CHEAP REPOSITORY. 
 
 SUNDAY READING. 
 
 JOSEPH in PRISON. 
 
 PART II. 
 
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'Alt 
 
( 3) 
 
 ' *> cmm— .. LyiMiJl-o^X t 
 
 JOSEPH in PRISON. 
 
 H 
 
 O W little do we know whether the things 
 which befal us will turn out for our happi- 
 nefs or mifery ! If I was to be made a king tG- 
 morrow, I am not fure that it would not prove to 
 my hurt ; and if on the contrary I was to be {'old to- 
 morrow for a (lave, it is far from being clear 'hat 
 it might not be for my good, for God has all 
 events under his dire&ion, and he can bring Orange 
 things to pafs juft as he pleafts. 
 
 Jofeph (as we have already told you) was fold 
 by his Brethren as a {lave to a company of Midia • 
 nitifh merchants. Now 44 the Midianites brought 
 Jofeph down to Egypt and fold him to Potiphar, 
 who was an officer or captain of the guard to king 
 Pharaoh." Jofeph fell, as it. feems, into good hands, 
 but the Scriptures take care to inform us to what caufe 
 his was to be attributed, for there : we read that 
 
 A 2 
 
■ ( 4 ) 
 
 €i the Lord was with Jofeph:" hence it was that 
 J* he became a profperous man, and he was taken 
 into the houfe of his mailer the Egyptian. " And his 
 mafter faw that the Lord was with him, and that 
 the Lord made all that Jofeph did to profper in his 
 hand." * 
 
 What a great thing is it to have God's bleffing 
 with us in every thing we do ! Some people are 
 always talking G f their good or bad luck, and ac- 
 cording to fueh perfons Jofeph was merely a lucky 
 perloa; he was lucky firft, they would fay, in get- 
 ting fo good a mafter, and ftill more lucky in find- 
 ing every thing go well to which he fet his hand. 
 In fa a however, there is no fuch thing as luck, as 
 we have obferved before, and as we fhall have oc- 
 cafion again and again to obferve in telling this 
 ilory. Let us learn therefore to thank God and not 
 to thank our ftars, or to thank fortune whenever 
 we fucceed in any thing, for whatever it be, we fuc- 
 ceed only becaufe the Lord is with us in that 
 thing, 
 
 Jofeph by degrees*found fuch favor in his maf- 
 ter's fight that " he was made ov v erfeer of the houfe, 
 and all that Potiphar had was put into his hands." 
 Such was the confidence placed in him, that at laft 
 Potiphar leeros to have done nothing for himfelf, 
 but to have left it all to Jofeph, for we read that 
 " he knew not ought that he had, fave the bread 
 that he did eat," which is as much as to fay, that he 
 knew indeed what food was fet before him at his 
 <mn table in o.rder that he might eat it, but as to all 
 tkc *eft of his affairs,,, he knew nothing about them, 
 
' ( 5 ) 
 
 Now though Potiphar might he wrong in doing 
 fa little for himfelf, yet what an honor was it to 
 Jofeph to be thus completely trufted. I have known 
 lome common (en/ants indeed in my days, who by 
 being very remarkable For their faithful nets, have 
 rifcn fir!! to be upper fervants, and then even to 
 be Rewards to their mailers, Like Jofeph they 
 have fet out with doing fir It one little thing well, 
 and then another, and iq they have gone on till 
 they have had very large fums trufted to them, and 
 have got into places of prodigious confidence, and 
 if it were not for the number of fervants who pre- 
 tend to be very trufty when they are not fo, the 
 fo rt of cafe I am (peaking of would probably hap* 
 pen much oftener than it does a 
 
 " And it came to pafs,'* fays the Scripture, " from 
 the time that Potiphar had made Jofeph overfeer in 
 his houfe, that the Lord bleffed the Egyptian's 
 houfe for Jofeph's fake, and the bleffing of the 
 Lord was upon all that he had, both in the houfe 
 and in the field." 
 
 What an encouragement is this to take good peo- 
 ple into our family, for God perhaps may blefs us 
 for their fakes. Such a good man as Jofeph is a 
 bleffing wherever he goes. 
 
