Canaan, was pleased, in a mysterious 
 and happy manner, to remove his soul into the 
 heavenly world, burying his 1 ody till the n.orn. 
 ing of the resurrection, when it shall rise to im- 
 mortal glory. 
 
 Wo learn from the interesting facts recorded 
 of Moses, that the blessed God selects instru- 
 ments to carry on his cause in the world from 
 
THE WISE CHOICE. 
 
 217 
 
 all classes of society. Moses of Egypt, and Saul 
 of Tarsus, may be trained to oppose his people ; 
 but he can chan^j^e their hearts, and constrain 
 them to consecrate their mighty energies to his 
 service, tte sometimes makes even his enemies 
 contribute to support and deliver his people. 
 Little did Pharaoh imagine, when he issued an 
 edict that the male children of the Hebrews 
 should be destroyed, that it would prove the 
 means of his giving support, and training up one 
 of those very infants, who, in his own court, 
 should acquire the arts of government, and who 
 should deliver the captives from his grasp. So 
 true is it that the Supreme Governor of luiman 
 affairs can make even " the wrath of man to 
 praise him." We learn further from the history, 
 that there is nothing lost by serving God ; though 
 we may have to sacrifice wordly good, the loss 
 is abundantly made up by the peace of consci- 
 ence, the serenity of soul, and all the happiness 
 which reliiJ^ion brings. And, finally, we see that 
 faith in God, and a firm and unmoving confi- 
 dence in his word, will support a Christian under 
 all the trials of life, and enable him '' always to 
 triumph in Christ." 
 
 O for a strong^ a lasting foith, 
 To credit what th' AJaiighiy saith! 
 T' embrace the message of his bon, 
 And call the joys of heaven our own. 
 
 19* 
 
THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 
 
 LEV. XXIV. 10 — 16. 
 
 ■He 
 
 "Whom starry science in her cradle rock'd, 
 
 And Castaly enchasten'd with its dews, 
 
 Closes his eye upon the holy word, 
 
 And, blind to all but arrogance and pride, 
 
 Dares to declare his infidelity, 
 
 And openly contemn the Lord of hosts. 
 
 What is philosophy, if it impart 
 
 Irreverence for the Deity, or teach 
 
 A mortal man to set his judgment up 
 
 Against his Maker's will 1 
 
 H. K. White. 
 
 In perusing- the historical parts of the inspired 
 volume we are frequentlj^ struck with the unhap- 
 py effects which arose from the people of God 
 associating with those who were yet opposed to 
 him, especially when the union was so close as 
 that which forms the niarriage contract. No- 
 thing, surely, can he more inconsistent with reli- 
 gion, or more unlovely, than unions of this kind. 
 The tastes, the pursuits, and the destinies of the 
 friends and the enemies of God are so different, 
 
THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 219 
 
 that, if facts did not convince us to the contrary, 
 we mijjht imagine it impossible that so close an 
 attachment could exist between them. Such, 
 however, is the perverseness of the human heart, 
 that in defiance of the law ot God, and in opposi- 
 tion to our own best interests, we determine to 
 gratify our wicked desires. The Supreme Being 
 allows us, in justice, to follow our own devices, 
 but causes "our wickedness to correct us," and 
 teaches us, that "it is an evil thing, and bitter, to 
 forsake the Lord our God." Unhallowed alliances 
 of the kind we have censured destroyed the old 
 world, frequently led the Israelites into sin, and 
 finally drovre them into cnptivity. 
 
 Nor have the unhappy effects of this crime 
 been less striking in destroying the happiness of 
 individuals. This sin ruined an Esau, a Samp- 
 son, and a Solomon ; and did no small injury to 
 Abraham and Job, to Moses and David. It is an 
 artful snare of Satan, to obstruct the progress of 
 religion in the soul, and it istooofien successful ; 
 against it young persons should diligently guard, 
 and, that they " may be kept from the evil," they 
 should ardently pray. 
 
 The awful circumstance on which 1 propose 
 to offer a few illustraiive remarks, closely con- 
 nects itself with the observations just made. 
 While the children of Israel were in Egypt, they 
 
220 THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 
 
 too frequently married into the ftimilies of that 
 country, andtliese marriages were, many of them 
 at least, liighly injurious to their future welfare. 
 In the instance before us, an Israelitish female 
 had become the wife of an idolatrous Egyptian, 
 and the fruit of their marriage was a son, who, 
 on the departure of the Israehtes for Canaan, ac- 
 companied his mother, and perhaps his father, to 
 take possession of the promised land. An event 
 of this sort would doubtless afford pleasure to his 
 mother, who probably imagined that he had thus 
 forsaken for ever the paths of idolatry and of vice, 
 and tliat, like Moses, their leader, he had "chosen 
 rather to suffer affliction with the people ot God, 
 than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." 
 She, no doubt, looked forward to the period when 
 he should enter '' the land flowing with milk and 
 honey," and enjoy with her a long period of un- 
 interrupted happiness. 
 
 How frequently are the fondest hopes of a pious 
 parent disappointed ! And especially is this the 
 case, when the father, who ought to guide his in- 
 fant son to the altar of the God of heaven, there 
 to avow allegiance to Him, leads him astray to 
 the paths of vice. Children are flir more likely 
 to choose the ways of sin than those of holiness, 
 for the former accord with their natural inclina- 
 tions, but the latter are opposed to their depraved 
 
THE BLASPHKMER STONED. 221 
 
 passions. This ^^onns: ^'^^^ had witnessed the 
 idoiatry of his fatfier, and knew his op osition 
 and hatred, as an Egyptian, towards the descend- 
 ants of Israel. So long as his depart n re frona 
 Egypt wore the charms of novelty, so long as he 
 trembled on account of the thunders of Sinai, and 
 so lonof as he felt but little of the fatigues and in- 
 conveniences of the pilgrimage, he probably felt 
 satisfied ; but having to endure hardships, and, 
 possibly, irritated by the conduct of those who 
 would consider him as a suspicious person, he 
 now began to shew himself an open enemy to 
 the commonwealth and to the God of Israel. 
 
 It app3ars that, on some account or other, a 
 quarrel occurred between this young man and 
 an Israelite. It is panifuUy affeciing to see a 
 spirit of opposition among men, who are l)ound 
 both by the law of God and their own happmess 
 to love each other. Sin, however, has ihrovvn 
 the world into confusion, and leads men to ex- 
 pose themselves to danger, in order to shew their 
 hatred to those who have been so unhappy as to 
 give them offence. These young men not only 
 disputed, but foULcht. One evil produced another : 
 hard words led to blows, and blows to an excess 
 of passion, which impelled to a still greater 
 crime. 
 
 Whoever contemplates the nature and the cha- 
 
222 THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 
 
 racter of Jehovah must feel very deeply impress- 
 ed with reverence towards him, and must see the 
 wisdom of his law, that his name should be treat- 
 ed with solemnity. It was an amiable feeling 
 which led the Jews to refrain from pronouncing 
 it excepting on extraordinary occasions, and 
 which hardly permitted them even to write it. 
 Talking frequently of Jehovah in a careless way- 
 will naturally lead us to think lightly of him. 
 There were those, however, in earlier ages, who 
 could speak of this Great Being as they would 
 have done of an idol deity, and there are too 
 many in our own day who resemble them. The 
 man of whom we are now speaking is generally 
 supposed to have injured the Israehte with whom 
 he fought, and, on this account, to liave been 
 taken before a magistrate, who having decided 
 the cause against him, he became irritated, and 
 blasphemed the name of the God of Israel, by 
 whose laws he had now been judged. 
 
 Blasphemy has been very correctly defined as 
 speaking contumeliously of Jehovah. Its origin 
 betrays an awfully depraved heart, and its design 
 can be none other than that which Satan himself 
 has in view, to excite low and wicked thoughts in 
 the hearts of men in reference to the Great J( lio- 
 vah. It is impossible to conceive of any thing 
 more awful than that of a man who owes hiseX' 
 
The blasphemer stoned. 223 
 
 istence and his comforts to God, speaking against 
 the Being who is adored by all holy intelli- 
 gences, whose word i^ave existence to the uni- 
 verse, whose favour constitutes heaven, and 
 whose frown creates the misery of hell itself. 
 Well might Jehovah say. in reference to such a 
 crime, that he would not hold the man guiltless 
 who should be found perpetratmg it. 
 
 May I be allowed, before I proceed, to express 
 a fear that this awful crime of blasphemy against 
 Jehovah is even now very frequently committed ! 
 I allude, not merely to the bold profane swearer, 
 but to the man who indulges and disseminates a 
 low opinion of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has 
 given so many proofs to the world of his essen- 
 tial Deity. To degrade Him whom the Father 
 has exalted; to count His blood as an unholy 
 thing, or to reckon it as of no value ; to repre- 
 sent Him as afollible and peccable man like our- 
 selves, and to reject the doctrines He has deliver- 
 ed in the name of .Tehovah, — must surely be a 
 crime very nearly akin to that of blasphemy. Let 
 my reader cautiously examine himself as to the 
 views he entertains of the Divine character, and 
 be careful lest he fall into this sin ; remembering 
 that " the Lord God is a jealous God, and will 
 not give his glory to another." 
 
 The laws which emanated from Jehovah for 
 
224 THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 
 
 the off^vernment of Israel had declared the enor- 
 mity of this crime, but had nowhere adjudged its 
 punisfimerit. One would have thought man 
 could hardly- have committed it ; but when we 
 daily hear murinu rings against his providence, 
 and see his authority defied, — when we see his 
 wors.'iip deserted, and idols set up in his room, — 
 when we hear some deny his existence, and 
 others find fault with his law, we learn that the 
 depravity of the human heart, as well as its de- 
 ceitfulness, is awfully inveterate ; and when we 
 see the Holy and Just One put to death by his 
 creatures, we are compelled to admit that man 
 can blasj)heme the name of Jehovah, and it be- 
 comes us to be deeply humbled on account of it. 
 Greatly offended, and deeply grieved as Moses, 
 to whom this case was referred, must be, he felt 
 that it would not become him to inflict a pimish- 
 nient upon the criminal till he had conferred on 
 the subject with the great Being who had been 
 blasphemed. Honest zeal may yet be unenlight- 
 ened. The disciples of Christ would have called 
 fire down from heaven, to consume those who op* 
 posed him, had not he hindered them. We may 
 punish those who sin against God in a wrong 
 spirit, and in a manner which may not accom- 
 plish their reformation, or deter others from the 
 sin. It is right that he who is blasphemed 
 
THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 225 
 
 against should ordain the punishment for the 
 crime, because he only can select what infliction 
 should mark his detestation of the sin, and pre- 
 vent others from readily falling into it. On these 
 accounts, Moses acted with great wisdom in keep- 
 ing the culprit in a state of confinement till the 
 will of the infinitely wise LaAvgiver should be 
 known in reference to him. 
 
