The New York herald., 1879-11-30
TEMPLE AHAWATH CHESED.

THE REV. NH. BELLOWS IN A JEWISH Pull
pIr-sEIMoN AND LETTER FROM REV. DIR.
hUEBsCH.
The Rev. DIR. Huebsch preached yesterday before
his congregation in the Temple Ahawath Chesed,
Lexington avenue. taking his text from Numbers,
viii. 2-"when thou ghtest the lamps then shall
the same lamps give light the body Of the candle
stick" The substance of the reverend Doctors ser
mon is contained in the following letter addressed by
him to tho editor of the HERALD
LETTER FROM REV. DR. HUEBscH
New YORK. Nov. 2S 1879.
To THE EDIron THE HERALD
Suppcsing the abstract published in to.day's HER.
AID to be correct rendering of Rev. DIR. Bellows
sermon delivered on Thanksgiving Day at the Tenn
pie EMANUEL. feel compelled make the following
remarks--As Jew | must thankfully acknowledge
the kind feelings the reverend gent literally
and unreservedy expressed toward the race and
creed To which belong but as teacher of my faith
with him i'll his views Jewish spirit and history.
DR.. Bellows. entering into an analy tcsl disqusi-
tion OF the past and present Of the Hebrews makes
intolerance the handspring of their earlier life and
tho chet agency of the sad experiences which they
encountered In their later Says Dr. Bello ws:-
Of superiority to all nations. The elevation from
which you looked down on the Gentilcs inn
faith with God without human limitations is to
make all liberation illogical and blasphemous-
Again he says:--"But there is a toleration which
springs from humility from recognition of human
Limitation and the boundless goodness OF God. Your
race could not with its faith have toleration.'
DR.. Bellows will hardly he able to substantiate his
assertion from Bible or history. Neither will he
find biblical commandment enjoining hatred
and warfare against others account of their reli-
gion. will he succeed to show in the run of CEN
turies even one single instance where had
forced or tried to force their creed on another ma
tion tribe, family individual against desire and
conviction. To the contrary, could quote numer-
GUS passages from the prophetic and rabbinical
writings showing how the firm conviction that
religion will surely become at some future period
the religion of mankind manifested itself in that
universal spirit which is far above intolerance.
The characteristic of proud and naughty intoler-
ance undoubtedly to ignore the good in Others to
self to be reached by the influence OF the oppo-
nent. The course OF our history does by means
show such Characterization In our race At the very
cradle OF our life . nation. leaving the land OF
Egypt carried with us the spiritual trtasur Of
this highly cultured people and left the chan behind
Coming in contact with the Persians wc were not
too proud and naughty to learn from them. Many
passage in old records bears witness to this.
At later period the Jewish spirit welded to
Greek philosophy. The Talmudical legislation ap-
propristes great number OF laws from the Roman
code: Mohammedan n poetry and learning inspires .
nown. Last. but not least. we submitted. not to
Christianity. but what is generally called Christian
civilization; the Jew allowed himself willingly and
thankfully to be transformed by this civilization
from child Of the Orient in an indigene of the
influence as long as il tended to our ameiio-
ration, and only then opposed It with stub
ensd to impair the sacred PRINCIPLES Of our
truth. DR.. Bellows did not say too much of our
race when he sad 1T had an honest sense Of truth
and acted with the courage Of its convictions. But
in the face Of such facts and his statement why
does DR.. Bellows charge us with intolerance He
does not give the reason explicitly but we can nd it
by inference. DR.. Bellows says:-"But know,
and you beginning to believe that from this
are beginning to admire without acknowi.
edging His claim to the Messishship." This
no se
1t contains the explanation to both In Dr. Bellows
mind the whole Jewish history centres in point.
4 ,tvst Hhprof In VhA rbar
acter Of the Jews the remembrance of their opposi
ton to the founder Of the faith is predominant
he appreciates all the good qualities Of race but
he is too much of Christian rs not to make intoL
proceeds then to describe the hardships which our
people had to through in the centuries of perse-
| cution. DR.. Bellows sincere sympathies with
cannot spare us the truth. Says DR.. Bellows :-.But
| who has had the chslice returned to his own lips
to remind you of what your race has suffered from
| Christians. believing what you had so long be-
sS Of nSss. da % S
| lows evidently means to say:-I pity you.
but your suferings were the well deserved punish
mcnt for your opposition to Christ. To complete
his system add yet the following sentences of
Dr. Bellows:-"Your gories and your sorrows and
infallbiliy The Roman Church is the heir Of your
old claim" No Jewish historian and philosopher
that constant development has gone on in Judaism
since Moses and the prophets till to our time. In.
faibility our religion claims only for God. and
| the moral law which emanates from Him.
The rest is the garb; aud subject to change.
Rome never the heir Of Judaism. for Judaism
lives still and holds with strong hand its ancestral
inheritance. We shall go in religious de-
vclopmept till tho time comes when all mankind
will meet in the full and unrcservcd acknowledg-
mcnt OF the great idea as promulgated on sinai.
We shall surely meet; but the time for it has
not come yet. Let us be united as mon and
yet greater distance between the Unitarian and tho
Jew than between the Unitarian and Rome: