were vouchsafed at the Red Sea, on their departure from Egypt ; or at the river Jordan, on their entrance into Canaan. Every obstacle shall be removed from before them, and every opposing enemy be destroyed f.
Persons who are adverse to the idea of a literal restoration of the Jews to their own land, will satisfy themselves with saying, that the whole of this description is figurative : but if this be figurative, where, I would ask, shall any thing be found that is to be taken in a literal sense ? oi", supposing God to have ordained to accomplish any thing literally, by what plainer terms could he possibly declare it ? There must, I think, be an end of all certainty in language, if the event here predicted be not to be understood in its literal and most obvious sense.]
Their restoration, however, will be, not literal only,
but spiritual also —
[At their triumphant entrance into Canaan, they were strong in the Lord Jehovah, in whose name they took posses- sion of the land, and in dependence upon whom they walked through its length and breadth. At their future restoration to God, such also will be their confidence in their Messiah ; whom they will then acknowledge as their Lord, and their God. The Prophet Hosea plainly declares this : " Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their King ; and shall fear the Lord, and his good- ness, in the latter daysg." In his name, and in his strength, will they then go forth against their spiritual, no less than against their temporal, enemies : and their victories over both the one and the other will be complete. It cannot be doubted, but that, in that day, they will be as much distinguished for righteousness as for prowess in armsh: for "they shall be all righteous1:" their penitence will be exceeding deepk, their piety most refined1, their devotion to God universal and entire"1.]
Christianity being already embraced by us, we may see in this passage,
II. The state which it is our privilege to enjoy at this day—
We have been redeemed, if not by the power of divine grace, at least by the price once paid for us on Calvary. As the Lord's people, therefore, we are privileged to live by faith on Christ, and to possess in him,
f ver. 11. s Hos. hi. 5. h Isai. lx. 1, 2.
1 Isai.lx. 21. k Zech. xii. 10. 1 Zech. xih. 9.
m Zech. xiv. 20, 21.