The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-10-23 00:00:00

THE JEWS' MEETlNG.—(Cantinued from page 5.)

1 impartiality ; and 1 cannot :doubt that yertir lordship's
I spirit will be the spirit of every Christian person present.
' It is, indeed, one of the glorious things of that common
faith which we are all so anxious to proclaim to Jew and
Gentile, that, in love to Christ and dutiful allegiance to
his Sovereign sway, there is a principle of Christian unity
which can never be destroyed, except by the renunciation
of Christianity itself, and which ought never to be for-
gotten in the midst of those innumerable diversities of
sentiment which must necessarily exist in the minds of
those who do not blindly follow human leading, but ven-
ture, under God, to examine and decide for themselves.
And, in proportion as this Christian principle is active
within our souls, we shall be able at once to hold fast
whatever, after patient investigation, we sincerely believe
to be true, and also to give a patient and candid hearing
to others, who may differ widely from ourselves, but-who,
as the servants of Christ, have an equal right with our-
selves to form their own judgments, and whose Christian
and temperate statements, if they be pondered by thought-
ful minds, whose highest object is the attainment of truth,
court do us good, because they will either correct us or
confiim us. It was the true opinion of St. Paul, that the
novice, of all men, was the most likely to be lifted
up with pride •, and it is the common observation of
mankind, an observation, my*Lord, which you must often
have had opportunities f making during your long resi-
dence in a scientific University, that they who have taken
pains to sound the depths of science, are far humbler men
than they who possess that dangerous thing—a little
knowledge. And the reason of this is clear. To have
sound knowledge upon any subject, implies the having
man who best knows the deficiency of his own experience,
will always be the most patient in making charitable allow-
ance for the difficulties of others. My Lord, I believe
that I differ from some, whom 1 am now addressing,
though I agree with others, in my views of the manner in
which the common object which has assembled us here
this evening is to be accomplished. I wish, therefore, to
state at the outset, that nothing which I shall say this
evening is intended by me, either in language or in spirit,
to savour of personal controversy. I speak as a member
a a society which, in its published rules, professes to desire
and promote nothing more than the conversion of Jews to
Christianity. It has never put forth any confession of
faith respecting future events of prophecy : it has never
bound down its members to think alike on any Jewish
subject, except that it is a blessed thing for a Jew to
become a Christian. As a member of such a society,
and having for several years listened with much pa-
tience, though without conviction, to the strong state-
ments of many of my brethren in Christ, who have
thought themselves bound in conscience to deliver,
on this platform, sentiments with which I could not con-
scientiously agree, I respectfully claim the privilege, this
evening, of being allowed to state, as briefly and distinctly
as I can, and, let me repeat, without the slightest inten-
tion of provoking any personal controversy, the views
which, in common with many other warm friends of Jew-
ish conversion, I have learned from God's word, respect-
ing both the duty of proclaiming the gospel to the Jews,
and the interpretation of those ancient prophecies, on
which, in practically carrying out the object of this society,
the Christian missionary will be compelled to express
some opinion, if he intend to exercise any influence upon
a Jewish mind. My lord, I shall say but little this even- 1
ing on the scriptural duty of attempting the conversion '
of Jews. It rests on the universal fact, that " all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God." It rests on
the blessed truth, that " God is not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
It rests on the unrepealed command of Christ, " Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea-
ture." These three grand arguments for attempting the
conversion of Jews—their sinfulness, which leads to mi-
sery ' • the wish of God for their salvation ; the command
of Christ to offer them the gospel—are so completely con-
vincing to me, that if I were to adduce others, I should
certainly produce no additional conviction in my own
mind ; nor do I believe that any man, upcn whose
mind these are not binding, will ever attempt in
earnest the conversion of either Jew or Greek. But,
my lord, I am quite aware, that the Christian mis-
sionary, when he offers Christ's gospel to Jews, must be
prepared, not only to preach the gospel, but to answer, to
the best of his power, those objections, which, if unre-
moved, may prevent them from receiving the gospel.
However much he may wish to confine himself to a sim-
ple announcement of the truth, which saves, he will [
practically be obliged to declare his sentiments on the
great Jewish question of National Restoration to Pales-
tine. He cannot avoid this ; and it is to the manner in which I
he should speak on thi 4 subject that I shall limit the re-
mainder
of my observations. For the sake of clearness,
T will arrange what I have further to say in these two
simple divisions—first, ought the Christian Missionary,
from the New Testament, to sanction the expectation ? !
And, secondly, ought the Jew, from the Old Testament,
to expect it? And, if, in returning an answer to both
these questions in the negative, I shall unfortunately run I
counter to the prepossessions of some in this meeting, I
feel sure, that, as my only object is plainly to state my I
own views on this portion of Jewish Missionary work,
without the slightest wish to condemn those who may dis-
agree
with me, I shall meet with that Christian cour-
tesy and attention which I have never myselfrefusedtoothers
The missionary of the New Testament cannot ensourage
the Jewish expectation of a national restoration to Pales-
tine, because the New Testament asserts, that God's
national covenant with the Jews had vanished away. I
look to its pilot history. I find that it was originally made
between God and Abraham, as the father of the Jewish
nation. It was successively confirmed by him with Isaac
and with Jacob. It was solemnly ratified at the base of
Sinai, when Moses sprinkled with blood the Bock of the
Covenant and the people of the Covenant. It was again ,
ratified, before Moses's death, on the wide plains of Moab,
with the promised land in view. It was then graciously
enlarged, so as to be called the Covenant besides the
Covenant. Again, under Joshua it was ratified, with
awful sanctions, between Ebal and Gerizim, the mounts
of blessing and cursing. Again, when Solomon had built
a temple for Jehovah, it was ratified upon Mount Zion.
