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LECTURE XVIII.

JOSEPH'S CONDUCT TO HIS BRETHREN.

PART I.

GEN. XLII. 25, 26.

"Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them..... And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence."

THAT portion of the Mosaic history which I am now about to consider, is the conduct of Joseph to his brethren, when, under the pressure of famine, they came down into Egypt to buy corn, and found him whom, in envy they had sold as a slave to the Ishmaelites, become "a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land." It is not, however, with a view of removing any moral difficulties which infidels have found or imagined on this subject, that I have selected it for present discussion. The whole story is so beautifully natural, and recommends itself so

strongly to the tastes and feelings of humanity, that even the scoffer has forgotten to sneer, and condescended to praise both its elegance and its purity. My desire is rather, on the other hand, to remove those obscurities and misapprehensions by which the carelessness or inaccuracy of divines has too often dimmed the brightness of this story's excellence. For nothing is unfortunately more common than to find the conduct of the Patriarch degraded or misunderstood, by attributing his actions, either to no motive at all, or to some motive entirely unworthy of his wisdom and holiness. A few observations will be sufficient to shew both how this has arisen, and to what mistakes we allude.

It is usual to illustrate the rules of the drama in its most perfect form, by a reference to the history of the vicissitudes of Joseph's life. Nothing could be more appropriately selected for the purpose; because such an appeal to the realities of human existence shews, not only that the doctrines of critics are such, as if carried into effect, would produce the requisite impressions of terror, and pity, and surprise; but also that they are legitimately founded upon some of the most authentic and interesting occurrences which have actually befallen individuals in this fluctuating world. Thus we are taught to bow

to these critical dictates not only as they come recommended by their ingenuity and good sense, or because they have been practised with success by the most eminent poets of every age; but also because they are rooted and grounded in truth, as well as illustrated in the best fictions of the human imagination.

It might bear the appearance of being "righteous over-much," were we to proscribe universally the application of sacred subjects to the embellishment or explanation of the compositions of profane literature; but we may be permitted to remark that, in the case now under our review, the practice has led to some mistakes of an important kind, and blinded several commentators to the perception of the real object of Joseph in many of his proceedings. Looking upon the history as dramatic in its construction, some have been misguided enough to judge of the words and actions of the Patriarch as if they were the words and actions of some theatrical personage, and to suppose he was influenced in his conduct by a regard to dramatic effect. This is particularly the fault of one very estimable writer of undoubted piety. Stackhouse, to whom I allude, is unguarded enough to defend the various delays by which Joseph kept his brethren in ignorance of his relation towards

them, and his successive demonstrations of assumed harshness and suspicion, by stating that such concealment and severity "did eventually produce a great deal of good; and was, in reality, no more than the heightening the distress, or thickening the plot, (as we call it in a play) to make the discovery or future felicity he intended his family, more conspicuous and agreeable"." With such a principle of interpretation in his mind, it is scarce to be wondered that he should have referred the Patriarch's wise dealings to the most frivolous reasons. Thus he explains Joseph's accusation of his brethren as spies come down to see the nakedness of the land, as originating in no better view than this, that "being minded to terrify them a little, he would not, as yet, discover himself to them"." When Jo

seph for the first time dismissed his brethren with corn for their own and their household's. use, and put each man's money in his sack, Stackhouse can trace it to no higher source than that of its being done "as a fresh matter of surprise." But when they were dismissed the second time with corn, and in addition to their money, the cup also was secreted, by Joseph's order, in Benjamin's sack, this writer

becomes still more objectionable. For instead

a Stackhouse's History of the Bible, vol: I. p. 358, fol.

of seeking out for some hidden and peculiar motive sufficient to account for so singular an artifice, he seems to feel no difficulty at all; and, apparently unaware of the necessity of giving a grave and adequate explanation of such seeming inconsistency of conduct, he very calmly and confidently observes, that "Joseph had one fright more for them." Full of the idea of a dramatic plot, he reasons, or rather forgets to reason, as if nothing else were requisite than to make the Patriarch play a part which should terminate, by some means or other, in the production of a foreseen and designed catastrophe. Few will be satisfied with such meagre commentaries fewer still will be persuaded to adopt them, when they have been once fairly examined and traced back to their origin. Nor would it have been worth the time and labour thus expended in collecting and exposing such manifest errors, had they not, as I believe, obtained, in some modified shape, a considerable degree of prevalence, and been found also, though not indeed to the same extent, in the Contemplations of Bishop Hall, a writer of still higher attainments and reputation than the one already mentioned. Upon Joseph's conduct in general, Hall observes that "sporting himself in their seeming misery, he pleasantly imitates all those actions reciprocally unto his brethren, which