MATTHEW, CHAP. V.

And Jesus, seeing the multitudes, ascended

Up to a mount, where sitting, and attended

By his disciples, he began to preach;

And on this manner following did them teach.

Blessed are all such as are poor in spirit,

For they the heavenly kingdom do inherit.

Blessed are they that mourn; for in the stead

Thereof shall comfort be administered.

Blessed are they, whose meekness doth excel:

For on the earth their portion is to dwell.

Blessed are they, who after righteousness

Hunger and thirst; for they shall it possess.

Blessed are they, for they shall mercy find,

Who to do mercifully are inclin'd.

Blessed are all such as are pure in heart;

For God his presence shall to them impart.

Blessed are they that do make peace; for why?

They shall be call'd the sons of the Most High.

Blessed are they which suffer for the sake

Of righteousness: for they of heav'n partake.

Blessed are ye, when men shall falsely speak

All kind of ill against you for my sake,

And shall revile, and persecute you sore;

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad therefore:

For your reward in heav'n will be great:

For thus of old they did the prophets treat.

Ye are the salt o' th' earth; but wherewith must

The earth be season'd when the savour's lost?

It is from thenceforth good for nothing, but

To be cast out, and trodd'n under foot.

Ye are the light o' th' world; a city set

Upon an hill cannot be hid; nor yet

Do men a candle with a bushel cover,

But set it where it lights the whole house over.

So shine your light, your good works seen thereby

Men may your heavenly Father glorify.

Think not that to destroy the law I came,

Or prophets; no, but to fulfil the same.

For till the heav'n and earth shall pass away,

One jot or tittle from the law, I say,

Shall never pass, till all shall be complete.

Whoso therefore presumes to violate,

One of these least commands, and teacheth so,

Shall in God's kingdom be accounted low.

But he that doth, and teacheth them likewise,

Shall in God's kingdom have great dignities.

For I declare unto you, that unless

You shall exceed the scribe and pharisees

In righteousness; you shall on no condition,

Into the heavenly kingdom gain admission.

Ye've heard 'twas said of old, 'Thou shalt not kill.'

And he incurs the judgment who shall spill

His brother's blood: but I to you declare,

That he that's wroth without a cause, shall bear

The judgment. Likewise of the council he

That sayeth 'racha' shall in danger be.

But whosoe'er shall say, Thou fool, the same

Shall be in danger of eternal flame.

When therefore to the altar thou dost bring

Thy gift, and there rememb'rest any thing

Thy brother hath against thee: leave it there

Before the altar, and come thou not near,

Till thou hast first made reconciliation,

Then may'st thou come and offer thine oblation.

Make an agreement with thine adversary

Whilst thou art in the way, and do not tarry;

Lest he at any time deliver thee

Unto the judge, and by the judge thou be

Unto the officer forthwith resign'd,

And in imprisonment thou be confin'd;

I do affirm thou shalt not be enlarg'd,

Till thou the utmost farthing hast discharg'd.

Ye've heard that they of old did testify,

That men should not commit adultery:

But I pronounce him an adulterer,

Who views a woman to lust after her.

And if thy right eye shall offensive be,

Pluck thou it out and cast the same from thee;

For it is better lose one, than that all

Thy members should into hell torments fall.

And if thy right hand doth offend, cut off it,

And cast it from thee, for it will thee profit

Much rather that one of thy members fell,

Than that they should be all condemned to hell.

It hath been said, whoso away shall force

His wife, shall give her a bill of divorce:

But whosoe'er shall put his wife away,

Except for fornication's sake, I say,

Makes her adult'ress, and who marries her,

So put away, is an adulterer.

Again: Ye've heard, Thou shalt not be forsworn,

Was ancient doctrine, but thou shalt perform

Unto the Lord thine oaths: But I declare,

That thou shalt not at all presume to swear;

Neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;

Nor by the earth, for his foot stands thereon:

Neither swear by Jerusalem, for why?

It is the city of the King Most High:

Nor swear thou by thine head, for thou canst make

No hair thereof to be or white or black:

But let yea, yea; nay, nay, in speech suffice,

For what is more from evil doth arise.

Ye've heard, it hath been said; Eye for an eye,

And tooth for tooth: But I do testify,

That you shall not resist; but let him smite

Thy left cheek also, who assaults thy right.

And if that any by a lawsuit shall

Demand thy coat, let them have cloak and all.

And whosoe'er compelleth thee to go

A mile, refuse not to go with him two.

Give him that asketh, and from him that may

Have need to borrow, turn not thou away.

Ye've heard, 'twas said: That thou shalt love thy friend

And hate thy foe: But let your love extend

Unto your enemies: thus I declare,

Bless them that curse, do good to them that bear

Ill will, and for your persecutors pray,

And them that do reproach you; that you may

Be children of your Father that's in heaven;

For he on good and bad alike hath given

His sun to rise, and in like manner doth

Send rain upon the just and unjust both

For what is your reward, if you love them

That love you? Do not publicans the same?

And if your brethren only you salute,

What more than they do ye? They also do't.

I will therefore that you be perfect, ev'n

As is your Father perfect that's in heaven.

CHAP. VI.

Take heed you do not your alms-deed bestow

Before men, purposely to make a shew;

For then there will no recompence be given

Unto you of your Father that's in heaven:

With sound of trumpet do not thou therefore

Proclaim what thou art giving to the poor;

As is the manner of the hypocrites

To do i' th' synagogues, and in the streets;[7]

That men may give them praises. Verily

They have their recompence, I testify.

But when thou dost alms, let thy left hand know

Not what thy right hand is about to do:

That giving secretly, thy Father may,

Who sees in secret, openly repay.

And when thou pray'st be not as hypocrites;

For they love in the corners of the streets,

And in the synagogues to stand and pray,

There to be seen: they've their reward I say.

But thou, when thou dost make thy pray'r, go thee

Into thy closet, shut thy door unto thee,

And there in secret to thy Father cry,

Who seeing thee shall reward thee openly.

But when ye pray use not vain repetitions,

As heathens do, for they think their petitions

Prevail; when they the same do multiply:

Be ye not like to them therefore; for why;

Your Father knows what things you need before

You ask him, on this wise pray ye therefore.

Our Father which art in heav'n, thy name alone

Be hallowed. Thy glorious kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as 'tis in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And ev'n

As we remit our debtors, grant remission

To us. And lead us not into temptation,

But from all evil do thou us deliver;

For th' kingdom, power and glory's thine for ever.

Amen.

For if you do forgive men that offend,

Your heavenly Father will to you extend

Forgiveness; but if not, nor will he spare,

At any time when you offenders are.

Moreover when you fast beware lest you

Look sad, as hypocrites are wont to do;

For they disguise their faces, that they may

Appear to fast: they've their reward I say.

But thou, when thou dost fast, anoint thine head

And wash thy face, that undiscovered

Thy fasting may be unto men, but rather

That thou be seen in secret of thy Father:

And then thy Father, who in secrecy

Beholds thee, shall reward thee openly.

Lay not up treasure for yourselves in store

Upon the earth, where moth and rust devour,

And where by thieves you may be quite bereaven.

But lay up treasure for yourselves in heaven,

Where neither moth, nor rust, nor thieves can enter:

For where's your treasure there your hearts will centre.

The eye's the light o' th' body, which if right

Then thy whole body will be full of light:

But if thine eye be evil, then there will

A total darkness thy whole body fill.

If therefore all the light that is in thee

Be darkness, how great must that darkness be?

No man can serve two masters, either he

Will hate one, and love t'other, or will be

Faithful to one, and t'other will forego.

Ye cannot serve both God and mammon too.

Take no thought therefore for your life, I say,

What you shall eat or drink; or how you may

Your bodies clothe. Is not the life much more

Than meat; Is not the body far before

The clothes thereof? Behold the fowls o' th' air,

Nor sow nor reap, nor take they any care;

How they provision into barns may gather;

Yet they are nourish'd by your heavenly Father:

Are ye not worth much more? Which of you can

By taking thought add to his height one span?

And why for raiment are ye taking thought?

See how the lilies grow; they labour not,

Nor do they spin; yet Solomon, I say,

In all his pomp, had no such gay array.

If in the field God so doth clothe the grass,

Which is to-day, and doth to-morrow pass

Into the oven, shall he not therefore

O ye of little faith, clothe you much more?

Take no thought therefore, saying, What shall we eat,

Or drink, or where shall we our raiment get:

(For thus the heathen people use to do)

For that you need them doth your Father know.

But seek God's kingdom, and his righteousness

First, and then all these things you shall possess.

Be not then exercis'd with care and sorrow,

In making preparation for the morrow;

The morrow shall things for itself prepare:

Sufficient to the day is each day's care.

CHAP. VII.

Judge not that you may not be judg'd; for even

As you pass judgment, judgment shall be giv'n:

And with such measure as you mete to men,

It shall be measured unto you again.

And why dost thou take notice of the mote

That's in thy brother's eye; but dost not note

The beam that's in thine own? How wilt thou say

Unto thy brother, let me take away

The mote that's in thine eye, when yet 'tis plain

The beam that's in thine own doth still remain?

First cast away the beam, thou hypocrite,

From thine own eye, so shall thy clearer sight

The better be enabled to descry,

And pluck the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Give not to dogs the things that are divine,

Neither cast ye your pearls before the swine

Lest that they should their feet them trample under,

And turn upon you, and rend you asunder.

Ask, and obtain; seek, and ye shall find; do ye

Knock, and it shall be opened unto ye:

For he that seeks, shall find; that asks, obtain,

And he that knocks, shall an admittance gain.

Or what man is there of you, if his son

Shall ask him bread, will he give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will he bestow

A serpent? If then ye being evil know

To give your children good gifts, how much rather

To them that ask him shall your heav'nly Father.

Then what you wou'd men shou'd to you, so do

To them: for that's the law and prophets too.

Enter in at the strait gate, for the road

That doth unto destruction lead, is broad;

And wide the gate; and many there be that

Enter therein: because strait is the gate,

And narrow is the way that is inclin'd

To life, and which there are but few that find.

False prophets shun, who in sheep's clothes appear,

But inwardly devouring wolves they are:

Ye by their fruits shall know them. Do men either

Pluck grapes of thorns, or figs or thistles gather?

Even so each good tree good fruit will produce;

But a corrupt tree fruit unfit for use:

A good tree cannot bring forth evil food,

Nor can an evil tree bear fruit that's good:

Each tree that bears not good fruit's hewn down

And burnt, thus by their fruits they shall be known.

Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, but he

That doth my heav'nly Father's will shall be

An heir of heaven: many in that day

Will call Lord, Lord, and thus to me will say;

Have we not prophesied in thy name?

Cast devils out, done wonders in the same?

And then will I profess I know you not;

Depart from me ye that have evil wrought.

Whoso therefore these sayings of mine doth hear,

And doth them, to a wise man I'll compare,

The which upon a rock his building founded,

The rain descended and the floods surrounded,

The winds arose, and gave it many a shock,

And it fell not, being founded on a rock.

And ev'ry one that hears these sayings of mine,

And not to do them doth his heart incline,

Unto a foolish man shall be compar'd;

Who his foundation on the sand prepar'd:

The rain descended and the floods were great,

The winds did blow, and vehemently beat

Against that house; and down the building came,

And mighty was the downfall of the same.

And now when Jesus thus had finished

His sayings, the people were astonished

Thereat: for not as do the scribes taught he

Them, but as one that had authority.

THE PROPHECY OF JONAH

CHAP. I.

Now unto Jonah, old Amittai's son,

Thus did the word of the Almighty come,

And said, Arise, go thou forthwith and cry

'Gainst that great city Nineveh; for why,

The sins thereof are come up in my sight.

But he arose, that he to Tarshish might

Flee from God's presence; and went down and found

A ship at Joppa unto Tarshish bound:

He paid the fare, and with them went on board

For Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord.

But the Almighty a great wind did raise,

And sent a mighty tempest on the seas,

So that the ship was likely to be broken.

Then were the mariners with horror stricken;

And to his God they cried every one;

And overboard was the ship's lading thrown

To lighten it: but down into the ship

Was Jonah gone, and there lay fast asleep.

So to him came the master and did say,

What meanest thou, O sleeper! rise and pray

Unto thy God, and he perhaps will hear,

And save us from the danger that we fear.

Then said they to each other, Come let's try,

By casting lots, on whom the fault doth lie,

In bringing all this evil now upon us.

So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonas.

Then said they, We entreat thee let us know,

For whose cause we this evil undergo,

Whence comest thou? What is thine occupation?

What countryman art thou? And of what nation?

And unto them himself he did declare,

And said, I am an Hebrew, and do fear

The living Lord, the God of heaven, who

Alone hath made the sea and dry land too.

Then were the men exceedingly afraid;

And, wherefore hast thou done this thing? they said:

(For they did understand he did forego

God's presence, for himself had told them so.)

What shall we do unto thee, then they said,

That so the raging of the sea be stay'd?

(For it did rage and foam.) Take me, said he,

And cast me overboard into the sea;

So shall the sea be calm, for on my score

I know it is, that thus the waves do roar.

Nevertheless they rowed hard to gain

The land, but all their labour was in vain;

So much against them did the tempest beat.

Wherefore they the Almighty did entreat,

And said, We do beseech thee, and we pray,

O Lord, that thou would'st not upon us lay

The charge of guiltless blood, nor let it be,

That now we perish, on th' account that we

Take this man's life away; for thou alone

As it hath pleased thee, O Lord, hast done.

So they took Jonah up, and to the seas

Committed him, then did the tempest cease.

Then did the dread of the great God on high,

Seize on the mariners exceedingly.

And they did offer up a sacrifice,

And vowed vows unto the Lord likewise.

And now the Lord for Jonah did contrive

A mighty fish, to swallow 'im up alive,

And in the fish's belly for the space

Of three days and three nights, poor Jonah was.

CHAP. II.

Unto the Lord his God then Jonah pray'd

Out of the belly of the fish, and said,

By reason of affliction, which lay sore

Upon me, I the Lord God did implore,

And he gave ear; and from Hell's Belly I

Cry'd unto thee, and thou, Lord, heard'st my cry:

For thou into the deep hadst cast me out,

And there the floods did compass me about;

In the midst of the sea, thy waves were sent,

And all thy billows which my head o'erwent.

Then said I though thy presence hath forsook

Me, to thy holy temple will I look.

The waters compassed about my soul,

And the great deeps did round about me roll,

The weeds were wrapt about my head, I went

Down to the bottom of the element;

The earth with her strong bars surrounded me,

Yet thou, O Lord, from death hast set me free.

When my soul fainted, on the Lord I thought,

And to thee, to thy temple then was brought

My prayer. They their own mercies do despise,

Who have regard to lying vanities.

But with the voice of my thanksgiving, I

Will offer sacrifice to thee on high,

And pay my vows which I have vow'd, each one,

For why? Salvation's of the Lord alone.

And now the fish, as God did give command,

Did vomit Jonah out upon dry land.

CHAP. III.

And now the second time to Jonah came

God's word, and said, Arise, go and proclaim

To that great city Nineveh, what

Have heretofore commanded thee to cry.

So Jonah rose up, and prepar'd to go

To Nineveh, as God had bid him do.

(Now was the city Nineveh so great,

That it was three days' journey long complete)

And as into the city Jonah made

His first day's journey, he cry'd out and said,

When forty days shall be expired and past,

This city Nineveh shall be laid waste.

Then did the Ninevites with one accord,

Believe this was the message of the Lord;

And did proclaim a fast, and every one,

From greatest to the least, put sackcloth on:

For to the king this news was quickly flown,

And he arose, and came down from his throne,

And having laid aside his robes of state,

He put on sackcloth, and in ashes sate:

And issuing out his royal proclamation,

And through the city making publication

Thereof (being by the king and council sign'd)

A solemn and a general fast enjoin'd;

And said, I will, that neither man nor beast,

Nor flock, nor herd, shall their provision taste:

But let them all put sackcloth on and cry

Unto the Lord with greatest fervency;

Yea, let them all their evil ways refrain,

And from the violence which they retain.

Who knows if God will yet be pleas'd to spare,

And turn away the evil that we fear?

And God beheld their works, and saw that they

Had turned from the evil of their way.

And God turn'd from his wrath, and did revoke

The dreadful judgment whereof he had spoke.

CHAP. IV.

But hereat Jonah was extremely vext,

And in his mind exceedingly perplext:

And to the Lord his God he pray'd, and said,

O Lord, I pray thee, was not I afraid

Of this, when I was yet at home? Therefore

I unto Tarshish took my flight before:

For that thou art a gracious God I know,

Of tender mercy, and to anger slow,

Of great compassion, and dost oft recall

The evil thou dost threat mankind withal.

Now therefore, Lord, I earnestly do pray

That thou would'st please to take my life away,

For I had better die than live. Dost thou

Do well, said God, to be so angry now?

So then out of the city Jonah went,

And on the east side of it made a tent,[8]

And underneath the shade thereof he sate,

Expecting what would be the city's fate.

And over Jonah's head behold the Lord

Prepar'd, and caused to come up a gourd

To shadow him, and ease him of his grief;

And Jonah was right glad of this relief.

But God a worm sent early the next day,

Which smote the gourd; it withered away:

And when the sun arose, it came to pass,

That God a vehement east wind did raise;

Besides the sun did beat upon his head,

So that he fainted, saying, Would I were dead,

For it is better for me now to die,

Than thus to lead my life in misery.

And to distressed Jonah, said the Lord,

Dost thou well to be angry for the gourd?

And he unto the Lord made this reply,

I do well to be angry e'en to die.

Thou hast had pity, Jonah, on the gourd,

For which thou didst not labour, said the Lord,

Nor madest it to grow, which also came

Up in a night, and perish'd in the same.

And should not I extend my gracious pity

To Nineveh, so populous a city,

Where more than six score thousand persons dwell,

Who 'twixt their right hand, and their left can tell

No difference, wherein are also found

Cattle which do in multitudes abound.

THE LIFE OF JOSEPH,

TAKEN OUT OF THE LATTER PART OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

CHAP XXXVII.

When Jacob from his brother Esau fled,

He by the hand of providence was led

To Padan-aram, in Assyria, where

He serv'd his uncle Laban twenty year;

During which time he was in all things blest,

And with a num'rous issue 'mongst the rest:

Amongst whom none so pleasing in his sight

As Joseph was, who was his chief delight:

Who by the time that Jacob was return'd

Into the land, where's fathers had sojourn'd,

Was full arrived at seventeen years of age;

And by his hopefulness did then presage,

He was endued with a noble mind,

That would to virtuous actions be inclin'd;

For being sent to feed his father's flock,

Among his brethren he great notice took

Of what they did, and if in any sort

They did amiss, he thereof made report

Unto his father, and did thus create

His father's favour, but his brethren's hate.

His father loved him better than the rest,

As being the son wherewith his age was blest.

And that his kindness might the more appear,

Made him a party colour'd coat to wear.

But as it often haps, his father's love

Did in his brethren greater hatred move.

But that which most incens'd them was his dreams,

By which, in a prophetic way, he seems

Their low submission, and his future state

Of greatness plainly to prognosticate.

For to his brethren thus his dreams he told,

And said, As we were binding sheaves, behold,

My sheaf arose and stood up in the field,

And all your sheaves stood round about, to yield

Obeisance unto mine: And what, must we

Indeed, say they, be subject unto thee?

Their wrath increas'd, this added to his crime.

And Joseph dreamed yet a second time;

And said, Behold, I saw the sun and moon,

And the eleven stars to me fall down.

At which his father highly was offended,

And for these words, the lad he reprehended,

And said, Fond youth, dost thou pretend to shew

That I, thy mother, and thy brethren too,

Must all submit to thee? Thou dost but dream:

But Jacob kept his words, and thought of them.

Now Jacob's sons did feed their flocks in Shechem,

And he desired Joseph to go seek them,

And find them out, and come again and tell

If all things with them and their flocks were well.

So Joseph went, and wander'd here and there,

But could not find out where his brethren were,

Until a man had told him their intent

Of going to Dotham, where he also went.

And when his brethren at a distance saw him,

They held a consultation how to slay him,

And said, Here comes the dreamer, we shall see

What the event of all his dreams will be;

For we will kill, and in a pit will hide him,

And say some beast or other hath destroy'd him.

But Reuben somewhat tend'rer than the rest,

Endeavour'd to persuade them to desist

From murder, saying, Into this pit let's cast him,

And this he said in hopes to have releas'd him.

And now when Joseph came not dreading ought,

They stript him of his party colour'd coat,

And led him to a pit that was hard by,

And threw him into't, but the pit was dry.

And sitting down to eat, they chanc'd to spy,

A company of Ishmaelites pass by,

Who with balm, myrrh, and spice, their camels lading,

From Gilead came, and were to Egypt trading.

