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43 - Commentary on The Book of Genesis · Sacred Texts Archive

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  Chapter forty. In this chapter, things are working, though slowly, towards
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  Joseph's advancement. One two of Pharaoh's servants are committed to prison, and there
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  to Joseph's care, and so become witnesses of his extraordinary conduct Verses one to
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  four. Two They dreamed, each of them a dream which Joseph interpreted Verses
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  five to nineteen, and the event verified the interpretation Verses twenty to twenty two,
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  And so they became witnesses of his extraordinary skill. Three, Joseph recommends
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  his case to one of them, whose preferment he foresaw Verses fourteen fifteen,
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  But in vain verse twenty three. The History of Joseph b. C.
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  Seventeen seventeen, Verses one to four. And it came to pass after these
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  things that the butler of the King of Egypt and his beggar had offended their
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  lord, the King of Egypt, And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his
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  life officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of
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  the bakers, and he put them in ward in the house of the captain
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  of the guard, into the prison the place where Joseph was bound, and
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  the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them,
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  and they continued a season in ward. We should not have had this story
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  of Pharaoh's butler and baker recorded in scripture if it had not been serviceable to
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  Joseph's preferment. The world stands for the sake of the Church, and is
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  governed for its good. Observe one. Two of the great officers of Pharaoh's
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  court, having offended the king, are committed to prison. Note high places
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  are slippery places, nothing more uncertain than the favor of princes. Those that
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  make gods favor their happiness and his service their business will find him a better
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  master than Pharaoh was, and not so extreme to mark what they do amiss.
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  Many conjectures there are concerning the offense of these servants of Pharaoh make it
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  no less than an attempt to take away his life. Others no more than
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  the casual lighting of a fly into his cup and a little sand into his
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  bread. Whatever it was, Providence by this means brought them into the prison
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  where Joseph was two. The captain of the guard himself, who was Potiphar,
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  charged Joseph with them verse four, which intimates that he began now to
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  be reconciled to him, and perhaps to be convinced of his innocence, though
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  he durst not release him for fear of disobliging his wife. John Baptist must
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  lose his head to please Herodias Verses five to nineteen. And they dreamed a
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  dream, both of them, each man his dream in one night, each
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  man according to the interpretation of his dream. The butler and the baker of
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  the King of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came
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  in unto them in the morning and looked upon them, and behold they were
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  sad. And he asked Pharaoh's office that were with him in the ward of
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  his lord's house, saying, wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And
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  they said unto him, we have dreamed a dream, and there is no
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  interpreter of it. And Joseph said, unto them, do not interpretations belong
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  to God? Tell me them, I pray you. And the chief butler
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  told his dream to Joseph and said to him, in my dream, behold
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  a vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches, and
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  it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth, and the
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  clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes, and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand.
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  And I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup. And I gave
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  the cup into Pharaoh's hand. And Joseph said unto him, this is the
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  interpretation of it. The three branches are three days. Yet within three days
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  shall Pharaoh lift up thine head and restore thee unto thy place. And thou
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  shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand after the former manner when thou wast his
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  butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee and show
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  kindness. I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me into Pharaoh,
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  and bring me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away
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  out of the land of the Hebrews. And here also have I done nothing
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  that they should put me into the dungeon. When the chief baker saw the
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  interpretation was good, he said, unto Joseph, I also was in my
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  dream, and behold I had three white baskets on my head, and in
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  the uppermost basket there was all manner of bake meats for Pharaoh and the birds
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  did eat them out of the basket upon my head. And Joseph answered and
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  said, this is the interpretation thereof the three baskets are three days. Yet
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  within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall
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  hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off
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  thee. Observe one the special providence of God which filled the heads of these
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  two prisoners with unusual dreams such as made extraordinary impressions upon them, and carried
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  with them evidence of a divine origin, both in one night. Note God
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  has immediate access to the spirits of men, which he can make serviceable to
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  his own purposes whenever he pleases, quite beyond the intention of those concerned to
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  him. All hearts are open. And anciently he spoke not only to his
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  own people, but to others in dreams Job Chapter thirty three, verse fifteen.
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  Things to come were thus foretold, but very obscurely. Two the impression
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  which was made upon these prisoners by their dreams verse six they were sad.
