Moses and Aaron, Treatise · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
7. IOSHUA: Joshua a type of Christ, five ways.A type of our true Joshua, another Moses.
I. BOth Saviours. For Joshua under the very same name 1. Saviours.is propounded a type of Christ. Both had the name Jesus, both saved their people (therefore Joshua is called Jesus. Heb. 4. 8.) the type from temporal and externall enemies, the truth from spirituall and eternall.
II. In his calling. 1. Both succeeded Moses▪ who makes 2. Calling.way to both. 2. Both guides going before Gods people. The type to the earthly Canaan: the truth to the heavenly. 3. Both led them into the land. Joshua led the people not onelyonly towards the land, but into the promised land. What was denied to Moses, was granted to Joshua. Moses might not enter, nor those that had disobeyed: but Joshua e…eth and taketh possession for himself, and for all the people: So our Joshua hath taken possession, and led us into the possession of our heavenly Canaan. What Moses Law could not do for our infirmity, Christ by his Gospel hath done for us. That may shew us the way, but this brings us to the ways e…d, and gives us all our promised expectation. Thus our Joshua carries us through from this wildernesse to our rest. 4. Both divided the land, and allotted to every man his portion. Joshua having entered Canaan, assignes everyone his portion, Josh. 14. 1. Christ ascended unto heaven, prepares for every beleever a place, Joh. 14. 2.
III. Both confirmed their calling with many miracles. 3. Miracles.1. Joshua being to passe over Jordan divides the waters and they gave way unto him: Christ in the same Jordan divides the heavens, Matth. 3. 16. and they testifie unto him verse 17. Joshua divides waters but he ascribes it to the power of the Lord of all the world, Chap. 3. 13. But our true Joshua, being that Lord and God of all the world, by his owne power commanded the seas and they obeyed him. 2. Joshua becompassing the walls of Jericho, and the long blast of rammes hornes overthrew the walls of it, Chap. 6. 5. Our Joshua by as weak and vile meanes in the eye of flesh, even by the sound and blast of the Gospel shakes down dayly the high and thick walls of the Divell and Antichrists kingdome, and of the Jericho of this world, which resists the people of God in their passage to Canaan. By the preaching of the Gospel, typified by the sound of the trumpets, our Joshua overthrowes the wisdome, power, seeming sanctity, and whatsoever strength of flesh is opposed to the power of the Gospell. 3. Whilst Joshua was destroying the enemies of God, the Sunne in the heavens at his word stood still, and stayd his course as a willing spectator of that businesse, and deferred the night least he should want day to smite his enemies in, Chap. 10. 12. So our Joshua whilst on the Crosse he was spoiling principalities and powers, and opening the way to Canaan, commanded the Sunne to stop his course, and hide his face, to witnesse to all the world the great work in hand that day. Of both these dayes may be verified, Josh. 10. 14. there was never before day like, nor after it shall be.
IV. In his fortitude, victory, triumphs. Both of them 4. Valour. …mightily miraculous, miraculously triumphant. 1. Joshua was the Judge and Captaine of Gods people, the leader of Uterque magnus miraculis, magnus triumphis. Ambr. de offic. lib. 2. cap 20.his Armies, the mighty conquerour of all the enemies that rose up and resisted them. He subdued both princes and people of the Canaanites. He set his foot on the necks of five Kings at once, and slew them, Chap. 10. 24. nay made his men of warre set their feete on their necks, and trample them as dung, and went on, and in small time had slaine one and thirty kings with their armies, Chap. 12. 10. Never had Israel so many enemies in their passage to Canaan, as Gods people have unto that heavenly Canaan their countrey Moses non pugnat cum Amalecitis sed Joshua, Exo. 17 10. fig. quod non lex nos ab hostibus liberaret, sed Iesus Christus.and rest, typified by that. Even all the gates of hell, the rage of Satan, the power of sinne, the allurements of the world, whole armies of temptations, a troupe of pleasures, honours, profits on one hand, a whole band of crosses and discouragements on the other, a legion of lusts within our selves. But our Joshua the mighty Captaine, not onelyonly of the Lords hosts, but who is the Lord of hosts, is described to sit on a white horse, whose name is called Faithfull and true; and he judgeth and fighteth righteously, Rev. 19. 11. He hath valiantly triumphed over all enemies, spoyled principalities and powers, set his foot on their necks, trodden Satan under his feet, and made us tread him under our feet too. If Joshua have slaine one and thirty kings; Our Joshua hath slaine so many thousand Commanders. 2. by meanes of Ioshuas faithfullnesse and fortitude, not one word failed of all the good things which the Lord had said unto Israel, but all came to passe, Chap. 21. 45. and 23, 14. So by meanes of our Ioshua, all the promises of God concernig heaven and happinesse are accomplished, which are all in him, Yea, and Amen. Heaven and earth may faile, but not one jote of Gods promise but his Ioshua will see it accomplished.
