such a manner as to make it agreeable and interesting, he has, he confesses, much more important ends to attain in your perusal of it. He aims to make it conduce, with the blessing of God, to the welfare of your immortal soul. Sometimes, therefore, you will find him solemn and serious in his remarks. He will set before you truths growing out of the narrative that are worthy of your most attentive regard. He expects to speak plainly to you concerning them. May he not hope that you will afford him, in this respect, a listening ear, and a docile mind; and that you will unite with him in imploring the blessing of the Spirit of God upon his labors, and upon the use which his readers may make of them.

CHAPTER II.

Joseph's parentage.--Jacob's removal from Mesopotamia.Death of Rachel.-Birth of Benjamin.-How children ought to treat their mothers.

JOSEPH was the son of Jacob.

Isaac was his

grandfather, and Abraham his great grandfather. It was no small privilege to him to have such ancestors. For they were pious men, and all in their families were taught what they must do to obtain the friendship of God, and be blessed of him.

Joseph was born in Mesopotamia, more than three thousand five hundred years ago. His father had lived in that country about fourteen years, with Laban, a rich husbandman, and assisted him in taking care of his cattle, sheep, and goats.

Laban was the uncle of Jacob, being the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's mother. He lived in a very fertile country, between two fine rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. He owned a great deal of land, and large herds and flocks, and had many servants to work for him.

Jacob married the two daughters of Laban, Leah and Rachel; the latter of whom was the mother of Joseph. Beside these, he had two other wives-Bilhah and Zilpah.

God permitted men, at that time, to have more than one wife. He had good reasons for doing so; though, at the present time it is forbidden, and would be a great sin.

Jacob had a large family while he was living with Laban. I think, it will be well for you to remember the names of his children. For his sons, in their turn, were the fathers of children; and they, of other children; and so on, until they made, altogether, a great people, called Israelites, and became a powerful nation in the land of Canaan. They were called Israelites because they were descended from Jacob, whose other name was Israel; and his twelve sons are called the twelve patriarchs.

The names of Jacob's children, in the order of their ages, were the following:-Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Ashur, Issachar, Zebulun, (Dinah, a daughter) Joseph, and Benjamin.

Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. All of them were born in Mesopotamia, except Benjamin, of whom, before long, I shall tell you something more particularly.

When Joseph was about six years old, and Reuben, the eldest son, about nineteen, their father concluded to remove, with his family, from Mesopotamia, and return to Canaan, his native land. His aged

father, Isaac, was still living there. It was a fertile and pleasant country; and Jacob thought that it would be better for himself and his family to go there, than to remain where he was. Besides, God had told him, in a dream, to do it; and he knew that, in obeying God, he and his wives and children would be in the way of their duty, and under the protection of the Almighty.

It was a long and difficult journey, and must have required a great deal of resolution and enterprise. For Jacob was, now, a man of large property. He had goods of various kinds; many camels and asses; and numerous herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep and goats. To remove all these, with his wives and children, his man-servants and maid-servants, was truly a laborious undertaking. But God had commanded it; and in obeying his commands, remember, my young friend, that no difficulties or dangers, however great, should weaken our resolution, or make us afraid. Who needs to fear when he is in the path of duty, and when the Almighty goes before him, and directs his way!

I shall not attempt to describe the setting out of Jacob on his journey, nor the particulars of what happened to him before it was ended. You can read about it, in the Bible.

One thing, however, I cannot pass over without

イ

mentioning; for, young as he was, it must have af fected Joseph very much, and filled his bosom with

the deepest sorrow.

It was five years after leaving Mesopotamia, having stopped at one place and another for a longer or shorter space of time, that Jacob was approaching Ephrath, and had come very near the town, when Rachel was taken suddenly sick and died. Just before she died Benjamin was born; Joseph being about eleven years old. She was buried in the way to Ephrath, afterward called Bethlehem, and her husband built a monument of stone over her grave.

Joseph was just at the age to feel the loss of his mother most deeply; and no doubt, in the bitterness of his grief, he wept and mourned over her; and thought of all her tender care of him; and felt how sad it would be for him to see her face, and hear her voice of kindness no more.

He loved dearly his little brother Benjamin, who was born under these afflicting circumstances; and the strength of his attachment you will see in a subsequent period of his life.

My young friend, do you know the value of a good and kind mother? It is worth more to a child than tens of thousands of gold and silver. Do you know the value of a pious mother, who prays for and with her child, and endeavors to guide its soul to