The Canaanites in the Land. BY A POOR AFFLICTED ISRAELITE. THE Israelites were a typical people. They were typical of God's Israel after the Spirit. So the Canaanites are typical of those swarming evils which molest and distress the child of God. "The Canaanites would dwell in the land;" nor could the priest pray them out; nor the prophet preach them out; nor the judge condemn them out; nor the king reign them out; nor the sword drive them out; nor the altar fires burn them out. They would dwell in the land in spite of priest, altars, and divine service; in spite of prophets, and visions, and the word of truth; in spite of kings and armies, and all the appliances of warfare. Aye, and the Canaanites of evil will dwell in the land, in spite of religion and the fear of God. In the land of eyes, "Mine eye affecteth mine heart;" in the land of tongues, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren these things ought not so to be." In the land of hands. The martyr who signed a recantation of his principles, thrust his Canaanitish hand into the devouring flame, and the Canaanite perished only in the martyr's immolation. In the land of feet, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it ;" in the land of hearts, "The heart is deceitful above all things." I. Notice there was a marvellous disparity. Seven nations to one, and oh, is there not a vast disparity between the evil and the good; between the evils of our nature, and the goodness of our lives; between the evils which we do, and the goodness which we do not. There was something evil in all these Canaanites. There is not one good thing in the names of these nations; and nothing good can spring out of our fallen nature; the fruits of the flesh are evil, and only evil; the imaginations of the thoughts of the heart are only evil, and that continually. There is a mighty odds, the renewed spirit, like the emancipated Israelite, lives in a land full of Canaanites, in a body full of evils. And their giant stature and strength often alarm the child of God, and frighten his little faith almost out of existence, and he is as fearful and unblushing as to the issue, as were the men of Israel, when they saw the sons of Anak. Seven to one is enough to make one quail and quake, for who is there that knows his own heart, but fears that he shall one day fall by the prevalency of the evils which doth so easily beset him? Seven to one, it not so ? Have we not seven vain thoughts to one good one? And are not our evil desires in equal excess of our good ones? But, beloved, as God was with Israel, and not with the Canaanites, so is He in the good and not with the evil. And as one good sovereign is worth more than seven bad ones, so one good thought outvalues seven bad ones. much greater as God is than the devil, so much greater is a good thought than a bad one, for God is in the good, and the devil is in the bad. The numerical difference was nothing, because the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, yea, mightier than all. is As II. Notice there was physical superiority, "Greater and mightier than thou." The least sin is greater than the greatest sinner, and 66 mightier than the mightiest saint; there is the might of hell in it, for "sin is of the devil." Indeed, Bible history assures us, that it was mightier than the angels, that fell from their first estate. It was mightier than Adam and Eve, even when they were fortified with the strength of their new created innocence and purity. Mightier then Abraham, who soiled his praying and believing lips with prevarication, if not a lie. Mightier than Aaron who danced the dance of deception before the golden calf e'en while God was proclaiming "Thou shalt have none other gods but me." Mightier than Samson, who slept away his strength in the lap of sensual pleasures. Mightier than David whose harp it flung upon the willow, while he wailed in deepest sadness, Bring my soul out of prison." Mightier than Solomon, whose wisdom it tarnished with the folly of heathenish practices. Mightier than Job, whose patience it insulted with curses of awful rebellion. Mightier than Jonah, for it baptised him in the belly of hell. Mightier than Feter, and filled his mouth with libels against his faith. Mightier than Paul, and brought him into captivity, and made him exclaim, "I am carnal, sold under sin." Yea, sin is mightier than the mightiest saint, and therefore it must be God's work to drive the Canaanites out of the land; "The Lord thy God will drive out," &c. We gather from this Divine promise that the church is not always to be in a militant state, the time will come when she shall learn war no more, when the last enemy shall be destroyed, when there shall be no more Canaanites in the land; when she shall put up her sword, and wear the victory palm, put off her helmet, and wear the conqueror's crown, and exchange her garments rolled in blood, for the white raiment of peaceful immortality. This end will be realized not by our sword, but by the prowess of our captain; He will drive them out, He can drive them out, because He is "The Lord of hosts ;" Jehovah Sabbaoth, "The Lord mighty in truth;" our Shalom of peace. He strengthens their hands, sustains their conflicts, provides their rations, binds up their wounds, and proclaims peace. In the church militant "The Lord is a man of war," having on "the gar ment of vengeance" to execute judgment upon all foes, and "the cloak of zeal" to vindicate his honour; and "a vesture