SERMON VIII.

GENESIS XL. 36.

And Jacob their Father faid unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Jofeph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: All these things are against me.

TH

HESE are the words of holy Jacob in great perplexity and diftrefs; the occafion of which we are acquainted with in the foregoing verfes of this chapter.

There being a great famine in Canaan, and corn in Egypt, Jacob fends ten of his fons down. into Egypt to buy corn, keeping Benjamin the youngest with him.

The Egyptians, the feed of accurfed Ham, had plenty, while Jacob and his family were in want, in the promised land: to teach them to feek a better country, that is the heavenly, and not to measure God's fpecial love or hatred, by what he gives or withholds of these outward things, Heb. xi. 14, 15.

Upon

Upon their coming to Egypt, and into their brother Jofeph's prefence, now the now the governour over the land, they bowed before him, and fo fulfilled his dream, which, at his first telling it to them, they heard with fo much indignation; and afterwards fold him to fome Ishmaelitish merchants, on purpose to prevent its being fulfilled, Chap. xxxvii. 28. But providence can promote and ferve its defigns, by the very methods, by which vain men may think to clog or hinder them.

Jofeph knew his brethren, tho' he was unknown to them and to bring them to repentance for their paft fin, and at the fame time get out of them an account of the ftate of their family, he carried it roughly towards them, verse 7. He ftrictly examined them, and charged them as fpies; and fhut them up in prifon, where they were kept three days, verfe 17. but at laft releafed them; and agreed that one of them should be bound, and detained in prison, as an hostage, and the reft fhould go and carry corn to their father and families, and fetch Benjamin to be a proof of the truth of the account they had given of their family; and as the only condition on which they were to expect any fayour from him.

Upon their return to Canaan, they relate to their father all that had befallen them; and that Simeon was left bound behind, and Benjamin fent for, whom they muft carry with them; or the brother could not be releafed, nor the Lord of the country's face any more be feen.

Часов

Jacob moved with the fad account, breaks out into the complaint in the text, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Jofeph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. He concluded Joseph to be dead, and looked upon Simeon as loft; in both which he was mistaken. And the thoughts of parting with Benjamin cut him to the heart, as if it were to fend him to the grave

But

and therefore he cries out, All these things are against me. Jofeph was safe and in honour; Benjamin would be fo too, and well received; Simeon would be fet free; all the family would be kindly entertained; and the father fent for to be nourished by his beloved fon. and thus all was making for his comfort and advantage, that appeared fo black and difmal, and from whence he expected nothing but ruin. And as good old Jacob was not to be alone, either as to his prefent fears, or his happy mistake in the issue, the plain obfervation I would make, is this.

Doct. A child of God may hastily conclude thofe things to be against him that at last shall be found to be moft for him.

In fpeaking to this, I shall shew :

I. That God's dealings with his people, even. when he is working their deliverance, and designs their good, are often dark and intricate.

II. Whence it is that they are ready to judge, that those things are against them, which are really making for them.

III. How it may be concluded, that what the people of God apprehend to be a

gainst them, fhall, in the iffue, make really for them:

IV. Why God chufes to carry on his peoples good in fuch a way.

Laftly, the application.

J. God's dealings with his people, even when he is working their dediverance, and defigning their good, are often dark and intricate, feeming to make more against them than for them. Thus it was with Jacob now. God defigned the prefervation of him and his family in Egypt, by Jofeph's advancement there: but how unlikely was the method he took in order to it?

Jofeph is firft fold for a flave, then reported to his father to be flain; and concluded to be fo, being not heard of for many years. A famine neceffitates Jacob to fend to Egypt for Corn; but upon their return, his fons reported they had been fufpected as fpies, and under that fufpicion three days imprifon'd. They tell Jacob now, when they were come back, that one of their number was left behind, as an hoftage for their going down again; and that whenever they went, Benjamin his darling, in whose life his own feemed to be bound up, must be ventured into a land wherein they had been fo roughly handled. How dark and melancholy does all this feem? how little likely to be tending to Jacob's advantage? and yet in the iffue it did, and God all along defigned it should. It was all but a contrivance of love and mercy, in the carrying on of which, God knew his thoughts to be thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give an expected end; indeed one beyond expectation

pectation. After all Jacob's fears for Simeon and Benjamin, he received them both safe; and heard with joy, of Jofeph's being alive, and in honour, whom he apprehended long before to be torn in pieces, and he was himself with all his family preferved there: but while Simeon was in bonds, and Benjamin, with the rest of his children were a going to him, his fears made him fpeak, as one going then to be bereaved of all his children, and thereby to be undone.

Thus it was in the deliverance of Ifrael from Egypt, 430 years after. God faw the affliction of his people there, and heard their cry, and refolved to fet them free: but upon his fending Mofes to fpeak to Pharoah for that end, their tafks were doubled, and they made to groan under harder bondage; fo that their cafe was worfe. And they expoftulated with Mofes and Aaron upon it, Exod. v. 21. And they faid unto them, the Lord look upon you and judge; because ye have made our favour to be abhorred in the of Pharoah, and in the eyes of his fervants, to put a fword in their hands to flay us. And Mofes fpreads the fame complaint before the Lord, faying, Lord, wherefore haft thou fo evil intreated this people? why is it that thou haft fent me? for fince I came to Pharoah to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither haft thou delivered thy people at all.

eyes

After they were brought a little on their way out of Egypt, their danger was increased. Pharoah with an enraged army marched after them, and overtook them, for whom they were no match. The fea was before them, and on either VOL. I.

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