Then Judah said, 'Twill do us little good

To slay our brother, and conceal his blood;

Come therefore, brethren, be advis'd by me,

Let's sell him to these Ishmaelites, for he

Is our own flesh, and 'tis a cruel deed,

To kill him, and to this they all agreed.

Their brother then out of the pit they hale,

And to these merchants offer'd him to sale:

Who, him for twenty silver pieces bought,

And with them to the land of Egypt brought.

But Reuben, ignorant of what was done,

Came to the pit, and seeing the lad was gone,

He rent his clothes in a great consternation,

Returning back with heavy lamentation.

And now that they might make their story good

They kill'd a kid, and dipped in the blood

Their brother Joseph's coat, and home they came,

And to their father's view expos'd the same,

And said, This we have found, now thou dost know

Whether it be thy son's coat, yea or no.

And Jacob knew the coat full well, and said,

Now hath some evil beast devour'd the lad;

Joseph is torn in pieces without doubt,

For, too, too well I know this is his coat.

He rent his clothes, and putting sackcloth on,

He for a long time mourned for his son.

His children striving to assuage his grief

Endeavour'd to administer relief:

But he refus'd, and said, Since he is gone,

I will in sorrow to the grave go down.

Such lamentation made he for his son.

CHAP. XXXIX.

And now these merchants, sons of Ishmael,

Again did poor afflicted Joseph sell,

To an Egyptian, named Potiphar,

The captain of King Pharaoh's men of war.

And God was with him, and did greatly bless,

And crown his undertakings with success.

Whereof his master being well aware,

Committed all he had to Joseph's care;

And made him overseer of his house,

And, from the time his master us'd him thus,

The Lord was pleas'd to give him to partake,

So many blessings, e'en for Joseph's sake:

Of that with plenty he was hedg'd about,

And prospered within door and without.

Such was his master's love, and he so just,

That all things were committed to his trust.

Now Joseph was grown up to manly stature,

Of goodly presence, and most comely feature.

Wherefore his mistress, with a lustful eye,

Beheld his beauty, and resolv'd to try,

If to unchaste embraces she could gain

The youth, but her endeavours prov'd in vain:

For he refus'd, and said, My master knows

In all the house of nothing that he owes,[9]

For his concerns are all at my dispose:

There's not a thing that he hath kept from me

But all is in my hand, save only thee;

Then how can I commit so foul a fact,

And the displeasure of my God contract?

Yet still she sued, and still did he deny her,

Refusing to be with her, or lie by her.

Now on a time when all the men were gone

Out of the house, and she was left alone:

And Joseph at that instant coming in,

About some business he'd to do within;

She took advantage of their being together,

And held his clothes to force him to lie with her.

But Joseph strove, and from her hands got loose,

And left his coat, and fled out of the house.

And when she saw that he had made's escape,

She call'd her servants, and proclaim'd a rape:

Come see now how this Hebrew slave, said she,

Your master's favourite, hath affronted me.

He came to violate my chastity,

And when he heard that I began to cry,

And call for help, afraid lest you should find him,

He's fled, and left his garment here behind him.

And now to give her words the greater credit,

Until her husband's coming home, she hid it,

To whom she spake, and said, Why hast thou brought

This Hebrew here, to set me thus at nought?

The slave attempted to defile my bed,

And when I cry'd, he left his coat and fled,

See here it is. Which when he saw, and heard

The heavy accusation she preferr'd,

He was exceeding wroth at his behavior,

And utterly cashier'd him from his favour;

Nay more, he cast him into prison, where

In fetters bound, King Pharaoh's pris'ners were.

But Joseph's God, who never yet forsook

Him in extremity, was pleas'd to look

With great compassion on his injuries,

And gave him favour in the keeper's eyes;

So that he was entrusted with the care

And charge of all the pris'ners that were there:

All were committed unto Joseph's hand,

And what was done, was done at his command.

The prison-keeper took no care at all,

Of ought that he entrusted him withal;

Because he saw that God was with him, and

All things did prosper that he took in hand.

CHAP. XL.

And now, whilst Joseph in confinement lay,

It came to pass upon a certain day,

That Pharaoh King of Egypt, being wroth

With his chief butler, and chief baker both,

For their offences, put them both in ward,

In the house of the captain of the guard:

Into the place where Joseph was confin'd,

Unto whose custody they were resign'd;

And he attended on them in the prison.

And there they were continue'd for a season,

During which time it chanced both of them

Did in the same night dream each man his dream:

Which dreams, according to interpretation,

Had to themselves particular relation.

And Joseph coming early the next day,

Into the room where Pharaoh's servants lay,

Beheld their countenances much dejected:

Wherefore he said, What evil hath effected

This melancholy frame, what is't that causes

These marks of discontentment in your faces?

Then said they, We have dream'd each man his dream,

And there is no man to interpret them.

Then Joseph said, Your dreams to me make known.

Interpretations are from God alone.

Then unto Joseph the chief butler told

His dream, and said, Methought I did behold

A vine, whereon three branches did appear,

Which seem'd to bud, to blossom, and to bear

Clusters of full ripe grapes, which to my thinking

I press'd into the cup for Pharaoh's drinking.

And Joseph said, Thy dream doth signify,

Thou shalt enjoy thy former dignity:

The branches which thou sawest are three days,

In which King Pharaoh will his butler raise

And to thy place again will thee restore,

And thou shalt serve him as thou'st done before:

But do not, when it shall be well with thee,

Forget me, but show kindness unto me,

And unto Pharaoh represent my case,

That I may be deliver'd from this place;

For I was stol'n out of the Hebrew's land,

And also here am wrongfully detained.

Then the chief baker having understood,

That the interpretation was so good,

He told his dream to Joseph too, and said,

Lo, I had three white baskets on my head,

And in the uppermost there seem'd to be,

Of baked provision, great variety,

Fit for King Pharaoh's table, and there came

A flock of birds, and seem'd to eat the same.

And Joseph said, Thy dream portends thy fall,

For at the end of three days Pharaoh shall

Lift up thy head, and hang thee on a tree,

So that the birds shall feast themselves on thee.

And on the third day Pharaoh made a feast

Unto his servants, and among the rest

The butler and the baker were brought forth,

The day being kept in memory of his birth.

And to his place King Pharaoh did restore

His butler, and he served him as before.

But the chief baker he condemn'd to die,

According unto Joseph's prophecy.

Yet though the butler had regain'd his place,

He was unmindful of poor Joseph's case.

CHAP. XLI.

And now when two years' time was fully past,

And Joseph from confinement not releast,

It came to pass that Pharaoh dream'd, and

He seemed by a river-side to stand,

Whence he seven fat well-favour'd kine beheld,

Come up and grazed in the neighbouring field.

And after them there came up seven more,

Lean and ill-favour'd, and did soon devour

The seven fat kine which came up just before.

So Pharaoh 'woke, and mus'd awhile, and then

Soon as his sleep his dream returned again:

Wherein he saw upon one stalk there stood

Seven ears of corn exceeding rank and good,

And seven others, with the east wind blasted,

And withered, sprang up, and quickly wasted

The seven good ears, and quite devour'd them:

And Pharaoh 'woke, and lo, it was a dream.

And in the morning he was discontent,

And for the wise men and magicians sent,

To ease his mind; but there was none of them

That could interpret to the king his dream.

Then the chief butler, making his address

Unto King Pharaoh, said, I now confess

My former faults, for when the king was wroth

With his chief butler, and chief baker both,

It pleased him, to put us both in ward,

In the house of the captain of the guard:

And in one night we dream'd a dream, each one

According to 's interpretation:

And there was then an Hebrew there in ward,

A youth that serv'd the captain of the guard:

To whom we told whereof we had been dreaming,

And he interpreted to us the meaning;

And what he said fell out accordingly,

Me he restored to my dignity,

But told the baker he should surely die.

Then Pharaoh sent a messenger in haste,

And Joseph from the dungeon was releas'd:

And having shav'd himself and chang'd his clothes,

Into the presence of the king he goes.

To whom King Pharaoh said, I have been told

Thou canst the meaning of a dream unfold:

Now I have dream'd a dream, and there is none

Can give me the interpretation.

And Joseph said, I cannot do this thing

Myself, but God shall answer thee, oh king.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream,

As I stood by a river's side, there came

Up from the river seven well-favour'd kine,

And fed upon the banks, all fat and fine,

And after them there came up seven more,

Lean and ill-favour'd, and exceeding poor:

Such as the land of Egypt never bred,

And on the seven well-favour'd kine they fed,

And eat them up, but 'twas not to be seen

That they had eat them, they look'd still so thin.

So I awoke, and mus'd awhile, and then

Soon as my sleep, my dream return'd again;

Wherein I saw upon one stalk there stood

Seven ears of corn, exceeding rank and good:

Then seven others, with the east wind blasted,

And withered, came up, and quickly wasted

The seven good ears, and quite devoured them.

And being unsatisfied about my dream,

I sought unto the wise men of the nation,

But they could give me no interpretation.

And Joseph said, Thy dream, oh king! is one,

God shews to Pharaoh what he will have done.

The seven fat kine and seven good ears agree

To shew, seven years of plenty there shall be.

The seven lean kine, and seven blasted ears,

Denote there shall be famine seven years.

This I declare to Pharaoh, God doth shew

To thee, oh king! what he's about to do.

Behold seven years of plenty are at hand,

Which shall be very great throughout the land.

And after them seven years of famine shall

Arise, and shall consume the land, and all

The former plenty shall not be perceiv'd,

So much the land with famine shall be griev'd.

And since the dream was doubl'd to the king,

It is because God hath decreed the thing,

And on this land the same will shortly bring:

Now therefore if I may the king advise,

Let him look out a man discreet and wise,

And make him overseer of the land:

And substitute men under his command

To gather a fifth part for public use,

Of what the seven plenteous years produce;

And in the cities lay it up for store,

Against the famine in the land grows sore;

And let it be repos'd in Pharaoh's hand,

That so the famine may not waste the land.

And when King Pharaoh and his servants heard

The propositions Joseph had preferr'd,

They were acceptable in Pharaoh's eyes,

And in the eyes of all his court likewise:

So that he said, Can such an one be found?

A man in whom God's Spirit doth abound.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Forasmuch

As God's great kindness unto thee is such,

As to reveal this thing to thee, I know

No man so wise or so discreet as thou.

Be thou therefore the ruler of the land,

And let my people be at thy command;

Thou shalt in all things be as great as I,

Save only in the royal dignity.

