WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 \ 
 
 CLASS BOOK FOR JEWISH YOUTH OF BOTH SEXES. 
 
 DISCOURSES ON THE PRINCIPLES OF THE RELIGIOUS BE- 
 LIEF OF ISRAEL, AS PRODUCTIVE OF HUMAN HAPPI- 
 NESS AND MORAL IMPROVEMENT. 
 
 THE FORM OF THANKSGIVING FOR JEWISH LADIES ON 
 REPAIRING TO THE SYNAGOGUE AFTER THEIR AC- 
 COUCHMENT. 
 
 ANTIQUITY OF FREEMASONRY IN GENERAL. 
 A SYNOPSIS OF JEWISH HISTORY.
 
 BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 BY REV. H. A. HENRY, 
 
 RABBI PREACHER OF CONGREGATION SHERITH ISRAEL, SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 " These studies Improve youth, and are the embellishment and joy of age ; 
 they add grace and dignity to prosperity, and afford the surest refuge and con- 
 solation in adversity; they delight us at home, and are no hindrance to enjoy- 
 ment abroad ; they go to bed with us, travel with us, and are our companions 
 in the country." Cicero. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO: 
 H. H. BANCROFT AND COMPANY. 
 
 56241864.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress in the year of the "World 66241864 
 
 BY REV. H. A. HENRY, 
 
 In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the 
 Northern District of California. 
 
 TOWNE AND BACON, PRINTERS
 
 1335 
 H3U 
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 TO THE 
 
 CONGREGATION SHERITH ISRAEL, 
 
 STOCKTON STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: 
 
 This Volume of Discourses on the Book of Genesis is inscribed 
 
 and dedicated, with the warmest feelings of duty, 
 
 affection, and esteem, by their obliged 
 
 and faithful Minister, 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IN sending forth this little volume, the author would offer a 
 few remarks as to its design and contents. The necessity of a 
 book like the present for the young is sufficiently obvious, if we 
 consider the great indifference now shown to scriptural study, 
 and the objections urged (not without reason ) to the indescrimi- 
 nate use of the Bible, by young persons, as being in many places 
 nnsnited to their capacity. 
 
 The author hopes that this work will not be liable to such 
 objections, but will, by smoothing the way, rather allure the 
 young to a more intimate acquaintance with the Sacred Volume. 
 
 It consists of Twelve Discourses on the Book of Genesis 
 (from the Creation to the death of Joseph), with an Appendix, 
 treating of the prophetical blessings of Jacob to his Children, in 
 which is explained one of the fundamental principles of Jewish 
 faith. 
 
 The arrangement of the work into Twelve Discourses is based 
 upon the plan of the Hebrew Bible, in which the Book of Gen- 
 esis is divided into Twelve Weekly Sections. 
 
 To obviate the inconvenience of searching for quotations, they 
 are generally given in full. 
 
 A few words as to the Appendix. In the historical portion of 
 the Book, the Authorized English Version has been adopted, its 
 diction being clear and simple, but this could not be done when
 
 6 PREFACE. 
 
 dealing with the poetical and metaphorical expressions of the 
 Prophetic Style, as that Version does not convey the ideas of 
 the Original. 
 
 For the right comprehension of the Prophetical Blessings of 
 Jacob, a new rendering was therefore indispensable. Should the 
 author thereby succeed in rectifying any popular errors springing 
 from that Version, he shall consider that he has not labored in 
 rain ; but if otherwise, he shall feel happy to be convinced that 
 none exist. 
 
 The author intends to continue the Discourses to the end of 
 the Pentateuch ; but his doing so will of course depend on the 
 encouragement this, the first volume, will receive. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO, January, 5624 1864.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 From the First Chapter of Genesis to the end of the Eighth Verse 
 in the Sixth Chapter 9 
 
 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 From the Ninth Verse of the Sixth Chapter to the end of the 
 Eleventh Chapter 1 21 
 
 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 From the First Verse of the Twelfth Chapter to the end of the 
 Seventeenth Chapter 37 
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 From the First Verse of the Eighteenth Chapter to the end of 
 the Twenty -Second Chapter 51 
 
 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 From the First Verse of the Twenty -Third Chapter to the end 
 of the Eighteenth Verse of the Twenty -Fifth Chapter 64 
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 From the Nineteenth Verse of the Twenty-Fifth Chapter to the 
 end of the Ninth Verse of the Twenty -Eighth Chapter 78 
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 From the Tenth Verse of the Twenty-Eighth Chapter to the end 
 of the Second Verse of the Thirty-Second Chapter 93
 
 8 CONTENTS. 
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 From the Third Verse of the Thirty-Second Chapter to the end 
 
 of the Thirty-Sixth Chapter 108 
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 From the First Verse of the Thirty -Seventh Chapter to the end 
 of the Fortieth Chapter 121 
 
 DISCOURSE X. 
 
 From the First Verse of the Forty-First Chapter to the end of 
 the Seventeenth Verse of the Forty -Fourth Chapter 136 
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 
 
 From the Eighteenth Verse of the Forty-Fourth Chapter to the 
 end of the Twenty-Seventh Verse of the Forty-Seventh 
 Chapter 151 
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 
 
 From the Twenty-Eighth Verse of the Forty-Seventh Chapter 
 to the end of the Fiftieth and last Chapter of the Book of 
 Genesis 163 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 From the First Verse of the Forty-Ninth Chapter till the end of 
 the Twenty-Eighth Verse of the same 176
 
 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER OF GENESIS TO THE END OF THE EIGHTH 
 VERSE IN THE SIXTH CHAPTER. 
 
 My dear young Friends : 
 
 In setting out to explain the text of our Holy 
 Law, it may be expedient to inform you that the 
 sacred Volume is called the " Five Books of Moses," 
 or the Pentateuch," and that the subjects of which 
 it treats are of different kinds ; some being historical, 
 describing the Creation of the World the first ages 
 of Man the Deluge and the subsequent events, that 
 occurred to one branch of mankind, viz., the poster- 
 ity of Abraham ; others, legislative and ethical, con- 
 taining various laws, statutes, and mo.ral rules for 
 the guidance of Man in general, as well as several 
 prophecies, and sacred songs, and anthems. 
 
 The entire volume was written by Moses, the 
 Divine Legislator, through the inspiration of God. 
 This is explicitly stated in the fifth volume as fol- 
 lows : "And it came to pass, when Moses had made 
 an end of writing the words of this law in a book 
 until they were finished." Deuteronomy 31 : 24. 
 2
 
 10 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 How thankful ought we to be for this precious 
 gift of Almighty God, and how gratefully should our 
 hearts acknowledge the gracious kindness of the 
 Lord for the emanation of this glorious light to our 
 forefathers, through whom it has descended to us for 
 our guidance through life ! " For the Command- 
 ment is a lamp and the Law is light." Proverbs 
 6 : 23. " She is a tree of life to them that lay hold 
 upon her." Proverbs 3 : 18. 
 
 This volume, called in Hebrew the " Torah," 
 commences with an account of the Creation of the 
 World. And nothing can afford a stronger proof of 
 its divine origin than the plain yet noble description 
 of the Universe, called forth from nothing by the 
 mere word of the Almighty, so beautifully expressed 
 by the sweet Psalmist of Israel. " By the word of 
 the Lord were the Heavens made ; and all the host 
 of them by the breath of his mouth." Psalms 33 : 6. 
 
 This is a circumstance we must ever look up to 
 with awe and veneration, and which cannot fail to 
 impress us with a due respect for the ordinances of 
 the sacred Writings. 
 
 The Book of Genesis opens with these words : " In 
 the beginning God created the Heavens and the 
 Earth," or, in other terms, God first created the 
 Universe, or caused the materials to come forth for 
 the formation of the Heavens, and all their Hosts, 
 and for the earth and all its productions. "And the 
 Earth was without form and void." The elements 
 were all called into existence, but as yet no arrange-
 
 DISCOURSE I. 11 
 
 ment of parts had taken place, for until now " Dark- 
 ness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit 
 of God moved upon the face of the waters." In 
 this state of indiscribable chaos, " God said, let there 
 be light ; and there was Light." 
 
 What a change ! What an illustrious moment 
 must that have been, when from non-existence this 
 mighty globe on which we dwell, and the surround- 
 in^ Heavens were called into active existence ! The 
 
 O 
 
 Word of God made light burst forth with splendor 
 and dispelled all darkness. This astonishing change 
 was immediately distinguished by the Almighty, who 
 gave to light the title of " day" while darkness was 
 called "night." "And God called the light day, 
 and the darkness he called night." Gen. 1 : 5. 
 These distinct states, considered as one portion of 
 time, were denominated " one day" or the first day. 
 
 On the Second day, the sky or that part of the 
 air immediately above us, called the atmosphere 
 was created ; this lies under the circle of the Sun, 
 Moon, and Planets, and is the seat of the waters 
 within which the clouds containing rain are formed. 
 
 On the Third day, the waters on the earth under 
 the firmament or atmosphere were commanded to 
 gather themselves together, so as to become Seas 
 and Rivers. Dry land thus began to appear, and 
 immediately, at the command of God, all kinds of 
 grass, herbs, and trees commenced to grow in full 
 perfection. 
 
 On the Fourth day, the Almighty arranged the
 
 12 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Sun, Moon, and Planets in their proper order ; the 
 Sun to emit its brilliant light by day, and the Moon 
 and Stars to shed their rays by night ; and so won- 
 derfully and unchangeably are their motions regu- 
 lated, that they serve to mark the times and seasons 
 for ever. 
 
 On the Fifth day, Fish, Worms, and other ani- 
 mals were created to live in the water, and Birds 
 were formed to fly in the air. 
 
 On the Sixth day, Animals, Wild Beasts, Reptiles, 
 and all kinds of Insects were created to inhabit the 
 earth. The Universe being now constructed, the 
 heavenly Bodies regularly proceeding in their ap- 
 pointed Course, the Earth yielding its productions, 
 the animals inhabiting the Air, the Water, or the 
 Earth Nature's Laws established and in full action 
 the Lord declared his intention to create Man, a 
 being entirely different from those already in exist- 
 ence. It is remarkable, that in the relation made, 
 the terms employed are all expressive of the source 
 whence the several creatures were ordered to be 
 derived ; for example, the fish and other aquatic 
 animals, were commanded to be brought forth by the 
 Waters "And God said, let the Waters bring forth 
 abundantly the moving creature that hath life." All 
 Land animals, beasts, etc., by the Earth " Let the 
 Earth bring forth the living Creature after its kind." 
 But Man, who was to be the Lord of all this Creation 
 and to be composed in a way different from all other 
 creatures, is, accordingly, announced in a manner
 
 DISCOURSE I. 13 
 
 different from all the rest, and with a preparation 
 which marks him as the master-piece of the Creation. 
 The Almighty declares that the creature now about 
 to be created shall be a compound superior to all 
 those heretofore brought forth at his command from 
 the earth or from the waters. From materials fur- 
 nished by the Earth, he is to be formed by God's 
 own hand with a portion of the Divine Spirit super- 
 added ; thus giving two sources, as it were, for man's 
 formation, viz. : for his body, the Earth ; for his 
 soul, the Spirit of God "And God said, 'Let us 
 make man in our image after our likeness' " a 
 creature materially superior to all the brute creation, 
 a being endowed witfi a spiritual and reasonable soul, 
 and with a capacity of attaining the God-like facul- 
 ties of understanding and reason, as expressed in 
 the words, "And God created Man in his own im- 
 age." The expression " in his own image " is not 
 to be literally understood as the image of God, for 
 we know full well, that the Omnipotent is a spiritual 
 Being, not of any precise form, figure, or image. 
 The term is only metaphorically employed to distin- 
 guish Man's upright form, as well as being indica- 
 tive of his spiritual and rational mind. 
 
 " Male and female created he them. And God 
 blessed them." This blessing is here given to man- 
 kind in general at his creation, for although the 
 special formation of the human female is not related 
 until afterwards, still the species was at that time 
 formed, and the destination of the two sexes through- 
 out all future time, determined at that period.
 
 14 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Such is the condensed and true account of the 
 Creation of the World an account which must cause 
 us to admire the wisdom and power of the Creator ; 
 and produce in man an entire submission and pious 
 veneration. How beautifully and justly does King 
 David exclaim : 
 
 " The Heavens declare the Glory of God ; and the 
 firmament sheweth his handywork. 
 
 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night 
 sheweth knowledge. 
 
 There is no speech nor language, where their voice 
 is not heard." Psalm 19 : 1-3. 
 
 The next passage we shall notice is, that which 
 teaches us, that the Seventh cfay was already thus 
 early consecrated as the Sabbath, a rest day for man, 
 to be devoted to religious Worship. 
 
 " Thus the Heavens and the Earth were finished, 
 and all the host of them. And on the Seventh day 
 God ended his Work which he had made ; and he 
 rested on the Seventh day from all his work which he 
 had made. And God blessed the Seventh day, and 
 sanctified it ; because in it he had rested from all his 
 Work which God Created and made." Genesis 2 : 
 1-3. 
 
 Let us well consider this Circumstance and place 
 it in its proper light ; the Work of God is not like the 
 Work of man ; no actual rest was required by the 
 Almighty, who had merely uttered the Word, and 
 produced the Universe, with all its wonderful ma- 
 chinery.
 
 DISCOURSE I. 15 
 
 The Almighty cannot necessarily be limited to the 
 employment of six days to effect what one word might 
 do in an instant. No this arrangement was not the 
 effect of necessity ; it was designed for important 
 purposes, and has many typical meanings. 
 
 The Creator of the Universe has from the begin- 
 ning of time established the Laws of nature, which 
 are indispensably ordained to proceed in their regular 
 course. Thus, we observe that after having settled 
 the elements, God directed every thing to act accord- 
 in f to the course allotted to it. The Sun and heav- 
 
 O 
 
 enly bodies were designed to regulate time ; The 
 Earth to bring forth grass, herbs, and trees ; and the 
 Waters to breed fish and other animals to live therein. 
 Thus, in the very outset of the Creation we observe 
 the establishment of order and regularity. God sets 
 the example of resting on the Seventh day, prepara- 
 tory to the institution of the Sacred observance of the 
 " Sabbath" an observance afterwards fixed upon, 
 as a Sign for the Children of Israel, to evince their 
 belief and Conviction that the Creation of the World 
 is the Work of the Almighty, incorporeal and Om- 
 niscent God. This ordinance we find specially noticed 
 in Exodus : "And the Children of Israel shall keep 
 the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their 
 Generations for a perpetual Covenant. It is a Sign 
 between me and the Children of Israel forever ; for 
 in Six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, and 
 on the Seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." 
 Exodus 31 : 16, 17.
 
 16 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Let us, therefore, always bear in mind that the 
 Sacred observance of the " Sabbath" is a Sign and 
 a proof of our faith and Conviction that Almighty 
 God, Supreme in power, in Wisdom, and in Great- 
 ness, is the beneficent Creator of the Universe, and 
 all which it containeth. 
 
 The History now proceeds to describe the delight- 
 ful retreat formed for the residence of this newly 
 created man, who was called Adam, in the Hebrew, 
 because "he was formed from the dust of the ground." 
 Placed in this happy spot, he observed the great va- 
 riety of Beasts and living creatures around him, and 
 gave them all names after their kinds ; at the same 
 time, he became sensible that among all these, there 
 could not be found a companion fitted for himself- 
 even the gracious Creator made the remark, " It is 
 not good that the man should be alone, I will make 
 him an help meet for him." Gen. 2 : 18. 
 
 The Almighty then caused a deep sleep to over- 
 come Adam, and formed a Woman from one of the 
 ribs taken from his side ; so that when he awoke, he 
 perceived this newly born Creature. He then felt a 
 delight and gratitude greater than he could express ; 
 he felt himself immediately attached by a powerful 
 love and affection towards her. "And Adam said, 
 This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my 
 flesh ; she shall be called Woman, because she was 
 taken out of man." Gen. 2 : 23. 
 
 This happy pair were now placed in the " Garden 
 of Eden" wherein every necessary, as well as luxu-
 
 DISCOURSE I. 17 
 
 ry, of life, grew of its own accord, and where perfect 
 happiness awaited them. They were, at the same 
 time, put on their guard, and made to understand 
 that they must submit to certain Laws and regula- 
 tions. They were forbidden to eat of a particular 
 Tree which stood in the midst of the Garden, called 
 " The Tree of Knowledge" although they were al- 
 lowed to eat of the fruit of every other tree that 
 grew in that beautiful and delightful spot. 
 
 It might be imagined that nothing could have been 
 more easy than the observance of this simple rule ; 
 and the presence of God, we should suppose, would 
 have been sufficient to prevent a breach of this Com- 
 mand. But, alas ! it proved otherwise. The Ser- 
 pent, a sly and Cunning Animal, made the Woman 
 believe that she was mistaken, and had misunderstood 
 the matter, and that if she even did eat of the tree, 
 she would, nevertheless, not immediately die, as had 
 been declared by the Almighty ; that the fruit was 
 delightful to the taste, and that it had the faculty of 
 imparting Wisdom to the person who should eat of it. 
 By such arguments, she was not only persuaded to 
 eat of the forbidden fruit herself, but even enticed 
 Adam to do likewise. No sooner had this fatal act 
 of disobedience taken place, than the ill-effects of 
 such Conduct became evident, and the first Conse- 
 quence of this sinfully-acquired Knowledge, was, to 
 feel shame. 
 
 "And the eyes of them both were opened, and 
 they knew that they were naked ; and they sewed
 
 18 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." 
 Gen. 3 : 7. 
 
 Hitherto, they had been innocent Creatures, with- 
 out any idea of evil, walking about without care or 
 trouble ; but now, their position became different 
 they had transgressed they became susceptible of 
 their disgrace, and were desirous of hiding them- 
 selves ; they endeavored to cover their nakedness 
 with fig leaves, but they could not cover the naked- 
 ness of their souls ; they could not quiet their con- 
 science, and punishment soon overtook them. The 
 Righteous-judging God called them to account, taxed 
 them with their Guilt, and immediately pronounced 
 their sentence. In the first place, God punished the 
 Serpent, who had tempted them, saying, " Because 
 thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cat- 
 tle, and every beast of the field ; upon thy belly 
 thou shalt go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of 
 thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and 
 the Woman, and between thy Seed and her Seed ; 
 it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his 
 heel." 
 
 The Sentence of the Woman was as follows : "I 
 will greatly multiply thy Sorrow and thy Concep- 
 tion ; in Sorrow thou shalt bring forth children ; and 
 thy desire shall be to thy Husband, and he shall 
 rule over thee." And, lastly, Adam's punishment 
 was proclaimed, in these words : " Because thou hast 
 hearkened unto the Voice of thy Wife, and hast 
 eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,
 
 DISCOURSE I. 19 
 
 saying, Thou shalt not eat of it : Cursed is the 
 Ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it 
 all the days of thy life." 
 
 Adam and Eve were then banished from Paradise, 
 and sent abroad into a world of sorrow and trouble. 
 It would be proper here to claim due attention to the 
 terrible Consequences which have resulted from their 
 disobedience. 
 
 The great and good God originally created Man 
 as the most perfect of his Creatures, and placed him 
 in Paradise as an innocent and Godlike Being, nearly 
 approaching the perfection of Angels. For wise pur- 
 poses, God gave to man a free will, that he might act 
 as he thought proper, and in order to try his obedi- 
 ence, forbade his eating of one particular tree. In- 
 considerate Man, however, disobeyed, and did eat of 
 this forbidden fruit ; in consequence of which, he 
 immediately lost the enjoyment of that happy and 
 innocent state, and was justly punished by being cast 
 into this troublesome world to combat his passions and 
 evil propensities. 
 
 For his guidance and instruction, however, the 
 All-merciful Creator has most graciously revealed to 
 man the " Law," to shew him the paths of righteous- 
 ness wherein he should walk. 
 
 " It is thy life, and the length of thy days." 
 
 This portion of the Sacred Volume is replete with 
 divine truths, which require and have excited, the 
 deep Consideration of Mankind in all ages. 
 
 Many of the Wise Men of old have reasoned upon
 
 20 DISCOUKSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 and explained the subject. I, therefore, only attempt 
 to make the relation somewhat clear to your young 
 minds, that you may acquire the outline of the his- 
 tory recorded by Moses, the faithful servant of the 
 Lord. 
 
 Grant, Lord, that our hearts may not be misled 
 by our passions or false teachings. May we ever be 
 inclined to act according to thy will, and coerce our 
 desires to be subservient to thee ; to observe thy 
 statutes, and serve thee with a perfect heart, for, from 
 thee alone, emanate all the blessings of life. Amen.
 
 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 FROM THE NIXTH TERSE OP TEE SIXTH CHAPTER TO THE END OP 
 THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER. 
 
 My dear young Friends : 
 
 When explaining the subject of the former dis- 
 course, I had but time to call your attention to the 
 Wonders of the Creation, to raise your admiration, 
 and excite your veneration for the Almighty Creator 
 of all things. I shall now therefore proceed briefly 
 to comment upon the historical part therein contained, 
 and connect it with the theme of the present discourse. 
 The Bible, in giving the outline of the history of the 
 early ages of mankind, and marking out their pro- 
 gress, confines itself principally to that branch only, 
 which leads us to our immediate ancestors, Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob, preparatory to which, it gives an 
 account of the most astonishing and terrible punish- 
 ment ever inflicted on the human race. 
 
 You have already been informed that Adam and 
 Eve were punished for their disobedience, and driven 
 from the delightful " Garden of Paradise," to sojourn 
 in this world of trouble and turmoil, and to obtain
 
 22 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 their subsistence by dint of hard labor. They soon 
 experienced the hardship of their state ; the knowl- 
 edge of good and evil which they had acquired by 
 eating the forbidden fruit soon proved a source of 
 misfortune to themselves as well as to the whole hu- 
 man family. Here, we see that evil passions too 
 often gain the ascendency over the wholesome dic- 
 tates of reason, and thus man falls a prey to all their 
 evil consequences. 
 
 Adam begat two sons, Cam and Abel, the first of 
 whom, in a fit of jealousy and envy, killed his brother. 
 The history runs thus : "And in process of time it 
 came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the 
 ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he 
 also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the 
 fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel 
 and to his offering. But unto Cain and to his offer- 
 ing he had not respect." Genesis 4 : 3-5. This 
 caused Cain to be jealous of his brother Abel, and 
 when they were walking together in the field, Cain 
 rose up and slew his brother Abel. The story of 
 Cain and Abel must appear very shocking a man to 
 murder his own brother ! It makes one shudder to 
 think of it. You see to what a state of wickedness 
 a person may arrive, who indulges an envious tem- 
 per. Abel seems to have been of an amicable and 
 religious disposition, for you find he was in favor with 
 God ; Cain, on the contrary, was of a morose, jealous 
 temper, which caused him to commit so foul a deed 
 as to murder his own brother. His wickedness could
 
 DISCOURSE II. 23 
 
 not be concealed from the knowledge of God, nor 
 could he escape the punishment merited by such an 
 act. Cam was then banished from the society of 
 man, doomed to be a forlorn wanderer and a fugitive, 
 and liable to be 'devoured by the beasts of the field 
 for his brutal conduct. Cain became truly sensible 
 of his miserable condition, and confessed to the Lord 
 the justness of his punishment, which was even greater 
 than he could bear ; and when God found that he 
 became penitent, he put a mark upon Cain, so that 
 man or beast finding him should not slay him. Cain 
 afterwards mixed in the world, as it is stated in the 
 Bible that he dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east 
 of Eden. 
 
 Adam afterwards begat Sheth, and more sons and 
 daughters. They and their descendants peopled the 
 world. They gradually became civilized, and one 
 Jabal, a son of Lamech, is mentioned as the first who 
 led a settled life fixed his tents and fed his flocks. 
 His brother Jubal invented musical instruments, and 
 another brother, Tubal-Cain, discovered the method 
 of working in copper and iron. 
 
 Mankind went on thus multiplying and improving 
 for ten successive generations. This account brings 
 us down to the period of the Deluge ! Before relat- 
 ing that memorable event, I must call your attention 
 to one good and pious man, remarkable for the age in 
 which he lived, viz. : Enoch, who " walked with God, 
 and was no more, for God took him ;" by which we 
 understand, that as a reward for his exemplary piety, 
 he was received into heaven.
 
 24 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 This fact ought to encourage us to the utmost dili- 
 gence in the service of our great Creator, who so 
 bountifully rewards his faithful followers. 
 
 At the end of the tenth generation, as the people 
 became more settled, so, unfortunately, they became 
 more wicked. 
 
 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was 
 great in the earth, and that every imagination of 
 the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 
 
 And it repented the Lord that he had made man 
 on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 
 
 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I 
 have created from the face of the earth ; both man, 
 and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of 
 the air ; for it repenteth me that I have made 
 them." Genesis 6 : 5-7. 
 
 A more shocking and revolting picture of wicked- 
 ness cannot well be conceived ! One man, however, 
 among the mass of wicked people was found to have 
 conducted himself differently, and that was Noah, 
 who " was a just man and perfect in his generations, 
 and who walked with God." Hence, " Noah found 
 grace in the eyes of the Lord." Him, therefore, 
 did God, in his mercy, select as worthy to be saved 
 from destruction, and to lay the foundation of a new 
 race of men. Noah had inherited pious and religious 
 sentiments from his immediate ancestors. His great- 
 grandfather was Enoch, of whom we have already 
 spoken as being so holy a man " that Cf-od took him 
 to himself;" and his grandfather Methuselah, who
 
 DISCOUKSE n. 25 
 
 lived the longest of any human being, was also a very 
 pious man. These men no doubt had given Noah 
 instructions in the fear of God, and were an example 
 for hun, whose conduct, thus guided, became sufficient 
 to merit the favor which the Almighty extended to 
 him in preference to all the rest of mankind. 
 
 To Noah, therefore, did the Almighty think fit to 
 impart his intention of punishing mankind. 
 
 "And behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters 
 upon the Earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the 
 breath of life, from under Heaven ; and every thing 
 
 that is in the Earth shall die." Genesis 6 : 17. 
 
 
 
 Noah was then commanded to build the Ark, which 
 was a kind of covered Barge, large enough to contain 
 himself, his "Wife, his three Sons and their Wives, as 
 well as one pair, that is to say, a male and female of 
 all those living creatures termed " not Clean," not 
 domestic Animals, and seven pairs of every kind of 
 domestic or Clean Animals ; and to collect sufficient 
 food for ah 1 while shut up in the Ark. A labor like 
 this must naturally be supposed to have occupied a 
 great length of time. Yet we find that the people 
 around him, however curious they may have been 
 about this extraordinary work in which Noah was 
 engaged, were heedless of its purpose, and even ridi- 
 culed it. They would not take warning from his 
 preaching, nor did they believe him when he foretold 
 that their punishment would be their total destruc- 
 tion. The Ark completed, God thought fit to give 
 yet further time to mankind to reflect and turn from
 
 26 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 their wicked ways. God directed Noah to prepare 
 himself in due season ; and in order to convince the 
 people that the threatened punishment would certainly 
 take place, he told him to go into this Vessel of Safety 
 with his family, and all the animals before mentioned ; 
 then, as a further warning, he declared, " Yet seven 
 days, and I will cause it to rain upon the Earth 
 forty days and forty nights ; and every living Sub- 
 stance that I have made will 1 destroy from off the 
 face of the earth." Genesis 7 : 4. 
 
 Noah obeyed ; the seven days passed, and a most 
 tremendous rain showered down upon the Earth. The 
 whole World became inundated with a flood. Houses 
 were washed away ; trees uprooted ; Man, Woman, 
 child, beast, bird, and reptile, all perished in this ter- 
 rible and overwhelming mass of Water! Nothing 
 escaped except those preserved in the Ark. Thus, 
 did every living Creature perish ! Thus, was every 
 production of the earth destroyed ! The whole beauty 
 of Creation lost, and the World threatened with the 
 return to its original state of chaos ! How dreadful 
 is such a Contemplation ! How tremendously does it 
 evince the power of the Almighty ! How overpow- 
 ering is the awe which it occasions, and what a terri- 
 ble view of the effects of disobedience to the Divine 
 Will is presented ! What poor, helpless beings are 
 we without God's especial care ! How much ought 
 we dread his anger ! Yet, with all this, God is a 
 gracious God, for much as mankind, through their 
 wickedness, deserved to be swept away from the
 
 DISCOURSE n. 27 
 
 Earth and utterly destroyed, yet, God in his mercy 
 preserved one family that was virtuous, together with 
 a sufficient stock of Animals for food, to repeople the 
 world, that a future generation should arise to ac- 
 knowledge his justice and prove grateful for his un- 
 bounded goodness. Whoever reads the account of 
 this awful event must feel greatly affected. What a 
 striking instance of God's power and mercy towards 
 those who truly love and serve him ! Eight persons 
 only in the whole World were found righteous before 
 Him, and these he preserved ; whilst the thousands 
 of the Wicked were overwhelmed by the destructives 
 flood of Waters ! In vain did the Wicked fly to the 
 highest mountains to save themselves ; the wrath of 
 God overtook them ; but his faithful Servants remain- 
 ed safe uncler his protection ; neither the large body 
 of Waters which issued from the Centre of the Earth, 
 the torrents that poured from the Clouds, nor the 
 raging Sea, with its mighty waves, were permitted to 
 hurt them, but they safely floated on the Surface of 
 the Water, without one effort on their part for their 
 own preservation ! The rain continued to pour down 
 in torrents during forty days and forty nights, and 
 the Waters continued to rage during one hundred and 
 fifty days, after which, they began to diminish, and 
 the Ark, which had been swimming about during this 
 time, at length rested on the hills of Ararat. This 
 took place on the seventeenth day of the seventh 
 month from the commencement of the flood. Nearly 
 three months more elapsed before the tops of the
 
 28 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 mountains became visible. The first appearance of 
 which, was on the tenth day of the tenth month. 
 Noah opened the Window of the Ark to look about 
 him, but alas ! he beheld no dry land, nothing save 
 an immense expanse of water. He then waited forty 
 days, and sent forth a Raven (which he knew would 
 naturally seek some habitable spot), to discover if 
 such a thing existed, but failing to find anything of 
 the kind, it returned and pitched upon the top of the 
 Ark, where it remained and flew about from time to 
 time till the Earth became dry. 
 * Noah having waited seven days longer, sent out a 
 Dove (who would naturally seek for trees), to make 
 some discovery, but it came back to the Ark without 
 any better success than the raven. 
 
 Seven days more having expired, Noah sent the 
 Dove out again, when it returned with an olive leaf in 
 its mouth, which was evidently a Sign that the Waters 
 were subsiding. He thereupon waited another seven 
 days, and again sent forth the same bird, which, how- 
 ever, did not return. Noah felt now convinced that 
 the Waters must have receded, and that the dove 
 must have found a resting-place. He, therefore, on 
 the first day of the first month in the following year, 
 uncovered the Ark, and on the twenty-seventh day of 
 the second month he quitted it, having found that the 
 Earth had become dry. So, that the time during 
 which Noah and his family had been shut up was not 
 less than one year and ten days. Now, my young 
 friends, let us pause and reflect on this terrible occur- 
 rence, and consider what it teaches us.
 
 DISCOURSE II. 29 
 
 As the history of the Creation of so beautiful a 
 Universe, from nothing, made us acquainted with the 
 Omnipotence of God, so does the history of the flood 
 point out the tremendous effects of his anger. It 
 also proves a system of reward and punishment ; for 
 we hereby perceive, that all mankind were destroyed 
 on account of their wickedness, while Noah alone 
 was preserved, as a reward for his virtue and piety. 
 
 We may also learn from this history, that God 
 does sometimes vouchsafe to give warning to man- 
 kind, in order to rouse their repentance and induce 
 them to amend their ways. For this purpose, he 
 selects some virtuous mortal as the bearer of his 
 Divine will and intentions. 
 
 On this occasion, Noah was the favored individual. 
 And had the people attended to the warning given 
 by Noah, who, in then* presence, was occupied in 
 building the Ark and fitting it up as a permanent 
 Residence for himself and family had they listened 
 to his advice, and thought of the punishment that 
 awaited them had they followed the good example 
 before them no doubt the judgment would have 
 been suspended, and the flood never have taken 
 place. How requisite, then, for mankind particularly 
 to notice every circumstance in life, which may 
 serve as a warning. They should at all times 
 endeavor to act so as to avoid exciting the anger of 
 the Lord, to punish them for their misdeeds. Let 
 us, moreover, never disregard the admonitions of our 
 Teachers, but reflect and take example from the
 
 30 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 history of former times, and not fail to put our trust 
 in God. " For He is a merciful and gracious God." 
 This history serves also as a great argument for, and 
 proof of, the truth of all that is related in our Holy 
 Bible ; for without admitting this fact, that the world 
 and all its inhabitants were drowned in the flood, 
 and that everything was thrown into disorder and 
 confusion, we should not be able to account for the 
 many wonderful things which are daily discovered in 
 all parts of the world. We read of large quantities 
 of sea-shells (such as oysters, and other shell-fish, 
 and of petrified fishes) being often found at a great 
 depth under ground, in places many hundred miles 
 distant from the sea. These could never have 
 reached such situations had they not been left behind 
 from some inundation long past. Many rocks on 
 the shores of the seas of different countries have the 
 same nature and the same appearance as those of 
 other countries lying opposite. For instance, the 
 chalk Cliffs of Dover, in England, appear as if they 
 had been part of the Cliffs of Calais in France, and 
 that the sea had burst through and separated them, 
 which could only have occurred by a great convul- 
 sion of nature ; and even now, discoveries are made 
 from day to day of this wonderful event. All these 
 facts go to prove the truth of the history of the 
 Deluge ; and those who have traveled round the 
 globe have reported that there are visible proofs of it 
 remaining in the earth at this time. History also 
 shows us, that almost every nation in the world has
 
 DISCOURSE II. 31 
 
 some tradition concerning the flood as stated in the 
 Bible. All this must increase our wonder and admi- 
 ration at the immense power of God, and it should 
 therefore excite our devotion and veneration. The 
 promulgation of our Holy Law which imparts to us 
 this fact, among others so astonishing and so instruc- 
 tive, claims our gratitude. Truly said the Royal 
 Songster, " The testimony of the Lord is sure, mak- 
 ing wise the simple." Psalms 19 : 7. 
 
 Noah and his family having now, by command of 
 the Lord, quitted the Ark, were deeply impressed 
 with awe and gratitude for their miraculous preser- 
 vation, and with a corresponding feeling, Noah im- 
 mediately raised an altar, and offered up burnt sacri- 
 fices as thanksgivings to the Almighty for his gracious 
 providence to them. 
 
 But dreary and waste was the appearance of the 
 Earth, as it arose from the retiring waters ; a uni- 
 form, dark, muddy mass, stripped of all its pristine 
 beauty. No enlivening green sward no various- 
 colored flowers now decked its surface no beautifully 
 bright insect or elegantly colored fly, reflecting the 
 bright rays of the Sun, now skimmed along to give 
 variety to its dull and gloomy aspect. The sight 
 was appalling, and the consideration of the cause 
 thereof was even still worse. The kind and benefi- 
 cent nature of the Divine Creator deplored the mis- 
 erable scene. How emphatic is the sentiment of 
 regret expressed at the horrible effects of this punish- 
 ment inflicted on that imperfect creature, Man, who
 
 32 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 yet possessed faculties enabling him to deserve a 
 better fate ! 
 
 "And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again 
 curse the ground any more for man's sake ; for the 
 imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth ; 
 neither will I again smite any more every thing 
 living, as I have done." Genesis 8 : 21. 
 
 The Lord then in his mercy condescended to com- 
 fort the human race, and declared to them " While 
 the Earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and 
 cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day 
 and night shall not cease." Genesis 8: 22. 
 
 And as an assurance of this, God commanded a 
 beautiful rainbow to shine forth with all its admirable 
 colors, which he declares shall be considered as " a 
 token of the Covenant, that the waters shall no more 
 become a flood to destroy all flesh," but as on another 
 occasion God expressed it, Man shall be judged ac- 
 cording to his deeds. " I will be gracious to whom 
 I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I 
 will show mercy." Exodus 33 : 19. 
 
 Yet, however grateful, Noah might have felt for 
 having been exempt from this general destruction, 
 he still saw that his situation and that of his family 
 was far from being comfortable, or even safe. Alone 
 in the world, bereft of all friends, relations, and com- 
 panions, all pleasure was gone. They were even 
 exposed to be themselves the prey of the very ani- 
 mals and beasts they had fed and nourished. They 
 feared also that they would die from hunger, since
 
 DISCOURSE II. 33 
 
 all vegetable matter, and fruit of every description 
 which up to that time had been their only subsist- 
 ence, were all destroyed, and in the course of nature 
 some time must necessarily elapse before any more 
 could possibly grow again. They did not know, and 
 could not tell, but that in the scarcity of food quar- 
 rels might arise among them, and they might destroy 
 each other to satisfy their hunger. All these consid- 
 erations must have made them truly miserable, even 
 to the extent that they might possibly have to lament 
 having been preserved, to suffer such troubles. But 
 the Lord of all Creation who knows the thoughts of 
 man, at once gave them Comfort in this trying hour 
 by a Blessing, declaring to them : " Be ye fruitful 
 and multiply," whereby their lonely and forlorn state 
 would be relieved ; and further declared that all 
 beasts and birds should have a natural fear and 
 dread of man. Such enunciations were well calcu- 
 lated to remove all apprehensions of fear from their 
 minds. In order to provide them with plenty of pro- 
 visions, God now for the first time ordained animal 
 food to be the sustenance of man. Yet, by giving 
 this license to man, to kill animals for food, the wise 
 Creator was aware that the habit of shedding blood 
 might become mischievous, and that the unbridled 
 passions of man might urge the shedding of human 
 blood with as much indifference as if it were that of 
 a beast. God therefore accompanied this license to 
 kill animals for food, with a stringent law prohibiting 
 the shedding of Human blood. It was particularly
 
 34 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 and pointedly directed, to prevent a disposition to 
 cruelty in any shape or manner even to an animal. 
 It was forbidden in these words : " But flesh with 
 the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye 
 not eat," which means, ye shall not cut a limb from 
 a living animal and eat thereof, as was the practice 
 in the East at that time. Hence also is derived the 
 law prohibiting the eating of Blood in any shape 
 whatever ; and in order fully to carry out this Law, 
 the Israelites soak their meat in water, and after- 
 wards sprinkle it with salt, so that every particle of 
 Blood should be properly extracted from the meat, 
 before it may be eaten. 
 
 Noah's family thus comforted, settled themselves, 
 and increased in number ; and thus the world became 
 again repeopled. This Noah lived to see, having 
 reached the age of nine hundred and fifty years, 
 a period of life which however common before the 
 deluge was never afterwards attained. We find that 
 after the flood, it pleased the Almighty to contract 
 the lives of men, upon which, if we seriously reflect, 
 we ought to consider as an act of mercy ; for though 
 long life would certainly be a blessing to the world 
 in general, provided all persons employed their time 
 properly, in acts of piety to God and benevolence to 
 their fellow-creatures ; yet it must prove far otherwise 
 when " all flesh had become corrupted, and the earth 
 was filled with violence." You read, that they had 
 abused the gift of God to so great a degree that 
 " he repented having made men on the earth."
 
 DISCOURSE II. 35 
 
 The generations which followed dispersed them- 
 selves into various countries, and we may even at 
 this day trace the origin of all the nations of the 
 Earth to some one or other of the successors of Noah 
 who are mentioned hi the Bible. The whole mass of 
 the people, however, had but one language, and 
 many cities were built near Babel, where Nimrod, 
 famous for his powers in the chase, was a chieftain. 
 