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  It was not the prison that made them sad. They were pretty well used
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  to that and perhaps live jovially there. But the dream. Note God has
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  more ways than one to sadden the spirits of those that are to be made
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  sad, those sinners that are hearty enough under outward troubles and will not yield
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  to them. Yet God can find out a way to punish. He can
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  take off their wheels by wounding their spirits and laying loads upon them. Three
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  Joseph's great tenderness and compassion towards them, He inquired with concern, wherefore look
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  you so sad today? Verse seven. Joseph was their keeper, and in
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  that office he was mild. Note it becomes us to take cognizance of the
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  sorrows, even of those that are under our cheek. Joseph was their companion
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  in tribulation. He was now a prisoner with them, and had been a
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  dreamer too. Note communion in sufferings helps to work compassion towards those that do
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  suffer. Let us learn, hence one, to concern ourselves in the sorrows
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  and troubles of others, and to inquire into the reason of the sadness of
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  our brethren's countenances. We should be often considering the tears of the oppressed.
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  Ecclesiastes, Chapter four, Verse one. It is some relief to those that
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  are in trouble to be taken notice of two to inquire into the causes of
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  our own sorrow? Wherefore do I look so sadly? Is there a reason?
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  Is it a good reason? Is there not a reason for comfort sufficient
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  to balance it? Whatever it is, why art thou cast down, O
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  my soul? Four? The dreams themselves and the interpretation of them. That
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  which troubled these prisoners was that, being confined, they could not have recourse
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  to the diviners of Egypt, who pretended to interpret dreams. There is no
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  interpreter here in the prison verse eight. Note there are interpreters which those that
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  are in prison and sorrow should wish to have with them, to instruct them
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  in the meaning and design of providence. Elahu alludes to such when he says,
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  if there be an interpreter one among a thousand, to show unto man
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  his uprightness job Chapter thirty three, Verses twenty three and twenty four, interpreters
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  to guide their consciences, not to satisfy their curiosity. Joseph hereupon directed them
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  which way to look. Do not interpretations belong to God? He means the
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  God whom he worshiped to the knowledge of whom he endeavors thereby to lead them.
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  Note it is God's prerogative to foretell things to come Isaiah chapter forty six,
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  verse ten. He must therefore have the praise of all the gifts of
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  foresight which men have, ordinary or extraordinary. Joseph promises a caveat against his
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  own praise, and is careful to transmit the glory to God. As Daniel
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  Chapter two, verse thirty. Joseph suggests, if interpretations belong to God,
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  he is a free agent and may communicate the power to whom he pleases.
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  And therefore, tell me your dreams now one. The chief Butler's dream was
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  a happy presage of his enlargement and readvancement within three days, and so Joseph
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  explained it to him Verses twelve and thirteen. Possibly it had been usual with
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  him to press the full ripe grapes immediately into Pharaoh's cup, the simplicity of
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  that age, not being acquainted with the modern arts of making the wine fine
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  observe. Joseph foretold the Chief Butler's deliverance, but he did not foresee his
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  own. He had long before dreamt of his own honor and the obeisance which
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  his brethren should do to him, with the remembrance of which he must now
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  support himself without any new or fresh discoveries. The visions that are for the
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  comfort of God's saints are for a great while to come and relate to things
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  that are very far off. While the foresights of others like this recorded there
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  look but three days before them. Two the chief Baker's dream pretended his ignominious
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  death Verses eighteen and nineteen. The happy interpretation of the other's dream encouraged him
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  to relate his Thus, hypocrites when they hear good things promised to good Christians,
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  would put in for a share, though they have no part nor lot
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  in the matter. It was not Joseph's fault that he brought him no better
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  tidings. Ministers are but interpreters. They cannot make the thing otherwise than it
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  is. If their before they deal faithfully and their message prove unpleasing, it
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  is not their fault. Bad dreams cannot expect a good interpretation. Five.
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  The improvement Joseph made of this opportunity to get a friend at court Verses fourteen
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  and fifteen. He modestly bespoke the favor of the Chief Butler, whose preferment
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  he foretold. But think of me when it shall be well with thee.
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  Though the respect paid to Joseph made the prison as easy to him as a
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  prison could be, yet none can blame him for being desirous of liberty.