Again, after a dark period of idolatry and apostasy. it was
ratified under Josiah, when the lost covenant-book was
found, and its words of joy and fear were read by the
monarch in the ears of the repentant people. Then came
the deserved days of captivity. and punishment, under
Babylonish tyranny. But the covenant had not yet
vanished away : for the times of the Messiah had not yet
come; and no new and superseding kingdom of God had
been set up in the world. And so, when the limited pe-
riod of captivity had passed, again, and for the last time,
was the covenant ratified, when Ezra read the Lord's
book from his pulpit, and the returned children of
Israel entered once more into an oath and into a curse, that
they would faithfully observe Jehovah's commandments.
But, my Lord, the Christian missionary, having so far
traced the history of the Jewish covenant in those sacred
records, is obliged, by the plain declarations of the New
Testament, to assert, that that first covenant is now no
longer in existence, and cannot, therefore, be appealed to
by the Jew. For what says the New Testament cf that
Jewish covenant?—" If that which is done away_ was
glorious, much more that which retnaincth is glorious."
And again—" In that he saith, a new covenant, he bath
made the first old. Now, that, which decayeth and
waxeth old, is ready to vanish away." And once again—
" He taketh away the first that he may establish the
second." My Lord, the missionary of Christianity, with
these words of inspiration in his memory, must not, I
think, encourage the Jew in his expectation of a national
restoration, inasmuch as that national covenant, by which
alone the restoration can be claimed, is now done away,
taken away, and vanished away for ever. But I must
also observe, that the Christian missionary, in his conver-
sations with Jews, will think their notion of a restoration
to Palestine inconsistent with the very nature of that
Christianity, which it is his blessed privilege to proclaim to
them. For, if the Jews are to be restored, one of two 1
things must take place: God must restore them, either
as Jews or as Christians. Now, I reject at once, and, I
think the vast majority of Christians will reject With me,
the idea, that God will restore them as Jews :. for to suppose
that God's glorious promises can be fulfilled to those, who
refuse to acknowledge his own Son, as the true Messiah, ap-
pears to me too monstrous to be generally believed. But,
can they be restored, as Christians, in consistency with
the very nature of the gospel. My lord, the Christian
missionary has read in his New Testament, that, in
Christianity, there is neither Jew nor Greek :. that, where-
as, under the old covenant, the Jews dwelt alone, and
were not reckoned amongst the nations, in. Christianity,
ender the new covenant, eves)* wall of separation has
been thrown down by Christ. He has read, that Jeru-
salem is no more a holy place, where men, ought specially
to worship. He has not forgotten the energetic emphasis
of the greatest Christian apostle, and will not easily be-
lieve, that " imperfection' will come leek, that " beg-
garly elements" will be restored, and te. the " yoke of
1 bondage," which was " done away in Christ," will he re-
imposed by God. He cannot find a place in Christianity.
whether in Palestine or in England, for altars, and the
blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of heifers, and a
gorgeous temple for God's especial residence, and pass-
overs, and priests. The Sun is in the Christian firma-
ment. The shadows have passed away : for the true
light now shined'. And. therefore, the Christian mis-
mionary, anxious to win souls to Christ, in my humble
judgment, instead of teaching a restoration to a typical
land of departed types, will rather seek to engraft that
ancient people into the olive tree of God's Catholic
Church, and so make them Abraham's seed, and heirs,
according to the promise. But, my lord, the min-
ister of the New Testament is a successor of the
Apostles of Christ. He will naturally, therefore,
enquire into the manner, in which those Apos-
tles, in preaching to their Jewish countrymen, quoted the
Old Testament Scriptures : and he will discover, that, if
he allows prophecy to point to Jewish Restoration to
Palestine, he will at once discard that prin4sle of pro-
phetic interpretation, which the Apostles themselves have
adopted. under the teaching of God's Spirit. For he will
find t. James quoting Amos, to prove, that the planting
of Christ's Church was foretold in prophecy, " as the re-
building of David's fallen tabernacle, and the restoration
of its ruined walls." He will find, St. Paul quoting
Isaiah, to shew, that, by Christ's coming, " the barren
woman had rejoiced, and had inherited the Gentiles,"
and that so his giorious prophecy had been fulfilled in
that "Jerusalem, which is above, which is the mother of
us all." lie will find the same apostle quoting Hosea, to
shew, that the Messiah, by planting Jew and Gentile in one
Christian Church, had accomplished the prediction, that,
in the place, where it was said to the Jews, "'e are not
my people; there they should be called the children of the
living God." The Missionary, 1 say, will remember this
general apostolic canon of Old Testament interpretation,
and feeling, therefore, that inspired apostles, who had
themselves been Jews, so understood their own scriptures,
as to believe, that christianity had richly fulfilled the pro-
phecies of Judaism, ho will not venture, (at least I could
not,) to sanction any system of prophetic exposition,
which, however it might persuade Jews to embrace a sort
of Judaized Christianity or Christianized Judaism, would.
at the same time differ, foie reile, from that mode of