In all his father's passions can't refrain But pays him with as many tears again They breath their souls in sigh's their kisses dry Their moystned cheeks then in an extasie Iacob cryes out prest with his sonnes embrace Now let me die since I have seen thy face And thou art yet alive So holy Paul In heavenly contemplation fil'd with all Those joyes his faith presented him desires Philip 1.23 To be dissolv'd his soule to Heav'n aspires Or would before its time but that kept in It cannot for the fleshly walls of sin From whence he prayes for freedom Iacobs thought Rom. 7.24 Gen. 28.12 From earth to heaven sure like his ladder wrought As t were made mindfull by this happinesse Of what unspeakable delights do blesse Good soules departed he with Paul doth cry Transported with his joy now let me die T was a good wish he when what most on earth Might glad his soule and make him wish new birth To live another age befell doth crave A peaceable departure to his grave Whence learn no blessing may on earth be given But a good man hath better hopes in heaven Ioseph whose passions could not else be orecome Turns from his Father to his brethen whom He thus bespake I will to Pharoh go To whom my fathers comming I will show And yours I 'le tell him that ye shepheards are Men that have ben train'd up to have the care Of Flocks and Heards which ye along have brought To save from famine if he aske you ought When ye before him come be my words made The same thus shall ye say thy servants trade Hath been 'bout cattell from our youth till now Ours and our Fathers so shall he endow You with the Land of Goshen a good place Free to your selves and to your flocks to graze Without disturbance yours shall be alone The land for an abhomination Your trade is to th' Egyptians so shall ye Have to your selves the fruitfull Goshen free THE PVRCHACE OR The tenth Chapter of Joseph GEN. 47. By his Favourites endearement Pharoh welcome and preferment Gave to Iacob and his sonnes To them their wives and little ones He doth the land of Goshen give There with their Flocks and Heards to live They onely of the famine stand Fearlesse whil'st th' Egyptians land Cattle and ev'ry pretious thing Ioseph purchas'd for the King Except o' th Priests whom he allowd A daily competence of food IMagine Ioseph hath by this time told His Fathers comming to the King behold My Brethren with their flocks and the old man Our Father are come downe from Canaan Driv'n thence by famine late they did arrive In fruitfull Goshen here of them are five Then to the King he brought his brethren on Who questions them their occupation As Ioseph taught them they their answer made We Shepheards are ' thath bin our Fathers trade Time out of minde encourag'd by the soyle Which like to Eden Garden without toyle Yeelded content and plenty but distrest With famine now seems cursed as the rest Of the whole earth for our first Parents sinne 'T is thou alone art happy that within Thy realmes men onely of Gods mercies sing Psalmes and not Lamentations Let O King His goodnesse teach thee pitty us whil'st we Thy servants and thy subjects crave to be We are come downe to sojourne in thy land Humbly desiring thou wilt give command We may in Goshen live The King replyes Ioseph thy Father is come downe thine eyes Behold the land see where thou find'st the best There let thy Father and thy brethren rest Let them in Goshen dwell and if there be Amongst them any whose activity Surmounts their fellows skilfull in their trade Let them be rulers o're my cattell made At first sight good encouragement they heard Not onely being admitted but prefer'd For Iosephs sake who now his Father brought And set him before Pharoh so we ought When God doth blesse us thankfull hearts to bring And blesse again as Iacob blest the King Who tooke good notice of him it appears By his demands he questions him his years To whom thus Iacob in whose sober eye Did reverence appeare and gravity The dayes and yeares of this my pilgrimage A hundred are and thirty a short age Compar'd to that my Fathers lived in But few and evill all my dayes have bin He first was sensible how life began Gen. 6.3 To shorten since God left to strive with man For he the first of all to me appears Complaining for the fewnesse of his yeares How should we scan our lives if Iacob doe Confesse his dayes but short and evill too Whom God chose in the womb who by his mother The blessing gate and birth-right from his brother Whom God so oft confer'd with who did stand On his lam'd legge and with a clasped hand Graspt't God himselfe and wrastling overcame Winning the prize a blessing and a * Israell name If he found ill in his dayes how shall we Lift up eyes most gratious God to thee Yet thou like Pharoh us that strangers are Nay worse thine enemies dost not onely spare Succour and cherish but promot'st us high To crowne and Kingdomes of eternity Grant then O God that for thy mercy we May ever more continue praysing thee As holy Iacob with a loyall heart Did blessing Pharoh till he did depart Out of his presence and with Ioseph went Who'cording to the Kings commandement Gave him and his the best part to possesse Of Egypt ev'n the Land of Ramases Where them he plentifully stor'd and fed According to their families with bread