ning upon the wished for dominion?" Reuben now rejoined his brother Simeon thus; "the patriarch's partiality towards Joseph can never be justified, for if brethren are expeeted to dwell in unity, there must be an equality among them; partiality in a parent being the seed of certain dissentions among his children. Yet we ought to do the boy justice, he is truly lovely in his person; even in his opening graces, you may see all the beauty of his mother, mingled with the masculine gravity of our renowned father; besides, his temper is amiable and mild, his manners sweet and attractive; let us not then load the good man with reproach, even if he should love our brother with a superior regard. Our father was put before his elder brother, and thereby the promise descends to us, let us not then too hastily condemn the youth, before we know what the Almighty will do with him."

Thus reasoned the sons of Jacob, whilst Belphegor, an angel of the damned race, implacable in his hatred against mankind in general, and especially against the children of the promise, returning from a detestable incursion in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, drew near and hovered in the air over their heads, to acquaint himself with their circumstances, the better to embitter their lot, if not precipitate them into ruin. He was a witness to the purturbation of Simeon's heart, and resolved that the flame already kindled, should not die, whilst it was in his power to throw oil upon it. What the malignant spirit aimed at, was to excite him to embrue his hands in Joseph's youthful blood, as before, he had done in that of the Shechemites; which, as he concluded, if executed, would answer infernal purposes in divers respects; that it would bring down the holy patriarch with sorrow to the grave; it would bring an everlasting reproach upon the chosen race; and, it might provoke a just God to visit them with some terrible judgment. To accomplish this with the greater facility, he resolved to impose upon his senses by a dream: for which purpose he watched him in

his tent, and perceiving him in a deep sleep, he first breathed upon his eyes an hellish damp, that diffused darkness and horror through his whole soul. Then, directing his views to futurity, he discovered Joseph in a chair of state, himself and his brethren prostrate before him, intreating mercy at his hand; by and by he finds himself bound in fetters, in the presence of his brethren, and cast into a dungeon; now he sees his own seed, the drudging menials of the seed of Joseph. The name of Joseph is extolled to the hea vens, and those of his brethren mentioned but with coolness,, and some of them, particularly his own, with abhorence. Withal he saw the behaviour of Joseph's children to be haughty and tyrannical to their enslaved brethren. So did the parent of error mislead his judgment, by the delusion of an hell-inspired dream. Simeon awoke in the morning, and addrest himself to his pastoral care, following the fleecy race as they cropped the verdant herbage; but a sullen pensiveness was settled on his countenance, the cause of which he chose not as yet to reveal.

In the mean time while Joseph grew in stature, in the affection of his father, and the fear of his God. And ere long he dreamed again, a dream of the same import with the former. He fancied himself in a pleasant meadow, covered with the freshest verdure, bespangled with the many coloured stains of natural dye; the lion, the leopard, and panther, were hid in silence, in their lonesome retreats; their nocturnal prowlings in the desart were suspended, and only the voice of the nightingale was heard. As he walked along, admiring the beauties of nature, and adoring the supreme Creator, he perceived an uncommon motion among the celestial spheres; the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars, flew swiftly from their orbits, and came and made obeisance to him next day, after evening oblations were offered up, and Jacob's family convened to supper, such as the simplicity of those days admitted of; unsuspecting Joseph told his dream before them all. His father heard with thoughtful attention, yet deemed it pru

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dent to conceal for the present his thoughts, not knowing what envy it might excite among his brethren; and therefore gave him a slight rebuke, by saying, “Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee, to the earth?" The dream and interpretation of it had both taken possession of the patriarch's mind, and, notwithstanding his reproof to Joseph, he pondered it in his heart, and considered it as divinely inspired, portending some important event.

It was quite otherwise with Joseph's brethren: this last brought the former dream afresh into their minds, and they began to fancy themselves as almost in servitude to their brother already. The repetition of the dream encreased their envy, and alarmed their apprehensions; especially when Simeon, who had concealed his dream until now, had related it to them. They considered the whole as fixed by fate, and saw but one way to prevent the execution of the decree; and that was (horrid to name) to cut short his period of life; as if there had not been blood enough already upon their guilty souls. Strange indeed that the parents of the chosen seed, should be found contending with their God, and striving to prevent the execution of his purposes! How unsearchable are the ways of the Most High! and his judgments past finding out!