 It will readily be supposed that the prayer of 
 Moses, on an occasion like this, would not long 
 remain unanswered. Jehovah directs that the 
 offender be brought forth, that the witnesses who 
 heard him utter the awfully criminal language 
 should distinguish him by laying their hands 
 upon his head, that the whole body of the people 
 should unite in stoning him, and that henceforth 
 those who offended in a similar manner should 
 be thus put to death. 
 
 Disposed, as we naturally are, to entertain 
 hard thoughts of God, we may be ready to say 
 that this punishment was too severe. A similar 
 idea has been expressed by infidels in reference 
 to Nadab and Abihu, who were destroyed for 
 offering strange fire before the Lord ; the Bethshe- 
 mites for looking into the ark ; and Uzzah, who 
 put forth his hand to preserve it from falling. 
 But let it be remembered, that in each case there 
 was a direct violation of the Divine law, which 
 20 
 
226 THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 
 
 had been given in a manner eminently marked 
 by the i^reatest solemnity. It is not reckoned a 
 small crime to commit treason against an earthly 
 monarch, even thongh the offender may be un- 
 able to do him an injury, yet the disposition to do 
 that injury is primarily regarded ; and, shall trea- 
 son against the Majesty of heaven go unnoticed, 
 when the punishment is awarded by Infinite wis- 
 dom and justice, to whom the actual guilt of the 
 sinner is perfectly known ? It is unreasonable 
 that a company of rebels should be allowed to 
 dispute the justice of a punishment which they 
 have themselves incurred. By our transgres- 
 sions we have offended our Maker, and it be- 
 comes us at once to acknowledge his equity in 
 our punishment, and to avail ourselves of the pri- 
 vilege he has given us of imploring his mercy. 
 
 Sentence having been passed upon the offender 
 by an infallible judge, no time must be lost in 
 putting it into execution. The scene is indes- 
 cribably affecting. Those who had heard him 
 utter the language, which they trembled to re- 
 peat, are called forth witli him without the camp, 
 and commanded to lay their hands upon his 
 head ; thus pointing him out as the offender, 
 practically refusing to share his guilt by conceal- 
 inof it from their neio^hbours, and e^iving^ him up 
 to the displeasure of the thousar^ds of Israel. 
 
THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 227 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that this man was not 
 to be put to death by means of any particular per- 
 son or persons, whoshould be especially appointed 
 to that painful office; but it was to be done by 
 " all the congregation." Did not Jehovah thus call 
 upon Israel, each to testify publicly their abhor- 
 rence of this awful sin — to shew an united deter- 
 mination to punish it in those who micrht hero- 
 after trano-ress in a similar manner, and to testi- 
 fy against themselves, should they be so unhap- 
 py as to fall into the crime? Those who have 
 punished others for a sin, certainly must ac- 
 knowledge the justice of their own punishment 
 in a similar case. This kind of death was ever 
 after, according to the appointment of Jehovah, 
 inflicted on ttiose who committed this crime j 
 but it is very deeply to be regretted, that in after 
 times the severity of it extended to those who in 
 the opinion ofmierested persons had been guilty 
 of constructive blasphemy. For this the Sa- 
 viour himself, as well as Stephen, the first Chris- 
 tian martyr, was put to death. It is a dangerous 
 thing to leave the plain dictates of revelation, 
 and to apply the laws of God to cases for which 
 they were never designed. If we once do this, 
 it is difficult to say at what absurdity we may 
 arrive. A wrono^ view of the laws of heaven 
 has laid the foundation of, by far, the larger pro- 
 portion of the persecutions which have deluged 
 
228 THE BLASPHEMER STONED. 
 
 the Christian church with blood, and which 
 are now caUing for the vengeance of Jehovah 
 upon their authors. 
 
 This affecting portion of the holy volume is 
 eminently calculated to impress our minds with 
 the awful extent of human depravity, which 
 will lead us even to curse the author of our being, 
 and the giver of our mercies. It shews us the 
 melancholy result of young persons having bad 
 examples placed before them. It is probable that 
 this young man had heard his father in Egypt 
 curse his idols, when the desires he had present- 
 ed to them had not been gratified ; and he now 
 applies similar language in reference to the God 
 of Israel, bringing down his wrath upon him- 
 self We see the importance of caution in refer- 
 ence to the connexions we form, seeing that 
 sinners not only bring the vengeance of heaven 
 upon themselves, but scatter misery around the 
 whole circle in which they move. It becomes 
 us, we farther learn, to entertain feelings of the 
 most profound reverence towards God, and to be 
 satisfied with the arrangements of his provi- 
 dence ; because, in some way or other, we shall 
 see the effects of his jealousy, and be punished 
 for our sins. Let each of my readers seek an in- 
 terest in His favour, through the mediation of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ : for "it is a fearful thing 
 to fall into the hands of the living God." 
 
THE SERPENTS. 
 
 NUMBERS, XXt. 
 
 With fiery serpents greatly pained, 
 
 When Israel's mourning tribes complained, 
 
 And sigh'd to be relieved ; 
 A serpent straight the Proph-et made 
 Of molten brass, to view displayed : 
 
 The patients looked, and lived ! 
 
 Anon. 
 
 It should ever be the dehght of those who are 
 blessed with the powers of reason to review the 
 deaUns^s of the Great Jehovah with mankind in 
 every successive age. Such a retrospect will in- 
 struct us in the knowledge of the Divine charac- 
 ter, the nature of the claims He makes on our 
 love and obedience, and tend to deliver us from 
 the temptations to which we are exposed from 
 Satan and the world. To assist us in this profit- 
 able duty, the God of wisdom and mercy has 
 given us the sacred volume, which we do well 
 to regard as a light shining in this dark world, 
 to lead our feet into the ways of peace. 
 20* 
 
230 THE SERPENTS. 
 
 The events to which we would now invite the 
 attention of the reader, happened in the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood of Edom, or Idumea, on the 
 borders of the land of Canaan, about the year of the 
 world 2553, nearly forty years after the deliver- 
 ance of the Israelites from Egypt, a little before 
 they entered into possession of the land of Ca- 
 naan, and about one thousand four hundred and 
 fifty-one years before the incarnation of the Mes- 
 siah. 
 
 It will be remembered by our readers, that 
 the Israelites displayed a very awful degree of 
 rebellion against the law and authority of the 
 blessed God ; that they frequently murmured at 
 his government and Providence ; and that, as the 
 consequence, the Divine anger was often mani- 
 fested against them. To punish them for their 
 sins, and to accomplish other important designs 
 of Jehovah, their stay in the wilderness which 
 lay between Egypt and Canaan was protracted 
 to the very long period of forty years. At the 
 time, however, to which we now have reference, 
 they were brought nearly to the borders of the 
 promised land, and expected to have passed di- 
 rectly through Idumea, and have taken posses- 
 sion of it. But, disappointed by Infinite Wisdom 
 of tlieir hopes, wearied with their journey, de- 
 pressed in their spirits, and, above all, under the 
 
THE SERPENTS. 231 
 
 influence of Satanic agency, they found fault 
 with the conduct of their heavenly Benefactor, 
 murmured against his servant Moses, and disap- 
 proved of the provisions, which he, in a miracu- 
 lous manner, had given them, without labour on 
 their part, during their long pilgrimage. 
 
 It was not to be expected that a Being so holy 
 and powerful as Jehovah, would allow them thus 
 to sin, without manifesting marks of his dis- 
 pleasure. The goodness he had shewn, and the 
 honour he had put upon them in making them 
 his people, would awfully increase their guilt ; 
 and we shall now find that his anger was dis- 
 played in a way which must have convinced all 
 of the cause of their sufferings, and the inevita- 
 able consequences of sin. 
 
 The wilderness in which the Israelites now 
 were, according to the accounts furnished us by 
 highly respectable travellers, was, and indeed con- 
 tinues to be, infested by great numbers of ser- 
 pents, of a brilliant, fiery colour, whose bite pro- 
 duced considerable inflammation, and an acute 
 pain similar to that inflicted by fire, which gene- 
 rally proved fatal to those who were unfortunate- 
 ly wounded by them. The Supreme Being al- 
 lowed these serpents to increase in great num- 
 bers among the people, and to make, by their fa- 
 tal ravages, many thousands of them monuments 
 of his displeasure. 
 
232 THE SERPENTS. 
 
 It would be very difficult for us to form a cor^ 
 rect and full idea of the mischief effected by these 
 destructive creatures amon^ a body of several 
 millions of persons. Multitudes rose in the morn- 
 in^ in their accustomed health, rejoicing in their 
 connexions, and pleased with the hope of soon 
 surmounting their present trials, and enterinor the 
 land described to them as flowing with milk and 
 honey. But, alas ! stepping to the door of the 
 tent, perhaps to gather up their allotted portion 
 of manna for the day, or to transact business with 
 an acquaintance, they are bitten by one of these 
 reptiles ; poison is infused into the blood ; the 
 part aflected is swollen, and in a very few hours 
 they lie cold and stiff in the arms of death. 
 Tluis thousands, and probably tens of thousands, 
 in a very few days, fell victims to an incensed 
 Deity, and proclaimed to future ages, ''It is a fear- 
 ful thing' to fall into the hands of the living God." 
 Who shall describe to us the confusion and 
 sorrow which now universally prevail ? In this 
 tent lies the corpse of a beloved and only child, 
 the hope and solace of its parents ; but it is gone, 
 and they weep, refusing to be comforted : there 
 the bereaved husband is seen bending over the 
 inanimate body of her who but yesterday was 
 the blooming beauty, and the lovely bride; yon- 
 der is the interesting female bedewing with heir 
 
THE SERPENTS. 233 
 
 tears the lifeless remains of one to whom she, but 
 a few hours ago, hoped to be united for many- 
 years to come ; and at a Uttle distance we may see 
 the aged couple, binding under the weight of 
 years, committing the prop of their age to the 
 silent dust ; and as they are engaged in this act, 
 they themselves have the mortal bite inflicted on 
 them. Oh, sin ! how dreadful are thy ravages ! 
 It is easy to bring on ourselves merited punish- 
 ment ; but, alas ! we cannot dismiss, as we would, 
 the consequences of our transgressions. 
 
 It is well when our trials lead us to reflection 
 and humiliation. The Israelites, thus visited 
 with a painful dispensation, losing their beloved 
 connexions, seeing thousands of their kindred 
 changed to corpses, and assured that no human 
 arm could save tliem, very properly applied to 
 Moses, their leader, and the friend of God. They 
 knew that his prayers had power with Jehovah, 
 they hoped that his mediation with him would 
 now be accepted, and they felt it to be right to 
 acknowledge their sins both against heaven and 
 Moses. 
 
 Happily for Israel, Moses was a man eminent- 
 ly distinguished for his meekness ; and when 
 they consulted him he did not reproach them 
 with their past crimes : but seeing proofs of repen- 
 tance, and feeling an ardent desire for their de- 
 
234 THE SERPENTS, 
 
 liverance and happiness, he bowed before the 
 throne of Jehovah, and used his mighty influ- 
 ence in their favour. Nor was his intercession 
 in vain, for the Lord heard, and at once prepared 
 a remedy. 
 
