LECT. XLVII. Joseph making him- And Joseph said unto his Brethren, I am Jo- seph: doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him: for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, come near to me, I pray you; and they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye 'And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba; and offered sacrifices> And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Jo- seph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. Gen. 48. 1, 2. LECT. LI. Jacob's Burial and Jo- My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now there fore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father and I will come again. Gen. 50. 5. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years LECTURES. LECTURE XXV. ESAU AND JACOB: OR, THE TWIN BRO THERS. GEN. 25. 27. And the boys grew, and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. You have already heard the history of Cain and Abel, the two first brethren that ever lived in the world. We have in the latter part of this Chapter a brief account of two brethren whose characters very much resemble that of Cain and Abel. There was this difference only between Cain and Esau; that Esau only said in his heart, "the days of mourning of my father are at hand, then will I slay my brother Jacob." Whereas you have B have already heard that "Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up a gainst Abel his brother and slew him." Let us now attend, I. To the GENERAL ESAU and JACOB. CHARACTERS of 1. We will begin with Esau, because he is the eldest. His name, ESAU, means red; which was given him from his colour when he was born, having red hair on his body. Esau likewise signifies made or formed. By which it was intimated that he was a remarkable, strong, healthy child, even from his birth. It was intended to shew that he he had a very strong constitution, and, as might be expected, he became a very strong, daring active man. Esau was of a sanguine disposition, and his posterity, the Edomites, always cherished a most cruel and bloody hatred towards the Israelites. It is also said, "and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field." He was a famous sportsman, like Nimrod; he was a mighty hunter, quite a man of the world. Hunting the beasts of of the forest with great skill and success He was a gentleman and a soldier-for afterwards we find him meeting his brother with four hundred men. Recreation seems to have been his whole business; he studied the art of it; and spent all his time in it. He did not like to be confined in the tent to sit down and read his book, but was a man of the field, who spent his time in pursuit of game. 2. Let us now hear what is said of Jacob." "And Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents." His name, Jacob, means a supplanter, one that turns out and displaces another, one that trips up the heels of another either by force or fraud. Jacob supplanted his brother Esau when he obtained the birthright from him, by giving him a mess of pottage, and when he obtained his father's blessing by appearing to be Esau. He also wrestled with the Angel, and pre vailed on him for a blessing, He is said to be a plain man, a man that was honest and fair in his dealings. A man that preferred the pleasures of solitude and retirement before the pleasures of the chace, or the sports of the field. He seems chiefly |