 The people who inhabited this part of the country 
 were instigated by pride to aggrandize themselves 
 above their neighbors. For this purpose, they fixed 
 upon a plain called Shinar as a suitable place to 
 carry out their object. They set about erecting an 
 immense high Tower. "And they said, go to, let us 
 build us a City and a Tower, whose top may reach 
 unto heaven ; and let us make us a name, lest we 
 be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole 
 earth." Gen. 11 : 4. The intention of the Almighty 
 was, however, quite different. It was destined that 
 Mankind should be spread about in all climates, 
 and that they should people every part of the Globe. 
 These foolish people did not consider that as they 
 multiplied, the country they then inhabited would 
 neither be able to contain nor maintain them. The 
 remembrance of the terrible Deluge was quite worn 
 away ! They had become overcharged with pride, 
 and began to forget the God that created them. It 
 was therefore high time that the purposes of Provi- 
 dence should be fulfilled, and a more ready way 
 could not have been devised than, as the Lord
 
 36 . DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 said, "Go to, let us go down and there confound 
 their language, that they may not understand one 
 another's speech." Genesis 11 : 7. And the con- 
 sequence naturally followed, that as soon as they 
 could not understand each other, all union of senti- 
 ment and harmony of action ceased. The continu- 
 ance of the work was of course quite impossible. A 
 division of the people was the result, every one 
 departing to settle himself and his family in another 
 place ; and thus it was that Mankind became dis- 
 tributed in different parts of the world. 
 
 In this short way we are made acquainted with 
 the manner of the beginning of Society, and the 
 establishment of the several Nations who inhabit the 
 different Countries and speak different Languages. 
 A careful perusal of the History recording all these 
 facts should tend to excite our admiration of that 
 power that created the Universe and that so gra- 
 ciously superintends its progress. May we ever be 
 sensible of the goodness of our Heavenly Father, 
 and have at all times a proper reverence for his 
 divine greatness, and thus be continually disposed to 
 serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing 
 mind ; for the Lord searcheth all hearts and under- 
 standeth all the imaginations of the thoughts ; for if 
 we seek him, he will be found, but if we forsake him 
 we shall be cast off for ever. Amen.
 
 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 FROM THE FIRST VERSE OF THE TWELFTH CHAPTER TO THE EITD OP 
 THE SEVENTEESTH CHAPTER. 
 
 My dear young Friends: 
 
 The history of the early ages of mankind, we 
 must observe, relates only to that particular branch 
 leading to the Generations of the Patriarchs, from 
 whom the entire nation of Israel sprang, and whose 
 descendants are the Jews of the present day. 
 
 The Bible relates, in general terms, the history of 
 the several families descended from Shem, Ham, and 
 Japheth, the sons of Noah, who, after the Confusion 
 of Languages at the building of the Tower of Babel, 
 were dispersed, and settled in different parts of the 
 world. It continues further to detail the particulars 
 of the family of Shem, which we shah 1 find to be 
 the line whence our praiseworthy forefather, Abram, 
 sprang. The history of that virtuous and God-fear- 
 ing Patriarch forms the subject which this portion of 
 the Bible commences. 
 
 In the ages immediately succeeding the Deluge, 
 and more especially after the Confusion of Lan-
 
 38 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 guages, mankind spread and adopted different modes 
 of life. Some fixed themselves in tents, and some 
 led a pastoral life, feeding their flocks and wandering 
 from place to place as pasture could be found. 
 
 We find that the greatest portion of the people 
 in the world, at this period, were idolaters. They 
 worshiped, sacrificed, and prayed to any and every 
 thing, but the true God. 
 
 The cause of this may be easily explained. By 
 their constant observance of the wonders of nature, 
 impressed, as they must have been, with the tradi- 
 tion and abiding effects of the Deluge, they naturally 
 must have felt convinced of the necessary existence 
 of a Supreme Power, regulating and ruling the world, 
 a Creator giving life to man and animals, causing the 
 Earth to produce, the Sun to shine, the Moon and 
 Planets to run their several courses, night to follow 
 day, and Winter to succeed Summer. They, how- 
 ever, possessed no clue, nor guide to direct them, 
 who, or what this exalted power could be ; they saw 
 and felt the effects of the objects which surrounded 
 them, but could not discover the cause. They con- 
 sequently set their imaginations to work to account 
 for it ; some supposed that the luminous heavenly 
 bodies, in constant motion and at an immeasurable 
 distance from the Earth, must be gods, and accord- 
 ingly they worshiped the Sun or planets ; some ven- 
 erated certain animals, as the cow, dog, lamb, in 
 fact all sorts of beasts and birds, and many other 
 productions of nature ; some, again, made different
 
 DISCOURSE m. 39 
 
 kinds of images as representatives of the gods or the 
 powers which they imagined to exist, and worshiped 
 them accordingly. To the latter belonged Terah, 
 the father of Abram, a manufacturer of these idols. 
 Abraham, however, was a man of sense and deep 
 reflection ; he very soon, by the force of his reason, 
 perceived the folly of men worshiping images made 
 of wood and stone, and venerating them as gods. 
 Abram made up his mind that there must be a 
 superior power who created and regulated the Uni- 
 verse, but whose nature was far beyond human com- 
 prehension. He felt grieved at the ignorance and 
 folly of his fellowmen, and openly declared his opin- 
 ion on the subject. Eminent himself in all exemplary 
 virtues, he was the first who undertook to rectify the 
 erroneous opinions men entertained of the Supreme 
 Being, by instructing them in the nature of His at- 
 tributes, and inculcating the Doctrine that there 
 could be but one God, to whose providence men were 
 indebted for all the enjoyments of life, independent 
 of any merit or power of their own. In order effect- 
 ually to carry out his noble design, and in defiance 
 of all opposition to his views, by the people around 
 him, and fearless of the consequences, Abram ven- 
 tured boldly and openly to destroy the idols which 
 these men worshiped. 
 
 There is even a tradition of his having, on that 
 account, been prosecuted by the Government and 
 condemned to be cast into a fiery furnace, from which, 
 however, he came out unhurt, being saved by a mira-
 
 40 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 cle from God. To Abram, a man of so exalted a 
 mind, so pious and virtuous, the Almighty vouch- 
 safed to appear, and commanded him to leave the 
 land of his birth, saving : " Get thee out of thy 
 country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's 
 house, unto a land that I will shew thee." " And I 
 will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless 
 thee, and make thy name great ; and thou shalt be 
 a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, 
 and curse him that curseth thee ; and in thee shall 
 all the families of the Earth be blessed." Genesis 
 12 : 1-3. 
 
 This communication from the Almighty to Abram 
 was a great mark of the favorable light in which 
 he was held, and the command was a strong trial of 
 his faith. It was no small matter for a man, with his 
 wife and family, to quit his country, his friends and 
 relatives, to leave all society, and to wander into 
 strange and uncultivated lands, where, even if he 
 met with inhabitants, it was doubtful whether his life 
 would be safe. Yet, such was the trust that Abram 
 had in his God, so strong was his confidence, and 
 so deep his veneration for His commands, that 
 nothing could withhold him from obeying. Abram, 
 without the least hesitation, immediately left his 
 native home and set out, journeying from place to 
 place. He built an altar wherever he took up his 
 abode, that he might fully express his faith by offer- 
 ing up' sacrifices and prayers to God for his marvel- 
 ous deliverance out of the hands of his enemies.
 
 DISCOURSE in. 41 
 
 Here we should learn a lesson namely, a ready 
 obedience to the -will of God, though it may appear 
 contrary to our worldly interests. 
 
 And Abram took his family and traveled into the 
 land of Canaan. God, who was well pleased with 
 his ready obedience, again appeared to him, and for 
 his encouragement, declared that the land whereto 
 he had gone, was the land his children should inherit. 
 A dreadful famine happening at this time in Canaan, 
 compelled Abram to quit for a time this land and 
 go into Egypt. This was another trial of his faith. 
 New difficulties beset him ; he was again obliged to 
 break up his household and wander in quest of food ; 
 but his courage did not fail. He put his entire trust 
 in God, and this faith proved of great benefit to him, 
 for in Egypt the King seized his wife Sarai, and took 
 her from him, but by the miraculous interference of 
 the Almighty, she was soon restored to him, and he 
 was sent away with many presents from the King, 
 and then returned to Canaan. 
 
 His cattle having now become so numerous, it 
 became necessary for his nephew, Lot, who had hith- 
 erto lived with him, and who also possessed large 
 herds of cattle, to part from him to seek other pas- 
 tures. Lot, therefore, went on towards Jordan and 
 settled with his family in a place called Sodom. 
 Uncle and nephew parted from each other in the 
 most friendly manner. Lot was indebted to his uncle 
 for all that he possessed. Yet, Abram did not de- 
 mand any thing from him, but kindly let him have
 
 42 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 all he desired. If all relations were as ready to 
 accommodate each other, there would be much more 
 peace and harmony than are at present to be found 
 in the world ! No language can do justice to the 
 conduct of Abram, in this instance. A noble ex- 
 ample for you, my young friends, to be at all times 
 generous, and not avaricious, in your desires for 
 Avorldly benefits. After the departure of Lot, the 
 Almighty again appeared to Abram and renewed 
 his promise, that the country wherein he was, should 
 be given as an inheritance to his children, who should 
 become as the dust of the earth, which cannot be 
 numbered. 
 
 Abram now settled "in the plains of Mamre," 
 where he built an altar in honor of his God. It is 
 worthy of observation, that this appears to have been 
 his invariable practice upon every removal, so that it 
 is evident how the mind of the Patriarch was con- 
 tinually intent upon Religion, that wheresoever he 
 went he never neglected his duty ; but appointed a 
 place for worship and sacrifice to that Great and 
 Spiritual Being whom he adored, and respecting 
 whom, he no doubt preached, and thereby enlightened 
 the surrounding nations. His conduct ensured him 
 the favor of the Almighty, and respect from his 
 neighbors and thus it was, that he soon became as 
 powerful as he was good. 
 
 While Abram dwelt in peace v enjoying the favor 
 of God, in the plains of Mamre, Lot, by his situation 
 was exposed to all the horrors of war. Certain
 
 DISCOURSE m. 43 
 
 Kings united and made war upon the Kings of 
 Sodom and Gomorrah. The latter were defeated in 
 the Vale of Siddim. The Victors then plundered 
 the Country where Lot dwelt, and took him with aU 
 his household captive. When the news of his 
 Nephew's misfortune came to the knowledge of 
 Abram, the compassionate Uncle determined to res- 
 cue him. He armed his Servants, three hundred 
 and eighteen in number, and calling in the assistance 
 of his neighbors, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, he 
 hastened with all the ardor of a veteran soldier in 
 pursuit of the plunderers. By his wise and brave 
 conduct Abram succeeded in rescuing the van- 
 quished and their dominions from the hands of their 
 invaders, and procured the restoration of all the 
 property, as well as that of his Kinsman Lot. Hav- 
 ing recovered Lot and all the captives, together with 
 the spoil, Abram returned in triumphant satisfac- 
 tion, having performed a noble and generous deed. 
 On the way, he was met by the King of Sodom, 
 who gratefully offered him the whole of the spoil, 
 asking him only to restore the captives. But Abram 
 with a spirit of noble generosity, unparalleled in 
 history, refused to accept a single article. He was 
 happy in having rescued the distressed ; he wanted 
 no better reward than the approbation of his own 
 Conscience. His language, in reply to the offer of 
 the King of Sodom is most solemn and devout : 
 
 " I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the 
 most high God, the possessor of Heaven and Earth.
 
 44 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe- 
 latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is 
 thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram 
 rich. Save only that which the young men have eaten, 
 and the portion of the men which went with me, 
 Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre ; let them take their 
 portion." Genesis 14: 22-24. 
 
 This stipulation on behalf of his Confederates was 
 strictly just ; for though Abram might yield his own 
 right, he could not properly give up that of others. 
 But before he made this generous Concession, he 
 gave a present to Melchizedeck King of Salem, and 
 priest of the most high God. The present was a 
 tenth of the spoil. From this last act of Abram, 
 originated the paying of Tithes. Melchizedeck then 
 pronounced a Blessing on Abram which was strik- 
 ing and dignified : " Blessed be Abram, of the most 
 high God, possessor of Heaven and Earth. And 
 blessed be the most high God who hath delivered 
 thine enemies into thy hand." Genesis 14: 19, 
 20. 
 
 Soon after this event, Abram was favored with 
 another heavenly vision, in which the Lord said unto 
 him, " Fear not, Abram ; I am thy shield, and thy 
 exceeding great reward." Abram, however, modestly 
 urges that his actions are not instigated by the hope of 
 reward, but from pure piety, for he had nothing to 
 expect. He then affectionately appeals to the Lord, 
 saying, " Lord God, what wilt thou give me seeing I 
 go childless, and the steward of my house is this
 
 DISCOURSE III. 45 
 
 Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram said, " Behold, 
 to me thou hast given no seed ; and lo, one born in 
 my house is mine heir." But the Almighty here 
 assures the Patriarch to the contrary, declaring 
 " This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come 
 forth from thee, he shall be thine heir." 
 
 "And he believed in the Lord ; and he counted it 
 to him for righteousness." The Lord further ad- 
 dressed Abram more solemnly, saying, " I am the 
 Lord who brought thee out of TJr of the Chaldees to 
 give thee this land to inherit it. Take therefore a 
 heifer, a goat, and a ram of three years old, a turtle 
 dove, and a young pigeon." These Abram took, 
 divided them into halves, and laid them opposite 
 each other, the birds however he did not divide. 
 This Ceremony, called the " covenant between the 
 pieces," was a solemn form used at that time in 
 making a covenant or agreement, and in this in- 
 stance three kinds of animals were directed as a 
 type of such as were afterwards commanded to be 
 used for sacrifices in the Temple. The Almighty on 
 this occasion gave a sign of his sanction by a flame, 
 which passed along the divided pieces. 
 
 Abram stood watching this solemn scene, and 
 driving away the birds of prey that hovered about, 
 when towards dusk he felt a great oppression, and a 
 fearful darkness fell upon him ; while in this trance 
 the Almighty pronounced a solemn prophecy to him, 
 that his successors should be slaves in a strange 
 country during four hundred years. After which
 
 46 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 time, they should leave that country with great 
 riches, but that they should not arrive to inherit the 
 land promised to him, until the fourth generation. 
 
 The Lord further encouraged Abram and assured 
 him, that he need not be afraid of the surrounding 
 nations, but that he should live to a good old age, 
 and die in peace. 
 
 After Abram had resided ten years in Canaan, 
 without having a child, his wife, Sarai, became some- 
 what impatient, and despairing of ever having a 
 child herself, proposed to her husband to take Hagar 
 as a subordinate or secondary wife, in the hope of 
 having a child to be their heir. The Patriarch 
 complied with the advice of his wife, and the event 
 answered her wishes. Hagar bare a son who was 
 named " Ishmael," signifying " God hath heard." 
 This happened when Abram was eighty-six years of 
 age. This evidence of God's promise much en- 
 couraged Abram's faith, and kept up the earnest- 
 ness with which he always worshiped the true God. 
 Thirteen years after this, the Almighty thought fit 
 again to appear to Abram, renewed his assurance 
 and gave him a new ordinance. 
 
 Approving of his righteous conduct, the Lord ex- 
 horted him to continue in it, and repeated the 
 promise to bless him with numerous decendants, and 
 make him the father of a great nation ; as also that 
 the whole land of Canaan should become their in- 
 heritance, and, moreover, that He, the Lord, would 
 be their God, to protect them in the hour of trial
 
 DISCOURSE III. 47 
 
 and tribulation. And in order that his descendants 
 should be marked as having, on their part, entered 
 into a covenant, He directed that as a sign of that 
 covenant Abram should circumcise himself and all 
 the males of his household, and that all* his suc- 
 cessors should circumcise their male children when 
 eight days old, saying, " It shall be a token of the 
 covenant between me and you." 
 
 On this occasion, God ordained that his name 
 Abram should be changed into that of Abraham, 
 thereby honoring him with the addition of one of the 
 letters of the ineffable name of the deity. 
 
 Abraham's devotion was not to be shaken by any 
 difficulty or painful act, serious as the operation was 
 at his time of life, he, nevertheless, cheerfully per- 
 formed it on himself and all the males of his house, 
 he being ninety-nine years of age, and his son 
 Ishmael thirteen. This ready and willing obedience 
 to God's commands, brought to Abraham another 
 manifestation of the Almighty's favor. He is again 
 honored with the divine presence and declaration, 
 that his wife, Sarai, should also be blessed, by hav- 
 ing her name changed, introducing the same letter 
 of God's holy name, already conferred on Abraham ; 
 and, further, that Sarah should have a son, from 
 whom many nations and many kings should spring. 
 This astonished Abraham. 'He fell on his face with 
 awe and veneration, and exclaimed, " Shall I, a man 
 of a hundred years old, beget children ? and shall 
 Sarah, an old woman of ninety years, become a
 
 48 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 mother ? Yes, replied the gracious God, Sarah, thy 
 wife, shall bear a son and thou shalt call his name 
 " Isaac." I will bless and multiply the seed of 
 Ishmael, and make him a great nation, but it is with 
 thy son -Isaac whom Sarah shall bring forth, at this 
 time in the next year, that I will fulfil my promised 
 covenant and with his seed ever after." 
 
 In reflecting on this history, we cannot but observe 
 how prone mankind is to error, in judging of Divine 
 purposes, if left to the unassisted efforts of his own 
 reason ; and that without the gracious kindness of the 
 Almighty, in revealing himself to our forefathers, we 
 might to this day have remained ignorant of the true 
 road to happiness. We must also remark, that 
 mankind although sufficiently civilized to be capable 
 of reasoning as to the knowledge of the existence of 
 some superior power that made the Universe ; and 
 impressed as they must have been with awe at the 
 relation and visible effects of the deluge, yet, they 
 could not penetrate the mystery, but formed for 
 themselves many mistaken systems of worship. The 
 sun from its height, its warmth, and its regular mo- 
 tion excited the idea which made some imagine, that 
 luminary to be the supreme power, which they 
 accordingly worshiped. Some again who thought 
 it necessary to have near them a representative of 
 that power to which they might pray, made images 
 for that purpose and worshiped them. 
 
 But Abraham whose mind was more exalted, and 
 whose heart was more desirous of understanding the
 
 DISCOURSE m. 49 
 
 attributes of the Supreme Being, boldly rejected the 
 idolatrous worship of his forefathers, and fearlessly 
 persevered in his own line of conduct, preaching the 
 doctrine of the One true God. 
 
 The Almighty who knows the innermost thoughts 
 of man, seeing the course pursued by his faithful 
 follower, was pleased in return, to reveal himself to 
 Abraham, and thereby instruct him in the true 
 nature of the All-powerful and Omniscient Creator 
 of the Universe. Abraham being so thoroughly im- 
 pressed with faith and confidence in the Almighty, 
 implicitly followed all his instructions, and put his 
 trust in the promises thus graciously given to him. 
 He suffered no difficulties to interfere with his duties ; 
 he went from his native place and wandered into 
 strange countries ; he fought against powerful kings 
 in a righteous cause, to rescue the weak from the 
 power of the oppressor. He submitted to the pain- 
 ful operation of circumcision at the advanced age of 
 ninety-nine, years, to fulfill the command of his 
 God. 
 
 He patiently waited, without doubting, till it pleas- 
 ed God to bless him with a son, whose posterity 
 should inherit the promised land. It was Abraham 
 who first made known, and followed the laws of the 
 true God, and he it was, whom the Almighty con- 
 sidered as a perfect man. He had implicit confi- 
 dence in his God, and this confidence was accounted 
 to him a righteous act. Whoever reads the Bible 
 with attention, must see how highly this excellent
 
 50 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 man was distinguished by the Almighty. It must 
 afford every one great pleasure to read his history, 
 for it was not merely for Abraham's sake alone, that 
 these glorious promises were made ; all succeeding 
 generations were to be interested in them, as we find 
 is the case at the present day even in our wanderings 
 and dispersions throughout the world. 
 
 May we ever bear the noble example of our 
 worthy Patriarch before our eyes ! May we be firmly 
 fixed in our faith as he was, and we may then be 
 assured of the sanction of Heaven and the certainty 
 of that reward which good and righteous conduct at 
 all times ensures, Amen,
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 FROM THE FIRST VERSE OP THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER TO THE 
 END OB 1 THE TWENTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER. 
 
 My Dear Young Friends : 
 
 The portion of the Bible to which this discourse 
 refers, is a continuation of the history of our pious 
 Patriarch Abraham, which contains a detail of cir- 
 cumstances that strongly mark his character, as 
 well as the particular interest which the Almighty 
 disposer of events appears to have taken with his 
 beloved and faithful follower. It must be fresh in 
 your recollection that in obedience to the command 
 of God, Abraham had just undergone the ceremony 
 of Circumcision with all the readiness and good will 
 which evinced the great reverence he always had for 
 the precepts of the Divine Creator of the Universe. 
 
 In the commencement of this section of the Bible 
 we perceive the benign aspect with which on this 
 occasion the Almighty regards his devout votary. 
 "And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of 
 Mamre ; and he sat in the tent door in the heat of 
 the day." Genesis 18 : 1.
 
 52 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Abraham must have enjoyed an indescribable 
 delight from such a divine manifestation, and his 
 soul must have been highly gratified with so remark- 
 able a sign of the Almighty's approbation of the 
 ready compliance with his rule. No wonder then 
 that he became more fixed in his faith, and more 
 confident in his God. At this period we may also 
 notice the kind and hospitable character of Abraham 
 as shown to us by the manner in which he gave a 
 pressing invitation to strangers, who appeared to be 
 passing his tent as he sat enjoying the warmth of the 
 sun. In a truly simple but earnest manner, Abra- 
 ham requested them to take some refreshment at his 
 habitation. He, according to custom, had their feet 
 washed from the dust, and cooled by the application 
 of fresh water. He then hastened to procure every 
 comfort that his place afforded ; attending on them 
 in person, and in the kindest manner begged them 
 to accept his hospitality, in order, he said, that 
 thereby they might the better be enabled to proceed 
 on their journey. The strangers accepted his invita- 
 tion. While they sat at the table, the principal 
 guest addressed Abraham and asked for his wife ; 
 and being answered that she was in the tent, he 
 assumed his high character, and said, " I will cer- 
 tainly return unto thee according to the time of life, 
 and lo ! Sarah, thy wife, shall have a son." Abra- 
 ham was as much astonished as rejoiced at this assur- 
 ance, for he now perceived and clearly understood 
 that this was a reward for his hospitality. Again,
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 53 
 
 this prophecy made him reflect that these apparently 
 strange men were in reality not mortals but angels. 
 This history should be considered as a wholesome 
 lesson. It teaches us at all times to be kind to 
 strangers, for we do not know what may follow. 
 Many persons have in later days experienced tlie 
 beneficial effects of kindness and hospitality to stran- 
 gers who have afterwards proved to be persons of 
 consequence, who, when least expected, have grate- 
 fully and liberally recompensed their kind and dis- 
 interested host. Thus does virtue often prove its 
 own reward. It is in this spirit that the Royal Solo- 
 mon recommends, " Cast thy bread upon the waters, 
 for thou shalt find it after many days." Ecclesiastes 
 11: 1. 
 
 The Almighty, who, during the whole of this 
 scene had vouchsafed to be present though invisible, 
 now manifested himself, and condescended to com- 
 mence a conversation with the persons present. 
 Being pleased with the conduct of Abraham, God 
 said to the Angels, " Shall I hide from Abraham 
 that which I do ?" Abraham was, therefore, on 
 this occasion honored equally with the Angels by 
 having the command given to them in his presence 
 as the object of their mission. 
 
 "And the Lord said, because the cry of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very 
 grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they 
 have done altogether according to the cry of it, 
 which is come unto me ; and if not I will know.
 
 54 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 And the men turned their faces from thence, and 
 went toward Sodom ; but Abraham stood yet before 
 the Lord." Genesis 18 : 20-22. 
 
 This condescension of the Great Creator which 
 was so gracious, and at the same time so indicative 
 of the high estimation in which Abraham was held 
 by the Almighty, encouraged that pious and truly 
 charitable man to venture an appeal on behalf of the 
 people of Sodom. Abraham was even allowed to 
 plead in argument, for, says the good man : " Wilt 
 thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked ? 
 There may possibly be fifty good and righteous men 
 among them." And in his earnestness and zeal in 
 the cause, he even goes so far as to urge, that if 
 such were the case, " That be far from thee to do 
 after this manner, to slay the righteous with the 
 wicked; and that the righteous should be as the 
 . wicked, that be far from thee ; shall not the Judge 
 of all the Earth do right ?" 
 
 Abraham's appeal in this matter was based upon 
 the declaration made by the Almighty himself to the 
 Angels, when he said, "And if not, I will, know," 
 signifying, I will know how to punish or pardon these 
 wicked people. He also trusted to the known mercy 
 of the righteous Judge of the Earth, who graciously 
 replied, " If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within 
 the city, then I will spare all the place for their 
 sakes." 
 
 Abraham, thus encouraged, continued to petition 
 if even a less number should be found. But at length
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 55 
 
 becoming conscious of his inferiority and fearful less 
 he might be deemed presumptuous, humbly says : 
 " Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto 
 the Lord, perad venture there shall be twenty found 
 there ? And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's 
 sake." Abraham urged this in the hope that if 
 there were a less number found, mercy might yet be 
 extended to them. But when he found that even 
 the small number of ten good men were not to be 
 found, he with all due humility retires from the con- 
 ference. Nothing can be more descriptive of charac- 
 ter than this dialogue. How truly kind and humane 
 was the feeling of Abraham, and how strongly does it 
 mark the conscious boldness of innate virtue, and the 
 power of reasoning in the cause of humanity. Abra- 
 ham built his hopes on the pious conception he had 
 of the goodness and mercy of the Almighty, and his 
 arguments and expressions were made with a sincere 
 and devout veneration. The Gracious Lord of the 
 Universe so far from considering him even officious 
 in his appeal, shines forth in that strong light of ten- 
 derness towards poor sinful mortals wherewith he so 
 divinely regulates the order of nature, and clearly 
 points out to the Patriarch the necessity he is under 
 of punishing those pertenacious, unrepenting, wicked 
 men of Sodom and Gomorrah. At the same time 
 evincing the care he bestows on those who are virtu- 
 ous, by the directions given to the Angels, personally 
 to proceed to save Lot and his family from among 
 those wicked people whose punishment was as terri-
 
 56 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 ble as it was just. Fire and brimstone fell like hail 
 from the Heavens and utterly destroyed those cities 
 with all their inhabitants. Thus it was that Divine 
 vengeance was brought down in all its horrors, de- 
 vouring flames darting on the city, spreading desola- 
 tion in every quarter and rapidly involving the in- 
 habitants in one general and irreparable destruction. 
 Previously to the threatened punishment being put 
 into execution, the Angels according to instruction 
 from Heaven commanded Lot and his family to 
 hasten from the city In the morning, Lot with his 
 wife and two daughters departed to a place called 
 Zoar, which the Almighty saved by the intercession 
 and prayer of Lot; but his wife, for looking back 
 on the road contrary to the divine prohibition, was 
 turned into a pillar of salt. Lot and his two daugh- 
 ters arrived at Zoar, and were there placed in safety. 
 We must here notice the expression of the, sacred 
 historian, that " the Lord remembered Abraham and 
 sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow ;" which 
 implies, that to him Lot was indebted for his preser- 
 vation. This teaches us the value of religious con- 
 nections and examples when duly cultivated and 
 improved. We have here also a proof that the 
 forbearance of the Almighty is frequently extended 
 towards a sinful nation on account of the Righteous 
 who are among them. The true and faithful servants 
 of the Lord often avert the evil from the land by their 
 prayers and intercessions on their behalf. But we 
 must now turn to Abraham.
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 57 
 
 In due time, according to the prophecy of the 
 Angels and the previous promise of God, Sarah was 
 favored with a son in the ninetieth year of her age. 
 He was named Isaac, and was circumcised on the 
 eighth day by his joyful father, according to the 
 Divine command. On the day Isaac was weaned, 
 Abraham made a splendid entertainment, thereby 
 recognizing him as his heir. This, in all probability, 
 excited the envy of Hagar, who had naturally con- 
 sidered that from the age of Abraham and Sarah, 
 there was but little chance of their having children. 
 The birth of Isaac destroyed the pleasing expecta- 
 tions she had formed of Ishmael's inheriting his 
 father's property. It was, therefore, on this great 
 festivity that the envy of the discontented Ishmael 
 evinced itself, and Sarah discovered the son of her 
 handmaid, Hagar, " mocking Isaac." This circum- 
 stance excited a new set of feelings ; the presence of 
 Hagar and her son, Ishmael, became an annoyance to 
 Sarah. She therefore urged her husband, Abraham, 
 to send them away. It appears, however, that the 
 feelings of Abraham as a father did not permit him 
 readily to agree with Sarah on this subject. Abra- 
 ham was greatly concerned at this demand, and he 
 grieved for Ishmael because he was his son. Like a 
 pious man, however, he laid his domestic troubles 
 before the Lord in fervent prayer, and consulted, as 
 every one should do, the divine Counsel in this exi- 
 gency. The Almighty, having designs of his own 
 in reference to both of these extraordinary youths,
 
 58 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 directed Abraham to comply with the wish of his 
 wife, Sarah, stating : " Let it not be grievous in thy 
 sight because of the Lad, and because of thy bond- 
 woman, in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken 
 unto her voice ; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called." 
 Genesis 21 : 12. 
 
 It was Isaac whose descendants were the seed 
 promised to Abraham, as the chosen people who were 
 to inherit the Land. Ishmael was therefore destined 
 to occupy some other position. This history plainly 
 shows the many circumstances in life, which, at the 
 time of their occurrence appears strange and unfor- 
 tunate, are only part of that chain of events which 
 regulate the affairs of this world under the guidance 
 of the Supreme Governor of the Universe. The 
 banishment of Hagar and her son certainly appears 
 as the effect of Sarah's jealousy and hatred ; but for 
 our instruction the whole purpose is here explained, 
 and the transaction laid open to us together with the 
 motive thereof. 
 
 Poor Hagar was sent forth with only a small 
 portion of bread and a bottle of water. Grieved, 
 distressed, and despondent, she put her child out of 
 her sight " under one of the trees," and overwhelmed 
 with despair she threw herself down upon the earth, 
 crying, " Let me not see the death of the child." 
 The God of Abraham compassionated her case, sent 
 his angel to comfort her, with an assurance that the 
 lad should be the father of a great nation ; and as 
 she was famishing with thirst, he caused a well of
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 59 
 
 water to spring forth, and both she and the lad 
 revived. Here they fixed their abode, and, under 
 the Divine protection, Ishmael grew up to maturity, 
 and prospered. His mother then took for him a wife 
 from the land of Egypt. Ishmael had twelve sons, 
 whose posterity spread themselves over the whole 
 country called Nabathea, which extends from the 
 Red Sea to the River Euphrates. From these are 
 descended the Arabians and their several tribes, so 
 celebrated for their valor and warlike achievements. 
 
 Isaac, the son of Sarah, grew up worthy of his 
 venerable parent, by whose instructions he benefited, 
 and in whose footsteps he diligently followed. He 
 soon acquired the true knowledge of the Supreme 
 God, and became as virtuous and pious as his father. 
 Abraham thus became most affectionately attached 
 to Isaac as his only legitimate son, the child of his 
 old age, and the peculiar gift of God according to 
 his divine promise. 
 
 Isaac, having arrived to the age of thirty-seven 
 years, the Almighty thought fit to put the faith of 
 both father and son to a most severe test. Resolved 
 on exercising the religious feelings of his faithful 
 servant, the Lord imposed a Command that must 
 have astonished Abraham and terribly agitated his 
 inmost soul : " Take now thy son, thine only son, 
 Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land 
 of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering 
 upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." 
 Gen. 22.
 
 60 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 How explicit and awful is this divine order ! Thy 
 son ! the son thou lovest ! Him, upon whom thy 
 heart is fixed ! even him to whom you look forward 
 to become the Source of numerous descendants, even 
 him, shalt thou sacrifice to thy God ! All the feel- 
 ings and sympathies of nature must have been roused ! 
 All the tenderness of a father must have been put to 
 the rack ! Astonishment, Terror, and Grief must 
 have shaken his frame to the utmost on receiving 
 such a Command. 
 
 But there was a fixed, a rooted principle in the 
 bosom of our pious forefather which controlled all 
 selfish sensations. The God whom he adored the 
 powerful, the eternal, the All-righteous Creator of the 
 Universe had issued the Command ! Abraham felt 
 it his duty to obey ; confident that this Command 
 was instigated by some wise reason which bis feeble 
 faculties could not penetrate. 
 
 Without murmuring, and with the reverence to 
 which he was ever accustomed, he proceeded to the 
 place appointed, together with two servants, and his 
 son, Isaac, carrying the wood for the sacrifice. With- 
 out communicating God's injunction, or his own reso- 
 lution, to his wife or household, lest they should 
 divert him from his duty ; prepared with the neces- 
 sary apparatus for the sacrifice, he departed for the 
 mountain. 
 
 Gloomy and distressing must this journey have 
 been ! Abraham's mind must have been agitated by a 
 thousand appalling and confounding reflections ; and
 
 DISCOUKSE IV. 61 
 
 his son's innocent questions, "Behold the fire and 
 the wood, but where is the Lamb for a burnt offer- 
 ing ?" must have embarrassed him still more. Yet 
 the superior energy of his mind supported him. His 
 Confidence in God was above every other feeling ; 
 and fearful as the task was, his piety was as fervent 
 as ever. 
 
 On their arrival at the " Mount Moriah," Abra- 
 ham raises an Altar arranges the wood and then 
 takes his beloved son, his dearly beloved son, the 
 desire and delight of his age, and, banishing all 
 paternal tenderness, he places him on the altar for 
 sacrifice. Isaac now perceives that he himself is 
 to be the devoted victim ; but having been brought 
 up in the fear of God, and stimulated by the example 
 of his pious father, he readily suffers himself to be 
 bound, and with submissive faith gives himself up as 
 a sacrifice to the Lord. 
 
 But that Great and Merciful God who had observ- 
 ed all this devotion, and who had contemplated all 
 this glorious struggle of feeling, would not suffer the 
 life of his faithful servant to be sacrificed in thus 
 following the course of his duty. The preparatory 
 acts were all performed the heart of his servant was 
 ready the hand was uplifted and the knife was just 
 about to be plunged into the victim : when the voice 
 of an Angel was suddenly heard, declaring, " Lay 
 not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any- 
 thing to him ; for now I know that thou fearest God, 
 seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son 
 from me."
 
 62 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 What a joyful transition was this ! and how trans- 
 porting must have been the feelings of both father 
 and son at this gracious interposition of Heaven ! 
 How eagerly does Abraham unbind his dutiful child, 
 and with what rapture do they embrace each other 
 in this more than resurrection from the dead ! The 
 Patriarch prophecied truly, when he told his son that 
 " God would provide the Lamb for the sacrifice ;" 
 for just behind him appeared a ram, caught in the 
 thicket by his horns. "And Abraham went and 
 took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering 
 instead of his son." 
 
 This indeed was a joyful sacrifice of thanksgiving, 
 at which the devout feelings of the worshipers were 
 exalted to the highest stage of gratitude. Abraham 
 and his son having performed their duty to God, 
 descended the mountain, and returned home with 
 hearts full of gladness, love, and faith. 
 
 Is it possible to contemplate this extraordinary and 
 affecting narrative, without seeing to what extent a 
 true religious feeling carried our pious forefather, 
 Abraham ? The consideration must fill us with 
 unbounded admiration. It serves us at the present 
 day as a powerful example, to show us that our faith 
 and veneration towards the Great Creator of the 
 Universe ought to be perfect. That we are not to 
 attempt to account for that which may appear strange 
 to our feeble reason, but that we must implicitly 
 obey the instructions of Heaven without hesitation, 
 at all times and under all circumstances. It but too
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 63 
 
 often occurs, that even religious persons when called 
 upon to resign a darling object to the will of Heaven, 
 are apt to be fretful and even rebellious against the 
 Lord. They think their trial is peculiar, and that 
 their lot is unjustly hard. Let such persons con- 
 template the burden laid upon Abraham, and the 
 conduct of the Patriarch throughout the whole of this 
 tragical scene. They will then become convinced 
 that it is not the blood of the immolated victim that 
 is pleasing to the Lord, but obedience to his voice. 
 "Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to 
 hearken than the fat of rams." Samuel 15 : 22. 
 
 The Almighty fully verified all this in the reward 
 he promised to his faithful servant in obeying his 
 directions in all the vicissitudes of his pilgrimage. 
 " By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for be- 
 cause thou hast done this thing, and hast not with- 
 held thy son, thine only son ; 
 
 " That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multi- 
 plying I will multiply thy seed, as the stars of the 
 heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea- 
 shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his 
 enemies. 
 
 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth 
 be blessed ; because thou hast obeyed my voice." 
 Genesis 22 : 16-18.
 
 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 FROM THE FIRST VERSE OF THE TWENTY-THIRD CHAPTER OF GEN- 
 ESIS TO THE END OP THE EIGHTEENTH VERSE OF THE TWENTY- 
 FIFTH CHAPTER. 
 
 My dear young Friends : 
 
 At the conclusion of the last discourse we left the 
 Patriarch Abraham at Beersheba, which was situated 
 south of the Land of Canaan. The several trials of 
 his faith being ended, and God having blessed him 
 with a pious and dutiful son, Abraham was desirous 
 of settling and ending his days in the land which the 
 Lord had promised as an inheritance to his children. 
 
 During the absence of Abraham from home with 
 Isaac, his son, Sarah was uneasy about them. She 
 therefore set out on her journey to Canaan to make 
 the necessary inquiry after her husband and son. 
 On her arrival, however, at a place called Hebron, 
 she fell sick and died. Intelligence of the event was 
 quickly dispatched to Abraham, who immediately 
 hastened to the spot " to mourn for Sarah, and to 
 weep for her." 
 
 This afflicting circumstance occurring at a distance 
 from his own home caused Abraham great difficulty.
 
 DISCOURSE V. 65 
 
 He had no land of his own in that part of the coun- 
 try, wherein he could bury his wife. He was there- 
 fore anxious to provide a burying place for her in 
 the country where he dwelt ; and the manner in 
 which he procured it, is an additional testimony of 
 the noble disinterestedness of his mind. Having 
 called the heads of the country together, Abraham 
 stood up from before his dead, and spake unto them, 
 saying, " I am a stranger and a sojourner with you ; 
 give me a possession of a burying place with you, 
 that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 
 
 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, 
 saying unto him, Hear us my lord ; thou art a 
 mighty prince among us ; in the choice of our sepul- 
 chres bury thy dead ; none of us shall withhold from 
 thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy 
 dead." Genesis 23 : 3-7. 
 
 Hence, it appears, that Abraham was highly re- 
 spected by the chiefs of that country, though he was 
 but a stranger and a sojourner among them. The 
 power and wealth of the Patriarch were calculated 
 to excite the jealousy and envy of his neighbors, but 
 his integrity, piety, and courtesy conciliated their 
 esteem, and produced in their minds a powerful 
 interest in his favor. The obliging answer which he 
 received to his petition, led the Patriarch to solicit 
 the Cave of Machpelah in a field belonging to 
 Ephron, one of the chiefs of that country. No 
 sooner did he intimate his desire for that spot with a 
 wish to purchase it, than the owner with an eager
 
 66 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 liberality exclaimed, " Nay, my lord, hear me ; the 
 field I give tliee, and the cave that is therein. I 
 give it thee ; in the presence of my people give I it 
 thee ; bury thy dead." The politeness of Ephron 
 rises far superior to the most delicate and enlarged 
 urbanity of modern times ; nor is the independent 
 spirit of Abraham entitled to less admiration. Though 
 grateful to Ephron for his noble and generous offer, 
 he would not possess a burial place among strangers, 
 without having a fair and lasting claim to it ; there- 
 fore after returning his acknowledgments to the 
 owner, he insists upon paying him for the field. 
 Ephron finding him immovable on this point, said : 
 " The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver ; 
 what is that between me and thee .? bury therefore 
 thy dead." 
 
