up in them in every city, with proper overseers appointed to see that the corn was kept in safety. And a great abundance of grain by these means was laid up in every city.

The seven years of plenty passed away, and the seven years of scarcity foretold by Joseph came in their place; and the famine began to prevail in the whole world; but there was bread in the land of Egypt. And when the people were famished for want of food, they came to Pharao, and he said to them, 'Go to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you.' In the land of Canaan also the scarcity began to be felt. And Jacob said to his sons, 'Why are you so thoughtless? I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Go down thither, and buy for us what we require, that we be not consumed with want.' So ten of Joseph's brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Jacob kept Benjamin, the youngest son, at home; for he said, 'Lest perhaps he take any harm on the journey.' When they came into Egypt they soon found that corn could be obtained from none but Joseph. So when they had come into his presence, they all bowed themselves before him; and Joseph knew his brethren again, and the dreams that he had dreamed when a boy came back into his mind. Not to betray to them that he knew who they were, he spoke roughly to them, and asked whence they came. They answered,From the land of Canaan, to buy food, that we may live.' Joseph answered, 'Ye are spies; you are come to see the weak parts of the land.' They said, 'It is not so, my lord; but thy servants are come to buy food. We are all sons of one man; we are peaceable men. Neither are thy servants bent upon any evil.' Joseph replied, 'It is not so; but ye are come to spy out the unfenced parts of the land.' They replied, "Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest is with our father, the other is not living.' Joseph answered, 'This is the very thing I said. Ye are spies by this I will presently prove you; for, by the life of the king, you shall not depart hence until your youngest brother is come. Send one of yourselves to fetch him; and the rest of you shall stay in prison until what you have said be proved, whether it is true or false; or else, by the life of Pharao, you are spies.' And Joseph put them all in prison for three days. On their way they talked to one another, and said, 'We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this affliction come upon us.' Ruben reminded them, 'Did not I say to you, Do the boy no harm? and ye would not hear me. Behold, his blood is required from us.'

When the three days were over, Joseph took them out of prison and sent them home, keeping Simeon still bound. On their way home, one of them opened his sack to give his beast provender, and was surprised to find his money in the mouth of the sack. When the rest saw it, they were equally astonished and troubled, and they said one to another, 'What is this that God hath done to us? And when they came to their

father Jacob, they told him that the governor of Egypt had taken them for spies, had put them into prison for three days, and at last had kept their brother Simeon a prisoner, as surety for their promise that they would bring their youngest brother Benjamin with them when they next came to buy food in Egypt. Their father Jacob said, 'You have made me to be without children; Joseph is not living, Simeon is kept in bonds, Benjamin you will take away; all these evils are fallen upon me. My son shall not go down with you; his brother is dead, and he is left alone; if any mischief befall him in the land to which you go, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.'

Joseph, dispensing the corn of the land of Egypt, is a figure of Jesus Christ feeding the nations of the world with the bread of the Holy Eucharist.

§ 22. Joseph's brethren go down into Egypt the second time. The silver cup is found in the sack of Benjamin. Joseph makes himself known.

In the mean time the famine began to be still heavier in the land of Canaan; and when they had eaten up all the corn they had brought out of Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, 'Go again, and buy us a little food.' Juda answered, 'The man declared to us with an oath, saying, You shall not see my face, unless you bring your youngest brother with you. If, therefore, thou send him with us, we will set out together and buy necessaries for thee. But if not, we will not go; for the man declared, saying, You shall not see my face without your youngest brother. Send the boy with me, and if I bring him not safe back, I will be guilty of sin against thee for ever. If there had not been this delay, we should have been there and back again by this time.'

