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At
London, On The Sabbath Nahamoo.
כה אמר יי
למשיחו כורש
אשר החדקתי
בימינו לרד
לפניו גוים
ומתני מלכים
אפתח לפתח
לפניו דלתים
ושערים לא
יסגרו: אני
לפניך אלך
והדרים אישר
דלתות נחושה
אשבר ובריחי
ברזל אגדע
"Thus with the Lord to his
anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden to subdue nations
before him: I will loose the loins of kings to open before him the
two-leaved gates; and the doors shall not be closed. I will go before
thee and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the
gates of brass, and rend asunder the bars of iron."—Isaiah, 65.
1, 2.
We
devoted the last Sabbath's discourse to the misfortunes of Israel, so
clearly predicted by the prophet Isaiah, which broke upon our fathers in
the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. The text we have selected
for this day is also from the book of the same prophet, who not only
foresaw the time when the Babylonish captivity would return, but wrote
down the very name of the Persian king who would conquer Babylon and
restore Israel, at least one hundred years before the monarch was born.
Had this prophecy, at the time it fell from the inspired messenger of
God, been made known to the Babylonians, they would unquestionably have
treated it as improbable, and would have regarded it with unbelief and
indifference. If ever there was a city that seemed to bid defiance to
any predictions of its fall, that city was Babylon. Well might it have
been called in those days impregnable, surrounded as it was by
walls above three hundred feet in height, eighty feet in breadth, and,
by the lowest computation, forty-eight miles in compass. It had a
hundred brazen gates, and immense embankments to restrain the Euphrates,
which ran through the midst of the city. It abounded also in every
resource for sustaining a long siege; it possessed many fertile fields,
and had within its walls provision for twenty years. The prophet bears
evidence to its great importance, and calls it "The pride of
kingdoms, the beauty and the excellency of the Chaldees." So
confident was she in her own strength that she is represented as saying,
"I shall be mistress for ever." "I am, and there is none
besides me. I shall never sit as a widow; I shall never know the loss of
my children." Yet from a nation so mighty, who would hold with an
iron grasp the people whom they had conquered and enslaved, God had
promised to deliver Israel, at the end of seventy years. It is in
reference to this promise, that Isaiah addresses to his brethren the
cheering words in the fortieth chapter of his book: "Comfort ye,
comfort ye, oh my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably unto
Jerusalem, and proclaim unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that
her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received from the hand of the Lord
double for all her sins." The chapter from which I now quote is
read to-day as a Haphtorah in all our Synagogues, to remind us of the
never-failing goodness of God, and to teach us to receive with gratitude
the consolation offered to us, as well as to rely upon the future favour
which our heavenly Father has promised to extend to us. This Sabbath
coming immediately after the fast, is called שבת
נחמו "The Sabbath of Comfort;" and was
for a long time observed with great rejoicings among the Israelites. The
rest of the month of Ab is also, from that day, denominated
מנחם אב or "The cheering part
of the month of Ab."
When,
brethren, we call to mind the prophetic words embodied in our text, when
we unclasp the volume of history, and read how in every particular they
have been realized, must not our hearts be lifted up in gratitude and
love to that almighty Sovereign, who has been to us a Father and a
Guide? and must we not adore the providence of Him who has kept us as
the apple of the eye, and who has not permitted us to be consumed,
though the bush in which we have been placed has been every where
blazing around us? The marvellous manner in which the predictions of the
prophetical books have been fulfilled, should also strengthen our faith
in the holy Scriptures, and should induce us to continue our trust in
God for the accomplishment of all his great purposes, and for the future
glory of Israel.
As
it is our object this day to consider the doctrine of the restoration,
an essential part of the Jewish belief: let us endeavour to view our
subject by the light of Scripture and of reason; apart from the
enthusiasm and speculation with which it has very frequently been
considered. It will readily be admitted that the history of Israel
differs, in many respects, very widely from that of other people.
Whoever reads our annals, and compares facts, must arrive at the
conclusion that there are circumstances connected with our preservation
and our identity, for which it is not possible to account in an ordinary
way. The powerful nations of antiquity which oppressed Israel are no
more, and we, the victims of their persecutions, still remain, no
longer certainly a nation, but in the full possession of our religion
and identity.
