time, sent Joseph to see if all was well with them and their flocks, and to bring him word again. Joseph went, and not finding them there, was directed to Dothan, a town about 12 miles N. of Samaria: his brethren no sooner saw him coming, but they conspired against him to slay him; yet Reuben, his eldest brother, abhorred the detestable design, and hiding his resolution of saving him, counselled them not to dip their hands in the blood of their brother, but to satisfy themselves by casting him into a pit; hoping thereby to take him out and deliver him to his father to this they consent ed; but some Ishmaelites and Midianites, merchant-men, passing by to go into Egypt, Judah proposed to take him up and to sell him; accordingly they agreed with the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver and Joseph was by them carried into Egypt.

S. How did they hide this from their father?

7. They killed a kid of the goats, and dipped Joseph's coat in the blood; which being brought home, the father was easily deceived into an opinion that his son had been torn to pieces by some wild beast.

S. How did Jacob behave on this occasion?

T. He rent his cloaths, and put on sack-cloth, and would admit of no comfort; but resolved to lament his loss to the day of his death.

S. What became of Joseph ? T. The merchants carried him into Egypt, and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard; who observing his fidelity, and the success that attended ali, his undertakings, in a short time made him his steward. S. Did he continue in this office and his master's favour?

T. He remained several years with Potiphar, till refusing the im pure solicitations of his mistress; who, being enamoured of his person, tried all means to entice him into her embraces, and to defile his master's bed; he was at length rained in his master's esteem, being falsely accused by her of an attempt to violate her honour, and not only turned out of his place, but confined in the king's prison.

S. What happened during this time in Jacob's family?

T. Before Joseph was sold, Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, had married a Canaanitish woman, named Shuah, of whom he had Er, Onan, and Shelah. The eldest married Tamar; but he being very wicked, God cut him off in a little time. Then Judah, according to the custom of the times, ordered Onan, his second son, to take her, and to raise up seed to his brother; but he used unnatural means to prevent any issue from him, which the Lord so abominated, that he cut him off by death for that crime. Shalah was yet too young to marry, but Judah intreated the widow to wait till he should be of age. Tamar consented; but when she saw herself deluded, Shelah being now grown up, and no notice taken of her, she disguised herself in the garb of an harlot, and becomes a prostitute to Judah himself, without knowing who she was. Having understood she was with child, he prosecutes her to condem. nation for an adultress, as being betrothed to his third son; but she discovers to him whom it was by, and was delivered of twins, Pharez and Zarah, who are both mentioned in the genealogy of Christ.

Joseph. But afterwards, when they returned a second time, and brought with them Benjamin, their brother, having tried them to the utmost, and seeing their great dejection and remorse of conscience, he made himself known to them with all affec tion and tenderness.

T. Yes and when he arrived at Beersheba, which is the utmost boundary of Canaan towards the south, and offered sacrifices for a safe and happy journey, God appeared unto him and bade him not fear to go down into Egypt; for he would be with him and protect

S. How did they behave on his him, and in due time bring his declaring himself to them?

T. They were so struck with surprize and confusion, that for a considerable time they could not give him an answer. But upon his assurances of forgiveness and friendship, and that it was the work of God in sending him into Egypt to preserve their lives; they were encouraged and revived, and conversed familiarly with him.

S. How did Joseph convince them, of his sincere forgiveness?

T. He, with Pharaoh's leave, sent for his father, and bid his brethren bring all their families into Egypt, and for that purpose provided them with proper carriages for their housholds and moveables; he afterwards settled them in the land of Goshen, the best of the country, and maintained them all, during the time of the famine.

S. How did this affect Jacob?

T. He fainted away at the surprizing report of his son Joseph being alive, and governor over the land of Egypt; but when he saw the presents, the chariots, and the waggons, and informed himself of the circumstances of the divine providence towards his son, his spirits revived, and in an extasy of joy, ery'd out, It is enough! Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.

S. Did Jacob go down to Egypt immediately?

posterity up from hence again, to enter into the possession of the promised land. From thence he and his family proceeded to his son Joseph.

S. How was Jacob received in Egypt?

and affection by his son, and respect T. With all demonstrations of joy by Pharaoh, who appointed him his chief shepherd, and committed the charge of all his herds and flocks in the land of Goshen into the hands of his sons.

S. Where was the land of Go shen situate?

T. In the eastern part of Egypt, between the Red-sea and the Nile, on the borders of Canaan. It was a very fruitful country, abounded in herbage, and being separate from Egypt, was the most convenient habitation for the Israelites; who might live there in a body, and freely exercise their religion without giving offence to the Egyptians : and as they came down into Egypt upon a particular exigency, and were to return again to take possession of the promised land, they could here be in greater readiness to remove, whenever God should order them to depart without the difficulties that must have attended such a removal from the heart, or any of the farther parts of Egypt.