They now departed to their rural employments, first to Shechem where the herbage was soon devoured, and from thence to Dothan, where there was plenty of grass, and shelter for their cattle. Unfurnished with that dutiful regard, due to so good a father, their departure was concealed from him; whether from thoughtlessness, or with a view to find occasion to destroy Joseph, I pretend not to say: but their absence filled the patriarch's mind with solicitous concern for their welfare, wherefore he resolved to send his beloved Joseph in quest of them, to learn their situation. In the mean while, being arrived in Dothan, they consult together what methods to take to prevent the grandeur of their detested brother,

and his death was determined on by the majority. Thus sin at first discovered itself to be exceeding sinful by the horrid act of fratricide, and now the issue of this counsel was, that brethren should shed their brother's blood, and that without so much as the allegation of guilt against him..

Joseph was dispatched by his father to enquire after the health of his brethren, a task which was extremely agreeable to a mind like his, formed to offices of benevolence. First he went to Shechem, where he expected to have found them, but instead of them he met with a stranger, who, seeing a comely young man wandering in the fields, drew near and thus accosted him: " Young man, it I mistake not, you are a stranger in these parts, wandering in quest of some desired object; I am a native of this country, and if you will be pleased to command me, I am ready to serve you to the utmost of my power. It is the will of heaven that we should not be neglectful of strangers, but perform all offices of good-will towards them, and we find our account in obeying the precepts, for the God of heaven is the guardian of strangers." Joseph, affected with the goodwill of this stranger, meekly replied: "My friend, for such your sentiments bespeak you, I am here at this time in search of my brethren, who should be feeding their flocks near to this place, I shall take it kind if you can inform me whereabouts they are." If," replied the stranger, "you mean the ten sons of Israel, the Hebrew, I can help you in this matter, for it is but three days since I was with them upon business; ;; when finding the adjacent pastures consumed by their numerous flocks, I heard them conclude upon going to Dothan, where the earth produceth herbage in the richest luxuriance.

"If you are brother to these godlike shepherds, let me prevail with you to refresh yourself in my tent, which is at no great distance; and in the morn ing as soon as the cheerful sun illumines our horizon, you shall depart in peace." The day being far advanced, and the sable evening drawing near, our

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youthful hero accepted of the kind invitation, and slept in the tent of the Canaanite. Retiring to rest, his dreams came into his mind, earnestly he wished for the interpretation of them; but amidst his contemplations he fell asleep, and dreamed one of a very different nature. He fancied himself wandering in an unknown field, amidst the nocturnal gloom; sun, moon and stars, having hid their radiance in the density of the atmosphere. Pensive and melancholy, he wandered with painful steps he knew not whither. No voice was heard but that of beasts of prey, upon their nightly ravages, the growling of the lion, and hooting of the bird of darkness, were the only music that saluted his ear. Ere he was aware, he fell into an horrible pit, inhabited by hissing snakes, and other deadly reptiles; and in the fall, his many coloured coat was torn piece-meal, and hung upon the bushes over him. He had but just reached the bottom when two monstrous adders warped themselves about his legs, which frighted him so that he awoke and rejoiced that it was but a dream. Some benevolent spirit of the ethereal race, having heard the malevolent consultations of his brethren, might take this method of apprizing him of some danger near at hand, that he might guard himself against their bloody designs. But Joseph's friendly heart was incapable of suspicion. He would have deemed it a crime in him never to be forgiven, to have entertained, but for a moment, the least jealousy of their humanity. Had integrity and uprightness equally governed the rest of thy sons, O Jacob. what scenes of sorrow wouldst thou have escaped, and how gently would time have conducted thee through the decline of life?

The reverse of Joseph's disposition was theirs, for the moment they saw him afar off, they renewed their determination against him to destroy him, and by one bold stroke to free themselves from the fear of his future advancement. "According to our wish (cried raptured Levi) he comes; behold this dreamer cometh!" Returned Simeon, "Now is the time brethren, let us put him to death and see what will