RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 107, 22 January 1853, Page 5

RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.

(From the adchiLl Missionary Herald.) The following intelligence appeared in a French paper, the Voix da la Virile : —■

" One of your correspondents at Constantinople tells us that the Divan has decided the question of tlic Holy Land, by sivints; t« M. llothsciiild the four PachaHes of Syria lor llic sum of 500,000,0001"., to lie deposited in the treasury of the Sultan. France will resign her pretensions to ibnncv treaties for the sum of 50,000,000f.,and a rcimuicvation of-25,000,0001'. will he »-iv<m to Prussia, and England for their claims. It. is not yet known whether M. Ilotlischild will assume the title of Kini>', Enjir, Pacha, or Bey ; hut it is certain that lie purposes to restore Jerusalem Jiml Antioch, and to rebuild the temple of Solomon, us described in the^ Holy Scriptures.

"There will be in the new Jerusalem an exchange, theatres, and places of worship for all religious. This is not all ; the new monarch proposes to estabii.-h a line of steairers between Marseilles and Deyrout, and to ttnite to his capital, by a net-work of railways, Aleppo, Damascus, Tripoli, and St. Jean D'Aere. It is even said that a time is specified for unitingAlexandria to Constantinople by means of v

railway. The new estates of M. Rothschild abound with iron ore and pine forests. The new position of the financial king will not prevent his having shareholders. On the contrary, it is affirmed that M. lluthscliild will make a solemn appeal to his co-religionists to prevail on them to re-enter the tent of Abraham and Jacob. He is already assured of the concurrence of the leading hanks of Vienna, London, Madrid, and Lisbon.''

We by no means pledge ourselves to the authenticity of the above statement, but we think it peculiarly interesting as an evidence of the expectation that the Jews are to be restored to their own land. Of that fact we have no doubt ■whatever, while we do not presume to say by what agency or instrumentality God may be pleased to bring it about. That this is the expectation of the devout portion of the Jewish nation is put beyond ail doubt by the Address of Judge Noah, which we -published in the Herald for April, 1848. We strongly recommend those who have preserved that number of our paper, to refer to that most interesting document. Our space will only permit us to transcribe a few brief extracts from it:

"This permission to lay a corner stone once more in Jerusalem, to erect.ii magnificent temple to his honour and to his worship by his ancient and faithful people, and which we are this day called upon to aid, is another great sign of His divine power and will, foreshadowing- the great promises hereafter—the -assurance that we shall yet be independent, and worship him on Zion in freedom and tranquillity."

Meeting the objections which were made to the hope of national restoration from its apparent difficulties, he writes:—

"But the work is not to be accomplished by us ; our will, our wishes, our doubts, and our scruples, are empty and evanescent: there is a higher power, and a stronger one, which will direct the movement of the great advent,which will show us the path—our cloud by day, and our pillar of lire by night. Are we not his chosen people? Has he not blessed us when shadowed beneath his protecting mantle; and punished us when we sinned, separated and dispersed us when we forgot His holy ordinances, and do we not await his promises of final national regeneration ? How can we doubt the future in contemplating- the past? Has He not said, " I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better for you than at your beginnings, and you shall know that I am the Lord ?" Has'He not said, " For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you from all countries and will bring- you into your own land." But you shrink from the desolation of Judea, and fear that the land will for ever wither under its ancient curse. Even there we have been anticipated by the mercy of divine forgiveness: "I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase o[ the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine, and they shall say, this land that was desolate is become like Eden. I the Lord have spoken it. and I will do it!" Shall we ourselves become infidels and doubt the promises of the Almighty ? God forbid. Let us therefore prepare for this great change which will fill the whole world with wonder and astonishment."

But a well regulated mind will inquire, is the expectation of the return of the Jews to their own land warranted by Scripture? We answer, no fact could have been more clearly revealed. The Jews are God's witnesses. In their selection to he His people they illustrate his sovereignty; their temporary rejection sets forth his holy severity—their restoration will display his faithfulness. But the fact of their restoration does not rest upon any speculation as to its iilness. It is the subject of distinct and repeated predictions. This cannot he denied ; but it is objected that all these predictions received their fulfilment in the restoration from Babylon. This assertion includes all that the opponents of Israel's future restoration have to" say against its advocates. If this assertion is j)roved to bo groundless, the ease of Israel's return is proved, and we think that by a very lew observations on two passages of Scripture, we can show to the satisfaction of every candid and intelligent inquirer, that it is utterly groundless. The passages of Scripture to 'which we refer are Ezekiel, from the beginning' of chapter xxxvi. to tha cml of chapter xxxviii., and Jeremiah, xxiii. s—B.5 —8. We request the inquirer to read these chanters,

