Isaac Troki - Faith Strengthened

FAITH STRENGTHENED.
'•
Know, therefore, this day, and reflect in thy heart, that the
Lord he is God, in heaven above, and on the earth beneath, there
is none else." —DEUTiOROXojrr, Chap. iv. ver. 39.
TRANai.ATKD BY
MOSES M C AT T A.
PRINTED BUT NOT PUBLISHED.
1851.
tovDON:
PRINTED BY .T. WEIiTHEIMEB AND CO
riNSBURY r.iRons.
—
rvAt-
THE TRANSLATOR'S
ADDRESS TO HIS CO-R ELIGI O NT ST S.
As we Israelites do not seek to impose our faith on
others —a practice altogether repugnant to Judaism

it is necessary to premise that the following work is
intended exclusively for distribution among our Hebrew

community.
Having made this declaration, the Translator informs
his Readers, that the ensuing work will be found to be
a faithful version of a valuable theological treatise,
entitled ni1^5< pITH ; or, Faith Strengthened. It Avas
originally composed in Hebrew by Isaac ben Abraham,

an Israelite, a native of Lithuania. The work was
published a.m. 5393 ; and in De Rossi's " Dizionario
iv TRANSLATOR'S ADDRESS.
Istoi'ico," the author is designated as the most power-
ful opponent and refutant of the doctrines and dogmas

of Christianity, that had ever appeared among the
Jews. Indeed, an attentive perusal of the little volume
cannot fail to convince us, that he was not only an able
and a skilful controversialist, but an eminent biblical
scholar, a man of deep and extensive research ; and

earnest in his investigation of truth. The grand design
of his polemics, as he himself tells us, is to establish and
make manifest the sublime truths of Israel's Faith,
and expose and refute the erroneous views on which

Christianity is founded. For this purpose his argu-
ments are essentially based on Scripture authority,
inasmuch as he derives his entire chain of proofs from

apposite biblical texts, with which authorities every
page of his work abounds. Arguments and opinions
founded on sanctions so high and authoritative, demand
our highest respect and most serious meditation. The
sound and critical knowledge of the sacred language of
our forefathers, for which our author was distinguished,
and his perfect familiarity with Bible phraseology,

obviously and emphatically enabled him to produce a
more exact and accurate version of the original text,
than it is possible to find in any authorised English

version of the Bible. The result of this superior and
decisive advantage was, that he was enabled to obtain
—
TRANSLATOR'S ADDRESS. v
a clearer and more definite conception of the real
meaning and purport of those obscure and difficult
passages which we find dispersed throughout the Law

and the Prophets, and which are so arrogantly and so
constantly cited by Christian theologians in support of
their creed and doctrine. Of those intricate texts, our
Author has given most ample and lucid explanations,

and by a train of the most logical, and conclusive
reasoning, he ably and forcibly refutes the erroneous
and fallacious interpretations put upon them by the

opponents of Judaism. And, more forcibly to disprove
the arguments of his adversaries, and demonstrate the
false and untenable foundation upon which they stand,

he has, in a cursory view of each book of the so-called
New Testament, shown the glaring inconsistences ap-
parent in them, and detected and exposed the manifold
discrepancies subsisting among their several authors,
and the endless and contradictory misquotations from

the Hebrew Scriptures which appear in those writings.
Thus has our Author presented his people with a well-
selected compendium of religious instruction, containing
those grand fundamental principles of Judaism,
namely, the belief in One Indivisible God, and the
Advent of a Future Messiah. To this mass of

Scriptural knowledge let the biblical student resort,
and therein he will find a most valuable aid, with an

vi , TRANSLATOR'S ADDRESS.
immense economy of time and labour. To this store-
house of Scriptural information let the youth of our
community also repair, and it cannot fail to afford
them ample materials for their perfect conviction of
the truth and purity of our holy faith, and weapons
of defence against the obtrusive efforts of the over-
zealous proselyte-seeker, and the insidious attacks of

the hireling missionary.
Such are the claims and merits, the purport and in-
tent, of Faith Strengthened ; but great and invaluable
as those claims and merits are in the maintenance and
elucidation of our Holy Faith, its worth and usefulness

are but little known and imperfectly understood
beyond the pale of the theological scholar, the work

having been written in the Hebrew language. Actuated,
therefore, with a wish to make its invaluable knowledge
universally accessible to his Jewish brethren, the Trans-
lator has used his best endeavours to render it into the
vernacular language of the country, in order that it
may no longer be a sealed book, but may freely circu-
late among all grades and classes of the Jewish com-
munity, both in the mother country and in the colonies,
and become, in the domestic circle and the private

closet, a handbook, and a text authority of the prin-
ciples and doctrines of our Holy Religion.

TRANSLATOR'S ADDRESS. vii
It may here be desirable to remark, that as the style
of the Author was rather diffuse, and his language
quaint and inharmonious, the Translator has adopted
a more condensed and a more congenial phraseology.
He has also omitted the superfluous repetition of
the same arguments and quotations with which the
original Work was needlessly overlaid; as also certain
epithets and harsh expressions, in which the Author, in
despite of the moderation he professed, occasionally in-
dulged ; but which doubtless are referrible to the
persecuting spirit of the times in which he lived. To

those who are acquainted with the metaphorical style
of the East, and the unadorned simplicity of European
phraseology, it is unnecessary to state the difficulties
attending the translation of a work like this, so as to
adapt it to the taste of educated Englishmen, The

difficulty of the task was further enhanced by the
daily impediments to which the infirmities incident
to old age cast in the way of an Octogenarian. That
task, however, has been sweetened by the comfort and
serenity of mind which accompany purely spiritual
and religious undertakings, and has cheered on its
aspirant, with the hope that his toilsome, but gratify-
ing, undertaking, will not only tend to raise and excite
a spirit of religious inquiry among all classes of the
Jewish community, particularly the young and the

viii TRANSLATOR'S ADDRESS.
inexperienced, but will impart new vigour, and bring
new honour on the name and profession of the Israelite.
That Faith Strengthened may realize the exalted
aim of its author, must be the ardent wish of every

sincere admirer of, and faithful adherent to, the sound
and pure principles of that Revelation the Almighty

vouchsafed to bestow on his chosen people.
ABSTRACT FROM THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
My religious zeal was aroused, on finding that the name

of the Supreme Being was dishonoured, and our Holy
Law profaned, by the very people who had been ap-
pointed to be the guardians of faith and the witnesses
of those grand truths which make the simple man wise,
the sorrowing heart glad^ and the dim eyes bright. To

my grief, I found that the inquisitive and indefatigable
study of religion, which yields due reward to its zealous
followers, was not cultivated among us as in former
days, and am persuaded that ignorance and growing

misapprehensions have added mental to physical burdens.
Persecutions arising from religious hatred were heaped
upon the children of my faith in all quarters of the
globe, and were ever increasing in acrimony, not less in
consequence of the low state of knowledge possessed by

the Jews in matters of theological controversy than by
the confused and mistaken notions which Christians
had formed of Judaism. But it is absolutely imperative
on man to be at all times prepared to repel any attack

made on his belief. In conformity with this observation,
our sages have recorded their opinion in the following

B
ii ABSTRACT FROM
axiom :
— " Man ought assiduously to study his own
faith, and be competent to give a proper reply to his
antagonists," more particularly when we consider that,
in the majority of cases, the opposition to our doctrines
rests on the misinterpretation of those Scriptures of

which we alone are the legitimate heirs and expounders.
Influenced by the foregoing reflections, I have under-
taken this humble work, which, in its narrow compass,

embraces a subject of the utmost importance. It is
intended to aiford a stronghold to the sincere believer

in the Sinaic revelations who may be incapable of de-
fending himself, and whose opinions may be exposed
to the persevering attacks of his assailant. I refer
my co-religionist so situated, to an attentive perusal
of the " Faith Stkengthened," wherein he will find an
ample supply of arguments and proofs in favour and

support of our venerable creed. In former years, when
I investigated the works of several Christian divines, and
had frequent disputations with other literary Christians,
I made a point to reason in a mild and dispassionate
manner. Indeed, I placed my reliance on the sound-

ness of my position, by preserving a constant evenness
of temper. Thus I rendered the discussions advan-
tageous to myself and more acceptable to my opponents.
Seeing that our Holy Scriptures contain immutable
truths, revealed to us for the benefit of the whole
human race, I have presented in this work such biblical

passages as serve to illustrate the genuineness of
Judaism, and also such as require elucidation, in order

THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. •
ifi
that the reader may fully perceive that, whatever seems

obscure or tending to support Christianity, is, indeed,
merely so in form, and relates wholly and exclusively

to the sacred cause of Judaism —a cause which no
argument whatever can depreciate, for the leading ob-
ject of our faith is to make erring men look up to the
unerring Deity, and inspire the belief that one in-
divisible God rules over the destinies of all, requiring
no mediator or intercessor to obtain remission for our
sins.
I have endeavoured not merely to explain such pas-
sages of our Scriptures as are obnoxious to miscon-
struction, but also to arraign before the tribunal of

common sense the assertions made by Christians which
tend to throw discredit on the truths of the Jewish

Faith. For this purpose, I found it advisable to sub-
divide this work into two parts. The first portion is
devoted to,., an examination of the objections raised by

Christians against our religion, and to the proofs cited
by them for the corroboration of their own doctrines.
The refutation I have given it, is in many cases, based

on the contradictory nature of their own statements.
The second portion comprises a careful review and
refutation of the glaring inconsistencies that are dis-
coverable in the New Testament. With the view to
render the argument introduced into this work more

cogent and conspicuous, I have allotted in the first part
a separate chapter to each particular subject of discus-
sion. In the second part, it has appeared preferable to

b2
iv ABSTRACT FROM THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
adopt distinct chapters for those passages of the New

Testament which call for a special animadversion and
refutation. May the God of all Spirits, who has ren-
dered wisdom unfathomable, and who scrutinizes all
hidden thoughts, bestow a blessing on my humble

efforts, forgive all my unconscious errors, uphold me
in my pure faith, and grant his Divine protction to me
and all Israel. Amen.
—
FAITH STRENGTHENED.
CHAPTER I.
I WAS once asked by Why do you

a Christian scholar, "
Jews was
refuse to believe that Jesus Christ the Mes-
siah, evidence concerning him having been given by the
true prophets, in whose words you also believe?"

And this is the answer which I gave him: How is
it possible for us to believe that he was the Messiah,
as we do not see any actual proof of his Messiahship

throughout the prophetic writings. As for the passages
which the authors of the Gospel adduce from the
words of the prophets, to demonstrate that Jesus the
Nazarene was the Messiah, they advance nothing
relating to hiin, as will be shown in the second part
of this work, in which we shall, in regular succession,
point out the fallacies set forth in the Gospel. On
the other hand, we shall see many incontrovertible
proofs in support of our conviction that Jesus was by
no means the Messiah. A few of these arguments may
be here introduced,
He was not the Messiah is evident :
1st, from his pedigree ;
2ndly, from his acts ;
from the period in which he lived and

3rdly, ;
4thly, from the fact that, during his existence, the

promises were not fulfilled which are to be realised on
the advent of the expected Messiah, whereas the ful-
filment of the conditions alone can warrant a belief
in the identity of the Messiah.
6 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
1st. As was not a descend-

to the pedigree of Jesus, he
ant of David, being merely affiliated to him through
Joseph, as is testified in the Gospel. For in Matthew,
chap. i.,it is written, that Jesus was born of Mary during
her virginity, and that Joseph knew her not until she
had given birth to Jesus. According to this statement,
the pedigree of Joseph can be of no avail to Jesus, and
at the same time it is quite evident that the ancestry of
Mary was unknown to the authors of the Gospel. But
even the relationship of Joseph to David is wanting in
proof, there being a discrepancy between Matthew and
Luke in their account of his pedigree, which appears
clearly when we compare the Gospel of Matthew, chap-
ter i., with that of Luke, at the end of chapter iii.
Here we see conflicting testimonies ; and where that is
the case no belief can be attached to either statement.

The prophets, on the contrary, predicted to us that the
expected Messiah should be no other than a descendant
of David.
2ndly. As works of Jesus, we find that He
to the
says of himself, Matthew x. 34. " Think not that I am
come to make peace on earth I came not to send peace
;
but the sword, and to set a man at variance against his

father, and the daughter against her mother, and the
daufchter-in-law aojainst her mother-in-law." On the
other hand, we find Holy Writ attributing to the true
and expected Messiah actions contrary to those of Jesus.

We see here that Jesus says of himself, he is not come
to make peace on earth, whereas Scripture says of the
true and expected Messiah, in Zechariah ix. 10., ^'And
he shall speak peace unto the heathen," etc. Jesus says
he came in order " to send the sword on earth," but
Scripture says, Isaiah ii. 4., "And they shall beat their
swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-
hooks; nation shaU not lift up sword against nation.
FAITH STRENGTHENED. 7
neither shall they learn war any more." Jesus says he

came "to put father and son at variance," etc, but Mala-
chi says (at the end of his book) that " before the comiug
of the true Messiah the prophet Elijah shall appear, and
turn the heart of the fathers to their children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers." Jesus says,
concerning himself, Matthew xx. 28, that he is not
come to be served by the son of man, but to serve others.
Concerning the true Messiah, however, Scripture says.
Psalms Ixxii. 11, " Yea, all kings shall prostrate them-
selves before him; all nations shall serve him." And

Zech. ix. 10, " His dominion shall be from sea even to
sea, and from the river even to the end of the earth."
Thus states also Daniel, vii. 27, " And all rulers shall
serve him and obey him."
Srdly. As to the period of his existence, it is evident
that he did not come at the time foretold by the pro-
phets; for they predicted the advent of the Messiah to
happen at the latter days, see Isaiah ii. 2, "And it
shaU come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain
of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of
the mountains," etc. Further we read there, verse 4, con-
cerning the king Messiah, " And he shall judge among
the nations and arbitrate among many people, and they
shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears
into pruninghooks," etc. Thus is also recorded in
Scripture concerning the wars of Gog and Magog, which
are to take place in the time of the king Messiah. Vide
Ezekiel xxviii. 8, "After many days thou shalt be visited
in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is
brought back from the sword," as will be explained in

the proper place. The same is evident from Hosea, iii. 5,
"Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek
the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall
revere the Lord and His goodness in the latter days."
So we read also in Daniel ii. 28, '^nd (God) maketh

known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the
latter days." Which passage refers to the subsequent
prophecy, ih. ver. 44, "And in the days of these kings
shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall
never be destroyed and the sovereignty shall not be
;
left to other people," etc. Hence we see clearly that

the prophets predicted that the coming of the true
Messiah would happen at the " latter days,'' and not
before.
4thly. We have to consider the promises contained in
the words of the prophets, which were not fulfilled in
the time of Jesus, but are to be realised in future at the
time of the true Messiah, who is still expected. They
may be classed under the following heads :
(a.)At the time of the king Messiah there is to be

only one kingdom and one king, namely, the true king
Messiah. But the other empires and their rulers shall
cease at that period, as we read in Daniel ii. 44, " And
in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the ;
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall

break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand for ever." Whereas, we now actually see

that many empires, different in their laAvs and habits,
are still in existence ; and that in each empire a diflferent
king is ruling; consequently the Messiah is not yet
come.
(b). At the time of the king Messiah, there is to be
in the world but one creed and one religion, and that is
the religion of Israel, as is proved by Isaiah (lii. 1),
" Awake, awake, put on thy strength, Zion put on ;
thy beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for

henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncir-
cumcised and the unclean." And further (chap. Ixvi. 17),
" Who sanctify themselves and purify themselves [we

prefer the literal translation of this obscure passage to the
unwarranted and still more obscure translation of the
Authorised Version] in the gardens, behind one in the
midst of them who eat the flesh of the swine, and the
abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together
saith the Lord." " And (ver. 23) itcome to pass,
shall
that from one new moon to another, and from one sab-
bath to another, shall all flesh come and worship) before
me, saith the Lord." Moreover, it is written in Zecha-
riah (xiv. 16), " And it shall come to pass, that every
one that is left of all the nations which came against
Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship
the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of
tabernacles." In the same book (chap. viii. 23) we
read, " Thus saith the Lord of hosts. In those days it
shall come to pass, that ten men of nations of diverse
languages shall take hold, even shall take hold of the
skirt of a Jew [Authorised Version renders it " of him
that is a Jew"], saying. We will go with you ; for we have
heard that God is with you." There are many other
passages in that book to the same effect.
(c.) At the time of the Messiah, the idolatrous images

and their memorial, as also the false prophets and the
spirit of profanity are to vanish from the earth, as may
be seen in Zechariah xiii. 2. "And it shall come to pass
in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off
the names of the idols from the earth, and they shall no
more be remembered, also I will cause the prophets and
the unclean spirit [literally '
the spirit of uncleanliness']
to pass away from the earth." So also it is written in
Isaiah ii. 18. " And
the idols he shall utterly abolish."
So it is also said in Zephaniah ii. 11. " The Lord will be
terrible unto them, for he will cause all the gods of the
earth to waste away, and men shall worship Ilim, every

one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen."
{d.) At the time of the Messiah, there will be no sins
and iniquities in the world, particularly not among the
Israelitish nation.Thus we find in the law (Deuteronomy
XXX. 6.), " And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine
heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy
God with all thine heart and with all thy soul, that thou
mayest live." Again, in Zephaniah iii, 13. " The rem-
nant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies,
neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth."
Again, in Jeremiah iii. 13. "At that time they shall call
Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all the nations
shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the .Lord, to
Jerusalem, neither shall they walk any more after the
imagination of their evil heart." Again, in Ezekiel
xxxvi. 25. " And I will sprinkle clean water upon you:
from allyour impurity, and from all your idols, will I
cleanse you. And I will give unto you a new heart, and
a new spirit will I put within you, and I will -take away
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a
heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep
my judgments and do them." Moreover, see Ezekiel
xxxvii. 23. " Neither shall they defile themselves any
more with the idols nor with their abominations, nor
with their transgressions, and I will save them out of
all their dwelling-places wherein they have sinned, and
I will cleanse them, and they shall be my people, and I

will be their God, and David my servant shall be king
over tliem, and they shall liave one shepherd, and they
shall walk in my judgments and observe my statutes
and do them."
{e.) At the time of the king IMcssiah and after the
war with Gog and Magog there will be peace and tran-
quillity throughout the world, and men will no longer
require any weapons of war. So it is written in Isaiah
ii. 4. " And they shall beat their swords into plough-
shares^ and their spears into pruning-hooks nation shall ;
tiot liftup sword against nation, neither shall they learn

war any more." See also Ezekiel xxxix. 9. " And they
that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth and shall
set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and
the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the hand-
staves and the spears, and they shall burn them with
fire seven years (ib. ver. 10.) so that they shall take no
wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the
forests, for with the weapons shall they kindle the fire."
With these words agrees the prophecy of Hosea ii. 20.

