The Jews and the Mosaic law.

PROPERTYOFTHE JShclt No.

2^-

iwcJ//,m^^X(

tj^l€^9n^ ymc- (L>W-^ ^l^-^yf/y .

- L)ook c.
- •• - enalties are ir,
■aws of the Commons
.,^hapter 208, Sect'

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2011 with funding from

Boston Public Library

http://www.archive.org/details/jewsmosaiclawOOIees

THE

JEWS AND THE MOSAIC LAW,

PART THE FIRST:

CONTAINING

A DEFENCE OF THE REVELATION OF THE PENTATEUCH, AND
OF THE JEWS FOR THEIR ADHERENCE TO THE SAME.

BY ISAAC LEESER,

READER OP THE PORTUGUESE JEWISH CONGREGATION IN PHILADELPHIA.

" I said to those who derided, deride ye not ;
And to the wicked, raise ye not the horn."

• ■ : ] " '.' : ■' ' : F^m. i^^v. v. 5; •';

' , i " ' c ' • '*"

JPH 1 L'A iy,E,T'i* H I A f / /, ; '. , '
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. ' ^

AND SOLD BY

E. L. CAREY & A. HART, PHILADELPHIA; CAREY, HART & CO. BALTIMORE J

D. W. HARRISON, CHARLESTON, S. C; E. BLOCK, CINCINNATI, OHIO;

AND MOSES SARFATY, KINGSTON, JAMAICA.

5594.

fiB

• % »> 1 ^ /

/:>*\S4ci.4.3c

l^nrii

II A f.

EntersD' acijording to ret cf congress, in, the year 1833, by Isaac Leeser, in
the clerk's ofllcc of the dktrict for the eastern di'st'-ic^ of Pennsylvania.

A. WALDIE, PRINTER.

/

(j)rt(»tfo«.

TO RABBI B. S. COHEN,

PRINCIPAL OF THE JEWISH INSTITUTE AT MlJIfSTER IN WESTPHALIA.

Respected Friend,

No apology will be necessary for inscribing this volume to you.
The friendship with which you were kind enough to regard me when
yet a child, is sufficient warrant for me to hope, that a work of maturer
years will not be received with indifference by one, who, though from
his varied learning well capable of judging, will yet be indulgent to
errors, and perhaps misapprehensions, almost inseparable from youth-
ful productions. — It had been my intention to have dedicated this first
production of mine, to my late venerated teacher. Rabbi Benjamin
Jacob Cohen, your friend and my benefactor ; but since it was the
will of our Father in heaven, to deprive me of this excellent guide
of my infancy, and the world of an active friend, and religion of a
zealous defender : I know no one, to whom I could with more pro-
priety dedicate it, than to you. Perhaps you may find, that the
sentiments, imbibed in part under your excellent instruction, and
which were dear to me when I had the pleasure of daily enjoying a
friendly intercourse with you, are yet remembered and cherished by
me, at this distance of time and place. If so, you will doubtlessly
be pleased at the discovery ; and you may be assured, that to receive
your approbation will be one of the most pleasing fruits, which I can
hope to reap from my labours. — Farewell, dear friend, and believe
me, that I find a great degree of consolation in the idea, that the
Almighty has preserved you, whilst He has deprived me of my first
teacher and friend ; and that it shall ever be cause of joy to be in-
formed of your welfare and prosperity to

Your obliged servant,

ISAAC LEESER.

TO THE READER.

This book, now for the first time published, was composed more
than four years ago, whilst I was engaged in pursuits quite unconge-
nial to literature. Many a time, after a day of active application to
business, have I spent the hours of night in writing. Books for reference
I had but few ; and the reader will therefore excuse the brevity with
which many points are treated, which no doubt would have received
more attention, could I have had authorities to refer to. In some re-
spects this may have been an advantage, as it prevented me from
being too much trammeled by the opinions of others. The reader
may be assured, however, that since my residence in Philadelphia I
have omitted no opportunity of correcting and altering many passages
which I thought required "it ; and even while the work was going
through the press I have made a great number of additions and altera-
tions, at times amounting to nearly an entire page. With all this
care I do not fl.atter myself that the book is free from fault, nor can I
even say that it meets my own approbation in every instance; for
many a sentence had to pass as it stood, because I did not discover its
defectiveness till it was too late. One thing, however, I hope, that
no error in point of fact, and no great want of connection in reason-
ing, will be discovered ; at least I have done all I could to avoid it. It
becomes me not, however, to be too solicitous of engaging the favourable
opinion of the reader : the book itself is before him ; and let him con-
demn or approve, as he may think proper after mature reflection. In
conclusion, I must remark, that vanity had but a small share in induc-
ing me to make public a book laying so long dormant ; the reasons
assigned in the preface, written at Richmond on the day it is dated,
are yet operative, as no book of the kind required has made its ap-
pearance since then. But my own opinion of the humble value of my
labours has not been changed; and I therefore insert the pre-
face, though in some respects it is not quite as applicable as it was
four years ago. To say that I should not be highly delighted if I
meet with approbation and success, Avould be the excess of ill dis-
guised affectation ; but I may freely say, with justice to myself, that
a fair criticism, even if it should strip my work of all value, will not
be at all unwelcome to me, although mortifying to my self-love ; the
object of my enqiiiry and of this publication is the search for and main-
tenance of truth, but not the acquisition of fame ; and as the humble
inquirer for truth, I dare not be offended if I have been found wanting
either in talent in my search for her, or in capacity whilst engaged in
her service.

Philadelphia, Tishry, 5594.

PREFACE

In presenting the following pages to the consideration of the public,
I deem it unnecessary to inform them who and what I am ; but, at the
same time, I think it incumbent upon me to disclose the motives
which induced me to add another theological work to the many al-
ready in existence ; that it may not be supposed I undertook this dif-
ficult task from the mere love of writing, and of becoming an author.

Some time last fall (1828) a gentleman of this city showed me an
article in the London Q,uarterly Review, in which our nation (the
Jews) were very much abused, and their moral and religious charac-
ter shamefully vilified. Though I felt very indignant at the time, I
deferred noticing it publicly, until the article in question was repub-
lished in a New York paper, on the 26th of December last. I
then thought it was high time to notice it, as I verily believed that its
circulating without a reply would be extremely injurious to the inte-
rest of my brethren in this country. I therefore undertook, without
being solicited by any one, the task of refuting the accusations it con-
tained. I was at first very doubtful of success ; but I had soon the
satisfaction of discovering that my feeble efforts had met with favour-
able notice. A few weeks after the publication of the first essay, I was
gratified with the mild and temperate piece which appeared under the
signature of " A Professor of Christianity." After replying to him, I
understood that several persons at a distance had read and approved
of my labours. I must confess that I felt pleased at this mark of ap-
probation from strangers, which I in the first instance hardly expected
to receive from friends ; but since it was so, I came to a determination
to republish my two essays, to rescue them from the perishable
state in which they had appeared. It being hinted to me by a friend*

* Mr. B. H. Judah, late Ubrarian of the Richmond Library Company, who
has died since this book was written ; and I have to express here the obligation I
am under to him, Mr. Jacob Mordecai, and Mr. Abraham H. Cohen, late Reader
of the Richmond congregation, for many valuable suggestions.

vi PREFACE.

that in that case I ought to add some proofs in favour of our
observing the proper day of the week as the Sabbath, I follovsred his
suggestion, and began immediately to embody my thoughts relative
to the truth of the mission of Moses ; and though I intended to say
but little, the subject grew by degrees under my hands, till it assumed
the shape in which it is presented to the indulgent reader. I had
scarcely commenced, when I saw the reply of the "Professor of
Christianity" to my second essay, but was prevented from answering
him then, on account of the editors of the Richmond Whig (in which
paper these four essays first appeared) having closed their columns
against the further continuation of the controversy.*

Whatever opinion may be formed as to the merits of this my first
work, I would beg my readers not to pronounce me guilty of presump-
tion, in attempting to write on so grave and difficult a subject, as
theology. My motives are simply these. I have beheld with grief
and shame the efforts made of late by many, who dishonour the name
of Israel, to lessen the respect our nation has ever felt for the law of
Moses and the traditions of our ancestors. I waited, but found no one
in this country, older than myself, attempting to enlighten the minds
of my brethren ; I could therefore no longer remain silent— I felt called
upon to act, and I obeyed the inv/ard call, not unmindful of what
Hillel the ancient said: " And in a place, where there is no man,
try even thyself to be a man." (Abothe II.) The infidel, indeed, clothed
in his panoply of unbelief, thinks himself invulnerable, he defies the
word of God, and exultingly asks for proof of the truths of revelation.
But in times of old the Philistian Goliath was conquered by David,
who, armed with a sling only, but coming in the name of the God of
Israel, threw the stone, which entered the head of his powerful and
armed antagonist, who sunk before the future king of Israel. Even
so have I attempted to approach the armed infidel; who knows, but
God may eff"ect some good work through me, for He is ever powerful
to assist them, who rely upon Him in truth and sincerity.— I dare not
even flatter myself with the hope of success ; but if I fail, I may con-

* I must once for all acknowledge the liberality of Mr. John H. Pleasants,
the senior editor of the Whig, who so kindly offered to publish my essays ; and
I seize with unfeigned pleasure the present opportunity (the first that has offer-
ed) of returning him thus publicly my heart-felt thanks for the handsome man-
ner in which he drew public attention to my first essay. I also think it an
act of justice to mention, that I believe him to have been actuated by the best
motives in discontinuing the controversy.

PREFACE. vii

sole myself with the idea, that I have been defeated in a good cause ;
this disappointment even may stimulate me to make a second attempt,
when I shall endeavour to avoid those faults which caused my failure
in this first undertaking.

The liberal Christians (and to those alone I address myself) will
easily discover, that the little I have said in relation to Christianity,
was indispensably necessary to my plan. They moreover cannot be
offended, at a liberal and candid view being taken of their belief by a
Jew ; for if he is wrong, they can easily reply to him ; and I will just
remark, that any strictures or hints, in relation to this book, shall be
thankfully received by me, provided they be made in the spirit of
candour and conciliation.

The body of the arguments, as far as the plan of arranging them
is concerned, is altogether mine, as are also many of the arguments
themselves. I will not assert, that the same have not been used
before ; but I may say with truth, that I have not intentionally bor-
rowed from others. I consulted no books, besides those mentioned in
the text, and even those I had not always before me ; but quoted
perhaps as often from memory, as from actual inspection. Be that as
it may, I can assure the public that I have advanced neither argument
nor assertion, which I did not subject to frequent examinations, and
have asserted nothing which I in conscience did not believe founded
in fact to the best of my knowledge. It would be the height of pre-
sumption in me to say, that I have made no mistake, for that only can
be the case with inspired writers ; and if I err not altogether, I do not
remember to have read any book from a profane writer, where some
error or other had not been committed. Should I have the good for-
tune, however, to see a second edition of this work called for, I will
make those corrections and alterations, which may have been dis-
covered to be necessary.

In some places I have followed the English version of the Bible,
in others again I have attempted to translate the original myself j
either because I did not consult the English at all, or because the
common translation seemed to me incorrect.

No man can be more aware of the difficulty of doing justice to the
subject under discussion, than myself; yet this did not deter me from
the attempt, it rather stimulated me the more ; first because I never
saw a book in the English language written by a Jew, that treated of
the evidences of his religion, if perhaps we except David Levy's
answer to Thomas Paine, and Rabbi de Cordova's little book, Reason
and Faith : and therefore I resolved to write, with the hope that some

vm

PREFACE.

person more capable than myself, might undertake to discuss the sub-
ject, as its importance deserves, and follow up with more success, my
humble beginning. — And secondly, having been taught by men dis-
tinguished for learning and piety, I thought that perhaps the instruc-
tion I had received from them might be made as beneficial to others
as it had been to me.

These are the reasons and motives, which governed me in writing ;
but neither fame nor emolument was my object ; for how can any man
gain either by appearing as the champion of the hated and persecuted
Jews ? I was not however deterred from doing, what I conceived to
be my duty, by the fear of ridicule or hatred ; and I believe it to be
obligatory upon every Jew, to defend his principles and religion
from the obloquy generally cast upon them, at whatever hazard to
himself. I must therefore entreat every liberal Christian, deist or
Jew, to read what I have written in favour of our laws and ceremonies,
and not condemn them before he knows some of the reasons which
can be urged in their favour even by so obscure an individual as
myself.

If I have succeeded in establishing the truth of our faith, let not the
honour be ascribed to me, but to the excellence of that law, which
can be defended so easily and with so little information, as I possess ;
but if I have failed, let not our law be rejected on that account, for
though I could not do it justice, there are many amongst the descend-
ants of the patriarchs, who are every way much better qualified to
do so than

THE AUTHOR.

Richmond^ Va. Sivan 9th, (June 10th,) 5589.

CONTENTS

PART I.

Chapter I. — Conscience and Revelation

II. — ^Who wrote the Pentateuch .

III. — Moses an authentic historian . \^ .

IV.— The Pentateuch . . . .^ •

V. — The History of Revelation — Adam — Noah

VI. — The History of Revelation — ^Abraham

VII. — The History of Revelation — Isaac

VIII. — The History of Revelation — Jacob .

IX. — The Legation of Moses .

X.— The Exodus ....

XI. — The Israelites and Revelation

XII. — The Descent on Sinai .

XIII.— The Decalogue .

XIV. — The Jewish Commonwealth

XV.— The Bible and Paganism

XVI.— The Phylacteries

XVII.— The Festivals

XVIII.— The Sacrifices

XIX.— The Forbidden Meats .

XX.— The Golden Calf

XXI. — Inspiration and Prophecy

XXII. — Fulfilment of Prophecy .

XXIII.— The Religion of the Bible

XXIV.— The Hebrew Worship .

XXV. — ^The Fasts and Ceremonies

XXVI. The Law and the Rabbins
Appendix . . , . . .

FAGe
2

PART II

Introduction
Essay I.

II. .

IIL

IV. .

'k

V.

9

15

21

26

33

36

38

44

50

54

57

65

74

82

93

98

106

117

125

135

149

156

172

182

190

20O

211

225
244
248
262

ADVERTISEMENT.

Those persons desirous of possessing the " Instruction in the Mosaic Reli-
gion," translated from the German of Johlson, of Frankford on Maine, by the
author of this book, will please to make early application to any of the agents
for selling this book, or to the author himself, as but a small number of copies
are yet unsold.

The author has been advised by several friends to print the discourses deli-
vered by him on various occasions, either in book or pamphlet form, which
latter mode, it is asserted, would give them a greater circulation. He has no
objection whatever to make any of his writings public, if they are deemed of
any service ; but the encouragement hitherto extended to him, both in the sale
of the first and subscriptions to the present work, does not authorise him to
undertake a new book, especially in parts, as the trouble and expense attending
a distribution in this way would evidently be very great. He therefore takes
this method to announce to the friends of our religion, that, if they think his
discourses of sufficient value to wish them published, they will be kind enough
to communicate their willingness to encourage the undertaking, to Messrs.
Carey &j Hart, J. L. Hackcnburg, or the author, Philadelphia; the Rev.
Isaac B. Seixas, New York ; Mr. Zalma Rehine, Baltimore ; Mr. Jacob Morde-
cai, Richmond ; Dr. Jacob de la Motta, and Mr. Nathan Hart, Charleston ; Mr.
Jacob de la Motta, Savannah ; Mr. Eleazer Block, Cincinnati ; and Mr. Moses
Sarfaty, Kingston, Jamaica ; or to any of the author's friends, who are requested
to commimicate to him, as soon as convenient, their success or failure. Those
willing to subscribe will please to state how many copies they wish to take, and
whether they wish the work in monthly parts, or in one or two volumes, accord-
ing to the number of printed pages it may make. He cannot yet state the price
wliich he will charge ; but the public may rest assured that he will ask as
moderately as possible ; and he trusts that the two books which have been pub-
lished already are sufficient evidence that he does not wish to make any undue
profit by his writings. In conclusion, he must state, that he will not think
himself bound to publish the aforesaid discourses, if the encouragement is not
sufficient to secure him from loss; and that he will be determined about the
mode of publication as circumstances may hereafter direct.

THE

JEWS AND THE MOSAIC LAW

PART I.

O Lord of the universe ! who endurest for ever, we adore Thee ;
for Thou art the Creator of all nature, from Thee all, that is, derives
its existence, and Thou hast the power to do with this, thy creation,
as Thou pleasest. Thou changest the order of nature, as Thou de-
sirest, without deranging its harmony ; for Thou, nature's architect,
knowest the secret springs of all existence. All is sustained solely
by thy will ; and if Thou but speakest, all must be annihilated. — O
Fountain of eternal life ! who didst choose our forefathers to be thy
people, have mercy upon us their descendants, though fallen and
degraded through our sins ; let thy wisdom enlighten our minds, that
we may understand the ways of thy law; that we may live according
to thy commandments, and be worthy of thy love and protection !
Hasten Thou also the time of our redemption through thy anointed,
and show again, as thou hast promised, that thou art the God and
Redeemer of Israel, when Thou displayest for a second time over
us thy protecting arm, before the eyes of all nations. Amen.
1

CHAPTER I.

CONSCIENCE AND REVEEATION.

In proving the truth of Judaism, or, to speak more correctly, the
laws and ordinances contained in the Mosaic writings, and the
books of the prophets who were the successors of Moses, it is neces-
sary, first, to prove the truth of Revelation in general, and next,
that what is commonly called the Old Testament, can he true, with-
out at the same time admitting the authority of the gospels and
epistles of that book, known as the New Testament.

Let us then enquire : —

" Is it rational to believe that the Almighty revealed himself to the
children of Israel, as related by Moses ; and is this assertion of the
Jewish legislator borne out by historical facts ?"

The greater number of thinking men of our own days and of past
times agree in asserting, that a revelation, so called, does really
exist ; but they differ very widely as to the nature of this revela-
tion. The notion of the heathens, that the gods lived in familiar
intercourse with men, and taught them the necessary mode of wor-
ship, has long since been given up by a great number of nations,
who have adopted, in the place of heathen mythology, the tenets of
the Koran or the Gospels ; but immense bodies of men, and who are
far more numerous than Christians or Mahomedans, yet believe in
the just mentioned theory of revelation. — Another set of men,
amongst whom the Jews stand pre-eminent, believe, that the Al-
mighty, Eternal, and Only God made his will known to men, singu-
larly pious and resigned to his will, and sent them as messengers to
the rest of the world, to make known certain laws and regulations
by which mankind should be governed ; and to this idea the Christians
and Mahomedans also adhere. — But there are some men who sup-
pose that no such revelation was ever made ; that is to say, that
God never spoke to any man ; but that He has revealed himself, that
is, has made himself known, through his creation, and has at the

CONSCIENCE AND REVELATION. 3

same time implanted within the bosom of every individual of the
human family a certain and infallible guide to righteousness, which,
when attentively listened to, will invariably lead a man in the path
of right and justice. — The notions of the Pagans it is useless
to examine here, as there are none amongst us who profess them ;
and then again, their nothingness must be admitted, if any one
of the other two systems can be established as the correct one.
And as those, who acknowledge only what they call the inward re-
velation, deny the necessity even of any other, it remains to be exa-
mined if there be actually such a thing as the infallible voice with-
in, or, as it is commonly styled, conscience* If it should, therefore,
be found, that conscience, properly so called, does not exist, or is in-
adequate to effect the purpose of a general revelation, that is, to
teach every body under every circumstance the same : it must fol-
low that conscience, or the inward monitor, cannot be the sole reve-
lation ; as, in that case, no universal standard, unvaried and infallible,
of right, could be in existence ; we should therefore be obliged to
arrive at the conclusion, that there must be somewhere an outward
revelation, or, in other words, a promulgated law, which must be
the universal standard of right ; and it would next be our business
to seek, where this outward revelation, this promulgated law of God,
could be found. — Since, however, it is very often asserted, that man
can arrive at a knowledge of right of his own accord, we will briefly
examine if this can be true, or if there be not some facts which
clearly prove the contrary. Suppose that conscience were a proper
teacher, and would always punish with inward remorse every aber-
ration from the path of right : we might then place an implicit reli-
ance upon it, and thus our own unassisted reason would be the only
revelation necessary. But is it true that all men, when left to
themselves, will think alike ? Whence, then, the horrible modes of
idolatry, which shock us so much in ancient, and even in modern,
history ? But grant even, that superstition may be made an engine
in the hands of designing and interested men, to induce their fellow-
men to disregard the voice of conscience, and follow the mad inven-
tions of others ; yet what can be urged in favour of inward revela-
tion, when we find whole nations addicted to certain actions, which
are condemned as unjust by others'? It is well known that an
ancient Greek legislator thought parricide such a monstrous crime.

4 CONSCIENCE AND REVELATION.

that he did not even specify the punishment, believing that no
human being could ever be guilty of a crime so heinous and unnatu-
ral. But, for all that, we find that a certain American nation do not
regard the killing of their aged parents in this light; for when a man is
grown too old, according to their notions, that is, as soon as he has
become unable to shift for himself, a grave is dug, into which he is
compelled to descend, and is then strangled or tomahawked by the
young men, who do this atrocious deed with the utmost unconcern,
and even think they do him a service. — The free-thinkers also say,
that incest is so contrary to the well-being of society, that it would
not be permitted, although there were no prohibition against it to
be found in the Bible. But even this is not true ; for the Grecians,
Persians, and Egyptians, the most refined nations of antiquity, mar-
ried their sisters, or other near relations ; and amongst the Lacedae-
monians it often happened that the same woman was the wife of two
men.* Amongst the Romans, also, incest was not very rare. —
Most savage nations are addicted to stealing ; and the Arabians of
the present day will rob you, and entertain you very hospitably,
after having emptied your pockets. They very often accost a tra-
veller with — " Thy brother is hungry, thy sister is naked, and as

* Schiller, — the celebrated German poet and historian, and who was a liberal
deist, that is to say, he believed in the truth of the Mosaic history, and applaud-
ed the beauty of the Mosaic code, without believing in a direct revelation from
God to man, — thus speaks of the laws of Lycurgus, in his treatise entitled,
" The Legislation of Lycurgus and Solon."

" From the married state itself all jealousy was banished. Every thing, even
(female) modesty, the Legislator (Lycurgus) rendered subordinate to his chief
design. He sacrificed female fidelity, to obtain healthy children for the state."

"As soon as the child was born, it belonged to the state. Father and mother
had lost it. The elders (of the people) inspected it; if it was strong and
well built, it was given over to a nurse ; but if it appeared weak and badly
shapen, it was thrown into a deep pit near Mount Taygetus." See Schillet's
Works, Stutgard edition, vol. xvi. page 101.

I would hardly have dared to shock the finer feelings of my readers with the
above extracts, which are almost too immodest for transcribing, were it not that
some deniers of revelation had dared to place the Lycurgian laws in compari-
son with the Mosaic code, the spirit of uncleanliness and barbarity with the
essence of chastity and benevolence. The subject deserves a much more ex-
tended notice than can be taken of it here; but it is likely, that at some future
time I may recur to it, when a more fitting opportunity offers.

CONSCIENCE AND REVELATION. 6

thou hast food and clothing to spare, it is but right, that thou shouldst
give us, what we want." It is true, they return you enough to de-
fray the expenses of travelUng; but they are very careful to take
first, whatever suits them.

The foregoing instances are undoubted facts, and they must go a
great way to prove, that one set of men almost invariably thinks
that right, which the other thinks wrong and criminal. Civilised
nations of modern times detest theft, murder and incest, and believe
them to be dangerous to the public welfare ; whilst barbarous people
commit these things without ever once dreaming, that they are
doing wrong: nay even civilised nations of antiquity were not
altogether exempt from some of these crimes at least. The unen-
lightened part of mankind of our own times have hardly any idea
of what is, amongst Europeans and Americans, considered right and
wrong : they frequently are generous, brave and hospitable ; but we
seldom or never find them possessed of those noble qualities of the
soul, that nice sense of duty, which animate those who have drunk
of the refreshing fountain of revelation. — But to return to our
proposition : will it be said that the Hindoo believes himself impelled
by consience, to sacrifice himself to his idol, the Juggernaut ; or that
he does think it wrong, uninformed as he is? Does the conscience of
the European permit him to commit suicide, or not? Does the
ignorant Arab think, that he commits any crime by robbing the
wayfaring traveller ? . And did the Spartan woman suppose herself
guilty of any sin by adultery?

The greater number of my readers, whatever their opinion rela-
tive to revelation may be, will agree with me in asserting, that it
is the greatest sin to sacrifice ourselves or any other person to an
idol ; that suicide can hardly be defended by those even, who deny a
future state ; and 1 am sure, that there are not many honest men in
civilised society, who would defend robbery with the same reasons
the Beduin gives for his depredations. — We have thus seen, con-
science allowing theft to the Arab, and self-destruction to the ignorant
Hindoo and the desperate European, when he has lost his all, or
ruined his neighbour ; but that to the generality of mankind con-
science forbids theft and the destruction of one's own life or that of
another. It follows, therefore, that the conscience of one man justifies
what another'' s very justly condemns* Can it then be said, that we

6 CONSCIENCE AND REVELATION.

may without fear give ourselves up to the guidance of our own
reason (conscience), unassisted by the word, the written word of
God, and do, what we of our own accord deem to be right 1 Will
the philosophers allow every man to do what he likes ? O no* — they
will say : " That action will endanger your neighbour's safety, and
this will be disagreeable to the majority of the people." This is all
very well, but what can they say against incest, suicide and gambling,
where one or more men injure themselves alone, without harming
any one, except he be a party or accessary to their deeds by his
own accord ? If I have a large sum of money, and another man
chooses to stake an equal sum against me, what right, it may be
asked, have these philosophers to forbid his doing sol Does he, or
does he not, injure society at large, if he loses? His conscience
does not forbid it ; he says, " My own reason tells me, it is perfectly
right, that I, knowing what I am about, may lose all I possess, if it
pleases my fancy." This, it must be obvious, is a fair defence of
gaming with those, who acknowledge no other monitor, than that
still voice within us, called conscience ,* but notwithstanding this,
none is more loud in condemning this really detestable vice, than
the philosopher, who denies all revelation. But does not any re-
straint, laid upon a man in this respect, limit the observance of what
the dictates of his conscience or reason allow him to do 1 So then
we find, that not even freethinkers can allow us to be guided in all
concerns of life by the dictates of our own reason alone. But we
hear them say : " Since every man is not endowed with the same
reasoning powers, and since all are not equally virtuous, not every
man should be allowed to follow the bent of his own inclination, since
this would be injurious to society ; but he is to submit to those
rules and regulations, which wiser and better men, than himself, have
prescribed to him." — But is this fair? From what source does the

* Even a Draco, who punished small and great crimes equally with death,
because the smallest sin deserved death, and for- greater ones he could find no
severer punishment — even he made his laws, at least in letter " unchangeable
laws." — Schiller^s Works, vol. xvi. p. 122.

And the French revolutionary legislature solemnly decreed there was no God,
and introduced an actress and worshipped her as the goddess of reason ! and
besides they tortured and butchered the catholic clergy for non-conformity to
revolutionary laws.

CONSCIENCE AND REVELATION. 7

philosopher derive the right to dictate laws to mankind from his
study ? How can he convince every one, that he is in possession of
more wisdom and virtue than every other human being ] How then
dares he to appropriate to himself the privilege of thinking for so
many of his fellow-mortals ? — Now grant for argument's sake, that
his superior wisdom and virtue, which are universally acknowledged,
entitle him to this pre-eminence by the common consent of his con-
temporaries. But we ask, whence proceeds his wisdom ? Has he
obtained it by intuition? Is his knowledge derived from himself, or
from some superior Being ? Do his superior endowments make him
more than man ? do they render him immortal ? do they make him
infallible ? Is he no longer liable to err because he is wise, because
he is learned? Is his virtue of that kind, that it never yields to
temptation ? In short, can he cease to be man ? No — 'he is still a
mortal, prone to err, and he must at length descend to the grave, and
there his body, as well as the remains of the most ignorant of men,
will become a prey to worms. — Shall we then rely for our moral
instruction upon a man — one destined to die — one, who cannot change
even the smallest particle of nature — one, who, no less than the hum-
blest of mortals, must look with astonishment at the great works of
the great Creator ? From this great Creator the wisdom of the
philosopher is derived ; it is He, who favoured him with more know-
ledge, than other men, and to Him his spirit must return, when his
body is laid to moulder in the grave. Shall it now be said, that we
are to listen to the instructions of the creature, but disregard
those of the Creator? Or can it be supposed, that the almighty
Author of all could not make as good laws for the government of
mankind, as the man, to whom He has imparted but a small share
of knowledge ? Shall we shut out the light of the sun, because a
taper also can give light ?

But, ask our opponents : " Is it rational to suppose, that the
Creator did promulgate his laws ?" Yes, and we may be bold to say,
that the contrary opinion must of necessity be absurd ; as from the
preceding remarks it will be apparent, that our own reason is not
sufficient to show us the path of right ; for that what is called con-
science does not, cannot, influence all alike, and consequently cannot
be the universal standard of right, since it leads different persons to
different conclusions. This being admitted, (and the experience of

8 CONSCIENCE AND REVELATION.

every man will prove it so,) it must follow, that unless there be a
revelation, that is to say, a declared and known law proceeding
from God, the world is left without the knowledge of right and wrong ;
and thus the deniers of revelation must accuse the Deity of the
greatest injustice, in creating so many beings, endowed with reason,
and leaving them to proceed without a rule or guide, like a ship,
tossed upon the billows of the tempestuous ocean, without rudder or
compass !* — Let us then ask every thinking man, what is most rea-
sonable to believe — that God made his will known to mankind, that

* Since, if you break down the moral influence of enacted laws in a community,
mere brute force will never be able to maintain peace and order, as the history
of all nations, where anarchy has reigned, clearly proves; and you would thus
expose the whole world to mutual pillage and rapine, and subject the weaker to
the insolent tyranny of the stronger ; and we should see a spectacle exhibited,
the most frightful ever yet experienced on earth. It is in fact the idea of a
supreme legislative power being somewhere, which has been the foundation of
civilised society in all ages, and where this has not been the case, disorder was
ever the consequence. If we have now no declared will of the Deity, (which
however the traditions of all nations clearly establish,) and as the enactments of
man, even the cardinal points on which the structure of civil society rests, can
be repealed by a succeeding generation, (witness the laws of Draco and Solon,)
it will be evident that no moral system, even the' emanation of the wisest men,
can obtain sufficient moral force, to become a standard of right. This moral
force, however, can only belong to a system derived from a Being not fallible
himself, and whose wisdom cannot be gainsaid by a successor. It caxmot be
denied, that some persons have availed themselves of the actual existence of a
revelation to promulge ideas of their own engrafted upon it, which were foreign
to its nature; but this only proves the more clearly, the necessity of a knowledge
of the pure source, even to the unbeliever, not to mention to any one founding
his belief upon, and regulating his life by, revelation ; since from it systems have
sprung, which, although not possessing the whole strength and grandeur of the
original itself, have nevertheless done so much towards civilising the world,
and exploding codes of laws disfigured by cruelty and immorality. What
is more, this diversity of systems derived from the Pentateuch will upon reflec-
tion establish the truth of the latter; as its actual existence, and the knowledge
they had of its being the work of inspiration, induced reformers to give to
their own nations something resembling it, whilst they perhaps thought them
not yet sufficiently enlightened to bestow the whole upon them. But there is
no doubt, that a time will come, when the Mosaic code alone, under such modi-
fication {to the nations) as the Almighty may ordain, will be the law-book of all
the earth. See Isaiah, chap. ii. and xi. Zachariab, chap. xiv. and many other
passages in the prophets.

WHO WROTE THE PENTATEUCH? 9

they might have a road to lead them on to happiness, or that He
left them to grope about in darlmess? Can it be believed, that He,
who has provided for the smallest insect, which is invisible to the
human eye, should leave his noblest work so unprovided, so desti-
tute, so miserable ? Did He give him an intelligent mind to make
his station the more wretched, the more forlorn 1

If philosophers would only reflect, to what ends their reckless
denial of all revelation must lead them, I am confident, they would
pause and shudder at the sight of the fathomless abyss, to which
they so thoughtlessly hurry on themselves and others. They would
not then so often think lightly of the word of Him, who is no less
their God, than the God and Creator of the whole universe.

CHAPTER H,

WHO WROTE THE PENTATEUCH

Before we adduce further proofs in favour of revelation, it will be
necessary to enquire, if Moses actually wrote the books, which bear
his name ; and granted he did write them, if he be then entitled to
belief, or in other words, if what Moses relates in his history did take
place, at the time, place, and in the manner, he himself says it did
happen.

First : " Did Moses write the jive hooks (Pentateuch), which are
designated by his namel" To this question we unhesitatingly answer,
yes ; for the following reason : Tf any man presents a book to the
public, and alleges that he is the author of the same, he deserves,
without doubt, to be believed, unless some other person should claim
the authorship, and bring conclusive proof, that he, and not the
ostensible editor, is the true author. Now we find, that Moses tells
us, that he was commanded by God, whose messenger he purports to
be, to write down all the transactions of his time, as they happened ,
2

10 WHO WROTE THE PENTATEUCH?

for we read in Exodus, chap, xxxiv. v. 27: "And the Eternal said unto
Moses, Write thou these words; for according to these words I
have made a covenant with thee and with Israel."

Here we find Moses announcing, that he had received an absolute
injunction from the Deity, to write down the events of his time, and
the laws which were communicated to him.

And in Deuteronomy (chap.xxxi. v. 24) we read that Moses relates
his having completed the task thus imposed upon him by God ; for
there it is said :

"And when Moses had finished to write down the words of this law
in a book, to their very conclusion ;

25. Then Moses commanded the Levites, the carriers of the ark
of the covenant of the Eternal, as follows :

26. Take this book of the law, and place it at the side of the ark
of the covenant of the Eternal your God, and it shall be there as an
evidence against thee (the whole nation of the Israelites)."

It is thus proved by the internal evidence of the books themselves,
that they were written and compiled* by Moses; and even the ac-
count of the travels of the Israelites owes its origin to the same
author, as he carefully noted down all the journeyings of the people
under his charge, as he himself tells us in the 33d chapter of the
book of Numbers.

How can it now be doubted, that Moses was the writer of the
books in question ? — Suppose a modern antiquarian were to attempt
to demonstrate, that Caesar was not the author of his Commentaries ;
or that Demosthenes did not deliver those splendid orations, which
were for the last two thousand years supposed to be his : would not
such an attempt be considered, by most men at least, as an evidence
of insanity in the person who makes the attempt? — For how could
he hope to convince the world of their error, except by prostrating
at the same time all dependence upon history ? The reason for this
assertion is simply the following : if you deny, that a book, which

* I say compiled ; for though there can he no doubt, that Moses was the bona
fide author of the last four books of the Pentateuch, comprising the history of
the Israelites during his life time ; it is nevertlieless more than probable, that the
book of Genesis was in existence before Moses, and if even not in its present
form, at least it may be presumed that he had ample materials in his possession,
from which he compiled it, as will be more clearly shown in a subsequent chapter.

WHO WROTE THE PENTATEUCH? H

bears the name of any author, was written by the reputed author, you
admit, that this book contains in this respect at least an untruth ; and
if it cannot be rehed upon in so material a point, it ought not to
carry any weight with it in other matters ; for since the author has
been convicted of not paying a strict regard to truth, how can you
determine, (if you rely solely upon the internal evidence of the book
itself,) what is true and what is not true? Not to come to this
dilemma you must admit, that the pretended author was the real
author; for to deny this, as has been said, would throw discredit
upon the whole book. — The same is the case with every historical
writing extant ; and we are constrained to credit the authenticity of
authorship, or else no monument of art, no building, no painting, in
short nothing whatever, would be believed to be the work of the
artist, to whom it is generally ascribed ; and all history would be a
mere romance, written perhaps like some fairy tale, to amuse chil-
dren and frighten the ignorant. Nothing, of which we had not
ocular proof, would then be believed by us, and nothing considered
a reality, of which we had no perception with our senses. But
where is the man to be found, who is willing to carry this principle
to so great an extent 1 And yet I see no point, where to stop with
any degree of safety. There are very few, who do not repose confi-
dence in history, and believe things, though they never did come
under their own observation. Many have never seen the emperor
Napoleon, few have ever seen Sir Walter Scott ; nevertheless they
firmly believe that the former fought the many battles in Europe,
Asia and Africa, in which he is reported to have been present ; and
that the latter wrote the life of Napoleon, and that moreover he is
the author of that great number of books, of which he has avowed
himself the author. It cannot indeed be well comprehended, how a
single man, unaided, could possibly write so much, independently of
the composition of so many works ; but for all that, they believe, that
Sir Walter did write all those books, the authorship of which he
claims, chiefly because no other person has claimed the authorship
and proved a superior title to the reputed author, although they them-
selves have never seen him write a single word.

But, some one may ask ;

" If I am to believe the identify of books, which have been written
so many centuries ago, what safeguard have I against being imposed

12 WHO WROTE THE PENTATEUCH?

upon by any book, which is given out as being the work of any
author of antiquity ?"

This, I confess, is a weighty objection, the more so, as forged books
have very often been ascribed to writers, who perhaps had never
even heard the names of those very works, said to be theirs. But let
us examine the matter a little more closely, and see if the danger of
being imposed upon be really so great as might perhaps appear at
first sight. Let us for instance suppose ; that a book should be pub-
lished, purporting to have been written by Julius Ccesar, and giving
an account of the civil war, which under Caesar agitated the whole
Roman empire ; that further, this book should give an account of
the events of the time, similar to that, which is contained in the book,
commonly ascribed to C^sar, on the same subject, — let us say, till
his arrival in Greece ; but in speaking of the battle of Pharsalus, in
which Pompey was conquered, suppose it to state, that Caesar's army
was routed by that of Pompey, after which the latter held a triumph-
ant entry into Rome, and that it was not till after a long war, that
Cassar conquered in a hard fought battle, in which Pompey was slain.
What would every one^s opinion be in finding such an account in a
work said to he written by Caesar ? Surely, that Caesar could not
be the author, because the whole chain of events, which preceded
Cmsars death, belie the (fictitious) account just given, and the great
dictator would not in all probability have committed any thing to
writing, which he, as an eye-witness and the principal actor, must
have known to be untrue. — Or if the book in question should say,
that the German warriors in Caesar's army were equipped after the
fashion of Numidian horsemen — or if it were written in the monkish
Latin of the middle age : in all these cases the book would no doubt
be pronounced a forgery, without the slightest diversity of opinion ;
for circumstances, generally and upon the best possible evidence,
admitted as facts, prove that Caesar could not have written it, for he
must have been intimately acquainted with the history, manners and
language of his time. — But if, on the contrary^ a book were found
at present, written in the easy style of Caesar, and giving such an
account of events as would appear plausible, and not contradicted by
well established histories of that period, and if there should be a
clause in the work stating, that C. Julius Caesar the Dictator had
written it : could then any reasonable doubt be entertained of its

WHO WROTE THE PENTATEUCH? 13

authenticity? And I am free to assert, that most persons would
regard the book as genuine, and they would require more proof, than
the mere dictum of any man, to establish the contrary.*

The foregoing illustration it is hoped will have satisfactorily shown,
that we may with a great degree of safety rely upon the identity of
books of antiquity. I will now advance another position, which from
its very nature is incontrovertible, namely : " that what is once true
must ever be so."" If for instance it is true now, that Csesar wrote the
first seven books on the Gallican War, the same must be true two
thousand years hence, for what is once past, is past, and nothing can
undo the past.

1 must ask pardon of my readers for this long digression, which
was considered necessary for the proof, or at least elucidation, of the
assertion, " that Moses was the author of the books he professes to
have written." — Almost every man admits the truth of profane his-
tory, at least so far as to believe, that the different books of all ages
were written by those men, who claim to be the authors, unless
perhaps it might be established, that there be some other claimants,
who have superior titles to the reputed authors. The details of his-
tory are also admitted, unless their falsity can be proved.

Let us now ask all those, who deny the truth of our religion, why
will you give credence to profane history, and not even believe, that
our blessed legislator was the author of his own books ; or rather
that it was he who wrote them by the command of the Most High,
if any one did? But you will say, "the books are of so great anti-
quity, that it may be fairly doubted, whether Moses wrote them,
especially as we have no contemporary writer to prove the fact !" Is
that your objection ? well let us examine it a little more closely and
ask : if Moses did not write them, who then was the author? Were
the seventy elders, who made the translation, commonly called the
Septuagint, for Ptolemy Lagos, the authors ? — No, for they were
only the translators into Greek of this book — a book previously ex-
isting in Hebrew, and so much renowned for its wisdom, that a

* Although the above supposition may appear far-fetched; similar cases have
nevertheless frequently occurred, both with w^orks of ancient and modern
authors; for example, the book of the Republic by Cicero, and Milton's book on Re-
ligion, which both have been discovered only very lately, as the learned reader
will no doubt recollect.

14 WHO WROTE THE PENTATEUCH?

Grecian king desired a transcript of it in his own language.* — But
was it Ezra ? No, for he could not be the compiler even, much less
the author^ as he speaks of the books as already in existence, nay as
existing even before his time, and as being well known to the en-
lightened part of the people. — So he cannot be the man. — But was
it Joshua, the immediate successor of Moses ? Oh no, for to him it
was commanded (Josh. i. 8.): " This book of the law shall not depart
out of thy mouth, and thou shalt meditate therein day arid night,
that thou mayest observe to do all, which is written therein, for then
wilt thou be prosperous and then wilt thou be wise." If the Penta-
teuch then was existing before Joshua, he cannot be the author of
it; much less Ezra, who lived near a thousand years later. We
must therefore come to the conclusion, that Moses — being the im-
mediate predecessor of Joshua, and as the Jews had no legislator
before him — must be the authorf de facto of the books that bear his
name. This he was in the time of Joshua, and what was true
then, is true noiv; and, therefore, since Moses was the real author in
those days, he must now also be considered as such, and this so long
as the blue vault of heaven shall remain extended over this beautiful
earth !

May God enlighten our minds and fortify us in his law, Amen !

* And it certainly can be no argument against the actual existence of the
Pentateuch before this period, that the Greeks were not acquainted with it, as
we find no mention made of it in their most ancient historian. For this may
have been owing to their ignorance of what related to other nations, or to the
contempt they uniformly expressed towards barbarians (all nations except the
Greek), and they may have therefore concealed the knowledge they had of a book
of wisdom and good laws belonging to another and distant people. — But the
eagerness of Ptolemy to possess himself of this treasure clearly proves, not only
that the Greeks were ignorant of its existence, but that its origin must have
been referrible, even at that time, to very remote antiquity.

tSee Appendix to Part I. for a refutation of some anachronisms, which it is
pretended have been discovered in the Pentateuch.

15

CHAPTER III.

MOSES AN AUTHENTIC I{ISTORIAN.

Having in the preceding chapter endeavoured to estabUsh, to the
best of my limited abilities, that Moses was the author of the books,
which are known by his name : we must now proceed to the second
point of enquiry ;

" Is Moses entitled to credibility, as a historian ?"

Our conviction or knowledge may be referred as proceeding from
three causes '.firsts we are convinced of any thing, that is, we know it
to be true, because we were eye-witnesses, or have other personal
knowledge of the fact; secondly, because we hear it related by persons,
who profess to have seen or experienced it, and in whose veracity
we place confidence ; and lastly, because we reo.d events described
in books, and though the author, or what is the same, the narrator,
himself be not present, to tell us his narrative by word of mouth,
we may nevertheless believe confidently, first, that the professed
author was an eye-witness of the described event, or that his source
of information was undoubted; and lastly, that his narrative is in
conformity with truth, or, what is the same, that the events related
actually occurred.

The limited faculties of man will not allow him, to be an eye-
witness of many things ; and, since he cannot be at different places
at the same moment of time, he must receive, whatever happens out
of his presence, upon the good faith of others; for he would assur-
edly be, and ever remain, woefully uninformed of the affairs of life
and the discoveries of science, should he reject every thing as untrue,
which did not fall under his own personal observation.

Since our acquaintance with external facts can only commence
from the time of our birth, we are thereby prevented from having
personal knowledge of what occurred before our time ; we cannot
resort to eye-witnesses for information, as every human being alive
is comparatively of but recent date. If therefore we wish to be in-
formed of what took place before our time, we must needs seek this
information frotn books ; secondly, from those who have read them,

16 MOSES AN AUTHENTIC HISTORIAN.

in case we cannot read them ourselves, and lastly from monuments
and popular tradition.

Of all the above sources of information, or conviction, that is un-
doubtedly the safest, which results from our own actual observation
and the perception of our senses ; the second best is that, which is
derived from living witnesses, who impart to us what they know
by experience ; and the last is that, which is drawn from books,
monuments and tradition.

Though, generally speaking, to see is to believe ; we will yet
frequently find, that we may be deceived, although we have the
thing to be investigated actually before us. The reason of this is,
that many things, presented to our view, are not sufficiently known
or understood by us, to enable us to form a correct judgment ; and
even when this is not the case, we are frequently so much biassed
by prejudice, as to suffer it to warp our judgment to such a degree,
that we are led to judge altogether erroneously, though under other
circumstances we would be able to form a strictly correct opinion, if
our feelings were not enlisted, on the one side or the other.

When we derive our information from living witnesses, we are
too apt to suffer our judgment to be swayed by the feelings of our
informants, particularly, if our interest coincides, with theirs ; so, on
the contrary, we are often, from no other cause than private pique,
predisposed to differ altogether with our informants, because we
may prefer finding them, or their friends, in the wrong, or shut
our ears against conviction, from a mere spirit of contradiction.
But as we are here not so much personally engaged, as if we were
the actors, or immediate spectators, we will frequently, upon reflec-
tion, be disposed to alter our opinions, and bring them down to a
proper standard of reasoning, much oftener at least, than if our
feelings were more immediately enlisted, by our personal observation
or actual participation.

When at last books, monuments, or traditions, are our guides
to knowledge, though we may even here be more inclined to one side,
than the other, we will yet certainly, and almost invariably, be en-
abled to form a more cori^ect opinion, than in the two first cases.

Thus we see, that each mode of acquiring information has its
advantages and disadvantages; and indeed it often happens, that
though we ourselves arc unjust towards a third person, our neighbours

MOSES AN AUTHENTIC HISTORIAN. 17

will understand our dispute better, and, however favourably inclined
towards us, will decide in his favour: — and again, posterity will
esteem a man great and glorious, whom his contemporaries suffer-
ed to starve.

I am inclined to believe, that the foregoing will be sufficient to
show, that we may derive positive information without ocular
evidence, or else, that our mind must be a blank, and ignorant of the
most important concerns of life, and of those things, which are the
most conducive to our happiness. In fact, the world in general
has ever thought so, since, from time immemorial, history has
afforded instruction and amusement, and has been generally received
as true ; besides, the example of great deeds has roused many a
noble mind into activity, which might otherwise have lain dormant,
or exhausted its vigour in works, if not pernicious, at least useless
to society.

But some one may ask : " How far is it reasonable to rely upon
any thing I hear, or find related in books'? what rule am I to ob-
serve, to guard myself against being imposed upon ?" Here let us
pause a moment, and reflect : how does it appear to our conviction,
that any thing has actually occurred, and that our impression of any
supposed fact is not a phantom of the imagination? First, from the
effect the occurrence has produced ; secondly, from preceding, ac-
companying, or subsequent circumstances; and lastly, from the
impression it made at the same time upon others, if others there
were, to witness the occurrence at the same time with us. — For in-
stance, let us suppose, that a number of persons should be assembled
in a well built house, and that this had the appearance of being a
structure which could endure for ages. Now let us imagine, that
a sudden concussion of the earth were to rend this building asunder,
and bury the persons there assembled amidst the tumbling ruins ;
that only one should be dug out alive, and recover his recollection by
degrees, after weeks of sickness and mental darkness, and then, find-
ing himself surrounded by strangers, call for those who were with
him when the earthquake took place ; now even assume, that he re-
ceive at first an evasive reply, as for instance, that they would soon
come ; is it not highly probable, that his own returning reason will
soon convince him of the reality of the case 1 his being where he is,
will tell him, upon reflection, that something dreadful must have taken
3

18 MOSES AN AUTHENTIC HISTORIAN.

place, and the sudden tumbling of the strong walls, the shock, which
he himself experienced, will force upon him the melancholy conclu-
sion, that he shall see his friends no more ; and no matter how faint his
knowledge of the actual occurrence of the earthquake may be at first,
the effect it had upon him will undoubtedly teach him that it ac-
tually did occur. — In the second case ; you are in a room, and hear
a conversation, to which you pay no particular attention ; to be sure,
you hear it, but yet do not think it of consequence enough to charge
your memory with it. After some time suppose a friend comes to
you, and asks : " Do you recollect what such a one said on that day ?"
At first, you will barely recollect that a conversation took place at
all ; but if he draws your attention to various circumstances, which
accompanied this conversation, you will very probably recollect the
whole or the essential part at least, which would have been abso-
lutely impossible, but for the accompanying circumstances. — In the
third place, let us suppose that a sudden meteor flashes before our
eyes, but that its transit is so quick as to leave us in doubt if we
are mistaken in our impression or not ; but if we hear others say
that they too saw a meteor, we shall then te convinced of the truth of
our first although imperfect impression.

In the same manner may historical correctness be tested ; first,
by effects ; secondly, by circumstances which are known to have
taken place ; and thirdly, by general impression, except when it is
contrary to previously tvell attested facts. — Historical effect is every
thing produced by events related in, or made known by, history ;
thus is the independence of the United States an effect or conse-
quence, in the first instance of the Declaration of Independence, and
in the next, of the subsequent war. — In this class may also be reck-
oned what are called the remains of antiquity, as ruins, ancient
buildings, monuments, and manuscripts. — To the second class belong
conversations, said to have been held by persons, who are no more
in being, which derive their claim to authenticity, merely from the
known character of those persons ; further, such incidents as have
been transmitted to us in historical records, which are rendered pro-
bable from the peculiar manner, lives, and character of persons or
even nations. Of the former, I will only mention the few words said
to have been spoken by Julius Caesar, when he discovered Brutus
amongst his assassins ; and of the latter, the conduct of Alexander

MOSES AN AUTHENTIC HISTORIAN. 19

of Macedon at the temple of Jupiter Ammon, and his conduct subse-
quently thereto, after he believed himself, and obliged others to be-
lieve, that he was the son of a god. — In the last class 1 would reckon
all traditions and popular stories, which are more or less worthy of
credit, as they can be more or less fortified by either monuments
&c., known circumstances, or lastly, probability.

When the effect produced by a certain reported event is yet in
existence, no man in his sober senses will doubt a fact so well au-
thenticated.* For instance, it is said, that in the seventy-ninth year
of the Christian aera, the city of Pompeii was destroyed or rather
buried, by the volcanic ashes of Vesuvius. If any one even might have
been inclined to doubt this, had it merely been reported, it is now
rendered certain beyond a possibility of being disputed, as the buried
city was actually discovered about a hundred years ago, since which
time many streets have been re-opened. No man, therefore, can
now doubt, that a similar fate has befallen, or may yet befall other
places. — About a century ago an island was formed in the Grecian
Archipelago, after a terrible convulsion of nature. This island yet
exists, and the account of its emersion from the waves is consequently
believed. — It will therefore be readily acknowledged, that the rare-
ness and even improbability of a thing, can be no argument against
its possibility, and whatever is authenticated and verified by vn-
doubted effects must be received as true, no matter if the event be in
accordance with the ordinary course of nature or not.

If then profane history is verified by the remains of antiquity, why
should we reject the account which Moses has left us 1 Why will
you, who deny the truth of the word of God, be more indulgent to
the records of the Grecians and Romans, than to sacred history ?
Is there not a more noble monument of the historical truth of the
Pentateuch, than Grecian marble, or Egyptian granite, namely, we
ourselves, the Jews ? — Answer me, are not the dispersions of Israel
sufficient testimony of the existence of Moses, of the wonderful de-
liverance of the children of Jacob, and of their conquest of the Holy
Land under the guidance of Joshua ? — Will you believe that Sesostris
reigned, Themistocles fought, Socrates and Plato taught philosophy,

* If therefore any thing is related to us, and we are assured that it had a
mentioned effect, and it can be [>roved that this effect never took place ; we
may then safely and fairly consider the whole story a fabrication.

20 MOSES AN AUTHENTIC HISTORIAN.

and Demosthenes spoke — and will you, can you deny that Moses
lived 1 that through him the law was given ? and that the history of
the Israelites is faithfully narrated in the subsequent biblical writings ?
" Well," some of you will say, " we grant the possibility, even
the probability of the plain matters of fact in the Bible, but we will
not admit the truth of the miracles ; and as these are so much inter-
woven with natural occurrences throughout the Bible, they are
enough to throw discredit upon the whole."

But if there is a God who created all things, and governs all, and
sustains all by his will, — and there is a God ! exclaims all nature —
to whom all owes its origin — we must admit that miracles are within
the scope of possibility ; for, should not the Creator be able to order
things differently, and yet preserve all in being, if He deems it
proper ? Since then miracles are possible, since we even see that
extraordinary events occur daily ; can we possibly dovbt, that God
could change water into blood for particular purposes, when He,
in his unerring wisdom, thought it necessary towards the accom-
plishment of his almighty will? Could He not send frogs, or as
some suppose, crocodiles, to plague the inhabitants of Egypt, when
they refused to obey his will ? Could he not let water flow out of a
rock, when he determined to do so ?

I admit, that God has ordained nature to 7cork so harmoniously,
that, to our impression, the slightest impediment would destroy the
beautiful fabric. But does that change, or diminish, or circumscribe
his ability, to order it otherwise? Can He not dry up every foun-
tain ? can He not split mountains asunder 1 can He not command the
sea to produce habitable land in its vast and deep centre ? and should
He not be able " to give bread, should He not be powerful enough to
provide food for his people V Why then, let me repeat the ques-
tion, will you not accept the Mosaic writings as the true chronology
of times gone by? Will you reject them, because of their antiquity?
Will you leave such a blank in the history of the world, from its
creation to Herodotus ? Forbid it science, forbid it reason, forbid it
justice ! Rather join with us and say :

" Moses is true, and his law is true !

21
CHAPTER IV.

THE PENTATEUCH.

In the foregoing chapters, I have endeavoured to show the plausi-
biUty as least, first, of Moses's right to be acknowledged the author
of the Pentateuch, and secondly, of the claims of this book to be con-
sidered the true history of his time. — But how* did Moses know
what happened before his days ? — To this, I answer, that he was not
only the narrator of his own observations, but also the compiler or
transcriber of existing historical materials. We have no means to
prove positively, that the Israelites had any writings before Moses ;
but we can give various reasons, which seem to leave hardly any
doubt resting upon the matter.

In the first place, the greater part of the events in Genesis are
so circumstantially narrated, that it appears that those, who were
immediately concerned in them, were the historians of their times.

A second reason may be discovered in the peculiar phraseology of
at least ^m;o passages in Exodus. We read in Exo. xvii. v. 14 : "And
the Eternal said unto Moses, write this (the attack of Amalake upon
Israel) for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it before Joshua." —
The Hebrew words are the following : "^202 piDT ntsT 3^3 {Ketoie
zothe zicJcahrone Bassaypher.) The word, Bassaypher signifies,
in the book, whereas in a book (Eng. Version) ought to have been
Besaypher ; or, to make it more intelligible to an English reader, the
Hebrew syllable ba is the preposition in followed by the definite
article the (in the), and the syllable be is the preposition in with the
indefinite article a (in a).t If the passage, of which we are now

* If it is once admitted that the Pentateuch was written by inspiration, it
makes no difference, from what Oi'^er sources Moses derived his information,
as the Holy Spirit was in that case his instructor, which would have prevented
him from committing any error ; but as I direct my argument against unbe-
lievers, I think it necessary to prove every thing, so as not to leave them any
opportunity for cavilling.

t I am indebted for this argument to the April No. 1826, p. 282, of the North
American Review.

22 THE PENTATEUCH.

treating, is rendered correctly, and which no Hebrew scholar can
dispute, it is pretty evident, that, as God ordered Moses to write
the attack of Amalake in the book, it must follow, (as no particular
book is mentioned, either here or elsewhere,) that this expression
must relate to a book well known to the then Israelites, and which
book, moreover, must have been a record of their history previous
to the promulgation of the law, as the battle with Amalake took
place before that event, the most remarkable since the creation. The
second passage is found in Exodus xxiv. v. 7, and is in the following
words : " And he (Moses) took the book of the covenant and read it
within hearing of the people, &;c." This passage, however, is
not so explicit as the preceding one, as it may refer also to the oc-
currences between the Exodus and the promulgation of the law on
Sinai exclusively ; though many are of opinion, that the book of the
covenant here spoken of is that in which the covenants with the Pa-
triarchs are recorded, meaning the book of Genesis ; and this book
must have contained the history of the world from the creation to
the death of Joseph, and further, the first nineteen chapters of Exodus
(the passage quoted being a part of the recapitulation of what oc-
curred before the promulgation of the Decalogue). But as this can-
not be well established, and as it is mere conjecture, though highly
probable, I shall no*^ insist upon it as a convincing argument.

But I have now t' adduce reasons to show, that independently of
every consideration of inspiration or prophecy, we have cause to
prefer Moses's history to any profane history extant, and it may be
added, that ever was or will be written. — For every historian, if he
relates the history of an enemy, will delight to dwell upon his crimes,
and place his misdeeds before the world in the boldest relief, and
use every means to make him odious, and only put a limit to his
acrimony, for the sake of his own reputation for veracity, and that
he may not be charged with giving his picture too deep a colouring.
If he speaks of a friend, or one whom he pretends to admire, he will
always endeavour to gloss over the faults of the hero of his tale, or
omit them altogether, if he possibly cein. And if any man writes
his own life, he never relates a fault of his own, except it be to gain
applause for his sincerity, or he strives hard to excuse that to the
world, which he, in his conscience, cannot justify. Is this true or
not?

THE PENTATEUCH. 23

Not so Moses. From the commencement of Genesis to the end
of Deuteronomy, he merely relates the facts, as they occurred, with-
out at any time commenting upon them. He relates the history of
Jacob and Joseph, those two prominent and exalted patriarchs, with
the most bewitching simplicity ; both are represented to us as they
really were, without addition, without diminution. In some parts of
their lives, any profane historian, had he been their biographer,
would have attempted to justify their actions, and at least would have
tried to prove them virtuous, though their actions might to some
appear equivocal. But Moses does not do so ; he gives us facts, lets
us draw our own inferences, and justify or condemn actions accord-
ing to the standard which he was the instrument of making known
to the world ; well knowing that the intelligent part of mankind would
be indulgent to the few faults and occasional errors of these good
men ; particularly when he, at the same time, leads us to the mortify-
ing reflection, that no one is entirely free from fault, and that the
best occasionally transgresses ; and if any one should now be disposed
to vent his spleen against the bible characters, because they were
not altogether perfect, he may be referred to reflect upon himself,
and told to see if all is so pure within him, that he cannot err, before
he can be permitted to be too severe upon the sins of otherwise
good men.

We thus find him never giving a false or overcharged colouring to
any thing he relates. In the affecting interviev/ between Joseph and
Benjamin every thing is told in so simple a style, that we are at a
loss which most to admire, the delicacy of Joseph's feelings towards
Benjamin, when he first sees him, or the sublime brevity in which
the whole is presented to us. — That part, where Joseph makes him-
self known to his brothers, is in the same style of simple sublimity,
if I may use the expression ; "I am Joseph ! lives my father yet ?"
These few words seem to proceed, so spontaneously, and so naturally,
from a surcharged heart, and feelings raised to the highest pitch,
that it is not probable that any passage can be found, either in
ancient classics or in any modern production, that will in any degree
equal the idea expressed by — I am Joseph ! lives my father yet ?

If we have seen Moses act and write so in matters where he was
not himself concerned, we shall find him equally sincere, and equally
regardful of truth, when he has occasion to speak of himself or his

24 THE PENTATEUCH.

nearest relations. Though he had often opportunities to praise him-
self, or to sketch his own character in the most exalted manner, yet
does he ever remain the simple narrator of facts, and speaks only once
in his own praise, and that in a trait for which alone few men would
think of praising themselves, namely the absence of all pride. (Numb,
xii. V. 3. " And the man Moses was the meekest of all men upon the
face of the earth.") What, the greatest of mortals to suffer himself
to be slandered, and not resent the affront? What, does he suffer
rebellion against his authority, without wishing the ringleaders even
to be punished, save only then, when the well-being of Israel abso-
lutely demanded this painful sacrifice ? — Yes, it is even so. The man
who was destined and appointed to be the leader of the Israelites
shared all their toils, all their sufferings, and once only was sedition
against his authority punished, and even then not through his agency ;
and his version of that event must needs be believed, since it is so
circumstantially told, and it occurred before the whole nation of
Israel.

Though he had undoubtedly acquired a great stock of knowledge
in the sciences and the mechanic arts, yet do we not hear him
boast of any of his acquirements ; he only tells us in one part that
his bodily strength remained unimpaired to his dying day, and in
another he informs us, that he had an impediment in his speech,
and this is all we know of the greatest of men!* — About his own ac-
tions he is very explicit, he throws no veil over them to hide their
defects, and he has even the frankness to tell us, (Deut. ch. iii. v.
23 — 26,) that his earnest prayer to be permitted to enter " and see
the good land, which was (to him) on the other side of the Jordan,
the good mountain and the Lebanon," was not accepted, for the well
known reasons several times recorded in the book of Numbers.

If we even search all books of antiquity, or modern times, we shall
probably meet with none which is so impartially written as the
Pentateuch ; which presents both sides of a picture with the same
faithfulness, as the Hebrew canon does ; and where we have facts
so simply given, and our judgment is more left at liberty to judge
for itself.

This very carelessness of Moses about amplifications and excuses,

* Compare tliia with the lives of Hume and Gibbon, written by themselvey.

THE PENTATEUCH . 26

proves to the candid mind, that his subject must have been a good
one, and the cause he advocated righteous. For w^ould any man,
ushering a fable into the world as truth, take so little trouble to per-
suade the world to receive it, as Moses has done ? Would he not
rather try to produce ingenious arguments, and well devised artifices,
to niake his laws palatable ? Did not the celebrated Lycurgus, I
may say, cheat the Spartans into an acceptance of his code, (if any
credit can be given to the Greek writers,) which otherwise would
probably never have been tolerated, as the supreme laws of the
land?

But as there may perhaps be some other objections, of which I
am, however, altogether ignorant, I will just state one instance of
the great disinterestedness of Moses. The honour of priesthood was
the greatest dignity among us, for under certain circumstances, the
priest was even higher than the chief magistrate of the nation ; in-
dependently of religious distinctions and other privileges attached to
that order. — — If Moses now had been ambitious, or eager after
power and glory, he would certainly, (aZZ along supposing he was
not inspired,) have assumed to himself and his descendants the high-
est honour. But did he do so ? No, he elevates his brother and
his four sons, whilst he submits himself and his own children to
Aaron's superintendence (see several passages in Numbers, particu-
larly chap. viii. v. 5 — 26). No other conqueror, no other legislator
ever acted in this manner. I will not say, that they did assume aZ/ ho-
nours and power, but it may be boldly asserted that no one conqueror
or legislator ever excluded himself and descendants from honour,
power, and riches ! — It is well known, that the Levites had neither
sovereign power, nor immediate propertj^ like the other tribes, since
all their property was dispersed among all the tribes of Israel, and
even then their possessions were limited within a mile on each side of
their cities. Why then did Moses exercise this forbearance unless
directed by a superior power, a power superior to his will, and to
whose unlimited sway Moses, no less than every other member of
the human family, was obliged to submit ? Indeed, it was his word
Moses wrote, by his command Moses acted, and his almighty name
was the watchword of Moses !

We have thus seen Moses proved to be the writer of the Pentateuch,
seen him entitled to credibility as a historian in general, and also
4

26 THE PENTATEUCH.

seen him proved equal, if not superior, to any historian of ancient
or modern times. I will then pause here and in the succeeding
chapters endeavour to establish the truth of revelation, not alone by
Moses's history, but also by our national existence as Jews, cind as
the representatives of the Israelites to whom the law was originally
given, and the fulfilment of prophecies pronounced by Moses and his
successors, the prophets and seers of Israel. — I must here also beg
every one who reads these pages, to consult the passages in the Bible,
to which 1 may refer, and take them in connection with the preceding
and following verses, to see that the mterpretation I may have to
give, is consonant with the context, as 1 do not wish any thmg to
be taken upon my bare assertion. Should he in the succeeding
part of this little volume find any thing startling at first sight, he
will do well to reflect before he condemns my conclusion; at all
events 1 hope to receive a fair hearing, not alone from Jews, but also
from Christians and free-thinkers.

CHAPITER V.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION ^ADAM NOAH.

I deemed it altogether unavoidable, before commencing to draw
arguments from the Pentateuch, to prove at first, that it is highly
reasonable to believe that its contents are true. Having accomplished
this task, in the best manner I could, I shall now resume my original
proposition, namely, to adduce proof in favour of the revelation given
to Moses, and the subsequent adherence of the Israelites to the same,
from his time until the present day.

In Chapter I. I have shown, that it is reasonable to conclude that
God revealed himself to mankind, and have at the same time proved,
that the contrary opinion would accuse the Almighty of injustice to-
wards man.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 27

But I hear the infidels and the wavering say : — " Most true, it
would be unjust to suffer the world to be without a rule of right ;
but was it just in God to do, as you Jews assert him to have done,
to give a law to you only, and that after two thousand years from
the creation ?"

Before answering this question, I must state that 1 shall in the
sequel adopt the Mosaic writings as universally acknowledged, and
therefore argue from them without stopping to prove the correctness
of every passage, having, as 1 conceive, already amply demonstrat-
ed the truth of the whole. Having premised this much, I
have to state that the above objection would stand good, provided
the assertion were true, that no revelation was known to mankind
before Moses ; but, it can be shown that the fact is otherwise. It
is unnecessary to prove, that God is capable, when He is willing to
communicate his commandments to mankind ; we Jews believe him
not alone capable and willing, but also think that he has actually
done so, and we shall continue in this our belief, till some one can
prove that no revelation was given. — In support of our belief, we
may cite the text of our Holy Writ, where this is so plainly written,
as to leave no doubt upon our minds of the fact, believing at the same
time, that the contents of Holy Writ are strictly conformable to
truth.

The question arises then : — " Can it be proven from Holy Writ,
that there was a revelation before Moses, and were there any in-
spired men, in his time, among other nations, besides the Jews 1"

To prove the affirmative, it is only necessary to give an abstract
of the history of the world until Moses, to satisfy the greatest
sceptic.

From nothing did the Almighty call every thing into existence,
and He clothed the world in light by the word of his mouth, as Mo-
ses so beautifully saith : " And God said, let there be light, and there
was light." After organising the mighty structure of the star-clad
heavens. He on the sixth day of the creation created man, in the man-
ner related in the second chapter of Genesis ; He formed his body
out of the clay of the earth, but unlike other animals formed in the
same manner, which are only endowed with instinct. He imparted
to him a living soul, by which He made man an intellectual being.
He gave him also a companion to cheer him during his hours of toil,

28 THE HISTORY OF REVELATION.

and to share his prosperity. — Immediately after the history of their
creation, we find God imparting his will to the man whom He had
made, or in other words, He revealed himself to Adam. But oh, our
sinful propensities, when we once give way to them, when we, to
avoid hurting the feelings of those we love, rather sin ivith them than
give them reproof! — Eve was tempted to taste the forbidden fruit of
the tree of knowledge, and Adam ate, by her persuaded. — Adam and
his wife were before in a state of innocence ; but now their inno-
cence was past, they had offended God their Creator. Before, the
earth spontaneously yielded them its fruit, and man needed only to
apply himself to work, to gather that which was so bounteously
offered him ; but now labour was decreed to him during his so-
journ on earth. — Before, he only saw his wife happy ; but now
he was obliged to see her often writhing under severe pain. Before,
he could listen to the word of God with joy and elevation of heart ;
but now it seemed to him the terrible voice of thunder, which split-
teth cedars and maketh the wilderness quake. And this was not all,
for even death — the dissolution of the body — that noble fabric of the
Deity — became man's lot ; and not even the descendants of Adam
were exempt from that dread decree, and a mortal father begat a
mortal son.

But was the decree of God just, in punishing so trifling a trans-
gression so severely ? — Yes ! yes ! It was not that the act in itself
was so very heinous ; but the disobedience to the only command of
God given to Adam constituted the offence. Man, by this act had
lost his innocence, remorse must have visited him, for disobeying so
just a God, and all his life would in consequence have been embitter-
ed. But death being destined to close at last his career on earth, and
as he knew, that the living soul within him could not die with his
body, he had an incentive to virtue — to regain that heaven by
repentance and good deeds, which he had forfeited by disobedience.
His life, before his fall, was free from earthly cares, indeed; but as
he existed then as man — flesh and spirit — he could not enjoy that
happiness, which he can be heir to in his present state, when he by
the exercise of virtue, or repentance, when he has erred, deserves
that happiness, which no eye has seen save that of God alone. — And
the Talmud in accordance with this teaches, and inculcates by
examples and passages drawn from the prophets, that repentance.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 29

sincere repentance, and good deeds are a shield against punishment,
and guides to eternal life. — Adam had fallen, but did God forsake
him? No, He, to use the language of man, sought him out, and
asked of him: " Where art thou 1" He did not at once upbraid
him with his ingratitude, but called him first, to give him an oppor-
tunity of defending himself. But who can justify himself against
Thee, O Almighty God ? who trembleth not when Thou speakest in
thunder ? — Adam attempted to shift the fault on his wife, and she
was indeed more guilty than himself, and her tempter more guilty
still ; and in the same manner was their punishment ordained, — thus
giving a lesson to mankind, that, though many be guilty of the same
offence, minor guilt should never suffer the same punishment with
consummate crime. But great is the Eternal's goodness; while in
justice compelled to punish, He at the same time took notice of the
altered state of mortals — altered by their own fault — and provided
them with covering, since the consciousness of guilt forbade them to
appear any longer to each other, as they had done before, because
their ideas and desires were no longer pure and unsullied. Adam
was henceforward banished from the garden of Eden, to mourn in
his toil £ind increased labour, over his fallen state ; and the Cherubim
were placed at the entrance of the garden, to guard with the flaming
sword the road to the tree of life, and to prevent the re -entrance of
man, till being purified by a holy life and submission to the will of
his Maker, he be worthy again of a state of unmixed pleasure and
uninterrupted enjoyment.

