and his bosom heaved; he could no longer refrain himself, so crying aloud, "Let all men go out from me," he stood alone with his brethren.

Then the long pent-up tears burst forth, and he cried, "I am Joseph, doth my father indeed live?" Astonishment absorbed every faculty. They gazed upon each other and answered not. Joseph beheld their consternation, and strove to re-assure them with words of tenderness and love; and, bidding them come near, he embraced them. He blamed them not for their former cruelty, but tried to remove even their selfreproaches. "Be not grieved or angry with each other that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. So now it was not you that sent me here, but God." Then again he fell upon the neck of Benjamin, and wept, and kissed him.

Joseph remembered not the evil his brethren had done him-he remembered not their fierce hatred and bitter persecution; he remembered not how they had disregarded "the anguish of his soul, when he entreated them;" but as if they had ever loved-ever cherished him, he loaded them with kindness and caresses, and strove

to make them forgetful of their own unworthiness. They were now in his power-insignificant individuals in the presence of a prince—and, by a word, he might have crushed them, and justice forbade it not. Yet, though a king, at this moment he rose above a king. Mercy met with justice and broke the avenging rod; and with a kiss smoothed her stern brow. Gentle Mercy erected her shining throne in the bosom of the lord of Egypt, and shone with more transcendent brightness from the very loftiness of her position; for truly she is

"Mightiest in the mightiest. She becomes The throned monarch, better than his crown; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But Mercy is above this sceptred sway;

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings.
It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then seem likest God's
When mercy seasons justice."

He bade his brethren return speedily into Canaan, and fetch his father to dwell with him

in Egypt, promising to give him, and all that belonged to him, nourishment. The report of this event quickly reached the ears of Pharaoh, "and it pleased him well." He told Joseph to send presents to Jacob, his father, and horses and waggons to bring him down; saying, "the good of all the land of Egypt is yours."

Joseph gave changes of raiment to each man, but to Benjamin he gave five changes and three hundred pieces of silver; and he sent them away with an exhortation to peace and love during the journey.

When they arrived in Canaan, they ran eagerly to their father, who had been anxiously looking out for them, fearing the loss of his beloved Benjamin. When he received him safely he folded him to his bosom with joyful gratitude to the Lord, who had brought him again to his eyes; but, when with this dear one came intelligence of one a thousand times dearer-one for whom he had mourned and wept in hopeless anguish; the joy was too great-he could not believe or comprehend it; and he sank upon the ground like one dead. But, when they shewed him the waggons and the things from Egypt, his

spirit revived, and in an extacy of joy and delight too great for expression, he exclaimed, "It is enough, Joseph, my son, is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die." Every desire of his life was fulfilled, he wished for no greater -for no more happiness than this- after once more embracing Joseph, he would be content to die, that nothing might occur ever to remove the impression of that pecious embrace.

When Israel had advanced on his journey as far as Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to Jehovah. At night God appeared in his sleep encouraging him to proceed, and promising to make him in Egypt a great nation. He sent Judah forward to tell Joseph of his arrival ; who instantly prepared his chariot and went, with the haste of filial piety and affection to meet his father, as far as the land of Goshen.

Who shall describe the meeting of this father with the son who was to him a thousand times dearer than every thing else the world contained? This dearly loved one, thus given back to his arms, as it were from the grave! As they eagerly flew, each to embrace the other, tears flowed fast down the furrows of the fa

ther's aged cheeks. Oh! joyful flood, pursuing its way down channels traced by streams of bitterness! and heavenly showers also poured over the face of the son, glowing with delight and manly beauty. It was like the meeting of the glorious sunset gleaming through watery clouds after the storms of an autumnal day; and of the brilliant summer noontide softened and subdued by a falling shower.

Long they wept in each other's arms; "and Jacob said unto Joseph, now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive."

Joseph took four of his brethren, with his father, to present them to Pharaoh, and left the rest in Goshen. The aged Patriarch stood in the presence of the mighty monarch, leaning upon his staff, with his white hair and beard resting upon his breast, not with the air of an inferior or a dependant, but with the dignity of one who was himself a prince. Pharaoh gazed with reverence upon the aged countenance of Israel, and bowed his head as to one greater in honour than himself, and with humility received a blessing from the lips of the chosen one of Jehovah.