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he peremptorily refused at once, and he would not hearken any further.

There was no need for it. When our convictions are clear, and our minds made up upon good grounds as to what course it is our duty to take, there can be no honesty in further discussion. When our first mother had told the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die "," she had said enough. It is clear she fully understood her duty, and well knew the consequences of disobedience. And, therefore, to hearken a moment longer, was wilfully to allow an advantage to her adversary; it was suffering him to get in the point of the wedge, by which he would soon split to pieces all her good resolves. Joseph was wiser, and let us be so. "The thought of foolishness is sin "." They that will stand still and listen to what can be said for sin, have sinned already; and have done what must be repented of, and what can only be forgiven by virtue of Christ's atonement, even though something should happily intervene to prevent matters from going further. And they have done besides that which grieves the good Spirit of God, and tempts Him to leave them to themselves, and which shows presumption and foolhardiness; the self-sufficient pride, which goeth before destruction, and the haughty spirit which is near a fall. And, therefore, it is not often that matters are prevented from going further.

Joseph, moreover, would not be with his tempter. For though it might be clear, that nothing could be said to befool his judgment, or puzzle his understanding in so plain a case, he had not so little self-knowledge as to think, that having arguments of pure reason at hand was enough of itself to keep a man from acting in an unreasonable manner. He was, like Job, therefore, and would make a covenant with his eyes, not

5 Gen. iii. 3.

6

Prov. xxiv. 9.

66

to look upon any thing, which, in spite of reason, might excite his bad passions. "Evil communications corrupt good manners." And the wise man says, not only, My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not:" but "My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path "," "avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, pass away." "Go from the presence of a foolish man when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge 10" There is no safety for those who despise this counsel. "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed '." Indeed, as they that will listen to what can be said for sin, have, in that instance, sinned, so they that will consort habitually, and by choice, with evil persons, must themselves be habitually evil-minded. Whether they have or have not as yet run into the same excess of riot outwardly as their companions have, there must be a corrupt vitiated taste and liking already, which outward restraints will not long keep in bounds. "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness," the Apostle asks, "and what communion hath light with darkness?" "Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty 2."

Finally, when temptation followed Joseph in spite of his honest endeavours to avoid it, leaving his garment in the tempter's hand, he fled, we are told, and gat him out. This shows that he had but one care, namely, to avoid sinning; and that, so long as he could do this, he could trust himself in God's hands for every thing. He might have foreseen, and probably did foresee, much of what follows: that he should offend his tempter, that he would be much in her power, and become the victim of her revenge, and that his good would be evil spoken of, his conduct misrepresented, and his integrity turned against him: but he did not concern

7 1 Cor. xv. 32. 10 Prov. xiv. 7.

8 Prov. i. 10. 15.
Prov. xiii. 20.

2

9 Prov. iv. 15.

2 Cor. vi. 14. 17, 18.

himself about consequences. The soul that is brought to this is safe. If the will of God be so, it is better to suffer for well-doing, than for evil-doing; and then, we may commit the keeping of our souls to Him as to a faithful Creator. Joseph's garment, we know, was produced in evidence against him, and unrighteous judgment did prevail for a season. Nevertheless, in taking the honest course, he had taken the wisest and most prudent also; and of this he was well assured in his own mind from the first. Had he wilfully remained where temptation was, he would have been incurring a worse danger than he did incur by running the risk of misconstruction and persecution; and these, if they befel him, could only last for a season. God would set all right in time. "If thou seest the oppression of the poor," saith the Preacher, "and violent perverting of judgment in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they 3." And so thought Joseph also. He walked, in a word, from first to last by faith, and therefore, he was proof against the bribes and the threatenings of the tempter both alike.

And now see the benefit derivable from temptations when they cross us without fault of our own, and the sure reward of an honest resistance of them.

Joseph having obtained grace to be true to God, God, as He never fails to be, was true to him.

He strengthened him with might by his Spirit inwardly, whilst the assault lasted; and He brought great good out of it in due time; showing us thereby what sufficient ground there is for that strange exhortation, as some may reckon it, of the Apostle, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations *;' and for that declaration also of the Psalmist which unbelievers are incapable of assenting to, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy testimonies 5."

4."

This did not indeed appear in Joseph's case immedi

3 Eccles. v. 8.

4 James i. 2.

5 Ps. cxix. 71.

ately. For we have need of patience, that after we have done the will of God, we should inherit the promises ; and patience must have her perfect work that we may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

No

Joseph had more to go through, because he had more to learn and gain. His tempter first accused him to his fellow-servants; and they, perhaps, envying him his advancement, seem to have believed the charge at once. She then accused him to her husband, and his wrath kindled immediately. So that Joseph's good name, that possession which is so much better than great riches, was gone; and, as it appeared, irretrievably. But this was only a continuation of God's providential exercise of his graces. And it did its office. vehement spirit of resentment was awakened in Joseph's mind. There is no attempt at retaliation, no exhibition of any desire to be revenged on his mistress for her ill-usage of him. Even when he had hopes of getting out of prison by the interest of Pharaoh's butler with his master, he does not strengthen his case, as he might have done, by accusing his mistress; but simply affirms, concerning himself, that he had done nothing that they should put him into the dungeon. So that he evidently committed himself calmly to God all along; and possessed and was growing in that most excellent spirit of charity and meekness, without which all else is nothing worth.

Almighty God also, as I observed in the beginning, was all along at work for him; ordering all things, not only for this disciplining of his mind, but for the clearing of his character also, for his promotion to honour and prosperity, and for bringing him into such a situation that he might be the preserver, as he afterwards became, of the whole family of his father Jacob.

Joseph, moreover, was not an unhappy man even in his prison-house; even there he was not destitute either of tokens of God's love, or of opportunities of usefulness. The Lord was with him; gave him favour, and enabled him to approve himself worthy of trust, in spite of the cloud of false accusation which hung over

him. He was able to praise God in his estate of bondage, and to comfort and instruct his fellow-prisoners also; nor when he was at last released, had he any cause to grieve that he had lain in bonds so long. Had his enlargement taken place two years sooner, as once he hoped it might have done, he might have been out of the way when Pharaoh wanted an interpreter of his dreams; and so, might never have come to be ruler over Egypt. God dealt with him, then, as a son; and, however grievous the chastening may have been which he had to endure, it yielded, in a rich harvest, the peaceable fruits of righteousness, when he had been duly exercised thereby, and God's time for honouring and owning him was fully come.

III. I will only ask your attention further, to one or two plain inferences deducible from what you have heard; and to a few words of exhortation arising out of them.

Almighty God, it is clear, from the whole narrative, is righteous in all his ways, and has a merciful and wise meaning in all his dealings with his people. "He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men";" and "no man when he is tempted," in the evil sense, and so as to be drawn into sin, may say that "he is tempted of God." He Himself "cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man; but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed "." Satan lays snares and accommodates his bribes to our corruptions, in order to take advantage of them, and seduce us from our duty to our hurt. And his agents do the same, in order to serve themselves of us, in reckless disregard of the damage which we may sustain. But God, who upheld Joseph from falling, can do as much for us, and has promised to do it. And his meaning, in permitting the trial, is to make manifest the grace that is in us; to exercise it, and so increase it, in order to our higher reward. He, therefore, is to be adored and justified in whatever trials He permits; and we are to be

Lam. iii. 33.

7 James i. 13, 14.

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