the coat of Jofeph, Jacob knew it inftantly, and drew the conclusion they wifhed, It is my fon's coat, an evil beaft hath devoured him; Jofeph is without doubt rent in pieces. Think with what wringing hands, and beating heart, and flowing eyes, and faltering fpeech he must have uttered thefe words: Had. he known that there was no other evil beast concerned, than the envy and hatred of the brethren confpiring againft this his favourite fon, the tender feelings of the father could not have borne fuch an accumulated weight of woe. Happily he fufpected no deceit: But with what eyes muft they have regarded their father's agonizing grief; or with what words could they adminifter comfort to that affliction of which they were themselves the caufe? The oldman refufes to be comforted, and he faid, for I will go down into the grave unto

my fon mourning: Thus his father wept for him.

Meanwhile Jofeph, the purchafed property of the Ifhmaelites is conveyed down into Egypt; there he is again fold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's and captain of the guard.

THUS far have we confidered the hiftory of Jofeph according to the letter, but it has also a spiritual meaning and typical reference to ONE greater than Jofeph. We have a Father in Heaven, who hath fent unto us his beloved Son, to see if it were well with us; the reception which that Son of his Father's love has met with from his brethren on earth, bears a striking resemblance to the treatment of the favourite fon of Jacob- Defpifed and rejected, hated and perfecuted, ftripped

of his raiment, fold for the price of a flave, delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, and at length crucified and flain, was THIS ANTITYPE OF JOSEPH

Yet the bleffed Jefus fleeps not with the dead, though he was caft into the pit and made his grave with the wicked, he is alive again, he is rifen, and is gone before us to prepare a place for us, and to preserve alive much people

Where he is, thither muft we his brethren go It will then be feen, how he will deal with us, and by what methods he will bring us to repent of our paft mifconduct But I will not anticipate the fequel of our hiftory, we will refume it on fome future occafion.

SERMON II.

JOSEPH TEMPTED.

GENESIS, Xxxix. 1, 2.

And Jofeph was brought down to Egypt: and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh's, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him out of the hands of the Ifhmaelites which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Jofeph, and he was a profperous man, and he was in the houfe of his mafter the Egyp

tian.

You have heard how Jofeph was the favourite fon of his father, and for that very reafon hated by his brethren; which hatred of theirs was farther increased by two prophetic dreams which

he related to them foretelling his future advancement over them.

You have feen the workings of this hatred, how it led them to confpire againft his life in order that they might defeat his predictions; but being dif-fuaded from this by the advice of Reuben, they abftained from fhedding of blood, and contented themselves with cafting him into a pit; and a company of Ifhmaelitifh merchants paffing by, they agreed it would be better to fell him for a flave than to leave him to perifh with hunger, thinking that this method would as effectually remove him out of their way, as the putting him to death.

AND indeed, confidering the diftance of Egypt from Canaan,what probability was there,that they fhould ever