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And again they bowed their heads and made obeisance, Joseph then, fixing his eyes on his own brother Benjamin, asked them, "Is this your younger brother of whom ye spake unto me?" and without waiting for their reply continued, "God be gracious unto thee, my son." He could say no more; for his heart was full. The sight of his brother had fanned the ardour of that fraternal affection which he had ever cherished towards him; and now, he was SO overcome by his feelings that, to hide his emotion, he sought where he might weep tears of love in secret : and he entered into his chamber and wept there.

Having washed his face, that it might not be observed he had been weeping, he returned to his brethren with a cheerful countenance, and ordered dinner to be brought in. Joseph, on account of his dignity, sat by himself; and his brethren sat by themselves. The Egyptians who dined with them also sat by them

selves, considering it an abomination to eat at the same table with Hebrews, who, being shepherds, were accounted an inferior people, The eleven brethren being placed before Joseph, according to the exact order of their birth, wondered greatly at the strangeness of the thing, and could not account for it. However, being so kindly entertained, for Joseph sent them provisions from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as much as any of his brethren,

they ate and drank freely, and made themselves merry with him.

3. So far, their proceedings had been favourable beyond their most sanguine expectations; and they might now reasonably conclude that nothing further would take place to cause anxiety and disappointment. But they had yet to pass through a severer trial than any they had yet experienced. Their hard hearts, which had been steeled against the anguish of Joseph's soul, when they sold him into slavery, must be wrought upon by still sorer affliction. And though Joseph, for the sake of his beloved brother Benjamin, earnestly longed to make himself known to them, he was yet constrained to delay doing so a little longer, that he might impress them with a fuller conviction of their cruelty towards

H

him, for relating to them dreams which events then transpiring proved to have been from God, who sees the end from the beginning.

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He therefore gave this command to the steward of his house, " Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack. And put my silver cup into the sack of the youngest, with his corn money." This being done, the next morning, as soon as it was light, they set out

their journey, congratulating themselves, no doubt, on the successful issue of their interview with the governor, and the hospitality he had shewn them.

But their rejoicing was but short; for no sooner were they gone out of the city, than Joseph called his steward, and told him to follow after them quickly, and charge them with stealing his silver cup. The steward, soon overtook them, and after reproaching them for their ingratitude, demanded the cup. Conscious of their innocence, they at once denied the charge; and in proof of their integrity and just dealing reminded him that they had brought back the money which they found in their sacks.

But to put the matter beyond all doubt, they proposed that he should search them; and said,

"With whomsoever of thy servants it shall be found, let him die; and we also will be my lord's bondmen.” The steward replied, "Let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; but the rest shall be blameless."

They then speedily unloaded the asses, and the steward examined the sacks, beginning with that belonging to the eldest, and so on till he came to Benjamin's, in which he found the cup. They were struck with horror and amazement at the sight: to offer a defence was useless, the theft appeared so clear: so, rending their clothes in grief and despair, they reloaded their asses and returned to the city with the steward.

5. Joseph staid at home in expectation of their return; and as soon as they came into his presence, they fell down before him on the ground in sorrowful submission. Before they had time to offer the least defence, Joseph said to them, sternly, "What is this that ye have done? Did ye not know that I could certainly find you out?" Judah, amidst great fear and consternation, replied, "What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants.

Now, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup was found." But Joseph said, "God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose possession the cup was found, he shall be my servant: and as for you, go in peace to your father."

6. Judah, filled with grief, then drew near to Joseph and said, "Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave him, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass that when we went unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little

food. And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since. And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befal him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore when I

come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us-seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's lifeit shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father."

7. This touching appeal so affected

the tender heart of Joseph, that he could no longer restrain the intensity of his feelings, nor appear longer in the dignified character of a governor. He therefore ordered all that were with him to withdraw; for he would have none but his brethren present, while he made himself known to them. Then giving way to his long pent up feelings, he wept aloud, so that he was heard by the servants of his house and by the Egyptians; and said to his brethren, "I am Joseph: doth my father yet live?" The name of Joseph again aroused within them a sense of their guilt; and so troubled were they at his presence, that they could not utter a word. Seeing their shame and confusion, in a compassionate tone he invited them to come near to him, and said, "I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold

me hither for God did send me be

fore you to preserve life. For these two years the famine hath been in the land: and there are yet five years, in which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me as a fa

ther to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say to him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me; tarry not: and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And there will I nourish thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall make haste, and bring down my father hither."

8. Then falling upon his brother Benjamin's neck, he wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And in token of his forgiveness for all the wrong the others had done him, he embraced and kissed each of them, and wept over them; after which they talked together as brethren.

9. The report of the arrival of Joseph's brethren soon spread through Pharaoh's court; and when the king heard of it, he was pleased, and told