 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and 
 Abraham weighed unto Ephron the silver which he 
 had named, in the presence of the sons of Heth, 
 four hundred shekels of silver, current money with 
 the merchant." Genesis 23 : 15. 
 
 'Tradition informs us that Abraham was very 
 anxious to purchase this spot, as it was said, that 
 Adam and Eve were buried there. He also wished 
 to secure it for himself and his family, because it 
 was in the Holy Land, where lie too was desirous of 
 being buried. We accordingly find here a detail of 
 the form and manner of its purchase, the public 
 declaration thereof, and the bargain ratified in the 
 presence of the people : "And the field, and the
 
 DISCOURSE V. 67 
 
 cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham 
 for a possession of a burying place by the Sons of 
 Heth." 
 
 This place was called " Mengorath Hamachpelah," 
 and was a capacious hollow or cave in the earth. It 
 was the custom in those days, and which continued 
 some time after, to bury the dead in hollow caves 
 under ground very different from the present mode 
 of digging graves and filling them up again with the 
 earth taken therefrom. In those days, the dead were 
 placed in a cavern which was occasionally visited by 
 the friends of the deceased. 
 
 In this manner, we find, that the Egyptians de- 
 posited the bodies of their relations and friends ; 
 and being willing to preserve them for such visita- 
 tions, they embalmed them to prevent disintegration 
 or putrefaction, by which means the bodies remained 
 for ages without much alteration. 
 
 An evidence of this practice may be seen even at 
 this day in the mummies brought from Egypt of 
 persons who were buried probably more than two 
 thousand years. The same mode was adopted by 
 Joseph with the corpse of his father, Jacob. We 
 find also that the body of Joseph was preserved for 
 many years after his death, so that it could be 
 carried out of Egypt when the Israelites left that 
 country, nearly two hundred years after his demise. 
 Two things here present themselves to our notice : 
 1st. That this is the first instance related in the 
 Bible of the necessity, as well as the duty incumbent
 
 68 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 on us, to bury the dead to withdraw from our 
 presence the sad change which the mortal part of 
 the human frame undergoes from decomposition 
 and to deposit the body in that Earth whence part of 
 its composition is derived. Burying the dead is also 
 necessary to prevent the ill-effects which would be 
 produced on the living by the efluvia accompanying 
 the decomposition of animal bodies, tainting the 
 atmosphere with their destructive qualities. The 
 soul that animated the body during life, being now 
 departed, returns to Heaven to its Maker, there to 
 receive such punishment or reward as its conduct 
 through life may have merited. The shocking and 
 lamentable change which the body undergoes after 
 death, necessitates its removal from the human eye, 
 so that the respect which was entertained for the 
 deceased while living, may not be lessened, through 
 the horrid appearance of the body after the flight of 
 the soul. 
 
 2d. The solemn form of burial the serious act of 
 putting away from us forever, the body of a person 
 with whom we have with comfort or pleasure passed 
 our lives, or one whose actions we have regarded 
 with respect and even admiration must tend to 
 produce a powerful effect on the minds of the sur- 
 vivors. They feel the deprivation with great sorrow 
 and grief, and the reflection is at all times concom- 
 itant, that sooner or later, they will each and every 
 one of them become a like inanimate mass and be 
 deposited in the Earth a prey to the worm, lost and 
 forgotten.
 
 DISCOURSE V. 69 
 
 Such a reflection cannot fail to impress upon us 
 the necessity of performing good and useful acts 
 during life, in order that we may not be forgotten by 
 our friends when we shall be no more. It should 
 also be strongly impressed on our consideration that 
 the allotment of life, and the disposition of events, 
 are in the hands of a Supreme Power the Almighty 
 Creator of Heaven and Earth. 
 
 We should at all times be sensible of our own 
 mortality and have a confident and lively hope of 
 that solemn time when corruption shall no longer 
 exist, and when the grave shall yield up, at the 
 command of Omnipotence, its sleeping inhabitants. 
 Hence, following the dead to the grave and perform- 
 ing the last religious rites, were instituted by our 
 Sages of blessed memory, as important duties not 
 only out of respect to the departed, but as an especial 
 lesson to the living ; and for this purpose it is, that 
 one of the most expressive and emphatic prayers 
 ever composed, is directed to be read at our funeral 
 service. No Ritual was ever composed more solemn 
 more true, or more soul-stirring than that, handed 
 down to us, from time immemorial ; and none appeals 
 more strongly to the heart, or is better calculated to 
 awaken in man those feelings which should predomi- 
 nate on such solemn occasions. 
 
 It is to be regretted that men now-a-days attend a 
 funeral more from custom and habit, than from a 
 pious and religious feeling and when the Rich die, 
 their remains are attended to the grave by their
 
 70 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 friends and acquaintances merely from the esteem 
 he was held in, because of his wealth. It were to be 
 wished that more seriousness should be attached to 
 this ceremony that the people would call all the 
 surrounding circumstances to mind, and take a lesson 
 from them ; that such is the end of all men ; that 
 the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, be- 
 fore the Lord of all the Earth, are equal provided 
 they are good and virtuous. 
 
 On the reading of the funeral service we should 
 reflect on the short tenure of life, and resolve to 
 employ our time in a manner acceptable to our 
 Father in Heaven. The child should also reflect 
 upon the object and purpose of reciting the Kadish 
 during the eleven months succeeding the demise of a 
 Parent. This Kadish, generally speaking, is a timely 
 and ejaculatory praise and glorification of Almighty 
 God showing that the child, though grieved at the 
 death of a parent, does not at the same time murmur 
 against the decrees of Providence, and the natural 
 consequences of mortality. In truth, it should be to 
 us a solemn lesson that we are but humble, perish- 
 ing beings. "We should at all times strongly bear in 
 mind our own unworthiness, and by our good conduct 
 aim at deserving happiness in this, as well as eternal 
 blessing in a future world. 
 
 We should also pray that our conduct through 
 life may prove such as to deserve a longer duration 
 to our name and reputation than that which is allow- 
 ed to our mortal frame, which must sooner or later
 
 DISCOURSE V. 71 
 
 become a prey to the worm, and be thereby lost to 
 the world at large. " For our days are like a shadow 
 that passeth, like a cloud that is vanished, and like 
 the dust that flieth." 
 
 Let us now return to the remaining portion of this 
 section. We felt ourselves called upon to make the 
 digression, in order to explain to our young friends 
 the origin of the custom of Burying the dead as 
 deduced from Bible History, as well as the order of 
 service performed at our funerals up to the present 
 day. We shall continue this mode of explaining all 
 matters which may present themselves in the course 
 of our labors for the information of our readers in 
 general. 
 
 The Patriarch Abraham being now left a widower, 
 and advanced in years, began to think how he should 
 dispose of his son, Isaac, and provide for his future 
 prospects in life. He was anxious to keep Isaac true 
 to the Religion he had taught him. He was quite 
 satisfied with his passive faith and obedience as 
 exhibited by his readiness to be bound on the Altar 
 as a sacrifice to his God. It became now a matter of 
 serious consideration with Abraham how and where 
 to select a wife suitable for him. Experience had 
 sufficiently taught him how much men's happiness, 
 feelings, and opinions are influenced by their wives. 
 He was, therefore, extremely anxious that his son 
 should not mix with the surrounding nations and 
 thus run the risk of having his pure faith contam- 
 inated by the sentiments and example of a pagan
 
 72 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 woman and her relations. He therefore commissioned 
 his trusty servant Eliezer, and bound him by an oath 
 io go and seek a proper and suitable wife for his son, 
 with the following instructions : "And I will make 
 thee swear by the Lord, the God of Heaven, and the 
 God of the Earth, that thou shalt not take a wife 
 unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, 
 among whom I dwell. But thou shalt go unto my 
 country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto 
 my son Isaac." Genesis 24 : 3-4. 
 
 He gave Eliezer a further charge, that if the 
 woman should not be willing to come to his country, 
 Isaac should by no means go to hers, and settle 
 among strangers, for that would prove destructive of 
 all his plans, as he expressly tells his servant : "And 
 if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then 
 thou shalt be clear from this my oath ; only bring 
 not my son thither again." 
 
 Eliezer set out on his mission, very well provided 
 with camels and valuable property. He traveled to 
 Mesopotamia, the city where Nahor, Abraham's 
 brother dwelt. On coming near the Town he halted 
 his camels near a well, prayed to God for success in 
 his present undertaking, and determined on the fol- 
 lowing mode of conduct. It being the custom for 
 the young women to come out of the Town to draw 
 water from the well, Eliezer said to himself, I will 
 wait here, and the first young woman that I shall 
 ask for water, who shall readily give me to drink, 
 and offer to water my camels, I shall consider the 
 one allotted for my master's son, Isaac.
 
 DISCOURSE V. 73 
 
 Eliezer here proved himself a fit and proper per- 
 son for the business he had undertaken. He well 
 knew that the great happiness in the married state 
 depends on the kindness and industry of the Woman, 
 and that an experiment like this, would show him the 
 temper and disposition of the maiden. 
 
 He had scarcely concluded, before Rebekah came 
 out of the Town with a pitcher on her shoulder to 
 draw water, which having filled, she was about to go 
 away. Eliezer observing her to be very beautiful 
 and extremely modest, ran towards her and requested 
 a drink of water. She with great good nature im- 
 mediately lowered the pitcher on her hand and held 
 it for him to drink ; and when he had done drinking, 
 she said: " I will draw some also for your camels" 
 all this was done so readily and with such good 
 nature, that Eliezer stood silently admiring her, and 
 secretly hoping that she might prove to be of a family 
 answering his commission. He then presented her 
 with a golden nostril Ring, and two bracelets of 
 great value. He then said to her, " Pray, whose 
 daughter are you ? Can I have a place in your 
 father's house to lodge ?" To which she replied : " I 
 am the Grand- daughter of Nahor. We have plenty 
 of fodder for your cattle and Room for yourself." 
 " Blessed be thou, God," cried Eliezer, " Thou 
 hast not ceased thy Grace from my master, that thou 
 hast guided me to the house of my master's brother." 
 Rebekah then ran home and told her mother all 
 that had happened. Her brother, whose name was
 
 74 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Laban, seeing the golden ornaments on his sister's 
 hand, went out to Eliezer and invited him to his 
 House, gave shelter and food for his cattle, and 
 made him heartily welcome. Eliezer, however, full 
 of the business he came about, and thankful to God 
 for his success hitherto, makes his proposal immedi- 
 ately and after telling who he is, and the history 
 of his mission, he asks to take Rebekah home with 
 him for a wife for his master's son, Isaac. The father 
 and brother of the damsel make no objection, and 
 after asking Rebekah's consent, and getting her 
 slaves and other things ready, they give her their 
 blessing, and she sets out on the journey. 
 
 One evening, near the latter part of the journey, 
 they observed a man coming towards them, who, 
 Eliezer said, was his master ; upon which Rebekah 
 slipped off the camel, and put on her veil according 
 to the custom of the country. When Isaac saw her 
 beauty and her modest behavior, and heard the 
 account of her kindness and good nature, he took her 
 home to the tent of his late mother, married her, and 
 loved her ever after. 
 
 Having thus succeeded in uniting Isaac according 
 to his wish, Abraham himself took a second wife, 
 whose name was Keturah, by whom he had several 
 children, who became the heads of popular tribes. 
 Finding at length that the infirmities of age were 
 gaining fast upon him, and that his dissolution could 
 not be far off, he settled his worldly affairs, giving 
 a portion to each of his other, sons, and leaving the
 
 DISCOUKSE V. 75 
 
 principal estate to Isaac as heir of the promise made to 
 him by the Almighty on a former occasion. Having 
 thus provided, as every man should do, for the future 
 comfort of his family, Abraham no doubt, prepared 
 for his great change in a manner becoming his pious 
 character. That solemn event at last arrived, and 
 Abraham departed this life an old man and full of 
 years at the age of one hundred and seventy-five. 
 The remains of the venerable Patriarch were with 
 the greatest solemnity deposited by the side of his 
 beloved Sarah, in the cave of Machpelah, by his 
 sons, Isaac and Ishmael. 
 
 This picture is both touching and instructive. 
 Death, the great dissolver of all human relations, 
 ought at least to be the means of reconciling those 
 who remain behind. Why should brothers be dis- 
 united and envious of each other, when the time is 
 hastening on, when the one will be consigned to the 
 silent grave, and the surviving party will feel, if not 
 wholly lost to humanity, a sense of regret that any 
 unbrotherly feeling should have arisen in his breast. 
 Isaac and Ishmael, though once discordant, unite in 
 sympathetic sorrow over the grave of their father, 
 Abraham, and become friendly disposed towards 
 each other. Let the lesson they teach, be carefully 
 unproved by all who bear the fraternal character, 
 and induce them to go and do likewise. 
 
 The balance of this portion goes on to detail the 
 family record of Ishmael, who formed twelve chiefs 
 of wandering tribes according to the promise of the
 
 76 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Lord to Abraham : "And also of the son of the 
 Bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy 
 seed." 
 
 This relation concerning the children of Keturah, 
 and many others of the same class throughout the 
 Bible, are merely to notice the fact of their exist- 
 ence ; but the subsequent history is only carried out 
 through one branch of a family. In the same man- 
 ner we see the history of Adam was only continued 
 through the family of Seth till Noah, of whose de- 
 scendants the principal account carried on, is that of 
 Shem. Thus, the history of the Patriarchs com- 
 menced with Abraham and is continued to Isaac, 
 and Ishmaei is only mentioned at this part of the 
 history. We shall find the same system followed 
 with Esau, of whom we hear little more after the 
 first account. As the history proceeds, it confines 
 itself to Jacob and his descendants, called the " Chil- 
 dren of Israel" and whose descendants are the 
 Israelites of the present day. 
 
 The history of Abraham has shown us the great 
 virtue of a true sense of Religion and a proper ven- 
 eration towards the great Creator of the Universe. 
 It teaches us to be pious and faithful, to put our 
 trust in God and fear no evil, and to stop at no diffi- 
 culty which may appear to prevent our acting rightly. 
 We must depend in full confidence on that mighty 
 power, who is, as the Psalmist declares, " good to 
 all, and whose tender mercies are over all his works." 
 The character of Abraham is best seen by the actions
 
 DISCOURSE V. 77 
 
 recorded of him, and how brilliant does it appear ! 
 An unshaken confidence in God, who called him out 
 of his native land, and distinguished him throughout 
 his state of Pilgrimage. We shall see, as we proceed 
 in the reading of the Sacred Volume, the same senti- 
 ments, and the same actions followed up by his chil- 
 dren Isaac and Jacob ; and may we who are the 
 descendants of the Children of Israel follow in their 
 footsteps. 
 
 May we also act as they did, and thus find favor 
 and grace in the sight of the Lord, and may our 
 conduct be ever approved by Him. Amen.
 
 DISCOURSE VI.' 
 
 FROM THE NINETEENTH VERSE OF THE TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTER 
 TO THE END OF THE NlNTH VERSE OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH 
 CHAPTER. 
 
 My dear young Friends : 
 
 This section of the Bible proceeds with the history 
 of the Patriarchs. Having in the last discourse 
 detailed that of Abraham and merely mentioned the 
 names of the descendants of Ishmael, the section we 
 shall now consider, confines itself solely to the relation 
 of what occurred to Isaac. 
 
 Rebekah, like her mother-in-law, proved barren. 
 Hence, Isaac, like his father Abraham, became 
 unhappy, and prayed to God to relieve his distress. 
 His petition was granted, and Rebekah was favored 
 with two sons. The first born was of a red or copper- 
 colored complexion, and covered all over with hair, 
 and on that account was named Esau. The second- 
 born was named Jacob. These boys grew up to 
 manhood. Esau became a mighty Huntsman, and 
 was constantly in the field ; while Jacob, whose dis- 
 position was more steady, and piously inclined, re- 
 mained at home engaged in study, and tending his
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 79 
 
 father's sheep. Esau, who constantly brought home 
 game from the field, became the father's favorite ; 
 but Jacob who was more quiet and domestic, was the 
 favorite of the mother. 
 
 One day when Jacob had just prepared some 
 lintel pottage, Esau came in from the chase, fatigued 
 and hungry, and demanded eagerly of Jacob some of 
 this pottage, and in a very abrupt manner called out 
 to Jacob : " Give me to eat of this red pottage." 
 Jacob had cooked this pottage for the family; and 
 being in the habit of seeing Esau bring home game 
 (which at this time it is likely he had not done) , said 
 to him, " If you will sell me your birthright, you shall 
 have some of my pottage." Esau cries out, " I am 
 dying with hunger, what care I for a birthright ?" 
 Upon which, he immediately, with an oath, sold his 
 birthright to Jacob, who gave him in return, some 
 Bread and some pottage of lentiles ; " And he did 
 eat and drink, and rose up and went his way thus 
 Esau despised the Birthright." 
 
 We must here remark that the circumstance just 
 alluded to, appears at first sight almost too trifling to 
 be worthy a place in the Bible ; but upon due reflec- 
 tion we shall become convinced that there is no part 
 of the history related by the sacred writer that has 
 not some serious meaning, or that does not teach us 
 some important and useful lesson. Short as this tale 
 is, it strongly developes the characters and disposi- 
 tions of the two brothers. 
 
 Esau, a man who lived at large, constantly in
 
 80 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 the field, hunting game for food, or wild beasts for 
 destruction, had the manners and sentiments of rude 
 and uncivilized people. His wants were confined to 
 those of food and clothing. Continually exposed to 
 the weather and to the danger of being destroyed by 
 the ferocious animals he chased, he never gave him- 
 self any thought about his moral state, or even about 
 a God. He was a wild, inconsiderate, being. When 
 he came in, pressed with hunger, he impatiently 
 cried out, " put some of this red pottage into my 
 mouth, for I am fatigued and hungry." And when 
 Jacob attempted to bargain with him for the Birthr 
 right, he makes no conditions. The Birthright does 
 not appear to him worth caviling about, but he 
 readily gives it up, saying, " Of what consequence is 
 the Birthright to me ? I am a hunter, and every 
 hour likely to be killed in the chase : I care nothing 
 for this Birthright, only give me some of this nice red 
 pottage." Hence, as is afterwards very properly 
 remarked, having eaten his fill, he was satisfied and 
 consequently " Esau despised his Birthright." 
 
 So inconsiderate was Esau, and so rough his dis- 
 position, that he gave himself neither thought nor 
 trouble respecting the nature of this birthright, for 
 having no thought for the future, he only sought his 
 present gratification. 
 
 Jacob, however, who was " a plain man, dwelling 
 in tents," had more reflection. He knew and con- 
 sidered well the words of God to his grandfather 
 Abraham : " I will establish my covenant between
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 81 
 
 me and thee and thy seed after thee in their genera- 
 tions for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto 
 thee, and to thy seed after thee." Genesis 17 : 7. 
 Jacob knew and felt assured that the descendants of 
 his father would be the persons who were not only to 
 inherit the land of Canaan, but who were allotted to 
 be God's chosen and peculiar people. Jacob was 
 also well aware, and had too much judgment, not to 
 know the value of such an inheritance. He was too 
 pious not earnestly to wish it might fall to his lot, 
 though doubtful that the promise would be fulfilled in 
 him. He had observed that although his grandfather 
 Abraham had Ishmael by Hagar, and many other 
 children by Keturah, yet that his father Isaac alone 
 was to be the heir was clear, as it was specifically 
 promised by the Almighty that succession should be 
 through the son of Sarah : " For in Isaac shall thy 
 seed be called," and therefore Isaac was decidedly 
 pointed out by God as the intended person whose 
 family was to be so highly distinguished; but no such 
 marked distinction had taken place in his case. 
 Jacob could not tell which of the two sons of his 
 father would be considered as the heir to this bless- 
 ing. They were twins, and therefore appeared to be 
 equally entitled ; yet from the previous example it 
 was to be presumed, that but one of them was in- 
 tended to be the person. Esau had probably the 
 better claim, as he was the first born of the two. 
 Jacob was moreover well aware that neither the 
 manners nor the disposition of Esau were at all of 
 
 5
 
 82 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 the serious character requisite for religious and pious 
 conduct, and he being willing to insure something 
 like a right to himself, took this opportunity of offer- 
 ing to purchase the birthright from his brother, and 
 in which transaction he found no difficulty. Esau 
 estimated it of little or no value, and was quite care- 
 less and indifferent about it. This portion of Biblical 
 history carries likewise with it a curious specimen of 
 the mode in which Providence arranges the affairs of 
 mankind. In all circumstances regarding himself, 
 Man is allowed a free will, but the ultimate progress 
 of things is the ordination of Divine superintendence, 
 as the wise men of old have declared it as their 
 belief, that "All things are ordained by Providence, 
 excepting those relating to the duties of man towards 
 his God ;" and hence the manner in which affairs 
 are to be brought about is often left to the good or 
 evil actions of men, which, however different, at least 
 in one way or the other always tend to produce the 
 effects originally fixed by fate. In this instance, it is 
 evident from the subsequent events, that Jacob was 
 the branch through which the knowledge of God and 
 his worship was destined to be communicated, but 
 the means by Avhich this was to be consummated, was 
 evidently to appear as the result of human actions. 
 Esau was born with propensities highly useful to 
 man's physical necessities, that is, for the procurance 
 of food and raiment, and for the removal from the 
 habitable part of the Globe of ferocious animals. 
 Jacob, again, had faculties of a more meek and stu-
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 83 
 
 dious nature, such as are best calculated to lead 
 men to their moral good, and insure their happiness 
 by a civil and religious mode of life. Jacob had 
 therefore acquired a high sense of right and wrong. 
 He was sensible that his brother, being the elder, 
 had a greater right to the envied inheritance ; but 
 his reflection and good sense led him to perceive that 
 Esau had not the qualifications requisite to promote 
 the good intended to be thereby effected. He there- 
 fore employed such a method as might entitle him to 
 assume this acknowledged right from his Brother by 
 purchase, and he finds this very easy from those 
 very circumstances which rendered Esau incompetent 
 for the furtherance of the object designed by Provi- 
 dence. 
 
 This reflection will also lead us to account for 
 another act of Jacob's, to which indeed he was insti- 
 gated by the tenderness and affection of his mother, 
 of which, we shall speak hereafter in its proper place. 
 
 A dreadful famine was raging at this time in 
 Canaan ; Isaac was compelled to go in quest of food 
 to a distant country. It seems to have been Ms first 
 intention to go down into Egypt, where his father 
 had sought an asylum in a similar case of distress. 
 Then the Almighty appeared unto him, and warned 
 him from taking such a step, adding this promise in 
 case of his obedience : " Sojourn in this land, and I 
 will be with thee, and will bless thee ; for unto thee, 
 and unto thy seed, I will give all these Countries, 
 and I will perform the oath which I sware unto
 
 84 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Abraham thy father. And I will make thy seed to 
 multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto 
 thy seed all these countries ; and in thy seed shall 
 all the nations of the Earth be blessed." Because 
 that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, 
 my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." 
 Genesis 26 : 3, etc. 
 
 Isaac obeyed the voice of God and dwelt in Gerar, 
 the capital of the Philistines. The favor of God 
 made Isaac eminently prosperous in Philistia, and he 
 waxed so great in the possession of flocks and herds, 
 that the Philistines envied him. During his sojourn 
 there, Abraham h^d dug many wells, to which Isaac 
 laid a just claim. These wells the envious Philistines 
 stopped up, and filled with earth, thus destroying the 
 property of another, without enriching themselves. 
 Abimelech, the King of that Country, perceiving the 
 animosity which his people had against Isaac, and 
 being somewhat jealous himself of the Patriarch's 
 greatness, desired him to withdraw from the Coun- 
 try. " Go from us, for thou art mightier than we." 
 Isaac accordingly left the place, and settled in the 
 Valley, where he dug again for the wells of his 
 father ; but the envious Philistines followed him from 
 the City with their malice, and seized the property 
 which had descended to him as an hereditary right. 
 The Patriarch, wearied out with their malignity, and 
 not willing to resent the injury he had received, 
 removed still further, and fixed his residence at 
 Beersheba, where he built an altar for worship, 
 " and called upon the name of the Lord."
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 85 
 
 After Isaac had been some time comfortably set- 
 tled in Beersheba, Abimelech, who had so ungener- 
 ously dismissed him from Gerah, paid him a visit, 
 attended by the principal officers of his household. 
 Isaac, surprised, and perhaps apprehensive that some 
 evil design prompted this visit, thus addressed them : 
 " Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and 
 have sent me away from you ?" The interrogatory 
 was sharp, but nevertheless just. The Philistine 
 chiefs replied, that having seen him eminently the 
 favorite of Heaven, they came merely out of esteem 
 and regard towards him, and to enter into a covenant 
 of peace with him. 
 
 Peace-loving Isaac readily consented to the pro- 
 posal ; and having entertained his guests in his usual 
 hospitable manner, " they rose up betimes in the 
 morning, and sware one to another, and Isaac sent 
 them away, and they departed from him in peace." 
 Thus the Lord softened the asperity of his enemies, 
 and infused a fear into their minds. So superior is 
 innate goodness, that even the ungodly have some 
 sense of reverence for it, and are some times desir- 
 ous to be on good terms with the righteous. Such 
 was the case with the Patriarch Isaac, who was so 
 much respected and esteemed for his virtues, that he 
 was called "The blessed of the Lord" During a 
 number of years after this event, Isaac dwelt in 
 peace and happiness with his family. Our Patriarch 
 as he advanced in years became nearly blind, so that 
 he could not distinguish one person from another.
 
 86 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Finding himself, therefore, bowed down with the 
 infirmities of old age, and likely soon to end his pil- 
 grimage, he called for Esau who was his favorite 
 son, and gave him a charge to procure some of his 
 dainty venison and to dress it as he was wont to do, 
 promising afterwards to confer upon him his paternal 
 blessing. 
 
 The blessing of a father in those days was highly 
 prized by the children, particularly the blessing of 
 such a father as Isaac, who had been deemed of so 
 pure a character as fit to be offered up as a sacrifice 
 to God. 
 
 Rebekah, who had overheard the conversation 
 between Isaac and Esau, was fearful of this blessing 
 being given to Esau, whereby her favorite son Jacob 
 would be deprived of that, which she considered so 
 desirable for him to obtain. This made her feel very 
 uneasy ; but recollecting the prophecy she heard 
 before the children were born, "And the elder shall 
 serve the younger," she comforted herself for the 
 moment, and thought it nought but right to attempt 
 procuring this blessing by a stratagem. Full of this 
 idea, she called her son Jacob and commanded him 
 to fetch a couple of kids. These she cooked in the 
 way Isaac liked best. She then told Jacob to take 
 them to his father, that he might enjoy himself, and 
 that in the fullness of his heart, he would be inspired 
 to bestow on him the prophetic blessing. Jacob, 
 however, who did not like anything that- had the ap- 
 pearance of deceit, objected to the scheme, and said
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 87 
 
 to his mother, " My skin is smooth, whereas that of 
 my Brother is rough and coarse ; my father, although 
 blind, will by the feel discover the deception, and I 
 shall bring down a curse instead of a blessing. His 
 mother, however, strongly insisted on his going ; and 
 replied to Jacob's objection in the following manner : 
 " Upon me be thy curse, my son ; only obey my 
 voice, and go fetch me them." 
 
 Rebekah was too much impressed with the import- 
 ance of this Blessing not to risk something to procure 
 it; besides, she felt certain that Isaac would not 
 refuse it, even if he did discover the deception prac- 
 tised upon him. She accordingly dressed the kids, 
 and made Jacob put on Esau's clothes, and bring 
 the venison to his father. 
 
 Jacob did as his mother desired him. Isaac eat 
 of the food, and having drank some wine, he caUed 
 his son to him, embraced him and blessed him, say- 
 ing, " Therefore, God give thee of the dew of heaven, 
 and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and 
 wine. Let people serve thee, and nations bow down 
 to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy 
 mother's sons bow down to thee." No sooner had 
 Isaac finished the blessing, than Esau came home 
 from the chase, when Isaac discovered the trick that 
 had been played upon him. He however felt that 
 the blessing he had uttered was prophetic, and there- 
 fore could not be recalled. He was sensible that the 
 whole was of divine appointment, and he therefore 
 confirmed the promise in this strong manner, by de-
 
 88 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 claring, " I have blessed him, yea, and he shall be 
 blessed." Esau, who was much grieved on the occa- 
 sion, burst forth into tears, and in language which 
 one would imagine proceeded from a most tender 
 spirit exclaimed, " Hast thou not reserved a blessing 
 for me ?" 
 
 Isaac, who was desirous to bestow all he could 
 upon his first-born, without violating the direction of 
 Providence, " answered, and said unto him, behold, 
 thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and 
 of the dew of Heaven from above ; and by thy sword 
 shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother ; and it 
 shall come to pass, when thou shalt have the dominion, 
 that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." 
 Genesis 27 : 39, 40. 
 
 This prophecy was exactly fulfilled ; for in the time 
 of David, the Edomites, who were the lineal descend- 
 ants of Esau, fell under the Israelitish yoke ; but in 
 the days of Jehoram, king of Judah, they shook it 
 off and regained their independence. 
 
 This transaction so exasperated Esau against his 
 brother, that he formed the design of killing him ; 
 but, as if he had some regard for the peace of his 
 father, he resolved to postpone his malicious intent 
 till " the days of mourning for him should be ended." 
 
 Rebekah, who had learned of the evil purpose of 
 Esau, with all the lively feeling of a tender mother, 
 advised Jacob to take shelter with her brother Laban 
 until Esau's anger should have passed off. She ac- 
 cordingly arranged with her husband to send Jacob
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 89 
 
 to Padan-Aram, and take to wife one of the daughters 
 of Laban. Accordingly Isaac called Jacob, and com- 
 municated to him his wish, and at the same time told 
 him to beware of marrying any of the heathen Ca- 
 naanitish women, but to go to Laban, and obtain one 
 of his daughters to wife. Isaac then dismissed Jacob, 
 confirming the benediction which he had before pro- 
 nounced upon him. "And God Almighty bless thee, 
 and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou 
 mayest be a multitude of people, and give thee the 
 blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with 
 thee ; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou 
 art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham." Ja- 
 cob, hi obedience to the wishes of his parents, set out 
 on his journey to go to Laban, his uncle, who lived at 
 Padan-Aram. The account of his journey, and his 
 arrival at his uncle's house, we shall recount in a 
 future discourse, which will be found very instructive 
 and extremely interesting. Esau, provoked still more 
 at this escape of Jacob, as well as the conduct of his 
 father towards him, plunged deeper into immorality 
 and profaneness, taking, as it should seem out of mere 
 spite to Isaac, one of the daughters of Ishmael to 
 wife. This act of Esau was still more aggravating, 
 and shows how unfit he was for the prophetic blessing, 
 having previously, without consulting his parents, 
 taken two wives from among the Canaanites, which 
 occasioned " a grief of mind," or, as it is termed in 
 the Sacred Volume, " bitterness of spirit to Isaac and 
 Rebekah." Reflecting on this portion of Bible His-
 
 90 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESJS. 
 
 tory, we are led to remark, that the motives by which 
 Isaac was actuated in favor of Esau, were, his fond 
 attachment to him, ignorant as he was of his son's 
 rude habits and unfitness to be the heir to the prom- 
 ised future. Isaac being blind, was led away by the 
 specious acts of Esau, in having his palate pleased 
 with the peculiar savoriness of his venison, and on 
 that account overlooked his departure from the pure 
 principles of Religion and Virtue. His marriage into 
 improper families was for the moment forgotten, and 
 the doating father resolved to give his blessing, not 
 where Providence designed, but where his own affec- 
 tion and indiscreet partiality inclined him. From this 
 we may see, how seldom can the fond expectations of 
 a parent for an unworthy child, be realized. But the 
 designs and passions of men are overruled by the 
 providence of God, to bring to pass his own wise and 
 gracious purposes. It was his will that the promise 
 should run in the line of Jacob, and to accomplish 
 this, he makes use even of the weakness of Isaac and 
 the fond ambition of Eebekah. Rebekah, in the 
 transaction, had prompted Jacob to play a trick upon 
 his father, to procure the blessing intended for Esau ; 
 and Jacob, though conscious of the impropriety of 
 deceit, yet yielded to his mother's entreaties. Re- 
 bekah' s motives sprung from a strong impression she 
 had conceived, that Jacob was the son elect who should 
 through his posterity, spread the holy knowledge of 
 Virtue and the Worship of the true God. Of this 
 she was convinced from what the Angel had told her
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 91 
 
 when she went to inquire of the Lord at the time she 
 was about to give birth to the children, Esau and 
 Jacob. 
 
 So strangely is the lot of mankind cast in this world, 
 that sometimes a little wrong, executed with a virtu- 
 ous intention, may be justified as right. In the his- 
 tory before us, we plainly see how the feelings and 
 actions of men produce effects of which they had not 
 the least idea or intention. Man having his Will 
 free, can act as he pleases. He ought, therefore, 
 always endeavor to be on the right side, and act ac- 
 cording to the dictates of Virtue. The effects of 
 which, being left to the dispensation of Providence, 
 will always prove right in due time, for the conse- 
 quences of the designs and passions of men are even 
 allowed by the Creator to bring to pass his own wise 
 and gracious purposes. 
 
 Thus far we have the history of our forefather 
 Isaac, who was a faithful and pious servant of the 
 Lord. Many circumstances in his life were similar 
 to those which had occurred to his father Abraham. 
 Both took wives of their own relations. Both mar- 
 ried at the age of forty years. The wives of both 
 were barren at the early period of their married life. 
 Abraham's eldest son, Ishmael, and Isaac's eldest 
 son, Esau, were expert and famous hunters. Their 
 second sons were pious, good, and steady men. A 
 famine drove both from their settled places of abode. 
 Both experienced trouble from the kings of the coun- 
 tries wherein they sojourned, and both overcame those
 
 92 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 difficulties through divine interposition. Both were 
 earnest and pious, and the result proved, that they 
 became the recipients of God's unlimited blessings. 
 
 May we, their descendants, look up to, and follow 
 their excellent examples, that we thereby may become 
 equally virtuous and pious, and thus deserve the favor 
 of heaven in all our undertakings through life. Amen.
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 
 
 FROM THE TENTH TERSE OP THE TWENTY-EIGHTH CHAPTER TO THE 
 END OP THE SECOND VERSE OF THE THIRTY-SECOND CHAPTER. 
 
 My Dear Young Friends : 
 
 This portion of the Bible introduces the history of 
 Jacob, our forefather, who is the third of the Patri- 
 archs. It contains many important subjects for our 
 consideration. We must bear in mind that Jacob 
 was rather suddenly sent away from his father's 
 house, and we are not informed that any very great 
 preparation was made for his departure, nor that any 
 persons were sent with him as guides. On the con- 
 trary, the order of his Mother was, "Make your 
 escape from the anger of your brother, and take 
 shelter with your Uncle Laban." We must there- 
 fore naturally conclude, Jacob to have been very sol- 
 itary and uncomfortable during so toilsome a journey 
 across an uninhabited country, and most probably, 
 under very unpleasant reflections on account of the 
 unbrotherly manner in which he had procured his 
 father's blessing. There can be no doubt but that 
 he suffered much hardship during his journey, which 
 may probably be considered as a species of punish-
 
 94 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 ment for his incorrect conduct in that instance. But 
 though the Almighty disposer of events may have 
 thought fit to make him feel its impropriety in this 
 respect, yet, Jacob being destined to be the person 
 through whose line the promise to Abraham should 
 be fulfilled, it was necessary that he should be fully 
 impressed with the faith requisite to fix his senti- 
 ments and guide his conduct. Jacob, however, was 
 not suffered to remain long in suspense, nor without 
 comfort. 
 
 We turn our eyes now to the solitary Wanderer, 
 traveling on foot, in a trackless Desert, towards Ha- 
 ran. His going without attendants, is easily to be 
 accounted for, by the fearful concern of his mother, 
 lest he should be pursued by Esau. 
 
 The shades of night began to close upon the Trav- 
 eler, and no place of rest appeared in view. There 
 was not even a friendly Cave at hand, beneath whose 
 covert he could take shelter during the hours of dark- 
 ness and danger. But the " Shepherd of Israel 
 neither slumbers nor sleeps." He keeps his faithful 
 servants in the night, as well as in the day, beneath 
 the shadow of his Wing. 
 
 Jacob being fatigued, looked around him for some 
 place to rest himself till the morning. Alas ! there 
 was none to meet his eye ; the forlorn Wanderer was 
 fain to take a stone for a pillow whereon to rest his 
 weary head, and having full confidence in his Maker, 
 he, unawed by fear of Wild Beasts, or other evils, 
 soon closed his eyes in sleep. While he lay in this
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 95 - 
 
 place, his mental eye was favored with a vision the 
 most remarkable on record. He dreamed that he 
 beheld a Ladder standing on the Earth, the top of 
 which reached to Heaven ; that Angels appeared to 
 be going up and down the Ladder ; and that, at the 
 top of ah 1 , appeared the Divine Majesty, or visible 
 symbol of God's presence in a manner most awful 
 and indescribable, and a Voice was heard to de- 
 clare 
 
 " I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and 
 the God of Isaac ; the land whereon thou liest, to 
 thee will I give it, and to thy seed ; and thy seed 
 shall be as the dust of the Earth, and thou shalt 
 spread abroad to the West, and to the East, and to 
 the North, and to the South ; and in thee and thy 
 seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed. 
 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in 
 all places whither thou goest, and I will bring thee 
 again into this land ; for I will not leave thee, until 
 I have done that, of which I have spoken to thee." 
 Genesis 28 : 14, 15. 
 
 When Jacob awoke, the awful impression of this 
 Vision remained strong in his mind. He had received 
 a manifestation of the Divine presence, and he felt a 
 holy dread at the idea, that this was the peculiar place 
 where the Majesty of Heaven held communion with 
 Mankind on Earth. Though the Visitation was full 
 of love and promise, yet there was something hi it so 
 awful and tremendous, that it made Jacob exclaim : 
 
 " How dreadful is this place ! This is none other
 
 96 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 but the house of God, and this is the gate of Heav- 
 en." Genesis 28 : 17. 
 
 This revelation was not only a powerful encour- 
 agement to Jacob's faith, but was also a kind of 
 moral lesson to Mankind in general. 
 
 The Ladder appeared to him to imply that Man, 
 although stationed on Earth, may nevertheless, by 
 regular and virtuous steps gradually become exalted, 
 till he arrives at the glorious Heaven ; that the An- 
 gels ascending and descending, indicated that his 
 Actions may either raise or lower him, accordingly. 
 
 One of our learned Commentators, has given us 
 the following ingenious explanation of this glorious 
 Vision : 
 
 " The Ladder represents Divine Providence, which 
 governs all things, and particularly then, directed Ja- 
 cob on his journey, every step of the same, being 
 under Divine direction. Its being placed upon the 
 Earth signified the steadfastness of Providence, which 
 cannot in any way be shaken. The top of it reach- 
 ing to Heaven shows us that it extends itself through- 
 out the World, to everything great or small, high or 
 low. The several steps in the Ladder signifying the 
 various motions of the Divine power and wisdom. 
 The Angels going up and down are the great minis- 
 ters of God's Providence by whom he manages all 
 things here below, and who are never idle, but al- 
 ways in motion to succor and assist the true servants 
 of God. Their ascending, shows their going to 
 receive the Divine orders and commands ; and their
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 97 
 
 descending, their execution of the said instructions. 
 And with respect to Jacob's present condition, the 
 former signified their safe conduct of him on his 
 journey to Padan-Aram, and the other, bringing him 
 home again. Above all, appeared the Almighty, as 
 the immovable director of all events, from whom, as 
 the First Cause, all things proceed, and to whom all 
 things at last return." 
 