 A thousand times has it been seen, that, in or- 
 der to accomphsh his purposes, the Governor of 
 the Universe employs different means to those 
 which would be selected by his creatures. "His 
 ways are not as our ways, neither are his thoughts 
 as our thoughts. " We should have supposed 
 that a council would have been convened o f 
 tliose who were most eminent for medical skill, 
 and that their combined wisdom might have dis- 
 covered some method of cure. But Jehovah re- 
 solved on a remedy which in itself possessed no 
 virtue ; but which, owing its efficacy solely to its 
 being his appointment, sfiould impress the people 
 with a sense of their entire dependence on Him, 
 and ensure to himself the whole glory of their re- 
 covery. Moses was directed to make a serpent of 
 brass, to elevate it on a pole in the midst of the 
 camp, to proclaim that whoever had been bitten 
 nufrhi look upon it, and that, though dyins:, such 
 persons should instantly recover. What a display- 
 was this of infinite mercy ; — what a remarkable 
 interposition in favour of Israel ! 
 
 We can easily imagine the suggestions of m- 
 
THE SERPENTS. 235 
 
 fidelity on the one hand, and the triumphs of 
 faith on the other, on this occasion. It is quite 
 probable that when the proclamation was made 
 through the camp, some persons would begin to 
 reason on the improbability of the remedy, and 
 would argue — that as looking at a serpent made 
 of brass could possess no medicinal virtue, it 
 could not be the appointment of Jehovah : and 
 it is quite possible that with these views some 
 might refuse to look, and die. Others, however, 
 smarting under excruciating pain, reduced to 
 despair as to all human help, and just ready to 
 expire, would joyfully listen to the declaration 
 of the acknowledged servant of God, would 
 exult in the provision of a remedy so free, sim- 
 ple, and efficacious ; and would earnestly look, 
 and thus derive life. How fondly does the fancy 
 dwell on the happy scenes thus produced, by the 
 blessing of Jehovah, on the means he had ap- 
 pointed for the recovery of his people ! How 
 much happiness would be diffused through nu- 
 merous families, by the happy recoveries which 
 took place among them ! While the justice of 
 the Deity was manifested by punishing in this 
 awful manner those who rebelled ag.iinst Him, 
 his mercy was at least equally displayed by the 
 recovery of those who exercise faith in his word. 
 How striking an illustration does this narra- 
 
236 THE SERPENTS. 
 
 live afford us of the way of salvation by Christ 
 Jesus ! Twice, at least, did the [Saviour refer 
 to it in this way ; when he said to Nicodemus, 
 " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilder- 
 ness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up ; 
 that whosoever believeth in him should not 
 perish, but have eternal life :" and when he af- 
 terwards said to his disciples, " And I, if I be 
 lifted up, will draw all men unto me." He is 
 the appointed remedy to whom perishing and 
 dying sinners can alone look for life and salva- 
 tion ; the way of obtaining mercy is by the be- 
 lief of the truth concerning him, and placing a 
 simple reliance on his favour ; thousands are 
 found to despise his mercy, and they perish for 
 ever ; otiiers are constrained to look unto him, 
 and they are saved. May it be equally the hap- 
 piness of the writer and his readers to believe in 
 this great Deliverer, and to experience the bles- 
 sings of his infinite grace. 
 
THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 NUMBERS, XXII. — XXIV. 
 
 Cluit, dark Hypocrisy, thy thin disguise, 
 Nor think to cheat the notice of the skies ! 
 Unsocial Avarice, thy grasp forego. 
 And bid the useful treasure learn to flow ! 
 Restore, Injustice, the defrauded gain ! 
 Oppression, bend to ease the captive's chain, 
 Ere awful Justice strike the awful blow ! 
 And drive you to the realms of night below ! 
 
 BOTSB. 
 
 Few things are more painfully affecting to a 
 rightly constituted mind, than the idea of a man 
 who yet remains an enemy to God, being en- 
 gaged as a minister in holy things. He who 
 bears messages from Jehovah to man, should 
 have a love to the Being by whom he is sent, 
 and to the message he is honoured to carry. 
 And yet it is greatly to be feared, that many who 
 have been the bearers of blessings to others, have 
 not been partakers of them themselves. Judas 
 published the glories and the grace of Christ, 
 and after all, was lost; Caiaphas, the Jewish 
 high-priest, declared " that it was expedient for 
 21 
 
238 THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 one man to die for the people, to gather together 
 in one the people of God, who were scattered 
 abroad ;'' but we have no reason to conclude, 
 tiiat he shared in the happy effects which result- 
 ed from the Messiah's death. Saul was found 
 among the prophets, but retained his evil dispo- 
 sitions ; and Balaam, whose history is now briefly 
 to pass under our review, uttered many very im- 
 portant truths, but lived " loving the wages of 
 unrighteousness," and died as an enemy to the 
 divine government. 
 
 It appears that, in the earlier agesof the world, 
 when one nation warred against another, they 
 tried in various ways to obtain the favour of 
 their respective idols, and to incense them against 
 their enemies. In order to effect this, they ap- 
 plied to their prophets, and to those who prac- 
 tised the various arts of enchantment. The 
 people of Israel, in their journey towards Canaan, 
 had come into the neighbourhood of Moab, the 
 inhabitants of which united m their opposition 
 to those whom they improperly accounted their 
 enemies. They had heard of the fame of Ba- 
 laam, though he lived at a considerable distance 
 from them, and they thought it desirable to en- 
 sure his services, and to prevail upon him to 
 come and cnrse the Israelites, thus by his arts of 
 divination to effect their ruin. For this purpose, 
 
THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 239 
 
 according to the usao^e of that country and age, 
 they despatched messengers conveying presents 
 to him, and intreating him immediately to visit 
 them, to accomplish the object they so ardently 
 desired. 
 
 Whether Balaam had, or had not, pre- 
 viously been employed by the blessed God" as a 
 true prophet, it would be difficult for us to deter- 
 mine : it is certain that some among the heathen 
 nations had, before this, heard of Jehovah, and 
 had been taught to worship him, and it is not 
 improbable that Balaam had been one of the in- 
 struments employed to diffuse that knowledge. 
 If this was the case, his situation must have been 
 a truly melancholy one ; having to unfold the 
 character and benevolence of that Being whose 
 favour he had never sought, and whose wrath he 
 should hereafter himself experience. It is cer- 
 tain, however, that if he were a true prophet, he 
 was also a magician, and used arts for the injury 
 of mankind. There are those who destroy the 
 good they might otherwise do, by the evil which 
 forms a prominent part of their character. 
 
 It is observable, that a solemn awe, in refer- 
 ence to Jehovah, rested on the mind of Balaam ; 
 for ardently desirous, as he evidently was, from 
 the very first, to undertake the business desired 
 by Balak, yet he dared not to do it until he had 
 
240 THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 consulted, and obtained the permission of the 
 God of Israel, against whom no enchantments 
 could prevail, and whose displeasure could not 
 be withstood. And yet, had the fear of God 
 duly influenced his heart, he would instantly 
 have refused to have accompanied the messen- 
 gers, to undertake the unholy task, and would 
 have sent them back with a reply, that would 
 have prevented any farther application to him for 
 so unhallowed a purpose. When evil is not 
 heartily resisted, we tempt our enemies to en- 
 snare us into the paths of transgression. We 
 see in Balaam a strikino- instance of a man's na- 
 turally covetous disposition acting in opposition 
 to an enljofiitened understandino^. 
 
 Notliing can be more evident than that Ba- 
 laam had a heart set on the possession of as much 
 of the wealth of this world as possible. This 
 was apparent to the messengers sent by Balak, 
 to effect the destruction of the Israelites. He 
 does not display the noble spirit of an apostle in 
 after days, who, when he was oflfered money for 
 the bestowment of the remarkable gifts with 
 which he was endowed, replied, " Thy money 
 perish with thee." Balaam regretted that he 
 could not fulfil the requests of the king of Moab ; 
 but God had restrained him. Jehovah had bless- 
 ed his people, and prohibited Balaam from de- 
 
THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 241 
 
 livering a curse which never could be put into 
 execution. If sinners do not more frequently in- 
 jure the people of God, it is not because they are 
 unwilling to do it, but because they are restrain- 
 ed by the hand of Omnipotence, which is ever 
 engaged in protecting and blessing those who 
 are devoted to his service. 
 
 Having learnt something of the disposition of 
 the prophet, and being convinced that he was 
 not averse to the task he would impose upon 
 him, Balak resolves to make another attempt to 
 accomplish his object. And now he would send 
 a larger and more honourable embassy to work 
 upon the pride of Balaam ; he will promise great 
 honours to feed his ambition, as well as immense 
 riches to gratify his covetousness. The supposed 
 good things of the present state are all that the 
 men of the world seek after, and they are great- 
 ly disappointed, when Divine Providence seems 
 opposed to their obtaininor them. Balaam spoke 
 a truth, which ministered not a little to his mor- 
 tification, when he declared, that " if Balak would 
 give him his house full of silver and gold, he 
 could not go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do 
 less or more." And yet, the temptation now laid 
 before him was so great, that he resolves, if pos- 
 sible, to accomplish the desired end, and pos- 
 sess the promised good. So true is it, that " they 
 who will be rich fall into divers temptations." 
 21* 
 
242 THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 When Jehovah would destroy a sinner, he 
 need not call to the thunderbolts of his vengeance 
 to descend and crush him to atoms ; he has only 
 to allow him to take the consequences of his 
 own ways. Thus, when the Israelites, personi- 
 fied by Ephraim, had fallen into idolatry, he 
 said, " Ephraim is joined to idols ; let him alone ;" 
 that is, let him take the natural results of the sin 
 he has chosen to commit. Balaam was very de- 
 sirous of being allowed to curse Israel, and of 
 obtaining the honour and wealth which had 
 been offered to him, and God, in displeasure, at 
 length permitted him to gratify his evil desires. 
 It is seldom, however, that Jehovah'permits a man 
 to sin without some difficulty. He hedged up 
 the way of idolatrous Israel " with thorns," and 
 imposed upon Balaam a condition in connexion 
 with permission to visit the king of Moab. If 
 the men called him, he might go ; and if he went, 
 he must be content to speak only as the Lord 
 had commanded him. The difficulties in our 
 path, against which we often murmur, are often 
 placed there in mercy, and it would be well, if 
 they more frequently led us to review our ways. 
 We are not surprised tliat a man so bent on sin 
 as Balaam was, violated the injunction of the 
 Supreme Being, and rose early to depart with 
 the princes of Moab, on the awful errand of curs- 
 ing Israel. 
 
THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 24.3 
 
 We see him, then, on his way, probably not a 
 little elated with the thought of the object he had 
 supremely desired being obtained. He had in his 
 view, and already began to enjoy, the honours 
 and the wealth on which his covetous heart was 
 set: he probably calculated on a long life, spent 
 in pomp and splendour, and did not imagine, 
 even for a moment, that all his wishes might end 
 in disappointment. Sinners are apt to indulge 
 in confidence, forgetting, that " He who sittelh on 
 high," can tfirow their best concerted plans into 
 confusion, and in a moment, blast their finest 
 prospects. 
 
 It is really surprising to see how Jehovah in- 
 terposes obstacles in the way of the transgressor, 
 and how the sinner yet determines to persevere in 
 the way of iniquity. The Divine anger is kin- 
 dled against the madness of the prophet, " and the 
 angel of the Lord stood in the way for an ad- 
 versary against him." By this angel of the Lord, 
 it is highly probable, we are to understand that 
 exalted personage who afterwards appeared in 
 our world as " the Messenger of the covenant," 
 and who has ever presented the most cogent 
 arguments to mankind why they should refrain 
 from sin. The way he takes to excite the atten- 
 tion of Balaam, and to convey reproof to him, is 
 singularly striking. Balaam, as was customary 
 
244 THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 in that age and country, even to persons of the 
 highest rank, travelled upon an ass, and was ac- 
 companied, not only by the distinguished person- 
 ages who escorted him to their country, but also 
 by two servants of his own. The angel present- 
 ed himself with a drawn sv/ord in his hand, but 
 appears to have been only observed by the ass on 
 which the prophet rode. The animal, alarmed 
 by so uncommon a sight, first turned out of the 
 way, then fell against the wall, and crushed the 
 foot of her master ; and then, under the influence 
 of still greater terror, fell down under him. All 
 this excited the anger of Balaam, and, as a wick- 
 ed man is almost always a cruel one, he smote 
 the ass with his staff. He was so intent on his 
 wicked errand, that he could not stay to inquire 
 the cause of her thus treating him. One might 
 have supposed that he would begin to think, that 
 the hand of God was thus presenting obstacles to 
 his progress ; but, alas ! thoughtlessness, and 
 a neglect of observing the operations of the hand 
 of Jehovah, destroy millions. 
 
 A miracle was now exerted to bring the pro- 
 phet to reflection. The ass, hitherto, from the 
 creation of the world itself, dumb, began to up- 
 braid him, and to reason with him on the subject 
 of his cruelty. It appears, however, that his 
 passion was so violent, that he was not aware of 
 
THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 245 
 
 the extraordinary occurrence of a dumb animal 
 being made to speak, and he persevered in his 
 cruel threats, that if he possessed a sword he 
 would destroy the beast which had long: faith- 
 fully served him. Sinners are frequently so in- 
 tent on their awful criminalities, that they are not 
 aware of the obstacles God places in the way of 
 their sinnino; ajrainst him, or of the threateninors 
 which he utters against them, till it is too late, and 
 then they blame him rather than themselves for 
 their ruin. 
 
 Infidels have not failed to make this portion of 
 the word of God a subject for ridicule. They 
 have told us how very unfit the construction of 
 an ass's jaws and mouth are for speaking ; but 
 have they forgotten, that even the heathen did 
 not think that the accomplishment of these things 
 was beyond the power of their deities, and that 
 the sacred text expressly informs us, that 
 " Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass" ? A 
 cause surely adequate to the effect ; unless, in- 
 deed, it can be proved, either that Jehovah was 
 unequal to the task, or that this was an occasion 
 unworthy of so great a miracle being wrought. 
 It has been very aptly said, that the circum- 
 stance of the ass speaking to Balaam must very 
 powerfully impress his mind with the fact, that 
 his own language was under the control of Jeho- 
 
246 THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 vah, and that he could make him speak contrary 
 to his wishes. 
 
 At this moment, the eyes of Balaam were 
 opened by supernatural agency, and he saw the 
 angelic being by whom the ass had been obstrtict- 
 ed. This must, indeed, very forcibly affect his 
 mind. Manoah and his wife, the prophet's ser- 
 vant, and. indeed, all who have seen angels, have 
 been filled with awe when they have beheld 
 them; how much, then, must the wicked Balaam 
 feel, when he saw Jehovah appear in the form of 
 an angel ! His sins would rush to his memory, 
 and his conscience would bitterly reproach him. 
 In terror and dismay he bowed down his head, 
 fell fiat on his face, and listened, with trembling, 
 to the reproof and expostulation of so great a 
 Being. 
 
 But, alas ! the impressions of a serious kind made 
 on the mind of a wicked man, are usually very 
 transient. Felix trembles, but his agitation of 
 mind is soon exchanged for mirth ; Agrippa is 
 almost persuaded to be a Christian, but his feel- 
 ings on the subject are soon altered ; and Balaam, 
 feeling he is wrong, proposes for the moment to 
 relurn to his home, and not pursue his journey ; 
 but, having permission from the angel to go on, 
 even thousfh it is accompanied with an intimation 
 that he would fail in his object, he yet perseveres. 
 
THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 247 
 
 So intent are men on their own gratification, and 
 so decidedly do they disbelieve the words of Je- 
 hovah, that nothing but Ahnighty power can 
 draw them from their sins. 
 
 He soon arrives on the borders of Moab, where 
 he is met by the king, and surrounded, no doubtj 
 by great splendour and state. A gende reproof 
 is given by his majesty, who again reminds the 
 prophet how he can exalt him to honour. Ba- 
 latim, in reply, utters a very important truth, the 
 existence of which he deeply regretted ; and, by 
 the manner in which he uttered it, he seems to 
 profess feehngs of piety, to which he was an utter 
 stranger : — " Lo, 1 am come unto thee : have I 
 now any power at all to say anything? The 
 word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I 
 speak." This was all true, and was adapted to 
 console Israel, while it would ultimately fill the 
 hypocritical prophet and his royal employer with- 
 fear and dismay. 
 
 Great preparations were soon made for the im- 
 portant ceremony in prospect, — that of cursmg 
 the innocent Israelites. Conformably to the 
 practice of the heathens in reference to their idols, 
 seven jiltars are erected to the honour of Jehovah, 
 and the sacrifices to be offered on each are pre- 
 pared. Was Balaam ignorant, then, that the God 
 of Israel was but one Lord, and that, to shew his 
 
24S THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 unity, he had commanded but one altar to be 
 erected to his worship ; or was he determined, by 
 the excess of the honours he would pay him, to 
 propitiate his favour ? How foolish are those 
 persons who refuse to adore God in the way he 
 has himself apponited, and prefer their own plans, 
 conceiving them to be wiser than his! The 
 sacrifices of such are an abomination to the 
 Lord, who, in his jealousy, will assuredly pun- 
 ish those who ofier them. 
 
 The preparations being made, we may imagine 
 that a vast multitude are assembled to hear the 
 anathemas of this celebrated prophet of the East 
 upon the descendants of Israel. But what sur- 
 prise and mortification must take possession of 
 their hearts, when he opens his mouth, and, as 
 directed by the Most High, delivers a most sub- 
 lime addresson the grandeur of Him who favours 
 the Israelites — the protection they shall enjoy — 
 the increase they shall receive — and closes all by 
 declaring his fervent wish to die like them, and 
 share their immortality ! 
 
 Grieved with his conduct, and willing to attri- 
 bute it to any cause but tiie right one, the mo- 
 narch removes the prophet to another spot, and 
 having attended to the preparatory ceremonies, 
 the prophet again speaks; but it is to confirm all 
 that he has previously said, — to declare the im- 
 
THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 249 
 
 mutability and faithfulness of Jehovah, — to tell 
 how favourably he regarded Israel, — and that he 
 would continue to bless and protect them. Ba- 
 lak desires him now to cease from speaking, and 
 "neither to curse them at all, nor bless them at 
 all ;" but Balaam is compelled to reply, '' Told 
 not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, 
 that I must do ?" 
 
 Once more shall Balaam attempt to curse those 
 whom he himself has declared that God has bless- 
 ed ; but he can only confirm the fact, that Jeho- 
 vah has indeed blessed them ; and, to the morti- 
 fication of the king of Moab, unfold to him what 
 the Israelites shall hereafter do in conquering 
 the nations who now opposed them ; and point to 
 the coming of the great Messiah, whose day he 
 saw, but whose grace he never shared. Having 
 thus delivered his message, Balak, who had so 
 earnestly entreated his presence and aid, parted 
 from him in disgust. Bad men are always op- 
 posed to the word of God, because that word is 
 opposed to their sins. 
 
 Strikingly as Balaam had declared the safety 
 of Israel, — beautifully as he had described their 
 happiness, — and earnestly as he wished to die like 
 those who were the servants of God, he remained 
 an enemy to them, and gave their foes advice to 
 tempt Israel to sin, and thus led to the destruction 
 22 
 
250 THE HYPOCRITICAL PROPHET. 
 
 of no less than twenty-four thousand of their 
 number. Well is it said, that " one sinner des- 
 troyeth much good." The wrath of God follow- 
 ed this impious man, till he was cut off by the 
 swordj among many other enemies of his autho- 
 rity and government. 
 
 This important history?-, thus reviewed, tends 
 to impress our minds with the futility of all the 
 designs of men to injure those whom Jehovah 
 designs to bless ; and shews us, that he can re- 
 strain the enemies of his people, and compel 
 them to bless those whom they would gladly 
 curse. We learn that men may say very good 
 things, and utter very important desires, and yet 
 finally perish. We are instructed by the subject 
 to rejoice in the blessings with which we are fa- 
 voured, and to exercise a spirit of gratitude to 
 their great Author, while we humbly use them 
 to promote his glory. May it be the happiness 
 of my readers to live the holy life, to die the tri- 
 umphant death, and to share the exalted and 
 eternal reward of those, who, interested in the 
 grace of Christ, are righteous in the sight of God. 
 
THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 
 
 JOSHUA, VII. 
 
 He that reposes on his gold, 
 Consigns his heart to toil and trouble ! 
 To visions— beauteous to behold — 
 That leave him, like a bursting bubble. 
 
 Knox. 
 
 • 
 
 That the infinitely blessed God is benevolent 
 in all the gifts he bestows upon man, might be 
 very easily proved, and is universally admitted. 
 The supply of our varied necessities, the pro- 
 tection he affords us against our enemies, the 
 revelation with which he has indulged us of the 
 way of happiness, and the prospect which those 
 who believe his testimony have of future and 
 eternal bliss, are all circumstances calculated to 
 fill us with delight, and lead us to exclaim, with 
 one who knew how to form a correct estimate on. 
 the subject, " God is love !" 
 
 But it does not appear to be generally thought, 
 that Jehovah makes so eminent a display of his 
 
252 THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 
 
 kindness in what he withholds as in what he 
 gives. This arises from our ignorance, and from 
 the perverseness of our minds, both of which 
 lead us to entertain hard thoughts of God. He 
 is infinitely wiser than we are, and though he 
 keeps from us many things we might wish to 
 possess, we have his own assurance that he will 
 " withhold 710 good thing from them that walk 
 uprightly." Honour, wealth, and influence, are 
 often withheld from the servants of Jehovah, but 
 it would not be difficult to prove, that all these 
 things have been, and might still be, injurious to 
 them. It becomes us to entertain the conviction, 
 that the Lord is , 
 
 Good ; — when lie gives, supremely good ; 
 Noi- less when he denies. 
 
 The character of God's dealings with his peo- 
 ple may be fully seen in the history of the Is- 
 raelites ; and the folly of murmuring against his 
 all-wise arrangements is as strikingly evident. 
 He was pleased, from motives of mere mercy, to 
 select the family of Abraham as the favourites of 
 his love ; to whom he would impart the know- 
 ledge of his will, and on whom he would bestow 
 peculiar favors, both on earth and in heaven. 
 He delivered them from the slavery of Egypt, 
 and, in his own good time, brought them to the 
 
THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 253 
 
 promised land of Canaan. But, because he 
 would preserve them from a spirit of vain confi- 
 dence and pride — keep them sensible of his 
 greatness, and of their consequent dependence 
 upon him — and detach them, in some degree at 
 least, from the world, he forbade them to take for 
 their use the riches of those whom they slew in 
 battle, in order to obtain and keep possession of 
 Canaan. While this arrangement would tend to 
 secure the objects at which we have glanced, it 
 would also operate so as to check a love for war- 
 and prevent the heathen from saying that the Ca, 
 naanites were destroyed merely that the Israelites 
 might possess themselves of their riches. 
 
 Arrived in the land of Canaan, Joshua, the 
 servant of the Lord, issued an order to the effect 
 we have stated. It was plainly expressed, as the 
 Divine laws always are, and the consequence ot 
 disobedience was fully declared. It was clearly 
 the interest of every Israelite to obey it, seeing 
 that obedience to the law of Jehovah was the 
 condition on which their mercies as a nation 
 were suspended. But, alas ! a very short time 
 elapsed before the disposition of man to trans- 
 gress the laws of Heaven, notwithstanding the; 
 awful sanctions by which they are surrounded 
 was fully developed. 
 
 Among others who heard the law as issued 
 22* 
 
254 THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 
 
 by Joshua, was a man of the tribe of Judah. named 
 Achan. He probably, at the moment, like all 
 his neighbours, resolved to keep the requirement ; 
 but he soon shewed that the strongest resolutions 
 of man avail nothing in the hour of trial without 
 the aid of Divine grace. He went up with the 
 army to take the city of Jericho, and, having suc- 
 ceeded in this great object, he could not resist the 
 temptation to possess himself of a share of the pro- 
 perty, a fair opportunity of obtaining which pre- 
 sented itself. 
 
 There is scarcely a sin into which we are 
 more likely to fall, or which is more awful in its 
 consequences, than that of covetousness. It is 
 delineated by the pencil of Eternal truth in the 
 most glowing colours ; and the melancholy doom 
 of those who have indulged in it is fearfully por- 
 trayed. It is pronounced to be idolatry — that 
 sin which most directly strikes at the divine ho- 
 nour ; it is shewn to proceed from a distrust of the 
 providence of God — to be injurious both to the 
 man who cherishes so unhallowed a disposition, 
 and to those by whom he is surrounded. It was 
 this sin which ruined Balaam, and that led Ju- 
 das to betray the Saviour ; this transgression in- 
 jured Gehazi and Demas ; — it blunts the finer 
 feelings of the soul of its possessor, — it stops the 
 current of benevolence, — chains the object of 
 
THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 255 
 
 distress to his misery,— and sets the laws of hea- 
 ven, and the contempt of men, aUke at defiance. 
 The prayer of the covetous man is shut out from 
 heaven, and the inhabitants of earth unite to hate 
 him. 
 
 That man may Inst^ but never lives^ 
 Who much receives, but nothing gives : 
 "Whom none can love — whom none can thank — 
 Creation's blot — Creation's blank. 
 
 « 
 
 This awful crime was the ruin of Achan. 
 Passing along the streets of Jericho, his attention 
 was arrested by the sight of a rich and splendid 
 garment, and some gold and silver, the value of 
 the latter being from eighty to ninety pounds of 
 our money. His desire for possessing these things 
 was great, and though he knew that the curse 
 of God rested upon them, — he had very recently 
 heard the law which prohibited their being touch- 
 ed, — and had every reason to fear that melancho- 
 ly consequences would follow such a transac- 
 tion ; yet he takes them, and buries them under 
 his tent, intending, at some future time, to appro- 
 priate them to such uses as, in his estimation, 
 would add to his dignity and comfort. 
 
 And what harni, some will be ready to ask, 
 was there in taking property that could be of no 
 use to its original owner, and which had thus 
 
256 THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 
 
 been gained in war 1 Let us ask such persons 
 if there be no sin in violating a just and well- 
 known law of Jehovah ? Is there no harm done 
 in bringing down the Divine displeasure on our 
 neighbours as well as on ourselves, and in scat- 
 tering misery all around us ? We are so 
 much accustomed to commit sin in our own per- 
 sons, that we are ever willing to extenuate crimes 
 in others. Oh that men would reflect more fre- 
 quently on the character of the infinitely great 
 and holy Jehovah, on his claim-s to their obe- 
 dience, and on the duty they owe to their neigh- 
 bours ; for these things would have a powerful 
 influence in preventing them from falling into 
 many sins which are now too frequently indulged 
 in. If the question be again asked, what harm 
 there can be in disobeying the commands of Je- 
 hovah ? we remind the inquirer of the awful 
 miseries which disobedience has scattered over 
 our world ; of the bodily diseases and the mental 
 anguish it has inflicted on man ; of the prospect 
 it places before him now ; and of the unuttera- 
 ble torment to which it introduces him beyond 
 the grave. Let the furious elements of nature, 
 the havocs of pestilence and famine, the dying 
 sinner, and the wretch enduring the pains of per- 
 dition, proclaim in our ears, that it is an evil 
 thing for us to disobey the laws of Heaven^ 
 
THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 257 
 
 Achan, having deposited the property he had 
 taken under his tent, imagined that the sin was 
 secret, and would never be discovered. Had he 
 forgotten, then, the declaration of Moses, the ser- 
 vant of God, "Be sure your sin will find you 
 out?" Had he forgotten that the Most High 
 witnessed the transaction, and did he suppose 
 that he v/oiild take no notice of it ? How ready 
 are men to suppose that the threatenings of Jeho- 
 vah will not be executed, and that therefore they 
 may sin with impunity. Sin, however, will, soon- 
 er or later, be published to the world. Sometimes, 
 in the most unexpected manner, the guilty culprit 
 is dragged forth in the present state, his crimes ex- 
 posed, and his punishment awarded. At some 
 other times lie succeeds in hiding his trangressions 
 from man ; but let him not forget that awful pe- 
 riod when the declaration of the Lord shall be 
 fulfilled, *' There is nothing secret that shall not 
 be manifest." Jehovah is jealous of his honour, 
 must be faithful to his word, and inflexibly just 
 in his government. If we rebel against Him, we 
 must suffer the awful consequences of our guilt. 
 
 A few days elapsed, and Joshua, whose fame 
 both among the Israelites and their enemies, was 
 very great, sent three thousand men to attack the 
 city of Ai, a place containing but a few inhabit- 
 ?ints, and which had been represented to him as 
 
258 THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 
 
 capable of being very easily obtained. To his 
 surprise, and the dismay of the people, however, 
 his army was defeated, and six-and-thirty of them 
 destroyed. Filled with discouragement and sor- 
 row, Joshua and the elders of Israel humbled^ 
 themselves before the Lord, and humbly inquir- 
 ed the cause of their being thus conquered. It 
 was so great a change for them, and presented 
 before them prospects so gloomy, that they might 
 well imagine that some important reason existed 
 for the apparent departure of that great Being 
 who had hitherto fought their battles for them. 
 
 The God of wisdom and of goodness seldom 
 allows those who humbly seek to him for wisdom 
 to remain long in perplexity. Joshua is told, 
 that Jehovah has withdrawn his favour because 
 sin has been committed in the camp. He is in- 
 structed in what manner to find out the sinner 
 and the trangression, and told in what way pu- 
 nishment shall be inflicted. On the following 
 morning the people are assembled, lots are cast, 
 and the culprit is discovered. 
 
 The scene that now presents itself to our 
 view, of Achan being interrogated by Joshua, is 
 a very affecting one. The affection, the piety, 
 and the fidelity of the great leader of Israel, ex- 
 cite our admiration, and present to magistrates 
 an example of the spirit in which they should at- 
 
THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 259 
 
 tend to their arduous duties. Joshua would ra- 
 ther have been excused from thus examining and 
 punishing Achan ; but, as it must be done, he 
 will exemplify a spirit becoming the man of God, 
 and shew that the law is put into execution, not 
 from a feeling of malignity to the sinner, but 
 from an anxious concern for the public welfare. 
 
 It is rather pleasing to hear the ingenuous con- 
 fession made by the culprit as to the crime he 
 had committed : but who does not regret that 
 his confession did not precede his detection ? 
 Confession of sin may come too late to be of any 
 avail to us. It was thus with Achan and with 
 Judas. If the day of mercy has passed, and the 
 sentence of condemnation has issued from the 
 lips of the Judge, the sinner may acknowledge 
 his guilt, but, alas 1 he must reap its consequen- 
 ces. 
 
 It is a dangerous thing to connive at sin. 
 This seems to have been the case with the fami- 
 ly of Achan ! for by withholding all knowledge 
 of his crime from those to whom it ought to have 
 been communicated, they made themselves par- 
 takers of his guilt. They were all assembled, — 
 the things he had taken were produced, — guilt 
 was brought home to the transgressors, — the 
 righteous sentence of Jehovah was passed upon 
 them, — " and all Israel stoned them witli stones, 
 
260 THE ENEMY DISCOVERED. 
 
 and burned them with fire after they had stoned 
 them with stones." 
 
 The effect of this solemn execution we may ima- 
 fi^ine to have been sahUary. The Israehtes would 
 be more sensible than they had hitherto been of the 
 importance of a diligent attention to the laws ■ of 
 God ; they would see that even secret transgres- 
 sions would not be overlooked ; they would learn 
 the importance of a due subjection to Joshua, 
 the servant of the Lord ; and it would lead them 
 to the exercise of the utmost vigilance over their 
 own minds, lest they should indulge in the same 
 sin. 
 
 In addition to these important lessons, w^ may 
 learn from this melancholy detail of facts, that 
 sin, and sin only, is the great destroyer of human 
 happiness, and that it becomes us to guard against 
 its commission ourselves, and to reprove it in 
 others ; that however secretly wickedness may be 
 perpetrated, it will assuredly be discovered and 
 punished ; that even the vilest sinners should be 
 treated by us, not only with justice, but with af- 
 fection ; that for confession of iniquity to be ac- 
 ceptable to God, it should be made immediately 
 we have incurred its guilt ; and that the fact of 
 our wickedness injuring others as well as our- 
 selves, should operate upon our hearts as a pow- 
 erful motive to induce us to refrain from it. 
 
