but has God himself for his " shield," and God himself for his " sword;" so that his enemies must elude Omniscience, before they can destroy him ; and must withstand Omnipotence if they do not fall before him. Hence it is that he attains such " excellency," and proves victorious in all his conflicts.
View the believer thus environed, and thus armed, and you may well say to him, " Happy art thou, O Israel ! who is like mi to thee ? " for the salvation he already possesses, is a pledge and earnest of his everlasting triumphs.]
Application —
[To whom, besides the true Israel, can we venture to say, " Happy art thou ?" Art thou happy, who, instead of having experienced salvation, art yet under the guilt and power of all thy sins ; and, instead of having Jehovah for thy shield and thy sword, hast the ahnighty God for thine enemy ? Deceive not thyself: thou mayest dream of happiness ; but thou art in a pitiable condition. So far art thou from rivalling the happiness of Israel, thou art even inferior to the beasts that perish ; and, if thou wert sensible of thy state, thou wouldest envy them their prospect of annihilation. Oh, if ever thou wrouldest be happy, seek to be " saved by the Lord," even by the blood and right- eousness of the Lord Jesus, and by the sanctifying influences of his Spirit. What Moses said to his father-in-law, that would God's people say to thee, " Come thou with us, and we will do thee good ; for God has spoken good concerning Israel1."
As for you who are of the true Israel, seek to be as distin- guished for your holiness, as you are for your happiness. When we speak of your felicity, the world cannot understand us, be- cause they are strangers to your feelings. But they can judge of holiness with some considerable degree of accuracy ; and your superiority in this respect will be more effectual for their con- viction, than all that can be said respecting the happiness of your state. Endeavour then so to live, that we may challenge the world to produce any persons comparable to you in holiness. Enable us to say with confidence, Who is like unto thee, O Israel ? Who is dead to the world, as thou art ? Who abounds in all holy duties, in all devout affections, in all amiable dispo- sitions, like thee ? This will silence those who call your happi- ness enthusiasm, and will convince them, that you are superior to others, " not in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth."]
* Numb. x. 29.