The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-12
ISRAEL'S RANSOM.

THE LIFE-GIvING FORCE IN JUDAIsM-wHY THE
JEWS SHOULD BE THANKFUL-sERMoN BY
RABBI GorTHEIL.
The course of fortnightly English dscourses de-
livered by DIR. Gotthei at his temple in Fifth ave-
nue. during the present winter is devoted to the
prophecies of Isaiah in far they relate to the
mission of Israel. Yesterday he took his text from
the forty third chapter, verses 81, dwelling
particularly upon verses and 4:-"For l am the
Lord thy God, the Holy one of Israel thy Saviour:
gave Egypt for thy ransom. Ethiopia and Seba for
thee. Since thou vast precious in my sight thou
hast been honorable. and have loved thee; there
fore will give men for thee, and people for thy
life."
The preacher pointed out the difficulty which the
Israelite of to-day encounters in dealing with
tions OF that nature he finds himself ut variance
with the sentiments that dictated them. He has
travelled far from these ideas of inherent supe
rorty of his that he cannot for moment
believe that divine justice could make other
nations . ransom for his own. Must we then, asked
the speaker declare in plain language, that have
outgrown and left behind forever this part OF bbli
originators we could plead no extenuatng
circumstances. were we with our light, to adhere
to them Honesty before all things; before faith,
trine. book or man; before Isaiah Moses. What
cannot stand with that let IL go down. Out of
to spring. But what IL there reasons to silence
our objections What IL We are able to show, rs
think are. that fair Interpretation of these words
to that in which IL appears at the hrs hearing Of his
words Nay that so far from uttering an un-
worthy sentiment the prophet disrloses views
OF history and of divine government which
stll. after more than twenty centuries
rs sys n."s Three Of asseTSS
offer you to-day in brief exposition, deang-l, with
the phrasseolosy . win the object D. With the va
the first instance. take into account the wide differ
ence between the ancient mode OF speaking and our
own. With God has been thrown back. almost
out of sight. To judge from our speech we should
say that God has very little TO do and really enjoys
that bissful indifference TO the affairs of the
world which the ancient stoics claimed for Him. He
has set this wonderful and stupendous machine in
motion and now let's II take its course We speak of
Nature accomplishing all her task without inter
ference guidance from her Author. But with tho
ancient Hebrews God did everything He was the
rise and He clothed the earth in her of
glory in summer and lulled her To sleep in winter;
nc saved or destroyed nations ne gave victory ana
special design. was . revelation of HIS power.
stretching forth Of His arm. nation whose ears
were accustomed TO hear that the mountains and
the valleys sing for JOY that the rivers and the
roar in praise OF their Maker, that trees clap their
hands that the sun goes forth like hero. rejoicing
20 run his race, must have been so fuii
of the presence OF . personality behind oil
these wondrous that they attributed them to
His direct and immediate action from the greatest
even unto the smallest We say. the law OF gravita-
ton draws every object when unsupported to the
,,od throws IL down; and He does In reality. it
we believe Him to be the author of the law. Sick
ness, death, we say, comes through contsgon, ex-
pos,ire. exercises or poisoned airs and water; the
Hebrew said, God made man sick caused him to
die and the destructive agents were His messengers.
Ours the language of facts trace them theirs
was the language OF piety which looks to the nten
ton rather than to the means by which they at.
tanned. Now, when Hebrew thinker reelected on
the fact that their return to their native land was
made possible only through king such as cyrus.
who Ia order to obtain the power TO set them free
t.-lx t.,
position of powerful monarch and ruler, aud that
to this end nations had ~ 10 conquered aud sub.