a thousand fold! Such an act of greatness in my son, is of more worth than a thousand cherry trees, though blossomed of silver and their fruits of gold:"* Go, my children, imitate George Washington. Never tell a lieGod is one that cannot lie, and he will bless those that love the truth. *See Eyan. Mag, for 1813, page 100. A HYMN. A HYMN. Against Lying. O'tis a lovely thing for youth, But liars we can never trust, (true; Though they should speak the thing that's The Lord delights in them that speak That burns with brimstone and with fire. Then let me always watch my lips, For God a book of reck'ning keeps Watts LECTURE JACOB'S DREAM. GEN. 28. 12. And he dreamed and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the Angels of God ascending and descending on it. YOU have heard how and in what ma nner Jacob obtained the blessing. Now you shall hear some of the consequences of his sinful deception. His brother Esau was so angry that he threatened to kill him. And Esau hated Jacob, because of the blessing wherewith his Father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, the days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau, her eldest son, were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, proposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee thou to Laban, my brother, brother, to Haram; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done unto him: then I will send and fetch thee from thence why should I be deprived also of you both in one day. Here we see some of the bitter fruits of Rebe kah's bad plan. She must part with her beloved Jacob, in order to save his life. Instead of a few days, Jacob was 20 years with Laban, and Rebekah never saw him again in this world. Esau's hatred to Jacob was like that of Cain's to Abel, he hated him because God loved him. Nothing could comfort Esau but the hope of murder, and as Isaac had talked of dy ing, he thought his father could not live much longer, and it was not worth while to grieve his father, when he had but a few days to live. That Isaac would soon be dead, and then Jacob's murder would be no grief to him. It seems he not enly thought this in his heart, but had been heard to say what he would do to Jacob, and his words were told to his mo. ther, for whom he appears to have had no regard. If Jacob had been slain by his brother, Esau's life was also forfeited by the laws of God, God, and he also must die; she would therefore, as she said, be deprived of them both in one day. Before Jacob set out to Haram, Rebekah communicated her wishes to Isaac that Jacob might go to her brother's family and choose for himself a wife, as she did not wish to distress her husband's mind by telling him the true reason of Jacob's departure. For the wives which Esau had taken were a great grief to her and Isaac. Jacob is therefore called by his father and sent away with a solemn charge and blessing. "And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughter of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people. And give the blessing of Abraham to thee and to thy seed with thee, that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger which God gave unto Abra ham." His calling Jacob implies that he was reconciled |