CONTENTS
This is as memorable a Chapter of the Lord's dealings with his people, as perhaps any in the Old Testament. And as there can be no doubt but that it is typical of yet greater mercies to be manifested in the New, it demands the attention of every believer more particularly. We have contained in this Chapter, the miraculous passage of Israel under their commander Joshua, over Jordan: the assurance given to the people of this event before it came to pass: the preparation for it; the sanctifying the people against it: and the event fully accomplished.
We are called upon to pay the more regard to this interesting account, because we find, that the Lord himself in after ages appealed to it, as a token to his people, that he was and ever had been their gracious covenant God. And depend upon it, Reader, you and I cannot take a better method, of proving the righteous dealings of God with our souls, than when remembering all the path our God hath led us from our Shittim to Gilgal: from our first entrance through all the eventful periods of our spiritual and temporal stages to the present moment. Reader! I do not know what your view of those things are. But I do know in my own experience, that faith finds great sweetness when the Holy Ghost, acting as the Remembrancer of Jesus, brings to my memory afresh some of the many blessed tokens of past goodness the Lord hath shown me. When I can look back, and see how many apparently impassable Jordan were before me, and yet through how many of them the Lord hath brought me, setting up the stone of remembrance and saying, Hitherto the Lord hath helped me; I find cause through grace to add, And will he not bring me through all that remain? Reader! I beg you to read the resolution of the Psalmist upon this point. Psalms 77:10-12.