THE 
 
 AFFECTIONATE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 
 
 Where is the breast, that e'er can riyal Ruth 
 In tenderness, susceptibility, 
 And fervour of affection 1 
 
 A NON. 
 
 To a mind at all impressed with roliojon^ il is a 
 very pleasing thought, that all our affairs are un- 
 der the superintendence of the Supreme Being. 
 The most minutOj as well as the most mighty 
 events, are " ordered after the counsel of his own 
 will." — " The very hairs of our heads are all 
 numbered ; and not a sparrow falls to the ground 
 without the notice of our heavenly Father." The 
 Book of Ruth presents us with a series of strik- 
 mg and instructive events, and powerfully illus- 
 trates the kindness of the providential govern- 
 ment of the blessed God ; shewing us how he 
 can make the greatest evils subserve his gracious 
 purposes towards his people. 
 23 
 
262 THE AFFECTIONATE 
 
 In the commencement of the history, the in- 
 spired writer introduces to our notice a very in- 
 teresting narrative of facts. In consequence of 
 the sins of Israel, Lev. xxvi. 18 — 20, their land 
 was visited with a sore famine, and many of its 
 inhabitants were induced to leave the place en- 
 deared to them by their birth, and a thousand 
 other tender associations, and sojourn in foreign 
 countries. Among others who went into the 
 land of Moab, was a man named Elimelech, hia 
 wife, who was called Naomi, and their two sons, 
 who were named Mahlon and Chilion. There 
 seems to have existed no pressing necessity for 
 this family to leave their religious connexion ; 
 since many of their neighbours were enabled to 
 brave the horrors of the famine : besides which, 
 Elimelech's family was but small, and he was a 
 man of some property, for he " went out full :" 
 but, alas ! anxiety to keep and increase their 
 property often induces even the people of God to 
 run into the way of temptation. Thus was it in 
 the case of Lot ; and so, on the present occasion. 
 After a continuance of some time, the good man 
 died, leaving a widow, with her two sons, in a 
 strange land. Here, however, the Lord provid- 
 ed for them. Though the poor woman had to 
 mourn the loss of an affectionate husband, she 
 had comfort in iier sons ; who, soon after, took to 
 
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 263 
 
 themselves " wives of the women of Moab." It 
 is a matter of lamentation that they had not reli- 
 gion enough to induce them to select companions 
 so intimate from among their own kindred : but 
 the good hand of God was pleased in this case 
 to overrule the event for good. Ruth's marrying 
 an Israelite led to her conversion to God ; but 
 let not this be considered an encouragement for 
 " the sons of God" to run counter to his positive 
 commands, in taking to themselves " wives of the 
 daughters of men ;" for let it be recollected, that 
 her conversion was never made manifest till af- 
 ter the death of her husband ; and, probably, it 
 was not the affectionate expostulations of her 
 partner, but his death, in connexion with the holy 
 life, the conversation, and the prayers of Naomi, 
 which brought her ultimately to God. 
 
 The marriage of her sons afforded to Naomi, 
 we may readily suppose, no small source of plea- 
 sure. Her fond imagination pictured scenes of 
 enjoyment for her children for many years to 
 come ; and when she reflected on her own dis- 
 tressing bereavement, she would present the ar- 
 dent prayer that her sons and her daughters-in- 
 law might be spared as blessings to each other ; 
 "that their sons might be as plants grown up in 
 their youth ; that their daughters might be as 
 corner-stones polished after the similitude of a 
 
264 THE AFFECTIONATE 
 
 palace." She hoped to see her grand-children 
 rising up around her, and to have the opportuni- 
 ty of teUing them, for their instruction and 
 amusement, the scenes of her youth, and the acts 
 of that beloved individual whom she had laid in 
 the tomb, but whose name and memory she high- 
 ly revered. But. alas ! our best joys are fleeting 
 and short-lived ; in a very few years her sons 
 were cut off, and their wives became widows. 
 Death, the universal conqueror, spares no age ; 
 he favours no class ; he cuts asunder the closest 
 ties, and separates the most endearing connexions. 
 The good old mother committed them to the 
 grave ; wept over their ashes, and bowed with 
 submission to him who possesses a right to do as 
 he pleases with his creatures. 
 
 Having buried her dearest hopes, Naomi resolv- 
 ed on leaving the land of her sorrows, and return- 
 ing to her pious kindred and acquaintance. She 
 communicated herdesign to her daughters-in-law; 
 who, in a manner that indicated their kind re- 
 gard to her, resolved to accompany her, at least 
 a part of her journey. When they had proceeded 
 some distance, the venerable woman, feeling- for 
 their situation, and anxious to save them from 
 fatigue, wished them to " return, each to her mo- 
 ther's house ;" expressing the kindest desires on 
 their behalf : <' the Lord deal kindly with you, 
 
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 265 
 
 as ye have dealt with the dead and with me : 
 the liord grant you that ye may find rest, each 
 of you in the house of her husband. Then she 
 kissed them, and they Ufted up their voice and 
 wept." Who can read unmoved the description 
 of a scene hke this ? How suitable a subject for 
 the pencil of the painter ! How many tender as- 
 sociations rise up in each of their minds ! One 
 almost hears the prayer of this aged widow for 
 these her daughters in affliction ; and we won- 
 der not to hear them saying, " Surely we will re- 
 turn with thee unto thy people." Such was the 
 resolution of each for the moment. Are not many 
 of our pious resolutions the result of an equally 
 transient feeling? If so, it is no wonder that, 
 like Orpah, we are soon moved from our pur- 
 pose, and turn back into the world. The good 
 woman seems to have mdulged the apprehen- 
 sion, that mere natural affection led them to 
 speak thus, and again presses them to return. 
 Orpah consented — kissed her, and returned : but 
 Ruth possessed a regard to her that was more 
 than natural. Her mind had been impressed 
 with the importance of religion ; she had wit- 
 nessed Naomi's holy conduct; and had become 
 convinced of the superior excellence of her cha- 
 racter ; and " Ruth clave unto her :" nor could 
 any argument that Naomi used, with a view to 
 23* 
 
266 THE AFFECTIONATE 
 
 try her sincerity, induce her to depart from her 
 purpose, " for Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave 
 thee, or to return from following after thee : for 
 whither thou goest, I will go ; and where thou 
 lodgest, I will lodge : thy people shall be my peo- 
 ple, and thy God, my God ; where thou diest, will 
 I die, and there will I be buried : the Lord do so 
 to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee 
 and me." How decided her conduct ! How 
 evident a proof of attachment, not merely to her 
 person, but to her religion ! And, oh ! with 
 what joy must Naomi have been filled, when she 
 discovered the genuine conversion of her daugh- 
 ter-in-law ! Will the reader favour me with his 
 attention, while I attempt to investigate the prin- 
 ciples on which the determination of Ruth was 
 founded — explain the import of the determina- 
 tion — and urge some motives to induce him to 
 adopt it as his own ? 
 
 Let us, then, investigate the principles on 
 which the determination of Ruth was founded. 
 It is scarcely necessary to remark, that this reso- 
 lution exhibits a change of heart ; for however 
 amiable may be the manners of a person, how- 
 ever generous his natural disposition, or how- 
 ever polished his education, yet does there exist 
 in the soul no real regard to the religion of the 
 Bible, till it has been renewed by the grace of 
 
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 267 
 
 God. This grace led Ruth to the determinfition 
 before us, which was founded on faith in Divine 
 revelation. She had been educated an heathen, 
 in a land whose inhabitants knew not the true 
 God. But perhaps her deceased husband, and 
 certainly her pious mother-in-law, had unfolded 
 to her tlie truths of the religion of Israel, and di- 
 rected her attention to that great Messiah to 
 whom the types and sacrifices all pointed, and 
 " the testimony of whom was the spirit of pro- 
 phecy." Enlightened by the Spirit of God, she 
 fully credited the truths of his word ; and, con- 
 vinced at once of the vanity of the world, and of 
 the infinite superiority of the religion founded on 
 " the oracles of God," she abandoned her own 
 country, her people, and her profession of idola- 
 try, and determined henceforth to rank with the 
 people of the God of heaven. 
 
 This resolution was founded, too, on holy love. 
 True religion, whether it be considered in its na- 
 ture, its origin, or its effects, may be summed up 
 in this one word — Love. Its great author, " God, 
 is love." Its design is, to make us, like our Ma- 
 ker, full of love ; and "love is the fulfilling of 
 the law." Ruth had love to Jehovah. Had she 
 continued in her natural state of alienation from 
 her Maker; — had she still been numbered with the 
 " haters of God," we had never heard this Ian- 
 
868 THE AFFECTIONATE 
 
 giiage proceeding from her lips. Perhaps, like 
 eome of my readers, she had been the votary of 
 pleasure ; and had fixed her affections on the 
 vanities of the present world. Many a prayer 
 had been presented to God on her behalf; and, 
 at length, the Holy Spirit is pleased to open the 
 eyes of her understanding ; to shew her the loveli- 
 ness of the Divine character, the perfect rectitude 
 of his law, and the obligations she lay under to 
 obey it. Thus was she loved by the Supreme 
 Being, and is now constrained to love him in 
 return, and freely to engage in his service. She 
 loved the cause of Holiness. Perhaps some of 
 my readers wonder why we can love religion : 
 there is, in their view, every thing in it that is 
 discouraging and gloomy. And did we not 
 know, kind reader, the awful depravity of the 
 human heart, and its liability to make the great- 
 est mistakes, we should wonder that you can re- 
 ject it. Ruth once thought that happiness was 
 to be found in the world : but she afterwards 
 happily discovered that it was only in religion. 
 Heie are solid pleasures ! Here are durable 
 riches ! Here are unfading honours ! This she 
 saw, and resolved to engage in the service of 
 God. She was influenced by love to the people 
 of Jehovah. One of the first and clearest evi- 
 dences of our return to God is attachment to his 
 
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 269 
 
 people, because they belong to him. We see 
 them as •' the excellent of the earth ;" in them 
 we place " all our delightj" because they bear 
 the image of the Saviour ; they are pursuing the 
 Divine glory — they are travelling to that happy 
 world, where they hope to reside for ever with 
 Jesus. Thus, loving the people of God, " Ruth 
 clave to Naomi," and resolved to adopt holy peo- 
 ple as her companions. 
 
