HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 6-8.-Cleaving unto the Lord. I. THE DUTY. (1) Personal devotion. God seeks the devotion of our hearts. It is inward and spiritual, and not merely a fact of visible conduct. It implies drawing near to Goel in prayer, walking "ith God, delighting in Him, seeking to be like Him, aiming at pleasing Him. (2) Active obedience. Joshua exhorts the people to " be very courageous," " to keep and to uo all that is written in the book of the law of Moses." Devotion of heart is a mockery unless it leads to obedience in conduct. We must cleaYe to God in action cts well as in feeling. (3) Purity. The people are exhorted to avoid the con- tamination of heathen society and the sin of idolatry. Anything that takes the place of God in our heart is an idol. All sinful pleasures and worldly interests that are not consistent with pure devotion to God separate us from Him ancl Yitiate cur service. God cannot accept our sacrifices while we approach Him with sinful affections (Isa. i. 13). II. THE DANGER. Joslnta saw that there was et danger that the people shoulcl cease to "cleave unto the Lord." This arose from various causes: (1) Prosperity. It was now "a long time after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel." In times of prosperity we are often off om· guard, and become indolent, and hence are in danger. (2) Bad example. The Cctnaanites who remained in the land woulcl be a source of temptation to iclolcttry and immorality. We need to be especially careful if we are surrounued by those who live worldly and nnholy Ii,·es. The influence of an ever-present example is insidious ctnd powerful. (3) The inherent diffic1,lty of duty. The people were exhorted not to turn aside to the right hallll or to the left. The path of duty is narrow (Matt. vii. 18·, 14). There ctre many wrong ways, t,1t only one right way. (4) The loss of an old leader. Joshua was about to die. He feared for the people after his guiding hand was re~o".e,1. \Vhen tru~ted lead~r~ are called away the Church is thrown back on the m1hv1dua] i·espoi:1s1bility of its nwll\bers to '1'1·eserve its !ldelity, 840 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. CR, XXIII. 1-18,
III. THE MOTIVES FOR OVERCOMING THE DANGBR AND FULFILLING THE DUTY, The great source of devotion is love to God. Joshua says, "Take good heed, there- fore, unt-0 yourselves, 1-hat ye love the Lord your God." We c1tnnot cleave to the Lord out of II mere sense of duty. We must feel attracted by the influence of His love t-0 us. rousing om· love to Him (Hosea xi. 4). This influence will be realised n, 1n reflect upon the goodness of God in the past. Joshua appeals to the experi- Pnce of the l)eople and their memory of God's great goodness and powerful help. \,;-e have not only the providential grace of God to reflect upon, but also the wonder- fol love He hns revealed in the se,crifice of Christ (2 Cor. v. 14). If we have been nl all faithful in the past, the thought of this fact should stimulate us to maintain our firlelity. Joshua says, "Cleave unto the Lord your God as ye have done unto tliis day." Past devotion is no seclU'ity against future unfaithfulness. But it is a rnot.ive to fidelity, because, failing this, the fruits of the labour and sacrifice of the past v.ill be lost ; because the habits of the past will make it easier to be tiue in the future-the greater difficulties being overcome, it would be foolish to yield before t,he lesser; and because the experience of the blessings,which accompany fidelity should make us see that our joy and peace are in " cleaving unto the Lord,"- W'. F. A.
Yer. 10.-Victory assured through the help of God. I. VICTORY IS ASSURED, (1) The people of God are few and weak in comparison with the host of their enemies. This was the case with the Jews. It is so in the comparison of the Church with the great godless and heathen world. It is true of our own spiritual resources and the dangers which beset our inner life. The comparison ·is as one to a thousand. (2) It is a Divine law that success shall not turn on questions of numbers and visible strength. God is not always" on the side of the big battalions." Even in material warfare there are possible " accidents" and "mistakes " which vitiate arguments drawn from statistics. In spiritual warfare visible superiority counts for very little. Paul the tent-maker was stronger than the Sanhedrim. The monk Luther was victorious over the Pope and the whole Roman hierarchy. Nothing could haYe looked feebler than Christianity when it appeared in the upper room at Jerusalem; yet in three centuries it conquered the Roman Empire, and it is now the most powerful factor in the life of the foremost races of mankind. (3) God assures victory to His people. The victory is not only possible in spite of apparent weakness; it is certain. It is promised by God. Anticipations are con- stantly seen, as in the successes of Israel, the triumphs of Christianity, the victory of the Christian over his old sins, &c. Therefore let us see that we are on the side of right and truth and God, and then let us be trustful and hopeful. II. THE SECRET OF VICTORY IS THE HELP OF Gon. Israel must be brave and faithful, and must labour and fight. Yet victory is not secured by these means alone. Joshua points to the true grotmd of assurance : " The Lord your God, He it is that fighteth for you." How does God fight for us? (1) Ej:e fights for us in His providence. (a) God so overrules events that they shall minist~r to th~ victory of His people ; His complete government of all thmgs renders 1t certam that no calamities or temptations can fall upon His people against His will, and He can regulate and temper those that He perm.its. (b) God guides the thoughts and inner lives of men. Pharaoh the oppressor and Nebuchadnezzar were led by God to do HiE will, though unconsciously. Even the bitterest opponents of God's will cannot shak,; off this unseen control. (2) God fights for us by in,apiring us with strength to fight. (a) He leads the mind to those thoughts which help us to resist evil and u.dvocate truth and right with enthusiasm. (b) He is the source of direct spiritual inliuences which strengthen the will in the determination to brave all for the right, -W.F.A. Ver. 11.-Love to God. We are called to love God. It is not enough that we discharge our duty to our neighbour; we have a distinct duty to God (Mai. i. 6). This duty is not fulfilled by the most scrupulous devotion to external serviC\l e.lo:p.e, God cl.aims the affection of our hearts, oit. xxm. 1-16.J THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 341