and then say is not the restoration spoken of in them distinguished by the following characteristics. Ist. The Jews are represented as being restored from ail countries ; consequently the predicted restoration could not be fulfilled in the return of the Jews from one country—Babylon. Ezek. xxxvi. 24. 2nd. The conversion of the Jews was to take place after the predicted restoration. We need not say that such an event did not follow their restoration from Babylon, fur it was after that event that the Jewish nation, by their rejection of Jesus, consummated their apostacv. Ezek. xxxvi. 25— 28.

3rd. A salutary and extensive impression, as to the power and sovereignty of Jehovah, was to be made on the heathen nations by the restoration foretold by Ezekiel. We can now perceive that God'% Providence has prepared the heathen world for the reception of such an impression, by the restoration of the Jews from their present dispersion, but we know that nothing corresponding to this particular of the prophecy succeeded the restoration from Babylon. Ezek. xxxvii. 28, and xxxviii. 23.

4th. The restored Jews were to be placed in their own land, under the Government of the promised Messiah, the seed of David. But no such arrangement took place on the restoration from Babylon, and therefore the prophecy points to a restoration which is yet future. Ezek. sxxvii. 24.

sih. The settlement of the Jews in their own land at the predicted restoration was to be permanent and complete, characterized by the enjoyment of uninterrupted peace. The restoration from Babylon will not fulfil this prediction, for after that event the Jews suffered much from foreign invasion up to the time of their subjugation by the Romans; and after the resuriection of Christ their city and temple were burnt, and they were scattered through all the nations of the earth, among whom they have been an astonishment and a proverb, and a byword for eighteen hundred years. This proves to demonstration that the predicted restoration is yet to come. Ezek. xxxvii. 25 —2S.

Oth. A confederacy of many nations, among which a northern power holds a prominent place, is to be formed against the. restored Jews and the confederated army is to be miraculously destroyed in the land of Judea. No such confederacy was formed nor was there any such manifestation of divine wrath against the enemies of the Jews after the restoration fvora Babylon, and therefore we conclude that the predicted restoration has not yet been accomplished. Ezek. xxxviii. 1—23.

7th. The predicted restoration was to take place after the introduction of the Gospel dispensation. This will be as clear as light to any one who will read the scripture to which, our reference points, and this particular fixing ihe chronology of the prophecy proves that it could not have received its I'ullihnent; in the restoration of the Jews from the Babylonish. captivity. Jercm. xxiii. 5 —S.

Lastly. The deliverance and restoration spoken of by the prophets should be so glorious, and the mighty power of Jehovah so immediately seen in its accomplishment, that it should cast into the shade even the wondrous deliverance from Eg-ypt, as the brightness of the stars is merged in the surpassing- brightness of the sun. But this is not true of the restoration from Babylon, for it was brought about in the ordinary course of God's providence without the intervention of the miraculous ag;eucy wherewith God delivered his people from the Egyptians. This also is to be enumerated among' the proofs which establish the fact, that the predicted restoration of the Jews was not fulfilled in their return from Babylon, bui is yet future. Jenn. xxiii. s—o.5 —0.

We slated, in the commencement of this article, that we do not pledge ourselves to the authenticity of the statement, that the land of Judea has been purchased hy a wealthy Jew, who proposes to fix his residence there, and invites the return of his countrymen. But whether that report be true or false, we have no doubt that the time is at hand when, by some means or other, the Jews will be restored to their forfeited possessions, and we regard that event as the sign which will assure Christ's waiting people of the speedy advent of Christ to establish that fifth kingdom, which unlike those that preceded it, shall never be destroyed.

NELSON. We have files of the Examiner to the Bth instant. By the " Spray," accounts have been received from Melbourne to the end of December, aud we transfer to our columns the Examiners summary of news from that Province. We extract a Jew interesting local paragraphs from the columns of our contemporary. . The "Spray" has brought back to New Zealand a laro-e number of persons who had previously left1 the colony to try their fortunes at the gold iields, together with some other passengers who are new' to the colony. Among the returned gold diggers there are some who have been among the favourites of Fortune, while there are others to whom gold digging has been only a very sorry business.