 This awful annunciation of God to Jacob made a 
 strong impression on his mind, comforted his anxiety, 
 and fixed his heart on religion and virtue. Jacob 
 then, in a fervid spirit of devotion, took the stone 
 which he had used for his pillow, raised it as an Al- 
 tar, and poured Oil on it, to anoint it to the service 
 of the Most High. The place where this occurred 
 was called " Luz." Jacob named it " Beth-el" 
 which signifies the house of God,~and which it after- 
 wards proved to be, since it was the very spot on 
 which the Temple was built by King Solomon. 
 
 Jacob was in reality a truly pious man. He had 
 spent a considerable time in religious study in the 
 schools of Shem and Eber (famous in those days), 
 and in Avhich he was taught the knowledge of the 
 true God. 
 
 The next religious act which Jacob performed at 
 this consecrated place was a solemn vow for himself 
 and his household to serve God faithfully, if he should 
 return to his father in peace and safety. 
 
 "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be 
 with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and
 
 98 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so 
 that I come again to my father's house in peace ; and 
 the Eternal will be to me a God : Then this stone, 
 which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house : 
 and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give 
 the tenth unto thee." Genesis 28 : 21, 22. 
 
 Jacob now proceeded on his journey with a glad- 
 dened heart toward Mesopotamia, and coming near a 
 place called Haran, he fell in with several flocks of 
 sheep and their shepherds, who were waiting round a 
 well until a sufficient number should have assembled to 
 remove a heavy stone with which it was covered, so 
 that they might water their cattle. Jacob inquired of 
 them concerning his uncle, Laban. "And he said 
 unto them, Is he well ? And they said, He is well ; 
 And behold Rachel his daughter cometh with the 
 sheep." While he was thus conversing with the 
 shepherds, his cousin drew near to the Avell with her 
 flocks. As soon as Jacob saw her, and was told who 
 she was, he instantly, with a natural politeness and 
 affection, rolled away the stone which closed the well 
 by his own power and without any assistance, gave 
 water to her sheep, and introduced himself as her 
 cousin. Here we must remark, how beautifully pic- 
 turesque is this incident. The female characters in 
 the early part of scripture history are all introduced 
 to our notice in a modest, becoming, and domestic 
 employment. Sarah, at the entertainment of the 
 Angels, made cakes with her own hands, and baked 
 them upon the hearth. Eebekah was first seen by
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 99 
 
 Eliezer, in the act of drawing water for her father's 
 household ; and here Rachel first appears, tending 
 her father's sheep. 
 
 What an instructive lesson do these instances afford 
 to the fair sex, not to be above those employments 
 which are eminently adapted to render them " helps 
 meet for their husbands." 
 
 Jacob instantly fell in love with Rachel, and no 
 doubt his attention to her in removing the enormous 
 stone from the well, and giving water to her sheep, 
 excited her admiration, so that when he made her 
 acquainted that he was her cousin, she, full of eager 
 joy and gladness, ran home to inform her father, while 
 Jacob remained in charge of the flock. Laban, on 
 hearing that his sister's son had arrived, ran forth to 
 meet him, and welcomed him to his house. Jacob 
 informed his uncle of all that had passed in his fath- 
 er's family, and of the reason of his coming to Pa- 
 dan-Aram, at the same time offering to abide there as 
 his servant. Laban readily accepted this tender of 
 Jacob's service, but insisted on paying him wages, 
 saying, " because thou art my brother, shouldest thou, 
 therefore, serve me for nought ?" That love which 
 had taken possession of the heart of Jacob towards 
 Rachel, prompted him to make an offer of serving 
 Laban for her seven years. Rachel had an elder 
 sister named Leah, of whom we shall speak presently. 
 Laban, glad of so good a bargain, readily agreed to 
 it, and Jacob served the seven years with much plea- 
 sure, in the hope of ob taming his dearly beloved
 
 100 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Rachel. At the end of the seven years, the Wed- 
 ding was celebrated, and Laban made a great feast in 
 honor of the nuptials. In the evening Laban took 
 his daughter Leah and placed her in the place of 
 Rachel. Jacob, on discovering this, felt much hurt 
 at this trick played upon him by his uncle, who, upon 
 being remonstrated with, endeavored to make the 
 best excuse he could for this cheat, saying, " it was 
 contrary to the custom of the country to marry the 
 younger before the first-born." 
 
 Laban well knowing that love would make large 
 sacrifices to attain its object, offered to give Jacob 
 Rachel also at the end of the Week, on condition of 
 his serving him another seven years. Jacob, who 
 was too much in love with Rachel to refuse, consented, 
 and served Laban seven years more for her, whom he 
 loved more than Leah. 
 
 Here we must observe, that in those days it was 
 the custom of that country to marry more than one 
 wife, so that at the time of this history the marrying 
 of two or more wives was not considered as unlawful. 
 
 At the end of the second seven years, Jacob had 
 twelve sons and one daughter ; and his time of serv- 
 itude being ended, he was anxious to return to his 
 native place ; but Laban was not so willing to part 
 with him. He was satisfied that his affairs had pros- 
 pered very much since Jacob had the care of them. 
 He could not help acknowledging the fact, when he 
 said, " I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine 
 eyes, tarry, for I have learned by experience that
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 101 
 
 the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake. Appoint me 
 thy wages, and I will give it." Jacob, however, 
 argues the necessity of going home, for he very justly 
 says, "And now when shall I provide for mine own 
 house also ?" 
 
 After much solicitation on the part of Laban, Jacob 
 consented to remain, on condition of receiving as his 
 hire all such of the flock as should be produced in 
 future, having a " speckled, streaked, or dark red 
 appearance." 
 
 In order that this should be fairly done, all the 
 sheep so marked that were at that time among the 
 flock, were to be removed, and none but white sheep 
 allowed to remain. This proposition pleased Laban 
 mightily, as he did not imagine that his stock would 
 suffer much diminution from the casual or accidental 
 birth of a streaked or spotted sheep or goat. He 
 accordingly separated all those that were in any way 
 so marked, and gave them in charge of his sons at a 
 place three days' journey from home. Jacob then 
 undertook the care of the rest, which were all white, 
 and belonged to Laban. Jacob was, however, now 
 placed in a different situation from that in which he 
 had hitherto been. He had stated the necessity he 
 was under of providing for his family. Laban, how- 
 ever, being reluctant to part with so fortunate and 
 attentive a servant, allows him to make his own terms, 
 and those Jacob chose, were of a nature which proba- 
 bly would prove beneficial to himself, if it pleased 
 Providence to favor his exertions. Jacob was a man
 
 102 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 of deep reflection ; he had made observations and 
 understood the nature of things. He made use of 
 this science to forward what would prove most advan- 
 tageous to himself. Jacob " took rods of green pop- 
 lar, and of the hazel, and chestnut tree, and peeled 
 white streaks in them, and made the white appear 
 which was in the rods." These he set in the water- 
 ing troughs, where the flocks came to drink. The 
 effect of this act was most striking ; and the result 
 was that a great number of the flocks proved striped 
 and speckled. These, according to agreement, be- 
 came Jacob's property, and he put them aside, so 
 that in a short time he became possessed of a very 
 large flock. In this action Jacob depended much 
 on the favor of Providence ; the experiment, he was 
 justified to make, but its success he could not insure. 
 He attempted to benefit himself by his science, but 
 without the least criminal intention of injuring his 
 employer. It was a mere matter of chance. More 
 white, or even dusky brown animals must naturally 
 have been expected from a white or even a colored 
 stock than spotted or streaked. Nay, the whole ex- 
 periment might have failed ; and if he succeeded, it 
 was evident that it was the will of a supreme power 
 in whom Jacob had the greatest confidence, and the 
 most firm reliance on the promise so prophetically 
 delivered to him in the dream at Bethel. And in 
 fact it so turned out that the Almighty, whose pur- 
 pose it was to forward Jacob's progress in life, did 
 actually favor his exertions, and thus increased his
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 103 
 
 store. Laban, however, began to be jealous of Ja- 
 cob's success. He was no longer so friendly with 
 him as before. This roused the attention of Jacob 
 and made him remark to his wives, " Your father 
 looks strangely at me because God has blessed me. 
 You know how truly and how long, I have served him 
 without fee or reward, yet he has played me a great 
 many tricks. Now the Angel of the Lord has said 
 unto me, Go home to the land of your nativity. I 
 shall therefore quit this place." His wives agreed 
 that he was right, and the whole family set off with 
 all their goods to return to Padan-Aram, to the house 
 of their father, Isaac. When Laban heard of Jacob's 
 departure, he followed him, most likely with no good 
 intention ; but an Angel of the Lord appeared to him 
 in a dream at night, and warned him not to meddle 
 with Jacob, so that when he reached Jacob he chang- 
 ed his tone, and instead of upbraiding him as he 
 intended, he merely said, " Why did you steal away 
 and carry off my daughters in this manner ? If you 
 had apprized me thereof, you should have been sent 
 away with pleasure and honors. You have used me 
 ill, and I am much disposed to do you harm, but your 
 God has warned me not to meddle with you, so go to 
 your father's house in peace ; but stop, says Laban, 
 why did you steal my gods ?" Jacob then replied as 
 follows : " With regard to my going secretly, I was 
 afraid you would steal your daughters from me, and 
 as to your gods, I know nothing of them, examine all 
 my property, and see if you can find them." The
 
 104 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 fact is, that Jacob did not know that Rachel had car- 
 ried off her father's idolatrous figures. Laban accord- 
 ingly examined all their tents, but could not find them, 
 because Rachel had hidden them under her saddle. 
 She had been convinced by her husband that all such 
 figures were idolatrous, and therefore she wished that 
 her father should become a convert to the worship of 
 the true, Eternal God. Jacob, in his turn, then 
 became angry with Laban, and said to him as follows : 
 
 " What is my trespass, what is my sin, that thou 
 hast so hotly pursued after me ? 
 
 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what 
 hath thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it 
 here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they 
 may judge betwixt us both. These twenty years 
 have I been with thee ; thy ewes and thy she-goats 
 have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock 
 have I not eaten. That which was torn of beasts, I 
 brought not unto thee ; I bare the loss of it ; of my 
 hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or 
 stolen by night." Genesis 31 : 36. 
 
 " Well," said Laban, " it does not signify, the 
 flocks are my flocks, and all that you possess is mine ; 
 but yet the women are my daughters, and the chil- 
 dren are my children ; what can I do less for them ? 
 So let us make a covenant between us to part 
 friends." 
 
 Jacob readily consented, and raised a stone, and 
 set it up as a standard, and the rest of the party 
 heaped stones round it, which formed a heap which
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 105 
 
 they called in Hebrew, G-al-ide. Here it was mutu- 
 ally agreed that neither of them should pass that 
 boundary towards each other, to do mischief, or in 
 any way to hurt each other; to which agreement 
 they both bound themselves by oath. This being 
 done, Jacob, with the truly pious feelings which 
 always regulated his conduct, offered up a sacrifice 
 to God. Afterwards all the parties partook of a 
 feast, in the nature of a Covenant of Peace and 
 Amity. Early the next morning, Laban took leave 
 of his sons and daughters and returned homewards ; 
 while Jacob, full of joy and gratitude, hastened on 
 towards Canaan. 
 
 Jacob had scarcely entered upon his journey, 
 before he was met by the angels of God ; and when 
 he saw them, he said, " This is God's Host," and he 
 called the name of that place, Mahanaim, which 
 signifies Two Hosts. Those heavenly messengers, 
 doubtlessly appeared, to assure Jacob of the Divine 
 favor and protection ; and the name which he gave 
 the spot indicates his belief that their mission had 
 his safeguard for its object. In fact, at this moment 
 he stood in need of the interposition of Heaven, for 
 he was approaching the residence of Esau, who was 
 become the head of a powerful people. The meeting 
 of the two brothers will form part of the subject of 
 our next discourse, we shall therefore not anticipate 
 it at present. 
 
 In this History, we see the Almighty continually 
 watching over the welfare of the descendants of his
 
 106 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 favored Abraham, according to the promise given at 
 the " Covenant between the pieces." We also see 
 that each of the Patriarchs had their several trials 
 and difficulties. Abraham and Isaac had troubles 
 from their neighbors, as well as others of a domestic 
 kind ; but Jacob seems to have found them especial- 
 ly in his own family. Sent aAvay as a stranger, to 
 escape his brother's anger, he falls in with his uncle, 
 who under the cloak of love and friendship cheats 
 him at every step giving Leah to him, who was 
 not his favorite, instead of Rachel, whom he ardently 
 loved; and then making him serve seven years more, 
 before he granted to him her, who was his first choice, 
 and for whom, he willingly labored seven long years 
 without fee or reward. Laban next takes advantage 
 of him in reference to wages he makes an agree- 
 ment in which he appears to have a great benefit, 
 notwithstanding the admission that he had grown 
 wealthy through the care and good fortune of Jacob, 
 and he does not wish to part with him, thinking him 
 a blessing to his house ; and so in fact he was, for 
 we shall see that God prospered all his undertakings. 
 We see also that when the agreement was made 
 respecting the spotted cattle, God put it into the 
 mind of Jacob to use a contrivance, which, according 
 to nature might, and by God's blessings did, succeed. 
 I say God put it into the mind of Jacob so to do ; 
 for the organization of the world is such, that a cer- 
 tain order of nature never ceases nor fails. Man, 
 indeed, does not possess sufficient wisdom to see and
 
 DISCOURSE VII. 107 
 
 understand the whole train of actions ; and as Man 
 enjoys a free will to act as he pleases, he conducts 
 himself in the way he thinks best ; but this does 
 not always answer he sometimes succeeds and 
 sometimes fails. But the Almighty, who ordains 
 the fate of men and of kingdoms, occasions the 
 actions of persons, which are quite voluntary on 
 their part, to produce effects according to their vari- 
 ous destinies ; and thus the same circumstances 
 which prove successful in some instances, are in 
 others of no avail. God, who has his eye on the 
 good and the pious, will ever bless their exertions ; 
 and though short-sighted mortals may not directly 
 perceive this, yet, if a man be truly virtuous if his 
 heart be in the right place with his God his actions 
 will be properly regulated, and he need never fear 
 the result. Thus, truly does the Divine Psalmist 
 recommend : " Commit thy ways unto the Lord ; 
 trust also in him ; and he shall bring it to pass." 
 Psalms 37 : 5.
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. 
 
 FROM THE THIRD VERSE OF THE THIRTY-SECOND CHAPTER TO THE 
 END OF CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX. 
 
 My dear young Friends: 
 
 In this discourse we find a continuation of the his- 
 tory of the Patriarch Jacob, during his progress from 
 Padan-Aram homeward towards Beersheba, where 
 his father lived. In this journey, he was obliged to 
 pass through the country under the dominion of his 
 brother Esau. 
 
 You must bear in mind that Jacob had excited the 
 hatred of his brother Esau by the surreptitious mode 
 in which he had procured from his father the bless- 
 ing unquestionably intended by Isaac for Esau, and 
 that fearful of the consequences, Jacob took shelter 
 in the house of his Uncle Laban, in order to be out 
 of the reach of Esau, who meditated his destruction, 
 as already fully detailed in a former discourse. 
 
 Many years had passed by ; Jacob was now the 
 father of a large family, and in the possession of 
 great wealth and riches in flocks aud herds. He 
 was, therefore, very naturally afraid that in going 
 through the country where Esau resided, the old
 
 DISCOUKSE VIH. 109 
 
 hatred might still be in existence. And, although 
 possibly not in its original violence, might yet be suf- 
 ficiently strong to induce some attempt on the part 
 of Esau to seize on his property, or even to kill him 
 and his family. 
 
 Jacob, therefore, thought it prudent to send mes- 
 sengers to Seir, where Esau dwelt, to announce his 
 approach, and to deliver a summary account of him- 
 self and his proceedings in the most respectful terms, 
 in order that Esau might not misuse him under the 
 pretense of not knowing him, after an absence of 
 more than twenty years, or form a wrong judgment 
 of, where, and how, he had passed his time during 
 that period. 
 
 Jacob certainly acted wisely in this instance, for 
 Esau was at that time the Chief of a great and pop- 
 ulous tract of land. The messengers returned, and 
 did not tell Jacob that they had delivered the mes- 
 sage, but that they had met Esau coining towards 
 him, accompanied by four hundred men. This intel- 
 ligence greatly alarmed Jacob, for he had no doubt 
 that his brother had hostile designs against him, since 
 he was coming with so powerful a force. 
 
 To make, therefore, the best of his circumstances, 
 he divided his train into two companies, saying, " If 
 Esau come to the one company and smite it, then the 
 other company which is left shall escape." In this 
 trying situation he addressed a prayer to Heaven, 
 in which he modestly urged that promise upon which 
 he had been hitherto enabled to encounter so many 
 dangers and perils, saying :
 
 110 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 " God of my father Abraham, and God of my 
 father Isaac, the Lord who saidst unto me, Return 
 unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal 
 well with thee ! I am not worthy of the least of all 
 the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast 
 shewed unto thy servant ; for with my staff, I passed 
 over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. 
 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother 
 from the hand of Esau ; for I fear him, lest he 
 will come and smite me, and the mother with the 
 children." Genesis 32 : 9-11. 
 
 When Jacob had ended his prayer, he quitted his 
 camp, and prepared some valuable presents of cattle, 
 which he sent in advance of his company, with orders 
 to those who had the charge of them, to say, when 
 asked to whom they belonged, " They be thy servant 
 Jacob's ; it is a present to my Lord Esau, and behold 
 also he is behind us." 
 
 Having thus sent forward his present as a peace- 
 offering, Jacob arranged the remainder of his train 
 in excellent order, placing his beloved Rachel and her 
 son Joseph in the rear, that if his brother should come 
 as an enemy, they might have a better chance of 
 escaping. Jacob then in the middle of the night 
 removed his family and goods beyond the river Jab- 
 bok, a small river which falls into the Jordan, as a 
 place of greater safety. Jacob remained behind, 
 most probably employed in prayer and supplication. 
 
 At this place he met with an extraordinary adven- 
 ture. A person appeared to approach him, whom,
 
 DISCOURSE vm. Ill 
 
 in his agitated state, he probably imagined to be one 
 of Esau's men, and with whom he began to wrestle. 
 This person, however, did not conquer, (and we know 
 that Jacob was a man of great strength, for we may 
 recollect that when he first met Rachel, he removed 
 a stone from off the well in Padan-Aram by his own 
 power, which had always required the united strength 
 of some of the Shepherds of that place). This wres- 
 tling lasted till morning, when his antagonist (whom 
 he discovered to be a being of Superior order) said 
 to Jacob, " Let me ge " ; No, said Jacob, " I will 
 not let thee go except thou bless me." By this, it 
 seems that Jacob must have been sensible of the su- 
 pernatural quality of the person who thus accosted 
 him, and therefore it was in faith that he claimed his 
 Blessing. 
 
 This being, in human form, was no less than an An- 
 gel, who, in reply to Jacob's request, asked his name, 
 and changed it from Jacob to Israel, signifying a 
 mighty Prince, or a Prince with God, and the reason 
 is added, " For as a Prince thou hast power with 
 God, and with men, and thou shalt prevail." 
 
 In this contest, however, the Angel touched the 
 hollow of Jacob's thigh so that he halted, " by which 
 Jacob knew that his antagonist had more power than 
 he chose to exert. The design of this conflict, with 
 the attendant circumstances, was most probably an 
 assurance from the Almighty to Jacob that he should 
 not fear his brother's power, but have full confidence 
 in his God, who had never as yet forsaken him.
 
 112 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Jacob now wished to know the name of this wonderful 
 being ; but his curiosity was checked by the Angel's 
 reply, " Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my 
 name ?" Still, he gave him the desired Blessing. 
 
 On the departure of the Angel, the Patriarch, 
 filled with grateful astonishment, called the place 
 where this memorable interview took place, " Pe- 
 niel"', for, said he, " I have seen God face to face, 
 and my life is preserved." 
 
 Before Jacob met the Angel, his mind was greatly 
 distressed with apprehensions , but now he was cheer- 
 ed, and satisfied that the " shield of Abraham " was 
 his sure defense. 
 
 In later days, we find the Prophet Hosea com- 
 menting upon this circumstance ; when speaking of 
 Jacob's favor with God, he says : " By his strength 
 Jacob had power with God, yea, he had power over 
 the Angel, and prevailed ; he wept, and made sup- 
 plication unto him." Hosea 12 : 3, 4. 
 
 The Prophet, on that occasion, puts the posterity 
 of Jacob in mind of the particular favors God had 
 bestowed upon him, and that his superiority was 
 brought about by the Divine will and power. God, 
 who is the Lord of Angels, as well as men, so 
 strengthened Jacob that he was able to prevail over 
 the Angel, and hold him fast. Yet, as soon as he 
 understood he was an Angel, he supplicated him ; 
 teaching us of the present day the lesson, that if our 
 great ancestor Jacob acknowledged his mistake and 
 made supplication to an Angel, how much more ought
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. 113 
 
 we to do so to God, who is the Lord and master 
 of all ! 
 
 A remarkable commemoration of this occurrence 
 is ordered by the law to be kept up to this day, 
 which forbids the eating of that part of the hind 
 quarter of the animal near the thigh, where Jacob 
 on this occasion was injured. This is called in He- 
 brew, " Creed Hanoshey" " the sinew which shrank." 
 
 By this time, however, Esau reached Jacob, and 
 contrary to expectation, ran towards him and em- 
 braced him tenderly, so that they both shed tears of 
 Joy. Jacob, in a very respectful manner, introduced 
 his Wives and Children. Esau inquired to whom all 
 the great herd of cattle, which he had met on the 
 way, belonged. Jacob said, it was a present intend- 
 ed for him ; but Esau refused to accept it, saying : 
 " I have enough ; my Brother, keep that which thou 
 hast unto thyself." Jacob, however, urges the ac- 
 ceptance of his present, as a sign of Brotherly love 
 and renewed affection, and in gratitude for Esau's 
 noble and generous spirit, in forgetting all past 
 grievances. 
 
 And here let us remark, that he who blessed Ja- 
 cob no doubt touched the heart of Esau, and changed 
 his evil purposes into love and kindness. The once 
 divided brothers unite in tender embrace, and they, 
 who separated years ago under circumstances the 
 most unfavorable and unsocial, now meet in affection 
 and weep for joy. The dismal fears of Jacob are 
 dispersed, and the angry passions of Esau are lost 
 
 6"
 
 114 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 forever. " Oh ! how good and how pleasant it is for 
 brethren to dwell together in unity." Psalms 133 : 1. 
 
 What a beautiful and instructive picture is this ! 
 How it reproaches the unbrotherly conduct of those 
 persons who, for little causes, and trifling affronts, or 
 through mercenary motives, entertain deep resent- 
 ment against their nearest relations. 
 
 Esau had some grounds for reproving Jacob, but 
 no sooner did he see him, than the tide of natural 
 affection rushed upon his heart, and all hatred and 
 malice were at once obliterated. Mutual civilities 
 and presents having passed between the reconciled 
 brothers, they separated ; Esau returning to his resi- 
 dence in Mount Seir, and Jacob journeying towards 
 Canaan, where, on his arrival, he built himself a 
 House, and made Booths for his cattle for which 
 reason the place was called " Succouth," which sig- 
 nifies Booths. After this, Jacob proceeded as far as 
 Shalem, a city of Shechem, where he bought a piece 
 of land, most likely with a design to settle there for 
 a time for here, according to the pious Custom of 
 his forefathers, he immediately set about raising an 
 Altar for the worship and glory of the living God, 
 " the God of Israel." 
 
 But human Comforts are uncertain, and it often 
 occurs that when a man has, in his own imagination, 
 conquered the principal difficulties of life, and at- 
 tained a place of rest for the remainder of his days, 
 an unexpected evil arises, and destroys all his pleas- 
 ing expectations.
 
 DISCOURSE vm. 115 
 
 Jacob had here settled himself, as he thought, to 
 his satisfaction. He was at peace with his brother, 
 and had become rich, and was happy in his family, 
 when a keen stroke of domestic affliction attacked 
 him, and he was again forced to wander, and seek a 
 new Home. 
 
 Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob, went to visit 
 the women of Shechem, where she was seen by 
 Shechem, the son of Hamor, the chief of the coun- 
 try, who fell in love with her, forced her to his house, 
 and wished to marry her. But her brothers were so 
 much irritated at the conduct of Shechem towards 
 their sistw, that they resolved on revenge. They 
 would not consent to intermarry with heathens, who 
 were not circumcised, and of the Sacred Covenant. 
 They stated that, as a reason for not granting their 
 consent. Shechem, however, was too much in love, 
 not to comply with that condition. He therefore 
 submitted to the operation, and made all the folks 
 in the town do the same. But Simeon and Levi, in 
 a paroxysm of rage and fury, went up into the City, 
 in the night, and killed all they could lay hands on, 
 plundered the city, and returned with their Sister in 
 triumph to their father's house. 
 
 Jacob, on hearing of what had occurred, was 
 deeply struck with grief at this horrid deed, and 
 justly feared that it would arouse all the neighboring 
 nations against them. " What have you done ?" 
 cried he to his sons; "you have been revengeful 
 and cruel. It is true that your sister has been
 
 116 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 shamefully treated, and you think to be thereby 
 justified, and to have served me by this ? Your 
 conduct will raise all the country around against me, 
 and we, but few in number, will all be destroyed." 
 
 " What !" exclaimed Simeon and Levi ; " shall 
 we quietly bear the insult offered us ? shall we 
 suffer our sister to be injured, and we not take ven- 
 geance ? Surely, it were better to die than to sub- 
 mit to such disgrace." 
 
 Jacob, however, was never reconciled to this treach- 
 erous and atrocious act ; for even on his death-bed, 
 when he blessed all his children, he expressed his 
 feelings with regret and detestation. In Addressing 
 his children, he couples the two, saying: " Simeon 
 and Levi are brethren ; instruments of cruelty are in 
 their habitations." 
 
 " my soul, come not thou into their secret. 
 Unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united ; 
 for in their anger they slew a man, and in their 
 self-will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their 
 anger, for it was fierce ; and their wrath, for it was 
 cruel ; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them 
 in Israel." Genesis 49 : 5-7. 
 
 It was natural for Jacob to apprehend that a 
 confederacy would be formed among the Canaanites 
 against him, but the " terror of God was upon the 
 cities that were round about them, and they did not 
 pursue after the sons of Jacob." Jacob now, by 
 the command of God, left this part of the. country, 
 when finding that his children were beginning to be
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. 117 
 
 contaminated with the idolatrous worship of the inhab- 
 itants, he said to them, " Put away the strange gods 
 that are among you, and be clean and change your 
 garments. And let us arise, and go up to Bethel, 
 and I will make there an altar unto God, who 
 answered me in the day of my distress, and was with 
 me in the way which I went." 
 
 Jacob's children readily gave him all their orna 
 ments, which he buried under an oak in Shechem. 
 Having fulfilled this duty, Jacob set out for Bethel, 
 the ever-memorable place, when he fled from the 
 angry face of his brother Esau, and where he had 
 laid himself down to sleep on the cold earth, and 
 where he had experienced the goodness of the Lord, 
 and received that gracious promise which he after- 
 wards saw so eminently fulfilled. 
 
 On his arrival at Bethel, Jacob built an altar, 
 sacrificed and prayed to the great Eternal God, 
 after the manner of his father Isaac and his grand- 
 father Abraham. 
 
 At this place, the Almighty again appeared unto 
 him, encouraged him in his duty, and renewed the 
 promise so frequently expressed. Here, Deborah, 
 the nurse of Rebekah, died, and was buried beneath 
 an oak, which was called " the oak of weeping," to 
 express the sorrow occasioned by the loss of a faith- 
 ful domestic. This was the prelude to a more dis- 
 tressing event, and to a mourning far more grievous ; 
 for, as .they journeyed from Bethel, Rachel was 
 taken sick and died, leaving an infant son, to whom
 
 118 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 as she was expiring, the tender mother gave the 
 emphatic name of Ben-Oni, the son of my sorrow, 
 but his father afterwards altered it and called him 
 Benjamin, signifying, the son of my right hand. 
 
 After he had committed the remains of his beloved 
 wife to the earth, and erected a pillar of remem- 
 brance over her grave, Jacob pursued his journey 
 towards the residence of his father and his grand- 
 father, where he arrived in safety after an absence 
 of many years, checkered by a great variety of trials 
 and deliverances, troubles and blessings. 
 
 His grief for the loss of his beloved wife was in 
 some degree alleviated by the sight of his aged 
 father, who was now one hundred and sixty-three 
 years old. As no mention is made of Rebekah, per- 
 haps she was already numbered with the dead ; but 
 if not, what must have been her delight at holding 
 once more in her aged arms the child of her love, 
 her partiality, and her apprehensions ! Jacob has 
 returned in health and increased in riches, and with 
 a family of children and to render the happy cir- 
 cumstance still more delightful, Esau is no longer 
 his enemy, but his kind and affectionate friend. 
 
 Isaac, having lived to the age of one hundred and 
 eighty years, died, when he was buried and deeply 
 lamented by his two sons. 
 
 Esau, who had a large family and much cattle, 
 was obliged to seek other pasture and leave Jacob to 
 settle in Canaan, while he returned to Edom, there 
 to settle himself and make it his resting-place.
 
 DISCOURSE VIII. 119 
 
 The Bible, now, as on all such occasions, gives a 
 long list of the generations of Esau, and then leaves 
 off all further mention of their history, and proceeds 
 with that of Jacob, whose descendants were destined 
 to be the chosen people through whom the knowledge 
 of the living God should be spread throughout the 
 world. In looking at this list we can see that Esau 
 was favorably regarded by Providence as the de- 
 scendant of the pious Patriarchs. 
 
 He was, therefore, blessed with abundance and a 
 very numerous family, the generations of whom 
 are all mentioned in this section Avith the title of 
 Duke or King ; for instance : " These were the 
 Dukes of the sons of Esau." Again, we find : "And 
 these are the Kings that reigned in the land of 
 Edom." 
 
 Thus was fulfilled the blessing of Isaac, given to 
 Esau, hi these words: " Behold thy dwelling shall be 
 the fatness of the Earth, and of the dew of Heaven 
 above. And by thy sword shalt thou live." And 
 we here see that they were brave people and great 
 conquerors. So that, although Esau was not so pious 
 as Jacob, yet we do not find that he was either idol- 
 atrous or wicked, and therefore God blessed him 
 according to the promise given to Isaac on a former 
 occasion : "And I will bless thee, and I will multiply 
 thy seed for the sake of Abraham, my servant." 
 
 Thus we may observe in the history of all the 
 Patriarchs, one principal trait, which is : a firm faith 
 and full confidence in the goodness and mercy of
 
 120 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 the Lord God of the Universe. This confidence 
 supported Abraham through all his difficulties, and 
 made him bear all his fatigues and trials with patience 
 and submission. It was Isaac's principal comfort in 
 his long state of blindness, and it was the strong 
 support, of Jacob, amidst all the troubles and vexa- 
 tions which assailed him through life. 
 
 It is this trust in God, which is the only true com- 
 fort in life. On all occasions, it enlivens our hopes 
 and animates us to action, in expectation of God's 
 blessing. In the hour of distress it yields us that 
 support which no human means can procure. The 
 piety of the good Patriarchs never forsook them ; all 
 their successes in life, they imputed to the kindness 
 and mercy of God. They bore with resignation and 
 humility every affliction ; and on all occasions, per- 
 formed those acts of devotion, by which it was usual 
 to express the religious feeling of the heart. 
 
 How carefully ought we to imitate their example, 
 for we are equally indebted to the Almighty for our 
 lives and all that we possess. May we ever be 
 impressed with the idea of serving our God truly 
 and religiously, from now and evermore. Amen.
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 FBOM THE FIRST VERSE OP CHAPTER THIBTY-SEYIS TO THE EWI> 
 OF CHAPTER FOBTT. 
 
 My dear young Friends : 
 
 In our last address, we spoke of the settlement of 
 the family of Esau in the country of Edom and Seir. 
 The history now proceeds with the detail of the cir- 
 cumstances that occurred to Jacob and his family. 
 After many wanderings and trials, Jacob had at last 
 settled himself in the land of his fathers, in Canaan, 
 the land which the Almighty had promised to Abra- 
 ham as the one destined for his descendants. We 
 shall soon find that Jacob was doomed to experience 
 more troubles, and that his wanderings were not yet 
 at an end. 
 
 In reading the various occurrences which brought 
 this about, we shall have to notice how Divine Provi- 
 dence often directs things in a manner unaccount- 
 able to human wisdom, and the most unlikely and 
 unpromising circumstances often bring about the 
 greatest and best effects. The apparently voluntary 
 actions of men their troubles, misfortunes, nay, 
 even their very crimes are all made subservient
 
 122 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 to the ultimate purposes of the Almighty Ruler of 
 the Universe. 
 
 "And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father 
 was a stranger, in the Land of Canaan." Jacob had 
 twelve sons and one daughter ; of these, Joseph was 
 the favorite. He was the son of Rachel, his father's 
 favorite wife ; a very handsome and good-natured 
 lad. It appears that Joseph was rather disliked by 
 his brethren, especially by the sons of Leah, who 
 were jealous of the partiality shown him by the 
 father. 
 
 Joseph had unfortunately contracted a habit of 
 tattling, and was continually telling every little idle 
 tale to his father. This habit, which should not be 
 encouraged, is too often productive of much mischief. 
 His father, however, was excessively fond of him, 
 and presented him with a very handsome " coat of 
 many colors." This more especially excited the 
 jealousy of his brothers already irritated by his 
 tale-bearing so that they scarcely ever spoke to 
 him in a friendly manner. 
 
 This division among brothers is one of the greatest 
 misfortunes that can occur in a family, and is always 
 productive of the greatest evil. Parents should be 
 careful to teach their children to love each other, 
 and not by favoring one more than the Other, breed 
 jealousy among them, the evil consequences of which 
 this history exhibits a strong example. 
 
 Here opens the beautiful story of this wonderful 
 youth, in whom we are interested when first he is
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 123 
 
 introduced to us. He was now in his seventeenth 
 year, and to the elegance of external form, he added 
 the brighter accomplishments and graces of virtue 
 and piety. Is it then to be wondered at, that " Jacob 
 should, love Joseph more than all bis children"? 
 The permanent good qualities of the youth, when 
 contrasted with the ungoverned tempers of his breth- 
 ren, almost plead sufficient excuse for justifying the 
 partiality. In this partiality to Joseph, were sown 
 the seeds of numerous troubles to Jacob and his 
 family; all, however, designed by Providence to 
 bring forth good. Joseph, who was really a good- 
 natured, chattering lad, one day very innocently 
 related to his brothers a dream which had occurred 
 to him in the night. He thought that they were 
 together in the field making up the sheaves of corn, 
 when, all those which the brothers had piled up, ap- 
 peared to bow down to the one which Joseph had 
 raised. At another time, he told them, he dreamed 
 that the sun, moon, and eleven stars all were making 
 obeisance to him. Joseph's brethren, who were not 
 in good humor with him, were not disposed to think 
 the best of him ; they therefore did not regard these 
 dreams in the manner in which they were told by 
 Joseph, which was, in pure simplicity of heart, 
 merely relating a simple fact, but they attributed 
 other motives to him, and became very angry at so 
 much apparent self-sufficiency, as they termed it. 
 " What !" said the brethren, " shalt thou indeed 
 reign over us ? or shalt thou indeed have dominion
 
 124 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 over us ? And they hated him yet the more for his 
 dreams, and for his words." Jacob, also, found fault 
 with Joseph at the time, but nevertheless kept the 
 thing in mind, considering it as indicative of some- 
 thing extraordinary and worthy of notice. 
 
 The elder sons of Jacob fed their flocks as far as 
 Shechem, probably on account of the excellency of 
 the pasturage as well as to preserve the land which 
 their father had bought in that country, of Hamor. 
 About this time it was, that the brethren proceeded 
 to Shechem with their flocks ; but instead of leaving 
 their home in peace with all who were left behind, 
 they encouraged feelings of jealousy and hatred 
 against poor Joseph. And that they nourished this 
 hatred even to the utmost is evident, from what 
 followed. 
 
 Jacob, their father, could not be very easy in 
 mind when reflecting that they were near to She- 
 chem, the place where on a former occasion they 
 had committed such cruelties. Being desirous of 
 knowing how it fared with them, the Patriarch sent 
 thither his beloved Joseph, little thinking that he 
 should see him no more for many years. "And 
 Israel said unto Joseph, do not thy brethren feed 
 the flock in Shechem ? Come, and I will send thee 
 unto them, to see whether it be well with them, and 
 well with the flocks, and bring me word again." 
 Joseph, ever kind and ever obedient, immediately 
 answered, " Here I am, my dear father, to obey 
 your bidding." Little did he imagine that the broth-
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 125 
 
 ers, about whose welfare he was to inquire, were at 
 that moment plotting his destruction. 
 
 Joseph left his father's house never to return to 
 it, and went in quest of his inhuman brethren. Not 
 finding them at Shechem as expected, he went to 
 Dothan, at which place, as told him by a stranger, 
 they were feeding their flock. As soon as he came 
 within sight, they began to deliberate how to gratify 
 their hatred and malice towards him. "And they 
 said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh ! 
 Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast 
 him into some pit, and we will say, some evil beast 
 hath devoured him ; and we shall see what will 
 become of his dreams." Genesis 37 : 19. 
 
 Reuben, however, interfered, and prevented them 
 putting into execution the horrid crime of fratricide, 
 by urging on them to pause and reflect ; saying to 
 them, " shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that 
 is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him." 
 Here we see the source of their sanguinary purposes. 
 The dreams of Joseph had caused hatred to rankle 
 in their gloomy minds. Envy, malice, and revenge 
 took possession of their souls, and obliterated all fra- 
 ternal love and humane feeling. 
 
 Far otherwise were the sensations of poor Joseph ; 
 fatigued as he must have been after so long a jour- 
 ney, he felt repaid and gratified at the sight of his 
 brothers, about whom (not finding them at Shechem 
 as he expected) he had felt some anxiety. But how 
 different his reception ! He springs forward to em-
 
 126 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 brace his dear brothers, while they hastened to seize 
 upon him as a prey ! Instead of meeting with broth- 
 ers and friends, he is fallen amongst the worst of 
 enemies. His address is not regarded ; his tale is 
 stopped ! His cloak, the envied badge of his father's 
 kindness, is stripped off. In vain does he lift up his 
 streaming eyes to Heaven in vain does he implore 
 for mercy in vain does he conjure each separate 
 brother by the most tender and affectionate names 
 in vain does he call upon his venerable father ; 
 deaf to all entreaties and insensible to every feeling 
 of humanity, he is stripped and cast into a pit. 
 Luckily for poor Joseph, " the pit was empty, there 
 was no water in it ;" but most probably there might 
 have been poisonous reptiles. These unnatural 
 beings having thus consigned their brother to the 
 greatest distress left him to perish for want, and set 
 themselves down very contentedly to dinner, unmind- 
 ful of every humane and social feeling. While con- 
 gratulating themselves on their revenge, they per- 
 ceived a caravan of Ishmaelites coming across from 
 Gilead, and going towards Egypt. Judah, desirous 
 of preventing the death of his brother, which, hap- 
 pening under such circumstances, would be no less a 
 crime than actual murder, proposed to sell Joseph to 
 these travelers ; for, said he, by so doing, we may 
 prevent our conscience being loaded with the horrid 
 deed of fratricide. Accordingly they took Joseph 
 out of the pit, and sold him to the passing Midian- 
 ites, who carried him to Egypt, and sold him as
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 127 
 
 a slave to Potiphar, an officer in the service of 
 Pharoah, then King of Egypt. 
 
