Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-12-29
the land Of Egypt. I am jehovah, your

] God
There is no difference granted by the
Jewish code Of ethics between Jew or
! Gentle, between native OF adopted
citizens. 81 am jehovah that means:
!, the eternal source of all law and
morals, of whom it is said deuteronomy
Xxx, 49,: "de executes the Judgment Of
the orphan and widow, and loveth the
stranger, in giving him food and raj
ment." ] command ''that one aud the
same law and statute shall be unto you
and the Stranger who lives among yOu.p
But in every Christian theological
work in every reader used I'm our public
schools, we find the word, as q specific
/ Christian teacher: ado unto others as
you wish to be done by.n But this word,
too, was uttered by Hillel, a contem-
! pOrary Of Hcrades, and one Of the most
/ renowned Rabbis Of that age.
A heatheu, who wished to be cOnver-
I ted to Judaism, came TO Shamai. He
laid before him his intention, which, he
said, he would carry out, but under the
condition that the whole religion should
/ be explained to him in the short time in
I which he would stand on one leg. Sha-
mai, who was of on iTascible temper,
showed him indignantly the door. He
went TO Hillel, who was known to be Of
a mild and patient disposition. 'fWhat
/ is hateful and injurious to thee,p replied
/ the Rabbi, 'thOu shalt not do unto thy
! neighbOr This is the whole religion
everything else is merely its explana-
ton. Go aud study it." The heather,
/ of course, embraced Hiliel's creed.
But we are told the Christian religion
| goes still farther. It also commands the
/ love Of our enemies, rs il reads I'm Luke
/ VI, 50, and the Jewish religion nowhere
I .sr.E- =
/ perfectly true because it is far beyond
human nature to love our eRimies. Mo-
! ses was no visionary legislator; he was
| too practical man to indulge I'm ideal
4 theories. Our love itself mauifests it.
/ self in YariOus degrees. We revere our
/ parents more than ourselves. We love
wife and children more that We do our
| selves. The love for brothers and sis
| teTs, for friends and aequaintances again
/ is or quite a different character. The
sentiments for the poor and needy,
I whom We assist with q loving and Cheer
/ ing hand, are charity and benevOlence.
The feelings toward a fallen brother,
| repentent criminal, are pity and comis-
Grafton, mingled with rejoicing when he
repents and amends. All this is love,
/ the nObler prOmptings of our heart, the
! better emotions Of our SOUL But utalready
we love with the same genuine feeling
as in the other. How, then, can we
possibly love our enemies as ourselves? ?
How can il be expected that we shall
love him who is cur enemy, who is bent
on cur ruin, rejoicing over our calami-
ties, tries his utmost to crush all our as
pirati0ns, 20 Illustrate all our plans for
success and prosperity? This is beyond
all human nature. / doubt whether
many men can be found willing to sub
NIT TO this command.
All that can be expected of man, in
relation to his enemies, is that we do 4
not retaIiate upon our enimies; that we
do not return like for like; that we fore
give them, and try TO regain their good
viii. And how nicely Is tllis stat6d in !
the 18th chapter of Leviticus, talready !
quoted above, verses IL and 18: ipThOu |
shalt not hate thy neighbOr in thine
heart; thou shalt nOt in any way adj
mOpish thy neighbQr, and not suffer sin |
upon him. Thou Shalt not aVenge nor !
bear any grudge.n And again says the !
sacred book, mere words and sentiments |
will not suffice in your attempt at rec
Onciling your enemy, but you must show
him your good intentions by your deeds |
and actions; hence it is strictly COM
manded, in Exodus, XIII, 4, 5: IF thou |
meet thine enemy's OK or his ass going /
astray, thou shalt surely bring &c back % |
him again. il thou see the ass Of him {
that hateth thee lying under his burden /
and wouldst forbear to help him, thou
shalt surely help with him." This is |
human; such behavior is possible, and |
can be expected of any man, inspired by |
the duties Of common morality,
But still more. This principle of love, |
nfnfn 1f.se of
sale code, is not allowed te evaDOrate as
a chimerical idea; no, it is applied to all |
practical purposes of life. There is no
code in which such benign provision is
made for the care of the man unfOrtu-
nate in business; of the children of dissi-
pated parents, or of the needy and desti-
tute. No matter whether we look to the /
Sabbath and the other holidays, or to the
giving of tithes and the ordinances Of
harvest and vintage, everywhere it is
well provided that the poor be not neg
lected and receive his share of the divine
blessing. Time and again Tread Deuter-
OnOmy XIV. IS XVI. II, 12, I'D it IS en-
joined, "And thou shalt rejoice In thy {
feast, thou, and thy son and thy daugh-
ter, and thy manseTvant and thy maid
sesvant, and the Levite, and the stran-
ger, and the orphan, and the widow. that
are within thy gates.p This broadiove,
this broad charity, isnO humbug. Ithas
become one Of the characteristic features
OF the Jewish race, and do not hesitate
to assert that our Christian fellow citi-
zens will cheerfully bear us out in this
statement.
But while the Jewish principle of love
is thus inferior to none Of our Christian
sister denominations, it is by far their su-
periOT, when applied to the future and
better life of man. OfWhat discrimina-
tons and reeriBlinqtions does the Chris
tian theology not treat, when it raises
the question, "WhO shall be admitted
into HeavenW No matter how good
and moral a man may be; no matter
with how many deeds Of bFOtherly love
and charity and righteousness he may
have adorned his life, if he has not COM \
piled with the tenents of this or that the
illogical system, he will be doomed and
lost forever. is that the God of mercy,
the eternal source of Divine love, who is
husrepresented by the theOlOgians? No,
it is nothing more than the sheer and
mere idol Of theological comments.
As if our Heavenly Father would ask
a Peabody, when summoned before the
Bivine tribunal, whether he was Jew,
q Catholic or Protestant, The angels
would sound his praise through the haayr
ems; they would show up the thousands (
Of tears he has wiped away; they would !
UnTOll the long list of the poor be has as
sisted; of the noble institutions he has I
erected; the names Of the thousands off
emancipated slaves, to whom his lega- [
cies are afIOrding instruction. They
would make the welkin ring with the {
psalm, "Here is a man after Gods (
heast, and Heavens greatest bliss would
be bestowed on him by the all-Ioving S
Judge.
Oh, how truly, how pOintedly, remarks {
FrOude, the EIglish histOrianl a0nt of '
Christ's religion they have made Christi !
spity, He taught the religion of love; 1
but the father Of lies Invented theology {
''Thank-heaven, the Jewish code teach
es, the good ones of all denominations 7
will participate in the future bliss Ofheah- i
en-" "GOd will look only to the heart, E
while men look to outside forms and GER c
emoniss,N 2 end by this noble and pure q
dogma it proves that the teachings Gfdi- ]
vine and human love are free from all q
sectarian bigOtry and prejudice.
But, brethren, Jews or Christians, let
AS stop all these charges and counter d
charges. We have hated one another {
long enough for the glory of the church; r
let us once love one another for the glo- e
ry Of God. 1t matters, after ALL very Il
little whether Moses or Jesus, COnfucis L