Amongst
all the Eastern monarchs, Persia alone showed mercy to Israel;
although the successors of Cyrus were haughty, voluptuous, and despotic,
yet did they always act kindly to Israel; and Persia alone, of
all the ancient Eastern monarchies, remains to this day. Here we have an
undoubted fact; let others account for it as they may, we, as
Israelites, can only regard it as a miracle of God, and as a remarkable
accomplishment of prophecy. Wonderful indeed has been the preservation
of Israel; but the wonders are less surprising, and less multiplied,
when we admit God as their Author, than when we ascribe them to the
ordinary course of events. On the one hand, we attribute to God a
miracle consistent with his greatness and his holy word; on the other
hand, we lay upon chance the necessity of performing an uninterrupted
series of miracles.
Let
us ask, were there such places as Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria? was there
such a kingdom as Judea? Did the Israelites perform any part in the
revolutions of these empires, and are there yet upon the earth any
traces of the Jewish people? Taking for granted the replies that must
necessarily be given; we may farther ask, whether Israel has not been
placed in scenes different to those which have at any other time been
exhibited to the world, and whether some extraordinary influence has not
been apparent in conducting the steps and wielding the destinies of this
people? Look at Israel under the dominion of the Pharaohs, at the close
of the appointed period, when God had raised up Moses to accomplish the
promised deliverance of his people from their land of bondage. In the
plagues inflicted upon Egypt, it is true, that visible agents were
employed which produced effects correspondent to their natural powers;
but their introduction, their degree and their continuance, are plainly
subservient to the commands of the Legislator, and this, when it was
impossible he should have any natural power to hasten, to limit, or to
direct their operations; yet that he exercised such a power every
instance proves. Still more decisively to prove that these awful
visitations were under the immediate control of God, they were not
permitted to affect Israel, though from their nature, nothing intervened
to prevent it, and no human power could limit their effects. It must be
evident that none of these facts could have been believed at the time
they were said to have taken place, if they had not been real; and if
real, they must have been miraculous. We see every element subservient
to the command of Moses; he gives notice when they shall begin and when
they shall cease their operations; he sets them their bounds, which they
must not pass, and while the storm and the pestilence sweep away
thousands on every side, they presume not to touch the race of Israel.
In all this we cannot fail to discover the plain operation of that Being
who alone is the God of nature, whose will controls every element, and
directs every event.
The
same Almighty hand is alike conspicuous during the passage of Israel to
the promised land. A nation amounting to some millions of souls, with
their numerous cattle, are for forty years supplied with water from a
flinty rock, and with a regular supply of manna from heaven; and lest by
the constancy and sameness of the supply, they should forget its
supernatural origin; they find it regularly altered in conformity to the
divine institution of the Sabbath. When at Sinai we find that three
days' notice is given of the awful phenomenon of nature that occurred at
the moment. Equally signal was the miraculous nature of the punishment
inflicted on Korah and his associates. Again, the passage by Joshua over
the Jordan was alike miraculous. It was not accidental, or it could not
have been foreseen; it was not natural, for the river was at its height,
and the waters that had been descending stood on a heap. It was not the
effect of art, for any artificial alteration in the channel would have
been generally known, and besides, the effect would not have been
instantaneous. Seeing, then, how the finger of God directed in an
especial manner all the movements of Israel, we are prepared to read of
the miracles which attended the Jews in exile, and which ultimately led
to their freedom.
The
return of the Babylonish captivity is not only a proof of the
inspiration of the Bible considered as the accomplishment of a prophecy,
but is in itself a most miraculous occurrence. At that time slaves were a most important branch of property;
they tilled the soil, exercised the different trades, and performed all
the work in which the great mass of the people, at the present day, are
employed. Hence the great difficulty in ancient times for men who were
once enslaved, to gain their liberty. The interests of the state, as
well as the rights and properties of individuals were against them.