according to the division of chapters in the Hebrew
Bibles, (in the English version it is chap. ii. ver. 18.)
" and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle
out of the earth, and I mil make them to lie down safe-
ly." So says also Zechariah ix. 10, " And the battle-
bow shall be cut off", and he shall speak peace unto the
heathen,'' etc. •
(/.) At the time of the king Messiah there will be

peace in the Holy Land between the ferocious and do-
mestic animals, so that they will not injure each other,
and much less injure a human being, as is evident from
the following prophecies of Isaiah xi. The wolf
6. '*
also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall
lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion,
and the falling together, and a little child shall lead
them." (Ver. 7) "And the cow and the bear shall
feed together ; their young ones shall lie down together,
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox." (Ver. 8)
" And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the
asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice's den." (Ver. 9) " They shall not hurt nor

destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord," etc. and (ib. Ixv. 25)
"And the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the
lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and dust shall be
jthe serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all my holy mountain, saith the Lord." (See also Ezekiel
xxxiv. 25) " And I will make with them a covenant of
peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the
land, and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and
sleep in the woods." (Ver. 28.) "And they shall no
more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of
the land devour them," etc. (See also Hosea ii. 20, or
in the English version, 18) "And in that day will I
make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field,
and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping
things of the ground," etc.
{g.) At the time of the Messiah there will be no
troubles, cares, and anxieties, among the restored Israel-
ites, who will then be blessed with a prolonged and
more happy life, as is foretold in the following passages
of Isaiah (Ixv. 16). "He who blesseth himself in the
earth shall bless himself in the God of truth, and he that
sweareth in the earth shaU. swear by the God of truth,
because the former troubles are forgotten, and because
they are hid from mine eyes. (Ver. 19) " And I will
rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice
of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice
of crying." (Ver. 20) " There shall be no more thence
an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled
his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, but
the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed."
(Ver. 21) "And they shall build houses and inhabit
them, and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of
them." (Ver. 22) " They shall not build and another
inhabit, they shall not plant and another eat, for as the
days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and mine

elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."
(A). At the time of the Messiah the Shechinah (efful-
gency of divine presence) shall return to Israel as in
former days, and the people of Israel increase in pro-
phecy, wisdom, and knowledge, as may be seen by the fol-
lowing quotations from the prophets. (Ezek. xxxvii.26)
" Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them
it shall be an everlasting covenant Avith them and I :
will establish and multiply them, and set my sanctuary

in the midst of them for evermore." (Ver. 27) " My
residence also shall be among them.
Yea, I will be
theirGod, and they shall be my people." (Ver. 28)
" And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanc-
tify Israel when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of
them for evermore." 29) " Neither mil I
(lb. xxxix.
hide my face any more from them, for I have poured
out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord
God." (lb. xliii. 7) " And he said unto me. Son of man,
the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my
feet where I will dwell in the midst of the children of
Israel /or eu^r," etc. (lb. xlviii. 35) " And the name
"
of the city from that day shall be, '
The Lord is there'
(Joel ii. 27) " And ye shall know that I am in the
midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God,
and there is none else and ; my people shall never be
ashamed." (lb. iii. 1; in the English Version ii. 28)
" And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour
out my spirit upon
and your sons and your
all flesh,
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream

dreams, your young men shall see visions." (lb. iii. 17)
" So ye shall know that I am the Lord your God dwel-
ling in Zion my holy mountain then shall Jerusalem :
be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through it

any more." (lb. iii. 21) " For I will avenge their blood
that I liad not avenged, for the Iôrd dwelleth in Zion."
(Zee. ii. 14; in the English Version, ii. 10) " Sing and
rejoice, daughter of Zion, come and dwell
for, lo ! I
in the midst of thee, saith the Lord." (Isa. xi. 9) " For
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as
the waters cover the sea." ( Jer. And they
xxxi. 34) "
shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every
man his brother, saying. Know the Lord for they shall :
know me, from the lowest of them to the highest, saith

the Lord : for I will forgive their iniquity, and remem-
ber their sin no more."
The above indications pointed out by the prophets
as indispensable attributes of the true Messiah, have
not been fulfilled in Jesus the Nazarene. Nor have
we hitherto seen realised the prophetic assurances
already named, or others that we have omitted, to
avoid prolixity. And we therefore arrive at the just
conclusion, that the true and expected Messiah has not
yet come. In him alone all the predicted attributes
jmdoubtedly will be manifested, and through him
alone and in no other way, the scriptural promises will
be accomplished.
CHAPTER II.
An argument has been adduced by Christians, to the

effect, that the Almighty has rejected the Israelitish
nation, because they would not listen to the teachings

of the Messiah, his messenger, and because they
executed judgment on him. The Lord has, therefore,
say they, chosen the Christian nation, and he permitted
Christ to suffer martyrdom for their sake and for the
salvation of their souls, because they had acknowledged
him and put faith in him.
REFUTATION.
This argument is unfounded; for the Christians
themselves confess, that before the coming of Jesus,
they (as Gentiles) denied the Almighty, and
were
idolaters. Even after the coming of Jesus, he was not
received as a God, nor believed to be such until some
hundred years subsequent to his existence. Yea, they
(the Gentiles) themselves carried on exterminating
persecution against him, his disciples, apostles, and
followers. Nero, the emperor of Rome, for instance,

caused Peter and Paul to die an unnatural death, on
account of their endeavours to persuade and urge the
people to believe in Jesus. Decius, the Roman emperor,
caused, in a like spirit, Laurentius to be roasted alive
in the year 254 of the vulgar era, because he persuaded
people to embrace Christianity. So acted all the empe-
rors that followed him they persecuted the Christians,
;
and killed the popes, and those who followed the religion
of Jesus, as may be gathered from their ecclesiastical
histories. The first Byzantine emperor who adopted
the Christian faith, was Constantine, who established
laws for his co-religionists 300 years after the
death of Jesus. In his days lived Arius who
composed a controversial work against the Christian
dogmas, but Constantine lent no ear to his opinions.
After the death of this monarch, Constantine the Second
attached himself to the sect of Arius, and slighted the
established doctrines; and his succeeding relative
Julian, likewise adhered to the Arian views, and reject-
ed the general principles of the Christian Faith. His
example was imitated by several of his successors.
, There are, even in our times, people who acknowledge
the authority of Arius, and who constitute the sect
called by his name. This (the original repudiation of
Christianity by the Gentiles) is also to be noticed among
the [ancient] inhabitants of Prussia; when bishop

Adelbert of Prague came to them to instruct them in his
religion in the year 990, of the Christian era, they cut
him in pieces. The Prussians and Poles were not con-
verted to the Christian religion before the eleventh
century, and the Scandinavians not until after the
1400th year of the vulgar era, as is stated in the
Ecclesiastical histories. The majority of the followers
of Christianity continue even at the present day to adore
in their places of worship images of gold and silver,
wood, and and many of them shew divine rever-
stone,
ence to the wafer, or sacramental bread by prostrating
themselves before it.
These practices they keep up in contradiction to the

teachings of Jesus who rigorously impressed upon his
:
disciples and apostles to abstain from them, as well as

from the eating of the sacrifices offered up to idols.
We also find in the Gospel, they are forbidden to eat
blood, or the flesh of strangled animals ; which inter-
dictions are disregarded even by the most scrupulous

Christians. They likewise desecrate the true Sabbath-
day, the stringent commandment of which, was kept by
Jesus, and subsequently by his disciples and his fol-
lowers, during the period of 500 years. From that
period, the ancient law was superseded by the Pope
enjoining to celebrate the first day of the week, Sunday,
as the sacred day. Hence arises the question: How
can they boast to be the preferred nation, selected in
reward of their homage to Jesus; or how can they
assume the name of Christians, since there exists among
them, no longer any observer of the Mosaical precepts,
which Jesus himself declared inviolable? Besides, they
deviate from his statutes by adding to, and diminishing
from the dictates of the Gospel, \\hi\e he pronounced
severe maledictions against those who should venture
to add or to dimmish from his words, as may be learned

from the passages above referred to, and will be set
forth more fully in chapter xlix. of this work.
CHAPTER III.
A MEiviBER of the Greek Church, once addressed me in the

following words
— " Do you know wherefore you have
:
no longer a king of your own people ? It is because you

have rejected the faith of Jesus Christ and His kingdom,
for He was the king of Israel. On this account the
empire of Israel has been destroyed."
I replied to him " It is known, and evident from the
:
words of the prophets, that in consequence of our mani-

kingdom was destroyed in the time
fold iniquities, our
of Nebuchadnezzar, when this king led Zedekiah, king
of Judah, captive to Babylon.
" This event took place
more than four hundred years
before the existence of Jesus. The Jews were then
successively subjects of the Babylonians, Medes, and
Greeks. Long before the birth of Jesus we had been
kept in servitude by the Romans. You may see that
proved in your Gospel of Luke, iii. 1, 'In the fifteenth
year of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor
of Judea,' etc. See also John xix. 15, 'Pilate saith
unto them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests
answered, We have no king but Caesar.' Now, as to
your ascribing to Jesus the government of Israel, we
are at a loss to know who made him king, and where
he ruled over Israel. You, members of the Greek
Church, were the parties who first acknowledged Chris-
tianity in the kingdom of your Messiah, and you still
continue in your faith in Him ; and, nevertheless, your
c
government has been destroyed, and you have no longer

a king of your own people for a Mohammedan ruler, the
:
Turkish sultan, who is now in possession of the Holy

Land, extends his sway over Greece.
There are many other Christian states which formerly
elected their own kings, and now are subjected to the
Ottoman power. other hand, you see the
On the
Mahommedans not only disbelieving the doctrines of
Jesus, but even mercilessly persecuting the followers of
his faith, and notwithstanding this, the empire of
the Turks enjoys undisturbed prosperity.
CHAPTER IV.
An eminent disciple of Martin Luther one day, thus

—
argued with me: "You know that in our gospel. Acts,
V. 34, it is mentioned that Rabbi Gamaliel, a learned
and distinguished man, addressed the by-standing Jews
in the following terms: (Ver. 38) Refrain from these
'
men, and let them alone, for if this counsel, or this work
be of men, it will come to nought; (ver. 39) but if it
be of God ye cannot overthrow it, but it Avill continue

firm, and ye must and the
rebel against the intentions
counsel of God.' To this he brings forward an example
in Theudas and Judas of Galilee, who came forward as
Messiahs of their own accord, without approbation and
decree of the Almighty, and were in a short time utterly
destroyed, with all their followers.
"You your own eyes (said the Lutheran)

see then with
that this faith, that is to say, the faith of Jesus and his
apostles, has not been destroyed these 1500 years and
more consequently the before-mentioned trial (of the
;
veracity of the Christian faith proposed by the Jewish

doctor) is a convincing and perfect proof, that the words
and acts of the founders of Christianity met with the

full approbation of God."
Upon this,gave him the following reply: The
I —
words reported in the gospel as having been used by
Rabbi Gamaliel are not accredited among us but were ;
it even acknowledo;ed that Rabbi Gamaliel did thus

express himself, we know that he did not speak in a
prophetic spirit,he was no j^rophet, but that he
for
expressed merely his views from what he had ex-
perienced in his own time of Theudas and Judas of
Galilee. Hence it is possible he might have uttered his
views, as Scripture says (Psalm xix. 12), "Who can be
aware of errors," etc. On the other hand, you may
perceive incontrovertible testimony of the contrary from
the idolatrous service which preceded Jesus, and which
was renewed after and did not cease for so
his time,
many centuries. You well know that the worship of
idols was introduced previously to the existence of our
ancestor Abraham Terah the father of Abraham
; for
was an idolater, as is recorded in scripture, Joshua
xxiv. 2. concerning the father of Abraham and Nahor,
*'
and they served other Gods."
Since that period to the present time, 3000 years and
more have elapsed; and the worship of images still
continues. For we see your Evangelists, who follow in
the steps of Martin Luther, accuse those who walk in

the faith of the pope of Rome of rendering homage to
images in their houses of worship ;
yet it is manifest,
that image-worship proceeds from the wîll of God.
Thus has also the infidel Mohammed instituted the
spurious religion of the Islams. A religion the falsity
.of which you yourself acknowledge, and nevertheless
this delusion lasted for above 1000 years, and is to this
day not put down.
Would you say then that these two creeds, viz.,
c 2
Popery and Mohammedanism because they are not yet

abolished,were established by the approbation or com-
mand of God ? I have not the slightest idea, that a
reasonable being can entertain such a supposition but :
the fact is, that the Almighty says " leave the foolish-
minded to themselves, for m futurity they will have to
render account of their action" (vide treatise Ahodah
ZaraJi, on occasion of a question asked of Rabbi Gama-
liel). Moreover it is known, from the words of the
prophets, that idolatry will continue till the time of the
]\Iessiah, whose advent we expect ; for concerning that
period see Isaiah ii. 18., " And the idols he shall utterly
abolish." Again Zephaniah ii. 11., "The Lord will
be terrible unto them, for he will bring low all the gods
of the earth," " and men shall worship Him every one
from his place, even all the isles of the heathen."
Again Zechariah xiii. 2., " And it shall come to pass
in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off
the name of the idols out of the land, and they shall no
more be remembered " etc. Then will be fulfilled the
passage contained in the same prophet, xiv. 9. "And
the Lord shall be King over all the earth, in that day
the Lord shall he One and His name One.''
CHAPTER V.
The same personage argued with me another time, and

said, " You ought to know that, as long as you fulfilled
the behests of God and his commandments, you were

prosperous in this world ; for the kings of Israel were
great and mighty, so that our forefathers, and many
other Gentile nations, were held under subjection by
you ; but now, since you have sinned against God, the
case is reversed ; from you and

for the rule has departed
passed over to us, so has our subjection departed from
us and passed over to you. For, at present, you have
no king or prince among you, and you are held under
subjection by all nations. At the same time, our pros-
perity is a great proof of the goodness of our faith, as
your former prosperity was a proof of the goodness of
your faith, hence this your degraded state must be
considered a convincing illustration of your evil doings
in rejecting our creed." To this I replied:
" Your argument is fallacious in all its bearings, for
in this world there are many wicked men, whose lot is
as prosperous as if they were truly righteous men,
while we frequently see the pious labouring under severe
an instance of this we find in the success of
afflictions ;
Nebuchadnezzar the wicked^ and Alexander the Great,

who extended their rule over a great part of the world,
and especially over the land of the Israelites, nor
had
there ever been seen kings more prosperous in their
government than they were. Yet they, with all their
success, cannot be brought forward as an argument in
favour of the superiority of the faith of the Gentiles
over that of the subjugated Israelites, it being a well-
known fact that they (the great kings) were Avorshippers
of idols and the planets. Now in our day even you,
Christians, agree that Islamism is nothing but a false
system introduced by their pretended prophet Mo-
hammed ; nevertheless, they are prosperous in this
world, and their religion and power spread over a
large portion of Asia and Africa: consequently, how
can you say that their prosperity is a 'proof of the good-
ness of their creed, seeing also that Scripture shews the
reverse. Thus Jeremiah says, xii. 1, "For the Lord
chastiseth him whom He loveth," etc. The argument,
therefore, which you derived from your prosperity iu
favor of your religion, is groundless, and must appear

so to every man of good sense.
CHAPTER VI.
A Chkistian scholar argued once with me, saying, " We

have examined the words of the prophets, and have not
found that even a single allusion was made or a pro-
phecy revealed, concerning the captivity in which you
at present are —
namely, the captivity into which you
were brought by the Romans. All the prophets speak
only about the captivity and the conquest of Babylon
by the Medes and Persians, yet not a word is contained
in Holy Writ concerning your present captivity nor
your deliverance from it, nor of the downfall of the
Roman dominion. How can it then be known, that the
appointed Messiah has not arrived, or that he is to
arrive at —
some future period since all the promises
recorded in the works of the prophets were fulfilled at
—
the time of the second temple and it is this to which
Matthew alludes, xi. 13, For all the prophets and the
'
law prophesied until John [the Baptist].' "