Behold this day I have advanced thee

Said he, to be a man of high degree

Throughout the land. And therewithal the king

Bestow'd on Joseph his own royal ring;

And him with robes of state did richly deck,

And put a chain of gold about his neck,

And in his second chariot made him ride,

And as he past, Bow down the knee they cry'd,

With so great honour was he dignifi'd.

And Pharaoh said moreover, I am king,

No man shall dare to purpose any thing,

Or move his hand or foot in all this nation,

Unless it shall be by thy approbation.

He also gave to Joseph a new name,

And for a wife gave him a princely dame,

Who was the daughter of a priest of fame.

(Now Joseph had attained his thirtieth year,

When he before King Pharaoh did appear.)

And he went out from Pharaoh's presence, and

Began his progress over all the land.

Now in the seven plenteous years, the field

Did its increase in great abundance yield.

And Joseph gather'd all that plenteous crop,

And in th' adjacent cities laid it up:

Which like unto the sand upon the shore,

Did so abound that he could count no more,

Such was the plenty that the earth then bore.

And unto Joseph there was born a son,

Even by the daughter of the priest of On,

Before the years of famine were begun;

The which he call'd Manasseh, for, said he,

God makes me to forget my misery,

And all my father's house. And after him

Was born another he called Ephraim;

For God, saith he, hath made me to possess

Abundance in the land of my distress.

And when the seven plenteous years were gone,

The seven years of famine next came on,

As Joseph said, and there was a great dearth

In every nation throughout all the earth;

But in the land of Egypt there was bread.

And when the people almost famished,

Complained to the king, he bade them go

To Joseph, and whate'er he said to do.

And now the famine daily waxing sore,

Joseph began to bring forth of his store,

Which he had laid up for the public good;

To whom th' Egyptians came and bought their food.

And people from all countries far and near

To Egypt came to buy provision there;

For in all lands the famine was severe.

CHAP. XLII.

And now, behold, when Jacob had been told

That there was corn in Egypt to be sold,

He said unto his sons, Why stand ye thus?

Go down to Egypt and buy corn for us;

That so our craving stomachs may be fed,

And not be here and die for lack of bread.

Thus Jacob's ten sons were to Egypt sent,

But Joseph's brother Benjamin ne'er went.

For why, his father said, I will not send him,

Lest peradventure some ill chance attend him.

And Joseph's brethren came among the rest

To buy provision, for they were distress'd.

Now he was governor of all the land,

And all the corn of Egypt in his hand.

Wherefore his brethren, when they came to treat

With him for corn, bow'd down e'en at his feet:

And he no sooner saw them but he knew them,

And show'd himself extremely strange unto them:

And very roughly asked who they were,

From whence they came, and what their bus'ness there.

And they made answer, We thy servants from

The land of Canaan to buy food are come.

Now tho' they knew him not, yet he knew them,

And calling now to mind his former dream,

He said, I do suspect ye're come as spies,

To see in what distress our country lies.

But they reply'd again, My lord, we're come

Only to buy some food to carry home.

Think not thy servants spies, but true men rather,

For we are all the children of one father.

Nay, nay, said he, but ye are come to pry

Into the nation's great necessity.

But they reply'd again, Thy servants are

Inhabitants of Canaan, and declare,

That we're twelve brethren, whom one man begot,

The youngest is at home, and one is not

Well then, said Joseph, hereby shall I know,

Whether ye're spies, as I have said, or no;

Now by the life of Pharaoh do I swear,

Until your brother come I'll keep you here.

Send one of you and fetch the lad to me,

And you shall be confin'd, so shall there be

A proof of what you say before mine eyes,

Or by the life of Pharaoh ye are spies.

Then he for three days put them all in ward,

And on the third day said, I have regard

To equity, therefore if ye are true

And honest men, do this; let one of you

Be bound in prison here, and let the other

Go carry corn home and bring me your brother;

So shall ye be approv'd and shall not die.

And they prepared to do accordingly.

And as they were discoursing to each other,

They said, We were in fault about our brother,

In that we saw his soul in great distress,

And yet were so exceeding pitiless,

As not to hearken to his earnest cries:

This is the cause of these our miseries.

And Reuben said, You know I did forewarn,

And beg that you would do the child no harm;

But you would not do then as I desir'd,

And now his blood is at our hands requir'd.

Thus they discours'd about the cause that brought

Their present trouble, but they little thought

That Joseph knew of what they did confer,

Because he spake by an interpreter.

And he being moved at their words withdrew

To weep, and then returned to renew

His former talk; and choosing Simeon out,

Before them all he bound him hand and foot.

And gave command to fill their sacks with grain,

And to restore their money to 'em again;

And for their journey gave them food to eat;

In such sort Joseph did his brethren treat.

Then with their asses laden towards home

They went, and when into their inn they come

As one of them his sack of corn unty'd,

To give his ass some provender, he spy'd

His money in his sack again return'd;

Wherefore he call'd his brethren and inform'd

Them that his money was returned back.

Behold, said he, it is here in my sack.

On sight whereof their hearts were sore dismay'd,

And being very much affrighted said,

What is the thing that God's about to do,

That we do thus these troubles undergo?

Then coming to their father they related,

After what sort they were in Egypt treated:

And said, the man that's lord of all the land,

And hath the store of corn all in his hand,

Spake roughly to us, and affirm'd that we

Were come the weakness of the land to see.

To whom we said, We are all honest men;

We are twelve brethren, whereof here are ten,

And two elsewhere, all which one man begot,

The youngest's with our father, one is not.

Then said the ruler of the land, Hereby

Shall I make proof of your integrity:

Let one of you continue here with me,

And take provision for your family;

And get you gone and bring the youngest hither,

That so I may be satisfied whether

Ye are true men, as you make protestation,

Then I'll release him, and give toleration

To you to come and traffic in the nation.

And now behold as they their sacks unloos'd

To empty out their corn, there was unclos'd

In each man's sack his money therein bound,

As when they came from home, which when they found,

Both they and their old father were afraid;

And to his sons afflicted Jacob said,

You of my children have bereaved me,

Joseph and Simeon now do cease to be;

And of my Benjamin you would deprive me,

These things do ev'n into distraction drive me.

Then Reuben said, My father I resign

To thy disposing these two sons of mine;

Give me the lad, and let them both be slain,

If I do not return him safe again.

But he reply'd, I will not let him go,

For why his brother is deceas'd you know;

And if upon the way some evil thing

Should happen to the lad, you then will bring

These my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave;

For he's the only comfort that I have.

CHAP. XLIII.

And now the famine still continuing sore,

And having spent all their late purchas'd store,

Their father bids them to go down for more

To whom when Judah had himself address'd,

He said, The man did solemnly protest,

If we without our brother came again,

To seek his face would be for us in vain:

If therefore thou wilt send him, well and good,

Then will we willingly go down for food;

But if thou wilt not, we must let thee know,

We are resolved that we will not go:

For, as I said before, the ruler swore

Without him we should see his face no more.

Then Israel said, Why were you so unkind

To say you had a brother left behind?

The man, said they, was so inquisitive,

He asked if our father were alive,

Or if we had a brother, whereunto

Accordingly we answer'd, could we know

If he would bid us bring the lad or no?

Moreover Judah to his father said,

If thou wilt but entrust me with the lad,

We will begone, that so both thou and we

May be preserved with our family:

I will be surety for him, if I fail

To bring him back, on me the blame entail;

For if we had not lingered, we had been

By this time here the second time again.

Well then, said Isr'el, if it must be so,

My sons, take my advice before you go;

Provide some of the best fruits of the land,

To give the man a present from your hand;

Balm, myrrh, and spices, and a little honey,

Some nuts and almonds, and take double money,

For peradventure it was a mistake,

In that our money was returned back.

And take your brother Benjamin and go,

And God Almighty grant the man may shew

You mercy, that you may bring back again

Your other brother, and my Benjamin,

And if I am bereav'd, so have I been.

Then did the men prepare the present, and

They took their money double in their hand

With Benjamin, and down to Egypt went,

Who unto Joseph did themselves present.

Who, when he saw that Benjamin was come,

Order'd his steward to conduct them home,

And to provide a dinner, for, said he,

I do intend these men shall dine with me.

Then did the steward as his master said,

And brought them home, whereat they were afraid,

And said, The man hath caus'd us to come in,

Because our money was return'd again;

To take occasion now to fall upon us,

And make us slaves, and take our asses from us.

Unto the steward they drew nigh therefore,

And thus communed with him at the door:

O sir, say they, we came at first indeed

To buy provision to supply our need;

And in our inn as we our sacks unloos'd,

We found our money therein all inclos'd

In its full weight, whereat surpris'd with fear,

Not knowing who had put our money there,

We now have brought it in full weight again,

And other money too, to buy more grain.

Peace, peace, said he, let not fear seize upon you

For I had the disposing of your money:

God, unto whom you and your father bow,

Hath giv'n you treasure in your sacks I trow.

And then releasing Simon, who had been

Confin'd in Joseph's house, he brought them in

And set them water, and they wash'd their feet;

And gave their asses provender to eat.

Then they made ready, against Joseph came,

Their gifts, in order to present the same

At noon; for they were told he did design

To have their company with him to dine.

And now when Joseph was returned home,

Into his presence they with rev'rence come,

And brought their presents in and laid before him,

And fell down at his feet for to adore him.

Then he inquired if they all were well,

And said, When you were here I heard you tell

Of an old man, your father, how does he?

Is he in health, or doth he cease to be?

Whereto in humble sort they thus reply'd,

Thy servant, ev'n our father, doth abide

In perfect health, which having said,

They bowed their heads and great obeisance made.

And Joseph viewing Benjamin his brother

(They being both the children of one mother)

He asked if he were the lad of whom

They spake, then said, God give thee grace, my son.

Then making haste to find a secret place

To weep, because his bowels yearn'd apace

Upon his brother, to his chamber went,

Where having giv'n his troubled spirits vent,

He washed his face, and did himself refrain,

And to his brethren then came forth again,

And bade his servants they should set on bread.

At his command the tables were all spread;

One for himself, and for his friends another,

And for the Egyptians one apart from either,

That so they might not eat bread altogether;

For it is held a great abomination

For them to eat among the Hebrew nation,

And they were placed as their age required,

The eldest first, whereat the men admired.

And from his table Joseph sent them messes;

But in a larger manner he expresses

To Benjamin his kindness, which was such,

That he appointed him five times as much

As to the rest: and they drank plenteously,

Till they were merry in his company.

CHAP. XLIV.

