Beautiful is the analogy between the warfare of the Israelites, and that which is maintained by every true Christian. We have had repeated occasion for this remark before ; but the illustration of it admits of endless diversity.
Mark their warfare in its various stages —
[Behold its commencement.: it began with wonderful inter- positions of the divine power in their behalf. The river Jordan opened to them a passage, as on dry land, at a time that it had overflowed all its banks : and the walls of Jericho fell down at the sound of rams' horns, and the people's shout : and thus a footing for them was gained in a way that gave all possible encouragement to their future efforts. In its progress they were left more to their own personal exertions. Great combi- nations were formed against them ; and they had sometimes to contend with powers, which seemed likely to overwhelm them*: at other seasons they enjoyed comparative rest ; yet were they never without some enemies to combat, and some conflicts to maintain. God had told them, that he would " not drive out the Canaanites before them in one year, but by little and little ;" that the beasts of the field should not multiply against them, and that their population might so increase as to enable them to occupy the lanab. Hence, long after the inhabitants of the south were subdued, their northern enemies remained un- broken ; and some of their fiercest conflicts were reserved for a period when they had expected nothing but easy and progres- sive triumphs. Their last trials even seemed to be the greatest ; for the Anakims, who were of such gigantic stature, and whose strong-holds were so impregnable as to intimidate all the spies that Moses had sent forty years before to search out the land, maintained themselves to the last, and were never conquered till all the other powers had been rooted outc. With the ex- ception of Gibeon, there was not so much as one city that sought peace with Joshua; all of them being given over to judicial blindness, that they might suffer the full punishment of their iniquities'1. At last, however, came the completion of their warfare, when every enemy being subdued, they rested from all their perils and fatigues, and took possession of the whole land. Then they reaped the fruits of all their labours ; they occupied all the cities, enjoyed all the spoils, and sat down in peace and safety, none making them afraid13.]
And now contemplate the Christian's warfare — [In its commencement, the power of God is not less
a Josh. x. 5. and xi. 4. b Exod. xxiii. 29, 30. c ver. 21. d ver. 19, 20. e ver. 1.3, 14.