[Preached at the Annual Meeting of the Bedford Union, May 6, 1801]

“If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us.”—Numb. 14:8.

You recollect, my brethren, that when the children of Israel were going up to possess the land which the Lord their God had promised them, they were directed to send spies before them, who should search out the land, and report whether it was good or bad, and whether the inhabitants were strong or weak, few or many. The greater part of these spies proved unfaithful. They brought an evil report of the good land; depreciating its value, magnifying the difficulties of obtaining it, and thus spreading despondency over the hearts of the people. The effect was, that instead of persevering in the undertaking, they were for returning to Egypt.

There were two out of the number, however, who were of another spirit, and whose report was different from that of their companions. “The land,” said they, “which we passed through to search it, is an exceedingly good land, which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them: fear them not.” These worthies stood alone in their testimony, and the people had well nigh stoned them for it; but the Lord honoured them; for, of all the generations which came out of Egypt, they only inherited the promise.

Considering the object of the present meeting, you will probably suppose that my thoughts have been employed in drawing a parallel between the undertaking of Israel to subdue the Canaanites and take possession of their land in the name of Jehovah, and our undertakings to subdue to the obedience of Christ the hearts of his enemies, both at home and abroad, and in this manner take possession of the world for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is true they have; and in discoursing upon the subject, I shall first attempt to justify the application by tracing the analogy between the two cases, and then consider the proviso on which we are given to expect success.

I. I shall attempt to justify the application of the subject, by tracing the analogy between the undertaking of Israel and the efforts of Christians to disseminate the gospel.

It is allowed that the imagination, unaccompanied with judgment, will often find resemblances which the sacred writers would have disavowed, as beneath them; and far be it from me to imitate so puerile and unwarrantable a method of treating the oracles of God: but it appears to me that the gift of the Holy Land to Abraham and his posterity was really designed to prefigure the gift of all nations to the Messiah for his inheritance, and that thus it is represented in the Scriptures. It is said, in the seventy-second Psalm, “He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” This promise, I suppose, had immediate reference to the kingdom of Solomon, and signified that, during his reign, the whole extent of country included in the original promise to Abraham should be actually possessed; but, in a more remote sense, it refers to a greater Son of David than Solomon. This is manifest from several passages in the Psalm, which are inapplicable to any one but the Messiah. It is his kingdom only which shall “continue as long as the sun and the moon endure, throughout all generations;” him shall “all nations serve,” and to him shall “all kings bow down; men shall be blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed.” Now, considering the promise before mentioned in this light, it signifies that, like as Israel, during the reign of Solomon, inherited the utmost extent of country promised to them, so the church, during the reign of the Messiah, should possess the utmost extent of country promised to him, which is the whole world, or “the uttermost parts of the earth.” In the joyful prospect of these times, the Psalm concludes: “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things; and blessed be his glorious name for ever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and amen!”

The taking possession of Canaan, and the setting up of the true worship of God in it, not only prefigured the kingdom of the Messiah, but were preparatory to it—the foundation of the gospel structure. The carnal Jews, at the coming of our Saviour, it is true, did not enter into these views; and even his own disciples were much in the dark; but the ancient Israelites understood and felt them. “God be merciful unto us,” said they, “and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us.”—Wherefore? That they might be a holy and happy people? Doubtless this was a part of their desire; but not the whole. They prayed to be blessed, that they might be blessings to the world; that “God’s way might be known,” through them, “upon earth, and his saving health among all nations;” that “the people might praise him,” yea, that “all the people might praise him, and all the ends of the earth fear before him.” Canaan was a country situated in the centre of the world, and therefore adapted to be the spot on which Jehovah should set up his standard for the subjugation of the world to himself. Hence the little leaven should diffuse its influence through the earth, till the whole were leavened. Such appears to have been the design of God in bestowing it upon the posterity of Abraham, and such are the effects which have been actually, though gradually, produced. “Out of Zion” has gone forth “the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

There are several points of dissimilarity, I allow, between the undertaking of the Israelites and that of Christians to disseminate the gospel; but whatever differences there are, they are altogether in our favour. They went forth armed with the temporal sword; we with the sword of the Spirit: their commission was to destroy men’s lives; ours to save their souls: cities, and fields, and vineyards, and olive-yards were their reward; our hope, and joy, and crown, are sinners rescued from destruction, standing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. Finally, the people whom they encountered were appointed by the Lord of the universe to utter destruction, as the just demerit of their crimes; and though some submitted and were spared, yet the invaders were not given to hope, or directed to wait, for a change of this kind in the body of the people; but were commanded to drive them out, and take their place. It is not so with us; we live under a dispensation of mercy; go where we will, we have glad tidings of great joy to communicate. They, having no hopes of the people, might have said, We seek not you, but yours; but our hopes terminate on the people; we therefore can say, “We seek not yours, but you.”

