Jacob agreeth to stay with Laban; he increaseth exceedingly. 25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my

mong the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

LECTURE 62.

That it is the Lord who makes poor, and makes rich. How often may it happen, and we fail to note it, that the prosperity of the master of a family is owing, under God's blessing, to the prayers and piety of a servant ! Let masters be slow to part with those amongst their household, who devoutly serve the Lord. And let servants be glad to stay, where they may most reasonably hope, that they are both serving a Master which is in heaven, and also drawing down a blessing on their master upon the earth. Jacob agrees to stay, even with a hard master; and he is directed from on high, see ch. 31. 7-9, to make such terms with Laban, as led to his increasing exceedingly; and to his having "much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses." "Thou shalt not give me anything;" anything that is already thine, anything which might warrant thee to say, I have made Jacob rich. See Gen. 14. 23. Like Abraham he must owe his wealth to God alone. It must come of the increase of the flock. All that should thenceforth be born speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, these he agreed to take for his wages. And therefore first he would pass through the flocks, and remove such as were thus marked, being already Laban's, to be by him kept three days' journey apart. The bargain was made; the separation completed. And now Laban, who had gladly agreed to it, thought once more to have the service of Jacob, at little or no cost to himself. But God, who had seen all the wrong done unto his servant, suffered him not to hurt Jacob any more. See ch. 31.7, 12. And whilst Jacob, well experienced in the management of the flock, adopted means, not unlikely in the course of nature to forward his own interest, under the terms of his agreement, One greater than Jacob so ordered the result, as to enrich him at his master's cost. Truly we may say with Hannah, in her song of praise, “The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up." 1 Samuel 2. 7. And profitably we may call to mind, what happened afterwards, when "Jacob was a stranger in the land of Ham ;" how God did there increase "his people exceedingly;" and made them stronger than those who "dealt untruly" with them; and how "he brought them forth also with silver and gold: there was not one feeble person among their tribes." Oh that we may ever remember the reason given in the Psalms for the loving kindness of the Lord; "For why? he remembered his holy promise!" Oh that we may never forget what was his object in giving them "the lands of the heathen," "that they might keep his statutes, and observe his laws!"

Ps. 105. 23-44.

Jacob and his wives resolve to depart from Laban.

1 And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory.

2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock.

5 And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.

9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.

11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.

13 I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.

14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?

15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.

16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is our's, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

LECTURE 63.

How marriage ought to unite family to family.

It is a common case for them which have this world's wealth to be envied by the beholders. It is a common case for the envious to reckon what God gives their neighbours as so much lost by themselves. Thus it was that the sons of Laban argued, "saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's, and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory." And hence the countenance of Laban was not toward Jacob as before. And God, who in reality was the Author of his prosperity, bade him

return to the land of his fathers. And yet the master had upon the whole profited no little by his connexion with the servant. And moreover the master was father in law, and the servant his son in law. So often does the indulgence of such a passion as envy, stand in the way of a man's own interest, and also prevail over the strength of natural affection! Happy they who being of one household, and united by common interest, have the grace to be also of one mind! Happy those members of different families, who being brought into one by the ties of marriage, dwell together without envy, jealousy, or strife! Then though a man leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife, and though a daughter leave her parents, and be joined to her husband, their union serves to bring together those whom each had left. And that connexion which is most near and dear of all, instead of tending to sever house from house, thus resembles the union of Christ with his church, not only in the affection between the husband and the wife, but in its helping, by successive intermarriages, to bind many families into one.

Such was not the case with Laban and his daughters. He counted them as strangers, and sold them; and took for his own the portion which ought to have been theirs. He grudged his own son in law the increase of the flock which he had agreed to give, and which God made beyond measure abundant. He deceived Jacob, and changed his wages ten times. And God, who saw this his unjust conduct, contrived by means of a bargain which he made with eagerness, to give a large share of his cattle to his son. This was explained by Jacob to his wives, and shewn to have been brought about by direction from God; the very God who had been revealed to him at Bethel. And they agreed to depart as he proposed; at the same time expressing their own sense of their father's unkindness. Wherein we see that worldly wealth was the source of all this disagreement. And hence we learn to watch against its influence, as one of the most likely things, to hinder that happy concord of family with family, which ought to arise from connexion by marriage. So truly is the love of money "the root of all evil"! 1 Tim. 6. 10. So apt is it to estrange us from each other, and from God! So needful is it for us, if we would hold to God, or to each other, so needful to despise mammon! See Matt. 6. 24.

Never may we be beguiled, by the many excellent uses of worldly wealth, to forget, that there are many dangers in possessing it, and manifest sin in loving it; that it is useless when hoarded, mischievous when wasted, and profitable only when it is duly spent!

Jacob is overtaken by Laban.