Upon this I made the following reply
It is not to be wondered at, that you do not find
any statement in the writings of the prophets, concern-
ing the present captivity and the redemption therefrom,
etc., for it is written Psalm xiv. 70, " He declareth His
word unto Jacob, His statutes and His judgments unto
Israel. He has not dealt so with any nation, nor has
He made known His judgments unto them."
But I will shew, first, distinct prophecies concerning
our dispersion and our scattered state in this exile —
dispersion which is wonderful —a scattered state, which
is unprecedented, for where have we seen any other

nation spread throughout all parts of the earth ?
Secondly. I will bring forward prophecies fixing our
continuance in this captivity for a protracted period ex-
tending to the latter days; and also promises of the
prophets regarding our redemption from this captivity;
and likewise many predictions from the sacred writers
respecting the overthroAv of the Roman and other
powers who must be deemed unworthy to be allied
with the nation of Israel at the time of its restoration.
There are several other prophecies yet unaccomplished,

which will come to pass at the appointed season.
Now referring to the prophecy concerning the cap-
tivity: viz., the captivity effected by the Romans, we
read in the law (Deut. xxviii. 64), "And the Lord shall
scatter the^ among all people, from the one end of the
earth even unto the other;" for, in the Roman captivity,
the Jews belonging to the second temple were disp^rsprl
and scattered in divers countries then possessed by the
Romans. They brought with them people of various
nations to besiege Jerusalem for they could not make an
easy conquest on account of the great valour of the Jews.
Such was not the case at the destruction of the first
temple, the Jews being then too few and weak, so that
the unaided Babylonians were sufficient to reduce them
and to lead them into captivity they were, therefore^
;
only banished to Babel, as we read at the end of the

Second Chronicles (xxxvi. 20), " And them that had
escaped from the sWord carried he away to Babylon,
where they were servants to him and his sons, until the
reign of the kingdom of Persia." Thus we find also in
Ezra (ii. 1), " Now these are the children of the
province that went up out of the captivity of those
who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar,
tlie king of Babylon, had carried away to Babylon,
and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one

into his city." See also in the same prophet (i. 2), " All
the vessels of gold and of silver were 5400; all these did
Sheslibazzar bring with them of the captivity that were
brought up from Babylon into Jerusalem." You see
here, from the testimony of Scripture, that the Israelites
were only exiled to Babel, and returned only from
thence. When we therefore read in Deut. (xxx. 3),
" That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, etc.,
and gather thee from all the nations whither the Lord
thy God has scattered thee," we cannot possibly ascribe
it to the captivity of Babel, but only to that of Rome.
When, further, the prophet Ezekiel says (xxii. 15),

" And I will scatter thee among the heathen and disperse
thee in the countries and cause thy impurity to cease,"
we cannot possibly refer any other than this last
it to
captivity, viz., the Roman captivity. For in the cap-
tivity of Babylon their impurity was not removed from
them. When they had left Babylon and arrived in the
Holy Land, there were still among them men who had
taken heathen wives, who profaned the sabbath and
committed many more iniquities hence they became
;
again subject to captivity for their many sins. To this

must be referred the remark of the prophet, that by
reason of the length of this sad captivity, our sins and
our impurities will be removed from us, so that Ave shall
not be exiled again. See Lamentations (iv. 22), " The
punishment of thy iniquity is accomplished, daughter
of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity,
etc." See also Aiiios (i. 6), "Thus saith the Lord, For
three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not
turn away the punishment thereof, because they carried
away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to
Fdom"; and in the same chapter (ver. ix.), " Thus saith
the Lord, For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, [
will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they

delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remem-
bered not the brotherly covenant."
These prophecies referred to the future : viz., to the de-
struction of the second temple, for those who had escaped
from the captivity of Titus and fled to the countries of
the Philistines and to Tyre, both adjacent to the Holy
Land, were seized and delivered up to the hand of
Edom; that is, Titus and his army; for the Nazarene
Nations, and the Romans at their head, are alluded to
in Scripture under the title of Edom, or daughter of
Edom, in like manner as those nations which were con-
verted to the creed of Islam, are called by the Hebrews,
Ismaelites, on account of their supposed ancestor Ismael.
Now, what the prophet says (Amos i. 9) concerning
the luhole means, that there remained no
captivity,
fugitive or runaway who was not subject to the yoke
of the Romans, while there had remained many remnants
during the Babylonian captivity who did not yield to
the supremacy of the Chaldeans ; and, therefore, went to
Egypt, as Scripture testifies (see Jeremiah xliii. 7),
" So they came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed
not the voice of the Lord." As to the expression of
Amos (i. 9), " And they remembered not the brotherly
covenant," it alludes to the covenant that existed
between Hiram, king of Tyre, and King Solomon; for
Scripture says, " That they made a covenant together
and addressed each other as brothers (see 1 Kings
ix. 13).
We shall now proceed to consult scripture respecting

our continuance in this protracted captivity ; and we
shall perceive that after having surmounted many days of
trouble and afiliction, the Lord Avill have mercy again
on us in the latter days and we shall be convinced
;
that, though our deliverance is so long deferred, the

Lord will not forget His covenant and His oath which
He swore unto our fathers. See Deut. iv. 30, 31,
" When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are
come upon thee, even in the latter days, thou shalt
turn to the Lord thy God, and be obedient unto His
voice. For the Lord thy God is a merciful God, and
He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget
the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them."
Hosea iii. 4, "
For the children of Israel shall abide
many days without a king, and without a prince, and
without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without
Ephod, and without Teraphim afterwards shall the —
children of Israel return and seek the Lord, their God,
and David their king, and shall reverence the Lord in
the latter days." This prophecy evidently refers to our
present exile; for we have no king, and no prince in
Israel, but are under the dominion of Gentiles and their
monarchs. We cannot offer sacrifice to God, or seek
information by means of the Urim and Thummim,
neither is there a false oracle of the Teraphim, which,
according to the representation of idolaters, revealed
—
coming events besides all Israelites are now in cap-
and what the prophet says, " Afterwards Israel
tivity,
shall return," refers to the latter days, close to the time

of salvation when the children of Israel shall come back
penitently and seek the Lord and David their
their God,
king, for then they will regret their ejaculation (1 Kings
xii. 16), "What portion have we in David? neither
have we inheritance in the son of Jesse;" for he who
denies the kingdom of David is as sinful as if he had
rebelled against the Lord himself, who has given an
everlasting dominion unto David and his seed. At the
time of salvation shall be fulfilled the saying of Jeremiah
XXX. 9, " They shall serve the Lord their God, and David
their king, whom I will raise up unto them." We find
besides an allusion to the redemption from the captivity

by the Romans in the law, as well as in many passages
of the Prophets (see Deut. xxx. 3) " Then the Lord thy
God will turn thy captivity and have compassion on
thee, and will return and gather thee from all the
(ver. 4.) " If any of
;"'
nations and them be driven out to
the uttermost of heaven, from thence will I the Lord
thy God gather thee and from thence will He fetch them.'
(Yer. 5.) '' And the Lord thy God will bring thee into
the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt
possess it, and He will do thee good and multiply thee
above thy fathers (ver. 6). And the Lord thy God will
circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love
the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy
soul, that thou mayst live." We see that these passages
were not fulfilled on the return of Judah and Benjamin
from Babylon for the number of those who returned
;
amounted to only 42,360, as recorded in Ezra ii.

The majority remained in Babylon because they were
unwilling to go back to Jerusalem. How then can it
be maintained that the promise has been fulfilled, which

declares " if any of them be driven out to the uttermost
part of heaven, from thence the Lord thy God will
gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee."
If even at the time of the second temple, during an
abode in the Holy Land, the Lord has not done us more
good, nor multiplied us more than our fathers how can —
it be asserted that the promises have been fulfilled ? viz.
" And He do thee good and multiply thee above thy
will
fathers." For during all the days of the second temple
we were in distress and trouble. See Daniel ix. 25
" And after three score and two weeks the streets shall
be built again and the wall even in troublesome times."
See also the prophecy of Isaiah xliii. 5 "Fear not, for I
am with thee I will bring thy seed from the East, and
;
gather thee from the West." (Ver. 6). "I will say
to the North give up, and to the South keep not back.
Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the end
of the earth." Again (xi. 12), "And he shall set up
an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the out-
casts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of
Judah from the four corners of the earth." See also
the prophecy of Ezekiel xxxix. 28, " But I shall gather
them into their own land, and leave none of them any
more there " (namely in the land of the enemy).
Assurances of this description, were not realised at
the exit of the Israelites from Babylon to Jerusalem, for
they not having been dispersed, after the captivity of
Babylon, in the four quarters of the globe, how can the
promise have been fulfilled that says, " And He shall
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together
the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the
earth?"
There having remained many in the captivity of
Babylon, as we have mentioned above, how was the
prophecy brought to pass which states " And I will
leave none of them there any more ?" We have further
to shew that durins;; the time of the construction of the
second temple, the prediction was not fulfilled which
is contained in Isaiah Ix. 10, " And the son of the
strangers up the walls; and kings shall
shall build
minister unto thee." For at that time the heathens
derided the Jews, saying (Nehem. iv. 2) ''What are
these feeble Jews doing"? etc. And they prevented
and interrupted them in building up the walls more- ;
over the passage, " And kings shall serve thee " was not
fulfilled at that period ; for we read in Ezra ix. 9 " We
are bondsmen; yet our God has not forsaken us in our
bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight
of the kings of Persia." This . is also written in
Nehemiah ix. 36. " Behold we are servants this day,

and for the land that Thou gavest unto our Fathers
to eat the fruit thereof, and the good thereof, behold
we are servants in it." (Yer. 37) "And it yieldeth
much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over
us, because of our sins : also they have dominion over
our bodies and over our cattle at their pleasure, and
we we find in Isaiah
are in the greatest distress." Further,
Ix. 11, " Therefore thy gates shall be open continually,
they shall not be shut day or night." This prediction
did not come to pass during the second temple. For
we observe in Nehemiah vii. 3, " And I said unto them,
let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun
be hot," etc. Hence you may conclude, that not only
these promises, as well as the above-mentioned assur-
ances, were hot fulfilled during the time of the second
temple, but that just the contrary took place in respect
to them as we have already related. We must therefore
arrive at the conviction, that these prophecies and pro-
mises, and many others not mentioned here, referred
to our redemption from the captivity in which we now
are.
We shall now proceed to consider the predicted down-
fall of the Gentile nations, which is to take place in the
days of the expected Messiah. Concerning that period,
we read in Numbers xxiv. 17. "I see it, though it will
not happen now; I behold it, though not nigh, there
shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise
out of Israel, it breaketh down the corners of Moab
and crusheth all the children of Seth." The king
Messiah, whose grandeur and lustre make him compar-
able vnth the stars of heaven, will, according to this
prophecy, subject to his power all the children of Seth,
and He will perform such heroic deeds as were never
accomplished before Him.
To the exploits of this king, are referable the con-

quests predicted in the above chapter of Numbers, "And
Edom shall become an inheritance, and Seir shall be a
possessor of its enemies, and Israel shall do valiant
deeds; and he who is descended from Jacob shall rule,
and he that escapeth from the city [of the enemy] shall
perish."
The many predictions regarding Edom recorded in
Isaiah, Obadiah, and other prophets, have, by our laws,
been explained as alluding to Rome, which, since the
time of the destruction of the second temple, has ex-
hibited the fiercest persecutors, and most implacable
enemies of the Jews and their faith.
To this effect, Isaiah says, xxxiv. 8, "•

For the Lord
hath a day of vengeance, a year of retributions for the
controversy of Zion." Every iniquitous act committed
by the adversary of Zion will meet with condign visita-
tion, and human liberty shall triumph on the ruins of
tyranny. Hence he says, " And the redeemed of the

Lord shall return and enter Zion with joy, and ever-
lasting gladness shall be upon their head. Exultation
and rejoicing shall reach them, and sorrow and afflic-
tion shall flee from them far away." The comfort pro-
mised in the Lamentation of Jeremiah will then be
realised, for in iv. 22, it is said " The punishment of
:
thine iniquity, daughter of Zion, has been fulfilled;
he will no more lead thee into captivity. He has visited

thine iniquity, daughter of Edom, he hath laid bare
thy sins." Love will then be shewn by the Gentiles to

the Jews, and according to Isaiah, Ixvi. 20, " They will
bring your brethren from among all the Gentiles as a
gift unto the Lord .... to Jerusalem, my holy
mountain." An objection has been raised against a
complete restoration of the Jews, grounded on some
partial texts of Scripture; but let us refer those who
make the allegation, to the following scriptural passages

which afford a complete refutation of such a supposition
For Joel says, " Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom
a howling wilderness, on account of the violence done to
the children oiJudah, and on account of the innocent blood
which they shed in their land. But Judah shall dwell for
ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation."
We should not take these words in the narrow
limits in which they may present themselves to readers,
who fix upon a single scriptural passage without com-
paring it with the more extensive detailed passages of a
similar character. In fact, we have already stated, that
by Edom we understand Rome; and we must, with
justice to truth, submit that Egypt means the heavy
yoke of the Mahommedan power.
The Ishmaelites (or Mahommedans) have traced their
origin back' to Hagar, " the Mitzrith," or Egyptian
bondwoman, and were, therefore, called by the prophet,
Mitzrayim (Egyptians).
It appears also perfectly accountable that the prophet
speaks of the children of Judah rather than of the
whole house of Israel. For, on the overthrow of the
Ten Tribes, the name of the prevailing and distinguished
tribe of Judah was adopted to designate the whole
nation of Israel. Hence he says, " And Judah shall
remain there and for ever, and Jerusalem from gene-
ration to generation." Obadiah actually predicts that
all Israel (not only Judah) shall obtain the ultimate
victory. He says, " And the house of Jacob shall be
as a fire, and the house of Joseph as a flame, and the
house of Esau as stubble," etc. And he concludes by
saying, " And the saviours shall go up to the mount
Zion, to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom
shall belong unto the Lord."
We will now, for the sake of clearness, review in
regular order the prophfjcies which are unfulfilled, and

are yet to come to pass in the days of the expected
Messiah.
1. The ingathering of the Ten Tribes, and their union
with Judah and Benjamin under the dominion of one

king of the house of Judah (see Ezek. xxxvii. 16),
" And now, son of man, take unto thee one stafi^, and
write thereon, for Judah and Israel," etc.
2. The rise of Gog and Magog, and their incursions
into the territory of Israel (see Ezek. xxxviii. and xxxix.
See also Zech. xiv. 12), " And this shall be the plague
which shall strike all the nations who have carried their
hosts against Jerusalem," etc.
3. The Mount of Olives shall be rent asunder (see
Zech. xiv. 4), " And his feet shall stand on that day on
the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem, and
the mount of Olives shall be rent asunder in the midst
of the east and the west, so as to become a very ex-
tended valley," etc.
4. The river of Egypt shall be divided, and dry up

prior to the gathering of the exiles of Judah (see Isaiah
xi. 15, 16).
" And the Lord shall cause the tongue of the sea of
'
. . .
Egypt to be dried up, and He will wave His hand

against the river in the strength of His spirit, and He
will smite it into seven rivers. And men shall Avalk
through it dry shod, and it shall be a path for the
remnant of his people which shall remain from Assyria

as it was unto Israel on the day when they went out of
Egypt."
5. Ezekiel xlvii. "The waters issued out from under
the threshold of the house eastward. And by the river
shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade,
nor the fruit thereof be consumed. It shall bring forth
new fruit accordincf to his month. Because their waters
they issued out of the sanctuary, and the fruit thereof

shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
See ver. 1 and 12, Zechariah, xiv. 8, "And it shall be in
that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem,
half of them toward the former sea, and half of them
toward the hinder summer and in winter shall it
sea, in
be." Joel iii. 18, " It shall

come to pass in that day, that the
mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall
flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow
with waters; and a fountain shall come forth of the
house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Sheetim.''
6. The conversion of the Gentiles to Judaism, see
Zech. viii. 23, "They will say (to the Jews), We will go
with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
7. The an^jual pilgrimage remnant of all
of the
nations to Jerusalem " to bow down to the King the
Lord of Hosts," etc. see Zech, xiv. 17.
8. The celebration of the Sabbath, and the new
moons by all the Gentiles (see the end of the Book of

Isaiah ver. 23.)
9. The total extinction of idolatry,. See Isaiah ii. 13,
" And the idols he will consume completely;" and xlvii.
17, " They shall turn backward, and be filled with shame
who trust in images, and say unto the molten statues,
Ye are our gods!" See also Psalm xcvii. 7.
10. Unity of faith. shall prevail throughout the world.