 Reuben, who had been absent at the time all this 
 occurred, now on his return, repaired to the pit to 
 look after Joseph ; but finding that he was not there, 
 exclaims in agony and sorrow : " The child is not ; 
 and I, whither shall I go?" 
 
 Reuben, in fact, secretly wished to have saved Jo- 
 seph, which he now found impossible ; and indeed it 
 was a matter of some consequence to determine what 
 conduct should be pursued towards their father, whose 
 inquiries respecting his beloved son, could not be so 
 easily satisfied. 
 
 Here we leave, for a time, the innocent and op- 
 pressed Joseph, and return to the merciless crew in 
 the Wilderness. 
 
 Not knowing what account to give to their father 
 of his beloved child, and fearful that he would sus- 
 pect them of some foul practice, they had recourse 
 to an artifice, which shows their depravity in the 
 strongest colors. Had they contrived some tale, by 
 which Jacob might yet entertain a hope of seeing 
 Joseph again, our resentment against them might be 
 somewhat softened ; but the bad men, disregarding 
 the agony they would cause their father, carried him 
 his darling's Coat, torn in tatters, and dyed in blood, 
 and asked, with unfeeling indifference, whether he 
 knew it, saying, at the same time, " this have we 
 found ; know now whether it be thy son's coat, or 
 no."
 
 128 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Jacob knew the gaudy garment, the fatal source 
 of so much mischief, too Avell ; but he had no suspi- 
 cion that the bearers of it were mocking him with a 
 fictitious tale, and that they had actually deprived 
 him of his beloved child. " And he said, it is my 
 son's coat ; an evil beast hath devoured him ; Joseph 
 is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent his 
 clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourn- 
 ed for his son many days. And all his sons and all 
 his daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused 
 to be comforted ; and he said, for I will go down 
 into the grave unto my son, mourning. Thus his 
 father wept for him." Genesis 37 : 33-35. 
 
 The grief of Jacob must have been intense ! but 
 with what face could his deceitful sons aifect to ad- 
 minister comfort to him, while they withheld the only 
 information which could afford balm to his heart ? 
 
 If they had said, " Thy son liveth," but, " he is 
 in the house of bondage," the cloud of sorrow, though 
 heavy, would have been broken, and some faint rays 
 of hope might have cheered the heart of the afflicted 
 Jacob. 
 
 But the mighty secret, and the abundant consola- 
 tion, must be deferred till the workings of Provi- 
 dence have attained their proper point. The whole 
 Counsel was of God, though wicked men were fol- 
 lowing their own devices, and though the righteous, 
 for a time, were in sorrow and affliction. 
 
 Here we must leave the Patriarch and his unduti- 
 ful sons, to follow Joseph down into Egypt. He was
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 129 
 
 soon transferred, like a piece of merchandise, from 
 the hands of traders, to Potiphar, an officer of rank, 
 and Captain of the Guard to the Egyptian Monarch, 
 as before stated. Joseph yielded to his lot with a 
 good grace, and accommodated his mind to his cir- 
 cumstances with cheerfulness. The principles of pure 
 religion had been sown early in the mind of Joseph, 
 by his pious father ; and they had, happily, taken 
 root long before this misfortune befell him. Hence, 
 he experienced consolation in this state of exile and 
 slavery, and found that, though he was far removed 
 from the arms of his fond parent, he was not removed 
 from the presence and favor of his Father's God. 
 Joseph, thus impressed, performed the part of a duti- 
 ful servant without murmuring ; and, though brought 
 up to different prospects, he was not sullen or dissat- 
 isfied in his menial situation. Potiphar appears to 
 have been a man of discernment and consideration. 
 He saw the good qualities of his servant, he admired 
 the readiness with which he attended to his duties, 
 and he found that his property was safe under his 
 management. With much prudence, therefore, he 
 made Joseph his steward, and committed unto him 
 the entire direction of his household affairs. 
 
 Placed in this more elevated situation, Joseph at- 
 tracted the notice of all around him. They could 
 not behold the accomplished youth without admira- 
 tion. Joseph, however, did not suffer this admira- 
 tion to lead him from the path of virtue and integrity. 
 He had a sacred regard for the honor of his Master,
 
 130 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 and a grateful sense of the duty which he owed to 
 him. 
 
 Joseph had at this time a severe trial of his faith 
 in God and his duty to man. But the grand princi- 
 ple which supported him in this severe trial, was a 
 holy fear of that Being, whose eye pervades the deep- 
 est recesses of the human heart. It would be well 
 for all of us, if, when we are enticed to do that which 
 is not right, we were to put Joseph's question to our- 
 selves : 
 
 " How can I do this great Wickedness, and Sin 
 against God ?" 
 
 Joseph was unjustly accused with the committal of 
 a crime by the wicked and designing wife of Poti- 
 phar. False evidence having been produced, which 
 appeared to be corroborative of the statement made 
 by the accuser, poor Joseph was found guilty by his 
 master, who committed him to prison. 
 
 But good men are the same in every situation. 
 Joseph, although confined in a prison among crimi- 
 nals, was quite at ease. He was conscientiously 
 convinced that God would not desert him as long 
 as he acted correctly and innocently, as was his 
 case in this instance. Joseph was therefore con- 
 stantly cheerful and willing to be employed, so that 
 after a time the master of the prison perceived his 
 value, and considering him a fit person for confi- 
 dence, appointed him to the management of the 
 prison, in the discharge of which duty, he gave great 
 satisfaction. Thus does the Almighty prosper all
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 131 
 
 the actions of good and virtuous men in whatever 
 situation they may chance to be placed. This was 
 the case with Joseph ; he left the vindication of his 
 character to God, and possessing inward comfort and 
 satisfaction, the dungeon became to him a palace. 
 
 Among the prisoners confined with Joseph were 
 the King's Baker and his Butler. They were placed 
 under the particular care of Joseph, who, one morn- 
 ing observing them both to be very melancholy, in- 
 quired the reason ; to which they replied, that they 
 had both had strange dreams, which made them 
 very uneasy. 
 
 Joseph, to soothe their distress of mind, requested 
 them to relate their dreams. The Butler then stated 
 his dream to have been, that he thought he saw a vine, 
 on which three bunches of grapes grew, blossomed, 
 filled, and ripened, as it were, all in an instant ; that 
 he then took and pressed their juice into the King's 
 cup, which he had in his hand, and placed it in that of 
 Pharaoh's. Joseph explained this dream as follows : 
 The three branches of grapes indicate three days, at 
 the end of which, the Butler would be set free, and 
 again set the cup in Pharaoh's hand as was his cus- 
 tom heretofore. " Now pray, added Joseph, " when 
 all this shall come to pass and you shall be again 
 restored to your former position, have the goodness 
 to think of me, and procure my freedom ; for I was 
 stolen away from my family and sold for a slave. I 
 am innocent of having committed any crime, and am 
 unjustly placed here in this prison." The Baker,
 
 132 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 hearing so favorable an interpretation, was thereby 
 encouraged to tell his dream, which was as follows : 
 He imagined he had three wicker baskets on his 
 head full of pastry fit for the King's table, which the 
 birds came and eat out of the basket while he was 
 carrying them. This, Joseph interpreted in the fol- 
 lowing manner : " The three baskets," said Joseph, 
 indicate three days, at the end of which, you will be 
 taken from this dungeon to the place of execution, 
 and there be hanged, and the birds of the air will 
 devour your flesh." 
 
 These predictions were literally fulfilled as foretold 
 by Joseph. Three days after this, was Pharaoh's 
 birth day, on which occasion a great festival was 
 held, when the Butler was restored to his former 
 position, and the Baker was executed ; precisely 
 fulfilling the interpretation given by Joseph of their 
 dreams. 
 
 The Butler, however, proved ungrateful ; for, not- 
 withstanding his restoration, he never more thought 
 of poor Joseph ; nor did he try to procure his free- 
 dom, or in any way show his gratitude for the good 
 services of Joseph, but forgot him altogether, until a 
 circumstance occurred by which he was, as it were 
 compelled, though reluctantly, to bring Joseph to 
 the notice of Pharaoh, as we shall read in our next 
 discourse. It will there be shown that Joseph was 
 not to owe any part of his future greatness to human 
 kindness, or to worldly policy. The whole plan was 
 of Divine origin, and all the steps therein, were
 
 DISCOURSE rx. 133 
 
 directed by Infinite Wisdom. Heaven accomplished 
 the matter in a way which was to bring honor upon 
 Joseph, by showing that a divine spirit rested upon 
 him, and that he was the favorite of God. 
 
 In closing this discourse we have to repeat, and 
 call your attention to, what we have before remarked. 
 How careful parents ought to be not to favor one of 
 their children in preference to another. Jealousy 
 and hatred are excited thereby on the part of the 
 other brothers and sisters who are not so favored, 
 which, as is evident hi this history, lays the founda- 
 tion for much mischief and misery. It is highly im- 
 proper for parents to encourage any favorite child 
 to tell little tattling tales about things of no conse- 
 quence, which always induce false impressions, and 
 ultimately lead to very serious evils. This indis- 
 creet management on the part of Jacob, and the fine 
 silk coat which he gave to Joseph, besides his partial 
 indulgence in keeping him at home instead of letting 
 him take share in the fatigues of a shepherd's life, 
 were the original causes of that hatred which led the 
 brethren to be guilty at first of the desperate inten- 
 tion to commit murder and at last to sell him as a 
 slave. But all things, though they are in a great 
 measure the acts of man, do not at all times produce 
 the consequences originally intended by them. Their 
 destined effects are bound in that chain of events 
 which is preordained by Providence. 
 
 Now, this ill-treatment of Joseph instead of de- 
 stroying him, as intended by his brethren, only led
 
 134 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 to his being raised to the highest honor in Egypt, of 
 which the cruel brothers could have had no possible 
 expectation. Little did they imagine that Joseph, 
 being truly pious and virtuous, deserved and experi- 
 enced the care of Providence, for the Almighty 
 never suffered the good conduct of Joseph to pass 
 by, without being duly recorded. God's design was 
 to raise Joseph to such a degree of greatness and 
 power as should oblige his brethren humbly to bow 
 down before him. Joseph's brethren opposed it, but 
 what they did to humble him, was the first step by 
 which God led him to elevation and glory. This 
 may afford us great comfort under all troubles, as 
 we may hence be assured that God can make what- 
 ever shall be designed against us, the means of pro- 
 moting our happiness. We are taught here other 
 important truths, viz. : that in permitting what hap- 
 pened to Joseph, God wished to remove the false 
 notions mankind entertained respecting his Provi- 
 dence. They are apt to think he neglects the care 
 of human affairs, when those that fear him are 
 oppressed and in trouble. The Scripture over- 
 throws their mistaken prejudices by the example of 
 Joseph, over whom God was peculiarly watchful. 
 The ways of God are inscrutable to man. Vain are 
 all the attempts of mortals to thwart the designs of 
 Providence. What God has foretold and promised 
 shall surely come to pass even by the very instru- 
 ments employed by his enemies to prevent it.
 
 DISCOURSE ix. 135 
 
 How applicable are the words of the Royal Psalm- 
 ist to our present subject. He says, " The wicked 
 have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, 
 to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such 
 as be of upright conversation. 
 
 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and 
 their bows shall be broken. 
 
 A little that a righteous man hath, is better than 
 the riches of many wicked. The arms of the wicked 
 shall be broken ; but the Lord upholdeth the right- 
 eous." Psalms 37 : 14-17. Amen,
 
 DISCOURSE X. 
 
 FROM THE FIRST VERSE OF CHAPTER FORTY-ONE TO THE END o 
 THB SEVENTEENTH VERSE OF CHAPTER FORTY-FOUB. 
 
 My dear young Friends: 
 
 In closing the last discourse, I remarked that the 
 events of this world are directed by a supernatural 
 power, and that all the attempts of man to further 
 his own purposes only tend to accelerate and to 
 bring about by natural means that which is designed 
 by Providence. The circumstances related in this 
 Discourse will fully prove this fact. 
 
 We left Joseph immured in a prison on a false 
 charge, without any friends to intercede on his behalf 
 and afford him the opportunity of proving his inno- 
 cence. But Joseph, who, throughout the whole of 
 his career, is properly designated, " Joseph the 
 righteous," put his trust in God, who knew his 
 innocence, to effect his release. 
 
 The chief Butler, whose favor and interest Joseph 
 had solicited, entirely neglected, and even forgot 
 him. This is but too true a picture of man, who, 
 when in prosperity, is apt to forget those who have 
 served him in adversity. The Almighty, however,
 
 DISCOURSE X. 137 
 
 always in due time, causes some circumstance to 
 arise, which reward the virtuous for their good works, 
 and proves a recompense for their sufferings. 
 
 Joseph had now been three years in prison. This 
 may seem a long tune to us, and may appear as 
 though God had not been mindful of him. We 
 might probably have looked upon him with great 
 concern and pity, and sought to have procured his 
 release. But God knew what was necessary to 
 strengthen Joseph in humility, patience, and submis- 
 sion ; he knew what was necessary to enable him to 
 withstand the temptations and dangers to which he 
 would be subjected, and he thus prepared him for 
 his future position in life. 
 
 It was about this time that the King of Egypt had 
 two remarkable dreams, which greatly troubled his 
 mind. He sent for all the magicians and soothsay- 
 ers (who in that country were a numerous and vene- 
 rated class of men) to explain to him his dreams ; 
 but in vain did they exert all their skill to satisfy the 
 King. This disappointment only served to aggra- 
 vate the anxiety of Pharaoh, and to excite his curi- 
 osity to know what his dreams portended. The King, 
 disquieted and unhappy, caused great excitement at 
 the Egyptian Court. The chief Butler, recollecting 
 his singular dream in the prison, and the exact inter- 
 pretation which had been given it by Joseph, related 
 the matter to Pharaoh, who immediately sent for 
 Joseph from the prison to appear before him. If 
 hitherto we had reason to admire Joseph as a son, 
 1*
 
 138 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 as a servant, and as a faithful officer in the Prison, 
 we shall not be ashamed of him now that he stands 
 before the King of Egypt. 
 
 The shepherd youth speaks with modest diffidence ; 
 yet in the most dignified language. When the King 
 tells him that he has been informed of his skill in the 
 interpretation of dreams, Joseph modestly replies, 
 that the faculty was not to be ascribed to bis wisdom, 
 but says " God shall give Pharaoh an answer of 
 peace." Here let us observe for our instruction, 
 that the pious humility of an angel saint is impressive 
 and beautiful ; but the humble and devout declara- 
 tion of Joseph is still more striking and more beau- 
 tiful, because he stood at that moment in a circle of 
 the most elevated persons, whose attention towards 
 him was truly exciting, and his address was made 
 to a mighty monarch, who, we find, did not even 
 acknowledge the true God, mentioned by Joseph. 
 
 Pharaoh, pleased with Joseph's manner proceeds 
 to relate to him as follows : " In my dream, behold, 
 I stood upon the bank of the river ; and behold, 
 there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed 
 and well-favored ; and they fed in a meadow. And, 
 behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor 
 and very ill-favored, and lean-fleshed, such as I never 
 saw in all the land of Egypt for badness : and the 
 lean and the ill-favored kine did eat up the first 
 seven fat kine ; and when they had eaten them up, 
 it could not be known that they had eaten them ; for 
 they were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So 
 I awoke.
 
 DISCOURSE x. 139 
 
 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears 
 came up in one stalk, full and good ; and, behold, 
 seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east 
 wind, sprung up after them : and the thin ears de- 
 voured the seven good ears ; and I told this unto the 
 Magicians ; but there was none that could declare it 
 tome." Genesis 41: 17-24. 
 
 Joseph then proceeds to explain the dream as 
 follows : that both dreams of Pharaoh indicated one 
 thing ; that the seven fat cows and the seven full 
 ears of corn, were types of seven years of plenty ; 
 that the seven lean cows, and the seven thin and 
 weather-beaten ears of corn implied seven years of 
 famine which would swallow up all the plenty and 
 blessings of the first seven years. Having finished, 
 Joseph piously exclaims : " This is the thing which I 
 have spoken unto Pharaoh ; what God is about to 
 do, he sheweth unto Pharaoh." He further says 
 that these dreams having been seen in such quick 
 succession, and in different shapes, signified the same 
 thing, and implied that their fulfillment would be im- 
 mediate. He therefore advised that steps be taken 
 to establish granaries, for housing and saving the 
 corn during the plentiful season, in order to preserve 
 the empire from the dreadful effects of scarcity dur- 
 ing the seven years of famine. This explanation was 
 so natural and clear as to impress the minds of all 
 who heard it, with the conviction of its being the 
 truth. Pharaoh, struck with admiration at the 
 modesty and wisdom of this wonderful young man,
 
 140 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 declared to his courtiers, " Can we find such a one 
 as this is, a man in whom the spirit of God is ?" The 
 King immediately resolved to be guided by his coun- 
 sels ; and Joseph, who but a few hours before, was a 
 prisoner, now became the Prime Minister and Gov- 
 ernor of Egypt. For, says the King, " For as much 
 as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so 
 discreet and wise as thou art ; thou shalt be over my 
 house, and according unto thy word, shall all my 
 people be ruled only on the throne will I be greater 
 than thee." 
 
 Joseph was immediately placed in his office, as 
 directed by the King of Egypt, and in the discharge 
 of the duties thereof, proved himself the wise and 
 upright man. He carefully did that which he advised 
 and recommended. Joseph, though advanced to a 
 high position, to wealth and to honor, did not indulge 
 in luxury or idleness, but as a faithful and diligent 
 servant, went all through the land of Egypt during 
 the seven years of plenty, and established granaries 
 in which he laid up stores of corn against the ap- 
 proaching scarcity. 
 
 That season came according to Joseph's predic- 
 tion, and Egypt became convinced that the blessing 
 of the Lord was with her through Joseph ; for she 
 was not only able to supply her own people with 
 food, but even those of the surrounding countries, 
 during the seven years of the famine. 
 
 Thirteen years had now elapsed, and we are again 
 brought to Jacob's melancholy abode in Hebron.
 
 DISCOURSE X. 141 
 
 The pious Patriarch had endured much and bitter 
 anguish during this painful interval occasioned by 
 the loss of his beloved Joseph. His blood-stained 
 garment was, doubtless, often contemplated with 
 sighs and tears. But even this sorrow had now to 
 yield to another visitation, which tended to drown all 
 other distresses the want of Bread. Jacob had 
 wealth in abundance, but that could not procure the 
 necessaries of life, during the dreadful famine which 
 spread itself throughout the length and breadth of 
 the land. 
 
 Jacob, having heard that there was corn in Egypt, 
 sent ten of his sons there with sufficient money to 
 purchase corn for the family. Benjamin, however, 
 who was the youngest and the only remaining son of 
 his beloved Rachel, he kept at home. 
 
 Let us now turn our attention to Joseph and 
 reflect upon his present position. This history is a 
 strong proof that innocence and virtue are sure to 
 meet with due reward ; as also that the ultimate 
 purposes of Providence are brought about by a 
 variety of apparently independent, as well as natural 
 circumstances, which produce effects never thought 
 of, or calculated upon, by poor mistaken mortals. 
 
 Joseph had been placed in various stations of life. 
 He was the favorite child of a tender and loving 
 father. He had experienced the cruelty and treach- 
 ery of his brothers the ingratitude of courtiers he 
 had been a shepherd, a slave, an upper-servant, and 
 a prisoner. He had thus been well exercised in the
 
 142 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 school of adversity, which is highly calculated to 
 render a man humble, discreet, and charitable like- 
 wise, to fix a mind like Joseph's more thoroughly in 
 its disposition to be dutiful and religious. He became 
 therefore well acquainted with human nature, and 
 knowing the instability of all earthly good, he was 
 prepared to fill this elevated station, in which Pha- 
 raoh had placed him, with humility and propriety. 
 
 When the ten sons of Jacob arrived in Egypt, 
 they found it was necessary to apply to the Governor 
 personally, before they would be allowed to purchase 
 any corn. When they were introduced, they did not, 
 nor was it possible for them to know or imagine, that 
 this exalted officer was their brother. Joseph, how- 
 ever, knew them, and recollected their treatment 
 towards him. He was therefore determined to alarm 
 them and make them feel their position ; accordingly, 
 with some degree of harshness, he asked them who 
 they were, and what they wanted. The sons of 
 Jacob bowed down to the earth and humbly replied, 
 " they were the children of an aged father, whom 
 they had left at home with their youngest brother, 
 and that they had come at this time of scarcity to 
 buy corn. Joseph affected not to believe them, and 
 treated them as spies ; telling them that he should 
 not be otherwise convinced, unless they brought 
 their youngest brother to him. Joseph persisted in 
 charging them with bad designs, and with being no 
 better than spies. He even caused them to be con- 
 fined three days in prison; and when they were
 
 DISCOURSE X. 143 
 
 brought before him again, he treated them in the 
 same rough manner, insomuch that their conscience 
 could not but accuse them of their guilty conduct 
 towards their brother. They began to think that 
 this was a judgment upon them for their unnatural 
 behavior, and under this impression they vented 
 upon each other keen reproaches for their barbarity 
 to Joseph. " We are verily guilty," said they, " con- 
 cerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of 
 his soul when he besought us, and we would not 
 hear; therefore behold also his blood is required." 
 Joseph's brethren little thought that the rigid Gover- 
 nor was acquainted with their language, for they 
 spoke in Hebrew, and therefore they were the more 
 free hi their mutual recriminations. It was, however, 
 gratifying to Joseph's benevolent heart to perceive 
 that they were not entirely dead to all moral feeling, 
 and that they had at least a genuine sorrow on 
 account of their injustice and cruelty. He was 
 melted at the scene, and turned aside from them and 
 wept. On recovering his composure, he conversed 
 with them again upon their real intention in coming 
 to Egypt; and, to prove their sincerity, he had 
 Simeon bound, and placed in prison, as a hostage for 
 their return with Benjamin, the younger brother, of 
 whom they had spoken. 
 
 They were then sent away with a supply of corn 
 for their families, and every man's money was 
 secretly put into his sack's mouth by the order of 
 Joseph. This circumstance was not discovered until
 
 144 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 they were far out on their journey homeward ; and 
 when the money was found, they were all seized 
 with fear and astonishment. Their conscience began 
 to operate, and that which they ought to have re- 
 garded as a favorable sign, they interpreted as a 
 judgment on them for their sins. On their arrival 
 at home they related to their father the history of 
 their journey ; upon which, Jacob, full of grief at 
 this new trouble, exclaims : " Me have ye bereaved 
 of my children ; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, 
 and ye will take Benjamin away all these things 
 are against me." 
 
 Poor Jacob, whose heart was almost broken at the 
 loss of Joseph, his favorite child, positively refused 
 to let Benjamin go with them, although Reuben 
 offered to give his two sons as security for the safe 
 return of Benjamin. The persuasions of Reuben 
 were ineffectual. Jacob was deaf to all entreaties, 
 and expressed himself in these terms of genuine 
 affection : " My son shall not go down with you, for 
 his brother is dead, and he is left alone ; if mischief 
 befall him on the way in which ye go, then shall ye 
 bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave." 
 
 The famine, however, continued, and the supply 
 of corn became exhausted, and another journey to 
 Egypt became necessary. Judah then appeals to 
 his father, and plainly tells him that they cannot go 
 down without Benjamin, because " the man had said: 
 Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be 
 with you." Compelled, therefore, by the necessity
 
 DISCOURSE X. 145 
 
 of the case, though not without many painful strug- 
 gles of nature, Jacob gave his consent, hut prudently 
 directed his sons to carry a present with them to the 
 man to insure his favor. In the fervor of his piety 
 he dismisses them with this prayer : " God Almighty 
 give you mercy before the man, that he may send 
 away your other brother and Benjamin. If I am 
 bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." 
 
 After some time, the brethren of Joseph returned 
 to Egypt, bringing their younger brother, Benjamin, 
 with them. On their arrival, Joseph caused them to 
 be taken to his own house ; and when the duties of 
 his station were ended, he hastened home, being 
 anxious to know the affairs of his father and family. 
 He then asked : " Is your father well ? the old man 
 of whom ye spake, is he yet alive ?" And they an- 
 swered : Thy servant, our father, is in health ; he 
 is yet alive ; and they bowed down their heads and 
 made obeisance." 
 
 Joseph with an eager eye looked around the circle 
 for his brother Benjamin, whom he had left a child in 
 Canaan ; and when he saw him, the tide of fraternal 
 affection rushed strongly upon his heart, and he said : 
 
 " Is this your younger brother of whom ye spake 
 unto me ? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, 
 my son." 
 
 Joseph's feelings began to be too much agitated 
 he therefore withdrew to a private chamber, there to 
 give vent to his feelings by shedding tears. What 
 delightful tears were those of this generous man in
 
 146 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 that moment of retirement. His father alive and in 
 health ; his beloved brother Benjamin under his roof; 
 and his other brethren brought to a sense of shame 
 for their evil conduct ; to all of which was added the 
 delightful consideration, that he had it in his power 
 to save his family in this time of dearth and famine. 
 
 A splendid entertainment was then prepared ; the 
 brethren were placed at a table by themselves, while 
 Joseph sat alone, and the Egyptians were seated 
 at another table, because their religious scruples kept 
 them from eating with the people of other countries. 
 Here the brethren of Joseph were presented with 
 another subject for surprise and conjecture. By his 
 direction, they were all seated in the order of their 
 birth. He gave them all presents, but that of Ben- 
 jamin was five times more, than any other. These 
 things filled their minds with veneration for the won- 
 derful man, whose wisdom evidently appeared to them 
 to be supernatural for who, in a land where they 
 were utter strangers, could have informed him of their 
 particular ages ? 
 
 This liberality and complacency of the Governor, 
 at length dispelled all their fears, and the awe which 
 they had felt in his presence, and they feasted and 
 were happy. 
 
 Joseph then commanded his brothers' sacks be 
 filled with as much corn as they could carry, and 
 also to have their money returned. At the same 
 time, he ordered the cup out of which he usually 
 drank, to be secretly placed in the sack belonging to
 
 DISCOURSE X. 14T 
 
 Benjamin. The next morning, early, the sons of Ja- 
 cob started on their journey homeward ; no doubt 
 much pleased with their reception, wondering at the 
 happy change, and delighted with the idea of return- 
 ing to their father, with both Simeon and Benjamin. 
 But they had scarcely left the city, when they were 
 overtaken by Joseph's steward, who charged them 
 with the theft of his master's cup. Conscious of their 
 innocence, they readily submitted to a search, de- 
 claring that if the cup should be found, the guilty 
 person should die, and the rest become slaves. The 
 sacks were examined, but the cup was not found, to 
 their great satisfaction; but how great must have 
 been their astonishment and despair, when, on open- 
 ing Benjamin's sack, the cup was found. 
 
 Overwhelmed with grief, the sons of Jacob return- 
 ed immediately to the house of the Governor, when 
 they fell to the ground before him, without speaking 
 a word in defense, for it was needless to deny what 
 could not be disproved. 
 
 The Governor, who, at their last interview was so 
 pleasant and affable, was now again the stern Judge. 
 " And Joseph said unto them, what deed is this that 
 ye have done ? Wot ye not such a man as I can 
 certainly divine." To this, they had no argument to 
 offer, the fact was so plain, though they were not 
 guilty. In this dilemma, Judah steps forward and 
 speaks as follows : " What shall we say unto my 
 Lord ? what shall we speak ? or how shall we clear 
 ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy
 
 148 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 servants ; behold, we are my lord's servants, both 
 we, and he also with whom the cup is found. Jo- 
 seph replies, " God forbid that I should do so ; but 
 the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be 
 my servant ; and as for you, get you up in peace 
 unto your father." Genesis 44 : 16, 17. 
 
 In our next discourse, in which this history will be 
 continued, we shall have to admire the beautiful 
 effects of virtuous sentiments, filial affection, and 
 brotherly love. 
 
 In conclusion, however, we are led to remark, that 
 in this history we see that the purposes of Providence 
 are in continual progress, and that the acts of man 
 cannot possibly prevent them ; on the contrary, man 
 by his own acts forwards occurrences, the end of 
 which, he can neither see nor understand. Wicked, 
 as was the treatment Joseph experienced at the hands 
 of his brethren, we yet see what a happy event 
 resulted therefrom. It was the means of Joseph's 
 transportation to Egypt, where, through his wise 
 management, he saved all the surrounding nations 
 from perishing by famine. 
 
 On the arrival of his brothers in Egypt to purchase 
 corn, Joseph's feelings were strongly agitated and 
 probably he might have been inclined to punish them 
 for their cruelty towards him. But his naturally 
 good disposition his love for his venerable father, 
 who so fondly doated on him, and after whom, he so 
 affectionately inquired, removed all unkindly feeling 
 from his bosom, as we shall see hereafter, by the 
 manner in which he treated them.
 
 DISCOURSE X. 149 
 
 Determined, however, in the first instance to be 
 severe with them, he pretended to doubt what they 
 said. He put them in prison, and released them there- 
 from, only, on the condition that they should bring 
 their younger brother, of whom they had spoken to 
 him ; and, on their departure, he gave them plenty 
 of corn to take home, and even returned to each the 
 purchase money. 
 
 On their coming the second time, he treated them 
 handsomely, gave them plenty of corn, and again re- 
 turned their money ; but willing to try whether their 
 feelings were changed towards him whether they 
 had repented of their ill usage to him, and whether 
 they possessed that brotherly love which ought at all 
 times exist among brothers he caused the experi- 
 ment to be made by charging Benjamin with theft, 
 considering that their conduct on this occasion, would 
 prove their feelings and dispositions. For, if- they 
 should be callous and selfish, they would leave the 
 apparent thief to his fate, and thus they would 
 neither be worthy his countenance, nor his forgive- 
 ness for past injuries, but, if they seemed at all 
 afflicted, and adopted any measures to prove their 
 affection for their brother then Joseph would be 
 convinced of the genuineness of their sentiments, and 
 of their repentance for their former cruel conduct 
 towards him, as well as of the restoration of frater- 
 nal affection. 
 
 The sequel will appear in our next discourse, in 
 which you will see, that Joseph was not disappoint-
 
 150 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 ed, and that he was completely reconciled with his 
 brothers ; and that this led to the happy result of 
 bringing the long lost favorite child again to the 
 bosom of his aged father, whose last days were spent 
 in comfort and happiness, in the midst of his united 
 and affectionate family.
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 
 
 FROM THE EIGHTEENTH VEKSE OF THE FORTY-FOURTH CHAPTER 
 TO THE END OF THE TWENTY-SEVENTH VERSE OF CHAFTEK 
 FORTY-SEVEN. 
 
 My Dear Young Friends : 
 
 We are now arrived at the most affecting period 
 of the history of Joseph and his Brethren. You 
 will recollect that in our last discourse we informed 
 you how Benjamin had been charged with stealing 
 Joseph's silver cup, and was about to be detained as 
 a slave in Egypt, causing great sorrow and grief to 
 all his brethren. 
 
 Judah, who had particularly pledged himself to 
 his father to be responsible for the safe return of 
 Benjamin, was the most concerned at this unfortunate 
 circumstance. Judah, feeling the importance of his 
 situation, stepped forward, and with all the energy 
 of natural eloquence, addressed Joseph in a manner 
 unparalleled in history. He did not attempt to pal- 
 liate the crime charged to Benjamin, or to resist the 
 force of the evidence which appeared against him, 
 but he endeavored to work on the feelings of the 
 Judge, and told a simple tale of woe with genuine
 
 152 DISCOUESES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 pathos ; he spoke to the heart of his noble auditor, 
 because he felt in his own, all that he expressed. Let 
 us read the appeal of Judah in his own words. 
 
 " my Lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak 
 a word to my Lord's ears, and let not thine anger 
 burn against thy servant ; for thou art even as Pha- 
 raoh. My Lord asked his servants, saying, have ye 
 a father or a brother ? And we said unto my Lord, 
 we have a father, an old man, and a child of his old 
 age, a little one : and his brother is dead, and he 
 alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. 
 
 And thou saidst unto thy servants, bring him 
 down unto me, that I may set thine eyes upon him. 
 And we said unto my Lord, the lad cannot leave his 
 father for if he should leave his father, his father 
 would die. 
 
 And thou saidst unto thy servants except your 
 youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see 
 my face no more. 
 
 And it came to pass, when we came up unto thy 
 servant my father, we told him the words of my 
 Lord. And our father said, go again, and buy a 
 little food. And we said, we cannot go down; if 
 our youngest be with us then we will go down ; for 
 we may not see the man's face, except our youngest 
 brother be with us. And thy servant, my father, 
 said unto us, ye know that my wife bare me two 
 sons ; and the one went out from me, and I said, 
 surely he is torn in pieces, and I saw him not since. 
 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 153 
 
 him, ye shall hring down my gray hairs with sorrow 
 to the grave. Now, therefore, when I come to thy 
 servant, my father, and the lad be not with us, see- 
 ing that his life is bound up in the lad's life ; it shall 
 come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with 
 us, that he will die ; and thy servant shall bring 
 down the gray hairs of thy servant, our father, with 
 sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety 
 for the lad unto my father, saying, if I bring him 
 not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame unto my 
 father forever. Now, therefore, I pray thee, let thy 
 servant abide instead of the lad, a bondman to my 
 lord ; and let the lad go up with his brethren. For 
 how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not 
 with me ? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall 
 come on my father." Genesis 44 : 18, etc. 
 
 The exquisite touches of nature in this piece the 
 reluctance of Jacob to part with the only remaining 
 offspring of his beloved wife the melancholy remem- 
 brance of the fate of his brother and the observa- 
 tion, that the good old man's life was bound up in 
 that of Benjamin, beautifully thrown into a parenthe- 
 sis could not but affect a generous heart with com- 
 passionate sympathy. Nor was the noble offer of 
 Judah to remain a bondman, in the room of his 
 brother, likely to pass without effect, upon the mind 
 of a liberal man, like Joseph. But Judah's motive 
 was likely to give it a peculiar interest on this occa- 
 sion, as it was a pious concern for the peace and 
 satisfaction of his aged father ; Judah feared, lest 
 s
 
 154 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 by losing Benjamin, Jacob's heart should break, and 
 his gray hairs be brought with unexampled sorrow to 
 the grave. How various must have been the feelings 
 of the several persons present while Judah thus 
 earnestly appealed to the compassion of the Gover- 
 nor ! How anxiously did the sons of Jacob watch 
 the countenance of the Judge, to see what effect 
 their brother's eloquence would produce in their be- 
 half, whether it would result in a pardon or a con- 
 demnation ! Joseph, indeed, could scarcely refrain 
 from breaking in upon the narrative which interested 
 him so much ; and his assumed austerity soon gave 
 way it could not resist the rushing torrent of affec- 
 tion the mighty secret must come forth Joseph is 
 now satisfied that his brothers are not destitute of 
 filial as well as fraternal affection all the feelings of 
 a son and of a brother were in agitation his whole 
 soul expanded towards them, and he hastily com- 
 manded the attendants to withdraw, that there might 
 be no intruding, curious observers of the approach- 
 ing scene. The brethren looked at each other with 
 silent amazement, as they perceived that there was 
 something important in the action and countenance 
 of the Viceroy. 
 
 The Egyptians being withdrawn, Joseph burst into 
 a flood of tears, and said "J am Joseph, doth my 
 father yet live ?" "And his brethren could not an- 
 swer him, for they were troubled at his presence." 
 
 This silence appears to have been both natural 
 and prudent. Had their conduct to Joseph been less
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 155 
 
 cruel than it was, the sudden and strange discovery 
 of him, as the Governor of Egypt, must have^truck 
 them with astonishment ; but to be told that this 
 was the very Joseph upon whose death they had 
 plotted, whom they had derided, stripped, and sold 
 for a slave, what wonder then, that, instead of joy 
 and gladness, it should have produced fear and 
 trouble of heart ? 
 
 But the magnanimity of J'oseph was equal to his 
 other eminent qualities. Instead of reproaching 
 them instead of even touching upon their unkind- 
 ness towards him, he endeavored to soothe their 
 agonized minds, and to palliate their guilt, by saying, 
 " I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into 
 Egypt. Now, therefore, be not grieved, nor angry 
 with yourselves, that ye sold me hither ; for God did 
 send me before you to preserve life. For these two 
 years hath famine been in the land ; and yet there 
 are five years in which there shall neither be earing 
 nor harvest. And God sent me before you to pre- 
 serve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your 
 lives by a great deliverance ; so now it was not you 
 that sent me hither but God." 
 
 Joseph, having made this discovery of himself, fell 
 upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Ben- 
 jamin wept upon his neck. " Moreover, he kissed 
 all his brethren, and wept upon them." 
 
 The brethren of Joseph now acquired confidence, 
 and they entered into a free conversation with him 
 respecting their father and the rest of the family in
 
 156 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Canaan. Joseph's first care was, now, to provide 
 for the welfare of his relations, and to make them 
 partakers of his prosperity. He therefore charged 
 his brethren to hasten homewards, and to bring down 
 to Egypt, as soon as possible, his father and all they 
 had left in Canaan. " And ye shall tell my father, 
 said he, of all my glory, and of all that ye have 
 seen." 
 
 Now, we must not suppose that this order of Jo- 
 seph to his brethren was the effect of Pride, and that 
 he vainly desired that " all his glory " should be rep- 
 resented to his father. No ! my dear friends ; let us 
 not think so unworthily of him. It was not ostenta- 
 tion, but dutiful concern and prudence that made him 
 give this charge to his brethren. Jacob might be 
 slow, perhaps, to believe the marvelous tidings brought 
 to him by his sons (as was in effect the case) for 
 old age is very reluctant to change its old home, for 
 a land of strangers. Jacob had too much to fear from 
 the Egyptians, who held the Canaanites in abhor- 
 rence ; and it was therefore not likely that he would 
 be readily persuaded to undertake so long and haz- 
 ardous a journey. Joseph, well weighing all these 
 circumstances, directed his brethren to relate all that 
 they had seen in Egypt, and to represent his glory 
 to his father, that he might be assured that his son 
 possessed power sufficient to support and protect 
 him, and all the family. 
 
 When Pharaoh was informed that Joseph's breth- 
 ren were arrived, he was much pleased that Joseph
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 157 
 
 had found his relations. The generous Monarch 
 immediately directed him to send carriages to bring 
 down his father and all the family into Egypt, say- 
 ing, at the same time, " regard not your stuff, or cat- 
 tle, for the good of the land is yours." Joseph grate- 
 fully accepted the commission of his Sovereign, and 
 sent a considerable train with his brethren, to whom 
 he gave liberal presents ; still showing his particular 
 regard for Benjamin, by bestowing upon him a larger 
 portion of raiment and money. Joseph then dis- 
 missed his brethren, properly equipped and provided 
 with every convenience and comfort, both for his 
 aged father and the family ; and previously to their 
 departure, he kindly gave them his advice, saying, 
 " See that ye fall not out by the way" He was 
 apprehensive that a remembrance of their past be- 
 havior might produce mutual accusations and re- 
 proaches, the consequences of which might prove 
 injurious to the mission upon which they were sent. 
 