Joseph's brethren then set out and came safely down into Egypt, with Benjamin in their company. When Joseph heard that Benjamin was with them, he commanded his steward, saying, 'Bring the men into the house, and kill and prepare a feast, for they shall eat with me at noon.' The steward did as Joseph commanded, and bid them come into the house. Joseph's brethren began to be afraid because they were brought into the house; but the steward answered, 'Peace be with you; fear not.' And he brought out Simeon to them. They then made ready their presents against Joseph's coming at noon, for they had heard that they were to dine with Joseph. When Joseph came into the house, they presented themselves before him; and holding their gifts in their hands, bowed down with their faces to the ground. Joseph, courteously saluting them, again asked them, saying, 'Is the old man, your father, in health, of whom you told me? is he still living? And they answered, 'Thy servant, our father, is in health; he is yet living.' And bowing themselves, they made obeisance before him. Joseph now observed Benjamin, his brother by the same mother, and said, 'Is this your younger brother, of whom you told me? And he said, 'God be gracious to thee, my son.' And he made haste to leave the room, for his heart was moved towards his brother, and the tears gushed out; and going into his chamber, he wept there. Refrain

ing himself, however, he washed his face, and returned, and said, 'Set bread on the table.' This was done, setting for Joseph apart by himself and for his brethren. Joseph's brethren were surprised at finding that they were served each according to his age; the firstborn according to his birthright, and so on to the youngest, until it came to Benjamin's turn, who received a portion that exceeded those set before his brethren by five times. They wondered much at all they saw; but yet they feasted and made merry with Joseph. When the feast was over, Joseph commanded his steward, saying, 'Fill their sacks with corn, as much as they can hold, and put every man's money in the mouth of his sack, and in the mouth of the sack of the youngest put my silver cup and the price which he gave for the wheat.' This was done; and when the morning came they were sent away with their asses. And after they had gone a little way out of the city, Joseph sent for the steward of his house, and said, 'Arise, and pursue after the men, and when thou hast overtaken them, say to them, Why have you returned evil for good? The cup which you have stolen is that in which my lord drinketh, and in which he is wont to divine: you have done a very evil thing.'

The steward did as he was commanded. And when he had overtaken them, he spoke to them what Joseph had told him to say. They replied, Why doth our lord speak thus of his servants? The money that we found in the top of our sacks we brought back to thee from the land of Canaan; how, then, should it be that we should steal out of thy lord's house gold or silver? With whomsoever of thy servants shall be found that which thou seekest, let him die; and we will be the bondmen of my lord.' And he said to them, 'Let it be according as you say: with whomsoever it shall be found, let him be my servant, and you shall be blameless.' Then they speedily took down their sacks to the ground, and every man opened his sack. The steward searched them through all in order, beginning with the first; and when he came last to Benjamin's sack, the cup was found in it. Then they rent their garments, and reloading their asses, returned into the town, and went before Joseph, with Juda at their head, and fell down at his feet. Joseph said to them, 'Why have ye done this evil? Know ye not that such a man as I could divine this thing that ye have done? Juda said to him, 'What shall we answer to my lord? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are all bondsmen to my lord, both we and he with whom the cup was found.' Joseph replied, 'God forbid that I should do so; he that stole the cup, he shall be my bondsman, and go you away free to your father.'

Then Juda, coming nearer to Joseph, said boldly, 'I beseech thee, my lord, let thy servant speak a word in thine ears, and be not angry with thy servant, for after Pharao thou art the next. Let me be thy bondsman, seeing that I took him into my trust, promising my father, saying, If I bring him not again, I will be guilty of sin against my father for ever. Therefore I, thy servant, will stay instead of the boy in the service of my lord, and let the boy go up with his brethren; for I cannot return

to my father without the boy, lest I witness the evil calamity that shall come upon my father.'