 Equally apparent is it, that she was led to this 
 determination by genuine humility, and a sense 
 of her need of relioous intercourse. While the 
 proud worldling disdains the thought of being 
 associated with the people of Jehovah, who are 
 generally regarded with contempt ; those who 
 have been enlightened by Divine grace, who have 
 felt their own ignorance, and have learnt the su- 
 perior excellence of the righteous, know that 
 many advantages result from a connexion with 
 them ; and, therefore, they say, like Ruth, " En- 
 treat me not to leave thee." Few things present 
 better evidence of genuine conversion, than a 
 deep conviction of our ignorance, and of our 
 need of instruction in the way to heaven. 
 There are some persons, who, having re- 
 ceived an education superior to many by whom 
 they are surrounded, feel a spirit of lofty inde- 
 pendence, and imagine themselves (Qualified to 
 
270 THE AFFECTIONATE 
 
 teach rather than to learn : but when humbled 
 by religion, they discover their ignorance, and 
 are ready to ask even the weakest Christian for 
 advice and encouragement. In other things, 
 perhaps, Ruth might know more than her mo- 
 ther-in-law ; but in rehgion she felt Naomi's su- 
 periority ; she had discovered her own liability 
 to foil into the temptations of Satan, and the 
 snares of the world, and wished to enjoy inter- 
 course with an aged believer, who was " not 
 ignorant of his devices." Tliis was a praisewor- 
 thy resolution. Apollos, with all his eloquence 
 and knowledge of the Scriptures, gladly asso- 
 ciated with Aquila and Priscilla, that he might 
 learn " the way of the Lord more perfectly ;" 
 being assured that, " he that walketh with wise 
 men shall be wise." 
 
 But let us briefly explain the import of the de- 
 termination itself Ruth did not utter this lan- 
 guage without thought ; nor did she enter on a 
 life of religion without counting the cost. The 
 determination implies, the renunciation of idola- 
 try. "Thy God shall be my God." She had 
 been brought up among pagans ; she had been 
 accustomed to bow the knee before dumb idols ; 
 but having now been taught the folly of this 
 worship, she dedicated her service to the God of 
 Israel. Perhaps my reader imagines that there 
 
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 271 
 
 exists no present necessity to exhort persons, at 
 least in this country, to forsake idolatry : but, 
 alas ! do not too many set their hearts on the 
 world, and give up their best affections to its pur- 
 suits and its pleasures 7 Is not the creature often 
 loved more than the Creator ? Are there not 
 many, of whom Paul would say, '' whose god 
 is their belly?" These idols must all be re- 
 nounced before we can acceptably serve the true 
 God. 
 
 We may farther observe, that this determina- 
 tion includes a solemn engagement, notwithstand- 
 ing every difficulty, to abide by the people of 
 God. — " Where thou goest, I will go; where thou 
 lodgest, I will lodge ; where thou diest, I will die," 
 &c. It is a fact, which we are by no means anx- 
 ious to conceal, that sorrows attend a connexion 
 with the people of God. If we adhere to them, 
 we shall meet with persecution from the world, 
 and often with trials from the church. Not- 
 withstanding this, when our hearts are properly 
 influenced by a sense of the advantages arising 
 from such a connexion, we shall, like Moses, 
 " choose rather to suffer affliction with the people 
 of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a 
 season ;" and, like Ruth, say to them, "entreat 
 me not to leave you." Among the people of Jeho- 
 vah we are instructed in the knowledge of the Di- 
 
272 THE AFFECTIONATE 
 
 vine will, comforted in the day of trial, reproved 
 and admonished in the hour of danger, encou- 
 rao-ed in our conflict with the powers of dark- 
 ness, and helped forward in the way to heaven. 
 
 Not less does the determination imply an entire 
 devotedness to the work of God. It is not the 
 spirit of indecision which is breathed in the lan- 
 o-uao-e of Ruth, but of entire consecration to the 
 cause she had espoused. There is an object the 
 people of God have to promote ; a spirit they 
 have to exhibit; duties they have to discharge; 
 and these things require the exertions of all our 
 enero-ies. To the great business of religion, Ruth 
 brought her whole soul : she felt that if religion 
 was of importance at all, it was all-important, 
 and as such she embraced it and discharged its 
 duties. Such a line of conduct would I recom- 
 mend to my readers, and beg leave to urge some 
 motives to induce them to adopt the determina- 
 tion as their own. We are swayed in our deci- 
 sions on important matters by what appears to us 
 the greatest means of happiness. The greatest 
 possible good, then, may be urged why you 
 should adopt the resolution of adherence to the 
 service of God ; as it will most entirely promote 
 your respectability and happiness. Resolving on 
 a union with the people of God, you will be most 
 eftectiially freed from the company of the vile 
 
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 273 
 
 and abandoned. The drunkard and the swearer, 
 the sabbath-breaker and the whoremonger, with 
 the long Ust of guilty criminals, will keep at a dis- 
 tance from you, and shun you as though you had 
 the plague. The pleasures arising from an atten- 
 tion to divine ordinances, from association with 
 the people of God, from communion with Hea- 
 ven, will all be yours. Really one in heart with 
 the people of God on earth, you are united to the 
 *' spirits of just men made perfect" in heaven. 
 The wise and good regard persons like Ruth with 
 esteem : angels in heaven behold them with de- 
 light; and, above all, God himself bestows on them 
 his infinite favours. Nor are such characters 
 blest only in their own persons, but they are 
 made blessings to others. By espousing the cause 
 of religion, you become witnesses for the Supreme 
 Being, promote his cause, and are blessings to all 
 around you. 
 
 Thus you will increase the happiness of your 
 pious friends. I am sure I may stand forth as 
 the representative of every pious parent in the 
 world, and say, " I have no greater joy than to 
 hear that my children walk in the truth." No- 
 thing on earth, my reader, can equal the happi- 
 ness of the good man, when he sees his neigh- 
 bours around him becoming decided for the 
 cause of religion. For you the pious relative, 
 24 
 
274 THE AFFECTIONATE 
 
 the zealous Christian, and the affectionate minis- 
 ter, often pray. O ! let them not pray in vain, 
 but give up yourselves to the service of your 
 Creator. 
 
 Thus you will most effectually glorify God. 
 The grand design of our creation is, that we may 
 promote the glory of our Maker, by shewing 
 forth the greatness of his character, and our 
 sense of the value of his benefits. And never 
 can we do this so effectually, as by submitting 
 to his government, and obeying his laws. The 
 man who does not thus glorify Jehovah, is in a 
 state of rebellion against him. 
 
 Once more : by embracing the service of God, 
 you secure your future happiness. This is true 
 as it respects the present world. The piety of 
 Ruth led to her comfort and happiness on earth. 
 " Them that honour me, I will honour ;" is the 
 declaration of the Deity ; and thousands beside 
 Ruth have bettered their worldly circumstances 
 by religion. But what is the possession of wealth, 
 compared with the joys of communion with 
 Christ, and all the blessings he bestows upon us, 
 while in this waste, howling wilderness ? But 
 supposing we should, while here, remain poor, 
 how vast the enjoyments of religion beyond the 
 grave ! 
 
 It endless happiness secures, 
 And frees from endless death ! 
 
DAUGHTER-IN-LAW. 275 
 
 "Godliness is profitable for all things, having 
 the promise of the life that now is, and of that 
 which is to come." 
 
 In closing this paper, we remark : How amiable 
 was the character of Naomi in encouraging Ruth. 
 — What encouragement is here given to pious 
 parents to educate their children in the fear of 
 God. — And how abiding the nature of religious 
 affection ; extending not merely to time, but be- 
 yond the grave. May the resolution of Ruth be 
 that of each of my readers ; may they possess 
 her religion, and experience her enjoyments. 
 
THE HAPPY GLEANER. 
 
 RUTH II. — IV. 
 
 Then throw that shameful pittance from thy hand, 
 But ill applied to such a rugged task i 
 The fields, the master, all my Fair ! are thine ; 
 If to the various blessings which thy house 
 Has on me lavish'd, thou wilt add the bliss — 
 That dearest bliss — the power of blessing thee: 
 
 Thomson. 
 
 To the philosopher and man of general learning, 
 it is a pleasing employment to study the history 
 of human nature. He selects an individual, and 
 marks with interest the effects produced on his 
 feelings and conduct by passing events ; and thus 
 is the observer furnished with the wisdom which 
 guides the statesman in the government of na- 
 tions, and influences the merchant in his dealings 
 with mankind. The Christian is not uninter- 
 ested in speculations of this kind ; but he has 
 afar more delightful employment in tracing the 
 operations of Divine grace on the soul ; in mark- 
 ing the influence of holy and heavenly principles 
 
THE HAPPY GLEANER. 277 
 
 on the experience and conduct. Here we see a 
 change made in nature itself; the lion is trans- 
 formed into a lamb, or the amiable character is 
 made still more lovely. Thus we are led to ad- 
 mire the grace of God — to desire its operations on 
 our own hearts — and to be concerned for its spread 
 through the world. On these accounts it is, that 
 religious biography has always been considered 
 so profitable a study ; and certainly no mode of 
 writing, when judiciously executed, is more cal- 
 culated to answer every good purpose. 
 
 It is a distinguishing excellence of the Biblq^ 
 that its characters are drawn without exaggera- 
 tion or false colouring. The sacred writers re- 
 late a series of facts connected with the conduct 
 of individuals ; and it is from reading these sim- 
 ple, unadorned narratives, that our minds re- 
 ceive their impressions, as to the general charac- 
 ter of the persons who pass before us. Who can 
 read the Book of Ruth, without feelings of the 
 greatest pleasure and admiration? Who can 
 behold a young female descended from royalty, 
 for the sake of religion, bidding adieu to her na- 
 tive land — taking leave of her earliest associates 
 — going to a strange country— and becoming a 
 gleaner in the harvest-field for the support of her- 
 self and her aged mother-in-law, without adoring 
 24* 
 
278 THE HAPPY GLEANER. 
 
 the ^race of God which can produce such lovely 
 characters in this degenerate world ? 
 
 With feelings like these, let us advance to view 
 the conduct of Ruth the Moabitess. Under the in- 
 fluence of genuine religion, she had accompanied 
 the pious Naomi to the poor, but most interesting 
 of all towns — that of Bethlehem. But what 
 was she to do there ? She had been accustomed 
 to enjoy the richest bounties of Providence : her 
 industry had never been called forth to obtain a 
 livehhood. She had been gratified, probably, in 
 all her wishes, first by affectionate parents, and 
 afterwards by an indulgent husband : but now 
 she was the companion of a poor old woman, a 
 widow, one who had been rich, but now, alas ! 
 so poor, and so changed in appearance, as scarce- 
 ly to be known by her old acquaintances. Here 
 we see the triumph of principle, and mark the 
 power of religion ! Possessing this, Ruth was 
 not afraid to be poor ; for, like Moses, she had 
 " an eye to the recompense of reward." She 
 did not indulge in hard and murmuring thoughts 
 of God. Naomi might manifest an unholy and 
 discontented spirit, and say, "the Lord hath dealt 
 bitterly with me ;" but Ruth had acquired the 
 happy art of bringing her mind down to her cir- 
 -cumstanccs ; and she cheerfully entered the field 
 — associated with the poor — endured the heat 
 
THE HAPPY GLEANER. 279 
 
 and burden of the day — and, with thankfulness 
 to God and man, gathered the precious Iruits of 
 the earth for the sustenance of herself and her 
 honoured and pious relative. How attentive was 
 she to her parent ! How courteous to all around 
 her ! How industrious iu the discharge of her 
 duty ! And what a noble soul did she display in 
 becoming a humble reaper ! Yes, Ruth present- 
 ed, in the harvest field, a far more lovely and at- 
 tractive object than our modern belles of flishion, 
 who owe their honours, not to solid worth — ^ 
 not to the exalted principles by which they are 
 governed — but to their dress, their tinsel accom- 
 plishments, or to their respectable connexions. 
 