S. Did not these things draw the envy of the Egyptians upon Joseph ?

T. No for Joseph did nothing for his family but by the king's command and advanced them to no posts of trust or profit in the government, but continued them in the employment of shepherds, which was an abomination to the Egyptians. And as to his management of the public affairs and royal gra. naries, he carried the balance so just between the interest of the king, and the necessities of the people, that he deservedly gained the esteem of them both.

his end, he sent for his son Joseph, and engaged him by an oath, that he would not bury him in Egypt, but at Machpelah, the burial-place of his fathers. When afterwards Joseph returned, upon notice that his father was on the point of death, Jacob hearing of his arrival, summoned up all his spirits, and sat up in his bed; and having related all the promises made to himself and his fathers by God, concerning his numerous posterity, and their inhabiting the land of Canaan, he a

S. What advantages did the king dopted and blessed the two sons of reap by his administration ?

T. In the first years of the famine, Joseph gathered up all the money in Egypt and Canaan for the corn he sold them; and when money failed, he bartered for their cattle, and afterwards for their lands and their persons, to be servants to the king. So all the land became Pharoah's excepting the revenues of the Priests who lived upon the maintenance allowed them out of the royal bounty. But he was so far from making them slaves, that he restored them their liberty, assigned them lands, and furnished them with sufficient seed, upon condition, that from thence forward they should pay yearly a fifth part of the product of their lands to the king and his successors for ever.

S. Had Joseph any children? 1. Yes: two sons, Manasseh and Ehraim, by his wife Asenath.

S. How did his father's family succeed in their new habitation?

Joseph, whom he then brought with him; and, by divine direction, he preferred Ephraim before the first boru Manasseh.

S. How did Jacob bless Joseph's sons?

T. He adopted them in the same degree, as Reuben and Simeon stood in the line of his inheritance. Them he kissed and embraced them, and prayed that God would make them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth; and prophesied that the seed of Ephraim should become a multitude of nations. And hav ing said to Joseph, behold I die, but God shall be with you, and bring your posterity into the land of your fathers, he gave him one portion above his brethren, which he had conquered from the Amorite,

S. Did not Jacob take his leave of his other sons before he died ?

T. Yes he called them together, and prophetically told them what they and their posterity should un

T. They became very wealthy, dergo in future ages. and very nun erous.

He reminded Reuben of his in

S. How long did Jacob live to cest, for which he disinherited hum enjoy these comforts?

7. Sccateen years: when finding kmself grown fecale and near

from the privileges of his primo geniture: in consequence whereof the tribe of Reuben continued always in

abscurity; the priesthood being conferred on Levi, the government on Judah, and the double portion on Joseph to be entailed in their respective tribes.

He told Simeon and Levi, that, for their impious massacre of the Shechemites, their tribes should be for ever separate and dispersed among their brethren. So we find this fulfilled, in that Levi had no inheritance among his brethren in the land of Canaan; except a few peculiar cities allotted in evey tribe: and the tribe of Simeon enjoyed only a part of Judah's portion; excapting a few acquisitions on mount Seir, and in the wilds of the valley of Gedǝr.

To Judah he assigned the sovereignty, or the government, not onIy of his family in Goshen, but of that nation, which God had promised to his sced; and he prophesied that from his name should the nation of the Jews derive their appellation; the same form of government, which he instituted, should continue amongst them till the Messiah came, in a land that should produce vines, as common as thorns in other places; and wine, as plentiful as water; which was in some measure verified in the fruitful valleys of Eshcol and Hebron.

He described the settlement of Zebulun to extend westward from the Mediterranean Sea, to the lake of Genezareth on the east, as far as Zidon on the north. And he foretold that the tribe of Issachar, delighting more in husbandry than in war, should be often infested and subjected to strangers. that would take advantage of their pusillanimity and inglorious ease.

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Dan was given to understand, that his birth of a concubine, was no bar to his father's blessing and that his posterity should become a politic people, and distinguish themselves in war.

The posterity of Gad were assured, that, notwithstanding their settlement should at first expose them to the incursions of the bordering Arabs, on the other side of Jordan, they should overcome them at last by their vigilance and bravery; which was fulfiled in that famous battle, wherein the Gadites took from them fifty thousand camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and one hundred thousand men prisoners.

Asher had the promise of a very rich soil, abounding in the most delicious fruits. And of Napthali, he foretold, that his branches should spread like an oak, and multiply exceedingly: which must be confessed by those that observe the capacity of his tribe, to muster fifty-three thousand men fit to bear arms, in less than 220 years.

Then turning to Joseph, he first acknowledges the divine providence, which so gracicusly appeared in the protection and deliverance of him out of all his troubles, and then blesses him with the dew of heaven,' the fatness of the earth, a numerous posterity, and with plenty of all sorts of cattle. And it must be observed, that the title of the shepherd and the stone of Israel, was given to Joseph by his father, to put his family in mind that they ought to recognize him to be their preserver and nourisher in the land of Egypt, and that thereby he was home the foundation or basis of the house of