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and to vanquish temptations, is all from God. Lord, make thy strength perfect in our weakness, and thy grace sufficient for us.

4. In whatever instances we find support or esteem, learn from whence it proceeds, and to whom we are to give the praise. If we meet with those who are friends, either to body or soul, that feed the one or the other, on whose friendship or affection we can build a sure foundation, remember from whence it proceeds, even from the mighty God of Jacob. This made Joseph strong against temptations; gave him favour in the sight of men, and prosperity in all that he set his hand unto. Though the archers shot at him, his bow abode in strength. This was especially true of our Lord Jesus Christ; the archers shot at him, the scribes and pharisees, and Herod and Pilate; Satan tempted him, but he overcame all. Now, he is the shepherd of his church; he feeds his people with knowledge and understanding; leads them in the right way; secures them from danger, and causes them to lie down in green pastures. He is the foundation stone; the chief corner stone; the support of the whole spiritual building; all this is owing to the hand of the Lord that was with him. Let us ascribe praise to God, who delivered his dear Son, and made him such a blessing to the world; thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift,

5. Learn to adore the perfect knowledge of God, that points out such a variety of events; that foretells the condition of each tribe so long before, and exactly corresponded with their circum-. stances, though determined afterward by lot. Let us reverence and adore so wise and glorious a God, and the spirit of prophecy which he gave to Jacob.

6. Let us choose our lot among God's people, that we may be gathered to them at last. Jacob had followed the faith of Abraham and Isaac, and others of the patriarchs, holy men that went before him, and at death he was gathered to them, and joined to their society. Let us also be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Let us join our souls to God, and walk in his ways; and at length we shall be joined to the general assembly of the church of the firstborn, and to the spirits of just men made perfect; to enjoy all those blessings which God hath prepared for them that love him.

CHAP. L.

This chapter gives an account of Jacob's funeral; of the friendship renewed between Joseph and his brethren; and of Joseph's death.

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ND Joseph, who exceeded his brethren, as in piety toward God, so in filial affection and duty to his father, fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him, and thus paid his last respects to so pious and tender a parent. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to em3 balm his father :* and the physicians embalmed Israel.t And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days, thirty days more than the forty for embalming.

And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of 5 Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore, let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. 6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

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And Joseph went up to bury his father and with him went up all, or many of the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, the considerable persons of the king's household, and officers, civil and mili8tary, to show respect to Joseph and Jacob; And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds they left in the 9 land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, to be a defence, and drive away the Canaanites, if they had taken possession of the place: and it was a very great 10 company, and a grand procession. And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which [is] beyond Jordan, that is, from Egypt; and there they mourned with a great and very sore

It was a piece of state to have physicians in the house, who performed the necessary acts of surgery, and embalmed the dead.

+ This was done by washing the body with oil of cinnamon, myrrh, and other rich spices, for forty days, and by putting some of these ingredients into the body. It then lay in pickle, in nitre or salt petre, till seventy days were completed from the time they began their work; and thus the body would keep for many centuries, as we know the mummies do. Thus Joseph complied with the Egyptian custom out of respect to his father, and to preserve the body for burial in Canaan.

It was respectful to Pharaoh not to go without his leave; and he set some of the courtiers to ask for it; because, as Herodotus tells us, it was not permitted for any in mourn. ing to come into the presence of the prince; therefore he desires them to tell Pharaoh of his eath.

lamentation and he made a mourning for his father 11 seven days. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This [is] a grievous mourning to the Egyptians wherefore the name of it was called Abel mizraim, that is, the mourning 12 of the Egyptians, which [is] beyond Jordan. And his sons did 13 unto him according as he commanded them: For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a burying place of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

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And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. They had no reason to imagine this; but a guilty conscience causes fear, and 16 is never fully at rest. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin.; for they did unto thee evil:* and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. This may be designed to intimate their repentance, and show they were of the same religion with him. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him, pitying their perplexity, and grieving at their doubts of his good 18 will. And his brethren also went and fell down before his 19 face; and they said, Behold, we [be] thy servants, And Jo

seph made a noble reply, and said unto them, Fear not for [am] I in the place of God, to punish the injury done to me 2 Qught I not rather to remember that I am mortal and accounta ble, and need forgiveness? Am I not under God, (as others 20 read it) under his eye, and subject to him? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as. [it is] this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore, fear ye not: I will nourish you and your little. ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them, mentioned their fault very gently, and promised them his favour and protection,

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And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years: having been 23 eighty years governor of Egypt. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children, of the third [generation :] the children also of Ma chir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's

This was probably a false story; Jacob knew Joseph too well to suspect that he would bear ill will to his brethren, or he would have given the charge to Joseph, and not to

them.

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knees; he took pleasure, in their infancy, to let them sit on his lap, and dandle them on his knees.

And Joseph, finding his end draw near, took a solemn farewell of, and said unto his brethren, I die: and God will sureły visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Thus he expressed his faith in God's promise, and his full assurance 25 that he would accomplish it. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, in some extraordinary manner, and deliver you from this land, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.*

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1.

So Joseph died, [being] an hundred and ten years old; ' and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. Thus this Book concludes with the death of these eminent men. A.M. 2369.

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REFLECTIONS.

E see that mourning and death invade the houses of the most eminent saints, and the palaces of the greatest princes. Neither piety nor grandeur can be secure from this; there is no discharge in this war; death makes no distinction, but comes to all.

2. When eminent saints are taken away, the forms of mourning are peculiarly proper, both on account of the loss which the world sustains, and out of respect to the pious dead. It is fit that we should lament the death of good men, and lay it to heart; when the righteous perish, the excellent of the earth are taken away. Decent funerals, according to persons' circumstances, are very commendable. Thus devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made a great lamentation over him. The bodies of the saints are under Christ's care; he will watch over them, and put honour upon them another day.

3. How restless does guilt make the mind! After so many years of kind and generous treatment, it is strange that Joseph's brethren should suspect that any degree of resentment or revenge was harboured in his breast. They knew they had done iniqui ty, and therefore suspected him. See the importance and necessity of keeping a good conscience; fear and suspicion arise from a guilty mind.

4. How beautiful does generosity and kindness appear! Joseph was remarkable for this; the belief of Providence led him to it. He not only pardoned and excused his brethren, but nourished them as his own children. He spoke kindly to them, spoke to their hearts, removed their fears, and did not keep them in suspense. We learn from so bright an example, to forgive them

Accordingly, when they went out of Egypt, we are expressly told they carried Jo seph's bones with them, as Stephen intimates they did the bones of the other patriarchs. dets vii. 16.

that injure us. Let the remembrance of Joseph excite us to this, that we be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good; thus let us be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love.

5. Let us labour and pray that we may die in faith, as Joseph did. So the apostle says, Heb. xi. 22. By faith Joseph when he died, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel ; and gave commandment concerning his bones. Let us exercise faith in God's promises; believe that it shall be as he hath declared; trust in his mercy and faithfulness, and quietly wait for his salvation.

6. When our pious friends are taken away, it is a very great satisfaction to think, that God will visit us, and fulfil all his gracious promises. This hath often been the language of good men to their survivors, I die, but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, to the land he hath promised. Whatever friends die, God lives; though we should be disappointed in our hopes from them, or they be taken away from us, God will surely visit us; visit us with the tokens of his presence and favour, and make up the want of all earthly comforts; he will visit us in our retirements and solitude, and bring us out of this house of bondage, to the heavenly Canaan, to the land which he hath promised; he will bring us to that better country, which the patriarchs sought, even an heavenly one. There we shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and other saints, who are gone before us to the kingdom of God: wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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