Though it is not stated in express language, it must nevertheless
be inferred, that partial revelation, or to speak more intelligibly, a
limited number of laws, were given to Adam and his immediate
descendants. For we hear God reproving Cain for the murder of
his brother, and even speaking to him of sin, and of man's power to
conquer his passions, and to do good, when he will. (Gen. iv. 7.)
Cain was severely punished for his crime ; and would God have pun-
ished him if he had not known that the act he was committing was
sinful ? Would that be justice 1 — -We are therefore forced to admit,
that God had imparted some of the civil institutions at least to the
first men, for their government. — In fiirther confirmation of this
point, we may adduce the example of Hannoch (Enoch), who is said
" to have walked with God" (acted as He desired); and how could

so THE HISTORY OF REVELATION.

Hannoch act so, if he had not been certified of the will of God ? —
Noah was to admit into the ark seven pair of all clean animals and
two only of unclean ones ; now what criterion did he have to distin-
guish between the two kinds, without revelation.

I am free to confess, that these inferences will not prove any thing
positive, though they be ever so ingenious ; but we have more solid
ground to stand on in the ninth chapter of Genesis, where we see
God giving laws to Noah and his children. The world had been
overflowed ; all men, save eight, had been swept off from the face of
the earth ; and when the flood had subsided, we see the Father of all,
either kindly renewing the old, or giving altogether new command-
ments, for the regulation of the conduct of the children of Adam.

But when men again began to multiply, they soon forgot the God
who had made them ; ambitious of renown, they built a city and a
high tower, resolved to dwell there, and thus prevent their being
dispersed over the face of the earth, when God had decreed other-
wise. To frustrate their design therefore, He changed their speech,
so that no one understood the language of the other, and thus they
were compelled to relinquish their building, and seek homes in the
diflTerent quarters of the globe.* — Men soon after settled in commu-
nities, those descended from one man, or one family, in the same
neighbourhood, and adopted such laws for their government, as
suited their fancy. But they soon forgot — because they soon
neglected — the word of their Creator — they no more remembered
the dreadful scourge of the flood, being secured by God's own word
against the recurrence of that calamity — they forgot that they
themselves had been punished for their pride and arrogance ; they
became rebellious against God's majesty, and began to worship idols,
and bowed to the work of their own hands. Some adored the sun
and the whole host of heaven, whilst others even worshipped the
crocodile, the ox, and the ibis. — A man distinguished himself in war,
or slew a monster that infested a district, immediately the bards
chanted his praise — he was made the lord paramount of his country-

*The very name of the city (Babel) is an evidence of the trutli of Moses'
account, for tlie Hebrew verb Bahlole or Bole signifies to mix, and this word is
the root of '733, where only the first letter is doubled. (Spe also Gen. chap.
xi. V. 9.)

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 31

men — who, as his subjects, fell down in the dust before him — and
his descendants declared him a god, and filled his altars with the blood
of men ; and thus tyranny spread at the same time with the growth
of superstition.

Such a race was not worthy of receiving the pure, and holy law of
the pure and holy Eternal. What, are those, who, forgetful of God's
first and solemn commandment to Noah, slay their fellow beings as
sacrifices to their idols — are they, we say, fit to receive the word,
which is as pure as the bright flame? Would such men, speak, \
philosophers ! if you can, be a fit depository for the law of God 1 —
Where then is the injustice, in God's not promulgating the whole
law at this early period of the world ? —

But let us turn from the sickening spectacle, where man is not
much elevated above the brute, and let us look upon a brighter
scene. When danger is the most pressing, help is frequently near-
est ; and so even was it in the person of our ancestor of glorious
memory, who arose the messenger of truth and piety, when wicked-
ness was spreading fast and threatened to shroud every thing in
gloom. — Every one acquainted with sacred history knows, that 1
speak of the peaceful, unpresuming shepherd— Abram, who born of
idolatrous parents acknowledged in infancy even, as tradition tells,
the name of the Most High, and even suffered for the sanctification
of the God of his salvation. He placed his trust in the Rock of ages —
and, happy patriarch ! thy hope was not misplaced, thy expectations
were not in vain ; for thy faith was recorded on high, thy sufferings
were none of them forgotten, and amply wast thou rewarded, when
the voice commanded thee to leave thy father's house ; though to
leave kindred and friends must have been painful to thy feeling
bosom, yet was it sufficient compensation to thee, to have heard the
voice of Him, who created the world by his word. Thou didst obey
his word and wentest forth into a strange land, and great was thy
reward ! — May all thy descendants thus follow thee to obey God and
to love Him, that they all may with thee rise from the ashes to
everlasting happiness, in the presence of the God of Hosts. Amen !

32

CHAPTER VI.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION ABRAHAM.

When Abram was ordered to leave his father's house, he had already
reached his seventy-fifth year ; he had up to this time been childless ;
he nevertheless trusted in the word of God, by which he had been
promised riches, children and a good name, the three greatest of
earthly blessings. He at the same time received the promise, that
he should be the object of blessing to all nations. Though, as has
been said, he was at the advanced age of seventy-five childless, he
had yet full confidence, that the God, whom he had acknowledged and
worshipped from his youth, was powerful, willing and ready to keep
his promises. Thus strengthened by the revelation he had received,
Abram went forth into a land, whose name he had not even heard,
for he had been told to ^o to a land, which God would show him.
But soon it became manifest to him, that the country then inhabited
by the Canaanites was the land of his destination, and the land
assigned to him by Divine Providence as a temporary residence. If
we enquire, what was God's motive in sending Abram forth as a
wanderer? we will find the answer easy, when we consider the acts
of Abram during his travels. In several places he erected altars for
the service of the Most High, and there he taught the world to know
its Creator and to render Him adoration. In other words, Abram
was deputed to reveal in a country, where the terrible Moloch was
worshipped, the sacred truths of the mysterious Father, who, unknown,
invisible and incomprehensible to us, rules us, governs us, and provides
for us. No doubt, Abram was successful ; and we in fact find, that
he had made friends among the chiefs in the neighbourhood of
Hebron, then called Kiryath Arbang, and Aner, Eshkole and Mam-
ray are mentioned, as men in league with Abram ; and can it be
believed, that his friends should have been ignorant of his opinions ?
and how could they, knowing his opinions, refrain from admiring and
adopting them?

The Patriarch had not dwelt long in Palestine, when he was again

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 33

obliged to leave this land of his sojournment, and pinched by famine,
he went with his family to Egypt. Here he acquired large posses-
sions, after which he returned again to the land of Canaan, and again
proclaimed the unity of God.

In a few years afterwards, he rescued his kinsman Lot from his
enemies, and brought back at the same time the captured property
of the Sodomites. He then also received the blessing of the king of
Salem, (afterwards Jerusalem,) Malkyzedeck, who was a priest to
the Most High God ; but he refused the rich presents offered him
by the king of the sinful Sodom, though he had incurred great person-
al risk, in recapturing the prisoners and the property taken from the
five confederated cities. Thus setting us an example, that good ac-
tions, to be really good and worth accepting, should be done without
hope of emolument, and without a vain ostentation of disinterested-
ness, as we find that Abram permitted the king of Sodom to reward
his followers, though he refused every thing for himself.

Abram's hope had yet been delayed, he was growing old, and yet
he had no son to succeed him ; but now, soon after he had recap-
tured Lot, he heard again the voice of God (in a vision) tell him, that
he should have a son : and Abram believed it. But who can know
the decrees of God — understand his ultimate views before they are
accomplished 1 At the same time that Abram was promised a large
and numerous progeny, he was informed that his descendants should
be wanderers and slaves for four hundred years ; yet he repined not,
yet he feared not, for the fulfilment of the evil was a sure pledge of
the ultimate fulfilment of the good.

Ishmael had been born since that event, and had reached his thir-
teenth year, when Abram, at that time ninety-nine years old, heard
again the word of God revealed to him, saying : " Walk before me,
and be perfect." His constancy was now again probed — his name
changed to Abraham — and he himself commanded to shed the blood
of the covenant ; he was also promised that the Almighty would ever
be his God and Protector, and of his descendants after him, on con-
dition that they, on their part, should observe the covenant of God,
that is, to circumcise all male children when eight days old. This
covenant was to be 'perpetual, and as we, the Jews, understand this
term and the text in Genesis, was to be unchangeable. — God also
promised Abraham a son by Sarah, precisely in a year from that
5

34 THE HISTORY OF REVELATION.

date. Sarah was then eighty-nine years old — but the decree was
fixed, and the child was to be called pn^"' (Yitzchak) Isaac, com-
memorative of the JO?/* Abraham felt, when he was assured of the
certainty of the event.

This eventful year had passed away, and Abraham and Sarah
were rejoiced with the birth of the long promised child, and it re-
ceived the name which God had ordained. — Time again passed on,
and the word of God again went forth unto Abraham. — He was or-
dered to take the only son of his wife Sarah, his dearly beloved Isaac,
to the land of Moriah, to sacrifice him upon one of those mounts,
which yet surround Jerusalem. Abraham obeyed. " With tearful eye
and joyful heart," as the Hebrew poet so elegantly says, both father
and son prepared themselves to fulfil the imperious command of their
God. Did they repine 1 did they murmur ? , No — but calmly re-
signed to his will, they were ready to conform strictly to the pre-
cept they had received. The altar was built, the fire was kindling,
Isaac lay bound upon the wood, and the father — -he who had given
him being — was grasping the knife to fulfil the last part of the man-
date— when behold, a voice, the voice of a messenger from the Lord,
resounded with " Abraham ! Abraham !" the knife drops by his side,
and he listens to the word of salvation then made known : " Stretch
not thy hand out against the youth, do him no harm, for now I know
that thou fearest God."

" Did not" — asks the Deist, " did not God previously know, how
Abraham would act? what need was then for that useless parade?"

True, God, the searcher of hearts, knew Abraham's mind, knew
also his entire willingness to obey all the commandments Jcnown to
him; but the world was to be convinced and instructed, and a great
deed was obliged to be done to accomplish this. Amidst all the
trials of Abraham, previous to this period, we do not find any, where
he was compelled to make any great personal sacrifices, which in
ordinary human foresight might not have been supposed to yield
him ultimately worldly benefits ; and the unbelievers might therefore

* The Hebrew word pHi' sigriifies to laugh, smile, play, feel joy, &.C.; and it
is said, Gen. ch. 17, v. 17. "And Abraham fell upon his face pH^'l and felt joy,
and from this joy, felt by Abraham, emanated the commandment, to name the
child of promise pPlX'' from which the English Isaac is derived, in the same
manner as many other names, arc from the original Hebrew.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 35

have said, that Abraham's piety was not strong enough to enable ' i
him to obey the will of God, whose worship he taught, when i
his all was at stake. For this reason the command was given, that |
Abraham should offer up his son, him, whom he loved more than |
himself, whom God had previously declared should be the father of |
the great nation, who was also to be the repository of God's cove-
nant. Who could now say with propriety that the doctrines of Abra-
ham were preached for the sake of interest or self-aggrandizement ?
No one. — But also instruction was conveyed ; first, that we should
be always ready to sacrifice our own lives, when necessary, for the
sanctification of God, rather than transgress the law ; secondly, that
we are to submit with the utmost resignation, to the decrees of Heaven,
and that it is unbecoming in us to question the justice of God's dis-
pensations ; and thirdly, that God desires not, but on the contrary,
detests that one man should sacrifice the other , pretending to bring an
acceptable offering to the Deity. — It is, 1 presume, well known that
the heathens then and afterwards thought (and this belief yet ex-
ists to the present day) human blood to be the most acceptable*
offering to their idols ; we find therefore that God by an example
prohibited such a practice in his holy temple, which should never
be defiled by murder and iniquity.

Was then, 1 ask, the intended sacrifice an idle pageant 1 Surely
not. And God's blessing was also given both to father and son,
that all nations were to be blessed in their descendants ; which means,
that through their descendants the word of God, which in itself is a
blessing, was to spread over all the earth and make all mankind
happy. — This promise has been fulfilled already, in a great measure.
The sacred light of revelation was first lit up in the wilderness of
Arabia, and from thence it has commenced spreading all over the
globe. In every country some, at least, of the scattered seed of
Abraham are to be found; their beautiful code of laws has been par-
tially adopted in many places, and millions of human beings are
drinking the waters of revelation, though they derive it from differ-

* There is a curious passage in Hoshea, chap. 13, v. 2, which proves how
horrible the practices of idolatry were even in his time; for he says : " To them
(the people) they (the priests) say : Those who sacrifice men shall (or are worthy
to) kiss the calves," (in Bethel and Dan,) and this speaks volumes (even without
any comment) in favour of the enobling virtues of revelation.

36 THE HISTORY OF REVELATION.

ent and polluted channels. Upon the solid rock of our law have the
followers of the Notzry and Mahomed built their systems, and though
in part erroneous, yet do these systems already acknowledge the
true God, his revelation, and his supreme rule. May we not hope,
that the time will speedily arrive, when not alone the Nazarenes and
Mahomedans, but all the other families of the earth also will hasten
to the banner raised on the mountains, range themselves behind the
ranks of the true believers and exclaim :

The Eternal is the God ! The Eternal is the God \ ?
O happy time ! O blessed hour ! when our eyes shall behold the
restoration of Zion, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the temple on
Moriah, and the reassembling of the tribes of Israel !

CHAPTER VII.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION ISAAC.

Abraham had seen his son Isaac married to his brother's grand-
daughter, and seen him in possession of all earthly blessings : when
he was called hence, to shine in a world more bright than this, to
receive the reward for a long life of action and usefulness. When
living, even the heathens called him " a prince of God," thus ac-
knowledging his divine mission ; and dead — his memory has ever
been revered, both by his descendants and those who have joined
them. — After Abraham's death, Isaac followed his footsteps, and like
his father, he walked humbly before the Lord. The first, who was
at eight days old joined in the covenant, he lived to an age of a hun-
dred and eighty years, in the same manner, as unostentatious as
his father had done before him ; and though wealthy and much es-
teemed, he yet knew that all earthly pomp is vain, and that labour
is to man the sweetest of all employments. Thus we find him en-
gaged in agriculture, a careful husbandman and a kind neighbour,

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 37

even to those who had, without any good cause, offended, envied and
even expelled him from their country. And as soon as they came to
him as friends, he immediately forgot all animosity, and made the
promises they desired of him. Who will not admire so benevolent a
being, who forgets an offence, whenever the offender seems to feel
contrition ?

Isaac also followed his father in other respects, for he also erected
altars and taught the worships of God : and to him was repeated the
promise made to Abraham, that his descendants should be blest for
Abraham's sake ; and thus we have already one reason, why the
Jews were chosen to be God's people.

But even on the brightest summer's day, the heavens are often
darkened with clouds, and so was it even with Isaac. His two sons,
his only children, were at variance ; he himself had grown blind ;
and to add to his calamity, Esau had married two women, who
caused him and the meek Rebecca much heart-burning by their
wickedness. His misfortunes did not rest here : on account of the
blessing, which his younger son Jacob received, he was obliged to
part with him, and many a year passed over his head, bereft of his
child, who had to dwell among strangers. But at length the sky
again brightened, and pleasure revisited the Patriarch's dwelling.
Jacob returned from Mezopotamia with a numerous and blooming
family, all children of righteousness, to cheer Isaac's declining years,
— the brothers had been previously reconciled ; and thus, after years
of trouble and affliction, the aged father had around him peace and
contentment, and he also, like his excellent father Abraham, laid
down his head in the grave, honoured and respected, happy in having
fulfilled his task, and glorying in having proclaimed the wonders of
the Creator of the universe.

38

CHAPTER VIII.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION — JACOB.

Was the constancy of Abraham tested by sufferings, was Isaac's
love proved by his willingness to die, because he supposed his God
required it ? Jacob was no less tested, no less did he by his example
teach that they who confide in God are never forsaken. — We have
seen that Abraham received a revelation, and after him, Isaac ,*
and as soon as Jacob became a wanderer from his father's house,
we see him also receiving the promise of God of the future greatness
of his progeny, when he, the son and grandson of wealthy men, who
were so powerful, that princes even sought their alliance, was obliged
to sleep in the open air with the hard rock for his pillow. Here we
have another example, if any were necessary, that God is no res-
pecter of persons, that to Him the rich and the poor are equal ; that
only the righteous, though poor and needy, is to Him acceptable. —
We therefore find it recorded, that Jacob sleeping in the open air,
upon that spot where Bethel was afterwards built, received a con-
firmation of the promise previously made to Abraham and Isaac, and
that this prophecy should not be fulfilled in the person and descend-
ants of his brother Esau, but in his own person and descendants. —
When Abraham, besides Isaac had Ishmael and other children, when
Isaac, besides Jacob had Esau ; Jacob had not one among his nu-
merous children, who was not acceptable to his God and Protector.

Like his father and grandfather, Jacob erected altars to the true
God, and thus spread the light of revelation in the countries to the
east and north of Palestine, which before had been made known to
the west and south only. Though Jacob was obliged to live for up-
wards of twenty years amid a people, who knew not the worship of
God, we yet see Jiim constant in his faith, see him teaching his
wives and children to love and fear their Maker ; and not alone
those who were connected with him by the ties of relationship, but
also all others who were about him, acted as he himself had taught

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 39

them ; for in chap. 85, v. 4, of Genesis* we read, that upon Jacob's
requisition, all the members of his household delivered up whatever
was in their possession, which in any manner could have been used
for the worship of idols.

After a long separation from his father, Jacob was at last permit-
ted to revisit Isaac's house ; but he was not allowed to remain there
long undisturbed, for sufferings and troubles again overtook him,
when he, as he thought, had sat himself down in quiet for the short
remnant of his days. Thus giving mankind a lesson, which cannot
be too often called to mind : " that not in this world must the righteous
expect the reward of his good deeds, for he is here only in the out-
building, where he is to prepare himself to enter the palace. "f Also
the following useful moral may be drawn from Jacob's patience and
resignation, and his perseverance to serve God in all his severe and
manifold calamities : " that man is not to serve God with a view of
being rewarded, but to obey his commandments, and practise virtue
independently of all views of emolument, gain, or honour,"^ and
" that in spite of calamities and reverses, we should never swerve
from the path of right, for the practice of virtue will in itself be suffi-
cient to kindle a light within, when even all around is gloom and
darkness."§ Again — we often see the wicked prosper, and the pious
suffer, for what serves virtue then, what avails piety, if with this life
our existence were ended ? But this is only the time for action, and
when our body is enclosed within the grave, then will the soul reap
the harvest of its righteousness.

Jacob had not been returned more than eight or nine years from
his long exile, when dissention among his children became to him
the fruitful source of the greatest mental sufferings, with which he
had hitherto been afflicted. Joseph, being the eldest son of his
beloved Rachel, was distinguished by his father by a superior dress

* Presuming that the greater number of my readers are acquainted with the
Pentateuch, and as the major part of my arguments, unless otherwise stated,
are drawn from this holy book, I hope to.be excused, for not in every instance
denoting the particular passage, from which these arguments are derived, as I
do not wish to load the body of the text with long quotations and too frequent
references, which must ever be tiresome and perplexing.

t Aboth, chap. iv. t Ibi. chap. i.

§ For further confirmation of this see Job, chap. i. and ii.

40 THE HISTORY OF REVELATION.

from the other children : this vexed them, and envy soon ripened into
hatred, particularly when they found, that Joseph had the weakness to
speak of their failings, which, to judge from their otherwise virtuous
conduct, must have been trifling, to Jacob. From the short account
contained in the 37th chapter of Genesis we can draw the following
moral lessons ; first, that it is dangerous for a father to have an osten-
sible favourite amongst his children, even when his preference is
founded upon the acknoivleged superiority of the favoured child ;
secondly, that it is dangerous to be a tale-bearer, even if the tales re-
late but to trifles, for the detection of this failing is sure to be followed
by the detestation of the slanderer ; and lastly, that we ought to be
very careful, how we suffer envy or malice to approach us, for if we
once give them a resting place in our bosom, we shall soon be hurried
on to commit unjustifiable actions.

Jacob's other sons had been gone from home for some time to
follow their occupation as shepherds, and Jacob determined to send
Joseph after them to enquire about the welfare of his brothers and
the well-being of the flock. No sooner had Joseph approached his
brothers, than they determined to kill him, and to justify homicide
by falsehood. But Reuben dissuaded them, but in his absence Judah
advised to sell Joseph to a caravan of Ishmaelites just passing by.
He was obeyed, and Joseph, then seventeen years old, was sold as a
slave, and his father was left to mourn for him for the space of
twenty-two years.

Joseph was in the mean time carried to Mitzrayim (Egypt), and
sold to an officer of the Pharaoh,* by the name of Poteephar, who
was so pleased with his new servant, that he made him his steward.
How long Joseph continued in his new station, we cannot precisely
determine ; but it could hardly have been above two years, when his
mistress attempted to induce him to commit adultery, which Joseph
refused to do, and gave as a reason, that he, by compliance, would
" sin against God"; thus we have another proof, that some at least
of the civil laws of our code were, even before Moses, known to the
patriarchs, who were scrupulous in observing them. — When Joseph's

* Pharaoh or rather Parngo was the Hebrew name of the kings of Eg-ypt,
but was not the particular name of any one king; as at tlie present time the
sovereign of the Turks is called the Soltan, or the emperor of Russia the Czar.

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 41

mistress saw that he would not be the slave of her desires, her love
for him was turned into hatred, and she artfully accused him to her
husband of an attempt to insult her, while he was absent. The
master became enraged and threw Joseph in prison, where he linger-
ed for many years a captive and a slave. But even in this apparently
forlorn condition hew^as not without a friend, or altogether miserable;
for the superintendent of the prison took, by the will of God, a fancy
to Joseph, and gave him the appointment of an overseer of the
prisoners' work.— Two years before his release he interpreted the
dreams of two household officers of Pharaoh, who had been one year
in prison. Joseph begged the one, whose dream he had favourably
interpreted, to remember him ; but he forgot his companion in cap-
tivity, when he was prosperous, thus verifying David's saying : " put
not your trust in princes." At the expiration, however, of the above
mentioned time, when Pharaoh had a dream, of which no one of his
sages could give the desired interpretation, his cup-bearer at last
remembered Joseph, who was forthwith liberated from prison and
brought before the King. Joseph's modesty and wisdom quite cap-
tivated Egypt's ruler, and he raised him (so was God's will) from a
state of servitude to the second dignity in the empire ; and Joseph
became the viceroy of the land. Though he now stood at the
highest pinnacle of human glory, he yet sighed for his father, and
his father's household, of whose fate he was altogether ignorant. — At
length the severe famine, which raged both in the land of Canaan
and Mitzrayim, compelled the brothers of Joseph to resort to the
granaries, which he had provided for the approaching scarcity fore-
told by him to Pharaoh.— His brothers came before him, and bowed,
or rather prostrated* themselves, before their brother, who imme-
diately recognized them, though they had not the least recollection
of him.

He sought a quarrel with them, called them spies, and would not,
so he pretended, suffer them to depart, till one of them had brought
Benjamin to him, who had remained behind with their father. He
had them locked up for three days, and then permitted them to return,
after having taken Simeon and bound him in their presence. — The

* This custom is yet observed, on approaching a king, in Turkey and other
parts of the East.
6

42 THE HISTORY OF REVELATION.

reader would do well to peruse the whole transaction m the elegant
language of the Bible, where we find Reuben reproving his brothers
for the violence they had committed against the child (Joseph) and
them, justifying the judgment of God and the punishment they then
suffered for their inhumanity to Joseph. No wonder then that he
wept, no wonder that he felt moved.

The nine brothers accompanied by Benjamin returned to Egypt
after the lapse of a considerable time, and brought back the money,
which they had found in their bags on their return home, to restore
it to the superintendent of the magazines, to whose treasure they
supposed it to belong. — When Joseph saw Benjamin he was obliged
to leave the room and to withdraw into his private chamber, where
his full heart was eased by tears ; but he returned soon and dined
with his brothers. — Before they were ready to depart, he ordered
his superintendent, to contrive to put a silver cup, which had been
on the table, in the bag of Benjamin, then to pursue them, after they
had left the city, and when upon searching he should have found the
cup, to bring Benjamin (as the supposed thief) back with him. The
officer obeyed. But the noble brothers disdained to escape and
suffer their youngest brother to remain behind a slave; and the
magnanimous Yehudah (Judah) stept forward to offer himself in
Benjamin's place. " For," said he, "thy servant (himself) has been
a security for the youth to my father, saying, ' if I bring him not to
thee, then will I have sinned against my father for ever,' And now
let thy servant remain, instead of the youth, a slave to my lord, and
let the youth go up with his brothers. For how could I go up to
my father, without having the youth with me ? I never could witness
the distress, which would overwhelm my father."

Such generous self-devotion moved Joseph, his feelings were toe
strong almost for utterance, he ordered all strangers from his presence^
and then cried out: " I am Joseph ! lives my father yet?"

The children of Israel hurried away from Egypt, to tell their
father that Joseph yet lived, and that he was regent over all the land
of Egypt ; but the heart once inured to sorrow does not even wish
any joy to rob it of its sacred grief: it knows how short lived all
pleasure is, and is fearful of some worse calamity yet to come, and
then it can hardly admit any sudden gladness, because it is doubting
its reality ; and so did Jacob too remain incredulous, till he had seen

THE HISTORY OF REVELATION. 43

the vehicles, which Joseph had sent for his accommodation. Then
indeed was his joy unbounded, and from a full heart he spoke;
*' Enough, my son Joseph lives yet ; I will go and see him before I
die." — Thus it came to pass, that Israel went with his whole family
to Egypt ; and in Beare Shebang (Berseba) God revealed himself to
Jacob and told him, to go without fear to Egypt, for He would go down
with him, and bring him also back again, — meaning : that neither
Jacob's body nor his descendants should for ever remain buried in
Egypt, but that both should be brought out again from that land.

Thus fortified by the word of God, our glorious ancestor arrived
in Egypt, where he was soon locked in the embrace of his long-lost
son ; where he was soon taught to forget all his previous sufferings.
Joseph, with the permission of Pharaoh, gave his family land, in the
district of Goshen, where he supplied them with all the necessaries
of life; and the children of the true faith became inmates of the land
of the children of Cham,

Jacob had lived seventeen years in Egypt, when he found his end
fast approaching ; he therefore assembled his children around him,
and giving them his blessing and admonitions, he foretold that which
should happen to them till the latest posterity. He prophesied
of the Messiah, who is to descend from Judah, and thus spoke the
dying saint :

" Not for ever shall the sceptre depart from Judah, nor the law-
giver from his descendants, for Shiloh shall come, and unto him shall
the nations assemble."

And surely the time will come, when unto the teacher, the prince
David, all nations will assemble to worship the only true God, the
Father of all, and shield of Israel. The sceptre has departed, and no
more does the law-giver reside in Jerusalem ; but the sceptre must
be restored, and the crown will return again to its former dwell-
ing !—

When Jacob had blessed his children, he composed himself in his
bed, and departed this life, to be an angel in heaven, and to %ine
foremost amidst the saihts, whose resting place is at the foot of the
throne of glory.

44

CHAPTER IX.

THE LEGATION OP MOSES.

In the foregoing pages it has been proven to the conviction of any
man, who feels no abhorrence against being convinced, that a reve-
lation existed before Moses, and though the law, we now have, be the
most perfect, yet could not the Syrians, Babylonians, Egyptians,
and Canaanites excuse their gross wickedness, hy 'pleading igno-
rance of the divine will ; for they had ample means of acquiring a
knowledge of the laws given to the patriarchs, if they had but de-
sired it ,• for wherever Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob went, they taught
the word of God. And even if they had not done this, their recti-
tude, chastity, and hospitality ought to have been admired, and not
alone admired, but also imitated. Instead of this, all the horrors of
murder, human sacrifice, and incest, were practised by these nations
to an almost incredible extent. Who would believe, that mothers
carried their children to the valley of Moloch, and stood by while
the poor innocents were roasted alive on the heated arms of the bra-
zen image 1 Can it be credited, that the crocodile received the babe
out of the arms of its mother ? Would it be believed, if the fact
were not, alas, too well authenticated, that the women were often
the wives of their own sons ? — I will not mention the images of in-
cest, for the ftne/" catalogue of crime is already revolting enough,
without any further addition.

The days of happiness and tranquillity for the descendants of Jacob
were over ; and Joseph — who before he died, had ordered his re-
mains to be taken away from Egypt, whenever it should^please God
to conduct his people to the promised land — was scarcely dead,
scarcely had the last clod of earth rung upon the coffin of the last of
the patriarchs : when the new king of Egypt forgot the kindness of
Joseph, the benefits he had heaped upon the inhabitants of the coun-
try under his dominion, in having saved them from the desolating
famine. — The Israelites had greatly increased in numbers since the

THE LEGATION OF MOSES. 45

arrival of Jacob, and the tyrant of Egypt feared them as inimical to
his go\ernment, falseli; thinking of them, like many rulers in later
times, and even in the present day, think of us, their descendants,
that they could have no community of interest with the other inhabit-
ants of the country, amongst whom they resided. His fear soon
made him look around him for remedies, or rather, preventives,
against the too rapid increase of the hateful people within his dominions,
though the land on which they resided, had been given them as an
inheritance, by the especial command of his predecessor. — By labour
then did the new king endeavour to check the growth of the Israel-
ites, and at the same time to break down their high-mindedness, for
he thought, that as slaves they would cease to be dangerous to the
state, and useful in building cities, monuments, and other public edi-
fices, independently of other manual labour, which he compelled them
to do. But the tyrant's aim was frustrated, and the more the Israel-
ites were oppressed, the more they increased. Seeing his designs so
sadly disappointed, he became furious, and ordered the midwives to
murder all the male children of the Hebrews, as soon as born. But
these heroic women, regardless of any mischief that might happen to
them, did not obey the king's cruel mandate ; and when he disco-
vered this, he commanded his own people to throw every male child
of the Israelites into the Nile.

But vain are the efforts of man against the decrees of Heaven !
In the midst of this calamity was born by Yochebed, the wife of Am-
ram, of the tribe of Levi, that child, who at the age of eighty years,
rescued, under the peculiar guidance and providence of God, his fel-
low-believers from the yoke of slavery. — After Yochebed had con-
cealed her infant for three months, she found it impossible to hide
him any longer from Pharaoh's blood-hounds, and with sorrow she
was compelled to place him in a box, and expose him amidst the
reeds of the Nile, for she preferred leaving his rescue to the hand
of Providence, rather than begging his life of men, whose hearts were
steeled against mercy. — The box was providentially discovered by
the king's daughter, who, feeling compassion for the helpless inno-
cent, determined to save him. When the child grew up, she adopt-
ed him, and called him Mosheh (Moses,) from a Hebrew word,
which denotes drawing out, as we also read in Exodus : " And she

46 THE LEGATION OF MOSES.

called him Mosheh niS'D, for (she said) 1 have drawn him (in'Ti'B'D)
out of the water.

When Moses was grown, he went out one day to see his brethren
work, and he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite ; Moses, who
perhaps found no other chance of saving the Hebrew's life, slew
the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. Egypt was now no longer
a safe residence for Moses, for soon did Pharaoh hear of what he had
done, and intended to kill him ; but Moses escaped. He now, who had
been reared in a palace, had been the adopted son of the princess of
Egypt ; became the servant of the chief of Midian (a district in Ara-
bia), and so much was Jithro pleased with him, that he gave him his
daughter Zipporah for a wife, by whom he had afterwards two sons,
of whom one was called Gershom, the other Eleazer.

The above mentioned king of Egypt was dead, and yet the pres-
sure was not removed under his successor from Jacob's children,
and bitterly did they groan under their heavy labour ; but their
Father in Heaven heard their cries and determined then to save
them.

Moses, so he himself tells us*, was tending the sheep of his father-
in-law, and drove the flock far into the wilderness, and arrived at
the mount of God in Horeb. The wonderful appearance of a thorn-
bush being on fire, without being consumed, attracted his attention,
and he steppped forward to see " why the thornbush was not con-
sumed?"— But hark! his step is arrested, and a voice calls out:
" Come not hither ! take thy shoes from off* thy feet, for the place
thou standest upon is holy ground." The Eternal then proceeded
to tell Moses, that he was the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Ja-
cob, the God, in times of old adored by the patriarchs, with whom
he had made a covenant ,* He had therefore resolved to redeem their
descendants from their servitude in Egypt, and bring them into the
promised land, and that He had destined Moses to be the messenger
to Pharaoh, and to be the leader of the Israehtes after their redemp-
tion.

Moses, hearing himself appointed to such a high station, modestly
declined the honour, on account of his supposed inability. But God
told him, that He would assist him ; and to prove to Moses the truth

* Here I must beg tlie reader to refer to the third chapter of Exodus,
where the whole account of Moses's mission is so beautifully given.

THE LEGATION OF MOSES. 47

of his mission, He gave him a sign ; that namely, when the mission
should be in part accomplished, by the liberation of the Israelites from
thraldom, they then should worship God upon that mountain, (Horeb).
Here our law teaches us a lesson, of which we ought never to lose
sight, " that prophecy cannot be verified, but by the accomplishment
of the prediction, and no miracle, however striking, can establish the
truth of what any man, pretending to be inspired, says, if the event
accords not with the prediction."

When Moses felt thus convinced in his own mind, he asked by
what name the God of their ancestors should be announced to the
Israelites 1 And God answered n^nx It^N n^nx, which ought to be
rendered : " 1 am the unchangeable Eternal Being, who ever will
be ;" and He commanded Moses to tell to the Israelites, " The Ever-
Being rrnx has sent me to you." — Moses was yet diffident, yet
afraid, that the people to whom he was sent would not believe him,
if he did not show them miracles, to convince their senses. And he
was gratified, for God gave him power to work certain miracles. —
But Moses would not yet consent, and offered his want of eloquence
as an excuse ; God, however, spoke to him as follows : " Who gave
to man a mouth 1 who maketh him dumb or deaf, or well endowed
with hearing and seeing, or blind 1 is it not I, the Eternal 1" Thus
far Moses had been right, in not grasping too eagerly at power and
distinction ; but when he had seen that it was God's will, that he
himself, and no other should be the messenger, he ought to have
raised no more objections ; for when he yet refused, so he himself
tells us, he was rebuked by God, who then assigned him his brother
Aaron as spokesman, and thus gave him a partner in the work of sal-
vation, which otherwise, as we have every reason to believe, would
have been accomplished by Moses alone. — The following moral les-
son is clearly deducible from the whole narrative : " we ought never
to be eager to claim honours, but when we find ourselves capable to do
any thing serviceable to mankind, or to the cause of virtue and reli-
gion, or if we see things done wrong by others, which we could
do better ; then it becomes our duty to come forward, and offer our
services ; to hold back then would be false delicacy, but not mo-
desty, and we deserve punishment if we suffer mischievous errors to
exist, which we by our exertions could perhaps remove."

Moses having received his commission from his Maker, wandered

48 THE LEGATION OF MOSES.

back to Egypt, having previously taken leave of Jithro, and being
assured, that he would expose himself to no danger by his return to
a land, where he was once threatened with the scaffold. — Aaron,
who was rejoiced at Moses's elevation, met him on the road, and
they, after their arrival in Egypt, assembled the elders of the Israel-
ites ; Moses performed the miracles before the people, and Aaron
related to them the message, with which Moses had been charged.
And the people believed. — Although heavily oppressed, they yet
well remembered the promise given to Abraham, and the manner of
Moseses prophecy convinced them, that he was the chosen messenger
of the God, whom their forefathers had worshipped. — After having
made known the word of salvation to their brothers, Moses and Aaron
repaired to Pharaoh, and in the name of the Eternal demanded the
release of his people. Pharaoh refused and said : " Who is the
Eternal, that I should obey his voice, to let Israel go? I know
not the Eternal, nor will I suffer Israel to depart." The obvious
meaning of this answer is, that Pharaoh said, that the Eternal was
a deity unknown to him, and as such he would pay no respect to
his commands. — Like the miser, who clings more firmly to his ill-
gotten treasure, when he finds that his enjoyment of it will soon be
over ; just so did Pharaoh order, that the Hebrews should be compel-
led to do harder work, and their daily task not be in the least dimin-
ished, when he discovered by the determined manner of the exiled
Moses, that his dominion over the children of Israel was soon to
terminate ; for even Phaoraoh must have felt assured that no man,
much less one, who had been obliged to leave the empire, would
boldly step up to the king and make such a monstrous demand, if he
had not the power to make his threats of vengeance good.

Pharaoh perhaps intended to stifle, by harder oppression, the
incipient desire for freedom just excited in the bosom of a degraded
people ; he also endeavoured, but in vain, to resist the power of the
Most High ; — but he was soon taught to know, that he himself was
but a man, a weak, powerless mortal ; that the gods, to whom he
looked for support, were things, in which there is no power to help,
and — that there is none like our God. — His rivers were turned into
blood ; frogs came in masses to plague him and his equally guilty
people ; vermin and wild beasts came to destroy them, and pestilence
swept off their cattle ; their own bodies were afflicted with dangerous

THE LEGATION OF MOSES. 49

ulcers ; hail and locusts were sent to destroy every tree and every
plant which grew in the field, and at last there was darkness, which
lasted for three days, and was so intense that no one could see the
other. — As long as the plague lasted, Pharaoh seemed to relent and
willing, that the Israelites should leave the countr)^ ; but no sooner
had the evil been removed by Moses's praying to God for his enemies,
than Pharaoh and his ministers forgot their promise, and yet kept
Israel enslaved. Nine plagues had already, in this manner, passed
over Egypt, many times had Pharaoh refused to keep his promise ;
but now his proud spirit even was to yield, and he, who but lately
spoke with contempt : " I know not the Eternal," was now destined to
feel the full weight of his wrath, and to acknowledge that his will
must be obeyed. Pharaoh had but just forbidden Moses ever to
come to him again, under pain of death ; when Moses was notified, and
ordered to tell him, that that very night the greatest distress should
overtake all Egypt, neither king nor slave should be spared, and that
not even the cattle and the idols, which the Egyptians worshipped,
should escape. For Moses was ordered to announce, that just at
midnight, when every one should repose in security, every first-born
of each family, in the whole land of Egypt, was to die, and that even
the king's first born, his presumptive successor, should perish, and
that then the bereaved parent would be willing to allow the Israelites
to depart, to worship God the Eternal, who had chosen them to be
his servants.

50

CHAPTER X.

THE EXODUS.

It was in the beginning of the month of x\bib,* that Moses and
Aaron received the first commandment promulgated to those who
went out of Egypt. It is well known, that the Egyptians, although
they are so highly celebrated for their learning and skill in various
arts, were silly enough to worship beasts, and amongst the rest the
bull (Apis) and the ram ; for it is, I suppose, known to most classical
scholars, that Jupiter Ammon was represented with a ram's head. —
As has been already related in the preceding chapter, the time of
Israel's redemption was fast approaching, and Moses and his brother
were then commanded to tell the whole nation of Israelites, that each
family should provide themselves with a lamb, which should be in
their possession as early as the tenth day of the month, but not be
killed till the afternoon of the fourteenth. The Egyptians never ate
meat, for beasts were their gods ; but now the Israelites, who had
been their slaves for many years, selected i\\e idols of their masters
as sacrifices to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thus showing
the Egyptians, that the descendants of the patriarchs were no longer
afraid of them; whereas before this time the Israelites were not per-
mitted to kill animals in the presence of the Egyptians, (see Exo-
dus, chapter viii. v. 22). — The Hebrews were also commanded, to
sprinkle the blood of the paschal lamb upon the door-posts ; " to what
purpose ? did not God know where the Hebrews lived, without this
mark?" Certainly, but the commandment was given to test the
faith of God's people. Those who, fearful of offending their task-
masters, omitted to obey the will of God, were not deserving to be
spared, when these suffered ; but those who, firmly relying upon the
promise of their God, obeyed his word with alacrity, were indeed
worthy of being spared. Thus was the blood a true mark of

* Now commonly called Nissan. The months of the Hebrew year have, since
the return from the Babylonian captivity, been distinguished by Chaldean
names, and the Hebrew ones have not been in general use since that time.

THE EXODUS. 51

discrimination to the Israelites themselves^ between him, who confided
in God, and him, whose faith was weak and wavering. — They were
also commanded to be dressed as if prepared for a journey, while
eating the passover-lamb ; with their clothes well fixed, their sandals
on their feet, and their sticks in their hands, and to eat the meat
hastily ; thus was it indicated to them, that immediately after the
eating of the ofiering, they should be ready to leave the land of their
oppressors. They were further commanded that they themselves,
and their remotest descendants, should eat unleavened bread for
seven days, from the fifteenth till the twenty-first of the month in
the evening. — The passover was also to be eaten with bitter herbs,
in commemoration of the bitterness of the sufferings of the Israelites
in Egypt.

The above commandments were strictly observed ; and when the
night after the fourteenth day had set in, the Israelites were celebrat-
ing thej^rs^ Passover. The blood of the sacrifice graced the door-
posts of the habitations of the Hebrews, when just at midnight the
avenging God went forth over the land of Egypt, and slew every first-
born of man and beast in Pharaoh's dominion. " We are all dying,"
resounded through the land, and when the tyrant's first-born dropt
dead at his father's feet, even he relented; he called Moses and Aaron,
begged them to leave his land, and craved their blessing. The
Egyptians, who before could not bear the idea of letting their ser-
vants go, now drove them fairly off*, would not give them time to
bake their bread, and gave them gold, silver, and clothing, any thing
to be rid of such dangerous inmates. And was Moses, who was
seemingly the author of all this misery, hated by them ? No, he
stood high in the estimation and affection of Pharaoh's ministers, and
the people of Egypt ; for all acknowledged that he was the servant
and messenger of the true God, and that by his will and permission
alone Moses was enabled to do these great things. — The people of
Israel, therefore, who had been slaves for many years,* were in this
manner freed from their oppressors, and they went out openly and
unmolested, to meet their new destinies under a leader beloved by
his own fellow-believers, and respected even by his enemies. — They
were destined for the conquest of Palestine ; but the Eternal did not

* This event took place, according to the Rabbins, in the four hundredth year
after the birth of Isaac, and as I believe 430 years after Abraham had left Ur
Casdim, which is, I think, the time mentioned in Exodus, chap. xii.

52 THE EXODUS,

wish to lead them through the country of the Phihstines to the im-
mediate acquisition of their inheritance ; He preferred to let them
pass through the wilderness of Arabia, to teach them more fully,
that they were altogether dependent upon his support. — He sent a
pillar of clouds to go before them by day, to point out the road they
were to travel, and by night, he illuminated their path with a 'pillar
ofjire, so that they were enabled to travel by day and night.

When the terror of Pharaoh and his people had a little subsided
after their late calamity, they repented their having dismissed the
Israelites, and all went out in pursuit of them, to bring them back to
servitude. — The Egyptians overtook the Israelites, as they lay en-
camped along the shores of the Red Sea. They, who had been
redeemed but a few days ago, saw column after column of their re-
vengeful pursuers arrive ; and how should they be able to withstand
this well armed host of horsemen and charioteers ? Behind them
were their enemies, and before them they saw the agitated waves of
the Arabian Gulf; there was therefore no possibility of retreating,
no advancing ; the danger was pressing, and six hundred thousand
freemen saw no alternative between death and slavery* The very
idea was maddening, to think that their wives should be swept off by
the flood — or that the necks of their tender children should bend
under that heavy yoke of slavery, under the pressure of which they
had themselves so long groaned. — In their anguish, they called upon
their God to assist them, and He heard their prayer. — It is true,
that some began to grow faint-hearted, and accused Moses as the
author of their present distress ; but let those, who may be disposed
to think our ancestors so very blameable for their want of confidence,
only reflect how they themselves would have acted under equally
trying circumstances.* — But Moses stood unappalled in this emer-
gency— >he, the man of God, knew no fear, and he inspired his
aflrighted brethren with a share of the confidence he himself felt.
Secure of a happy issue, he ordered the Israelites to stand quiet, and
in the spirit of prophecy he assured them, that they should never
again see the Egyptians in the martner they beheld them that day. —

* Let me not be misunderstood, as being the apologist for the rebellious]spirit
manifested so frequently by the Israelites ; since my only aim is to draw the
attention of those saints, in their own opinion, who accuse the Jews of want of
faith, to themselves, and to reflect if they are in the least more virtuous, in des-
])itc of their boasted sanctity.

THE EXODUS. 53

All the nation became silent — all clamour was hushed, whilst Moses
prayed to God, who had through him so often before manifested his
power. — And soon was his prayer answered from Heaven ; he was
ordered to stretch his staff, with which he had performed the other
miracles, over the sea, and behold ! its waters were divided, and
were congealed, and stood up like two walls, to the right and to the
left. The tribes of Yeshurun boldly advanced into the dry chasm of
the ocean, and passed through unharmed. Their pursuers, being
baffled in their intentions, and disappointed of their prey, hurried on-
ward after the retiring Israelites ; but soon they discovered, when it
was too late, their inability to accomplish their purpose ; against
their will they were dragged forward, and they arrived in their turn
in the middle of the sea. Moses was again commanded to stretch his
hand over the sea, and ail the Egyptians were at once overwhelmed
in one confused and sudden destruction; for the sea ebbed down
again to " the gate of tears,"* and buried under its mighty waves
the whole host of Pharaoh, and not even one was left to carry home
to his countrymen an account of the terrible catastrophe. — The de-
struction was complete ; and when the Israelites saw the corpses of
their enemies thrown upon the seashore, they all acknowledged the
great power of their mighty Deliverer, and as our legislator expresses
in a few words : " And the people feared the Eternal, and they be-
lieved in the Eternal and his servant Mosheh." When Moses and all
Israel saw the great deliverance, and when they felt that they were
now and for ever free from Egyptian thraldom, they composed that
elegant hymn, which must ever remain an example of chaste and ele-
vated poetry. In w^hich after rehearsing the great deliverance, by
which they had been saved from slavery and from death, they speak
in terms of confidence of the fulfilment of the yet remaining unaccom-
plished promises of God, and conclude with the following beautifiil
sentences :

" Thou wilt bring them, and Thou wilt plant them in the mountain
of thy inheritance, in the place, O Eternal, Thou hast prepared for
thy residence; the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have found-
ed ! — The Eternal will reign for ever and ever !" May this be his
will, and may all flesh speedily be brought to acknowledge Him alone,
and to the observance of his precepts. Amen.

* The straits of Bab-el Mandeb, which form the outlet of the Red Sea.

54

CHAPTER XL

THE ISRAELITES AND REVELATION.

In the foregoing, 1 have briefly narrated the history of the Israel-
ites from Abraham, the founder of the nation, to their dehverance
from the Egyptians. We will therefore pause here a little, and ex-
amine the following question : " Is it reasonable to suppose that God
revealed himself to the Israelites 1 and is it compatible with the dig-
nity of the Creator, to make a nation or a set of men, just released
from slavery, the depository of his will ?"

No one will deny, since denial is useless and unnecessary, that
the Israelites were a nation just released from slavery, that they were
ignorant and idolatrous ; yet this admission does not in the slightest
degree invalidate the assertion of Moses, that these Israelites were
chosen as the depository of God's will and law. Let us but examine
the object of religion, the intended influence and scope of the revealed
word of God, and no solid objection can be raised to the Bible having
been given to a people who were ignorant and unused to a worship
different from the rites of the heathens, amongst whom they had
hitherto resided. For religion is intended to fill our minds with a
proper idea of God and his attributes, and in consequence, to raise
our thoughts to Him, inasmuch as we are dependent upon his
bounty for our daily subsistence, nay to his kindness for every
moment of our life. — The more we feel our dependence upon God,
the oftener the subject is brought before us in its full force, the
greater the benefits are we receive from his goodness : the more
must we, of necessity, be alive to his mercy, the greater will be,
must be, our desire to merit the continuance of his supreme pro-
tection, by gratitude towards Him — by the observance of his pre-
cepts.— The Israelites had been for nearly two hundred years
compelled to do the most degrading work, and they were even
inhumanly beaten by those very persons, whose ancestors owed
every thing to the Hebrew Joseph. (See above.)— At the same time
the promises made to Abraham, and reiterated to the succeeding
patriarchs, were not forgotten by the Hebrews. But year after year

THE ISRAELITES AND REVELATION. 55

rolled on, and their toil was not diminished, the appointed time was
drawing to a close, and they were yel slaves. At length, Moses, the
son of Amram, communicated to them the joyful tidings that God had
taken cognizance of their deplorable situation, and that even then at
the moment he was speaking, the decree of their redemption had
gone forth. — If now the additional pressure of the last acts of Pha-
raoh's tyranny had continued long, the Hebrews would probably
have derided and scorned him (Moses) as a deceiver, who had
mocked them with hopes of deliverance, and was even the proximate
cause of additional hardships. It was not, however, the will of God,
that his faithful servant should be considered in this light. — No
sooner had .Pharaoh announced his determination of still more tight-
ening the chains of the captives, than Moses was sent to him, to de-
mand again and again the release of God's first-born, namely, our
nation. Pharaoh still refused. — Punishment after punishment was
inflicted upon the king and his Egyptians, whilst the Hebrews re-
mained unharmed amid the desolation around them. kX length, by
that dreadful scourge, the last the Egyptians suffered at home, the
king was compelled to comply with God's will and dismiss Israel, and
when he attempted to force them back, we have seen already the
entire destruction which befel him and his army. — These things
were not done in a corner, they were not done before a few men ;
but before the whole Hebrew and Egyptian nations, all of whom saio
and (therefore) knew all, that we are told did happen. — The Egyp- t
tians, therefore, were convinced that the Eternal is a God, who j
cannot be offended with impunity ; and the Israelites were taught, I
that He keeps his word, and that He rewards those who love Him, I
to the thousandth generation, and besides — that He was their glory-
and their God, who had done all those wonderful things, which their
oivn eyes had beheld.

In this manner were the Israelites convinced, that their sole
dependence was the favour of God, for by his assistance alone were
they redeemed from that captivity, of which in spite of their numbers
they had been unable to free themselves by their own exertions.
Their mind was therefore in a proper state to receive lasting religious
impresions. They owed every thing to God, they had seen his
power., and felt his forbearance; and can any man devise a state of
society, where more lasting impressions could be made by the divine

56 THE ISRAELITES AND REVELATION.

law, than that in which the Israelites were, when going out of Egypt?
Here every thing tended to draw them to their Maker — the ties of
the covenant had been renewed, £ind new obHgations of obeying God's
word had been laid upon them, and all they could do, to requite the
many favours they had received, was — to devote themselves to the
service of God. — It is true, they murmured several times, when they
wanted bread and water, and God gratified them.— They frequently
sinned, and they were punished ; but soon they acknowledged the
justice of the decrees of Heaven, and were forgiven, because they re-
pented. And to this day the law is respected by us, its very pages are
considered ^acrec?, and our greatest praise is to have observed its pre-
cepts, as far as lies within our power. The impression was made three
thousand years ago, and it is as fresh at this moment, as it was on
that day, when, after the Israelites had seen the power of God anew
displayed, by giving them water out of the hard rock, they went out
under the guidance of Joshua to repel the attack of the Amalekites.
They were unused to arms, yet did they fight bravely for a whole
day, under the eye of the youthful hero, who led them on against an
enemy, whose very trade was war ; for they confided in God, and
hoped that He, who had led them out of Egypt, would vouchsafe to
defend them against the attack of a barbarous horde — and they were
not deceived in their expectation. Moses ascended a hill, where he
prayed with uplifted hands (Talmud Roshe Hashanah, chap. 3, §. 8,)
for those who fought, and they conquered by the name of God, to
whom their hearts were raised during the battle !

Does any man want the objection at the head of the chapter re-
futed by more solid arguments 1 I think not — for what has been
said already must convince every reader, that the very state of so-
ciety considered objectionable to the account of Moses relative to the
law having been given to the lately freed Israelites, was of all others
the most favourable, and infinitely preferable to a state of affluence,
where the mind of nations, equally with that of individuals, is alas,
too often, and too much, engrossed with worldly affairs ; and nations
and individuals thus circumstanced are too little inclined to think of
the decrees of their God, whose creatures they are, and to whom they
are indebted for that very affluence which makes them think so
highly of their own power and wisdom, and so lightly of their God
and Creator.

67

CHAPTER XII.

THE DESCENT ON SINAI.

The last notes of the song of thanksgiving had died way along the
shore of the Arabian Sea, the shout of triumph over the conquered
Amalekites was hushed : and Israel lay encamped in the wilderness
of Sinai. The whole neighbourhood of Mount Horeb is described
by late travellers as strikingly sublime, and the mount itself, though
not quite so elevated, as some others in the neighbourhood, as having,
nevertheless, a wonderful effect by its several and distinct summits,
one more elevated than the other. At the foot of this mountain, our
ancestors encamped, at the commencement of the third month ;*
they had therefore arrived at that spot, where it had been foretold to
Moses, (see above, chap, ix.) the Israelites should worship God, after
their leaving Egypt.

It was therefore, here, that Moses was called for the first time be-
fore the whole congregation, to receive the annunciation of God's will.
He was commanded (Exodus, chap, xix, v. 3 — 6): " Thusshalt thou
say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel : you have
seen what I have done to Egypt, and that I have borne you on
eagle's wings, and brought you to me. And now, if you will obey
my words and observe my covenant, then you shall be to me a people
more dearly beloved than any other nation, for all the earth is mine.
And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation."
Let us understand this message well, for then we shall easily discover
upon what terms the Almighty promised to befriend us, and under
what circumstances we were to be the dearly beloved people. — Pre-
viously to this moment the Israelites had been told, that their re-
demption from slavery was to take place, not on account of any

* The month in which they were reUeved from Egypt being-, by God's com-
mand, instituted the first of the ecclesiastical year. See Instruction in the Mo-
saic Religion, page 124.

8

58 THE DESCENT ON SINAI.

thing they themselves had done ; but solely, because of the covenant
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the promises made to them. —
The IsraeUtes, being now free, were told : first, that it was God,
and not Moses, by whose power they had been redeemed ; further,
that the Almighty had subsequently — like the eagle that protects its
offspring from danger — protected them, and delivered them from
flood, from famine, from thirst, and from the sword ; and lastly, that
if they would now agree to the conditions, which He would propose,
then should they be entitled to the continuance of his protection and
fostering care. Although God could, after his goodness to them,
have, according to human notions of gratitude, demanded their obe-
dience ; yet did He lay before them his intentions, for their accept-
ance or refusal. Thus teaching us, that we should never presume to
dictate to a person, indebted to us, any thing which might by chance
be disagreeable to him, but that we ever ought to gain his compli-
ance by gentle persuasion. — Well then — God proposed to the chil-
dren of Israel, that they should receive his peculiar protection and
love, in case they would obey his commandments and observe the
terms of the covenant, to be proposed to them. — He also justifies this
preference of them by saying : " All the world is mine," meaning,
since you choose voluntarily to observe my statutes, no nation has a
right to complain of my favouring you more than others, for all na-
tions are equally mine, and all shall ultimately be deserving to be
called by my name ; but since I must make a beginning with one,
to promulgate my law in the fast instance to them, it is but just and
fair that I, who am the maker and master of all, should be left to
^choose that* people, which I, in my superior wisdom, think better

* The prophets frequently refer to the existence of the Israelites, as an argu-
ment in favour of the existence of God, and Isaiah (chap. 43,) calls upon all na-
tions, " to bring instances, where any of them could foretell things, which were
to happen, and to produce analogous events to our history, from theirs ;" and
then he proceeds (v. 10): " You are my witnesses, and my servants, whom I
have chosen." (v. 12) " And you are my witnesses, speaketh the Eternal, and
I AM GOD." Here then the prophet rests the truth of the law, and the proof
of the existence of God, upon the existence of the Israelites ; and to us it really
appears, that the existence of the Jewish nation proves that there is a superin-
tending Power, and that this Power has chosen this people for some ulterior pur-
pose, which is known to Him alone. Let us endeavour to account for our
national existence as we will, a moment's reflection will be enough to convince

THE DESCENT ON SINAI. 59

fitted and more deserving than any other, to be the depository of my
statutes, till the rest of mankind be also fitted to adopt my will as
their guide, and my law as their code.

Can any philosopher step forward and assert, that the Israelites
were not better fitted, than any other people, then or even now ex-
isting, for this great purpose of God ? They were already uncon-
nected with any other nation, they had no home, but that one they
expected to acquire by the assistance of their God ; they had there-
fore to make no great personal sacrifices by secluding themselves
from the rest of the world : when, on the contrary, it would have
been a most difficult thing to reform a people, whose manners were
once settled, and this difficulty would have been not a little magnified,
when this very change of manners must have set them up as a
mark of hatred to all the surrounding nations, whose manners had
been formerly similar to theirs, and with whom they had lived in
friendship. — Independently of this reason, the Israelites were already
better acquainted with revelation than any other people, and their
manners were probably not so corrupt. — Moreover, the Israelites
were prepared to receive the law of God from feelings of gratitude
towards Him for the signal favours they had received, which was, as
has been shown, another powerful reason to entrust the law to them.

To return to the subject under consideration,-^the Israelites were
promised happiness and salvation, — for God said, they should be
a holy people, — if they would on their part abide by the conditions
proposed, and observe the duties required of them. Let it be well
observed, that God here plainly says, that the righteousness of a
man is svfjicient to ensure his salvation, for he does not even hint in
the slightest manner at a saviour, or to speak more clearly, at a
mediator between God and man. According to this definition, which
can hardly be controverted, we may safely rest our hope of salvation
upon our obeying the will of God and upon our observing his precepts,
and we are not to expect to be saved through any being, save the
Eternal, for He alone is our Supporter, our Saviour and our Redeemer.

No sooner had Moses delivered the message of God, than all the

us, that the biblical account is the most rational, nay, the only probable one
of the origin, progress, and fall of our nation, the once powerful Israel, but
now the humble and much despised Jews.

60 THE DESCENT ON SINAI.

people unanimously (not together) answered. " All that the Eter-
nal has spoken we will do." When Moses had carried back this
reply to God, he was further notified, that He would come to him in
a thick cloud, that the people might hear, when He spoke to him ;
and God at the same time, promised Moses, " that in him they should
beheve for ever." Thirty centuries have already elapsed, since our
great and good leader was taken from us, (at a time when his strength
was yet unimpaired) ; and his mission is yet believed divine, and its
truth defended by the Jews. Does not my writing this imperfect
defence of our law in part verify this prediction ? Can any denier of the
truth of prophecy assert, that this prophecy has not been fulfilled to
the letter 1 What right has he, then, to deny the authenticity of at
least this one prediction ?

When the people had declared their willingness, nay their eager
desire, to see their King, as the Rabbins figuratively call the desire
of hearing the word of God proclaimed without any mediator, not
even Moses, the latter was ordered, to prepare his brethren for
three days previous to that glorious day. Perfectly clean, perfectly
free from all earthly desires and pollution, should they meet their
God, and receive his holy and pure law, in holiness and purity. The
mount Sinai was to be the place, whence the law was to be proclaim-
ed, and on that account Moses was commanded to fence it round, so
so that no one should approach the sanctuary of the Lord, and death
would have been the punishment for the violation of this interdiction.

At da^vn of the appointed day there rested a dense cloud on the
mount, and the terrible thunder rolled, and the bright lightning
flashed, at the coming of the Most High in his glory. The trumpet
— a trumpet not blown by mortals, but sounding by the will of the
Almighty — called forthwith its loud blast the people of Israel. And
they trembled, whilst Moses led them out of the camp and placed
them at the foot of Sinai ; for the mount emitted flames fiercer than
the destructive volcano, and shook to its very base. — It could not
have been an ordinary earthquake, not a common eruption of a burn-
ing mountain ; for then, in the ordinary course of nature, the approach
to the base of the mount would have produced instant death. But,
no! it was the glory of God, in whose presence there is safety,
which produced this effect, and therefore did the Israelites, led by
Moses, advance with a trusty mind and a firm step, though with a

THE DESCENT ON SINAI. 61

quaking heart, for who fears not when God speaks? — After Moses
had placed his brethren in proper order, he ascended the mount ;
but he was ordered to go down* and give warning a second time,
that no one should pass beyond the barrier which Moses had drawn
round the mount. And here we have another moral lesson, " that
it is not enough, that a father tell his children, and a superior those
under his charge, only once of their duty ; but that they ought to
repeat their instructions so often, that they cannot be forgotten, or
else the father and guardian have neglected their trust, and they are
answerable to God for sins committed by their charges through
ignorance. —

When the Israelites were at length fully prepared, the all-power-
ful God spoke as follows :

1. « I am the ETERNAL thy GOD, who have conducted thee
out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

2. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt make
thyself no image, nor any likeness of aught in heaven above, or on
earth below, or in the waters beneath the earth. Thou shalt not
bow down to them, nor worship them ; for I the Eternal thy God,
am a watchfulf God, who am visiting the sins of the fathers on the

*The intelligent reader is requested to read with particular attention the
nineteenth chapter of Exodus, and he will discover, that Moses was not in all
probability on the mount Sinai during the promulgation of the Decalogue, for it
is not mentioned, that he re-ascended, till after the promulgation, and we have
therefore another proof that Moses had no agency in imposing a law of his own
invention upon the Israelites.

It is but justice to say, that I am indebted to Mr. Jacob Mordecai of Rich-
mond, for this remark.

t It is really astonishing, with how much avidity every difficult passage, nay
every obscure word, in the whole Bible is seized by infidels, and explained by
them in such a manner, as to make its meaning absurd, and thus they attempt
to defend their infidelity, saying, that they cannot believe such nonsense, as they
pretend to say they have met with in the holy scriptures. A stronger instance
can hardly be found, than the assertion, that according to the Jewish Bible,
God is a vindictive Being. God pardon me, for even penning this blasphemy !
And where do they find this ? In the Decalogue they say, where it says : He is
a jealous God. But if I may venture an opinion, I would explain the words
J<Jp Sx ill the following manner : The Israelites had seen the goodness of God
manifested to thein, ever since Moses was first sent to them, and though
they had already shown themselves dissatisfied on several occasions, yet had

62 THE DESCENT ON SINAI.

children, on the third generation and fourth generation, of those who
hate me ; but am doing mercy unto the thousandth generation of
those who love me and keep my commandments.

3. Thou shalt not bear the name of the Eternal thy God in vain,
(not use it without necessity, nor at an untruth,) for the Eternal will
not suffer him to remain unpunished, who beareth his name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days thou
mayest labour and do all thy work ; but the seventh is a day of rest
in honour of the Eternal thy God ; then thou shalt not do any manner
of work, neither thyself, nor thy son, thy daughter, thy man and thy
maid-servant, not even thy cattle, and the stranger who is within thy
gates. For in six days did the Eternal make heaven and earth, the
sea and all that is in them, and refrained from work on the seventh
day ; therefore did the Eternal bless the Sabbath-day, and declare it
holy.

5. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long
upon the land, which the Eternal thy God giveth thee.

6. Thou shalt not commit murder.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

they never been punished, except we consider the attack of Amalake as a
punishment. But now God told them what was their duty, and that it was
obligatory upon them to do what they were certified to be right: and as
they now knew, what God considered as right, they should be punished for
transgressing the precepts of the law, or in other words for doing wrong ;
and therefore did God continue : " I am j^jp ^j^" a God, who am ever watchful
and remembering all that happens, and therefore ready to punish, where punish-
ment is due. If this explanation is correct, it follows, that God, according to
our Bible is not a vindictive Being, but a just Judge, who, as such, punishes
all sins against his will, because they are offences against the standard of right.
" But does not the Hebrew word $^Jp always mean jealous, in its common
acceptation?" No, for we find in Numbers chapter xxv. 11 v. rTiJ^JD HN 1XJp:3
which is very properly translated, " because he was zealous for my sake."
See also the succeeding chapter, and Instruction in the Mosaic Religion, page 37,
note ; and I may add here, that when the within was written, this book was not
in my possession, which is another proof, that all who study the Bible with can-
dour and honest zeal will generally agree with each other in their conclusions,
although they are divided by time and space. And is this not a beautiful com-
mentary upon the truth of the Mosaic revelation ?

THE DESCENT ON SINAI. 63

9. Thou shalt not answer as a false witness against thy neighbour.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house. Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid servant,
nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing else which belongs to thy
neighbour."

The foregoing precepts are technically called : the ten command-
ments or the Decalogue, and are the foundation of our whole civil,
moral and religious code.

When the Israelites heard these precepts announced from on high,
they were filled with fear and apprehension. For the voice of the
Eternal had not been heard by any other people before them, and
they had therefore beheld and heard that, which no mortals ever
before had seen or heard. The Israelites had desired to be convinced
with their own eyes of the truth of Moses's mission, and they had
wished to hear the word proclaimed by God himself. They had
been gratified, they had seen the glory of God, as He proceeded from
Sinai, and shone unto them from Sayir, and sent his beaming light
forth from Paran, and came with myriads of saints ; and they had
received from his right hand the law as pure as fire, as they lay
prostrate before him. (Deut. xxxiii.) — Being therefore now convinced
of the truth of Moses's mission, they begged of him, to receive, by
himself alone, the commandments, which God might ordain for their
government, and that he should teach them afterwards, what he had
learned ; for they themselves were in fear of losing their lives, should
they witness again the great fire, which was yet burning, while they
were speaking to Moses. — But he wished to induce them to perse-
vere in receiving themselves the other commandments, and he
therefore answered : " Fear not, for only to prove you did God
come, and that his fear might be upon your faces, that you may not
sin. When Moses however heard from God, that the request of the
Israelites was pleasing to him, he then, but not till then, consented
to be the instructor of the people and to tell them all, which he
should hear announced by God.

In this manner became Moses the messenger of God to the peo-
ple of Israel, and their messenger to and interceder with God. Can
it be believed, that a man thus honoured should promulgate laws of
his own, should teach aught but the word of God ? The man chosen
by God and confided in by the Israelites could not have acted so ;

64 THE DESCENT ON SINAI.

whatever he taught was the word of God, and all his thoughts were
for the safety of the Israelites, and when they sinned and deserved
utter annihilation, he offered himself to die, that they might escape.
Much had he to encounter, many difficulties had he to overcome ;
but he at length succeeded, and the descendants of Jacob confided in
him when alive, and wept for him when he was dead. Shall any
man in the present age dare to slander such a good, such a pious
man, call his words untruths, and his miracles deceptions ? Can it
be possible, that his contemporaries, who saw him act, who heard him
speak, should have confided in him, if he had been a deceiver ? And
that they did believe him, is evident, from our existence as a distinct
nation. For it cannot be denied by any human being that we exist
now ; nor, that we did exist in the days of Tacitus ; nor, that we
existed in the days of Ezra, nor previous thereto ; if we then proceed
to trace our origin backwards, we must, and so must even the most
obdurate doubter, arrive at the days of our blessed legislator, as the
time of our first becoming a nation, with peculiar manners and dis-
tinct laws. If this is true, (and there exists not the man, who can
disprove it,) then it is also true, that it would argue the grossest
ignorance of human nature, to believe, that one man unaided should
have been able to impose upon two successive generations, and that
he was unaided, cannot be denied. — Let us therefore rather believe,
that Moses was sent by God, (the ability of the Creator to do it can-
not be doubted,) to work those miracles, and that it was the word
of the living God which Moses taught !

fi5

CHAPTER XIll.

THE DECALOGUE.

Having in the preceding chapter enumerated the precepts con-
tained in the Decalogue, 1 hope to be excused, if 1 pause in my
argument relative to the divine origin of our law, and proceed to ex-
plain the Commandments themselves ; for 1 can assure my readers,
that if they once understand the true bearing of the Mosaic institu-
tions, they must confess either that Moses, more than any other man
who ever lived, united in himself the philosopher, legislator, and
governor, and that as such, he is entitled to be imitated and obeyed
from our own free choice ; or that his wisdom and power of mind
were given him for the special purpose mentioned in his books, by
the immediate inspiration of the Most High, that he merely copied
the words spoken to him, and therefore, Moses's laws (not Moses
himself) are to be obeyed implicitly, without our enquiring at every
turn : " Can 1 understand the reason of this or that particular pre-
cept ?" For since they are all and every one the emanations of the
will of God, they must be obeyed, though we be ignorant of the rea-
sons the Almighty had in giving these, to us mysterious, laws. This
point will be more clearly illustrated in a subsequent part of this
work, and I shall therefore commence, without further preface, with
the explanation* of the Decalogue.