See Isaiah xlviii., " By myself have I sworn, saith the
Lord, righteousness hath come forth from my mouth,
and a word which shall not emptily return, namely,
that unto me every knee shall bend, and by me every
tongue shall swear. ^^ Zech. xiv. 9, " And the Lord shall
be a King over the whole earth ; on that day shall the
Lord be one and his name One.
11. The kingdom of Israel shall be the principal one
in existence. See Isaiah Ix. 10, " And the children of
D
strangers shall build thy walls, and their kings shall

serve thee.'' Also ibid, "For the nation and the king-
dom which shall not be willing to serve thee shall
perish, and the be utterly destroyed."
people shall
Daniel vii. And the kingdom and the dominion and
27, "
the multitude of kingdoms under the whole heaven shall
be given to the people of saints of the most high, whose
kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers
shall serve and obey Him."

Peace shall be restored after the subjugation of
12.
the resisting powers. See Isaiah ii. 4, " And they shall
strike their swords into ploughshares and their spears
into pruning hooks ; nation shall no more lift up sword
against nation, and they shall nomore learn warfare."
Hosea iv., "And the bow and the sword and the warfare
I will break down and remove from the land, and ye
shall rest in security."

13. That there should be peace and harmony even
among the animals, in the land of Israel nor should ;
they harm man. See Isaiah xi. 6, " The wolf shall also
dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with
the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling
together and a little

; child shall lead them." ( Ver.7) "And
thecow and the bear shall feed their young ones shall lie
;
down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
(Ver.8) And the sucking child shall play on the hole of
the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice' den. (Ver.9) They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
The like auspicious promises are repeated and ampli-
fied Isaiah Ixv. 6, and Ezekiel xxxiv. 25. Also in Hosea
ii. 28, we read, "And in that day, I will make a covenant
for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls
of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground,"
etc.
14. Sin shall no longer prevail. See Deut. xxx. 6,

"And the Lord shall circumcise thy heart and the heart
of thy seed to love the Lord thy God," etc. Isaiah Ix.
21, "And thy people, being righteous altogether, shall
possess the land for ever. They are scions of my
planting, the work of my hands, my glory." Jerem. iii.
17, "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne
of the Lord, and all nations shall straightway flock into
it, and shall no more go after the perversion of their evil
heart." Ibid, chap. 1. 20, " In those days and at that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought and
not be, and the sin of Judah, and it shall not be found,
for I shall forgive those I shall leave behind." Ezekiel
xxxvi. 25, 26, " And I upon you pure
shall sprinkle
water, and ye .shall be clean from all your impurities
;
will I cleanse you," etc. " And I will give unto you a
new heart, and a new spirit will I put into you, and
I will remove the heart of stone out of your flesh and I ;
will give unto you a heart of flesh, and my spirit Avill I

put into you, and I Avill do it so that you shall walk in
ray statutes, and observe my judgments and do them."
Again, ib. xxxvii. 23 and 24, " Neither shall they defile
themselves any more with their idols, nor with their
detestable things, nor Avith any of their transgressions
but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places,
wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them, so that
they shall be my people, and I will be their God. And
David my servant shall be king over them ; and they
have one shepherd they shall also
all shall ; walk in my
judgments and observe my statutes and do them."
15. Ancient troubles and sorroAVS shall cease for ever.
See Isaiah Ixv. 16, "He that blesseth himself in the
land shall bless himself with the God of- Truth, and he
that sweareth in the land shall swear by the God of
Truth ; for the former troubles shall be forgotten, and
d2
be withdrawn from mine eyes." Again (ver. 19), ''And

I shall exult in Jerusalem, and rejoice in my people.
The voice of ciying shall not be heard," etc.
16. The Divine presence (Shechinah) shall be re-

stored, as is promised in the prophecy of Ezekiel xxxvii.
26, 27, and 28, " And I shall make unto them an ever-
lasting covenant, yea, an everlasting covenant it shall
be unto them. And I shall favour them and multiply
them, and I shall put my sanctuary in the midst of
them, my divine presence shall for ever be among them,
and I shall be unto them as a God, and they shall be
unto me as a people, and all the nations shall know that
I the Lord am sanctifying Israel, since my sanctuary
shall for ever be amongst them." Again, ib. "And I

shall not hide any more my countenance from them,
since I have poured my spirit over the house of Israel,
saith the Lord God.'' Joel ii. 27, "And ye shall know
that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am
the Lord your
God residing in Zion my holy mountain and Jerusalem
;
shall be holy, and strangers shall no more pass through

it." See also Isaiah xi., "And the earth shall be full of
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
17. The prophet Isaiah will appear before the coming
of that "great and awfulday" (see the end of Malachi).
The future temple ivill be rebuilt according to
18.
the design predetermined by the Almighty (see Ezekiel
xl. to xlv).
19. The ancient division of the Holy Land will be
resumed. See Ezekiel xlvii. 13, commencing " Thus
saith the Lord your God, This is the border whereby
ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes
of Israel," etc.
20. The resurrection will take place in those latter
days. See Deut. xxxii., " Behold I, even I, am ever
the same, and there is no other god with me. I bring
to death, and I bring to life again ; I crush and I heal

again," etc. Isaiah xxvi. 1 9,
" Thy dead shall live
again, together with my dead body shall rise again.

Awake and sing, ye that live in the dust," etc. See also
Daniel xii. 2, "And many of those that sleep in the
dust shall awake ; these for eternal life and those for
disgrace and everlasting horror."
These points are subjects of ardent expectation, and
will surely be fulfilled at the appointed time of the King
Messiah. Nothing that is promised will be ^vithheld,
" for God is not a man who lieth."
A strong corroboration of our belief in the triumphs

of the Messiah is afforded us by the description of the
fifthkingdom in Daniel ii. The fifth kingdom, not

represented by any part of the image seen in Nebu-
chadnezzar's vision, Avill subsist for ever; that is to say,
the state and the faith of Israel will supersede all other
kingdoms and creeds. This is predicted in the following
—
words of Daniel ii. 44: "And in the days of those
kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which
will never be destroyed, and his kingdom will not be
left to another people, but it will crush and demolish
all those kingdoms, and it shall last for ever." Israel

is called " The people of saints (or holy people) of the
most High," a designation of which we find many
instances in our Holy Scriptures.
The epithet " holy people" is given us, for example,
in Deut. vii. 6, " For thou art a holy people unto the
Lord thy God, and He has chosen thee to be unto Him
a people select from all the nations," etc. Isaiah Ixii.,
"And they shall call them, The holy people, The
redeemed of the Lord." Jeremiah ii. 3, " Israel is
holiness unto the Lord, the firstling of his produce," etc.
The important passage in Daniel vii. 18, "And the
saints of the most high shall receive and possess the
kingdom to eternity and to the eternity of eternities,"
etc., relates, therefore, as every unbiassed reader must
perceive, to the people of Israel,and to no other nation,

for surely the same Providence which has established us,
and has blessed us with a holy revelation, will also watch
over us and render our future condition great, glorious,
and free from the recurrence of past dangers.
CHAPTER VII.
Christians have raised the following argument against

our restoration: — They say, in the captivity of Egypt
you [Jews]have been kept four hundred years;
in that of Babylon, seventy years but in subjugation
;
by the Romans your captivity has been prolonged more

than 1500 years. Moreover, you had received pre-
dictions which determined with exactness the duration
of your two former exiles, while that of the present time
was not even revealed to the prophets, so that now it
may be said. You are suffering under the curse written

in Leviticus xxvi. 38, "And ye shall be lost among the
gentiles,and the land of your enemies shall consume
you." The very length of your exile is a proof that
God does not desire to lead you back to the land of
your fathers.
Reply :
—
The communication made to Abraham of the
period fixed for Israel's captivity in Egypt was merely
incidental, it being explanatory of the delay in the
appropriation of the territory promised to that patriarch.
When the Lord said to him, " Thou must know, thy
seed shall be strangers in a land which shall not be
and they shall make them serve, and shall afflict
theirs,
them four hundred years," it intimated that the land
would only be allotted to the posterity of Abraham after
the iniquity of the first inhabitants of Palestine would

be full^ and when, according to the unerring Divine
prescience, the fit time for releasing the Jews from their
taskmasters, and for punishing the Canaanites, would
arrive. The long period for Israel's humiliation in
Egypt allowed, therefore, ample time for the nations of
Palestine to repent and to abandon their evil doings.
The length of the Babylonian captivity was, according
to our humble view, limited to seventy years, because
seventy sabbatical years had been neglected. The
duration of the exile of the Jews was thus appointed to
be equal to the number of years during which the
divine ordinance of abstaining from husbandry and of
giving rest to the soil, had been broken. Thus we read
in Leviticus xxvi. 34 and 35, " Then shall the land
enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye
shall be in your enemies' land, even then shall the land
rest and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate
it shall rest, because it did not rest in your sabbaths,

when ye dwelt upon it." With this passage we compare
the following of 2 Chronicles xxxvi. 21 :
—" To fulfil
the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah until
the land had enjoyed her sabbaths, for as long as she
lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil three score and
ten years."
The special object of the captivity of Babylon had
been attained by the short exile, the wider object of
their present exile, however, requires a more prolonged
period. We have now to expiate the sins committed
from the time of Israel's first entrance into the Holy
—
Land, sins which have created a division between us
and the Lord therefore. Divine Wisdom has ordained
;
that we shall abide our time in dispersion until the

approach of the latter days. Thus says Ezekiel xxii.
15, "And I will scatter thee among the gentiles and
40- FAITM STRENGTHENED.
disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy

filthiness out of thee. To this captivity also alludes
the promise in Lamentations iv. 22, " Thine iniquity,
daughter of Zion, is ended He will no more cause thee
;
to go into captivity.'' We have already, in a former

quotation from 2 Chronicles, shown the real cause of the
second captivity, and are now enabled satisfactorily to
infer from the above extract from Lamentations that
troubles endured in our present exile have been decreed
with the view of purifying us from our sins, and of
bringing to pass the prediction in Deut. xxx. 6, "And
the Lord will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy
seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and
with all thy soul for the sake of thy own life." Li
regard to this present captivity, it is also said in Ezekiel
xxxvi. 26 and 27, "And I will give unto you a new
heart, and a new spirit I will place in the midst of you."
Again (ib.), "And I will make
you shall walk inthat
my statutes and observe my judgments and do them."
There are many other promises which have not as
yet been realized, because the ancient sins are not com-
pletely eradicated. We have moreover to state that the
time of the ultimate redemption is unrevealed, because
the knowledge of it would not encourage the timorous
if they were to perceive it to be at too remote a distance,
to persevere in godliness, nor would it avail the refrac-
tory, Avho would be the more presumptuous if they were
to notice that the approaching restoration is not delayed
by own evil ways.
their The founder of the Christian
faith was himself of opinion that the period of the
restoration was to remain unknown to his disciples, and
he gave, in the book of Acts and 7, a striking proof
i. 6
that he was neither a messiah nor a divine being. We
find there, " When they [viz., the apostles], therefore,
were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord.
wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to

Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to
know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath
put in his own power." The term of this captivity has
indeed not been confided to any man, and is solely known
to God, whose knowledge is unsearchable.
Our opinion, that our restoration dej)ends on re-
pentance, is founded on the following passage from

Deut. XXX. 1 to 6 :
— "And it shall come to pass when
all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and
the curse, which I have set before thee^ and shall call to
mind among aU the nations whither the Lord thy God
hath driven thee; and thou slialt turn unto the Lord
thy God and shalt obey His voice according to all that
I command thee this day, thou and thy children with
all thine heart and with all thy soul that then the Lord :
thy God will turn thy captivity and have compassion on

thee, and will return and gather thee from all the
nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.
If any of thine be driven out unto the uttermost parts
of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather
thee, and from thence will He fetch thee; and the Lord
thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers
possessed; and thou shalt possess it, and He will do thee
good and multiply thee above thy fathers, and the Lord
thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy
seed," etc.
On our own will, then, depends our repentance, and
consequently also the abbreviation of the period of our
captivity.
From the verse in Leviticus xxvi. 38, " And ye shall
be lost among the and the land of your enemies
gentiles,
shall consume you," must not be inferred that an
it
irrevocable loss or a total perdition is meant. The

Hebrew word expressive of loss, " Abad," alludes to the
temporary state of despair, —a state in which a man is
unable to escape the impending danger, though relief

and deliverance may be his portion at some future day.
Hence Isaiah xxvii. 13, "And the lost ones in Assyria
and those exiled in the land of Egypt shall come," etc.
If "Abad" (to lose or be lost) were to be taken in the
sense of complete perdition or cessation of existence,
it could not have been said in Leviticus xxvi. 44, "And
even this, when they shall be in the land of their
enemies, I shall not reject them nor abhor them so as to
consume them and to break my covenant with them, for
I am the Lord their God." See also Isaiah Ixvi. 22,
" For as the new heavens and the new earth which I
am making remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall
your seed and your name remain." Jeremiah xxx. 11,
" For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee
though I make a full end of all nations whither I have
scattered thee, I will not make a full end of thee but I ;
will correct thee in measure and will not leave thee

altogether unpunished."
The warning pronounced in Leviticus xxvi. 38, "And
the land of your enemies shaU consume you," has, un-
fortunately been fulfilled in a grievous measure ; many
of our brethren have sealed with their blood their fidelity
to the faith of their fathers, undergoing the penalties
described in Psalm xliv. 22, " For thy sake we are
slain all the day long, we are considered like sheep for
the slaughter."
The argument, that the length of our present captivity
is a proof of our total rejection from the special favour of
the Almighty has no reasonable foundation whatever. The
designs of the Almighty take their regular and unerring
course through hundreds and thousands of years. They
are most wisely conceived, although their working and
ultimate completion escape our perception, or extend
beyond our terrestrial existence. Besides this, their own

history elucidates the truth of the saying uttered by
the psalmist (Psalm ex), " A
thousand years are in
Thine eyes, only like yesterday which is past." The
world had existed more than two thousand years before
the Ahnighty revealed Himself, and chose "a nation
from the midst of a nation, with trials, and signs, and
miracles, and warfare, and a strong hand and an out-
stretched arm, and awfully great doings."
Finally, we would remind those who taunt us with
an everlasting abandonment^ because of the restoration
not having as yet been granted to us, that the salvation
through Jesus, which forms their religious boasting, and
which, according to their doctrines, saved the souls of
the pious patriarchs from the dominion of Satan, did
not come to pass till about four thousand years after
the creation of man, why should they then object to
our waiting for the time of favour when the appointed
period of our restoration shall arrive?
CHAPTER VIII.
We were once questioned by a Christian, how we could

expect to be reinstated in the inheritance of our several
tribes, seeing that we are totally unaware of which
tribe we are descended, and being so completely mixed
up with each other as not to possess any means of
tracing our pedigree ?
To this we replied :
The tribes led into captivity by Salmonassar, king of

Assyria, were not destroyed, but merely transported
from one country to another. Judali, the principal
tribe, and Benjamin, remained alone in Palestine.
Many of the exiles of the ten tribes who returned
settled among the tribe of Judah, who, continuing in

the land of their fathers, gave the name of Judah (in
Latin Judceus- -hence the curtailed name Jew, formerly-
spelt Jiie) to the whole remnant of Israel.
Thus we find in the book of Esther, that Mordecai,
though descended from Benjamin, was called, like all
the other exiles of Persia, a Jehudi {i. e., a JudaBan, or
Jew). The descendants of the priests and the Levites
have to this day retained the knowledge of their origin.
Those who are ignorant of their origin will, at the time
of our restoration, be endowed by Divine aid, with the
necessary knowledge of their descent. For the prophet
Elijah will come before " the great and awful day," and
he will turn the heart of the children to their fathers'
WE SHALL NOW PROCEED TO THE EXPLANATION OF SUCH

BIBLICAL PASSAGES AS ARE ASSUMED BY CHRISTIANS TO
BEAR REFERENCE TO CERTAIN POINTS OF THEIR FAITH.
CHAPTER IX.
Genesis i. 1, " In the beginning Elohim [God] created

the heaven and the earth." Elohim, ending in a plural
form as though it meant Gods, has been interpreted by
Christians as an evidence of the plurality in the Deity,
consisting of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
who are denominated Trinity. Our view of the term
Elohiyn is as follows :
Those who are conversant with the Hebrew language

Supreme
are aware that Elohim relates not merely to the
Being, but also to angels and human authorities. Ma-
noah, the father of Samson (mentioned in Judges
xiii. 22), after he found that he had perceived "an
angel of the Lord," said, " We shall surely die, for

we have seen Elohimy In reference to human autho-

rities, we read in Exodus xii. 9, " Before the Elohim
[judges] the cause of the two men shall be brought,

and he, whom the Elohim [judges] shall declare guilty,
shallpay twofold unto his neighbour." Having thus
shewn that the word Elohim bears various interpreta-
tions, it is perfectly out of question to refer it in the
first verse of Genesis, to a plurality of persons in the
Deity, of which assumption no corroboration whatever
is given in our Revelation.
We how the name of Elo-
should like to understand
him, given by God to Moses, Exodus vii. 1, in the
words, "Behold I have made thee an Elohim to
Pharaoh," can be allowed by Christian expounders to
allude to a plurality of persons, and represent in a
mortal creature a visible Trinity?
Supj)ose, for argument's sake, Elohim does allude to
a plurality of persons, how could the occurrence of
Eloha (the singular form of Elohim) be justified? Thus
we find in Deut. xxxii. 15, " And he forsook the Eloha
[God] who made him," and Psalm 1. 22, " Ye who forget
Eloha [God]." Again, how can the advocates of the
existence of a Trinity account for the alternate employ-
ment of Elohim and Eloha?. See Isaiah xliv. 6, "And
besides me there is no Elohim" and, in ver. 8, we read,
;
"Is there an Eloha besides me?" If the truth of the

doctrine of the Trinity depend on the term " Elohim,"
the word ''''Eloha" most decidedly disproves it, since it
renders the allusion to a plurality perfectly unnecessary.

