where there is no water; and he calls the Jewish captives, whose captivity he alludes to under that figure, prisoners of hope; or, as we may properly understand him, preaching the gospel to guilty sinners, sunk in the pit of iniquity, yet prisoners of hope, looking forward to the hour of joyful deliverance, through the blood of the covenant. Verse 25. gives a wonderful view of the human heart: they had just cast poor innocent Joseph into the pit, as they then thought, the pit of death, when they sat down to eat bread, probably rejoicing in the destruction of the dreamer, as the chief priests and pharisees did to a greater than Joseph on a similar occasion. We know not if the

scriptures furnish us with any thing more striking than a beautiful allusion to this, Amos vi. 6. Judah, the typical intercessor, pleads for his brother; and we find Judah's words, verse 26. adopted by the Psalmist in the person of Christ, Psalm xxx. 9. Joseph is accordingly sold for twenty pieces of silver, of the value of forty-six shillings of British money, the perfect type of the goodly price at which his antitype Jesus Christ was afterwards betrayed, the one for twenty, the other for thirty pieces. We find Reuben returning with a view to his deliverance; and the plan by which they endeavoured to impose upon the distressed heart of their parent. But, above all, the conclusion of this chapter leads us to see the divine ruler over all working out his purpose with Joseph, sending him down to Egypt, for the very purpose of saving alive those brethren who sold him. Often, as we have already observed, has Egypt been the preserver of the holy seed; and as it was of Christ personally, so has it been often said of his church, Out of Egypt have I called my son !'

CHAP. XXXVIII.-digresses from the history of Joseph, but is interesting in various points of view. We have heard the first appearance which the tribe of Judah makes, and that particularly in his descendants, of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever more. We find Judah turning aside from his brethren, and begetting children by an Adullamite; these again appearing remarkable for their wickedness; the oldest is slain by divine justice; the second stands distinguished as the father of a species of uncleanness, of all others the most impure and vile; lastly, Judah himself, committing fornication with his own daughter-inlaw, from which connection sprung THE HOLY ONE AND THE JUST. The first remarkable deduction from this chapter, in a general point of view, is this, that when the Son of the Highest appeared in the likeness of sinful flesh, he appeared even in his progenitors, as numbered with transgressors in the very highest point of view.

We apprehend that Judah's error in this connection with the A. dullamite and its fruits is pointed out to us in the expression, went down from his brethren ; and it appears no less clear, that when it is said, that Judah was at Chezib (a lie) when his mother bare him, that it points to his departure from the truth. Should the reader entertain any doubts on this head, let him attend carefully to Micah i. 14, 15. It is proper to remember, that Achzib and Chezib are the same place. The law respecting one brother raising up seed to ano

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ther, we find to have been of more remote date than the law of Moses. It had an important typical meaning, to which we are clearly led, Ruth iv. 10-12. compared with Rom. vii. 4. This may also lead us to a more extensive view of the short history of Er and Onan. In Er's wickedness, for which the Lord slew him, and Onan raising up seed to him, we are called to think of the great work of Christ to raise up seed to God in place of the wicked one whom God slew. It is the incorruptible seed of the word which begets children to God; and by spilling that word, as the Jews of old did, they also were slain and unchurched by God. Onanism, then, is every species of corrupting or spilling the seed or word of God; that crime which is of all others marked with divine judgment; for any man will hurt the witnesses of God, viz. the scriptures, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; in this manner, he must be kill. ed.' In opposition to this, we read of none of his words falling to the ground; and rejecting or despising this, is compared to water spilled on the ground.' By comparing the circumstances of Judah's connection with the Adullamite, and sheep-shearing at Timnath, the reader will be naturally led to think of that connection at Timnath, by which Sampson was in like manner led astray. The particulars of Judah's incest is most interesting: we have but three women mentioned in our Lord's genealogy, the first incestuous, the second a harlot, and the third an adulteress, see Matth. i. Tamar means a palm-tree, to which the church is compared, Song vii. 7. She also put on the attire of a harlot, because Shiloh was not given to her; see, on this head, Ezek. xvi. passim. The reference to Tamar, throws light on various passages in the prophets, such as Isaiah xxiii. 15. 18. Tamar, like her antitype, brought forth twins, like Ishmael and Isaac in the family of Abraham, and Esau and Jacob in that of Isaac. Pharez appears to be the figure of the Jewish church, which was the first born of the family, the elder brother; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. Zarah made his appearance first, though he came last to the birth. Zarah means the RISING SUN, in which he was also a representative of Christ and his New-Testament church, on which the sun of righteousness arose; the prophetic word shone, like a light in a dark place, till the day dawned and the day-star arose. Zarah was distinguished from the first by the scarlet thread, like the sign from Rachab's window. The blood of the covenant has ever been the mark, by which the spiritual seed was known.