Precept I. 1 am the Eternal thy God^ ivho have brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

Most, if not all Christian commentators, think this verse only a
kind of preamble to the Decalogue ; we Jews, however, take it to
be the first commandment. Its meaning is this : " You Israelites
have been in Egypt, and you were taken thence by a Power supe-
rior to man. I am that Power, lam the Eternal ; do not believe
that there are more persons in the Deity than one ; no, I am your

* For a more particular elucidation of the Decalogue than is here given, see
" Instruction in the Mosaic Religion," page 39 and seq.
9

66 THE DECALOGUE.

God, indivisible and all-powerful. Acknowledge me alone and none
esle. — Therefore,

Precept II. Thou shall have no other gods before me, <^c.
Since I have told you that there is no God besides me, it is un-
lawful for you to worship any thing else, no m^itev what its strength,
beauty, or wisdom, may be. But some one of you may think : " True,
I will not worship any other being, but the Eternal God ; but can I
do wrong, if I make myself a symbol, to remind me always of his
power ? I will make an image to represent God, and this image
shall admonish me of the greatness of my Creator ; I will look at the
sun, and prostrate myself before him, and adore the Creator by wor-
shipping the most powerful creature; the earth, through God's
bounty nourishing all mankind, shall be to me the emblem of his
goodness, and the pure flame, the emblem of his purity." — Therefore
do I command you, not to make yourselves any personification or
representation of the Deity, for I am incorporeal, you know not my
essence (Deut. iv.) ; and under what figure will you represent me,
since you have never seen me ? And then you will sin if you prostrate
yourselves before images and creatures, or pay them religious ado-
ration. No image can represent me, the light of the sun is darkness
compared to me, and the fire is impure compared to my holiness. —
But do not imagine, that because I am good, deviations from
my commandilients will have no serious consequences ; do not de-
ceive yourselves with such specious self-delusions, for I am careful
of my honour, and you will be punished if you act wrong ; and if
the son follow the sins of the father, if the grandson or great-grand-
son imitate his ancestors' apostacy, each will be punished, not alone
for his own sins, but receive also a share of the punishment his progeni-
tors have incurred for their wickedness. But do not think, that the
punishment for vice will be in a greater degree, than the reward for
virtue ; no — for I will do good even to the thousandth generation for
the virtuous actions of their ancestors, if they obey my words. You
will therefore be convinced, that though I will punish vice, I am yet
benevolent, and that 1 rather reward, than punish ; since the pun-
ishment for sin will be continued only to the fourth, whilst the
thousandth generation will be benefited by the virtue of the an-
cestors.

THE DECALOGUE. 67

Precept III. Thou shall not hear the name of the Eternal thy
God in vain, Sfc.

When you are called upon to testify to the truth of any thing, be
very careful how you call upon me to be a witness to your actions ;
no falsehood can I allow, nothing but truth will satisfy me, who am
the God of truth. Do not mention my name upon frivolous occasions,
for I am holy, I am your God, your Father, your Protector, you
must venerate me even in your words and thoughts ; do not therefore
mention my name, except when it becomes necessary, either to
asseverate any thing, the truth of which can be established solely
through your oath, or when addressing me in prayer. — 1 cannot suf-
fer any levity with my name, and will therefore punish every one,
who impiously uses it frivolously or falsely.*

Precept IV. Remember] the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, <^c.

I have commanded you to acknowledge me your God, and to ab-
stain from idolatry ; and I now further command you to set apart the
seventh day of every week for my service and your recreation, as I
abstained from work after I had created the world. But if you
should ask, what proof have we, that that Being who speaks to us
now, is the author of all 1 then will I advise you to remember, that
you have been slaves in Egypt, and that / conducted you thence.
Your redemption was brought about, as you remember, by my
changing the regular course of nature. The river was filled with
blood, instead of water; the land that formerly smiled with plenty,
and was as lovely as Eden, was visited with hail and locusts, in a
manner unheard of before ; and the country, where the sun always
shines bright, where a cloudy day is never known, was shrouded for
three days in impenetrable gloom. After you had left the land of
your affliction and had arrived near the Red Sea, you saw nothing
before you, but death in the troubled billows of the ocean, and

* The Jews never pronounce the name of God as it is written, and only the
priests were allowed to do so when they blessed the people, and the high-priest
during the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement. (See Yoma and the Musaph of
Kippur.)

t In the commentary on this precept, I have endeavoured to unite the ori-
ginal Decalogue (Exo. chap, xx.) with the recapitulation of it by Moses in Deut.
chap. V. — But these remarks are not my own discovery, since I am indebted for
them to my esteemed instructer. Rabbi Benjamin Cohen, to whom I owe also
several other remark^, of which I have made use without acknowledgment.

68 THE DECALOGUE.

naught behind you, but destruction from the countless host of Egypt ;
when all of a sudden the sea divided and piled itself up in two solid
walls. — Who wrought these wonders ? It was I the Eternal, who
have also redeemed you to be my people. Who, I ask you, can
change nature, but nature's Lord ? Who again is nature's Lord, but
nature's Creator? You must therefore acknowledge, that I your
God, who changed the natural course of events in Egypt, (and of this
you were all witnesses,) am nature's Lord, am nature's Creator. I
created the earth you stand on, the sea which surrounds you, and the
wide expanse of ether, in which the innumerable systems are fixed
and sustained by my will alone, in six days : I spoke, and all that
you see rose into existence ; but when I on the sixth day had finished
my creation, by making man, I ceased and made nothing more ; for
on the seventh day, after all had been produced from nothing, 1
added not the least to the system I had approved of on the sixth,
(Genesis i. and ii.) and I now fix it as a day of rest to be held
sacred, and to be strictly observed by the last descendants of your
nation, in remembrance of the creation of the world and your re-
demption from Egypt.

I moreover do not command the heads of families alone to rest,
but each member of your families, even your servants, nay even your
cattle — every thing shall rest on my Sabbath-day ; the voice of the
oppressor shall then be hushed, and the sigh of the bondman shall
not be called forth, but calmness, peace, and content shall, on that
day, reign amongst you. — You have no right to call this command-
ment hard and oppressive, to be compelled to rest one day out of
seven ; for I allow you six days, to do every thing you have to do ; I
do not restrain you from doing any lawful work in all this time ; but
having been employed six days in pursuits for the promotion of your
interest or amusement, you must dedicate one day to my service.
On that day you must visit the places where you can receive in-
struction in my laws, that you may know how to serve me. You
are also to abstain from labour, that by a suspension of your daily
toil, you may acquire fresh strength for renewed exertion in the
coming week. On that day your servant shall have leisure to think,
as well as his master, of their common Maker, and breathe more
freely than he can do on those days when he is engaged in his toil-
some task. Your rest shall be quiet ; no noise or shout of revelry

THE DECALOGUE. 69

must be heard in your streets, and not even slight work, which re-
quires no exertion, is allowed to be done. Remember it is the Sab-
bath ! Do not speak about business, make no bargains even by word
alone, and do not arrange plans of labour for the coming week ; but
abstract yourselves altogether from your usual occupations, devote
this day entirely to me, your God, and let the weekly day of rest
be a symbol to you of the day of bliss of the righteous, after they
have thrown off the covering of clay, when there is no care, no toil,
no grief, no tears, no master, no oppressor ; but where all is security,
peace and joy !

Precept V. Honour* thy father and mother^ <^c.

When hitherto, O children of Israel, I have spoken to you only of
things relating to my own service, I have now to reveal to you the
duties from man to man. The first of human beings, who claim the
attention, regard, and honour of each of you, are his father and
mother. Be careful in your behaviour towards them, honour them
while living, and do not slander their memory when they are dead ;
and although they are then not present to punish you, yet have I
given the judges amongst you power to punish with death that un-
grateful son, who curses his father or his mother. — Do not think
this punishment too severe, for he who can forget his duty towards
his father and mother, will soon neglect his duties towards God and
his fellow-men, and he does not, therefore, deserve to live. — Do fur-
ther treat both your parents alike. Though your father may chas-
tise you more than your mother, remember he is your father, that
his chastisements are intended for your benefit, to bring you by gen-
tle and well-timed punishment to an acknowledgment of your errors
and failings, and that, by correcting them, you may become better
and more worthy members of society, than if he, by ill-timed indul-
gence, be blind to your errors, and from mistahen affectioj* fail to
correct you. Be also careful of paying proper respect to your mo-
ther's commands. Though she may not always inflict punishment
when you deserve it, do not on that account grow indifferent about
obeying her ; consider she is your mother, and therefore, entitled
to your obedience no less, than your father. Ir^ short, honour your

* In Leviticus, chap. xix. v. 3, it says : " Each of you shall fear his mother and
father, and observe ray Sabbaths," for an explanation (the same as is given above)
see the commentary of Rabbi Solomon Yarchi, on this passage.

70 THE DECALOGUE.

father, although he chastise you, and fear your mother, though on
account of the benignity of female disposition, she be often too indul-
gent towards your failings.

1 have said that you should be punished for disobedience to your
parents ; but there is also reward destined for you, if you observe
this my commandment. Though I have said that father and mo-
ther are to be obeyed, yet must you never think yourselves at
liberty, to violate any of my commandments, because your parents
desire or even command it : no— they, no less than you, are my
creatures and my servants. — You, it is true, owe in a measure
your life to them ; but they and you live solely by my will, and
equally with yourselves they are bound to serve me. If therefore,
your father tells you to violate, for instance, the Sabbath, you must
disobey him, because obedience to him in that case, would be disobe-
dience to your God !

PnECErT VI. Thou shall not commit murder.

Not alone towards me and your parents have you certain duties
to fulfil, but also to your other fellow-mortals. Whatever has been
assigned by my providence or permission to your neighbour, or even
to your enemy, must be sacred in his possession. In the first place :
You shall take away no man's life, unless he aim at yours, and in
that case only when be has expressed his intentions so fully, that
there is no doubt of his willingness to do so, whenever he has an op-
portunity, and then only, if his death is the only means of saving
your or another person's life. At all events it is your duty to apply
to the judges, rather than to procure justice for yourselves by your
strong arm and violence. You are not allowed to maim any person
or do him any bodily mischief whatever. — You are not permitted to
lay violent hands upon yourselves, your lives are in my keeping, for
I have placed the soul in your body, and as men, therefore, you
can have no right to appear before my judgment-throne uncalled ;
but through whatever sufferings you have to pass, you must remain
on earth, and bear your misfortunes with fortitude ; for know, that
there is sufficient reward in my power to pay you for your patience
in enduring, and resignation in suffering ! Even in this life, you
see that I often reward constancy and patience ; and can I not repay
him a thousand -fold, who suffers with patience and dies resigned, be-
cause he thinks that by so doing he is serving me ?

I'HE DECALOGUE. 71

Precept VII. Thou shall not commit adultery.

Since the object of the promulgation of my commandments is to
secure in the most ample manner the security and peace of society,
I enjoin upon you to abstain from every act, which in the most
remote degree could injure the security and peace of the domestic
circle, or which could lead others to ruin, or bring them in the way
of sin. — You have heard, that the safety of your neighbour's life and
limb is dear to me ; but his home also must remain uninvaded by the
arts and wiles of the seducer. Permit him therefore to be gladdened
by the partner that has been assigned to him to share his earthly
toil, and who is the solace of his hours of woe, and the attentive
mother of his children; and rather rejoice, that your brother is so_^
blest. And reflect, how miserable he would be, if he discovers that
she, in whom he so fondly confided, has been untrue to her duty, and
bestowed her embraces upon a stranger. — Think how perhaps he
may become infuriated, and aim at the heart's blood of the destroyer
of his peace ; and that even, if the husband should not succeed in his
revenge, I the all-seeing One do not slumber, but will assuredly send
destruction unto him who is regardless of my precepts. — Further
you must know, that on no account can you be excused for inconti-
nent conduct. You have no right to lure any female from the path
of virtue to gratify your unholy desires, for all departures from the
rules of the strictest morality are odious to me. And O consider,
the state of misery to which the fallen, weak-minded and confiding
woman is exposed ! Spurned by friends, neglected by her lovers, and
an object of derision to every stranger, her very touch is pollution,
her breath is like the pestilence ! and she is rendered so only to
gratify the consuming passion of the ungodly lover of pleasure ; and
only when too late she curses herself and her immolator, when she
sees herself forsaken and despised, and dying prematurely, without
the voice of comfort to breathe consolation to her, when racked by
sickness and overwhelmed at the idea of appearing in judgment
before my awful throne ! — Let it therefore be your constant study,
ye children of Israel, to show to all the world the example of a holy
life, which I demand of you, and that you are deserving of the name
I gave you, when I said : " Israel is my first-born."

Precept VIII. Thou shalt not steal.

Whatever property any man has acquired is to remain his, unless

72 THE DECALOGUE.

Ij^for reasons known to me, deprive him of it, or he himself volunta-
rily resign it. You have no right to take even the smallest trifle,
which is not strictly and honestly your own. I have given a man
riches, and who should have the right to take it away from him by
force or stratagem, without offending me ? Does not 'the thief say
by his actions, that he knows better than myself, your God, how to
distribute my bounties ? But let not the rich man by carelessness
or design withhold from the poor labourer his wages, even for one
hour ; the poor man deserves to possess that, for which he has work-
ed, and to withhold it, therefore, is theft. — Let every man, who may
be appointed to the exalted station oi judge amongst you, be careful,
how he decides in disputed affairs laid before him for his decision.
Let him be careful to scan the evidence on both sides, and decide
impartially, unswayed by bribes, favour, partiality, compassion or
prejudice. Let him decide on the mere abstract question, " who is
right," and let him consider, that he is in a measure my representa-
tive on earth, and he must therefore, like myself, be strictly adhering
to what is right without the slightest deviation ; for if through neglect
or precipitancy a wrong verdict should be given by him, he robs
the party, against whom the wrong decision is made ; and the man
who has been appointed a guardian of the rights of the people, and
a defender of the oppressed, is no better than a prowling thief or a
high- way robber, Again, if the poor man come before a judge with
a complaint, he is to give an attentive hearing to the cause, though
the matter, for which the poor man seek redress, be but a trifle ! and
let him consider, that, what is to the wealthy man a trifle, may be
of great service to the poor ; and further, that I, the Eternal God,
watch with as much solicitude over the most abject wretch, as over
the king on his throne, and the judge shall for this reason also, con-
sider the ti'ifle of the poor as of equal importance, in point of right,
with the immense treasures of the rich man.

Precept IX. 21iou shalt not answer as a false witness against
thy neighbour.

Some one of you may say: " I will not murder my neighbour, I
will not seduce his wife, nor will I steal his property ; but he has
offended me, and since he is sued for a certain sum of money, which
in fact he does not owe, but if I give testimony against him, he will
be obliged to pay it ; 1 will not let this opportunity pass without

THE DECALOGUE. 7^^

making him feel my resentment." Let me admonish you all, not to
rob your neighbour in such an indirect manner, though no ultimate
benefit may result to you from such conduct. — If a man is upon his
trial for any crime, for which, if convicted, he is to suffer bodily
punishment, do not speak any thing as a witness against him, which
in any manner might be adverse to truth. On the contrary, when
you are obliged to give evidence, consider that you are standing
before your God, that every action, every word, of yours will be
noticed, never to be forgotten ; say nothing which is not strictly true
to the best of your knowledge ; but it is also obligatory upon you, to
say all you may happen to know, though it might injure your friend
and benefit your enemy, for it is your duty to speak out, and to show
favour to no man ; but let truth be ever your guide, and fear not the
consequences, for the more painful the duty, the greater the sacrifice
of personal feelings is : the greater must your merit be, the greater
also will be your reward !

Precept X. Thou shalt not covet <^c.

I have already told you, that you must not injure your neighbour
by conduct ; but in your own thoughts even you are not to meditate
him any injury, much less attempt to execute your thoughts ; for you
are not permitted to covet that which is not yours. Do not desire
to possess any thing belonging to any body else ; for if once you give
full sway to your desires, if but once you contemplate the means of
satisfying your wish, you have already committed the sin of tres-
pass by half. You will not long remain satisfied with desiring ;
but you will soon contrive means of getting the desired article in
your possession. Do therefore guard yourselves against covetous-
ness, and you will not have to struggle hard against temptation to
sin. Let your expectations be moderate, and less will satisfy you ;
desire little, and you will be content with the humble lot 1 may
assign to you ; envy not your neighbours, and you will be happy, if
they are happy, and feel heart-felt pleasure, if all around you are
affluent, honoured and beloved. And think not, that you will suffer
any loss by so doing ; for your own peace of mind will be accompa-
nied by the respect, love and gratitude of all good men, and by the
good will, grace and satisfaction of your Maker ! "

3.0

74

CHAPTER XIV.

THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH.

It will be self-evident to every one, who but glances at the Deca-
logue, that its precepts are the foundation of the whole Mosaic law.
If we search through all the statutes of this code, they can be traced
to one or more of the precepts of the Decalogue ; and thus it will be
seen, that though but ten commandments were made known to the
Israelites without a mediator, it may yet be said that all the re-
maining civil, moral, and ceremonial ordinances are contained and
comprehended in them, and it may therefore be maintained, that to
a certain extent the whole law was communicated to the whole Is-
raelitish nation. — As an illustration of this let us consider the duties
towards iGrod, as we find them detailed in Deuteronomy, in connection
vf'iih. ihQ first precept.

If it is once solemnly impressed upon our minds that we owe our
being and our preservation to the Almighty Creator, who liveth for
everlasting, and who reigneth through all eternity, we must be im-
pressed with feelings of awe at his greatness, with sentiments of ad-
miration at his wisdom, and with gratitude for his kindness and
mercy. All this will lead us to adore and love this great Being,*
who shows us kindnessf when we act righteously ; defends us from
danger and injury, when we are menaced ;J and forgives us our
transgressions, when we repent of our errors.|| Have we. thus es-
tablished the love of God in our hearts, we will naturally desire to
do something, by which we can manifest our love, and to let our
feelings be displayed in our actions. But as we can neither injure
God by our misconduct, nor benefit him by any thing we can accom-
plish, since He is so far elevated above us in power and beatitude :
we can do nothing else in requital of his goodness, we can show our
love in no other manner, save by listening with profound attention

* Deut. chap. vi. v. 5. t Ibid, cliap. vii. v. 9.

X Ibid. chap, xxiii. v. 15. || Ibid. chap. xxx. v. 2 and 3.

THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH. 75

to his instruction,* which is contained in the revelation He has given,
and regulating our lives by the records of his will.

This idea is beautifully illustrated in the tenth chapter of Deuter-
onomy, commencing at the twelfth verse. There is not perhaps in
the whole Bible, though full of p^assages strikingly grand for their
beauty and force, not another passage more calculated to awaken
religious awe in the soul of man, than the one we are speaking of.
It places before our eyes the relative position which man bears to
his Maker in the strongest light. God is exhibited as the greatest
conceivable being, in possession of the immensity of space, and of
every thing animate and inanimate contained therein ; man among
this infinity is almost nothing ; and still he is told, that his case,
his life, and his wants are objects of importance to the Deity, from
whom nothing is hidden, be it ever so insignificant. Further, that
obedience, love of God, and justice and kindness towards others, are
deeds which will propitiate the favour of the infinite One, and that
this exhibition of piety is a thing desired of man. Who will not now
be willing, so to say, to oblige the Creator 7 who would withhold
obedience, when man can gain so great a prize by it 1 But I need
not comment on a passage so very lucid in itself, and will present it
therefore entire to the reader, and let him compare it with the idea
advanced, that through the whole Bible the same chain of thoughts
and precepts is continually kept in view.

Moses had been reminding the Israelites in a preceding part of the
address he held to them a short time before his death, of the many
benefits they had received from God, and hov/ often He had par-
doned their sins ; and then proceeded to say :

" And now, O Israel ! what does the Eternal, thy God, ask of thee,
but to fear Him, the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to
love Him, and to serve Him, the Lord thy God, with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul ; to observe the commandments of the Lord,
and his statutes, which I command thee this day, that thou mayst
fare well. — Behold the heaven, and the heaven of heavens belong to
the Eternal thy God, also the earth, and all that is upon it. Only in
thy ancestors did the Lord find pleasure, and He therefore chose
their descendants after them, namely you, from all the nations, as
you see this day. Lay then aside all wickedness of heart, and be no

* Deut. chap. X, v. 12.

76 THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH.

longer stubborn and disobedient. For the Eternal, your God, is the
God of gods, and the Lord of lords ; the great, the mighty, and the
terrible God, who respecteth no face, and receiveth no bribe ; who
righteth the orphan and the widow, and loveth the stranger, to give
him food and clothes. And love you the stranger^ for you yourselves
have been strangers in Egypt. — The Eternal thy God thou shalt
fear, Him thou shalt serve, to Him thou shalt adhere, and by his
name thou shalt swear ; He is thy Glory, and He is thy God, who has
done for thee these great and wonderful things, which thy own eyes
have seen."

If we mortals now only considered how much we owe to God,
that He not alone gave us existence, but also a law, to make this
existence benejicial to ourselves : should we not of our own accord^
and even without the certainty of punishment for transgression, be
diligent in the study of his law, careful in the observance of his sta-
tutes, in short dedicate our whole life to his glory 1 And how are
we commanded to act 1 To imitate God in his acts of mercy, as far
as we can. Is He merciful? so shall we be too — Is He good to all
mankind ? so shall our love to the human race be universal, and not
confined to any particular sect — Does He show us benevolence with-
out any possibility of remuneration ? so ought our charity to be, pro-
ceeding from feelings of love, pity, and goodness of heart, but should
never be practised for the sake of fame or reward — Does He teach
the world how to act rightly ? so shall we also be ever ready to dif-
fuse the knowledge of truth and of our holy law ; i?i fine, to be
loving God and be perfect means to practise universal charity !
How then can the freethinker, or even the atheist, ridicule our law
as superstitious and injurious to society, when he sees the love of
the stranger and the protection of those who need our protection,
enjoined at the same time with the observance of the ceremonial
law (statutes of God) ? Let me tell him, that we think not that man
good, who says his prayers at the appointed time, is a regular attend-
ant at the place of worship, but is unmindful of the duties towards
man ; but only him we call a good and pious man, who besides being
a devout observer of the laws relating to the worship of God alone,
is also a philanthropist, and protects the orphan, is kind to the wi-
dow, comforts the distressed, is charitable as far as lies in his power
to the poor, and is liberal, and just, and forgiving to the affluent. — I

THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH. 77

cannot stop to quote passages for every part of the foregoing asser-
tions, since the Mosaic law is so replete with exhortations and in-
junctions on these points, that they are to be met with in almost
every chapter ; it is moreover my hope that every one, who reads
this defence, may be induced to read the Pentateuch through with
profound attention, and long quotations can be of but little use, not to
say tiresome, to most readers.

If we take the foregoing in connection with the five last precepts
of the Decalogue, it will be apparent, that our law is very careful
in guarding the rights of every person of the community, from the
chief of the nation down to the humble stranger who has no perma-
nent dwelling. The rights of every individual are so well defined,
that no misunderstanding can take place. — When we yet had a
government of our own, every man was in fact upon an equality with
the most exalted of the nation, and the governors were raised to
the dignity they possessed only by the choice or consent of their
fellow-citizens. The Israelites exercised the right of meeting in
primary assemhliesj without permission of government, and of discuss-
ing public matters, also of petitioning their governors for the redress
of grievances, long before a republican constitution of that kind was
known amongst other nations. (See 1st Kings, chap, xii.) Every
Jew was eligible to any office he was capable of filling, with the
exception of the service at the altar, and the watches in the temple,
and singing whilst the sacrifices were offered. But even here the
Israelites proper had a share, as well as the priests and the Levites.
For besides the twenty -four divisions of the two latter, there were
representatives chosen from among all Israel, who, being likewise
divided in twenty-four companies, were obliged to stand by, whilst
the sacrifices were going forward These men were selected from
the most wise and virtuous, and were called ID^^D ^m^ {Anshay
mangamahd). — Although none but the male Levites were allowed
to sing the psalms in the temple, yet were the Israelites, and even
females, permitted to accompany the singers with instrumental
music. So that even in the temple worship and the sacrifices, each
of the three divisions had their particular rights assigned to them,
which were on no account to he invaded or usurped hy the other.

It has been intimated, that the institutions of the republic of the
North American confederacy are of modern invention ; but this can-

78 THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH.

not be admitted as altogether founded on fact, for the Mosaic code
was evidently intended to form a republic of freemen, who were all
equally entitled to protection from the government. The govern-
ment of the Jews was in the strictest sense of the word a government
of laws, and not of arbitrary rule. It is true, our constitution is
not the work of the people themselves ; but then it has that advantage
over every other yet invented, that its laws have never, to this very
day, required the slightest amendment or repealing, as it is well
known, that the wisdom of every precept it contains has been proved
by the experience of every age. It is almost needless to compare
our laws with those of the other nations of antiquity, for none of
them ever enjoyed any rational liberty ; and besides it is, if I do not
err, universally admitted, that truly free governments have only been
formed among nations, who enjoyed, at least to a certain extent, the
light of revelation. And the late French revolution proves, more
than any argument I can adduce, that no nation can he free, which
has not a proper respect for the Mosaic code; and the virtuous republic
of Switzerland as clearly demonstrates, that a people truly regardful
of the word of God must ever be free, for a thorough knowledge of it
is the best safeguard any nation can devise for the upholding of its
liberty and the crushing of tyranny, whenever it should dare to rear
its dreadful and blighting head. — But without religion liberty soon
degenerates into phrensied licentiousness, and instead of a govern-
ment founded on reason and equal rights, despotism and the spirit
of faction will govern the land with a bloody sceptre and unrelenting
oppression !

Though properly speaking it does not belong to a defence of our
law to describe our judiciary system ; yet can I not refrain from
inserting a few particulars in relation thereto. — Money matters were
decided by arbitrators, chosen by the parties themselves, each
appointing one, and these two selecting a third ; and these three,
thus chosen, pronounced judgment ; but appeal could be taken, or
rather contested points of lav/ and equity could be carried before the
high' court or Sanhedrin of seventy-one in Jerusalem. In matters of
corporeal punishment, or trials for life and death, the number of
judges was twenty-three, and if there v/as but a majority of one vote
for finding the criminal guilty, he was forthwith to be set free, as a
division oi thirteen to ten was necessary for the conviction and con-

THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH. 79

demnation of tlie accused. If a man was once condemned, his sen-
tence could be revised to save him from death ; but if a man was once
acquitted, though there should afterwards have been found the most
positive evidence of his guilt, he could not be tried again for the
same offence.*

We thus find some of the provisions of the laws of the American
republic practised already three thousand years ago. — Every con-
tested point of law of whatever description, civil, criminal, or cere-
monial, was finally decided upon by the Sanhedrin, and their
decision was to be strictly obeyed* (SeeDeut. chap. xvii. v. 11.) To
establish any cause, it was necessary to produce at least two lawful
witnesses, who were obliged to testify as to the fact, that they had
seen it, and forewarned the person who committed the act, previously
to his doing so, or admonished him to desist while engaged in the
supposed crime. They were interrogated separately, so that one
should give no clue to the other ; in this way any discrepancy in the
testimony must have been easily detected, in which case, if the dif-
ference was a material one, the accused was acquitted. In case the
witnesses could be convicted of having offended against the ninth
precept of the Decalogue, they were to be punished with the same
ppiishment the person by them accused would have suffered if he had
been convicted; and no pardon durst be extended to false witnesses
(Deut. chap. xix. v. 21). — No man could act as judge, if he had
seen any crime committed, or in money matters, if he was capable
of giving testimony for or against either party ; even the president
of the Sanhedrin, emphatically called ^/iejw<i«-e (chief justice), could
not sit on the bench, but was obliged to give his evidence before the
inferior judges ; so that every case must necesarily have had a fair
hearing, and every man accused of crime an impartial trial.

1 have said that no rational liberty was enjoyed by any heathen
people, and thinking that some proof may be required of me for this

* Exodus, chap, xxiii. v. 7, we read : }^V}^ pHlfS^ ^S O Jinn Si^ p^"!2f1 ^pJI
"And him, who has been once declared innocent and righteous, thou shalt not
slay, for I will not suffer the wicked to go unpunished." This verse is under-
stood by us to refer to a person, who has been tried and acquitted, as it would
be unnecessary to forbid the murdering of the innocent and righteous in general;
besides the conclusion of the verse is a strong argument in favour of the above
given translation.

so THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH.

bold and unqualified assertion, I shall take the liberty of comparing
a few points of Solon's laws, which are, I believe, the most liberal
of the ancient systems, with those of Moses, whose fate it has been
to be so much cried down and denounced. Every liberal man will
agree with me, that it is dangerous to entrust one class of men with
particular privileges over any other class of the same community, or
to use the figurative language of a great philosopher and statesman*
now dead, " to provide the backs of one class of the community with
saddles, that they may be ridden by the more favoured class." — If
Solon's laws had this tendency, then I hope, that their superiority
over our laws will no longer be asserted by any man, whose boast it
is to be the supporter of universal liberty and equality of rights. ^

I shall not waste much space and time in investigating the sub-
ject at any great length, but shall content myself with picking up a
few facts, as I find them related in GilHes' Greece (vol. ii. p. 93
and 94). He says, the Athenians were divided into four classes ac-
cording to the property they possessed, and that the lowest class,
though they had a right to vote in the popular assemblies, yet could
never become members of the senate or Areopagus, or hold any ma-
gistracy whatever. Now let me ask, what great use was the power
of voting to the commons, when the senators had the extraordinary
authority of deciding what business should be laid before the popular
assemblies ? And had they not the right of convoking these very
assemblies 1 Then again the senators had the power of passing
laws, which were in force for a whole twelvemonth, without ever
consulting the people at all about them ; they possessed the chief
part of the executive power ; their president had the custody of the
archives and treasury ; the senate alone could build ships, equip
fleets and armies, and seize and confine state criminals ; and to
crown all, they could examine and punish several offences, ivhich
were not prohibited by any positive law ! — I am not disposed to '
pursue the subject any further, not being engaged in writing a disser-

* The late President Jefferson in his letters to Mr. Weightman. Since the
text was written, however, the author of these pages has seen a statement, that
these emphatic words had been originally employed by Richard Rumbold, who
was executed for a participation in the Rye-house plot, under James II. of Eng-
land, in 1685. Having quoted the words under an impression that they were
original with President Jellerbon, this correction was considered necessary.

THE JEWISH COMMONWEALTH. 81

tation on the Athenian laws ; but let me respectfully ask all Ameri-
cans, who have so justly a great horror of all ex post facto laws and
constructive treason, how they would like to have their representa-
tives in congress invested with power to examine and punish offences
not prohibited by any particular law? — Away then with the cant
of these men, who prefer Solon's laws to Moses's code,* solely be-
cause Solon was a Greek and Moses a Hebrew, and claimed no
merit for those excellent laws, made known through him, because
he said, and said truly, that they were not the fruit of his own in-
vention, but the expression of the will of God ! I had thought, that
the world had grown too liberal and too enlightened to act so fool-
ishly from ignorance ; to what cause then are we to ascribe that
silly praising of the Greek and Roman legislators and the rancorous
abuse of the Jewish code ] Is it malice ? Hatred towards the Jews
and aversion towards their laws ? Though this may perhaps be an
excuse to individuals belonging to other nations, what can be said in
exculpation of those our own people, who act the parricide by ridi-
culing Moses and despising his code 1 It must be considered equally
improper, as for a person to be pleased with every thing abroad,
and to find fault with every thing at home, solely because it is at
home. And it may be likened to the conduct of fretful and too much
indulged children, who spurn every endearment of their own mother,

* Fault has been found with the Pentateuch for containing so many penal
statutes, where life was the forfeit. Tliis objection can weigh nothing in the
mind of the thinking. For when a law is known and well understood and its
practice uniform, the criminal cannot blame the law, but only himself for disre-
garding it ; and then the punishment of death was only against crimes of the
deepest die ; and if it is wrong to punish such crimes with death, it is equally
wrong to punish them with imprisonment ; and are criminals to run at large
unchecked by the arm of the law ? — Besides this, the practice of the Jewish
code, was any thing but sanguinary, as will appear from Maccothe, chap. i. §.
10, where it says : "A Sanhedrin which slays once in seven years is called a
destructive one ; Rabbi Elazar son of Azariah said, once in seventy years ; Rabbi
Tarfone and Rabbi Akiba said, if we had been in the Sanhedrin, no man would
ever have been executed. Thereupon, said Rabbi Shimone, son of Gamaliel,
men such as these would have caused the increase of murderers in Israel." This
characteristic extract must convince all, how great the clemency was, which
was exercised in our com'ts ; so much so, as to cause one of our greatest men to
say, that this lenity, if carried further, would have emboldened criminals through
the impunity shown to others, who had been on their trials.
11

82 THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM.

but are pleased to excess with the most useless and trifling toy from
the hands of a stranger. — But is such conduct becoming men and
philosophers, who say they search for truth ? Shame ! shame 1
remember that you have not all the wisdom and all the knowledge
to yourselves, and you would therefore do well to draw some lessons
from that book, which confessedly contains the best code of laws,
ever devised for the government of mankind.

CHAPTER XY.

THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM.

It has of late grown fashionable among some of the learned menv
to assign a high moral character to the Greek and Roman mytho-
logy ; and even the Guebers have come in for a share of the white'
washing process. It has always been believed, that the latter were
the worshippers of the sun and fire ; but wonderful to relate, it has
been discovered, how long ago I know not, that they did not wor-
ship the fire as a deity, but only prayed to it as a symbol of the Cre-
ator of the sun and fire, in the same manner as the Roman Catholics
yet have image-worship amongst them, in which images are only
considered as remembrancers of God's power. How far the Guebers
were actually acquainted with the attributes, which revelation
ascribes to the Creator, I indeed cannot tell, for my knowledge of
antiquity (and I confess it without the least hesitation) is very
limited. But it appears to me very strange, that the opinion should
have been general for so long a time, that the Guebers in reality
worshipped the fire, and this at times, when they were masters of
Persia, if the contrary were true. Moreover we are told by Mr.
Rollin and others, that the Persians believed in a good and evil god,
and consequently, their idea of the Creator could not have been that

THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM. 83

which the Jews, or even the philosophers themselves, call rational.
The Hindoos also are praised for the simplicity and antiquity of their
faith, and we hear a great deal concerning their sacred books.
However, according to a late writer, (Mrs. Graham's* Letters on In-
dia,) they believe : " That the creation of the gods is coeval with
that of the world ; and when the Supreme Intelligence called the
universe into being, he delegated to the gods the creation of man-
kind, and the formation and government of all mundane objects.
Brahma, the creating energy, with Vishnu, the preserver, and Siva,
the destroyer, were the greatest of the deities." There is a good
deal more about the Indian deities in the letters referred to, but
what has been quoted already, is sufficient for our purpose. From
the extract just given, it appears, that if it even be admitted, that
the Indians believe in a Supreme Intelligence, and consequent Creator
of all, they have nevertheless a very crude notion of the government
of this world by this Supreme Intelligence. We Jews believe, that
God created the world, governs it, and preserves it ; that there is no
power independent of his will, that every power, even that power
superior to man, is accountable to Him, and to Him alone, praised be
He for everlasting ! This belief presents to our idea an adorable
Being, who, though superior in intelligence, power, and happiness
to aught which exists, yet disdains not to watch over the welfare of
his creatures. The enlightened Indians, on the other hand, believe
that the creation of the world was intrusted to mere creatures (for
their gods are [as above] creatures of the Supreme Intelligence), of
which creating creatures, one is the creator, the other the preserver,
and the third the destroyer ; a pretty trio, truly ! The creator (see
the sequel of Mrs. G.'s letters) Brahma has withdrawn from the
government of what he made himself; and the preserver Vishnu, is
hardly capable of saving things from the destructive power of the
destroyer Siva, who, strange to tell, is also considered as the repro-
ducer. There may be, no doubt, a hidden and rational meaning to
all this, which appears evidently a strange mixture of truth and fa-
ble ; but it is useless to extract the beauties of heathenism in this
place, and, however instructive it might perhaps be, I am compelled
to resign the task to those, who so much admire the system of the

* Her account is confirmed by others ; I quoted her book as the only accessi-
We one to me, wlien this work was written.

84 THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM.

Brahmins, and though delighting in the obscure allegories of Indian
mythology, reject as unwise the obvious beauties of the Mosaic and
prophetic writings. And if even they should succeed in making
matters appear rational, we Jews would still continue to point to the
book of our blessed law-giver, and exclaim : " Look at this wonderful
work ." We also must ever continue to prefer the doctrines and re-
ligion taught therein to any other system, since the Mosaic code is
so much more explicit, than the law of any other nation, and as re-
ligion, to be useful, should be intelligible and accessible to the
ploughman, who cultivates the soil, no less than to the philosopher
and public teacher, to whom, alas ! worldly interest is frequently the
sole monitor to induce them to practise outward piety.

That the Brahmins have also what they term sacred writings,
which however have evidently no divine origin, proves nothing
against the authenticity of the Mosaic writings, which also claim a
divine origin ; as the very excellence of the latter, their great sim-
plicity, the sublime conceptions contained therein with regard to the
Deity, prove, beyond a doubt, their pre-eminence over the former, and
consequently, Moses may have been a truly inspired man, and writing
by divine direction, if even no other man ever was ; and in fact, the
very claim any thing sets up to divine origin can only be tested, by
its agreeing or disagreeing with the standard of the Pentateuch.
So well were the authors of the sacred books of the Israelite con-
vinced of this, that they in no place seek to hide the existence of
false, or pretended, prophets. We are even told that there existed in
one assembly more than four hundred deceivers and but one who
was a prophet of the Eternal. Besides, as the great miracle of the
promulgation of the law was no doubt made known to the inhabit-
ants of the East by the ships of Solomon, which traded to Ophir, it
is highly probable, that some deceiver, residing there, conceived the
plan of offering something to his countrymen which they should
obey as an emanation from Heaven, and so it may have happened,
that truth in the first instance was made the instrument for the pro-
pagation of falsehood. As I have said before, my acquaintance with
matters of antiquity is not sufficiently extensive to enable me to de-
termine the age of the writings of the Brahmins ; I however do not
recollect ever to have read or heard, that it could ever be assumed,
that they were of as early a date as the Pentateuch, and it may

THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM. 85

therefore be actually as I have suggested. Nevertheless, I offer
my own hypothesis with extreme caution, and 1 hope not to be
called presumptuous, for daring to venture offering an opinion, which
may perhaps have never been suggested before.

The Greeks and Romans, too, had a religion, acknowledging the
existence of God, and claiming an obedience to the divine will. But
how different was this from the law which has been given to us. Of
the Creator they had but a confused idea, and Ovid, one of the most
learned Romans, said in one of his poems :

" Sic ubi dispositam, quisquis fuit ille deorum,
Congeriem secuit." Metam. i. 32, 33.

Meaning, that a God, whoever he might be, ordered the chaos, as
Ovid describes. The poet was well convinced that the gods, commonly
worshipped by the Romans, were unable to produce the world, and
order every thing as it exists ; hence his uncertainty, and his " quis-
quis fuit ille deorum," yet he knew not what to call him, or what
station to assign to him amongst the immense number of the deities
acknowledged by his countrymen.

Jupiter is generally called pater omnipotence; and yet he also
appears to have been obliged to submit to inexorable fate, and thus
the greatest deity of the Romans had a superior power to direct him,
whose decrees could not be disobeyed. For thus says Virgil, (and
he had certainly the best means of information on all subjects con-
nected with his belief,) in the first book of the ^Eneid :

" Trojae qui primus ab oris

Italiam, fato profugus, Lavinia venit
Litora." 1 — 3.

Again :

"Parce metu, Cytherea, manent immota tuorum
Fata tibi." 257—8.

All the supreme power of Jupiter, therefore, seems to have consisted
in his knowing, more than any other god, what the fates had decreed.
Homer, in the begining of the eighth book of the Iliad, introduces
Jupiter in the act of consulting the fates, to whom they had decreed
the victory, and thus even he was compelled to consult a mightier
being than himself— chance or fate — to enable him to know how to
act correctly. — Here are the words of Homer as translated by Mr.
Pope:

86 THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM.

" But when the sun the height of heaven ascends^
The sire of gods his golden scales suspends
With equal hand; in these explored the fate
Of Greece and Troy, and poised the mighty weight.
Pressed with its load, the Grecian balance hes
Low sunk on earth, the Trojan strikes the skies."

Independently of this mystery, there are many other considera-
tions to compel us to consider the Greek and Roman religion im-
measurably beneath ours ; for their deities were, even by them, not
viewed in a very favourable light, and both Homer and Virgil have
given us some specimens of the life of the immortals. — The greatest
praise Homer ever bestows upon Juno, is his calling her " white-
armed, or large-eyed, (ox-eyed rather,) elegant Juno," and the like ;
and Virgil, in the first book of the iEneid, describes Venus :

" Dixit, et avertens rosea cervice refulsit,
Ambrosiseque comas divinum vertice odorem
Spiravere ; pedes vestis defluxit ad imos;
Et vera incessu patuit dea." 202 — 5.

Here no one finds the gods known by any thing but their superior
beauty, white arms, large eyes, broad neck, handsome hair, a long
robe, and to sum up all in the strongest 'possible manner, the very gait
proved the goddess! Wonderful ! And this is all, for no superior intelli-
gence, no power beyond that of mortal men, is ever displayed ! But
how great is the difference between Virgil's story of the recognition of
Venus by her son, and the simple, yet sublime, account of the angel's
appearance to Manoah and his wife, where he (the angel) went up
in the flame just ascending from the altar, and did wonders, which
Manoah and his wife witnessed. (See Judges chap, xiii.)

What kind of life was led by the Grecian gods, according to the
poets, may be inferred from some of the concluding lines of the first
book of the Iliad. — Vulcan is there represented, as pouring out
nectar, first to his own white-armed mother, and next to the whole
multitude of the gods ; but the lame smith did not get much reward
for his pains, for

" Vulcan with awkward grace his office plies,
And unextinguished laughter shakes the skies."

Pope's Transl.

There was, moreover, continual strife between Juno and Venus ;
Jupiter and his wife frequently quarrelled, and some hard names

THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM. 87

were given from one to the other ; the father of the gods was very
jealously watched by his spouse, and he was hardly allowed to let a
visiter come to him, without exposing himself to an altercation.

Now see the difference between the Bible's and the Greek wri-
ters' account of the Divinity. For the God of Israel is always re-
presented, throughout the Jewish canon, as a great, immaculate, and
perfect Being ; whereas the Greek and Roman gods had all the vices
of the Greeks and Romans themselves. Jupiter was confessedly
very viciousl)^ mclined, and practised vice whenever he could ; and
the story of Venus and Mars is certainly not very creditable to them
or to the circle of gods, among whom such conduct was not alone
tolerated, but even approved. Homer's gods are ranged against one
another in battle, and Mars, the brutal god of war, receives a wound
from Diomede, and the god retires to Olympus, and complains to
father Jove about the wickedness of the Grecian hero.

What must have been the state of religion amongst the people,
when they were told the like of their gods, images of whom were
stuck in every nook and corner of their houses ? Is it a wonder that
the Greeks and Romans at length fell to the lowest state of moral
depravity 1 Is it not in this manner easily accounted for, that the
very temples of Vesta, Minerva, and Diana became at last places of
prostitution ? — It may be, and there is hardly any doubt of it, that ori-
ginally there was some reasonable foundation for the mythology of
the ancients — it may be that all the tales about the lives of the gods
were only allegorical allusions to some acts, committed by men — it
may be that the multiplicity of gods among them, was only emble-
matical of the universality of the Almighty's providence — it may be
that the light of revelation originally given to Adam and Noah was
never altogether extinguished, and that it continued to emit now and
then a luminous ray, though ever so feeble — all this, and more may
be said, and said with truth ; but that does not in the least controvert
what has been said above ; for if we even admit that heathenism was
truth disguised, it must nevertheless be self-evident, that this dis-
guised truth could have been known to the priests only, perhaps to
the Pontifex maximus alone ; but the multitude, those upon whom
religion ought always to exercise its chief and best influence, did,
(as may be boldly asserted) know nothing of their gods, save, and
only that, which was taught them in Homer and other similar books.

88 THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM.

We therefore find the banefiil influence of paganism upon the morals
of the people to be so dreadful and almost surpassing belief; we find
the Greek and Romans in their very acts, of what they called reli-
gious exercises, practising the most odious profligacies ; they were
corrupt, but they did justify this corruption by the practices of their
gods. I could, if I but would, transcribe some of those practices,
but I win not stain my paper with their recital, and must therefore
refer the curious to the works of Homer and Virgil themselves.
Having said thus much I must beg every learned unbeliever to point
out to me one single passage in the whole twenty-four books of our
canon of a similar tenor. And for all that, these learned infidels can
ask with an air of exultation : " Who can prefer the psalms of David
to Homer ?" O there are many that do, and they are at the same
time ready to admit, that they never could praise Homer half as
much as he is generally praised. For this very good reason ; Aga-
memnon, Menelaus, Achilles, and Ajax Telamon are complete ruf-
fians, uttering perhaps at times some pretty phrase, which they
never could have spoken, and Odysseus is one of those dishonest
politicians, those crafty intriguers, the Uke of whom so much disfi-
gure the pages of modern history. There can indeed be but little ob-
jection to paint mce and barbarity in their true colours, provided they
are held up to our detestation : but not such is Homer's aim ; every
epithet intended to express greatness and preeminence, from godlike
down to quick-footed, is lavished upon these heroes, and thus he
seems at least to approve of the conduct of the barbarians, whose
deeds he recounts. And then, there is hardly a good character in
all Homer, if you except the noble Hector and the wise Nestor. —
The Greeks had further as many gods and demigods as they had
ancient kings, modern heroes, and — trees in their forests ! What
kind of religion is that, where the augurs looked at the flight of
birds, and the haruspices inspected carefully the entrails of the
slaughtered ox, before an army could march, or before a battle
could be fought 1 — -How much more elevated is the idea, that
through prophecy alone, made known to the high-priest by holy
inspiration, the Israelites marched out to attack their invaders.*

* The reader will please to refer to Essay III. for a further account of the
practices of war amongst the Israelites, where he will find some arguments to
prove that war was not an occupation of theirs.

THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM. 89

After our ancestors had come in sight of the enemy, the priest,
who always accompanied the army, but never fought, was to speak
as follows (Deut. chap, xx.) : " Hear, O Israel, you approach this
day to battle against your enemies ; let not your hearts faint, fear
not, tremble not, and be not cast down, because of them ; for it is
the Eternal, your God, who goeth with you, to fight with you
against your enemy, to save you" (from danger) ! When the priest
had finished his address, the officers made the following proclama-
tion : " Whoever there is among you who has espoused a woman,
built a house, or planted a vineyard, or who is fearful and faint-
hearted, let him return home." In this manner every one, who by
some worldly cause was particularly attached to life, every one, who
was naturally a coward, every one, who, from the compunctions of
a sinful conscience, felt himself unable to enter into the front ranks
of the fight, fearing that he should die in battle in punishment of his
sins — all these, I say, were admonished to go and return home, for
not the muliitude gain the victory, but those who, though few in
number, are men, whose " knees have never knelt to Baal, and
whose mouth has never kissed him." (See the account of Gideon's
battle, Judg. chap, vii.) Our religion was thus intended to prove
to us that to be victorious we must first deserve to be so ; and to
conquer the heathens, we should by superior virtue and greater
reliance upon God deserve his assistance.

In fine, whatever hidden, and to Jews unknown, beauties the Greek
and Roman rites may have had, our religion would stigmatise as
superstition, and as such all the ceremonies of the Roman augurs,
Tuscan soothsayers, and Greek oracles were prohibited to us. (See
the 18th chap, of Deut.) — I hope to have, in the few foregoing
words, said enough to demonstrate, that without even calling in the
aid of revelation, our religion is, upon grounds of human reason
also, more sublime, more sacred, than the creeds of all nations of
antiquity taken together.

I have heard it said that it is highly probable that Moses borrow-
ed his doctrines and laws from the Egyptians, with whose customs
he was intimately acquainted. But this assertion, though generally
and very confidently brought forward, can be refuted by a single
passage from Leviticus, a book, allowed even by the most malig-
nant critics, to be of undoubted antiquity. We read (Lev. chap.
12

90 THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM.

xviii.) : " And the Eternal spoke unto Moses as follows : Speak
unto the children of Israel and say unto them, 1 am the Eternal
your God. You shall not do such things as are done in the land of
Egypt, in which you have resided; nor shall you act after the man-
ners of the land of Canaan, whither 1 am bringing you, nor shall
you walk in their ordinances."

Here Moses speaks as explicitly as possible, prohibiting the imita-
tion of Egyptian customs ; how can any man, who wishes not to be
considered a maniac, then say, that Moses at the same time copied
Egyptian customs and forbade their execution ? The idea is too
absurd, and must, therefore, be rejected by every fair-reasoning
man ; and where is the man who, after this, can deny that Moses's
law is altogether original, and altogether unconnected with any
code either known before or after him?

I have said that the Psalms of David are preferable to Homer ; and,
to exhibit the justice of the preference, I shall transcribe the follow-
ing two passages, the first from the eighth, and the other from the
eighteenth psalm :

" O Eternal God, our Lord, how powerful is thy name in all the
earth ! who placest thy glory above the heavens. Out of the
mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast established thy reign, to
confound thine opponents, to quiet the enemy, and him who seeketh
vengeance. When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy hands,
the moon and the stars which Thou hast founded ; — what is man,
that Thou rememberest him ? and the son of Adam, that Thou
regardest him 1 And Thou hast made him a little less (gifted) than
angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou hast
given him dominion over the works of thy hands, and hast placed
all things under his feet; sheep and oxen— all, and also the beasts of
the field, the birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea,— and he
passes through the ways of the ocean ! O Eternal God, our Lord,
how great is thy name in all the earth !" Psalm viii.

" In my distress I called upon the Eternal, and prayed to my God,
and He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before
Him — to his ears.

" And the earth shook and trembled, and the foundations of the
mountains were loosened, and they quaked, for He was angry.
Smoke rose out of his nostrils, fire blazed out of his mouth, coals

THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM. 91

were kindled from it. And He bent the heavens, and went
down, and a cloud of darkness was under his feet. And He
rode upon a Cherub, and flew along, and rushed by upon the
wings of the wind. And He shrouded himself in darkness, around
his pavilion ; dark waters, clouds piled upon clouds ! From the
light before Him passed through his clouds hail and coals of fire.
And the Eternal thundered in heaven, and the Most High let his
voice resound ; — hail and coals of fire. He sent forth his arrows,
and scattered them ; — and mighty lightning, and confounded them ;
and the channels of the waters were seen, and the foundations of
the universe laid bare, from thy call, O Eternal, from the breath-
ing of the breath of thy anger !" Psalm xviii. v. 6, dec.

The extract from the eighteenth psalm is particularly strikingly
grand. He (David) describes the power of the incomprehensible
God, whose word is sufficient to prostrate all before Him in ruins ;
He is shrouded in darkness, but light, or rather intense brightness,
(njj) is immediately around Him : there all is light, all is glory,
all is gladness ; only to man, whilst he is yet mortal, is the Deity
clothed in the thick cloud, that rests at his feet. But the flashes of
the lightning, the rolling of the thunder, the rattling of the hail, the
scalding streams of lava, the burning coals from the volcanos — all
proclaim to us his might and his power. He but speaks and the
earth trembles ; He but breathes and mountains are split in twain.
But does it cost Him any effort, any great exertion ? O no, all this
happens i?)^ nn HDl^i^JD " from the breathing of the breath of thy
anger ;" by which the Psalmist means : the ease with which a man
breathes is well known, and thus easy is it for our God to do this
mighty work. Here then we have a picture of the power of the
Almighty, we see his great omnipotence displayed in glowing
colours ; and we are told that all his desire is that we should be
good, obedient to his will, submissive to his dispensation, that we
ourselves should be made happy, that we may be worthy to enjoy
" delights at his right hand for ever :" and can a stronger reason be
addressed to the human mind 1 can any thing more strongly impel
him to obey the will of his God, made known to him for his own
happiness alone ?

Has Homer any passage to equal the foregoing in sublimity ? —
Virgil, indeed, attempts a description of Jupiter's power, and says:

92 THE BIBLE AND PAGANISM.

" ille flagranti

Aut Atho, aiit Rhodopen, aut alta Ceraunia telo

Dejicit." Geor. i. 331—3.

Virgil must needs employ a telum, for neither he nor any other
heathen had any conception of God's power being manifested by
his word alone. God, according to our ideas, however, has no
need of any materials in his government of all the world, for He,
(as our prayer so elegantly says) : " Revive th the dead with his
word !" — And, though the translation given above is not at all to be
compared in brevity and closeness of diction with the Hebrew, it is
yet sufficient to prove that a person may be a very good wMn, and
yet dare to prefer David's Psalms to Homer's Iliad, or even to
Homer^s Odyssee.

I shall now close this chapter with a translation of a portion of our
daily prayers, and beg those of my readers, who are Greek scholars,
or who possess a translation of the first book of the Iliad, to compare
it themselves with the prayer of Chryses addressed to his Sminthean
Apollo.

" Thou art mighty for ever, O Lord, Thou revivest the dead, art
powerful in helping us, and causing the wind to blow and the rain to
descend. — Thou maintainest the living with kindness, and revivest
the dead with great mercy, supportest the falling, healest the sick,
loosenest the bonds of the captives, and preservest thy truth to those
who sleep in the dust. Who is like Thee, Lord of strength, and
who can be compared unto Thee, O King, who slayest and bringest
to life again, and lettest salvation spring forth !"

Here the unbelievers have something nervous, concise, and ener-
getic, where the wonderful deeds and the great kindness of our
Maker are enumerated in a few forcible words, without any ornament
whatever. And since they so much admire every thing that is not
Jewish, they ought to ransack their classics to produce parallel or
even superior beauties to the foregoing. — But they cannot ! — Well
then, let them admit, that not alone is Moses's law superior to any
ancient or modern constitvtion, but also that our style of writing,
both in the Bible and our regular prayers, is as far above what has
been written by profane poets and prosaics, as light is preferable to
darkness !

93

CHAPTER XV J.

THE PHYLACTERIES.

If by superstition is understood a belief or confidence in things,
having no existence in reaUty, or existing only through fraud or ig-
norance : then it can be boldly asserted, that we Jews are not
superstitious ; but that, on the contrary, we abhor superstition as
being contrary, and in opposition, to ,our religion. — If by bigotry are
meant an inveterate adherence to error, and a persecution or a ten-
dency to persecution of others who have firmness enough to resist
such errors, or to oppose the enforcing of it, when presented to them
for acceptance : then can we again assert, that we are no bigots ; for
our religion is not founded on error, as has been proved, and besides
this we wish to burden no one with our opinions, who admits them
not of his own accord. — But if by superstition are understood, a vene-
ration of God, belief in revelation and hope of future reward for
virtue — and by bigotry, an adherence to opinions so well founded,
and a determination to resist all innovation, no matter by whom re-
commended ; then hail, superstition ! welcome, bigotry ! If philoso-
phers have determined to stamp such virtuous resolutions with the
odious names of bigotry and superstition, we must needs be prepared
to bear these opprobrious titles with content and resignation ; and I
venture to assert in the name of our whole nation, that not twenty
good Jews could be induced to relinquish their opinions, merely be-
cause these opinions have received harsh names from unbelievers.
And if 1 could be convinced, that Jews could be base and cowardly
enough, to be swayed by mere abuse without argument, I should be
sorry to be considered a member of their community. But, thank
Heaven, I know my brethren better ; and though they may deviate,
though they may live ybr a #me forgetful of their duty ; yet will they
always cherish with fondness the idea of their having been born
members of the nation despised and trodden under foot ; and exam-
ples are not rare, where even apostates called in the brethren to their
dying bed, after refusing the attendance of any other !

94 THE PHYLACTERIES.

But some one may ask, " have not the Jews superstitious customs,
for example, the cloak they wear during prayers, the phylacteries,
holydays, the blowing of the cornet, and the palm branch ?" This
question may at first sight appear to throw very great difficulties in
the way of a defence of our religion ; but a candid enquiry must
soon convince us, that the above ceremonies are by no means super-
stitious, although their true intent may not be altogether obvious to
a prejudiced and superficial enquirer.

Let us commence with the Tallith, or cloak, used during prayers.
We find in Numb. chap. xv. v. 37, the following commandment :
" And the Lord spoke unto Moses as follows : speak unto the chil-
dren of Israel, and bid them to make themselves fringes (n'^^'V) at
the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that
they put upon the fringe of the corners, ( borders Eng. vers.) a string
of blue, nbjn." — In Deute. chap. xxii. v. 12: "Thou shalt make
thee fringes upon the four corners of thy vesture, wherewith thou
coverest thyself" The reason for this commandment is given in
Numb. chap, xv : " That by seeing these fringes, we might remem-
ber all the commandments of the Eternal and observe them, and not
follow blindly the evil desires engendered within us, by the behold-
ing of the eyes and the desiring of the heart." Our Rabbins give
the following explanation : n* is 400, -^ is 90, and ^ is 10, and in
consequence the numerical value of the word D'^'''^, is 600 ; there
are also on each of these fringes eight stri?igs and Jlce double knots,
thus the number of the word itself, together with that of the strings
and knots, amounts to six hundred and thirteen, this being the whole
numberf of the commandments in the Mosaic Law. If even we
reject this explanation as too fanciful, there is yet no reason to laugh
at the fringes, since, as we are always covered with clothes, they
seem to be well adapted (it being once so understood) to act as moni-
tors to us, when we are going to do any thing unlawful ; and it is
the object of the precept, that the sight of the r^^T"^ shall withhold
us, by addressing our senses, from offending against our religion,

* Every Hebrew letter has a numerical value, for instance i< is 1 , ^ 2, J 3,
&c.

t See Instruction in the Mosaic Relig-ion, page 109, note.

THE PHYLACTERIES. 95

and they are to tell us, when every other voice* is silent : " Beware!
remember the commandments of thy God !" And is this symbol,
though simple, not far superior to and much more rational than the
idols, statues, and marks of other nations?

In former times the Israelites wore the fringes upon the corners
of their cloaks ; but since our dispersion, and because it has become
dangerous for us in many places to be known as Jews, we wear
under our clothes a four cornered garment, to which the fringes
are attached ; and in the synagogues or other places of worship we
make use of a square, or rather, oblong cloak, to which they are
fixed, and this garment or n"''7D (Tallith) is worn during public wor-
ship by day, but not at night, except at certain occasions, which it
would be needless to detail here. — When the purple colour (n^Dn)
was yet known, we were obliged (see above) to have one of the
strings of each fringe of this colour, but since this colour is no more
known, we are unable to comply with this provision of the law to
its full extent ; and the fringes we make use of are, therefore, com-
posed of eight white strings only.

The phylacteries yh^n (Thephillin) are improperly supposed to
be considered by us in the light of amulets, as has been lately
asserted by an English writer, who also quite liberally (as liberally
as most writers concerning us, who are either deists or Christians)
supposes, that they were for a similar purpose as the Greek, Ro-
man, or Arab amulets. The learned writer was, no doubt, misled
by the term phylacteries, derived from the Greek verb phylasso, I
watch or guard ; but the pSsn are not phylacteries, a name which
properly belongs to the n;.^Dp, a cabalistical instrument. But since
there is no word in the English, Latin, or Greek, synonymous with
the Hebrew word Thephillin, I shall drop the term phylacteries
altogether, and in the sequel make use only of the proper word. —
There are two kinds of Thephillin, and both consist of extracts
from the Law, written upon parchment. They are commanded to

* And thus teach the Rabbins : Whoever has H'^i'^'i* on his garments, jvijn
on his head, and a nnin ^^ his door, will not easily be misled to sin. For to be
engaged in acts of religion, and having things pertaining to religion constantly
near us, will act as a check, whenever the mind should desire to enter the way
of sin, and be as it were a silent rebuker in all matters of dereliction from our
duties.

96 THE PHYLACTERIES.

be made* in Exodus xiii. and Deuteronomy vi. and xi. (which see).
The two kinds of ThephilHn fire : the Thephillin shel Roshe and
Thephilliji shel Yahd, or in EngUsh, ThephilHn for the head, and
ThephilHn for the hand ; they (as well as the Tallith) are used dur-
ing the morning prayers, but not on the Sabbaths and festivals,
though the Tallith is worn on these days also. — The Thephillin
themselves are four paragraphs from the Pentateuch, namely, Exod.
xin. V. 1—10 ; 2d, Ibid. 11—16 ; 3d, Deut. vi. v. 4—9 ; 4th, Ibid.
xi. 13 — 21. In the Thephillin shel Yahd these paragraphs are
written upon one piece of parchment, and fixed in a small case
made of the same material ; on one side of which is an opening,
through which a leathern thong of about two yards long is passed ;
on one end of which are a knot and loop of a peculiar form, through
which loop the other end of the thong is drawn, and the whole
Thephillin can thus be fixed upon the arm.

The Thephillin shel Roshe have the same paragraphs, but writ-
ten u^on four different pieces of parchment, and are fixed in the
order above mentioned, in a parchment case with four divisions. A
thong is fixed to the Thephillin shel Roshe in the like manner as to
those shel Yahd ; yet so that they may be worn round the head.
On one side of the case is stamped a Sheen with three heads : on the
other a Sheen with four heads. — The knot on the shel Yahd forms
a ■' (Yod) the one on the shel Roshe a i (Dahleth) and, as said, the
case of the latter is stamped with a w (Sheen), these three letters
combined read njy, an attribute of God synonymous with the English
Almighty.

The last kind of the commonly so called phylacteries is the nillD
(Mezoozah) and consists of the two paragraphs from the sixth and
eleventh chapters of Deuteronomy mentioned above, written upon
one piece of parchment, which is rolled up from the right to the left.
The word ^t^' together with three other words, (which, however,
stand higher up, by themselves,) is written upon the outside ; it is then

* See Instruction in the Mosaic Religion, pp. 115 and 116, where the
other regulation concerning tlie ThephilHn can be found. — I have been thus
particular with the explanation of Tzitzith, &c. that any one may see their
whole intent, meaning, nature, and object, and thus judge for himself whether
there is any superstition connected therewith, or whether they are more cor-
rectly to be regarded as proper religious observances.

THE PHYLACTERIES. 97

put in a reed, a tin, or other case, and fixed on the door post in
every proper room, so that the name nty (being visible tlirougli an
aperture left in the case) may be seen by every one entering the
apartment, and be thus ever reminded of the greatness and power
of the Almighty.

" But what can be the meaning of all this V This will easily
be plain to us if we but read the passages cited above ; we will there
see that the Thephillin were ordered for a twofold reason : first,
as a ?/io?i2/mewi of our redemption from Egypt; and next, that the
laws of our God may be continually before us. For we read in
Exod. chap. xiii. v. 16 : " And it shall be for a token upon thy
hand, and a mark of remembrance (frontlets, Eng. vers.) between
thine eyes, for by the strength of (his) hand has the Lord brought
us out of Egypt." — And in Deut. chap. vi. v. 8, after having said, in
the preceding verses, that the law of God should be always in our
mouth, that we should converse about it in whatever place or situa-
tion we might be, Moses continues : " And thou shalt bind them as
a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine
eyes." The Mezoozah, also, is very plainly commanded in the
ninth verse of the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy. The object of
God in giving these ordinances was probably this : " I have forbid-
den you to raise yourselves monuments of sculptured stone or molten
metal ; but I will give you a nobler monument — my lavj shall be
this monument ; passages commemorative of your redemption shall
be your daily garment ; so that the recollection of the events con-
nected v/ith this redemption and the promulgation of the law shall
never cease ; they shall also be a sign of my perpetual power, of my
constant providence, and of my unceasing watchfulness over you;
fix, therefore, these chapters upon your doors and gates, that you
may be always mindful, whenever you lay Thephillin and see the
Mezoozah, that I, the all-powerful, who formerly released you from
slavery, am yet able and willing to watch over you, protect you,
and again redeem you — by whatever trouble you may be afilicted —
when the time shall have arrived which I have appointed as the
termination of the punishment you may have to endure for your
transgressions against my will— and that I may again show you
wonders, as 1 did in those days when you went out of Egypt."

13

98

CHAPTEK XVll.

THE FESTIVALS.

" Were the Hebrew festivals like those of the heathens, times of
general licentiousness, and for this reason superstitious and inju-
rious ; or were they dedicated to the honour of God and the
improvement of the people, by inciting them to virtue, and in con-
sequence, reasonable, useful, and even necessary ?"

To answer this enquiry, we have but to consult the institutions of
Moses themselves, to pronounce in favour of the usefulness of our
festivals. — The first in order that presents itself, is the Passover-
feast (nOD Paysach), or the annual celebration of the redemption
from Egypt ; it commences on the evening after the fourteenth, which,
according to our mode of reckoning time, is the commencement of
the fifteenth day of Nissan or Abib, the fifteenth day of this month
being always the first full-moon-day after the spring equinox ; and
all the subsequent holydays are (at present) regulated by the Pass-
over.— I have said that this feast is the annual celebration of the
Exodus ; we have thus again, in our institutions, a confirmation of
the truth of the Mosaic history. For this reason. The Passover
was instituted to celebrate a certain event, and the reason stated to
those very persons, who ought to have known if the reason assigned
by Moses was founded upon truth or not, i. e. they ought certainly
to have known (for this is the reason given,) if they themselves had
been slaves in Egypt or not. Suppose a man were to arrive in this
or some other city, and tell the inhabitants thereof: " You must
celebrate annually the victory which you gained over the enemy,
who besieged your city for so many weeks," when, in point of fact,
no such enemy had been seen, nor such a siege had taken place.
What does every one think would be the fate of such an imposture ?
Either the impostor would be laughed at, as a madman, or, if he
should be attended to, it would argue the greatest ignorance and the
most unaccountable credulity in those who chose to obey such an

THE FESTIVALS. 99

impudent impostor. — But the Jews did keep the Passover in comme-
moration of their redemption ; is there not now every reason to
believe that that event actually did take place ?

But to return to the subject under discussion : — The feast was
annually ushered in by sacrificing, on the fourteenth day of N issan,
the passover-lamb, in the same manner (with some slight excep-
tions) the first one had been prepared in Egypt. — The feast itself
was celebrated seven* days, commencing with the fifteenth day.

* After the return of the Israelites from Babyloir, a great number of the
brethren yet remained behind, and they regulated their months and festivals by
the messages they received from the great Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, where the
commencement of every month was ushered in by the chief judge's saying :
dnn lyipD " the month is sanctified," (meaning this day is the first of the
month,) after competent witnesses had been examined relative to their having
seen the new moon. (See Mishna of Roshe Hashanah.) At first telegraphs were
used by the Sanhedrin, to make the result known to all the captivity — as those
living out of Palestine were called ; — but when, on a certain occasion, the
Samaritans counterfeited the signals, and deceived those at a distance, the San-
hedrin came to a resolution not to employ the signals any longer; and from
this time forward they sent out messengers, who travelled with the utmost pos-
sible expedition. Those living at a great distance from Jerusalem, could not
always be certified of the first day of the month before the holydays set in ;
and they celebrated, therefore, for each day of holy convocation two days,
instead of one day, as originally commanded in the Pentateuch. For instance,
they reckoned the month of Adar at twenty-nine days, (as it is commonly, we
may say always,) and taking the thirtieth day as the first of Nissan, they
commenced Paysach on the fifteenth day from that date. But as they did
not exactly know if the Sanhedrin had commenced Nissan with the thirtieth
or the i^ir/y;/irsi of Adar, they continued to withhold from work also on the
sixteenth day after the twenty-ninth of Adar, so that they kept, at all events,
the first day of Paysach on the proper day, which would not have been the
case if they had only kept the fifteenth day after the 29th, when the first of the
month had not been until the 31st of Adar. Thus it originated, that they
celebrated eight instead of seven days of Passover, two instead of one of the
Pentecost and New Year, and the Tabernacles nine instead of eight days. The
Day of Atonement alone, on account of the inability of most persons to fast two
entire days, was celebrated on the thirty -ninth day after the first of Elul ; for
this month was never known to have had more than twenty-nine days, but, as has
been said already, they were obliged to wait for the messengers of the Sanhe-
drin to be assured of this fact. After the calendar was fixed, and so organised
on scientific grounds, that those in Syria and the adjacent countries were no

100 THE FESTIVALS.

The first clay was a day of holy convocation, that is to say, no work
was done except the preparing of food ; the law was read publicly,
additional sacrifices were offered, and the whole male population of
the Israelites was assembled to worship at the temple in Jerusalem.
The seventh was also a day of rest ; and during the whole feast of
the Passover unleavened bread was eaten, to remind the Israelites
that their ancestors had been hurried out of Egypt in so great a
haste, that they could not prepare their bread even in the customary
manner. — -On the second day of the Passover, being the sixteenth
of Nissan, an omer-full of new barley was offered in the temple,
with appropriate sacrifices and ceremonies ; and from this day it
was lawful to eat of the new fruit, and this day was considered the
commencement of the harvest.

The time of rejoicing had now arrived, and hill and valley were
covered with the ripening treasures of the husbandmen. This was
the time of general activity throughout Palestine, and whilst the
highminded daughters of Israel were superintending the household,
the male population applied themselves to the labours of the field.
The reaper's song was heard throughout our land, when they bound
in sheaves the rich blessing of God which fell in rows before their
sickles. The poor, the widow, the orphan, and the houseless stran-
ger, were permitted to gather all that had fallen down accidentally,
been forgotten, or left purposely for them. No one dared to dis-

longer obliged to wait for messengers from the Sanhedrin to fix the first day of
the month on the proper day : the Israelites living out of Palestine continued,
upon the recommendation of the Beth-Din^ assembled in Tham^ to observe the
additional holydays ; not, hovrever, thinking them commanded by Moses, but
as commemorative of the state of the captives previous to that time. The
second and last days are considered as mere prolongations of the preceding
ones, and the same chapters are read for the conclusion of the reading of the
law (tD£):3), as on the original days. — That the Sanhedrin liad the right to
recommend the observance of this custom, I cannot doubt, (see Deut. chap,
xvii. and 1 Kings, chap. viii. v. 6.) and since the Israelites, in all their disper-
sions, have acted accordingly for seventeen hundred years, the custom has in a
manner become law, and it would accordingly be wrong to abolish the cus-
tom of our ancestors, for the sole reason that some merchants sustain a trifling
loss by the observance of six additional holydays in a whole year.

