SERMON XII. GENESIS L. 15. And when Jofeph's brethren faw that their father was dead, they faid, JoSeph will peradventure bate us, and will certainly requite us all the evils which we did unto him. TH HERE are few inftances of the exercife of particular virtues which feem harder to attain to, or which appear more amiable and engaging in themselves, than those of moderation and the forgiveness of injuries; and when the temptations against them happen to be heightened by the bitternefs of a provocation on one hand, and the fairness of an opportunity to retaliate H on the other, the instances then are truly great and heroic. The words of the text, which are the confultation of the fons of Jacob amongst themfelves upon their father Ifrael's death, when, because it was in Jofeph's power to revenge the deadly injury they had formerly done him, they concluded in course, that it was in his intention,-will lead us to a beautiful example of this kind in the character and behaviour of Jofeph confequent thereupon; and as it feems a perfect and very engaging pattern of forbearance, it may not be improper to make it ferve for the ground-work of a difcourfe upon that fubject.-The whole tranfaction from the first occafion given by Jofeph in his youth, to this laft act of remiffion, at the conclufion of his life, may be faid to be à mafter-piece of hiftory. There is not only only in the manner throughout, fuch a happy though uncommon mixture of fimplicity and grandeur, which is a double character fo hard to be united, that it is feldom to be met with in com pofitions merely human;--but it is likewise related with the greatest variety of tender and affecting circumstances, which would afford matter for reflec tions useful for the conduct of almoft every part and ftage of a man's life.But as the words of the text, as well as the intention and compafs of this dif course, particularly confine me to fpeak only to one point, namely the forgivenefs of injuries, it will be proper only to confider fuch circumstances of the story, as will place this inftance of it in its just light, and then proceed to make a more general use of the great example of moderation and forbearance, which it fets before us. It seems strange at firft fight, that after the fons of Jacob had fallen into Jofeph's power, when they were forced by the foreness of the famine to go down into Egypt to buy corn, and had found him too good a man even to expoftulate with them for an injury, which he seemed then to have digefted, and pious ly to have refolved into the over-ruling providence of God, for the prefervation of much people, how they could ever after queftion the uprightness of his intentions, or entertain the leaft fufpicion that his reconciliation was diffembled. Would not one have imagined, that the man who had discovered fuch a goodness of foul, that he fought where to |