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  See here, One, what a modest representation he makes of his own case
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  verse fifteen. He does not reflect upon his brethren that sold him. He
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  only says, I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews. That
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  is unjustly sent. Thence, no matter where the fault was, Nor does
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  he reflect on the wrong done him in this imprisonment by his mistress that was
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  his PROSECUTORIX and his master that was his judge. But mildly is his own
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  innocence. Here have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
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  Note, when we are called to vindicate ourselves, we should carefully avoid,
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  as much as may be, speaking ill of others. Let us be
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  content to prove ourselves innocent, and not be fond of upbraiding others with their
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  guilt. Two, What a modest request he makes to the chief butler.
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  Only think of me, pray do me a kindness if it lie in your
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  way. And his particular petition is bring me out of this house. He
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  does not say, bring me into Pharaoh's house, get me a place at
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  court. No, he begs for enlargement, not preferment. Note Providence sometimes
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  designs the greatest honors for those that least covet or expect them Verses twenty two,
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  twenty three. And it came to pass the third day, which was
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  Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants, and he
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  lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the baker among his servants.
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  And he restore the chief butler unto his butlership again, and he gave
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  the cup into Pharaoh's hand. But he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had
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  interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph but forgot him.
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  Here is one the verifying of Joseph's interpretation of the dreams. On the
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  very day prefixed, the chief butler and baker were both advanced, one to
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  his office, the other to the gallows, and both at three days end.
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  Note very great changes, both for the better and for the worse,
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  often happen in a very little time, So sudden are the revolutions of the
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  weal of nature. The occasion of giving judgment severally upon their case was the
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  solemnizing of Pharaoh's birthday, on which all his servants, being obliged by custom
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  to attend him. These two came to be inquired after, and the cause
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  of their commitment looked into. The solemnizing of the birthday of princes has been
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  an ancient piece of respect done them. And if it be not abused,
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  as jere Bohams was Saya chapter seven, verse five, and Herod's mark chapter
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  six, verse twenty one, is a usage innocent enough, and we may
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  all profitably take notice of our birth days with thankfulness for the mercies of our
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  birth, sorrow for the simfulness of it, and an expectation of the day
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  of our death as better than the day of our birth. On Pharaoh's birthday,
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  he lifted up the head of these two prisoners, that is, arraigned,
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  and tried them. When Naboth was tried, he was set on high
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  among the people first kings chapter twenty one, verse nine. And he restored
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  the chief butler, and he hanged the chief baker. If the butler was
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  innocent in the Baker guilty. We must own the equity of providence in clearing
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  up the innocency of the innocent and making the sin of the guilty to find
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  him out, if both were either equally innocent or equally guilty. It is
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  an instance of the arbitrariness of such great princes as pride themselves in that power
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  which Nebuchenezzar set up for Daniel Chapter five, verse nineteen. Whom he would
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  he slew, and whom he would he kept alive forgetting that there is a
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  higher than they, to whom they are accountable. Two. The disappointing of
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  Joseph's expectation from the chief butler, he remembered not Joseph, but forgot him
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  Verse twenty three, paren one. See here an instance of base ingratitude.
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  Joseph had deserved well at his hands, had ministered to him, sympathized with
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  him, helped him to a favorable interpretation of his dream, had recommended himself
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  to him as an extraordinary person upon all accounts, and yet he forgot him.
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  We must not think it strange if in this world we have hatred shown
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  us for our love, and slights for our respects. For ren too.
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  See how apt those that are themselves at ease are to forget others in distress.
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  Perhaps it is in allusion to this story that the prophet speaks of those
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  that drink wine in bowls and are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph Amos,
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  Chapter six, verse six. Let us learn, hence to cease from
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  man. Joseph perhaps depended too much upon his interest in the Chief Butler,
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  and promised himself too much from him. He learned by his disappointment to trust
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  in God only. We cannot expect too little from man, nor too much
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  from God. Some observed the resemblance between Joseph and Christ in this story.
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  Joseph's fellow sufferers were like the two thieves that were crucified with Christ, the
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  one saved, the other condemned. It is doctor Lightfoot's remark from mister Broughton.
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  One of these, when Joseph said to him, remember me when it
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  shall be well with THEE, forgot him. But one of those, when
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  he said to Christ, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, was
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  not forgotten. We justly blame the Chief Butler's ingratitude to Joseph. Yet we
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  conduct ourselves much more disingenuously towards the Lord Jesus. Joseph had but foretold the
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  chief Butler's enlargement, But Christ wrought ours mediated with the King of Kings for
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  us. Yet we forget him, though often reminded of him, though we
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  have promised never to forget him. Thus ill do we requite him like foolish
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  people and unwise. End of Chapter forty