December 20

"For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein."—Deuteronomy 11:31

THE history of the Israelites in the wilderness affords a striking type of the Christian pilgrim's journey through this desert world to the heavenly Canaan. Note

THE ANTICIPATED INHERITANCE. "The land which the Lord your God giveth you." No country mentioned in Scripture is connected with such interesting associations as the land of Canaan. Wherein was it typical of heaven? It was a land of promise. God promised it to the children of Israel for a possession, as far back as Abraham. "Unto thy seed will I give this land." So heaven is promised as the Christian's home. It was a land of abundance; Deuteronomy 11:9 — 11. Ezekiel calls it the glory of all lands, and David speaks of it as a pleasant land. In heaven there is a fulness of joy, and abundance of spiritual provisions. It was a land of rest; Deuteronomy 12:9. Earth is the scene for labor, but heaven a place of rest. It was a holy land; Zechariah 2:12. Heaven is holy in its inhabitants, pleasures, worship, and employments. In earthly portions, the greater number there is to participate, the less proportion does each one possess; but the Christian's inheritance resembles the light of the sun: though millions are benefited by it, each may call it his own, as if there were none to enjoy it but himself.

THE MANNER OF POSSESSION. The introduction of the Israelites to it is ascribed to the sovereign mercy of God; Deuteronomy 9:4 — 6. Christian, it is "the land which the Lord your God giveth you." But when are you to enter it, and by what way? "Ye shall pass over Jordan." The streams of Jordan rolled between the desert and the land of Canaan; so the river of death flows between the seen and unseen world. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God."

THE CHARACTERS ALLUDED TO. Are you not ready to say with Abraham, "Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" Unbelievers cannot; the unholy and unprepared cannot. It is for those who are called by God's grace, sanctified by his Spirit, and devoted to his glory. You must pass over Jordan, whatever be your character; but the question is, On what shore will you land? Prepare to meet thy God!

"Those holy gates forever bar Pollution, sin, and shame; And none shall gain admittance there, But followers of the Lamb."