There are several important points, however, in which the undertakings are similar. The following have occurred to me as the most remarkable:

1. The ultimate object of the one was to overturn the kingdom of Satan, and to establish the knowledge and worship of the true God; and the same is true of the other. The world, at that time, not a nation exempted, was under the dominion of Satan, enveloped in idolatry, and the abominations which always accompany it; so that if God had not selected a people for himself, and after having taught them to fear and obey him, given them a possession among the nations, he had had no people, nor name, nor worship, upon the face of the earth. And what is the state of mankind at present? Not altogether so deplorable; but whatever difference there may be, it is owing to that Divine revelation which God communicated to Israel, and by them to the Gentile nations. In heathen countries the god of this world reigns uncontrolled. The children of men, from generation to generation, are led captive by him at his will. Much the same may be said of those countries which are overspread by Mahomedism. Nor is it materially otherwise where the corruptions of popery maintain their sway. And even in our own country, where the Scriptures are read in the native language, there are but few who pay any serious attention to them. Is it not evident, to an impartial spectator, that the great body of the people are practical atheists, living without hope, and without God in the world? The number of worshippers, including even the laxest and most inattentive, in all our cities, and I fear in most of our towns and villages, is few, when compared with those who attend upon no worship at all. In the earlier times of the Reformation, whatever defects might exist with respect to church government and discipline, the doctrine of salvation by the cross of Christ was much more generally preached and believed than at present. Since the great principles of evangelical truth (alike clearly stated in the Articles of the Established Church and in the catechisms and confessions of Dissenters) have been relinquished, and a species of heathen morality substituted in their place, the nation has been almost heathenized. If the Lord had not left us a seed of faithful men, some in the establishment and some out of it, whose object it has been to propagate the common salvation, and to inculcate the holy practice which becomes it, surely we had, ere now, been as Sodom. Or if, like a certain great nation near home, we had revoked the laws in favour of religious liberty, and massacred, silenced, or banished the faithful witnesses of Christ, surely, like them, we had been lost in the gulf of infidelity.

2. In invading the country of the Canaanites, Israel went forth by Divine authority; and the same authority attends our invasion of the empire of sin and Satan. Nothing short of an express commandment could have justified a people in destroying or subjugating another people, whatever might be their moral character; but the Creator of the world had an indisputable right to dispose of any part of it, and to punish transgressors in what manner he pleased. And though the gospel is far from being injurious to the temporal interests of mankind, yet the opposition to it has been as fierce and as decided as if it had been aimed to rob them of every thing necessary to their happiness. The servants of Christ have been taught to expect opposition, and all the evils which a world lying in wickedness, and hating to have their repose disturbed, can inflict upon them. And though, by the kind hand of God, whose influence governs all human counsels, they have had their seasons of peace and rest, yet the enmity has been much the same. The truly zealous and faithful labourers in Christ’s harvest have generally, even in the most favourable periods, had to encounter a large portion of reproach and misrepresentation. And what but the authority of Heaven should induce us to expose ourselves to such inconveniences? We have our feelings as well as other men; and it would doubtless be agreeable to us to possess the good opinion of all about us. We have no ill-will to those who preach even what we account “another gospel, and not the gospel of Christ,” whether in or out of the establishment; and if we had, we have so much good-will to ourselves, that if, consistently with the love of Christ and the souls of men, we could hold our peace, we should probably be inclined to do so, and employ ourselves in something less offensive, and more adapted to promote our temporal interests. But the command of Christ is not to be trifled with. He to whom we must shortly give account of the use we have made of every talent committed to us has said, “Go, teach all nations—preach the gospel to every creature!” If we have any authority from Christ to preach at all, (which I shall not here inquire,) we are, doubtless, warranted and obliged, by this commission, to embrace any opening, in any part of the earth, within our reach, for the imparting of the word of life to them that are without it. The primitive ministers went every where preaching the gospel, and gave no less offence to its enemies, even among the established teachers of religion, than we give; and were by them reproached as ignorant men no less than we are. Yet they persevered in their work, and endured the consequences. If we be ministers of Jesus Christ, we ought to follow their example. It is true, there are some things of an extraordinary kind in which we cannot follow them; but the work of spreading the gospel is ordinary, and not confined to a single age. Had not Christ’s commission been binding to the latest posterity, it would not have been added, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world!”

3. The Israelites went forth, not only by Divine authority, but under a Divine promise; and the same is true of Christian ministers. God spoke unto Abraham, saying, “I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” This, in substance, was often repeated to the patriarchs; so often that the country was thence denominated the Land of Promise. This it was that supported the faith of Caleb and Joshua. It was not in a dependence on their numbers, or their prowess, that they said, “We are well able;” but on the arm of Him who had spoken in his holiness. Nor do those who labour in the Lord’s service, in the present times, whether at home or abroad, (for I consider the work as one,) go forth with less encouragement. The Father has promised his Son that “he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied;” that he will “divide him a portion with the great;” and that “he shall divide the spoil with the strong.” Travail, in a figurative sense, commonly signifies grievous affliction issuing in a great and important good. Such was the suffering of our Lord, and such must be the effect arising out of it. A portion with the great may refer to the territories of the great ones of this world; such as the Alexanders and the Cæsars, who, in their day, grasped a large extent of empire: but the kingdom of Christ shall be greater than the greatest of them. The division of the spoil implies a victory, and denotes, in this place, that Christ shall triumph over all the false religion and irreligion in the world. And as the Father’s word is given to his Son, so the word of the Son is given unto us. He that said, “Go, teach all nations,” added, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” These declarations afford equal ground for confidence with those which supported a Caleb and a Joshua.

