No. XII.
THE PASSOVER A TYPE OF FUTURE DELIVERANCE.
This year, the Jewish and the Christian times for celebrating
the Feast of the Passover nearly coincide; and the coincidence
ought to remind us both of that happy period, when all
the children of man, so long divided, shall again be united into
one great, holy, and happy family; all rejoicing in the mercy
and favour of their Heavenly Father, and all loving each other
in sincerity and truth. To that period we look forward, and
even now we use our humble endeavours to accelerate its approach.
Yea, one of the reasons, why we endeavour to lead
Israel to a rejection of the oral law, is because we firmly believe
that it is one of the main hindrances in the way of their
happiness and that of the nations of the world. We have no
wish to rob you of any one blessing promised in the Word of
God. We would not deprive you of one hope founded upon
God's promises. On the contrary, we rejoice to think that notwithstanding
all the vain traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees,
it has pleased God to keep alive in your hearts the memory
of his past mercy, and the hope of his future goodness.
To the consideration of these two points, the law of Moses and
your appointed prayers lead you at this season, and through the
mercy of God, and the love of some of your brethren, we of the
Gentiles have been brought to rejoice in similar considerations.
Let us then endeavour to anticipate the future, and rejoice
together even now, omitting on this solemn occasion a special
discussion of the oral law. If God's mercy were all past, and
only a matter of history, we might and ought to feel grateful
for the benefits bestowed upon our fathers: our joy would,
however, suffer a considerable diminution. But this is not the
case. In the midst of your grateful acknowledgment for the
wonders in Egypt, you can mingle a prayer for the future,
and say,
(
Hebrew characters)
"Next year in Jerusalem."
(Hebrew characters)
"O Lord our God, have mercy, we beseech thee, upon Israel thy people, and upon Jerusalem thy city, and upon thine altar, and upon thy temple; and build Jerusalem, the holy city, speedily, in our days, and bring us up into the midst of it, and