N. B. The narrative part of the above is drawn from the second chapter of
Talmud Bctzah.

THE FESTIVALS. 101

turb them, but they shared, without being made to feel it, the bless-
ings bestowed on their more opulent neighbours.

Fifty days from the fourteenth of Nissan had passed away, and
again the streets of Jerusalem were filled with the gladsome shout of
the men of Israel, as each company came with music, and the ox
with gilded horns, bringing the first fruit of their delightful land to
the temple of their God. For the sixth day of Simn had arrived ;
and the Israelites therefore were assembled before the altar of their
God, on the day on which the law, under which they so happily
lived, had been proclaimed to their ancestors as they stood trembling
at the foot of Sinai ! O days of happiness, days of joy, you have in-
deed passed away, and Israel linger in a land not their own. No
more in the vineyards on Israel's mountains are the daughters
of Zion seen to dance, and the sons of Levi no longer chant the
songs of praise on thy hill, Moriah ! Woe to us, that we have
sinned ! woe to us, that in the land, where the glory of God once
shone, the stranger lives forgetful of our God's power, and the Eter-
nal's glory !

On the first day of the seventh month is the commencement of the
civil year ; the day, on which, as our wise men teach us, the Most
High holds judgment over all the inhabitants of the earth, and ap-
portions to each man his annual share of prosperity and woe. O
dread day, when mortal man is to be judged by his Maker ! what
good deeds has he done to justify himself in judgment ? can the sinful
worm 3'et speak loudly then, when he contemplates the fearful dis-
tance between him and the HOLY ONE of Israel 1 Therefore did
God command us to blow the cornet on that day — to let the signal
trumpet be heard — to call up the latent energies of his people, to ex-
hort them to a speedy and sincere repentance. — There is also
another reason for the blowing of the cornet. In the eastern coun-
tries it is the custom to receive the king with music, particularly
wind-instruments ; we therefore blow the cornet to show, that we
acknowledge the Creator, on the day on which the world was cre-
ated, our King, amid the fervent prayer of the people and the sound
of the trumpet. — The Day of Atonement at length approaches, and
we go to the temple of God, and abstain from all earthly food and
drink from evening to evening, and only live in the contemplation of
God, his greatness, his kindness, and his mercy ! and happy are

102 THE FESTIVALS.

we, if we come well prepared, well fortified in faith and firm reliance
upon God's mercy — happy, if we have forgiven all our enemies sin-
cerely and truly — happy, if our frail body alone separates us from
the Deity ! If we come thus before Mercy's throne — the purity and
whiteness of our garments a true emblem of the purity and sacred-
ness of our souls — if the voice of the "^Qw (cornet) has had its in-
tended effect upon us — if the nine days of preparation have not been
misspent : then may we be assured, that on that day all our sins
will be forgiven, and that, cleansed from our iniquities, we shall
stand pure and unspotted before the Eternal !

When the temple yet stood, the high-priest walked on that day
into the holy of holies, whilst the cloud of incense filled the place,
where the ark of the covenant was, and here he sprinkled on that
day alone the blood of the sacrifices, and here he also prayed a short
prayer for the welfare of the people. Before he killed his sacrifice
and that of the people, he confessed his sins and the sins of the con-
gregation, imposing at the same time his hands upon the heads of
the animals, and when he pronounced the name of the Eternal, all
the priests and people, who were standing by, fell upon their faces
and exclaimed : " Praised be the name of the glory of his kingdom
for ever and ever !" — But, no longer is our temple standing — no
longer are the descendants of Aaron graced with the sacerdotal
robes — and the holy of holies is no longer the dwelling place of the
ark ! The fat of oxen is no more seen burning upon the altar — no
longer are its sides sprinkled with the blood of the sin-offering — and
the incense no more curls upwards under the hands of the Cohen !
Mayest Thou, O holy God, receive our prayers — the offering of the
contrite heart — in the place of the offerings of beasts, and let our
lips* pay for steers which, in days of yore, were led to thy temple
in atonement for our sins !

The year had terminated, and the sun had entered Libra, and
thus produced the autumnal equinox ; the grapes hung in rich clus-
ters along the vines, and the golden fruit glistened among the dark
foliage of the fruit trees. Here and there autumn had already

* This is a quotation from Isaiah, and plainly means, that since the captive
Israelites can no longer offer up sacrifices, which could only be done at tlie place
chosen by God ; the prayer which we offer up, the words of our lips, may be
as acceptable to God as the steers once burnt upon the altar.

THE FESTIVALS. 103

changed the hue of the leaves, and some lay scattered under the
trees, which they had graced during the spring and summer.
Every husbandman was busied with gathering in the bounteous
blessings of his God, to provide himself sustenance for the coming
winter. The heart of man was raised high, when he contemplated
the manifold blessings showered upon him, though unworthy he
might be. Gratitude would naturally then fill his bosom, and he
would feel more inclined to obey the will of God, because of his
great kindness to him. — In this time of general joy, on the fifteenth
day of the seventh month, were we commanded to celebrate the feast
of Succoth or Tabernacles. On the Day of Atonement our sins had
been forgiven, and immediately after we were commanded to build
tabernacles niDD for our residence during the first seven days of the
feast. Though the chill of autumn had already arrived, yet was it
our duty to prove ourselves worthy of having our sins forgiven to
us, by placing entire confidence in God, and obeying his will to the
letter, though it might be a little inconvenient to our bodily ease, and
we were obliged to dwell in booths for seven days in the chilly time
of year, to commemorate that He caused our ancestors to dwell in
booths, when He brought them out of Egypt. — The dwelling in ta-
bernacles was therefore a symbol of our placing ourselves under the
shadow of God's protection, and withdrawing from the cares and
enjoyments of life. — This feast was also a time for all the men of
Israel to meet at the city God had chosen for his residence, and the
first and eighth days were, like the Passover and Pentecost, days of
holy convocation and suspension of labour. (All the ceremonies,
except the sacrifices, relatives to the holydays are yet observed by
us at the present time, as commanded by Moses.)

On the first day of the feast of Tabernacles we were to take the
fruit of the citron-tree, the palm-branch, the myrtle and the willow.
These four productions of the vegetable kingdom were in old times,
and are even now, used in the following manner : the palm, the
myrtle, 2md the willow, being united in one bunch, are taken in the
right hand, and the citron in the left, and thus held, they are waved
three times each towards the east, west, north, and south, upwards
and downwards, in certain parts of the prayers. " But what is the
meaning of this ?" — Let us consider the shape and formation of these
various products, and we shall find them symbolical of ourselves. —

104 THE FESTIVALS.

The palm branch is tall and erect, and its leaves are branching out
from it on both sides ; it is like the stature of man erect, it is like
his back-bone, from which the ribs branch out on either side ; the
oval myrtle leaf is like the eye of man — and the willow like his lips
compressed — the citron is pointed like the man's heart ; all these
are taken for the worship of God, and thus shall our body, our eyes,
our lips, and our heart all be united in the worship of God.

Or perhaps they may be symbolical of the nation of the Israelites.
The citron is a fragrant fruit and delightful to the taste ; the palm
bears fine fruit, but has no fragrance ; the myrtle has fragrance, but
a bitter taste ; and at last, the willow has neither taste nor fragrance.
Thus are amongst Israel, men of good learning and good works — men
of good works without learning ; men of learning without good deeds ;
and at last, others who have neither learning nor virtue. But al-
though one is superior to the other in virtue and learning, yet do we
find that God commanded us to join the citron, the palm, the myrtle,
and the willow, thus showing, that however exalted we may be,
though our brother be ignorant and sinful, yet shall we not cast him
off"; but unite him with us in the bonds of love, and induce him to
worship, no less than we do, our common Creator. — We wave the
four kinds mentioned to all the four corners of the compass, towards
heaven and downwards to the earth, to indicate that we acknow-
ledge God, " who formed the corners of the world, made the heavens,
the earth, and all that is in them ;" we wave the palm-branch* in our
prayers, to thank God for his bounty with the plants he has given
us for our use and sustenance ; we hold up the palm-branch and pray
Him to continue his kindness to us, and to savef us from evil, and to
give us prosperity in all our doings !

When we have dwelt seven days in the tabernacles, when on the
seventh we have laid by the palm, the myrtle, the willow, and the
citron, when we have said the last grace in the Succah (tabernacle) :
we are yet to celebrate another day more, a closing day of festiviy to

* For the sake of brevity, and on account of tlic size of the pahn-branch
above the others, the expression has become common amongst us : to say grace
over the ^i^lS (Loolab, the palm-branch), when in fact the citron, the myrtle,
and the vi^illow, are also understood.

t : NJ nn^S:;n 'n 5<JN X3 r]p'\:;)T] 'n NJN Psalm 118,v.25.— This psalm
is read during the feast of Succoth.

THE FESTIVALS. 105

the honour of God. Then we pray for the blessing of timely and
abundant rain, and a year of plenty, of cheerfulness, and of peace ;
that we may all have as much as we stand in need of, without our
being obliged to beg for our bread from a brother or a stranger, but
receive it immediately from the Supporter of all !

Some of our wise men have compared our festivals to the three
stages of the human life. Passover is our youth, when all before us
is yet happy expectation, and when we enter the rugged path of life
with a buoyant heart and smiling countenance ; we only look at the
surface of things, and seeing amid the Jlne flowers and verdant hills
no obstacle to our onward march in virtue and worldly prosperity,
we dream not of disappointments we may have to encounter, and of
trials that await us. — Next comes the Pentecost, the middle age of
man, when we have been already obliged to work under a hot sun ;
we have perhaps been often overcome by faintness in our daily toil,
we have heard the thunder roll over our heads, and seen the light-
ning rend the green forest trees — to drop the figurative language,
we have, as we grow older, been forced to undergo many fatigues
and disappointments to procure an honest livelihood ; we have seen
our best hopes foiled, and we have discovered how firmly we have
been forced to withstand that temptation, which has drawn so many
others around us from the path of virtue. — At last comes the feast of
Tabernacles, when the autumn begins to scatter the yellow leaves
round the tree ; the time when age is already encroaching upon
our strength of body and vigour of mind ; when our hairs begin to
grow white, and we are at last thinking of enjoying the fruit of our
labour through a life mixed with sorrow and gladness — and we begin
to look forward to the winter, to the grave, which must at length
receive us, and which, when it closes over us, hides all our cares, all
our earthly joys — and leaves the soul free to enjoy that blessing, to
deserve which she has so nobly acted here below, in withstanding
sin, subduing the passions, and dispensing good to all around us ! O
happy old age ! — when with such thoughts and feelings we see death
approach ; and we need not then" fear the temporary dissolution,
which must for ever join us to our Father in heaven, in bliss, joy, and
everlasting peace !

14

106

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE SACRIFICES.

It will be easily discovered in reading the preceding chapter, that
the festivals, and the ceremonies attending them, are not founded upon
superstitious usages ; but that they are intended to preserve to the
latest posterity the memory of those events, which are recorded as the
cause of their being instituted. Thus was the Passover instituted to
celebrate annually our redemption from Egypt ; the Pentecost (ni;;i!iiy
Shahboongoth), the promulgation of the law from Sinai, and the
Tabernacle-feast, that for forty years our almighty Redeemer
caused our ancestors to live in tents by Him provided, and that He,
through all this time, held his protecting arm over them, and pro-
vided for all their wants, and supplied them with the necessaries of
life. The first day of the seventh month is, as has been mentioned
above, the New-year's-day, the day on which all the world is judged ;
and the tenth of the same month is the Day of Atonement, on which
sins sincerely repented, faults positively amended, and injuries done
to our neighbours atoned for by full reparation having been made
them, will be forgiven by God to those who seek his forgiveness.

But some may say again : " We will admit that the festivals can
be construed to mean very pretty things ; but what have you Jews
to say in favour of the sacrifices 1 Can any man seriously believe
that the blood of an animal can operate as a forgiveness for his sins
— or rather, can it be taken, according to your opinion, as a full
expiation for offences committed 1"

To answer this query properly we will now proceed to investi-
gate, according to the truths laid down in the Pentateuch and the
prophets, the view of the offerings, and how and when they were
required — First ; " Did the Jews believe that they could be for-
given when thcy sinned wilfully, at the same time promising a sacri-
fice in atonement of this sin? And : Granted the Mosaic law did not
countenance such a practice, had not the Jews degenerated so much

THE SACRIFICES. 107

at the commencement of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, as to
deem such unhallowed conduct justifiable V

We must, unhesitatingly, answer both questions in the negative ;
for the Mosaic law did not teach that a man might sin, and bring an
ox as an atonement ; nor did the Rabbins and Pharisees, at the time
of Tiberius, teach any thing like it, but just the contrary. And
although it has often been asserted, that at various times, if not
throughout their whole existence, the Jews looked upon the blood of
animals as the only thing requisite to obtain atonement for any sin
committed : the contrary will be apparent, if any man will but can-
didly examine the passages from our writings I am going to adduce
in support of this assertion.

In the book of Leviticus we find no where that wilful sins could
be expiated by sacrifices alone ; on the contrary, we read in Numb,
chap. XXXV. that no expiation could be made by a murderer, except
with his life ; analogous crimes were punished without accepting
bail or mainprize (Levit. chap. xxiv. v. 21.) ; and (ibid. chap, xxvii.
V. 29.) we find that no man condemned for a crime* (not devoted as
incorrectly rendered in the Eng. vers.) could he redeemed, but was
absolutely to die. — What, then, was the object of the sacrifices ?
how were they brought ? and on what occasions 1

* The Hebrew word which I, according to the interpretation of our Rab-
bins, have translated as above, is Q'^n"'* T^s same word is found in Exod.
chap.xxii. v. 19. Q^n"' DTlbifs'? n^lTj "^c. which must be translated : " He, who
sacrifices to any other deity save the Eternal alone, shall be condemned to die,"
and cannot possibly be rendered by devoted wiihthe signification it apparently has
in the English version of the twenty-seventh of Leviticus. The intention and mean-
ing of this passage is this : in the commencement of the chapter on valuations
it appears that every person of every age, of both sexes, has his particular and
fixed price, if any one should destine the value of such persons for the service
of God. At the end of this chapter, therefore, we are told by our legislator,
that to give the value of a criminal in the treasury of the temple, would be of
no avail to save his life, for that it was forfeited notwithstanding such a price.
" And was such an exception necessary to be made ?" Certainly, for many na-
tions used to take pay from a murderer even, to save his life ; and amongst
the Germans the price for murder was less than that for horsestealing. It was,
therefore, necessary that God should prohibit, in the most explicit terms, any
such demoralising- practice amongst that people chosen by Him as liis peculiar
treasure.

108 THE SACRIFICES.

In studying the book of Leviticus we shall discover that sacri-
fices were national and individual. The national sacrifices, — i. e.
those for the whole congregation — were either the daily burnt-offer-
ings D^'Dn, the additional sacrifices D'iDDID for the Sabbaths and
festivals, or sin-offerings mj^Dn, when the whole congregation had
acted contrary to a principle of the law ; as, for instance, if the San-
hedrin had given a wrong decision upon a question of law referred
to them, and all the Israelites had acted according to this erroneous
decision, but contrary to the will of God, as laid down in the law.
(Lev. iv.) The nD;?D 'i5^J« spoken of above in chap. xiv. attended
at these sacrifices, as the representatives of the people, except at the
national sin-offering, where the Elders, who were the cause of the
sin, themselves attended and imposed their hands upon the head of
the victim ; and on the Day of Atonement the high priest was
obliged to do the same with the goat destined as the offering for the
whole people. (See. Lev. chap. iv. v. 15. and ibid. xvi. v. 21.)

Private or individual sacrifices were either brought when a man
had, through ignorance, offended against one of the principal nega-
tive precepts, the offering in this case was called n^JDH sin-offering ;
or when he had wronged his fellow man, or committed one of the
other sins enumerated in Leviticus, for which a trespass-offering
DB'X was to be sacrificed ; or when he had escaped an imminent
danger, for which a T\'\'\r\ i. e. thanksgiving-offering, was brought ;
or at last offerings which a man voluntarily obliged himself to bring,
which were of two kinds, C)'dSe2'* peace and nV burnt-offerings,
though the latter were frequently offered as an atonement for evil
thoughts, when a man had nqj; accomplished the intended sin or tres-
pass. It is useless to explain the various kinds of sacrifices, which
were either of horned cattle, sheep, goats, birds, or fine flour, and
in one instance barley meal, (Numb. chap. v. v. 15.), as these can
easily be found out by turning to the law book itself; 1 shall there-
fore proceed at once to explain the reasons and purpose of the sacri-
fices.

God is just and merciful to all his creatures, for He maintains all
through his infinite kindness, and has, as we have seen, given them
a law, which, if obeyed, must lead a man to happiness. To obey,
therefore, the will of God, is nothing more than to show our grati-
tude to Him by following the rules which He has marked out for

THE SACRIFICES. 109

our happiness, and, in consequence, we shall be made happy, if we
are, in every sense of the word, religious. — To disobey the word of
God is ingratitude, and we therefore, by our own actions, discard
happiness and choose misery and punishment. If a man sins wil-
fully he can blame only himself for misery he may draw upon him-
self by his acts ; and if these offences be committed against the
peace of society, he will be punished by those entrusted with the
management of public affairs, and who are, therefore, guardians
for the time being, of the public welfare — that is, the happiness and
peace of society. — But if he should transgress, not the laws of mew,
but the statutes of God, should he not in this case also deserve pun-
ishment? Shall the laws of God be transgressed with impunity,
when those of men must be obeyed to the letter ? Certainly not,
and whatever may be said about the cruelty it would appear in the
Deity to punish man hereafter for sins committed in this life ; yet
will every thinking man see, upon a moment's reflection, that God
cannot be blamed for that, which man by his own wickedness and
wilful folly draws upon himself, when he had the power to avoid the
evil. — But for wrong actions done unknowingly or in ignorance man
cannot, with any degree of justice, be punishable to an equal extent
with sins committed wilfully. Yet a wrong action, a sin, has been
committed, and the harmony of right has been disturbed ; and then
man should always be watchful, always consider the bearings of all
he engages in, and should, moreover, make himself acquainted with
his duty ; he ought, therefore, to make atonement for his sins, he
ought to show that he is sorryTor having offended his God, who main-
tains him and watches over him. He was for this reason obliged to
bring a sin-offering to the temple door, lay his hand upon its head, and
kill it, or have it killed, as a sin-offering. (Lev. chap. iv. v. 33.) The
meaning of this is : that the offerer, who wished to be forgiven, was to
ask of God the forgiveness of his transgression, whilst imposing his
hands upon the head of the victim, and then have this animal killed,
with a view that it was intended for this particular occasion. No
foreign thoughts were to obtrude during the sacrifice ,• but the sin-
ner's attention was to be riveted to the ceremony ; and he was to
consider, that as he himself had laid his hands upon the head of the
beast, thus had he himself deserved the imposition of hands by the
witnesses of his crime, previous to execution, (Ibid. chap. xxiv. v.
14.) ; as the blood of the beast was flowing, thus had he deserved

110 THE SACRIFICES.

to be dealt with, and so on at every stage and ceremony during the
sacrifice. If a man truly penitent, thus prepared and so doing,
came before the altar of God, can it be doubted that the sacrifice
was obliged to work a reformation in him 1 And again, can any man
gainsay that he ought to have been forgiven, if he was sincerely
sorry for what had past, and acted for the future as he had deter-
mined during the moment of Jwly enthusiasm ?

As has been said above, if a man has sinned it is absolutely neces-
sary that he should make an atonement of some sort or other. If
he commits theft or otherwise wrongs another person, it is but just
that he should make restitution to the full extent of the injury he
has done. But though he thus satisfy his neighbour, yet he has
also offended his God, for every breach of duty against the peace of
society is an offence against the law of our God, whose object, in
promulgating it, was the happiness of mankind, as has been already
sufficiently established in the foregoing. — Any man, therefore, who
had been guilty of such a sin, as just mentioned, was to bring a
trespass-offering in expiation, and its treatment was in almost every
respect similar to that of the sin-offering.

When the traveller in the pathless desert had felt the keen blast
of the poisonous Simoom, when he had expected to perish amidst the
endless sand, for want of water, for lack of food : it was his duty,
after he had reached the residence of men, to return, publicly,
thanks to his God, and to bring to his altar the r]'^)r\ (Todah) the
offering of thanksgiving. — When amidst the storm of the battle-
field he had sunk overpowered by fatigue, and been led away cap-
tive, and had long lingered in hopeless captivity in the land of his
enemies : he was also to testify his gratitude when he had returned to
the bosom of his family. — When a man had been thrown upon the bed
of sickness, all his bones had ached, when he loathed food and a speedy
death had been impending over him : when he recovered he was bound
to proclaim, before all, the mercy of his Deliverer from death, and
with his thanks bring the offering as ordained. — When the seafaring
man had encountered a furious storm, while the waves dashed the frail
bark to and fro, when the master had exhausted all his skill in vain,
and expected, in mute despair, the wreck of his ship : when then God's
mercy had been manifested to him, and the storm abated, and the sea
calmed, and he had been permitted to enter the port of his desti-

THE SACRIFICES. HI

nation in safety — he was obliged to praise God before the assemblage
of people, and to repair to the altar with the sacrifice.*

We have thus a brief view of the object of this sacrifice ; but
who is bold enough to call it superstitious, when we must admit,
even without the aid of revelation, that we are bound by mere com-
mon gratitude, when we have escaped from danger, to return thanks
to Him who is the disposer of our fate ; and how can our gratitude
to Him be better shown, than if, by a public acknowledgment of his
mercy, we induce others, who may have strayed from his ways, to
love, to fear, and to adore Him ?

When, at last, a man saw himself blessed and all around him
cheerful, he brought a peace-offering, of which all his friends were
usually invited to partake. This sacrifice, the firstlings and the an-
nual tithe of the increase of the flocks, were permitted to be eaten for
the space of two days and one night, but all the other sacrifices,
those I mean, which were eaten either by the priests or the offerers,
were not allowed to be eaten after midnight of the first day, and
whatever was left after this time, was to be burnt. (See various pas-
sages of Leviticus relating to the sacrifices.) It is well known, that
it was unlawful for any Israelite to sacrifice out of the precincts of the
temple, and the tendency therefore of the frequent offerings was to
bring the people often to the house of God, where an interchange of
opinions and acts of friendship could and did take place. And the
greater the individual happiness of the Israelites, was, the greater
must have been the benefit arising from those meetings, for when a
man is happy himself, and actuated by motives of true religion, he
will always be glad to rejoice when others are happy, and he will
try to do all in his power to promote general satisfaction around
him.

Though the private burnt and peace-offerings are spoken of in the
law, yet were we never commanded to bring such ofierings ; for in
this, as in other acts of virtue, the Almighty never intended to force
our inclinations, but left it altogether to our own free choice to bring

* These four cases are described in the 107th psalm, with the usual energy
of the sacred poets ; and all those desirous of being kindled by an ardent devo-
tion to the great and merciful Supreme, may be safely referred to this psalm,
as they must rise from its perusal with a mind filled with a holy reverence of
God's majesty.

112 THE SACRIFICES.

such sacrifices or not. He even tells us (Deut. chap, xxiii. v. 23)
that we should commit no sin, if we made no vows at all ; but, on the
other hand, He most strenuously exhorts us to keep strictly to our
vows, for their violation is highly offensive to Him.

We have thus seen briefly exhibited the nature of the sacrifices ;
but it may be asked : " Did not the Jews think themselves absolved
from sin by the mere sacrifice of beasts and a prete7ided reformation?"

That such opinion may have taken root amongst our ancestors, I
cannot positively disprove, though it is highly improbable ; but this
I can say with the utmost confidence, that if they ever thought so, it
was contrary to what they had ever been taught by the prophets. —
The first lesson on this subject we find in 1 Samuel chap. xv. v. 22.
Samuel had orered Shahool (Saul) to go and slay all the Amalekites
and to sufiernot even a beast to live. Shahool did go and conquered
the Amalekites, but took the best of the cattle along with him ; and
when the prophet enquired of him at their meeting after his return,
" about the voice of the sheep he heard," he answered him frankly,
that " they (the sheep) had been brought from the enemies' country,
and that they were intended for sacrifices." Hereupon Samuel said,
and I beg every Jew and every stranger to our faith to consider
with attention his words : " Does the Eternal find as much pleasure
in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in hearkening to the voice of the
Eternal ? Behold, to hearken, is better than a fine sacrifice, and to
obey better than the fat of rams ! For disobedience is equal to the
sin of witchcraft, and refusing to comply is like idolatry and image-
worship." This speech of Samuel is too plain to be misunderstood,
for he is here correcting an error into which Saul had fallen, and of
course it must be conceded, that sacrifices were not according to the
Mosaic law and the opinion of the good amongst the Israelites the
only thing necessary for the absolution of sins. — This position is in-
controvertible ; but since the truth of the prophets has been so
frequently assailed, since their motives have been so often misrepre-
sented, since their doctrines are so little understood : I shall give
concurrent evidence from three others, according to our belief, in-
spired writers, namely, Ahsaph, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, in accordance
with Samuel's address, and thus force even the most obdurate to ad-
mit, that the assertion in the commencement of this chapter is
correct.

THE SACRIFICES. 113

First, as to Asaph ; the opinion of the holy bard is found in Psalm
1. V. 7, &;c., where he speaks in the person of the Deity : " Hear
me, my people, whilst I speak, Israel ! whilst I testify against thee :
I AM GOD, THY GOD ! Not for thy sacrifices will I reprove thee,
nor need thy burnt-offerings be continually before me. I will not
an ox from thy house, nor a ram from thy enclosures ; for mine are
all the beasts of the field, the cattle on the mountains by thousands ;
1 know all the birds of the mountains, and all that moveth upon the
field is with me. When I hunger, I need not tell thee, for mine is
the universe and all that is in it. — Shall I eat the flesh of the fattened
sheep ? and drink the blood of the rams ? Offer up thy thanks unto
God, and then pay the Most High thy vows. And call on me in
the day of affliction, and I will help thee out — thus only thou hon-
ourest me !"* Here the Psalmist plainly tells us, that not sacrifices
alone are agreeable to God, for " when He hungers He need not tell
us, for all the world is his ;" but his chief dehght (if I may so ex-
press myself) is, that we sliow ourselves grateful for his kindness by
our actions, and honour Him by word and thought !

Isaiah (chap. i. v. 11,) exclaims in the bitterness of his heart:
" To what use serves me the great quantity of your sacrifices, says
the Eternal, I am tired of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of
fattened sheep ; I no longer desire the blood of oxen, of sheep, and
of goats. And when you come to appear before me — ^who asked it
of your hands to tread (the floor of) my courts? Bring no longer
your insinceref meal-offerings, for it is incense of abomination to
me," &;c.

Again, chap. Ixvi. v. 3, he says : " He who kifls an ox, slays a
man ; he who sacrifices a lamb, breaks the neck of a dog ; he who
brings a meal-offering, sacrifices a swine ; he who burns incense,
bringeth as it were stolen property as a present ; they also chose
their o\vn ways, and their soul delighted in their abominations."

* This translation is cliiefly according to Yarchi's commentary upon the
iiilieth psalm, which see.

t The Hebrew words ^y]^ nnJD ^jre rendered "vain oblation," which does
not, according to my opinion, express the prophet's meaning ; for he intended not
to say, that the oblations in general were vain^ but that they were disagreeable
to God on account of the wickedness of the people at that time ; I have there-
fore thought proper to translate these words " insincere meal-offerings."
15

114 THE SACRIFICES.

In the 57th chapter, Isaiah explains what kind of fasting can be
agreeable to God, from all which it appears, that no outward show
can, according to the opinion of Isaiah, tend to operate as an expia-
tion for sins.

Jeremiah confirms the assertion of Samuel, Asaph, and Isaiah, in '
the following words : " For I did not say to your fathers, nor did 1
command them, on the day when I carried them out of Egypt, any
thing about burnt-offerings or sacrifices. But this matter commanded
1 them, as follows : " Hearken to my voice, and I will be your God,
and you shall be my people, and you shall go in all the ways which
I will command you, that good may be done to you." (Jeremiah vii.
V. 22 and 23).

There are other passages in the Bible to prove that the Jews did
not think slaying an animal sufficient for an atonement if not accom-
panied with sincere repentance, and amelioration of the former
course of life of the sinner, if the offence was against God alone, or
reparation of the injury done to man — before a sacrifice could be
supposed to be acceptable to the Deity.

Instead now of the Jewish sacrifices being a superstitious rite, like
those of the Romans, Greeks, and other nations, they were on the
contrary intended to draw forth the' finest feelings which grace hu-
man nature : in the first place, love and gratitude to God ; secondly,
restitution of property, unlawfully obtained from our fellow-men ;
and lastly, they were eminently useful to make ourselves better men,
and more fitted to receive the blessings of the Most High, whose for-
giveness we always implored by the act of sacrificing. — Another
noble feature does this law of sacrifices present to our view. After
our legislator had detailed in the first chapter of Leviticus the regu-
lations to be observed at the sacrifice of an ox, of sheep, and goats,
and of pigeons : he next laid down, by the order of the Almighty,
the rules for the sacrifice of a handful of meal, the offering of the
'poor. Here we find also many regulations for, and a description of
the various modes in which the poor man could bring his humble
offering ; thus showing, that the poor man's pittance will be no less
acceptable to the Father of all, than the rich man's magnificent pre-
sent ; as we are also taught by our Rabbins : " No less he who gives
little, than he who gives much, will be acceptable, provided he
steadily direct his heart and thoughts to the honour of Heaven."

THE SACRIFICES. 115

Some canting heathen may perhaps, whine about the cruelty of our
priests in sacrificing innocent animals, and refer with exultation to
the Brahmins, who never even eat meat. But this objection, if it be
really urged, is really too nonsensical almost to deserve the least
notice ; since, however, I wish to proceed step by step, I shall endea-
vour to break its force by a few words. Well then, philosophers,
if you yourselves will abstain from animal food altogether, I would
be compelled to admit this your argument of some weight ; but it is
hardly probable that you are resolved to sacrifice this much to your
principles of universal benevolence, for all of you are too fond of
what good things this life affords to act so ; but even if you did, that
could be no reason why we should abstain from that which our law
allows us. All the brute, vegetable, and mineral creation was made
subservient to man : is not this true ?— To proceed : in the first ages
of the world, namely, before the flood, animal food was not allowed
to man, and it was only first permitted to Noah. (Genesis ix.) Since
then animals may be slaughtered for our own use, could we make a
nobler use of this permission, than to dedicate them to the service
of our Maker? — " But the Brahmins?" — But let me ask you, do
they not burn widows alive upon the funeral piles of their husbands ?
Do they not sacrifice men to their idols 1 Is not in fact their religion,
if religion it be, more like brutality than wisdom 1 — I may therefore
freely assert, that the objection on that score against the sacrifices is
of no force.

We must now investigate the last part of the introductory ques-
tion, namely : " Had not the Jews degenerated at the commencement
of tho reign of Tiberius, so much as to think that sacrifices were
alone an atonement for all sins ?"

It is well known that the Rabbins, or the Scribes and Pharisees
so often mentioned in the gospels, were apparently very pious men,
for even the gospels admit this ; neither can it be denied that they
stood always very high in the estimation of their brethren. Can it
be possible, I ask, that they should have obtained and preserved
such immense influence from the days of Ezra to the present hour,
if their interpretation of the law had been contrary to the generally
received opinion 1 It must, therefore, be admitted, even if there
were no positive argument of the fact, that the Jews, in the time
of Tiberius, had the same opinion concerning the sacrifices, which

116 THE SACRIFICES.

they were taught to entertain by Jeremiah and his predecessors ;
and in consequence, that the Scribes and Pharisees did not beUeve
that wilful sins could be atoned for by offering sacrifices, or by
any other means save suffering the punishment decreed for the
offences committed. — But that this was their opinion we are enabled
to prove by positive argument ; for we read in Yomah^ Payreck viii.
Mishna 8 : " A sin-offering and a trespass-offering with repent-
ance will operate as an atonement." — Mishna 9 : "He who says, ' I
will sin and repent, I will sin and repent,' will never have it in his
power to repent. He who says, * I will sin, and the Day of Atone-
ment shall be my expiation,' will not be forgiven on the Day of
Atonement. Sins between God and man will be forgiven on the
Day of Atonement, but not those between man and man, till the
offender has made reparation to the other."

This proves most clearly that at no time of our national exist-
ence was it considered pardonable to commit sins with a view of
obtaining forgiveness by sacrifices or any other method ; for it was
always well understood, that to obey the word of God is the greatest
virtue, and disregarding his law the greatest vice. It must, therefore,
be admitted, that all the expiatory offerings were instituted for sins
committed unconsciously or without premeditation — or without hav-
ing known the action to be sinful. Trespass-offerings, as we have
seen, could only then be acceptable when the wronged party had
been satisfied ; and the other offerings were either brought to return
thanks in public, when a man had escaped from danger, or to testify
his gratitude for benefits received from the Deity ; and the national
sacrifices were brought in the name of all Israel, either as atone-
ment for sins or as an acknowledgment of national gratitude. — All
this was when our temple yet stood, — the temple called by God's
name ; — but now our altar lies prostrate, our glorious temple exists
no longer — and we wander about without priest, without sacrifice,
without incense — and nought is left us but the words of our mouth
in our prayers, and the study of the law, as a substitute for the sacri-
fices once offered up before God's temple. We hope, however, that
He will receive our prayers graciously, and look down upon our
desolate condition — upon the ruined towers of Jerusalem — upon the
walls of the temple blackened by the fire of the enemy — and have
mercy upon the dispersed and despised remnant of Israel, who have

THE FORBIDDEN MEATS. 117

for so many centuries suffered the just burden of his wrath, and the
weight of his chastisement. May He then speedily gather us from
all the countries of the earth, reinstate us in our land, restore Zion,
and cause again the halls of the temple to re-echo with our songs of
thanksgiving to his holy name, and praise to Him, for his unbound-
ed mercy, which endureth for ever. Amen !

CHAPTER XIX.

THE FORBIDDEN MEATS.

If we have heretofore seen our legislator careful for the glory of God
and the well-being of society at large, we shall now see him giving
and enforcing laws, the observance of which will give every individual
of the community bodily health, and greatly tend to his self-preserva-
tion ; and it is a fact not to be denied, that, in proportion to our
numbre, there are more old persons amongst us than amongst any
other people.

In whatever light the prohibition of unclean animals, the blood
and fat of those even, the meat of which is not forbidden, is consi-
dered, it must be evident that the abstaining from these prohibited
things will preserve our body free from certain diseases, which are
many times engendered by the immoderate, nay often by a very
moderate use of them. It is on all hands admitted that the eating
of swine's flesh will occasion leprosy in the country which our an-
cestors inhabited ; and I am not very sure but that its use, even in
colder climates, is any thing but wholesome ; but I must leave this
point to be settled by physicians, who are, if I mistake not, yet
uncertain how to decide. — The eating of blood is no doubt very in-
jurious, and one of the eastern emperors, I think one of the Leos,
issued a decree prohibiting it in his dominions, and went so far as
to endeavour to pro'ce its pernicious effect, by writing himself a book

118 THE FORBIDDEN MEATS.

on the subject, or having one written under his own superintend-
ence.— Moses* also prohibited shell-fish, snakes, amphibious ani-
mals in general ; creeping things of all kinds, and those fishes which
have not fins and scales ; nay many quadrupeds and all birds of
prey were also interdicted by God through him ; and he says :
" That it is God's intention, that we should be a holy people, and
that the eating of forbidden food would make us unclean, and of
course our life loould not he holy, if we pollute ourselves by what is
prohibited.^' If it be granted even that the eating of the flesh of
the swine is not unwholesome in countries where the climate is cold,
(which is, however, by no means conceded,) we have no right to
permit ourselves to eat the same ; for our law does not lay down its
unwholesomeness as a reason, but gives it as the will of God, that
we should abstain from it ; and since no other injurious eflfect is
mentioned, save that forbidden things will contaminate us, what
right have we to suppose the prohibitions on this subject repealed 1
— " because we are no longer in Palestine ;" — but, should not the
use of forbidden things make us as much unclean here, as in Pales-
tine or the deserts of Arabia ?

But if we even waive altogether the unwholesomeness of forbidden
animals as a reason for their being interdicted, which, as said al-
ready, can hardly have been the sole motive for the enactment
under discussion : we can discover a cause perfectly consonant with
the idea we entertain of the goodness of the Deity, in the object
which He always had in giving his precepts — which is, the moral
perfection of ourselves. He wanted to train us up in obedience and
submission to his will, and gave us therefore various enactments,
which tend to call for a vigilance over our inclinations, and demand
a constant surveillance over our conduct. If, then, some actions
are at times not forbidden, and even praiseworthy, there may be cir-
cumstances when they may be pernicious, and to be avoided. In
truth, we will discover, that almost for every act permitted, some-
thing else is prohibited, and thus the whole system of clean and
unclean, of permissions and interdictions, may be referred to the

* The reader will please to observe that whenever the terms our legislator
enacted, Moses commanded, and others of like tenor are employed, they mean
nothing else than that God commanded through our legislator or Moses.

THE FORBIDDEN MEATS. 119

grand ulterior reason of the descent on Sinai, to raise up a holy peo-
ple and a kingdom of priests. — -As a further illustration of this
principle, the reader will please to reflect on the following exam-
ples.— One of the chief subjects in the law, and concerning which
we have many regulations, is the intercourse between the sexes ; it
is sin, a breach of moral duty to seduce any female ; but it is not
wrong to persuade a woman to marry us, and thus this connection,
which in the one instance is sinful, becomes in the other lawful, nay
even praiseworthy and necessary. But we are not permitted to marry
every female ; for by our law (see several passages in Leviticus and
other places) the wife of another man is prohibited, as are also cer-
tain other persons who are connected with us either by the ties of
relationship, as sisters, daughters, aunts, and some others ; or those
who are connected with us through marriage either to ourselves or
to near relatives, as our wife's mother or sisters, our father's wife,
and others mentioned in Leviticus ; nay at certain periods our own
wives are prohibited. And so heinous were such illegal marriages
considered by God, that He in most cases made them punishable
with death, both to the man and the woman ! It will readily be con-
fessed, that the permission of such acts would be ruinous to the
peace of families, if not of whole societies, and that they have been
so, even to the latter, can be easily demonstrated by the destruction
of the greater part of the tribe of Benjamin, as related in the book of
Judges, and by the demolition of Troy. It is unnecessary to search for
other examples, for these two are enough already to prove my as-
sertion.— There is yet, however, another restriction laid upon our
inclinations in this respect, namely that we are not to marry an un-
married woman, though unconnected with us, if she does not belong
to the descendants of Israel, unless she tske previously, from no love
to the man, but sincere affection to our religion, the yoke of this re-
ligion/reeZ?/ and voluntarily upon herself. The same is the case
with a Jewish female, for she has no right to marry any man wha
is not called by the name of Israel. (See Deut. vii. and Ezra, and
Malachi.)

The drinking of wine, in general, was not interdicted ; but the
priests, when they were about to commence the service in the tem-
ple, and the judges, before they entered upon the hearing of any

120 THE FORBIDDEN MEATS.

case, were forbidden to taste wine or other spirituous liquors. (See
Leviticus x.)

It is not unlawful to wear garments of linen and woollen, when
these two materials are unmixed ; but it is prohibited to wear any
garment made of linen and woollen mixed together.

A murderer after he had been tried and found guilty, was to be
executed, or in case he should have made his escape, the nearest
relative of the murdered (the avenger of the blood) was permitted to
remove the monster out of the world. It was nevertheless strictly
forbidden to touch the murderer, although wilful murder was pun-
ishable with death only, before he had been tried by his peers,* (see
Numbers xxxv. v. 12,) no matter how aggravated or enormous his
guilt might have been.

We have thus seen that our religion is intended to bridle our pas-
sions and restrain our desires ; and we may therefore assign this as
a reason, and perhaps as the only probable reason, that certain kinds
of animal food were interdicted. God allowed us a great number of
birds, an immense number of fishes, four kinds of winged insects,
and ten kinds of four-footed animals, besides all wholesome vegeta-
bles. He has therefore left us enough for our support, and restricted
us at the same time from the other quadrupeds, birds, fishes, and
insects, to bridle our desires ; and we are therefore to abstain from
these things, because it is the will of God. If we then disregard
this precept, and transgress, if we say, " what difference can it make
to God, if I eat the meat of an ox or a swine," we offend against his
will, we pollute ourselves, by what goes into the mouth, and can con-
sequently lay no longer any claim to holiness ; for the term " holi-
ness," applied to mortals, means only, a framing of our desires by
the will of God, by that rule which He has promulgated as the stan-
dard of right ; the subduing of our passions, because He desires it ;
and lastly, by doing as much good to all mankind as lays within our
power. Does not then the strict observance of our law demand this
small sacrifice at our hands? Have we not enough to eat without

* I have introduced this modern word in this place, because the whole nation
of the Israelites were equals, and no one had a superior claim to honour above
the other, except in so far only, as he was the better and more useful man ; of
course there could be no aristocracy^ as long as the Israelites adhered strictly tc
the Mosaic code.

THE FORBIDDEN MEATS. 121

touching forbidden things ? Let me beseech my fellow-behevers,
not to deceive themselves by saying, " there is no sin in eating of
aught that lives ;" on the contrary, there is sin and contamination
too. — Thus God tells us — and is his assertion not to be regarded more
than the dreams of pretended prophets or the sneers of unbelieving
enemies of our faith 1 Let the Israelites, if they love their religion,
not be deterred by the taunts of one sect or the sneers of the other,
and let them only persevere and conform in this important particular
to our law, and when asked for the reason of their abstinence let
them refer to the Pentateuch, and say : " Here is our warrant."

Not alone in regard to unwholesome food, but also in other res-
pects, has our law been careful of our personal ease and safety. —
Although no evil can betide us without God's sufferance, we yet find
that he commanded us (Deut. chap, xxii.) : " To make a railing round
the roof of the house, that no one might fall therefrom." It is no
doubt well known, that the houses in Palestine were flat-roofed, and
that people frequently went up there, particularly in summer eve-
nings, and they often spread even fruit upon them to dry, nor was
it very uncommon for several to meet in the Aliyah for discussion or
prayer.* To prevent accidents therefore, which might otherwise
have easily occurred, the above commandment was given. There
are many similar ordinances in the Bible, but it is needless to tran-
scribe them, as one example will suffice to prove the extreme care
our law takes of the welfare of every individual of the nation, no
matter how humble his station.

It is well known, that among many nations it is customary to show
the most extravagant signs of grief at the death of any person ; they
pull out their hair, tear their bodies in the most shocking manner,
and show other fantastical marks of outward grief. The Romans
employed gladiators even, (i. e. — men trained to fight for the amuse-
ment of this enlightened people,) who fought till one or both were
killed, whenever a respectable man died. This fashion was carried
to such a cruel extent, that — if I do not altogether err— on more

* See Mishna, Shabbath i. 4, also the excellent descriptive novel, Helen's Pil-
grimage to Jerusalem, w^here the reader can obtain a great deal, and generally
correct information with regard to the customs and mode of living of the ancient
Jews.

16

122 THE FORBIDDEN MEATS.

occasions than one, a hundred of these miserable beings were saerE^
ficed to the manes of the departed. This custom was horrible, ye&!
horrible beyond conception, and yet the most refined nations of an-
tiquity, the Greeks and Romans, indulged in this and similar prac-
tices, and a man like Marcus TuUius Cicero could be deluded enough
to defend them. And at the present day, as has been mentioned al-
ready in the foregoing chapter, the Indian widows, from some super-
stitious notion or mistaken principle of affection — it is needless to
determine which — burn themselves upon the funeral piles of their
husbands. Though they do it, for the most part, very unwillingly,
their infatuation is nevertheless so great that they do not even ques-
tion the authority of their priests for recommending and enforcing
such brutal sacrifices. The most horrid scenes are frequently ex-
hibited at these suttees, as they are called, and to the shame of the
local government be it spoken,* they seldom, if ever, make any at-
tempt to rescue the poor victims, impelled by foolish enthusiasm,
from the ruffian grasp of their immolaters, who, during the lighting
and burning of the pile, make a terrible and deafening noise with
drums and other discordant instruments, to drown the shrieks of the
women as they are gradually consumed, and this very often under
the most agonising tortures !

Not so is Jacob's portion ; thus are not we allowed to act. We
read in Deut. chap. xii. " that we are children to our God, and that
we are not permitted to pull out our hair, and mar our bodies at the

* Since writing the above, the author has understood that hitherto the British
government would not interfere, because the Hindoos are so jealous of their an-
cient customs, that it was feared that the abolition of this practice might perhaps
subvert the dominion of the British in India. This may have been in some
measure an excuse for the government ; the greater cause therefore have the
friends of humanity to congratulate themselves, that at last an enlightened and
moral ruler, the Lord William Bentick, has interdicted the burning of widows,
and he deserves the greater glory, as all his predecessors were too much deter-
red by real or imaginary fears from engaging in the cause of this useful reform.
Be this as it may, the argument in the text is not in the least weakened by the
abolition of this custom at this late hour ; for what can be advanced in exculpa-
tion of the Brahmins, who at all events did encourage the ignorant females of
their nation, and goad them on by visionary hopes, fears, and affections? What
can be said of the holiness of any institution, whicli produces such self-delusions?
(May 20th, 1830.)

THE FORBIDDEN MEATS. 123

death of any one," much less to murder others at the funeral of a
friend or relative. — The intention of this commandment is probably
this : Religion, at least such a religion as it is our fortune to possess,
should inspire us with confidence in God, and an acquiescence in his
judgment, and soften our grief so much, that under any affliction, we
should be firm and resigned enough to exclaim with the holy writer :
" Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him !" The severest blows
are oftentimes the most productive of happiness in their consequen-
ces, or at least, that which wears such a formidable aspect, as almost
to cause us to despond altogether at first sight, loses many of its
terrors when nearer viewed, and at moments when we have become
more collected, when the lapse of some little time enables us to take
a calm survey of the event we so much deplore. Often, to the most
forlorn, unexpected help arises, and the gloom of despondency is full
many a time suddenly dissipated by a light from above, as bright as
the instantaneous meteor in a dark night, but as lasting and benefi-
cent as the light of the sun. Many, no doubt, who will read this,
have encountered manifold adversities, some of them have perhaps
seen, in early youth, a near connection consigned to the tomb, others
may have stood weeping at the bier of their parents, others again
may have been left destitute orphans without a protector ; and yet,
have they not all of them experienced that there is never a wound
inflicted, without a healing balsam being sent to alleviate the pain of
the sufferer 7 Perhaps the orphan, who pronounced at his father's
grave the words of the Psalmist : " My father and mother have left
me," may have also had occasion to express his gratitude to God by
exclaming: "but the Lord heis taken me under his protection."
Why should we then fear, when we are apparently unfortunate ?
why should we destroy our health, or deprive ourselves altogether
of life ? if the very circumstance of our present distress may redound
to our temporal as well as spiritual advantage ; and when besides we
ought always to bear in mind, that there is One above who directs
our destiny. We have a beautiful example of resignation given us
in the Pentateuch : Aaron had lost his two eldest sons on the day
they were installed in the priestly office ; Moses told his brother,
that God had informed him that He would be sanctified through
those who were near Him, (i. e. — the otherwise pious men) ; and
Aaron remained silent, and in obedience to the divine command, he

124 THE FORBIDDEN MEATS.

suppressed the feelings of the father, conscious that the punishment
of his sons for their one transgression would act as a salutary admo-
nition to the people, who would thus be made more careful in their
course of life, seeing that the very pious and most exalted did not
escape merited punishment. — Like Aaron's grief, therefore, should
our grief always be, silent but sincere ; we should feel the weight of
God's chastisement, yet know how to bear— how to be resigned to
his wise decrees. " You are the children of the Eternal, your God,"
the father punishes not his son in anger, with unfeelingness — no, he
inflicts slight punishment to induce him to mend some evil habit, or
corrects him for some transgression against paternal authority. In
the same light should we view whatever the Almighty may send to
us. If we are thankful for the good which we daily and hourly re-
ceive from his bounty, we ought also not to murmur, when evil
befals us ; have we drunk deep of the cup of happiness, let us not
repine, if with the sweets of life the bitterness of wormwood is now
and then mixed. We all must die ; death will not spare the most
exalted, the most beloved objects ; it behoves us, therefore, to re-
strain our grief from becoming too violent ; for, in the first place, it
would be injurious to our health, and then, it would manifest a dis-
satisfaction with God's dispensation. But let us not in the hour of
joy be too much elated, nor grow careless by uninterrupted success ;
but we should consider how soon our joy may be turned into sorrow,
and how speedily our smiles may be chased by the tears of anguish.
Let temporal happiness inspire us with gratitude to God, and compas-
sion for mankind, and let adversity teach us resignation to God's will,
and to feel for another's woe. And since we daily see, how brief all
joys are, how soon life may terminate, we should live so as always to
be prepared for death — so, that no vice may disturb our dying bed,
and we be ever ready to return our soul pure and unspotted to the God
who gave it — to make it deserving of that happiness in the world to
come, of which it is his wish that we all should participate. (Deut.
chap. V. V. 26.) May we live to see the day when all mankind have
become virtuous and good, and all are willing to acknowledge them-
selves servants of the Most High, and to worship Him in truth and
sincerity. A.men !

125

CHAPTER XX.

THE GOLDEN CALF.

We have thus endeavoured to give clear and convincing arguments
in favour of the beauty and necessity of that part of our law, fre-
quently denounced as superstitious. — With how much injustice this
charge has been made, I leave every candid man to decide, without
even attempting to enlist his feelings, being sure, that his Judgment
must be in favour of our laws. If we now seriously reflect upon the
nature of our religion, it must be admitted, that this, our religion,
must promote devotion to God and peace among men. Can any
thing more be asked, that these laws should effect ? — That they were
often violated by the very persons to whom they were given, we
dare not even attempt to deny, for Moses himself has left us un-
doubted evidence of the fact. We shall therefore be met by the
following objection : " If it be true that the Israelites received the
law from God, in the manner related by Moses, how did it happen,
that they so often transgressed and acted so contrary to that system,
which is in fact so very beautiful ?"

It is lamentable, but not the less true, that few men are taught
wisdom by experience, and that the number of those is smaller still
who are made good by mere precept alone, though their teacher be
the wisest and most exalted. Even at the present day we generally
find, that many a man, when in trouble, will promise any thing and
every thing to be forgiven for the wrong he has done ; but no
sooner is he out of trouble, no sooner is he pardoned, than he again
commences his old career, and commits anew the same follies which
have occasioned him so much distress. This is the conduct from
one man to the other, whom he, perhaps, may hope to deceive by
outward appearances of reformation ; yet even towards our Maker
do we often act thus. In trouble, at the death of a friend or re-
lative, we suddenly grow wonderfully pious, we seem strangely
reformed, we view our former course of life with real or affected

126 THE GOLDEN CALJb'.

horror, as sinful and unbecoming mortals, who receive all they pos-
sess from God, and we determine to do better for the future. When
the impression, however, is once weakened by time, when forgetful-
ness has taken off a little from the keen edge of our grief: we are
our former selves again — God is forgotten — his law neglected
— and our calamities are scarcely remembered — we make merry at
what we then call trifles, and often pretend to be surprised at our
own folly, for having been weak enough to be affected by occur-
rences, which were, to make the most of them, but natural*

Is not this a true picture of the conduct of most men? Where,
in fact, is that man to be found, who is always mindful of passing
events, and regulates his life by them ?

Just so were our ancestors. They had been slaves in Egypt,
their redemption was sudden, and we may say would have been un-
expected at the moment it took place, if they had not been previous-
ly prepared for it by the 'plagues which befel their oppressors.
After their redemption, we have seen that the law was given to
them, and its precepts were contrary to almost every thing they had
been accustomed to in Egypt. There was besides an immense
number of persons in the camp, who were not Jews, (Exod. chap. xii.
V. 38,) and whom we afterwards find (Numb. chap. xi. v. 4,) not alone
murmuring themselves, but exciting the Israelites also to rebellion.
After the promulgation of the ten commandments Moses re-ascended
the mount, and staid there forty days and nights. The people, par-
ticularly the strangers, were not yet used to the rule of the divine
law : they could yet hardly understand how God could be worship-
ped without symbolic idols, altars, sacrifices and priests ; for idols
had been interdicted, and they had not yet heard in what manner
the sacrifices were to be offered, what kind of place for the worship
of God they were to have ; and as yet the first-born of the families
were the priests, according to patriarchal custom. All this was
new and strange to them, and when they saw that Moses staid out
longer than they expected, they became restive, and were prohahly
afraid, as we may infer from their address to Aaron, that he had
died upon Sinai ; being therefore now without a leader, they desired
a symbol of God, which might be carried before them as their en-
sign of war, for so it is said : " Rise, make us gods, which shall go
before us." It is said in tradition, that they applied first to Hur,

THE GOLDEN CALF. 127

who, together with iSti^, had been left as governors during Moses's
absence ; he, however, refused, and was immediately slain by the
infuriated mob. They then came to Aaron, who did all in his power
to procure delay ; he demanded the ear-rings and other ornaments
of the women and children, hoping that they might refuse to part
with them. But the men fearing delay, or perhaps discovering
Aaron's unwillingness to obey them, immediately gave him their own
ornaments. Aaron saw now no means but to comply with their de-
mands, and at last a golden calf was made under his auspices. The
calf, as is well known, was the deity of Egypt, and it is very proba-
ble that Aaron chose this image to remind his brethren how ineffec-
tual the Egyptian gods had been to save their worshippers from
destruction. But as soon as the strangers,* who were Egyptians,
saw their old god, they exclaimed to the Israelites : " These are
thy gods, oh Israel, which have brought thee out from Egypt !"
When men are once wavering, it is but a slight step to apostacy ;

* This explanation of the thirty-second chapter of Exodus may seem very
strange to those who have never heard it ; but, in thejirst place, let it be consi-
dered, that Hur is never mentioned after this event, though he must have been
an intimate friend of Moses and Aaron, he being first virith Moses and Aaron
on the hill during the battle v^'ith Amalake ; and next he and Aaron were ap-
pointed judges during Moses's absence. — In the second place, the address
" These are thy gods, &c." can not possibly have originated with the Israelites
themselves, which, if it were the case, could not be reconciled to the language
of the text ; we must, therefore, conclude that this address was held by the
strangers, who had followed our ancestors from Egypt. The probable meaning
of these words is this : " You Israelites have, till this moment, thought that it
w as a new, unheard of God — the Eternal — who had redeemed you from slavery ;
but think no longer so — it was Osiris, Isis, Apis, and the other gods of Egypt,
who were your redeemers. They were incensed at the injustice done to you ;
and the punishment inflicted upon the Egyptians was their work ; they gave
you food in the wilderness ; and as for the law given from Sinai — that whole
affair was a contrivance of Moses himself But see, here is your god, and is not
his image good evidence of the fact, that he has come to resume his rule over
you ; you — who have so long lived in the land where he is w^orshipped ?" — I do
not know that this opinion agrees with that of any other commentator ; but I
do not wish to force my opinion upon any one, I just give it as it occurred to
me while writing, and if it be erroneous, let my readers reject it; only let them
riot think me presumptuous, nor the explanation absurd, for it is founded upon
the plain and literal translation of the Hebrew words.

128 THE GOLDEN CALF.

once dissolve the bond by which we are bdSnfl', and we rush head-
long forward, without once looking to see in what direction we pro-
ceed', Just so was it with a part of our ancestors ; I say a part, for
all did not sin : they had begun to doubt the truth of Moses's mission
on account of his absence, and no sooner, therefore, had they an ex-
cuse for deviating from their duty, than they followed the way of
error, and instead of adoring the all-powerful God, they worshipped
" the image of a. grass-eating oa:." Aaron did not long remain un-
conscious of the fatal error he had committed in not sacrificing
himself to their resentment, rather than yield to the unreasonable
demands of the Israelites and strangers. He therefore built an altar
before the calf, and exclaimed aloud before the assembled people :
" To-morrow is a feast in honour of the Eternal.'''' The meaning
can easily be discovered to be ; " Do not, my deluded brethren,
imagine that this calf is God, or a symbol of God, for He has told
you that he is not to be represented by any living thing ; by aught
either in the heavens, the earth, or the water. Apis, Osiris, and
the other idols you saw worshipped in Egypt, are not gods ; for, if
by them are understood the sun, moon, stars, and the creatures
around you, then they are the creatures of our God, and ought, for
this reason, not to be worshipped, for worship is due to the Creator
alone. But, if they are supposed to be independent deities, and pos-
sessing power of themselves, then they have no existence at all, for
nothing exists that is not derived from the God we adore. Wait
therefore my brethern, and act not with precipitancy ; wait until to-
morrow, perhaps our beloved Moses may return, and to-morrow then
shall be a day of feasting in honour of the Eternal our God, who is
your King, Protector, and Redeemer, and whom alone you ought to
worship !"

It often happens that good advice is not listened to, if men are
predetermined to do wrong ; and the same was the case with the
Israelites. For they rose early on the following morning, and per-
formed their unholy rites round the statue of the calf, and showed, by
this conduct, how little they had corrected the evil habits they had
contracted in Egypt ; and gave a warning to all how dangerous bad
company and bad example are, particularly to young persons, before
their character is well formed.

While they had yet scarcely time to commence their horrid

THE GOLDEN CALF. 129

dance, Moses received the two tables of the covenant from the Most
Hiirh, who then also told him that the Israelites had so soon depart-
ed from the way which He had pointed out to them. Moses, being
bidden, descended from the mount, and at its foot he met his trusty
servant Joshua, who had remained there ever since he had been
upon Sinai. The mount yet blazed (Deut. chap, ix.) when Moses
returned to the camp with the tables in his hand, but he threw them
down and broke them at the foot of Sinai, as soon as he had arrived
at the camp, and had seen " the calf and the dancing." For he
argued : the uncircumcised is not even permitted to taste the pass-
over-lamb, and thus he is disabled on account of the non-fulfilment
of one commandment only from being in every respect a true Israel-
ite ; and can this people, who have in a measure all become idola-
ters, be worthy of the whole law and those statutes, more dear than
gold, and more costly than pearls 7

But not in vain reproofs did Moses idle away the time which was
of necessity to be devoted to action. The man of God stood in the
gate of the camp, and exclaimed : " Who is for the Eternal come
to me !" and they came, who had not forsaken their God, namely,
the children of Levi ; and they proved on that day thei?' adherence
to God at the risk of their lives. The small number of the Levites
is well known ; they were, in fact, the smallest tribe of Israel ; yet
did they singly brave the immense numbers of the other tribes, not to
reckon the strange mob mixed with them. But the Levites did
not regard numbers — they heeded not the ties of friendship, it was
enough for them to know that on thai day — so was the will of their
God — they should strike for the glory of his holy name, and three
thousand idolaters fell before the swords, which had never been un-
sheathed in vain. From this day, however, they became con-
secrated to the service of their God, and war was no longer to be
their trade. The sword of destruction was henceforward taken out
of their hands, and the book of the holy and life-giving law was put
there in its stead : the teaching of this book, the attendance at the
sacrifices, and the service at the temple, were entrusted to the Le-
vites, as a reward for the willingness which they showed in the
execution of a duty at all times painful to the heart that feels, and
to the mind that is conscious of its own imperfections.

" But was not Moses's order to slay the idolaters cruel and unne-
17

130 THE GOLDEN CALF.

cessary ?" — That three thousand is a large number we are ready to
confess ; but we assert that it was not cruel, and that the destruction
of this large number was called for by the most imperious necessity.
Hitherto, it will be perceived, no punishment had been inflicted upon
the Israelites, though they had frequently deserved it ; because God
had compassion for their weakness, and He pardoned them accord-
ing to his great mercy. But when they had, at the time we are
speaking of, altogether thrown off the yoke which they had volunta-
rily accepted to bear, it became absolutely necessary to teach them
by acts, but not words, that on no account could the second com-
mandment be transgressed with impunity ; and they were made to
feel that God, who is kind and delays his anger a long while, is sure
to punish every disobedience against his will. And since it had
thus become necessary to punish, was it not proper that all those
who had been equally guilty and active in crime should be equally
punished? — They, also, received a practical lesson, that a handful
of men, when protected by God, are more powerful than great
armies ; as the Levites, confiding in God, overcame multitudes, who
had but just chosen Apis as their god, who was unable to save them
from the sword of the servants of the Eternal.

To prove more fully to the Israelites the utter weakness of their
idol, Moses reduced the whole to powder, which he mixed with
water, and gave it them to drink. — When idolatry had thus been
eradicated in one day, Moses announced that he would go again
upon the mount Sinai, to pray to God, and ask forgiveness for their
transgression. — He did go, and remained there forty days and forty
nights, without food or drink, and lived happy in receiving the word
of God, and in obtaining the pardon of the erring Israelites. Though
he was told that thei?* destruction should be the means of his eleva-
tion, yet did he not desire greatness for himself which must have
been attended by the destruction of others; and he asked to be blot-
ted out of the book which God had icritten, (i. e. Moses offered him-
self as a sacrifice, even so far that his name might be altogether
forgotten,) only that the Israelites might be preserved and forgiven.
But God would not accept Moses ^s a sacrifice, thus teaching the
world that one man can never be sacrificed, that any other man or
even a whole community might escape without punishment, but the
sinning person himself, and none other in his stead, is to die. (See

THE GOLDEN CALF. 131

Exod, chap, xxxii.) Although God would not forgive the Israelites,
and punish his messenger in place of them, He nevertheless pardoned
them upon Moses's intercession ; but He alsa made known to them,
that all ornaments must be laid aside, that those things which had in-
duced them to sin should be no longer a temptation in their way
to make them swerve from their adherence to God a second time.
The people mourned, and obeyed the commandment, and showed us
by so doing, that whenever we wish to repent seriously, we must ab-
stract ourselves as much as possible from the affairs of this world
and its allurements, and place before ourselves in the strongest light
the power of God, his kindness, and his mercy.

Moses was after this ordered to prepare two tables like those he
had broken ; he therefore descended from Sinai, and made them as
he had been commanded. He again ascended, and staid a third time
forty days and nights upon the mount ; at the expiration of which
period he returned to the camp and deposited the tables, which were
inscribed with the Decalogue, in a wooden ark. (Deut. x.)

Moses now made known to the Israelites, that he had received the
commands of God to build Him a temple, where He should be wor-
shipped, and that the expenses of the building were to be defrayed
by voluntary contributions. The people had now an opportunity of
showing if they had truly repented of their former folly — and they
did prove their sincerity ; whatever was wanting, gold, silver, pre-
cious stones, in short all which had been demanded was cheerfully
given, and even more than was actually needed was brought to the
workmen, so that at length Moses was obliged to proclaim: " That
no one should bring any more contributions for the service of the
holy tabernacle." — The workmen, who were selected from all Israel,
and had knowledge to do all kinds of work for the holy service,
made all things necessary exactly after the model which God had
shown to Moses ; and v/hen all was finished they received the bless-
ing of their great teacher, who wished them the grace of God and
his future protection ! Moses then set up the tabernacle, and the
glory of God filled it, and the pillar of light shone upon it brightly
every night ; and the admiring Israelites were thus convinced that
God was amongst them continually, to protect them, and to shield
them from all danger.

As the Israelites were drawing near the land of their destination,

132 THE GOLDEN CALF.

they desired that spies should be sent, to see which road they ought
to take, and what cities they should come to. The spies were sent,
but like other travellers, ten out of twelve (the number sent) magni-
fied real dangers, and invented others which had no existence. The
whole congregation rose in rebellion against the messenger and the
anointed of the Lord ; and the mob would have attempted to stone
them but for the timely interference of Caleb and Joshua, two of
the spies. — Ml lamented the fate that awaited them ; they feared to
enter the land which had been promised them as an inheritance,
and they proposed returning to Egypt, where they had been slaves.
This conduct was highly offensive to the Deity, who, in consequence,
bid Moses to tell the people, that all over the age of twenty should
die in the wilderness, where they should wander for forty years ; but
that their children, or all those under twenty years old, should enter
the land, which had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ;
and that farther they should not advance against their enemies, but
return towards the Red Sea. — O strange inconsistency ! as soon as
they had heard their doom, and the injunction to return, and after
ten of the spies had died, they were all willing to go, and even tu-
multuously demanded to be led forward. In vain did Moses entreat
them to desist, for that they would be surely beaten by their ene-
mies ; they, however, did go forward, and suffered what Moses had
foretold. They wandered then for forty years, sustained solely by
the providence of God ; and thus was a people raised up, free from all
admixture of evil, for all the bad men died by degrees, as related
in the fourth book of Moses ; and those whom Joshua led over
the Jordan were all worthy of being the people of that God in
whose name they went forward against their enemies, and by whose
aid they obtained possession of their inheritance.

I have not thought it necessary to explain every one of the rebel-
lious actions of the Israelites in the wilderness ; but I just extracted
these two to show that the unwillingness of our ancestors to obey
theVill of their God does not prove that He never revealed himself to
them ; and I hope that it has been clearly demonstrated, that their
rebellious disposition may have been altogether owing to the weak-
ness of human nature; and secondly, to the peculiar circumstances
under which they found themselves. Besides, it must be well

THE GOLDEN CALF. 133

remembered, that our law was not given to us to force our compli-
ance ; far from it, — God gave us the laws, known as the Mosaic, as
a rule to regulate ourselves by in our intercourse with one another,
and for our conduct towards Him ; and we have seen that He made
his will known to us with a view to teach us how to distinguish be-
tween right and wrong, because our reason, unaided, does not guide
us correctly. But having once pointed out " what is right" and
" what is wrong,'' He gave us the choice, either to obey his will,
which is " to do good," or to disobey it, which is " to do evil."
(Deut. chap, xxx.) He, however, at the same time tells us the con-
sequences of our choosing the one or the other ; namely, that by
obedience to his will we shall be made happy — by disobedience un-
happy; or rather, in the words of the holy, book, we have the choice
between doing good and live, and doing evil and die. God advises
us, however, to choose " life," for it is more pleasing to Him to
reward the virtuous than punish the wicked. (See above, commen-
tary on the Decal. chap, xiii.) Then, again, it must be borne in
mind, that all the laws, as has been already said, were no less new
to the Israelites than to any other nation ; and it took, therefore, in
the natural course of things, some considerable time to make them
perfectly acquainted with the divine ordinances. If Moses now had
not recorded their frequent apostacies, but had only given the his-
tory of a people, all the time they were under his guidance, acting
obediently to God, and with deference towards himself, we should
have been very much inclined to doubt the veracity of the narrative,
for then some wiseacre might have said with some show of reason :
" It is impossible that among three millions of people there should
arise no dissatisfaction with a self-constituted ruler, who was one of
their number, and had therefore no right to command his equals.
He had, besides, promised them to bring them to a land flowing with
milk and honey; but, instead of doing this, he keeps them for the space
of forty years in a frightful wilderness, where not even fresh water is to
be found." Such a nation of saints indeed would with justice have
been considered an improbability, not to say an impossibility, unless we
should believe that their nature had been changed ! This, however,
would virtually have changed their freedom of action, and of course
such a hypothesis is utterly fallacious, it being not only contrary to
revelation, but also to common reason. — The Israelites had been so

134 THE GOLDEN CALF.

long slaves under idolatrous masters, that they were not altogether
free from the influence of the Egyptians amongst them ; and as
Moses had been absent a long while, they became alarmed, and they
required another leader in the place of Moses, whom they either
supposed dead, or what is worse, that having once attained his
object by depriving the king of Egypt, who was his personal
enemy, of their services, he had left them to their fate, under a pre-
tence of going to receive new laws for their government, finding
himself unable to keep the promises he had made them. We have
seen with how much cunning the designing strangers took advan-
tage of this feeling among the Israehtes, and the consequent apos-
tacy of the latter, the adherence of the tribe of Levi to God, and the
subsequent punishment of the idolaters. From this affair, and the
other murmurings and backslidings of the Israelites, it will appear
that Moses conceals nothing that happened to him and the people
under his charge ; he also tells us that his government was not ac-
quiesced in by all, but that he was perpetually assailed by riotous
meetings, and grieved very frequently by the obstinacy of a people
to whom he was so devoted as to offer his own life a sacrifice for
their welfare. We have thus the strongest evidence of the truth of
what he says regarding the history of the Israelites, since he is at
no pains to conceal any thing which might induce some to believe
that this dissatisfaction was deserved by him. — To sum up the whole
in a few words : human nature was not changed ; propensities to err
were not removed ; and although the Israelites had a rule to go by,
yet could they not so soon forget old and deep-rooted habits ', force,
therefore, and persuasion, were both necessary to make them re-
member the new law ; and thus were we already very early taught
by practical lessons, " that no good goes unrewarded, and no evil
unpunished."

T do not wish to palliate the sins of our forefathers, but only to
show that their sinning is no evidence that they did not receive the
law ; besides, let it be considered, that although they sinned, their
transgressions were not more numerous than those of the best men
living at any time and in any country, if we take into consideration
the length of time of which Moses speaks, and their former state ;
and though no such crimes, as they were guilty of, may be now
committed, let it be observed, that the world has many other failings

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY. 135

which our ancestors had not ; further, that the sins of the fathers
tended greatly to confirm the children more strongly in the law of
God, since they saw how much evil springs from disobedience, and
how many blessings flow from a cheerful submission to the will of
God!

CHAPTER XXI.

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY.