There may be a solitary case of a slave having been liberated, as a
reward for his fidelity, or for some distinguished service; but we find
no instance under old manners and customs of a large body of slaves
having been suddenly set free. The conduct of Cyrus, the Persian
monarch, offers to us, therefore, a most uncommon historical fact. When
he conquered Babylon, he found them a whole nation of slaves, an
immense property, of which so politic a prince as Cyrus must have known
the value. Yet does he at once give liberty to the Israelites, and send
back a whole people to their own country. It cannot be said that this
was a sudden resolution adopted at the moment of victory, or that it was
meant to exhibit a generous triumph over the vanquished; for Israel
remained in the same state in which they had lived under the Chaldeans,
for almost an entire reign under the new empire, until the seventy years
of captivity were completed.
Here
we have, indeed, a wonderful and indispensable testimony of the truths
of the Scripture. It is a point that does not depend upon common proofs,
because the occurrence proves itself. No data are here necessary,
nothing is required but to believe that Israel was in Babylon, and that
Israel returned from it. Their return proves the history, it supposes
all that is related, and cannot in any other way be accounted for. How
others will account for this extraordinary circumstance,—how they will
reconcile the return of the Israelites from captivity, and their
re-establishment in their own land, in opposition to so many complicated
rights, to so many interests, and to the universal practice of mankind
at that period, we know not; but as Israelites we declare "It came
from the Lord;" for when we refer to the chapter of our text, we
find the messenger of God declaring, in reference to Cyrus: "I the
Lord have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his
ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my people go, not for a
price, not for a bribe, saith the eternal Zebaoth!"
If,
brethren, there were no other evidence on record of the divine mission
of Isaiah: the fulfillment of this prediction at the stated time and
place, and through the very prince mentioned, would of itself be
sufficient to establish him as a true prophet of the Lord: Now, the same
servant of the Most High speaks to us also, of a second restoration,
more glorious even than the first, a restoration at the time that God
shall send us his Messiah. At the return of Israel from Babylon, instead
of enjoying the fullest extent of liberty, greatness and glory, with
which the prophecy abounds, but a comparatively few returned; they only
partially possessed their land, and were subsequently enslaved by the
Greeks and Romans.
The
return of the Babylonish captivity was the first restoration, but the
great prophecies evidently refer to a second.
"It
shall come to pass," speaks Isaiah, "in that day, that the
Lord shall put forth his hand a second time to recover the
remnants of his people, which shall be left from Assyria, from Pathros,
and from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the
Isles of the sea."
Again,
Jeremiah: "But I will gather them out of all countries whither I
have driven them, and I will cause them to dwell in safety."
Again,
Amos: "I will plant them in their own land, and they shall no more
be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the
Lord."
Also
Ezekiel: "Thus saith the Lord God, In the day that I shall have
cleansed you from all your iniquities, I will cause you to dwell in the
cities, and the wastes shall be built, and the desolate land shall be
tilled, whereas it lay waste in the sight of all that passed by, and
they shall say, this land that was desolate has become like the garden
of Eden, and the waste and desolate cities are become fenced and
inhabited."
Having,
then, the warrant of God himself for a belief in our restoration, let us
consult the Scriptures, in order to ascertain the means by which this
great event is to be brought about. We have already seen that the
history of the children of Israel has been a miracle throughout; and by a great miracle has God
promised to lead them back to the land of the patriarchs.
"Therefore the days come," saith the Lord, "when it shall
no more be said, the Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel
from the land of Egypt. But the Lord liveth who hath brought up the
children of Israel from the north country, and from all countries
whither I have driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land which
I have given to their ancestors." This prophecy clearly indicates
that something superlatively grand will attend that restoration, for
great indeed must it be, when it shall outlive and eclipse the wonders
manifested in Egypt.
Yet
is this to happen; it is repeated twice in the book of Jeremiah, and in
language that cannot admit of a double sense; no forced interpretation
can stand in applying it to any past event; for we still continue, in
all our prayers, and in all our rites, to call upon our heavenly Father,
as the God who brought us out of Egypt.
Thus,
brethren, we learn from the volume of Holy Writ that Israel will be
restored; but it will be through the immediate and miraculous work of
God, and not by the combination of human powers. It will take place at
such a time and in such a manner, and will be attended with such mighty
results, that the political relations of every country of the globe will
be materially affected, yea, entirely changed. Two practical lessons may
be drawn from this, the Scriptural doctrine of Israel's restoration:
First,
it should teach those who regard us in our native land as aliens, on
account of our peculiar creed, that the Scriptural view of Israel's
restoration does not in the remotest degree affect us in any of the
duties we, as good and loyal citizens, owe to our country, nor does it
in any way prevent us from rendering ourselves useful in the land of our
birth.