The " Spray" has brought the cargo of the Invincible, which, instead of sailing direct for New Zealand, as was advertised, called at Melbourne, where she is now offered for sale. This deviation from her originally intended route lias been of serious consequence to the merchants for whom she had cargo, the delivery of which has been delayed to them in consequence for at least two months.

A severe shock of an earthquake was felt on tlie Ist hist., about half-past eight o'clock. The vibration of the earth was considerable, and lasted for several seconds: the shock apparently coming' from the N. E. During the subsequent thirty-sis hours several lighter shocks were felt, but none of them had the force of the first. The only damage done by this earthquake (which is the most severe experienced since the shocks of October, ] 848), was the shaking down of the top of a chimney of the house belonging to S. Stephens, Esq., in the Rewaka. The weather, which has been of an unsettled character since the end of October, is now most unseasonable, being cold and inclement, and for up-vards of two months the barometer has never risen to the point which indicates continuous fine weather. The crops have derived great advantage from the showery character of the season, but if this is much further prolonged the consequence will be serious. The harvest will be late—the wheat is expected not to be ready before the middle of February, and the crops of all kinds will be heavy.

Workmen are now engaged, under the direction of W. L. Wrey, Esq., in opening1 the copper mine near the Dun Mountain, and Mr. Dobson, an Engineer, is engaged in surveying the intervening country between the mountain and the town of Nelson, with a view to determine the best line of road. The lode of copper lias been traced for about 250 yards, and has been found to be from six to eight feet in thickness, samples of which, as large as could be carried by two men, have been brought into lowii. There is little reason to fear l)ut that the prospect of working this mine will readily induce capitalists to form a company fur the purpose, as has been proposed, for although we are not yet in a condition to state ■what yield of copper the ore will give, it is believed by every person who has seen it to be exceedingly rich ; ami considering that the mine is only about S miles from our harbour, and in the proximity of excvllent coal, it is quite clear that the smelted metal will be able to be slipped from our port with great advantage ; and the probability is that ihe undertaking will prove most profitable to the shareholders, and 1)9 of the utmost importance to the settlement generally. Town Clock.—During the visit which Sir Geu!.-e Grey paid to Nelson, in November, 1851, bis Excellency promised us a town clock, to be placed in the steeple of the church. As nearly fourteen months have since elapsed, and the dock has not been heard of, it has been suggested to us that the matter may have slipped from his Excellency's memory, and that it is more than probable the clock lids never been ordered. This we cannot bring ourselves to believp, as his Excellency was furnished at his own request with the necessary dimensions, so ihat we imagine the delay which has taken place to have arisen in executing the order, and we lic»2»c S'ji.ui lo .see the clock arrive. VICTORS. [From '.he " JS'l-Uou Examiner."] "By the " Spray," from Melbourne, we have fr'es of Victoria papers to the 24th December. The influx of population continued to be very <;real, and steamers and .sailing vessels of the iar»e.-t class were arriving almost daily from Great Britain and the adjoining colonies

crowded with passengers. The amount of Immigration and Emigration for the months of September, October, and November, is shown in the following table :— Increase of

This, we imagine, only shows the arrivals and departures by sea, and does not furnish the overland traffic with South Australia and New South Wales. The emigration from Victoria had increased considerably, it will be seen, in the month of November, but these departures were chiefly for the neighbouring1 colonies.

The next table we give will show the amount of gold brought into Melbourne by escort during the ten months ending the 30th of November, and during the first ten days of December:— Ounces. February .... 56,40S March 51,865 April .... 64,572 May 99,006 June .... 149,372 July . ." .' . . 296,941 August .... 268,576 September . . . .211,814 October .... 348,511. November .... 349,185 December (Ist to lOlh) . 101,815' Total . . 1,997,965 The value of this, at £3 10s. an ounce, is £6,992,877 10s. This return gives but an imperfect statement of the amount of gold obtained during the period referred to, as independently of what had been sent into Melbourne by escort, much had been brought by private hands, and a very large quantity sent by escort to Adelaide. It is admitted,however, on all hands, that the quantity of gold now obtained is not so great as it was a few months ago, in proportion to the labour employed iv seeking it.

Emigration. Sept. ... 1,451 , )ct. ... 3,737 . for. ... 4,287 , . ] Immigration. 11,572 ... 19,162 ... 10,947 ... Population 10,121 15,425 6,660 Total 9.475 41,681 32,206