JACOB'S JOURNEY TO EGYPT.

GEN. 46. 1. And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

You heard what good old Jacob said, when

you met together the last time: and see him before I die."

"I will go

This resolution

The good old

he made haste to perform. patriarch soon finished his preparations for his journey, and took with him all that he had; he did not leave any of his stuff behind, though Pharaoh had desired him to disregard it. No, it was too valuable to be left behind. You remember Jacob's vow, which he made after the remarkable dream which he had of the Ladder and the Angels. Do you recollect what he said? Perhaps not, the interesting history of Joseph has very likely made you forget. You cannot think of any thing else but Joseph. Well, I wish you may not only think of him, but study to be like him. "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: If God will be with me and will keep me in the way which I go, and wilk give me bred to eat and raiment to put on, then shall the Lord be my God," God answered

this prayer, and though his uncle changed his wages ten times, yet he increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maid servants and men servants, and camels and asses: these things were what Pharaoh called stuff, they were Jacob's riches. It is true the riches of Egypt were great, and of the same kind, but far inferior in Jacob's eyes; these were given him by God, and Pharaoh's gift, though it might be as large and larger, yet it would not be so valuable by any means. What God gives is much better than what man can give. You have no doubt some keepsakes at home, which I dare say you would not part with for twice their worth. Why, because they were given you by such and such a friend. You would be perhaps a little angry or vexed, if any one was to call them stuff, and ask you to throw them away. No, indeed, I will not part with them on any account whatever. God had given Jacob all this stuff. God was Jacob's best friend, and therefore he would not part with any of it, he would neither sell it or leave t behind, but took with him all that he had. 1.. Notice JACOB'S JOURNEY TO EGYPT. "And

"And Israel took his journey with all that he had."

1. What was this all? It was his family and his substance. It was Jacob's family, and a very numerous family it was too. There was Jacob and his daughter Dinah; his ele ven sons and their wives; 50 grand children and 4 great grand children; altogether made the number of his family 75, including the wives of his sons. You will indeed say that this was a large family. (There seems to be some difference between the account of Moses and that of Stephen in the Acts, 7. 14. Moses says, verse 26. and 27. That all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides his sons' wives, were three score and six. And all the souls of the sons of Jacob which came into Egypt; i. e. first and last, including Jacob himself, Joseph and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were three score and ten. But Stephen says, that Joseph called his father Jacob unto him, and all his kindred, three score and fifteen souls. Moses speaks of those only which descended from, him besides his sons wives, which Stephen reckona

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into the number, which he mentions, because he speaks of his kindred in general, which includes them and makes the number right.) We have the names of his sons and their children recorded in a particular manner. What a numerous household, they promise fair to be indeed a great nation; but if we compare them with the families of Esau and Ishmael, they will appear to be but few.

2. He took with him all his substance, his cattle and his goods, which he had obtained in the land of Canaan. Let us notice,

II. JACOB'S RESTING PLACE. It was Beershe ba." And he came to Beersheba." This was a very remarkable place, it was a grove planted by Abraham, and an altar built by him; he gave this name to the place, which means the Well of the oath, because there he made an agreement and covenant with Abimelech, King of the Philistines, and there he called on the name of the everlasting God, and there the promise was renewed to Isaac his father. Towards evening he arrived at this place. Here he and his family stopped to rest themselves. It was not only a shady place to

shelter

shelter them from the Sun, but it was a place sacred to the worship of the true and living God.

2. Here he offered SACRIFICES to the God of his father Isaac. God was his God, and the God of his father also. As if he had said, Lord, though I am very desirous to go to Egypt that I may see Joseph; yet if thou shouldst forbid me as thou didst my father Issac aforetime, I will not go down, but be contented to stay where I am. These sacrifices were extraordinary, they were on this particular occasion offered to God. They were, says Mr. Henry, offered by way of thanksgiving & praisė for the late happy change in his family, for the good news he had heard concerning Joseph, and the hopes he had of seeing him before he died. They were offered no doubt with humble desire for God's approbation and protection in the important journey, which he was now making, with a desire that God might be with him in the way in which he went. And perhaps they might be offered, with a desire to know if he was in the path of duty, to know whether it was the will of God that

he