And to his steward Joseph spake, and said,

Give these men corn as much as they can lade;

And in their sacks bind each man's money up,

And in the youngest's put my silver cup

Besides his money: and he made haste and did

According as his master had commanded.

And in the morning by the break of day,

With asses laden they were sent away:

And now, e'er they had scarce the town's end pass'd,

He sent his steward after them in haste,

And said, Go, follow them, and ask them why

They have dealt by me so ungratefully?

And say unto them, You have done great evil

To rob my master, who hath been so civil,

And steal the cup wherein he drinks his wine;

Is it not it whereby he doth divine?[10]

Then he pursu'd and quickly overtook

Them, and these very words to them he spoke.

To whom they said, Why hath my lord such thought?

Oh, God forbid that we should be so naught;[11]

Behold, thou know'st we brought the money back

The which we found bound up in each man's sack,

Which shews that we had no design to cheat;

How then should we now steal your master's plate?

With which of us thy servants it is found

Let him be slain, and we to slavery bound.

Now as you say, said he, so let it be,

He shall be bound, but you shall all go free.

Then they unladed ev'ry man his beast,

And to his view expos'd their sacks in haste.

And he from first to last them searched round,

And lo, the cup on Benjamin was found:

Thereat surpris'd, each man his garment rent,

And lade his beast, and back again they went.

And now when Judah and the rest were come

To Joseph's house, (for he was yet at home)

They fell before him to the ground, to whom

He said, What deed is this that you have done?

Are you not sensible that such a one

As I, can certainly thereof make trial?

Then Judah said, My lord, there's no denial:

We cannot clear ourselves. The Lord hath sent,

For our misdeed, this heavy punishment.

Behold, to be thy slaves we all are bound,

Both we, and he on whom the cup was found.

Then Joseph said, The Lord forbid that I

Should exercise so great severity:

For he with whom 'tis found, and he alone

Shall be my servant, you may all be gone.

Then unto Joseph, Judah drawing near,

Said, O my lord! I pray be pleas'd to hear

Thy servant speak, and be not angry now,

For as King Pharaoh is ev'n so art thou.

My lord did bid thy servants to discover

Whether we had a father or a brother;

And we made answer that thy servants had

An ancient father and a little lad,

The child of his old age, who was our brother,

And he the only child left of his mother,

His brother being dead; and that this lad

Was all the comfort that our father had.

Then thou wert pleas'd to bid thy servants bring

The lad, that thou might'st have a sight of him.

And we made answer, if the lad should leave

His father, it would bring him to his grave:

And thou didst then protest it was in vain

For us without him to come here again.

Then towards home thy servants went their way,

And told our father what my lord did say.

And in a while, when all our corn was spent,

Thy servant, ev'n our father, would have sent

To buy more food; to whom thy servant said,

We cannot go except thou send the lad.

Because the man did solemnly declare,

Unless we brought him we should not come there.

And then thy servant, ev'n our father, said,

Ye know that by my wife two sons I had,

And one of them went forth and came no more,

Which made me think some beast did him devour.

And if I now should also condescend

To let this go, and mischief should attend,

You will with sorrow bring me to my end.

When to my father I shall come therefore,

And he shall see that I do not restore

The lad again, he certainly will die,

(Since in his life my father's life doth lie)

And we shall bring him to his grave thereby.

For I became a surety for the lad

Unto my father, unto whom I said,

If I do not in safety him deliver,

Then let me bear the blame to thee for ever.

I humbly pray thee, therefore, to accept

Me in his stead, and let me here be kept

My lord's bond-slave, and let the lad go free:

For how can I, thy servant, bear to see

The evil that shall on my father come,

If that the lad return not safely home.

CHAP. XLV.

Then Joseph, who by no means now could hide

His brotherly affection longer, cry'd,

Put all men forth; and he was left alone

When to his brethren he himself made known.

Then Joseph weeping lifted up his voice

So loud, that Pharaoh's servants heard the noise.

And to his brethren did himself discover,

And said, Lo! I am Joseph your own brother;

And doth my father live? Whereat amaz'd,

They could not speak, but at each other gaz'd.

Then Joseph said, Come near, I pray, behold,

I am your brother Joseph whom ye sold

To Egypt, be not grieved now therefore,

Nor vex yourselves, for God sent me before

To save life; for these two years there hath been

A famine, and five more to come, wherein

Seed time nor harvest shall at all be seen.

The Lord, I say, hath sent me to provide

A place, and strangely save your lives beside.

So now ye sent me not, but it was rather

The Lord, and he hath made me as a father

Unto the king, lord of his household, and

A ruler over all this spacious land.

Unto my father, therefore, go your way,

And tell him, Thus doth thy son Joseph say:

The Lord hath rais'd me to a high degree

In Egypt, tarry not, but come to me,

And thou shalt dwell in Goshen and be nigh me,

And with provision there will I supply thee;

Both thou and thine, flocks, herds, and all thou hast,

(For yet these five years will the famine last)

Lest otherwise, provision being scant,

Thou and thy family may come to want.

Behold, both you and Benjamin my brother

Do see that it is I and not another.

Go tell my father this amazing story,

And bring him hither to behold my glory.

Then falling on his youngest brother's neck,

And he on his, they o'er each other wept.

And to the rest he did likewise, wherefore

They now were more familiar than before.

And now whilst they discoursed, the report

Of their arrival came to Pharaoh's court,

And he was pleas'd thereat, wherefore he said

To Joseph, let thy brethren straightway lade

Their beasts with corn, and thus unto them say,

Unto your native country haste away,

And fetch your father, and your households, and

I'll feed you with the good things of the land;

And since you are commanded by the king,

Take wagons with you hence wherein to bring

Your wives, your little ones, and come down hither,

Your father, you and yours altogether;

And never heed to bring your household stuff,

For here in Egypt you shall have enough.

Then did the Isr'elites accordingly:

And Joseph ordering them a large supply

Of necessaries for their journey, sent

Wagons according to the king's intent.

And to each man he gave a suit of clothes,

But on his brother Benjamin bestows

Five suits, and as a token of his love,

A sum of money over and above.

And thus he sent ev'n for his father's use,

Of the best things that Egypt did produce,

Ten asses load, and ten she asses load

Of bread and meat, to spend upon the road.

Then sending them away, he said, I pray

See that you do not fall out by the way.

And leaving Egypt with their num'rous train,

Unto their father they returned again:

To whom, as soon as e'er they did arrive,

They said, Our brother Joseph's yet alive,

And lord of all the land, which sore dismay'd

Him, for he scarce believed what they said.

Then they of all that pass'd gave him relation.

And shewed the wagons for a confirmation

Which being manifest before his eyes,

He rais'd himself, and said, It doth suffice;

Joseph my son is yet alive, and I

Will go to see him once before I die.

CHAP. XLVI.

Then Isr'el setting forward on his way

With all his household, came to Beersheba;

And offer'd sacrifice there to implore

The God his father Isaac did adore.

And in the visions of the night God spake

To him, and said, Fear not to undertake

This journey into Egypt, for I am

The God of thy forefathers, Abraham

And Isaac; to the land of Egypt I

Will go with thee, and there will multiply

Thy offspring, and of thee will surely make

A mighty nation, and will bring thee back;

And thy son Joseph there thine eyes shall close.

After which vision he from thence arose,

And in the wagons which King Pharaoh sent,

He and his family to Egypt went:

His sons, their wives and children, and the rest

Of their concerns, whereof they were possest

When they in Canaan dwelt, and they were then

No more in number but threescore and ten.

And when to Egypt Israel drew near

He sent before him Judah, to prepare

His way to Goshen, which when Joseph heard,

Immediately his chariot he prepar'd;

And unto Goshen he directly went,

And to his father did himself present:

And being over-joy'd fell on his neck,

And for a good while thereupon he wept.

Then Jacob said, Since thou yet liv'st, and I

Have seen thy face once more, now let me die.

And Joseph said, My brethren I will go

Unto King Pharaoh, and will let him know

That you, and all my father's house are come;

And that your occupation when at home,

Hath been in feeding cattle altogether,

And that you've brought your flocks and herds all hither.

Now therefore when you come before the king,

And he should ask you what your trade hath been,

Say thus: Thy servants from our youth till now

Have dealt in cattle, we and our fathers too,

That he may let you dwell in Goshen, for

Th' Egyptians do a shepherd's life abhor.

CHAP. XLVII.

Then to King Pharaoh Joseph went and said,

My father and his sons, with all they had

In their own country, are come down to me,

And in the land of Goshen now they be.

Five of his brethren also with him went,

Whom he unto King Pharaoh did present,

And Pharaoh asked them about their trade,

And they unto the king reply'd and said:

We and our fathers while we were at home

Were shepherds all, and now behold, we come

With all our flocks, to get some pasture here,

For in our land the famine is severe.

We therefore pray thee to appoint a portion

Unto thy servants in the land of Goshen.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I empow'r thee

To use thy pleasure, Goshen is before thee;

Settle thy father and thy brethren there,

And if among them active men there are,

Commit my cattle to their special care.

And Joseph brought his aged father in

Before the king, and Jacob blessed him.

And Pharaoh asking him about his age,

He said, The years of my life's pilgrimage

Are but an hundred thirty, very few

And evil, nor have I attain'd unto

The years of my forefathers longer age,

Which they pass'd thro' in this their pilgrimage.

And Jacob bless'd the king again, and then

Out of his presence he return'd again.

And Joseph plac'd his father and relations

In Egypt, and appointed them possessions

In the best of the land, ev'n in the land

Of Rameses, according to the king's command:

And there he nourished them with fit supplies

Of bread, according to their families.

And now the people having spent their store,

And famine still increasing more and more,

Egypt and Canaan too, for want of bread,

Were sore distress'd and almost famished.

And Joseph took the money they did bring

To buy their corn, and kept it for the king.

Wherefore the people came to represent

Their case to him, both corn and coin being spent.

And Joseph said, If money be grown scant,

Bring me your cattle and ye shall not want.

And they brought horses, asses, and their flocks

And herds of cattle, ev'n all their stocks,

And gave to Joseph in exchange for bread,

For which the people he for that year fed:

And when that year was past, the second year

They came again, and said, We can't forbear

To let thee know our want, my lord doth know

Thou hast our money and our cattle too,

And there is nothing left (so hard's our fate)

But only each man's person and estate:

If thou wilt give us bread, into thy hands

Will we resign our persons and our lands:

And be the servants of the king for ever.

From death therefore our hungry souls deliver,

And take some pity on our wretched state,

Lest we die, and the land be desolate.