If we carefully examine the biblical records, we shall discover that
prophets were not alone found amongst the Israelites, but also
amongst other nations, previous to Moses, and during his lifetime.
We find two mentioned, namely, Job* and Balaam, who were sent

* It is the generally received opinion among the Rabbins, that Job died dur-
ing Moses's lifetime ; at any rate, it is acknowledged by all, that this patriarch
lived in a very remote age, and it is unnecessary for me to make an enquiry in
this place, if his death occurred at the time the Rabbins say it did, which is at
all events very probable. — Let me here once for all remark, that I am really
astonished at the presumption of antiquaries, who, no matter with how little
reason, set gravely about to determine the time and mode of every thing in his-
tory ; they affirm things as true upon the most frivolous data, and upon equally
trivial grounds reject all which they do not wish to believe, and thus it is not
to be wondered at, that they so often arrive at conclusions the very reverse of
truth. And no class of writers have been more abused by this class of reasoners,
than our sacred writers and Rabbins. — Having said thus much, I shall resume
the subject which I intended to explain. — I have said that the opinions of the
Rabbins concerning the time of Job's death is very plausible, and as there is
certainly no positive proof against this tradition, we Jews will continue to think
it true, till we see some more conclusive reasoning against its probability, than
the unsupported assertion of any man. If we then assume it as true, that Job
died at the time mentioned, it follows : that the light of revelation was not yet
extinct, though the patriarchs, to whom this revelation was first given, had long
past away. We find Job bringing sacrifices in honour of God, fearing, that his

136 INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY.

as messengers.) at least in so far, as to make the will of God known
to those who were immediately about them ; and others, as A.bime-
lech and Laban, who received prophecy for their own guidance.
(See Gen. chap. xx. v. 3, and ibid. chap. xxxi. v. 24.)

Not all the prophets received their mission in the same manner,
nor had they all an equal degree of knowledge of divine things and
of sanctity, if the frequency of inspiration be taken as the test. — We
generally find that when the spirit of prophecy came over a man, he
could not remain standing, but fell involuntarily down, as Abraham,
Ezekiel, and Balaam. Most of the prophets prophesied only once,
or when there was any urgent necessity of making something known
to the people, leader, judge, or king ; of the first, we can cite as a
remarkable instance the seventy elders in Numbers, chap, xi., and
of the second, the many prophets mentioned in Kings will serve as
an illustration. — Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel have
left us accounts of their first appointment to the dignity of prophets,
and from their histories we can learn what kind of men were thus
honoured by their Maker ; they were all, namely, men of unim-
peachable morality and virtue, and ready to fulfil the object of their
mission at whatever personal risk to themselves ; with the exception

children had, in the moment of conviviality, been forgetful of God's mercy and
blasphemed Him in their hearts. Job lived in a district of Iduraea, and his close
contiguity to the Canaanites must lead us to the conclusion, that they were neither
ignorant of Job's person nor of his mode of life, and they therefore must have
known too, that their abominable conduct was displeasing to the God whom
Job v/orshipped.

I deemed this necessary to defend the Israelites against the charge of having
murdered the nations of Palestine, who are said to have been ignorant of the
v/ill of God. It will however not be disputed, that they had some knowledge,
not alone of the patriarchal revelation, but also of the Exodus and the promul-
gation of the law from Sinai ; yet did they persevere in their course of life, and
they were for this reason alone doomed to destruction. (See Deut. chap. ix. v. 5.)
God sent the Israelites to drive them out and take possession of their land. But
our ancestors, after they had subdued or driven out the Canaanites, imitated
their example; they too were therefore nearly all destroyed, and the remainder
driven into captivity ; for, as they did that for which their predecessors had
suffered, they were no longer permitted to inhabit the land which had been given
them, because of the iniquity of these predecessors ; and thus we see that re-
tributive justice will reach nations no less than individuals, and this we are
taught throughout all the prophetic books.

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY. 137

of Balaam, who, though probably not virtuous, was yet gifted with
prophecy, and this must teach us, as well as many other acts of the
Deity, that our reason is not capable of understanding all.

In investigating the prophetic histories, or what is the same, all the
books of the Jewish canon, it will be discovered that inspiration was of
two different kinds : the one was inspiration proper, and the other
prophecy. The inspired man, or one endowed with the holy spirit
^iflpT] ni'i whilst speaking or writing, was he, who wrote or spoke by
himself (but not to others) what he felt within himself to be the will
and word of God ; or one who wrote down what had happened be-
fore him, or was to happen after him, as it was made known to him
by a knowledge superior to that with which he was generally en-
dowed. Inspired writers of this kind are David, Solomon, Daniel,
Ezra and Nehemiah. All these men, as will be seen, were never
sent out to communicate to others what had been imparted to them ;
but they wrote down or spoke as to themselves what they felt con-
vinced to be that wisdom and that knowledge, which their God had
revealed to them. Thus David said : " The spirit of the Lord
spoke within me, and his word was upon my tongue." (See 2 Sam.
chap, xxiii. v. 2.) If we now wish to determine what is holy spirit
or inspiration, we must say : It is the endowment of superior know-
ledge proceeding from God as a special gift to the person so gifted,
which inspiration compels him to write and speak only what is, was,
or will be true, and prevents him from committing any error in the
facts he relates as happening, past, or coming, because his know-
ledge ranges over events and circumstances, and the nature of both,
as if they pass in review before him ; or, in other words, a man
truly inspired can commit no error, but must speak the truth.

A man endowed with prophecy, on the contrary, was a messenger
sent to tell to others the will of God ; he was therefore not permitted
to keep any thing imparted to him a secret, but he was to go forth
to the nation and communicate to them either the good or the evil
message, which had been entrusted to him. (See also, 1 Sam. chap,
iii. V. 17, where v/e read, that Samuel concealed nothing that God
had told him from Eli, who had even required this frankness from
the young prophet.) We must, according to this definition, call
Moses, Isaiah, Joel and others, prophets, since they were messen-
gers sent to speak. The prophet, like the inspired writer, could
18

138 INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY.

not err, for it is impossible to think that God, who sent him to spealc
a particular message in his name, should not have imparted to him
the truth.

Some of the prophets had power to work miracles, these were
chiefly Moses, Elijah, and Elisha, who were the most favoured of
mortals, even so far, that Elijah never tasted the cup of death, but
was translated by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings, chap, ii.)
But let no man think that any undue partiality was shown to these
men, for they were the most virtuous that ever lived, and as such
they were entitled to, and did receive the highest favours. — -The
miracles wrought by them demonstrated also, that no matter how
great the miracle is, it entitles not the man, through whose agency it
is performed, to receive adoration or reverence, other than should
be shown to a man noted for his virtue and favour with God. For
what could be more extraordinary than Moses drawing water out of
a hard rock, or Elijah, Elisha, and Ezekiel reviving the dead 1 But
neither they, nor the people before whom these miracles were ex-
hibited, ever thought that they proceeded from any inherent power
in those prophets ; and when Elijah had been answered with fire
from heaven, (1 Kings chap, xviii. v. 39,) all the people cried out:
" The Eternal is the God, the Eternal is the God !" Thus we see,
that the miracles of the prophets were only considered as a con-
firmation of their prophecy, and it was well understood, that the per-
former of miracles was only the instrument in the hand of God, and
therefore the three aforementioned prophets could not claim any
merit in bringing the dead to life again, for any other man might
have done the same, if he had received the commission to do so.

Properly speaking, we had no oracles, but all the predictions
amongst us were the word of God, only made known in different
ways. The nature of inspiration and prophecy has been already
explained, and I shall now give an account of the Urim and Thu-
mim, which served as a guide to our ancestors. According to the
generally received opinion among us, the Urim and Thumim was a
holy name written by Moses and placed by him between the folds of
the breast-plate, one of the robes of the high-priest. All the letters
of the Hebrew alphabet were engraved upon the stones of this plate,
and when any question was to be answered, (upon the requisition of
the chief judge or the leader of the people,) the priest looked upon

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY. 139

the breast-plate, and which ever letter he saw shining forth he bore
in mind, and did so with every other one as it shone, and when no
other reflected light, he was convinced that the answer was com-
plete. To make this obscure description more intelligible, I will
introduce an example from the commencement of the book of
Judges. It there says, that the Israelites, after the death of Joshua,
enquired which of the tribes should go out first to attack the enemy ;
to which question they received a reply : " Judah shall go," Heb.
nS;;' miH"' ' the priest saw the "• shining, then n, and so on, till he
had seen in succession the nine letters composing these two words,
which combined in the order they appeared, made out the reply
asked for. Though this reply was very brief, it was nevertheless
all that was necessary, it being concise and explicit ; there was no
room left for a doubt or to put a double construction upon this repl)',
as was invariably the case with oracles invented and conducted by
men. Let us for instance take the celebrated answer the Atheni-
ans received, when they were threatened with an invasion by the
Persian Xerxes. They were told to defend themselves behind
wooden walls. This oracle, as it stood, had certainly no other mean-
ing, than that the Athenians were lost, as apparently there was no
more safety for them, than for a man who would endeavour to shelter
himself behind a wooden wall, when attacked by an immense host
well provided with instruments of attack. But Themistocles ad-
vised his townsmen to seek safety on board of their fleet, and do
thus what the oracle demanded of them to do. They did so, and
the victory of Salamis was the fruit of this wise counsel. — But can
any man imagine, that in case the Athenians had been defeated, the
priests of Delphi had no door by which to escape ; or to speak more
plainly, that they would not have been able to interpret their pre-
diction so as to suit the event ?

A similar duplicity in oracle-reply we find in the book of Judges.
The notorious Micah had made himself an image and oracle, and
appointed a young Levite to be his priest. Some men of the tribe
of Dan came by accident to the house, and when they asked the
priest: " If the oracle could tell them if their journey would be pros-
perous," he answered them : " Go in peace, the way you go is T\D2
the Eternal." The wordnjJ means here ostensihly^—agi^ecable to;
* See the commentary of Rabbi Solomon Yarchi, on this passage.

140 INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY.

but it also means before, Jcnowrty laid open, and the phrase therefore,
may mean : " Go in peace, the way you go is known to the Lord,'*
and by impUcation not to this idol ; true, the men were successful,
but if they had been otherwise, he could not with propriety have
been called a liar, since he had said nothing positive, and in fact he
could not have chosen any word so well adapted to his purpose of
mystifying, as this pDJ, he so adroitly used.

This may seem to some an unnecessary digression, but in fact it
is not. Attempts have been often made to call the Urim and Thu-
mim oracles, and some go even so far as to give this name to the
altars or other monuments, on which particular passages of Scripture
had been inscribed. — I should have no particular objection to the
word oraculum itself, which means — first, a place where divine an-
swers were obtained, and secondly, the divine answer itself, though
even this would not exactly express the nature of the Urim and Thu-
mim, as we have explained it above. But no Jew, who is alive to his
national honour, can suffer an idea to be entertained, that our mode
of obtaining the decision and the knowledge of the will of God had
any thing in common with the oracles of the Greeks and Romans ;
one was by the positive command of God — the others were by the
jugglery of priests and madmen ; — one was always clear and deci-
sive, and the event never belied the prediction — the others were
always ambiguous and uncertain, and no more dependence could be
placed upon them, than upon the divinations of gypsies and fortune-
tellers of the present time.

It will be evident from the foregoing definitions, that inspiration,
prophecy, and decision through the Urim and Thumim, were equally
infallible, or whatever was announced in either of the three modes
was of necessity true. But if it should have been discovered, that
any prediction did not correspond with the event, it must have been
clear, that this prediction was not made by inspiration, but was an
invention of the pretended prophet.

In Deuteronomy, chap, xviii. will be found a prohibition of all su-
perstitious enquiries into futurity ; we should, namely, not consider
one time more propitious or lucky than the other ; should not con-
sult the dead ; nor make use of conjuration, or any other species of
fraud and deception, which was resorted to in ancient or modern
times. If the power of witchcraft be real or pretended is unneces-

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY. 141

sary to be determined here ; for if it be real, its practice is no less
contrary to our law, than if it be but pretended. It is also quite
immaterial, whether this power was practised, or even possessed only,
at any time since the creation ; it is enough for us to know, that it was
prohibited, and the pretender to witchcraft, necromancy, or the like
practices was punishable with death. The object of our law in in-
terdicting all superstitious customs, which were current amongst all
the nations of antiquity, and are yet practised amongst most of the
barbarous communities of the present day, was, as Moses says :
" That we should be perfect with the Eternal our God." The word
rendered " perfect" is in Hebrew D^Dm, which is used to express
any thing entire, complete, without blemish, simple ; its meaning in
this place is therefore : our confidence in God should be entire, we
should simply put our trust in his protection, and always hope, that
as He directs our destinies as we deserve, that only will happen
which is good and redounding to our advantage ; we are, for this
reason, forbidden to dive any further in futurity than God himself
chooses to reveal to us. — Moses therefore proceeds in his discourse
(Deut. chap, xviii. v. 14,) :

" For these nations, which thou shalt drive out, are accustomed
to listen to observers of time and diviners, but thou hast not received
the like for thyself from the Lord thy God. A prophet, from
amongst thee, from thy brethren, like myself, the Lord thy God will
raise up unto thee, to him you shall hearken." (Pay attention to his
words.) " Just as thou hast asked of the Lord thy God in Horeb,
on the day of the assembly, when thou spokest, ' 1 wish not further
to hear the voice of the Lord my God, nor see any more the great
fire, that I may not die ;' and the Lord then said unto me, ' They
have acted properly in what they said ; I will raise up unto them a
prophet from amongst their brethren, like thyself, and I will put my
words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all which I shall
command him. And it shall happen, that I will punish every man,
who will not hearken to my words, which he' (the prophet) * shall
speak in my name. But that prophet who shall be wicked enough
to speak any thing in my name, which I have not commanded him
to speak, or who shall speak in the name of false gods, shall die.'
And if thou shouldst say in thy heart : * How can we know the
word, which the Lord has not spoken? That, which the prophet

142 INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY,

speaks in the name of the Lord, and it happen not, nor come to
pass, this is what the Lord has not spoken, wickedly has the pro-
phet spoken it, thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Meaning : do not
think that you will do the least wrong in removing him from amongst
you by killing him, for he richly deserves his fate, for attempting to
deceive his brethren.)

We have here before us the method by which the truth of prophecy
can be tested. As from a negative we generally can infer the posi-
tive, we may conclude in what true prophecy consists from the
foregoing extract. It is necessary : first, that the prophet announce
his prohecy, or what is the same, his mission, as proceeding from
the Eternal Lord our God, who revealed himself to Moses ; and
secondly, that the event correspond exactly with the prediction. But
if a man pretending to inspiration should presume to speak in the
name of idols, as for instance, he come with a message from Jupiter
or any other personage or thing, existing or not existing, which re-
ceives, or is intended to receive, honours due only to God ; or if he
say such a thing shall happen at such a time, and it does not happen
at the time specified ; or if he predict a thing, the contrary of which
should come to pass ; or if he speak against any one commandment
of the Mosaic law, (this being once laid down as the irrevocable will
of God) : such a man must be considered as a false prophet ; that,
which he gives out as prophecy, is an invention of his own, and it
is wickedness in him to presume to palm upon the world his own
ideas as the will and word of God.

If we take this passage in connection with what is commanded
concerning any one, who should advise the people or individuals to act
contrary to the law (Deut. chap. xiii. v. 1 — 12): it will appear
that no miracle or sign can be taken as evidence of the truth of any
prophecy, which should be contradictory in any one particular to the
laws given us through Moses. For in the first yersQ we are directed
to observe every commandment laid down by Moses, and q-tq forbid-
den to add or take any away, and in the fifth verse we read:
" After the Lord your God you shall walk, and Him you shall fear,
and his commandments you shall observe, and to his voice you shall
hearken, and Him you shall serve, and to Him you shall adhere."
These commandments speak too plainly to be misunderstood ; that
every precept of the law is binding and will be ever binding ; and it

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY. 143

must follow of course, that not one of them will be abrogated, nor
any other thing substituted, for any, even the smallest, precept con-
tained in the Pentateuch. We are therefore told, that if any man
should even perform a miracle, as an evidence of his mission, when
this mission contains aught in opposition to the letter and spirit of
the law, he must be considered as a false prophet, or in other words,
that which he tells us must be looked upon as an invention of his
own, and that therefore the miracle performed, or the sign given, is
no proof of the truth of his assertion. For if it were possible that
any commandment could be abrogated at any time, it must follow,
that what is right to-day, can be wrong to-morrow — or, that God did
not know, when He gave the first commandments, what was right —
or, that He is changeable in his disposition, and alters the law to
suit his caprice — all such hypotheses are rank blasphemy, and can
not be entertained by any man, who is duly impressed with the
wisdom and grandeur of God ; for, as the Psalmist and Balaam say :
" God is not a man, that He should speak falsely !"

Prophecy now, to be true, must be in every respect agreeable to
the precepts of the Mosaic law ; if, therefore, a man comes forward
and proclaims his mission, produces proof of its truth, and speaks
altogether in confirmation of and according to the Pentateuch, he
must be believed, and to disbelieve him would be sin ; but for which
the person refusing to believe is not to be punished, on any account,
by an earthly tribunal, being accountable to God alone. And
since we are once upon the subject, I will just remark, that no man
could be punished by a court of justice for opinions which he held,
till he had proved these, his sinful opinions, by an overt act ; for in-
stance, the worship of idols, disobedience to the decision of the San-
hedrin, or any ony other wilful transgression of the precepts of the
law ; and the maxim of our law is : for opinions we are answerable to
God alone — for our actions to men also. If, however, a man should
be convicted of having spoken as a prophet contrary to the law, he ha»
committed a crime against the well-being of society, and he is pun-
ishable with death by a court of justice, although he has performed
miracles, for miracles are no evidence whatever of the truth of any
man's mission, if no other proof of his being a prophet be produced,

" In what manner is prophecy to be verified, if miracles are no
confirmation ?" To answer this question it is only necessary to

144 INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY.

consult three out of the many passages on this subject in the Bible :
namely, Numbers, chap. xvi. v. 28 ; 1 Kings, chap. xxii. v. 28, and
Jeremiah, chap, xxviii. v. 16. From these passages it clearly fol-
lows, that the accomplishment of the predictions is the only proof
of their truth ; and it matters not if the accomplishment be a miracle
or a mere natural event, provided it take place at the time [and in
the manner specified, and the prophecy be in confirmation (as we
have seen it must be) of the precepts contained in our law.

1. We read in Numbers, chap. xvi. v. 28 : " And Moses said, by
this you shall know that the Eternal has sent me to do all these
things, and that they proceeded not from my own mind. If these
men die a death similar to that of all men, arid the fate of all mor-
tals overtake them, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord
create a new thing, and the earth open its mouth, and swallow them
up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive to their
graves, then you will know that these men have incensed the Lord*''''
Here Moses proposed a test of his mission, by saying, that the
destruction, nay, the instantaneous destruction of the rebels should
be a confirmation of his course being dictated by God ; but that
if, on the contrary, they should die a natural death, every one
should judge him to have acted without authority, and that his whole
course had been a series of frauds and deceptions. — Mark the confi-
dence of the prophet ! He could not, in a natural way, have known
that the earth would be rent asunder the moment he left off speak-
ing ; for though such a thing happens now and then during an earth-
quake, 1 do not remember to have read any instance, where a
chasm was produced, at a moment's warning, upon the requisition
of any man, and closed again in a few moments after, when it had
effected the purpose of its formation. — But no sooner had Moses
proposed the test than the men, whose names are mentioned in the
sixteenth chapter of Numbers, were swallowed up, the chasm closed
over them, and they were lost from among the midst of the assem-
bly, and no other man was injured, save those designated by the
prophet. Although Moses himself is the narrator of this event,
there is yet every reason to believe his account ; for just before he
died we find him reminding the people of what had been done to
Dathan and Abiram, and again detailing the event in a few but for-
cible words. (Deut. chap. xi. v. 6.) Does now any man believe that

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY. 145

Moses could have been audacious enough to remind the people of
any event said to have occurred before their eyes, if really such aii
event had never taken place ? Is it reasonable to suppose that all
would not have exclaimed : " We know of no such thing" ? — But we
have other evidence to prove that this event was believed and gene-
rally accredited long after Moses's death ; for we find in the 106th
psalm, verse 16th and 17th : " And they envied Moses in the camp,
also Aaron, who was consecrated to the Eternal ; the earth opened
and_ swallowed Dathan and covered Abiram's band." The other
events enumerated in this psalm were then and are even now too
well known to be doubted ; and could the Psalmist have inserted a
fabulous account amongst historical facts 1

2. In the twenty-second chapter of the first book of Kings we
find an account of the expedition of the kings of Judali and Israel
against Ramoth, then occupied by the Syrians. Previous to their
leaving Shomerone (Samaria) we read that many false prophets
encouraged Ahab to go, promising him success and a prosperous
return. Yehoshaphat, however, the king of Judah, although he
was found in company with the most inveterate idolater, was sin-
cerely pious ; and hearing four hundred men all using the same lan-
guage, he could not believe them inspired, for there is no example to
be found where two prophets ever used precisely the same words,
although they announced the same message ; for inspiration taught
them only to speak nothing but what was true, but never compelled
them to use language different from what they were accustomed to ;
— hence the difference in the style of the prophets. Yehoshaphat
for this reason asked : " If there were no prophet of the Eternal (in
opposition to the four hundred of Baal) of whom they might enquire?"
And there was one — one who braved the idolater Ahab, despite of
his being king and capable of injuring him ; but he was in prison by
the commands of Ahab ; as Yehoshaphat, however, desired to see
him, he was brought in the presence of the two kings. It is unne-
cessary to transcribe the whole account of Micaiah's prophecy, as
every one, who may wish to know it, can find it in the chapter re-
ferred to. — Ahab was very angry when he heard the prophet pre-
dicting his death in battle ; he ordered him, therefore, to be kept in
close confinement, and at hard diet, until he should come back in
peace ; whereupon the prophet said (v. 28.) : " If thou return at all
19

146 INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY.

in peace, the Eternal has not spoken through me ;" and he added :
" Hear it, all nations !" thus calling upon the whole world to bear wit-
ness, that in case Ahab should be killed in battle, (which in fact did
happen,) that then, and then only, would he be considered a true
prophet ; but if the king should return unhurt, then would he will-
ingly forfeit all his claim to that name. — Micaiah, in all probability,
was not the author of his own history ; and of course it must have
been recorded by some other person, that he predicted the death of
Ahab in the manner related above ; and if it had been untrue, it
could never have been admitted into our historical writings, since
such a remarkable event, as the death of a king in battle, must have
been a matter well known to all the Israelites ; the more so, as
chronicles were kept, in which every occurrence of importance was
immediately recorded ; and could any man have palmed upon the
people a fictitious narrative, the falsity of which might have been
proven by a mere reference to the records of state ?

3. In Jeremiah, chap, xxviii. we read, that a man by the name of
Hananiah, pretending to have been inspired, limited the time of
seventy years, foretold by Jeremiah, as the duration of the Baby-
lonian captivity, falsely to two years only. In an address of Jere- '
miah to the people and Hananiah he said : " When the word of the
prophet who prophesies peace comes to pass, then it will be known
what prophet the Eternal has sent in truth." (v. 9th.) To prove fur-
ther the fallacy of Hananiah's prophecy, Jeremiah announced to him :
" That he should die in the course of the year, as a punishment for the
deception he practised by his pretended mission ;" and Hananiah did
die before the expiration of the year. (v. 17.) — It is utterly impossi-
ble to suppose that the prophecy of Jeremiah was written after
Hananiah's death, and that in consequence the pretended prophecy
was indited after the event, or what is the same, that the prophecy
was never given. Let us but reflect that the whole affair took place
before a large concourse of people, some of whom must have been
alive in Ezra's time, and able to decide if Jeremiah's account was
true or not ; but since his book was universally received as canonical
by those who returned from the Babylonian captivity, we are com-
pelled to come to the conclusion that every thing happened as Jere-
miah himself relates it. If any other proof were wanting, it could
be drawn from the duration of the captivity. Jeremiah himself did

INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY. 147

not live to see the restoration, for he died in Egypt long before that
time. Now it appears clearly from Ezra, that just at the expira-
tion of the seventy years Cyrus, king of Persia, granted the Jews
permission to return to their own land ; and in consequence, what
had hQen prediction in the time of Jeremiah, became certainty and
fulfilment in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah ; and that further the
prophecy of Jeremiah bears the marks of true revelation and inspira-
tion, which have been given in this chapter, as the doctrines pro-
claimed by him are also in conformity with the Pentateuch.

We have thus incontestable proof that miracles were never ap-
pealed to by our prophets to attest their divine mission ; but refer-
ence was always had on this point to the fulfilment of conditions
previously stated, that is to say, the accomplishment of the predic-
tions. A similar test was proposed by Elijah to the prophets of
Baal on mount Carmel, to prove who was God ; — if the Eternal Lord
whom he adored, or lohat they pretended to call god. He made a
condition with those around him, that the God who should send fire
to consume the sacrifices should be acknowledged as the true God.
The false prophets were obliged to think this test so liberal, that
they immediately consented. It need not be told that their efforts
were fruitless (see 1 Kings, chap, xviii.), though they dreadfully cut
themselves with swords and lances, as was their custom, till the
blood ran down. Not so acted the prophet of the Eternal Lord of
heaven : calmly but with firmness did he call the people to him, and
thereupon repaired the altar of his God, which had been destroyed.*
When the altar was finished, and the sacrifice was laid in proper
order upon it, Elijah addressed a fervent prayer to God, whose mes-
senger he was : " To prove on that day to the people that the Eternal
is God, and that he himself was the prophet chosen to do all he had
done !" — And behold — the fire descended from heaven, and con-
sumed the sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, yea
even the water in the trench round the altar ! It was then that the

* To sacrifice out of the precmcts of the temple was, ur.der every other cir-
cumstance, contrary to the law ; but as it had become necessary to prove to the
deluded people the folly of idolatry, and since the Israelites no longer went to
Jerusalem to worship, Elijah was permitted, but for this time only, to bring a
sacrifice upon mount Carmel, as the practical lesson of piety could only be
taught at the place and in the manner it was done by him.

148 INSPIRATION AND PROPHECY.

eyes of the people were opened, and they beheld clearly that the
God whom EUjah proclaimed is God, and that Elijah was the chosen
messenger of this their God. — The prophet stood alone, unaided,
amid a people addicted to idolatry but a few moments before — but
now they were convinced of their error, they fell on their faces and
said : " The Eternal is the God ! the Eternal is the God !" The
film was removed from their eyes, and but three words were all
they were able to utter, and to this day the words D^nbi^n Nin 'n
are the motto of our nation ; when the Day of Atonement is clos-
ing they announce that a day entirely devoted to our God is past ;
when our brother is dying they are repeated, that he may be re-
minded, at the moment of his departure hence, of the God of
nature, and be admonished to dedicate to Him his last thoughts ; for
He is kind, merciful, and ever ready to pardon the returning child,
though this return has been long deferred. On both occasions, at
the close of the Day of Atonement and of our earthly career, we
should be free from sin, ready to meet that God who has so kindly
sustained, and so mercifully protected us. Has our life been devoted
to his service — have not our sins formed a division between Him and
us : — then our prayer on the Day of Atonement cannot have been
in vain, for our sins have been forgiven. If every Kippur-day (Day
of Atonement) has been thus through life — if every year has found
us better and more perfect : why need we tremble when death comes
near ? Can we not say with composure : " The Lord shall reign
for ever ?" Yes, for ever shall his kingdom endure, — like ourselves
all mankind shall acknowledge Him — shall seek protection under
his almighty power ; and when all nations have been united in his
service, all will join us in exclaiming : " Hear, O Israel, the Eter-
nal our God is the only Eternal Being !" He alone is everlasting —
no other being exists to share his power — to Him, therefore, we
will submit our destinies ; and He will surely assist us. Whilst liv-
ing we will pay adoration to his name ; and when dying let our
last thought be : his UNITY ! his power ! his protection ! and his
wilhngness to forgive the crimes of the returning sinner !

149

CHAPTER XXII.

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY.

Having seen, in the foregoing chapter, what prophecy is, we ought
next to examine : *' Can the prophecies of Moses, or at least a part
of them, be verified by the predicted result or not ?"

We have already seen proven (chap, xii.) that one at least of
Moses's predictions has been literally fulfilled, namely, that the be-
lief in his prophecy should exist amongst us for ever ; since from his
time to the present age every generation of Jews were believers in
the truth of his mission. Although at certain periods of our his-
tory religion was sadly neglected : yet were there always some men
who firmly adhered to the law, when even the ignorant multitude
had neglected their duty. Another strong confirmation of our law
can be found in the fact, that the more acquainted a man is with it,
the stronger will ever be his confidence in its divine origin, and in the
truth of him by whose instrumentality it was first made public. If
we are asked for proof to sustain this assertion, we can exultingly
point to the long succession of the wisest and most pious men, who,
penetrated with real love of God and affection for mankind, labour-
ed all their life, under every disadvantage imaginable, to perpetuate
what they justly conceived to be the word of God amongst their
brethren. And what was their reward 1 — Honours conferred by
princes 1 — Worldly riches 1 — No, no,— imprisonment, the rack, and
even the scaffold ; to be despised by heathens —hated by the Maho-
medans — and persecuted, even to death, by the Nazarenes ! And
did they flinch 1 — Did they grow slothful in their sacred avocation ?
Far from it. The greater the danger was, the greater and more
persevering became their devotion. The following anecdote is re-
lated concerning the great Rabbi Akiba, who at the age of one hun-
dred and twenty years suffered the most cruel death for his attach-
ment to the law : — " The government had prohibited every Jew,
under pain of death, from studying or teaching the law ; but regard-

150 FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY.

less of this mandate did this Rabbi continue to teach publicly, as
formerly he was wont to do. A certain Paphos, son of Judah, re-
monstrated with him on the folly of thus exposing himself to certain
destruction ; but Rabbi Akiba answered him with the following para-
ble : — A fox was once walking by the margin of a river, and he saw
the fish moving to and fro in the water, as if they were in fear of
something. He asked them the reason of their continual motion,
when they told him, it was on account of the fisherman who inces-
santly molested them with nets and fishing rods. — * Why do you not
leave the water,' said the fox, « and come to live with me on shore,
as your and my ancestors used to do V ' Really,' answered the fish,
' thou fox, who art generally considered the wisest of beasts, art in
fact the most silly ; here in the water, where alone we can live, we
are afraid ; how much greater reason have we to fear the dry land,
where we are sure to die !' Not long after this conversation. Rabbi
Akiba was apprehended and committed to prison, at the same time
that Paphos was sent there, who being asked by the former what
was the cause of his being there, exclaimed : ' Happy art thou,
Akiba, that thou sufferest for the sake of the law, and woe to thee,*
Paphos, that thy sufferings proceed from unworthy actions !' Akiba's
integrity did not save him from death, and they tore the flesh from
his bones with iron combs ; but he suffered with patience, and con-
tinued to say : ' Hear, O Israel, the Eternal our God is the only Eter-
nal Being,' till his soul left its mortal habitation, to ascend to hea-
ven, to receive there everlasting light and permanent unalloyed
enjoyment, as the reward for its constancy !"

Need I mention the many precious sons and daughters of Zion
who laid in heaps, blackening under a summer's sun, perforated by
the dagger of the adversary 1 Who does not remember the stakes
burning in Spain, Portugal, France, and England, the best of Jacob's
children, because of their belief in ONE GOD ? And they ac-
knowledged the God whom their forefathers had been taught to

* It was very common amongst the Jews living about the time of the de-
struction of the second temple, to speak of themselves in the second or third
person. See several passages in the Talmud, particularly Baba Metseengah,
Payreck, Hapongalim.

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 153

the siege of Jerusalem, he could never have better and more forcibly
described the sufferings of the besieged. — Of the Romans themselves
he says : " The Lord shall bring over thee a nation from afar, from
the end of the earth, like the eagle^fes; a nation whose language
thou shalt not understand." This rmxion, fierce and steeled against
pity, was to besiege the Israelites in all their cities, till the strongest
and highest walls had been broken down ; and all this was to be in
consequence of their non-compliance with the will of God, as con-
tained in the Mosaic law. — And did this not take place ? Were not
the Romans a nation from the verge of the earth, whose conquests
were as rapid as the flight of the eagle 1 Were they not fierce and
steeled against pity ? What nation did the Romans ever spare ?
Did they not rather break the power of every people that attempted
to resist their gradual but unceasing encroachments ? Just so did
they also treat us ; they drove us from post to post, and from town
to town, till all our cities at last became subject to their sway ! and
thus was this prediction accomplished.

Deut. chap, xxviii. v. 37 : " And thou shalt become an (object of)
astonishment, a proverb, and a bye-word amongst all the nations,
whither the Eternal thy God shall carry thee." — So we are ! Every
one is astonished how a nation so favoured by God, could be reduced
so low ; when any preacher admonishes the people who flock to hear
him, he points either the finger of scorn or pity at us, and exclaims :
"See what the Jews have come to!" Whatever wrong is done by
one of us, though this one be the most insignificant and worthless,
the whole nation is, in a measure, burthened with the stigma ; if a
woman of our society acts contrary to law, it seems to be of weight
enough to throw blame upon every one, who was born in the same
faith with her ; yea, our very name has been used to express every
thing dishonourable and mean— the noble name of Israelite has been
applied to designate a usurer, when usury is universally known to
be contrary to the law wliich the Israelite acknowledges. It is thus,
that the curse pronounced against us for disobedience, has been, alas !
too literally fulfilled, and we have become an object of astonishment,
a proverb, and a bye-word, and the very meanest of human beings
thinks himself superior to the best of our nation.

We have here before us some of the most prominent prophecies
concerning the punishment, which was predicted and did actually
20

154 FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. .

overtake our ancestors and even ourselves to this very day. It may
be, that we are yet to suffer many centuries, for as yet our course
has not been in the spirit of true repentance, we have not even now
thrown aside the sins for which Jerusalem-was twice taken, and the
temple twice burnt. Not yet have all the Israelites one heart and
one mind in the worship of the Eternal their Redeemer ; but when-
ever they " pursue the true path to know the Eternal," they may
rest assured, that their captives will be gathered and restored to
their former habitations. — Let us consider the following from the
Talmud : Rabbi Gamaliel, R. Elazar ben Azariah, R. Yehoshua, and
Rabbi Akiba"* were one day standing together, when they saw a fox
running out from the place, where the holies of holies once stood ;
the three first began to weep, whilst R. Akiba laughed ; in astonish-
ment, they asked of him the cause of his untimely mirth, but he in
his turn enquired : "Why do you weepl" "And should we not
weep, when we see the curse so clearly verified? for the mountain
of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walked upon it." (Lament, v.
18.) "For this reason do I laugh," answered the wise Rabbi,
" v/hilst the evil prophecies remained unaccomplished, there might
have been fears entertained for the verification of the good tidings
promised through our prophets; but now, since we see the evil
coming to pass, can we possibly doubt the eventual fulfilment of the
consolation of Zion — and does not God rather reward than punish ?"
His friends were satisfied, and answered : " Akiba, thou hast com-
forted us !"

And not hope alone, but also a partial fulfilment attests the truth
of the good prophesied to us. We read in Levit. chap. xxvi. v. 44 :
" And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I
will not cast them away, nor will 1 abhor them to destroy them ut-
terly and to break my covenant with them, for I am yet the Eternal
their God. But I will remember them (for their benefit) the cove-
nant of their ancestors, whom I have brought out of the land of
Egypt in the sight of the heathens, that 1 might be their God ; I am
the Eternal." — This prophecy clearly points out the protecting arm
ever held out over the Israelites, and never yet did God leave us
altogether at the mercy of our adversaries. — Whenever a plot has

* They lived immediately after the destruction of the temple.

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 155

been formed for our destruction, we yet escaped, and often our ene-
mies fell in the snares they had laid for our feet ; and though hun-
dreds and thousands of us have been killed in battle — in the amphithe-
atre— by the sword — the gibbet — and the stake, we are still as nu-
merous among the nations as the " dew-drops from heaven," and all
the massacres have not caused a sensible diminution of our numoers.
Another prophecy pronounced by Moses in Deut. chap, xxxii., is
even now in a train of accomplishment. The last song of the law-
giver concludes thus : "Praise* as happy, O ye nations, his people,
for He will avenge the blood of his servants, and render vengeance
unto his adversaries, and wash away the sins of his land and of his
people." (v. 43.) And indeed all who have oppressed us in times
gone by, now, at this very hour, feel the weight of the vengeance
threatened against the adversaries of Israel. See what has become
of Spain and Portugal ! countries once flourishing and prosperous,
now impoverished — sunk in ignorance, and degraded ! The innocent
blood of God's servants does not cry in vain to be avenged ; the per-
pretators of the horrid deeds are slaves — and the places where these
barbarous scenes were witnessed are hourly becoming more like a
wilderness, and it is evident to the most careless observer, that all
this is owing to the expulsion of our brethren from these countries ;
for since the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, Spain has been gra-
dually declining. The same was the case with England before the
time of Cromwell ; civil wars and internal commotions were then
very common, and only since the days of the protector, when the
Jews began to re-enter England, has it risen to that eminence it
now holds among European nations. Verily the prophecy of Jere-
miah is every day proving its truth : (Jer. chap. ii. v. 1 — 3.) " And
the word of the Lord came to me as follows : ' Go and cr}'^ in the

* I have given a different translation of this verse from the one in the Eng-
lish version, having followed R. Moses Mendelsohn (of blessed memory) who
translates ly^-^n with, preiset glucklich, that is : declare happy^ praise them as
happy. — Again, -1331 is given in the Eng. Vers, will he merciful, when in fact,
the true meaning of this word is ivipe off, as rjD ri"^£!3i'\ (Gen. chap, xxxii. v.
21,): " I will remove his anger ;" I have therefore given it : " He will wash
away the sins;" and thus prophesied Jeremiah : " In those days, and at that time,
speaks the Lord, shall the transgression of Israel be sought for, but it shall be
no more, and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found, for I will pardon
those whom 1 shall leave."

156 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

ears of Jerusalem,' (proclaim that every one may hear) * and
say: Thus saith the Lord, I remember unto thee the kindness of
thy youth, the love of thy espousals, when thou didst walk after me
in the wilderness, in a land which is not sown. Israel is holy to the
Lord' (consecrated to his service) ' and the first of his fruit, all who
devour' (injure or molest) ' him shall offend, evil shall befal them,'
saith the Lord." Let therefore all nations be cautious how
they meddle with us, lest they offend, and incur punishment. —
From the whole of the foregoing it will be clearly seen, that some
of the good prophecies have come to pass, and can we then enter-
tain any doubt about the ultimate restoration of the Israelites and
the gathering of the captives ? Let us then, my brethren, await
with resignation the time when Jerusalem shall be rebuilt, and the
Israelites shall again inhabit the land of their ancestors !

CHAPTER XXllL

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

If what has been advanced in the preceding chapters is correct,
and there is every reason for its being so : it follows, that the Mo-
saic laws are of divine origin, and are for this reason, and no other,
binding upon us. But some doubter may yet question, if the books
we now have are the same which were given to Moses, or what is the
same thing : " Have not at different times different laws been ob-
served by the Jews under the name of the Mosaic code ?"

To answer this question we need only refer to the historical books
written posterior to Moses's death, and anterior to the return of the
Jews from Babylon. It cannot be expected (because it was unne-
cessary) that every one of the commandments contained in the Pen-
tateuch should be found in the histories and the prophets ; but if we
find some recorded, (when occasion required,) and those in the very

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. 157

words of the Mosaic law, we must admit that there is good ground
for believing that the other commandments also, though not men-
tioned, were then known and practised.

Joshua, the immediate successor of Moses, circumcised the
younger part of the Jews, or rather Israelites, immediatel)' after
they had crossed the Jordan. (Josh. v. 4.) — While the Israelites
were crossing the Jordan, they took with them twelve stones, each
as heavy as a strong man could carry, out of the bed of the river,
which they erected in Gilgal, as a monument that they had passed
through the Jordan in the same manner their fathers had passed
through the Arabian Sea. — When afterwards they arrived at mount
Ebal, they built an altar of unhewn stones, and inscribed thereon the
Deuteronomy, and also brought sacrifices of burnt and peace-offer-
ings, (Josh. chap, viii.) as was commanded by Moses. (Deut. chap.
xxvii. V. 1 — 8.) They also pronounced the blessings towards* those
who stood upon Gerizim, and the curses towards those upon Ebal,
as commanded in the same chapter of Deuteronomy. — In the same
book, chap, xxi., it is forbidden to let a culprit hang over night on
the gallows, and Joshua invariably acted so. — The land, when con-
quered, was to be divided by lot among the different tribes, but the
tribe of Levi was to have only forty-eight cities, and a mile round
the cities on all the four sides, just so did Joshua do ; and he also
confirmed the commands given to Moses, (in Numb. chap. xiv. v. 24
and Deut. chap. i. v. 36,) by giving Hebron to Caleb, and the land
beyond Jordan to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half of Me-
nasseh. (Numb. chap, xxxii. v. 22.) — In several passages of Exodus,
Numb, and Deut., we see positive commands given to provide cities
of refuge for the man who had slain another unintentionally. Now
let any man compare the thirty-fifth of Numbers, with the twentieth
of the book of Joshua, and he must confess that this part of the law
was existing before Joshua. — In Joshua, chap, xxii., is an account
of an altar built by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half of Me-

* It must not be supposed, that the blessings and curses were pronounced in
favour of one and against the other division of tribes ; but that the Levites
turned, whilst pronouncing the blessings, towards those upon Gerizim, and,
while pronouncing the curses, towards those upon Ebal ; but in point of fact,
the blessings were intended for all the Israelites, in case they acted right, and
the curses, in case they acted wrong.

158 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

nasseh, upon their return to their own land. It is well known, that
according to Lev. chap. xvii. v. 8, it was unlawful to sacrifice but at
the door of the tabernacle, while it served in place of the temple.
The Israelites therefore sent a deputation to the two and a half
tribes, to remonstrate with them on account of their building an al-
tar in contravention of the command of God ; but the latter informed
them in extenuation of the supposed infraction of the law, that it
was but a monument commemorative of the history of the time and
of their affinity to the other tribes, and on no account to offer upon
it any sacrifice whatever.

In the admirably written address of the great republican leader
Joshua, we find him admonishing the people whom he had so long
and faithfully governed, in nearly the same terms used by Moses.
He even so far agrees with his predecessor, in what may appear to
some a trifling, but which is to a Jew of necessity a very essential
thing, as to prohibit the swearing by or mentioning the names of
idols. (Exodus, chap, xxiii. v. 13, and Josh. chap, xxiii. v. 7.) The
reason for this interdiction will be easily discovered by every think-
ing man ; it was, namely, to prevent their taking a pretended oath
by an idol, with a view perhaps of deceiving either for their own ad-
vantage, for instance, to obtain money, -preserve life, or the like, or
for the benefit or tranquillity of others ; such conduct is condemned
by our law, no deception must be practised, but our conduct should
be open and free from all duplicity and evasion, and if it be neces-
sary for us to take an oath, let it be by the name of the Eternal, to
whom alone we owe allegiance. In the same chapter, v. 15, Joshua
says : " That as the Israelites had received all the good which God
had promised them, they might be sure, that in case of deviation,
they should suffer every punishment denounced, even the expulsion
from that land they had just acquired by conquest."

At the conclusion of his second harangue (chap. xxiv. v. 15 — 16,)
Joshua proposed to the people a choice of worship, either to serve
the Eternal, or the idols worshipped by the ancestors of Abraham in
Chaldea, or the gods of the Amorites, " but " said he, ^' I and my
family will serve the Eternal." — It was therefore left to the people,
for the third time, to accept or reject the books of Moses ; but then
no such thing as doubting existed, they were all too much convinced
of the truth of what they had seen, and thus they spoke : " Far be

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. 159

it from us to forsake the Eternal, to serve other gods. For it is the
Eternal our God, who has brought us and our fathers out of Egypt,
from the house of slavery, and who has done before our eyes these
great wonders, and preserved us in all the way we travelled, and
amongst all the nations we passed through ; and He, the Eternal,
has driven out all the nations and the Amorites, the inhabitants of
this land, before us : the Eternal then we also will serve, for HE IS
OUR GOD." Joshua again reminded them, that the worship of God
was not so easy a matter, for that He is careful of his honour, and
never suffers sins to remain unpunished, because He is holy. They
again assented, though they were now, if they were even not so be-
fore, fully convinced that they would be certainly punished if they
sinned. — Joshua then addressed them : " You are witnesses against
yourselves, that you have chosen yourselves the Eternal, to serve
Him ;" to this they answered : " We are witnesses ;" they presently
added : " The Eternal our God w^e will serve, and his voice we will
obey !" Joshua added all the above to the book of the law of God,;
and erected a stone as a monument, and said : " This stone shall be
a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Eternal,
which He has spoken with us ; — let it be an evidence against you,
lest you deny your God !" — This is the substance of the last address
of Joshua; let it not however be supposed, that he meant to assert,
that the stone had actually heard the words spoken ; but that the
expression is employed figuratively, to indicate to posterity, when-
ever they should see this stone, that their ancestors willingly entered
into the covenant, because they had seen all before them, so that
there was no room to doubt, and thus the stone would serve in fact
every purpose, as if it had heard all and communicated its knowledge
to those who saw it.

From the above we can draw the following incontestable infer-
ences : first, that the Mosaic books existed before Joshua obtained
his office of judge ; or what is the same, that they were written by
Moses himself, for who else could have done it ] Secondly, that
Joshua added his own book to the first part of our canon, and it is
therefore authentic, having been written by an eye-witness of the
facts it contains. And lastly, that at the time of Joshua's death
the Israelites adhered firmly to the laws derived from Sinai, and
that the third generation from the Exodus willingly accepted these-

160 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

laws as their code, and the Eternal as their God, having been con*
vinced of the truth and correctness of the Pentateuch by the fulfil-
ment of the predictions it contains, relative to the conquests of
Palestine ; and being impressed with a firm conviction of the exist*
ence of the Eternal and his almighty power, having so largely par*
taken of his goodness, kindness, and protection, in all the trying
scenes of their history, from the first mission of Moses down to the
time of which we are speaking.

There are, besides those already enumerated, several other coinci*
dences between the book of Joshua and the Pentateuch, of which, how-
ever, I shall only mention the observance of the Passover-feast (chap.
V.) whilst the Israelites were at Gilgal. — We must now examine the
book of Judges, in which we find several instances recorded, in which
the Mosaic law was observed. — Immediately in the commencement
we find, that the people asked advice through the Urim and Thu-
mim. — The messenger, who came to Bochim to announce to the
people that their conduct had been displeasing to God, made use of
language similar to Moses in the thirty-third chapter of Numbers.
Samson was, by a special message, dedicated to God as a Nazarite
yu, and he was ordered strictly to observe the regulations laid down
for the conduct of a person thus consecrated, which consecration
was always voluntary on the part of the Nazarite himself, except
in the instances of Samson and Samuel. (Numb. chap, vi.) — Gideon,
when he had been appointed by the messenger of God to effect the
liberation of his fellow-citizens from the yoke of their enemies
(Judges, chap, vi.), was commanded to cut down the trees, and to
break the altar used for the worship of Baal, conformably to the
repeated commandments in relation to idolatry. (Numb, xxxiii. and
other places.)— Adultery was an unheard of thing in the latter times
of the Judges ; and the commitment of such an act was sufficient
cause to induce the whole nation to take up arms against the tribe
of Benjamin, upon their refusal to deliver up to punishment the per-
petrators of this horrible outrage. (Judges, chap, xx.)

Not only are there confirmations to be found in the book of
Judges of the iiiiperaiiDe, but also of the historical parts of our law.
I allude, in tlie first place, to the passage in the song of Deborah
(chap. V. v. 4 — .5,) in which she plainly refers to the promulgation
of the law from Sinai ; and the language employed bears a close re-

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. IGl

semblance to the beautiful passage in the thirty-third chapter of
Deuteronomy. — In the second place, I wish to direct the attention
of the reader to the letter of Yiphtach (Jephthah) to the king of
the Ammonites. (Judg. chap, xi.) Here Yiphtach, who had been
chosen commander against the invader, expostulates with the latter
about his unjust irruption into Palestine. He recapitulates in a few
words the history of the conquest of the country on the east side of
•the Jordan, as a justification of its being possessed by the Israelites.
He further states, that it had remained in their possession for three
hundred years, and if the Ammonites had had any right to it, they
would surely have claimed it in all this time. — From this letter of
the Hebrew general we must infer, that three hundred years after
Moses his history was yet believed not alone by the Hebrews, but
was even offered in argument to a heathen king ; which could not
have been done if the matter in debate had not been known to this
king from sources other than the Hebrew writings. For, what
would the story avail which Yiphtach tells, if the king could have
answered : " All these things are new to me, and 1 do not believe
you 1" But since Yiphtach appeals to the facts which he relates in
such a confident and triumphant manner, it must be admitted, that
the history of the conquest of Palestine, as related by Moses and
Joshua, is the authentic account of this event ; and that further it
was a matter of general notoriety amongst the nations bordering
upon Palestine.

The book of Ruth, the history of which is contemporaneous with
that of the Judges, affords other instances of the observance of seve-
ral other Mosaic precepts ; namely, the redemption of the land of
poor relatives, (Lev. chap. xxv. v. 25,) the espousal of the relict of
a near connection, (Deut. chap. xxv. v. 5,) and the leaving of things
forgotten in the field for the benefit of the poor and the stranger.
(Lev. chap, xxiii. v. 22, and Deut. chap. xxiv. v. 19.) Besides the ob-
servance of the written precepts, we discover the custom of con-
firming a sale, bargain, or contract, by one party pulling off his
shoe and presenting it to the other, which custom, only in a different
manner, is yet observed amongst us ; namely, one party takes hold
of the corner of a garment, and presents it to the other to lay hold
of in the same manner, and this ceremony concludes the contract.
This custom, recorded in Ruth, is the first example on record of
21

162 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

traditional or rabbinical law, and deserves for this reason particular
attention.

Having thus taken a cursory view of the three oldest books after
Moses's, we will next examine the books known as the first and se-
cond of Samuel and the two books of Kings. In the very outset of
the first of these books we find, that Elkanah, the father of Samuel,
made his annual pilgrimages to the tabernacle of assembly at Shiloh,
in conformity with the injunction three times repeated in the Mosaic
law, to sacrifice the offerings of the seasons and those which he
voluntarily offered. — We also see in the same chapter exemplified
the most approved mode of praying ; and further, that the heartfelt
prayer, though scarcely audible, is that most acceptable to the
Deity. — In the second chapter we have undoubted proof, that the
doctrine of the resurrection of the body was universally known
amongst the Israelites, since Hannah employed this assertion in her
song of thanksgiving, after she had presented her son to the high-
priest. Another interesting subject can be established by this song,
that poetry was an accomplishment not unusual amongst our ances-
tors, since we see females inditing songs of praise, (Hannah and
Deborah,) and, of course, a nation, where such exalted sentiments
as used by these two Hebrew females were common, must have
reached a high state of civilisation. — In Numbers, chap. vi. v. 19,
we read, that the priest was not entitled to take his share of the
sacrifice, till it was boiling in the pot ; and in 1 Samuel, chap. ii.
V. 15 — 17, we find, that the two sons of Eli are censured for in-
fringing this regulation by demanding the priest's portion, while the
meat was yet raw. — In the fourth and sixth chapters we have some
curious and important facts relative to the truth of the history of
Moses, namely, that the Philistines were acquainted with the many
plagues the Egyptians had suffered on account of the oppression
they im.posed upon the Hebrews. — In chap. vii. v. 6, is a confirma-
tion of the truth of tradition, with regard to the pouring out of
water on the feast of Tabernacles ; for in this verse we read, that
they 'poured out water before the Lord ; that they also fasted that
day, and said there : " We have sinned against the Lord ;" and that
Samuel held judgment over the Israelites. We must infer from this,
that the sacrifice of water was a custom sanctioned by the earliest
authorities posterior to Moses — that on the days of fasting the peo-

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. 163

pie made confession of their sins in addresses to God — and that
restitution was made for any wrong done by man to man, for we
read that Samuel sat in judgment. Does this not prove the anti-
quity of the fast-days amongst the Jews, and of the customs ob-
served on such occasions ?

After Saul had been chosen by lot as head of the nation, he being
the man whom God had chosen, (Deut. chap. xvii. v. 15,) (which
was at the same time recorded, 1 Sam. chap. x. v. 25,) he was des-
pised by the worthless part of the people, who said contemptuously :
" What good can this one do us ?" they brought him no presents,
as is yet customary in the East, but it is recorded to Saul's honour,
that he took no notice of this intentional insult. And now mark the
simplicity of those days ; the man chosen from amongst all the na-
tion to be their leader and chief, had just returned from his work in
the field, when he heard the lamentations of the people on account
of the irruption of the king of the Ammonites. But the hero was
filled with more than natural courage, and he assembled all the peo-
ple to follow him and Samuel to battle. They conquered under the
guidance of Saul ; and when the people threatened with death every
one who should refuse to acknowledge him, he forbade the harming
of any one on that account, " for the Eternal had given assistance
to Israel on that day." — It will appear from this whole account, that
the Israelites followed strictly in the choice of their king the rule
laid down in Deut. chap. xvii. v. 15. — In the twelfth chapter of first
Samuel will be found the address of Samuel to the people after Saul
was finally chosen ; here the prophet recapitulates the history of the
Jews according to Moses's account of them ; and we have thus for
the hundredth time positive and incontestable proof, that the book of
Exodus and the history of that and of the subsequent times were
known and recorded amongst the Jews, and that the prophets fre-
quently referred to these events as undoubted and undeniable. We
further learn from the twenty-third verse of the same chapter, that
however wrong the people may have acted, the pious man is not au-
thorised to withhold praying for them and teaching them the way of
right, and in this respect we see that Samuel imitated Moses ; and
if we compare the lives of these two men, unsurpassed by any men
of any age, we must acknowledge that Samuel must have known the
history of Moses, and followed him as a prototype. — In the four-

164 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

teenth chapter we have an account of the mode of slaughtering cat-
tle for the use of the people (i. e. not for sacrifices) ; and we shall
discover, on examination, that the custom amongst us of cutting the
throat of the beasts is conformable to ancient usage, and according
to the allusion contained in Deut. chap. xii. v. 21.

Though it may not be altogether relevant to the subject under
"consideration, I cannot omit to notice what is said in the twentieth
chapter about the days of the new-moon. We find related, that the
two first days of the month were celebrated in the palace of Saul, as
is done yet at this time, (and of these two days, the first is considered
as belonging to the past, and the second to the new month,) which
proves that our mode of calculating time is of the highest antiquity.
From the 26th verse of this chapter it appears that the laws rela-
tive to clean and unclean, as laid down by Moses in Leviticus and
elsewhere, were practised, and therefore must have been known in
the days of Samuel and Saul. According to chap. xxi. v. 7, the
commandment relative to the show bread (Lev. chap, xxi v. v. 8,)
was known and practised in those days, and in the twenty -eighth
chapter it is recorded that Saul had removed all wizards out of the
land, agreeably to Lev. chap. xx. v. 27, and several other passages
in the Pentateuch.

As the second book of Samuel contains but few illustrations of
the mode of worship amongst our ancestors, and of the manner in
which they observed the law, I shall commence at once with the
first book of Kings. — In chap. ii. v. 30, we read, that Joab who,
though he was the greatest general of that or perhaps any other age,
had committed two murders, which he perhaps did not consider in
that light, fled to the altar of the Lord as to a place of refuge ; he
refused to leave the sanctuary, and was therefore killed where he
was, conformably to Exodus, chap. xxi. v. 14. — Chapter vii. v. 50,
we read that Solomon made the vessels. of the temple in the manner
laid down by Moses. (Exo. chap. xxv. v. 38, and ibid. chap, xxvii.
V. 3.) — The tables of the covenant were in the ark (1 Kings, chap,
viii. V. 9,) as related by Moses. (Exodus chap. xl. v. 20.) — The fes-
tivals also were known and observed, as we are told in 1 Kings chap,
viii. V. 65, since we are informed there, that Solomon and all Israel
with him, observed the feast (of Tabernacles), and further, that in-
stead of eight they celebrated fourteen days, the additional six no

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. 165

doubt in honour of the consecration of the house. — In chap. xi. v. 1,
Solomon is censured for marrying females not belonging to his na-
tion. (SeeDeut. chap. vii. v. 3 — 4.) — In chap. xiv. v. 15, the wife of
Jereboam was notified by the blind prophet of Shiloh that the nation
should be driven out of ,their land and sent beyond the river Eu-
phrates, for their disobedience. (Deut. chap. xi. v. 16 — 17.) In the
same chapter v. 24, is recorded, among other crimes committed by
the tribe of Judah, their infraction of the commandment found in
Deut. chap, xxiii. v. 18. We read in the first verse of the seven-
teenth chapter, that Elijah, surnamed Thishby,* swore by the Eternal
God, whose servant he v/as, that there should be neither dew nor rain
for three years, as was threatened by Moses. (Deut. chap. xi. v- 17.)
Let us pause here a little, and look at the fearless messenger of God,
who despising all worldly comforts, and clothed in a garment made of
hair, with a thong of leather for a girdle, advanced boldly to carry
the message of the Eternal his God to that king, who more than
any other of his predecessors despised and persecuted the messen-
gers of the true God. — In the conclusion of the sixteenth chapter we
are informed that a man by the name of Chiale rebuilt Yericho,
but that all his children died, as Joshua the son of Nun had foretold.f
We are told in tradition, that Achab, who pretended to disbelieve
Moses, said to Elijah : " See here, the curse of the scholar, Joshua,
is fulfilled, whilst that of the master, Moses, and his predictions, are
not verified by the event ; for did he not saj, that when the Israel-
ites should become idolatrous, there should be no rain, and are we
not blessed with plenty, though we worship what Moses calls idols V
It was then that Elijah swore the dreadful oath, and the prediction
of Moses was verified to the fullest extent ; for three years no rain
fell to enrich the worn-out laud, and the parched soil was not refreshed
by the gentle dews of heaven. — During all this time the most pious
of mankind was obliged to conceal himself, for his exposing himself
then would have answered no good purpose, save to irritate the more
strongly the hatred of the sinful king of the Israelites ; but when
the time of his prediction was drawing to a close, Elijah again ap-
peared before the king, and after having demonstrated the greatness

* The same prophet spoken of above, chap. xxi.
t See Joshua, chap. vi. v. 26.

166 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

and the truth of the Eternal, the God of Israel, rain again visited the
land which was suffering from severe famine. I have already ex-
plained (chap, xxi.) the sacrifice of Elijah upon Carmel, immediately
after which he ordered the prophets of Baal to be killed and none
escaped. (Deut. chap. xvii. v. 5.) Again was Elijah threatened by
Izabel, the wicked wife of the wicked Achab ; but he was protected
by God and escaped to Horeb, the mount from which the law
had been given. — Achab had endeavoured to dispossess Naboth
peaceably of his paternal inheritance ; but this noble Israelite refused
to act contrary to the law of Moses, (Lev. chap. xxv. v. 23, and
Numb. chap, xxxvi. v. 9,) though he must have known, that a man
so regardless of all moral and religious duties, who moreover was. in
a measure governed by a wife even more than himself addicted to
all sinful passions and desires, would not stop at any thing to obtain
that which he desired. — In short, Naboth was killed, as we are in-
formed in 1 Kings, chap. xxi. ; and when Achab went to take pos-
session of the land acquired in so illegal a manner, he was met by
Elijah, who then communicated to him the downfal and utter de-
struction of his house. — Let the reader notice that it was Elijah,
who carried this message to the king, before whom he was flying,
and we thus have the strongest and clearest possible evidence, that
Elijah was one of those prophets like Moses, whom God had promised
to raise up unto Israel, (Deut. chap, xviii. v. 18,) who were to be
fearless of consequences and only intent upon executing the will of
Heaven ; and this was also clearly exemplified by the perilous reply
of the prophet Amos, to the idolatrous priest Amaziah, as he boldly
declared his intention of not complying with the command of the
latter, although his life was thereby put in jeopardy. (See Amos,
chap. vii. v. 16.)

After Elijah had been taken to heaven, his disciple Elisha was
the acknowledged prophet, and before him all the worshippers of
idols quailed, no less heathens than the sinners of Israel, for all were
afraid to injure the exalted man through whom God spoke. — A wo-
man in Shunam had been blessed with a son, as Elisha had promised
her ; this cliild died, and the Shunamith, (i. e. a female resident of
Shunam,) concealing this mournful occurrence from her husband,
prepared to go to the man of God. Her husband, not knowing the
cause of her sudden departure, asked her : " Why 'she would go that

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. 167

day, since it was neither new-moon nor Sabbath V I do not think
that there is any mention made of the Sabbath in any passage pre-
ceding this, and we have here at least satisfactory evidence, that the
Sabbath was not alone known before the Babylonian captivity, but
that on this day the people resorted to the prophets, and since the
prophets taught the laws of God, we may also add, that in all pro-
bability other men were visited, who, though not prophets, taught
the life dispensing words of the law. — The Shunamith gave her hus-
band an evasive answer, and sought out the prophet, upon whose
intercession the dead child was revived, and restored in this manner
by the manifest help of God to its overjoyed mother. (2 Kings,
chap, iv.)

In the thirteenth chapter is recorded the death of Elisha, and that
the king of Mesopotamia did the Israelites much mischief; but it is
said, V. 23 : " That God had compassion on them on account of his
covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so that He would not de-
stroy them altogether." Let the reader compare this verse with
Moses's prophecy in Leviticus, chap. xxvi. v. 42 — 45, and then de-
termine whether or not the writer* of the second book of Kings was
acquainted with the •present Pentateuch. 1 am well aware that the

* I am unable to determine who is the author of the book, of which we are
now treating-, though it must be either Jeremiah, Baruch, or some one of their
contemporaries and friends ; for this reason : this and the book of the prophecies
of Jeremiah both conclude with an account of Jeconiah's being greatly favoured
by Eveel Merodoch the successor of Nebuchadnezzar ; no mention whatever is
made of Ezra, Daniel, or Zerubabel, nor of the return of the captives, and we
must therefore conclude that the writer of this book must have been ignorant of
the fulfilment of Jeremiah's prophecy, and of course that it must have been ex-
isting in its present state previous to Ezra, who, therefore, could have had
no agency whatever in compiling this or any of the preceding books. — It may
be, that it was written by different persons, or rather that Jeremiah or Baruch
compiled it from authentic sources ; as upon referring to chap. xix. v. 20, will
be found a passage purporting to be a prophecy of Isaiah. Now the manner of
Isaiah is so very unique and his style so sublime, that no one can mistake its
authenticity ; in fact, it is the same, with some few verbal differences, with the
thirty-seventh chapter of the book of the prophecies of Isaiah. — He was an eye-
witness of the events he relates in his book, and it has accordingly the strongest
claims to be generally accredited, and we have therefore sufficient reason to be-
lieve that the other sources of the second book of Kings are equally authentic
with the nineteenth chapter.

168 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

passage in Leviticus referred to, seems to hint at a time when the
Israelites should be captives in a foreign land ; yet we may reason-
ably conclude, that the promise held out for preserving the Israelites
in a foreign land, does also include their preservation from annihila-
tion in their own country.

We find in chap. xiv. v. 6, that Amaziah, king of Judah, having
killed the conspirators who slew his father, suffered their children to
live, because it was written in the book of the law of Moses, by the
command of God : " The parents shall not be killed on account of
the children, nor the children on account of the parents, but each
shall die for his own sins." (Compare with Deut. chap. xxiv. v. 16.)
Azariah or Uziah, the son of Amaziah, attempted to usurp the
priestly office by entering the temple with incense ; but he was
punished with leprosy, although he had led a virtuous life previous-
ly ; and he experienced thus the punishment denounced (Numb,
chap. xvii. v. 5,) against the violaters of the priestly privileges, (2
Kings, chap. xv. v. 5, and 2 Chron. chap. xxvi. v. 19,) and was kept
apart from the habitations of other men, like any other leper would
have been. (Numb. chap. v. v. 3.) — The history of the carrying
off" the Israelites captives, is given in 2 Kings, chap, xvii ; and the
reason for this punishment is there said to be their having acted
contrary to the commandments given them ; and among other sins
enumerated is their having done like the nations around them, con-
trary to what is commanded in Lev. chap, xviii. v. 3. and Deut.
chap. xii. v. 29. — In chap, xviii. v. 4, we are told, that Hezekiah,
son of Achaz, king of Judah, broke the copper serpent, which Moses
had made by the command of God, (Numb. chap. xxi. v. 8,) be-
cause it had become an object of adoration to the people, who, in
the time of Achaz, were mad enough to worship any thing. We
read alsoy v. 5, that Hezekiah confided entirely in the Eternal, the
God of Israel ; and that he was more pious than any king of Judah
who went before him or came after him, and (v. 6,) that he adhered
to the Eternal, and observed the precepts which God had command-
ed to Moses. — In chap, xxiii. v. 21 — 23, we have an account of the
Passover-feast having been celebrated by Josiah, and it is also said
there, that no Passover was ever held in so solemn a manner since
the days of the Judges. Josiah also read the book of the law to

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. 169

the people, which was also in accordance with the law as it now
stands.

We have in the above instances a concurrent mass of evidence to
prove beyond all doubt the assertion : that the law now acknowledged
as the Mosaic is, in every respect, the same as that considered and
obeyed as such before the Babylonian captivity ; for it will be disco-
vered, that from Joshua to Jeremiah all the books of the law, to wit :
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are indis-
criminately spoken of as existing, and that the Israelites either
obeyed the precepts they contain, or were reproved and punished if
they neglected them.

1 shall now subjoin a few extracts from Isaiah and Jeremiah, re-
lative to the observance of the Sabbath, and one from the latter in
relation to servants, and then close this subject, which I am afraid
has been spun out already to too great a length.

Isaiah, chap. Ivi. v. 2 : " Happy is the man who does this, and the
son of Adam who remains steady in it ; who observes the Sabbath,
and does not violate it, and withholds his hcmd from doing any evil."

Isaiah chap. Iviii. v. 13 — 14 : " If thou restrainest thy foot on the
Sabbath, and refrainest from doing what thou desirest on my holy
day, and callest the Sabbath a delight, honoured as a holy (day) of
the Lord, and thou honourest it (the day) by abstaining from doing
thy ways, (usual occupations,) or seeking thy own pleasures, or speak-
ing words (i. e. conversing about business, see above, chap, xiii.) : then
shalt thou find delight in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ascend
upon the high places of the land, and will let thee enjoy the heritage
of thy father Jacob, — for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."

Jeremiah, chap. xvii. 21 — 22 : " Thus says the Lord, take heed
for yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath-day, nor bring
it into the gates of Jerusalem : neither carry any burden from your
houses on the Sabbath-day, nor do any manner of w^ork ; but sanc-
tify it, as I have commanded your fathers." (See also v. 27, of the
same chapter.)

Jeremiah, chap, xxxiv. v. 13 : " Thus says the Lord God of Israel,
I have made a covenant with your fathers, at the time I brought them
out of "the land of Egypt from the house of slavery, and said : (v. 14,)
At the end of seven years you shall each let go his brother the Hebrew,
who has been sold unto thee, and when he has served thee six years
22

170 THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE.

thou shalt let him go free from thee." (Exodus, chap. xxi. v. 2, and
Deut. chap. xv. v. 12.)

I deem it altogether superfluous to produce any other instances
from the many which offer themselves, to establish that which has
been so clearly proven already, that, namely, the books we now have
are in fact those given to Moses, for every passage found in the
histories and the prophets referring to the law can be easily traced
back to the books of our Pentateuch. From this striking coinci-
dence it follows, that the Hebrew prophets and historians agreed
precisely with one another, and there can for this reason be no dis-
crepancy in their statements. This is a strong evidence in favour
of their inspiration, since we never find two profane historians or
preachers write or speak, as if they were animated by one mind.
To assert that all the books of the Hebrew canon were written by
one man is too ridiculous to merit refutation, since the difference in
style and dialect is so great, and each prophet and inspired writer
is withal in his own way so perfect, that it is absolutely impossible
to entertain such an idea. It is true, that some few men have been
good prose writers and good poets at the same time ; but 1 venture
to assert, though yet inexperienced, that that man never lived who
was capable of speaking like Moses, inditing songs like David, moral-
ising like Solomon, rousing the passions like Isaiah, and melting the
heart like Jeremiah. If indeed a man uniting such qualifications ever
was or ever will be, he deserves to be obeyed ; and I am sure that
all mankind, except perhaps the envious, would willingly become his
followers. It is therefore impossible that any one man could have
composed the whole Bible ; but 1 may go a step farther, and say :
" That these books were not composed or compiled at one time, even
by different persons ;" and this for the following reason. It is well
known, that, however different their style, a great resemblance will
still be discovered in their manner of writing amongst authors of
one age j there is generally, if I may use the expression, a connect-
ing link, which binds the republic of letters together. Now granted
even, that Ezra and his great council were men of the greatest
talents — and none is more ready to acknowledge this fact, than the
"Jews, and particularly the humble writer of these pages : — yet 1 am
sure, that every reasonable man, who has independence enough to
judge for himself, in despite of the little quibbles of those who doubt

THE RELIGION OF THE BIBLE. 171

the truth of our Bible, will acknowledge, that it is highly improba-
ble, not to say impossible, to believe, that at a time when the Hebrew
language had ceased to be generally spoken, and when its purity
was destroyed by the admixture of foreign words, there should have
been men skilful enough to write the books of Job, Jeremiah's La-
mentations, Isaiah, David's Psalms, and the Song of Solomon, not
to mention the books of Moses, which show, as clearly as any writ-
ings can do, the extraordinary and diversified acquirements and
talents of the author, or even authors if you will, though neither 1
nor any other Jew will admit the latter. It is almost needless to
mention, that a great part of the books of Daniel and Ezra is writ-
ten in the Chaldean language, and even the Hebrew, which these
two writers use, is, though very appropriate and expressive, not at
all to be compared to the writings just above enumerated in clas-
sical purity of style. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the three
last 'prophets, equally with the inspired writers of their age, made
use of a language which clearly proves, that it had ceased to be so
well cultivated as in the days of Samuel and Hezekiah. This does
not at all diminish the credibility of these prophets — God forbid !
let the reader but bear in mind what has been said above in regard
to the nature of prophecy (chap, xxi.) : that the prophets were only
instructed what to say, but not how to speak ; and this was very pro-
per, for, since they were to instruct the people, it was necessary
that they should use language which they themselves, and the peo-
ple to whom they were sent, well understood. From the whole of
the above remarks it follows, that the various books composing the
canon of what is called the Old Testament were written at different
times, and mostly by those persons who were tlie chief agents them-
selves. These men were all inspired, and could, therefore, not err.
(See above chap, xxi.) Hence it is that they all agree so well, and
that one always confirms the assertions of the other. Since now
the Bible was and is yet the book chiefly studied by the Jews ; and
as it contains such a fund of learning and instruction, we must con-
clude that the Jews were a highly civilised, though simple and un-
ostentatious people, immediately after the conquest of the land ; and
it is no wonder, therefore, that, being once acquainted with such a
book, they should always hold to it as their principal support
and adviser. We nether can consent to part with it, or receive

172 THE HEBREW WORSHIP.

any thing in addition to or in lieu of it. Many have railed against
us for observing that which one party thinks insvfficient, the other
superfluous ; but as long as they are unable to give us any thing
better, or even any thing at all approaching it in value, we must hold
that close which we now so happily possess. The world has never
seen a series of books so consistent and so full of wholesome advice;
and can we be blamed for refusing to cast off that which is so high-
ly serviceable ? Who can call us bigots, but the very bigoted infi-
del himself — and are not most infidels bigots ? Who dares to call
us sceptics, but that unlearned and blind zealot, who knows not what
he is about 1 — Let me then advise you, all who are the enemies of
our faith and nation, to beware how you touch the holy ark of our
faith — to beware how you harm the Israelites, for he who toucheth
them, toucheth the apple of his eye, says the prophet Zechariah,
and know also, that God will again assert the dignity of his holy
name, and again have compassion on Israel !