On
the contrary, it prompts us to show ourselves worthy of the rewards of
industry and talent, and to vie with our compatriots in earning every
honour and distinction that can be conferred by our common country.
If
Judaism permitted this to Daniel and others in Babylon, where their stay
was limited to seventy years, why should it not be accorded to
us, who for centuries have been attached to countries by birth and
association, who take in them the liveliest interest, and who will seek
none other until the time when God shall miraculously change the
political constitution of every empire on the globe?
Secondly,
this doctrine should teach every descendant of the house of Israel the
absolute necessity of keeping strictly within the pale of his faith, and
of adhering to every Mosaic institution; since God has promised to
restore those only who adhere to his covenant, and preserve their
identity.
In
order to perform this promise, and to place us in a condition to be
restored, the ever watchful providence of the Most High has been
graciously extended to us in all our trials; the persecutions which we
have experienced, far from rooting out our blessed faith, have, through
God's loving kindness and truth, tended to keep us more and more
distinct in our ritual observances, in our marriages, and in every other
particular which (religiously speaking) renders us a nation within a
nation. Had this not been the case; had we suffered ourselves to be
enticed away from the covenant of Sinai,
and from the Mosaic precepts, and had we permitted ourselves to contract
marriages without the pale of our community, our restoration would have
been morally impossible.
This,
my friends, is an opinion not peculiar to Israelites only, but obtains
amongst the most learned divines of other creeds; despite however, this
plain Scriptural doctrine, there are to be found in this country many
hundreds of enthusiasts, who fancy themselves the immediate agents of
God for bringing about the salvation of Israel, and who, in the
extravagance of absurdity, call upon us to yield up the very principles.
and observances of that faith, by means of which, it is evident from the
word of God himself, that we shall be restored to Judea.
It
is often laid to our charge, that we do not take to heart the
consequences of the societies that are forming about us, and that we
make no effort to oppose the attempts that are made to convert (as it is
called) the sons of Israel. My friends, we do take these things to
heart. We deeply lament that, in days of such universal privation and
distress, and, as we are informed, of such gross ignorance and crime
amongst the labouring population, the vast sums which are annually
expended upon an attempt which eighteen centuries have proved to be vain
and hopeless, are not directed to a quarter where sorrow might be
alleviated, where the hungry might be fed, the naked clothed, and the
ignorant and immoral might be led to knowledge and religion. But as
regards Judaism itself, we have no fears from such societies: we depend
not merely upon the uniform failure of every attempt to turn away from
Judaism men of mind and principle, who understand the articles of
their faith; but we rely principally upon the truth of the word of God,
that He will ever be a wall round his people, that He will preserve them
in their faith and identity as his great witnesses to the end of time.
We
meet not, therefore, those vain attempts by controversy, or by
virulence; we do not even deign to notice the calumnies which are heaped
upon Israel and her adherents. But to all the ravings of enthusiasm, we
reply in the words of Scripture, "Take ye counsel, and it shall
come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with
us." If, indeed, we have cause of fear, it is from the
indifference, we must say, criminal indifference, of too many
fathers and mothers in Israel, who practise no religion within their
dwellings; who bring not their children to the house of God; but who
commit their earliest education and their infant years, when impressions
are most lasting, to the superintendence of strangers to their faith,
who often consider it a merit to turn away the hearts of their young
charges from the precepts of Judaism.
Let
us hope that better times are dawning upon us; let us hope that every
Israelite is now awaking to a sense of his duty to God and his covenant;
and let us pray that Israel may every day become more impressed with her
great destinies, and her future glory, when peace and happiness shall be
universal, when Messiah shall appear upon the earth, and when Israel
shall be gathered in glory to the land of promise.
"Then
shall the wolf lie down with the lamb, the leopard shall dwell with the
kid, the calf, the fatling, and the young lion shall feed together, and
an infant shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed, and
their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw as an
ox, they shall not hurt or destroy in God's holy mountain, for the earth
shall be filled of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the
sea." Amen.
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