Joseph could no longer refrain himself before those who stood by, and he commanded that all should go out, and no stranger be present at his making himself known to them. And he lifted up his voice, and wept so loud, that the Egyptians, and all who were in the house of Pharao, heard. And he said to his brethren, I am Joseph; is my father yet living? His brethren could not answer him for fear. And he said mildly to them, 'Come nearer to me.' And when they were come nearer to him, he said, 'I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Be not afraid; let it not seem to you a hard thing that you sold me into these countries; for God sent me before you into Egypt for your preservation. It is two years since the famine began to be upon the land, and five years more remain, in which there can be neither ploughing nor reaping; and God sent me before, that you might be preserved and might have food to live. Not by your counsel was I sent hither, but by the will of God, who hath made me, as it were, a father to Pharao, and lord of his house, and governor over the whole land of Egypt. Make haste and go ye up to my father, and say to him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of the whole land of Egypt; come down to me; linger not. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Gessen, and thou shalt be near me, thou and thy sons, and thy sons' sons, thy sheep and thy herds, and all things that thou hast. And there I will feed thee; for there are yet five years of famine remaining; lest both thou perish, and thy house, and all that thou hast. Behold your eyes, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, see that it is my mouth that speaketh to you. You shall tell my father of all my glory, and all things that you have seen in Egypt: make haste and bring him to me.' And falling upon his brother Benjamin's neck, he kissed him, and wept; and Benjamin, in like manner, wept upon his neck. And Joseph, in like manner, kissed all his brethren, and wept upon every one of them; after which they were emboldened to speak with him.

Joseph making himself known to his brethren, and their embracing him, is a figure of the whole Hebrew people throughout the world, in the times that are to come, falling down and adoring Jesus Christ whom their forefathers crucified, and becoming the servants and preachers of His gospel throughout the world.

§ 23. Jacob comes to dwell in the land of Egypt. His last prophecies and death. The mourning for him, and his burial in the land promised to his seed (B.c. 1875). The death of Joseph (B.c. 1821). When Joseph's brethren had returned home, they came before their father and cried to him, saying, 'Joseph thy son is living, and he is uler in all the land of Egypt.' When Jacob heard this he awoke as it were out of a deep sleep, and did not believe them. They, on the other hand, repeated all that had come to pass; and when Jacob saw all the wagons and all that Joseph had sent, his spirit revived and he

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said, 'It is enough for me if Joseph my son be yet living; I will go and see him before I die.'

As Jacob was journeying down to Egypt, he offered sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac by the well called Bersabee, and heard Him in a vision of the night calling to him and saying, 'Jacob, Jacob.' And he answered Him, 'Lo, here I am.' And God said to him, ‘I am the most mighty God of thy father; fear not; go down into Egypt; for I will make a great nation of thee there. And I will go down with thee thither, and will bring thee back again from thence. Joseph also shall put his hands upon thine eyes.' Jacob continued his journey, and sent on Juda before him to tell Joseph that he would meet him in the land of Gessen; and when he was come thither Joseph made ready his chariot and went to meet his father in the same place; and seeing him, he fell upon his neck, and embracing him, wept. And his father said to Joseph,Now shall I die with joy; for I have seen thy face and leave thee alive.'

After this meeting with his son Joseph, Jacob was presented by Joseph to Pharao ; and Jacob blessed Pharao. The king asked him, 'How many are the days of the years of thy life? Jacob answered, 'The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years, few and evil; and they are not come up to the days of the pilgrimage of my fathers.' Jacob again blessed the king, and went away, and lived in the land of Gessen, and multiplied exceedingly, receiving an allowance of food from Joseph during all the years of the famine.

Jacob, perceiving that his end was drawing nigh, called for all his sons to come into his presence; and he blessed each in his turn, foretelling what was to happen to their descendants. To Juda he gave the special and peculiar promise of being the forefather of the Messias: 'The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from before him, till HE come THAT IS TO BE SENT; and HE shall be the expectation of the nations.'

Again he said to all his sons, 'I am going to be gathered to my people bury me with my fathers in the double cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite, over against Mambre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought, together with the field, of Ephron the Hethite, for a possession to bury in. There they buried him, and Sara his wife; there was Isaac buried, with Rebecca his wife; there doth Lia also lie buried.' And when he had ended giving his last instructions to his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired.

Joseph obtained permission of Pharao to bury his father as he had commanded in the land of Palestine, and a great mourning was made for him in the land of Egypt for seventy days. When they had returned from the burying, Joseph's brethren, being afraid now that their father was dead, sent to him saying, 'We pray thee to forgive the servants of the God of thy father their wickedness.' And when Joseph heard this, he wept. His brethren came before him, and fell on their faces to the