VERSE 22. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. 1. Two instances of the faith of Joseph. $2. First, his making mention of the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt. To whom, when, and the way whereby $3 Secondly, his commandment concerning his bones. 4. The evidence of his faith in this particular. The popish argument for relics, ridiculous. $5. Observations, §1. Two instances are here proposed of the faith of Joseph-That he made mention of the departing of the children of Israel out of Egypt; and—that he gave commands concerning his bones. The account is given in the close of the book of Genesis. §2. The first instance proposed of Joseph's faith, is "his making mention of the departing of the children of Israel" out of Egypt. But, 1. To whom did he spake these words, and gave this charge? To "his brethren," Gen i, 24. Some of his own brethren, strictly so called, were yet alive, as is evident concerning Levi. For Joseph, when he died, was but a hundred and ten years old, ver. 26; and Levi lived one hundred and thirty-seven years, being not twenty years older than Joseph. Also under the name of his "brethren" his brother's son may be intended, as is usual. But as to the command concerning his bones, the expression is changed. For it is said, that he took an oath of the children of Israel; and so it is again repeated, Exod. xiii, 10. "He had straitly sworn the children of Israel;" that is, he brought the whole people into this engagement by the heads of their tribes, that they might be obliged in after generations; for he foresaw that it would not be the work of them who were then living. Moreover we may notice, 2. The time wherein these things were done, (TEλEUtwv) "when he was dying." "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die." This evidence he gave of the steadfastness of his faith, that it had accompanied him through all his afflictions and prosperity, not forsaking him now at his death. He had lived longer in glory, power, and wealth; but through all he preserved his faith in the promise of God entire. 3. In the way whereby he expressed his faith, we may remark the object of it, or what he did believe; and the manner of his acting that faith. This "departure of the children of Israel" is not intended as a mere departing thence; but such as whereby the promise made to their fathers should be accomplished; and he seems to have respect to the promise made to Abraham, Gen. xv, 13, 14; wherein the sojourning and affliction of his seed in a strange land was determined before their admission into the land of Canaan. As to the manner of acting his faith towards this object, he "made mention" of it; he called his brethren to him, and spake of it unto them all, Gen. i, 24; both to discharge his own duty, (for with the mouth confession is made unto salvation) and to strengthen their faith; for when they found that he in all his glory and wealth embraced the promise, and died in the faith of it, what a great encouragement was it to them, who were in a meaner condition, firmly to cleave to the same promise; and when any who are great, mighty, and wealthy in the world, do in their public profession prefer the promises of the gospel to their present enjoyments, it is of great use in the church. He "made mention" of it, or called it to remembrance; it was not that which he had by immediate present revelation; but it was from his reliance on the promises long before given; the prospect of their bondage and helpless condition did not at all weaken his faith as to the accomplishment of the promise; wherefore, when the apostle says, that he "made mention of the departing of the children of Israel," he had not only respect to the thing itself, but also to the manner and circumstances of it; that it should be after great oppression, and by a work of almighty power. This was a proper season for Joseph to make mention of the promise and its accomplishment, and his embracing of it shews the wisdom of his faith; he was now dying; and at the solemn juncture, his brethren, the posterity of Jacob, knew not what would become of them, being deprived of him who was their only protector; at this season, to testify his own faith in the promise, now he had no more concernment in this world, and to encourage them to the like confidence in it, makes mention of his accomplishment. §3. Secondly, There is a particular instance of the faith of Joseph, in that (eveleλalo) "he gave commandment concerning his bones," which was peculiar to himself. What the apostle expresseth by his commanding, or giving commandment was his taking an oath of his brethren and their posterity in them, Gen. 1,25. "He straitly charged the children of Israel with an oath," Exod. xiii, 19; as it was an act of authority in him, (for he had the rule over his brethren,) it was a command; the manner of the obligation to the performance of it was by an oath. So Abraham gave charge and command to Eliezer his servant about taking a wife for Isaac with an oath, Gen. xxiv, 2, 3, 9; and this kind of oaths in things lawful, for a good end not arbitrarily imposed, but entered into by consent, are good in themselves, and sometimes necessary; the apostle saith only, that "he gave commandment concern ing his bones;" and doth not declare what it was that he gave in charge concerning them; but this is expressed in the story, viz. "that when God visited them, and delivered them out of Egypt, they should carry his bones along with them into Canaan," Gen. 1, 25. In order to this they embalmed him, and put him in a coffin in Egypt, ver. 26; probably the Egyptians left the care of his funeral to his brethren, and that his coffin remained in the custody of their posterity, perhaps his own in particular, until the time of their departure; then Moses took him into his care, Exod. xiii, 19; and the issue of the whole was, that into the land of Canaan they were safely carried, according to the oath of the people, and buried in Sichem, in a parcel of ground whereof Jacob had made a purchase, and left it in legacies to the children of Joseph, Josh. xxiv, 32. §4. But there were some things peculiar to Joseph which caused his faith to act in this way about the disposal of his bones. For, 1. He had been of great power, authority, and dignity among the Egyptians; his fame and reputation for wisdom, righteousness, and legislation were great among the nations; he might therefore justly have feared, that if he had not thus openly renounced all cognation and alliance with them, he might among posterity be esteemed an Egyptian, which he abhorred; therefore he established this lasting monument of his being of the seed and posterity of Abraham, and not an Egyptian; yea, it is thought by many that in after ages they worshipped him under the name of Serapis, and the symbol of an ox; but this (as much as in him was) he prevented by the removal of his bones. 2. He did it plainly to encourage the faith and ex. pectation of his brethren and their posterity, both for the certainty of their furure deliverance, and also to take them off from all intention to fix themselves in Egypt, seeing he who had all advantages above them for that end, would not have so much as his bones to abide in the land; the frame of his spirit, now he was dying, may be fairly considered as an indication of what it was in the whole course of his life; he is not solicitous about the disposal of his wealth and revenues, which no doubt were very great; but his mind is wholly on the promise, and thereby on the covenant with Abraham; it is highly probable that his wife Asenath, a woman of a princely family, was converted from idolatry to the knowledge of God and faith in him; and hereon, probably, she also was contented that her children and posterity should fall from their parental honor and revenues, to take up their portion among the afflicted people of God. The mighty working of his faith shines out in all these things; and this instance of the apostle eminently suited the argument he had in hand. The plea of some of the Roman church from this place, for the perservation and veneration of reliques, or the bones of saints departed-digging men's bones out of their graves, enshrining and placing them on altars, carrying them up and down in procession, adorning them with all signs of religious veneration, applying them to miraculous operations in curing diseases, casting out devils, and the like-is ridiculous and contemptible. $5. Hence we may observe, 1. That it is of great use to the edification of the church, that such believers as have been eminent in profession, should at their dying moments testify their faith in the promises of God; so did Jacob, so did |