V. In sundry actions. 1. Ioshua saved Rahabs house that 5. Actions.had the red cord hung out at the window, because they had saved the Spies. Chap. 6. So Christ saves every penitent sinner that▪ expresseth faith in his bloud, and love to the true Israel of God, especially his Ministers and Seers. 2. He graciously accepted the Gibeonites, when they humbly sued and intreated peace of him: So a broken and a contrite heart our true Ioshua never despised. He that offers repentant sinners grace before they seek it, when they seek it will not deny it. 3. When God by Ioshua had wrought that great miracle of stopping up the river Iordan till they passed over, Chap. 4. 2. Ioshua commanded twelve men of Israel to gather twelve stones out of Iordan, and set them up memorials of Gods great acts to all posterity: So our Ioshua having wrought many mighty miracles for the confirmation of his holy doctrine, commanded twelve men, his twelve disciples, by the preaching of the Gospel, to erect through all the world, a monument and memory of the wondrous workes of the Sonne of God in the working out of mans salvation, and leading them to the heavenly Canaan.
I. What a fearfull thing it is to be an enemy of God and Use. 1. A fearfull thing to be an enemy of the Church.his Church. Never was Joshua so mighty against the enemies of Israel (not one of whom, were he never so strong, could stand before him) as our Joshua is to roote out at once all his enemies. Art thou an enemie to Jesus, an hinderer of any of his people in their way to Canaan? look to thy self. Suppose thou haddest power above Joshua the type, art thou stronger than the true Joshua? He carries victory in his banner. Julian shall cry with his gutts in his armes: O Galilean Vicisti Galilae.thou hast the victory. The proudest enemy shall be as lambs greace before a consuming fire. Our great Joshua shall set his feet upon thy neck, and make thee the dust of his footstoole; nay he shall set the feet of his dispised servants upon thy neck as Ioshua did. The power of one and thirty kings shall not carry it against him. If thou are an enemy, hasten thy repentance, else thou hastnest thy destruction. If Qui non faciunt Dei voluntatem, de iis fit Dei voluntas.thou work not the will of God, God will work his will on thee. And what need any man be offended at the present prosperity of Gods enemies, be they never so great, seeing our Ioshua shall suddenly blast their power and glory, and dash them asunder as earthen vessells.
II. Comfort. All the good word of God for the salvation Use. 2. Comfort in our salvation accomplished.of his people shall be accomplished. 1. Though the promise may seem out of minde, Ioshua shall performe every word and syllable of that promise made three hundered years before. 2. Though there be never so many hinderances and mighty lets, they shall not hinder. God promiseth the good land; but how should they get thorow Iordan, seeing there is no other way? Now rather than his promise shall faile, he will invert the order of nature; Iordan shall stop his course. nay runne backward. The like in their comming out of Egypt. God had said, that night they must out; and the sea must give way to the promise. God promiseth Ioshua to overcome five Kings at once; an hard taske, and one day is too little for it; but rather than the night approaching shall dissolve the battell, and any of them escape, he will command the Sunne to stand still, and lengthen the day that his word may be accomplished. Israel in passing to Canaan must passe the huge and terrible wildernesse forty years. Alas what shall they eat or drinke? Can a barren wildernesse afford any food, or (if any) for so many hundred thousand men? But before the promise faile, heaven shall raine Manna, the rock shall give abundance of water. Hath God promised thee daily bread, help in affliction, refreshing in wearinesse, remission in sense of sinne, a blessed issue in every triall? Let thy faith give God the honour of truth. Heaven shall fall and earth ascend, before thou beleeving shalt be frustrate, Isai 54. 10. Hath he promised thee the heavenly Canaan? what if thou seest armies of enemies, of discouragements? thou being an Israelite shalt not faile. For, 1. Nothing in nature is so strong as the promise. 2. God hath after a sort captivated himself and all his Creatures to thy faith. 3. He may deferre the promise but never deny it or himselfe. Wait still.