 Honour and shame from no condition rise ; 
 Act well your part, there all the honour lies. 
 
 In what a singular manner did Divine Provi* 
 dence appear to raise Ruth in her circumstances 
 and in society ! " The tender mercies of God 
 are over all his works ;" but those who love him 
 are the objects of his peculiar regard. To them 
 he maketh his angels ministering spirits ; for 
 them he raises up friends in the day of adversity ; 
 and with them he maketh even their enemies to 
 be at peace. What a series of pleasing events 
 were altendant on Ruth's gleaning ! We mar- 
 
280 THE HAPPY GLEANER. 
 
 vel at the providence which led her to this field. 
 She knew nothing of Boaz being a relative. 
 She was unacquainted with his being the owner 
 of the field ; " her hap was to light on a part of 
 the field that belonged to Boaz :" all appeared to 
 be mere accident, but all was under the direction 
 of that God who " numbers the very hairs of 
 our heads." '' It is not in man that walketh to di- 
 rect his steps ;" all our movements, however tri- 
 fling they may appear to us, are under the go- 
 vernment of Jehovah, and are accomplishing the 
 designs of his infinite wisdom. We admire the 
 character of Ruth herself How much modesty, 
 industry, courteousness, and humility, were ap- 
 parent in her whole conduct ! All around 
 were pleased with her deportment. There is 
 something dignified in the character of the truly 
 pious, which excites the admiration even of the 
 thoughtless and profane. When in the company 
 of such persons, we seem to live in another at- 
 mosphere, to possess a new order of feelings, and 
 to find a restraint on our wicked inclinations. 
 When Boaz entered the field, with the simplicity 
 and piety of the ancient patriarchs, he observed 
 a stranger ; and whether he was struck with her 
 dignified mien, with her amiable deportment, or 
 with the marked respect his men paid to her, we 
 know not ; but it is probable, that He who " has 
 
TEIE HAPPY GLEANER. 281 
 
 the hearts of all men in his hands, and who turn- 
 eth them which way soever pleaseth him," in- 
 chned Boaz to inquire about her ; and when he 
 found she was related to him, he did not despise 
 her, he did not order her removal, and forbid her 
 again to enter his field ; but he commanded his 
 men to treat her kindly, and encouraged her to 
 take whatever portion she pleased, of the food 
 provided for his servants. His men were fur- 
 ther instructed to let fall some ears of grain for 
 her, that she might have an abundance. How 
 deep the impression of her gratitude to Boaz ! 
 How full of joy was Naomi, when she saw, in the 
 evening, the result of her day's labour in the har- 
 vest field ! And how does the fascinating story 
 twine around our hearts, and fill us with an in- 
 terest unknown to the readers of tales and ro- 
 mances ! They gratify our imaginations, and 
 furnish us with food to cherish our natural de- 
 pravity ; but here the angel of truth enlightens 
 our minds, kindles our best affections, and soft- 
 ens and sanctifies our souls. 
 
 So far the history is distinguished for its sim- 
 plicity ; but we are now arrived at a part of the 
 narrative which seems to need some illustration 
 and defence. I allude to the advice given by 
 Naomi to Ruth, as to the manner in which a 
 marriage was to be brought about between her 
 
282 THE HAPPY GLEANER. 
 
 and Boaz. I fear that Naomi cannot, in this in- 
 stance be entirely freed from blame ! but there 
 are several things to be heard in extenuation of 
 her conduct, which it would not, by any means, 
 be advisable for us to imitate. 
 
 Let it then be remembered, that the manners of 
 those times, and of that country, were peculiarly 
 simple, and free from those refinements which 
 modern vices have compelled us to adopt. Noa- 
 mi, too, knew the pious and chaste characters 
 both of Boaz and Ruth. Added to which, Boaz 
 was an old man ; the Jews say he was eighty 
 years of age, and that he was remarkable for his 
 gravity. Besides this, Noami considered them in 
 the eye of God, by the appointment of his law, as 
 husband and wife ; and it appears, that had he 
 been, as they supposed, the nearest relative, she 
 would have had a right to make upon him the 
 demand of marriage. We repeat it, however, 
 Naomi cannot probably be freed from blame. 
 Her conduct proves that the most pious persons 
 are imperfect ; and it leads us to admire the wise 
 providence of God which could overrule this 
 event for good. 
 
 But to return : We are soon called to see this 
 amiable young woman, who had so cheerfully 
 sacrificed the comforts of this life for the sake of 
 religious privileges, and who had so honourably 
 
THE HAPPY GLEANER. 283 
 
 worked with her hands for the maintenance of 
 herself and her mother-in-law, become the wife 
 of Boaz, a man of piety and of wealth : she was 
 raised to a station in society for which her birth, 
 her education, and her piety had eminently fitted 
 her. The sphere of her usefulness was thus 
 considerably enlarged ; her sorrows were forgot- 
 ten in the house of her husband ; she became the 
 happy mother of children, and provided for the 
 venerable mother in Israel, who had manifested 
 so much concern for her welfare. Nor must it 
 be forgotten, that the blessed God conferred a 
 high honour on this Gentile, by placing her 
 among those from whom the Messiah should 
 spring. 
 
 We learn from this narrative, the mysterious 
 nature of divine Providence : " He raiseth up one 
 and putteth down another ; his footsteps are in 
 the great deep and his paths are not known." 
 We see the advantages connected with decision of 
 religious character. Ruth went, notwithstanding 
 every forbidding and trying circumstance, wher- 
 ever she believed it to be her duty to go ; she 
 was more afraid of sin than of poverty ; she ho- 
 noured God, and God honoured her. We feel 
 the propriety of committing all our concerns to 
 Jehovah, depending on his providence for future 
 supplies : " in all thy ways acknowledge him, 
 and he shall direct thy paths." 
 
284 THE HAPPY GLEANER. 
 
 Fear God, ye saints, and you will then 
 
 Have nothing else to fear: 
 Make you his service your delight, 
 
 Your wants shall te his care. 
 
 And, finally, we see the importance of con- 
 ducting ourselves in a suitable manner in the sta- 
 tion in which divine Providence has placed us ; 
 not encouraging a spirit of restless anxiety and 
 ambition, but resting assured, that, if God plea- 
 ses, he can raise us in the scale of society ; and 
 that, if consistent with his infinitely wise and 
 gracious plans, it will be done. To please him, 
 and to be governed by the principles of his word, 
 should be our constant aim ; and in some way or 
 other, in this world or the next, he will prove the 
 truth of his own declaration: "Them that ho- 
 nour me, I will honour." 
 
BOOKS 
 
 PUBLISHED AND OFFERED TO THE TRADE, 
 
 BY ROBERT CARTER, 
 No. 58 Canal Street, New-York. 
 
 THE ATONEMENT AND INTERCESSION OP 
 JESUS CHRIST. Bjr W. Symington, D. D. Se- 
 cond edition, 12mo. 
 
 MESSIAH THE PRINCE; or THE MEDIATO- 
 RIAL DOMINION OF JESUS CHRIST. By 
 W. Symington, D. D., 1 vol. 12mo. 
 
 HILL AND VALLEY; or Hours in England and 
 Wales. By Miss Sinclair, i2mo. 
 
 HOLIDAY HOUSE ; a series of Tales for Youth. By 
 Miss Sinclair, 12mo. 
 
 LITTLE HENRY AND HIS AUNT. By a Lady. 
 
 MEMOIR OF HANNAH SINCLAIR. By Legh 
 Richmond, author of Dairyman's Daughter, &c. 2d 
 American, from 19th London edition. 
 
 OUR PROTESTANT FOREFATHERS. By W, 
 25 
 
2 
 
 S. GiLLY, author of Felix Neff; from the 12th London 
 
 edition, 18mo. 
 DISCOURSES ON THE MILLENNIUM. By Rev. 
 
 M. T. Adam. 12mo. 
 A TREATISE ON THE OFFICES OF CHRIST. 
 
 By Geo. Stevenson, D. D. 12mo. 
 BOSTWICK ON BAPTISM. Second edition. 
 CHRISTIAN FATHER AT HOME; or a manual 
 
 of Parental Instruction. By W. C, Brownlee, D. 
 
 D. 18mo. 
 THE CHRISTIAN YOUTH'S BOOK, and Manual 
 
 for Young Communicants. Do. 12mo. 
 
 PRIVATE THOUGHTS UPON RELIGION AND 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. By Bishop Beveridge, 
 
 D. D. 12mo. 
 LECTURES ON THE GOSPEL OF ST. MAT- 
 
 THE W. By Beilby Porteus, D. D., Bishop of Lon- 
 don, 12mo. 
 THE MINISTER'S FAMILY. By a Country Min- 
 ister. 12mo. 
 LECTURES ON THE BOOK OF ESTHER. By 
 
 Thomas M'Crie, D. D., author of the Life of Knox, 
 
 Melville, &c. 18mo. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH- 
 ES OF NEW-YORK. ISmo. 
 
 THE FAMILY AT HEATHERDALE; or the In- 
 fluence of Christian Principles. By Mis. Col. Mac- 
 KAY. 12mo. 
 
 SCOUGAL'S ENTIRE RELIGIOUS WORKS, 
 consisting of the Life of God in the Soul, Sermons, 
 &c. 18mo. 
 
THE GRACE OF GOD, exemplified in the case of 
 of William Mills. 
 
 THE CROOK IN THE LOT ; or a Display of the 
 Sovereignty and Wisdom of God in the Afflictions of 
 Men. By Rev. Thomas Boston. ISmo. 
 
 WILBERFORCE'S PRACTICAL VIEW, with an 
 Introductory Essay, by D. Wilson, Bishop of Calcut- 
 ta, 12mo. 
 
 AN ANTIDOTE TO THE MISERIES OF HU- 
 MAN LIFE. 5th edition. 
 
 SERMONS, AND AN ESSAY ON MARRIAGE. 
 By Rev. Wm. Jay. 12mo. 
 
 WATSON'S BODY OF DIVINITY. 8vo. 
 
 INTERESTING NARRATIVES FROM SA- 
 CRED HISTORY. By Rev. Joseph Belcher. 
 12mo. 
 
 A KEY TO THE SHORTER CATECHISM, 
 containing Catechetical Exercises, a Paraphrase, and 
 a new series of Proofs on each Answer. New edi- 
 tion. 
 
 Ill Press. 
 
 LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF SCOTTISH 
 
 LIFE. By Professor Wilson. 12mo. 
 THE PERSON AND GLORY OF CHRIST. By 
 
 John Owen, D. D. 8vo. 
 
DATE DUE