Taking Possession

and which I do give to them, even 2 to the children, of él. Livery place that the sole of your foot shall a upon that have I given unto you, as I said unto”/ OTe 2 eee A an team

UNSATISFACTORY WANDERINGS.. — NEAR THE INHERITANCE BUT.

NOT IN IT. — I. A SURVEY OF THE INHERITANCE. — EXCEED-ING BROAD. — THE LIMITATION SELF-IMPOSED. — THE POSSES-SIONS ATTAINABLE. — ASSURANCE. — SONSHIP. — HOLINESS COM-, MUNION. — A DESIRABLE LAND. — FULL OF VARIETY. — II. THE TITLE DEEDS. — A VALID COVENANT. — GRACIOUS. — RIGHTEOUS. Soo — SURE — III. A MOVE TOWARD POSSESSION. — GOING OVER JOR-DAN. — HOW POSSESSION IS TAKEN. — THE BARGAIN OF PENN Saree AND THE INDIANS. — HOW SIN IS DRIVEN OUT. — REASONS une) WHY POSSESSION IS NOT TAKEN. — A HUNGRY MAN AT A FREE MEAL.

Binns the leadership of Moses the children of Israel had been J journeying toward the land of promise. a

e O They wandered up and down in the wilderness, sometimes» close on the border of their inheritance, and anon lost in the great desert. Alas! many of God’s people are still in this unsatisfactory condition: they have come out of Egypt, the depths have swallowed up their adversaries, and they are on the way to the promised heritage: but they have not yet entered into rest. They will, we trust, ultimately reach the peace of God which passeth all understanding, for they have; E25.

ae Real progress. For lack of faith te go ya when with a step they might possess THE PROMISED CANAAN. ine

Our friends have come as far as the first verse of our

Lord’s invitation, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that la r

and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;”

they have a measure of that rest which comes pardoned sin and confidence in Jesus. - The pity is that they have not advanced to His next word of exhortation, “Take My yoke upon you and learn of rt

Me: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” This is

a rest discovered and enjoyed through willing service:

“Ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Many poorly

are saved in one sense, but in another sense they are

seeking salvation. Oh that we may come to be saved in every sense! may salvation be ours in the broadest,

widest, deepest, highest meaning of that blessed word!

May we not only be saved from, but saved ¢o, Saved from sin, that makes us safe. Saved ¢o holiness,

% that makes us happy. May we realize our corel a

me. ness in Christ this day, and cease from the wanderings

“a of fear! It is time that we took possession of that

goodly heritage which the Lord has made our own,

. for in Christ jonas “we have obtained an inheritance.”

Ri I. First, let us take

A SURVEY OF THE INHERITANCE.

I would say of the inheritance which God has pre-. pared for His saints, and has given to them, that it is

Bae the great river, aS river I Hope all. be of the Hittites, = unto the great sea toward

“* ae enterprise bravely, but soon showed a cana spirit. Moses, in the thirty-fourth of Numbers, which

is well worthy of a careful reading, gave them a little nD)

map, or ordnance survey, of the inner country, which they were commanded to conquer, and out of which —. they were to drive the inhabitants with the sword.. The various races of Canaanites had brought upon themselves the curse of a righteous God. Their

existence upon the face of God’s earth had become a

calamity to mankind by reason of their horrible vices,.

They were doomed to utter extinction by the justice

of God, as other races have been whose story profane

history records. The Israelites were appointed to be’

their executioners. They did not accomplish their

task; after a little while they began to make treaties

and marriages with the doomed people, and they became thorns in their sides. Outside of these Canaanitish nations were greater territories, which stretched

right ‘away from the Lebanon range down to the —

border of Egypt as far east as the great river Euphrates, from whose banks their fathers came. This — large domain was never altogether conquered by

Israel, although David possessed a large portion of it, and Solomon still more. The people of these wide

