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the parties!

and his offended maker, with that which so happily took place between Jacob and Esau, what a difference is there in the conduct of There it was the offending party, and the weaker party, who sent his messengers first to his offended brother, and who so anxiously sought that his brother should be reconciled to him: but here it is the great and almighty God, the justly offended maker, who makes the first overtures, and sends his messengers on an embassy of peace and love. The language of the Apostle is extraordinary (2 Cor. v. 20.) "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." This surely is not the manner of men, who instead of sending expect to be applied to; instead of intreating expect to be intreated; but it is consonant with all the mercy of God, who sent his son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved: it is in unison with all the love and grace of the blessed Redeemer, who died for us even

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while we were yet sinners, and who came to seek and to save us when we were lost. Alas, there is more need that we should be reconciled to God, than that God should be reconciled to us; but so it is, that we are not only offenders against his holiness, and transgressors of his laws, and have provoked him to indignation by sins more in number than the hairs of our heads, and redder in dye than crimson, but we are also alienated in our minds, and enemies to him by wicked works. Here then a miracle of mercy indeed is required, namely, that God should put the influence of his own grace upon the heart of that very creature who is at enmity with him, in order that he may be willing to lay aside his hatred and sin, and seek reconciliation. So it is stated in Coloss. i. 21, "You that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled."

Oh! let us all adore this God of all goodness and cast away all the natural disaffection of our hearts, and come unto him on his own gracious terms of acceptance that

we may have pardon and peace.

Since

God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, let us all avail ourselves of this wondrous grace. Let it not be said of

any that he has called and we have refused, that he has stretched out his hand, but we have not regarded, that he would be reconciled, and we would remain at enmity. Oh! that we all may be made to be at peace with God, and then live in peace and harmony and love with all our brethren.

SERMON XXI.

JOSEPH HATED BY HIS BRETHREN.

GENESIS XXXvii. 3. 4.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

I PROPOSE Now to enter on the history of Joseph, one of the most interesting in all the Old Testament.

It is at once peculiarly affecting and instructive; the language of the narrative is of the most simple and unadorned kind; yet there are instances of the pathetic, and of strong impassioned feeling in it ch as are perhaps no where else to I shall not attempt to add any

colouring to the simplicity of the style, or the pathetic touches of inartificial beauty by which the original is distinguished. You will feel it the most as you read it in its own artless and impressive words. I shall do no more, throughout this sermon, than advert to the facts, and endeavour to deduce from them such instruction as may be profitable.

Joseph was the son of Jacob by his beloyed wife Rachel, and was the last born of all his sons, except his own brother Benjamin, in giving birth to whom Rachel had died, and who probably was but little more than an infant at the time of the circumstances which are now to be narrated. In consequence of this Joseph was more tenderly beloved by Jacob than all his other children, who had been born to him before by Leah and the two handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah. He seems also to have been more pious and moral than his brothers, for he observed certain evil doings of theirs, and reported them to his father, esteeming it his duty that his father should know of their ways, that he might reprove and correct them; and in fact, he

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