are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me ?"

We have hitherto exhibited little more than the shades of Jacob's character; we shall now bring forward some of the bright and amiable parts of it. Like those who have set their affections on things that are above, Jacob seems to have determined upon pursuing the most glorious attainments. In the ardour of this pursuit, in one instance, he had undoubtedly been precipitated into a wrong course for the aequisition of the object in view; and, in another, maternal influence had been exerted, and advantage taken of his inexperience.

But though some tinges of human frailty, in these instances, are observable, we have not any reason to conclude that his heart was not right in the sight of God; for in the important concern of marriage, we find him piously regarding the counsel and solicitude of his parents, that the worship of the true God might be preserved in the family. This disposition of mind was blessed in an extraordinary manner; for in the hour of his extremity, in the wilderness, when he had only a stone for his pillow, he was favoured with the vision of the ladder, and of the angels of God ascending and descending upon it. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said: "I am

the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee, and in thy seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed; and, behold! I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, till I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

Here is a renewal of the promise to Abraham, and to his seed after him. Jacob's promptitude of acknowledgment of so great a favour, is beautifully displayed in his rising early, and immediately erecting a monument of such simple materials as the place afforded, to the memory of this heavenly vision, which he was desirous to impress on his heart for ever. The stone which had been his pillow, he set up for a pillar, which he anointed, and consecrated to the honour of God, by the name of Bethel, that is, the House of God; and then he entered into a solemn vow unto the Lord. Animated by such a vision, Jacob doubtless went on his way rejoicing; and, under the guidance and direction of an indul

gent Providence, arrived at Padan-Aram in safety.

It was that simple age of the world, in which the chief occupation and enjoyments of human nature, were seen in the shepherd's life; while as yet, gold had not determined the value of intellectual, as well as natural productions; while as yet, commerce had not opened her ten thousand channels of luxury, to enervate and corrupt mankind.

His conversation with the shepherds of Haran, must always afford delight to those, whose taste is not debauched by the frippery of modern manners, and the affectation of cermony and compliment; who can relish the honest simplicity of nature, and the genuine expression of unaffected kindness and benevolence.

While they are speaking, Rachel draws nigh with her fleecy charge; and Jacob, with the ardour natural to a manly spirit, and the zeal of an affectionate relative, runs forward to salute, and assist his fair kinswoman. Little offices of civility, are the natural effusions of a good and honest heart: they often suggest the first sentiment of love, both to those who confer, and to those who receive them; and they keep love alive when it is kindled. Rebekah had been courted by proxy, with presents and promises;

T

Rachel is courted by her husband in person, with the looks, the language, and the service of love. Their attachment to each other, did not long escape the penetrating eye of the crafty father, and uncle; who, from the time he observed it, considered how best to convert it to his own advantage.

Jacob had for some time, unsolicited, and without any stipulation, rendered his best services to Laban for nothing; his principal object being to render himself agreeable, to his amiable cousin. When therefore Laban, who must clearly have foreseen the answer, under an affected regard to the interest of his relation, inquired into the condition of his future services, Jacob, without hesitation, mentions a marriage with his younger daughter; and, having no marriage portion to give the father, as the custom of the times required, he offers as an equivalent, seven years of personal servitude and labour. The proposal is no sooner made than accepted; and Laban has the satisfaction of betrothing his daughter, to wealthy Isaac's son and heir; and of securing for himself the emolument of Jacob's labour, for seven good years. Thus the rights of humanity, the laws of hospitality, and the ties of consanguinity, are all made basely to truckle, to the most sordid of all human passions; and

the free born grandson of Abraham sinks into abject servitude.

But he bears with patience and cheerfulness, the ardour of the meridian sun, and the cold chilling damps of the evening, so long as he has access to the company and conversation of his beloved Rachel; and though he served seven years for her, they seemed to him but a few days for the love he had to her. When he had faithfully fulfilled his part of the engagement, he calls upon Laban to perform what was incumbent upon him.

The better to conceal the fraud he was meditating, Laban feigns compliance, and amuses Jacob with all the usual apparatus of a marriage feast. According to the custom of the eastern nations, the bride was conducted to the bed of her husband with silence, in darkness, and covered from head to foot with a veil ; circumstances all of them favourable to the wicked, selfish plan, which Laban had formed to detain his son-in-law longer in his service. And Leah is substituted in the room of her sister.

Here we see, that he, who, by subtilty and falsehood, substituted himself for his brother Esau, in stealing away the blessing, is punished, for his deceit, by finding a Leah where he expected a Rachel. He who employed undue