of his promise; and then, when the Israelites themselves were almost reduced to despair, he brought them out with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm. Thus also will he act yet once more towards that chosen people. They are now dispersed almost beyond the hope of conversion to God. But there is a period when they shall as universally, and perhaps too as suddenly, commit themselves to the government of Christ, as ever they did to the direction of Moses; nor is it improbable that they will yet again inhabit that very land, from which they have been driven for their iniquities. To elucidate this subject we shall consider, I. The event foretold in this prophecy The whole of the Gospel dispensation is often called "the latter days :" but here the expression refers to what is called by many, the Millennium, or the time when all the kingdoms of the world shall be converted to Christ. In that day, The Jews shall universally return to God through Christ [When the ten tribes revolted from the house of David under Jeroboam, they established idolatry in opposition to the worship of the true God, and set up kings of their own in opposition to those who sat on the throne of David. But in about two hundred and fifty years they were carried captive to Assyria; and from that time to the present hour they have had no king or governor of their own; and have been deprived of all opportunities of worshipping God, either according to the Mosaic ritual, or according to their own idolatrous superstitions. However they are not wholly and finally abandoned of their God: for, when his Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh, they shall take the lead in turning unto God, and shall voluntarily appoint the Lord Jesus Christ as their head. This blessed truth is abundantly confirmed in Scriptured: and the accomplishment of it will display in a most stupendous manner the unsearchable riches of God's wisdom and goodness.] a ver. 4. The "Teraphim" seem to have been images to which they resorted for the purposes of divination. d Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. and xxxvii. 21, 22, 24. • Rom. xi. 33. In turning to God, they shall be peculiarly influenced by the Divine goodness [The sanctions of the Jewish law were principally of a penal nature, and calculated to beget a servile spirit. Even Moses himself at the giving of the law exceedingly trembled and quaked. But, as formerly they feared the Lord and his judgments, so in the latter day they will" fear the Lord and his goodness" they will marvel at his kindness in choosing their nation in the days of old; and at his patience in bearing with them during their long departure from him; and, above all, at his mercy and faithfulness in bringing them back into his Church, and manifesting to them again the tokens of his love. With these considerations they will be overwhelmed; and, constrained by his love, will become patterns of all righteousness.] While we contemplate this stupendous event, let us improve it by considering, II. The instruction to be derived from it Very appropriate instruction may be gathered from it, 1. By the unbelieving world— [There are infidels who deny the inspiration of Scripture: and, even amongst those who profess to believe the Scriptures, there are not a few, who look upon the future restoration of the Jews to God as a cunningly-devised fable. But let both the one and the other of these persons look at this prophecy, and see how unreasonable their doubts are. Who that was not inspired of God, would have ventured to predict such events as are here referred to, namely, The continuance of the Jews as a distinct people all over the world, yet without any king or governor of their own, and without any priest or sacrifice, or opportunity to worship the true God according to their law, and equally without practising the idolatrous superstitions to which in every period of their history they were prone? Who, I say, would have ventured to predict such a state of things as this, if he was not inspired of God so to do? And who would go on to foretell their future restoration to God, and their entire consecration to him as his willing and obedient servants? Yet has the former part of this prediction been unquestionably fulfilled. We see them preserved a distinct people to this hour; the ten tribes, from the time of their captivity in Assyria, and the other two tribes, from the time of their dispersion by the Romans. Every where are they h Jer. xxxiii. 9. f Heb. xii. 21. g Rom. xi. 4. distinguished by these two great peculiarities,—an incapacity to worship their own God according to his appointment, and an aversion to idolatry, to which their whole nation were so long and so obstinately addicted. This then is to the whole world an evidence, that the Scriptures are divinely inspired, and a pledge, that the event predicted shall in due time be fulfilled.] 