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greatly astonished the rest of his brethren: God be gracious to thee my fon! How must their admiration have been increased, when, foon after, he ordered a magnificent entertainment to be provided, to which they were all invited! What could they think of his ranking them in order, according to their precedency of birth, as if they had been long known to him; and moreover, at the feaft, fignifying his peculiar affection to Benjamin, by fending him, from his own table, five times as much as any of the reft. This was the time when one fhould naturally have expected Joseph would make himself known to his brethren: fo fair an opportunity feemed, indeed, to promife it, nor was it without difficulty that Jofeph refrained; for his bowels yearned towards his brother; and he fought where to weep; and entered into his chamber, and wept there. After recollecting himself he returns, and, with the utmost coolnefs and deliberation, difmiffes them, though far from a defign of taking his last leave, as we fhall find by the fequel; for he had previously ordered his fteward, on their departure, not only to restore to every man his money, but withal to hide a filver cup in Benjamin's fack, and after they had now got fome way on their journey, to pursue and fearch them, with an additional command, that on the conviction of the fuppofed offender, the cup being found in his poffeffion, they fhould all be brought back prifoners to the palace. Jofeph, we

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may imagine, had a mind to see how his favourite Benjamin would behave in fo critical a fituation; not without the further intention of once more trying the virtue and integrity of the rest of his brethren, to put their honour, love, and affection, to the teft, and prove whether they were worthy of that don and protection which he was going to beftow on them; to fee whether, in this diftressful crifis, they would stand by their brother Benjamin, or give him up tamely on this falfe accufation. They were, accordingly, all brought before Jofeph, and Benjamin, though innocent, fo ftrong were circumftances against him, had nothing to plead in his defence. This was a loud and powerful call upon Judah to fulfil the obligation which he had laid himself under to his father Jacob, of bringing Benjamin back fafe into the land of Canaan, and becoming furety for his return: he therefore generoufly offers himself up to Jofeph, to remain a flave in Egypt in the room of Benjamin, who was fentenced to bondage for a crime which he had never committed: I pray thee, fays he, let thy fervant abide inflead of the lad, a bond-man unto my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. This noble and truly affectionate conduct of Judah at once melted the tender heart of the compaffionate Jofeph, who forgat all the injuries he had formerly received, and refolved immediately to discover himself, and to be reconciled to his brethren: the cries of nature became too loud and prevailing to be

any

any longer ftifled or repreffed, and therefore, without any further hesitation or delay, he ordered the reft of the people to withdraw, and opened himself to them, in thofe concife and moft expreffive terms, I am Jofeph your brother, whom ye fold into Egypt.

It is not eafy to conceive, by all the powers of fancy, a scene more interefting, a picture more striking and agreeable than that which is now before us. The mild condescending dignity of exalted and injured, but at the fame time reconciled and forgiving virtue, fet in oppofition to vice betrayed, abafhed, debafed, and confounded: joy, tenderness, and affection, diffufed over the features of the one; shame, surprize, fear, and astonishment, glowing in the countenances of the others, form, all together, the finest contrast that imagination can well fuggeft. It was no wonder that his guilty brethren were fo overpowered as to be utterly incapable of returning him any anfwer: They, fays the history, could not anfwer him, for they were troubled at his prefence. Well, indeed, might they be troubled at the unexpected prefence of one whom they had fo deeply injured, and who would, in all probability, take this opportunity to refent it, and to revenge himself upon them. them. No fight can be fo dreadful to the guilty as the face of thofe whom they have wronged; every look ftabs the heart with remorse, every word alarms the accuf ing confcience. But the kind and bene

volent Jofeph quickly relieved their confufion, and, inftead of upbraiding them for their paft conduct, attributed all to the gracious defigns of Providence, which had acted miraculously for their joint prefervation. It was not you, fays he, that fent me hither, but God. Nothing could be more elegant, tender, and pathetic. They had no alleviation. or excufe to plead, and he kindly fupplies them with one: it was not you that fent me hither, but God. You were not to blame; you were only the paffive inftruments of his wifdom, the kind executors of his divine will: and he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and kiffed all his brethren, and wept over them. To admiration and reconcilement fucceeded the tendereft endearments of mutual transport, which it is cafier to conceive than to defcribe, and which, perhaps, indeed, none can truly or properly conceive but thofe who have themfelves experienced them.

The prefence of one gueft alone was wanting to crown this banquet of love and happinefs; a gueft who was eagerly defired, and therefore immediately fought after by the affectionate Jofeph, who befought his brethren to return as foon as poffible, and bring their aged father into Egypt, promifing, at the fame time, to provide a fafe retreat and habitation for them all in the land of Gofhen. Laden with honours and prefents of every kind, and ftill more bleffed by the furprizing and welcome reconciliation, they returned a fecond time, but in much better

fpirits

fpirits than at the firft, into the land of Canaan, and carried Jacob news almost too aftonishing to be believed by him. The tid ings which they brought him of Jofeph's being yet alive, and in fo exalted a station, quite overcame him. Nature, enfeebled by age, was too weak to support fo powerful an attack, and his heart fainted, fays the fcrip. ture, for he believed them not. As foon as he came to himself, his expreffion was to the laft degree affecting: he cries out, in a tranfport of joy, It is enough, Jofeph, my fon, is yet alive; I will go and fee him before I die. No fooner was this refolution made, than it was immediately put in execution: they took their cattle and their goods and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his feed with him. Jofeph, who expected their arrival with impatience, prepared to meet them, and went up to Goshen, and prefented himself to his father, and wept on his neck, fays the fcripture, a good while. The meeting on this occafion was, doubtlefs, to the last degree affectionate. But words are too weak to paint fuch exquifite fenfations; the facred hiftory, therefore, which never fays too much, fays very little here, but that little moft excellently, concerning it: And Ifrael faid unto Jofeph, now let me die, fince I have feen thy face, because thou art yet alive. The bleffing was fo great, and fo unexpected, that it filled up, as it were, his whole foul, and left nothing more to be wished for or defired, but to die poffeffed of it.

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