too much admire the confiderate fense of Abraham, or his conjugal tenderness, in providing a proper place for the remains of his wife; nor is the exactness, with which the whole matter is told as a point both of business and humanity, lefs worthy our obfer

vation.

H 3

ESSA Y XII.

STORY OF JACOB and RACHEL.

PASSAGE.

AND JACOB SERVED

SEVEN YEARS FOR

RACHEL, AND THEY SEEMED UNTO HIM BUT A FEW DAYS, FOR THE LOVE HE HAD TO HER,

THE fweeteft fimplicity that can be conceived in compofition, diftinguifhes, in general, the tender NARRATIVES of the Bible, from the love tales of modern writers; nor does any author approach, in any degree, near them

H4

them in this respect, except fome parts in the works of the immortal Shakespear; and one would think, in fome places where he treated of the tender attachment of the fexes, that he had an eye to the unaffected beauties of the fcripture, The hiftory of Rebekah and Rachel are both related, in a language, and in a manner beyond defcription, fine and natural : every fyllable has its charm, and the whole, is a feaft for the fancy and the heart. Let us felect a few paffages from each ftory; and first from that of Rebekah.

"And

"And it came to pafs, before he had done fpeaking, that be"hold Rebekah came out with "her pitcher upon her fhoulder; "and the damfel was very fair to "look upon, and a virgin; and ❝fhe went down to the well and "filled her pitcher, and came up; "and the fervant of Abraham ran "to meet her, and faid, Let me,

pray thee, drink a little water "of thy pitcher."

Could any incident be poffibly introduced with more fimplicity? or could any be more favourable to begin the converfation? As if the fervant, on feeing her ap

proach,