Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-10-15
&eading fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
(Orlglnal.]
THE JEWS.

The JENSs
Those who have any doubts about the in
spiration of the Scriptures, can find an incon
trovertible proof of the fact in the simple ex.
istence of the Jews. About four thousand
years ago, God, according to the Scripture
account, called Abraham from Ur, of the
Chaldees To Abraham there were born two
sons, Ishmael and Isaac. From the former
sprang the Arabs of Arabia, and from the
latter sprang the Jews. The people descended
from these two half brothers, bear a stri-
king resemblance. Their language was orig
inally the same, and the Arab to-day speaks
the same language, with comparatively few
changes, that he spoke four thousand years
ago. The mode of life of the Arab has in
that long period undergone but little change.
God said, concerning Ishmael, that che would
be wild man; his hand will be against every
man and every mans hand against him, and
he shall dwell in the presence of all his
brethren" Gen. 16: IL. Ishmael is a wild
man to-day, and he always has been wild.
Mounted on his fleet steed, he dashes into the
camp of his enemies, loads himself with plum
der and then dashes out, mocking his pursuers.
The history of the Jews, the descendants of
Isaac, is full of thrilling interest. No nation
has produced so many great men. The Jew
ish poets, statesmen and warriors have no
equals. The pathos of David, and the SUBJ
Unity of Isaiah, never has been equalled by
the poets or orators of any nation, either an.
cient or modern. AS warrior, Joab towers
above Hannibal, Alexander or Napoleon.
About eighteen hundred years ago, the
Jews lost their nationality. In fact, at the
time of the coming of the Saviour, the Jews
were ruled over by Roman officers. The
sceptre had departed from Judah, and the
land of Palestine was Roman province.
This was according to the prophetic blessing
ofthe pious patriarch, Jacob, pronounced upon
his son. "The sceptre shall not depart from
Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his
feet until Shiloh come, and unto him shall
the gathering of the people be-" Gen. 49 :
10.
The Jews, as nation, rejected Christ, and
for this God scattered them over the whole
earth. They have been driven to every quar-
ter of the globe, and the finger of scorn and
contempt is pointed at them. No people have
any confidence in them. They have been
prosecuted shamefully, and still they have
grown rich. Although dispersed among the
gentiles of every nation, they have kept their
blood pure. They have not Mingled in mar
riage with other nations. The Jew of to-day
is the same in features that he was four thous-
and years ago. God has marvelously watched
over this people, and will continue to watch
over them. In the 24th chapter of the gos-
pei by Matthew, our Saviour, in speaking of
his second coming, says in the 34th verse,
"Verily say unto you, this generation shall
not pass, till all these things be fulfilled"
The word "generation" in this passage, as we'll
as in many other passages of scri pture, seems
to mean the same as our word nation or peo-
pie. If this be the true meaning of the word,
we may conclude that the Jews will for all
time exist as distinct people. Not only so,
but as there are many passages Of Scripture
which warrant US in concluding that this
earth, at the second coming of our Saviour,
will be reftted and made the abode of the re-
deemed throughout an endless eternity, may
it not be true that Palestine will be the home
of the redeemed Jew forever? God promised
Canaan to Abraham and his seed forever.
This is the promise "The Lord said unto
Abraham after Lot separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the
place where thou art northward, and south
ward and eastward, and westward for all
the land which thou seest, to thee will l give
it, and to thy seed forever" Gen. 13: IA,
Is. In Jesus Christ all the promises of God
are yea and amen. The day will come when
the Jews, as nation or people, will be con-
verted. This seems to be the idea which
Paul desires to communicate to our minds IN
Rom. IL: 25, 26. "And that ye, my breth-
rem, may not be wise in your own apprehen-
sion, l wish you to know this mystery, that
blindness of heart hath in some measure be-
fallen Israel, until the fullness of the gentiles
shall come in and then will all Israel live
or be saved. [Syriac version, Murdock's trans
lation.7 Let no one conclude that God has
forever forgotten his ancient people, Their
existence is proof of his faithfulness in keep
ing the covenant he made with His servants
A braham, Isaac and Jacob.
ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE THE GOSPEL
The American Church at this time is divided
into two classes those who are lecturing on
the best modes of preaching and those who
are lectured to. Boston University, Yale,
Princeton and Union Theological seminaries
have had especial instruction on this subject,
and these lectures have been reported in re-
ligious and secular journals till we have every
opportunity of being intelligent.
After reading much of all this, we can see
no better way than that Of Paul or Christ,