Eo oecd this is a sadly correct piccure of what Bs ns to numbers of God’s people nowadays. Ton nheritance that God has given us to enjoy in Christ Jesus i is exceeding broad; but ris WE LIMIT OURSELVES. All that we can think or desire is ours in the covenant of grace. There are immeasurable breadths and fe lengths, but we confine ourselves to close quarters. Truly, “there is very much land yet to be possessed!” Some graces you must have, or you are not saved; ‘some sins must at once be driven out of your life at ee the sword’s point, or you are not the Lord’s. As for the choicer graces, you are foolish indeed if you think of doing without them; and as for the less violent sins, you err greatly if you spare one of them. The deep knowledge, the spiritual experience, the high joy, the extreme delight, and the heavenly communion, which fall to the lot of certain of the saints, should be enjoyed by us all. There isnoreasonwhy = one should miss them; for if they have but faith enough to grasp all that God gives, they have full permission to do so. ) a Just let me show what I mean. When we at first a come to Christ by faith, wn, WE BEGIN TO ENTER into our inheritance, for we obtain the pardon of sin.

if we hoe: but = pepotd that lies Senne! in Nhe Beloved,” which possibly we have not dared to claim. Hosts of professors are satisfied to be washed, but ft have not yet asked to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ.; Think of another great blessing, namely that ‘of -sonship. But sonship is not all — ‘If children, then heirs, heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.” — Adoption you must have, heirship you ought to ne Oe How rich you are, since God Himself is yours — “heirs of God”! Yes, God.Himself is as truly yoursas He is Christ’s — “joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.” Why are — we naked and poor and miserable, when we are heirs a of a kingdom by reason of our adoption of the Lord? Let us take the good the Lord provides us. ee Consider now the matter of regeneration. When: we come to Christ by faith, we are born again, and made new creatures in Christ Jesus; this must be. But, brethren, when we are born again we perceive -; that the new birth begets A NEW LIFE, and that new life develops itself in the beauty of holiness. Holiness is the fruit of regeneration; yet some imagine that they cannot be holy, at least not to any great extent. They believe that they can be saved from certain grosser evils, but they cannot ascend to those glorious heights of consecration and

Phe PA age to you i is, ire go over this cen 3 possession of the larger inheritance. Aspire to utmost God can give. oe Again, as soon as a man has believed in Jesus he afe. If thou believest that Jesus is the Christ, thou - born of God; and, Homey: born of God, thou

UNDER THE DIVINE WING,

eeacthe Lord shall preserve thee from evil. Many

fore, enter into peace as they should. ‘That undisturbed serenity which springs from a sense of perfect safety in Christ Jesus is a glorious domain into which they do not enter. This must not go on. We must have faith; but we may have, and we ought to have, the full assurance of faith. “Once more: when we come to Christ by faith we have communion with God; and this is a land that ‘4 floweth with milk and honey. Out of communion comes usefulness, and there are certain who fancy that they can never be very useful. The Lord cannot do many mighty works through them, because of their unbelief. They have to ay fed with a spoon, like invalid children. If they had but faith enough to receive power from on high by fuller communion with God, they might become as David. There is no limit to the possibilities of usefulness in any man or woman when perfectly consecrated. Next, it is exceedingly desirable. The country into ine tell us sear it is ‘THE WORLD CONDENSED.

oie both va he semi-tropical and temperate. a zones. Palestine is the whole earth in miniature, and >; all the advantages of all lands are gathered into it. Ss It was, in Joshua’s days, a place of extreme fertility: Ne “a land that floweth with milk and honey.” Nor was. — this all; while it was fertile on the surface it was rich, ie underneath. The useful metals were near at hand,; Bi and every other convenience. All things were waiting for the true heirs of the land. Beloved, when. faith gets her heritage in Christ, she is brought into a wealthy place. When sin is driven out, and we i come to live in God’s own land, then we find precious - — — s-‘ treasure; we dig, and we are enriched. Whydowe not take possession of that He has prepared for us? This heritage upon which we are now looking down from the summit of our faith is full of variety. In Palestine there were fertile plains and rich valleys between rising hills and towering mountains. It was a land of brooks and rivers, a land which the Lord God thought upon, It was, in those days, the joy of all the earth; it was as the garden of the Lord for exceeding excellency. Beloved, if you come to Christ, you shall never need to go away from Him to find variety of joys. In His teaching you shall find Lebanons of sublime doctrine, and Sharons of pleasant precept. Here are Hermons of experience,

