The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 27
SECT. XXVII.
JAcob having now ſerved his Father-in-law fourteen years, and having eleven Sons (g)Whereas 'tis ſaid Jacob had twelve Sons born to him in Meſopotamia, Gen. 35.22. they are there reckon'd in the round number, though Benjamin was certainly born afterwards in the Land of Canaan, not far from Bethlehem. So the Apoſtles are counted twelve (1 Cor. 15.5.) though Judas was wanting.and one Daughter, he deſir'd he might with his good leave depart and go home to his own Country with his Wives and Children. Laban with very kind expreſſions deſires him to tarry longer with him, for he obſerved that the Lord had bleſſed him for his ſake; And for wages he would give him whatever he deſired. Jacob tells him, He could not be inſenſible what Service he had done him, and how much He had thriven and proſpered ſince his coming to him; For thou hadſt (ſays He) but little at my coming to thee, but now by Gods bleſſing upon my painful and diligent labour for thee, thy Stock is vaſtly increaſed; and it is time for me being now 90 years old, to provide for my own Family. Laban asks him again, What he ſhould give him to ſtay with him. Jacob tells him, He would not deſire any ſet or determined wages from him, nor would require any thing out of his preſent Eſtate, or that which he had already gotten, but would receive his wages out of the future increaſe of his Flocks, and that in ſuch a way, as in humane probability was not like to be very advantageous to him; however therein he would depend on the Providence of God. And the way he propounds was this, viz. That he would ſeparate all the ſpeckled and ſpotted Cattel, and the brown among the Sheep, from thoſe that were all of one colour, (whether black or white, and not at all ſpotted) and thoſe only he would take under his Charge, and he would have for his wages only thoſe that ſhould prove ſpeckled and ſpotted, bred of the old ones that had neither ſpeck nor ſpot in them. And he deſired (doubtleſs by the direction of God) only to have ſuch as theſe, for his ſhare; If he took any other to his own uſe, he would be content it ſhould be accounted as if he had ſtolen them. But he hoped his righteous and faithful dealing herein ſhould anſwer for him at any time hereafter. Laban greedily imbraceth the condition, and conſenteth to the Terms. For according to the ordinary courſe of nature Cattel are wont to bring forth ſuch as themſelves are, and therefore this was like to be very advantageous to Laban, and to be but a poor bargain for Jacob; whoſe ſervice Laban was like to have for very little. Theſe Terms being agreed on, Laban with the help of Jacob ſeparates all the ringſtreaked, ſpeckled and ſpotted from the reſt of the Flock, and gave them to his Sons to keep, committing thoſe of one colour to Jacob's charge. And he ſet a diſtance of three days journey between the Flocks of Jacob, and thoſe his Sons were to keep, leſt the white ones might come to be mixed with the ſpotted or brown. Jacob now having this Flock of Labans under his charge, (by direction from God, as appears, Ch. 31.9, 10, 11, 12.) He uſed this policy for his own benefit, He took rods of green poplar, haſel and cheſnut-tree, and peeled part, and left part unpeeled, (ſo that they were particoloured, partly white and partly green) and laid them before the Flocks in the Gutters, and in the Watering-Troughs, in the ramming-time, that ſo by the ſtrength of Imagination they might conceive and bring forth a particoloured-breed, which accordingly hapned, by the Divine bleſſing, on Jacob. And becauſe all the Flocks would not conceive juſt at watering-time, having gotten ſome ſpotted Lambs by his firſt policy of the peeled Rods, he ſet thoſe ſpotted Lambs before the faces of Laban's Flock that he had under his Charge at the coupling-time, that a greater Impreſſion might be made on their phantaſie, and that by the ſight of theſe that were ſpeckled, the Cattel might bring forth ſpeckled alſo. This was a ſecond policy he uſed. A third was this, his own Cattel that were ringſtreaked, ſpeckled and ſpotted, when they were like to conceive he would not let them be amongſt Laban's Cattel, leſt looking upon them that were all of one colour, their imagination might work to a reſemblance of them, and ſo ſhould bring forth young ones like them, (viz. all of one colour) and ſo they would be Laban's, and not his. And a fourth policy of his was this, When the ſtronger Cattel did Conceive he laid the Rods before their eyes in the Gutters, that ſo their Off-Spring might be his. But when the Cattel were feeble, he put them not in, that ſo their young ones being all one colour, might fall to Laban's ſhare; For ſo he contrived that Laban might have ſome increaſe, (h)Hanc autem ſervabat aequitatem Jacob, ut in arte illa nova, ipſe ſui laboris praemium acciperet, & Laban non penitus ſpoliaretur. Janſ.elſe he would have been impatient. Thus Jacob by the concurrence of the Divine bleſſing increas'd in Stock and Riches exceedingly.
Ch. 30. from verſ. 25. to the end.