The New York herald., 1871-03-12
FORTY-reURTa STREET SYNAGOGUE.

IsrnePs Great Sin-Fa shiOnabIe IdOlntry-
Neglect of Judaism-Sermo ON by Rev. $. NJ.
lsaacs.
The beautiful spring weather OF yesterday induced
goodIy congregation Of Israelites to gather the
orthodox synagogue in West ForLy-fourth street.
Among the Gentiles present we noticed the Rev.
Hugh Blair Presbyterian clergyman, and family.
The publicity given by the HERALD to the pulpit
utterances of the Jewish rabies has led good many
Christian ministers and laymen to that the gulf
between Judaism and Christianity and the faith and
doctrines and teachings OF both is not so utterly I'M
passable after all. Hence at every Jewish service
there are always present greater lesser number OF
Genties, especially whenever sermons delivered
in English The Hebrews Of the city are so rapidly
assuming the English vernacular that by and by
every rabbi in this community must preach in
English If he would instruct his congregation.
At present we believe there but three ministers
IN the city who preach in this tongue
The portion OF the law read yesterday before this
congregation is contained in Exodus xxxi,
which details the lapsing OF Israel into idoary as
soon as they had come out OF Egypt. The verses
more especially used as text were the seventeenth
and eighteenth, wherein Joshua tells Moses they
descend Mount Sinai, that 'there Is
NOISE OF WAR IN THE CAMP"
and Moses reply that ut is not the voice OF them
tnat SnOut IOr mastery nor OF tnem tnat cry lot
being overcome but the noise of them that sing"
which he heard. MIR. Isaacs remarked that In o
former discourse he had set before his hearers the
Ill effects oil bad example, and the sermon yester-
day was In the same strain, but with more imme
diate reference to the manifest carelessness and
neglect OF Hebrews OF tneir Sabbath and their an
cient religious customs.
Israel had been brought from slavery to freedom.
They had been emancipated by God but no sooner
had their leader MOses lett them TO receive the con-
stlUution and bylaws by which they were to be gov
erned than they made a molten calf, and declared
that this was the god which had brought them out
OF Egypt. Aaron, The priest had sought for time, in
the hope that Moses might come down from the
Mount and BY his presence appeasc the murmurings
Off their rings and Jewels and these he cast into
the fire and there came out cali. And then the
people shouted and sang and danced before the idol
and worshipped IL. No wonder that Moses was
paralyzed, and that in his anger he cast down the
two tables OF the law and broke them before the
camp. Consider the Importance OF the word OF
Moses. 1t was not the voice OF victory
NOT THE VOICE OF POWER,
which he heard. They had not conquered their pas
sions else they would have shouted praise to God.
Neither 1t the groan OF defeat but the noise OF
singing and shoutng-Dlasphem Of the worst kind
which ne heard. Israel cannot be cxOnerated from
the guilt OF this crime. They had seen the works
aud wonders or the Lord in Egypt and the Red Sea;
but, nevertheless we see in this act OF theirs tho
awful power or bad example,. They had been
brought up in Egypt, and could not understand a
religion which could not be apprehended by the
senses, and hence, when Moses disappeared and re.
malned sway for more than month. they could not