Which every where was scarce in Egypt and Canaan that milk and hony flowing land The famine rageth sore still Pharoh blest In Iosesph is the treasury increast And where but titulary Kings the throne Held heretofore Egypt is Pharohs own For yet the famine lasting and the soyle Ingratefull to the painfull husbands toyle Whilst slymy Nilus could not make it bear Their purses empty as their bellies were Coyn was as scarce as corn when wanting gold For food their horses and their herds they sold Which in one consum'd to Pharoh's hands Being masters now of nothing else their lands And their poor selves they do as bondmen yeild And every man for corn doth sell his field Till Egypt all was Pharohs they forsake Their Country-houses and themselves betake To dwell in Cities save the Priests alone To whom the Kings assign'd a portion They therefore sold no lands then Ioseph gave Others their ground and seed but the fift thrave To Pharoh's use reserv'd and this did bring Thanks from the subject profit to the King Thus the Almighty doth his servants blesse Giving to all their works a good successe Ioseph's the King's right hand the people they As much in admiration of him say T is thou hast sav'd our lives now let us find Grace in thy sight my Lord so shalt thou bind Vs Pharohs servants then a Law was made By Ioseph to this
Should all the world besiege her for seven years Were they wal'd strong enough it were no doubt But they 'd by that starve the besiegers out His worke now ending Ioseph takes his rest And with two sonnes is ere the famine blest Two goodly sonnes which Asenath the fayre Vn's Priest and Princes daughter to him bare The first he call'd Manasseh for he said God of my toyle hath me forgetfull made Past in my Fathers house the second he Nam'd Ephraim for God hath caused me Here to be fruitfull whither I was sent As the place for my affliction meant But now the time is come that must attone The dreams with their interpretation Now Pharoh findes that Iosephs words are true The good years gone and past and bad ensue Egypt expects and now the time appears The full are swallowed by the blasted ears Pin'd famine from all lands comes flocking thither And from all countries men come flocking with her Egypt alone hath bread yet some of those That were ill husbands or that did repose No trust in Ioseph's words by this halfe dead For their late unbelief cry out for bread But still to Pharoh when the people cry'de They were to Ioseph sent to be supply'de What he shall bid you do to him they went Who sold them corn when all their store was spent The granaries he set ope for there was dearth And famine ore the face of all the earth Nay now in Egypts selfe it waxed sore Till he supply'd their daily wants with more It rag'd in all lands and all Countries came Thither for corn and ask for Ioseph's name THE STEVVARD OR The fifth Chapter of Joseph GEN. 42. To Ioseph from all Countries come Th' inhabitants for food mongst whom His brethren came plagued with the dearth To him as Steward of the earth For by him are all Nations fed Egypt alone abounds in bread Blest with his care which none denies Save them he challenged for spies To prove their trust they must agen Returning bring young Benjamin Simeon mean-while in hold remains And they releas'd go home with grain LIke that mysterious Book the Angell gave To Iohn are worldlings fond delights they have A smack of pleasure which affects the sence At first but ends in bitter penitence Prov. 5.3 4 5. The whore hath honied lips her perfum'd breath Utters words smooth as oyle but unto death Her feet make haste her steps to hell doe tend Sharpnesse and bitternesse are in her end Such in all earthly pleasures they whose mindes Swell with vaine-glory or whom Mammon blinds The god of this world that they thinke to be In riches onely true felicity Dan. 2. Like the forgotten dreame of Babels King Which did confusion to the Sages bring A head of gold a breast of silver they With thighs of brasse may have but feet of clay Their glory riches joyes wherein they trust Being past away their end shall be in dust The world like a fond Mother is and smiles Upon her own whom she a time beguiles With pleasures fading like her selfe for she That hath not cannot give eternity To them whose first and better dayes being past Must grieve the rest and thinke upon their last GOD like a gratious Father but austere First by corrections teacheth his to feare And to be humble which being taught them he I' th end rewardeth their humility Iob 1. With choycer blessings Iob he first did try By taking of his wealth his misery Increas'd by sore diseases soule and sense Vext to the utmost of his patience Abram from God receives a strict command Gen. 22.2 To sacrifice his Sonne with his own hand To kill his Childe having as yet but one Iacob an heyr to his affliction Hath lost his best lov'd boy Gods blessings here T' his children diffrent from the worlds appear Whilst heer 's a little time the world doth blesse Their end is crownd with endlesse happinesse Nor doth the God of earth and heaven give Us onely future hopes but whilst we live Iob 42. Feeds us with daily blessings Iob increas't In wealth againe is richest of the East Nor doth good Abram like contentment lacke Isack