 But now comes a new fcene in the life of Jofeph. 
 Llis profperity was great, but the greater! profpenty 
 is fometimes fuddenly interrupted. Potiphar had 
 a very wicked wife, and " fire cafi: her eyes'' very 
 criminally on Jofeph. Jofeph indeed was " a 
 goodly perfon and well favoured/' and this very 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 goodlinefs or beauty of his proved a misfortune to 
 him. How foolifli then are thofe perfons (whether 
 young men or young women) who think that to be 
 handfome and well looking is the greater! of blef- 
 frngs-. ^ It may turn out perhaps to be the greateft 
 fnare, it may prove the worft calamity that ever vet 
 befel you, as happened in Jofeph's cafe. 
 
 It appears that Potiphars wife, the wicked wo- 
 man juft now mentioned, " fpake to Jofeph day by 
 day," and tried repeatedly to feduce him; "'but 
 Jofeph refufed,and faid unto his mailer's wife, behold 
 cny mailer obfervcth not what is with me in the 
 houfe, and he hath committed all that he hath to 
 my hand. There is none greater in this houfe than 
 I, neither hath he kept back any thing from me, 
 but thee, becaufe thou art his wife. How then' 
 can I do this great wickednefs and fin againlt God?" 
 
 Here let us flop, in order to confider one of the 
 molt Unking parts of the charaaer of Jofeph. He is 
 in the ftrongeft manner tempted to fin by a wicked 
 - voman: he might alfo hope for her favor if 
 he confented; he had to dread her wrath if he re- 
 fufed : every thing united to make the temptation 
 ftrong; he was invited by her, not once only, but 
 again and again; not publicly, fo as to endanger a 
 difcovery, but quite fecretly. By what means\hen 
 did Jofeph refill the temptation ? He refilled it, 
 partly by re fie Sin g how ungenerous a thing towards 
 pis mailer it would be to yield, and partly alfo by 
 faying to himfelf as he alfo faid to the woman, 
 
 * How can 1 do this great wickednefs and fin 
 againft God?'' 
 
( 1 ) 
 
 Jofeph knew that the eye of God was upon him 
 at all times and in all places, and I have no doubt 
 that he had long a&ed under the influence of this 
 knowledge. What was it that had made him fuch a 
 Faithful fteward of his matter's goods? It was his 
 being aware that God could fee the fmalleft dif- 
 honetty in him, and that God ? s eye was upon him 
 even when his matter's back was turned, And what 
 was it that made him now refill another kind of 
 temptation ? It was the fame principle of regard to 
 Almighty God. This principle feems to have been 
 very powerful in him, and alfo to have been always 
 at hand. Jofeph (I warrant you) was not ufed to 
 pafs days and hours together without thinking of 
 God, as fome people do. Had this been the cafe* 
 I queftion whether he would not have yielded to 
 one or other of his temptations. 
 
 And now let me requeft my Readers to take a 
 pint from Jofeph^ and to try themfelves in the fol- 
 lowing manner. Say to yourfelves, what am I in 
 fecret ? What am I when no eye but that of God is • 
 upon me? When on the one hand fome fellow crea- 
 ture invites me to fin, when my own inclinations are 
 on the fame fide, when a prefent opportunity offers* 
 when there is alfo no danger of difcovery, fo that 
 my reputation may be fafe, and when my worldly 
 intereft will not be hurt by the indulgence, but will 
 rather be promoted by it; when, in fhort, againft all 
 thefe temptations which befet me, there is nothing 
 to oppofe. but the fear of God in the heart, how do 
 I then aft? Is the fear of God fo ftrong in me as to 
 gain the vifclory ? Am I able to conquer my temp- 
 tations, however fuited to my age, circumft&nc^s 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 and condition in life, by faying as Jofeph did? 
 