And the Egyptians sold each man his field,

Because the famine over them prevail'd;

And all their lands became the king's possession,

And Joseph placed them at his own discretion.

But the land of the priests he purchased not,

For Pharaoh had assigned to them their lot:

And they received their food from Pharaoh's hands,

Wherefore they had no need to sell their lands.

And Joseph said unto them, Now behold,

You and your lands are unto Pharaoh sold:

Lo! here is seed to sow in each man's field,

And when the land its ripe increase shall yield,

A fifth part shall belong unto the crown,

And the other four parts shall be your own,

For seed to sow your lands, and for supplies

Of food convenient for your families.

And they said; Thou hast sav'd our lives, my lord,

Thy gracious favour unto us afford,

And we will do according to thy word.

And Joseph made it a decree, to stand

Ev'n to this day throughout th' Egyptian land;

That Pharaoh should have a fifth part, except

The priests' lands, which unto themselves they kept.

And in the land of Egypt ev'n in Goshen,

Did Isr'el dwell, and therein had possession;

And grew and multiply'd exceeding fast.

And Jacob liv'd till seventeen years were past:

So that the sum of Jacob's age appears

To be an hundred forty-seven years.

And when the time approach'd that he must die,

He called Joseph, unto whom he said, If I

Have now found favour in thy sight, I pray,

Swear thou unto me that thou wilt not lay

My bones in Egypt, for I fain would lie

Among my ancestors when e'er I die,

And not be bury'd here; therefore fulfil

This my desire; and he reply'd, I will:

And he said, Swear unto me, which he did:

Then Jacob bow'd himself upon his bed.

CHAP. XLVIII.

And now when Joseph heard his father lay

Even at the point of death he hastes away

To visit him, and took along with him

His son Manasseh, and's son Ephraim.

Whereof when Jacob heard he strength'ned

Himself, and rose and sat upon the bed:

And thus to Joseph said, Lo! God appeared

To me at Luz in Canaan, and declared,

That he would bless, and make me a great nation,

And give my seed that land for a possession:

And Jacob said, Behold, these sons of thine

As Reuben and as Simeon shall be mine;

And all the rest that shall be born to thee

Hereafter, shall be thine, and they shall be

Call'd by the name of their own family.

Behold thy mother died upon the way,

When I from Padan came, near Ephratah,

The which is in the land of Canaan, where,

To wit, in Bethlem, did I bury her.

And Jacob seeing Joseph's sons were there,

He asked of him who the children were.

And Joseph said, My father, lo! these be

The sons, God in this place hath given me.

Then Jacob said, I pray thee bring them nigh

To me, and I will bless them e'er I die.

(Now Jacob's eyes, by reason of age, were dim)

And Joseph brought his sons near unto him,

And Jacob kissed and embraced them:

And said, I never thought to see thy face,

And lo! the Lord hath shewn me of thy race.

And Joseph from between his knees brought forth

His sons, and bow'd himself even to the earth:

And in his right hand held up Ephraim,

Towards his father's left hand guiding him

And in his left hand to his father's right,

He held his son Manasseh opposite.

And Isra'l stretching our his right hand, laid

It on the youngest, namely Ephraim's head:

And laid his left hand wittingly upon

Manasseh's head, although the eldest son.

And Jacob blessed Joseph, saying, The God

Of heaven, in whose paths my fathers trod,

Who all my life hath nourish'd me, even he

Who from all evil hath redeemed me,

Bless both the lads, and let them bear my name,

And the name of my fathers Abraham

And Isaac, and let them multiply

In the midst of the earth exceedingly.

And Joseph seeing his father's right hand laid

On Ephraim's head, he was displeas'd, and said,

Not so, my father, lay this hand upon

Manasseh's head, for he's the eldest son:

And therewithal attempted to have laid

His father's right hand on Manasseh's head

But he refus'd and said, I know't my son,

I know't full well, he also shall become

A people, and be mighty: But indeed

His younger brother shall him far exceed,

And many nations shall come from his seed.

Thus Jacob blessed them, and said, In thee

Shall Isra'l bless, and say, God make thee be

Like Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus did he

Prefer the youngest to the first degree.

And Isra'l said to Joseph, Lo! I die,

But God shall visit you, and certainly

Shall bring you back unto your father's land.

And thou shalt have a portion from my hand,

Above thy brethren, which with sword and bow

I took from th' Amorite, my deadly foe.

CHAP. XLIX.

And Jacob called all his sons together,

And said, Ye sons of Jacob come you hither:

And hearken what your aged father says,

Who tells you what shall be in the last days.

Reuben my first born, of my strength the flow'rs,

The excellency of dignity and power:

Unstable as water, be for ever vile,

Because thou did thy father's bed defile.

Simeon and Levi 're brethren. Instruments

Of cruelty lodged in their tents.

Come not, my soul, their secret councils nigh,

My honour, with them have no unity:

For in their wrath they caused a man to fall,

And in their self-will digged down a wall.

Curs'd be their anger, fierce, yea cursed be

Their wrath, for it was full of cruelty.

In Jacob therefore let their seed be spread,

And every where in Israel scattered.

Judah shall have his brethren's praise, and they

Shall bow before him; he his foes shall slay.

Judah's a lion's whelp return'd from prey,

He stoop'd, he couch'd, and as a lion lay;

As an old lion, who shall dare molest,

Or rouse him up, when he lies down to rest.

The sceptre shall from Judah never start,

Nor a lawgiver from his feet depart;

Until the blessed Shiloh come, to whom

The scatter'd people shall from all parts come:

Binding his foal unto the choicest vine,

He wash'd his garments, all of them in wine:

His eyes shall with the blood of th' grapes look red,

And milky whiteness shall his teeth o'erspread.

Lo! Zabulon shall dwell upon the sea,

And heaven for the ship's security,

And unto Zidon shall his border be.

And Issachar is a strong ass between

Two burdens crouching, who when he had seen

That rest was pleasant, and the land was good,

His servile neck unto the yoke he bow'd.

Dan as a judge shall over Isra'l sway,

He shall be as a serpent in the way,

To bite the horse, and cast the rider down.

O God! I have look'd for thy salvation.

Gad by a troop shall be o'ercome, but he

Shall at the last obtain the victory.

The bread of Ashur shall be fat indeed,

And royal dainties shall from his proceed.

Like to a hind let loose is Naphtali,

He speaketh all his words acceptably.

Joseph's a fruitful bough, whose branches tall

Grow by a well, and over-top the wall:

By reason of hatred which the archers bore,

They shot at him and griev'd him very sore,

But Joseph's bow in its full strength abode

And by the arm of Jacob's mighty God,

He was indu'd with strength, from whence alone

Is Isra'l's shepherd, and chief corner-stone:

Ev'n by my father's God, who shall assist

Thee, by th' Almighty God shalt thou be blest,

With blessings from above, and from below,

With blessings of the breast, and womb also.

Thy father's blessings have prevail'd beyond

My ancestors. Unto the utmost bound

Of the perpetual hills, yea let them rest

On Joseph's head, and let him be possest

Of all, who was divided from the rest.

Young Benjamin shall wolf-like take his prey,

And part by night what he hath took by day.

All these are the ten tribes of Israel,

And thus their father did their fate foretell:

And blessed every one of them apart,

According to their personal desert.

Moreover he gave them a charge and said,

Lo! I shall die, but let my bones be laid

Among my ancestors in Canaan, where

Of Ephron, Abraham bought a sepulchre,

Together with a field, to be a place

Of burial, for him and all his race.

(There Abraham and Sarah lie, and there

They Isaac and Rebecca did inter,

And there when Leah died I buried her.)

The field was purchas'd of the sons of Heth.

Thus having said, resigning up his breath

To him that gave 't, his feet into the bed

He drew, and so was number'd to the dead.

CHAP. L.

And Joseph fell upon his father's face,

And did with tears his lifeless lips embrace:

And sends for his physicians and advises

Them to embalm his father's corpse with spices.

And they did so, and forty days did pass.

(For so the manner of embalming was)

And the Egyptians mourned for the space

Of three score and ten days, which being expired

He spake to Pharaoh's servants and desired,

That they would please to speak in Pharaoh's ear,

And tell him that my father made me swear,

That I should bury him in Canaan, where

He hath provided his own sepulchre.

I therefore pray thee that I may obtain

Thy leave, and I will soon return again.

And Pharaoh said, Since thou hast sworn, fulfil

Thy oath, according to thy father's will.

And Joseph went up to accompany

His father's corpse with great solemnity.

And with him went up Pharaoh's servants, and

The prime nobility of all the land,

And Joseph's household, and his brethren all,

Only their flocks, and herds, and children small

Were left behind. Moreover there went up

Chariots and horsemen, ev'n a mighty troop.

And they came up to Atad's threshing floor

Beyond the river Jordan, where full sore

They mourned for him till seven days were past,

So long their mourning in that place did last.

Which when the Canaanites beheld they said,

Surely some eminent Egyptian's dead.

Wherefore they call'd it Abel-mizraim.[12]

Thus did his sons as he commanded them.

For to the land of Canaan they convey'd

Him, and in Machpelah near Mamre, laid

His body in the cave which Ephron sold

To Abraham, for him and his to hold.

And thus when Joseph fully had perform'd

His father's will, to Egypt he return'd,

Together with his brethren, and with all

Them that came with him to the funeral.

Now Joseph's brethren being well aware

That they were fatherless, began to fear

That he would hate them, and requite them all

The evil they had treated him withal.

Wherefore to him they sent a messenger

And said, Behold our father did declare

Before he died, that we should come and say,

Forgive thy brethren's trespasses, I pray;

And their misdeeds, for they have been unkind.

And now we humbly pray thee be inclin'd

To pardon our offences, and the rather

For that we serve the God e'en of thy father.

And Joseph wept when they thus spake, and they

Came nearer, and before him prostrate lay,

And said, We are thy servants all this day.

And Joseph bad them not to be afraid,

For in the place of God am I he said:

For though you meant me ill, God meant it good,

And sent me hither to provide you food.

Now therefore trouble not yourselves, for I

Will nourish you, and all your family.

After this manner did he satisfy,

And treat them with extreme civility.

And Joseph and his father's house remain'd

In Egypt, and he liv'd till he attain'd

An hundred and ten years, and liv'd to see

Of Ephraim's children to the third degree.

And Macher's children of Manasseh's tribe

Were also born some time before he died.

Then Joseph said, My brethren, lo! I die,

But God will visit you undoubtedly;

And to that land again whereof he spake

Unto our ancestors, will bring you back.

