many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God" (Gen. xvii. 4-8). The promise was renewed to Isaac after the death of Abraham: “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and I will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and I will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. xxvi. 1-4). It was also renewed to Jacob after leaving his father's house, and when returning to it: "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. xxviii. 12-14). "And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob; thy name shall not be called any more

Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land" (Gen. xxxv. 9-12). These promises, like all others, are Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus, and we may apply to this gift of the land the words of the Apostle Paul with respect to their spiritual blessings, "The gifts and calling of God are irreversible (Rom. xi. 29). The whole of that chapter is important, as showing what mercy is reserved for them when "all Israel shall be saved."

The provision for the sale of land was simple, wise, and gracious; it was only to be sold for fifty years, and at the jubilee it returned to its former possessor. The jubilee trumpet was to be sounded on the day of atonement, to remind them that they held the land through grace alone, and by the atoning blood of Christ, which was shadowed forth in the sacrifices of that day.

The preservation of the Jews as a distinct people, in the midst of Gentile nations, for nearly 1800 years, is a remarkable fact in the history of the world: and it has often been adduced as a standing evidence of the truth of the Word of God. Doubtless it is so, but the allusion has generally been made only in reference to their past history, whereas God intends thereby to prove the truth of his word in fulfilling those promises concerning them that are yet unfulfilled, in their restoration, conversion, and settlement in the land. The accomplishment of all these things is for the glory of Christ, and the study of prophecy can only be profitable to the soul as we see Him to be the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending, of all the ways of God.

The time is hastening on when Israel will adore and praise Him who is now "despised and rejected"

by them; and they will see that the possession of the land, with all the temporal mercies connected with it, comes to them through the same channel of grace by which they have eternal life. All intelligent creatures in the universe of God, whether angels or devils, Jews or Gentiles, saved or lost, must acknowledge the lordship of Christ. "He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (things) in heaven, and (things) on earth, and (things) under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord [in supremacy and dominion], to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. ii.).

I close these remarks with the words of the Apostle Paul, when contemplating the present and future condition of Israel: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. xi.).

J. E.

MORGAN AND CHASE, PRINTERS, TICHBORNE-COURT, 280, HIGH HOLBORN.