The real object in the plural form in Elohim is to
represent authority and power. The genius of the
Hebrew language admits tins particularity not merely
in Elohim^ but in words of profane Thus
signification.
is used Adonim (lords) instead of Adon For
(lord).
instance, Isaiah xix, 4, " In the hand of a hard Adonim
[lord, literally lords] f Genesis xxxix. 20, " And the

Adonai [lords instead of Adon^ Lord] took him, viz.,
Joseph," etc. ; Exodus xxi., " If lyy.^ [Baiolov, his

master] is with him," etc.
The plural form is used instead of the singular in

many modern languages (for instance you instead of
thou).
CHAPTER X.
Genesis i. 26, "And God said. We will make man in our

image according to our likeness, and they shall rule
over the fish of the sea,'' etc.
From the words, " We will make man," the Christian

expounders of this verse infer, that an allusion to a
plurality of divine persons is made.
Refutation :
— If the verb ^^.}. Naasseh^ we will make,
related to a divine plurality, why do we find imme-
diately afterwards the singular form, "And God created
man in His image?" or why not, "And they created
man f The same explanation which we have given in
the preceding chapter on the employment of the plural
form, holds also good in regard to the present passage.
To bring to mind the manifold powers of the Almighty
employed in the creation of the noblest of His creatures,
the plural is employed by way of high distinction. We
will point out some other passages which contain the verb
in the plural for the sake of emphasis, although they
indicate a strict unity of person. Genesis xi. 7, "Go
to, let us go down and letus confound their speech,''
instead of "let me" etc. Job xviii. 2, " Ye shall under-
stand,and then t^g will speak" (instead of I will speak).
The words of the Almighty, " We will make man in
our image," may have been addressed to the Angels,
for " He maketh known his will to his servants." Thus

we find in Genesis xviii. 17, " Should I conceal from
Abraham what I am doing?" In the same chapter
occurs a parallel expression to the above-mentioned
passage in Genesis xi. 7 ; but there the singular number
is used, " I will go down and see." If a doctrine of
plurality of personages were to be enforcedby the gram-
matical form of words, the very alterations which occur
between the singular and the plural would frustrate
such a doctrine, and suggest doubt and uncertainty
instead of confidence and conviction. Our Holy Scrip-
tures contradict in the most direct terms every opinion
which departs from the belief in an immutable unity,
or ascribes corporeity to him in whose spiritual likeness
the soul of man is created with the object of acknowledg-
ing, obeying, and adoring the eternal one God.
It is remarkable, that Christians are desirous to make
us believe in the doctrine of the trinity, which is so
totally unauthorised by our Holy Bible, and even by
their own New Testament.
Our Divine Law tells us expressly in Deut. vi. 4,
" Hear, Lord our God is one Lord."
Israel, the
Ibid. iv. 35, " Thou hast been shewn these things, in
order to know that the Lord is God, and there is none
besides Him."
And again, ib. (ver. 39) " Thou shalt know to-day and
take it to heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above,
and on the earth beneath, and there is none besides."
Isaiah xliii. 2, says, " I, even I, am the Lord, and
"
there is no saviour besides me
Ibid. xliv. 6, "Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, I am the first and I am the last, and
besides me there is no God."
Ibid. Iv. 5, " I am the Lord, and there is none else
besides me."
Again (ver. 6), "In order that they shall know, from
the rising of the sun [east] unto the west, that there is
no one besides me ; I am the Lord, and there is none

else."
Ibid, xl. 18, "And whom

will you liken God, and
to
what likeness have you to compare with him."
Jeremiah x. 6, " There is none like Thee, Lord.
Thou art great, and thy name is great in power."
Hosea xiii. 4, " I am the Lord thy God from the land
of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God but me; and
there no Saviour besides me."
is
Psalms Ixxxvi. 10, "For thou art great and doing

miracles Thou alone art the Lord."
;
Nehemiah ix. 6, " Thou alone art the Lord, Thou

hast made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, and
all their hosts," etc.
1 Chronicles xvii. 20, " There is none like unto thee,

and there is no God like unto thee, and there is no God
besides thee, according to all we have heard with our
ears."
We might adduce numerous other similar corroborative
passages, were it needful. In order to counteract the
dangerous effect of the belief in a good and evil prin-
ciple (a belief prevailing in Persia, etc.), our Divine
Instructor tells us, " Behold now that I even I am ever
the same, and there no God with me I kill and I
is ;
bring to life; I crush and heal again." Isaiah xlv. 7,

" He forineth light and createth darkness, maketh peace
and createth evil I the Lord am doing all these things.''
;
The Deity, who calls into being conditions and events of

totally opposite natures, and who, by mere power of
will brings things into being, or reduces them into
annihilation, is, according to all scriptural testimony,
the most absolute Unity, and, as such, without the
slightest shade of mysticism. This Unity can alone be
comprehended by our finite understanding. He who

alone possesses absolute power, and is the first cause,
is the Creator of Beings who depend on His will,
remain ever, and in every respect, subjected to His

Supreme Mandate, and are liable to change and decay.
Hence, also^ human reason subscribes to the doctrine
that God is an absolute and a perfect Unity.
This absolute Unity cannot, under any logical view,
be divided into a Duality or a Trinity. If such division
is to be forced upon the faith of man, reason remonstrates
against it; the faculty of thought given to us by the Al-
mighty protests against a false representation of the
Divine Being, and proves that God has constituted the
mind in Him in accordance
such a manner as to worship
with His true attributes. From the moment that a divisi-
bility of essence is attributed to God, we should be com-
pelled to maintain, with the Polytheists, that He is defi-
cient of omnipresence, and that He is comparable with
created matter. How can we, then, repudiate such clear
testimonies of God's unity, as are contained in passages
like the following, Isaiah xl. 1 8 : "And unto whom will ye
liken God, and what likeness have ye to compare unto
Him^'? We cannot even grant that God from His
own resolve would reproduce, and double or treble Him-
self. Such an assumption could only spring from the
narrowest views of a sophistical or a perverted mind
but it could not emanate from a faith which commands
veneration and rational obedience.
Even the authors of the New Testament have given
opinions which disprove the untenable position of the
Christians who make belief in the Trinity an indis-
pensable portion of their creed. jVIatthew xii. 32, says,
" Andwhosoever speaketh a word against the Son of
Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

The same is repeated in Mark iii. 28, 29, and Luke
xii. 10. These authorities of the Christians have their

data here clearly averred that there is no identity
between the true Deity and the personages subsequently
added to the name of the Divine Being. In ]\Iark
xiii. 32, we have want of identity
also a proof of the
between the Son and the Father "
But of that day and
:
that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are
in heaven, neither the Son^ but the Father."
Nor do we find throughout the New Testament any
evidence to show that the belief in a Trinity constitutes
a part of the code of Christianity, or that Jesus and
God are to be held as One and the same Being. On
the Jesus himself is made to profess, in
contrary,
Matthew x. 40, " He that receiveth you receives me,
and He that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me."
Here Jesus puts himself merely as a messenger of God.
Paul, in his epistle to the Romans v. 15, also says,
" The gift by grace, which is
by one man Jesus Christ,"
etc. Matthew xx. 18, again says, " Behold, we go to
Jerusalem, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed,"
etc. and in verse 28 he states, " Even as the Son of
;
Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,"

etc.
In the very prayer instituted by Jesus, and denomi-

nated after him " The Lord's Prayer," his disciples are
taught to invoke the Father who is in heaven, but are
not told to use the combination subsequently made of
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We see clearly that the
New Testament affords not a single evidence to autho-
rise a change from the pure belief in tlie Divine Unity
to the complex aud unintelligible dogma of that of the
Trinity.
CHAPTER XL
Genesis ii. 17, "And from the tree of knowledge of
good and evil thou shalt not eat. For on the day thou
shalt eat thereof thou shalt surely die." The religious
authorities of the Christians deduce from this passage
the belief that Adam, by transgressing the Divine pro-

hibition, forfeited individually, and through him all his
posterity, the enjoyment of the everlasting beatitude of

the soul, and that he and his seed, including our patri-
archs, prophets, and pious ancestors, fell a prey to hell,
from which they were only saved through the death
and intercession of Jesus. The reduplication of the
Hebrew phras^ T\)t2T\ T\)f2 (dying thou shalt die, or, thou
shalt surely die), is taken to be a proper testimony of
this singular tenet. As a further proof that the ancient
personages mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures were
aware of the doom awaiting them after their quitting
this life on earthy Christian authors have cited the
lament of Jacob in Genesis xxxvii. 35, " I shall go
down into hell (Sheol) to my son in mourning." Also
the words of Hezekiah, in Isaiah xxxviii. 10, have been
pointed out as corroborative evidence, for he says there,
"I shall enter the gates of hell (Sheol)."
Refutation. —When Adam was told by the Almighty,
" On the day thou shalt eat thereof thou shalt surely
die," it was implied that Adam should actually be
punished with the loss of life, on the very same day he
should counteract the command of God; but we evi-
dently see by his continued existence that he only

ensured the penalty of death. A passage similar to the
one we have just quoted occurs in 1 Kings ii. 37, where
Shimei, once the insolent enemy of the fugitive king, David,
was prohibited by the son of that monarch from quitting
E 2
the capital; and he was told, " On the day thou shalt
go forth from Jerusalem and pass the brook of Kidron,
thou must know that thou shalt surely die." Yet
Shimei was not punished with death on the same day
he left Jerusalem. In like sense, we take the Divine
injunction ending with the term, " Thou shalt surely
die." It meant that on the day Adam would, by his
disobedience, incur the displeasure of the Almighty, he
would be by various punishments, such as
afflicted
reaping thorns and thistles, and living by his hard

labour on the scanty produce of an unblessed soil, and
until his severe trials should terminate in the fatal dis-
pensation of death. This sentence being the most
prominent and inevitable destiny of the transgressor, it
was announced in the first instance, but not with the
intent of its being immediately fulfilled.
As to the idea of the reduplication of the verb " to
die," shewing that the punishment attending the trans-
gression of Adam was of an hereditary nature, we have
found in Scripture a complete refutation of such an
interpretation; for we read in Deuteronomy xxiv. 16,
"Fathers shall not die for children, nor children for
fathers." The principle here laid down cannot solely
be referred to the sentence of death, but relates also to

every minor punishment, so that neither parents nor
children are to lê amenable to punishment for each
other's misdeeds.
The reader,on referring to the whole matter of
Genesis iii., will perceive that it had not been the object
of the Almighty to remove Adam from the earth on the
day he committed the transgression of the Divine com-
mand. The punishments Adam had to endure, received
their completion only at his death. In the passage
above cited, it is stated that the mission of the first
patriarch was the propagation of his species. His mode
of subsistence is there pointed out to consist in long and

wearying toil, and only after a period predetermined
" by the Almighty" the doom was to be accomplished,

which was pronounced in the words, "Thou art dust,
and unto dust shalt thou return." These last words
evidently shew that the retribution of Adam's sin re-
lated to the body, and not to the soul, for nothing but
the inanimate corpse is the prey of the earth its native
element. Of that portion alone it is appositely re-
marked in Ecclesiastes xii. 7, " The dust returneth to
the earth as it was, but the spirit shall return to God
who gave it."
We see thus that the formula niDH HID ("dying thou

shalt die," or " thou shalt surely die"), alludes to the
perishable state of the body, and not to the state of the
soul. But we have further evidence that the souls of
the posterity of Adam were not consigned to perdition,
in consequence of the sin of the first father; for we
find in the Levitical laws that abscission of the soul
from her people is to be the punishment for various
sins. See, for instance, Leviticus vii. 27: So that each
man who dies in his own guilt must suffer for his own
iniquity, and is severed from his people, that is to say,
his soul is excluded from a reunion with the souls of
those who have gone him into the realms of bliss.
before
On the other hand, we find numerous instances, that,
in describing the death of the righteous, the text used
runs thus :
" And they were gathered unto their people,"
see, for instance, Genesis xxv. 17; Deut. xxxii. 50. A
sentence in direct opposition to the annihilation of the
soul, illustrating our argument, may be found in Leviti-
cus xxii. 3, " That the soul shall be cut off from my
presence, I am the Lord."
Li these early records of humanity we have a clear
lesson of the immortality of the soul. The pious and
worthy are received into undisturbed beatitude, while

tliosewho defile themselves by sins are removed from
the enjoyment of the glorious contemplation of the
Deity.
Far be it, therefore, from us to put faith in the doc-
trine propounded by Christian divines, that the prede-
cessors of Jesus were, without regard to their innocence
or piety, totally and collectively abandoned, and con-
signed to the abode of hell. Far be it from us to
believe that, that God causes " His pious servants to see
perdition"; that He hated those who loved Him, or that
He regarded them favourably while they lived on earth,
yet disowned them after they had quitted the scenes of
their pious aspirations.
It is utterly revolting to the mind to attribute to the
Almighty the slightest degree of injustice, or of indif-
ference to man, whether he be righteous or iniquitous.
How could such a prophet as Jonah have prayed, Jonah
iv. 3, " And now, Lord, do Thou take my soul from
me, for my death is better than my life." Would he,
cognisant of the future punishment of the soul, have
desired to be taken away from this earth, in order to
undergo inevitable torments in after life? Again, when
Enoch and Elijah were " taken away by God," as Scrip-
ture expresses it, and which removal could happen to
the soul only, should we imagine that God designed to
manifest His special love to them, by giving them over
to constant torments in hell?
We have to combat another unfounded opinion set
forth by our antagonists. They maintain that their
" God Messiah," through his own death, saved the souls
of those who had gone before him from their doom in
hell. How can
be asserted that the first sin of the
it
first man
should meet with retrospective and prospective
atonement, through the perpetration of a far more
Iieinous crime in laying a violent hand on the body of

a presumed Deity? The difficulty of the position of
those who maintain these views is increased by the very
words of Paul, in his epistle to the Eomans v. 14:
" Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression," etc.
In Leviticus xviii. 5, we find a still stronger proof of
the inconsistency of believing that a divine displeasure
was felt against all predecessors of Jesus. We read
there, " And ye shall observe my and my com-
statutes
mandments which man shall perform, and through
which he shall live." Scripture here points out to us in
the clearest and most incontestable manner, that immortal
bliss is conceded to the individual who faithfully adheres
to the Divine will, so that man is not in any respect
dependant on the acts which may have been performed
by his ancestors. We may now apply this reasoning
to the sin of Adam, since we see that man receives rewards
and punishments according to his performance of the
Divine commandments, and- that he is individually re-
sponsible for his actions, also Adam could only be per-
sonally accountable for the sin he had committed.
The commandments, being denominated '^
a tree of
life, for those who take firm hold of them," do not
suggest that our terrestrial existence is to be prolonged
by their observance ; but they are calculated to place us
on an equality of excellency with the patriarchs, the
chosen servants of God. Without closing our ears
against truth and reason, we cannot admit that a re-
sponsibility imposed upon man for the sins of his first
is
progenitor. Man's own immortal life is imperilled by

his own doings, and therefore God, in His Divine mercy,
has enjoined on us His commandments, " which man
performeth and lives thereby." Passages to the same
effect are repeatedly found even in the book of Ezekiel,

see xviii. 19, 20, where he speaks concerning the life of
the soul, " He who
does judgment and righteousness
shall surely live and not die." And again, it is written
there, " And who does judgment and righteousness, his
soul shall live"; for except the life of the soul, there is
no life but Avhat is succeeded by death. From all that

has been adduced hitherto, it is clear, that the holy and
righteous men were not condemned to hell, nor^âfflicted
with the spiritual torments of the first man, they not

