may not see the man's face except our younger brother be with us.

And thy servant, my father, said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely, he is torn to pieces: and I saw him not since:

And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

him, ye

Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us, (seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;)

It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad, a bond-man to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren.

For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him: and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me: and there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his bre thren.

And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? and his brethren could not answer him: for they were troubled at his presence.

VOL. I.

M

And

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you; and they came near: and he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for GoD did send me before you to preserve life.

For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years in the which there shall be neither earing nor harvest.

And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

So now it was not you that sent me hither, but GOD; and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not.

And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast.

And there will I nourish thee; (for yet there are five years of famine;) lest thou and thyʼhoushold, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that have seen; and ye shall haste, and bring down my father hither.

ye

And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

ANNO

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

As Joseph had formed a plan for the benefit of his relations, and could not by any other means obtain intelligence, whether his brethren were deserving of his intended kindness, he was perfectly justified in making the experiments he did. The circumstance he particularly wanted to know, was whether they really loved Benjamin, and would protect him at all events. It must doubtless have given him the greatest degree of satisfaction to find, that they not only repented of their crime towards himself, but were strictly just in their mercantile concerns, and tenderly attached to each other.

Joseph's question, Wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? is not to be understood as if he practised magical arts, or was constantly inspired: it is rather a proof that he was liable to human infirmities, which led him to make use of this artifice, in order to intimidate his brethren. It may be observed by the by, that this was not consistent with Joseph's usual wisdom, because his charging them with a theft which they had not committed, shewed his brethren, that, in one instance at least, his divination was false.

Judah was at a loss what reply to make. He might justly have pleaded, that there was artifice in the whole transaction from beginning to end, but having no ad-: vocate to support his cause, he was afraid to do this. He therefore in ambiguous terms acknowledged the consciousness of guilt, which oppressed the minds of himself and his brethren, and the conviction accompanying it, that their affliction was from GOD.

What a pathetic scene now ensued, and how powerfully did Judah plead! Never was a tale related with more pathetic eloquence than this! No wonder that Joseph, whose heart was agitated with the tenderest emotions

и 2

emotions, could no longer refrain himself! Who but a sacred penman, inspired to describe the workings of nature, by Him to whom all hearts are open, could have conveyed to the world such a lively representation of this memorable event?

Having tried his brethren as much as was necessary for their justification, and his own satisfaction, Joseph nobly and piously resolved to make them amends for the sufferings he had inflicted, by freely forgiving the personal injuries he had received from them: and henceforth to consider what had happened as a dispensation of Providence, to which his brothers had been instrumental. Nothing could be more generous than his kind endeavours to quiet their conciences: for though God in his infinite mercy over-ruled their designs, their cruelty towards him was the result of their own wicked inclinations; they were actuated by human passions, not compelled by divine power.

What happiness must Joseph have enjoyed in the power of removing his father from a state of famine, to ease and affluence! and how great must have been the felicity of all parties at this perfect restoration of family harmony!

This portion of Scripture affords a striking picture of filial affection and duty. Judah was more concerned for his father's happiness than for his own safety: Joseph could no longer refrain from discovering himself, when he knew the painful uncertainty that Jacob endured. In this respect both Judah and Joseph are worthy of imitation: for those who have, with anxious care, reared a family, have an undoubted right to the tenderest regards of every individual of it. Old age is subject to many infirmities; and it should be the study of every child not to add to the sufferings of their aged parents, but to lessen them as much as possible. How

dreadful

dreadful is the idea of "bringing down the gray hairs of a parent with sorrow to the grave!"

Fraternal affection is also strongly enforced by the examples of Judah and Joseph. In the first, we behold an elder brother acting as the guardian and protector of a younger one. In the other, a forgiveness of injuries, and a participation of benefits, with a fervent desire to increase the happiness of an honoured parent, and promote the general prosperity of the family.

A useful lesson of worldly prudence is likewise conveyed in this portion of Scripture; namely, that it is the interest of brethren to live in friendship and harmony, as the success of the one may lead to the advantage of all. Happy would it be, if these considerations were allowed their due weight with all christians!

SECTION LI.

DEPARTURE OF JOSEPH'S BRETHREN.

JACOB AND HIS FAMILY SETTLE IN EGYPT.

From Genesis, Chap. xlv. xlvi. and xlvii.

AND it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren; This do ye: lade your beasts, and go get ye into the land of Canaan;

And take your father, and your households, and come unto me and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat of the fat of the land.

Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you waggons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the