kingdom ? Yes : neither men nor devils shall deprive him of his inheritance : that very land, which by faith he has so often viewed and trodden, shall be given to him ; and " all the seed of Caleb " and of Abraham shall have it for their everlasting portion. Behold, Christian, where Caleb now is, thou shalt shortly be : whatever difficulties may obstruct thy way, or whatever length of time may intervene, the period shall arrive, when He whom thou servest shall say unto thee, " Come, thou blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for thee from the foundation of the world."]
Address,
1. Those who have never set themselves to follow the Lord at all —
[Think not that the Christian name will avail thee, while thou art destitute of the Christian spirit. Nor imagine that thou wilt be screened from divine vengeance by the number of those who are in thy condition : for there were but two out of all who had grown to man's estate, that were suffered to enter into the promised land: all the rest were excluded from it, that they might be an example unto us, and might shew us what we are to expect, if we give not up ourselves to the service of Christ. Let me then entreat you all to become followers of Christ, " not in word only, but in deed and in truth." Look to him, that you may experience the full benefits of his redemp- tion. Trust in his blood to cleanse you from your sins : rely on his Spirit to guide you in his ways : and depend on his grace to subdue all your enemies before you. But if you still persist in your rebellion against him, know for a certainty that you shall never see that good land which you profess to expect as your eternal inheritance.]
2. Those who follow the Lord partially —
[A profession of religion may in a variety of ways conduce to the good of society, but it will never save the soul. We must follow the Lord/^%, if we would find favour with him in the eternal world. It is no small matter to be Christians indeed. What Caleb was under the Law, we must be under the Gospel. The reason of Caleb's acceptance is marked repeatedly, in the strongest terms a. The reason too of the rejection of the others is marked in similar language, and with equal plainness b. And the example of those who perished is set before us by St. Jude, on purpose that the professors of godliness may be admonished by itc. O let the admonition sink deep into our hearts ! and let us all be stirred up to diligence, that we may be found " Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile !"]
a Josh. xiv. 8, 9, 14. b Numb, xxxii. 10, 11. c Jude, ver. 5.