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By A Christian Lady.
(Continued
from issue #8)
We
are very tolerant towards Deists, and treat with respect such of the
Turks, Chinese, and Indians as may come amongst us; yet they have no
knowledge of the Saviour, and if they had, they would reject him. If
they did not partake of or connive at the crime of shedding his innocent
blood, they have at least sacrificed many a follower of Christ.
"Impute
it not as an indelible crime," said a Jew, "that a few
misguided men put an innocent man to death. If you examine our laws, you
will perceive that it was religiously enjoined on us to punish
transgressors with death, even when their crime was of a less heinous
nature than that which our people imputed to Jesus. The Lord whom we
worship considered it as a sufficient atonement if Aaron laid both his
hands upon a live goat, and confessed our sins upon him. This goat,
called by us the scape goat, was driven out into the wilderness
with the sins of the whole nation upon his head. We are confident that
our God did not make any amendment to the laws which he enacted for our
guidance: He foresaw all that was necessary to our well-being, and there
was no necessity for an alteration. He expressly says 'My laws shall
never change.'
"Could we
believe that when a goat was thought all-sufficient, even a living
goat, that God should afterwards require the blood of his only
son* to perform the same office of atonement? The Jews could not believe
it. God commanded us, likewise, to beware of worshipping any other god
than himself, the Great Eternal. When we were told that a man was
amongst us who claimed to be equal to God, and styled himself the King
of the Jews, as God had styled himself, we were bound to slay him. We
thought we were acting agreeably to God's word when we put Jesus to
death for impiety and blasphemy. If we were wrong, blame the severity of
our laws, and not us; murder not so many of our nation for that one
murder, if you will call it a murder; and above all things, remember
that the very Christ you worship strictly enjoins it upon you to forgive
your enemies, and not to return evil for evil. You treat us with great
severity, because we cannot embrace your faith; and yet see how many of
your sect, professing Christians, as they call themselves, no
more obey the injunctions of Jesus Christ than if they had never heard
his name. The Jews are not so blinded by ignorance as not to see, that
with the mass of Christians their religion is a mere pretence."
It is stated by
the disciples themselves, that the Jews considered it as blasphemy for
anyone to represent the Almighty, and assume all the attributes of God.
Even amongst those Jews who did acknowledge Christ to be the true God
and Redeemer, there were many who could not comprehend the mystery. Some
of the disciples themselves doubted, closely as they observed their master's
life and conversation. As the Jew observed above, why must all the Jews
come under the odium and punishment for not believing, when Christians
themselves doubted? At any rate, the whole body of Israelites should not
suffer for the crime of the few.
There
can be no doubt that the persecutions of the Jews by the Christians,
arose from the belief that it was acceptable in the eyes of God and
Christ. We have every reason to believe that those inexorable
Christians—defenders the faith—were sincere when they slaughtered
their fellow-beings in the name of the Saviour. Look at the Crusaders!
They made the name of the mild and peaceful Jesus the watchword for the
most barbarous deeds! The most bloody wars were in his name; he who,
when on earth, preached forbearance and forgiveness.
But
let not the Jews remember this with bitterness; nor, as of old, with a
smothered desire of vengeance; for, if they look into our history, they
will find that when there were no more Jews to persecute, the Christians
fell upon one another. When the Catholics arose in their strength, they
slaughtered the Protestants; and pursued them with as much rigour and
cruelty as they ever did the Jews; and when the Protestants were again
in power, they retaliated: all in the name of that blessed one who had
the tenderness of an infant for the whole human race.
With
the exception of the Rabbins, and a few learned doctors and scribes, the
Jews, in the time of our Saviour, were grossly ignorant and
superstitious. The religious dogmas and the laws were expounded by the
Rabbins and doctors, and a due observance of these religious and civil
laws was rigorously enjoined, and enforced. The common people had little
practical wisdom, and less knowledge; and, unlike their brethren of the
present day, were as excitable and as easily acted upon as the Irish are
of our own times. The voice of tumult spread like wildfire, and many of
them, like the common soldiers of our modern armies, entered into an
affray or fought in battle, without knowing the real grounds of the
quarrel for which they were to sacrifice their lives.
But,
ignorant as they were, they never lost sight of the prophecies in their
favour: it was the cloud by day and the fire by night throughout all
their misfortunes. The word of God was immutable; His promises never
failed; He could not change; and it was He who comforted them with an
assurance that they should ultimately return to Palestine, and rebuild
their temple, which was never again to be destroyed. Relying on this
promise, they journeyed on through miseries unparalleled, without
sympathy from Christian or infidel, but with that secret hope of
restoration which never left them, and which the greater part still
cling to as the imperishable word of their God.
Surely
the hand of God has led this people to and fro in all their wanderings, and has sustained them through all their
troubles and severe trials: otherwise there would not be a man left to
tell their story.
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