And Joseph also made his brethren swear,

That they would not inter his body there.

And thus he ended his life's pilgrimage,

Being an hundred and ten years of age;

And was embalm'd, and in a coffin laid,

In Egypt, till he could be thence convey'd.

THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES

CHAP. I.

Unto the twelve tribes scattered abroad,

James, an apostle of the living God,

And of the Lord Christ Jesus, salutation.

My brethren, when you fall into temptation

Of divers kinds, rejoice, as men that know

From trial of your faith doth patience flow.

But let your patience have its full effect,

That you may be entire, without defect.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him cry

To God, and he will give it lib'rally,

And not upbraid. But let him ask in faith,

Not wavering, for he that wavereth,

Unto a wave o' th' sea I will compare,

Driv'n with the wind and tossed here and there.

For let not such a man himself deceive,

To think that he shall from the Lord receive.

A double-minded man most surely lacketh

Stability in all he undertaketh.

Let ev'ry brother of a low degree

Rejoice in that he is advanc'd, but he

That's rich in being made low, for he shall pass

Away, as doth the flow'r of the grass.

For as the grass, soon as the sun doth rise,

Is scorch'd by reason of the heat, and dies;

Its flow'r fades, and it retains no more

The beauteous comeliness it had before,

So fades the rich man, maugre all his store.

The man is blest that doth endure temptation

For when he's try'd, the crown of God's salvation,

The which the Lord hath promised to give

To them that love him, that man shall receive.

Let no man be possest with a persuasion,

To say, when he falls under a temptation,

That God's the cause; for with no evil can

God be tempted, nor tempts he any man.

But every man is tempted when he's drawn

Away, and by his lusts prevail'd upon;

Then when lust hath conceiv'd, it ushereth

In sin, and sin when finished brings death.

Err not, my brethren, whom I dearly love,

Each good and perfect gift is from above,

Down from th' original of lights descending,

With whom's no change, nor shadow thereto tending,

According to his own good pleasure, he

Begat us with the word of truth, that we

Should as the first fruits of his creatures be.

Wherefore, beloved brethren, I entreat

You to be swift to hear, and slow to speak,

And slow to wrath, for wrath cannot incline

The sons of men to righteousness divine.

Wherefore avoiding ev'ry filthiness,

And superfluity of naughtiness:

Receive with meekness the engrafted word,

Which can salvation to your souls afford.

But be ye doers of the word each one,

And not deceive yourselves to hear alone;

For he that hears the word and doth it not,

Is like unto a man that hath forgot

What kind of man he was, tho' in a glass

He just before beheld his nat'ral face.

But whoso minds the law of liberty

In its perfection, and continually

Abides therein, forgets not what he's heard,

But doth the work and therein hath reward.

If any man among you seem to be

Religious, he deceives himself if he

Doth not his tongue as with a bit restrain;

And all that man's religion is but vain.

Religion, pure and undefil'd, which is

Acceptable before the Lord, is this:

To visit widows and the fatherless,

In time of their affliction or distress;

And so to regulate his conversation,

As to be spotless in his generation.

CHAP. II.

Faith of the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ,

Doth with respect of persons not consist;

For if, my brethren, when there shall come in

To your assembly one with a gold ring,

In goodly clothes, and there shall also be

Another man that's meanly cloth'd, and ye

Shall have respect to him in rich attire,

And say unto him, come thou, sit up higher;

And bid the poor man stand or sit below,

Are ye not partial then, and plainly show,

That you do judge amiss in what you do?

Hearken, my brethren, hath not God elected

The poor, who by this world have been rejected;

Yet rich in faith, and of that kingdom heirs,

Which God will give his foll'wers to be theirs?

But you, my brethren, do the poor despise.

Do not the rich men o'er you tyrannise;

And hale ye to their courts; that worthy name

By which you're call'd do not they blaspheme?

Then if ye do the royal law fulfil,

To love thy neighbour as thyself, 'tis well,

According to the scripture; but if ye

Shall have respect to persons, ye shall be

Guilty of sin, and by the law condemn'd,

As such who have its righteousness contemn'd.

For he that shall but in one point offend,

Breaks the whole law, whate'er he may pretend.

For he that doth forbid adultery,

Forbids likewise all acts of cruelty.

Now tho' thou be not an adulterer,

Yet if thou kill, thou shalt thy judgment bear.

So speak and do as those men that shall be

Judg'd by the perfect law of liberty:

For he shall judgment without mercy know;

That to his neighbour doth no mercy show;

And mercy triumphs against judgment too.

Brethren what profit is't if a man saith

That he hath faith, and hath not works; can faith

Save him? If any of the brotherhood

Be destitute of clothes or daily food,

And one of you shall say, Depart in peace,

Be warned or be ye fill'd ne'ertheless.

Ye do not furnish them with what they need,

Wat boots it? Thus faith without works is dead.

Yea may a man say, thou dost faith profess,

And I good works, to me thy faith express

Without thy works, and I will plainly show

My faith unto thee by the works I do.

Thou dost believe there is one God, 'tis true,

The devils do believe and tremble too.

But wilt thou know, vain man, that faith is dead,

Which with good works is not accompany'd.

Was not our father Abraham justify'd

By works, and by the same his faith was try'd;

When he his Isaac to the altar brought;

Seest thou how with his works his faith then wrought?

And with his works he perfected his faith?

And so the scripture was fulfill'd, which saith,

Abraham believed God, and 'twas imputed

For righteousness, and he God's friend reputed.

Thus may you see, that by works ev'ry one

Is justify'd, and not by faith alone.

Thus was the harlot Rahab justify'd

By works, when she the messengers did hide,

And by another way their feet did guide.

For as the body's dead without the spirit,

So aith without works never can inherit.

CHAP. III.

Affect not, brethren, superiority,

As knowing that we shall receive thereby

The greater condemnation in the end:

For we in many things do all offend.

Who doth not with his tongue offend, he can

Guide his whole body, he's a perfect man.

Behold, in horses' mouths we bridles put,

To rule and turn their bodies quite about.

Behold likewise the ships, which tho' they be

Of mighty bulk, and thro' the raging sea

Are driv'n by the strength of winds, yet they

By a small helm the pilot's will obey.

Ev'n so the tongue of man, which tho' it be

But a small member, in a high degree

It boasts of things. Behold, we may remark

How great a matter's kindled by a spark.

The tongue's a fire, a world of ill, which plac'd

Among the members, often has disgrac'd

All the whole body, firing the whole frame

Of nature, and is kindl'd by hell flame.

All kind of beasts and birds that can be nam'd,

Serpents and fishes, are and have been tam'd

By mankind; but the tongue can no man tame,

A stubborn evil full of deadly bane.

We therewith God the Father bless, and we

Therewith curse men made like the Deity:

Blessing and cursing from the same mouth flow,

These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.

Is any fountain of so strange a nature,

At once to send forth sweet and bitter water?

Can olives, brethren, on a fig-tree grow,

Or figs on vines? no more can water flow

From the same fountain sweet and bitter too.

He that's endu'd with wisdom and discretion

Amongst you, let that may by the profession

Of meekness, wisely give a demonstration,

Of all his works, from a good conversation.

But if your hearts are full of bitterness

And strife, boast not, nor do the truth profess.

This wisdom is not from above descending,

But earthly, sensual, and to evil tending:

For where there's strife and envying there's confusion

And ev'ry evil work in the conclusion.

But the true wisdom that is from above,

Is, in the first place, pure, then full of love,

Then gentle and entreated easily,

Next merciful, without partiality,

Full of good fruits, without hypocrisy.

And what is more, the fruits of righteousness

Is sown in peace, of them that do make peace.

CHAP. IV.

From whence come wars and fights, come they not hence,

Ev'n from th' inordinate concupiscence

That in your members prompts to variance?

You lust and have not, kill and desire to have;

But ne'ertheless obtain not what you crave.

With war and fighting ye contend, yet have not

The things which you desire, because you crave not;

Ye crave but don't receive, the reason's just,

Ye crave amiss to spend it on your lust.

You that live in adultery, know not ye

The friendship of the world is enmity

With God? He is God's enemy therefore

That doth the friendship of the world adore.

Do ye think that th' scripture saith in vain,

The spirit that lusts to hate, doth in you reign?

But he bestows more grace, wherefore he says,

God scorns the proud, but doth the humble raise.

Unto the Lord therefore submissive be,

Resist the devil and he'll from you flee.

Draw nigh to God, and he'll to you draw nigh.

Make clean your hands you sinners, purify

Your hearts you double-minded, weep and mourn,

And be afflicted, let your laughter turn

To sorrow, and your joy to sadness: stoop

Before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

My brethren, speak not evil of each other;

He that doth judge and speak ill of his brother,

Doth judge and speak ill of the law; therefore

If thou dost judge the law, thou art no more

A doer of the same, but dost assume

The judgment-seat, and art thyself become

A judge thereof. There is but one law-giver,

That's able to destroy and to deliver;

Who then art thou that dost condemn thy neighbour?

Go to now, you that say, to such a place

To-morrow will we go, and for the space

Of one whole year, or so, will there remain,

And buy and sell, and get great store of gain:

Whereas ye know not what a day may do.

For what's the life of man? Ev'n like unto

A vapour, which, tho' for a while it may

Appear, it quickly vanisheth away.

So that ye ought to say, If God permit

Us life and health, we will accomplish it.

But now ye glory in your confidence,

Such glorying is of evil consequence.

He therefore that doth know, and doth not act

The thing that's good, doth guilt thereby contract.

CHAP. V.[13]

Go to now, O ye rich men, howl and cry,

Because of your approaching misery:

Your riches are corrupted, and the moths

Have ent'red, and have eaten up your clothes.

Your gold and silver's canker'd, and the rust

Thereof, shall be an evidence that's just

Against you, and like fire your flesh devour:

Against the last days ye have heap'd up store.

The hire of them that reaped down your field,

The which by you is wrongfully withheld.

Cries, and the voice thereof hath reach'd the ears

Ev'n of the God of sabbath, and he hears.

Your lives in pleasure ye on earth have led,

And as in days of slaughter nourished

Your wanton hearts, and have condemn'd and slain

The just, and he doth not resist again.

Be patient therefore, brethren, ev'n unto

The coming of the Lord: behold, ev'n so

The husbandman expecteth patiently

The precious increase of the earth to see,

With patience waiting till he doth obtain

The showers of early and of latter rain.

So be ye patient, fixing stedfastly

Your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws nigh.