having rebelled against the Lord; but, on the contrary,
they found favour in His sight, and secured e-verlasting
salvation through their own merits, without requiring
extraneous interference to save their souls. In support
of our conviction Ezekiel says, chap, xviii., " The soul
that sinneth shall die. The son shall not be visited
through the iniquity of the father, nor the father
through the iniquity of the son," etc. The object of the
prophet is to declare that there shall be no condemna-
tion to the soul,except through its own crime, not
through the crime of another. It is here in place to
settle an apparent contradiction of Scripture —namely,
We find stated in the ten commandments, " He visiteth
the iniquities of the fathers on their children," etc.
from this an hereditary punishment seems obvious but :
on a close examination, this phrase is satisfactorily

explained. The punishment of fathers on their children
takes place where the iniquity is continued to be exer-
cised by the children; and therefore Holy Writ holds
out the threat of successive visitation, saying, On those
u-ho hate me, which explanation is applicable to all
similar passages in Scripture. Conformably to this in-

terpretation, the author of the Lamentations says,
chap. V. " Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we
have borne their iniquities," which means, " Our fathers,
through their guilty conduct, brought on the troubles

of the captivity, and they died in consequence of their
misdeeds. We who succeeded them in this cap-
also,
tivity, have added to our own transgressions those of

our ancestors, by imitating their evil deeds, and thus
fulfilling the prediction, Lev. xxvi. 9, " And they who
are leftamong you shall pine away in their^ iniquity in
your enemy's land, and also through the iniquities of
their fathers retained among them they shall pine away.''
The pious contemporaries of the captivity, however, as
for instance, Baruch the son of Nerejah,
Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel with his companions, and others, were
benefited through the very trials which they shared with
their sinful brethren for among the Gentile governments
;
they were raised to far greater distinction than they

had attained under the kings of Israel. These advan-
tages they enjoyed solely through the care with which
they avoided the deeds of their wicked ancestors; and
therefore they laboured not under the infliction of curses
Avhich theAlmighty ordains to the race of sinners.
The opinion of the Christians, that no salvation was
granted prior to the death of Jesus, meets with another
refutation in Luke xvi. 1 9 : the history of the beggar
Lazarus represents that he was after death to repose
in beatitude on the bosom of the patriarch Abraham.
This shews that Abraham and Lazarus were not in hell,
and leads to the conclusion that the pious were not

deprived of a felicitous eternity, even before Jesus was
said to have redeemed them, but that the wicked only
meet with merited retribution.
We return once more to the reduplication of the term
tliou shalt surely die, which, as we have before stated,
has been misapplied to the death of the soul. The
argument is wrong, and rests on the misapprc-
totally
liension of the Hebrew idiom, according to which the
infinitive is frequently placed before the ordinary tense;
see, for instance, 2 Kings "Go and say, Thou slialt

viii. 5,
surely not live ; and the Lord revealed unto me that he

shall surely die" (the infinitive niJb, die, and nTI, to live,
here accompanies the respective future tenses). The
sentence quoted here serves as a reply to the question
asked by the king, " Shall I recover from my illness ?"
(literally live through). The answer can only suit the

question. The enquirer asks merely whether he is to
liveon or die (in a bodily sense), and the answer refers
to the death with regard to the body only, and is given
with the double verbs. Such a reduplication occurs also
in 1 Samuel xiv. 4, where Saul says, [HiV niD** ni/!2,
"SurelyJonathan shall die," and in the same book (xxii.
16), "|^/^^nj< nittn nl^, "Surely, Ahimelech, thou shalt
die. Though the threat of death is expressed with the
repetition of the verb ni^ (to die) it has no other sig-
nification than bodily death. Other verbs are repeated
in a like manner, for instance, Ex. xxi. 20, Dpi'' Dp;3, he
shall surely be revenged: Ibid (xix. 13, 15.5 '^pD^ '^"IpD
T\y^ niS " tie shall surely be stoned or shot through."
Genesis xv. 13, yinj^"!^ (knowing thou shalt know)
" thou shalt surely know." On the other hand, we find
in Scripture that the use of the simple unrepeated verb,
ni/!D, to die, is sufficient to indicate perdition of the soul,
as, for instance, Eze. xviii. 20, " The soul that sinneth
it shall die," m^H X^H- From the preceding proofs and
argument it is established that there is not the remotest
allusion to hell in the lament of Jacob. Genesis xxxvii.
35, " I shall go down into the grave (Sheol) unto my
son mourning." Neither in the thanksgiving 01
Hezekiah (chap, xxxviii. 10), where he says, " I shall
go to the gates of the grave SlXK' (Sheol). Thus we
find also in the Psalms (xlix. 15), "Like sheep they
are laid into the grave (Sheol)." Again, " Sheol cannot
thank thee." In these passages, the word t^yi2 (maveth)
death might be used appropriately for Sheol (the

grave). In other parts likewise Sheol is used as
the resting place of the inanimate body ; for instance,
Job O that Thou wouldst hide me in the
xiv. 13, "
(Sheol);" Eccles. ix. 10, " In the (Sheol) whither thou
art going;" Gen. xxxvii. 35, "I will go down into
the grave (Sheol) unto my son;" and instances where
Sheol means the depth of the earth are to be met with
in the Psalms (cxxxix. 8), "If I make my bed in the
grave (or depth of the earth), Thou art there;" and
Job xi. 8, " And deeper than the grave what canst thou
know ?"
CHAPTER XII.
Genesis iii. 15, "And I will put an enmity between

thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise
his heel." The Christians attempt to strengthen their
faith by maintaining that the words, "it shall bruise thy
head," a type of Jesus,
is who is to kill Satan, styled in
holy writ " the serpent."
Refutation. — The interpretation is fallacious, for if
the passage under consideration meant that Jesus was
to kill Satan, that is to say, destroy the cause of sin,
there ought not to be any sinners among his believers,
but since they still continue committing sins, that
opinion is overthrown both by their practical life and
by the same verse on which they found this doctrine.

The end of the passage (thou shalt bruise its heel) shows
the unsoundness of such assertions. How could the
serpent (sin) do injury after its being destroyed ?
Moreover, how could Satan induce the Jews and the
heathen to kill Jesus and his disciples, he (Jesus) already
having destroyed Satan. Paul himself affords a refu-

tation by promising (Romans xvi. 20), "And the God of
peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.'' The
same writer, in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians,
states (chap. "Wherefore we would have come
ii. 18),
unto you, even I, Paul, once and again, but Satan
hindered us." This tends to show that, even after the
death of Jesus, in the times of Paul, Satan had still
preserved his existence and exercised his dominion
over those who had been saved through Jesus, and that
the Gospel is at variance with this symbolical inter-
pretation.
CHAPTER XIII.
Genesis xxii. 18, " And in thy seed shall the nations
of the earth be blessed, because thou (Abraham) hast
obeyed my voice." On this verse the Christians found
the assertion, that the promise given to Abraham as to
the blessing of all nations through his seed, had no
reference to the whole race of Abraham's descendants,
but specially and exclusively to Jesus as the pre-eminent
posterity of the patriarch that, therefore, this promise
;
was never realized on other individuals.

Refutation. — Here, again, we have to treat with a
palpable fallacy, because the Christians generally argue
in favour of their religion from detached portions of the
prophecies, without going deeply into the sacred subject
and studying the context. The slightest attention to
the verse which precedes the one cited, will enable us to
judge that no single individual is meant by the Divine
bounty. For there we see plainly predicted, ^'For I
will surely bless thee, and multiply thy seed like the
stars of lieaven, and like the sand on the shore of the
sea, and thy seed shall inlierit the gates of his enemies
FAITH STRENGTHENED. Gl
and with thy seed shall be blessed all the nations of the
earth," refers to the whole posterity, which is to be abun-
dant as the stars of heaven, and the sand on the shore
of the sea. Through the entire seed, through the whole
people of Israel the other nations of the earth are to be
blessed. Moses gives his testimony to this in address-
ing the people of Israel, Deut.i. 10, " The Lord your
God hath multiplied you and behold ye are this day as
;
the stars of heaven for multitude." To this effect, also,

the Almighty gave His assurances to Israel and Jacob,
see Genesis xxvi- 4, " In thy seed shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed"; and lb. xxviii. 14, the Lord says
to Jacob, " And thy seed shall be as the dust of the
earth, and thou shall spread abroad to the west, to the
east, to the north, and to the south, and through thee
and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed."The Divine promises of love agree with the
one given to Abraham in Genesis xii. 3, " And I will
blessthem that bless thee, and curse them that curse
thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be
;
blessed"; and lb. xviii. 18, "And Abraham shall surely

become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed in him."
The patriarchs had become a blessing to all the
nations of the earth by fearlessly acknowledging the
existence, unity, and omnipotence of the Lord, and by
proclaiming His name in all their migrations and they ;
had raised themselves above all other people by their

communion with the Divine Being, who awards true
blessing and spiritual beatitude.
An equal reward of bliss was appointed unto their
children following their paths and observing the vir-
tuous acts of their forefathers. Agreeably to this.
Scripture declares. Genesis xviii. 19, " For I know him,
that he will command his children and his household
G2 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
after him, that they shall keep the way of the Lord, to
do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring
upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him."
See also Isaiah li. " Look unto Abraham your father,
and unto Sarah that bare you for I called him alone,
:
and blessed him and increased him." It is well known

no spiritual blessing has ever fallen to the lot of the
Gentiles, unless conveyed to them through the medium
of Israel's religion. This will be borne out by the
following quotations :
— Numbers x. 32, " And it shall
be, if thou go Avith us, yea it shall be, that what good-
ness the Lord shall do unto us [Israelites] the same we
do unto thee [Gentiles]". Isaiah xiv. 1, " For the Lord
will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and
set them in their own land, and the strangers shall be
joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of
Jacob." lb. Ivi. 6, " Also the sons of the strangers
that join themselves to the Lord to serve him and to
love the name of the Lord to be his servants,
every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting
it, and taketh hold of my covenant." (Yer. 7) " Even
them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make
them joyful in my house of prayer," etc. lb. Ix. iii.,
" And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings
to the brightness of thy rising." Zechariah ii. 15

(English version, ver. 11), "And many nations shall
be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my
people, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou
shalt know that the Lord of Hosts hath sent me unto
thee." lb. viii. 23, " Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, in
those days it shall come to pass that ten men out of all
lanQ;uao:es of the nations, shall take hold, even shall take
hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying. We will
go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

And Psalms Ixvii. 1, "God will be gracious unto and
will bless us,and cause His face to shine upon us."

Selali. That thy ways may be known upon earth,"
"
etc. Passages analogous to the preceding will be amply

discussed in the course of this work.
CHAPTEK XIV.
Oenesis xlix. 10, " The sceptre shall not depart from
Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until
Shiloh come, and unto him shall belong the gathering
of the people."
The Christians argue from this verse, that the patri-
arch Jacob did hereby prophesy the coming of Jesus,
whom he (Jacob) called Shiloh^ and through him (Jesus)
the prophecy was fulfilled ; for the sceptre did not de-
part from the Jews until Jesus appeared : with Him
only departed royalty from the Jews.
The Refutation.— The Christians labour under the
misconception, that Jesus was a member of the tribe of
Judah, and king of the Jews. Now, were this inter-
pretion the true one, how can they reconcile it with the
fact, that the sceptre did not depart from Judah at the
advent of the so-called Shiloh ^ Moreover, we find that
Judah lost the sovereignty at the destruction of the
first temple, when Nebuchadnezzar led Zedekiah, king
of Judah, into captivity; an event which happened
430 years anterior to the birth of Jesus. During the
existence of the second temple, however, we find no
indication that a descendant of Judah governed Israel.
Herod and his descendant, who occupied the throne
until the fall of the second temple, were of low birth,
and belonged to the tribe of Judah. How can they,

therefore, maintain that the sceptrehad not departed
from Judah, nor royalty from Israel, until the coming
of Jesus ?
In investigating the true sense of the words, " The

sceptre shall not depart from Judah (meaning the tribe
of Judah), we perceive that the patriarch Jacob, by his

blessing, bequeathed to Judah the supremacy over his
brethren. Accordingly, he says. Genesis xlix. 8, " The
children of thy father shall bow down to thee and on ;''
this account he compares him with the lion as the king

among Hence we find the tribe of Judah
the animals.
taking the precedence in the encampments (see Num-
bers x. 13, et seq.), "And Nashon, the prince of that
tribe, was admitted on the first day [of the dedication
of the tabernacle] to offer up his sacrifice" (see Num-
bers vii. 12). Subsequently, when Joshua was dead,
and the Israelites inquired of the Lord, Judges i. 1,
" Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first to

fight against them ? The Lord said, Judah shall go
up," etc. From these passages it appears, that, after
the leader had left the tribes without a successor, they
inquired which of them should assume the rule and
precedency, and the Almighty awarded it to the tribe of
Judah who, 1 Chron. v. 2, was the most powerful among
his brethren. This superiority may be ascribed to
David, who said of himself, 1 Chron. xxviii. 4, " The
Lord chose me before the house of my fathers to be king
over Israel for ever ; for he hath chosen Judah to be the
ruler; and of the house of Judah the house of my

father, among the sons of my father he willed to make
me king over all Israel." From David the royalty
descended to Zedekiah, king of Judah, who was of the
seed of David. With this king the sovereignty de-
parted from the tribe of Judah. There remained
during the Avhole series of the two captivities only a
few dignitaries as princes and chiefs of the captivities
who had been denominated by the patriarch Jacob
ti'pp^nt^ (law-orivers).
During the existence of the second temple, and also

at the time when the priests and their subordinates
ruled, there were found princes, descended from David
and from the lineage of Zerubbabel, as is stated in the
work Seder Ngolam Zuta.^^
^'-
It is true, we find that originally King Saul was
elected ruler, though not descending from the tribe of

Judah, but from that of Benjamin but, at that period,
;
it was against the desire of the Almighty to admit a
king. On that account he would not have a king

chosen from the tribe to which the promise of a perma-
nent dynasty had been given; and He appointed for
them a king who should occupy the throne only for a
short time. To this fact Scripture alludes, Hosea xiii. 11,
" I gave thee asking in mine anger, and removed him in
my wrath," for he and his children were slain, and the
sway departed from him. All this misfortune came
to pass, because the Israelites had desired a king in the
time of Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, who was their
judge and leader: hence we find in 1 Samuel viii. 7,
" for they have not rejected thee, but me they have
rejected from ruling over them." Yet, even in the
times of Samuel, the dignity of the leadership was not
totally removed from tlie tribe of Judah, for David was
the man who conducted Israel to battle. Hence we
must interpret the words " The sceptre shall not
depart from Judah," according to their literal sense, viz.,
that the sceptre of royalty shall not be taken from
Judah kingdom shall last. And the words
as long as the
" nor a lawgiverfrom between his feet^'' viz., that the
lawgivers shall not depart, must have reference to the
sages and scribes who, being from the seed of Judah,
were rulers and leaders during the captivity; for the
chiefs of the captivity were descendants of David, and
the majority of our exiled \\'ere from the tribe of Judah,
F
and many of them were of the lineage of David. They

distinguished themselves as scholars and theologians,
i.e. sages and scribes, and therefore they were called
lawgivers, in the same manner as Moses, the " chief of

the prophets," is called in the Hebrew pplHib, " law-
giver," (see Deut. xxxiii. 21). For there is the portion
of the lawgiver concealed, " and he led the heads of the
people, and executed the justice of the Lord, and His
judgments with Israel." We see, also, in Judges,
" From Nachir descended lawgivers, and from Zebulon
those who handle the pen of the scribe," which refers

ao:ain to the saês and the learned who were the rulers
of their people. The words from " his feef are syno-
nymous with his seed. The word HTC^ (Shiloli) signifies
the youngest child, or the last child, and is derived from
the same root as nHv^DI (and towards her young one,

Deut. xxviii. 57), which the Chaldee version renders
" and towards the youngest of her children." The term
Shiloh refers to our expected king, Messiah, and who
will appear in the latter days and be one of the seed of
Judah. The words until Shiloh shall come, do not mean
that at the coming of Shiloh, the sceptre shall imme-
diately depart; but, on the contrary, that it shall not
depart thereafter. The word "ty (until) is used in the
same sense in the following instances, (Gen. xxviii. 15),
" For I will not leave thee until I shall have done
what I have promised unto thee;" and (Deut. vii. 24),
" No man shall be able to stand before thee iintil thou
shalt have destroyed them.'' The word nilp^ meaning
" authority," in the verse of Genesis under consideration
recurs in the Proverbs, xxx. 17. The supreme power
and authority of the Messiali alluded to in Jacob's
prophecy is predicted, also, in Daniel, who says " And
all rulers shall serve and obey him."
CHAPTER XV.
Deut. xiv. 13, " Thou shalt not eat any abomination."
The Christians adduce against this passage one from
Matthew xv. 11, " Not that which goeth into the mouth
defileth man ; but that which cometh out of the mouth,
this defileth;" they consider us, therefore, in the wrong
for not eating of unclean animals.
Refutation. — Independent of motives of economy,
persons may refuse certain articles of food on different
grounds. The food may be too expensive, and, there-
fore, unsuitable to persons of a low condition ; or it may

be of too inferior a quality, and, therefore, unfit for a man
in a hiofh station of life. It is obvious that Christians
will not argue^ that the food of unclean animals is de-
nied us on account of the luxuriousness of such nourish-

ment, or the un worthiness of the Israelites^ for Scripture
inculcates the reverse, viz., that certain creatures are
unclean, and that the Israelites are to be a holy nation.
Hence, if Christians partake of food denominated un-
clean, they must consider themselves unholy. Our
conclusion is borne out by Scripture, for we read in
Lev. xi. 8, "they [certain animals] shall be unclean unto
you." This implies, that they shall be forbidden to you
Israelites, who are a holy nation, but not to you, the
Gentiles, who have not been equally distinguished by
the Almighty.
Of the same tenor is the admonition in Leviticus, xi. 43
and 44, " Ye shall not make yourselves abominable
with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall you
make yourselves unclean with them that ye should be
defiled thereby. For I am the Lord your God, ye shall
therefore sanctify yourselves and ye shall be holy for I :
am holy. Neither shall ye defile yourselves with any

