O! how swiftly do the wheels of time move on with this vaft machine, and all the actors on it! Happy those who are by grace prepared to act a part in the glorious fcenes above, to contemplate, admire, and blefs the great Triune Jehovah for his works of creation, providence, and grace (the last and beft) through the revolving ages of eternity!

JOSEPH A TYPE OF CHRIST..

HE hiftory of Jofeph is extremely interesting in itself; many parts of it are highly affecting, and the whole abounds with inftruction.

Many Chriftian divines have been of opinion, that the Holy Spirit immediately intended that fuch circumstances fhould be recorded of this preferver of his father's family, as should render him an evident type of our bleffed Lord. To fay the leaft, his hiftory affords fuch a parallel to the hiftory of Jefus, as must render it very pleafing to a Chriftian to trace the resemblance. Let the following particulars ferve as a fpecimen.

Jofeph was hated of his brethren, 1. Because he could not bear their evil conduct: 2. Because he was loved of his father above all the reft: 3. Because he foretold his own future glory.-JESUS was hated and perfecuted by the Jews, his brethren after the flesh, 1. Because he reproved their unbelief, and their evil works, John, vii. 7. : 2. Because he declared unto them, that he was the Son of God, the wellbeloved of his Father: 3. Because he openly teftified, that hereafter they fhould fee him fitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven, Matt. xxvi. 64.

Jofeph was fent by his father to his brethren, who had removed to a confiderable diftance from their father's house. JESUS was fent by God his Father to the loft sheep of the houfe of Ifrael, Matt. xv. 24.

Jofeph's brethren confpired against him to flay him, in order to fruftrate the accomplishment of his infpired dreams, which, in the end, tended to fulfil them.-JESUS. The Jews took counsel how to deftroy him, in order thus to fruftrate the prophecies concerning his kingdom and glory: But thus they ignorantly promoted that which they intended to

prevent.

Jofeph was fold by his brethren to the Ifhmaelites, who were defcended of the family of Abraham, for twenty pieces

of

of filver. JESUS was betrayed and fold, by one of his friends, unto the Jews for thirty pieces of filver.

Jofeph was afterwards fold by the Ifhmaelites, into Egypt, to Potipher, an heathen man.—JESUS was delivered by the Council of the Jews to the heathen Governor, Pontius Pilate.

Jofeph's coat of many colours, which his father had made him, was dipped in blood, and stained.-JESUS clothed himfelf with our humanity, and his body, which God had prepared him, was all over covered and ftained with blood upon the Mount of Olives, and on Golgotha.

Jofeph was falfely accused, and caft into prifon.-JESUS was falfely accufed, and condemned to death.

Jofeph had two fellow-prifoners; to the one he foretold his reftoration, to the other his death.-JESUS, being crucified between two malefactors, promised paradife to the one, the other died in his fins.

Jofeph was delivered from prifon in the third year of his confinement.-JESUS was raifed from the grave on the thirt day after his death.

Jofeph was raifed to the highest glory, through humiliation and fufferings.-JESUS, for the fuffering of death, was crowned with glory and honour.

All the people were commanded to bow their knees before Jofeph.-At the name of JESUs, that name which is above every name, every knee fhall bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth, Phil. ii. 9, 10.

Jofeph, by his humiliation and fubfequent exaltation, became the preferver of the whole land, and efpecially of the houfe of his father.-JESUS, by his humbling himself, and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the crois, and by his being, for this reafon, highly exalted to the right hand of God, became the Preferver and Saviour of all men, efpecially of those who believe, 1 Tim. iv. 10.

In thofe parts only, where Jofeph was ruler, there was' bread; in all other parts famine. In the church of JESUS only, where HE is LORD, there is life, and that abundantly; when every where else in the world there is nothing but poverty, mifery, and distress.

To Jofeph every one was fent who wanted food.-To JESUS all who hunger and thirst after life and grace muft come; for without him there is no falvation.

Without Jofeph no man durft lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.-Unto JESUS all power is given in heaven and in earth.

Jofeph,

Jofeph, in all his glory, was not afhamed of his brethren, who were utterly defpifed and abhorred by the Egyptians. JESUS, even upon the throne of his divinity and glory, is not ashamed to call us poor, needy finners, his brethren; yea, to confefs us before his heavenly Father, and his holy angels.

Jofeph provided for his family in the best manner.-JESUS nourisheth and cherisheth his church, they being members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones, Eph. v. 29, 30.

May we not add, that in the conduct of Jofeph to his brethren, which at first fight appears auftere and unaccountable, but was really well adapted to humble them, and try them, and bring them to repentance, and fo to do them good at the latter end, we may trace a striking resemblance of our Lord's righteous difpleafure with the Jewish nation, his kinfmen after the flesh; and alfo of the intended, and often predicted difplay of mercy to that people at the time of their approaching converfion, before his laft coming in glory, when they fhall receive and worship him whom their forefathers crucified, with this joyful acclamation, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!" Matt. xxiii. 39.

Jofeph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.JESUS, at his firft coming unto his own, and even standing among them, was neither known, nor received by them.