Cheriths af Dee ipieid ee revelatic God is a blessed country, full of all manner oft he All that is in» Christ i is meant for all believ- a

; sith aoe when He Sndeee us with pounds. II. I beg you, in the next place, to glance at eyes THE TITLE DEEDS aes of our inheritance. We shall not require alawyerto assist us in our examination; but if there should be here a legal critic who would like to overhaul our - papers, he is welcome to do so. I would not mind exhibiting our title before the bench of judges, for it has no flaw in it, and will stand in the highest court — yea, even in the last judgment. I have pleaded this incomparable title in several courts already, and it has been found to convey to mea valid gift. Here is the title deed, ‘The land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” It is repeated further on, “Every place that the sole of - your Hoe shall tread -upon, that have I given unto you.” This is an — abstract of our title. ee a First, notice its covenant character: “I have given it to you.” The Lord had given it to them from of old when He promised it to their father Abraham. — Thus they came into possession by an ancient deed of gift which entailed it upon them from generation to generation. I am glad that our tenure of the kingdom of grace is ancient and well established, and that it is. not so much with us, directly, as with One infinitely is - notable for its graciousness. How. does it rueS Which Ido se/to them? Ah, no! It is no sale, bu a free gift. Does it say, ‘“Which I do offer to them if they will earn it”? No, no! it is a present, unconditional grant of sovereign love. Nothing is freer — than a gift: “The gift of God is eternal life.” He has given us all things for nothing, that we might behold <:

THIS DEED OF GIFT

the exceeding riches of His grace. Note well the righteousness of our title — “Which ie

do give them.” The Lord God has a right to give what He pleases, for “the earth is the Lord’s and the

- fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell there-

in.” Of His own has He given unto us. Do not fail - to see its sureness. He not only says, “‘I have given

it,” and in some other places, “I will give it,” but He

declares, “I do give it.” God gives Christ and His grace to us every day. The highest privileges of the covenant of grace are not the monopoly of advanced saints, but they are the common property of all believers. Well, then, being yourselves favored and

chosen, why do you not take hold upon the glorious: estate which belongs to the chosen family? Come,

brethren, bestir yourselves and claim your heirship. Take possession of the whole territory of grace which the Lord has dedicated to your use.

III. Now I have brought you to the third point —

A MOVE TOWARD OUR POSSESSIONS.

ae
ie Ne ahs fs he

your land, but Jordan r
Obs to do in this matter is “to go over
What do we mean? Out in the wilderne:

—little rest. You are apt to be numbered with the —

bey ‘The land of gracious experience is meant for you to ot Shh i

dwell in, so that you may be recognized as the Lord’s peculiar people, separated unto the Most High, Are™

uel’s land, to break every link with “the world which lieth in wickedness”? It is required of you, in order to your full entrance into the grace state, that you

wilderness of Sin.

Having decided for the Lord, you are next to Eke possession by an act of simple faith.. The Lord says to you, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall -: tread upon, that have I given unto you.”. This is an easy way of taking land: to put your foot down upon * it. You will remember that the red Indians agreed to sell to William Penn as much land as a man could

of the day they complained that the white brother had made a big walk. I think I should have put my best leg foremost if whatever I could put my foot upon

would be mine; would not you? Why, then, do you

not hurry up in spiritual matters? Many of the Lord’s

1 sheep which wanders from the fold, and you find

e Bedouin of the desert, and not with the people of the” a a: Lord. Come out from the world, and be separate.

you ready to come right out, to be settled in Imman- —

take up a decided stand on the Lord’s side. On the. other side of Jordan is your portion, and not in the

walk round in a day; andI do not wonder that at the end se than the more cultured ever do. The learned man - lifts his head up, but the simple put their foot down; and this last is the way to the inheritance. By

you
PUT YOUR FOOT ON IT.

