rj


they  shall  not  overflow  ihec^ —  tliat  thou
vhouldest  not  be  lost  and  undistinguished  from
them,  as  hath  happened  to  most  conquered
and  even  conquering  nations. — "  Vfbcn  thou
walkest  through  the  fire  (of  affliction)  thou
shalt  not  be  burnt,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle
upon  thee"*  (to  thine  utter  destruction.)  "  Be-
hold the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon  the  sinful
kingdom,  and  I  will  destroy  it  from  off  the
face  of  the  earth,  saving  that  I  will  not  ut-
terly destroy  the  house  of  Jacob,  saith  the
Lord,  For  lo  I  I  will  command,  and  I  will
sift  the  house  of  Israel  among  all  nations,  like
as  corn  is  sifted  in  a  sieve,  yet  shall  not  the
least  grain  fall  upon  the  earth."  Amos  ix.  8.
"  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  Lord  God,
although  I  have  cast  them  far  off  among  the
heathen,  a?id  although  I  have  scattered  them
among  the  countries,  yet  will  I  be  to  them  as  a
little  sanctuary  in  the  countries  where  they  shall
come"  (Ezek.  xi.  16.)

With  all  due  allowance  for  the  figurative
'tile  of  the  prophetic  writers^  it  is  not  to  be

\  *  Isa.  xliii.  2-

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76

denied,  that  some  of  the  prophecies  are  to  be
understood  in  the  literal  sense  of  the  words*.
And  such  are  many  of  those,  which  speak  of
the  return  of  the  people  of  Israel,  (as  many
of  them  as  shall  escape  the  sword  ;)  and  their
re-settlement  in  the  Holy  Land,  in  circum-
stances of  great  prosperity  and  glory.     Mo-
ses, upwards  of  three  thousand  years   ago,
foretold   both  their  rejection  and  restoration.