CHAP. XXXIX.-resumes the history of Joseph. We find him in the situation described by the Psalmist, He sent a man before them, even Joseph, whom they sold for a servant,' Psalm cv. 17. It was all the Lord's doing, and the more it is attended to, the more marvellous it will appear in our eyes. Thus Stephen says, • God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour in the sight of Pharaoh,' &c. Acts vii. 9, 10. The chastity of Joseph in resisting the temptation of his master's wife, is remarka ble, even to a proverb. We mean not to detract from his credit in

this respect, nor do we conceive we do so, when we say, that the manner in which Joseph was protected from defilement in Egypt, was in the first place typical of him who was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners; and in the second place, it corresponded with the manner in which Sarah and Rebekah, figures of the church of Christ, were preserved undefiled in the same Egypt. The charac ter of Christ's spouse is, My beloved, my undefiled, is one, the choice one of her who bare her; and in revelation we read of those who are not defiled with women, but follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes.' We are ready therefore to consider Potiphar's wife, as characteristic of the adulterous woman, so much spoken of in the book of Proverbs; the false church, who is mistress to Joseph, in her worldly state and authority. Her allurements are strikingly descriptive of the manner in which the mother of harlots labours to form impure connection with the church of Christ; compare Proverbs vii. 10-21. And in like manner, the source of all the hatred and persecution which the great whore poured forth against the Lamb's bride, was her refusing connection with her in her impurity. When we find Joseph therefore thrown into prison, we find him there, 1st, as a type of Christ, who was thrown into the prison of death, because of his adherence to the truth; and, 2d, of the church, who was driven into the wilderness for keeping pure and unspotted from the world. Most remarkable is the change of scene with poor Joseph. We saw him basking in the beams of his father's love and delight: Now, we see him in all the gloomy horrors of a prison, an outcast and a slave! But faint is this contrast with what took place with the greater than Joseph, who, from the bosom of his father, encountered all the ignominy and reproach of his own creatures, and finally descended into the lower parts of the earth. We see Joseph punished for sin imputed, but of which he was in himself pure and spotless. Let us turn our eyes to Him who was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and remember that the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. He died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.

CHAP. XL. But we are now called to trace the parallel at which we have been glancing, in circumstances still more striking, still more remarkable. We now find Joseph in his prison, numbered with transgressors; and appearing as endued with divine wisdom, in revealing the purposes of God; like his great antitype, restoring one fellow-prisoner to liberty and honour, and leaving the other to perish. The circumstances attending this event are so striking, and the similarity so obvious, that it appears very unnecessary to detain our readers on a subject, which, however glorious, has been so often and so justly illustrated by others. We shall therefore only farther add, that the command of the prison given to Joseph, will remind of him who has the keys of hell and death,

CHAP. XLI.-In this chapter, the great design of heaven in all the afflictions brought over Joseph begins to unfold itself. • At the end of two full years,' even in this period, a similarity is to be noti

sed; the same power that released Joseph in the third year, could have done so sooner; but the chief butler is permitted to forget Joseph, because in this respect he must prefigure him that was to come; on the third day, Joseph's antitype and Lord was delivered from prison and from judgment. This must have been a time of severe trial to Joseph. Left to linger in a prison, was a situation very opposite to that of the sun, moon and stars bowing down to him; so says the Psalmist: The word of the Lord tried him,' &c. Psal. cv. 19. But how much severer was the trial of the Captain of Salvation! instead of the fulfilment of that promise made at his birth, the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David,' persecuted to the death, and crucified as a blasphemer. Pharaoh's two dreams impressed his mind, that the revelation, whether good or bad, was from God. The magicians, nay, nor all the power of hell, could unfold Pharaoh's dreams; Joseph must be brought from prison hastily, and his raiment changed; he must be brought before the face of Pharaoh, to unfold the divine purpose and will. Who, but must trace the exact coincidence, with what befel Him who was raised from the dead, brought to the highest seat in Heaven, to lay opent he councils of God? Christ is the true revealer of secrets: when he ascended to glory, all the secrets of the Old Testament figures were laid open and gloriously explained.

