El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-26
THE MESSAGE OF THE jewish
MINISTER.
Inaugural Sermon to Mt. Sinai
Congregation.
Read Isaiah 51:1-16 Lomit Gill.

Congregation.
Read Isaiah 51:1-16 Iom1t Gill.
About to assume spiritual charge of
this congregation, and to act as it's
religious guide and teacher, 1 seek
Inspiration to help me in my work
from the Sacred Scriptures, the divine
repository of truth and wisdom, whose
words enlighten, instruct, encourage
and comfort the generations OF every
age and of every land. The rabbi
of today can do no better than repeat
the stirring exhortations OF the
prophets who spoke To Israel nearly
5000 years ago. Therefore have [
read a short selection from the book of
the greatest of those seers, and OF the
verses read 1 wish to repeat and en-
phasize the last, for it sums up the
message of the Jewish minister in all
times and may fttingly be made the
theme of my first sermon to you.
God says to Isaiah: II have placed
my words in thy mouth and with the
shadow of my hand have 1 covered
thee; to plant the heavens and to lay
the foundations of the earth, and to
say unto Zion: Thou art my people. 1"
The prophets all believed tn at it was
God g word they spoke; ana rightly so.
It was no mere logical deduction o.
their own reason, no calm suggestion
of personal experience that they ut
tered, but the solemn truths that flash
ed like meteors upoc their minds; the
burning thoughts that welled up in
earnest appeals to right and noble
conduct and the stern denuncia-
tions of sin and wrong doing that they
made not on their own authority, but
at the prompting of an impulse they
could not resist, that seemed to come
to them from without, from on high.
They fesrlessly told the people of their
their 'ransgressing, and even
often they suffered for their
boldness. But they bore all and dread
ed nOuRht. because they trusted to the
projection of the same power that In
spired them: they felt that the shadow
of Gods hand covered them. Even SO,
my friends, must the minister who
stands in their place today as the
guide the people, humbly initiate
those great leaders. 1t must be not
his own, but Gods words that be
speaks. That is, he must not attract
attention to himself and make his
object to win praise and fattery; he
must teach what Is for others benefit
must plead for that which God de.
mauds, must rebuke that which the
| Almighty denOunces as sin. must re-
peat the eternal lesson of righteous
ness without fear or favor. May he
who guided, protected and cheered
Israel's teachers of old, grant me wis.
dom, strength and power to fulfill my
duties to you, that L may be able tc
| bring instruction to young and old, &c
sustain, encourage and comfort you
through the vicissitudes of your career
through the struggles and difficulties
of life, to lead you inward in good and
noble endeavOrs and in all things tt
further your highest and most sacred
interests. The substance of the mes
sage 1 bring 70 you is given in the tex,
l quoted, namely, "to plant the heav
ems, to lay the foundations of the earth
and to say unto Zion: Thou art my
people," The subject is, therefore
threefold. Let us carefully consider
each part in succession
To begin at the bottom, 1 will slight
ly invert the prophets saying and frs
take up the words, "to lay the foupda
tions of the earth" This is the minis
ter's first great duty and religions fra
great object, to influence the affairs o
| this world, to put the conditions O
earthly life on a firm foundation aud t,
impcl people to live not only happily
but honorably. nobly and charitably
There is considerable Indifference to
ward religion nowadays, because it i
looked upon as purely speculative ant
having no practical purpose Tn,
common superstition is that it deals en-
tirely with the supernatural, will
things beyond the reach of huma,
reason, that it sets up uuverifiable dog
mas and demands belief in ideas tina
the intelligent mind cannot accept
Such description of religion is yer,
wide of the truth. For its principle
religion. at any rate in the moderr
sense, teaches only that which is il
full harmony with reason, and in com
plete accord with the established truths
of science. Bur it's aim is not to dwell
upon those or to make them the chic
object of attention. 1t proclaims then
simply as guide aud help to RICH
conduct.
1 cannot speak for other religions
but ours at any rate lays most stress
on deed, not on creed. The essentia
purpose is to direct conduct, to form
character, to make men and women full
IN the duties they owe to God, to theil
fellow beings and to their own bette,
nature. Its centre of gravity Is thi.