HOMILETICS. Ch. :x:xxiii. 50-miv. 29.-.Tlic Holy Land. In this section we have, spiritually, the promised inheritance of the saints, the kingdom of heaven, with the conditions -::inder which it is to be received and enjoyed. No one can overlook the corre- spondence (which is fundamental and far-reaching) between their "holy land" and oars ; between that "rest" which awaited them in Canaan, and that "rest" into which wed o now enter. The kingdom of heaven is the spiritual antitype of Canaan. But that kingdom is (practically considered) twofold: it is heaven, or rather rest in heaven, only reached by crossing the stream of death; it is also (and in the Scripture much more often) the rest of the new life in Christ, which yet is neither absolute nor independent of our continued striving against sin (cf. Matt. v. 3, "theirs ia the king- dom;" Lake :xvii. 21 b.; Rom. xiv. 17; Col. iii. 3; Heh. iv. 3 a.). To this latter aspect (the kingdom as a spiritual and moral state) belong the lessons of this section, for the most part. Consider, therefore- }. THAT THE ONE GREAT DUTY OF !BRA.EL IN TAKING POSSESSION 011' RIB OWN LAND WJ.S WHOLLY TO DISPOSSESS THE NATIVES, AS BEING ENEMIES OF GoD AND OF' RIB WORSHIP. Even so the one condition on which we inherit that kingdom which (in its present aspect) is righteousne~s, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, is that we put to death the deeds of the fieeh, and crucify the old man, and wage a war of extermin- ation against all the sinful affections which have made their home in our human life. II. THAT lsB.AEL WAS FUllTHEB REQUIBED TO ABOLISH ALL THEIR MONUMENTS 01!' IDOLATRY, HOWEVER PLEASING AND INTERESTING. Even BO all the devices and imagi11- ations of the natural man, however attractive, which are contrary to the sole worship and service of the living God mUBt be wholly, and without exception, destroyed. Ill THAT THE COMMAND TO EXTERMINATE SEEMED IIARD, AND WAS UNGRATEl!'UJ. {No DOUJIT) TO MOST IN ISRAEL. Why be so extreme? Why not enough to conquer, without extirpating? Why not enough to possess the best of the land, without labouring to clear all the comers? What harm could feeble remnants of l1eathen do? could they not even make them useful? Even so it seems hard that Christian people may make no compromise with, and show no toleration for, what is sinful and selfish in human life. Why need we be perfect? Shall nothing be allowed to the old Adam ? May we never be content? If leading on the whole a Christian life, why weary oun;elves about small points of moral excellence? Many things not exactly right may be very useful; may they not be turned to account? IV. THAT AS A FACT THE COMMAND TO EXTIRPATE WAB NOT 0DEYED. Many were left unmolested out of indolence and cowardice when the first rush of conquest was passed ; many were spared out of unwillingness to go to extremes with them, Even eo most Christian people leave considerable portions of their own lives (which God hath given them for a prey, Jer. xiv. 5) under the dominion of passions, emotions, motives which are not Christian. They overcom, the tyrannies of sin, but leave the remnants of sin unsubdued; in other words, they subdue their evil passions and OII. XXXIII. 50-xxxtv. 29.] THE BOOK OP' NUMBERS. 439
desires, but shrink from destroying them. E. g., how few have their temper entirely under control I Thus the kingdom of heaven is never truly theirs, because of the sins which they have been too indolent or too self-confident to dislodge. V. THAT AS A FACT THE OTHER COMMAND WAB NOT OBEYED WHOLLY; SOMETIMES OBA VEN IMAGES WERE BEBVED1 BOMETIMEB IlIOH PLACES TURNED TO THE WORSHIP OF THE Lonn, TO THE GREAT DETRIMENT AND DANGER OIi' THE TRUE FAITH. Even BO the vain devices and perverted imaginations of the natural man have not been dis- carded by the servants of Christ in many cases; too often they have been either adopted in their blank disloyalty to Christ (as, e. g., that "covetousness which is idolatry"), or else adapted to religious ends (as many forms of will-worship, material and mental) to the detriment of that singleness of eye and heart which God requires. VI. THAT THE REMNANTS Oil' THE HEATHEN, Ill' SPARED, WERE TO BECOME PRICKS AND THORNS (i. e. CONSTANT AND DANGEROUS ANNOYANCES) TO THEM, AND WOULD VEX THEM, Even so if we leave the remnants of sin in the new life which God has given us to lead, these will surely become a continual source of unhappiness and danger. Thie is why most Christians are more or less restless, dissatisfied, uneven in temper, uncertain in behaviour, having little" peace" and less" joy in the Holy Ghost." It is simply that they have not obeyed the call to make a clearance of old bad habits and evil tempers; do not recognise the sinfulness of little sins; think it does not matter; will not take the trouble necessary to bunt them down; have learnt by experience to tolerate them. No more than this, but no less. They can never be made happy save through patient, prayerful toil to root the remnants of sin out of their hearts and lives. VII. THAT THE END OIi' SUCH UNFAITHFULNESS, IF NOT AMENDED, WAS TO BE EX· PATRIATION. Both races could not dwell in the land; if Israel would not drive out the heathen, he must be driven out himself. Even so if Christian people will not labour by grace to take complete possession in God's name of their own lives, the end will be that they will lose them altogether. Either grace must make a full end of our sins, or oar sins will make an end of grace, because God will withdraw it. There may not be any wilful toleration of moral evil in ourselves, nor urging of excu~es for its continuance.