 How fhall I do this great wickednefs and fin 
 agamft God?" Now this is true Religion. We 
 are apt many of us to complain of the difficulties 
 Of Religion, and to fay that we have not learning 
 enough to pnderftand it, but furely that fear of 
 God which has been fpoken of is very eafy to be 
 imderfiood. I only wife it was as eafy to be truly 
 felt. Some there are who fancy themfelves re. 
 ligious becaufe they attend at religious places of 
 worihip, becaufe they underftand well fome rcli- 
 gious doBrines, becaufe they remember to have 
 once experienced certain religious feelings, or be- ' 
 caufe they have now a number of religious phrafes 
 always m their mouth. Let fuch perions alfo try 
 their Rdigwn by the fame teft. Does it enable you 
 to conquer your fins? When all things feem to 
 unite on the fide of fin, does your Religion in any 
 meafure enable you to get the victory? Secret 
 felf-denial, fecret conqueft over ourfelves, fecret 
 preference to God above all the world, fecret con- 
 fcioufnefs of having been enabled, by God's grace, 
 to overcome our temptations, and of having, like 
 jofeph, flood firm to God and duty in times of pe- 
 culiar and repeated trial, thefe are fome of the 
 proofs of true Religion ; ihefe are fome of the beft 
 evidences of our being in a ftate of grace. I would 
 value thefe evidences above any comfortable frames 
 and feelings, and they are more in my opinion than 
 a thou (and fancies, or impreffions, that our fal- 
 vation is fure. Reader, if you hope to ftand un- 
 difmayed before God on the Great Day of Judgment, 
 try yourfelf by this teft. We read Hut little in 
 Scripture of Jofcph's religious opinions, (not that 
 thefe are unimportant) we read nothing about the 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 particular dine and manner of Ins fir ft becoming 
 religious; we read not a word about the religious 
 formofworfhip which he preferred, nor about the re- 
 ligious party that he followed, nor the religious name 
 he bore; but we read, that he refilled hard temp- 
 tations, and that both in his profperity and in his ad- 
 vcrfity he was faithful to his God; and we find alfc, 
 I as . I hhall prefently ftew you, that altnough his 
 
 \ Brethren had ufed him very cruelly, yet he be- 
 
 haved very kindly and charitably towards them, 
 ^ and forgave them freely, and rejoiced over them 
 
 I to do them good. May my religion be like his, and 
 
 may the clearer knowledge which God has given 
 ! me both of himfelf and of a Savior, make me the 
 
 more earneft to do his will, and to Walk worthy of 
 hit 66 vocation wherewith I am called." 
 
 But to return to the ftory. — ci And it came to pafs 
 ^ about this time that Jofeph went into the houfe to 
 4o his bufinefs and there was none of the men of 
 the houfe there within. And Potiphar's wife caught 
 him by his garment, and he left his garment in her 
 hand and fled and got him out. And it came to 
 pafs, when {he faw that he had left his garment in 
 her hand, and was fled forth, that (he called unto 
 the^ men of her houfe, and {pake unto them 
 faying. " See he hath brought in an Hebrew 
 " unto us to mock us" (or to offer an infult to us,) 
 " and I cried with a loud voice, and it came to 
 " pafs, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and 
 " cried, that he left his garment with me and fled 
 " and got him out." And {lie laid up his garment 
 by her until his Lord came home; and they fpake 
 unto him according to the fame words, and it came 
 to pafs, when his matter heard the words of his 
 
( 10 ) 
 
 wife, that bis wrath was kindled. And Jofeph's 
 mailer took him and put him into the prifon, a place 
 where the king's prifbners were l?ound and he was 
 there in prifon?" 
 
 What a change! inftead of having the command 
 of every thing in Potiphar's houfe, where he was 
 looked up to, and honoured and refpefted, he is 
 fhut up in prifon among thieves and other wicked or 
 fufpefted perfons. And why was he thus fhut up? 
 For doing wrong? No I but for doing right. It 
 now and then happens in this world, that a man fuf- 
 fers for fulfilling his duty. It is a miftake to fup- 
 pofe that virtue here below is always its own re- 
 ward. Reader, if you aft ever fo right, I cannot 
 •promife. you that in this uncertain world you will 
 be rewarded for it. Your conduft may chance to 
 be mifreprefented, or not fufficiently underftood. 
 Some enemy may injure you ; fome falfe and hollow 
 friend or lover, who is become offended, may turn 
 againft you. Some one whofe feelings, or whole 
 intereft you may have wounded through your un- 
 bending virtue and integrity, may fet himfelf up as 
 your enemy, and may come and give falfe evidence 
 again ft you, and may charge you poffibly with the 
 very Cm to which that perfon himfelf has tried in 
 vain to feduce you, and from which, of all the fins 
 in the world you are happily the mcft clear. Let 
 us learn from this part of the ftory of Jofeph to look 
 to God for bis favor, and not to care fo much as 
 w e arc apt to do, about our character with our fel- 
 low-creatures. It is better to go to prifon, like Jo - 
 feph, for the fa,ke of a good confeience, than to 
 live in fin with Potiphar's wife in the midft of a 
 
palace, even though we Ihould contrive to live in 
 credit alfo. 
 