F 2
manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

See also Lev. xx. 25 and 26, "Ye shall therefore put
difference between clean beastsand unclean, and between
unclean fowls and clean and ye shall not make your
;
souls abominable by beast or by fowl, or by any man-

ner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which
I have separated from you as unclean. And ye shall
be holy unto me; for I the Lord am holy, and have
severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."
Also, Deut. xiv. 1, 2, & 3, " Ye are children of the Lord
your God : ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any
baldness between your eyes for the dead, for thou art a
holy nation unto the Lord thy God. And the Lord has
chosen tliee to be a peculiar people unto himself above
all upon the earth. Thou shalt not
the nations that are
eat any abominable thing." This portion concludes
with the Avords, " Ye shall not eat of anything that
dieth of itself, thou shalt give it unto the stranger that
is in thy gates that he may eat it, or thou mayest sell it
unto an alien : for thou art a holy people unto the Lord
thy God ; thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk"
(ver. 21). These verses afford sufficient evidence, that
such creatures, on account of their being unclean, were
prohibited food to the Israelites, who are a holy people,
designated the " children of the Lord." For unclean
food defiles the body of him who eats of it ; and a defiled
body infects the soul. Now, a soul that is defiled will
not be admitted into the sanctuary, that is to say, before
the Divine presence, but will be deprived of a glorious
future. The declaration of the revealed law, that un-
clean food defiles thebody of the eater, at once over-
throws the argument of the Christians, " that things
entering the mouth do not defile a man, but only those
proceeding from the mouth."
In what way can the opinion of the Gentiles, based on
their Gospel, be reconciled with the various precepts

regarding certain animals expressed in many parts of
our Holy Writ? for instance, " Do not defile yourselves
by them." " Ye shall be defiled through them." " Do
not defile your souls by the creeping things," etc. All
this must bring conviction, that unclean food doth defile
both body and soul. Who then will venture to render
lawful what God has forbidden, and annul His statutes?
Moreover, if the founders of Christianity had considered
it lawful for the Gentiles to partake of unclean food,
why did they prescribe to them (in Acts xv. 20), " to
abstain from thino^s strans-led and from blood'? It
ought also to be kept in mind, that Adam incurred
punishment for transgressing a command which had
been imparted to him only once. How much greater
must the transgression be of those who venture to eat
of unclean food which had been so repeatedly prohibited
to them ? Besides, we find great inconsistencies in this
principle contained in the Books of Matthew and Mark
(" That not what goeth into the mouth defiles," etc.),
for many intoxicating drinks will doubtlessly defile when
allowed to go down into the mouth of man in excess,
while from the mouth of man come out the words of the
living God, praises and thanksgivings to His glorious
name, wise and moral maxims, and social converse for
the interchange of ideas. All such utterance does not
defile man; and he may through his words even de-
serve to be called a holy man.
As to our Sacred Scripture, it gives the assurance,
that, in times to come, even the Gentiles will abstain
from eating blood and unclean and abominable food.
See Zech. ix. v. 7, " And I shall remove his blood from his
mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth."
CHAPTER XVI.
Deut. xxvii. 26. " Cursed is he who will not keep

the words of this law to fulfil them and all the people
;
shall say Amen." The Christians infer from this verse,

that the law of Moses curses all who neglect any com-
mandment of the law, and there being so many com-
mandments, no man can properly practise them hence, :
all Jews must be cursed.
Refutation. —
The tenor of this verse does not go to
pronounce a curse against every one who will not keep
the obligations and prohibitory laws set forth in the
Books of Moses. A strict fulfilment of all the com-
mandments is utterly impossible. Even our legislator
Moses, the chief of prophets, observed only those which
he found practicable out of Palestine since many of the
;
divine precepts had been especially adapted to and were

solely practicable in the Holy Land. How much
greater is the claim of other Israelites to be forgiven
if they abandon certain precepts, the performance of
which is rendered impracticable in consequence of exist-
ing circumstances? nor will they be included in the curse

ifthey transgress a commandment Avhen led astray by
the impulse of passion, provided it be followed by sin-
cere repentance, " for there is no righteous man on
earth who will do good and not sin;" and repentance is
the balm and remedy for the pain and the mortification
of sin. An instance is afforded in Kin^^ David, thouirh
he sinned in the case of Uriah, the Hittite, he was not
cursed (by reason of his repentance) on the contrary, he
;
was blessed by the Almighty Avith an everlasting bene-

diction, since a covenant was made with him that his
throne should never be destroyed. See Jer. xxxiii. 20,
" Thus speaketh the Lord, if ye can break my covenant
with the day and my covenant with the night, and there
should not be day and night in their season, then may
also my covenant be broken with David my servant,
upon
that he should not have a son to reign his throne."
The merit of his general piety availed during a long
period to him and his seed after him, and to all his
nation. See Isaiah xxxvii. 35, *'
And I shall protect
the city and save it for mine own sake and for the sake
of my servant David." This is a clear evidence, that a
man failing to observe a portion of the divine law will
not be accursed, so long as no opportunity of evincing his
obedience has been afforded him. In like manner will
he be spared who, sinning under the influence of passion,
resolutely abandons his error, and shews sincere contri-
tion. Only suqIi a man is cursed who refuses to believe
in the revealed will of the Almighty, or who rejects and
contemns the divine commands.
In corroboration of the argument, we may refer to the
identical words of the passage under consideration, viz.,
" Cursed is he who will not keep the words of the law
to fulfil them." If no exception whatever were admis-
sible in the rigid observance of the divine precepts, the
inspiredpenman necessarily would have said, " Cursed
be he who will not keep every word of the law." The
latter words, " to fulfil them," sliews that the maledic-
tion concerns only those who evade the opportunity
of manifesting their obedience. We further find in
Deut. xxviii. 15, " And it shallcome to pass, if thou
shalt not obey the voice of the Lord thy God to keep
and fulfil all the commands and statutes which I com-
mand you this day, all these curses shall come upon
thee and reach thee." This warning does not refer to a
person who neglects the keeping and fulfilment of all
the commandments without any exception, but to him
who does not listen to the voice of God, but impiously
7-2 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
rebels aguiiist it, and shakes off the yoke of divine

government. The curses will come upon him if he does
not finally return to God with perfect repentance. It
is acknowledged that God gave the law to His people
from pure love, not for His own sake, but for their
benefit; nor did He multiply His commandments to
Aveigh His creatures down with their burden, and bring
perdition upon man's soul, but to increase the claim of
reward, and prepare the spirit for a glorious futurity.
Not a single commandment is to be despised, for each
contains the seed of heavenly bliss. The more strictly
and diligently man conforms to the number of divine
precepts, the greater becomes his worth and merit in
the eyes of the Lord.
We find that Moses yearned to enter into the Holy
Land in order to obtain an opportunity to fulfil all those
commandments that had been ordained to be practised
in Palestine. Here we must remind the reader that the
curses proclaimed in Deut. xxvii., obviously relate to
the commission of secret and revolting sins, for the
maledictions contain the expression ÎHDS li^] "And
who put it (viz., the idol) into a secret place,^' while
overt transgressions meet punishment from the human
tribunal. In a like manner we find, in the same chap-
ter, that he will be cursed " who smites his neigh-
bour secretly ;" this alludes, also, to the slanderer who
secretly injures his fellow-man. A parallel expression
occurs in the 101st Psalm, in the words " Whoso privily
slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut ofi'." To avoid
the error of its being understood with regard to corporal
punishment, the law adds the wôrds secretly or privately.
A upon him who refuses to observe
similar curse recoils
certain laws, because he considers the word of God un-
important, a presumption which certainly ranks among
the secret sins. To sum up our review of these twelve
verses of Deut. xxvii., we remark, that in the same

mode as the public transgressor is punished by public
justice here below, so the secret transgressor will be
punished by the invisible and supreme justice of our
Heavenly Father. Only that man will be condemned
who obstinately persists in vice and scornfully disdains
mercy which the Lord offers to repentant sinners. This
again may be illustrated by the words in (Deut. xxix.
29), " The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
but matters revealed, belong to us and to our children
for ever.'' The Christians have argued against us from
this verse without fully comprehending its purport, and
we can oppose them on their own grounds, by referring
them to the concluding verses of their Gospel, viz., "For
I testify unto êvery man that heareth the words of the
prophecies of these books, if any man shall add unto

these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that
are written in these books and if any man shall take
;
away from the words of the book of these prophecies,

God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life
and out of the Holy City, and from the promises written
in these books." Now the Christians must be well aware
that they have acted in contradiction to these emphatic
warnings, in having both added and diminished from
their own doctrines. Thus, for instance, they have
made an innovation by keeping the Sabbath on the iirst
day of the week instead of the seventh, for which no
sanction whatever can be found in the Gospel. On the
other hand, they have totally disregarded commands
enforced on them. See Acts xv. 20, where the eating
.of blood and of strangled creatures is forbidden. To
these connnands they actually do not conform, for they
unscrupulously eat of both these forbidden articles.
CHAPTER XVII.
Some Christian divines have asserted that the curses

pronounced in Leviticus xxvi. 42, relate to the destruc-
and are therefore accompanied
tion of the first temple,
by the consoling words, " And I shall remember the
covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac,
and also my covenant with Abraham I shall remember,
and I shall remember the land." In the same light they
view the passage, " And I shall remember unto them
the first covenant that I brought them out of Egypt
before the eyes of the Gentiles to be their God, I am the
Lord." The Christians refer these topics to the remem-
brance of the second temple, and the redemption is said
to allude to the captivity of Babel ; but the subsequent
curses contained in Deut. xxviii. are referred to the
demolition of the second temple, and hence are unaccom-
panied by consolatory words as Israel is to have no
restoration from this exile.
Refutation. — Scripture does not authorise the suppo-
sition that the first-mentioned curses refer to the
destruction of the first temple only; the warnings
contained in Leviticus with regard to the first covenant,
though materially and principally referring to the first
temple in which the captivity commenced, include, also,
the destruction of the second temple and the afilictions
sufi*ered by Israel in the present captivity. At the
same thne we perceive that the curses contained in
Deuteronomy mention facts relating exclusively to the
first destruction. Among the maledictions mentioned
in Leviticus xxvi. 31, we read, "And I shall destroy
your sanctuaries^'^ the latter word being in the plural
must evidently be understood to include both the first
and the second temple; nor can the word sanctuaries
refer to palaces ; since the passage in Leviticus goes on to

say " And I shall not smell your sweet savours," there-
fore it naturally points to the sacrifices offered up in the
sanctuaries. Thus also the curses contained in Deut.
xxviii. 29, " The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten
before thine enemies thou shalt go out against them one
;
way, and in seven ways thou shalt flee before them."

This undoubtedly did not take place during the time of
the second temple, for then the Jews prevailed, and the
Romans suffered a total defeat, as is related by Joseph
Ben Gurion. The Roman writers themselves acknow-
ledge evidently this fact the prophecy, however, was
;
fulfilled during the time of the first temple (see Isaiah

xxii. 3) "All thy rulers are fled together, they were
bound by the archers all that were found in thee were
;
bound together, which fled from a distance." Moreover,

if we say there are two captivities, we must also say
there are two redemptions, viz., the first already effected

at the building of the second temple, and the second
expected at a future period; and what man of sense can
believe that the redemption of the second temple was
a complete redemption, since the Ten Tribes did not join
in the return to Jerusalem? There were only 42,360
men of Judah and Benjamin, who availed themselves of
the permission given by Cyrus, king of Persia, while the
majority remained in Babylon. Nor can it be said
still
that thosewho had returned to Jerusalem enjoyed full

independence, for when settled there, they were tri-
butary to the Medes and Persians, as is related in
Nehemiah ix. 30, "Behold, we are, now servants, and
the land which Thou hast given to our fathers to eat the
fruit thereof and its goodly produce; behold, we are
servants in it, and it yieldeth much increase to the kings
whom thou hast set over us, because of our sins, and
also they have dominion over our bodies," etc. Sub-
sequently the cruelties experienced proceeded from the

Greeks, and afterwards from the Romans. Though the
Jews sometimes rebelled, and nominated their own
kings, yet there was no ruler over them of the posterity
of David, on whose house the sceptre will devolve at the
final restoration. The Asmoneans were of the tribe of
Levi, and members of the priesthood and they were ;
succeeded by Herod and his descendants until the ruin

of the second temple, as we have mentioned above.
The inferiority of the second temple may also be
judged from the absence of the Ark, the Mercy-seat, the
Cherubim, and the Urim, and the Thummin, and the
Shechinah. The temple was deprived of the Shechinah
(the manifestation of the divine presence); all the pro-
phecies ceased, and the former miracles were no lonsrer
Avitnessed. Under these circumstances, how can it be
asserted that Israel's redemption was complete? We
must rather acknowledge, that the Lord excited com-
passion in the heart of Israel's conquerors, and awakened
the mind of Cyrus to grant permission to the Jews to
return to Jerusalem, to rebuild the temjDle, to serve the
Lord, and to be freed from their bondatre.
We thus see that the evil consequences of the original
captivity still subsisted, and the return from Babylon
though Herod, after committing great bloodshed among
the sages and pious of Israel, built a splendid and mag-
nificent temple, yet it is not a matter of doubt that
Herod was the time subjected to the Romans, and
all
held his throne under their authority. All this tends

to shew that the. captivity continued from the day
of the destruction of the first temple by Nebuchad-
nezzar until the present time. The apparent omis-
sion in Deut. xxviii. of consolations and the like pro-
mises, as are held out in Leviticus at the close of the
maledictions, can easily be explained, since in the former
portion the words of the covenant are not completed

for immediately after the denunciations, Moses assem-
bled the Israelites to establish the covenant with them
while they were standing before the Lord; hence we
read in Deut. xxix. 12, " That thou shouldst enter into
covenant with the Lord tliy God and into his oath."
Moses adds in this chapter the oaths of the covenant, in

addition to what he impressed on them in the preceding
chapter then after laying before them the dread of the
;
calamities, he subjoins the most emphatic consolation

and promise of perfect redemption. See Deut. xxx. 1
'
And it shall come to pass when all these things are
come upon thee, the blessing and the curse which T have
set before thee, them to mind among
and thou shalt call
all the nation^ whither the Lord thy God has driven
,thee," (ver. 2) "And shalt return unto the Lord thy

/ God and shalt obey his voice, according to all I com-
manded thee this day, thou and thy children, with all
thy heart and with thy soul," (ver. 3) " That then
all
I
the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity and have com-
passion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from
all the nations, whither the Lord thy God has scattered
thee.'' (ver. 4) " If any of thine be driven out unto the
utmost part of heaven^ from thence Avill the Lord thy

God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee."
(ver. 5) "And the Lord thy God will bring thee unto
the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt
possess it, and He will do thee good, and multiply thee
above thy fathers." Ver. 6, " And the Lord thy God
and the heart of thy seed, to
will circumcise thine heart,
love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all
thy soul that thou mayst live." Ver. 7, " And the
Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine
enemies and on them that hate thee which prevented
thee." Yer. 8, " And thou shalt return and obey the
voice of tlie Lord, and do all the commandments which

I command thee this day.'' Ver. 9, " And the Lord
thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thy
hand, and in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of
thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land for good : for
the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he
rejoiced over thy fathers." Ver. 10, "If thou shalt
hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep His
commandments and His which are written in
statutes
this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord
thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul."
Hence, we see that this prediction is awaiting fulfilment,
since the particulars contained in the above quotation
did not, during the time of the first or second temple,
take place. At the same time, we discover in the said
passages every consolation that hope can suggest, for it
points out at once both our restoration and the redemp-

tion of our souls: a redemption which is the truest
deliverance from all troubles, and the boon and summit
of all human aspirations. The promise with regard to
our future state far surpasses the promise given in
Leviticus, which alludes merely to our political restora-
tion. There is certainly a distant allusion to the divine
regard and consideration of the second temple; yet, as
never shone upon those who went up, as we
full liberty
have clearly and incontestably shewn, we must neces-

sarily conclude, that the curses, as contained in Deute-
ronomy, will be succeeded by those superlative and
extensive blessings which a future and universal restor-
ation will produce for Israel.
CHAPTER XVIIL
The Christians offer an objection against the divine law,
by stating that the Mosaic code gave no promise to the
faithful of bliss in a future state, but limited all reward

and punishment solely to our existence here below.
They refer us to the 26th chapter of Leviticus, and main-
tain that on this account no mention is made in the law
or in the prophetic writings concerning the condition of
the soul in a future state, and that all predictions relate
only to worldly prosperity.
Refutation. — The divine law dwells in many passages
on our reward in this world, man being a compound of
matter and spirit; and agreeably to this division the
divine commandments are likewise of a double character,
some on our physical, others on our intellectual
calling
powers. Now, the fulfilment of our duties depends on
the co-operation of body with mind. Our material state
is open and manifest to all, while our spiritual condition
remains imperceptible. On this account, Holy Writ
treats with clearness and precision on the dispensations
affecting our material condition, and touches but lightly
upon those affecting the soul in a future state. We
must here call attention to the forcible truth, that the
uninterrupted enjoyment of peace and prosperity of our
corporeal existence must ever be the prime object of our
wishes, and the benevolent design of the Almighty. It
is only in the tranquil untroubled state of the body that
man has an opportunity to devote himself fully and

entirely to the faithful performance of the divine behests.
When struggling with malady, or suffering from hunger,
or labouring under any bodily affliction, it becomes
impossible for us to fulfil many of our religious duties.
The law, therefore, holds out the reward to its pious
followers, that their bodies shall be free from trouble
and disease, so that they may be enabled to conform to
the Holy Will of the Almighty, and thereby prepare the
soul for eternal bliss. We see clearly in Leviticus
(xxvi. 11 and 12), that the law, after promising tern-
poral happiness, adds also the boon of spiritual welfare.

