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AGRICULTURAL PROSPERITY.

Thus, in about fifteen years' time, we observe the national wealth has nearly doubled itself. Similarly the United States of America (also Israel) is amassing considerable wealth. No other nation is as prosperous as England and America. The above figures is exclusive of the enormous sums "invested in joint-stock companies, land, live-stock, trade, shipping, harbours, docks, telegraphs, water-works, canals," &c. Let us not pride ourselves on our riches, but remember the admonition recorded in Deut. viii. 11– 18: Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments, . . . Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses and dwelt therein and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, . and thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is HE THAT GIVETH

THEE POWER TO GET WEALTH.

( 107 )

CHAPTER XII.

17. A Maritime Nation.

Ps. lxxxix. 25. I will set his hand also in the SEA, and his right hand in the RIVERS.

Isa. xxiv. 14, 15. They shall cry aloud from the SEA, wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires (valleys), even the name of the Lord God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.

Isa. xlii. 10. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth, YE THAT GO DOWN TO THE SEA, and all that is therein; the isles and the inhabitants thereof.

Isa. lx. 5. Because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto them,

Numb. xxiv. 7. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters.

THE SHIPPING TRADE OF THE WORLD, AS REPORTED BY A FOREIGN PAPER.-Some interesting statistics have been prepared by a shipping journal at Marseilles, the Semaphore, as to the shipping trade of the world. According to this return

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The countries which come next in order of importance are Sweden, Greece, Holland, Spain, Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Portugal, Turkey, and Belgium. Altogether there are 48,704 sailing vessels, with a total burden of 13,647,377 tons, showing a diminution within the last five years of 959 vessels, and of 455,723 tons burden. Twenty-nine nations are classed as owning

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THE STONE OF ISRAEL.

steamers, Great Britain having more than half of the whole number and two-thirds of the total tonnage. The number of steamers is given as being 7764, with a gross burden of 9,232,006 tons, and a net burden of 6,037, 164 tons.

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Next in order of importance come Spain, Italy, Holland, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Egypt, Portugal, and Turkey. The increase in the number of steamers within the last five years has been 1867, with 3,052,161 gross, and 2,015,295 net tonnage. Putting steamers and sailing vessels together, the total is 43,838, with a total burden of close upon 23,000,000 tons.Times, Oct. 25, 1883.

18. Should Possess a Particular Stone.

Gen. xxviii. 18-22. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the STONE that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19. And he called the name of that place Bethel. . . 20. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, &c. . . . 21. Then shall the Lord be my God: 22. And THIS STONE, which I have set for a pillar, SHALL BE GOD'S

HOUSE.

Gen. xxxi. 13. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the PILLAR, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.

Gen. xxxv. 14. And Jacob set up a pillar (at Bethel on his return) in the place where He talked with him, even a pillar of stone and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

Why would a second pillar be put up at Bethel if the first was intended to be left standing in the same place? Taking, then, the setting up of this second pillar in connection with Jacob's vow, that if God blessed him, the first stone he set up as a pillar would be "God's house" to him (Gen. xxviii. 22), we conclude that Jacob took the stone with him, and consequently we find that when dying he bequeathed it to Joseph (whose was the "birthright," as recorded in 1 Chron. v. 1).

THE STONE KINGDOM.

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Gen. xlix. 22-24. Joseph is a fruitful bough, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from THENCE is the SHEPHERD, THE STONE OF ISRAEL.

The word here translated "thence" is rendered in Hosea ii. 15, "From that time." A writer in the Banner of Israel (vol. v. p. 151) points out that the Hebrew word here given as "the shepherd" being the present participle (mas-sing) of a verb signifying to take care of, to keep, might be better rendered "he kept." Thus a more intelligible reading of this confessedly difficult passage would seem to be, "From that time (he) Joseph kept the stone of Israel." ("The Coronation Stone," by Mrs. Rogers, p. 58.)

Ps. cxviii. 22, 23.

The STONE which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing;

it is marvellous in our eyes. Matt. xxi. 42, 43. After quoting the above passage from the Psalms, our Saviour asserts: (43) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to A NATION bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Isa. xxviii. 16. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation A STONE, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.

That these verses refer to Christ is evident from 1 Peter ii. 3-8. If ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: unto whom coming, a living STONE, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect.. a STONE of stumbling and a rock of offence; for they stumble at the word, being disobedient.

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Dan. ii. 34, 35. Thou sawest till that a STONE was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces, and the STONE that

smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

We do not wish to take away from the above passages the least portion of their spiritual interpretation in reference to Christ: but as we find that all the symbols used in the Bible were realities that referred to some particular object, such as, the Brazen Serpent, the Ark, the Mercy Seat, the Tabernacle, the Paschal Lamb, the Scape Goat, Aaron, &c., &c., we see no reason for supposing that "the STONE So often referred to was not some particular stone,-material, tangible, but only to be taken in a spiritual sense.' We hold that literal Israel is a type of spiritual Israel (the Church), and that as the latter is in possession of Christ, the "Rock of Ages, so the former has the type, "THE STONE OF ISRAEL," and that the "kingdom set up God" of Dan. ii. 44, prefigured in Nebuchadnezzar's dream by the stone, is that of Israel (compare the passage with the

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verses quoted under "THE CHIEF NATION"): Israel therefore must be in possession of a stone.

Britain alone, of all the nations of the earth, has a "stone" beneath the Coronation Chair, called "Lia Fail,"-"Jacob's Stone" -"the Stone of Destiny "-from the remotest times (see chap. ii.). A stone was taken possession of by Jacob in connection with the promise that his seed should be " A NATION AND A COMPANY OF NATIONS" (Gen. xxxv. 9-15).

We now find Britain in possession of "Jacob's Stone;" and if any nation in the world has a right to the title "A nation and a company of nations," it is Britain. Therefore, God being true and faithful, and having fulfilled his promise to Jacob, the British must be Israel, and consequently the "Kingdom of God" referred to in Matt. xxi. 43, and the "Stone" of Dan. ii. that smote the image, and becoming "a great mountain filled the whole earth.”

19. Shall lose one of her Colonies.

(ENGLAND LOST AMERICA.)

Isa. xlix. 20. The children which thou shalt have AFTER THOU HAST LOST THE OTHER, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me, give place to me, that I may dwell.

20. The Aborigines of her Colonies were to die out.

Jer. xxx. 10, II. Fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee, THOUGH I MAKE A FULL END OF ALL NATIONS, WHITHER I HAVE SCATTERED THEE, yet will I not make a full end of thee, but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. (Also Jer. xlvi. 28.)

It is a fact patent to every observer that wherever Israelitishthat is British or American-colonies are established, the aborigines of such localities either have or are fast dying off. Indians have already become extinct, and others are fast disappearing. The original inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land, called Tasmanians, are no more. The Maories of New Zealand are fast dwindling away, insomuch that within the last half century they have decreased in numbers to the extent of 75 per cent., that is, three out of every four men have died out.

"British rule in the colonies always tends towards the extermination of the noble savage—for if we do not destroy him by armed force, we break our own fair promises and thereby break his heart.

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