Grieve not each other, brethren, lest ye bear

The condemnation;[14] lo! the judge stands near.

The prophets, brethren, who all heretofore

In the name of the Lord their witness bore,

Take for examples in their sufferings

And patience: they that endure such things,

Ye know are counted blest. Have ye not read

Of Job, how patiently he suffered?

Have ye not seen in him what was God's end;

How he doth pity and great love extend?

My brethren, but above all things forbear,

By heav'n or earth, or otherwise to swear;

But let your yea be yea, your nay be nay,

Lest ye become reprovable I say.

Let him sing psalms that's merry; he that's griev'd,

Let him by prayer seek to be reliev'd.

If any of you by sickness be distress'd,

Let him the elders of the church request

That they would come and pray for him a while;

Anointing him in the Lord's name with oil;

So shall the pray'r that is of faith restore

The sick, and God shall raise him as before.

And all th' offences which he hath committed

Shall be forgiv'n, and he shall be acquitted.

Confess your faults each one unto his brother,

And put up supplications for each other,

That so you may be heal'd; the fervency

Of just men's prayers prevails effectually.

Elias was a man as frail as we are,

And he was earnest with the Lord in pray'r,

That there might be no rain, and for the space

Of three years and six months no rain there was:

And afterward, when he again made suit,

The heav'n gave rain, the earth brought forth her fruit.

If any one shall from the truth desert,

And one, my brethren, shall that man convert;

Let him be sure, that he that doth recall

The poor backsliding sinner from his fall,

Shall save a soul from death, and certainly

Shall hide a multitude of sins thereby.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Grace Abounding, No. 3.

2. George Herbert, in that admirable poem called 'The Temple,'

introduces his reader tot he church porch thus:--

'Thou, whose sweet youth and early hopes enhance

Thy rate and price, and mark thee for a treasure;

Hearken unto a verser, who may chance

Rhyme thee to good, and make a bait of pleasure.

A verse may find him, who a sermon flies,

And turn delight into a sacrifice.'

3. 'An husband,' c. i. 12.

4. 'Set abroach,' in a posture to run out, or yield the liquor

contained.--Ed.

5. 'An ephah,' a measure containing three pecks and three

pints.--Calmet.

6. Similar to Christian's exclamation, when calling to Faithful

to stop and bear him company. See Pilgrim's Progress, Part 1st.

7. These lines, and those on the next page, 'The eye's the light

o' th' body,' remind one of Bunyan's style in his Apology for

the Pilgrim's Progress,--

'Dost thou love picking meat? Or would'st thou see A man i' th'

clouds, and hear him speak to thee?'--Ed.

8. A cover, a booth, bower, or hut made of the boughs of trees.--Ed.

9. 'He owes,' a contraction for 'he owneth.'--Ed.

10. The word translated 'divine,' means to eye subtly, to search, to

try. Verse 5 may be rendered, 'And he will search deeply for it';

and in verse 15, 'Know ye not that a man like me would search deeply,'

alluding to the certainty of detection, but not by divination.--Ed.

11. 'So naught,' so corrupt, bad, or worthless.--Ed.

12. The mourning of Egypt.--Ed.

13. By a typographical error, in the original edition, it is

misprinted CHAP. XLVI.

14. How admirably does Bunyan enlarge upon this in his 'Peaceable

principles yet true.'

***

An Exposition on the FIRST TEN CHAPTERS OF GENESIS, And Part of

the Eleventh

An unfinished commentary on the Bible, found among the author's

papers after his death, in his own handwriting; and published in

1691, by Charles Doe, in a folio volume of the works of John Bunyan.

ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR

Being in company with an enlightened society of Protestant dissenters

of the Baptist denomination, I observed to a doctor of divinity,

who was advancing towards his seventieth year, that my time had

been delightfully engaged with John Bunyan's commentary on Genesis.

"What," said the D.D., with some appearance of incredulity, "Bunyan

a commentator--upon Genesis!! Impossible! Well, I never heard of

that work of the good Bunyan before. Why, where is it to be found?"

Yes, it is true that he has commented on that portion of sacred

scripture, containing the cosmogony of creation--the fall of man--the

first murder--the deluge--and other facts which have puzzled the

most learned men of every age; and he has proved to be more learned

than all others in his spiritual perceptions. He graduated at a

higher university--a university unshackled by human laws, conventional

feelings, and preconceived opinions. His intense study of the

Bible, guided by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, enabled him to

throw a new and beautiful light upon objects which are otherwise

obscure. Oh! that young ministers, while attaining valuable

book learning, may see the necessity of taking a high degree in,

and of never forgetting this Bible university! Reader, is it not

surprizing, that such a treatise should have remained comparatively

hidden for more than one hundred and fifty years. It has been

reprinted in many editions of Bunyan's works: but in all, except

the first, with the omission of the scripture references; and with

errors of so serious a character as if it was not intended to be

read. Even in printing the text of Genesis 7:7 Noah's three sons

do not enter the ark! although in 8:16 they are commanded to go

forth out of the ark. It is now presented to the public exactly

as the author left it, with the addition of notes, which it is

hoped will illustrate and not encumber the text.

This exposition is evidently the result of long and earnest study

of the holy scriptures. It is the history of the creation and of

the flood explained and spiritualized, and had it been originally

published in that form and under a proper title, it would most probably

have become a very popular work. The author's qualifications for

writing this commentary were exclusively limited to his knowledge

of holy writ. To book learning he makes no pretensions. He tells

us that in his youth "God put it into my parents hearts to put me

to school, to learn to read and write as other poor men's children;

though, to my shame, I confess, I did soon lose that little I

learnt even almost utterly." In after life, his time was occupied

in obtaining a livelihood by labour. When enduring severe mental

conflicts, and while he maintained his family by the work of

his hands, he was an acceptable pastor, and extensively useful

in itinerant labours of love in the villages round Bedford. His

humility, when he had used three common Latin words, prompted him

to say in the margin, "The Latine I borrow." And this unlettered

mechanic, when he might have improved himself in book wisdom, was

shut up within the walls of a prison for nearly thirteen years,

for obeying God, only solaced with his Bible and Fox's Book of

Martyrs. Yet he made discoveries relative to the creation, which

have been very recently again published by a learned philosopher,

who surprised and puzzled the world with his vestiges of creation.

Omitting the fanciful theories of the vestige philosopher, his

two great facts, proved by geological discoveries, are--

I. That when the world was created and set in motion, it was upon

principles by which it is impelled on to perfection--a state of

irresistible progress in improvement. This is the theory of Moses:

and Bunyan's exposition is, that all was finished, even to the

creation of all the souls which were to animate the human race,

and then God rested from his work.

II. The second geological discovery is that the world was far

advanced towards perfection producing all that was needful for

human life, before man was created. Upon this subject, Bunyan's

words are--"God shews his respect to this excellent creature, in

that he first provideth for him before he giveth him his being.

He bringeth him not to an empty house, but to one well furnished

with all kind of necessaries, having beautified the heaven and the

earth with glory, and all sorts of nourishment for his pleasure

and sustenance." But the most pious penetration is exhibited in

the spiritualizing of the creation and of the flood--every step

produces some type of that new creation, or regeneration, without

which no soul can be fitted for heaven. The dim twilight before the

natural sun was made, is typical of the state of those who believed

before Christ, the Sun of righteousness, arose and was manifested.

The fixed stars are emblems of the church, whose members all

shine, but with different degrees of lustre--sometimes eclipsed,

and at others mistaken for transient meteors. The whales and lions

are figures of great persecutors. But the most singular idea of all

is, that the moral degradation of human nature before the flood,

was occasioned by hypocrisy and persecution for conscience sake,

arising from governors interfering with matters of faith and

worship; in fact, that a STATE CHURCH occasioned the deluge--and

since that time has been the fruitful source of the miseries and

wretchedness that has afflicted mankind. His prediction of the

outpouring of the Spirit in the conversion of sinners, when the

church shall be no longer enthralled and persecuted by the state,

is remarkable. "O thou church of God in England, which art now

upon the waves of affliction and temptation, when thou comest out

of the furnace, if thou come out at the bidding of God, there shall

come out with thee, the fowl, the beast, and abundance of creeping

things. O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned

the captivity of my people." May this prediction soon be verified,

and the temporal government no longer vex and torment the church

by interfering with spiritual things.

It is remarkable that of the vast number of pious and enlightened

mechanics who adorn this country and feed its prosperity, so few

read the extraordinary writings of John Bunyan, a brother mechanic;

for with the exception of the Pilgrim's Progress and Holy War,

they are comparatively little known. His simple but illustrative

commentary--his book of Antichrist--his solemn and striking treatise

on the resurrection and final judgment--in fact, all his works,

are peculiarly calculated to inform the minds of the millions--to

reform bad habits, and, under the divine blessing, to purify the

soul with that heavenly wisdom which has in it the promise of the

life that now is as well as of that which is to come. It is also

a fact which ought to be generally known, that those preachers who

have edited Bunyan's works and have drunk into his spirit, have

been most eminently blessed in their ministry; Wilson, Whitefield,

and Ryland, can never be forgotten. If the thousands of godly

preachers who are scattered over our comparatively happy island

were to take Bunyan's mode of expounding scripture as their

pattern, it would increase their usefulness, and consequently

their happiness, in the great work of proclaiming and enforcing

the doctrines of the gospel.

GEO OFFOR.

AN EXPOSITION ON THE FIRST TEN CHAPTERS OF GENESIS, AND PART OF

THE ELEVENTH

In the first edition of this commentary, a series of numbers from

1 to 294 were placed in the margin, the use of which the editor

could not discover; probably the work was written on as many scraps

of paper, thus numbered to direct the printer. They are omitted,

lest, among divisions and subdivisions, they should puzzle the

reader.

CHAPTER II. Of God.

God is a Spirit (John 4:24), eternal (Deu 33:27), infinite (Rom

1:17-20), incomprehensible (Job 11:7), perfect, and unspeakably

glorious in his being, attributes, and works (Gen 17:51; Isa 6:3;

Exo 33:20). "The eternal God." "Do not I fill heaven and earth?

saith the Lord" (Jer 23:24). "Neither is there any creature that

is not manifest in his sight" (Heb 4:13; Pro 15:11).

In his attributes of wisdom, power, justice, holiness, mercy, &c.,

he is also inconceivably perfect and infinite, not to be comprehended

by things in earth, or things in heaven; known in the perfection

of his being only to himself. The seraphims cannot behold him,

but through a veil; no man can see him in his perfection and live.