SERMON XXII.

The History of Jacob confidered.

GENESIS XLVII. 9.

And Jacob faid unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pil-. grimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.

THERE

HERE is not a man in history whom I pity more than the man who made this reply, not because his days were short, but that they were long enough to have crowded into them fo much evil as we find.

Of all the patriarchs, he was the most unhappy; for, bating the feven years which he ferved Laban for Rachel," which feemed to him but a few days, for "the love he had to her,"-strike those out of the number-all his other days were forrow; and that, not from his faults, but from the ambition, the violences, and evil paffions of others. A large portion of what man was born to, comes, you'll fay, from the fame quarter: 'tis true; but ftill in- fome men's lives, there feems a contexture of mifery :-one evil fo rifes out of another, and the whole plan and execution of the piece has fo very melancholy an air, Vol. VI.

A

that a good-natured man fhall not be able to look upon

it but with tears on his cheeks.

I pity this patriarch still the more, because from his first setting out in life, he had been led into an expectation of fuch different fcenes: he was told by Ifaac his father, that God should bless him with the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and with plenty of corn and wine;—that people were to ferve him, and nations bow down to him ;- that be fhould be lord over his brethren ; -that blessed was every one that blessed him, and curfed was every one who curfed

bim.

The fimplicity of youth takes promises of happinefs in the fulleft latitude and as these were moreover confirmed to him by the GoD of his fathers, on his way to Padan-aram,it would leave no distrust of their accomplishment upon his mind; -every fair and flattering object before him, which wore the face of joy, he would regard as a portion of his bleffing; he would purfue it, he would grafp a fhadow.

This, by the way, makes it neceffary to fuppofe, that the bleflings which were conveyed, had a view to bleffings not altogether fuch as a carnal mind would expect; but that they were in a great measure spiritual, and fuch as the prophetic foul of Ifaac had principally before him, in the comprehensive idea of their future and happy eftablishment, when they were no longer to be ftrangers and pilgrims upon earth: for, in fact, in the ftrict and literal fenfe of his father's grant,-Jacob enjoyed it not; and was fo far from being a happy man, that, in the most interest

ing paffages of his life, he met with nothing but difappointments and grievous afflictions.

Let us accompany him from the first treacherous hour of a mother's ambition; in confequence of which he is driven forth from his country, and the protection of his house, to seek protection and an establishment in the house of Laban his kinfman.

In what manner this answered his expectations, we find from his own pathetic remonstrance to Laban, when he had pursued him seven days journey, and overtook him on mount Gilead.—I see him in the door of the tent, with the calm courage which innocence gives the oppressed, thus remonftrating to his father-in-law upon the cruelty of his treatment.

Thefe twenty years that I have been with thee,thy ewes have not caft their young, and the rams of thy flock bave I not eaten.—That which was torn of beafts I brought not unto thee—I bare the loss of it: what was folen by day, or stolen by night, of my hands didst thou require it. Thus I was: in the day the drought confumed me, and the froft by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy boufe;-Iferved thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and fix years for thy cattle; and thou haft changed my wages ten times.

Scarce had he recovered from these evils, when the ill conduct and vices of his children wound his foul to death.-Reuben proves inceftuous.-Judah adulterous, his daughter Dinah is dishonoured,Simeon and Levi dishonour themselves by treachery, -two of his grandchildren are stricken with fudden death,—Rachel his beloved wife perishes, and in

SERMON XXV. p. 40.
Humility.

MATTHEW XI. 29.

Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye fhall find reft unto your fouls..

SERMON XXVI. p. 52.

Advantages of Christianity to the World.

ROMANS I. 22.

Profeffing themselves to be wife, they became fools.

SERMON XXVII. p. 64.

The Abuses of Confcience confidered..

HEBREWS XIII. 18.

-For we trust we have a good Conscience

SERMON XXVIII. p. 79.

Temporal Advantages of Religion.

PROVERBS 111. 17.

Her ways are ways. of pleasantness, and ail her paths are peace.

SERMON XXIX. p. 89.

Our Conversation in Heaven.

PHILIP. III. 20. Ift Part.

For our Converfation is in Heaven.

SERMON XXX. p. 98.

Defcription of the World.

2 PETER III. II.

Seeing then that all these things fhall be diffolved,-what manner of perfons ought ye to be in all holy converfation, and godliJinefs? looking for, and haftening unto, the coming of Go