4. The promise to Israel was gradually fulfilled; and the same is observable of that which is made to Christ and his people. It was almost five hundred years, from the time that God entered into covenant with Abraham, before his posterity were permitted to set foot upon the land, as possessors of it; and nearly five hundred years more elapsed before their possession was completed. And, in establishing the kingdom of his Son, God has proceeded in a similar manner. The accession of the Gentiles was promised to Noah, under the form of Japheth being persuaded to dwell in the tents of Shem; but more than two thousand years roll on before any thing very considerable is accomplished. At length the Messiah comes; and, like Joshua by Canaan, takes possession of the heathen world. At first, it seems to have bowed before his word; and, as we should have thought, promised fair to be subdued in a little time. But every new generation that was born, being corrupt from their birth, furnished a body of new recruits to Satan’s army; and as the Canaanites, after the first onset in the times of Joshua, gathered strength, and struggled successfully against that generation of Israelites which succeeded him and forsook the God of their fathers; so, as the church degenerated, the world despised it. Its doctrine, worship, and spirit being corrupted, from being a formidable enemy, the greater part of it becomes a convenient ally, and is employed in subduing the other part, who hold fast the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Thus the war is lengthened out; and now, after a lapse of eighteen hundred years, we see not all things yet put under him. On the contrary, when reviewing our labours, it often seems to us that “we have wrought no deliverance in the earth, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.” But let us not despair; we see Jesus upon his throne; and as the Canaanites were ultimately driven out, and the kingdom of Israel extended from sea to sea, so assuredly it shall be with the kingdom of Christ.

The great Disposer of events has, for wise ends, so ordered it that the progress of things shall be gradual. He designs by this, among other things, to try the faith and patience of sincere people, and to manifest the hypocrisy of others. Hereby scope is afforded both for faith and unbelief. If, like Caleb and Joshua, we be for going forward, we shall not want encouragement; but if, like the others, we be weary of waiting, and our hearts turn back again, we shall not want a handle, or plea, by which to excuse ourselves. God loves that both persons and things should appear to be what they are.

5. The promise was not accomplished, at last, but by means of ardent, deadly, and persevering struggles; and such must be the efforts of the church of Christ, ere she will gain the victory over the spiritual wickedness with which she has to contend. The Canaanites would not give up any thing but at the point of the sword. Hence the faint-hearted, the indolent, and the weak in faith were for compromising matters with them. The same spirit which magnified difficulties at a distance, which spoke of cities as “great, and walled up to heaven,” and of “the sons of Anak being there,” was for stopping short when they had gained footing in the land, and for “making leagues” with the residue of the people. Thus it has long been in the Christian church: the gospel having obtained a footing in the western nations, we have acted as though we were willing that Satan should enjoy the other parts without molestation. Every heathen and Mahomedan country has seemed to be a city walled up to heaven, and the inhabitants terrible to us as the sons of Anak. And even in our native country, an evangelical ministry having obtained a kind of establishment in some places, we have long acted as if we thought the rest were to be given up by consent, and left to perish without any means being used for their salvation! If God means to save any of them, it seems, he must bring them under the gospel, or the gospel, in some miraculous manner, to them; whereas the command of the Saviour is that we go, and preach it to every creature. All that Israel gained was by dint of the sword. It was at the expense of many lives, yea, many thousands of lives, that they at last came to the full possession of the land, and that the promises of God were fulfilled towards them. The same may be said of the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. It was by ardent and persevering struggles that the gospel was introduced into the various nations, cities, and towns where it now is; and, in many instances, at the expense of life. Thousands of lives were sacrificed to this great object in the times of the apostles, and were I to say millions in succeeding ages, I should probably be within the compass of truth. But we have been so long inured to act under the shadow of civil protection, and without any serious inconvenience to our temporal interests, that we are startled at difficulties which the ancient Christians would have met with fortitude. They put their lives in their hands, “standing in jeopardy every hour;” and though we cannot be sufficiently thankful, both to God and the legislature of our country, for the protection we enjoy, yet we must not make this the condition of our activity for Christ. “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” If ever God prosper us in any great degree, it will be in the exercise of that spirit by which the martyrs obtained a good report.

The above particulars may suffice to show the analogy between the two cases: the object aimed at, the authority acted upon, the promise confided in, its gradual accomplishment, and the means by which this accomplishment is effected, are the same in both: I hope, therefore, the application of the one to the other may be considered as justified.

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Fuller, A. G. (1988). “God’s Approbation of Labors Necessary to the Hope of Success,” Sermon VII. The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc. (J. Belcher, Ed.; Vol. 1, pp. 183–188). Sprinkle Publications.