Lord may say, “In the name of the living God this

fulness, put your foot on it. Lay your claim to all that is put within your reach in Scripture; this is the victory that overcometh: the world, and conquereth Canaan, even our faith.

But the Canaanite was there! Yes, I know it; but you see he had no right there; the Lord had outlawed him. The land was Israel’s by the Lord’s gift, and

they had a right to fight for the possession of their

own estates. God’s people are in conflict with sin, and they carry out this war vigorously when they i have first seen their right to the blessings of grace,

a as given them of the living God. In spiritual things,

Say to sin, that now mars your peace, “‘ Peace is mine;

clear out!” Say to sin, that stops your usefulness, ‘That usefulness is mine. .I claim it: clear out!” Hivite, Jebusite, Girgashite, whatever sort of fellow you are, clear out of my heart and life, for holiness is

y mine! God, the sovereign possessor of all things, ee 13

and maleenied ones obtain more orn the prom

criticism you ey eS your eis im wt, but by faith. 2 ay

Strangers cavil, children claim. He that can trust his

blessing is mine.” Come, then, brother, if there be more holiness, put your foot on it; if there be more happiness, put your foot on it; if there be more usehas given us our redeemed Teave ek is hold for His glory, and we mean to have it! a ai long to encourage you, my friends, to carry on = this sacred crusade. I would have you grasp all pe - which the-hand of love holds out to you. Need I~ ie ‘urge you? If there be such need, you are in a sorry way. I do not believe that if I should read from this — pulpit that my friend John Smith over there had been left five thousand acres of land, I should require to fol-. low him home to persuade him to go and look at it. If my sister yonder received a notification that a very ae nice little estate had been left her in the country, I do Ieee not beliéve I need beg her to look after it. She would take an early train to-morrow morning to go and look over her farm. Brethren, here is an inheritance so broad and wide and lasting; why do you not hasten to take it? There is holiness, do you not want it? /There is serenity, do you not, desire it? There is joy unspeakable and full of glory, do you not — wish for it? There is usefulness, do you not hunger for it? This is the reason WHY SOME ARE INDIFFERENT.. ae They are zgnorant; they do not even know that these choice blessings are to be had. But all that any child of God was you may be; all the joy and bliss and holiness ever enjoyed upon earth, you may enjoy. The land is before you; go in to possess it. Many do not possess the land because of unbelief. You are empty, but Jesus fills you. You are in prison, but Jesus sets you at liberty. Why not rejoice in that liberty? The Lord deliver us from unbelief, for it is be

. oh 8 ugh to shut) ay ‘man out. oh the nherantes, Many are zxdolent. Oh the laziness of some of God’s people! I will not enlarge upon this matter, probably you know something about it yourselves. Lastly, the — indecision of a great many is another cause why they do not possess the land. There is a hesitancy to go up and seize it. They mean to be better Christians before they die. I wonder how many Christians here — would like to finish their lives to-day! Set your a house in order at once, my brother. Give away a full portion of your substance immediately. Begin to - work for Jesus at once. Why should you hesi- om tate? You blame the sinner when he delays; Wer surely the saint is to be blamed, too, when he also

lingers.

A FREE MEAL.

I have done when I have said to any soul here that 4 is seeking the Lord, if you to-day come in, and accept the blessings of the covenant, you may have them and welcome. Do not say to yourself, ‘It will be a pre-

‘sumptuous thing for me to believe in Jesus.” It will; be a kind of presumption which has no sin in it. If a yi rich man in one of the famine-stricken districts of ‘China were to say to his servant, “Provide a great east and set it out in the street,” and he were then to put up a notice to hungry Chinamen, ‘“Whosoever will, may come,” I do not think that, if. 1 were a hungry Chinaman, I should stop away from the dinner from fear of presumption. I should fall to, and ask no ae ‘questions, for my stomach’s sake, if for nothing else. poor, doubting sinner, you had better do the same.

Y
“TI do believe, I will believe,
That Jesus died for me;
And on the cross He shed His blood
; From sin to set me shat ua

. ith 3 in our (ae risen, reigning Saviour. God bl you for Christ’s sake!