fack, our money in full weight; and we have brought it again in our hands. And other have we brought down in our hands to buy food; we cannot tell who put our money in our facks.

money

THEY receive a favourable anfwer from the fteward of Jofeph's house,

And he faid, Peace be unto you, fear not; your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treafure in your facks: I had your money-and the further to difpel their fears, he brings out Simeon unto them.

AND now they prepare to meet Jofeph the second time. Again they fall proftrate on the earth before him, now more completely fulfilling his dream than at the firft, for now all his eleven brethren, fignified by the eleven stars,

ftood together before him, and made obeifance unto him.

AND he asked them of their welfare, and faid, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye fpake? Is he yet alive? And they anfwered, Thy fervant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. Observe they call their father Jofeph's fervant, thereby doing homage to the governor of Egypt in their father's name, and thus fulfilling that part of Jofeph's dream, which reprefented the fun making obeifance before him; and they bowed their heads and made obeifance, this they did every time they gave anfwer to Jofeph's queftions, and it is mentioned to fhew the full completion of the prophetic dream.

AND he lift up his eyes and faw his brother Benjamin, and he faid, Is this your

younger brother of whom ye fpake unto me? and he faid, God be gracious unto thee, my fon. And Jofeph made hafte, for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he fought where to weep, and he entered into his chamber and wept there.

WHAT an affecting fcene is this! Jofeph with his eleven brethren at his feet; and he who had affumed the haughty tone of the Lord of the country, unable to conceal the feelings of a brother, and struggling in vain to fupprefs the gufhing tides of affection for his kindred. The fight of Benjamin is more than he can bear. To avoid a premature discovery, he abruptly quits the room, and leaves the brethren astonished and amazed at this ftrange and unexpected burft of tendernefs.

As foon as Jofeph could recover that command of himself which was neceffary to carry on his defign, he returns again to the brethren, and orders the feaft he had prepared to be ferved up. And here we obferve the governor of Egypt feated apart at a table by himself; for the time was not yet come to acknowledge himfelf an Hebrew to his brethren, nor could he as a stranger fit down with the people of the country. On one fide are the brethren, on the other the Egyptians, each at their refpective tables, feparate and diftin&t-for the Egyptians may not eat bread with the Hebrews for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. Jofeph we fee wifely favours their religious fcruples: The dictates of confcience, though they may appear to us founded in error, ought ever to be held facred and inviolate: By any re

ftraint or force upon their operation, we endanger the life itfelf of the tender principle from whence they proceed: The Egyptians under an Hebrew governor are allowed to retain the manners and cuftoms of their anceftors, nor are they compelled to intermix with a people whom from prejudice they have been taught to

abhor.

Ir must have been no fmall aftonishment to the fons of Jacob, to fee themfelves placed at the table, and served in order according to their birth-right, as they were wont to be at their father's houfe; and this, at the command of one whom they confidered as an entire ftranger. And why fhould Benjamin's mefs be five times as much as any of the reft Benjamin the youngeft of them all, who confequently fat loweft at the