is with a blessing giv'n him backe And Iacob shall the dayes are now begun Gen. 22.20 Finde to the safeguard of his life his Sonne The generall dearth that through all nations ran Hath shown his lean aspect in Canaan And pinch'd the holy Patriarks ten are sent Of Iosephs brethren all their store being spent For new supplyes of corne for it was sed That onely Aegypt did abound in bread Forwards they set now the first motion stirres And they prove Iosephs best Interpreters The time is come the sheaves begin to bend Ten of the starres already doe descend The rest must follow Iacob now shall see His rays'd Sonne and his sleeping prophecy And he to whom so many dreames were known God now declares and brings to passe his own For loe his brethren that were come before him Bowing their faces to the earth adore him He 's put in minde of 's vision at first view Though none of them knew him yet them he knew And this gives me more wonder then their change His strange remembrance their oblivion strange It is not commonly the poore forgot To claime alliance from their friends grown great Nor is' t the usuall way o' th world that men Of rising fortune should remember then Their meane though neerest kinne much the lesse To be expected comming in distresse Looke on their natures and there sure should be Between them some prompting antipathy Should make them know however high estated So great an eye-sore Ioseph whom they hated Who on the other side as soone as spide them Nor was his memory malice he descride them He found them as he left them but their eyes Were doubtlesse dazl'd with his dignities Whilst no revenge therefore let none mistake him Did so quick sighted but his meeknesse make him He meant no harme unto them though he spoke In a sharpe key and with a rougher looke Askes whence they came when humbly one replyes From Canaan to buy corne he cals them spyes Canaan upon a fruitfull soyle doth stand Flowing with milke and honey Yee our land Are come to pry into to what distresse Famine hath brought it and what nakednesse When trembling with one sudden voyce they cry Thy servants true men are and come to buy Food for our aged Father we were borne All one mans sonnes and hither come for corne Our alter'd soyle doth not afford us graine Twice hath the reaper lookt for worke in vaine Twich have the Plowmans toyle and seed inhum'd Untimely frosts unkindely heats consum'd Our store is spent nor have we hope to live Unlesse your goodnesse do our wants relieve Still Ioseph who but what he knew did heare Chang'd not his noat but bids observe their feare Their trēbling joynts faint voyce down-cast eys True signes of guilt discovered them for
as when Saul From the rais'd Prophet heard his sudden doome And the sad ruin of his house to come Some with a scorn as when Goliah spide So weake a Champion come t'afront his pride With staffe and sling with like beleefe of fate Ensuing they began to vent their hate And are we born fond-dreamer to obey Must we indeed thy vassalls be cry'd they Must we adore thine eyes and seeke grace thence Whom Time and Nature gave preheminence What frantick pride transports thy fancy thus Shall such a boy as thou reign over Vs And thus they swel'd to a more high contempt Of him because he told them what he dreampt Yet this informing Genius left him not But newer fancies in his braine begot Such and of like presage which mindles he Of all their bitter flouts and mockery Freely vents out ev'n to his fathers eare Not caring though his envious brethren heare Iosephs second dreame Me thought the Sun and Moone did mee adore And th'elev'n Stars as did the sheaves before Quoth he with like obeisance Now his Syre In whose ag'd bosom rag'd th'un-usual fire Of indignation this relation mov'd Him in this sort to check the childe he lov'd What hast thou dreampt fond boy What shall we all Thy Father Mother and thy Brethren fall In reverence to thee Trust not these vaine And fond illusions of an idle braine Shall then that blessing leave me that hath gon Still an inseparable companion Of comfort with me That which Isaac gave And that which purchas'd I with lamenesse have Of my touch't thigh when all the night I strove With heav'nly powers discended from above Till I obtain'd And shall my name which men Us'd sacred in their deepest Oaths and when They speake to any unbeleeving eare By Abraham Isaac Jacob's God they sweare Shall this name stoope to thine Must thou indeede Be only blest of all the promis'd seede Thus chek't he him Yet ner'e the lesse each part Of Joseph's tale he treasur'd in his heart So did his brethren too though their intent From their good fathers was farre different They store his sayings up as fuel fit To feed their-hel-bred fire and nourish it Blown to too great a height already by Him that first chang'd the warmth and purity Of fire to scorching heate that it might be A meete reward to perpetuitie For his demerits who thus damn'd to flames To make all partners of his torture aimes Here and for ever and to that end he Tormenteth some with burning jealousie Others with flames of hate and rancorous ire Prepares as charcoales for eternall fire ' Mongst all in generall as they are inclin'd He casts these sparks which kindled once a wind From any thing hee 'l rayse