Слике страница
PDF
ePub

PERHAPS dreams, in those days more efpecially, might be one of God's ordinary methods of revealing himself to men, convincing them thereby of his existence and fuperintending influence in human affairs, for who but He can foretel future events? Divine dreams are at prefent lefs frequent, becaufe to us who have the written word and revelation of God's will, lefs neceffary. Some intimation concerning futurity, is requifite to the mind of man, to enable it to support the preffure of prefent affliction, and to look forward with confidence in God.

JOSEPH on hearing their dreams, foretels death to the one, and a speedy restoration to the other: And how tenderly does he mention his own cafe, never once naming those whofe un

juft treatment was the caufe of his prefent fufferings Think thou on me,when it fhall be well with thee, and fhew kindnefs I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharach, and bring me out of this houfe. For indeed I was ftolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here alfo have I done nothing that they fhould put me into the dungeon.

BUT the chief butler remembered not Jofeph, but forgot him; reftored to his poft at the court of Pharaoh, he thinks no more of his fellow prifoner. Thus deceitful is human friendship, when our confidence is placed in man alone. O put not your truft in princes, fays the Pfalmift, nor in any child of man, for there is no help in themOur help flandeth in the name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth O tarry thou the Lord's leifure, be firong and he fhall

fablish thy heart, and put thou thy truft in the Lord.

It was intimated in the preceding difcourfe, that the hiftory of Jofeph bears a typical reference to the hiftory of Jefus Chrift. Upon this fcheme, Jofeph tempted, appears to forefhew HIM who was in all points tempted like as we are, not indeed outwardly to open acts of fin, but inwardly by fpiritual ftruggles and conflicts with the power of evil in his own mind, for he had the fame paffions and appetites to contend with, as we have, and overcame them in the fame way and manner as we are directed to overcome them. This is what is fignified by his being led into the Wilderness to be tempted of the Devil. The hunger of the body he refufed to fatisfy, and

was more folicitous to live by the word of God than to feed the corporeal appetite with the bread that perifheth; he was the Son of God, but he would not prefume upon his own ftrength to caft himself down from the Temple, even on the authority of a text of Scripture quoted for the purpose. And though the world was doubtlefs as alluring to him, as to any of us, he rejected all its kingdoms, and the glory of them, when offered him upon bafe and unworthy conditions. was tempted, that we might be affured of his fympathy for us in our temptations, feeing that he was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and knoweth whereof we are made. He was tempted to enable him to fuccour us, and that from the pattern of his temptation fet before us, we may learn to overcome

He

in our temptations; we have the fame enemy to contend with, the fame fnares to guard againft, and if we look to him in faith and prayer we fhall have the fame ftrength to enfure us victory. As often as Satan affaulted him, he repelled the attack, by an It is written; fo muft the word of God be our fupport and ftay. When temptation urges, and the heart is prompted by fuggeftions of unhallowed defire, we muft bethink ourselves how Jofeph, and that GREATER than Jofeph conducted themfelves in the like circumftances: To the fubtle reafonings of Our enemy, we must oppofe the plain truths of God's word, and to the blandifhments of fin, the awful terrors of a day of judgment. The delufion will then vanifh; Sin will appear in its proper colours, and temptation be re

« ПретходнаНастави »