dipped in blood," proclaiming His deeds in the field of Aceldama, and a sword upon His thigh, to show that He is prepared for His adversaries; and the panoply of righteousness upon His breast, to proclaim the equity of His warfare; and "the helmet of salvation" on His majestic head, to exhibit the success of His engagements. "The Lord is a man of war;" He is well versed in the arts of war, He has fought a thousand battles, and won a thousand victories; He never fell but once, and in that fall, He fell with such destructive power, that hell lost the day; and He sang the victory when He rose, bearing on His hands and feet and side, the marks of His bloody contest with the powers of darkness. "The Lord is a man of war" to muster, march, and manage the armies of the living God, to enlist them under the standard of His cross, to drill them for active service, to teach their hands to war a good warfare, to equip them in the whole armour of God for the fight, to point out the foe, to help them to resist the devil, and to overcome the world. Yes, the Christian's captain prepares him for warfare, preserves him in the heat of the battle, prevents him from the deadly touches of the wicked one, and finally promotes him to glory and honour. Notice 1. Thy captain is thy God; "Thy God to preserve thee in going out against the foe;" "Thy God" to cover thy defenceless head with salvation; "Thy God" to strengthen thee, and help thee to stand; Thy God" to smite thine enemies before thy face, and make them flee before thee. The Lord thy God is thy captain. 66 "Here's our point of rest, Though hard the battle seem Our captain stood the fiery test," &c. From thy captain's presence, devils flee apace, and the poor demoniac sits a willing captive at his feet. If thou wast the hold of seven devils, like Magdalene, or of legions of devils like the mad Gadarene, or of so many devils as were expelled from heaven, He can drive them out, and He will drive them out, not because He can, but because He will; and "Who hath resisted His will?" Not devils, or they would have held possession of heaven, and damned to hell the whole human race. Not the Canaanites, or they would have exterminated the sons of Jacob, and set the Almighty at defiance. Notice 2. The effectuality of their expulsion, "The Lord will put out those nations." The Lord will put them out, because none but the Lord can put them out. Israel tried their united and their undivided strength against them, but they could not drive them out. The tribes collectively, and separately fought against them, but they could not expel them. So the congregational and individual strength of the church is brought against evil, and still evil exists; still the Canaanites are in the land, they are deeply intrenched in the heart of unfathomable deceitfulness in the members of the body of sin; and therefore it is impossible for any but the Lord to put them out. He will put them out of all the members of the body when "we shall be changed," then our eye shall be single, and our feet obedient, and our hearts pure. Notice 3. The visibibility. "The Lord will put them out before thee." God's people know the cursed Canaanites of the land, they are "before them." They that never saw a nation of Hittites (fears) never saw the Lord putting out that nation with His "fear nots." There is a large army of fears, of death, of hell, of judgments, of eternity in Immanuel's land; but when the army of "Fear nots" came into the field the Hittites fled apace. They that never saw a nation of Gergashites (of filthy spirits) never saw a nation of sins, never saw the Lord putting out that nation by the blood which cleanseth from all sin, and giveth the victory over the devil. Israel's captain goes before them, and gives them a sight of their enemies, and then slays them before their eyes. Do you not remember when a thousand sins suddenly rose up against you, and the guilt of years hung heavy on your soul, how He put out those sins before thee, and made thee whiter than snow. The Canaanites were discovered, before they were destroyed; and our sins must be brought before the eye of our remembrance, before they will be put out from our vision by the love that covers a multitude of sins, and remembers them no more for ever. Notice IV. Graduality--" By little and little." The Christian when first brought into "the glorious liberty of the sons of God," knows nothing of that warfare which is sure to follow his enlistment under the banner of the cross. He feels a peace which passeth all understanding, and dreams not of war. He has no idea but that he shall "sit and sing his soul away to everlasting bliss." But he is not called into the army to stand at ease, and sing of peace, but to buckle on his armour and fight the fight of faith, and though in fighting his way he be wounded deeply and fall frequently, yet he shall get a progressive advantage over all his enemies till the last enemy shall be destroyed, and there shall be no more Canaanites in the land. Christian warrior, you have fought and fallen, you have determined to defeat, and have been defeated, you have vowed to overthrow, and have been overthrown again and again. The fact is, whoever goes a warfare upon his own charges, relying upon his own strength, will be defeated in every engagement; for the battle is not to the strong. "The battle is the Lord's," and your reverses and falls are to teach you that your strength against these nations is in the Lord Jehovah. Your