 While the brethren are on their journey towards 
 Canaan, let us turn our attention to the venerable 
 Patriarch, who was anxiously waiting the return of 
 his sons. How mysterious are the ways of Provi- 
 dence ! and how remote from the comprehension of 
 finite mortals ! Though Jacob could, by Divine in- 
 spiration, predict the precise lot and circumstances 
 of each of the tribes, (as we shall show,) yet he 
 knew nothing of what was passing hi Egypt. The 
 time, however, had arrived, when Jacob's trials and 
 troubles were to end. His sons return home with
 
 158 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 the good tidings that Joseph still lives and that he 
 was in a position to comfort his father in his old age. 
 How satisfied and grateful, was the good old Patri- 
 arch, at seeing Simeon, and embracing again his 
 darling Benjamin ! with what eagerness and anxiety 
 did he inquire of his sons the particulars of what 
 had happened to them on their journey, and the 
 treatment they had received from the wise, though 
 rigid Governor in Egypt ! Yes, the sons of Jacob 
 were prompt to inform their father, that this wonder- 
 ful man, this seemingly severe, but kind, forgiving, 
 and exalted Viceroy, is no other than his beloved 
 Joseph ! It is too much ; the tide of blessings runs 
 too strong ! Jacob's heart melts within him. The 
 story appeared too marvelous to be believed at first ! 
 but when the wagons came in sight, which were dis- 
 patched by the Governor to bring his father and his 
 family to Egypt, Jacob could no longer doubt that 
 all, as related to him by his sons, was true. His 
 spirit revived at the sight of these objects, which con- 
 vinced him of the joyful truth and he exclaimed : 
 
 "It is enough ; Joseph, my son, is yet alive ! I 
 will go and see him, before 1 die !" 
 
 Jacob hastily made the necessary arrangements, 
 and set out on a journey, which, to one of his great 
 age, was painful and difficult. But what are dangers 
 and difficulties, fatigue or pain, to him who is about 
 to be reunited to a beloved and long-lost child ! 
 
 On coming to Beer-sheba, the place where his 
 father Isaac once resided, and had been favored with
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 159 
 
 manifestations of the Divine protection, the Patriarch 
 stopped to worship the Almighty, who had been so 
 gracious- to him ; and probably to await His direction, 
 whether it was His will that he should leave the land 
 of promise and go down into Egypt. 
 
 The Almighty did appear to him in this place, and 
 not only permitted him to pursue his journey, but 
 added a promise that he would be with him in Egypt, 
 and that his posterity should there become a great 
 nation. 
 
 Thus encouraged, Jacob went down into Egypt, 
 where he was met by Joseph, who " fell on his neck, 
 and wept on his neck a good while." The tender- 
 ness of this scene might have been described in more 
 copious language, but the simplicity with which the 
 Sacred Writer has touched it, far exceeds all the la- 
 bored elegance of style. The first words of Jacob 
 to Joseph, after a long and pathetic silence, were : 
 " Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, be- 
 cause thou art yet alive." 
 
 So great was Joseph in the esteem of Pharaoh, 
 that the King assigned the land of Goshen, the best 
 province in Egypt, for the residence of Jacob and 
 his family. Joseph now introduced his father to his 
 Royal Master; and the Patriarch in his priestly 
 character blessed Pharaoh, or as it seems, supplicated 
 the Divine favor for him. 
 
 The venerable appearance and the pious demeanor 
 of Jacob led the monarch to inquire his age ; to 
 which he replied : " The days of the years of my
 
 160 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years ; few and 
 evil have the days and years of my life been, and I 
 have not attained unto the days of the years of the 
 life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." 
 
 This answer of the Patriarch was not the language 
 of discontent, hut the solemn reflection of a man who 
 had experienced a large share of trouble, and who 
 knew that the whole of human life is indeed but a 
 vain show. Jacob spent the remainder of his days 
 in tranquility and prosperity, enjoying the society of 
 his beloved child during the period of seventeen 
 years. The close of his life was a happy calm, after 
 a varied and troublesome course. Of his last mo- 
 ments we shall have to speak in our next disserta- 
 tion, as more properly belonging to that section, the 
 last book of Genesis. 
 
 We are now to consider Joseph as a vigilant and 
 provident statesman, in a season of peculiar distress 
 and difficulty. The famine having continued two 
 years, the private supply of the Egyptians was ex- 
 hausted, and they were compelled to purchase corn 
 from the public granaries, Avhich greatly enriched 
 the Royal Treasury. As long as the people had 
 money, they bought corn of Joseph ; but, in the 
 sixth year of the famine, they were obliged to sell 
 their cattle, and, in the last year, they were under 
 the necessity of selling themselves and their lands. 
 
 We behold here a judicious and benevolent line of 
 conduct pursued by Joseph. By his wisdom the 
 seven years of famine were provided against, and by
 
 DISCOURSE XI. 161 
 
 laying the Egyptians under the necessity of selling 
 their lands, he obtained that power which enabled 
 him to render the country more fruitful than it ever 
 had been, or indeed would be, if the inhabitants were 
 not in a manner compelled to follow an agricultural 
 life. 
 
 But though the people exchanged all their posses- 
 sions, and even their liberty for corn, Joseph took no 
 undue advantage of then* necessities, and reserved 
 only a fifth part of their estates for Pharaoh, as 
 stated in these words : "And Joseph made it a law 
 over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh 
 should have a fifth part, except the land of the 
 Priests only, which became not Pharaoh's." Genesis 
 47: 26. 
 
 We must here notice, that in those days, the 
 Egyptian Priests constituted the nobility of the land ; 
 they were the King's counselors, and in some mat- 
 ters his agents. They were, according to the opin- 
 ion of the moderns, the most learned body of the 
 nation, particularly in astronomy. They also acted 
 as magistrates, and filled the chief offices of the State. 
 Hence, we see the reason why Joseph did not pur- 
 chase their lands, viz. : from the greatness of their 
 authority, which rendered their persons and conse- 
 quently their estates too sacred to be taxed, or alien- 
 ated to the crown. The King, during the famine, 
 distributed to them provisions sufficient for their sub- 
 sistence, so that they were not under the necessity 
 of selling their lands. Thus it was that the Priests 
 
 8"
 
 162 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 were permitted to continue in the possession of their 
 landed property. Not so with the people in general ; 
 their minds as well as their bodies were so greatly 
 affected, as to he incapable of devising means of 
 subsistence. 
 
 But, when at length the river overflowed watered 
 the earth revived drooping nature, and produced 
 fertility, Joseph made the tour of the Kingdom ; and 
 summoning the respective landholders, restored to 
 them such parts as they had sold to the King, on 
 condition of their paying one-fifth as tribute to him 
 by virtue of his prerogative enjoining on them the 
 same diligence in their improvements as though they 
 were to reap the entire fruits of their labor. Trans- 
 ported at the returning prospect of plenty, and the 
 restitution of their landed property, the people ap- 
 plied themselves to agriculture with unremitting 
 assiduity, so that by this well-timed act of policy, 
 Joseph established his own authority in Egypt, and 
 increased the standing revenue of all its succeeding 
 monarchs. 
 
 Thus far the subject of this section. In our next, 
 we shall continue the history of Jacob and Joseph 
 to the close of their lives, which subject will bring 
 us to the end of the first of the five Books of Moses, 
 called Genesis. 
 
 May Heaven assist us in our undertaking. 
 
 Amen.
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 
 
 FROM THE TWENTY-EIGHTH VEB8E OF CHAPTER FOKTY-SEVEN TO 
 THE END OP THE FIFTIETH AND LAST CHAPTEK OF THE BOOK. 
 
 My dear young Friends: 
 
 In this section the history of the early Patriarchs 
 of Israel is brought to a close. After having gone 
 through many years of fatigue, trouble, and anxiety, 
 Jacob enjoyed the last seventeen years of his life in 
 comfort and happiness in the society of all his child- 
 ren. Jacob had now arrived at the age of one 
 hundred and forty-seven years, surrounded by every 
 thing which could render life pleasing and satisfac- 
 tory. But " Israel must die." There is no excep- 
 tion from this stroke ; and whether it happens at 
 home or in a strange land, in Hebron or in Egypt, it 
 matters little to him, who, like Jacob, has the divine 
 Presence to bless him in his dying moments. Jacob 
 perceiving that his dissolution was not far off, sent 
 for Joseph, and made him promise, on oath, not to 
 allow his body to be buried in Egypt, but to take it 
 to Canaan, the land of his fathers, and there inter it 
 in the family vault of his ancestors. A short time 
 after this, Joseph was informed that his father was
 
 164 DISCOUESES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 very sick. He hastened therefore to his bedside, 
 taking with him his two sons, Manasseh and Eph- 
 raim. The aged grandfather, on being told of their 
 coming, acquired fresh vigor, and exerting all his 
 strength, sat up in the bed to receive his dutiful son 
 and his children. 
 
 " I never reckoned," said he to Joseph, " again to 
 behold your face, but lo ! God has been pleased to let 
 me behold even thy children." Joseph then placed 
 his two sons before his father, in order to receive his 
 last blessing. He put Manasseh the elder on the 
 right, and Ephraim the younger, on the left. Jacob, 
 however, crossed his hands, to lay his left hand on 
 the head of Manasseh. 
 
 Joseph attempted to correct this arrangement, 
 which he imagined to be a mistake, as his father's 
 sight was dim ; but Jacob persisted, and in the spirit 
 of prophecy declared to Joseph, " I know it, my son, 
 I know it ; he also shall become a people, and he 
 also shall be great ; but truly his younger brother 
 shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a 
 multitude of nations." 
 
 " And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee 
 shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim 
 and as Manasseh; and he placed Ephraim before 
 Manasseh." 
 
 History informs us that the Patriarch's prediction 
 was literally fulfilled, for, when the Israelites were 
 numbered in the wilderness, Ephraim was reckoned 
 before Manasseh, and was much more numerous than
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 165 
 
 he. In the encampment ahout the tabernacle, Eph- 
 raim had the standard, and was placed before Ma- 
 nasseh. From the tribe of Ephraim descended 
 Joshua the successor of Moses, and Jeroboam King 
 of Israel. 
 
 Before we proceed any further with our history, 
 we must pause, and claim your attention to some few 
 remarks which we have to offer on the importance 
 which was attached, in ancient times, to the Bless- 
 ings of pious men, and particularly to those of pa- 
 rents. In the early history of the Bible, we find it 
 recorded that Melchizedek, who is designated " a 
 Priest of the most high God," pronounced a blessing 
 on Abraham, the founder of the true faith. The 
 importance of the parental blessing is fully apparent 
 at the great anxiety evinced by Rebekah to procure 
 it for her favorite son Jacob ; so much so, that even 
 some contrivance was thought justifiable to obtain 
 the first blessing from the Patriarch Isaac. Esau, 
 though not of the most religious turn, yet felt dis- 
 appointed when he found that his brother had sup- 
 planted him, and implored his father to bless him 
 also, saying, " Hast thou but one blessing, my 
 father?" 
 
 Jacob, on being introduced to Pharaoh, as well as 
 when leaving his presence, pronounced a Blessing : 
 " and Jacob blessed Pharaoh." And on the present 
 occasion we find the same anxiety evinced on the 
 part of Joseph to secure his father's first blessing for 
 his children, Manasseh and Ephraim. Pharaoh, who
 
 166 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 was an idolater, prayed to Moses and Aaron, saying, 
 " And ye will bless me also," evidently showing the 
 importance he attached to the Blessing of pious men 
 like Moses and Aaron. 
 
 Numerous are the instances related in the sacred 
 Volume where Blessings have been asked from per- 
 sons who were considered competent, both in piety 
 and virtue, to grant such requests. The dying beds 
 of the righteous are awe-inspiring, and well calcu- 
 lated to make serious impressions on the minds of the 
 young as well as of the old. Wisely, therefore, did 
 Joseph act in bringing his children with him, that 
 from the lips of their venerable ancestor they might 
 learn the value of true Religion. 
 
 In reality, a Blessing may be considered as a 
 devout prayer ; an earnest pious wish on the part of 
 him who utters it, that the Almighty God should 
 prosper the person on whose head his hands are laid, 
 or on whose behalf the blessing is invoked. When 
 such a prayer is earnestly ejaculated, the impression 
 is, that it will prove successful ; and when that prayer 
 or petition is solemnly declared by good and pious 
 individuals, whose actions have rendered them 
 worthy of favor in the sight of God, our hopes and 
 expectations are raised in proportion. And truly 
 impressive are such invocations when uttered by men 
 like the Patriarchs of old, who were the peculiar 
 objects of God's favor and who were in possession of 
 the divine Gift of Prophecy. Here we see in Jacob 
 an example of the best last legacy, parents should
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 167 
 
 leave to their children. What is the lest last advice 
 that they can give them ? what are the most useful 
 departing words that they can speak unto them ? 
 under what surest protection can they put their 
 beloved children, whom they are going to leave 
 amidst all the dangers of this troublesome world ? 
 It is confidence in Almighty God in Him, who, if 
 we walk in his ways, will protect and prosper us, and 
 will supply our wants with the care of a watchful 
 shepherd, and redeem us from all evil. 
 
 Jacob having experienced the singular care of 
 Providence towards himself, could make his grand- 
 children understand what they might expect from the 
 gracious God if they would lead a pious and virtuous 
 life. Jacob foretold another particular relating to 
 these two children : That their tribes should be so 
 eminent and prosperous, that it should become a 
 proverbial form of speech, when parents bless their 
 children, to say, " God make you as happy as Eph- 
 raim and Manasseh." And this form of Prayer 
 has continued from that period down to the present 
 time among all Israelites, who, when they lay their 
 hands on the heads of their children, pronounce this 
 short but pious wish. It is in this manner that it has 
 been the custom, from time immemorial, for parents 
 to bless their children as already described. This 
 ancient and very affectionate custom should neither 
 be slighted by the young, nor neglected by the old. 
 Let me ask any father, when his child comes to him 
 with love and affection, respectfully inclining his
 
 168 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 head to receive the paternal Blessing, whether he 
 does not feel his heart moved ? whether his love and 
 fondness for his offspring are not both strongly 
 roused, and whether he does not give the Blessing 
 with the most earnest wish for its fulfillment ? 
 
 The child likewise, by this custom, becomes 
 pledged to look up to his parents as to superior 
 beings, and to venerate as well as love them with all 
 the ardor of filial affection. 
 
 Simple as this ancient custom may appear by the 
 present enlightened age, it nevertheless has a ten- 
 dency to encourage a mutual affection. The feeling 
 becomes reciprocal and truly characteristic. Pa- 
 rental love is highly estimated, and filial gratitude 
 habitually inculcated. 
 
 It is much to be regretted that this delightful 
 custom is but too much neglected, and that the 
 endearing ties of family love become less ardent by 
 the disuse of this and many other old, but useful 
 family customs, which, if properly attended to, 
 would no doubt always insure feelings calculated to 
 adorn the domestic hearth. 
 
 Let me exhort you, my young friends, to put a 
 proper value on the blessing of your parents, and 
 endeavor to be deserving of it by a loving and 
 obedient behavior on all occasions. Then be as- 
 sured that God will look down with kindness upon 
 you, and grant you peace and happiness throughout 
 life. 
 
 Having given Joseph his Blessing, Jacob said to
 
 DISCOURSE xn. 169 
 
 him, " Behold I die, but God shall be with you, and 
 bring you again unto the land of your fathers." 
 When Jacob had done speaking with Joseph, and 
 perceiving his end fast approaching, he called all his 
 sons together, that he might tell them what would 
 happen to their posterity in future times for the 
 expression, " In the last days" signifies hereafter, 
 or, in time to come. 
 
 This chapter calls for our strictest attention, as it 
 contains a number of predictions which were to be 
 fulfilled at distant periods through a long succession 
 of years. On reflection it will be found that the 
 contents of this chapter are of great value to us, 
 and deserve our pious considerations, since they 
 contain the sure word of prophecy, in confirmation 
 of all our hopes in the coming of the Messiah, the 
 destined harbinger of universal peace and happiness. 
 
 Considering, as we do, this to be a subject of great 
 importance, we shall devote a chapter expressly to 
 explain, as fully and clearly as we are able, these 
 prophecies of Jacob, taking for our guide the opin- 
 ions of those of our nation, considered, from time 
 immemorial, as the most erudite, which we hope will 
 be a sufficient guarantee for the correctness of our 
 views on the subject. 
 
 Let us now return to the dying couch of the 
 Patriarch. When Jacob had finished blessing his 
 sons, he charged them to bury him in the cave of 
 Machpelah, with- Abraham and Isaac ; and then, 
 gathering his feet into the bed, " he yielded up the
 
 170 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Ghost, and was gathered unto his people." Joseph 
 having closed the eyes of his father, and wept over 
 him, commanded his servants, the physicians, to 
 embalm the body ; and after having held a general 
 mourning for the Patriarch during seventy days, he 
 solicited the king's permission to go with the remains 
 of his father into Canaan, to which Pharaoh readily 
 consented ; and sent with Joseph all the state officers 
 and principal nobility of Egypt. When the pro- 
 cession reached the place of interment, the Canaan- 
 ites expressed great surprise and astonishment, 
 declaring, " This is a grievous mourning to the 
 Egyptians." On their arrival at the threshing-floor 
 of Atad, a place beyond the Jordan, they made a 
 great lamentation, and held a mourning for Jacob 
 during seven days. Hence the custom among Israel 
 to mourn seven days after the burial of & parent, 
 wife, husband, child, brother, or sister. This is 
 called shivah. During these seven days the mourner 
 remains at home, and does not attend to any business 
 affairs whatever. From Joseph also is handed down 
 the custom of the strict mourning during the thirty 
 days after the death of any one of the relatives 
 above named, which is called sheloshim although 
 Joseph kept the days of mourning previously to the 
 burial, contrary to our present custom, because Jacob 
 was embalmed, and capable of being kept without 
 fear of injury to the living. 
 
 Thus have we brought the pious Jacob " unto the 
 house appointed for the living," after a chequered
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 171 
 
 life of one hundred and forty-seven years, most of 
 which was spent in exile and trouble. But confi- 
 dence in God was his firm support, and by an 
 obedience to the divine commands he was carried 
 through all his trials, and brought, at last, to enjoy 
 abundant peace and comfort. His mortal remains 
 were preserved by the art of the physicians ; but the 
 Holy Spirit has embalmed his memory in the records 
 of truth, so that his life stands as an instructive 
 example to all generations. 
 
 Joseph having fulfilled the commands of his late 
 father in this last pious office, returned with his 
 brethren and all the company into Egypt. Joseph 
 had now another opportunity of showing the gener- 
 osity of his heart and the nobleness of his disposi- 
 tion. His brethren were apprehensive that the death 
 of their father would draw forth, as they imagined, 
 the latent spirit of revenge on the part of Joseph, 
 and that they would now experience his vengeance 
 for their evil treatment to him in his youthful days. 
 Their guilty consciences made them afraid, and they 
 judged, as wicked men always do, that the mind of 
 Joseph was like their own, prone to resentment for 
 evil. The life of their father, according to their 
 judgment, was the only security they had against the 
 resentment of their brother ; but as this impediment 
 was now removed > they had no doubt but that they 
 should be made to feel, he had neither forgotten nor 
 forgiven them. Impressed with these feelings, they 
 sent a memorial to Joseph, humbly soliciting his 
 pardon in the name of the God of their father.
 
 172 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OP GENESIS. 
 
 This memorial was followed up by their appearing 
 personally before him, and prostrating themselves, 
 saying, " Behold, we be thy servants." Their sup- 
 plicating address brought tears into Joseph's eyes, 
 and it grieved him to think that his brethren should 
 entertain the idea that he would act in any way 
 unkindly towards them. His behavior to them on 
 this occasion was not only conciliatory, but noble and 
 generous. 
 
 " Fear not," says he " for am I in the place of 
 God ?" " Shall I," says the pious man, " take upon 
 myself to avenge the injuries which I have sustained, 
 when I have experienced so greatly the power, pro- 
 tection, and goodness of God ?" 
 
 Impressed with this pious sentiment of Benevo- 
 lence, Joseph endeavored to calm the fears of his 
 brethren, by assuring them that they should enjoy 
 his full favor and forgiveness. " True," says he> 
 " ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto 
 good, to bring it to pass, as it is this day, to save 
 much people alive. Now, therefore, fear ye not ; I 
 will nourish you and your little ones." " And he 
 comforted them, and spake kindly unto them." 
 Genesis 50: 21. 
 
 Who can sufficiently admire the mild and tender 
 spirit of the kind and pious Joseph ? In him we see 
 all those sweet graces of religion which mark the 
 man of God. He buries all recollection of past 
 injuries in oblivion ; he breathes assurances not only 
 of forgiveness, but of the most tender affection ; and
 
 DISCOURSE xn. 173 
 
 he turns the minds of his brethren to the infinite and 
 adorable God, as the author and director of all that 
 occurred for many years. 
 
 Joseph lived happily and comfortably with his 
 brethren. The History of that period may be 
 expressed hi a few words. He had brought Egypt 
 through a heavy trial to a great state of prosperity ; 
 he had been the happy instrument of saving his 
 father's house from destruction ; his brethren were 
 settled in the most fertile portion of Egypt ; and he 
 lived to see his posterity of the fourth generation, in 
 the line of Ephraim, and of the third, in that of 
 Manasseh. 
 
 Crowned with the blessings of a considerate prince 
 and a grateful people, he ended his days in peace at 
 the age of one hundred and ten years. Gifted like 
 his father with the spirit of prophecy, he left" a 
 charge with the Israelites, that when the time should 
 come for their departure from Egypt, they should 
 take his bones with them and bury them with his 
 ancestors. This solemn injunction was strictly 
 obeyed, as stated hi Exodus : " And Moses took the 
 bones of Joseph with him." And in all their jour- 
 neyings through the wilderness, the Israelites carried 
 the remains of Joseph until they arrived in the 
 promised land ; and when there, disposed of them as 
 requested by him on his dying bed. Thus it is 
 recorded in the last chapter of the Book of Joshua : 
 
 " And the bones of Joseph, which the children of 
 Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in
 
 174 DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 
 
 Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought 
 of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for an 
 hundred pieces of silver ; and it became the inheri- 
 tance of the children of Joseph." 
 
 It is also stated, on veritable authority, that the 
 Israelites raised a most magnificent monument over 
 the grave of Joseph, in honor of the esteem in which 
 he was held by all his brethren. 
 
 It is related by St. Jerome, a very eminent father 
 of the Christian Church, who flourished about the 
 latter part of the fourth century, that Joseph's 
 monument was still to be seen in his days. 
 
 In the History of Joseph, we perceive the advan- 
 tages of early piety and habitual integrity. His life 
 is a beautiful lesson of instruction and encouragement 
 to young persons to resist temptation, to have God or 
 a sense of his divine presence constantly before 
 them, to be diligent in their callings, affectionate in 
 their social relations, calm and contented in whatever 
 sphere they may be placed, faithful in offices of 
 trust, and humble and devout in every station of life. 
 
 We have thus, by the assistance of Heaven, gone 
 through the first Book of Moses, called Genesis. It 
 contains one thousand five hundred and thirty-four 
 verses, in fifty chapters, and is divided into twelve 
 weekly portions. 
 
 All the Books contained in the sacred Volume are 
 named from the words with which each commences. 
 
 In Hebrew the word BeresTiees is the title of the 
 First, signifying "In a beginning" But the
 
 DISCOURSE XII. 175 
 
 Greeks, naming their Books from the subject of 
 which they treat, have called this Book Genesis, or, 
 G-eneration, because it relates to the creation of the 
 World, etc., etc. The Book of Genesis contains the 
 most remarkable events that happened during two 
 thousand three hundred and sixty-nine years from 
 that period. It gives us a minute account of the 
 progress of the Creation, after it was called from 
 chaos into existence, into that admirable order in 
 which we trace the marks of Supreme Wisdom. It 
 describes the primitive condition of mankind, gives 
 us a graphical history of the human mind, and 
 enables us to solve the problem which has so long 
 embarrassed the heathen world, viz. : the introduction 
 of moral evil. It points out to us noble examples, 
 to animate us to virtue and inspire us with horror for 
 vice, and uniformly calls upon us to adore and imitate 
 the wisdom, the justice, the goodness, and the provi- 
 dence of our Beneficent Creator. 
 
 In conclusion, we hope that God will bless our 
 labors to your improvement, my young friends, as 
 well as to that of the rising generation in his holy 
 Word. Amen.
 
 A. P P E N D I X . 
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 
 
 FROM THE THIRD TO THE TWENTY-NINTH VERSE OF THE FORTY- 
 NINTH CHAPTER OF GENESIS. 
 
 THIS section treats of Jacob's Prophetical Bless- 
 ings to his Sons immediately before his death. 
 
 The Patriarch Jacob finding his end approaching, 
 resolved to consecrate his few remaining hours in 
 foretelling to his sons that which would happen to 
 them in the latter days. 
 
 It must, however, be understood, that, what Jacob 
 prophecied concerning his sons, alluded more espe- 
 cially to their descendants, the several tribes in Israel, 
 as to what would happen to them after their settle- 
 ment in the promised land. It must also be noticed, 
 that what is commonly called Jacob's Blessings to his 
 Sons, may be designated, his appointment of Twelve 
 Rulers, or Princes, who should govern the house of 
 Israel. That this form of Government did take place 
 after the demise of Jacob, may be ascertained from 
 the facts that Elders and Rulers were appointed to
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 177 
 
 superintend the affairs of the nation, and to instruct 
 them in the Law. These Rulers were generally 
 selected from the heads of each tribe in whom the 
 power as before mentioned was invested ; an example 
 of which, we find in the Almighty's command to 
 Moses : 
 
 " Go, and gather the Elders of Israel together. 
 And Moses came and called for the Elders of the 
 people. 
 
 "And Moses called unto them, and Aaron, and all 
 the Rulers of the congregation returned unto him, 
 and Moses talked with them." Exodus 34. 
 
 Jacob having thus prophesied Twelve Princes or 
 Rulers of the people, addressed his sons as the heads 
 of the people, and not as single persons : his words 
 referring to the nation collectively, and not to them 
 personally. This appears evident from the words of 
 Moses, who says, "All these are the Twelve tribes of 
 Israel," signifying, that all the predictions of Jacob 
 were concerning the whole house of Israel collect- 
 ively, and not to any single individuals. That our 
 views on this subject are correct, will be shown in the 
 following dissertation. We must further premise, 
 that, for the full and clear understanding of our sub- 
 ject, we shall have occasionally to differ from the 
 English Version, keeping close to the sense of the 
 Original text. 
 
 "And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather 
 yourselves together that I may tell you, that which 
 shall befall you in the last days. 
 
 9
 
 178 APPENDIX. 
 
 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of 
 Jacob ; and hearken unto Israel your father." Gen- 
 esis 49 : 1, 2. 
 
 The good old Patriarch having in a most emphatic 
 and pathetic preface thus called the attention of his 
 children, commences with his first-born in these words : 
 " Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and the 
 beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, 
 and the excellency of power : Unstable as water, 
 thou shalt not excel ; because thou wentest up to thy 
 father's bed ; then defiledst thou it : He went up to 
 my couch." Which may be rendered : Reuben, thou 
 art my first-born, and the first fruits of my might and 
 my strength ; and as such thou art entitled to the 
 right of primogeniture the best portion in the inher- 
 itance to the dignity of the Priesthood and to the 
 supreme authority over thy brethren. But all these 
 prerogatives (like the unstable waters, that pass by, 
 and return no more), are gone from thee ; because, 
 thou, little regarding the sacredness of thy father's 
 couch, didst defile it and alienate it from me. As a 
 punishment for this disobedient act, I pronounce the 
 following sentence : That, though thou shalt form one 
 of the tribes in Israel, yet thou shalt ever be far 
 inferior to the rest of thy brethren, in number, wealth, 
 and power. That this prediction of the Patriarch was 
 literally fulfilled, may be gleaned from the following 
 facts. 
 
 Biblical history shows, that the tribe of Reuben 
 remained in apparent obscurity, and without any of
 
 DISCOURSE xin. 179 
 
 those marks of distinction which were generally an- 
 nexed to the right of primogeniture, as, a double 
 portion of inheritance, Supreme authority, and the 
 Priesthood. 
 
 The Medrash, treating on this subject, makes the 
 following comment : 
 
 " Reuben, through his indiscreet conduct, forfeited 
 a three-fold dignity, viz. : Seniority, Priesthood, and 
 regal power. The right of Seniority was given to 
 Joseph, who accordingly had two portions allotted to 
 him. The Priesthood was given to the tribe of Levi, 
 and the regal power to that of Judah." Agreeably 
 to Jacob's prediction, we do not find any thing great 
 or excellent recorded of the tribe of Reuben through- 
 out the Sacred Volume. On the contrary, in num- 
 ber and power it was much inferior to the other tribes, 
 and the superior authority was not established in the 
 tribe of Reuben, but in that of Judah, as we shall 
 show when treating on that subject. 
 
 That the tribe of Reuben lived somewhat in obscur- 
 ity, is shown by its having obtained from Moses cer- 
 tain possessions on the east side of the river Jordan, 
 which position separated it from the main body of 
 Israel. In consequence of this, it was exposed to 
 various inroads, and subjected to "many oppressions 
 from its neighbors, whilst the Western tribes remained 
 to a certain extent less annoyed. 
 
 With the tribe of Reuben were connected that of 
 Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, who were among 
 the first that were carried into captivity by Tiglath-
 
 180 APPENDIX. 
 
 Pileser, King of Assyria, as recorded in the First 
 Book of Chronicles, chapter 5 : 1, 2, 26. 
 
 " Now the sons of Reuben, the first-born of Israel, 
 for he was the first-born ; but forasmuch as he defiled 
 his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the 
 sons of Joseph ; and the Genealogy is not to be reck- 
 oned after his birthright. 
 
 " For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of 
 him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was 
 Joseph's." 
 
 The double portion, which was the right of the 
 first-born, according to the Jewish law, was given to 
 Joseph, whose two sons had each of them a portion 
 in the land of Canaan, as though they had been the 
 immediate sons of Jacob. Again, neither Reuben's 
 nor Joseph's genealogy was placed at the head, be- 
 cause, though Joseph enjoyed the double portion, yet 
 he had not the preeminence in other things to which 
 the first-born was entitled as the tribe of Judah was 
 the most powerful, and in every respect preferred to 
 the rest for out of his tribe came the great Prince 
 of the people, viz. : " David, King of Israel ;" and 
 in the " latter days " the Messiah, the Anointed of 
 the Lord, who is expected, will also be from the tribe 
 of Judah. 
 
 These are the proofs of the fulfilment of Jacob's 
 prediction in reference to Reuben, that he should 
 have no distinction whatever among his brethren, 
 which is manifest from the following passage in the 
 twenty-sixth verse of the fifth chapter of the First 
 Book of Chronicles :
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 181 
 
 "And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, 
 King of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-Pilnesser, 
 King of Assyria, and he carried them away, even 
 the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of 
 Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah and Habor, 
 and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day." 
 
 We must here remark that these are the very 
 places unto which Salmaneser afterwards carried the 
 remainder of the ten tribes into captivity, as stated in 
 the Second Book of Kings, chapter 17 : 6 : 
 
 " In the ninth year of Hoshea, the King of Assyria, 
 took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, 
 and placed them in Halah and in Habor, by the 
 river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes ;" and in 
 the eleventh verse of the eighteenth chapter it is 
 stated : "And the King of Assyria did carry away 
 Israel into Assyria, and put them in Halah, and in 
 Habor, by the river Gozan, and in the city of the 
 Medes." 
 
 Now, there is a difference in the two statements ; 
 in the one, it is said " unto Hara," and in the other, 
 " unto the cities of the Medes," which is, however, 
 one and the same thing ; for Media is the very same 
 with "Hara" and which is by some writers called 
 "Ara" This country was a barren and wild plain, 
 incapable of fertilization. The meaning of the ex- 
 pression " unto this day," is, that these ten tribes did 
 not return at the time when the other two returned 
 from Babylon. 
 
 The places above named are all in Assyria. The
 
 182 APPENDIX. 
 
 river Gozan, according to the opinion of some ancient 
 writers, was the river Ganges, which ran through 
 Hindostan, and which was subject to the Kings of 
 Assyria. Others again are of opinion that the river 
 Gozan is the same as the Sambatian, mentioned in 
 Talmud Sanhedrin, folio 65, in the dialogue between 
 Turnus Rufus and Rabbi Akeba. Turnus Rufus was 
 desirous of knowing why the Jewish Sabbath should 
 be considered the proper day of rest. In reply to 
 which, the Rabbi adduces a proof from this very 
 river, which is boisterous and stormy, casting up 
 huge stones throughout the whole of the week, ex- 
 cepting Saturday, when it remains perfectly clear 
 and calm. The learned Elias Levita, who flourished 
 in the Sixteenth Century, states the following in his 
 work entitled " Tishbi :" 
 
 " Sambatian is the name of a river, of which it is 
 said, that throughout every day of the week it is vio- 
 lently agitated, throwing up such a quantity of huge 
 stones as to render it impassable. Hence the reason 
 why the ten tribes who are exiled in this place cannot 
 release themselves therefrom and fearful of profan- 
 ing the Sabbath, they will not cross the river on that 
 day, and prefer remaining in exile rather than violate 
 the sanctity of the Sabbath." Tishbi, fol. 62. 
 
 Although this latter part is not strictly in connec- 
 tion with the subject in question, yet we have been 
 induced to notice it, for the information of such of 
 our readers as may not have access to the works in 
 which this and many other facts are recorded.
 
 DISCOUKSE xm. 183 
 
 SIMEON AND LEVI. 
 
 Jacob, having concluded with Reuben, addresses 
 Simeon and Levi conjointly, emphatically declaring, 
 " Simeon and Levi are brethren ; instruments of 
 cruelty are in then* habitations." 
 
 In these words the dying Patriarch expresses his 
 utter abhorrence of the cruelty of these two brothers 
 as exhibited in the barbarous wholesale murders of 
 the people of Shechem, described in the Eighth Dis- 
 course : 
 
 " They are," says Jacob, " Brethren in iniquity, 
 cruel and merciless in their counsels and delibera- 
 tions ;" referring to their treacherous scheme in the 
 proposed alliance with Shechem and their sister 
 Dinah. " my soul, come not thou into their 
 secret ; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not 
 thou united ; for in their anger they slew a man, 
 and in their self-will they digged down a wall ;" or, 
 in other words, " Let my soul," says he, " never con- 
 sent to, or participate in, their wicked designs, in 
 their dark, mysterious plottings. Let not my honor 
 be disgraced by joining their assembly ; let it shun 
 the very place they occupy, lest thereby it become 
 polluted. For in their anger they slew a man." 
 The word man, though hi the singular, is here to be 
 understood in a collective sense, it having reference 
 to all the people of Shechem. The Hebrew word 
 shur translated " a wall," signifies also an ox, also 
 an enemy. Considering all the circumstances con-
 
 184 APPENDIX. 
 
 nected with this affair, both renderings are admissi- 
 ble. The first, according to the opinion of some 
 authors, who assert that they "ham-stringed the oxen 
 of the Shechemites to render them unfit for labor ; 
 the second that, in their self-will they unnerved the 
 enemy ; referring to the cruel stratagem they had 
 recourse to, in disabling the Shechemites, and thus 
 falling upon them and cutting them to pieces in their 
 defenseless state. 
 
 The Patriarch, grieved at heart at his sons' 
 unheard-of cruelty, bursts forth with pious indigna- 
 tion, declaring " cursed be their anger, for it was 
 fierce ; and their wrath, for it was cruel : I will 
 divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." 
 Jacob does not curse Simeon and Levi themselves, 
 nor their posterity, but their unbridled passions, 
 implying, " Let it be abhorred and appear execrable 
 in the eyes of all the world." " I will divide them," 
 says he, " I prophecy their division." It being usual 
 in the prophetic style to speak of events which only 
 God could bring about, as though the predictor him- 
 self were the author of them. Thus Jacob prophe- 
 sied that Simeon and Levi, who were associated in 
 wickedness, should, by the influence of Divine Prov- 
 idence, be separated from each other in their pos- 
 tsrity, lest by their vicinity to one another they might, 
 having the opportunity, follow the example of their 
 ancestors, and associate themselves in wicked designs. 
 The prediction of Jacob implied a double dispersion. 
 First, the separation from each other, and then each
 
 DISCOURSE xni. 185 
 
 of them being interspersed among the rest of the 
 tribes of Israel. That this was fully verified, may 
 be seen from the following historical facts : For 
 instance, the tribe of Simeon had no positive inherit- 
 ance. One portion of it was placed in the midst 
 of the tribe of Judah, and the other had to seek 
 its habitation in the mountains of Sen*, and in the 
 desert of Gedor, as recorded in the Book of Joshua, 
 19: 1-9. 
 
 " And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even 
 for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to 
 their families : and their inheritance was within the 
 inheritance of the children of Judah. Out of the 
 portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance 
 of the children of Simeon ; for the part of the chil- 
 dren of Judah was too much for them : therefore 
 the children of Simeon had their inheritance within 
 the inheritance of them." In the first book of Chron- 
 icles 4 : 39-41, it is stated as follows : " And they 
 went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east 
 side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. 
 And they found fat pasture and good, and the land 
 was wide, and quiet, and peaceable ; for they of Ham 
 had dwelt there of old." And these written by 
 name came in the days of Hezekiah King of Judah, 
 and smote their tents, and the habitations that were 
 found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this 
 day, and dwelt in their rooms, because there was pas- 
 ture there for their flocks." Now the names here 
 referred to, are all mentioned in this chapter, and the
 
 186 APPENDIX. 
 
 period when they performed these memorable exploits 
 was in the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah. This 
 took place a short time before the ten tribes were 
 carried into captivity. At that time, the tribe of 
 Simeon being mixed up with that of Judah, and 
 finding itself much inconvenienced, one portion of it 
 made this expedition, while another portion settled 
 itself in some part of the country of the Edomites, 
 owing to the necessity of seeking subsistence. This 
 must have occurred either when the Assyrians invaded 
 their country, or when it was destroyed, as stated : 
 " And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that 
 were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day," signi- 
 fying those who escaped from the hands of the kings 
 Saul and David. 
 
 It is generally supposed that the king of Babylon 
 did not disturb the descendants of Simeon in their 
 new possessions, which, being small, he probably did 
 not consider worthy of his attention, and thus they 
 were allowed to remain there unmolested. Thus 
 far we plainly see that the predictions of Jacob, in 
 reference to Simeon, were literally fulfilled. 
 
 Let us now turn our attention to Levi. His 
 descendants were distributed among all the rest of 
 the tribes in Israel. The Levites had no fixed lot 
 or portion of land assigned to them like the other 
 tribes, who had each their allotted portion in the 
 promised land. They had, however, by the command 
 of the Almighty, a certain number of cities given to 
 them in every tribe.
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 187 
 
 After the children of Israel had come into pos- 
 session of the promised land, we are informed as fol- 
 lows : " And the children of Israel gave unto the 
 Levites out of their inheritance, at the command- 
 ment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs." 
 Joshua 21 : 3. When the cities were set apart for 
 this purpose, they were divided by lot among their 
 several families, as the whole of the portion allotted 
 to them was situated among the rest of the tribes. 
 The cities thus apportioned to the Levites were forty- 
 eight in number, as stated in Numbers 35, 36. 
 
 " So all the cities which ye shall give to the 
 Levites shall be forty and eight cities, these shall ye 
 give with their suburbs." 
 
 Of these forty-eight cities, thirteen were given to 
 the Priests who were the immediate descendants 
 of Aaron six of which were set apart as cities of 
 refuge. 
 
 " All the cities of the children of Aaron, the 
 Priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs." 
 Joshua 21 : 19. 
 
 These six cities of refuge* were set apart from 
 those assigned to the priests for the security of such 
 persons, who, without any design might accidentally 
 commit a murder, and thus be exposed to the ven- 
 geance of the friends or relatives of the deceased. 
 In order to claim the protection of the law under 
 
 * Of these cities of refuge we shall speak more fully in a future 
 volume, should it please the Almighty to spare us to fulfil the 
 task we have imposed on ourself.
 
 188 APPENDIX. 
 
 such circumstances, such a murderer was compelled 
 to seek refuge in one of those six cities. 
 