to fan withall The heate more furious not a word can fall From harmlesse Joseph which not somthing hath That ads to his incensed brethrens wrath By this time grown to such a hellish flame That nothing but his blood can quench the same Exod. 20 But God that 's True and Gracious pitty takes Ev'n unto thousands for their fathers sakes Their Sins cannot old Jacob's service blot Nor may his oath to Abraham be forgot But unto all their goods his love converts The ill meant spleene of their malicious hearts Loe how to future times doth this foretell The childrens stubbornnesse of Jsrael From their beginning ag'd but one discent Their plot is murther of the innocent So mischievous their minds so bent on blood They spar'd not those that did or meant them good 'T was early in the morn when they were gon Forth with their Fathers flocks to feede upon The plaines of Sechem where they not above A few short houres had spent when Jacob's love Mov'd his desire to know what had befell Them since their parting whether all were well Amongst their flocks and them if they had found Good shades to rest in or good feeding ground There for their sheep and heards and thus inclinde He calls yong Joseph to him bids him finde His brethren out where they in Sechem are See them and bring me knowledge how they fare The youth is soon commanded which he shewes In quick obedience forth he gladly goes On this kind errand to perform the will Of him that sent him never fearing ill Because he meant no harm So innocent Was his great Master from his Father sent To their curst Of-spring who not only bred From cruell loynes but more experienced In blood and murther having slayn ev'n all That came and would them to repentance call So wicked as they are they send t' his grave Him that brought peace to all and came to save Who with an unmov'd soule as cheerfull went To give his Fathers will accomplishment Ev'n to the death though hence the difference grew He that his Fathers wisedome was fore-knew His danger Joseph went in little doubt o th' sad event to finde his brethren out And comes by this to Sechem cals and cries Aloud upon them but there 's none replies Untill as in their quest he roving ran Thus through the spacious fields he met a man Who finding him demanded what might be The cause of his so busie search quoth he I seek my brethren Sir can you I pray Direct my wandring steps or tell where they Have led their flocks I have to find them out Traverst the vale of Hebron and about The plaines of Sechem runne with fruitlesse speed Meeting with none could tell me where they feed No quoth the man then in good time I may Give thee some ease at last I heard them say Let us to Dothan hence Scarce had he said Dothan when Joseph but to thank him staid Then with much haste making this news his guide Posts after them whom when from far they spide Their colours chang'd and their distracted blood Eb'd to their hearts and streight gush't like a flood Into their face and eys and glowing there Made their long carried coales in flames appeare And then a murmur doth amongst them runne Like the winds strugling ere the storm 's begunne When the foure Elements assembled are From all the corners of the Earth to warre In some great Tempest when the Ayre and Fire Against the Earth and swelling-Seas conspire Thunder 's their trumpet at whose noyse they fall In a rude conflict mixt and threaten all Their poore inhabitants Lightnings would dry The Seas and they to quench heav'ns fires do try And hel's flames too where having falne they rise With a new crotchet now to strike the Skies The earth and ayr mean while as 't were dissolv'd Into one ill mixt body look involv'd Thus altogether rude and shapelesse as Old Chaos ere the worlds creation was Nothing but darknesse now no light is found More then in wretched man in passions drown'd Reason extinguish't man 's a world compos'd Of all the elements which lye enclos'd In severall humours from them bred whence flow Our passions which being bound and ordered so By reason as the
day and Pharoh had The fift of all their corn except alone The Priests that sold no lands did pay him none And happy Israel who in Goshen dwelt Pleas'd with their new possessions never felt The force of famine nor the plague of want Was known among them nothing there was scant Bread for the man and fodder for the beast Ioseph provided them and they increast For they whom God doth blesse shall multiply In spight of famine or the tyranny O' th' worst oppressors all the harsh commands Of t'other Pharoh nor the heavy hands Of their task-masters nor their loads laid on Could let at all their propagation The hard prest Grape yeelds most and so the fire The greater load of woods it bears the higher The flames ascend as they oreburdned grow Whilst Pharoh's hate doth but his weaknesse show Such care had God then of his Israel Mat. 16 18. Philip. 