geon fuffers to come to a fore, in order to its more effectual cure and thus, as the Prophet fays, a man's own wickedness fhall correct him. The Providence of God will make evil in the end to be productive of good, and the fierceness of man fhall turn to his praife. We are always under the controul of a fuperior power; we cannot act but by his permiffion, and under his direction, we cannot go beyond the word of the Lord to do lefs or more.

THE evil of man but ferves to manifeft the goodness of God: Had evil never been, the fuperabounding grace of God must have remained for ever unknown. If the fons of Jacob had not fold their brother, we could not have feen the magnanimity and forgiveness of Jofeph. And thus the glory of God is most eminently dif

played in the falvation of finners. We have no merit or righteoufaefs to recommend us to Chrift: Rather, have we not hated him, and preferred the world before him, and the vile lufts of the flesh to his most holy and perfect law! But defpifed and rejected as he is, the day will come, when we fhall be brought to feel our dependance on the Lord of life, and to feek falvation through the merits of a crucified Saviour. In the time of dearth, that is, in feasons of affliction, whom fhall we have recourfe to, but to him, for confolation? Terrified and affrighted under the conviction of our fins, and with the fearful apprehenfion of judgment, he alone can speak peace to the troubled confcience. Unto that man will he look that is poor, and of a contrite fpirit, and trembleth at his word; Jofeph difcovering

himself unto his brethren, is the type of Chrift revealing himself unto his people as he doth not unto the world. The Egyptians are not fuffered to be prefent at this fcene for the world feeth not, nor knoweth Chrift in the relation he ftands to those whom he is not afhamed to call his brethren I am Jofeph your brother" I am Jefus the brother and the friend of man_____" the Saviour of finners, whom God hath fent before us to preferve life. How great that love which fubmitted to the death of the Crofs to accomplish our redemption! Behold the man! It is Jefus fympathifing with his fuffering brethren, a partaker of the fellowship of our fufferings that we may partake of the likeness of his refurrection He was made in all things unto his brethren

like us he forrowed and wept

was fenfible of grief and pain

T

not

on his own account, but for our fakes, for he bore our griefs and carried our forrows. Let unbelief come and behold fee Jefus, our brother after the flesh, the once crucified, but now gloriously exalted Saviour the head of all principality and power_ difpenfing to his repentant brethren

-pardon and grace. Be not angry that ye fold me feems to imply. that the fins of men, though they bring pain,and remorse,and grief,upon them that commit them, yet are they beheld with compaffion by that all-gracious Being against whom they are committed. Father forgive them was the prayer of him whom the father heareth always, when the Jew and the Gentile confpired to put him to death

-by virtue of that prayer, there is falvation for a world of finners_______ the death of Chrift, is the life of the world

God did fend him before us to preferve life— Into the Egypt of the grave, he defcended for our fake, that through death he might deftroy him that had the power of death The laft enemy we have to fear is already vanquished by a dying Chrift: And when flefh and heart fhall fail, in nature's diffolution and decay; the quivering lip and clofing eye may commend our spirit into his care, who hath declared himself the Refurrection and the Life, and that whofoever believeth in him fhall never die.

SUCH then is Jefus to us, as Jofeph was to his brethren, a kind, forgiving brother, gone before us,to preserve life

Head over all things to his church; and difpenfing falvation, and every gospel bleffing, to all who with a true penitent heart and lively faith turn to hin. So long as we are in the world,