strength against your Canaanitish evil is in the blood of the Lamb, "which cleanseth from all sin;" your strength against your fears, is in that "perfect loving which casteth out fear;" your strength against the world, is in that faith which "overcometh the world;" your strength against the devil and death is in the cross, "the death of deaths and hell's destruction;" under the foot of which the serpent's head was bruised, and on which death was crucified to death. "By little and by little" &c. The Christian's life is a life of conflicts and conquests; but he shall not have more conflicts than conquests, for the Lord will bring him off "more than conqueror," through help by little and by little. Sometimes he gets a little boldness at the throne saying, Avenge me of mine adversaries," and the Canaanites are defeated; sometimes he gets a little faith, and faith "turns to flight the armies of the aliens." Who can tell by how many little helps this warfare is carried on, and brought to a successful issue? God gives them here a little in this promise, "Sin shall not have the dominion over you ;" and then a little in that promise, "God shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly;" a little here in this promise, "No weapon formed against thee shall prosper," &c.; and a little here in that promise, "Thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places." Yes, God gives them a little here, and a little there; a little now, and a little then; and by these little communications, "The weakest saint shall win the day, Though death and hell obstruct the way." Notice lastly, that the Canaanites were left in the land for two objects : Firstly, to try and prove Israel. He could have put them all out at once and for ever; but He saw that it would be for Israel's good to leave some of them in the land, to try them and prove them. So the Canaanites of evil are left in the land to prove us, and try us that we might know all that is in our heart. The Canaanite of sin in the members is left to try the law in the mind. And hence it is that "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would," Gal. v. 17. If there were no Canaanites in the land, no evils in the flesh, there would be no dispute between the flesh and the Spirit; if the flesh were holy, the Spirit would have no cause of complaint; if there were no Canaanites in the land, the armour of God would be superfluous, I should not require the sword of the Spirit, nor the shield of faith, nor the helmet of salvation. And herein we see the propriety of the divine = prohibition, "Slay them not, lest my people forget," Psalm lix. 2. If they had no sin they would forget the Saviour, for "Sinners can say, and none but they If they had no conflicts, they would forget their salvation; if they had no reverses, they would forget their refuge; if they had no fiery darts they would forget their shield;" if they had no foes, they would forget their sword, the sword of the Spirit; if they had no lets or hindrances, no oppositions, they would forget the song of songs, 66 Grace, grace unto it," "Grace 'tis a charming song," The second object was "Lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee." Here we see the wisdom of God in sparing one enemy to destroy another. He spares some of the Hittites, with their legion of fears to save from presumption, which sin was so beastly, that God would not allow an atonement for it. He spares some of the filthy Gergashites to make us cry unclean, and to save us from the beast of pride. He spares some of the Amorites to talk bitterly against us, to save us from carnal security. Indeed the beasts of insolent pride, of daring presumption, and of fatal security, would increase upon them, if the Lord did not spare some of all the Canaanites. We see this illustrated in Paul, his Canaanitish "law in the members" kept under the remains of Pharisaic holiness, and saved him from trusting to a bundle of old clothes, of filthy rags for raiment in which to appear before God. Paul wore his moral dress a long while, and although the filth of pride was upon it, and a terrible rent was in it, he was so infatuated that he thought it "blameless," but when the law in the members revealed its nastiness, he flung it away as dung and dross. The thorn in the flesh he tells us was left to kill his pride, 2 Cor. xii. 7. In Peter's case we see the Lord permitting one evil, in order to destroy another. Satan's sieve sifted away Peter's chaff; his false confidence in his own powers, and did him and the church good service. Christian, you know that the Lord putteth out these nations before you by little and by little. Again and again he hath silenced your fears, -subdued your sins, and scattered your enemies. And as the Canaanites are still in the land, there will be more employment of the same kind for the divine power to-morrow. Fear not, the battle is the Lord's, and He will carry on the contest to a glorious and triumphant issue, by "giving power to the faint" from time to time, by little and by little, till in death He ends the strife, and bestows the crown of life. Love to the Word of God. "These were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."-Acts xvii. 2. THE testimony here borne to the superior religious character of the citizens of Berea, to that of the people in a neighbouring city, points out in an instructive manner, the secret of that eminence, by which they were distinguished, namely, their love to the word of God. With |