Year: 1875

THE MISSION OF IsRAEL-THE FIRST OF a


SERIES OF DIscoURsEs BY THE REV. DIR.


GoTTHEII.


The most active month in all the year for Israclea
has come and in all their synagogues pcws are rented
preparations made for the proper observance OF the
approaching holidays which crowd into this and the
next month The congregations having very generally
returned from the country begin to fill the synagogues
and yesterday goody number gathered in the Temple
Emanuel to whom Dr. Gotthei delivered the first of q
series OF discourses matters pertaining TO the
mission OF Israel His text was Deuteronomy xviii,
l. 2"And it shall come To pass If thou shalt hearken
diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to OBJ
and to do all the commandments which COM
mand thee this day that the Lord thy God will set thee
high above all nations Of the earth"


The Doctor explained that the last clause OF the teu
superior in power, wealth, war, politics. govern
and everything that constitutes outward pros
perity. 1t Is If the great lawgiver had said, "Be
vrtuous and God fearing and you will not fear but be
feared you will conquer, but never be conquered lend
to Others but borrow 1t implied the spoliaton
of the weaker by the stronger powers for then there
existed recognized law of nations, public opinion
that could be invoked for the protection OF the do
fenceoss The sword ruled with unrelentless cruelty
and If there to be Israetsh nation at all 10
must be powerful enough to inspire fear, 1t would
soon crushed under the iron heel OF the conqueror
Might right and the will of the strongest was the
highest law Not only the nationality, but the
lgion likewise depended the supremacy and inde<
pendencc of the people of Israel All the ancient re-


gions pershed with the nations that professed them
and sraes would have shared the same fatc had not
Providence endowed them with


ABILITY ENDURE


above all other nations OF the earth Their vitality
equal to every emergency, and they stand forth
to-day q miracle and tangible proof of propheticd
wisdom and foresight, Still we stand, said the Doc
tor but in how different condition? Instead OF rely
ing for the fear might inspire,
we the and confidence of the nations OF the
earth and strive to obtain their acknowledgment that
religion is superior to all others The idea OF
gathering material force to sustain that claim has long
ago been renounced The national sword not sheathed
broken and the fragments not even preserved
as relics The only that Israel engages in now Ia
IDEAS and freed from all national encumbrances
their religion stands before the world on its merits
a spiritual power only willing to be tested in the
crucbe experience and of science and to be adopted
or rejected as mankind may decide The attainment Of
this degree OF freedom has been OF ncalcuabe value TO
Israel to truth aud to humanity, in that it has
released the former from the fear OF their neighbors
and removed from the latter disturbing element and
allowed truth that freedom which Is necessary TO its
complete development And all this has been accom-
pshed by the destruction Of the national life of Israel
But their mourning been turned into JOY, and for
sackclOth they have put Oh the garments vi praise
Had they continued political body they were, relg.
ious progress would have been hndered and the word
OF truth which they have preached would have had To
be backed up with the bayonet and the cannon while
the very dcenceessness Of religion exctes the ad
mraon and wins the approval of all candid thinking
minds.


The Doctor here dwelt the longing OF some minds
for the restoration Israel TO the Holy Land and


that their minds had grown too large TO be shut
up in that little of Asia, II all its ancient
spendor could be revived To the countries OF our birth
or adoption, he said belong our hearts affection
and devotion and even religion cannot stand
between and our country's good Wo
glory In the thought that there ls
Judaism that knows nationality, that may be as
pure as complete potent for good in Germany rs in
America in France in England Judaism that
thrves in the orange OF Italy as well as in the
pine forests OF Scandinavia on the borders OF the Khns
as well as on the banks Of the Ganges;


A JUDAISM REPUBLICAN HERE
and absolutIstic in the east Of Europe and Asa-in
short Judaism that is spiritual and that only and
that is capable OF assuming many iorms anu YET re-
naming essentially the same. What cah Palestine oI
Jerusalem be to US the Doctor asked We belong not
to ourselves, but to humanity. God, who guides all
hearts and controls all minds, has with His handa


ntertwned our feelings with those OF our fellow men
of every nationality. And We owe II to God, TO our
selves and mankind SAID the Doctor to speak aloud
and to spare retiring into the corners OF
humanity muttering in hushed and muiled
accents the truths We hold Like trum-
pct voice should the word go forth IRON
Jacob and the law of the Lord from Israel No longer
should worship be clothed In foreign garments and in
forms that puzzle and frghen the behoder; longer
should we fear 20 denounce and expose bgOtry
and hypocrisy The nations of the world so far from
hnderng will welcome US IL the truth be in them, fo
we arc the apostles Of freedom and advocates of
fetered and unobstructcd science We are emo
all herarchcal OppressiOn and defenders OF the
individual priesthood of all men. The God whom we
now profess, great mighty of all-cmbracng love and
boundlcss mercy; that God will have unreseryed
submission must live without knowing Him. 10
| Him we all belong and He will never disown US his
goodness and wisdom mghter than the perversions
heaped up Of tho world, and He will cast them
into the OF His iorgctfuncss Shall we not then,
preach this God to the world? Shall we craveny Try
curry with powers that be and their wicked
ness aud vices unchalcnged2 Knowing that freedom,
righteousness charity compassion, equality OF an men
and the Kingdom Of God on earth are promo.ea py lne
teachings JUDAISM must 20 forth IN the strengR
Of God aud be HIS witnesses again as oi yoio W Iness
great truths.