Jofeph fpoke unto his brethren by an interpreter.-JESUS fpoke unto the Jews in parables, on account of the ignorance and unbelief of their hearts; but the veil fhall hereafter be taken away from their hearts.

Jofeph feemed to have forgotten his brethren for a time, and, even during the famine, to be unconcerned about them. -In like manner, the blind and ungrateful people of the Jews have been, for a long time, rejected, and, as it were, difregarded by him, who yet is deftined to raise up the preferved of Ifrael, though they are ftill fuffered to languifh under fpiritual famine, Amos, viii. 11, 12.

After many painful, humiliating fcenes, the fons of Jacob at laft were led to an acknowledgment and confeffion of their crime committed against their brother. Thus likewife the long chastisement of the people of Ifrael, forfaken, as it were, of God, will turn out at laft to their falutary humiliation, and be rendered conducive to their true converfion.

Jofeph, amidst all the feverity with which he was obliged to treat his brethren, could not always conceal his tenderness towards them; his heart yearned upon them, infomuch that he could not refrain from tears.-The compaffionate JESUS

wept

wept over Jerufalem at the forefight of the approaching fufferings of its incredulous and impenitent inhabitants, and he will furely have mercy upon their pofterity; for his bowels are troubled for them, and the time of their restoration draws near, which fhall be like life from the dead, Rom. xi. 12. 15. While Jofeph was ftill in his father's houfe among his brethren, they were offended at the fuppofition of their ever bowing to him; but afterwards they were obliged to come to seek and find him in Egypt, and even to bow down before him. -In like manner, as long as JESUS walked about among the Jews in the form of a fervant, they were fcandalized and offended in him, nor would they honour him as the promised Meffiah; and for a long time after his exaltation, they have had no idea what is become of him, or to what dignity he is raised: But, in the latter days, they fhall come and feck him in his church, when the fulnefs of the Gentiles alfo fhall be brought in, and fhall adore him in fellowship with all believers.

GERMANUS.

ON THE IMMACULATE LIFE OF OUR LORD

Na

IN

JESUS CHRIST.

PART II.

a former paper I confidered the evidences of the fact; in this I fhall inquire into its importance, as it ftands connected with the truth of Chriftianity itself, and of some of the most interesting branches of it.

Firft, If the life of our Lord Jefus Chrift was immaculate, it muft go a great way towards proving the truth of the Gofpel which he taught, and of that religion which he inculcated. If Jefus Chrift was "a virtuous and an amiable man," as Mr. Paine himfelf acknowledges, he must have been what he profeffed to be, the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world. To allege, as this writer does, that "Chrift wrote no account of himself-that the hiftory of him is altogether the work of other people," is mere trifling. If the history that is written of him be undeferving of credit, how caine Mr. Paine to know any thing about either the amiableness of his character, or the excellence of that morality which he preached and practifed? He knows nothing of either the one or the other but through the medium of the evangelic hiftory; and if he admit this hiftory in one cafe, with what confiftency can he reject it in another?

Mr.

Mr. Paine affects to rank Chriftianity with other religions--with heathenifm and Mahomedifm, calling the New Teftament writers "The Chriftian mythologifts:" But what founder or teacher of any religion will he refort to, whose character will bear any comparifon with that of Christ? Amongst the fages of antiquity, or the teachers of what is called the religion of nature, there is not one to be found whofe life will bear a thorough fcrutiny. Natural religion itfelf must be afhamed of its advocates; and as to Mahomet, there is fcarcely any thing in his character but a combination of ambition, brutality, and luft, at the fight of which Nature itself revolts. "Go," fays an eloquent writer, "to your natural religion: Lay before her Mahomet and his difciples, arrayed in armour of blood, riding in triumph over the spoils of thousands and ten thousands, who fell by his victorious fword. Shew her the cities which he fet in flames, the countries which he ravaged and destroyed, and the miserable diftrefs of all the inhabitants of the earth. When the has viewed him in this fcene, carry her into his retirements. Shew her the prophet's chambers, his concubines, and his wives; let her fee his adultery, and hear him allege revelation and his divine commiffion to justify his luft and his oppreffion. When she is tired of this profpect, then fhew her the bleffed Jefus, humble and meek, doing good to all the fons of men, patiently inftructing both the ignorant and the perverfe. Let her fee him in his most retired privacies: Let her follow him to the mount, and hear his devotions and fupplications to God. Carry her to his table to view his poor fare, and hear his heavenly difcourfe. Let her fee him injured, but not provoked. Let her attend him to the tribunal, and confider the patience with which he endured the fcoff and reproach of his enemies. Lead her to the crofs, and let her view him in the agonies of death, and hear his last prayer for his perfecutors, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!'

"When natural religion hath viewed both, afk which is the prophet of God? But her anfwer we have already had when the faw part of this fcene through the eyes of the centurion who attended at the crofs; by him the fpake and faid, Truly this man was the Son of God *."

To admit the amiableness of Chrift's moral character, and yet reject the evangelical hiftory of him, is chufing a very untenable ground. The history which the evangelifts hav

Bishop Sherlock's Sermons, vol. i. page 270, 271.