 The position which the Levites held among the 
 people, and the manner in which they were disposed 
 of among the several tribes, fully verify the predic- 
 tions of their ancestor Jacob. The Levites, having no 
 real inheritance in common with the other tribes in 
 the land of Canaan, were provided for in the follow- 
 ing manner : They were to minister in the Taber- 
 nacle erected in the Wilderness, and subsequently in 
 the Temple at Jerusalem. In return for these ser- 
 vices, they were entitled to receive the tithes of corn, 
 fruit, and cattle, from each and every one of the 
 other tribes, as a means of subsistence. The tribe 
 of Levi was especially selected for this sacred func- 
 tion, as a reward for the zeal manifested by them in 
 executing the command of Moses, to punish the idol- 
 atrous Israelites who worshiped the Golden Calf in 
 the wilderness, during his stay on the Mount where 
 he had been summoned by the Almighty to receive 
 the Tables of the Law. This appointment of the 
 tribe of Levi to so holy a calling, may be consid- 
 ered, as it were, a mitigation of the sentence pro- 
 nounced against them by the Patriarch Jacob for, 
 unlike Simeon, who was compelled to seek subsist- 
 ence far from his home, Levi was provided for by 
 the Almighty, in giving him the tithes already men- 
 tioned, as a remuneration for his services in the cause 
 of Religion. The Levites had, in their turn, to give 
 to the priests a tenth of their tithes, considered as
 
 DISCOURSE xni. 189 
 
 the first fruits they were to offer up to the Lord, as 
 the Israelites made their grateful acknowledgments 
 to the Lord by offering their tithes to Him, so the 
 Levites were to offer the tithe of their tithes for the 
 use of the Priests, as commanded in the Book of 
 Numbers, chap. 18 : 28 : 
 
 " Thus you shall offer an heave offering unto the 
 Lord, of all your tithes which ye receive of the chil- 
 dren of Israel ; and ye shall give thereof the Lord's 
 heave offering to Aaron the Priest." 
 
 J U D A H. 
 
 Jacob having performed a severe and ungrateful 
 task in the prophecies which he pronounced against 
 Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, now casts his eyes on 
 Judah, whom he addresses with all that love and 
 affection which a happy parent bestows on a deserv- 
 ing child. 
 
 The subject of Jacob's blessing to Judah demands 
 our serious consideration, having been exposed to 
 various constructions and definitions, as to its real 
 intent and meaning, by the learned of all ages. We 
 may, however, be permitted to remark, that the true 
 believer hi Judaism will find no difficulty hi under- 
 standing the subject, provided he will have confidence 
 in the declarations made from time to time by the 
 Prophets of the Lord, and other inspired men of
 
 190 APPENDIX. 
 
 old, of whom we must speak in treating upon this 
 subject. Jacob thus addressed Judah : 
 
 "Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall 
 praise ; thy hand shall be on the neck of thy ene- 
 mies ; thy father's children shall bow down before 
 thee," or in other words, Thou art Judah, and well 
 mayest thou be so called, for thy brethren shall praise 
 thee, alluding to the name of Judah, which signifies 
 in Hebrew, praise. 
 
 This compliment paid to Judah, is to be understood 
 as applied to the whole tribe. That it should be 
 more eminent than all the rest of the tribes, both for 
 feats of war abroad, and for temporal and spiritual 
 blessings at home. The inheritance which fell to the 
 lot of Judah comprised the most southerly districts 
 of Canaan, and was bounded on the east by the 
 Dead Sea ; on the north by the tribe of Benjamin ; 
 on the west by the tribes of Dan and Simeon (which 
 lay between it and the Mediterranean), and on the 
 south it extended to the mountains of Seir or Edom, 
 which were the frontiers between it and Idumea. 
 This land was beautifully diversified with hills and 
 valleys, which produced plenty of corn, wine, oil, 
 fruits, and an abundance of cattle. 
 
 This tribe was also the most numerous of all the 
 rest, and its people the stoutest and the most valiant. 
 It was, moreover, the chief and royal tribe from the 
 death of Saul to the total extinction of monarchy 
 among the descendants of Jacob. When the ten 
 tribes revolted from the house of David, Judah and
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 191 
 
 Benjamin still remained attached to it, and consti- 
 tuted a kingdom under the denomination of Judah, 
 which not only maintained its independence, but fre- 
 quently gave proofs of superiority in the several con- 
 tests between it and the tribes forming the kingdom 
 of Israel. Judah led the van in the army of the 
 twelve tribes. Judah was also the first that dispos- 
 sessed the Canaanites, as stated, Judges 1:4: 
 
 " And Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the 
 Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands ; and 
 they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men." 
 
 " Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies," 
 implying victory, or putting their enemies to flight. 
 That Judah was the conqueror, is fully detailed in 
 the history of that tribe. " Thy father's children 
 shall bow down before thee," intimating that they 
 should acknowledge the dignity and superiority of 
 this tribe above all the others. Thy brethren shall 
 pay such honor to thee as would have been con- 
 ferred upon the first-born of Israel. Thus we read 
 in Numbers 7 : 12 : " And he that offered his offer- 
 ing the first day, was Nachshon the son of Amina- 
 dab, of the tribe of Judah." In the same book we 
 read : " In the first place went the standard of the 
 camp of the children of Judah, according to their 
 armies, and over his host was Nachshon the son of 
 Aminadab." Again, in the Book of Judges, " And 
 the children of Israel arose and went up to the house 
 of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, which 
 of us shall go up first to the battle against the
 
 192 APPENDIX. 
 
 children of Benjamin ? And the Lord said, Judah 
 shall go up first." In the first Book of Chronicles, 
 5 : 12, it is stated, " For Judah prevailed above his 
 brethren, and of him came the Chief Ruler, but the 
 birthright was Joseph's." 
 
 All these facts show that the tribe of Judah was 
 destined not only to be the most powerful and valiant, 
 but also that it would be preferred to all the rest of 
 the tribes. And, in addition to all these distinctions, 
 it was predicted that two great personages should 
 descend from this tribe. First, David King of 
 Israel ; and the second, in the latter days, the King 
 Messiah. 
 
 The first was fully verified in the person of David, 
 whom God selected out of this tribe to establish the 
 regal power in his line forever, in a temporal point of 
 view, and the second will be verified in a spiritual, 
 by the promised Messiah, whose kingdom shall be 
 everlasting. These two points will be duly consid- 
 ered in the course of this dissertation. 
 
 " Judah is a lion's whelp ; from the prey, my son, 
 thou art gone up ; he stooped down, he couched as a 
 lion, and as an old lion ; who shall rouse him up ?" 
 Or in other words : Like a young lion shall my son 
 fall upon his prey, and like an old lion, or a fierce 
 lioness ready to rush upon it ; who shall dare to con- 
 front him ? 
 
 These expressions are allegorical descriptions of 
 the courage and bravery of the tribe of Judah, 
 evinced by its victories over the ancient possessors of
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 193 
 
 the land of Canaan. According to the opinions of 
 some of the learned, the words, " from the prey, my 
 son, thou art gone up," have reference to Judah's 
 conduct towards Joseph, when his brothers conspired 
 to slay him. Judah at that time nobly interposed, 
 and remonstrated with them, and in order to save 
 Joseph from the hands of his cruel brethren, pro- 
 posed to sell him to the passing Ishmaelites ; which 
 was accordingly done, as mentioned in a former dis- 
 course. Jacob, at that time being so absorbed in 
 grief for the loss of his favorite son, refused to be 
 comforted, and considered all the brethren equally 
 guilty. But now having been put in possession of 
 all that occurred on that occasion, he declares his 
 conviction that Judah was not an accomplice in that 
 unbrotherly affair. We must, however, notice, in 
 this verse, a certain gradation of terms, in reference 
 to the wild beasts to which Judah was compared. 
 First, to a lion's whelp, then to a grown lion, and 
 finally to a lioness ; for this, the Hebrew word Labi, 
 which is translated an old lion, signifies, and which is 
 generally supposed to be more fierce and formidable 
 than the lion. Hence, the idea, that this gradation 
 indicates the beginning, increase, and full growth 
 of the power to be vested in the tribe of Judah. 
 The figurative expression alluding to the manner of 
 the lion couching down to rest in its den after having 
 devoured its prey, denotes that the tribe of Judah 
 should dwell fearlessly and at its ease, after it should 
 have proved victorious over his enemies. This was
 
 194 APPENDIX. 
 
 evidently fulfilled in the days of King Solomon, the 
 son of David. " And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, 
 every man under his vine, and under his fig tree, 
 from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solo- 
 mon." Kings 1 : 4-25. Hence, the proverbial ex- 
 pression implying living hi peace, plenty and security. 
 
 We shall now proceed to explain the fourth and 
 fifth verses of this blessing, leaving the third for the 
 last, it being the most important part of the prophecy, 
 and requiring our more minute consideration. Jacob 
 having first spoken to Judah as an individual, now 
 foretells his prosperity as a tribe, in the beauty of 
 the land he would inherit, depicted hi the following 
 words : 
 
 " Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt 
 unto the choice vines ; he washed his garments in 
 wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes ;" or in 
 more familiar terms, His portion shah 1 abound with 
 such fertile vineyards, fruitful trees, and pasture 
 grounds, that he shall tie his ass to the vine and 
 palm tree, and wash his garments hi the juice of the 
 grape. 
 
 History testifies that Judah's portion fully an- 
 swered the prediction of the Patriarch. It was a 
 fertile land, full of vineyards, fruit trees, and noble 
 pasture ground for cattle. In the portion of this tribe 
 lay the Valley of JEshcol, or the Brook of the Grape, 
 from which the spies (whom Moses sent to search the 
 land) brought the bunch of grapes, as a specimen 
 of the richness of the soil. Here was likewise the
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 195 
 
 brook, or torrent, of that name, along whose banks 
 was the most delicious pasture land. Late travelers, 
 who have been on the spot testify, that the moun- 
 tains about Jerusalem , the portion of Judah, were 
 particularly fitted for the cultivation of the vine ; 
 that there are many tokens still to be seen of the 
 ancient vineyards about Jerusalem and Hebron ; and 
 that there are great quantities of grapes brought 
 from that place to the markets at Jerusalem and sent 
 annually to Egypt. They observe, also, that the 
 mountains of this country abound in shrubs and a 
 delicate short grass, of both of which the cattle are 
 more fond than of such plants as are common to fal- 
 low grounds and meadows ; and that the milk of 
 cattle fed here is far more rich and delicious, and 
 their flesh more sweet and nourishing. This seems 
 to be signified hi the following verse : 
 
 " His eyes shall be red with wine, and the teeth 
 white with milk." 
 
 These words denote the plenty of wine and milk 
 with which Judah's country should abound. Figu- 
 ratively expressing that the health and comeliness of 
 the inhabitants shall appear hi the radiance of the 
 eyes and whiteness of the teeth, and might be ren- 
 dered, His eyes shall be more beautiful than wine; 
 his teeth whiter than milk. 
 
 We shall now consider the third verse of Jacob's 
 blessing to Judah, which is -the most critical, and 
 which has engaged the attention of the most eminent 
 divines in all ages down to the present time. The
 
 196 APPENDIX. 
 
 authorized English version renders this portion of the 
 Blessing in the following words : 
 
 " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a 
 law-giver from between his feet until Shiloh come ; 
 and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." 
 
 The meaning, as well as the completion of this 
 prophesy being much disputed, both by Jews and 
 Christians, we shall endeavor to explain it agreeably 
 to the original text, which, in its plain and obvious 
 sense, means ; that 
 
 ," The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a 
 Law-giver from between his feet, forever, because 
 when Shiloh comes, unto him shall be the gathering, 
 or submission of nations." 
 
 This is a literal translation of the words in the 
 original Hebrew text, governed by the rules of the 
 Negindh, or musical accents, which serve as the 
 Biblical punctuation for without these musical ac- 
 cents it would be difficult to understand the precise 
 meaning of many passages in the Sacred Volume ; 
 and of this one, more especiaUy, as we shall hereafter 
 show. Our rendering of the text is supported by 
 the most renowned Jewish authorities, both ancient 
 and modern and, when impartially investigated, 
 will be found consistent by the searcher after truth. 
 Past events materially bear out our views on this 
 subject, and therefore it is presumed they will prove 
 a sufficient guarantee for the fulfilment of the future. 
 In order that our version may not be considered arbi- 
 trary, we shall notice severally the terms made use
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 197 
 
 of in the prophesy. Great objection is made by 
 some critics of the modern school, to the rendering 
 of the word Shebet, a sceptre. They insist that 
 Shebet must mean a tribe, for, say they, " a sceptre 
 did not exist in the days of Jacob." To set aside 
 such objection, we must have recourse to history, 
 which will give us the origin and use of the sceptre. 
 Josephus relates that Pharaoh, desirous of concilia- 
 ting the mind of his daughter, when she introduced 
 Moses as her adopted child, put the crown on his 
 head, which Moses, with a look of contempt, snatched 
 off and spurned with his feet. This shows that a 
 crown existed in those days. Now, it is the gener- 
 ally received opinion among all the ancient histo- 
 rians, that the sceptre was an ensign of royalty, and 
 of greater antiquity than even the crown. The 
 Greek tragedians, and other poets, put sceptres into 
 the hands of kings, introduced in their dramas. The 
 learned Justin, surnamed the Martyr, who traveled, 
 like his predecessor Herodotus, into Egypt, to ac- 
 quaint himself with ancient customs and usages, 
 observes, that the sceptre, in its original form, was a 
 Hasta, or spear. He adds, that in the most remote 
 antiquity men adored the Hastae as immortal Gods, 
 and that, even in his tune, they still represented their 
 Gods bearing sceptres. That princes and individuals 
 of high rank frequently carried the sceptre, or other 
 insignia of dignity in their hands, may be concluded 
 from various passages in ancient history. Many ex- 
 amples occur in Homer. For instance : When Ther-
 
 198 APPENDIX. 
 
 sites clamorously endeavored to excite the Greeks to 
 sedition, Ulysses is described as striking him with 
 the sceptre he had in his hand. The ancient sceptre 
 derives its name from a Greek word, signifying a 
 staff to lean upon. Neptune is always represented 
 by both poets and painters, bearing a Trident, a 
 three-pronged sceptre, as the name implies. 
 
 Now we would argue that, as no author, either 
 ancient or modern, ascribes a higher antiquity to the 
 crown than to the sceptre, why could not Jacob have 
 been acquainted with the latter, after having been at 
 the Egyptian court, and in the presence of the king. 
 We see no reason, therefore, to doubt the existence 
 of a sceptre among the ancients, supported as we are 
 in our views on the subject by both historians and 
 antiquarians ; and therefore we insist that Shebet 
 does mean a sceptre. 
 
 We will now consider the word Mechokike, prop- 
 erly rendered " a Law-giver," but which has also 
 been subjected to severe criticism, and said to signify 
 a Dictator, and not a Law-giver. To meet this objec- 
 tion, we must observe that the radix of Mechokike 
 is chokak, which signifies to engrave, mark, delineate, 
 etc., and in this sense it is to be understood to mean 
 the writer of the Laws ; and, therefore, with strict 
 propriety to the rules of language, may be rendered 
 a Law-giver. Moreover, this term is frequently 
 accompanied by the word sopher (which in Hebrew 
 signifies a scribe, or one who relates), to show the 
 real value of the word, and how it should be applied,
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 199 
 
 the learned in general understanding it to be an 
 ensign of judicial authority. Hence, Jacob could 
 have had no other meaning than a Laiv-giver, which 
 is plainly understood by the expression, "from be- 
 tween his feet" since it was the custom for the ruler 
 of a nation to have his scribe sitting near him, to 
 notify in writing or to delineate by figures all the 
 laws and enactments made for the Government of 
 the people. 
 
 There is, however, one passage in the Bible which 
 the critics have availed themselves of, to favor their 
 hypothesis in rendering the word a Dictator or Mili- 
 tary Commander, viz. : Judges 5 : 13 in the Song 
 of the Prophetess Deborah, where she says : " Out 
 of Machir came down Governors." Now let us con- 
 sider this subject impartially. The Prophetess, hav- 
 ing directed her praises to the Author of Israel's 
 deliverance, proceeds to speak with commendation 
 of those tribes who volunteered to go to battle on 
 that occasion. She assigns the first place to the 
 tribe of Ephraim, the second to the tribe of Benjamin, 
 the third to that of Manasseh beyond Jordan, and 
 the fourth to that of Zebulun. In speaking of Machir, 
 the Prophetess says, " Mechokakenu, which Rashi 
 remarks, signifies, in this place, Rulers or Princes, 
 and the English Bible translates Governors." Zeb- 
 ulun following, classed with those expert in the art 
 of writing although by a figure of speech, and 
 poetic license, the expression Governor or Military 
 Commander, may be appropriately used still, the
 
 200 APPENDIX. 
 
 very connection of the offices of Machir and Zebulun 
 serves to show that the idea the ancients had of the 
 word Mechokike was a Law-giver, or Law-maker, and 
 therefore the term, Military Commander, cannot be 
 arbitrarily received as the sense in which it was used 
 by Jacob. 
 
 In reference to the term Dictator, those who ob- 
 ject to that of Law-giver endeavor to support their 
 argument in favor of Dictator, by assigning that 
 appelation to Moses, who, they say, was not a Law- 
 giver, but a Dictator of the nation. Now, let us 
 consider how Moses could be called a Dictator and 
 not a Law-giver. In the first instance, we must 
 trace the origin of the word Dictator, and prove by 
 historical facts, that our objection to this term is 
 founded in truth. 
 
 Dictator signifies a Roman Magistrate, created by 
 the Senate, or people, on some extraordinary or great 
 occasion, to command with sovereign authority, for a 
 certain time, ordinarily limited to six months, and 
 sometimes extended to twelve months. Recourse 
 was never had to such an officer, but in dangerous 
 and difficult times, as in sudden wars, popular fac- 
 tions, etc. The Dictator had absolute power, during 
 his term of office. The origin of this office was 
 unknown even in Livy's time, though some of the 
 authors of antiquity speak of Lartius Flavus as the 
 first Dictator who was appointed in the year of 
 Rome 255. Sylla was the first perpetual Dictator, 
 and Caesar the next. After Caesar there were no 
 more Dictators.
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 201 
 
 The first Dictator chosen from among the people 
 was Marcus Rutilius, created in 399. Dionysius 
 Halicamasseus derives the word from ediecendo, 
 because they ordained and appointed what they 
 pleased. But Varro will have the word derived 
 from diecere, to name, because the Consul named 
 or appointed the Dictator. 
 
 Now, if historical records can be relied upon, the 
 foregoing explanation will be sufficient to prove, that 
 Moses could not have had any idea of the office 
 of Dictator, in the original sense of the term, as 
 found in History. 
 
 What Moses meant by the expression, MechoMke, 
 will no doubt settle the question. 
 
 Moses, having seen the Children of Israel vastly 
 increased, and ready to enter the promised land, 
 takes his farewell of them, and pronounces a dying 
 blessing upon the people in general, and upon each 
 tribe in particular ; which, is in part prophetical, as 
 was the blessing of Jacob and after extolling the 
 glory of God, and showing his love for his favorite 
 people Israel, blessed all the tribes one by one, 
 declaring what should happen to them after his 
 death ; for instance, in addressing Gad, he said : 
 
 " Blessed is he, that enlarge th the domains of Gad, 
 he croucheth like a lion " viz. : he lives fearlessly 
 and secure though encompassed by his enemies for 
 Gad was a warlike tribe. 
 
 "And he teareth the arm with the crown of the 
 head " viz. : he kills rulers with their kings, for 
 10
 
 202 APPENDIX. 
 
 rulers are the arms of the State, and the king is the 
 head. 
 
 "And he saw or thought to provide the first part 
 for himself" viz. : he was among the first who 
 viewed his portion in the conquered land, for the 
 tribe of Gad desired to be settled on the farthest 
 side of the Jordan, in the country of Sihon, with 
 Reuben and half of Manasseh. 
 
 " Because there, in the portion allotted to him by 
 the Law-giver, was he secured " referring to the 
 allotment made to him by Moses. 
 
 "And he came with the heads of the people, he 
 executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgment 
 with Israel." Moses, in a spirit of prophecy, speak- 
 ing of this as something already done, because he 
 foresaw it would be done ; viz. : that this valiant 
 tribe should come along with the rest of the tribes, 
 and execute the justice of the Lord upon their 
 enemies, the Canaanites for such was the agree- 
 ment between Moses and them which promise they 
 faithfully kept, as stated. Joshua 22 : 1. 
 
 Here, then, the meaning of Mechokike is perfectly 
 clear and intelligible to every attentive reader of the 
 Bible as the Law-giver, and not the Dictator ; for, as 
 already stated, the term, Dictator, was not known in 
 the days of Moses besides, Moses never gave any 
 laws but those directed by the Almighty and never 
 inflicted any punishments for their breach other than 
 those ordained from the same source. And, indeed, 
 the spirit of meekness and obedience displayed by
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 20 
 
 him in the discharge of his divine mission " For 
 the man, Moses, was very meek and humble " 
 altogether precludes the idea of a Dictator or Law- 
 maker, rather than that of the Law-giver which he 
 was. 
 
 Our next consideration is the word Shiloh. Some 
 maintain that Shiloh is the name of that celebrated 
 city of the tribe of Ephraim, twelve miles from 
 Shechem, and that it does not refer to the Messiah. 
 Others again who admit that Shiloh does signify the 
 Messiah, argue that the prophecy respecting the 
 Messiah was fulfilled in the Author of Christianity ; 
 but they fail to prove the coming of the Messiah in 
 him, because the completion of this prophecy was 
 not manifest, inasmuch as even in those days the 
 sceptre still continued among the Jews, they hav- 
 ing still kings of their own hi the persons of the 
 Herods ; although it is known that soon after, the 
 regal power was entirely taken from them, and that 
 the nation ceased to be any longer a body politic. 
 Others, again, are of opinion that the sceptre has not 
 entirely departed from the Jews even to this day, 
 because it retains still a kind of sceptre or regal 
 power beyond the river Euphrates; and that the 
 Nassi or head of the tribes in that region, is a prince, 
 lineally descended from Judah, whose splendor, dig- 
 nity and power over his tribe is little inferior to that 
 of a king. We do not, however, insist on receiving 
 this as dogmatical, as it may only be an imaginary 
 kingdom.
 
 204 APPENDIX. 
 
 Our object is to show that the prophecy of Jacob 
 foretold the coming of the Messiah, and that he 
 signified the same in the word, Shiloh, which portends 
 a person, and not a place, as some would understand 
 it. Not to tire the reader by wading through the 
 writings of ancient and modern Jewish authors of 
 celebrity, we will give their version of the word 
 Shiloh in as few words as possible. The word, 
 Shiloh, in Hebrew, signifies his son, or offspring ; 
 although it is found as the name of a place where 
 the Tabernacle was erected previously to the build- 
 ing of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Septuagint 
 translates Shiloh, "the things reserved for him;" 
 and some copies have " He for whom it is reserv- 
 ed;" the Syriac, " He whose it is;" the Arabic, 
 " whose he is;" the Vulgate, " He who is to be 
 sent." In the Samaritan Text and Version it is, 
 " the peace-maker." Many others translate Shiloh, 
 " his son" 
 
 Shiloh has reference, say they, to two distinct indi- 
 viduals. The first was David, who was of the tribe 
 of Judah in whom was vested the regal power in a 
 temporal point of view and the second will be the 
 king Messiah, who will have the regal power in a 
 spiritual sense. In regard to our first point, that the 
 prophecy refers to David who was of the tribe of 
 Judah, it was most exactly accomplished in the 
 state and polity of the tribe of Judah during the 
 continuance of his sceptre, after the sceptres were 
 removed, or departed, from the other tribes of Israel.
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 205 
 
 For the remnant of all the tribes, after the Assyrian 
 Captivity, was indeed gathered unto Judah, and sub- 
 mitted to obedience under that one tribe ; and the 
 whole nation, from being called the people of Israel, 
 was afterwards called the people of Judah, and, 
 hence, probably the cognomen of Jews. In this 
 sense, the prophecy began to operate immediately 
 upon the division of the two kingdoms. God promised 
 to Solomon to give one tribe to his son for his ser- 
 vant David's sake. 
 
 But in truth, two tribes that of Judah and Ben- 
 jamin as also part of the tribe of Simeon, and many 
 families of the Levites, and other tribes, who dwelt 
 within the borders of the tribe of Judah, remained 
 under the jurisdiction of the kingdom of Judah, and 
 no other reason can be given why this body is called 
 the tribe, but this, that the tribe of Judah alone main- 
 tained its power and constitution ; for all the rest 
 were gathered to this tribe and were incorporated 
 with it, so that the one could not be distinguished 
 from the other. This fact may be seen from the 
 text itself; it is said that the Children of Israel 
 dwelt in the cities of Judah Rehoboam reigned over 
 them ; and when an account is given of Rehoboam 
 raising forces to recover his kingdom, it is expressly 
 said, that he assembled all the house of Judah and 
 the tribe of Benjamin. And yet, in the very verse 
 before, it is said, " there were none that followed the 
 house of David but the tribe of Judah !" Yet, still, 
 when God sends a message to those under Rehoboam,
 
 206 APPENDIX. 
 
 they are mentioned thus : " The house of Judah 
 and Benjamin, and the remnant of the people." 
 These, no doubt, were afterwards comprehended 
 under the title of Jews, a term introduced to signify 
 the tribe of Judah, and all the rest of the people 
 united with and under that tribe. 
 
 All who came from other tribes were considered but 
 as an additional strength to Judah. They preserved 
 no distinct polity of their own, as belonging to other 
 tribes. 
 
 From the time of the Assyrian Captivity, the case 
 is very plain. There remained without doubt many 
 private families and persons in the land, who escaped 
 in the general confusion. They did exist as parts of 
 distinct tribes, but fell under the dominion and power 
 of Judah as appears in the reformation made by 
 King Josiah, which reached not only to the cities of 
 Judah, but to all the countries that pertained to the 
 children of Israel, to the cities of Manasseh, and 
 Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto JSTaphtali cities in 
 which the Kings of Judah had no influence or author- 
 ity, so long as the separate kingdom of Israel existed. 
 After the return from the Babylonian Captivity, we 
 hear of but little else than Jews, though we know the 
 Benjamites were united with them, and (the decree 
 of Cyrus being a general permission for the return 
 of all the tribes) that many families of other tribes 
 returned to their own country. But all these were 
 gathered to Judah and became one people and in 
 this state and condition things continued till the
 
 DISCOURSE XTTT. 207 
 
 final destruction of the Jewish nation by the Roman 
 power. 
 
 The ten tribes which constituted the kingdom of 
 Israel, were carried into captivity about seven hun- 
 dred years before the Christian era, and this put an 
 end to the existence of these tribes. They have 
 never recovered or appeared as a people or nation 
 from that time to the present. 
 
 The division of the kingdom prepared the way 
 thus far, for the first part of the prophecy, viz. : the 
 suspension of the regal power for a time. Had all 
 the tribes continued under one head, they would 
 probably have undergone the same fate ; but being 
 divided in interest, and having different kings, and 
 consequently not being concerned together, in mat- 
 ters of peace and war, their fortunes proved very- 
 different, for the Assyrian Captivity was the ruin 
 of the ten tribes, but the Babylonian Captivity was 
 only a seventy years' punishment of Judah. 
 
 The seventy years of the Babylonian Captivity 
 is the only period of time that can create any diffi- 
 culty upon this head. But when we consider that 
 the Jews were not carried to Babylon to be slaves, 
 but were transported as a colony, to people the 
 great and newly enlarged City of Babylon ; that they 
 were commanded by the Prophet " to build houses 
 and plant gardens," and to seek the peace of the 
 City, in which they were captives (circumstances 
 which prove them not to have been slaves in Baby- 
 lon) : and that at the expiration of the seventy
 
 208 APPENDIX. 
 
 years, many of them were so well settled in ease 
 and plenty that they refused to return to their own 
 country ; and, furthermore, if we consider that the 
 Jews lived at Babylon as a distinct people, were 
 governed in their own affairs by their own rulers and 
 elders, appointed feasts and fasts, and ordered all 
 matters relating to their own civil and ecclesiastical 
 affairs, we shall to a great extent, if not altogether, 
 remove the apparent difficulty ; all these facts 
 tending to prove to us, that the power and sceptre 
 of Judah were not removed during this captivity, as 
 stated in Tract Sanhedrin, folio 5, page 1 : " These 
 are the heads of the Captivity who ruled Israel with 
 the sceptre." 
 
 Again, certain it is, from the accounts recorded in 
 the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, that the tribes 
 of Judah and Benjamin kept regular genealogical 
 records. That they had likewise their chiefs and 
 elders who decided matters for them there can be no 
 doubt, since they are mentioned by Ezra and Nehe- 
 miah as the persons managing the great affairs of the 
 return and reestablishment of the service of God in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 That they came back to their own country as a 
 people and nation, governed by their own laws, is 
 evident from the complaint made against them to 
 Artaxerxes, in which they are represented too great 
 to be thought a mere set of slaves subject to a foreign 
 yoke, without law or government of their own. 
 
 True, from the time of the Captivity, the people
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 
 
 209 
 
 were not so free as they had been formerly, they 
 lived under subjection to the Persian monarchs, and 
 Tinder the Empires of the Greeks and Romans, to the 
 last hour of their final dispersion ; but still they lived, 
 during that time, as a distinct people, governed by 
 their own laws. 
 
 From this deduction it appears evident that the 
 sceptre, or the power of government, did depart from 
 all the other tribes long before Judah's, as also that 
 the power was continued to its posterity, as above 
 stated, even while in captivity, and only departed 
 from it at the final dispersion of the nation from 
 Palestine, when the people were scattered all over 
 the face of the globe, as we see at the present day. 
 It was then that the sceptre did depart from Judah, 
 and the tribe is now so far from bearing rule, that it 
 is not known with certainty which is the tribe of 
 Judah. 
 
 That no one being has yet appeared, answering to 
 the description of the ShiloTi predicted by the in- 
 spired Patriarch, is evident beyond dispute, from the 
 fact that all nations have not as yet concentrated 
 themselves into one band, united in peace and har- 
 mony with each other, according to the prophecies 
 foretold throughout the sacred volume. 
 
 Now let us turn our attention to the latter part of 
 the verse " and unto him shall the gathering of the 
 people be." 
 
 The Hebrew word Yikhas does not literally signify 
 a gathering but rather submission. Although the 
 
 10"
 
 210 APPENDIX, 
 
 authorized version may not be objectionable, as, in a 
 philosophical sense submission, finally, may be in- 
 ferred from an assemblage of persons convened for a 
 specific object, to listen and assent to what may 
 be proposed. There is but one opinion on the sub- 
 ject that Yikhas signifies submission. Yet we will 
 quote one authority which we trust will suffice. The 
 learned author of the Zemach David, in his Hebrew 
 and Chaldaic Lexicon, writes thus under the head 
 of Yoko, viz. : "Auscultare " signifies to obey and 
 in illustration of the same, he quotes Yikhas from 
 our text, which he translates acceptatio praecepti 
 "The compliance with a precept" or in other words, 
 submission to commands given. 
 
 From this particular promise made to Judah, 
 we infer that his sceptre shall not depart forever, 
 because Shiloh will come and restore his power and 
 sovereignty ; that the sceptres of all the other tribes 
 shall depart from them before the time predicted for 
 the coming of Shiloh, and that they shall not con- 
 tinue till that period, each as a respective tribe or 
 people, under its own government, but shall be scat- 
 tered all over the face of the globe, and fall under 
 the government of others. This has evidently been 
 fulfilled to the letter, confirming all the prophetic 
 predictions of the inspired messengers of the God 
 of Israel, from the time of the Divine Legislator, 
 Moses, down to Malachi, with whom all prophetical 
 visions ceased. 
 
 There is an important point to notice in this most
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 211 
 
 interesting subject. From the words, "that his 
 sceptre should not depart from Judah forever" be- 
 cause Shiloh will come, we must infer that it shall 
 depart then ; for when the annointed of the Lord 
 shall appear to restore Israel to his former glory, the 
 King Messiah will reign supreme over all the inhab- 
 itants of the earth, introducing general peace, and 
 uninterrupted happiness, causing a cessation of all 
 warfare and bickering among mankind, as beautifully 
 depicted by the poets of old, under the name of the 
 " Golden Age." Then will be verified the expres- 
 sion, "forever" in its true sense, viz. : the temporal 
 power will be suspended, and a spiritual and more 
 sublime government will be instituted in its stead. 
 For the expression, "forever" must not be taken in 
 the same acceptation as the term, never, for such was 
 not the intention of the Prophetic Sire, since, as 
 we have already notified, in a temporal point of 
 view, the regal power has departed, or rather has 
 been suspended for a time, until the divine fiat shall 
 go forth, commanding his annointed to collect the 
 scattered forces of his favorite and chosen people, for 
 the purposes above mentioned, viz. : for the benefit 
 of mankind in general. This seems to be the plain 
 and true sense of the words, " the sceptre shall not 
 depart," etc., for let it be properly noticed, that the 
 word Shebet, which we translate sceptre, signifies 
 a rod or staff of any kind, and the insignium of 
 office, and the authority of those who bear the same. 
 This meaning helps us to fix and determine the sense
 
 212 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the word Mechokike, properly rendered " a Law- 
 giver." And the word itself signifies not only a 
 Law-giver, or a maker of laws, but also he who 
 dispenseth them, or administers justice according to 
 the laws ; and as the term Mechokike is qualified 
 by the words, " from between his feet," it plainly 
 means nothing else than as we have already ex- 
 plained that the Law-giver will of a certainty de- 
 scend from the tribe of Judah, as invariably under- 
 stood throughout the Sacred Volume, and be closely 
 connected with the regal power to dispense the laws 
 and enactments which may be dictated by such 
 authority. 
 
 Having thus commented on what should not de- 
 part from Judah forever, because a particular cir- 
 cumstance will come to pass, we trust that from the 
 proofs advanced by the Sacred Volume, we have 
 been treading on safe ground in our version of the 
 text and thus have set aside all vain hypotheses on 
 so important a subject touching the true interests 
 and spirit of Judaism we will now conclude with 
 these few following remarks : It appears clear to our 
 understanding, that none else but the Messiah is 
 meant in this prophecy of Jacob, in which idea we 
 are supported by almost every expounder of Holy 
 Writ among all nations. For whatever construction 
 they place on the word Shiloh, whatever be its deri- 
 vation, or whomsoever they mean by it, the Messiah 
 is the person plainly intended. We Israelites have 
 but one opinion on the subject that the Messiah is
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 213 
 
 yet to come, and that the said Messiah is to be 
 through the line of David, he being the lineal de- 
 scendant of Judah, in the fulfilment of his father 
 Jacob's Blessing, as bequeathed to him in the man- 
 ner already described. It is not our province to des- 
 cant on the validity of the meaning attached to the 
 said prophecy, by the nations at large ; our duty 
 extends no further than to teach our own brethren 
 what the true signification of the text is, and to 
 endeavor, as much as possible, by plain and correct 
 inference, to impress upon the minds of our co-relig- 
 ionists the truth of this prophetic Blessing, and to 
 fix their faith unalterably. We do not mean by this 
 to shut out any inquiry on a subject so important to 
 our welfare, as a people of God's own planting, but 
 such inquiry must be based on faith and reason. 
 Faith, as the privilege and blessing of the believer 
 in God's holy word and reason, to guide us in 
 such a path as not to distort the text from its legit- 
 imate bearing and tendency. Sophistry must not 
 be permitted as argument, and vainly designated 
 as reason ; it cannot be admitted as synonymous with 
 the latter, by either the law-giver or the philologist, 
 and forms no part of the education of the philosophic 
 mind, nor in any way assists it to a mathematical 
 solution of any given problem. If our reasoning on 
 this point be rational, if we justly deduce conse- 
 quences from premises, without which they must 
 prove futile, how much more correct will our ideas 
 be when considered in relation to faith and religion.
 
 214 APPENDIX. 
 
 These are, and must be, held as indispensably ce- 
 mented, and as the undeviating principles upon which 
 depends the happiness of the whole race of beings 
 on this probationary planet. 
 
 The more we consider this wonderful prophecy of 
 the Patriarch Jacob, and the present state of our 
 nation, which remains a perpetual witness of its truth, 
 the more room we see for our faith in God, and the 
 constant hope that he will fulfil his divine promise 
 the evidences of which meet us with irresistible force, 
 when we contemplate our position among the nations 
 of the earth. It dispels all the clouds of doubt, and 
 shines forth with all the radiant light of truth. 
 
 ! most adorable wisdom ! thou hast so laid the 
 foundations of truth that they can never be moved, 
 that, whether we consult our own reasoning faculties, 
 which thou hast bestowed on mankind in general, or 
 whether we turn back to the ancient records of thy 
 will, which thou, in thy infinite wisdom, hast com- 
 mitted to the keeping of thy beloved and chosen 
 people, we find convincing proofs that thou hast de- 
 termined, in thy wise counsels that "The sceptre 
 shall not depart from Judah, nor a Law-giver from 
 between his feet, forever, because SJiiloh will come, 
 and unto him shall be the gathering or submission of 
 nations."
 
 DISCOTRSE XIII. 215 
 
 ZEBULUN. 
 
 In treating on the prophecy of Jacob concerning 
 the posterity of Zebulun, we must remark, that, 
 according to age, Issachar should have preceded 
 Zebulun. Yet, we find that Jacob addressed the 
 former first, though he was the younger of the two ; 
 for which no especial reason can be assigned, unless 
 we conclude that the Patriarch foresaw that the lot 
 and portion of Zebulun would be superior to that 
 of Issachar. Our conjecture is not without some 
 grounds, for if Jacob had actually been present at 
 the division of the promised land, he could not have 
 given a more exact description of Zebulun's lot, than 
 he did, then, two hundred and fifty years before it 
 took place. 
 
 The Patriarch in a very few words declares: 
 " Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the Sea ; and 
 and he shall be for an haven of ships ; and his bor- 
 der shall be unto Zidon." Or, in other words: 
 " Zebulun's dwellings shall spread themselves along* 
 the borders of the Sea, and he shall stretch his com- 
 modious harbors as far as the City of Zidon." 
 
 It is generally supposed, that the haven of the 
 Sea where Zebulun dwelt was near the lake of Tibe- 
 rias, or Sea of Galilee, to which the east border of 
 this tribe extended. Its portion reached along the 
 coast of the Mediterranean Sea the one end bor- 
 dering on this and the other, on the Sea of Tibe- 
 rias. This appears to be so, from the facts recorded
 
 216 APPENDIX. 
 
 in the Book of Joshua, in the allotment of each 
 tribe's portion in the land of Canaan. 
 
 Some commentators consider the expression, 
 " towards Zidon," implies : his situation shall be 
 such, that by means of his shipping he may readily 
 traffic with Zidon. 
 
 It was in this spirit that Moses in his last words 
 coupled Zebulun with Issachar, saying : " Rejoice, 
 Zebulun, in thy going out ; and, Issachar, in thy 
 tents ;" meaning, that these two tribes, though 
 being at the greatest distance north, should still 
 come together to the Temple at Jerusalem, and 
 bring along with them all the other tribes who dwelt 
 in the immediate countries ; and that dwelling on 
 the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, they should 
 apply themselves to trade and navigation, and in the 
 manufacture of metals and glass which is implied 
 by the words, " Treasures hidden in the Sand." 
 The River Belus which was situated in this tribe's 
 portion, had a certain description of sand which was 
 found well calculated for the making of glass. 
 
 We may also mention, that when the tribe of Zeb- 
 ulun left Egypt, it had for its chief, Eliab, the son 
 of Elon, and numbered fifty-seven thousand and four 
 hundred men able to bear arms as stated in Num- 
 bers 1 : 31 : " Those that were numbered of them, 
 even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven 
 thousand and four hundred." 
 
