DISCOURSE VIII.

Of the Prophecies concerning the Difperfion and Reftoration of the

Jews.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have fet before you life and death, bleffing and curfing.

my

DEUT. XXX. 19.

IN laft difcourfe I obferved that the remarkable change in the difpofition and conduct of the Jews, which took place from the time of the Babylonifh captivity, may be, in a great measure, at least, accounted for, from the very ftriking fulfil ment of the prophecies of Mofes and Jeremiah in that captivity. The prophecies of Mofes concerning the calamities and intire difperfion of the Ifraelites, and likewife his prophecies, and thofe of others who fucceeded him, concerning their return to

their own country, after their expulfion from it, and their difperfion into all parts of the world, and concerning their profperous ftate afterwards, are fo very remarkable, and add fo much to the evidence of the divine miffion of Mofes, and of those other prophets, and confequently to that of the truth of the Jewish religion, that, after confidering, as I have done, the miracles that were expressly wrought for that purpofe, I fhall make them the fubject of this difcourfe.

The prophecies of Mofes will appear more extraordinary, if we confider the circumftances of the Ifraelites at the time in which they were delivered. They had juft left Egypt, and had not then obtained poffeffion of the land of Canaan; and yet Mofes not only fpeaks with the greatest certainty of their conquering that country, then fully peopled, and in the poffeffion of nations far more powerful than they, but of their future expulfion from that country, in confequence of fins not then committed, and to appearance very unlikely ever to be committed, viz. an apoftafy from their religion,

religion, confirmed by recent miracles, of which it was impoffible that they should entertain the smalleft doubt. But what is infi-, nitely more extraordinary, he foretels their restoration to their diftant country in a very period; and that after this they should be the first of nations, and that all the promifes of God to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, would then be illustriously fulfilled.

Mofes not only foretold the calamities of the Ifraelites, and their expulfion from the promifed land, conditionally, in which cafe it could not have been confidered as much more than a threatening, but abfolutely. For thus we read, Deut. xxxi. 16. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Behold thou shalt Sleep with thy fathers, and this people will rife up, and go a whoring after the gods of the frangers of the land whither they go to be among them, and forfake me, and break the covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forfake them, and bide face from them, and they fhall be devoured, and many evils and troubles fhall befall them, fo that they will fay in that day, Are not thefe

my

ye

thefe evils come upon us because our God is not among us? And I will furely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they have wrought, in that they are turned to other gods. Accordingly Mofes fays, Deut. xxxi. 29. I know that after my my death will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn afide from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will befall you in the latter days, because ye will do evil in the fight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger, through the work of your bands.

As a more folemn warning ftill, Mofes was directed to compofe a hymn, in which particular mention fhould be made of the judgments of God in confequence of their future apoftafy, a hymn which he was to commit to writing, and which the people were to learn by heart. Deut. xxxi. 19. Now, therefore, write ye this fong for you, and teach it the children of Ifrael. For when I fhall have brought them into the land which I fware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themfelves, and waxen fat, then will they turn to other gods, and ferve them,

and

and provoke me, and break my covenant. And it fhall come to pass that when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this fong fhall testify against them, as a witness; for it fhall not be forgotten out of the mouth of their feed. For I know their imagination which they go about, even now before I have brought them into the land which I fware. Mofes therefore wrote the fong the fame day, and taught it the children of Ijrael. This remarkable fong, or poetical compofition, remains to this day; and yet the nation, though warned in this uncommonly folemn manner, brought upon themfelves all the calamities announced in it.

This prophecy concerning the judgments of God upon the Ifraelitish nation, and efpecially fo remarkable an event as their expulfion from the land of Canaan, and their difperfion among all nations, is not contained in a fingle obfcure paffage in the writings of Mofes, but it is repeated again and again, in the plaineft language that can be ufed. Nor is the prophecy expreffed in general terms only, but many particulars are mentioned, and all of them

are