" Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; because they have not wholly followed Me; save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun ; for they have wholly followed the Lord." (Num. 32:11, 12.)

Two men, out of all that came out of Egypt in full-grown manhood-two men, and only two, beloved reader, entered Canaan. Out of about six hundred thousand men, two only! How startling is this fact! It is "eleven days' journey," as we are carefully told, "from Horeb," to which they had safely come, "by the way of Mount Seir, unto Kadeshbarnea" on the border of the land (Deut. i- 2); and what was but eleven days' journey cost them forty years, and (save two persons) the whole host of adult males. What a disastrous issue of an expedition which began so triumphantly! What was the cause of this? Did the wisdom fail that planned for them? or the power that sheltered them? or the love that cared for them? Not one of these. With an almighty, all-sufficient Leader, who in fact accompanied them every step of the way to their journey's end, this was yet the result to that whole generation. What could be the reason? It is given us with unmistakable plainness in the words at the head of this paper:they did not wholly follow the Lord.

Now " these things," the apostle says, " happened unto them for types; they are written for our admonition" (i Cor. 10:11). In what way? perhaps you ask; for if we are Christians, is it not certain, -has not divine grace,-have not the work of Christ and the Word of God assured us,-that we shall get to heaven at last? Assuredly, if you are Christ's:I do not desire to encourage a moment's doubt,-that is, a moment's unbelief,-on that score. Doubt as to this, never secures holiness, nor does aught but hinder it. It may produce plenty of tormenting fear, and the fruit of that fear may be abundance of slavish work, for self really, and not for God; but faith worketh by love; and other than by faith it is "impossible to please God."

Why, then, does the apostle warn Christians as to this?

First, because, alas! in the gravest of all matters terrible mistakes are not seldom made. The faith that is really in Christ makes none. He cannot fail; and true faith is in Him, in His Person and work alone. But there are souls whose confidence (little or much as it may be) is in themselves as Christians rather than in Christ, on the ground of orthodoxy, of their good life, of some experience gone through in the past, of even their undisturbed self-satisfaction in the present. How many of these, without the possession of eternal life, die in the wilderness! Yet it is not my purpose to speak of these just now. In the rest who are really Christ's, the temptations, trials, experiences of the way, work on to what would be oftentimes, save for divine grace, spiritual shipwreck. With how many who once started well do we now find a sad lack of vigor, of progress, a weariness in the way, nay, a decay and decrepitude, in which their life is passing and perhaps may end! Alas! if the question be of following the Lord fully, what proportion would the Caleb’s and Joshua’s of any generation bear to the rest? It is a very practical question for us all. May God in His grace give it edge for our consciences while for a few moments we consider it.

What it is to follow wholly there is no need of many words to explain. It is probable that in the case of most of those of whom I have just spoken, they would acknowledge that they hardly did do this. They might try to justify themselves by a general confession of failure in which they would take in the large mass of Christians with themselves ; and if that were any right satisfaction, they would, it is to be feared, have abundant cause to be satisfied. The generation in the wilderness had .this kind of satisfaction, in a much greater degree. They might have said, and had divine warrant for it, that not three men among them were doing this. It did not save them from condemnation for I it, nor enable them to escape the righteous consequence. Nor will the same plea fare any better at the present time.

Eternal life may be secure indeed, and heaven be theirs at last. Effort of their own could not secure these, failure in this cannot deprive of them. Alas! for those who can use such an argument to go on with the less earnestness and decision! Present loss, and eternal too, there surely will be; for grace has never ordained that there shall not be reaping for the sowing, whatever the sowing be. And here I am not speaking in any wise of what is usually called sin. I am not supposing unrighteous or immoral conduct as between man and man. Terrible it is to think how quiet the conscience can be in such a case, leaving God almost out, or easily satisfying itself with a certain halfhearted service, as a man might put some of his loose pennies into His contribution-box.

I am supposing only a state in which one would own perhaps, without a thought of real self-judgment for it, that he was not where once he had been with God; that first love was no longer there. In this state, other things will have usurped that first, supreme place in the affections that He has lost. This we will be slower in acknowledging to ourselves, no doubt; but the practical life will tell, if we are honest with Ourselves, that the world has now the place, perhaps under the name of "duties," which once Christ had.

Can it be wondered that where once this is the case the whole character of the life is changed, and we find ourselves shut out (as to power of enjoyment) of what is our own ? Israel, tested at Kadeshbarnea, refused to go into the land to which God had destined them, and for that were condemned to learn what the wilderness, which they had chosen "instead, really was. How many of God's people are there thus occupied with that which in the occupation only brings fresh barrenness into the soul, and yet smitten with an inability to divorce themselves from it, and to return to that in which they confess all blessing is. So they go on sowing for continual sad harvests till (suddenly, it may be) they wake up to face a loss irremediable.

Barnabas, a good man and full of the Holy Ghost, exhorted the disciples that with purpose of heart they should cleave to the Lord. How simple, yet how needed, and how pregnant an exhortation! If we cleave to a living Lord, we shall unfailingly go forward. And how safely, how joyfully, in those green pastures where the good Shepherd ever leads His sheep! Our fear, as well our love, may well keep us close to His almighty arm who says, " I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any one pluck them out of My hand."

Would we knew more of that intimacy with a living Lord which shines out so in the history of the Acts. To Paul it seems no strange thing to have the Lord stand by him in the night, and say, " Fear not, Paul." And Ananias without confusion talks familiarly to that dear Master of his of how he had heard about this persecutor, Saul. Are these days in the dim distance? But the heart that seeks our intimacy is unchanged, and the quick ears of faith may still hear deep in the inmost soul a Voice which the whole being owns in adoration. Oh were we free from all other things for Him, as but few are, how would it fill our lives, and bless them! How would the eternal life, already ours, develop in us! for " this is life eternal, to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."