III. Is Christ the true Ioshua? 1. Acknowledge him our Use. 3. Duties we owe to Christ our Joshua.Captaine and head. 2. Submit our selves unto him, as Israel unto Ioshua, Iosh. 1. 11, 17. All that thou commandest us we will doe, and whether thou sendest us we will goe; as we obeyed Moses in all things, so will we obey thee. 3. Follow him as our guid into that eternal rest, and depend on him for our inheritance there. Moses cannot carry us in, for himself must onelyonly see the land. So we may see the land of promise afarre off in the Law; but onelyonly Jesus can bring us in. For, 1. He alone is entered already to take possession for us. 2. He hath undertaken to carry us through our wildernesse to our Canaan.
IV. What conditions we must observe in comming to Use. 4. Conditions to be observed in going to heaven.heaven, as they in comming to the good land. 1. The land is theirs and possession given, but many Canaanites and Jebusites must dwell in the land under tribute still, Chap. 15. 63. and 16. 10. So notwithstanding all our promises of rest, and possession of peace of conscience, in this world are some, yea many Canaanites and Jebusites to molest Gods people. But at last our Joshua leaves never an enemy unsubdued. There shall nothing which is unholy get within the walls of that City; he sees the last enemy destroyed. 2. They must not come into that land till they were circumcised; for all the forty yeares in the wildernesse they were not circumcised, Chap. 5. 3, 7. Till the shame of Egypt was remooved, verse 9. Joshua cannot bring them into the promised land. Which shame (as Iunius thinks) was the prophanenesse of their fathers contracted in Egypt, whereby they grew carelesse of Gods ordinances. Our Joshua brings not us into our Canaan so long as we are prophane and uncircumcised; till he have circumcised our hearts, and we be holy and sanctified: for without shall be dogs. 3. Ioshua must divide their inheritance by lot, and so every one must receive it; not by right or desert, Chap. 14. 2. And so God commanded Moses, Numb. 26. 55. So our Ioshua divides to the elect their inheritance in the heavenly countrey, not for their merits and deserts, but by his rich and free gift. If no Israelite could claime of Ioshua one foot out of merit and desert, but all of promise and grace: much lesse may wee our childs part in heaven. Gods mercy is mans merit 4. Ioshua gives them the land with this condition, that for so great labour and travel in preparing so good a land, they afford him an inheritance among them, Chap. 19. 49. Our Ioshua was not inferiour in labour and paines to Ioshua, in purchasing us a better land; and we must give him the inheritance he asketh (so they did to Joshua) that he may dwell among us, or in the middest of us. Now the inheritance he asketh among us is our hearts purged by faith. He desires no more of thee for all his paines but a little roome in the middest of thee, which himselfe will build and dwell in. If thou dost not give him his demand, besides thy unkindnesse and unthankfullnesse, thy heart shall lie as a ruinous wast, as a nasty and stinking hole, a cage of unclean beasts and lusts, yea, an habitation of Divels. 5. Ioshua brings them into the good land, and as soon as they eat the corne of the land, the Manna ceaseth the next morrow, Chap. 5. 12. So when our Ioshua shall bring us into our good land to eat the fruit of it, the good things and meanes of this world shall cease. The Manna, the preaching of the word, celebration of Sacraments, faith and hope, &c. But we are sure of better meanes, or better things without means; in the hope and expectation of which we must persevere in the faith, and walk in hope through our wildernesse. The fruits of that good land will be worth all our labour. 6. Ioshua brings none into the land but conquerours, and divides the land to a conquering people: So our Ioshua gives the land onelyonly to him that overcommeth. And he that perseveres to the end shall be saved.Vincenti dabo. Rev. 2.