1 21. As of his Church ' gainst which the gates of Hell Shall not prevayle as death is made a gain To them that die in Christ whose thought is pain To worldlings minds so here this plague befell Losse to the world but gain to Israel Who in their giv'n possessions joy'd and there Old Iacob with his sonnes liv'd sev'nteen yeere So all the days that he on earth had liven By computation sevenscore were and seven But when the time drew neere that he must die Ioseph he call'd and underneath his thigh So Abraham gave the oath his hand did place And said if in thy sight I have found grace Ge. 24.2 Bury me not in Egypt let me sleep Amongst my Fathers bones that who so keep My name or theirs in memory may be Pertakers of the self-same obsequy To this though Ioseph plighted had his troth Yet Iacob bound him further by an oath Those happy counted are in their decease Who to their fathers gather'd were in peace Israel made this appear who did interre None but good Kings in Davids sepulcher So taught by Iacob who in this being Worshipt his God and turn'd him on his bed THE BLESSING OR The eleventh Chapter of Joseph GEN. the 48. The thread of Iacob's life neer spun He blesseth Ioseph and his sonnes Iacob was the second born Ioseph his brethrens hate and scorn Youngest of ten yet was he blest And more beloved then the rest So Ephraim heer the youngest lad The blessings of the right hand had A Greater love those blessings more endears To us which we have purchased with tears Hence comes it women love those children most For whom they felt great'st pain Iacob it cost Many a zealous groan ere he could gain The fruit of Rachels wombe and long again He wayl'd that losse with teares as from the houre Her sonne was borne his love it selfe did showre More upon his than on his brethrens head So for his losse he many tears ha'ing shed For him now found he in an extasie As cloy'd with earthly joy desires to dye The strength of gladnes were the world mine own And I not wish it sure the blisse were none But when the powres of the minde are bent Vpon one hope as 't were the whole content Of mans desire and God shall thinke it fit To grant no joy but heav'n is like to it His wish on earth was oh had Ioseph liven And that wish granted now he wisheth heaven For which he doth prepare his mastred flesh Yeelds to his conquering soule which now afresh Assaults the breach weakenesse and age had made In his fraile body those old wals decaid His spirit 's halfe got forth and doth foresee By faith's cleere eye heav'ns true felicity Where all the fulnesse doth of knowledge dwell With which the Patriarch inspir'd doth tell His childrens following fates and ere he dyes Of all that must betide them prophecies But i' th meane time conceive the news is quick And one brought Ioseph word his Fathers sicke He therefore hastning brings along with him His Sonnes Manasses and young Ephraim Of whom when Iacob heard he rais'd his head Strengthning himselfe and sate upon his bed Where thus to Ioseph he his speech began God did to me appeare in Canaan At Luz and blest me promising increase To me and to my seed whose fruitfulnesse Shall fill the land which for an habitation They shall enjoy and grow a mighty nation As for thy sonnes which were in Aegypt thine Before I came those I doe claime for mine As Ruben are and Symeon they shall be Mine owne thine after issue all from thee Shall take their names and with their brethren share Where they in their possessions setled are When I from Padan came my Rachel dyde With me in Canaan by the high way side 'T was short of Ephrath there I in the way Of Ephrath Bethelem her bones did lay But who are these said Israel for his eyes Were weake and dimme with age Ioseph replyes These are my sonnes with whom God blest me here Then Iacob bade and Ioseph brought them neer For him to blesse them who first with a kisse Then clasping of their bodies close to his Began the blessing In that posture Paul Acts 20.9 Rays'd Eutychus to life who by his fall Was doom'd to sleepe for ever else if there 2 King 13.20 In the dead Prophets bones such vertue were To raise men from their graves what vertue is Then in a living Patriarks holy kisse Or if th' Apostles gave the spirit of grace Where they impos'd their hands sure this imbrace Of a good man some blessing brings along 'T is a more full expression then the tongue Num. 22 Differing as deeds from words Balaam must blesse Against his will desiring nothing lesse But Iacobs blessing for its truth affords Apparant proofes his deeds precede his words Which with Gods mercies he began I thought Nere to have seene thy face but God hath brought Things to my most content and hath decreed I should not onely see thee but thy seed Then Ephraim he preferd his right hand stayd Upon his head the left athwart was laid On t'others let none take offence to heare That Iacob blest his sonnes and crost them there Nor was 't a thing of chance but reade and see He laid his hands acrosse them Vers 14 wittingly Though Ioseph on his knees presents them quite Contrary and Manasses to the right Hand offered first So God ' mongst Iesses sonnes 1 Sam. 16. Chose not for face or faire proportions But what he saw within he understands All hearts and sure he guided Iacobs hands Who thus proceeds in blessing them and said The God from whom your Fathers never straid Abram nor Isack God that me hath fed All my life long till now with daily bread And the good Angell which such care hath had Me to redeeme from evils blesse the lads Be they by mine and Abrams sacred name And Isacks cal'd the blessing of the same Revel 7. As in Iohns vision those that stamped were And