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of the money which they had carried off in their facks, and they got near to Jofeph's steward, and faid to him, "O! Sir, we came down hither before to buy food, and it came to pafs, that when we got to the inn, on our way home, we found every man's money in his fack's mouth, and therefore we have brought it back to you. We cannot tell who put it there, and we have now brought other money alfo, in order to buy food.—And the steward faid, peace be to you, I had your money, and he brought Simeon out to them,"

And when Jofeph came home, they drew near, and offered him the prefent which they brought, and bowed themselves to the earth before him. And Jofeph asked them of their welfare, and faid, Is your father well, the old man of whom you fpake: is he yet alive? And they answered, Thy fervant our father is in good health, he is yet alive; and they bowed down their heads again to the ground. And Jofeph lifted up his eyes and faw his brother Benjamin, and faid, is this your younger brother, of whom you fpake to me? and then turning to the lad, God (said he) be gracious unto thee."

-Jofeph now was much moved, for his bowels did yearn over his brother, and he fought where to weep, and he entered into his chamber, and wept there."

Religion does not deprive men, (as some have imagined) of their natural affection and feeling, for Jofeph was a religious man, and yet how

did he overflow with kindness towards his brethren. It is alfo remarked in the New Teftament, of one greater than Jofeph, I mean of our Saviour, on the occafion of the death of Lazarus, that," Jefus wept." Religion regu lates, no doubt, all the natural feelings of men; but it does not deftroy them.

Presently afterwards, the meat was set on table, and Benjamin's mefs was five times as great as any other, and they eat and drank together, and were cheerful.

Now when the dinner was over, Jofeph, who was still unknown to his brethren, commanded that all their facks fhould be filled with corn, and that every one's money fhould again be put into his fack, and moreover, that a filver cup, being Jofeph's own cup, fhould, together with the money, be put into the fack of Benjamin; and when the morning was come they all went away. And before they were got far from the city, Jofeph fent his fteward after them, who charged them with having ftolen Jofeph's cup out of the house. And they immediately denied the charge, and faid vehemently, With whom foever of us it is found, we will agree that he fhall die, and that we will all of us be your flaves (or bondmen); and a fearch being made, behold the cup was found in Benjamin's fack. Then they rent their clothes for grief, and laded every man his afs, and returned to the city. And Jofeph faid unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? And Judah,

(the fame who had promifed Jacob that he would be furety for Benjamin) replied, What fhall we fay unto my lord; God hath found out the iniquity of thy fervants: Behold, we will now be bondmen to my lord. And Jofeph faid, Not fo; but he in whofe hand the cup is found, (namely, Benjamin) he fhall be my flave or fervant. But as for you, get ye all away to your father in peace." What a fituation had these fons of Jacob got into now! Could any thing be more melancholy and diftrefsful! "O Jacob, Jacob!" they would fay, "how fhall we ever fee thy face in peace, if we bring not back Benjamin with us. Well do we remember the words which did break forth from thee at parting with us. Jofeph is not, and Simeon is not, and now ye will take Benjamin from me."

There is one reflection to which I beg to call the minds of my readers in this place. Jacob's fons are now accufed unjuftly; they are brought into trouble through no fault of theirs: whereas, formerly, they had committed a great fin; I mean that of felling their brother Jofeph; and had fuffered no particular inconveniences from it. They had not fuffered when they did wrong, and yet now they fuffer for doing right; for they certainly, as I fhould think, did right in going down to buy corn for them felves and their aged father, and even in bringing Benjamin with them, under all the circumftances of the cafe. Let us for a moment ftop here, and put

ourfelves in the place of thefe fons of Jacob. They might now, methinks, be tempted to say, "Surely, there is no righteous governor of the world; for when we do right, we only fuffer for it; and when we did wrong, we all efcaped unpunished. We will not believe therefore in a Providence all things happen alike to all; this world is governed by chance; nay, and the chance is often in favor even of the wicked." To all fuch profane reafoning, if I had feen Jofeph's brethren at this moment of time, I would have anfwered, "Stop a little, I beseech you; do not decide fo haftily, for, remember, your ftory is but half over. By-and-by, perhaps, your innocence in the prefent matter will be cleared up, and, for aught you know, your former fin, though long fince committed, may come to be found out."

Let us apply this remark to ourselves. We often feem to profit for a while by fome bad thing that we have done, or at least we fuffer no prefent punishment. Our fraud, our lying, or our act of violence, fucceeds for a certain time; and, perhaps, prefently afterwards, we chance to get into trouble by doing fomething, which, on the whole, really feems to have been our duty. Do you never feel tempted to disbelieve in Providence on fuch occafions? If you are, I would fay to you, as I just now obferved, that I would have faid to Jofeph's brethren, Wait a-while, I befeech you. Remember, your ftory is but half over. Do not decide till you

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you

obferve the iffue. See whether in the end will not be forry for every bad thing you have. ever done, and glad of every thing which, through God's grace, you have been enabled to do aright; and even though this fhould not be the cafe now, it certainly will on the day of judg

ment.

Jofeph difcovers himfelf to his brethren.

When Jofeph had made this propofal of keeping Benjamin as his flave or fervant, and of fending the other fons of Jacob home in peace to their father, Judah came forward, and related all that had paffed in the old man's house when they were bringing Benjamin away. "My father faid to us," obferved Judah, “Behold I have had two fons, and the one went from me," meaning Jofeph, "who is torn in pieces; and if ye take this alfo away, and mifchief befal him, ye fhall bring down my grey heirs with forrow to the grave. Now, therefore," fays Judah, let me abide instead of the lad, as a Bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how fhall I go up to my father, feeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; and it fhall come to pafs, when he feeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die."

"Then Jofeph could not refrain himself before all them that ftood by him, and he bid every franger to go out. Then Jofeph made

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