It is not foreign from our purpose to introduce here a very few remarks on dreams, as a manner of divine revelation. We find they were of very early date; we read of them in the days of Abraham, and that not as a new thing. They were of two kinds, either in plain direct language, or in figurative. Of the former class are the dreams of Abimilech, Joseph the husband of Mary, and the wise men of the east; of the latter class, the dreams of Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and such like. If it be inquired, how came dreams of revelation to be distinguished from others? We may keep in mind, that although then, as now, there were no doubt unmeaning dreams arising from the multitude of business, as the wise man tells us, yet when God intended to reveal himself in dreams, they were of that impressive kind, which could not be mistaken: we find Pharaoh's anxiety about his dreams, and in like Nebuchadnezzar's; they brought conviction to the mind, that they were of God. Hence, when Joel is foretelling the completion of divine revelation by the mouth of Joel ii., dreaming dreams is not omitted; not, we apprehend, that this would be the exact mode of revelation in those days; but the principal diverse manners in which God spake of old are mentioned, to shew the perfect manner in which that downpouring of the Spirit should complete the revelation of the will of God. Two things deserve the reader's notice: 1. As it has been the constant work of Satan to oppose, by corrupting divine revelation in all its variety of manner, so dreamers of dreams' are mentioned with diviners, as those of whom the Old-Testament church were to beware; indeed, when the usual, and what we may call standing modes of revelation were uncorrupted, dreams do not appear to have been a customary mode: 2. Nothing can be more ridiculous, or rather profane,

than the attempt of unriddling dreams now. Some will startle at such language, but we rather think we are justified in saying, that the idea of dreams being now revelations from God, is a very strong insinuation at least, that revelation is not yet complete. We may rest assured, that of all that heaven sees met to reveal to guilty man, is to be found in the writings of the holy apostles and prophets; and, indeed, in their writings will be found all that the guilty need to know. Every species of modern divination should be held in abhorrence by Christians.

The reader will find great fund of scriptural knowledge and edification, in comparing every circumstance attending the sufferings, humiliation, and exaltation of Joseph, with those of the Son of God. Joseph was set over the house of Pharaoh and the whole land; so Christ, as a son over his own house, as well as governor among the nations. Pharaoh alone was above Joseph; so, it is manifest, that Christ, as head over all things to his body, is second to none, only he is excepted who did put all things under him ;' and this, the reader will recollect, is only said of him as Mediator between God and man; for in his divine nature I and the Father are one. All bowed the knee to Joseph; all confessed him lord. Famine prevailed every where; but where Joseph was plenty abounded. In the very land where Joseph had been disgraced and imprisoned, there he reigned. But the reader needs no key to this history, for he that runs may read.

CHAP. XLII. We shall concentrate our remarks on the singular portion of Joseph's history contained in this chapter, under the following heads.

1. No efforts of man can prevent the accomplishment of the divine purposes of God. His counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure. The sons of Jacob thought to frustrate the revelation given to Joseph in his dreams; but all was in vain their very schemes to frustrate, tended only to forward; and while they thought of sinking him in destruction, they were taking the very steps which heaven had chalked out, to exalt the shepherd to the highest seat of honour next the king in Egypt. 2. We find in Joseph's brethren, the natural effect and tendency of affliction. Had all gone well with them, they would not have taken any thought about Joseph; but when famine and accumulated distress flowed upon them, they remembered their conduct to Joseph. 3. But it is more to our purpose to observe, that this chapter gives us an admirable view of the history of Christ after his exaltation to glory, and of his kinsmen according to the flesh. We have seen his brethren, in persecuting him, acting as the Jews did to our Lord; and in this chapter we find them driven by famine to apply to this same Joseph for food and support. Joseph deals with them as spies; and their eyes are holden that they knew him not. Exactly similar is their present situation. That Jesus whom they threw into the pit of misery, is now exalted at the right hand of the throne of God. They are wandering as spies, yet is his kindness looking after them. Still are they belo