 In another review, thirty-nine years later, this 
 tribe numbered sixty thousand and five hundred
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 217 
 
 men capable of bearing arms, as stated. Numbers 
 26: 27. 
 
 The Bible also informs us of the warlike character 
 of this tribe that, when they joined the tribe of 
 Naphtali, they both distinguished themselves in the 
 war of Barak and Deborah against Sisera, the Gen- 
 eral of the armies of Jaban. Judges 4. 
 
 It is generally supposed that these two tribes were 
 among the first Israelites who were carried into cap- 
 tivity beyond the Euphrates by Pul and Tiglath Pi- 
 leser, Kings of Assyria, as recorded hi the first 
 Book of Chronicles, Chap. 5 : 26. 
 
 In reviewing these facts, we may justly admire 
 the exactness of Jacob's predictions, that he should, 
 so many years . before the Conquest of Canaan, be 
 enabled so clearly to describe the precise situation of 
 the respective places which were to be the lot of his 
 posterity. It was by this means, that the several 
 tribes were taught to understand that their settle- 
 ment in the promised land was not the mere effect 
 of chance, or, that it was gained by their own prow- 
 ess and warlike achievements, but that they should 
 consider it as the especial gift of God hi corrobora- 
 tion of the minute prediction given by Jacob on his 
 dying couch.
 
 218 APPENDIX. 
 
 IS S ACH AE. 
 
 No less wonderful and exact was the Patriarch in 
 the description of the tribe of Issachar, and the por- 
 tion that was assigned to it. We find that this tribe 
 had one of the richest and most fertile spots in all 
 the land of Canaan. Jacob addresses Issachar in 
 the following figurative language, and which cannot 
 be literally understood. He says : " Issachar is a 
 strong ass, couching down between two burdens," 
 signifying brawny, strong, robust. The ass is con- 
 sidered a patient animal, and a proper symbol of labor, 
 for in eastern countries it was principally employed 
 as a beast of burden. 
 
 These expressions would, therefore, denote that 
 Issachar's posterity should devote themselves to the 
 quiet and retired occupation of tillage and husbandry ; 
 and instead of being engaged in merchandise, and 
 other active scenes of life, like their brethren of the 
 tribe of Zebulun, that they would be lovers of peace 
 and rest. 
 
 This interpretation exactly agrees with the words 
 of Moses, who, when speaking of Zebulun, declares, 
 " Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out ; Issachar in thy 
 tents." 
 
 " Couching down between two burdens," figura- 
 tively marks the tame and indolent temper of this 
 tribe, and that it would rather submit to the heaviest 
 taxes and impositions than engage in any warlike pur- 
 suits, or political disagreements. Just like the ass,
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 219 
 
 which, however strong, will go tamely couching with 
 a burden on either shoulder ; and, rather than shake 
 it off, will quietly lie down under it. 
 
 This description may be considered a fair specimen 
 of the character of Issachar's posterity. Their his- 
 tory acquaints us that they patiently cultivated then- 
 lands, abiding within their own territory, a peace- 
 loving race. Yet they did at all times contribute 
 their aid to the common cause, when the Israelites 
 were oppressed by foreign nations, by paying consider- 
 able taxes in exchange for personal services. Their 
 peaceable disposition was the cause of their having 
 been subjected to frequent invasions by strangers, 
 who took advantage of their neutrality more espe- 
 cially in the days of the Judges and rulers in Israel. 
 On these occasions they purchased their security by 
 submission and tribute rather than struggle for their 
 independence on the field of battle. 
 
 The text continues : " And he saw that rest was 
 good, and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed 
 his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute." 
 The tribe of Issachar had its inheritance in that por- 
 tion of the land along the great plain or valley of 
 Jezreel, with the half tribe of Manasseh on the 
 South, that of Zebulun on the North, the Mediterra- 
 nean on the West, and Jordan with the extremity of 
 the Sea of Tiberias on the East. That they pos- 
 sessed one of the most fertile and pleasant tracts of 
 land in Canaan appears from Josephus' description of 
 the Upper and Lower Galilee, which included the
 
 220 APPENDIX. 
 
 territories of this tribe. " The country," says he, 
 " is fruitful to admiration, abounding with pastures 
 and nurseries of all kinds, so that it would make any 
 man in love with husbandry." 
 
 And the latter part of the prophetic blessing, 
 " And became a servant to tribute," was literally ful- 
 filled in the days of the Judges, as already noticed, 
 when the whole body of the nation became tributary 
 to the neighboring kings, and chiefly the posterity of 
 Issachar on account of the fertility of their soil. 
 And when Moses, in his last moments, declared, 
 " Issachar shall dwell in thy tents," he signified that 
 while Zebulun should rejoice in his mercantile, active 
 life, in going abroad to traffic, Issachar should remain 
 at home to enjoy the pleasures of a country life, en- 
 gaged in husbandry and agricultural pursuits, as also 
 in the study of the law, and the understanding of the 
 times and seasons, in order properly to know the right 
 periods for sowing, planting, and tilling the land. 
 
 This is the generally-received acceptation of the 
 expression, " Issachar delighting, or choosing, to 
 dwell in tents. 
 
 DAN. 
 
 Jacob now proceeds to address Dan, one of the 
 sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid. Jacob plainly 
 intimates that the sons of the handmaids should enjoy 
 equal privileges with those of his other children, and
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 221 
 
 be the heads and judges of their own tribes. In 
 alluding to Dan, the Patriarch declares : " Dan shall 
 judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel," 
 signifying he shall judge his people, that is, his own 
 tribe, like the rest of the twelve tribes. 
 
 Jacob's intention was no doubt to let it be under- 
 stood among his sons, that though Dan was the son 
 of a handmaid, (and therefore might be considered 
 inferior to the other brothers,) yet, his posterity 
 should be governed by a head of their own tribe, 
 equal to the other tribes of Israel. And we venture 
 to state, that what Jacob says here of Dan, may be 
 applicable, by analogy, to all bis other sons born of 
 the two handmaids. 
 
 " Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in 
 the path; that biteth the horse-heels, so that his 
 rider shall fall backward." By these expressions it 
 is understood that the tribe of Dan should be noted 
 for their stratagems in war, defeating their enemies 
 more by policy than power comparing them to the 
 serpent which lurks in the road, and, when least 
 expected, bites the heel of the horse, thus causing 
 him to throw his rider. 
 
 The word Nachash" in Hebrew, signifies, in the 
 common acceptation, a serpent in general, which, as 
 some suppose, does not possess such qualities as are 
 here described by Jacob. Most commentators are 
 of opinion that the serpent here alluded to, is of that 
 kind called by the Greeks " cerastes,'" which has two 
 fleshy horns. Its instinct is, to hide itself in the
 
 222 APPENDIX. 
 
 sand and fasten itself on the horse's heel, thus dis- 
 abling the animal, which then throws its rider. 
 
 It is the generally-received opinion that this proph- 
 ecy was fulfilled Avhen Samson, who was a descend- 
 ant of Dan, pulled down the great Temple of the 
 Philistines, which crushed to death both him and 
 them. 
 
 After the death of Joshua there were nine Judges 
 who ruled over Israel eight of these judges were 
 defeated by the several powers which waged war 
 against them. Samson, however, proved an excep- 
 tion. He represented the serpent, figuratively alluded 
 to by his ancester Jacob. For Samson certainly 
 did avenge himself on his enemies for the treachery 
 they practiced towards him in the cruel act of putting 
 out his eyes. 
 
 Samson was the last Judge in Israel. After his 
 death commenced the reign of kings. Saul was the 
 first king anriointed by Samuel the prophet, in obe- 
 dience to the command of the Almighty. In refer- 
 ence to Samson, we must remark, that there appears 
 no doubt but that he was the person of whom Jacob 
 prophecied, and that he intimated, that though Dan's 
 tribe was but small, (he having had but one son,) 
 yet it should produce one of the most famous rulers 
 in Israel. We must also notice, that, though Dan 
 had but one son, yet this tribe proved numerous in 
 proportion, for on leaving Egypt it numbered sixty- 
 two thousand and seven hundred men able to bear 
 arms, as stated in Numbers 1 : 38 : " Those that
 
 DISCOURSE XHI. 
 
 223 
 
 were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, 
 were three score and two thousand and seven hun- 
 dred." 
 
 The Patriarch Jacob, favored by inspiration, saw 
 that Samson would be in danger, and that after all 
 his strategy and warlike exploits, there would be no 
 earthly salvation for him. Under this impression, 
 and in pity for his descendant, he pours out his 
 soul in supplication to his God, piously exclaiming, 
 " God, I await thy salvation." Some writers have 
 questioned the propriety of this passionate ejacula- 
 tion of the Patriarch in favor of Samson, whom he 
 evidently meant in this particular instance. For, 
 say they, such a prayer might have accompanied the 
 blessings of Gad Asher, and Napthali, or even any 
 of the other tribes, equally as well as that of the 
 tribe of Dan. A little reflection, however, will re- 
 lieve us from this apparent difficulty. In examin- 
 ing the circumstances of the rest of the tribes, it 
 appears that this prayer of Jacob was exactly suited 
 to the purpose of Samson only, and not to any other 
 person mentioned in this history. We indorse this 
 opinion from the facts connected with the last bold 
 act of Samson, when he had concluded to punish his 
 enemies, the Philistines, who put out his eyes, and 
 thus rendered him unfit to take up arms against them. 
 When Samson stood before the portals of the Great 
 Temple of the Philistines, and, laying his hands upon 
 the two outward pillars, prayed to the Lord in these 
 words : " Lord God, remember me, I pray thee,
 
 224 APPENDIX. 
 
 and strengthen me only this once, God, that I may 
 be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two 
 eyes." Judges 16 : 28. 
 
 The Almighty granted his prayer ; not, however, 
 to compensate him for the loss of his two eyes, since 
 that was caused by his own folly, but to punish the 
 Philistines for their wickedness and continued assaults 
 upon God's own people. This fact proves the truth 
 of the Patriarch's prediction, and shows that hia 
 prayer to the Almighty on behalf of Samson, must 
 have been the effect of inspiration, by which he saw 
 the trouble in which Samson would be ; otherwise it 
 would be somewhat difficult to reconcile our mind to 
 the propriety of this passionate wish for salvation, on 
 behalf of Dan especially, and not for any of the rest 
 of his brethren. 
 
 GAD. 
 
 Jacob having dismissed Dan, who was the son of 
 Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, now turns to the two 
 sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, viz. : Gad and 
 Asher, and he leaves Naphtali, the second son of 
 Bilhah, until he has concluded with Gad and Asher, 
 although in point of order Naphtali should have fol- 
 lowed his brother Dan. To some probably it might 
 appear of no moment who is named first or last, but 
 Jacob had an object in view in this, as well as in all 
 he did in reference to his children's future position in
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 225 
 
 life. In this instance, he was desirous of leaving his 
 household in peace after his departure from this 
 world, and therefore he divided his attention between 
 the sons of the two handmaids, in order not to create 
 any jealousy on the part of the two wives, Leah and 
 Rachel. 
 
 When Gad was born, his mother being overjoyed 
 on the occasion, exclaimed, " a troop cometh," and 
 she called his name Grad, which signifies in Hebrew 
 a troop. Jacob addresses Gad in the following terms : 
 " Gad, a troop shall overcome him ; but he shall over- 
 come at the last," implying that Gad would be fre- 
 quently infested by bands of robbers and plunderers ; 
 but that he would ultimately prove the conqueror. 
 
 Jacob's prediction was realized. The tribe of Gad 
 inherited a frontier country beyond the Jordan, and 
 was much exposed to the incursions of the neighbor- 
 ing people, particularly the Ammonites ; but these 
 were at length completely subdued in the days of the 
 Judges, by Jeptha the Gileadite, as stated. Judges 
 11: 32, 33: 
 
 " So Jephtha passed over unto the children of 
 Ammon, to fight against them ; and the Lord deliv- 
 ered them into his hands. 
 
 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou 
 come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the 
 plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. 
 Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before 
 the children of Israel." 
 
 History informs us that the prediction of Jacob 
 11
 
 226 APPENDIX. 
 
 concerning this tribe, as in all the rest, was fully 
 verified. The plundering Arabs were constantly 
 annoying them and it was only by the bravery and 
 constant watchfulness on the part of the Gadites that 
 not only were the Arabs prevented from committing 
 any serious depredations, but were often severely 
 punished by the Gadites. 
 
 The prophecy concerning Gad had, no doubt, par- 
 ticular reference to the continued conflicts his de- 
 scendants had with the Hagarites, viz. : NephisJi, 
 Jetur, and Nodab, whom they at length conquered, 
 taking from them, in one battle, fifty thousand camels, 
 two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and one hun- 
 dred thousand men, prisoners. 1 Chronicles 5 : 19, 
 20, 21. 
 
 We are supported in our version of the text and 
 its application by Moses, who, when giving his last 
 blessing to Israel, declares, in reference to the tribe 
 of Gad : " Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad ; he 
 dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the 
 crown of the head." Deut. 33 : 20. Signifying in 
 other words, " Blessed be Gad, who hath allotted to 
 him such a large inheritance ; he dwelleth as a lion," 
 meaning, he lives fearlessly and secure though sur- 
 rounded by numerous enemies ; " and he teareth the 
 arm with the crown of the head," implying, as 
 Onkelos renders it, " killing Princes with their 
 Kings ;" for Princes are considered as the arms of 
 the State, and the King the head thereof. 
 
 We find also that Gad was among the first who
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 227 
 
 selected his lot in the conquered land. We read in 
 the book, of Numbers, that this tribe desired to be 
 settled on the farther side of the Jordan, in the 
 country of Sihon, with Eeuben, and part of the tribe 
 of Mauasseh. Gad's portion was situated between 
 Reuben south, and Manasseh north, with the moun- 
 tains of Gilead east, and Jordan west. 
 
 Gad answered very minutely to what was foretold 
 of him, both in number and courage. On the de- 
 parture of the Israelites from Egypt, the tribe of 
 Gad numbered forty-five thousand six hundred and 
 fifty. This tribe was foremost in the battle against 
 the Canaanites, it being the most powerful agree- 
 ably to the covenant made with Moses, that when the 
 land should be taken, they were to inherit their por- 
 tion on the other side of the Jordan and hence it 
 was that Moses declared in advance : " And he came 
 with the heads of the people, he executed the justice 
 of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel." Deut. 
 33: 21. 
 
 ASHER. 
 
 Jacob now turns his attention to Asher, the second 
 son of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, and thus 
 addresses him : 
 
 " Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he 
 shall yield royal dainties," which implies, Asher's
 
 228 APPENDIX. 
 
 portion shall make him happy ; it shall abound with 
 excellent corn and oil ; the bread and dainty meats 
 that shall be made of them shall be fit for a king's 
 table. The blessing given to Asher may be rendered 
 in a two-fold sense, hence our paraphrase, which 
 embodies both and which is supported by facts in 
 history, viz. : That his country should be the most 
 fertile, and produce the best corn in Palestine, and 
 that it should 'abound with the finest and most deli- 
 cious oils, used to flavor the most delicate kinds of 
 royal dainties. On this account we have selected 
 such terms as would express the two excellencies of 
 the beautiful soil in the portion allotted to the tribe 
 of Asher. That we opine correctly, may be seen by 
 the last blessing of Moses, who, when speaking of 
 Asher, says : " And let him dip his foot in,pil," sig- 
 nifying, He shall be situated in a rich soil, where oil 
 shall be in such plenty that he may not only wash his 
 face, but even bis feet in it. 
 
 This prophetic blessing was remarkably fulfilled ; 
 for Asher's portion of land yielded the finest and 
 purest oil throughout the whole of Canaan. The 
 tribe of Asher was promised a fruitful tract of land, 
 abounding, not only, with all the provisions necessary 
 to sustain life, but even with a supply of the choicest 
 fruits fit for the festive board of kings and princes. 
 Such a tract of land was accordingly allotted to the 
 tribe of Asher, at the distribution of the promised 
 land among the twelve tribes. The inheritance of 
 the tribe of Asher was along the sea coast, stretch-
 
 DISCOURSE XIH. 
 
 229 
 
 ing from Sidon on the north, to Mount Carmel on the 
 south. But the northern portion, viz. : from Tyre 
 northward, this tribe never possessed, because the 
 Phoenicians, who inhabited that portion of the coun- 
 try, were not expelled. These Phoenicians are sup- 
 posed by some not to have been pure Canaanites, but 
 a mixture of them, with a Cuthite colony from Egypt. 
 Asher's situation was the most northerly of the tribes, 
 having that of Naphtali on the west, and Zebulun 
 on the south. 
 
 That the portion allotted to the tribe of Asher was 
 a beautiful tract of land, especially Mount Carmel, 
 may be inferred from the Prophet Isaiah, in the 
 twenty-fifth chapter of his book, where he says : << It 
 shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy 
 and singing ; the glory of Lebanon shall be given 
 unto it; the excellency of Carmel and Sharon." 
 Carmel was a most delightfully woody mountain, 
 famous for its excellent cedars ; and Sharon, a most 
 beautiful field for good pasture. So that, all these 
 facts combined, express the great and superior excel- 
 lency of Asher's portion, and thus plainly assure us 
 of the truth of the prophetic spirit in which the 
 Patriarch dispensed his blessings to all his children, 
 for, without admitting this fact, it would be impossi- 
 ble for us to account for the fulfilment, hi so minute 
 a degree, of all the Patriarch's blessings.
 
 230 APPENDIX. 
 
 NAPHTALI. 
 
 Naphtali, the second son of Bilhah, Rachel's hand- 
 maid, comes next in order to receive his dying father's 
 blessing. Jacob, in a few words declares, " Naph- 
 tali is a hind let loose ; he giveth goodly words." 
 
 In order to make this blessing somewhat more 
 intelligible, we submit the following paraphrase : 
 
 " Naphtali, like a hind newly escaped, or let loose, 
 shall excel his brethren in swiftness, and be distin- 
 tinguished for the sweetness of his eloquence." 
 
 The blessing of Jacob to Naphtali had, no doubt, 
 reference to two particular qualifications in his char- 
 acter. The one, swiftness, like the hind, which is 
 noted for his speed, the other, eloquence, in bringing 
 pleasant tidings. 
 
 According to the opinions of some of the Chaldee 
 paraphrasts, Jacob had reference in his blessing to 
 the part taken by Naphtali, when Joseph's brethren 
 were dispatched to inform their father that he was 
 still alive, and that he* held the high position of Gov- 
 ernor in Egypt. On that occasion, it is said, that 
 Naphtali was foremost in the rank, and was the first 
 who arrived home to convey the pleasing intelligence. 
 Naphtali performed this duty in so eloquent and 
 beautiful a style, that it at once made the desired 
 impression, and removed all doubt from the mind of 
 Jacob as to the truth of the report. Another ver- 
 sion of the text runs thus : That Jacob compared 
 Naphtali to a well spread oak, which shoots forth
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 231 
 
 beautiful foliage. And in this sense it was fulfilled, 
 by the extraordinary fruitfulness of his tribe. Naph- 
 tali brought with him four sons, when he went down 
 to Egypt. In the course of two hundred years, this 
 tribe consisted of no less than fifty- three thousand 
 men fit to bear arms. This simile may also be 
 applied to the fruitfulness of the territory of that 
 tribe, which was located in the upper Galilee, a coun- 
 try celebrated for its pleasant and prolific soil. This 
 idea agrees with the benediction of Moses in favor 
 of this tribe, when he says : 
 
 " Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full with the 
 blessing of the Lord, possess thou the West and the 
 South." Dent. 33 : 23. 
 
 Some commentators render instead of the " West," 
 the " Sea," as the Hebrew word will admit of either 
 translation. The Sea referred to by them, was that 
 of Gennesareth, which was on the south side of the 
 inheritance of this tribe. It extended into the upper 
 and lower Galilee, having Jordan on the east, the 
 tribes of Asher and Zebulun on the west, Lebanon 
 on the north, and the tribe of Issachar on the south. 
 In this manner we see, that in whatever way we ren- 
 der the text, all subsequent events in the history of 
 this tribe show the prophetic spirit in which both 
 Jacob and Moses spake. In the one sense, it has 
 reference to Barak, who proved victorious in the 
 great battle fought between him and Sisera, the 
 General of Jabin, king of the Canaanites ; and in 
 the second, to the sweet words which Deborah and
 
 232 APPENDIX. 
 
 he sang in the noble Canticle which was composed 
 on that memorable occasion. In this song Deborah 
 gratefully declares : 
 
 " Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeop- 
 arded their lives unto the death in the high places of 
 the field." Judges 4: 18. 
 
 Out of these two tribes, Barak, bj coramand of 
 God, drew ten thousand men, who charged the enemy 
 from Mount Tabor, on which occasion, as stated by 
 the Prophetess, they fought bravely, and gallantly 
 exposed themselves to the most imminent danger on 
 the field of battle. Not less brave were they when 
 called upon in the days of Gideon, to assist him in 
 his pursuit after the Midianites : " And the men of 
 Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali 
 and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pur- 
 sued after the Midianites," Judges 7 : 2S. 
 
 It is generally supposed that this flight of the 
 Midianites was caused by a stratgem, brought about 
 by the alertness of the messengers dispatched to 
 decoy the enemy, by which the Israelites were ena- 
 bled to pour down upon them unexpectedly and 
 intercept them in their flight. The Book of Chroni- 
 cles, also, informs us that this tribe distinguished 
 itself at the coronation of King David. On that 
 occasion appeared one thousand Captains and thirty- 
 seven thousand troops, bringing with them large 
 quantities of provisions, in honor of that joyous 
 event. 
 
 It is thus clearly shown, that in whatever sense we
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 233 
 
 render the text, the spirit of prophecy breaks through 
 every line of the Patriarch's blessing to his sons 
 supported, as it is, by the historical facts recorded in 
 the Bible. 
 
 JOSEPH. 
 
 Jacob, having blessed the sons of the two hand- 
 maids, now turns with apparent joy to those of his 
 beloved Rachel. Various are the views entertained 
 by commentators in reference to this blessing the 
 Hebrew admitting of different constructions, which 
 may be justified by the various events that occurred 
 to Joseph and his descendants. We shall submit the 
 interpretations as we find them, leaving to the reader 
 the choice of selection. The English version runs 
 thus: 
 
 " Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough 
 by a well ; whose branches run over the wall." 
 
 According to this translation, sanctioned by some 
 eminent authorities in Israel, we may venture the fol- 
 lowing illustration : Joseph, from whom descended 
 two tribes, is compared to a fruitful bough growing 
 in a well-watered soil, and shooting forth two luxuri- 
 ous stems or branches. When we look at the great 
 increase of these two sons of Joseph, the prediction 
 of Jacob was fully accomplished. Moses, hi his last 
 blessing, when referring to the two sons of Joseph, 
 says : 
 
 ir
 
 234 APPENDIX. 
 
 " And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, 
 and they are the thousands of Manasseh." Deut. 
 33: 17. 
 
 Here Moses ascribes to Ephraim ten thousands, 
 while to Manasseh only thousands, implying that 
 Ephraim, though the younger of the two, would he 
 the more numerous, as originally predicted hy the 
 Patriarch Jacob. A further proof of the fulfilment 
 of this prophecy is found in the allotment made by 
 Joshua at the division of the promised land among the 
 several tribes of Israel. Some writers have observed 
 that " Joseph " signifies increase, " Paroih" beauti- 
 ful, and " Bonous" daughters. Hence, from these 
 words they make the following paraphrase : 
 
 That Joseph shall increase more and more, as his 
 name indicates ; his beauty shall attract the eyes of 
 the fair sex, for the damsels ran upon the walls to 
 see him. 
 
 That Joseph was a handsome youth, we are assured 
 by the manner in which the sacred historian intro- 
 duces him to our notice, not only beautiful in appear- 
 ance, but mild and gentle in disposition, which 
 attracted the notice of all those who formed his 
 acquaintance. These qualifications of Joseph ren- 
 dered him an object of envy and jealousy but too 
 often the lot of the good and the virtuous. The 
 Patriarch thus declares : 
 
 " The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot 
 at him, and hated him. But his bow abode in 
 strength, and the arms of his hands were made
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 235 
 
 strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob ; 
 from thence is the Shepherd, the house of Israel," 
 signifying men armed with poisoned darts of rancor 
 and envy, alluding to Joseph's brethren, who perse- 
 cuted him, and caused him so much trouble and 
 anxiety. Laboring under the pressure of such evils, 
 his ruin would have been unavoidable, had not the 
 Almighty, in whom he trusted, proved his strong 
 shield and defence, bursting his bands asunder and 
 releasing him from a prison in which he was so 
 unjustly placed by his master and subsequently 
 making him a father and protector to the house of 
 Israel. 
 
 We would further remark, in illustration of our 
 subject, that as Joseph's enemies are considered as 
 archers, so in pursuance of the same metaphor, he 
 is considered as armed also with a bow to defend 
 himself. And this bow of his " abode in strength," 
 or proved firm, viz. : he withstood all their malicious 
 efforts by his faith in God, with unbroken fortitude 
 and resolution, like the tough bow, which, though 
 long employed in the battle, neither breaks nor be- 
 comes more flexible. " And the arms of his hands 
 were made strong by the hands of the mighty God 
 of Jacob," implying that his pious trust in Divine 
 Providence was rewarded by the protection of heaven, 
 which is understood by the words, " the mighty God 
 of Jacob," since Jacob himself had so often experi- 
 enced his goodness and mercy. " From thence is 
 the Shepherd, the stone of Israel," signifying that
 
 236 APPENDIX. 
 
 by the ordination of the Ruler of all things, Joseph, 
 who was at one time the shepherd youth, then a 
 prisoner in a strange land, was released and raised 
 to the high office of Governor in that very land, 
 becoming the sole support of his aged father, and of 
 the whole of his family. He is thus beautifully 
 depicted as the foundation and upholder of Israel. 
 
 Jacob having alluded to Joseph's past troubles and 
 present greatness, now foretells his future prosperity 
 and achievements at the taking of the promised 
 land, as recorded in the book of Joshua, chapter 
 17: 17, 18: 
 
 "And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, 
 even to Ephraim, and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art 
 a great people, and hast great power ; thou shalt not 
 have one lot only. 
 
 But the mountain shall be thine, for it is a wood ; 
 thou shalt cut it down ; and the outgoings of it shall 
 be thine, for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, 
 though they have iron chariots, and though they be 
 strong." 
 
 The Patriarch continues to predict how all this 
 shall come to pass, saying, " Even by the God of thy 
 father, who shall keep thee ; and by the Almighty, 
 who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, 
 blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of 
 the breasts, and of the womb." This appears to be 
 a further amplification of the following blessing, viz. : 
 That Joseph's posterity should be situated in a fer- 
 tile soil, irrigated by seasonable rain and dew from
 
 DISCOURSE XIII. 237 
 
 above, and with the blessings of the deep, viz. : 
 springs and rivers, as also with a numerous thriving 
 progeny, as well as plenty of flocks and herds of 
 cattle. 
 
 " The blessings of my father have prevailed above 
 the blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost 
 bounds of the everlasting hills ; they shall be on the 
 head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of 
 him that was separate from his brethren." Thus 
 prayed the Patriarch, " May all the blessings prom- 
 ised me, and to my forefathers, be doubled upon 
 the crowned head ; may they rise above the summit 
 of the everlasting mountains, and prove to him more 
 fruitful and desirable than they." That perpetuity 
 is expressed in the Bible by the durableness of the 
 mountains, appears from several passages. The He- 
 brew word which we translate bounds, may also be 
 rendered desire. Hence, some authors are of opin- 
 ion that this portion of Jacob's blessing has a two- 
 fold meaning, the durableness of the mountains, as, 
 also, their desirable productions. In this sense it 
 might be rendered, " Unto all that is most desirable 
 in the ancient hills," alluding to the noble hills of 
 Bashan and Mount Ephraim, which fell to the lot of 
 Joseph's posterity, and which were exceedingly fruit- 
 ful in grapes and olives, and other excellent fruits. 
 This explication harmonizes with the prophetic bless- 
 ings of Moses to this tribe. 
 
 " And for the chief things of the ancient moun- 
 tains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills." 
 Deut. 33 : 15.
 
 238 APPENDIX. 
 
 In conclusion, we have to observe, that the more 
 we peruse the prophecies and compare them with the 
 subsequent historical accounts, the more we shall 
 behold the spirit of God pervading them, and we are 
 thus led to admire the piety and virtue of the ven- 
 erable patriarch who predicted them. 
 
 BENJAMIN. 
 
 Benjamin, who was the last of Jacob's sons, and 
 the great favorite of his father, no doubt expected 
 from him a blessing much greater and more amplified 
 than that which we find recorded. Benjamin's bless- 
 ing, however, was expressed in a few words. Whether 
 it was that Jacob foresaw no extraordinary merit in 
 this tribe, or that it would be blended with that of 
 Judah, and thus share in all its blessings, he con- 
 tented himself with describing him only by his fierce 
 and warlike disposition, and that wolf-like, he would 
 shed the blood of his enemies in the early dawn of day, 
 and at the setting of the sun divide the spoil thus 
 obtained. In this spirit the Patriarch thus addresses 
 his favorite child : 
 
 " Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf ; in the morn- 
 ing he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall 
 divide the spoil." 
 
 We must remark here, that, though Benjamin was 
 the youngest and darling child of Jacob, yet he gives
 
 DISCOURSE xni. 239 
 
 him no peculiar blessing, but merely describes him 
 as he really proved to be, of a fierce and warlike 
 temperament. A plain proof that the Patriarch was 
 actuated by a much higher spirit than his own. He 
 exercises no parental partiality. He speaks through- 
 out just as it was given to him, and no more. The 
 history of this tribe will show that it answered exactly 
 to the character given to it by Jacob. This tribe 
 alone, though much inferior in numbers, maintained 
 a war with the other tribes in Israel, in which it 
 proved the conqueror, especially in two battles, as 
 recorded hi the book of Judges, chapter 20 : 21-25. 
 
 In another place we read of the exploits of one 
 Ehud, a Benjamite. He was a very extraordinary 
 man. He was left-handed, yet with great dexterity 
 he concealed a dagger under his garment with which 
 he despatched Eglon, king of Moab, who sorely op- 
 pressed the Israelites during eighteen months. A 
 battle was then fought between Moab and Israel, in 
 which Moab was defeated with the loss of about ten 
 thousand men. " So Moab was subdued that day 
 under the hand of Israel, and the land had rest four 
 score years." Judges 3 : 30. 
 
 From Benjamin descended Saul, who was the first 
 king in Israel. Saul was raised to the throne by 
 command of God, while he was following the lowly 
 occupation of searching after his father's lost cattle. 
 The warlike disposition of Saul, as proved by the 
 many battles he fought with the Philistines and the 
 Amalekites, and in which he came off victorious
 
 240 APPENDIX. 
 
 shows plainly the truth of the prediction of the Patri- 
 arch to the progenitor of the tribe of Benjamin. 
 
 Another important feature to be noticed in this 
 tribe, is, that it should continue to the very last times 
 of the Jewish state and polity. We are led to this 
 inference from the expression, morning and night, 
 which cannot be understood in their literal sense, but 
 must be metaphorically applied to the morning and 
 night, or the rise and/aW of the Jewish dynasty, for 
 this appears to be the subject of the whole prophecy. 
 And in the case of Benjamin, a longer continuance 
 was promised him than to the other tribes which 
 was actually fulfilled. 
 
 At the division of the kingdom, after the death of 
 Solomon, the tribe of Benjamin joined that of Judah, 
 both forming one people, having Judah as its leader. 
 In this way these two tribes survived long after the 
 other tribes ceased to exist as a people. So we read 
 in the first book of Kings, chapter 12 : 21. 
 
 " And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he 
 assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of 
 Benjamin, an hundred and four-score thousand chosen 
 men, which were warriors to fight against the house 
 of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam, 
 the son of Solomon." 
 
 This battle, however, was ' prevented by command 
 of God, who sent Shemaiah to inform Rehoboam and 
 the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, that they should 
 not fight against their brethren, but return peaceably 
 to their respective homes. For, said the Lord, " this
 
 DISCOURSE xm. 241 
 
 thing is from me." The Almighty no doubt sent 
 this prohibition to prevent the evil consequences re- 
 sulting from a civil war, which at all times proves 
 disastrous to the interests of a country. The Al- 
 mighty further made it known that this rejection of 
 Rehoboam by the Ten Tribes was suitable to his 
 divine purpose, although incomprehensible to finite 
 understanding. The people, therefore, dissuaded 
 Rehoboam from engaging in warfare, stating as a 
 reason, that it was in opposition to the Divine com- 
 mand, and therefore could not possibly succeed. 
 How applicable, in the present day, are the words of 
 an eminent scholar, who, when speaking on the sub- 
 ject of a civil war and its dangerous consequences, 
 says : " Fight not against God ; neither do anything 
 to bring upon thyself new storms and tempests, but 
 bear those that are necessary and cannot be avoided." 
 We have already remarked how the last words of 
 Moses, when he blessed the several tribes, corrobor- 
 ated those of the Patriarch Jacob in his blessings to 
 his sons. In this instance, our theory is peculiarly 
 happy to our purpose. Moses, when speaking of 
 Benjamin, says : 
 
 " The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by 
 him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his 
 shoulders." Deut. 33 : 12. 
 
 The application is as follows : Benjamin, designated 
 as the beloved of the Lord, shall dwell near him, viz. : 
 In the Holy City of Jerusalem, which stood in the 
 lot apportioned to this tribe. The city of Jerusalem
 
 242 APPENDIX. 
 
 was built on the boundary which divided the tribes 
 of Judah and Benjamin. The south side of Jerusa- 
 lem belonged to Judah, and the north side where the 
 Temple stood, to Benjamin. Hence, it was reckoned 
 sometimes to the one, and sometimes to the other. 
 " And the Lord shall cover him all the day long," sig- 
 nifying the continuance of the tribe of Benjamin, 
 when all the other tribes, excepting Judah, should 
 no longer exist as a nation. Jacob foretells that 
 Benjamin should continue to the very last period of 
 the Jewish state ; so Moses by his prophecy confirms 
 that of Jacob. " Benjamin," says Jacob, " shall 
 ravin as a wolf ; in the morning he shall devour the 
 prey, and at night shall divide the spoil." So Moses 
 declares, " Benjamin shall dwell in safety, the Lord 
 shall cover him all the day long, he shall dwell be- 
 tween his shoulders." The expression " all the day 
 long," signifies the same as the morning and night in 
 Jacob's prophecy, viz. : the rising and falling of the 
 Jewish Polity, and refers to the promise of a longer 
 continuance to Benjamin than to any of the other 
 tribes as before noticed and this was certainly ful- 
 filled, since the tribe of Benjamin shared the same 
 fate with that of Judah. They went together into 
 captivity, and returned together. From which cir- 
 cumstance we may venture the opinion that the pres- 
 ent race of Israel dispersed among the civilized 
 nations of the world, are the descendants of these 
 two tribes. And as a further illustration corroborat- 
 ing our views on the subject, history comes to our
 
 DISCOURSE xni. 243 
 
 aid in reference to the expressions morning and night. 
 Morning, alluded to the prosperous state of Israel, 
 when Saul, who subdued the surrounding nations 
 which made war upon them first, became their king, 
 as recorded in the first book of Samuel, chapter 
 14: 47: 
 
 " So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought 
 against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, 
 and against the children of Ammon, and against 
 Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against 
 the Philistines, and whithersoever he turned himself 
 he vexed them." 
 
 Night alluding to the dark period in the page of 
 Israel's history, when their kingdom was lost, and 
 the people carried into captivity. Yet in the days 
 of Mordecai and Esther, who were of the tribe of 
 Benjamin, a bright star again appeared in the hori- 
 zon, to show Israel that they were not entirely for- 
 saken nor neglected by the God of their forefathers ; 
 for, on this occasion, the very words of the Patriarch 
 were literally fulfilled, by the overthrow of the mach- 
 inations of the wicked Haman, through the instru- 
 mentality of the pious Mordecai and the good Queen 
 Esther. To them the King Ahasuerus gave the 
 princely mansion of his previous prime minister Ha- 
 man, who had so artfully planned the destruction of 
 God's own people. Thus clearly and effectually car- 
 rying out the prediction of Jacob " and at night 
 he shall divide the spoil," viz. : reaping the reward of 
 the good deeds of the pious and virtuous Mordecai 
 and Esther.
 
 244 APPENDIX. 
 
 " All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and 
 this is it, that their father spake unto them, and 
 blessed them ; every one according to his blessing he 
 blessed them." Genesis 49 : 28. 
 
 These words plainly show, that what Jacob had 
 said to his sons]was not to be fulfilled in their persons, 
 but in their posterity. And we may well be aston- 
 ished to find Jacob so exactly foretelling the charac- 
 ters and dispositions of his sons' posterity and what 
 should befall them to the latest times, and even the 
 very nature and location of the places of their abode, 
 though the same was not determined upon until two 
 hundred years from that time and that, too, by so 
 seemingly uncertain a manner as that of casting lots, 
 as recorded in the book of Joshua, chapter 18 : 10 : 
 
 " And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh, before 
 the Lord ; and there Joshua divided the land unto 
 the children of Israel according to their divisions," 
 signifying, according to the divisions made by the 
 surveyors whom Joshua sent to describe the land. 
 Taking all these things into consideration, we must 
 be satisfied that nothing but the divine spirit, the 
 Disposer of all events, could have enabled Jacob so 
 exactly to foretell all these things. It is worthy of 
 notice, here, that Jacob is said, in this verse, to have 
 blessed all the tribes ; but there seems to be no ben- 
 ediction bestowed on the first three tribes, unless the 
 giving them the portion in the land of Canaan is con- 
 sidered the blessing alluded to. In that case, how- 
 ever, they shared alike with the rest of their brethren,
 
 DISCOURSE XTTT. 245 
 
 although not to such an extent. The fact is, that 
 Jacob's last address to his children is not to be 
 understood as a chapter of blessings, in the ordinary 
 sense of a dying parent's blessing to his children 
 but as the foretelling of events by the spirit of proph- 
 ecy, accompanied by prayers and solicitations to 
 heaven for the future welfare of his posterity. This 
 being done, Jacob then extended his blessing to each 
 and every one of his children, as stated in the text, 
 which, if carefully read, will at once clear up any 
 seeming difficulty : "And this is it that their father 
 spake unto them," signifying all that he had said to 
 them in allusion to their character and disposition 
 and his comparing them as he did Judah to a lion, 
 Benjamin to a wolf, Naphtali to a hind, and so forth, 
 and then telling them what position their posterity 
 would hold in the world " in the latter days" all 
 this is comprehended in that portion of the text. 
 " And blessed them, every one according to his bless- 
 ing, he blessed them," signifying, that Jacob, after 
 having concluded his prophetic mission, then pro- 
 ceeded to give his last blessing to each and every 
 one of his children, without any distinction. 
 
 Thus have we, by the blessing of God, gone 
 through the Prophetical Blessings of the Patriarch 
 Jacob, which contain matters of the highest impor- 
 tance to us Israelites, especially in reference to the 
 promised Messiah, who is to be the great harbinger 
 of peace and perfect happiness to all mankind. And 
 however remote the prospect may appear, let us,
 
 246 APPENDIX. 
 
 like the Patriarchs of old, remember that it is the 
 Almighty God that has promised and as the many 
 events recorded in the Sacred Volume were literally 
 fulfilled in accordance with the promise made to our 
 forefathers, we may therefore be assured that he will 
 as certainly, in due time, fulfil all his other gracious 
 promises, and deliver us from all the evils of this 
 world, and favor us with an eternal inheritance in 
 the heavens above, provided we have faith in his holy 
 word, and by patient continuance in well-doing, seek 
 for Glory, and Honor, and Immortality. 
 
 AMEN.
 
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