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE HEBREW WORSHIP.

The next point of enquiry is : " Have not the Jewish teachers of
the law imposed unnecessary burdens upon the people, subsequently
to their return from Babylon ?" Every one knows how easy it is to
denounce any body of men however exalted, and it is at the same
time most curious, that those who denounce others do so, for the
most part, without producing any other proof of their being in the
right, than their own potent dictum. This has been done, 1 may
say, by all those who have been so bitter against the wise men
amongst the Jews, known at different times under the names of
Scribes, Pharisees, and lastly, Rabbins. It therefore remains now
to be enquired into, if in fact the rabbinical institutions are contrary

THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 173

to the written law, and therefore unlawful and useless, or if they are
conformable to the laws and the prophets, and therefore proper and
necessary. — But let me premise, that it is an error, though a very
common one, that the Rabbins had their origin only in the time im-
mediately preceding the destruction of the second temple : for if we
come to investigate the Jewish antiquities and to fix the period of the
first rise of these Scribes, we must at least lay it in the days of Ezra,
for to him and his council are ascribed the first rabbinical insti-
tutions.

A great outcry has of late been raised against the use of the
sacred language, the Hebrew, in our worship, because this language
is no more universally spoken, and but little understood. Several
attempts have therefore been made to substitute the languages of the
countries in which we are dispersed, in lieu of the Hebrew. Of
course the Rabbins have been saddled with all the blame and odium,
as having been the first to force this mode of worship in an un-
known tongue upon the Jews, and some good souls, more afraid of
disturbing the conscience of others, than regardful of their own vir-
tue and piety, have even dared to talk of thus restoring the purity of
Judaism, as if any impurity had erver been added. But let us inves-
tigate this subject without prejudice and partiality, and then deter-
mine according to the light which can be thrown upon it in the few
following observations.

"Did those men, generally called Rabbins, jforre the Hebrew, con-
trary to reason, upon the people, and should it therefore be dispensed
with 1 or is the establishment of that language an ordinance ema-
nating from the prophets, and which consequently ought not to be
abolished]"

We read (Nehemiah, chap. xiii. v. 24,): " And half of their chil-
dren spoke the language of Ashdod, and did not understand the
Jewish." It will from this single verse be discovered, that the He-
brew had ceased to be universally spoken, as early as the days of
Ezra and Nehemiah. These two men were assisted in their re-or-
ganisation of the Hebrew commonwealth by the three last prophets,
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. If then they established the He-
brew to be read in the Synagogues in their time, we must admit, as
believers in revelation, that this was necessary for the promotion of
the proper worship ; and that they did establish the Hebrew to be

174 THE HEBREW WORSHIP.

read publicly, is clearly deducible from Nehemiah viii. v. 7 — 8 ; for
according to this passage all that, which Ezra read, was explained
to the people by the men named as being near him ; and thus it hap-
pened, that though the Hebrew was not understood by a great part of
those present, Ezra did nevertheless make use of it, but it was explained
to the people in a language and dialect they understood. The expoun-
der of the law was called jDjnnD (Methurgeman) or translator,
and we find such a personage mentioned after the destruction of the
temple. At present however this has become by far less necessary
than formerly ; for at that time books were scarce and could be pro-
cured by comparatively few, owing to the great difficulty of multi-
plying copies ; but now the art of printing has reduced the price of
books so low, the religious books especially, being printed in such
immense quantities, that every individual, however poor, can procure
himself the Bible and the prayer-books. Then again all parts of the
Bible are carefully translated, as are also the prayers, and it is there-
fore easy for every person desiring it, and capable of receiving in-
formation of any kind, to make himself acquainted with the meaning
of the law and of the prayers in general, though he may be altogether
ignorant of the holy language.* Let me not however be misunder-
stood, as saying that the Rabbins forbade the use of every language
other than the Hebrew in public and private worship ; on the con-
trary, they permitted the use of any language understood by the in-
dividual praying, nor is the language of the country prohibited in
public worship. [Orach Hayim, Laws of Prayer, chap. ci. §. 4.) It
will therefore be evident, that the use of foreign tongues explanatory
of the Hebrew service is permitted, but the recital of the regular
prayers, the reading of the law, and the portion from the prophets,
must ever be in the holy and original language.

The greater part of the daily and Sabbath prayers were composed
before the destniction of the second temple, — some^say by Ezra and

* In Germany and the adjacent countries the price of Hebrew books in gen-
eral use is uncommonly low, and every family, without exception, is provided
with the necessary prayer-books and at least the Pentateuch. The access to in-
formation is so easy to the poor and unlettered, that it is not uncommon to hear
a man, who would be supposed to be ignorant, discussing the moral, religious,
and ceremonial duties of our law, in a manner which would not disgrace a man
of learning and high standing in society.

THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 175

his associates — as may be easily gathered from several passages in
the Talmud, particularly the Massacheth Berachothe (Tractate of
Prayers) in which are enumerated the Berachothe or blessings to be
said before and after the Shemang.* To any person acquainted with
the Mishnah it would be entirely superfluous to draw his attention to
this subject, and to those who are unacquainted with it, I hope it
will be satisfactory enough, that the fact is stated in general terms
without citing the several passages. Having thus seen that the use
of the Hebrew was established as far back as the days of the last
prophets, it remains to be enquired : " Would it be expedient, if we
had the right to do so, to abolish the use of our holy language, and
substitute the languages of the different countries, in whose bounda-
ries the Israelites now sojourn ?" — Let it be considered, that our
abode in the countries, where we now reside, must not be considered
as a permanent location ; but God forbid, that I should insinuate, that
we are to consider ourselves absolved from allegiance to the govern-
ments and obedience to the municipal laws of the countries in whicli
we are protected, for this would be contrary to what we are com-
manded by God, through his faithful servant Jeremiah (chap. xxix.
v. 7,) ; but I would only remind my brethren, that their abode in
any country, other than Judea, is against their will. I hope that I
am understood, but for fear of any misconception, I will explain my-
self a little more in detail. We were, in the first instance, driven
from Palestine by the kings of Assyria, (see several passages in the
second book of Kings,) and next the remaining two tribes Judah and
Benjamin, together with the Levites who resided amongst them,
were carried away captives to Babylon and Egyptf by Nebuchadnez-

* The Shemang is the celebrated passage from the sixth chapter of Deuter-
onomy, commencing with the -words " Hear, O Israel," Hebrew : ^J^'lti'"' J.'Diy
{Shemang Yisrahale) whence its name. It is read morning and evening, that we
may, as our Rabbins express themselves, receive the yoke of Heaven, when we
lie down and when we rise up. The parallel passage from the eleventh of Deu-
teronomy, commencing with the words, " And it shall come to pass if you
hearken diligently, &c." and the conclusion of Numb. xv. commencing with
V. 37, are also read with the Shemang.

t Strictly speaking, the king of Babylon did not carry the Jews to Egypt, for
they fled of their own accord from Palestine, to escape his vengeance, on account
of the death of Gedaliah. (See Jeremiah, chap xliii. v. 7.)

176 THE HEBREW WORSHIP.

zar king of Babylon. After seventy years spent in captivity the
Jews were permitted by Coresh (Cyrus) king of Persia, who had sub-
verted the Babylonian empire, to return to their own land. Those who
did return were, with but few exceptions, either Levites or Jews,
(Judah and Benjamin) ; but the other ten tribes did not return, and
their existence has been a matter of doubt and speculation ever since ;
though according to some accounts they have been lately discovered
in Bucharia, a country in the very heart of Asia. The Jews, after
building the second temple (see Ezra and Nehemiah) lived for rather
better than four hundred years in Palestine, though far from peace-
ably or independently, as they were often agitated by internal dis-
turbance and molested by surrounding nations ; but after this time,
they were conquered by Vespasian and Titus, Roman emperors,
who, though they are celebrated for their clemency and benevolence
of disposition, did yet treat our ancestors in a manner too revolting
and too horrible for words to describe. The remainder of the Jews
not yet carried off by these barbarous emperors, (for such they were
to us at least,) were driven out by Trajan and Hadrian, for which 1
refer to the histories of those days. — It will be discovered from this
account of our people, that our abode out of Palestine is any thing
but voluntary on our part. Our expulsion from our land was owing
to our deviation from that holy law, which God, in his kindness and
superabundant mercy, bestowed upon our forefathers. Our continua-
tion in captivity is to be ascribed solely to our not yet having re-
formed our conduct sufficiently to merit the return of the blessings
promised in Deut. chap. xxx. (which see). It is well known that
we hope to be ultimately restored to our land, and that this hope is
well founded has been shown, 1 trust to every man's satisfaction in
chapter xxii. — Our residence in all countries, save one, must
therefore be considered as a sojourning, though this is '"of ne-
cessity for an unlimited time ; for, as we understand the prophecies,
there is no specific period fixed in the Bible for Israel's restoration,
but all depends upon our being worthy of this signal favour. That at
all events the restoration will not be delayed for a longer period than
God has fixed in his own wisdom, but which He has not imparted to
any man, is not to be doubted. In short, if we Israelites are virtuous,
our restoration, or what is the same thing, the coming of the Messiah,
will take place immediately ; but if, on the contrary, we continue in

THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 17-7

our wickedness, then at the appointed time. — Since then we are
strangers, and as the time of our being re-united is of necessity un-
known, it behooves us to be always united by a certain bond of union,
to keep us one people, though at opposite corners of the globe ; and
secondly, to be united in the closest manner, when our captives be
again restored and assembled in a body on the high-raised moun-
tains of Israel. We have already a law which, if properly observed,
will ever be that bond, which must, owing to its great purity, bind
together the Israelites though the distance between them be as great
as from pole to pole. But what would be the scene, if upon our res-
toration, we had in the course of time forgotten that very language,
in which the law was first given ? How could we be considered a
re-united people, if different languages were used by the captives re-
turning to Zion in their mode of worshipping God ?

But even without going so far into the recesses of futurity, we can
find many good reasons for employing the Hebrew in our prayers,
and in reading the law and the other parts of Holy Writ, as it is now
customary in the Synagogues. Let it be remembered, that we Jews
are in fact a wandering people — we have no rest for the soles of our
feet (Deut. chap, xxviii. v. 65) : we are either driven by circum-
stances or necessity from station to station, and it may truly be
said, there is hardly a spot on earth where Jews are not to be found.
It is for this reason chiefly that the Hebrew language ought to be
retained both in public and private worship. If a Jew come from
China even, as our worship is now constituted, he can enter any
Synagogue even in America, and worship his God in company and
unison with his brethren there assembled. He uses the Hebrew,
and so do they. And this is an every day occurrence ; for Jews
from every part of the world do meet and worship together, as if
they were natives of the same land. And in our small Synagogue
at Richmond are frequently assembled natives of America, Ger-
many, England, France, Poland, and Bohemia, some of whom hard-
ly understand English. They can all join in the worship, solely
because it is conducted in the Hebrew, when the use either of the
English or any other language would evidently destroy the harmony
thus existing.— ^There is, however, another very weighty reason
why the Hebrew language should be used, and this is, the 'preserva-
tion of the purity of the law ! " But is it possible that the purity oj
23

178 THE HEBREW WORSHIP.

the holy law can be destroyed by the discontinuance of the Hebrew V
I will not assert precisely that its intrinsic purity could be destroyed
by this or any other means ; but it may confidently be asserted,
without fear of contradiction, that if the Hebrew were once dis-
pensed v/ith in our Synagogues, the interpretation of the law would
be rendered altogether uncertain, and thus its extrinsic purity would
be so much marred, that it might be considered destroyed without a
great stretch of the imagination. To establish this upon indisput-
able grounds, 1 beg leave to draw the attention of the indulgent
reader to the following exposition. — If the Hebrew language were
by universal consent banished from our worship, it would follow, as
a necessary consequence, that translations ov foreign originals must
be substituted, unless we would consent either not to pray at all, or to
suffer any fanatic or enthusiast to pray for the congregation in the
wild and mad strains which shock us so much in the worship of
some sects. — If now in addition to this we should have a transla-
tion of the law read to the people, we would soon find that no man
would care to know Hebrew. For to what purpose should the Jew,
whose intentions are not to become a classical scholar or a divine,
apply himself to the study of a dead language, which would be of
no earthly use to him when attained ? Curiosity would not, I dare say,
impel fifty out of five hundred to engage in its study, particularly
as in the case of which we are speaking, they would have authorised
translations of all the sacred books. — It is really deplorable, that
not more are engaged in acquiring a knowledge of the holy lan-
guage— a language which our ancestors spoke — a language in which
the law was given. — But can this be a reason for banishing it alto-
gether 1 And that this banishment of the Hebrew would be ex-
tremely injurious is susceptible of the easiest and plainest demon-
stration.— As it is, those who altogether use translations of the
whole or a part of the Scriptures, are frequently caught in making
the most absurd deductions from the Bible, which, upon examina-
tion of the Hebrew text, are no where to be met with. Let us take
one example : there is a trite saying, man is born to sin, and many
have attempted to fortify this position by reference to Psalm li. and
Genesis vi. ; and, if you come to investigate the meaning of these
two passages, you would be surprised that no such thing is found in
either of them ; and this is not all, for as far as my acquaintance

THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 179

with the Jewish canon extends, 1 never could discover a single pas-
sage even to prove that man was born to sin. In the fifty-first
psalm, David says : " Behold in iniquity 1 was conceived," but not
to sin; in the sixth chapter of Genesis we read, that God determin-
ed to destroy mankind, " because the desire of the thoughts of their
heart was the whole day directed to evil ;" here is only stated the
fact, that that generation had degenerated, and were perpetually
intent how they could do wrong ; not because they were obliged to
do so, but only because they chose this course of life in preference
to doing right. — In the eighth chapter of Genesis we read that God
said ; " That He]^would never more destroy all flesh, as He had
done, for the desire of the heart of man is evil from his youth."
Now this sentence cannot mean that he is born to sin, and cannot of
his own free will do right, without intervention of grace ; but its
obvious and only true meaning is : that as we have desires and pas-
sions, we are, from our earliest infancy, drawn on by these desires,
but we are by no means obliged to yield to them, for in the fourth
chapter God told Cain, that though he were inclined to sin, he had
yet the mastery over himself, to sin or not to sin ; of course man
has the inherent power to do right, though his inclinations should
point the other way. But how is he to know what is right ? Simply
by revelation, and following that course which God had marked out
for him. (See above, chap, i.) The investigation of this subject
would lead me too far, besides I am fearful of engaging at present
in the discussion of the philosophy of our law, as 1 do not think
myself qualified to discuss the points which it would present to me,
as they deserve ; 1 will therefore rest here, only assuring the reader
that this is not the only popular error *" which men have attempted
to demonstrate as true with arguments drawn from the Bible.

* The subjoined has been transmitted to me by Mr. Jacob Mordecai, the
same gentlemen mentioned in a foregoing note. " The translators of the Bible to
suit their purpose, have rendered the 8th verse of the 25th chap, of Isaiah : ' He
will swallow up death in victory ;' if you consult the Hebrew, the error is imme-
diately discovered, for we read: nVi^ mDn;rS:3, ' He will swallow up death
for ever;' it is not written pn^fJ^ ^^ victory, but n^fjS forever. So that no
one could have been ' victorious in death in fulfilment of this prophecy.' —
Again we read, Deut. chap. xxx. v. 19 : ' Choose life,' Psalm xxxiv. v, 15: 'Shun
evil and do good.' How then can a man be born to sin?"

180 THE HEBREW WORSHIP.

What I intend to prove by the foregoing example is this. We
have seen that by justly investigating the Bible we have overthrown
a position so generally admitted as true, that to some it may appear
to be but little better than scepticism even to doubt it. — If the He-
brew language were now altogether neglected, as some desire, we
should be unable to make these investigations. Whatever were as-
serted upon the authority of any translation, would then of course
pass for sound truth, and instead of Holy Writ being the light of
the world, it would become the cause of contention. Every man
would explain every things as he liked best, and we should have just
as many laws as there were Bible readers. But as long as the He-
brew continues to be studied, there is no danger that any thing of
this kind will ever occur, I mean amongst ourselves. It is this
which makes the Jews so very formidable in argument ; we have the
original records, and if any man comes to argue from his copy, we
ask him : " Let us see how your copy agrees with our original ;"
and we have thus maintained the superiority in argument and con-
troversy in every age and in every country, unless our reasons were
answered by the sword or the faggot. — The Bible must be literally
given ; and every word, every letter, nay every point, has its meaning,
which must not be lost sight of; no passage must be wrenched from
its position to mean any thing or nothing ; but, as the whole from
the jSrst word in Genesis to the last in the Chronicles (which books
are the last in order with us) is one revelation, because all emanates
from one source, the HOLY ONE of Israel (whose name be praised
for eternity !) it is but fair that one passage should be used to ex-
plain the other. And the Bible may be compared to an arch, where
one stone supports the other ; so, generally speaking, will every ob-
scure passage receive elucidation from another part of the Bible.

This is no fanciful defence of the use of the Hebrew, for the ex-
perience of every day proves its correctness ; now let me ask my
brethren who have not yet resolved to abandon all : Are you pre-
pared to give up the superiority you possess over every other nation
and sect upon the face of the earth ? Pause before you strike the

Or if the prophet had intended to express the idea conveyed by the English
version, he might also have said : n^JD NIHIj ^^ being conquering — in victory
— niD }hy **^'^ swallow death ; but are these words found in the text ?

THE HEBREW WORSHIP. 181

fatal blow ; the nations are so alive to your strength, that in some
countries they will not allow a clergyman to be licensed who has
not some knowledge of the Hebrew. In Germany and England
they teach the Hebrew at all their universities, and I verily believe
their object in so doing is to be the better able to cope with us.
Therefore, for the sake of Heaven, for the sake of your own honour
and eternal salvation, listen not to what irreligious men wish to in-
stil in you, and consider and know that your ancestors were fully as
wise and as well informed of right and propriety as any modern infi-
del, and, if I err not, even greatly more so !

I do, with every lover of his people, and venerator of the word of
God, deeply deplore the condition in which many Jews, particularly
in this country, are found. — Many, and 1 am sorry to confess, most
are altogether ignorant of the Hebrew ; this is no doubt an evil,
which is of sufficient magnitude to alarm any man who seriously re-
flects. But this evil is not yet great enough to break down on its
account the limits which our ancestors have set ! No— instead of
finding fault, let those who have the abilities set about enlightening
and informing those who are less favoured ; let them explain the
law, the ceremonies, the object and meaning of the prayers, and
my life for it, the outcry against the not understanding of our ser-
vice will cease. It requires a great deal of labour perhaps to re-
move the great mass of ignorance — to root out prejudices against the
ancient system ; but is he a brave man, who turns back at the sight
of any obstacle opposed to him ? Yet would 1 not recommend to
those, who may be disposed to follow up my humble beginning, to
lose sight of discretion ; far from it, they must use language mild
and becoming ; they must endeavour to convince the understanding
rather than captivate the fancy ; they must endeavour to be plain and
intelligible at the expense of being tedious — lest by a display of wit
and great learning, they might astonish more than improve. We
may be met at the very beginning by difficulties not thought of per-
haps, for we may by chance rouse those spirits to greater activity,
which have been, and are even now at work to destroy all that is
venerable for sanctity and antiquity : but let us work unremittingly,
and the victory is ours. Let no man, who bears the honourable
name of Israelite, and who has the good of his brothers at heart, be
caught sleeping at his post, but let us oppose our enemies with per-

182 THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES.

severance, and use our watchfulness against theirs, and our God will
bless our endeavour. — We ought not however to be too much elated
by success, for our battle is for truth and not for fame, and if our object
is attained — if we once have succeeded — if we have reached the
goal of our desire in convincing all of the righteousness of our law :
we should lay down the arms of attack, and only continue to improve
our advantage — teach the law which we have proved true — spread
amongst our brethren the knowledge of their God — and by gentle
means lead them back to the fold from which they have strayed !
And should we fear to encounter ridicule — or hatred — or scorn — or
even persecution ? No — we must act and do our duty, regardless of
what men may think, say, or do ; and will not God prosper our un-
dertaking ? most surely ; success must await us, for jiever was war
waged in a cause more holy ; and our enemies need not then be
ashamed to confess themselves vanquished, for not by us were they
conquered, but by our God, who influences our minds, and to suc-
cumb to Him is honour, for to Him we all must bow in humble
adoration !

CHAPTER XXV.

THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES.

1 imagine that what has been said above will prove — first, that the
public worship in Hebrew was not instituted by the Rabbins, but by
Ezra and the prophets after the partial restoration of the Israelites ;
and secondly, that its retention is of the greatest advantage to all the
Jews, and its abolition would lead to the most dreadful consequences,
which ought ever to be deprecated by every real friend of his reli-
gion and of his brethren. — Of the propriety of the second days of the
festivals I have already treated above (chap xvii. note) ; I shall
therefore begin our next enquiry with :

THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES. 183

" Have not the Rabbins usurped undue authority in establishing
the fast-days ?" I must answer at once, that so far from usurping
any authority in this respect, the Rabbins had not any agency what-
ever in estabUshing the fast-days, for they were instituted in the
days of the prophets, and this was with the express approbation of
God. The fast-days, independently of the Day of Atonements, are the
fast of the seventeenth day of Tamuz (fourth month) ; the fast of the
ninth of Ab (fifth month) ; the fast of the third of Tishry (seventh
month) ; the fast of the tenth of Tebeth (tenth month) ; and of the
thirteenth day of Adar (twelfth month). — On the tenth day of Te-
beth the enemy first approached Jerusalem ; on the seventeenth of
Tamuz the city was taken, and on the ninth* of Ab the temple was
burnt. After Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple, he suffered
a small number of our brethren to live in Palestine under the govern-
ment of Gedaliah, who was treacherously slain by Ismael, son of Ne-
thaniah, on the third day of Tishry. The remnant of the Israelites
were now afraid to stay any longer in their country, and contrary to
the advice of the prophet Jeremiah they went to Egypt, where nearly
the whole of their number died, as the prophet had foretold. (Jere-
miah chap. xli. and others.) — These days were therefore instituted
as fasts, for so long as the Israelites should remain captives in
foreign lands. — On these days we ought to assemble in the places of
worship, confess our sins, make restitutions, (see chap, xxiii.) ask the
protection of God for the remnant of the flock that has escaped, and
pray for the restoration of our national glory at the time of the
coming of the promised Messiah. — The antiquity of these days can
be proven from Zechariah, chap. viii. v. 18 — 19 : "And the word
of the Lord of Hosts came to me as follows : Thus speaketh Adonai
Zebahothe, the fast day of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the
fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of
Judah (days of) rejoicing and gladness and happy festivals ; and love

* These are the days of the conquest of Jerusalem in the time of the second
temple ; in that of the first, the two last named events happened on other days,
in the same months however ; but since the destruction of the second temple is
more to be lamented by us, than that of the, first, we fast and mourn on those
days upon which Jerusalem was taken and the temple destroyed by Titus. —
The city was taken by Nebuchadnezzar on the ninth of Tamuz, and the temple
burnt on the tenth day of Ab. (See Jeremiah, chap. lii. v. 6 — 12.)

184 THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES.

you truth and peace." We here see the prophet announcing that
these four days, which were in his time (and are now) days of
mourning and abstinence, shall, at the time of our restoration, be
days of festivity, of general joy, and gladness. The fast of Esther,
which is on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, was instituted
to commemorate the troubles in which our ancestors found them-
selves in the time of Achashveroshe through the evil counsels of
Haman. The history of this event is so well known, that a synop-
sis is not necessary here ; suffice it to say, that the thirteenth, four-
teenth, and in walled cities the fifteenth (of Adar) also, are annually
celebrated, (the thirteenth as a fast, the other two as days of re-
joicing,) in commemoration of our escape from the designs of Ha-
man.—It is hardly necessary to say, that our opponents disapprove
entirely our celebrating the downfal of our enemy, when this event
took place twenty-three hundred years ago. They say : "It argues a
spirit of bitterness and unforgiving hostility, which is highly unbe-
coming."— This objection would be a good one, if our rejoicing were
only on account of the execution of Haman ; but this is not the fact,
we celebrate our redemption ; we rejoice, because we were snatched
from destruction, when the whetted sword lay already unsheathed upon
our necks ; we assemble to return sincere thanks to our God for the
goodness He then displayed towards his chosen people, and pray for
the continuance of his vigilance and protection over us, who linger
so long in captivity. — Is such a celebration proper 1 — To argue this
point further, I am afraid, v/ould be insulting to the understanding of
my readers, who, I hope, will be intelligent and kind enough to sup-
ply the defective details, which now and then may be found in my
arguments.

The fast-days are, according to the above, proved not to be of
rabbinical origin, but that all except the fast of Esther were instituted
by God himself through the agency of his prophet. The fast of Es-
ther cannot indeed be traced to any prophet, but it was received by
the Jews then living as a day of humiliation on account of the great
deliverance they had experienced, as were also the festivities of Pu-
rim (the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar) for the reason just given.
Ever since the days of Mordecai and Esther this celebration has
been kept up, and it cannot now be abolished ; first, on account of
the extraordinary hold it has taken of the mind of all Jews ; and

THE FASTS AND CEKEMUJNiES. iSS"

secondly, because it would destroy a feature in our ceremonies re-
sulting from the most amiable trait in human nature— gratitude. For
these days are celebrated every year as a tribute from us to our
heavenly Protector, and on these days also we read the history of
our redemption, and we return our thanks to Flim, who was then as
ever our Saviour from annihilation. — To the same cause may be as-
cribed the festival called Hannuckah, commencing on the twenty-
fifth day of Kislave, (ninth month,) and continuing eight days. All
conversant with history know that the Syrian king Antiochus op-
pressed the Jews very grievously, and that they regained their
liberty under the guidance of Judah Maccabaeus, who defeated the
Syrians and drove them from Jerusalem. Antiochus had made un-
clean all the oil set apart for the lighting of the lamps in the temple,
and when the Jews reconsecrated the temple they found but one
cruet of oil, sealed with the signet of the high-priest, the contents of
which were only sufficient for one day's service. The Jews were
not able to procure any other oil, which might be used, for some
days ; but it so happened, that the contents of the small jar lasted
for eight days, till fresh oil had been procured- For this reason do
we light lamps on the evenings of this festival, commencing with one
on the first, and increasing night after night till the eighth, when
eight lamps are lighted. These days, like the Purim, were institut-
ed to keep alive the recollection of our deliverance from an enemy
who attempted to root out the Israelites ; and wherever Jews are
found, they are celebrated as days of rejoicing and festivity, but we
are not bound to abstain from labour on those days, since they are
not commanded in the Pentateuch ; on Purim, however, most per-
sons do not work, but give themselves up for that day to religious
mirth, as it may properly be called. — All these' celebrations and
feasts proceeded from the voluntary burst of feeling of the whole
people, but they were not imposed upon an unwilling nation by the
command of the Rabbins, Scribes, and Pharisees.

The next question for consideration is : " Did, or did not the
prophets prohibit meat, other than that of forbidden animals, pre-
pared by a gentile, to be eaten by a Jew ? And is wine of the gen-
tiles prohibited by the same authority or not ?" It needs hardly to
be told that the Rabbins have received a great share of abuse, as
being the authors of these interdictions ; but who would not be sur-
24

186 THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES.

prised to be convinced that these very Rabbins are as innocent of
this as any person now aUve ? To prove this, however, we need only
read the first chapter of Daniel ; and is it not surprising, that those
would-be-wise men, who spend all their lives, and write folio upon
folio, in endeavouring to clear up the mysterious prophecies of Daniel
concerning the coming of the Messiah, should altogether overlook
what he relates concerning his own mode of life, while in the service
of the Babylonian king ? He tells us that he came to the determina-
tion not to defile himself with the meats (or viands) of the king, nor
with his wines, and he asked of Melzar the favour to give him and
his three associates vegetables (pulse) to eat, and no wine, but water,
to drink ; though Melzar at first refused to comply with this request,
thinking himself in danger of losing his head if his charges did not
look so well as the other youths in the palace, he at length yielded,
and took for himself the rations furnished for their use, and gave
them pulse in place of them. (See Daniel, chap, i.) This whole nar-
rative proves, that any meat not prepared by a Jew is forbidden to
us. — The killing of animals, as practised by the rabbinical Jews, is
also in every respect conformable to the Mosaic law, where we are
in several places positively commanded to let the blood run out
(see Lev. chap. xvii. v. 13, and Deut. chap. xii. v. 16,); however
any one might be disposed to explain these texts to suit his own
views, it may well be doubted if he could break the force of Deut.
chap. xii. v. 31, where it says: " Thou shalt kill of thy herd and of
thy flock, which the Lord has given thee, as I have commanded
ihee ;" commanded where? and since we can no where find the mode
of killing commanded in expi^ess terms, we must come to the con-
clusion, that it was explained to the Israelites orally, and handed
down from father to son to the present day. The great care that
has ever been bestowed upon this subject, even in the time of Saul,
proves, that there is something more in this than mere invention of
men, and that therefore the tradition of the fathers is true, and
founded upon, and agreeable to, the intent of the Mosaic law.

It cannot be expected, that I should give an analysis even of our
ceremonies, but I may say with truth, that they are of great antiquity,
and most of them have even an obvious meaning and are beautiful
allegories. For instance, a golden ring is used at our marriages,
and when the bridegroom puts it upon the finger of the bride, he

THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES. 187

says ; " Thou art wedded to me by this ring according to the law of
Moses and Israel." — The ring is a circle, and when well finished,
the point where the two extremes join cannot be discovered ; if once
a breach be made in the ring, or if it be broken, it cannot answer the
purpose for which it was intended, and even if it should be mended,
a mark will generally remain of the former breach. Just so is it
with the married state. The husband and wife should be like the
ring of pure metal employed at their marriage, that is, they ought
both to be pure, devoted to the practice of virtue and piety. They
should be of one mind, so that their being two individuals should
be hardly perceptible ; the husband should always pay deference to
the wishes of his wife, but it is her duty also to endeavour to win his
good will by ready compliance and gentle demeanour ; and if it un-
fortunately should become necessary for either of them to chide the
other, let it be done in a spirit of conciliation, let it never be more
than remonstrance, for faults are much oftener laid by in consequence
of mild reproof, than violent altercation. Let the husband think the
honour of the wife his own, and let her look up to him as her sole
protector (under God) on earth, whose happiness ought ever to be
her chief delight, and which she is to promote by all the means in
her power. If they live so, in love towards God and friendship to-
wards one another, the married state must be the most blissful on
earth. But reverse the picture, let once discontent take root in
their minds, let them habitually find fault with one another, let angry
disputes become familiar to them, let the fear of God be once re-
moved from before them — and unhappiness is the lot of both man
and wife, and what was once the best blessing becomes now the
greatest curse. Though they become reconciled afterwards, painful
recollections of past follies will nevertheless often occasion them
those pangs of conscience, which are the severest torture on earth.
After the ring is put upon the bride's finger and the marriage con-
tract read, the bridegroom gives her to drink out of the cup, over
which grace has been said, which he then throws upon the ground,
so that it breaks. This ceremony also is not without its use, and
has the following meaning : " Midst the festive joy of the marriage-
day man is too apt to think only of pleasure, nothing but joyful anti-
cipations float before his eyes, and he is forgetful of the ills of life
and its close. But like the glass, that lays shivered in a thousand

188 THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES.

pieces before hira, will the joys of life pass away into innumerable
sorrows, and the body of man now so beautiful, must in a few brief
years be dissoh-ed into its natural elements, the flesh will decay
from the bones and become a prey to the worms of the earth."
Again — we read in the Talmud : " That on the day the son of Rab
Hoonah was married, the latter made a feast for all his scholars and
companions. They were all, as he thought, too much rejoiced, and
he found them forgetful of the state of captivity in which we even
yet linger. Seeing this the pious Rabbi threw down an elegant glass
ornament, from a stand near which he stood. The scholars were no
sooner aware of the destruction of the rare and costly vase, than they
all looked sorrowful about the wanton destruction of what was then
very scarce and dear, and they enquired of R. Hoonah the cause of
his strange conduct, when he told them : ' Remember the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, remember the burning of the temple, and do not
forget that we dwell no longer in our land, and you will moderate
your joy !' " And it is just and proper that we should always recol-
lect, that we were hurled from our high estate, and that, like the
fragments of the glass strewed about the floor, we are scattered all
over the world in small numbers. We ought to act and think like
the holy Psalmist, who says (Psalm 137) :

" By the streams of Babel — there we sat and also wept — when
we remembered Zion. Upon its willows did we hang our harps,
for there did our captors ask of us the words of song, and those de-
riding us — ^joy, ' sing us some of Zion's songs !' How can we
sing the song of the Eternal in the land of the stranger? If 1 for-
get thee Jerusalem, may my right hand forget — then may my
tongue cleave to my palate, if I remember thee not — if I bring not*
(thee O) Jerusalem at the head of my joy !"

Though these ideas may appear to some too gloomy, the reflect-
ing mind will not revolt from them. To remember the hour of dis-
solution has for the'good man and true believer no further terror, than
deterring him from sin, that he may leave this world unspotted, and
return his soul in the same purity to his Maker, as it was when He
gave it to him. — The same is the case with remembering our de-

* Or, as R. Moses Mendelsohn translates: " If a tear does not flow for thee>
whenever I am rejoiced."

THE FASTS AND CEREMONIES. 189

graded political state. The recurrence to our former glory must
and ever will occasion the severest pain to a Jew ; yet is there some-
thing very animating in the idea of our future restoration, and it
will incite every good man to act so, that the coming of the Messiah
may not be retarded on his account.

Our ceremonies on various occasions have been explained already
in some parts of the foregoing pages, and since it is not my present
purpose te explain the ceremonies of the Jews, it would be quite out
of place to dilate on this subject ; I shall therefore but remark, that
our mourning is in most respects just the same that was customary
in the times of the patriarchs, which can be easily proved if neces-
sary; and to show with w\idX feelings we mourn, I beg to call the
reader's attention to the following from the funeral service :

" Thou art just, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments !
Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and beneficent in all thy works ! Thy
righteousness is everlasting righteousness, and thy law is true !

" The judgments of the Lord are true and uniformly just. Where
the word of the King is, there is power, and who can say to him,
' What doest Thou V For He is of one mind, and who can alter
it ? and what his soul desires He doeth. The rock — whose work
is perfect, for all his ways are just ; the God of truth — and without
iniquity — He is just and upright. He is a true Judge, judging with
righteousness and truth. Praised be the true Judge, for all his
judgments are just and true."

It will be seen, that when our grief is naturally the greatest, we
acknowledge the justice of our Supreme Judge, all whose ways are
just. — After this prayer we pray for the soul of the departed in a
very appropriate manner, and conclude with the prophecy from Isaiah,
where he speaks in confident terms of his hope in the resurrection.
In short, the ceremonies of the Jews are conformable to the laws
they obey ; and the life of a good Jew may fairly be set down as a
model of perfection, as far as mortals can be perfect !

190

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE LAW AND THE RABBINS.

Before 1 conclude this part of my subject, that is to say, the
proofs of the divine origin of the Mosaic law and the reasons of the
continued adherence of the Jews to the same : I must say a few
words relative to the veneration we pay to the hook of the law
itself. The great Ezra* (who was next to Moses the principal in-
strument of God to perpetuate the law amongst us), together with
the prophets and the wise men of his time, made a regulation, that
the law should be read in the Synagogues every Sabbath, Monday,
and Thursday, that the Israelites should never bfe three days with-
out reading the law or hearing it read. This regulation is not an
addition to the Mosaic Law, for there we are commanded that the
book of the law shall be read at every time, (Deut. chap. xvii. and
several other passages,) and once at least every seven years the
chief of the nation was obliged to read the law publicly to the whole
assembled people, men women and children, nay even the stranger.
(Deut. chap. xxxi. v. 12.) In the same chapter we are command-
ed : " To place the song in the mouth of the Israelites," meaning,
to make them perfectly acquainted with it ; upon further examina-
tion, however, it will be discovered, that not only the last song of
Moses, but also the w^hole law was to be known to every Israelite.
(Chap. XXX. V. 14.) It needs not be told, that in the Mosaic law
many commandments are given in general terms, without defining
their extent or the mode how they should be done ; and we find,
that God empowered the judges to explain any contested matter,
according to the general rules given through Moses. (Deut. chap.

* That this regulation chiefly emanated from Ezra is the general opinion
amongst the Jews, and there is no reason to doubt it, if we consider the great
veneration he had for the law. It is, however, probable that the same custom,
or a similar one, was common as early as the time of EHsha ; for some reasons
in favour of this hypothesis, see above, chap, xxiii. p. 167.

THE LAW AND THE RABBINS. 191

xvii. V. 11. and ibid. chap. xxi. v. 5.) This being the case it cannot
be doubted that Ezra and the Sanhedrin, at the time being, had the
right to make the above regulation, it being in accordance with
the general law as laid down in the Pentateuch, and well adapted for
the spreading of this law amongst the people. — According to this
regulation the whole five books composing the Pentateuch are
divided into fifty-four portions, namely. Genesis in twelve, Exodus
in eleven, Leviticus in ten, Numbers in ten, and Deuteronomy in
eleven ; in general one is read every Sabbath in the year, commenc-
ing on the first Sabbath after the feast of Tabernacles, and closing
on the last day of this feast ; but in the common years of our calen-
dar, which are only three hundred and fifty-five days, there are
read on some Sabbath-days two portions, so as to read the whole
law once at least in every twelve months. — On the festivals and
fast-days portions appropriate to the days are read ; for instance, on
the first day of the Passover, Exodus, chap. xii. v. 21, — chap, xiii ;
on the seventh day, ibid. chap. xiii. v. 17, — chap. xv. v. 26 ; on
the Day of Atonement, Leviticus, chap. xvi. v. 1 — 34, and in the
same manner on the other days. On Sabbath afternoon, and
Monday and Thursday, the first section of the following Sabbath is
read. The usefulness of this custom will be apparent to any person
endowed with the smallest share of penetration ; the law being con-
tinually read to the people, and whereas it has been recommended
by the Rabbins, to read, before the reading in the Synagogue, the
Hebrew twice and a translation once, it must be continually, in the
literal sense of the words, in the mouth and heart of all Israelites ;
and can they fail, if they attend to this strictly, to become intimate-
ly acquainted with the whole law ? — Nor can the Rabbins be charged
with a desire of shrouding the law in mystery and withholding ex-
planations from the people ; so far from this being true, men capable
of teaching deliver lectures (in every village and town of Europe)
to the congregation before the afternoon service of the Sabbaths
and holydays ; and those who are able frequently give sermons and
discourses of their own composition during or immediately after the
morning-service.

After the reading of the law on the mornings of the Sabbaths
and the festivals, and on the afternoons of the fast-days, an appro-
priate portion is read from some of the historical writings and the

192 THE LAW AND THE RABBINS.

prophets prior to Daniel, (that is in the order in which the prophets
are placed in our canon). The origin of this custom is this : when
Antiochus had conquered Palestine he forbade the reading of the
law by the Jews, hoping that by degrees it might be altogether for-
gotten. But so convinced were our ancestors of the good to be de-
rived from the institution of Ezra, that they, not being able to read
the law itself, substituted portions of the prophets bearing resem-
blance to those passages of the law which ought to have been read
on that Sabbath. It is well known how cruelly Antiochus treated
the aged priest Eleazer and the seven sons of Hannah ; but his day
of destruction soon arrived, and he was driven from our soil with igno-
miny and shame ; but the Israelites to this day retain the custom of
reading the passages of the prophets as just mentioned ; and thus not
only the law, but also the prophets, will be remembered by us, as
the frequent perusal of them must fix them indelibly in our minds.

It is also universally known, that all the copies of the law in use
amongst us are precisely alike. If we now wish to know how this
extraordinary result was brought about, how it could possibly hap-
pen, that in the many countries, where our dispersions dweW^sM our
copies of the Pentateuch should agree : we must look to the mode
prescribed by our wise men, before and after the destruction of the
temple, for the reason of the miraculous preservation of the purity of
the Scriptures. — These men have laid down rules for preparing the
parchment and the ink, and in what manner the books of the law,
the ThephilHn and Mezoozothe were to be written. No man, who
has not been previously examined as to his competency in writing
and knowledge of the rules, and who cannot produce testimonials of
an upright and religious conduct, can be admitted to be a writer of
the law. The Massorites have carefully noted every word, how it
is to be written ; and if a man follows the rules they have laid down,
it is imposbible but he must write correctly. No book, which has
an error in it, can be used for public reading in the Synagogue, and
if any error be discovered during the reading of the law, another
book must be used. Before a book can be considered as fit for pub-
lic service, it must have been several times carefully revised. It is
unlawful to erase any name of the Most High ; but in case the error
discovered can not be rectified without this being done, the whole
sheet, in which the error is, must be taken out, and a correct one

THE LAW AND THE RABBINS. 193

substituted. — The law is written upon parchment, and on one side
only ; every word must be written upon lines, and the letters must
stand so that no one touch the other. The letters, it is almost need-
less to say, are Hebrew; they are, however, somewhat different
from those used in printing, as some of them have certain marks
upon the top, called Taggim, which any one can discover by just
inspecting one of the rolls, which, moreover, are mounted on two
rollers, for the purpose of being the more easily conveyed from one
place to the other, and of being better adapted for the use of the
Synagogues.

Thus we see, that all the rolls existing are written after one rule,
by men who are virtuous and competent to the task ; no dishonour
can therefore belong to the name of Scribe ; for can it be dishonour-
able for a man to be chosen to transcribe the law of his God, when
this very permission stamps him as a man of virtue and knowledge ?
I really wonder how any man, who professes to venerate the Bible,
should dare to call the body of Scribes hypocrites, when Ezra
says of himself, " that he was a ready scribe of the law of God !"
Would Ezra have said that of himself, which would class him
amongst hypocrites ? And is it rational to suppose, that at any time
the whole community of the Jews was so depraved, that the persons
appointed to write the law were uniformly taken from amongst
those who assumed only the cloak of piety to conceal their hideous
moral deformity ? It is impossible : and from the time of Ezra to
the present day the station of a Scribe has been an honourable one,
though worldly riches have seldom been the portion of any one of
this fraternity.

If we consider the above with due attention, our astonishment
will cease at the accuracy of all our copit s of the law. But shall
those men, the Pharisees and Rabbins, who strove so hard to accom-
plish this desirable object, be branded with every opprobrious epithet
which malice or ignorance can invent 1 It surpasses my intellectual
powers to comprehend the reason they could have had to take so
much care to preserve the law free from additimis, alterations, and
forgeries, if it was their intention to twist and turn the text as they
pleased ! — And whilst teaching, that this law must be observed ac-
cording to the letter, without addition or diminution, can it be possi-
ble, 1 ask, that they should have promulgated aught that was not
25

194 THE LAW AND THE RABBINS.

warranted by the law itself, or the tradition they had received from
their fathers ? However, I need not trouble myself to find argu-
ments for our opponents, who, as they continually make those
charges against our wise men, are in reason bound to explain the
above mental phenomenon, and to prove the truth of what they
otherwise assert.

But 1 hear asked on every side : " Did not the Rabbins disagree
about the meaning and extent of many passages of the law 1" Yes,
they did ; but this is no reason for rejecting their enactments. Let
us consider a few moments, if it be possible for a whole assembly
of delegates from various quarters of a state to agree in every
question of importance brought before them. Let it be borne in
mind, that they act under a law whose general principles are
known, but whose extent in particular cases is unknown. Each of
the members of this assembly is called upon to vote, and to state
his opinions and the reasons which govern him in so voting. Each
member thus called upon ventures to express his opinion, and to
give his reasons for his vote, and the view he has of that general
law, according to which he is bound to decide. Can any man assert,
with a strict regard to truth and justice, that each one of this assem-
bly may not be actuated by the best motives and the highest reve-
rence for this general law ? If I might be permitted to hazard an
opinion, I should say, that this very disagreeing, where no party is
personally interested, (as was the case with all the Sanhedrin,) and
where each man might relinquish his own views without any per-
sonal sacrifice — this disagreeing, I say, proves the sincerity of
the individuals composing this assembly, for each man contends for
right in the abstract, and his maintaining his own opinion with argu-
ment against that perhaps of all the other members, shows, that his
veneration for the general law is so great that he cannot remain
silent, though he is sure of being in a minority, or perhaps alone.

I will relate one instance of a disagreement of the Rabbins from
the Talmud, which, 1 am sure, will be sufficient to exonerate them
from the charge of quarrelling, and endeavouring to make the
law obscure by their disputes. — During the time that Rabban Ga-
maliel was Nahssy, or chief of the Sanhedrin, a man, who lived in
the country of the Ammonites, wished to join the Israelites. Rab-
ban Gamaliel was of opinion that he could not be received, for it is

THE LAW AND THE RABBINS. 195

written in Deut. chap, xxiii. v. 4 : " No Ammonite or Moabite shall
come in the congregation of the Eternal." Rabbi Yehoshua, how-
ever, thought that he might be received, " For," said he, " it is well
known that Sanherib mixt all the nations (those aromid Palestine) ;
amongst this number were the Ammonites, who, since that time,
no longer exist as a separate and distinct people. Now, since the
greater number of the nations thus driven from their homes were
not of those whose acceptance as proselytes was interdicted by the
passage in question, the living in the country of the Ammonites does
not constitute any one an Ammonite ; it may be that he is a de-
scendant from this people, but the greater probability is, that he is
not, for it is a rule, whatever separates, separates from the majority."
I do not think that this requires any explanation, for both reasons
are very plain. No man reading this can doubt but that both Rab-
ban Gamaliel and Rabbi Yehoshua were sincere and pious Israel-
ites, both passionately attached to the law, and each of them ready-
to sacrifice his life for the sanctification of God and his laws. On
the other hand, no man can doubt that there was good reason for
either side of the question, and that, though the opinion of Rabban
Gamaliel was strictly according to the Mosaic law, yet did Rabbi
Yehoshua clearly prove that the passage cited by the Nahssy was
inapplicable in the present instance for the reasons given.* — I beg
leave to draw the reader's attention to another circumstance attend-
ing this difference. Rabban Gamaliel was a descendant of David,
and was besides a man of great wealth and influence ; Rabbi Yeho-
shua, on the contrary, was but a poor man, who maintained himself
by his own labour ; but he was a man of great learning, piety, and
virtue. He was not deterred by the greatness of the Nahssy from
speaking his opinion freely ; and this is not all, for it was afterwards
found that it had been the right one, and it was in consequence
adopted.

The debates incident to a disagreement of opinion amongst the
Rabbins called forth the most acute and close reasoning, and those
persons at all acquainted with the Talmud must acknowledge this

* Can the generality of the English tell, if they are descended from Romans,
Britons, Saxons, Danes, or Normans, though this mixture constitutes the Eng-
lish nation ?

196 THE LAW AND THE RABBINS.

in spite of themselves. But let it not be imagined, that upon every
question arising there was necessarily a difference of opinion ; far
from it, as a reference to any part of the Mishnah and Gemarah
(which both together are called Talmud) will amply demonstrate.
I will just mention, that this difierence amongst the Rabbins pro-
duced no angry feelings, and they ever lived together in the greatest
harmony, with but very few exceptions. In fact, they did not con-
tend for the mastery in argument, nor the establishment of their
own particular views ; but only that the truth might be brought out
by discussion, and all their differences were for the sake of Heaven,
for the ultimate glory of the name of God. Such differences as
these must raise the parties in our estimation, and compel us to re-
spect the opinions of those men, who, with an eye solely to the ad-
vancement of religion and social virtue, braved persecutions, and
poverty, and distress, to accomplish this noble object. There are
materials enough to prove this last assertion more fully, but enough
has already been said for the conviction of those who are disposed
to be convinced.

I will not attempt to deny that the Rabbins were very strict and
austere ; but is this an objection to them? Can any man be blamed
for adhering to his opinion, which he conceives to be right, even in
trifles ? I imagine not. Besides, the limit between right and wrong
is so delicate as to be hardly perceptible, and it is always safer to
be too strict, than too lax, as the author of Lacon so elegantly says :
" Many persons say, in cases of doubtful morality, what harm
can there be in doing it, but he (the author of L.) would be glad to
know what harm there could be in letting it alone." — Why not
judge the Rabbins by the same rule 1 Moreover, let it be consider-
ed that many little things, of which we are daily guilty, are unlaw-
ful, if we will but take the trouble to investigate our conduct a
little. But this is a thing which we will but seldom do. We love
ourselves so much, and are so tender of the peace of our conscience,
that we will never suffer any disagreeable sensation to disturb us, if
we possibly can help it. And this want of courage and command
over ourselves is no trifling fault, for if we would always be courage-
ous enough to accuse ourselves, and correct trifling faults in the
commencement, or when we first discover in us a strong propensity
to any vice, we would often be prevented from committing many

THE LAW AND THE RABBINS. 197

crimes, or becoming notorious for vice or irreligion. It is a com-
mon and a true saying, that no man becomes bad of a sudden. We
commence by doing a trifling wrong, next one of greater magnitude,
till by degrees we have broken through every law, both human and
divine. We, therefore, read in the second Payreck of Abothe :
" And be as careful of a trifling good deed as of a weighty one, for
thou dost not know the reward for good actions ; and always con-
trast the loss which any good action may occasion with its reward,
and the benefit of sin with its ultimate injury." — Payreck iv. : " Ben
Azay says : Run to do any good action, though trifling it be, and
shun any sin ; for one good deed is the parent of another — and one
sin is the parent of another ; for the reward of any virtuous action
is another virtuous action, and the punishment of sin is sin." And
do we not find daily, that we never stop short upon the road of vir-
tue or vice ? — In the same spirit the Talmud also says : " That
when God will destroy the ^^r\ "sT Yaytser Jiarang (figurative for
evil inclinations) he will appear to the pious men as a large moun-
tain, who then will say : How were we able to overcome so large a
mountain ? to the wicked, however, he will appear as a hair, and they
will say: Woe to us, that we had not firmness enough to overcome even
a hair." And so it is, if we take a view of all the temptations we
had to encounter, we will often be astonished how we escaped them
without giving way to our inclinations. On the other hand, if we
have been guilty of any crime, religious or moral, and we take a
look at our past conduct, we will often shudder at the trifie which
was the first cause of our present degradation. Shall I search
through the annals of crime and infidelity to prove this? My
readers, I think, will gladly dispense with it ; and each will perhaps
be able to supply an example of both virtue and vice from his own
recollection.

No rabbinical Jew will, therefore, attempt to deny that the Rab-
bins were, in old times, austere, as regards themselves, and that
they are so even yet ; since this is no fault. But let it not be
thought that they are gloomy fanatics and bigots : so far from this
being the case, I am inclined to think that they are the most cheer-
ful class of men ; but their hilarity is not boisterous, and their mirth
is tempered by piety and a knowledge of the uncertainty of life.
The shortness of our existence is not with them a goad to hurry

198 THE LAW AND THE RABBINS.

them on from pleasure to pleasure (as with the Epicureans of old) ;
but it always reminds them that the time must be spent in good ac-
tions— in deeds of kindness towards mankind, and in adoration to
God.

Having touched in succession upon those points which appeared
to me best adapted to demonstrate the divine origin of our law, I
think that I cannot close this part of my little book better than by
extracting the following from the Proverbs of the Fathers, chap. ii. :

" Rabbi Tarfone said : The day is short, the work is great (mul-
tifarious), the workmen are lazy, the reward is ample, and the mas-
ter of the house is urgent. — He also used to say : It is not incum-
bent on thee to finish the work, nor art thou at liberty to divest thy-
self altogether of it ; if thou hast learned much of the law, much
reward will be given thee, and the master of thy work is trustwor-
thy (capable) to pay thee the reward for thy labour ; and know thou
that the reward of the righteous is in the world to come !"

No man, whatever his religious principles may be, can find fault
with the moral contained in this beautiful allegory, and its force and
simplicity are perhaps unsurpassed by any saying that flowed from
pens not wielded by inspired writers. — And I believe that it may be
asserted, that whatever the Rabbins wrote bears the mark of a high
elevation of thought, and a grandeur of conception, and although
their figures may now and then seem too bold, yet their meaning is
always very appropriate when correctly explained.

In fine, the law given by God through Moses is the citadel, in
which we must take shelter ; but let that rude hand be blasted
which should impiously dare to break down the wall, which our
good pastors and faithful guardians have with so much care built
around it !

O GREAT AND ADORABLE BEING, who didst create the
heaven and the earth, and the innumerable planetary systems which
shine around us, look down with mercy and compassion upon thy
servant, who feebly essays to vindicate the glory of THY HOLY

THE LAW AND THE RABBINS. 199

NAME ! O may the words of his mouth be acceptable to Thee,
and may nought that he says be displeasing to Thee ! — Vouchsafe
also to look down from thy high abode upon the descendants of
Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, thy servants, and remember Thou
the covenant which Thou didst make with them, saying, that Thou
wouldst never forsake their children ! Grant them, therefore,
knowledge and wisdom, that they may all understand thy law, and
know what is pleasing to Thee ! — Deliver them from all affliction,
and bring to fulfilment the prophecy spoken through thy prophet,
that the earth should be full of thy knowledge, as the waters cover
the sea. May this be thy will, and may we speedily behold thy re-
turn to ZION. Amen !

APPENDIX

TO CHAPTER II. PAGE 14.

Some unfortunate critic (the Archaeologist in the Monthly Maga-
zine for August, 1814) has attempted to prove that the book of Exo-
dus and a part of Genesis were composed about the time of Jeremiah,
mainly on the following grounds : first, because the book of Exodus,
chap. XXV. contains a description of the candelabre to be used in the
temple, which was to consist of seven branches, and Solomon (so
says the Archseologist) was ignorant of this commandment, because
he made eleven single candlesticks, each holding one light (1 Kings,
chap. vii. v. 49,): secondly, because the motto, HOLINESS TO
THE LORD, which is ordered in Exodus to be put on all the temple-
plate ! 1 1 was not upon the utensils of the first temple, but it was in
use during the second temple, (by which, I suppose, he wishes to
insinuate that the motto was engraved upon the utensils of the second
temple); for proof we are referred to Zech. chap. xiv. v. 20: and,
lastly, as to the book of Genesis, whereas it contains (chap, xxxvi. v.
31) a list of eight kings who reigned in Idumea — 'Jllb ■j'?D "fjD ''^sh
bii'^]if'' which is rendered in the English version," before there reigned
any king over the children of Israel" — from this it follows, that the
book was not written till long after Moses, i. e. after the introduction
of royalty among the Israelites ; and since the princes of Edom are
mentioned in chap. xv. v. 15, of Exodus, the Archaeologist draws ano-
ther argument against this latter book having been redacted to its
present form before Jeremiah. Reader, hast thou ever heard igno-
rance presuming to teach wisdom ? If not, please to procure for thy
perusal the 38th volume of Sir R. Phillips's Monthly Magazine, and
when thou hast read, with the utmost attention what is said there,
pp. 34, 35, by the learned critic, in relation to the antiquity of the
biblical writings, thou wilt agree with me, that hardly a more foolish
piece of criticism was ever committed to paper, and that no man could

APPENDIX. 201

be more ignorant of the subject he presumes to discuss, than our
would-be-learned antiquary. Let us see what he says in relation to
the first reason he gives for his assertion, that Solomon must have
been ignorant of what is contained in the twenty -fifth chapter of Exo-
dus—because he made "eleven single candlesticks." I did consult
the passage in the seventh chapter of the first book of Kings ; but, un-
fortunately for the Archaeologist's position, the Hebrew word used is
nn^Dn which ought to be translated "the candelabres," but not
" the candlesticks ;" and, in fact, the verse concludes with — " and the
flower-works, and the lamps, and the tongues were gold." I will but
briefly state that 1^ (Nare) means a single lamp ; T\'^}D (Menorah),
however, an assemblage of lamps, or candelabre, plural, miJD, seve-
ral assemblages of lamps, or simply candelabres ; in short, A^areand
Menorah bear the same relation in Hebrew as mount and mountain
do in English. The n is equivalent to the English definite article
the; and for these reasons nilJDn should be translated as I have
done J and this must be apparent to every one, even if he be entirely
unacquainted with the Hebrew. If the Archaeologist had now but
reflected what could be meant by the definite article, he would have
come to the conclusion that it alludes evidently to a known form,
which form is given, in continuation, to be fowerwork, lamps, and
tongues : and is this not the same as we find recorded and commanded
in Exodus, chap, xxv ?

To his second objection I may answer explicitly, that the critic
overshot the mark altogether. The inscription he speaks of, which,
by the by, ought, properly speaking, to be given in English, HOLY
TO THE ETERNAL, was ordered to be engraved on the golden
plate only, which the high priest wore over the mitre ; but I defy the
Archaeologist, if he yet lives, or any other person who has adopted his
opinions, to produce even the shadow of evidence to prove that this
inscription was to be upon any other utensil spoken of in Exodus.
Was Solomon now to blame for not doing that for which he had not
the least warrant in the Pentateuch ? But our critic, to show his
complete ignorance, concludes — " but (the motto) was in use on the
return from captivity;" and refers to Zechariah, chap. xiv. v. 20.
This verse, however, speaks not of the utensils in use during the se-
cond temple, but relates to the time of the Messiah, for the prophet
says : " In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, HOLY
TO THE ETERNAL;" and if this is taken in connection with the
whole of the fourteenth chapter, every intelligent reader will easily dis-
cover, without any aid of mine, the time of which Zechariah treats.
26

202 APPENDIX.

It will thus be seen, that the second objection is too puerile to de-
serve further refutation. We now come to the reason given to prove
that Moses was not the author of Genesis. The whole objection rests
upon the words, " before there reigned any king over the children of
Israel;" but if we insert a single particle, namely, "^yet," and read
" before there yet^ reigned," &c. all difficulties will be at once remov-
ed ; and Moses, then, meant to say, that up to his time eight kings
had been reigning over Edom, whereas the Israelites had had no
king yet. But some one may ask me : " What proof can you produce
that your construction is the correct one ?" I will then give this as
my reason : Saul, the first king of Israel, was chosen about four hun-
dred years after the Exodus ; the Israelites resided, at the lowest cal-
culation, two hundred and ten years in Egypt, during all which time
there were probably kings in Idumea.f If we now adopt the opinion
of the critic^ the average reign of these eight kings will be found to have
been seventy-six years ! But allow that the last of these kings lived in
Moses's time : the whole duration of their collective reign may then
be put down at two hundred and fifty, and the average reign of each
at thirty-one years. I will not add one word more, but leave it for
all judicious men to decide which hypothesis is the most reasonable.
If, then, the thirty-sixth chapter of Genesis be no objection to its
being written by Moses, no argument can be drawn from it against
the authenticity of chap. xv. v. 15, of Exodus, because allusion is there
made to the dukes of Edom. The Archaeologist is further mistaken
in supposing that the Jewish archives, as he is pleased to style our
sacred canon, were ever kept in the ark 5 for in this ark were only the

* This has been done by Mendelsohn in his translation of the Pentateuch,
and his construction is perfectly consonant with the Hebrew idiom, as it is well
known that particles are frequently omitted in this language, when the obvious
sense of the passage will supply the deficiency, as is the case in the very passage
before us.

t But even allow that Idumea was in the first ages of its settlement governed
by Sheiks, or, as they are termed in Genesis, AllupMm, hereditary independent
heads of tribes : it is yet very reasonable to suppose that the whole family of
Esau, together with the original inhabitants of the country, " the children of
Sengir the Chory,''^ were early united under one common head, though each
Sheik or Alluph may have possessed even then some authority under the chiefs
perhaps in the manner of baronial tenure in the middle ages. And though, if
this supposition be true, the average reign of the Idumean monarchs may have
been rather shorter than we have supposed, yet can this be no objection to inva-
lidate the position assumed in the text.

APPENDIX. 203

two tables on which the Decalogue was inscribed by superhuman
agency ; but the Pentateuch itself was kept at the side nVD of the,
ark. (See Deut. chap. xxxi. v. 26.) When, therefore, the critic
wishes to draw a distinction between the " canon of the ark" and the
" canon of the temple" — a distinction entirely unknown to the He-
brews, because in Solomon's time there were only the two tables,
(but not nothing ^'^ as A. says,) in the ark, and no other archives (1
Kings, chap. viii. v. 9,) — he comes to an altogether erroneous conclu-
sion; for the very assertion of the passage in Kings, " that there was
nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses had placed there
in Horeb," proves most incontestably the truth of the opinion I have
ventured to advance.

That, during the reigns of Menasseh and his son, who were very
wicked, and addicted to idolatry, the study of the law was much ne-
glected, and that, in consequence, the copies of it had become scarce,
is extremely probable. When, therefore, Josiah had read the contents
of the book which was found in the temple, in the twenty-sixth year
of his age, and the eighteenth of his reign, he sent to the prophetess
Hulda, to enquire of her if she had received any revelation concern-
ing what God intended to do to the Israelites, because they had trans-
gressed the commandments contained in the book which had been
found. What evidence can be produced to establish that this book
was not the same that was delivered to the Levites by Moses ? I
may answer, none whatever. On the contrary, when a person reads
the twenty-second chapter of ^he 2d Kings, he will, if not predeter-
mined not to be convinced, come to the inevitable conclusion, that
the book was the entire Pentateuch, since Josiah observed precepts
scattered indiscriminately through the whole law, (particularly Exo-
dus). And if it even will not be admitted, (because the supposition
be too bold,) that the book was the autograph of Moses, given to the
Levites just before his death, to be kept at the side of the ark, that is
inside of the temple, in the holy of holies, to be there as an evi-
dence against the Israelites, — every one must confess that it must
have been a similar one.

The Archaeologist is further pleased to inform the world, that " the
Hebrew was never the vernacular language of Palestine," and that
the Hebrew Bible now extant is " a translation from the original lan-
guage, made for the use of the Babylonian court, to enable it the better

* For he says the ark was empty, and did not even contain the two tables of
the covenant.

204 APPENDIX.

to govern the conquered province." If any man were to come for-
ward and say, that the Declaration of Independence is a translation of a
Chinese document, written three thousand years before the creation :
he could hardly be more absurd than the Archaeologist is in saying,
that the Hebrew was not the vernacular tongue of the Jews, but of the
Babylonian court. If he had but turned over to the book of Daniel,
he would have seen that the language called Hebrew was not the one
spoken in Nebuchadnezzar's palace, and that there is a radical differ-
ence between the Hebrew and the Chaldean languages ; and that the
latter was the one spoken and understood by the Babylonians. Daniel,
therefore, when he speaks of what occurred in the king's palace, uses
the last mentioned language ; but when he narrates his visions and
prayers, and in the first chapter, he uses his own vernacular tongue,
the Hebrew. If, now, the Hebrew was not vernacular in Palestine,
how do the Scriptures exist at all in that language 1 Could the Ba-
bylonians possibly have ordered a translation into this language, when
they and the Jews were ignorant of it 1 What should have been the
use of it ? Turn the matter as you will, you must arrive at the con-
clusion, that the Hebrew was the language spoken by the Israelites,
previous to their abduction to Babylon, and that the Scriptures ever
existed in this same language, and in the same style in which we
now possess them.

The Archeeologist also says, " that the Decalogue must be an inter-
polated fragment, introduced after the captivity." His reasons are,
first, because Joshua did inscribe the Decalogue existing in his time
on a single altar; and, secondly, because the long jiing against sculp-
ture could not have been inserted till after the destruction of the
brazen serpent. (2 Kings, chap, xviii. v. 4.) Let us consider these ob-
jections.

1. " Could Joshua inscribe the Decalogue, as now existing, in large
legible letters on a single altar ?" I answer, yes ; for in Exodus, chap,
xxvii. V. 1, we read that the altar made in the wilderness was to be
five cubits long, five cubits broad, and three cubits high ; let it also be
considered that this altar was carried about from place to place, but
that the one built by Joshua upon mount Ebal was a permanent
structure, built of blocks of entire and unhewn stone, and so large that
the whole Deuteronomy rwi2 n^lin HJiyD nx was written on it. (Joshua,
chap. viii. v. 32.) If we now even admit that only the Decalogue
was inscribed on this altar, (which, however, remains to be proven,
for not a word is said about the Decalogue,) and that the altar itself
was of no larger dimensions than the one made by Moses, it will yet

APPENDIX. 205

strike every one, that there was room enough for the Decalogue upon
a surface of sixty square cubits, if the letters were of any reasonable
size.

2. "Could the inhibition against sculpture have been known before
Hezekiah?" Again I must answer in the affirmative. " But did not
Moses make the brazen serpent?" Certainly; but this was by the
special command of God. The reason for this order may perhaps
have been this : the Israelites, discontented with the manna, began to
murmur, and to desire something which they thought better. (Numb.
chap. xxi. V. 5.) God, to punish them, sent poisonious serpents
amongst them, who killed a " large number of Israel." Being now
convinced of their sin, and conscious of their ingratitude towards God
and Moses, they besought him to pray for them to the Eternal, to re-
move the reptiles from them. Moses thereupon was ordered to make
a serpent, and fix it upon a staff, that every one bitten might see it,
and when seeing it remember his sins, ask forgiveness, and thus ob-
tain a prolongation of life. As we also read in Tractate Roshe Ha-
shanah, chap. iii. § 8: " And thus it is also said: 'Make thyself a ser-
pent, and place it upon a staff, and it shall be that every one who is
bitten, and looks at it, shall live.' But how could the serpent kill or
keep alive any man? The serpent itself could not; but when the Is-
raelites looked towards it on high, and subdued their hearts to their
Father in heaven, they were cured ; and if not, they perished." This,
then, was the object of the brazen serpent ; but it was done away with
as soon as the occasion for which it was made had passed ; and we
find no mention made of it till Hezekiah, who destroyed it because
the idolaters in his father's time had paid it adoration, contrary to
law. In short, the brazen serpent was but a temporary suspension of
a negative precept, similar to Elijah's sacrifice on Carmel (see above,
page 147); but this precedent was on no account to be imitated;
and can any proof be adduced that it ever was by those judges
and kings who lived according to the precepts of the law ? It will
therefore be seen from the foregoing, that the length of the Decalogue
is no argument against its identity^ and that the " long Jiing'''' against
sculpture is any thing but interpolated.

The next subject for enquiry is what the Archaeologist says in regard
to the /eeZwg-s towards the Egyptians displayed in the second book, the
Exodus, namely. He has discovered that its intention is to rouse hatred
towards the Egyptians in the bosom of the Jews, I suppose he means
by the narrative of our long sufferings in Egypt. But the insinuation
that Jeremiah therefore must have been the author, (so says the Ar-

206 APPENDIX.

chaeologistj) is as false as the inference is unjust. I do not suppose
that any person will doubt, or even can doubt, that the situation of the
Israelites in Egypt was the most abject and miserable. A historian
of our people, intimately acquainted with all that occurred, and con-
fining himself strictly to facts, transmits an account of the hardships
of our ancestors to posterity, that the latest descendants of Jacob may
learn to know the great wonders and the unbounded mercy of God,
in redeeming his people from a state worse than death. How can he
be charged with sinister motives in so doing ? Shall history not speak
what is true, because, forsooth, prejudice might be roused against ty-
rants and oppressors ? Shall vice be unblushingly practised, and vir-
tue not even dare to raise her voice to denounce the evil ? This
ought certainly not to be. And the tyrant will ever be abhorred, and
the wicked be denounced, as long as men love freedom, and preserve
a due regard for virtue.

