a servant at Padan-aram, he established his dominion in mount Seir; and while the descendants of the one were groaning under Egyptian bondage, those of the other were formed into an independent kingdom, and had eight kings in succession, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. In this manner did God order things, to show, it may be, that the most valuable blessings require the greatest exercise of faith and patience.

DISCOURSE XLV.

JOSEPH SOLD FOR A SLAVE.

Gen. xxxvii.

We now enter on the very interesting history of Joseph, a history in which I feel not pleasure only, but a portion of dismay; and this because I have but little hope of doing justice to it. It is a history, perhaps unequalled, for displaying the various workings of the human mind, both good and bad, and the singular providence of God in making use of them for the accomplishment of his purposes.

Ver. 1. Jacob is represented as dwelling in the land wherein his father was a stranger. The character of sojourners was common to the patriarchs: it is that which Jacob afterwards confessed before Pharaoh; on which the Apostle remarks, that they who say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Ver. 2. The generations of Jacob, seem here to mean his family history so the word is used of Adam, Chap. v. 1. And Joseph being, as we should say, the chief hero of the tale, it begins with him. It was the design of the sacred writer, in the course of his narration, to tell of all the great events of that family: as of their going down into Egypt, remaining there for a number of years, and at last being brought out by the mighty hand of God at present his object is to lead us to the origin of these events, as to the spring-head of a great river, or to describe the minute circumstances by which they were brought about.

Joseph was distinguished by his early piety. His brethren were most, if not all of them, very wicked; and he being frequently with them in the field, saw and heard such things as greatly

affected him. We are not told what they were: the oracles of God have thrown a veil over them till the judgment-day. Suffice it for us to know, that the mind of this godly youth was hurt by their conversation and behaviour, and that he could not be easy without disclosing particulars to his father. In this he was to be commended, for though a child should not indulge, nor be indulged by his parents, in reporting every trivial tale to the disadvantage of his brothers or sisters; yet where wickedness is acted, it ought not to be concealed. The parents should know it, that they may correct it; or if that cannot be, that they may be enabled to counteract its effects. But that which was commendable in him produced hatred in them. They would perceive that he did not join them when in company, and perhaps the carriage of their father would lead them to suspect that this his favourite son had been their In this, the outset of Joseph's story, we perceive a striking resemblance between him and our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the world hated, because he testified of it that the works thereof were evil.

accuser.

Here, therefore, before I proceed any further, I would offer a few words on the question, Whether Joseph is to be considered as a type of Christ? I am far from thinking that every point of analogy which may be traced by a lively imagination, was designed as such by the Holy Spirit; yet neither do I think that we are warranted to reject the idea. We have already seen that God prepared the way for the coming of his Son, by a variety of things, in which the great principles of his undertaking were prefigured, and so rendered familiar to the minds of men ;* and he pursued the same object by a variety of persons, in whom the life and character of Christ were in some degree previously manifest. Thus Melchizedek prefigured him as a priest, Moses as a phophet, and David as a king; and I cannot but think that in the history of Joseph there is a portion of designed analogy between them. But

to return

Ver. 3, 4. The hatred of Joseph's brethren, on account of his reports, was not diminished, but heightened by his father's

See the notes on Chap. vi. 18. xvii. 4.

partiality towards him. It is much less difficult to account for this partiality, than to jnstify it, or at least the method of expressing it. He was the son of the beloved Rachel; and though Benjamin was in this respect equal to him, yet he was but a child, and had as yet discovered nothing as to character: he therefore would be out of the question. Joseph seems to have been the only one in the family who had hitherto discovered either the fear of God, or the duty of a child. From these considerations his father might be allowed to love him with a peculiar affection; but his clothing him with a coat of many colours, was a weakness calculated only to excite envy and ill-will in his brethren. If he had studied to provoke these dispositions, he could scarcely have done it more effectually. The event was, that the hatred of the brothers could no longer be concealed, nor could they speak in the usual strain of civility to Joseph.

Ver. 5-11. Another circumstance occurred, which tended still more to heighten the enmity; namely, certain dreams which Joseph had at this time, and which he, in the simplicity of his heart, related to his brethren. These were divine intimations of his future advancement, and were remarkably fulfilled in Egypt, about twenty-three years afterwards. But at present they inflamed a resentment already too strong; and even his father thought it necessary to chide what seemed a little presumptuous in his son. Yet as Jacob felt a check on this occasion, and observed the saying, suspecting, it should seem, that there might be more in it than he was at present aware of; so, I apprehend, his sons had a secret persuasion that these dreams were prophetic: but that which softened the father, only hardened and inflamed the sons. Their hatred had originated in religion; and the thought of God having determined to honour him, provoked them the more. Such were the operations of malice in Cain towards Abel, in Esau towards Jacob, in Saul towards David, and in the Scribes and Pharisees towards the Lord of Glory.

Ver. 12-17. Things now approach fast to a crisis. It seems as if the vale of Hebron, where Jacob now was, did not contain sufficient pasturage for his flocks: the young men therefore take them to Shechem, a distance, it is said, of about sixty miles, and VOL. V.

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the place where they lived for the first seven years after their return from Padan-aram. Jacob, feeling anxious about them and the cattle, (as well he might, considering the part they had acted there,) proposes to Joseph that he should go and inquire, and bring him word of their welfare; to which the latter, with cheerful obedience, consents. Arriving at Shechem, he finds they had left it, with their flocks; and being informed by a stranger that they were gone to Dothan, a distance of about eight miles, he proceeds thither.

:

Ver. 18-22. The sight of Joseph, while he was yet afar off, rekindles all the foul passions of his brethren, and excites a conspiracy against him. Behold, say they, with malignant scorn, this dreamer cometh! Come now, let us slay him! In some cases sin begins upon a small scale, and increases as it advances; but the very first proposal in this case is murder! This shows the height to which their hatred had been previously wrought up, and which now that opportunity offered, raged like fire with uncontrollable fury. But have they no apprehensions as to consequences? What tale are they to carry home to their father? O, they are at no loss for this. Malice has two intimate friends, always at hand, to conceal its dark deeds; namely, artifice and falsehood. We will cast him into some pit, say they, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him and we shall see what will become of his dreams! Who will say that the workers of iniquity have no knowledge? They have all the cunning, as well as the cruelty, of the old serpent. See how they wrap it up. But what do they mean by that sarcastic saying, We shall see what will become of his dreams! If they had considered them as feigned through ambition, they would not have felt half the resentment. No, they would have winked at it as a clever piece of deceit, and have had a fellow-feeling for him. I doubt not but they considered these dreams as the intimations of heaven, and their language included nothing less than a challenge of the Almighty! But is it possible, you may say, that they could think of thwarting the divine counsels? It is possible and certain, that men have been so infatuated by sin, as to attempt to do so. Witness Pharaoh's pursuit of Israel, after all that he had seen and felt of the divine