2. By those who are inquiring after God [Every awakened soul desires to know how it may find acceptance with God. And here the way of access to God, and of acceptance with him, is plainly declared. The Jews in due season will return to God through Christ, and will devote themselves to his service with filial gratitude and love. And it is in this way that every sinner must return to God. There is no other Mediator through whom any sinner in the universe can come to God: nor will any man be accepted of him, unless he surrender up himself to God in a way of holy obedience. On the other hand, no one who approaches God under a grateful sense of redeeming love, and with a desire to fulfil his will, shall ever be cast out. In fact, it is for this very end, even to produce this change in the hearts and lives of men, that God's perfections are manifested', or his promises revealed, or his blessings given!. Let every one of you then return to God in this way: for there is not one who has not departed from him, even as the Jews themselves, or who does not need the same penitence and faith as they: and I can venture to assure every penitent and believing soul, that whosoever cherishes this holy fear, shall have the light of God's reconciled countenance lifted up upon him, and experience to his joy the same blessed liberty and the same divine enlargement, as they m.] 3. By those who are giving way to desponding fears [Many, when first seeking after God, are ready to ask, Can it be that one so vile as I should ever obtain favour with God, or one so obdurate be ever penetrated with the feelings of penitence and love? Now I say, Look at the Jews; their wickedness, even from their first coming out of Egypt to their final expulsion from their own land, was most atrocious, even beyond that of the nations whom they were sent to extirpate. And now for the space of eighteen hundred years they have been as impenitent and obdurate as men could be. Yet behold, God has still designs of love towards them, and will ere long restore the whole nation to his favour. To all their other sins i See the blessed effect on Moses, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 8. m Isai. vi. 1, 5. they added that of crucifying the Lord of glory and yet are they not utterly and eternally cast off. Nay, when once the Spirit of God shall be poured out upon them, they shall, contrary to the course of nature, be like a majestic river "flowing up to the mountain of the Lord's house, itself established on the top of other mountains;" so wonderful shall be the operation of divine grace upon them". Who then should despair? Who should limit the exercise either of the power, or of the grace, of God? Dear brethren, let none despair either of themselves or others; for God's mercy is open to all, and shall be effectual for all who seek it in his appointed way. I say not but that a man's day of grace may be passed even whilst he is alive in this world: but I do say, that no man who desires mercy, can be in that deplorable condition, because he would have been already given up by God to utter insensibility and obduracy. Only let a man come to God through Christ, and he shall find that with God there is mercy, yea, and plenteous redemption. Let any man whatever be moved by a sense of God's unbounded goodness to him, and be led by that goodness to fear and serve the Lord, and he shall never perish; but shall be made a monument of that very grace, which shall be so wonderfully displayed in the latter days, in the restoration of God's ancient people, and the consequent salvation of the heathen world.] n Isai. ii. 2. MCXLVI. IGNORANCE DESTRUCTIVE. Hos. iv. 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. IGNORANCE, as it respects the things of this world, is attended with many evils. It disqualifies a man for those situations in life that require the exercise of wisdom and discretion; it degrades him in society below the rank of those who would otherwise be deemed his equals or inferiors: and it not unfrequently leads to idleness, dissipation, and vice. But ignorance of religion is of infinitely worse consequence; because it ensures the everlasting destruction of the soul. To this effect God speaks in the words before us; from which we shall be led to shew, I. The ignorance of the Christian world The Jews, as well those of the ten tribes as those who worshipped at Jerusalem, were called "the people of God," because they had received the seal of his covenant in their infancy, and professed to acknowledge him as their God. In like manner we, having in our infancy been baptized into the faith of Christ, may, in a lax and general sense, be called his followers, and his people. But among nominal Christians there is an awful lack of knowledge; an ignorance, 1. Of themselves [How little do they know of their blindness! They suppose themselves as competent to judge of spiritual as they are of carnal things; though God tells them, that they cannot comprehend the things of the Spirit for want of a spiritual dis cernmenta. How little do they know of their guilt! Do they really feel themselves deserving of God's eternal wrath and indignation? They cannot cordially acquiesce in that idea, notwithstanding they are expressly said to be under the curse and condemnation of the law b How little do they know of their depravity! They will acknowledge, that they have this or that particular infirmity: but they have no just conception of the total depravity of their hearts; or of the truth of God's testimony respecting them, that "every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts is evil, only evil, continually." How little do they know of their utter helplessness! They imagine that they can exercise repentance and faith just when they please, though they are declared by God himself to be incapable of themselves to do any thing, even so much as to think a good thought.] 2. Of God [They may have some general notions of his power and goodness: but what know they of his holiness? Do they suppose that sin is so hateful in his eyes as he represents it to bef? What know they of his justice? Are they persuaded that, as the Moral Governor of the universe, he must enforce the sanctions of his own law; and that, however merciful he may be, he neither will nor can clear the guiltys? |