 We before remarked, ihafwhen Jofeph was fold 
 as a (lave to Potiphar, and when his affairs feemed 
 at the worft, yet " the Lord was with him and blef- 
 fed him, and gave him favor in the fight of Potiphar 
 his mafter." The lame God who fhe wed favor to 
 him in his former didrefs, (hewed him the fame fa- 
 vor now ; for when he had got into prifon we again 
 read that "the Lord was with Jofeph, and (hewed 
 him mercy, and gave him favor in fight of the keeper 
 of the prifon. And the keeper of the prifon com- 
 mitted to Jofeph's hand all the prifoncrs that were 
 in the prifon, and whatever they did there, he was 
 the doer of it. The keeper of the prifon looked 
 not to any thing that was under his hand, bee a trie 
 the Lord was with him, and that which he did die 
 Lord made-it to profper." 
 
 " And it came to pafs, after thefe things, that the 
 butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had of- 
 fended their lord the king of Egypt, and Pharaoh 
 was wroth againft them, and put them into the "prifon 
 where Jofeph was bound ; and the captain of the 
 guard charged Jofeph with them; and they dreamed 
 a dream, both of them, each on one night; and Jo- 
 feph came in unto them in the morning, and looked 
 upon them, and behold they were fad; and he 
 afked them, " Wherefore look ye fo fadly to-day ? 
 and they (aid unto him, We have dreamed' a 
 dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Jo- 
 feph faid unto them, Do not interpretations be- 
 long to God? tell me them I pray you/ 5 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 In ancient times it pleafed God oceafionaliy to 
 fend dreams, in order to make known future events ; 
 but let not any one therefore fuppofe that by the 
 help of dreams he can dive into futurity now. 
 
 In the days of Jofeph men were in much dark- 
 nefs and ignorance concerning the true God. Jefus 
 Chrift had not appeared, the New Teftament had 
 not been written, nor as yet even the old. Signs 
 and wonders were therefore ufed, in order to prove 
 that the God of Jofeph was the true God. But now 
 we no longer need figns and wonders, for the Holy 
 Scriptures plainly declare Him to us, and if any man 
 fliould now follow his dreams, it is more than pro- 
 bable, that in doing fo he would be obliged to 
 difregard Scripture and his own common fenfe alfo. 
 It is worthy of remark indeed, that foon after the 
 law of Moles was given, (which fell far fhort of the 
 Revelation made to us by Jefus Chrift,; people were 
 exprefsly warned to beware, left by following fome 
 dreamer of drearily they fhould forfake that God 
 who was now made known to them; for it is writ- 
 ten in the 13th chapter of Deuteronomy, " If there 
 arife among you a dreamer of dreams, faying. Let 
 us go after other Gods and ferve them, even though 
 the fign or the wonder fttall come to pafs, yet thou 
 fhalt not go after that dreamer of dreams, for th 
 Lord your God hereby proveth you to know whe « 
 ther you love the Lord your God," and will " ferve 
 him and cleave to him." 
 
 But to return to the hiftory of Jofeph. God it 
 feems having fpecial mercy for him, and having 
 great defigns in view, and having fir ft feat two re- 
 
l 13 ) 
 
 markable dreams to Jofeph, now fends two other 
 dreams to the chief butler and baker of king Pha- 
 raoh, who were in prifon with him, and enables him 
 to interpret them. 
 
 " And the chief butler told his dream to Jofeph, 
 and faid to him, < In my 'dream, behold a vine was be- 
 fore me, and in the vine were three branches, and 
 it was as though it budded, and her blofioms mot 
 forth, and the clufters thereof brought forth ripe 
 grapes; and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I 
 took the grapes and preffed them into Pharaoh's 
 cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand." 
 
 " And Jofeph faid unto him, < This is the interpre- 
 tation of it.' The three branches are three days- 
 yet within three days fhall Pharaoh lift up thy head 
 and reftore thee unto thy place; and thou fhalt deli- 
 ver Pharaoh's cup into his hand after the former 
 manner when thou waft butler. But think on me 
 when it fhall be well with thee, and {hew kindnefs, 
 I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me unto 
 Pharaoh, and bring me out of this houfe. ' For in- 
 deed,' (added Jofeph,) < I was ftolen away out of the 
 land of the Hebrews, and here alfo I have done 
 nothing that they mould put me into this dun- 
 geon." 
 
