No. XXVI.
CHARMS CONTINUED.
If men would only employ in religion a little of that
common sense and earnestness, which they find so necessary
for the affairs of this life, they would by God's blessing soon
arrive at the truth. For example, if the father of a family
should find, that by following the advice of a physician,
sickness and death were constant guests, he would soon look
out for another; and he would be much quickened in his
measures, if this physician's counsel had produced the same
results in the house of his father and his grandfather. He
would not think it any shame, under such circumstances, to
change his father's physician for another; on the contrary,
he would think, and most men would agree with him, that
it would be both a sin and a shame to retain him. Now
let Israel make the application to their spiritual physicians,
the Scribes, Pharisees, and Rabbies. For many centuries they
have punctually followed their advice, and the consequence
has been one misfortune after another, and centuries of
exile from the land which God gave to their fathers; the
very contrary of that which God has promised. God has
said, if the Jews will obey the religion of Moses, that they
shall be restored to their land. "It shall come to pass . . .
if thou shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey
his voice according to all that I command thee this day,
thou and thy children, with all thy heart and with all thy
soul; that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity,
and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather
thee from all nations," &c. (Deut. xxx. 2, 3.) The Jews
have obeyed the commands of the rabbies, and have not
been gathered; what is the conclusion? Either that God's
promise has failed, which is impossible, or that the religion of
the rabbies is not the religion of Moses. Such is the inevitable
conclusion from the words of Moses and the facts of the case;
let it then lead the sufferers to examine the religion which
they have hitherto professed. A very little examination will
convince any reasonable man, that it is a fearful corruption of
divine truth, a compilation made by men who professed to be
astrologers and magicians. Let not the Jews think that our
opinion is the result of prejudice. It has been deliberately
formed on evidence furnished by the oral law itself. If we are
wrong, let the rabbies prove the contrary. Let them, for
example, explain the following law of modern Judaism.
(
Hebrew characters)
