IN Church history it has been the same, for we soon lose sight of the company endued with power by the Holy Ghost, to witness firm God on the earth, and who “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers.” Nor do we hear but once of a company so identified with the Lord. Himself and His power, as that “when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake the word of God with boldness,” and who with great power gave witness to Jesus and the resurrection. Instead of this judgment begins at the house of God, and Ananias and Sapphire are carried out dead; they kept back part of their possessions, and lied to the Holy Ghost, so that Achan and the valley of Achor are in principle repeated. The next chapter shows the murmurings of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration; and then the dispersion. The fine front of God’s witnesses in Joshua’s they, and the finer front of the witnesses to an exalted, Lord and Christ, am alike turned back by the craft of the enemy; and what was Gilgal, and the circumcision in either case, soon became changed to Bochim as in the days of the judges who followed, or into the great house and las times, of which our Apostle Paul warned his son Timothy. But besides all this character of warfare and endurance, we wait, as did Joshua, for the overthrow of the enemy, till Rehab and all her house are got out of Jericho, am the cursed place, by the secret of tin scarlet line. In the meanwhile the rights of God and His people are asserted and made good in testimony to His grace, and our right and title to the Canaan on the other side of Jordan. We wait, too, for the manifestation of that Almighty power which, having raised up Christ, must expel Satan from the heavenlies as well as the earthlies and shut him up in the bottomless pit.
In this interval it is in Holy Ghost presence and power that we alone maintain our union with Christ, as the risen and ascended Son of Man at the right hand of God. Bearing the image of the earthy, we live and walk below as those who are one with the heavenly Christ or high; and that, as dead and risen wits Him, we are, in fact, though not manifestly as yet, on the other side of Jordan. Whilst in the world, we are not of it; and wait to be caught up as our Lord and, changed into the image of the heavenly; for it was not till Solomon’s time of rest and glory, that the Ark of the Covenant was publicly brought into its place ha the temple, and the stave; drawn out. Indeed, the teaching of the Spirit of God is to this effect, “For if Joshua had given them rest, then would not David afterwards have spoken of another day; there remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God.”