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who hath resigned, to his Heavenly Father, all his desires, all his faculties and powers;-and surrendered his soul to be entirely possessed by him, without a rival. Surely, such an one hath within his breast that divine " peace which passeth all understanding;" which is inconceivable by those who are strangers to it, and unutterable even by those upon whom it rests. As this peace can be duly estimated only by being enjoyed,—and as such an acquaintance with God as the text recommends, is the only means of enjoying it;—so is it found of the greatest value, when any grievous trouble or calamity overtakes us. "Acquaint thyself now with Him," said Eliphaz to Job;- that is, now, when the Wise Disposer of all things hath thought fit to pour out affliction upon thee, is that " 'peace," which can alone calm the troubled mind, most needful for thee, and only to be imparted by the same hand that wounded thee.

At such times of trial, the soul is most tender and susceptive of religious impressions, most apt to seek God, to delight in approaching him, and conversing with him. The chief design of God, in all his severest dispensations, is, to soften the heart to such a degree as He finds necessary, in order to accomplish the good purposes of his grace, and so to dispose and prepare it, that it may become a temple meet for the in-dwelling of his Holy Spirit;—to wean us, his frail and sinful creatures, from our attach

ment to earthly things, in which we are too apt to rest, though we are sure that we must so soon resign them; to convince us of the vanity of all the fleeting satisfactions of this world, and to turn our thoughts and expectations towards the joys of another; so that we may say, with the holy sufferer, who was addressed in the words of the text, "My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live." That ye then, my brethren, may imitate the example of Job,-that ye may "hold fast your righteousness, and not let it go, and that "your hearts may not reproach you so long as ye live,”—slight not, I beseech you, the admonition of the text; but “acquaint now yourselves with God, and be at peace."

Weak and erring mortals as we are,-beset with temptations on every side,-surrounded by snares and pitfalls, and liable every moment to stumble and fall,—vain and futile were the hope, to "hold fast our righteousness," without cultivating this close and intimate acquaintance with God for is it not from Him alone that "all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed?" And say, to whom has our blessed Lord promised the light of his Holy Spirit, to guide them into all truth? Even to "such as call upon his name." Nor is the hope of "peace," any permanent, satisfying peace,-less vain and delusive to him, who lives "without God in the world." "Thou wilt keep him in

perfect peace," says Isaiah, "whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." And in another place,-"Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." "I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him." But mark!-the same inspired writer declares, that "the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt." "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." And O! may He, whose sanctifying influence can alone give efficacy to the "Word preached," incline you, my christian hearers, to receive the word of exhortation now delivered unto you, "with all readiness of mind!" May it indeed prove to you "the Word of salvation!"-may it sink deep into all your hearts, and lead you so to “acquaint yourselves now with God," that ye may find "peace"-even peace unto your souls, both here and hereafter, through Him, who is emphatically called "the Prince of Peace,"even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate!

SERMON VII.

ON THE CHARACTER OF JOSEPH.

Gen. xxxix. 2.-" The Lord was with Joseph: and he was a prosperous man."

IN the sacred history, of which these words are a part, we know not which most to admire,— the beautiful simplicity with which it is told, the affecting tenderness with which it abounds, or the interesting extremes of joy and grief, so rapidly succeeding each other, which it discloses. In short, In short, every sentiment is awakened, that can arise from the endearing relations of brother, son, and father: the inmost workings of the human breast are made manifest, and nature herself is revealed in unadorned and artless majesty.

To be fully convinced of this, we must have recourse to the holy page itself, since any other words than those which are adopted by the sacred historian, would render the narration less

beautiful and affecting. It will however be necessary, in order to the more easy application of it to my present purpose, to lay before you a faint sketch of its most material and leading parts.

The patriarch Jacob, after having been exercised in early life with a variety of trials, was, in his more advanced years, blessed with a numerous offspring, to all of whom he was a fond and indulgent father. But Joseph more particularly engaged his affections; not merely because he was the son of his most beloved wife, and the child of his old age, but also on account of the peculiar ingenuousness of his disposition. That endearing circumstance had so distinguished him from his brothers, as to win for him his father's greater favour and indulgence. His brethren, therefore, moved with envy by this injudicious partiality, and also by certain dreams which Joseph had related, indicating his future superiority over them, entered into a most unnatural conspiracy to take away his life. An opportunity was soon afforded for attempting to execute their wicked purpose.

While they were feeding their flocks in Shechem, the aged father, with a fond anxiety, said to Joseph, "Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with their flocks, and bring me word again." Joseph instantly obeyed. And no sooner did they see

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