If, then, the book of Exodus were to give an exaggerated account
of our affliction in Egypt, the charge might perhaps be sustained ; or
if the Pentateuch would even insinuate that it were lawful to hate the
people of that country, the. author might then be accused, with some
show of reason at least, of displaying too much acrimony. But nei-
ther is tlie case : all our sufferings are described in about fifty verses,
and that without comment, which was indeed unnecessary, for the
enormities practised towards us required not many words to make
them odious ; and so far from our being ordered to hate the Egyptians,
we are commanded (Deut. chap, xxiii. v. 8,) to receive the grandson
of an Egyptian proselyte into the congregation, " because we were
strangers in his land ;" and this surely looks very different from hat-
ing our former oppressors. If Jeremiah, now, had altered the Penta-
teuch, and added just what he pleased, would he have suffered the
last passage adduced to remain as a damning record against him ?
Surely not. Upon the whole, it will be self-evident that all the out-
cry of the Archaeologist* is mere imagination, and the emanation of a
mind filled with prejudice, and bent upon weakening the authority of

* This is a proper place to warn my readers against taking any thing upon
trust, till they have examined for themselves. Om- law, our prophets, and our
Rabbins have been charged by men of learning even w^ith uttering things which
were the farthest from their thoughts. And though these charges are made
with the utmost assurance^ yet would I remind my brethren, the Jews, that this
is the cloak which ignorance usually assumes to hide her defects ; wisdom is al-
ways diffident, and rather yields a little, than, by being too positive, injure the
cause of truth and piety.

APPENDIX. 207

the Mosaic law ; and that the whole is no more founded upon truth,
than his concluding assertion, or rather insinuation, that Jeremiah
quoted at Babylon documents altogether new to him, up to the time
of his making the selections for composing the Pentateuch (!) ; which
must be untrue^ for Jeremiah never was in Babylon^ since we know
from his own account, that hejledfrom Palestine into Egypt. This
country he never left afterwards, for he died there ; and I defy any
person to produce the slightest proof to establish that he ever was in
Babylon. The charges made by the Archaeologist against Jeremiah
for want of patriotism require no refutation, as every body will no
doubt be gladly inclined to acquit him of a crime — for crime it is — of
which Jews are but seldom guilty ; for a national feeling, deep-rooted
and heartfelt, is their principal characteristic. And do not the La-
mentations of Jeremiah of themselves suflBciently prove how deeply
he felt and mourned for the downfal of Jerusalem ?

Since some of my readers may perhaps think this criticism of mine
out of place, I deem it necessary to state the following reason as my
justification. Having seen by accident the remarks of the critic^ I
thought to myself, who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he blas-
phemes so against our holy law ? Again I reflected, and found that
his arguments were perhaps as good as can be adduced in favour of
his position. I resolved, therefore, to refute them, thinking that, by
doing so, I should in the best manner possible establish the assertion
at the head of the second chapter ; and I hope that I have proved al-
most beyond a doubt that Moses, and Moses alone, must have been
the writer of the books which bear his name.

In conclusion, I would remark, that most objections raised against
the authenticity of the Bible are predicated upon the not understand-
ing of our language and our customs j and it therefore happens, that,
whether they are urged by a Voltaire, a Payne, a Cooper, or an un-
learned man of the lowest degree, they all bear the characteristic of
consisting more of assertion without proof than of sound argument.
And however formidable they may appear to one who only reads a
translated Bible, which naturally must contain more or less inaccura-
cies, they can weigh but little with one acquainted with the language
and habits of the people to whom the Bible was given. Much more
might be added ; but the length to which the subject has been carried
already admonishes me to desist for the present.

THE

JEWS AND THE MOSAIC LAW,

PART THE SECOND:

CONTAINING

FOUR ESSAYS ON THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF
JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY.

BY

A NATIVE OF GERM AN ¥5

AND

A PROFESSOR OF CHRISTIANITY.

; y^i^^r) £33ts?n^ ini^ mpn p^S S:di

" Every weapon forged against thee shall not prosper ; and thou shalt condemn
«veiy tongue rising against thee in judgment." — Isaiah, liv. 17.

INTRODUCTION.

Perhaps some person may be disposed to think that it displays a
considerable degree of rancour to republish the reply to an attack
long since forgotten, or at least lost sight of. He may say : " Few
ever read the Quarterly Review, and fewer still pay sufficient re-
gard to its allegations to retain them in memory after a lapse of five
years." ' But 1 must say in answer, that no one actually acquainted
with the true state of the question can assert with any regard to
truth, that the charges against the Jews have not been repeated
since the appearance of that article in the London Quarterly Re-
view, which induced me to contradict the usual and oft-repeated
accusations. In the second place, the authority which the said pe-
riodical has amongst the literary world makes its opposition worth
something more than to treat it with silent contempt. Besides, a
procedure of this nature presupposes such a share of greatness and
elevation above the power attacking, such as we Jews can, alas ! not
boast of at the present time. We have, unfortunately, too often felt
the talons of the destroying lion riveted in our flesh, not to dread
his roar even now ; and though at the present moment his power of
harming be considerably diminished, it behooves us yet to be watch-
ful lest he overpower us from our not heeding the covert where he
lies in wait, thirsting for our life's blood. With this I do not mean
to say, that those who dislike our code of laws would wish to see
us led again to slaughter ; but I may assert, without fearing to be
called illiberal, that many a good Christian would be glad to convert
us, if not by fair, well, then, by foul means ; but at all events the
Jews must be converted. No one can deny that this is a leading
principle with a large number of persons, who, we hardly doubt, are
actuated by real philanthropy, since they imagine that their doctrines
are as beneficial as ours are alleged to be pernicious. Hence it ori-

\

212 INTRODUCTION,

ginates, that the name of injldel is a favourite epithet applied to us,
together with unbelieving Jew, one groping in darkness, persecuting
Jew, and many more ; and hence it is that a late writer, I allude to
the Rev. H. H. Milman, in his History of the Jews, says : " That the
best and wisest of the Jews were not equal to the Christians ;" and
that Bishop M'llvaine, in his Evidences of Christianity, uses the fol-
lowing phrases : " Had the Jews of Jerusalem been able to deny it,
would their persecuting enmity have permitted them to be silent V
and " Consider the three thousand, converted from bitter, persecut-
ing Judaism to the faith of Christ, on the eve of the Pentecost."
Who, now, reading these extracts, merely taken at random, would
think otherwise than that no morality of the purer kind is taught by
the Old Testament, and that the spirit of the Jews is persecution ?
And do not the reverend and learned authors of these respective
works see that they raise, by their ill-chosen phraseology, a spirit
of persecution and hatred towards the Jews in the minds of their
readers, although they themselves be free therefrom ? Add to this,
that the infidel Jews are prayed for at prayer-meetings and in public
worship, and that God is entreated to convert them to the gospel dis-
pensation : and I am confident that no one will sincerely blame me
when 1 maintain, that much ill will is constantly raised, though per-
haps innocently, against our people. We suffer doubly, because we
have no means of dispelling the prejudice, except by our conduct,
and this is, unfortunately for us, not observed with sufficient impar-
tiality to permit people to form a correct judgment. Since now the
charges of the Quarterly Review, or at least similar ones, are con-
stantly repeated and renewed, I trust that no blame will attach to me
for republishing a reply to these charges, although they have been
made in their peculiar form five years ago.

Another opinion may be maintained about my unimportance, and
the little good I can do by appearing voluntarily and uncalled for as
the champion of the Jews. Indeed this objection is much more
reasonable than the uaelessness of a defence ; but all I can say in
reply is, that my intentions are good, and that, if my abilities and
standing are not sufficient, let some one more able, and upon a higher
station in life, and more known to the public, assume the respon-
sibility, and he may be assured that 1 shall with pleasure yield him
the palm of superiority.

INTRODUCTION. 213

Again, some person may fear that the republication of the four
essays subjoined may provoke controversy ; but the same may be
urged against every publication upon disputed points of morality,
politics, science, and religion ; and let it be observed, that contro-
versy, if carried on in a gentlemanly and modest manner, can do no
harm ; and if, unfortunately, controversial remarks should be elicit-
ed from any one who may think my observations improper, (which,
however, I hardly anticipate,) I pledge myself, should I be prevailed
upon to give an answer, not to suffer my zeal to run away with my
judgment, and that I shall never let opprobrious epithets be the
cause of my forfeiting the claims to moderation which is perhaps
the only, at least the chief, merit of my writings. In conclusion, 1
must state, that I mean no personal disrespect to any one by the
allusions I may have made, as I feel no ill will towards the respect-
ive persons whose opinions I have canvassed or alluded to. And to
show that my comments upon the London Quarterly Review are not
too harsh, I have extracted some of the passages 1 have commented
on. I would have republished the whole article ; but this is useless,
as any person can get it who feels a great curiosity to read it ; and
then I have not replied to half the misstatements and charges
made in the article under question ; and even these extracts would
have been omitted, were it not that it is better to let every person
see that nothing more than justice has been done to the Reviewer.

I. L.

September, 1833.

In the beginning of his remarks, the Quarterly Reviewer says (p.
114);

" Is it too much to say, that we have rather left them among our-
selves as vermin, which we know not how to get rid of, than regard-
ed and treated them as the children of a common Father ? We have
not even ajfforded them any portion of that compassion which usage
and opinion would require that we should at least appear to feel for
fallen greatness."

This sounds liberally enough, — but, now, as to the remedy, which
of course is to be the effect of compassion for fallen greatness (p.
130):

" Civil enactments, with reference to this peculiar people, require

214 INTRODUCTION.

much deliberation. We may harm both them and ourselves by hasty
and injudicious attempts to benefit them."

After saying that oppression would not do, he continues (p. 131) :

" On the other hand, to give all the rights and privileges of citizens
to them, whilst holding to Judaism^ [reader, reflect !] would be to
bind ourselves wholly to those who cannot so bind themselves to us ;
to confer on them a strength which might be turned against ourselves 5
and to compel them of course to contract reciprocal obligations, which
their highest duties — in their view — national, political, and religious,
must force them to violate at such a call as they shall believe to be
that of their promised deliverer." Ergo (page 130) : " If the discord-
ant and painful position of the Jews amongst us, and the prejudicial
effects of the mode of their existence as a crude, unamalgamated, and
heterogeneous mass [hard words, truly], arise from their Judaism,
and from their refusal to adopt the religion of Christendom,* then
every rule of sound policy urges us to promote, by means of persua-
sion, [or bribes too ?] and as far as we can, the reception of the gospel
by them."

The Reviewer expresses himself in the following manner when
speaking of the Jews (p. 115) :

" The greatest accumulation of them on any one point in Europe is
in the countries of ancient Poland, now forming Russian, Austrian,
and Prussian Poland, and the modern kingdom of Poland under the
sceptre of the emperor of Russia. It is stated by Beer, that many
centuries ago a considerable body of Jews migrated from France into
Germany, whence many of their descendants passed into Poland ; but
they must have remained long in Germany before this second
swarm hived itself in Poland^

And further down he continues :

" There are great numbers of Jews in the parts of Turkey contigu-
ous to Poland ; but there they literally swarm ; they are innkeepers,
tradesmen, distillers of brandy, brewers, horse-dealers, money-chang-
ers, usurers,t as every where else ; some few of them are farmers

* Which is that ? — the catholic — episcopal — raethodist — baptist — Greek — ■
presbyterian ? Would it be possible to convert the Jews to the Christian reli-
gion without making them sectarians ?

t Mind, reader, usury is a trade of the Jews : no Christians are ever brokers,
stock-jobbers, money-changers, and usurers, — no, not they indeed ! This is all
left for the hated Jews to do, for the good reason the Germans gave when they

INTRODUCTION. 215

of the soil. Their numbers have increased of late years so rapidly as
greatly to alarm and embarrass the governments of countries which
afford but slender resources for a population so averse to be engaged
in tillage. The evil of this immense accumulation of such a people,
having one common interest and feeling, both of which are foreign to
the interests and feelings of the citizens of the state, is felt, especially
by the Russian government."

" Since the time of Mendelsohn, many of them have studied with
much success in its (Germany's) universities ; of these Professor
Neander, now a Christian, [mark, now a Christian !] may be cited as
a very creditable specimen." — p. 116.

" But when these feudal properties, besides many of the finest
houses in the German capitals, passed thus into Israelitish hands,
it was in the course of things that the people should view with
envy and indignation (!) these foreign unbelieving money-changers
[why not at once Christ-killers ?] climbing up on the pedestals from
which the statues of Christian knights and barons of ancient race had
been hurled down by the storms which shook their native land to its
centre." — p. 117.

" Pharisaism has descended uninterruptedly to the rabbinical Jews ;
their modern rabbis are the lineal spiritual descendants of the scribes
and lawyers of the time of Jesus Christ ; and it appears that the whole
of the traditionary additions to the law existing then are in vigour
now, and that they have been fearfully augmented since then. We
spare our readers citations from the blasphemous and horrible absurdi-
ties of the Talmud, which professes to have, as its groundwork, an
oral revelation made by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, when he deli-
vered the law to him ; nor will we add a statement of the supersti-
tions which harass the Jew, or of that demonology which arrays innu-
merable maleficent invisible agents in arms against his health and happi-
ness, under all and the strangest circumstances. In Russian Poland the
Jews bury their dead hastily, judging them to be such when no steam
appears on a glass applied to the mouth. If the jolting of the cart re-
calls life and action, they believe that it is a devil who occupies the
body, and deal with it accordingly : thus says a very respectable Jew,
an eye-witness [?] born and bred there. He adds, that they are armed
against our reasonings on the Old Testament, (of which, however,
they know very little,) by the assurances of their rabbis, that the Al-

permitted Jews to buy stolen goods and take interest for money lent — " Their
souls are once belonging to the devil, and it can make no difference whether
they have these sins in addition to answer for or not !"

216 INTRODUCTION.

mighty has placed many things in the text as stumbling-blocks to the
Gentiles, but that the truth is to be found in the marginal notes from
the Targum, which are given as infallible guides to the Israelites
alone. They are taught that the seven nations of the land of Canaan
were Christian, and that Jesus Christ [!] was a magician. How deeply
they feel the want of a mediator, is evident from a part of a prayer
used by them on the day of atonement, which runs thus : ' Woe unto
us, for we have no mediator.' The Jew on the bed of death can see
nothing in his God but an inexorable j udge, whose wrath he cannot
deprecate, and whose justice he cannot satisfy. At all times, but in
sickness especially, the thought or mention of death is terrible to him ;
the evil eye, ever an object of horror, is then peculiarly so ; they then
fear their nearest and dearest friends looking at them. We can find
no solution of this mental darkness in those who have Moses and the
prophets for their guide, and millions of whom have lived for centu-
ries amidst the civilisation and literature of Europe, but in that curse
which God pronounces against rebellious Israel, ' that he will smite him
with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart ;' and declares
of him ' that he shall grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in dark-
ness?' But there is a dispensation of heavenly justice and mercy re-
specting Israel, requiring particular attention. An unheard of crime
required an unheard of punishment ; and the race were condemned to
the dispersion and captivity in which they still languish. But while
other races, long trodden under foot, like the Pariahs of India, lose
the keen sense of degradation, and of the injustice of men, through a
continued habit of humiliation, and with blunted feelings endure them
as a matter of course — it is not so with the Jew. He has implanted
in his bosom a national and spiritual pride — a fierce constancy and a
contempt of his oppressors, which constantly exasperate and keep
alive his sense of pain and degradation. This pride and contempt
are infused into him by the extravagant, most uncharitable, and often
blasphemous [?] assertions of his rabbi. But from this very arrogance
which increases his sufferings, springs that principle of resistance and
opposition under which the Jews have clung together and struggled
incessantly against the storms that have buffetted them for ages ; and
it is this loftiness of mind, so ill suited to their present lot, that will
the better enable them to seek, contend for, and maintain those higher
and nobler destinies which are placed before their sight in a glorious
futurity. It is the consciousness of his past and his future fortunes
which gives to the Jew a buoyancy and a tendency to rise above the
surface of the waves, even when plunged deep below them, unknown

INTRODUCTION. 217

to other depressed nations, and which inspires into him the will and
the means to seek the level of his promised fortunes ; for even the
meanest Jew considers himself as personally invested with national
and spiritual greatness. Israel has within him another principle of
resistance. He was, from the first, reproached with being a ' stiff-
necked generation ;' and stubborn as he was in the desert, so he is
now, whether you find him in the streets of London, or of Cairo, or in
a Polish forest. His eye, his nose, and his narrow upper jaw are not
more especial marks of his physical conformation, than is his stub-
bornness a distinguishing feature of his mind. It is this obstinacy
which creates one of our greatest diflS^culties in dealing with him.
Proteus could be bound by no knot, because he perpetually changed
his shape — the Jew can be bound by none, because he will not change
his. In other nations, corruption and abandonment of religion have
been a mighty cause of moral and national decadence : but the moral
and national wreck of the Jewish people was caused by their stiff-
necked adherence, in despite of type and prophecy, to a religion super-
seded by a purer code of heavenly laws.

" It has been often observed, that, under every religion which was
originally false, or has degenerated into falsehood, the weaker sex is
not possessed of the advantages it holds under the true. Superstition
corrupts the heart while it weakens the understanding ; and where
that charity, which springs from a pure faith alone, vanishes, the
stronger animal lords it over the feebler. We know how honourable
was the situation of the women in ancient Israel. We have Miriam,
Deborah, and Hannah, as it were, before our eyes — but the Jewess of
these days is treated as an inferior being. Neither religious nor moral
instruction is vouchsafed to her ; and in lieu of it three observances
are imposed on her, as comprising her whole duty : one of them dou-
bles a restraint enjoined to her by the law, the two others are purely
mechanical. The only book given to the rabbinical Jewesses, and
given in childhood to them, is eminently calculated to fill their minds
with the most impure ideas, as well as with the falsest notions of the
divinity. There have been, however, of late, extracts from the Old
Testament published in Germany, expressly for their use and benefit.
An equally mischievous effect in polluting the minds of the boys must
be produced by an instruction which they are compelled to make
themselves acquainted with — and this also in childhood." — p. 119.

" Is it to be wondered at, that, amidst a people under such spiritual
misrule and neglect, confined to cities, in general, occupied mainly in
the pursuit of petty gains, under the guidance of the foul and uncha-
28

218 INTRODUCTION.

ritable abominations of the Talmud, a great relaxation of moral prin-
ciples has taken place, and especially at the expense of those whom
they hate as their oppressors, and despise as heathens and unclean ?
Indeed there are many precepts of their rabbis utterly subversive of
honesty in all their dealings with Gentiles. Antonio Margarita, a
converted Jew of the sixteenth century, reproached them with the Col
Nidre, an absolution, pronounced at the yearly feast of atonement, to
all present, for all perjuries and breaches of vows and engagements,
committed by them in the preceding year. It is so called, from the
two words with which a prayer used at that feast begins : the night
and day are passed in prayer and fasting, during which the Jew
wears the shroud in which he is to be buried, a present from his
father-in-law, as it is also his wedding garment ; and then this abso-
lution is pronounced to him. But Eisenmenger, in his ' Entdecktes
Judenthum' (Judaism Unveiled), published in the seventeenth centu-
ry, upbraids them with pronouncing that absolution prospectively in
his day, that is, for the coming year. A German government, aware
of this fact, not long since caused the Jews, when sworn in cases in
which Christians were concerned, to make oath that they were not
present at the last yearly promulgation of this absolution : forgetting
that, if they were present, this last perjury was also comprised in this
precautionary whitewashing. It is not long since (we state the fact
on the best authority) that a Polish Jew hired his rabbi to send the
angel of death to destroy a Polish nobleman, as his only means of es-
caping the detection of an heinous fraud : soon after this, the countess
died, but the husband lived. The Jew went to upbraid his rabbi, who
replied, that 'he sent the angel on his errand, who, not finding the
count at home, did his best by slaying the lady f and this satisfied the
complainant. [Who believes this story ?]

" It is always and especially to be observed, that these and the like
matters are stated exclusively of the rabbinical Jews, those bent down
under the whole weight of their law as now interpreted, and most es-
pecially of them as they are found in their northern hive, in Poland.
In other parts of Europe there are great numbers of Jews, who have
profited very considerably of the civilisation which surrounds them,
and of the morality of the gospel, though without recognising its di-
vine origin. Amongst them there are many amiable, charitable, libe-
ral-minded men, of unquestioned probity, to whose virtues we oifer a
willing tribute ; and, small as is the number of English Jews, we have
had, and have amongst us, men adorning this country by their talents
and acquirements, as well as virtues, who trace their origin to them.

INTRODUCTION. 219

But it was Mendelsohn, the translator of the Pentateuch, who was in
truth an infidel, that gave the first impulse to the Jewish mind in mo-
dern days, and the first blow to Rabbinism : he was seconded by able
and learned Jews, his associates j a taste for literature and science
was excited amongst their nation." — p. 124.

The article in the Review contains also an account of the Caraites,
a small sect, and the only dissenting sect of Jews, settled in Poland
and the Crimea, and who are praised as being far superior to the
rabbinical Jews, and as being more likely to receive the light of the
gospel, since we are told they were unable to answer a missionary
who was sent to convert them. The words of the Reviewer are as
follows :

"A missionary, who, in travelling through Troki, pressed upon
their minds the truth of the gospel in the only short conversation he
had an opportunity of holding with them, found them candid and well
disposed to listen : they were surprised at his arguments, and little
able to reply to them, as they know nothing of the quibbles and subtle-
ties which the rabbinical Jews have long resorted to when engaged
in controversy with Christians. Who, reflecting on the pure faith of
the Caraites, and that integrity, industry, and virtue, by which they
have every where impressed sentiments of respect and esteem for them
upon the people with whom they dwell, would not fain believe that,
though exiles from Palestine, they are exempt from the worst and
final curses inflicted by the Almighty upon Israel for the worst and
blackest of his crimes 7 And who will not be delighted to hear that,
whilst the rabbinical Jews can give no clue to the history of this re-
markable portion of the race, modern discovery seems strongly to con-
firm the views cherished among the Caraites themselves ? Mr. Wolfi,
the missionary, having learned that a body of Caraites was establish-
ed in the desert of Hit, at three days' journey from Bagdad, visited
them. The account which they gave him was, that their fathers,
during the Chaldean captivity, perceiving that their brethren were
corrupting the pure faith by amalgamating with it the philosophical
doctrines of the country, ' sat down by the waters of Babylon, and
wept when they remembered Sion ;' that in order to imprint the Scrip-
tures unmixed on their hearts, they read them incessantly, and were
thence called Caraites, or readers; and that, when the others returned
from the captivity, they separated themselves, to escape their offences
and punishments, and retired to the very spot where the missionary
found them. He there saw these ' children of the Bible,' as they call

220 INTRODUCTION.

themselves, living an Arab life in cottages ; they are a very fine peo-
ple, and the women singularly handsome. He was struck with their
unvarying truth, of which their neighbours allow the merits, but prac-
tise it not ; and they are remarkable for their honesty and cleanliness.
They said that they had sent colonies to Cairo and to Ispahan, where
a synagogue still bears an inscription, which shows that it belonged
to them. Benjamin de Tudela, it is said, found the same people living
in the same manner at Hit, six hundred years ago. They speak pure
Arabic, but all know and read Hebrew ; they state the whole number
of their sect to be five thousand, and that they are the original stock
of it. They call their ministers ' wise men,' and know not the name
of rabbis."— p. 127.

I must make here a remark or two, since the extract here given
contains two untrue inferences which I have not noticed in my reply.
The first is as to the name Caraites having been brought into use
during the Babylonian captivity, which is the farthest possible from
truth, since the name is mentioned nowhere, at least as far as my read-
ing extends, till long after the destruction of the second temple;
and we must therefore disbelieve the statement of the Caraites, even
allowing the Rev. Joseph Wolff did not tell a deliberate falsehood to
obtain the credit of a great discovery. The second misstatement is,
that the Caraites call their ministers " wise men," from which one
would infer that the Rabbinists do not do the same, whereas the
contrary is the case ; for we always speak of our wise men, but never
of our Rabbins ; and any one in the least acquainted with rabbinical
writings must know that the phrase of " our wise men say," is that
generally used when speaking of the Rabbins as a body. Besides
this, the Portuguese Jews, also Rabbinists, call their chief Rabbi Ha-
cham, or the wise man. The whole matter is but of small import-
ance, but it proves the unfairness of the accusations against us.

" The Jews at Constantinople, forty thousand in number, and in
the parts of European Turkey on and near the Mediterranean, speak
Spanish, and appear to descend from Israelites driven from Spain by
persecution. The Bible Society are now printing at Corfu the New
Testament, in Jewish-Spanish, /o?^ their benefit.'''' — p. 129.

" When we speak of the conversion of the Jews as a thing which is
a desideratum for the European governments, nothing can be further
from our intentions than to suggest that they should mix in it direct-
ly : we are well aware that it could not be usefully even attempted by

INTRODUCTION. 221

ihem,— for this, among other reasons, — that their so doing would ex-
cite extreme mistrust and jealousy : they should, undoubtedly, how-
ever, view such attempts, if prudently made, with favour and good
will, and endeavour to lead to them by advice and encouragement.
But if political wisdom urges us to encourage, by all prudent and cha-
ritable means, the promotion of Christianity amongst the Jews, our
religion summons us to the same duty with a far more powerful voice.
What can show more strongly that inveteracy of uncharitableness
towards the Jews, which has grown out of long indulgence in the
feeling, than the disfavour accompanying the attempt to convert
them ? There are even many who will contribute to the support of
missions to distant nations, to which we owe no atonement, and yet
withhold their aid from those whose aim it is to give the gospel to the
Israelites who dwell in our cities, and who have so long been trodden
down under our feet. That very degraded moral state, which gives the
Jew his strongest claim to our assistance, is urged as a reason why it
should be withheld from him as one past help and amendment ! He
is vilified for blindness, perverseness, obstinacy, if he adheres to the
faith of his fathers ; and he is vituperated as insincere and interested,
if he abandons it to profess our own !" — p. 131.

" In this state of things, the question may naturally be addressed to
the European Christians : what endeavours they have made to convey
the gospel to the ancient people of God.

" We may dispense with any allusion to the Sunday exposition of
the errors of Judaism, which the Jews at Rome are compelled to hear,
or to the flames of the Spanish auto da fe. The Jew has peculiar
feelings, which will ever cause him to repel the hand of the church of
Rome, even were it tendered in kindness." — p. 132. [But are the
Jews more inclined to the Protestant sects ?]

" The next attempt made by any body of men to communicate the
knowledge of the gospel to the Hebrews was that of the ' London
Society for promoting Christianity amongst the Jews.' It was formed
in 1809, and its founders appear not to have known that the Callen-
berg Institution had existed. It has been for many years a religious
society of the church of England exclusively. Its revenues arise from
voluntary contributions, and were last year between fourteen and fif-
teen thousand pounds. It has translated the New Testament into
Hebrew, and employs various missionaries abroad, particularly in
Poland, where they enjoy especial protection from the government.
Other societies have been formed subsequently in Great Britain and
Ireland, with the same object, either in connection with that society,

222 INTRODUCTION.

or acting independently of it; and the continent is beginning to follow
this example."— p. 133.

" The difficulties, however, are great, and must not be disguised.
The Jews resisted the preaching of Jesus Christ himself, and of his
inspired apostles : the traditions, which so materially aided in causing
that resistance, have multiplied an hundred fold since then ; and there
arose subsequently amongst them a new and deadly repugnance to
the gospel, as being the law of their own persecutors. At the com-
mencement of our Lord's mission, the Jews attempted his life, because
he signified to them the call of the Gentiles to the gospel ; trodden
under foot for ages, on account of their rejection of it, by those Gen-
tiles who accepted it, they traced their calamities up to Christ, with a
blindness like that of their fathers, and heaped upon the name of the
Son of God a horrible and vindictive hatred, of which the Talmud, in
its text and commentary, the Mischna and Gemara, bears dreadful
and multiplied evidence. [Where ?] The rabbis, their spiritual
guides and rulers, have moreover most powerful worldly motives for
endeavouring to check the progress of the gospel, which they do, by
burning tracts and the New Testament, [who informed the Quarterly
Review of this ?] whenever they get them into their hands, with un-
relenting activity, and by harassing the Jews who are inclined to turn
their attention to Christianity, inter alia, by curses and imprecations,
of which they have long possessed a fearful store, and for adding to
which they possess a facility that attests the effects of uninterrupted
practice and Asiatic imagination. Their priestcraft, pre-eminence,
power, and worldly wealth are all at stake. The Jews, moreover, are
scandalised, especially on the continent, by our profanation of our
own Sabbath, and other prevalent impieties." — p. 134.

" The missionaries in Poland, on visiting places for the first time,
have frequently found in the hands of Jews, and conveyed to them by
other Jews, New Testaments and tracts originally distributed by
themselves : and in one case, a Jew was converted thus by a tract
given to him by one of his brethren, who retained his Judaism. Mr.
Wolff found at Ispahan and Cashan Hebrew New Testaments, which
he had given away at Jerusalem and Aleppo, and had marked ; and
there were notes subsequently inserted, recommending them to the
perusal of the Persian Jews ; and there are accounts of New Testa-
ments given to Jews at Ispahan, having been sent to their brethren in
Balk, Bokhara, and Afghanistan. The Jews of one of their colleges
at Mosul, near the site of Nineveh, showed to Mr. Wolff a manuscript
of the New Testament in Arabic, but written in Jewish characters j

INTRODUCTION. 223

the translator was a rabbi, now dead, but whose son still lives there.
Mr. Wolff found it to be a good translation. They refused to part
with it. The rabbi had written in it a recommendation to peruse it,
addressed to the members of the colleges, and to his descendants.
Mr. Wolff found also, in the library of the Spanish Jews at Jerusa-
lem, a Syriac translation of the New Testament written in Hebrew
characters. This is the less surprising, as Schultze, in 1754, found
the eastern Jews less disputatious than the European, and especially
than the German ; and they heard him willingly. He tells us, more-
over, that they do not talk during worship, as those of Europe do."
—p. 136. [What does all this amount to?]

" There is strong evidence that Christianity is making extensive,
though secret progress amongst the Jews at Constantinople. Indeed,
we think there is every reason to believe that the general extent of
avowed Christianity amongst the Jews is very greatly less than that
which is concealed from motives of fear, from aversion to, or mistrust
of the Christians, and from, in very many cases, the dread of forfeit-
ure of the means of existence, in nearly all, of breaking the bonds of
consanguinity and affection. Three such cases of old Jews came
lately within the knowledge of one individual of our own acquaint-
ance, within a short space of time ; two of them had been converted
by the perusal of tracts circulated amongst their brethren, without
their having ever conversed with a missionary ; yet these men were
known to be regularly performing the rites of their apparent religion
in the synagogue. [Who believes this ?]

" To say the truth, it is not on the number of conversions actual,
visible, and averred, effected amongst a people so circumstanced as
the Jews now are, that we dwell as the matter of the most import-
ance. The great object is not at present to pursue and hunt down,
as it were, single Jews to conversion, but to remove the prejudices,
and soften the hearts, and dispose towards Christianity the minds of
hundreds." ***** " In general it may be affirmed, on the best and
latest testimonies from the north and east of Europe, and from the
Persian and Ottoman empires, — testimonies which coincide com-
pletely, and in a way that is most striking, — that very many of the
Jews, now bearing far less hostile feelings towards Christianity than
they used to do, on account of its being professed by Gentiles, have
so strong a conviction of the beauty of the morality of the gospel,
that they do justice to it in despite of our imperfect practice of it, and
say that the fault is in us and not in our law."— p. 138.

" In the German universities, whither the most gifted and ardent of

224 INTRODUCTION.

their youth resort, the risk of their falling into scepticism, neologism,
the mad metaphysics of the day, or pantheism, is infinitely greater
than the chance, in the present state of things, of their enrolling
themselves under the comparatively small number of those who, in
these institutions, profess genuine Christianity ; and this experience
has but too well proved. But further — the Jew, though he may have
thrown off rabbinism, can no where have found or undergone a disci-
pline calculated to chasten or subdue that extreme pride which cha-
racterises his race ; and, contemplating the doctrine of the cross with
a proud and inflated heart, if he views it as a Jew, he will see in it a
' stumbling-block,' and if as a Greek, that is, as a philosopher, ' fool-
ishness.' Then, as for a pure worship, such as the so called reformed
Jews profess to seek to restore, we must observe, that no Israelitish
Luther or Calvin has as yet arisen to divest Judaism of the rubbish
which so miserably encumbers it." — p. 140.

But we must have done with the Review ; and I trust that the
extracts furnished prove enough that the scope of the whole article
is to excite hostility towards the Jews, and that I have not said a
tenth of what could have been urged in contradiction to the slanders
heaped upon our poor exposed heads by the learned critic and his
hopeful coadjutors, such as unbelieving Jews — heartless apostates —
and credulous missionaries.

THE

JEWS AND THE MOSAIC LAW

PART II.

ESSAY I.

QUARTERLY REVIEW, NO. 75.

Almost every writer upon the condition of the Jews has indulged
himself in showering plentiful abuse upon their moral and religious
character, vilifying their institutions, and denouncing their teachers
and Rabbins. The Jews themselves have commonly been stigma-
tised as dishonest in their dealings, and only desirous of engaging in
small-trade out of aversion to agriculture, manual labour, and the
sciences. It is unfortunately true, that most of my brethren in
faith are thus engaged, but let us enquire if the fault be theirs. Let
us for one moment recur to our history since the destruction of the
second temple, and we shall find reasons enough to account for the
present state of the Jews. That part of our nation settled in Syria
were agriculturists and mechanics, as long as they lived unmolested ;
they were respected and enlightened, and not alone made the Tal-
mud their study, but made also great progress in the other sciences,
particularly astronomy, of which the Jev^ish Calendar bears honour-
able testimony, which even the Christians must confess has been
very ingeniously constructed ; and several schools, particularly the
one in Suria, were long and justly celebrated. But a barbarous
29

226 ESSAY I.

people now occupies this fair land, and the Israelites groan under
the heavy oppression which the eastern rulers impose upon them.

The Jews settled amongst the Christians were uniformly hated
and detested ; every oppressor considered them as lawful prey, and
both king and beggar trod them under foot. No Jew was allowed ^
to enter a university; no Jew could be member of a guild, without
being which he could exercise none of the mechanic arts ; what then
was left him but to turn his attention to trade 1 Could every one be
a wholesale dealer ? Surely not. Is it therefore wonderful, that
by degrees the greater part of our nation became small-traders,
shop-keepers, and pedlars ? Some in this way amassed considerable
fortunes, and, in consequence, turned their attention to increase their
wealth, without the trouble and vexation accompanying the afore-
mentioned occupations ; and thus they became money-changers, and
because they loaned money on interest, were directly called usurers.
The Christian nobility, nay even kings, became indebted to them,
and they acquired in this manner an ascendancy, which was other-
wise denied them. I will not dwell upon the many hardships we
had to endure ; how many persecutions we had to suffer, particularly
in England, France, and Spain ; how we were driven from town to
town, and from country to country ; it was then that flocks of Jews,
or " swarms," as the Quarterly so elegantly styles them, fled from
these countries into Germany and Poland, where, though oppressed,
they could at least hope to obtain a resting place for their wearied
limbs, where they might dwell to acquire fresh strength to be able
to endure new sufferings. It was then that the emperor of Ger-
many took the Jews under his own protection ; it was then that the
king Casimir of Poland granted unto the people of God those privi-
leges which they yet enjoy there. But even in Germany and Po-
land we were obliged to suffer much, and many of us were slaughtered,
and as the Hebrew elegy expresses it : " The blood of parents was
mingled with that of the children ; that of the teachers with the
blood of the scholars ; and the blood of the bridegroom with the
blood of the bride." — We were considered as an inferior race, every
one spit at us, and no one felt pity for the miserable remnant of a
great people. It is true we cheerfully went to meet our death by
fire, by water, by the swOrd and the gallows, nay many sufferecl
themselves to be buried alive, rather than forsake their faith. Our ^

ESSAY I. 227

enemies would compel us to acknowledge a god unknown to our an-
cestors ; but we gave up our lives, exclaiming : " Hear, O Israel,
the Eternal our God is the only Eternal Being," rather than by
changing our belief, live highly honoured and respected by the
world, but despised by ourselves. In all these great sufferings the voice
of the Rabbins was heard encouraging their flock to submit cheer-
fully to the decrees of Heaven ; and they suffered every thing rather
than cease admonishing and teaching the common people. And
could they acquire glory by martyrdom 1 Had they any principles
of their own to establish by their death ? — No, so far from either
of these two usual incentives to martyrdom having had any influence
with them, their individual names are almost forgotten, except by a
few of their brethren ; besides no history of martyrs ever existed
amongst us : where then was the glory they could hope to ac-
quire 1 — And they died for the faith of their ancestors — that faith
acknowledged even by the lowest of the house of Israel ; where then
were the doctrines of their own, the Rabbins could expect to esta-
blish ? Who, now, can say that aught but the best motives prompted
them to sacrifice their lives ? Who can say that their object was
not solely to sanctify the holy law, by the willingness they showed
to lay down their lives when they were no longer permitted to ob-
serve its precepts 1 — The lives of the Rabbins have been uniformly
moral and pious ; and it may puzzle even the learned writer in the
Quarterly Review to find the Hebrew Rabbins act like some of the
many Christian bishops and pontiffs have done. No Rabbin, I ven-
ture to assert, ever went forth to battle, to fight in the train of a
conquering prince ; no Rabbin ever ordered the eyes of an opponent
to be put out, as one of the early popes is said to have done- Upon
the whole, the lives of the Rabbins may, without danger to their re-
putation, be compared with those of the best of the Christian divines,
and I even dare say, that in most cases the Jewish Rabbins will be
found to have been the best men. — It is not my object to throw
odium upon the teachers of Christianity, far from it, for there are
many good and valuable men amongst them, many both in ancient
and modern times, who wished and did well to Israel ; but only to
rescue the memory of our own pastors from the reproach and con-
tempt which the Reviewer and many kindred spirits would so gladly
bring them into. If what I have said of the Rabbins be true (and I

228 ESSAY I.

challenge the world to deny it,) all astonishment will vanish, why
the Jewish theologians exercise such a powerful influence over all
their brethren ; why their opinions are listened to with such profound
deference, and why every Jew should aim that his son should be-
come one of the sacred fraternity.

Every person, who dispassionately reads the article alluded to in
the Quarterly Review, must be convinced that the writer of it was
actuated by, I may say, a deadly hatred to the Rabbins ; for
what other motives could he have for calling the great Moses Men-
delsohn, of blessed memory, an infidel ? Has the Reviewer ever
read his letters to Professor Koelbele, in which he defends himself
against the charge of being a deist 7 True, he left Koelbele in pos-
session of the field ; but was that because he could not answer him ?
Certainly not ; it was what Mr. Mendelsohn publicly announced,
that, should Mr. Kcelbele think proper to answer him, he (Mendel-
sohn) would not think him worthy of a reply, as the letter he was
then writing must of necessity be a sufficient answer to all the other
could say. 1 only quote from memory, not having the book at pre-
sent ; but I am sure that 1 have stated the substance correctly. Let
any man read the works of Mendelsohn, and let him then pronounce
judgment, and I do not fear that he will find him guilty of the foul
charge of the Quarterly Review. — Mr. Mendelsohn's memory did
not need a defence from so obscure an individual as I am ; but I
could not suffer his calumniator's assertion to pass unnoticed. For
Moses Mendelsohn has done more than any other individual who
has lived since the days of Mairaonides and Yarchi, for the improve-
ment of his fellow-believers. — P/Iay he rest in peace, and may all be
confounded who speak evil against the righteous.

I will not enter into a systematic defence of the Mishna and
Gemara, as I may leave them to defend themselves ; the most pro-
found wisdom is discovered in these books, which have always been
cried down by infidels amongst ourselves and Christian writers. But
though it has often been asserted that the Talmud is a blasphemous
work, I utterly and boldly deny it. How often must it be said,
how often shall it be repeated, that the Talmud contains allegorical
sayings, parables, or fables if you please ? Have not the Jews and
even the enlightened and liberal amongst the Christians often said
so? And the Count Stolberg acknowledges, that the Talmud con-

ESSAY I. 229

tains some of the wisest sentiments found in any book whatsoever ;
and surely he could not be supposed to be in any degree biassed in
favour of our Rabbins, as he had forsaken the protestant and joined
the Roman catholic church, and I suppose it is well known, that
the Romans are no very particular friends to the Jewish doctrines ;
nor can the count be accused of any attachment to them, although
he was compelled to make the above admission ; and of this all his
numerous writings, after he had become a catholic, will bear ample
testimony. — But I leave my subject : what I mean to assert is this,
that the allegorical sayings of the Talmud must not be considered as
if the Rabbins believed that such things had actually happened, but
only as fables, which, under the appearance of marvellous stories,
conceal good and wholesome truth ; and they adopted this allegorical
and hyperbolical mode of conveying their sentiments, as in many
instances it might have been dangerous for them to speak plainly.

That the doctrines of the Rabbins enjoin implicit resignation to
the divine will, every one will acknowledge who has the least ac-
quaintance with them. The Rabbins also taught the immortality of
the soul, before the Christian religion was yet in existence ; the doc-
trine of reward and punishment after death was promulgated by
them, as was also that of the resurrection of the dead. They did
not, however, teach these glorious truths as inventions of their own ;
but they brought arguments from the law and the prophets in sup-
port of their assertions, and proved, at the same time, that the doc-
trines of immortality, reward and punishment after death, the resur-
rection of the body, and the subsequent beatitude of the righteous,
were taught to the children of Israel by our teacher Moses (of bless-
ed memory) himself. Would any man then in his sober senses call
such men blasphemers 1— men who taught the law without receiving
any emolument for so doing, and who literally fulfilled the com-
mandment which God gave to Joshua : " And thou shalt meditate
therein, day and night."

Oh, shame ! shame ! that there should be found in England one
man capable of harbouring such a thought. Could the following
from the Proverbs of the Fathers, have been written by blasphe-
mers?

" Rabbi (Yehudah) said : Consider three things and thou wilt
not sin ; know that there are above thee an all-seeing eye, an all-

230 ESSAY I.

hearing ear, and that all thy actions are written down in a book,"
(namely, that no action of man will be forgotten.) Abothe, chap. ii. § 1.

" Akabia, the son of Mahallalel, said : Consider three things and
thou wilt never come in the way of sin ; whence thou earnest, whi-
ther thou art going, and before whom thou art destined to render an
account of thyself, and appear to be judged. Thy origin was im-
pure ,• thou art going to a place where thou wilt be devoured by
moths and worms ; and thou must lastly render an account of thy
actions before the King of kings, the Holy One, to whom be praise,
by whom thou wilt be judged." Ibidem, chap. iii. § 1.

I couM select many other passages from the Mishna and Gemara
fully as beautiful as the foregoing ; but I deem it useless, as the can-
did mind must be convinced by what 1 have said already ; and the
prejudiced man will not he convinced, though I should write volumes.

I hope that I have thus proved that the Rabbins taught only the
ways of piety ; and that, so far from their deserving abuse, they
merit praise and commendation for their perseverance in perpetuat-
ing the doctrines of our holy faith amidst the thousands of difficul-
ties they had to encounter, and the almost insurmountable obstacles
they had to overcome. When they found that all the avenues of
learning were closed against the Jews — when they saw that their
brethren were driven to occupations which were hateful to them
whilst the Israelites yet lived in their own land : they endeavoured
to perpetuate the knowledge of our holy law amongst them — and
they succeeded. And though many were engaged in useless disputes
and too minute researches, particularly in Poland, yet do we find
many a great man, even during the times of persecution and trouble :
for instance, Abarbanel, Orobio, Solomon Hanau, Menasseh ben
Israel, and at last Mendelsohn, and a number of others, whom 1
could easily enumerate, but I only choose the most prominent out of
the many who present themselves. Owing to the exertions of the
wise men amongst us, who were the instruments in the hand of God
to effect his great and unsearchable purpose, and to the natural
firmness and strength of the Jewish character, we preserved our in-
dependence of mind and our bond of union, amidst all the persecu-
tions and calamities we had to suffer by the divine dispensation.
But was it pride which upheld us? Or was the finger of God visible
in our preservation 1 Evidently the last ; for how should pride be

ESSAY I. 231

powerful enough to effect that in us which it has failed to do in any
other nation of antiquity ? Was the Roman less fierce than the
Jew ? But what is the Roman of the present day compared to him
who checked the successful Hannibal after the battle of Cannae ]
And though we also have lost our national independent government,
yet there is that within us which will make us reject with scorn all
the alluring invitations, held out by the nations of the earth to join
them — although they live in palaces, and stride triumphantly over the
fallen sanctuary of Jerusalem, the residence of the Holy One of
Israel ; for we are upheld by the promise of Him who spoke and the
world was called into existence, that He will have compassion on us,
and restore the remnant of his people to the land which their fore-
fathers inhabited. We have the promise of God that He will never
forsake us, for it is written : " If the heavens can be measured above,
and the earth beneath, then can I forsake Israel." And is it then
pride alone that keeps us united ? Contempt for our oppressors ? No,
it is the confidence in revelation, the certainty that our day too will
come.

The pressure has already been removed in part, and in many
countries do the Israelites now dwell in peace, secure, for the pre-
sent, under the protection of the governments in whose dominions
they live. The age of darkness and oppression, I hope, has passed
away ; and already we begin to show that we are capable of excel-
ling in the arts and in nobler professions than small-dealing. We
formerly were only the most successful merchants ; but already
there are in Germany men who have distinguished themselves as
philosophers, mathematicians, poets, historians, lawyers, and phy-
sicians. The Bible has also been translated by Jews, natives of Ger-
many and Poland, in a manner never before equalled ; and the names
of Friedlander, Ottensosser, Heidenheira, Meier Hirsch, Eichel,
Frankel, Steinheim, and many others, are advantageously known
in the literary circles of the continent of Europe. — In England,
Hurwitz (at present the professor of the Hebrew language in the
London university) and Samuels (the biographer of Mendelsohn)
have produced books, which are read and admired ; and though I
am not acquainted in France, Italy,* and Holland, I doubt not but

* It is perhaps known to most of my readers, that the celebrated Tyrolese
chief Andreas Hofer was made prisoner by Napoleon some time in 1809, or the

232 ESSAY I.

that the Jews in these countries have not remained behind their
brethren in Germany, England, and Poland. Though the Reviewer
mentions the revival of science among the Jews, he only names Pro-
fessor Neander, one who has left the faith of his fathers and em-
braced Christianity. Is this fair dealing ? Are there no more men
of fame amongst the German Jews than this apostate ? It is about
as fair as if a future historian should mention Benedict Arnold and
William Hull as the most distinguished American generals and pa-
triots, or praise Richard the Third and James the Second as the
best of English kings. I only remark this to show with how much
candour the Reviewer treats us.

Many Jews, particularly the younger part, have given up trade as
their sole occupation, and turned their attention (particularly in
Bavaria) to the learned professions and the mechanic arts. But in
the latter they have, for the present, many difficulties to encounter,
as the Christians are for the most part unwilling to take apprentices
or journeymen who will not work on the Sabbath (Saturday). Yet,
under all disadvantages, the Jews are doing tolerably well; thus
clearly establishing that it was not their fault that they were engag-
ed in small-trade for so many centuries.

The Reviewer says, that the females were kept in profound igno-
rance, and treated as an inferior race, and that, moreover, the only

commencement of 1810. He was carried to Mantua in Italy, and tried, as if
he had been a French subject. He was very ably defended by his counsel, a
young Jew, by the name of Basseva (if I recollect right) ; and this defence
was so abJe that the biographer of Hofer regretted very much that he could not
succeed in obtaining a copy of the speech of Mr. Basseva. I do not suppose
that it will be objected to the ability of Mr. B. that he did not succeed in clear-
ing his client; for every one knows the clemency of Napoleon's court martials,
and Hofer shared but the same fate with the ill-fated Duke of Enghien. But I
am not going to turn politician, and to discuss the measures of Napoleon's
government ; I introduced this subject only to show in what estimation
Jewish talent is held by the German writers. — It is probably known to all read-
ing men, that whenever one of our society commits a crime, the public is
informed " that Jacob Moses, a Jew, broke into the house of, &c. ;" whereas
our virtues are passed over in silence. But to the honour of the biographer of
A. H. (whose name I do not know, as the book was anonymous) be it spoken,
he states explicitly : " Mr. Basseva, a young Israelite," thus giving us credit
where credit was due.

ESSAY I. 233

book they were permitted to read filled their heads witli impure
ideas. Since 1 have already shown how accurate the information of
the Quarterly Review is, it will easily be believed that this asser-
tion concerning the Hebrew females is equally true with that con-
cerning the Jewish Rabbins. In the first place, it is untrue that
the females amongst us are, generally speaking, worse educated than
the Christian females. They are early taught reading and writing,
as far at least as my information extends ; many religious works
written in Jewish German, for the most part expressly for them,
were formerly read by them with the greatest attention ; and, as far
as I have read them myself, they are not only calculated to give
them instruction in the ceremonial part of their religion, but also to
convey to them their moral duties in a language at the same time
easy and familiar among them. At present these books are gradu-
ally giving way to others written in pure German : and 1 have no
doubt that in a few years these alone will be in use amongst the fe-
male part of our nation. The Reviewer next speaks of extracts
from the Old Testament, which, he says, they have commenced
putting in their hands ,* but I am happy to be able to inform him,
that this would hardly be necessary,' as the Bible, the entire twenty-
four books of the Old Testament, has long ago been translated in
German, and printed chiefly for the use of females ; and we had in
our family a folio Bible of this kind, printed in the year 5439 of the
Jewish era, and consequently is now (5589) one hundred and fifty
years old. The chastity of the Jewish females is well known ; and
hardly ever does any one hear of a Jewish lady violating her mar-
riage-vow.— The Jewish female is considered inferior to the man
only in so far as she is exempted, by the nature of her sex, from
the greater part of the affirmative commandments of our law ; and
three commandments are exclusively incumbent upon her, which it
would be needless to mention, as they are well known to all those
who are in the least acquainted with the Jewish ritual. The fe-
male, in fine, is treated by the Jews with respect in countries where
the female is respected by the other inhabitants, though I can not
tell how they are treated in the Barbary states, Turkey, and other
parts of Asia and Africa ; although 1 can freely say, that it would
be contrary to the principles of the rabbinical Jews to treat their
wives and daughters ill under any circumstances v/hatever ; which
30

234 ESSAY I.

can be proved in the most positive manner from many passages in
their writings.

To what the Reviewer alludes, in speaking of the education of
boys, as tending to corrupt their morals, 1 cannot tell ; however, I
can assert with the strictest regard to truth, that all I have learned
at a rabbinical school (and I went to no other until I was thirteen
years old,) only tended to teach me how to govern my desires, and
curb my passions ; and I may say that I know of no Jewish school
in which the strictest moral doctrines are not daily and hourly in-
culcated, fully as well as in any Christian school ; and I may be
allowed to judge, having been in them both in Germany and America.

I am glad to see that the learned Quarterly Reviewer has so well
studied the works of the famous Eisenmenger, and the very acute
Antonio Margarita. For the benefit of those who may not know it,
I have to state, that both were, as is generally believed, what are
commonly called converted Jews ; the first was a German, and died
about the commencement of the eighteenth century, or may be a lit-
tle later ; the second was, I suppose, an Italian, but I have not the
pleasure of an acquaintance with him, though that is no great pity,
since the Reviewer is kind enough to inform us that this luminary
lived in the sixteenth century. It is, indeed, a pity that these learn-
ed men no more exist ; but we have yet the consolation to know,
that they have so worthy an imitator as the London Quarterly Re-
view. To be serious, however, the charge that perjury is permit-
ted to the Jews, and that they annually, on the Day of Atonement,
have a formula in their prayers absolving them from the keeping of
any oaths they may make during the year, is one on a par
with the other charges already noticed, and I hope that, from the
little knowledge I have of the writings of the Rabbins, 1 shall be
able to refute it, and prove its falsehood. — In the first place then let
me premise what the Rabbins think of the Day of Atonement ; this
opinion is found in the last chapter of Yoma : " The Day of Atone-
ment can only be an expiation for sins between God and man ; but
for sins between man and man the Day of Atonement cannot be an
expiation till the offender has pacified the offended :" (that is, has
made complete restitution if the offence was a fraud or the like, or
retracted slander, or made other atonement, according as the nature
of the case might require). Can it now be supposed, that the Rab-

ESSAY I. 235

bins, who taught such doctrines as the foregoing, should for the
same day institute a prayer, by which yerjury was allowed to the
Jews ? Can it be possible, that any set of men can say that you
must satisfy your neighbour before you can be forgiven, and at the
same time permit you to swear falsely against him in a court of jus-
tice, and thus do him perhaps the greatest possible mischief] But
no, the Rabbins never intended that one man should wrong the other,
much less was perjury considered by them as permitted, as will be
evident by just referring to their writings on this subject.

The prayer of " Col 'Nidre^^ to which the Reviewer alludes, is
in the following words (as translated by David Levi) :

" In the celestial tribunal, and in the terrestrial tribunal ; by the
divine permission of the ever blessed God, and by the permission of
this holy congregation, we hold it lawful to pray with those who
have transgressed."

" All vows, obligations, oaths, anathemas, excommunications, exe-
crations, expiations, and fines, which we have vowed, sworn, devoted,
excommunicated, or bound ourselves by, from the past Day of Atone-
ment unto this present Day of Atonement, which is now come in
peace. Our vows are no more vows ; our oaths cease to be oaths ;
our anathemas are no more anathemas, and our obligations are no
longer binding."

" They all shall be null and void, without power or confirmation.
And it shall be forgiven to the whole congregation of Israel, and to
the stranger who sojourneth among them ; for all the people did it
ignorantly."

In a note to the foregoing, the learned David Levi says :

" That the reader may not be led to misconstrue this form, I think it
necessary to observe that the vows^ obligations^ oaths, <^c. here men-
tioned, are such only as apply to a man in his economical state, as
mentioned inNumbers, xxx. 2, 3, 4, 5, &;c. &c.; but have not the most
distant relation to his social character, and the transactions between
man and man. No : God forbid ! for all transactions between man and
man are sacred, and cannot be dissolved but by the mutual consent
of the parties. And so zealous are our Rabbins in inculcating this
doctrine, that they firmly believe that there can be no hope of par-
don on the Day of Atonement for such as have injured their neigh-
bours, unless they make full restitution to the party wronged, and

2Sd ESSAY I.

crave his pardon. From all which it is manifest, that we abhor
the idea of any man's freeing himself, by means of this form, from
any oath or covenant which he has entered into with another, as
some have ignorantly thought, and thereby brought unmerited re-
proach on the nation."

If any man considers the above formula with attention, he will
easily discover that it relates solely to the vows, &c. made without
due consideration, made, for instance, in the moment of excitement,
and perhaps forgotten as soon as made. Though such conduct is
abhorrent to the spirit of our law ; yet we must consider, that " not
to angels the law was given ;" we are human beings, and thus liable
to sin, and in consequence of the frailty of our disposition we fre-
quently make promises and vows, the execution of which we defer
from time to time, or it may be, neglect altogether. For this reason
did our Rabbins institute the prayer of Col Nidre, in which we pray
the Pardoner of the iniquities of his people, to forgive us for vows,
promises, oaths, &;c. which we have unwittingly made, and the fulfil-
ment of which we have forgotten, (or may forget,) either because
they had escaped our memory, or because to act as we had sworn
would have occasioned us to commit a sinful action. — 1 hope that I
am understood, as what I have advanced is plain and self-evident.
Before, however, I dismiss this subject altogether, let me inform my
readers, that the foregoing formula is that used by the Portuguese
Jews ; but the German Jews say instead of " From the past Day of
Atonement, &c." the following ; " From the present Day of Atone-
ment until the next Day of Atonement, which may come to us inpeace.^^
This difference between the Portuguese and the German Jews only
varies the form, but not the intention of the prayer, as the one pray
forgiveness for the unnecessary vows they have made during the
past year, the others for those vows which they may make uninten-
tionally during the following year. Had the Reviewer now only
consulted the rabbinical writings themselves, instead of Eisenmenger
and similar authors whose interest it evidently was to abuse the
religion they had forsaken : he could never have been guilty of thus
slandering the Jews, and he would have acknowledged, that the Col
Nidre has been introduced amongst the prayers for the Day of
Atonement with the greatest propriety, and that it must have a bene-
ficial tendency, instead of the pernicious one which he (the Reviewer)

ESSAY I. 237

and other Christian writers seem to dread, I have noticed this
charge of the Quarterly Review more at large, as the general belief
of it might do us incalculable mischief, and might easily tend to
augment the fearful catalogue of prejudices already existing against
us.

I should be very glad to stop here, having, I think, sufficiently
cleared our Rabbins and brethren in general from the imputations
which the Quarterly Review has cast upon their moral character ;
but if I should now suffer his assertions concerning our religious
feelings to pass unnoticed, it might be supposed that there at least
the assertions (for arguments I cannot call them) of the Reviewer
are well-founded, and that in consequence we Jews are in fact a
blind flock led by blind shepherds. I must, therefore, endeavour to
set him right, but I shall say as little about Christianity as possible,
since 1 do not wish to grow abusive in my turn, and I beg therefore,
that whatever I may say should be considered as extorted from me
in defence of my faith.

It is well known to those who believe in a revealed religion, that |

the code of laws by which we Israelites endeavour to direct our |

course of life has been handed down to us from amidst thunder and I

I
lightning on mount Sinai, when all Israel heard the voice of the -

Almighty proclaim : "lam the Eternal thy God, who have con- 7
ducted thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery." .^ i
Moses, the son of Amram, was chosen by God to be the mediator
who should teach the children of Israel " just statutes and command-
ments," which should endure for ever ; for in many places of the
five books of Moses do we find, that these were to be the laws which
the latest posterity of Jacob should obey. How can any man then
have the audacity to style our religion a false one, without at the
same time admitting that he does not believe in the sacred truths of
the Bible 1 Shall any man say we are wrong, are infidels, because^^k
we will not forsake our religion 1 — Because we will not consent to /
change our Sabbath for the Sunday, when God instituted the seventh
day as a perpetual covenant between Him and the children of Israel ?
— Because we will not mingle with the nations of the earth, to
marry their daughters, and eat of the flesh of the swine ? — Because
■ under every vicissitude we have firmly maintained our national cha-
racter ? — But we care not what the world may think of us, as long

238 ESSAY I.

as we are convinced of the rectitude and the permanency of our re-
ligion, which God has inscribed on the tablets of our hearts, and
established so firmly in our minds that all the powers of hell are
unable to remove it ; for the prophet, in the name of God, tells us :
" And my words, which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart
out of thy mouth, the mouth of thy children, nor the mouth of thy
children's children, from now and for ever." — Whatever of moral
beauties the Christian religion may have, ours is no less beautiful,
no less effective in raising our ideas from nature to nature's Lord.
To love Him, to confide in his goodness and special protection, is
commanded to us in almost every page of the Mosaic writings. To
love our neighbour like ourselves is no new doctrine of the gospel,
for this obligation was known already ever since the promulgation
of the law, which commands : " And thou shalt love thy neighbour
like thyself." Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel, spoke of the resurrec-
tion and the life everlasting, and reward for the righteous, and pun-
ishment for the wicked. What are then the glorious truths which
the Christian religion, for the first time, made known to a world
sunk in darkness ? I am absolutely unable to discover which and
where they are, and 1 should, therefore, be much indebted to any
professor of Christianity who could point out any moral doctrine
which was not long previously taught by our prophets and Rabbins.

We do not believe in the necessity of a mediator between God
and man, in so far as relates to the sacrifice of the Messiah ; for it
is a settled opinion amongst the Jews, that the Messiah need not
die in expiation of their sins, as a strict observance of the divine
law and a confidence in God's protection will lead a man to ever-
lasting happiness, according to their belief. But we find in the first
chapter of Job that Satan is the accuser of man, and that he recapitu-
lates the sins committed on earth in the heavenly tribunal ; and in
Daniel we find mention made of protecting angels, and of Michael
particularly, as the protector of Israel. Now it is the general opi-
nion of the Jews that the protecting angels will defend man when
Satan accuses. Having premised this much, I am confident that
the following will be understood, which is an extract from a prayer
read in the German Synagogues on the New-year's-days and the
Day of Atonement :

" May He, our Lord, yet remember to us the love of Ethan

ESSAY I. 239

(Abraham), and for the sake of the son who was bound upon the
altar, command our accuser to be silent ; and for the sake of the
piety of the righteous (Jacob), may He to-day pronounce favourable
judgment upon us, for this day is holy to our Lord. Though there
be no one to speak in our favour against him who relates our trans-
gressions, mayest thou yet tell to Jacob the words of law and judg-
ment, and justify us when Thou judgest us, O King of justice !"

The meaning of this is, that although our sins be so great that
they can admit of no justification, we yet throw ourselves upon the
mercy of God to forgive us, though we be not worthy of this great
goodness.

This is the prayer, as I suppose, alluded to by the Quarterly Re-
view ; but how different a meaning it has from that the Reviewer
gives it, I leave every person to judge for himself. The Jew sees
in his God a just judge, who will punish all transgressions ; but
whose wrath he can deprecate by sincere repentance, and ameliora-
tion of his course of life. And our Rabbins teach us that repent-
ance, accompanied by contrition of heart, is available on the death-
bed of the dying sinner, and that " many a man," as they say, " has
bought his world in one hour," meaning, that many have gained
happiness in the world to come by repentance on their death-bed.
Is it, then, true, that to the Jev/ the future is shrouded in impene-
trable gloom — that he has no means, according to his belief, of satis-
fying his Creator 1 No ; he has hopes equally well founded, at least,
with those of the Christian ; and he may, like him, look upon a bright
and glorious futurity. Since, however, the Christians seem to think
our end so miserable, I hope that I may not be considered presump-
tuous in describing the death-scene of my nearest relative, namely,
my father. He had been suffering at intervals, for nineteen years,
the most excruciating pains, when the end of his days came near»
He had been confined to his bed for three weeks previous ; and I
had left him to go to the house of one of my uncles, who did not live
far off. About nightfall my father felt all at once his strength fail-
ing fast, and he therefore sent for me to give me his last blessing
and his last injunctions, as it is customary amongst us. I cannot
describe my feelings, which were very acute, though I was but four-
teen years old, when I approached his bed. He laid his hands upon
my head, and pronounced the blessing vv'ith which the dying patri-

240 ESSAY I.

arch Jacob has prophesied the IsraeUtes should always bless their
children, and the blessings with which, by the ordinance of God,
the family of Aaron are commanded to bless the congregation. (See
Numb, vi.) My father saw how much I felt, and how deeply 1 was
affected ; and he therefore said to me in the most collected and calm
manner: "Weep not for me; for my being longer in this world
would be but painful to me, and of no use to you, being no longer able
to do any thing for you, though I should recover. As for yourself,
be an honest man and a good Jew, and God will never forsake you.
Now go, my son ; for your remaining any longer with me might dis-
turb me, and distress you too much." I then left his presence, as
it is considered improper amongst" us for the near relations of a
dying person to remain in his presence, that his devotion may not
be distracted in his last moments, if he sees before him those who
are dearest to him on earth, and whom he is so soon to leave behind
him, to combat for an uncertain period with the ills and temptations
of life. Soon after I was gone, the members of the Jewish congre-
gation began to assemble to pray at the couch of their dying brother.
He prayed with them as long as he was able, then laid himself com-
posedly down, and departed this life without a struggle. Those who
saw his death, and those who heard of it, said : " May my end be
like his." Thus died my father, and though poor, he left a reputa-
tion unsullied, and a memory respected by Jews and Christians. I
could bring other proofs of the truth of my assertion, that the Jews
can die calmly, and look with composure upon futurity ; but enough
has been said already to disprove what the Reviewer has said on
this subject also.

I shall not notice what other things the Quarterly Review says
about the rabbinical Jews, or about the Caraites, as I know but
very little or nothing concerning the latter ; but I cannot pass over in
silence what he says in his concluding paragraphs about the mode of
treating the Jews in the countries where they are settled. He says
there are but two alternatives : either to drive them out altogether,
or to convert them by degrees to Christianity ; as he thinks it unsafe
and unwise to grant them civil liberty as long as they remain Jews.
He does not seem to be inclined to drive us altogether out of Europe,
as that would, by the way, be hardly possible at the present day ;
since, in consequence of most of the governments being largely indebt-

ESSAY 1. 241

ed to the Jews, they would be obliged either to pay them immedi-
ately what they owe them in money, which they cannot do, or not
to pay them at all, or to kill them, which they will hardly dare to
do. But he believes that it ought to be tried to convert them by
gentle means — to educate them so, that the affection they feel for
their ancient religion and customs might be weakened, with a view
to induce them to embrace Christianity. But to do this, the ame-
liorating societies must obtain the consent of the parents to educate
the children in the manner proposed ; for 1 do not believe that any
man would advise to inveigle the children away from their parents —
or to steal them — or to compel them — or to seduce them clandes-
tinely to enter a missionary-school, although these methods have
been partly resorted to. No honourable man can dream of propos-
ing such diabolical plans, and to obtain the consent of the parents
themselves to make their children apostates is impracticable, as
long as the adults are Jews. The only chance, therefore, for bring-
ing about the conversion of the Jews, is to draw the adults within
the pale of the church. 1 cannot, however, conceive how the Re-
viewer means to effect this ; for compulsion he himself will not lis-
ten to ; persuasion will not do ; abuse will not convert us, as the
Q,. R. may have experienced himself; to reason us out of our opin-
ions has been tried with little success, as all the arguments brought
against us have been again and again overthrown. What then re-
mains to be done ? To bribe us ! ! This seems to have been the
darling plan o^ ameliorating societiesand piously inclined governments
of late years. This is to be done in two different ways, either to pay
a bounty for apostacy, say two thousand dollars a head, or to give
offices to such men of talents as choose to become (outwardly) Christ-
ians. The first plan has been tried without success; the American* and

* As the reader may perhaps have some curiosity to know the names of
some of those worthies who attempted to save our souls from perdition, by an
appeal to our pockets, I have thought proper to transcribe a few from a long
list of presidents, managers, &lc., which I lately saw (since the publication of
this essay) in a little work called " Israel Vindicated," printed in New York,
in 1820. This little book is a series of letters, supposed to be addressed by a
resident in New York to his friend in Philadelphia, and contains, among other
things, some account of the American Society for Ameliorating the Condition
of the Jewsi — In letter second the writer says, that " although from the arti-
31

242 ESSAY I.

London Societies A. C. J. have spent immense sums of money, and
obtained a few vagabondish fellows and some few designing men as
recruits ; but as we have heard so little lately about the proceedings
of these societies, we are forced to believe that they have either
contracted their sphere of operations, and work more in silence than
they used to do, — or that they have even dissolved and adjourned
their meetings " sine die,'^ for want of encouragement from the
Jews. — To bribe through means of office has also been tried ; and I
am glad to have it in my power to inform the Reviewer, that it has
succeeded hardly any better than direct bribery. A little while
before I left Germany (1824) I was told, that a young gentleman,
after he had finished his studies, applied to the Prussian govern-
ment for employment. He was answered, that if he would turn
Christian he might be appointed to the office he solicited ; to which
he is said to have indignantly replied : " I have learned enough to
be able to teach boys, and I need not your offices, if I must forsake
my faith to obtain them." — And so it has always been. Though
Maria Theresa and other European sovereigns tried, by the most
alluring offers, to gain the Jews over, they have never been able to
succeed even partially. This is no idle declamation, but positive
fact, as all those must know who are in any degree acquainted with
the internal history of Germany. The governments of Europe,
therefore, having tried the plan which the Quarterly Review recom-

cles of their constitution it appears, that they propose to establish ' a settle-
ment' for, and to give ' employment' to such of our nation as may apply for
it, yet is it laid down as a proviso, that none shall be invited and received but
such Jew^s as do already profess the Christian religion, or are desirous to receive
Christian instruction." — The w^riter next gives a long list of of^cevs— fifty -three
in all ; but I must content myself v^ith naming the follow^ing : " Hon. Eiias
Boudinot, President ; Hon. John Q. Adams; Rev. Dr. J. Day, Pres. Yale Col-
lege ; His Ex. William Findlay ; Rev. Dr. A. Green, Pres. Princeton College ;
Herman Le Roy, Esq. ; Rev. Dr. J. H. Livingston, S. T. P. ; Rev. Dr. Philip
Millsdoler ; Rev. Dr. James Milnor ; Hon. William Phillips ; Col. John Troup;
Gen. Stephen Van Rensellaer; James Wadsvi^orth, Esq., Vice Presidents ; Hon.
Peter A. Jay, Treasurer, &c." — I do not accuse these honourable and reverend
gentlemen of any other evil intention than officiousness, since not one of us
Jews ever desired them to ameliorate our condition; which we do not think as yet
desperate enough to require the interference of the honourables and reverends
just enumerated.

ESSAY I. 243

mends, and deeming it impolitic to oppress us any longer, knowing
at the same time, that, if emancipated and left to ourselves, we are
able and willing to render the state some service, have in man)'
instances commenced putting us on a level with the Christian popu-
lation, and this has been already effected in Holland, Bavaria, Saxen-
Weimar, and some of the other German states ,* not to mention the
republic of the United States, where we enjoy equal rights and privi-
leges, without any injury to the Christians.