 Now, "when the chief baker faw that the interpre- 
 tation was good, he faid unto Jofeph, q alfo was in 
 my dream, and behold I had three white bafkets 
 on my head, and in the uppermoft ba fleet there 
 was of all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh, and 
 the birds did eat them out of the bafket on my 
 
430 
 
 ( 14 ) 
 
 bead," And Jofeph anfwered and faid. " This is 
 the interpretation thereof. Thefe three bafkets are 
 three days; yet- within three days (hall Pharaoh lift 
 up thy head from off thee, and mall hang thee on 
 a tree, and the birds fhall eat thy flefh from off 
 thee." 
 
 "And it came to pafs on the third day, which was 
 Pharaoh's birth-day, that he made a feaft unto all 
 his fervants, and he reftored the chief butler unto 
 his butlerfhip again, and he gave the cup into 
 Pharaoh's hand; but he hanged the chief baker as 
 Jofeph had interpreted to them, yet did not the 
 
 chief butler remember Jofeph, 
 
 End of Part II. 
 
A Lift of the Tra&s published during the Year 1795. 
 
 *H I S TO R Te S. 
 The Shepherd of Salifbury Plain. Part I. and II. 
 Tom White the Poftilion. Part L and II. 
 Two Shoemakers. Part I. 
 
 Life of William Baker, with his Funeral Sermon by the 
 
 Reverend Mr. Gilpin. y 
 The Two Soldiers, 
 The Plague in London, 1665. 
 The Lancashire Collier Girl, 
 
 The Two Wealthy Farmers; or, Hiftory of Mr. IWwclL 
 
 Part I. and II. b 
 The Good Mother's Legacy. 
 Sorrowful Sam; or, the Two Blackfiniths. 
 True Stories of Two Good Negroes, 
 Murders, 
 
 The Happy Waterman. 
 
 The Shipwreck of the Centaur. 
 
 SUNDAr READINGS. 
 Hufbandry Moralized. 
 
 On the Religious Advantages of the prefent Inhabitants 
 
 ot Great Britain. 
 The Beggarly Boy, a Parable. 
 Daniel in the Den of Lions. 
 Noah's- Flood. 
 
 Hints to all Ranks of People on the occafion of the pro- 
 
 fent Scarcity. 
 The H arveft Home. 
 
 The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. 
 
 The Troubles of Life; or, the Guinea and the Shilling. 
 
 P E T R T. 
 Divine Songs by Dr. Watts, for Children. 
 New Hiftory of a True Book. 
 The Carpenter ; or, Danger- of Evil Company. 
 The Gin Shop, 
 The Riot. 
 Hatient Joe.. 
 
 The Execution of Wild Robert. 
 
 A New Chriftmas Carrol, called the Merry Chriftmas, or 
 Happy New Year. 
 
 The Sorrows, of Yamba ; or, the Negro Woman's Lamentat .on, 
 
A Lift of the Tra&s publilhed during the Year 1796. 
 
 HISTORIES. 
 
 Mary Wood the Houfemaid. 
 Shoemakers. Part II. III. and 'IV. 
 Charles Jones the Footman. 
 The C heap fide Apprentice. 
 The Gamefter. 
 
 Betty Brown, the St. Giles's Orange Girl. 
 
 Farmers. Part IJI. IV. and V. 
 
 Black Giles the Poacher. Part f, and II. 
 
 SUNDAY READINGS, 
 
 Some New Thoughts for the New Year, 
 
 The Touchftone. 
 
 Oaeiirnus, 
 
 The Converfion of St. Paul. • 
 
 The General Refurreclion. 
 
 On Carrying Religion into Bufmefs. 
 
 Look at Home. 
 
 The Grand Affizes. 
 
 Explanation of the Nature of Baptifm* 
 
 Prayers. 
 
 The Valley of Tears. 
 
 e r k r. 
 
 Robert and Richard. 
 Sinful Sally, 
 
 The Shopkeeper turned Sailor. Part I. II. and III. 
 The Hackney Coachman, 
 The Election. 
 Turn the Carpet. 
 A Hymn of Praife. 
 King Dionyfius and Squire Damocles. 
 k -The Hampfliire Tragedy.