I have lately received a letter from an old and intelligent gentle-
man in Germany, which states, that King Lewis of Bavaria gave
not long since 20,000 firs., equal to 8,000 dollars, towards the estab-
lishment of a Jewish seminary of learning ; and that about two years
ago a college was established in Miinster, the capital of the Prussian
province of Westphalia, for the education of young schoolmasters
and mechanics among the Israelites. In this institution are taught
the Hebrew, German, Latin, and French languages ; the Bible with
commentaries, the Talmud, mathematics, history, natural history,
logic, geography, &c., besides the ornamental branches, as sing-
ing, music, and painting. This school is in a flourishing condition,
though so short a time only has elapsed since its establishment ; and
the teachers are both of the Jewish and Christian persuasions, thus
proving that we can live in peace with Christians, without amalga-
mating with them. The school is patronised by the Prussian go-
vernment, which has lately shown itself very desirous of advancing
education amongst us, without tacking any degrading conditions to
its benevolence. What is most remarkable with the above college,
is, that it is established in a town where, no more than twenty years
ago, no Jew was allowed to locate himself permanently ; and before its
establishment the Jewish young men were permitted to study in the
gymnasium of that place, where they were just as much honoured
as any of the Christian students, of which fact I can speak with the
utmost confidence, having been myself a scholar there for two years
and a quarter. — In short, in spite of the efforts of our enemies we
have continued to flourish and to acquire greater respectability for
the last thirty years, and we shall continue to advance as long as
we deserve the blessing of Heaven !

I could add a great deal more, but I am afraid that I have said too
much already ; but I beg every one who reads the foregomg, to

244 ESSAY II.

pardon my loquacity, since I hardly could say less against the many
allegations of the Review than I have done, without being obscure
or altogether unintelligible. I dare not even hope that I have suc-
ceeded in convincing the Christians of the truth of what I have said ;
for it would certainly be very strange if a young man, who, more-
over, had not the best opportunities of acquiring knowledge, should
be able to overthrow a writer in the London Quarterly Review, who,
for aught 1 know, may be a professor in the Oxford university. —
But if I have succeeded in allaying a little of the prejudice existing
against us, it will be ample compensation for

A Native of Germany.
Richmond, Va., January 6tk.

ESSAY II.

I have read with much interest the manly and temperate remarks
of a " Native of Germany," published in the Whig, in vindication
of the Jews from the calumnies of the Quarterly Review. So far
from feeling any desire to perpetuate the prejudice which has so
long existed against that unfortunate people, I would on the contrary
do all in my power to remove it ; for I entertain no doubt that many
of them are as exemplary in their moral habits, as good citizens and
as kind neighbours ; and therefore equally entitled to the favour of
God as those who profess to be Christians. Neither am I disposed
to find the least fault with them for continuing in the belief and
practice of that religion which was delivered in fire and tempest on
mount Sinai, so long as they believe their present happiness and
everlasting salvation to depend upon it. I conceive it would be de-
priving God of the essential attributes of mercy and justice, by ren-
dering Him incapable of saving his rational offspring from perdition,
whether they be Jew or gentile, heathen or Christian. They are all
equally the objects of his love, whatever may be their faith or condi-

ESSAY II. 245

tion in life ; even though the force of external circumstances brought
about by the pride and injustice of man, may seem to render Him,
partial in the distribution of his favours. It is declared, on what
Christians believe unquestionable authority, that God is no respecter
of persons, but in every nation those v^^ho fear him and work right-
eousness shall be accepted of Him. It is in the contrite heart that
He manifests himself, amongst every people and every colour ; and
not to any privileged few, who claim to be the favourites of Heaven.
It has always been the custom of particular sects and particular na-
tions, to appropriate to themselves the especial grace of God. But,
according to this assumption, all those who believe differently are
in danger of the divine displeasure. How partial, how unjust, is
such a belief calculated to render a Being who is emphatically pro-
nounced to be Love !

It cannot be expected, under the present condition of the human
mind, that all the nations of the earth will ever arrive at that state
in which there will be a uniformity of belief in what all may deem
essential. The same causes which actuate them to think differently
now, will continue to produce the same effect, until mankind shall
be released from the fetters of prejudice ; and from the influence of
education, example, and authority. But amidst the endless variety
of nations that people the earth, I have never heard of any that did
not acknowledge the existence of certain obligations to a superior
Being, and have recourse to some plan to testify their duty and alle-
giance. Whence could such impressions have been derived but
from the fountains of truth, how much soever they may have
been subsequently obscured by the inventions of men ? The scrip-
tural writers abundantly declare that God has written his law upon
the hearts of all men ; and by consulting that law, that still small
voice which saith to us, " this is the way, walk ye in it," we have
every assurance of pleasing Him whom we serve.

So far, therefore, from excluding the Jews, and I may add, every
other nation, from the benefits of salvation, I am free to acknowledge
them equally the heirs of a glorious immortality with the Christians ;
and equally acceptable in the eyes of a just and merciful God, in so
far as they respectively strive to perform his will. To every man
is given a certain duty to discharge, a certain talent to improve ;
and it is doubtless the same with nations : and as all are faithful and

246 ESSAY II.

obedient in the performance of this duty, would it not be derogatory
' to the divine goodness to presume that they will be debarred from
the enjoyments of a future state 1 Tn accordance with this view of
the subject, I think a greater responsibility rests upon Christendom
than any other division of mankind, in proportion to the superiority
of that system of morality which they profess to venerate : and this
brings me to notice (which, indeed, was a principal object in taking
up my pen) some remarks which " A Native of Germany" has used
in reference to the duties imposed by the Jewish and Christian laws.
He says, if I understand him, that no glorious truth, no moral doc-
trine, is brought to light by the gospel, which was not equally incul-
cated by the Old Testament or the Talmud. The moral duties
taught by the gospel, according to the light in which I view them,
are of a far higher order, and of more universal application, than
those enjoined by the Mosaic law. It is true that one of the com-
mands of the latter is : " Thou shalt love thy neighbour like thyself;"
but viewed in connection with other parts of that law, the meaning
of the term neighbour is by no means so comprehensive as it is un-
der the Christian dispensation. It only extended to those of their
own tribe or nation under the Mosaic system ; whereas under the
gospel, it is made to embrace all who may be placed in a situation
calculated to excite our sympathy and demand our assistance. See
the parable of the Samaritan. That the Jewish precept did not ex-
tend to other nations is evident from the fact, that the Jews were
commanded, or believed they were commanded, to wage war against
the neighbouring countries, to slay their inhabitants and dispossess them
of their inheritances. This is so common a feature in the Jewish his-
tory, that it is unnecessary to specify any particular passages. But
what was the command of the blessed Author of the Christian reli-
gion ? " Ye have heard it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth ; but 1 say unto you, resist not evil." " Ye have
heard it said, thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy ,*
but I say unto you, love them that hate you, bless them that curse
you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you."
And the most conclusive reason is given to sustain the force of this
divine injunction ; namely, that our heavenly Father makes his sun
to shine, and his rain to descend, upon the just and the unjust. Is there
not far more sublimity in these high commands of universal applica-

ESSAY II. 247

tion, than in the Mosaic precept of so limited operation? Again;
" Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so
unto them." These exalted precepts were intended to be our rule
of action in our intercourse with all men ; the polar star by which
to regulate our course whilst travelling the journey of life. I am
here speaking of genuine Christianity, such as we sometimes see
exemplified in the world ; not of that mongrel and monstrous species
which too often usurps its place. And it is with sorrow that I am
here compelled to ask " A Native of Germany" to extend that fa-
vour to us which he solicits for the Jews ; and not to judge all of
us and our religion by the practices of some. I confess there is,
too generally speaking, such a lamentable diversity between our
profession and practice, that they are the direct antipodes to each
other.

Let it not be said that these heavenly injunctions cannot be ful-
filled. Surely they never would have been promulgated, on what
Christians must deem such high authority, if they had been beyond
our attainment. It has often been urged that if any nation were to
comply literally with the commandment, to love our enemies, and on
no occasion to resist them by force, it would soon be overrun and
plundered by warlike and avaricious neighbours. But, fortunately,
there is a living fact to the contrary ; a fact which merits one of the
brightest pages of history. I allude to the settlement of Pennsylva-
nia by the illustrious Penn, whose colony flourished amidst tribes of
fierce barbarians, while other settlements on this continent, support-
ed by the force of arms, were with difficulty effected. Here is a
splendid illustration of the effect produced by the practice of the
Christian virtues, against which there never was any legal enact-
ment by any people : and I am informed that to this day the Indians
cherish a lasting friendship for that society of which Penn was the
ornament and the founder. In like manner, if we were to do as we
would be done by, what changes would it produce in the world ! No
longer would be exhibited the singular anomaly which our country
presents, of being the freest nation on the globe, and of holding at
the same time, in corporeal and mental subjection, a million and a
half of our fellow-beings. Such a state of things could not exist.
But yet we are a people making the most exalted profession of right-
eousness, holding in pious contempt the Jew and the heathen, and

248 ESSAY III.

handing them over to reprobation without the least mercy or re-
morse. Is not, then, the language of inspiration as applicable now
as it was when it was uttered 1 " This people draweth nigh unto
me with their lips, and honoureth me with their mouth, but their
heart is far from me."

A Professor of Christianity.*

ESSAY III.

to " A professor of CHRISTIANITY."

You will easily believe me, that I received much real satisfaction
from reading your reply to that part of my " remarks" in which I
asserted, that not one single moral doctrine was for the first time
taught in the gospels ; as you have so well preserved that gentle

* The writer of this and the fourth essay is a member of the " Society of
Friends," who resides about twenty-five miles from Richmond. It happened,
strange enough^ that a note to which my name had been signed was inserted,
much to my chagrin, along with the first essay, which, as the reader will see,
was intended to remain anonymous ; but my name having once been made pub-
lic as the writer of these unpretending essays, I became indebted to this circum-
stance for the pleasure of a correspondence, which was carried on for some
months, with the Professor of Christianity, as he wrote to me a few days after
the publication of his last essay, disclosing to me his name and profession. I
have endeavoured to prevail upon him to give me permission to make his name
public ; but in vain, as his modesty will not permit him to appear publicly as an
author. I regret this determination, but since it seemed to be particularly disa-
greeable to him to be known, I would consider myself guilty of a breach of
confidence were I to disobey his injunction. — All that I have heard of him has
impressed me with the belief that he is a man of a finely cultivated mind, and,
what is more, one whose principles are followed up in his conduct ; I, therefore,
am happy to repeat the favourable opinion I had conceived of him from reading
his reply to my first communication, and which I accordingly expressed in the
following essay. It has been my fortune but once to meet with him ; but
he may be assured that I shall ever be ready to redeem the pledge I made
when he was yet unknown to me, and always be prepared to extend to him
the right hand of fellowship, though we differ in opinion. I. L.

ESSAY III, 249

spirit of forbearance, which should characterise generous opponents,
who are both aiming for the attainment of truth. If your conduct
in life corresponds with your sentiments as avowed in your reply,
(of which, however, I have no doubt,) I shall be very glad to hail
you as a friend, and extend to you the right hand of fellowship,
though we differ in our religions opinions. — You shall, therefore,
receive that courtesy from me which you have displayed ; and I beg
of you to consider none of my strictures as personal ; for although
you are altogether unknown to me, since I never have heard your
name even, I yet feel a high regard for a man so generous and mild.
These being my sentiments, you may ask, why I should reply to you
then ? But please to consider, that thinking you had erred, 1 deem
it necessary to remove the impression which you may have left
upon the minds of the public concerning our religion, which is the
more expedient at the present moment, as I understand that the sub-
ject under consideration has lately excited deep and universal interest
throughout this city among the thinking and intelligent citizens.

In the first place then, you do us no more than justice to believe,
that we can be good citizens and kind neighbours, no less so than
the followers of the gospel, for this has been proved by the expe-
rience of ages ; and I can assert, without the least fear of contradic-
tion, that, wherever the Jew was kindly treated, whenever he
received any benefit from a gentile, he was always ready to acknow-
ledge the kindness of his benefactor ; as ingratitude towards man is
not a trait in our character, though we have frequently acted un-
gratefully towards the Deity, for which we even now suffer our pun-
ishment, in the dismemberment of our nation, and the loss of our
land. But notwithstanding we have been gradually dispersed over
the whole face of the earth after our expulsion from Palestine, we
are nevertheless, emphatically speaking, Israelites, the same now,
which we ever were ; we possess the same laws, the same customs,
nay, retain the same features even, which we had in our own land,
and through all the revolutions and changes of time we have pre-
served our national identity. All the celebrated nations of antiquity
have, I may say, mouldered away, for there was no living principle \
in their constitutions ; and in vain does the astonished traveller look 1
for the people which built the Egyptian pyramids and temples ,* |
Greece and its ruins remind us that a wise and powerful nation once \
32 '

250 ESSAY III.

existed there ; and Italy presents to the searching eye of the anti-
quary only the remains of a nation which once dictated laws to the
whole civilised world. But though Palestine is no longer the land
possessed by the people of God, yet can the true representatives of
its ancient possessors be met with in every country, who are essen-
tially one people, though scattered throughout all the countries of
the earth ; and their preservation as one nation is owing to the liv-
ing principle of their constitution, a constitution given them as a
special gift from their Maker. — All nations have ever admired this
close bond of union existing amongst us, and the unanimity with
which we have always, under every vicissitude, resisted any inter-
ference with our moral and religious duties ; for on no account did
we, or can we, suffer any stranger to advise us in any matter of con-
science, if we deem his advice contrary to the standard of the Mo-
saic law.

For this our constancy we have been abundantly vilified, have
been called obdurate Jews who wilfully resist the light of the gos-
pel; and we have even been considered as inimical to the Christians,
because we would not, could not, embrace Christianity. — 1 must
confess, we are determined never to change our faith, and of course
we must be considered by Christians enemies of their belief; but
though I admit this, I utterly deny that we do think ourselves per-
mitted by our religion to hate the Christians themselves ; on the
contrary, we believe ourselves bound to live in good fellowship with
all men, no matter what their belief may be.

You seem to think, my dear friend, that the gospel has the supe-
riority over the Mosaic law, in so far as the former commands uni-
versal love, while the latter prescribes love for the children of Israel
alone. But is your position correct 1 Or is what you say true, that
the Jews so understood the commandment : " And thou shalt love
thy neighbour like thyself?" You say, the Jews must have inter-
preted the law so, as they had frequent wars with the surrounding
nations, and they thought themselves obliged to slay the inhabitants
and to plunder their property. — But pardon me, my friend, you have
misunderstood the Jewish law, or you have forgotten the precepts
of the Old Testament. The law relative to war is found in Deut.
chap. XX. V. 10 — 19 inclusive, and is in the following words:

" If thou comest nigh unto a city to make war against it, thou

ESSAY III. 251

shalt proclaim peace unto it. And it shall happen, if it answer thee
peace, and open unto thee, then all the people found therein shall be
tributaries unto thee and serve thee. But if it will not make peace
with thee, but will wage war against thee, then thou shalt be-
siege it ; and when the Eternal thy God has delivered it into thy
hands, thou mayest smite every male thereof with the edge of the
sword ; but the women, and children, and the cattle, and all that is
in the city, namely, all the spoil thereof, thou shalt take unto thy-
self, and eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Eternal thy God
has given thee, &;c. &;c."

I am well aware that my translation differs from the English ver-
sion, as the English Bible says : " Thou shalt smite, &c." which I
have rendered " mayest /" but I have preferred to adopt the inter-
pretation of some of the Rabbins ; and the passage thus rendered
gives only a permission to slay the garrison, those capable of bear-
ing arms, but forbids, on any account, to injure the women and
children, who cannot participate in the war, from the nature of their
weakness and dependence. I do not believe that any man can make
any objection to the interpretation I have just given; and every
one I trust will then acknowledge, that so far from our law allowing
the massacre of the inhabitants of the countries at war with the Jews,
it tended greatly to soften the rigours of war, as carried on in an-
cient times, since it prohibited the molestation of the women and chil-
dren, when even in Christian countries the former are not always
exempt from violence ; and surely I need not bring examples from
history to 'prove this, as, alas ! examples are too often met with, and
many scenes of violence have been enacted by warriors calling them-
selves Christians, which present instances of atrocity too horrible
to be related.

A second enquiry presents itself: " Did the Jews think themselves
bound to go to war with their neighbours, or was it only in cases of
necessity that they were embroiled with other nations f Without
hesitation I answer: That war was considered amongfet us as the
greatest evil, and was only resorted to to repel invasion, and to
secure the peace of our boundaries. (For proof read the books of
Samuel and Kings.) " But was not David a conqueror ?" True
he was ; but was he the aggressor ? or rather, was he not forced to
war by the Philistines, Edumeans, Syrians, and other nations 1 Did

252 ESSAY III.

they not invade his country, and insult the ambassadors whom he
had sent with a letter of condolence to the king of the children of
Ammon? Was he to stand by and see Israel slaughtered, whom
he was appointed to govern like the shepherd governs his flock ?
Was he permitted, I ask you, to see the wolves come amongst the
flock and bear some of the unoffending sheep away 1 Was he, again,
permitted to see the ambassadors of the people of God ill-treated by
a barbarian king and his barbarian people ? — iknd, to conclude my
queries, did not the almighty Protector of Israel sanction those enter-
prises by giving David success in all his undertakings ? Can any
human being believe, that God would be so partial, so unjust, as to
give the Jews success when they went out beyond the borders of
their land to pillage and slaughter their unoffending neighbours ? —
No ! no ! the divine Judge would not encourage such deeds even
amongst his people, for all the world is his, and the life of one man
is as dear to Him as the life of the other, and He is no respecter of
persons, no favourer of the oppressor ; but He is ever ready to save
the weaker from the hands of him who is more powerful.

But you will say : " Were not the Jews a warlike people, lovers
of strife and fight ?" Again I answer, no ; for we read in Levit.
chap. xxvi. v. 6 : " And I will give peace in the land, and you shall
lie down, and none shall make you afraid ; and I will remove the
evil beasts out of the land, and the sword shall not pass through
your land." — And in the sixth chapter of Judges we find Deborah
alluding to the great want of warlike instruments among the Israelites;
and if a person reads the book of Judges, which comprises a history
of three hundred years, he will discover, that war was a more un-
common occurrence among our ancestors than among any nation of
antiquity, or even modern times ! — But what 1 intend to prove is,
that peace was considered by the Jews as the greatest blessing
which the Almighty in his kindness could bestow upon them. This
doctrine was taught them by the Mosaic law, since God promised
them peace as a reward for their obedience to the divine will ; and
in the book of Judges we find, that whenever the Israelites were
doing the will of Heaven, they had security and peace ; but whenever
they deviated, they were punished with war and desolation : and it
is recorded, that God sent the surrounding nations to oppress them,
as a punishment for their disobedience ; and the Philistines, in par-

ESSAY IIT. 253

ticular, were for many years the oppressors of the Israelites, and
were not subdued till the reign of David.

I hope, my dear friend, that 1 have proved to your and every can-
did man's conviction, that we abhorred war, and thought it always
a curse, and never considered it a pastime or an employment worthy
of the generous and brave youths of Israel ; whereas you no doubt
know that, in the middle ages, Christians of every rank and age
studied war as a science, and practised it as a game for their daily
diversion ; and I suspect that the horrors of the tilt-yard occupy yet
their due share in the history of chivalry.

But you may say : " That the Jews kept at peace with their
neighbours from policy, from fear of consequences arising out of a
state of war ; that, however, towards individuals of the gentiles
they were illiberal, thinking themselves not bound to love them."
But if you will only examine the sacred books of the Mosaic law, I
do not doubt but that you will confess your error. We read in
Exodus, chap. xxii. v. 21 : " Thou shalt neither vex a stranger nor
oppress him ; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."

Ibidem, chap, xxiii. v. 9 : " And thou shalt not oppress the
stranger ; and you well know how a stranger feels, for you have
yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt."

In Leviticus, chap. xix. we find the following :

V. 33. " And if a stranger sojourn in your land with you, ye shall
not vex him" — (neither vex him with words, nor do him actual
wrong),

V. 34. " But the stranger who dwelleth with you shall be unto
you as one born amongst you, and thou shalt love him as thyself;
for you were strangers in the land of Egypt : I am the Eternal your
God." .

Here, then, my dear friend, you have a complete refutation of
your opinion, that the Mosaic law did not enjoin universal love. Now
do tell me, do you find any passage equally decisive with the fore-
going, in any of the gospels ? Can it now be said that the gospels
have any superiority over the five books of Moses in this respect ?
But I will not rest here, and will go a little further, and tell you,
that the Mosaic law looks even farther than your gospels in the pro-
tection of the oppressed part of mankind, namely the slave ; for it is
written, Deut. chap, xxiii. v. 15 and 16 : « Thou shalt not deliver

254 ESSAY III.

unto his master the servant who may escape unto thee from his
master. He shall dwell with thee in the midst of thee, in any place
which he may choose, in any one of thy gates, where it pleases him
best ; thou shalt not oppress him."

You may perhaps be disposed to confess that the Old Testament
does contain the doctrines which 1 have advanced ; but you will say
that the Jews did not understand them so — in fact, you have partly
said so already — ^you have asserted it, without proving it further
than by referring to the general history of the Jews. You know,
however, that it is very easy to make assertions ; but they cannot
stand unless supported by substantial proof. 1 will therefore first
deny your assertion, and then bring proof of the truth of what I ad-
vance.

We all know that the temple which Solomon built was finished in
the four hundred and eighty-seventh year after the promulgation of
the law on mount Sinai ; and of course we all must admit that the
opinion at that time prevailing, concerning the meaning of any part
of the law, must be considered as a pretty correct standard by which
to ascertain the meaning the Israelites attached to the law, which
was then, as it is now, our guide through life. It is a lamentable
fact, that the Old Testament, particularly the historical part, is but
little read by the Christians ; and therefore do we find men of learn-
ing, nay, preachers, having an inadequate acquaintance with the sa-
cred books of the Israelites. I will therefore transcribe a portion of
Solomon's prayer in the temple at its dedication, as contained in the
eighth chapter of the first book of Kings, v. 37~ 43.

" If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting,
mildew, locust, or if there be caterpillar ; if their enemy besiege
them in the land of their cities ; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sick-
ness there be ; what prayer and supplication soever be made by any
man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the
plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this
house : then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive,
and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart
thou knowest ; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all
the children of men ;) that they may fear thee all the days that they
live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

" Moreover, concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Is-

ESSAY III. 255

rael, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake, (for they
shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy
stretched-out arm,) when he shall come and pray toward this house :
hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that
the stranger calleth to thee for ; that all people of the earth may
know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel ; and that they
may know that this house which I have builded is called by thy
name." — (English version.)

I know very well that the last part would have been enough for
my purpose ; but I extracted the first one also, to show to those who
may not be so well acquainted with the Bible^ in what manner the
wisest of men prayed for the nations who do not belong to Israel :
he first prays that the Supreme Ruler may listen to the supplication
of the penitent Israelite ; and then, that when he who is no son of
Jacob comes to pray in the sincerity of his heart, because he has
heard of the glory of God, he also may be graciously received, and
have that granted unto him for which he has petitioned the throne
of grace.

We find, in the second book of Kings, that Elisha healed the
leper Naaman, though it is well known that the nation to which he
belonged was frequently at war with the Israelites ; thus we find
him assisting not alone a gentile, but even an enemy. What, then,
becomes of your assertion, that the Jews did not practise acts of
universal benevolence ? Let me advise you, my dear friend, to read
the books of the Old Testament well before you venture on such
dangerous ground again, as asserting things about us Jews which
you might not be able to sustain with incontestable proof when called
upon.

In support of your assertion concerning the beauty of the gospel,
you introduce a few verses from the sermon on the mount, in the
fifth chapter of Matthew. By so doing you have imposed upon me
an invidious task, that of attacking in some manner the Christian
religion, when I should have been very glad to have let the gospels
rest. But I am now called upon to defend the tenets of my faith,
and I dare not, therefore, shrink from the responsibility thus thrown
upon me, although this happens without my desiring it.

Let me premise, that the religion we profess is divided into three
parts ; first, duties towards God ; secondly, duties towards our fellow- /

256 ESSAY III.

men ; and lastly, duties towards ourselves. The duties towards God
require of us the belief in the Creator, confidence in his protection,
hope in his salvation, and the observance of those statutes which He
has made known to us as his law. I'he duties towards our fellow-
men consist in acts of charity and benevolence, and in abstaining
from injuring them in their persons, property, and honour. Duties
towards ourselves are : self-preservation and self-defence ; by which
I mean, that first, we ought not to depend upon others for our sup-
port, if we are ourselves capable of earning a living ; as it is beauti-
fully said in the Proverbs of the Fathers: " Sweet is the learning of
the law combined with labour, for to be engaged in both makes us
abstain from sin ;" and secondly, that we ought to be careful of pre-
serving our health, and therefore any unnecessary exposure of our-
selves is unlawful. Self-defence also demands of us to conduct ourselves
so that we shall not be exposed to the hatred and violence of others ;
but if in spite of all our endeavours, we are molested and violently
attacked, it is lawful to prevent our adversary from injuring us, (or
even others,) and if he attempts to kill us, it is even permitted to
slay him if we can prevent him in no other manner : in support of
this position I refer you to Exod. chap. xxii. v. 2.

Again, it is a settled point with us, that not one commandment, or
part of a commandment, of the Mosaic law, was ever repealed, or
can be repealed, except in the same manner as it was promulgated ;
that is, before the whole nation of Israel, in the same manner as the
law was given on Sinai. These preliminaries are a sine qua non,
without which no argument, however ingenious, can stand the test
of Jewish criticism. Let us now apply this rule to the chapter of
Matthew in question, to test its correctness. In the outset, he,
whom the Christians call the Messiah (Christ), says himself:
" Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets : 1
am not come to destroy, but to fulfil, &c. &;c." Here, my dear
Professor of Christianity, you have it from what you must think the
highest authority, that the gospels must, in every particular, conform
to the Mosaic writings, which, let me repeat, were given by the Author
of all for the government of Israel ; and as you believe in revelation,
you must acknowledge that these writings contain the best code of
laws that can be devised. Well, then, when Matthew says : " Swear
not at all," the Christian writers are puzzled how to explain it so as

ESSAY III. 257

to reconcile it to the Mosaic law, which permits oaths under certain
circumstances (" And by his name shalt thou swear") ; the learned
Doctor James Beattie, therefore, explains it, as if its meaning were
" any unnecessary oath," which, however, can hardly be the intent
of this passage. — What Matthew says in the same chapter from
verse 38 to 41, 1 am bold to assert, has not been fulfilled by fifty men
from all Christendom ever since Christianity was established ; and
if these doctrines were adopted as the general rule of society, every
wicked person could with impunity despoil his unoffending neigh-
bour ; and let me ask you, can this be the will of God 1 For what
purpose did He command the election of judges, if it were not to see
the innocent righted ? And have the Society of Friends,* who,
more than any other Christian sect, endeavour to obey the com-
mandments under consideration, ever acted up to the latter of them 1
In the forty-third verse of the same chapter Matthew says : " Ye
have heard it has been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate
thine enemy, &c." Now pardon me, my friend, when I beg of you
to tell me in what part of the Old Testament, or any other Jewish
writing, this sentiment is to be found ? Hate our enemies ? — Hea-
venly Father has it come to this, that thy children, who have suffer-
ed for ages persecutions without number for the SANCTIFICA-
TION OF THY HOLY NAME~who have been slaughtered
like the sheep that are dumb before their shearers, without murmur-
ing, without repining — shall thy children, O our Father above, be
accused of hating their enemies ? Do they not pray to Thee daily :
" To prepare the world for thy kingdom. Almighty God ! to cause
all flesh to call thy name, and to bring to Thee all sinners of the
earth — that all may receive the yoke of thy kingdom, and that Thou
mayest speedily reign over all for ever, for thine is the government,
and for ever and ever Thou wilt reign in glory 1" — Again, we are
commanded in Levit. chap. xix. v. 18, that we shall not avenge

* When this was written, I was not aware that the Professsor of Christianity
was a member of this sect, as I rather supposed him to be a baptist minister by
the name of Henry Keeling, who at that time edited a paper at Richmond,
called the " Religious Herald" : but I was only induced to mention the Friends,
as the Professor of Christianity had brought them forward to prove that the
gospel doctrine, " resist ye not evil," could be fulfilled ; it will, however, be seen,
that it can only bs in part, since the literal obedience to it is impossible.
33

258 ESSAY III.

ourselves, nor even, as we rabbinical Jews understand the word
•lIDn Thittore (translated in the English version "nor bear any
grudge") to tell those who have offended us : " Look here, though
you would not do me the favour I asked of you, yet will I not do
like you did to me, — here is what you asked for." — In Exod. chap,
xxiii. V. 4 — 5, we are positively enjoined to assist our enemy,
when we see him in need of our assistance. — In chap. xxiv. v. 17,
and chap. xxv. v. 21, of the Proverbs of Solomon, he tells us : " Re-
joice not when thy enemy falleth, and when he stumbleth let not
thy heart be glad ; lest the Eternal see it, and it displease Him, and
He turn his wrath from him." — " If thine enemy be hungry, give
him bread to eat ; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink, &c."
Thus we see clearly, that the Old Testament enjoins those exalted
doctrines, for which you give the gospel the sole credit.

But you will say, Christ lived in the time of the Scribes and
Pharisees, who did not act so ; who were hypocrites, and deviated
from the letter of the law ! Indeed ! but even here you would be
mistaken ; for we find the following in the Talmud : " A stranger
came to Shamai, and told him, " Rabbi, I wish to become a prose-
lyte ; but you must teach me the law while I can stand on one leg ;"
but Shamai turned him off, not thinking it possible to teach him the
law in so short a time. The stranger went next to Hillel, surnam-
ed the elder, and repeated the same request ; " My son," answered
the Rabbi, " what is disagreeable to thee do not to thy neighbour,
(or companion,) for thus it is written : ' Thou shalt love thy neigh-
bour like thyself ;' this is the principal commandment, and if thou ob-
servest this strictly, thou wilt easily observe the other precepts of the
law.' " — What the Talmud says concerning the punishment of him
who makes his antagonist ashamed in public is also found in the
Proverbs of the Fathers, where we read : " He who makes the face
of his neighbour turn pale in public though he has knowledge of
the law, and has otherwise acted well, will not share in the happi-
ness of the future life." What new doctrine then, I ask you again,
has the gospel taught to the Jews ? since the Old Testament con-
tains all the practicable moral doctrines, and the Rabbins (Scribes
and Pharisees) of the time of the reputed Christ, did invariably
preach in the temple and the synagogues doctrines conformable to
their text-book, the twenty -four books of the Jewish canon.

ESSAY III. 259

I have thus, I hope, made my assertion good, that our law is a
perfect model of a moral, religious, and civil code, that there is no-
thing too much, and nothing too little in it ; and in fact, if any man
will but examine the wonderful effect it has had of keeping a dis-
persed nation united, in every sense of the word, he must acknow-
ledge : " That no nation, though ever so great, has such just statutes
and commandments as those which the Eternal our God has given
to us."

You, my friend, call upon me to do the Christians that justice
which I demand at their hands ; I am willing to concede all that
Christians deserve, and I have already acknowledged, and shall
always do so, that I have been very kindly treated by them, and shall
always, till my dying hour, remember the benefits conferred on me
by some of them.- — But while I do this, I must repeat and re-assert,
that the prejudice existing against us is highly unjust, and even con-
demned by that law which you as Christians are bound to respect.
This was the reason why I undertook, in the first instance, the de-
fence of our people from the vile and insidious attacks of the Quar-
terly Review ; and the same reason impels me now to answer you,
though even here I am very willing to admit the difference which
exists between your mode of warfare and that of the above men-
tioned magazine. — Pardon me one more remark before 1 dismiss you
altogether. Do you know that what you profess about universal
salvation is no Christian doctrine 1 Do you know that it was first
taught, and 1 may say, taught only, by the Jewish Rabbins ? — And
do you know that if you believe in the gospels, you must renounce
this doctrine as not orthodox ? How this may be I leave you to
settle with the Christian divines ; but 1 must enter my protest against
what you say about the voice of conscience ; for revelation was given
to assist us informing a correct course of life, and if conscience
could of itself effect this, to what purpose was the law then given ?
— But our opinion is, that our law was given as the standard, to
which all nations were ultimately to resort as to a rallying point,
till which time every man, who is no Israelite, was to be saved, if
he acted according to the light given him, and only observed the
precepts of general revelation given to Noah, which are to be found
in the ninth chapter of Genesis ; and it was therefore the practice of
the Jews, whenever they conquered, to make the subdued nation

260 ESSAY III.

conform to the " seven commandments of the children of Noah," as
they are called in the Talmud. — Each son of Israel, on the contrary*
is bound to observe all that lies in his power to do, as otherwise he
will be punished for good deeds omitted and sins committed.

It would be a great satisfaction to me to be assured that I had
effectually removed the ill-will so many feel towards us — that 1 had
contributed a little to make the Israelites more respected in this coun-
try, and especially in this city. Let me, however, at the same time
call upon my brethren, those who with me believe in the same im-
mortal, unchangeable God ; who with me are bound by the same
faith ; who with me live in the land of the stranger — far, far from
the sweet hills of Israel — far, far from the sacred banks of the Jor-
dan— far, far from the holy Jerusalem, the city where God's glory
used to dwell ; who with me hope to reach a glorious immortality,
when God will open the graves of his people, as promised by Ezekiel ;
— let me call upon them to arouse from their lethargy, to break the
chains of listlessness, by which they are bound. Let them draw
the bond of union closer — let each man forget the injuries done by
his neighbour — and then show the world what Israel can be even in
captivity. Let them show their attachment to that beautiful religion
which has ever been the admiration of the world, and prove them-
selves, by conforming strictly to the spirit and letter of the divine
law, worthy of that glorious futurity, for which they are destined by
the God of nature, by the ever kind Father of Israel !

In conclusion, I think it necessary to make an apology, why I, a
young man, who have hardly reached the age of manhood — who,
moreover, am a foreigner, should step forward to do that which
older and wiser men than myself have omitted to do. But I hope
that my justification is contained in the following from the thirty-
second chapter of Job, which, with little alteration, is well applica-
ble to the present case :

" And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said,
I am young and ye are very old ; wherefore I was afraid, and durst
not show you my opinion. I said. Days shall speak, and multitude
of days should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man : and the
inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. Great men
are not always wise ; neither do the aged understand judgment.
Therefore I said. Hearken unto me ; I will also show mine opinion.

ESSAY III. 261

Behold, I awaited for your words ; I gave ear to your reasons,
while ye searched out what to say. Yea, I attended unto you ; and
behold, there was none of you that convinced Job, or that answered
his words : lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom : God
thrusteth him down, not man. Now he has not directed his words
against me ; neither will I answer him with your speeches. They
were amazed ; they answered no more ; they left off speaking.
When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still and answered
no more ;) I said, T will answer also my part ; I also will show my
opinion. For I am full of matter ; the spirit within me constraineth
me."

Like Elihu 1 have considered it my duty to speak, because older
men did not speak ; and I was thus in a manner compelled to assume
the fearful responsibility of accepting the challenge, which others
neglected to do. I have, like the holy writer, endeavoured to abuse
no man, nor to flatter any one ; but have given, as far as 1 believe,
things their proper names, without intending to give offence to any
one ; I have tried —

" Nothing to extenuate, nor set down ought in malice."

How far I have succeeded I leave others to judge ; and I only beg of
all to listen to my defence with patience, and to read my remarks to
the end. I dare not hope that which I have written will stand the
test of severe criticism ; but I request that every fault may be as-
cribed to the head, but not the heart of

A Native of Germany.

Richmond, Fa.,

Sunday morning, January 25th, 1829.

262

ESSAY ly.

TO " A NATIVE OF GEEMANY."

There would have been less occasion to offer myself again to your
notice, if the language I used in my late very imperfect essay had
not been misconceived. The limits I had prescribed myself did not
allow me sufficient room to express my meaning with all the clear-
ness 1 could have desired ; and 1 am therefore under the necessity
of explaining my views more fully. Before I do this, however, per-
mit me, my dear friend, (and I reciprocate the term with the utmost
cordiality,) to express the gratification I feel that you were so well
pleased with the spirit of my remarks. In return, I beg leave to
offer my acknowledgments for the courtesy and kindness you have
shown in replying to me. I am happy in having so generous and
temperate an opponent. Indeed it was the presence of those esti-
mable qualities in your vindication of the Jews from opprobrious and
unmanly attacks, and not any predilection for controversy, that
made me consent to claim your attention at all. I wish you every
success in your attempts to allay the prejudice that exists against
your nation ; and I trust your appeal to the liberality of an enlight-
ened people will not be in vain, so far, at least, as it may be enforced
by the virtue and integrity of your lives. To this test I doubt not
you will be perfectly willing to submit yourselves.

In the application I intended to make of the passage from Mat-
thew, chap V. V. 43, " Ye have heard it said, thou shalt love thy
neighbour and hate thine enemy," you have entirely misapprehended
my object ; and I am the more grieved at it, as you have manifested
so much generous sensibility on the occasion. 1 cheerfully acknow-
ledge that, if war is admissible, the provisions of your law tended very
much to mitigate its rigours, considering the principles on which it
was waged by cotemporary nations. When I quoted the precept —
" But I say unto you, love your enemies," 1 did it for the purpose of
showing, that not only war and every species of violence, but every
thing like hatred, is opposed to the benign spirit of the gospel. To

ESSAY IV. 263

say the least, you cannot deny that war was tolerated under certain
circumstances by the Mosaic law — indeed, you have defended it to
a particular extent. But the gospel injunction, if 1 understand it,
strikes at the very root of all discord and dissention, by inculcating
brotherly love and peace ; for if the passions and feelings which lead
to strife are subdued, all contention must cease to exist (a). And
in this view, the injunction is in perfect harmony with the angelic
anthem chanted on the birth of Christ : " Glory to God in the highest,
on earth peace, good will towards men." In these few words
the character and object of his mission are beautifully declared ; and
the whole course of his ministry, the whole tenor of his spotless life,
go conclusively to show that it was for the attainment of this end
that he laboured and that he died. Our religion in its purity is
emphatically a religion of charity and peace. This feature so strik-
ingly pervades the whole series of the writings of the New Testa-
ment, that I believe (b) nothing can be found in them which will
bear an opposite construction, when taken in connection with the
whole. " My kingdom is not of this world ; if my kingdom were of
this world, then would my servants fight." John xviii. 36. This
language was uttered at a time when Christians must all believe
that it was in the power of Jesus to call down assistance even from
heaven, to (c) protect himself from the violence of man. We can ima-
gine no situation when the desire to avail ourselves of relief can be
greater, than when we are in the act of being dragged to a cruel
and ignominious death. And the apostle James asks, " Whence
came wars and fightings among you ? Come they not hence, even
from the lusts that war in your members?" iv. 1. Now, my dear
friend, though you say the Mosaic law is a superstructure of perfect
symmetry, in which there is not the least disproportion, " nothing
too much, and nothing too little," — you must either prove the advan-
tages of a state of war, however modified, in favour of the happiness
of mankind, (d) over the contrary state of peace and good will, to
enable you to establish the superiority of that law, — or you must
acknowledge its inferiority to the gospel. And I will endeavour to
deprive you, from your own showing, of any argument you might
advance in support of a justifiable resort to war. You say that the
Jews considered peace as the greatest blessing, and that this doc-
trine was taught by the Mosaic law, inasmuch as God promised

264 ESSAY IV.

peace as a reward for their obedience to the divine will. You more-
over state that, whenever the Jews were doing the will of heaven,
they lived in perfect security ; but when they were disobedient, God
sent the surrounding nations to oppress them. Now, if peace is a
blessing, and obedience to the divine will is a sure means of meriting
and enjoying tranquillity, my position is established, that war is not
only no part of the divine economy in the government of mankind,
but that it is in every aspect offensive in the sight of heaven. Is it
not, moreover, a rational conclusion, that when the children of Israel
had been guilty of a defection from the law of God, so as to call
down his displeasure upon them, he would, even if they had not re-
sisted the scourge sent to chastise them, have interposed his power-
ful arm in favour of his chosen people, as soon as their transgressions
had been atoned for by suffering or repentance ? (e)

1 am sensible, my friend, and I shall not affect to conceal it, that
you may retort with far more severity than you have indulged, and
demand, in a voice of thunder, if universal love be so strongly incul-
cated by the gospel, why do not its followers practise it ? It can
only be accounted for on the supposition that they had fallen short
of a complete and unreserved submission to the will of God. And
wherever this disobedience exists, in every age and nation, the result
is invariably the same, namely, aggression, insult, and injury, and a
consequent substraction from the sum of human enjoyment- Jews
and Christians have alike been guilty of a departure from the spirit
of the religion they have respectively professed ; and if a comparison
were instituted, it would be found that there is hardly any thing in
the Jewish wars, down to the destruction of the holy city, to which
a parallel might not be furnished in the butcheries which have been
practised at various times by the nations of Christendom. If Christ
had commanded his followers to hate, not only their enemies, (for
that, comparatively speaking, w^ould have been mercy, if they had
proceeded no farther,) but all mankind, and one another, they could
scarcely in some instances have resigned themselves more complete-
ly to his will. Not only can the golden regions of Mexico and Peru
attest the tender mercies of Christian warfare, but history records
many a bloody conflict waged by one Christian power against
another, in the holy cause of religion ; and individuals have been
subjected to martyrdom, and communities to massacre, for the

ESSAY IV. 265

ostensible purpose of promoting the glory of the God of love ! Indeed,
a faithful ecclesiastical history would, 1 fear, embrace one half the
crimes and enormities of Christendom. But though this may be an
awful truth, still it does not impair the intrinsic excellence of the
gospel, any more than the iniquities of the Jews detracted from the
purity of the law of Moses. No abuse of any blessing can consti-
tute a valid objection against the use for which it was designed, (jf)

But you may say all this is a Eutopian scheme, incapable of being
realised. In reply, my friend, 1 would again refer you to the pages
of history, where, in " words that burn," you may discover that it
has been triumphantly reduced to practice, under the auspices of
the wise and benevolent Penn, who has been eulogised by the philo-
sophic Jefferson as one of the greatest lawgivers of any age. One
clear (g) and incontestable fact cannot be overturned by all the wit
and ingenuity of man.

After this exposition of the peaceful character of the gospel, it
may not be necessary for me to notice particularly your evidence to
show that the oppressed part of mankind, namely, the slave, was
more humanely provided for by the Mosaic law. If I have succeed-
ed in convincing you that violence and injustice form no part of the
gospel, it must follow that slavery, which is one of the most odious
species of violence, inasmuch as its effect is to bind the free spirit of
man, which should be left as uncontrolled in the exercise of its legi-
timate powers as the air we breathe, is at war with the whole genius
of the gospel. If, after all, however, and contrary to my most san-
guine expectations, it can be established that war and slavery are
not incompatible with genuine Christianity, i should then enter upon
a vindication of its excellence with extreme diffidence.

In enumerating the duties which the Mosaic law imposes, you di-
vide them into three classes, namely, our duties to God, to our fel-
low-men, and to ourselves. That the gospel imposes solemn duties
of the same character, cannot, I presume, be denied by its most in-
veterate enemies. Now, admitting the Jewish religion to be founded
on the power of God, which I firmly believe, (though adapted in
some of its details to the particular state of the children of Israel,) I
may reasonably ask you to make the same concession in regard to
our religion, in so far as it enjoins the same duties with yours. The
same truths cannot be derived from sources contradictory in their
34

266 ESSAY IV.

nature. If any great moral duty is founded on the power of God in
one instance, it must be equally so wherever it is known and ac-
knowledged. If this concession is granted, I presume you will not
withhold your assent to the following propositions: 1. That the
object of true religion is to reform the heart, and cleanse it from all
impurity. 2. That consequently no religion of which this is not the
legitimate effect can be of any value. If, therefore, this be, in any
degree, the effect of Christianity, which I have feebly endeavoured to
show, just so far is it entitled to respect, and no farther. (A) It is
far from my intention, however, to be understood as confining the
exercise of these redeeming virtues to those who profess the Christian
name.

In every important discussion, it is proper that a definite meaning
should be attached to particular terms. This is the more indispens-
able on the present occasion, as you seem to have taken a very
limited view of the gosjyel. The New Testament is not the gospel
of Christ, but a written testimony in support of it. " The gospel is
the power of God unto salvation.''^ Romans i. 16. Wherever, there-
fore, the power of God is manifested to salvation, there is the gospel
known. The apostle Paul says, moreover, that " it is preached to
every creature under heaven." Col. i. 2, 3. It follows of course
that the law of Christ cannot be any external written law ; and
though many of my fellow-professors believe it to be essentially
such, yet there is no evidence in the New Testament at all conclu-
sive in support of such an opinion. We are never referred to it as
containing in itself any redeeming power ; but Christ and his apos-
tles unceasingly directed the attention of the people to the spiritual-
ity of religion. " And I will pray the Father, and he will give you
another comforter, and he shall ahide with you for ever, even the
spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him ; but you know him, because he
dwelleth with you and shall be in you." John xiv. 16, 17. (i) This
spirit of truth was to teach his followers all things, v. 26. " For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness ;
because that which is to be known of God is manifest in them, for
God hath shown it unto them." Rom. i. 18, 19. And the same
apostle goes on to say in the same epistle : " The word is nigh thee,

ESSAY IV. 267

even in thy mouth, and in thy heart ; that is, the word of faith which
we preach." x. 8. " The grace of God that brings salvation has
appeared to all men, teaching us that by denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world," &;c. Titus, ii. 11, 12. " We have also a more sure
word of prophecy (than the outward knowledge of Christ) ; where-
unto ye do well to take heed, as to a light that shineth in a dark
place." 2 Peter, i. 19. These are a very few of the passages that
might be cited from the New Testament to prove the entire spirit-
uality of the gospel. And this gospel-state is so clearly foretold by
the sacred writers, that it will be unnecessary for me to refer to
more than one or two passages in the Old Testament in evidence of
it. "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel : after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in
their hearts, and write it in their inward parts ; and they shall teach
no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, say-
ing, Know the Lord ; for they shall all know me from the least of
them to the greatest of them." Jer. xxxi. 33 — 34. " And it shall
come to pass afterwards, that 1 will pour out my spirit on all flesh."
Joel ii. 28. And Moses expressly speaks of this same spiritual guide
and teacher, when in his last and solemn advice to the children of
Israel he says : " This commandment, which I command thee this
day, is not hidden from thee ; neither is it far off: but the word is
nigh thee, (k) in thy heart, and in thy mouth, that thou mayst do it."
Deut. XXX. 11 — 14. These passages are also referred to by the
apostles, in proof of the religion of Jesus Christ. It is in this com-
prehensive law, that the beauty, the simplicity, and the efficacy of
the Christian religion consist. It is this word of God " which is
quick and powerful, even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,"
that may be said to be the flaming sword which guards the entrance
into the paradise of God, through which none can pass without
having every thing slain that is opposed to the divine nature.

Such a religion. as this cannot be extended nor limited by the no-
tions or opinions of mankind, concerning outward or temporal cir-
cumstances. This view is predicated on the fact, which is alike
obvious both to Jew and gentile, that goodness or righteousness is
the same thing in all ; and is the effect of a power which proceeds
from the same universal and blessed fountain, and produces the same

268 ESSAY IV.

fruits in every individual of the human family who submits himself
to its influence. Doubtless it was by this efficient power that Abel
offered an acceptable sacrifice ; that Enoch walked with God ; that
Noah preached and practised righteousness ; with all the other illus-
trious examples which are recorded in the Old and New Testaments.
The histories of nations or individuals are religiously available to
the rest of mankind, only because of the developement of the princi-
ples by which they were actuated in what they did : and it would be
as rational to deny, that the principle of honesty or piety would
make men honest or pious in the present day, (and without distinc-
tion as to nation or profession,) as that the sun shines with the same
light, and produces the same effects upon the earth and all its inha-
bitants now that it did five thousand years ago. Permit me, my
friend, to call your attention to the universality ascribed to this
power in Isaiah, chap. xlix. v. 6. " It is a light thing that thou
shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to re-
store the preserved of Israel : I will also give thee for a light to the
gentiles, that thou mayst be my salvation to the ends of the earth."
I believe it is a pretty generally received opinion, both with Jews
and Christians, that those passages which relate to God's saving
power, both in the Old and New Testaments, should be interpreted
as referring to a person. It is true that it is personified ; but so is
wisdom, so is death, and so is Jerusalem, and many other things
that all men know are not persons. The words of the prophet,
therefore, as I conceive, are only truly and adequately interpreted,
when applied to the universal power and wisdom of God, (Z) which
indeed did raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the preserved
of Israel ; and has been, is now, and always will be, the only sav-
ing power to the end of the earth. No matter in what person, or in
what period of time it may be manifested, whether in Enoch, or
Joseph, or Daniel, or Paul, or Peter ; or in the supremely holy and
blessed Jesus; it is still the "only thing under heaven, given
among men, by which we can be saved." It is the " fountain of
living waters" streaming through all generations, applied to all con-
ditions, and perpetually performing the same glorious work of
cleansing the defilements of the human mind ; and producing a change
in all its propensities and faculties : so that in the beautiful, figurative
language of the prophet, " the wilderness" of human ijature is

ESSAY IV. 269

changed into an " Eden," and the " desert" of human thought and
affection " into the garden of the Lord," where "joy and good-
ness" spring up in the place of " weeping and waihng ;" and " thanks-
giving and the voice of melody" supplant the doleful Chorazins of
" mourning and lamentation." As this great and momentous change
is accomplished, the prophecies are found to be actually fulfilled in
the experience of every individual who submits to the divine govern-
ment. The mind is then no longer under the necessity of looking
outward, or backward, or to futurity, for the coming or appearance
of God's Messiah ; but he is found to be present to rebuke all fierce-
ness and contention : and by the introduction of peace and love, to
cause them to " beat their swords into ploughshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks." For every impure, dishonest, proud, or
revengeful temper becomes the object of his judgment ; and as the
creature submits to his blessed operation, he changes these dis-
positions into concord and harmony ; so that those which were as
ravenous as the " wolf, the leopard, and the young lion," become as
innocent " as the lamb, the kid, or the fatKng, and so gentle that a
little child can lead them." And I appeal to the experience of all,
if we have not witnessed the presence of this holy and heavenly
being, conversing in secret, by means of thought and affection, with
the heart ; and producing all the righteousness we ever knew, and all
the happiness we ever felt. In the operations of this living reality
does the Christian religion consist, according to my belief, and not
in the dogmas of men, nor in their conjectures concerning external
historical events. He who becomes a subject of the government of
the spiritual Messiah, is introduced by him into holiness and purity,
whether he call him by one name or another. For it is the thing
that produces the effect ; and not the name by which it is called.
All the prophetic declarations of the reign of the Messiah, are pre-
dicated upon such a change in the human mind, as is above referred
to ; for it is impossible, in the nature of things, that righteousness
should cover the earth as the waters do the sea, by any other
means than the suppression of all unrighteousness. But the power
which is alone able to perform these miracles of love and goodness,
must be omnipresent ; and, therefore, as Moses testified, it is not far
from us : " it is very nigh thee, in thy heart and in thy mouth, that
Ihou mayst do it." (m)

270 ESSAY IV.

In conclusion, my friend, though these are my views, I always
hope to be able to extend to others who see through a different me-
dium, that charity which I am well aware I shall need on account
of my own imperfections. You say you are determined never to
change your faith. It is far from my desire to make proselytes,
for the name is perhaps no essential part of Christianity. It is by
" doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly ;" doing to others
as we would they should do us ; loving God above all things, and our
neighbour as ourselves ; that we fulfil the end for which we were
created, at least during our present state of existence : and whoever
does this I hope to regard him as a brother, let his name be what it
may. A Professok of Christianity.

NOTES BY I. L.

Although it was my first intention to let my friend have the last
word, yet upon re-perusing his production, I think it necessary to com-
ment on several passages, where I believe he has fallen into uninten-
tional errors, which are owing altogether to his not having been
taught to view things with the eye of an Israelite, or, in other words,
that he, like most Christians, has thought proper to spiritualise the
Scriptures, and to invest prophecies with meanings which are not
warranted by a literal interpretation of them.

(a) — " All contention must cease to exist." This is no doubt true,
for the absence of evil inclination is of itself a sufficient guarantee,
that its fruit — evil deeds — will not exist : but the precepts of the
Mosaic law, " if I understand them right," forbid hatred altogether,
for we read in chap. xix. v. 17 of Leviticus : " Thou shalt not hate
thy brother in thy heart 5" and it follows from this, that, if hatred and
manevolence are banished, strife and war cannot take place, especial-
ly as we are forbidden to take vengeance upon one another. But it
is not the observance^ but the infraction of the holy law, which is
the cause of national war and civil strife j of course then the gospel
cannot claim any superiority over our Pentateuch in this respect, as
the latter is altogether calculated, even more so than the former, to
eradicate the cause of war, as the resistance to evil through legal
means is permitted by the Pentateuch, but forbidden by the gospels,
if taken literally ; and if wc once commence spiritualising any pre-

ESSAY IV. 271

cept, so as to remove its harsh and unpalatable features, it requires
but the ingenuity of an ordinary lawyer to make its operations entire-
ly ineffectual. — And if the Professor of Christianity had carefully
compared our law with the gospels, I am confident he would not have
fallen into the error which I felt constrained to expose.

(b) — " Nothing can be found in them, which," &c. I am sorry that
I cannot even permit this to pass unnoticed, for the gospels contain at
least two passages which do not even allow us to harbour a thought
that Christianity could bring peace, much less to view it as the chief re-
quisite of a Christian. — Matthew x. 34 : " Think not that I am come
to send peace on earth ; I came not to send peace, but a sword." —
The Notzry next states, that " a man's foes shall be of his own house-
hold ;" which prophecy, strange to tell, is the only one in the New
Testament which has been literally fuMled. (See also Luke xii. 51.)
And I must maintain, that these two passages, supposing even the
Notzry to have been a prophet, prove clearly, that the gospels sanc-
tion a state of war, as they predict that such shall be the consequence
of the prevalence of Christianity.

(c) — " Assistance even from Heaven to protect himself," &c. If
it is true that the so called Christ was to die, it is impossible that any
assistance from Heaven could have been granted him, for in that case
God would have used means to defeat his own immutable will, which
is evidently an absurdity. — Besides Peter did fight, for he cut off the
ear of one of the high-priest's servants 5 and it appears, that in spite
of the Notzry's prohibition, his chief servant, upon whom he said he
would build his church, did resort to violence, of course he did not
understand the sermon on the mount to prohibit war, or else he would
have acted contrary to laAv, and what is the same, have been a man
of violence and a sinner.

{d) — " Over the contrary state of peace," &c. I must remind my
friend that I explicitly stated that war is a curse, and a curse of such
magnitude even, that every other expedient of redress should be ex-
hausted, before it ought to be resorted to. On the other side, how-
ever, there are evils greater even than direful war, which must be
resisted at every hazard. Passive obedience and submission to usurped
authority would, as the world is now constituted, open the door ta
every outrage, and every act of aggression, villany can conceive j
whereas the consciousness that violence will be met by violence, de-
ters despots frequently from injuring surrounding nations, just as the
dread of punishment by the hand of justice compels the wicked man
to refrain from his meditated burglary or murder. War, therefore^

S72 ESSAY IV.

and violence can only then cease, when the state of the world is dif-
ferent from what it is now. That the knowledge of the gospels cannot
have the effect of producing this altered state of society, it is impos-
sible to deny, though I am ready to confess that certain men profess-
ing Christianity have lived peaceably, even to such a degree as not to
resist actual aggression. But as the Hebrew religion is, in fact, what-
ever our opponents may say to the contrary notwithstanding, a religion
of love and mercy, its universal acknowledgment will eradicate all
motives of violence and aggression, since the world will be enlighten-
ed in the knowledge of the Eternal to such a degree, that peace will
be preferred by all mankind, and it therefore will abolish the possibility
even of war, and this we are taught by our prophets. (Isaiah, chap,
ii. V. 4.) Till, however, this universal knowledge reigns, violence, as
has been said, must and may lawfully be resorted to, to ward off evils
of great magnitude, which admit of no other remedy. Amputation
of a limb is an evil, and would never be performed when it is in a
healthy state ; but if the limb be fractured, lacerated, or otherwise
wounded, so as to endanger the life of the patient, amputation be-
comes necessary, and it is resorted to, to ward off the greater evil —
death. Just so it is in the present state of the world. War is abhor-
rent to the benign principles of the divine religion revealed unto our
ancestors when they had been redeemed from slavery ; violence is pro-
hibited ; injustice of every kind is interdicted ; and peace, internal and
external, is held up to our view as the greatest blessing the Supreme
Ruler can bestow on the children of his creation. But should we be
molested, our country invaded, our liberties attacked, our children
slaughtered, or our sanctuary polluted, then it becomes our duty to
rise in our manhood, to step forward, and do battle for " our people
and the cities of our God," and we deserve to be branded with the
epithets of cowards, slothful, and irreligious men, if we would fold
our arms over our bosom, and say : " We dare not defend our lives,
our honour, and our religion." Indeed, I must repeat, war is a curse,
but there are greater curses than it, and to protect us against them,
war is permitted and even commanded.

(e) — " Had been atoned for by suffering or repentance ?" If my
friend means to assert in this sentence, the conclusion of which I have
quoted, that no war can be, emphatically speaking, a holy war ; but
that even defensive war is hateful in the sight of Heaven : I am
obliged to dissent from him, for our Holy Bible and even every day's
experience prove, that never was a righteous people defeated, when
their cause was righteous. The Philistines were enraged, that

ESSAY IV. 273

the fugitive David had been elected king of Israel, and they came
with powerful armies to dispossess him of the government which he
had rightfully obtained : the Israelites met them in battle, and the
Philistines fell by the edge of the sword. — The Carthagenian Hanni-
bal presumed to follow the aggression of the Romans, and to carry-
war and desolation to the gates of their city : his quarrel was unjust,
and Carthage was humbled, its government abolished, and the walls
broken down by the Romans, whose annihilation had been meditat-
ed.— The Austrians wished to oppress Switzerland, and invaded it
with a powerful army, consisting of the flower of German chivalry :
but near Sempach they were met by the Swiss peasantry, who over-
threw them and drove them back in shame, and proved thus that the
righteous cause must be victorious. — And but lately, when the Britons
attempted to compel their colonies to pay obedience to laws unjustly
enacted : the colonists rose in arms, and, trusting in the God of battles,
overcame the bravest armies which England ever sent from her shores,
and the liberty and independence of these United States were achiev-
ed.— There are many other examples which history affords, but it is
perfectly useless to prove the matter any further. — It will thus be seen,
that all wars are not abhorrent to God ; and of course we must admit,
that they are a part of the economy of God, and are a scourge which
He wields to punish the aggressor and the ambitious conqueror, while
they at the same time promote the enlargement of the oppressed, and
secure the liberties of an upright people. — But if my friend means to
say, that war shall one day cease, and that no more injury shall in
those days be done from man to man, I am compelled to agree with
him, for this is what the prophets predict, and this is the mark by
which we are to distinguish the time of the true Messiah. — To the
question of my friend : " If God was not able to save the Israelites
without war 1" I must answer in the affirmative j but I do not know
what advantage can be gained from this my concession. Suppose
God had saved them without war, we should then have found it so
recorded ; but^ if we read the book of Judges, we shall discover that
God absolutely commanded Gideon and Barak to go to war; of course
we must conclude, that although He could have saved them without
war, yet He preferred to save them through their own agency ; for as
our wise men teach us, God will always employ some natural means,
though the result eff'ected is frequently entirely disproportionate to the
end accomplished. For instance Gideon's battle ; he had but three
hundred men, and he was enabled with this handful to overcome a
mighty and well appointed army. — Moses was commanded to stretch
his staff over the Red Sea; the waters were divided as an effect of
35

274 ESSAY IV.

Moses's doing as he was ordered, and yet the effect bears no propor-
tion to the apparent cause. And the like will be found throughout
the Bible ; and it follows, therefore, that as war is in certain respects
" a part of the divine economy in the government of the world," as
it is now constituted, the New Testament cannot claim any supe-
riority over the Mosaic law ; since to say that we shall not repel an
invading foe is evidently contrary to revelation, and if the New Tes-
tament indeed contains the doctrine contended for by the Society of
Friends, it speaks contrary to the divine law, and cannot be true, be-
cause no two disagreeing precepts can proceed from the Source of
everlasting wisdom and all-seeing Providence.

(/) — " Can constitute a valid objection," &c. I cheerfully subscribe
to this proposition ; but whilst my friend claims this indulgence for
his creed, I claim with even more justice the same for the religion,
which it is my happiness to profess. And if it even can be proved
that the Israelites carried on unjust wars, I hope that no candid man
will charge our law as the cause of this abomination, seeing that its
spirit, and even its letter, are so diametrically opposed to all violence
and oppression, as has been amply demonstrated.

{g) — " Cannot be overturned by all the wit and ingenuity of man."
My friend seems here to have grown a little warm, and he seems to
have supposed, that I had endeavoured to " turn the laugh" against
his society in my last essay. But this was not my intention ; I lay no
claim to wit, or a large share of ingenuity ; — ^my arguments are all
drawn from Scripture, the only fair and legitimate source of argument
in religious matters. I will repeat the confession, that Mr. William
Penn may have been, for aught I know, the greatest legislator next to
Moses ; but this does not invalidate my assertion, that neither he nor
any body else ever observed the gospel strictly ; and if they, I mean
Penn and his followers, actually did so, they are clearly to blame ; for
it is one thing to abstain from injuring others, and another thing to •
submit silently to the injustice of good or wicked men, if we have
lawful means of redress within our power. Besides the example of
Penn does not prove that the spirit of the gospel is the spirit of peace,
since the self-styled holy inquisition, and the good people of New
England, could demonstrate with equal clearness, that they were
commanded to torture Jews, hang Gtuakers, and burn old and infirm
women, and this by the benign gospel of their Christ, with which the
Society of Friends prove that it is absolutely necessary not to resist
evil. Add to this, that the prophets do not speak of peace among one
.vecZonly, but through all the earth: and it will be seen, that the New
Testament and the state of Christians, either individual or collective,

ESSAY IV. 275

cannot be considered as a fulfilment of the Holy Writ contained in
the Jewish canon. And where then, I ask, can be the superiority of
the gospels over the Pentateuch?

(h) — " And no farther." In this paragraph my friend and myself
are perfectly agreed, and as far as Christianity is founded upon the
books proceeding from the revealed power of God it is useful, for it is
the duties enjoined in these books, which purify the heart, and if
obeyed will make our condition in life useful to all the world, (for
every man is able to do something for the good of society,) and render
us fit to be children of immortality ; but as soon as it exceeds this
limit even by one iota, it is no longer entitled to respect much less
obedience ; for no truth can exist beyond the words of revelation,
which revelation is contained solely in the Old Testament, as can be
clearly proven.

(i) — " This spirit of truth was to teach," &c. My friend says, that
I have taken a too limited view of the gospel ; I shall debate this
position, although I might shield myself behind the general accepta-
tion of the word : my object only is to correct a very important error
of my friend in his position, which he has founded upon passages from
the New Testament. If I would, I could demand of him, before I
should even permit myself to debate its doctrines, to prove its histori-
cal accuracy ; but I need not be so very dignified, and I am even
content to do him battle upon his own terms. The spirit, or rather
Holy Ghost, so says John, was " to teach his followers all things^
This is said by John, but I say, that this has never happened; for if
the spirit were diffused over the followers of the Notzry, the conse-
quence would be that they would all think alike in matters of religion
at least: instead of which even the apostles disagreed; for upon refer-
ring to Paul's Epistle to the Galatians it will be discovered in chap,
ii. V. 11: "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to
the face, because he was to be blamed." Thus we see, that Peter and
Paul differed in matters of faith ; and could this be the effect of the
inward revelation, the working of the inward spirit, which deceiveth
not ? And at the present day, one person is impelled by the inward
spirit of grace to become a methodist, another a baptist, a third a Roman
catholic, a fourth something else, in short, every sect of Christians
thinks itself exclusively right, and as far as I was ever able to decide,
they all can find some warrant for their opinions in the New Testa-
ment ; and if we then suppose that the true gospel is not the written
gospel, id est : the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but an
inward infusion of the (Christian) Holy Ghost, it appears that the
revelation of this spirit is not the same to every body, and I might with

276 ESSAY IV.

equal justice believe myself inspired, as Matthew and Mark have
done. From all which it appears : that the inward revelation pro-
duced by the Christian gospel is the parent of discord, and cannot
therefore be the revelation from the Most High, for He ordered his
prophet to say : " And all thy children shall be taught by the Eter-
nal, and much peace shall be to thy children," which means, that
when the time of the Messiah shall come, all the Israelites shall be
taught by inward inspiration, and this then will cause all dissension
to cease because all shall know what is right. Now I do not believe,
that any man can be hardy enough to assert that this is the case with
the followers of the Christ of the Christians, for they disagree about
the interpretation of almost every passage in the New Testament.

{k) — " But the word is nigh unto thee," &c. My friend adduces
two passages from the Old Testament, and he mistakes the character
of both. The 31st chapter of Jeremiah refers to the revelation con-
tained in the Pentateuch, as can be easily proved ; and the passage
from the 30th of Deuteronomy, when taken in connection with what
precedes and follows, will also be found to refer to the Mosaic law ;
and Moses meant to say, that the Israelites could not complain of not
knowing the will and the word of God, for it had been but on that
very day taught to them by the legislator who spoke these words,
and it was therefore, so to say, within their mouth and heart. Besides,
it must be remembered, that Moses wrote the law in a book, and com-
manded the Levites to teach it to the Israelites, so as to put it in their
mouth; that is to say, that the Israelites were to be taught until the
law was so familiar to them that they might know it by heart, and
converse about it with ease. We believe, that the law will one day
be inscribed on the hearts of all mankind ; but we contend that this has
not yet come to pass. It matters not what may be advanced about the
beauty of the gospels, and about the language of the apostles : the fact
is otherwise, for it appears that at the time the inward revelation will
be general, evil will of itself cease to exist, and universal knowledge
and universal peace will go hand in hand over the face of the reno-
vated earth ; and in the language of the 85th psalm : " Mercy and
truth shall then meet together, and righteousness and peace shall kiss
each other, and truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness
shall look down from heaven." This is to be the effect of God's pour-
ing out his spirit over all flesh, which will take place at the time of
the true Messiah.

{l) — " Which, indeed, did raise up the tribes of Jacob," &c. I agree
with my friend in maintaining, that whoever acts righteously, whether
Jew, Brahmin, or Nazarene, is a child of eternal salvation, for this

ESSAY IV. 277

idea is founded upon the universal justice of God, although the gos-
pels, chiefly Mark in the conclusion of his last chapter, assert that
the faith in Christianity is necessary to ensure salvation, although a
man had observed every precept of the law ; ; and this is also the
opinion of Paul. But having agreed thus far with my friend, I must
dissent from him in the use he makes of the several passages of Scrip-
ture adduced by him : for he again spiritualises, which ought not to be
done, according to our mode of interpretation. — It is true, that we need
not look for any Messiah to teach us what to believe and do to become
righteous, for that has been taught us in the Mosaic law ; but never-
theless a Messiah is predicted, a Messiah is expected, and this Mes-
siah will come to fulfil the prophecies, and to restore the Israelites to
their land, and peace and harmony throughout the world.

(m) — " That thou mayst do it." This is the passage cited from
Deut. chap. xxx. ; but it relates, as has been shown, to the Mosaic
law — the law written down by the command of the God of nature — a
law existing uncorrupted and unequalled for three thousand years ; it
is this of which Moses and the prophets speak, and to this we are al-
ways commanded to direct our attention. It is indeed surprising,
how Christians are obliged to twist every passage in Scripture so as
to avoid the force of our arguments ; for it is impossible to reconcile
the gospel, written and unwritten, either to the letter or the obvious
spirit of the Bible, and the consequence is, that every now and then
we see a new sect coming into being, who interpret their new law
differently from any sect which went before them. This evident-
ly proves no superiority of the gospels over the Bible — this surely
does not establish that the kingdom of peace is prevalent on earth.
On the other hand, let the world look at us, who have been scattered
in every country of God's earth, and driven to slaughter in almost
every age, whose books have been burnt, whenever the adversary
could lay hold of them — let, I say, the world look at us, who are yet
united and one people, and then let them consider if the finger of the
Almighty God has not done this ; I must, therefore, now conclude this
volume with the words of the blessed lawgiver, the last words he
spoke to the people of Israel, whom he had loved so well and served
so faithfully :

" Happy art thou, O Israel : who is like unto thee, O people assist-
ed by the Lord, who is the shield of thy help, and who is the sword
of thy excellency ! and thy enemies shall cower down before thee,
but thou shalt tread upon their high places."

May everlasting life of blessedness be the portion of all mankind,
and may the Messiah soon be sent to redeem the captives of Israel.
Amen !

278

NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS.

As fully three years have elapsed since this work was announced,
the subscribers are notified, that, if they do not wish to take the
work, they will be entirely exonerated ; and those who are yet kind
enough to continue their subscription, are respectfully informed,
that the non-appearance of the book was owing to the want of en-
couragement held out, and although several subscriptions have been
received lately, particularly the very liberal one of Mr. Abraham
Hart, of the house of Carey & Hart of this city, the subscriptions
will not meet the expense of the publication. The work would certain-
ly not have been put to press with so little encouragement, if it had
not been announced ; and I did not wish it thought that I was afraid
of meeting a small pecuniary loss, where the object is a defence of
our religion. — To this want of encouragement it is also owing that
the number of copies printed is fully one fourth less than the edition
printed of the Instruction in the Mosaic Religion. I. L.

Correction. — In page 257, line 14, for latter read letter — in part of the edition.

Boston Public Library
Central Library, Copley Square

Division of
Reference and Research Services

The Date Due Card in the pocket indi-
cates the date on or before which this
book should be returned to the Library.

Please do not remove cards from this
pocket.