See ibid., " And I shall place my residence among you;
and my soul shall not abhor you, and I shall walk among
you, and I will be your God, and you shall be unto me
a people." Thus was also promised to Abraham and
liis posterity worldly success for the performance of the
covenant. Spiritual reward is indicated by the follow-
ing passage in Genesis (xvii. 7) : "I will be unto thee
a God, and to thy seed after thee." In the same chapter
(ver. 8) the gracious addition is made, '"'
And I shall be
unto them a God." The patriarch Jacob, too, when
concluding his vow by saying (Gen. xxviii. 21), " And
the Lord will be unto me a God," alluding to spiritual
welfare, as every thinking man must acknowledge. Not
in this portion alone, but throughout the whole law, we
meet with a variety of passages bearing reference to the
ultimate destination of man, especially where God's
immediate influence and supervision over the conduct
are expressed.
The very ceremonial observances ordered in the law,
and the whole temple service had no other purpose than
to bring the worshipper near the Throne of Mercy, and
to purify and to prepare the soul for a more exalted
state. The closeness Avith which God, by His covenant,
has bound unto himself the people of Israel, is the
reason He called them " His first-born son," " His chosen
one," "His friend," "His beloved," "His holy one,"
"His portion," and "The bond of His heritage.""
The epithet, Th)^D (Segulah), commonly rendered "pe-
culiar people," has occasionally the signification of any
and valuable. This interpre-
object peeuliarly precious
tation of the foregoing Hebrew word is confirmed in
Ecclesiastes ii. 8. The announcement of Divine Grace,
or favour, our lawgiver, Moses, communicated to Israel
by denominating them " Children of the Almighty,'' who
are beloved by their Fatlier in Heaven, attached to Him

in their present state, and not separated from Him in
the life to come. We refer the reader to Deut. xiv.
1,2, " Ye Lord your God; ye

are the children of the
shall not cut yourselves nor make any baldness between
your eyes for the dead. For thou art a holy people
unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord has chosen thee
to be a peculiar people unto Himself above all the
nations that are upon the earth."
The tendency of these passages, is to teach that it is
unbecoming to indulge in excess of grief on account of
the death of the body, since it is declared that Israel is
a nation holy to the Lord and chosen by Him. By tlie
word chosen^ we understand that the soul is destined to

adhere to Him and to enjoy His presence for ever. If
earthly distinctions were intended to be the sole purport
of human existence, death would be a more severe
visitation on the rich than on the poor. Another allu-
sion to a future state, we must refer to Leviticus xviii. 5,
"Ye shall, therefore, keep my statutes and my judg-

ments, which if a man do he shall live in them, I am
the Lord " It cannot be imagined that this relates to
longevity on earth, for we do not find that the pious,
who observe the divine law, prolong their existence here
below, beyond those who transgress; the passage, there-
fore, necessarily refers to immortal life.
The opinion of the opponents of Judaism is that the

man, through his rebellion against the word of God,
first
was condemned to spiritual death. They rest their

argument on the passage in Genesis ii. 17, " For on the
.day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,"
which death they deem to be that of the soul. Now, by
comparing this passage with the preceding quotation,
we cannot avoid the conclusion that the curse of Adam
wiU have no effect on those who faithfully obey the
G
divine ordinances set forth in the Mosaic law. We

refer the reader, also, to the 5th chapter of St. Paul's
Epistle to the Romans, which forcibly corroborates our
argument; a careful perusal of the following words,
from Deut. xxxii. 46, 47, will likewise justify the view
here taken " Set your hearts unto all the words which I
:
testify among you this day, which ye shall command

your children to observe, to do all the words of this law,
for it is not a vain thing for you, because it is for your
life ; and through this thing you shall prolong your days
on the earth," etc. Here, two diiferent rewards obtain-
able through observance of the Divine Law are held out
to man. There is a spiritual reward and a temporal
reward. Concerning the spiritual. Scripture says,
"For it is your and concerning the temporal
life;"
reward, we read, " And through this thing you shall
prolong your days on the earth." The welfare of the

soul, on account of its surpassing value, is mentioned
first, though in reality it is the last lot of man.
Another allusion to the reward of eternal life is made
in Deut. xxxiii. 29, in the very last words recorded in
the speech of Moses, " Happy art thou, Israel, who is
like unto thee a people saved by the Lord?" This verse

conveys the idea that worldly acquisitions, such as
dominion, power, conquest and increased wealth do not
constitute true happiness, because they can be shared by
nations who do not acknowledge God; for true happi-
ness is spiritual salvation, of which no people have been
declared worthy excepting the people of Israel, as we
perceive in the words, " Happy art thou, Israel; who
unto thee, a people saved by the Lord?"' A truth
is like
confirmed in the words Avhich follow. He is " the shield

of tliy help," seem to convey the idea, that the boon of
spiritual blessings does not exclude temporal happiness
and that those who devote themselves to the Lord, find
also their protection in Him in the time of need. The

same idea is expressed in the words of the Psahnist,
" Trust in the Lord, He is your salvation and shield."
The Divine interposition is further illustrated in the

sequel of the verse under consideration (viz. Deut.
xxxiii. 29), where we see " The shield of thy help,"
and " Who is the sword of thy glory ;" showing, as the
Psalmist says, " That not by their own swords the}-
inherited the land."

A
reference to the punishment of the soul is made in
Leviticus xxii. 3 ; " Say unto them according to your
generations, every man of your seed who shall approach
to the sanctuary which the Children of Israel shall
sanctify unto theLord while his impurity is upon him,
that soul shalb be cut off from before me; I am the
Lord." The words ^\from before me" relate to the soul
which originates from a holy source^ and to which it will
return if found worthy. A similar allusion to the soul
is made, ibid xxiii. 29 ;
" For whatsoever soul it be that
shall not be afflicted on the self-same day shall be cut
off from her people ;" and again, " and every soul which
shall do any work on the self-same day, that soul shall
I cause to be lost in the midst of her people ;" that is to
say : she shall not be gathered to the souls of the pious
who are denominated " her people." Thus, we find in
;"
Genesis xxv. 8, " And he was gathered unto his people
that is to say : and associated with
he was gathered to,
the spirits of pious and Godly men. We will give a

further proof that scripture does not treat here on the
mere body; for in Deut. xxxii. 50, we read, " And thou
shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother
died in the mountain Hor, and was gathered unto his
people." Thus, we see that the term gathering applies
exclusively to the soul. Li like manner, Lsaiah Iviii.
" The glory of the Lord gathereth thee in." Balaam,
G 2
S4 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
though a Gentile prophet, perceiving by the power of his

vision that the Israelites not only stood in this world
under the special supervision of the Almighty, but had
also a blissful end and rich hope after their death ; he
therefore prayed for himself to be deemed worthy of par-
ticipating in their spiritual bliss in a future state. See
Numbers xxiii. 10, " May I die the death of the right-
eous, and m}^ last end be as his.''
The theme of beatitude of the soul is constantly re-
verted to by David in his Psalms, and is the incentive
for keephig the commandments of the Divine law, and
of pouring forth prayers for its attainment. See Psalm
xix. " The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the
:
soul." Psalm xxvii. 13, " Unless I had believed to

see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
Psalm cxvi. 8, 9 " For Thou saveth my soul from death,
:
my eye from tears, my foot from stumbling; I shall

walk before the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm
xxvi. :
" Do not gather in my soul with the sinners."
Psalm xvi. 10, 1 1 :
" For Thou wilt not leave my soul in the
grave ; Thou wilt not let thy pious men see corruption
Thou makest us know the path of life ; fulness of joy is
in thy countenance; delights are at thy right hand for

ever." Psalm xlix. 15 " But God will redeem my soul
:
from the power of the grave, for He will take me, Selah."
Psalm XXV. 12, 13: "Who is the man who feareth the
Lord, him shall He teach in the way he should choose,
his soul shall abide in bliss, and his seed shall inherit
the earth." Psalm xxxi. 19: "How great is Thy good-
ness which Thou hast preserved for those who fear
Thee." Psalm xxxvi. 7, 8, 9 " How precious is Thy :
mercy, God, and the children of men shall be protected

under the shadow of Thy wings they shall be satisfied ;
with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou shalt give them
drink from the stream of Thv delio:hts, for with Thee is
the source of life; in Thy light we shall see light."

Psalm Ixxiii. 25 :
" Who will be for me in Heaven, if 1
delight not to be with Thee on earth ?" And various other

passages of like description occur throughout the Psalms.
Solomon, the son of this sublime poet, has enlarged on
the beautiful representation of the Heavenly fruit he :
says in Ecclesiastes iii. 21: " Who knoweth the spirit

of man which rises on high?" and ibid. xii. 7: "And
the dust goeth to the earth as it was, and the spirit re-
turneth to God who gave it :" and Proverbs xi. 7

" When the wicked man dies, hope is lost, and the ex-
pectation of his exertions is lost." Ibid xiv. 32 :
" The
wicked man is driven away by his own evil doings; but
the righteous man confideth even in his death." And
ib. xxiii. 17, 18^: " Let thy heart not envy the sinner, but
abide in the fear of the Lord the whole day ; for surely
there is an hereafter, and thy hope shall not be cut off.''
And ibid. xxiv. 14 : "Know, then, that wisdom is equally

good for thy soul if thou findest it and there is an here- ;
after, and thy hope shall not be cut off." See also
Isaiah xlv. 17, where he says: " Israel is saved by the
Lord with an everlasting salvation," etc. A parallel
phrase occurs in the words of Moses, Deut. xxxiii. 29,
viz. : "Happy art thou, Israel, who is like unto thee?"
This implies that the spiritual salvation is not a
transitory boon, but an everlasting benefit; therefore
Isaiah says, in chap. Ivii., " Ye shall not be abashed and
not be ashamed through eternity." Isaiah remarks, on
the death of a penitent man (cha[). v.) " I
ways saw his
and I healed him, and led him to his repose, and I
-bestowed comfort on him and on his mourners." The
words, " And I saw his ways and I healed him," clearly
indicate the spiritual healing, that is, the pardon for
iniquity. To the same effect we read in Psalm xli. 4,
" Heal my soul, for I have sinned unto Thee." Also in
Isaiah vi. 10, " And he shall return and be healed,"

(which means after the expiation of his sins) " I shall
lead him to his destination, and thereby bestow comfort
upon him, and also to his mourners", who will derive
consolation from the knowledge that after his death he
will partake of that happiness which is reserved for the
2:)ious in the world of souls. The grant of a glorious
reward of the pious is alluded to in Isaiah Iviii. 8,
" Then thy light shall break forth like the morning
dawn, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily, and
thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of
thy God shall gather thee, viz., into the place of happi-
ness where the souls of the righteous are received in the
bond of endless life." The term light applies to the
existence of the soul in the region of spirits, where it
enjoys immortal bliss in the presence of the Lord. This

is further illustrated by what Abigail said to David
(1st Sam. XXV. 29), " And the soul of my lord shall be
bound up in the bond of the living with the Lord thy
God ;" on the other hand she says, with regard to the
•spiritual punishment of the wicked, " And the soul of
thine enemies He shall cast away as from a sling." And
Ezekiel says (xviii. 8,9), " The wicked man whoturneth
away from all his sins Avhicli he hath committed, and
observe th all my statutes and does judgment and
righteousness, he shall surely live;" and further, " When
the wicked man returneth from the wickedness which he
hath committed, and shall do judgment and righteous-
ness, he shall live with his soul." " When he turneth
from all his transgressions, he shall surely live and
not die." And xx. 13, And I gave to them my
"
statutes, and my judgments are made known to them
which if a man docth he shall live in them." It is per-
fectly obvious that the prophet speaks of everlasting life
wherein no death can occur, and which may justly be
denominated true existence with regard to the future

state. Elihu says (Job xxxiii. 30), " To bring back
his soul from perdition to shine in the light of the
living." The prophet, Zachariah speaks on that subject
in chap. iii. 7, " Thus saith the Lord of hosts, if thou
wilt walk in my ways and keep my observances, and
judge also my house and guard my court, I will give
thee ingress among those who are standing here," (the
ministering Angels. ) This promise manifestly shows that
the soul, after being freed from the body, obtains a bliss-
ful habitation in the world of spirits. We may also
quote the words of Daniel (xii. 2). "And many of those
Avho sleep in dust shall awake, some for eternal life and
some to shame and everlasting contempt, and they that

be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament,
and they who promote righteousness shall be as stars
for ever and ever."
The above verses found in the law, in the Prophets
and in the Hagiography form a sufficiency for our faith
in spiritual rewards and punishments hereafter. There
are many other passages to be met with in the
Divine Law and the Prophets, affording additional evi-
dence of the immortality of the soul.
CHAPTER XIX.
Many Christians oppose us with the opinion that the

Mosaic law had not been established for a permanent,
but only for a limited period, and was totally abrogated
by Jesus, who bequeathed to his disciples and followers
. a neAV law which dispensed them from conforming to the
ancient statutes and ordinances laid down in the Mosaic
code. For (they allege) according to the old law, they
(the Israelites) had been given over to the power of death,
while the new dispensation was a law of grace and easy
to pniclisc. The commandiiients given, they say, were

man could observe them properly.
so rigorous tliat no
Hence came that the fundamental laws, such as cir-
it
cumcision and the observances of the Sabbath, were but

temporary, and continued only to the time of the coming
of Jesus the Nazarene, who immediately substituted
baptism instead of circumcision, and the consecration of
the first day instead of the seventh.
Refutation — This statement of the Christians is fal-
lacious. The Gospel itself refutes their opinion, for in
Matthew v. 17 to 20, Jesus says to his disciples, " Think

not that 1 am come to destroy the Law or the Pro-
phets ; I am not come to destroy but to fulfil ; for verily
I say unto you, lieaven and earth pass one jot or
till
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all is
fulfilled;" "Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he
shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven but ;
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be

called great in the kingdom of Heaven."
The Christians themselves must admit that Jesus and
his Asostles were circumcised; for we find that Paul
circumcised his disciple, Timotheus, as is recorded in
the Acts xvi. .3, which fact proves, according to their
own statement, that the law was not abolished even
after the existence of Jesus. The seventh day was also
kept sacred by the founders of the Christian religion and
its disciples. The Sabbath was observed (the trans-
later refers to the book of P'easts and Fasts published
18'25) for nearly five hundred years after the vulgar
era, when one of the Popes instituted the sanctification
of" the first day of the week instead of the proper
Sabbath-day. See the record thereon in Zemach David.
The seventh day is not merely instituted as a cere-
monial laAv, prescribing to us cessation of all labour, but
- FAITH STRENGTHENED. 89
IB to be held universally sucred by the express word of

the Almighty, " Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it
holy," Exodus xx. 8. See also ibid xvi. 29, " Behold
the Lord giveth you the Sabbath therefore He giveth
;
you, ou the sixth day, food for two days." The supply
of manna during the six days of the week, and the
allotment of double the quantity on the sixth day
afford a miraculous conhrmation of the sanctity of the
Sabbath.
Therefore the Divine Ordinance of the Sabbath can-
not be abrogated ; more connnand is
especially as this
included in the decalogue, the authority of which is
acknowledged by all followers of Christianity. It ap-
pears, however, that the Christians have been anxious to
abolish the law of Moses on their own accord and
responsibility, for they have no authority whatever for
doing so from Jesus and his Apostles. If Jesus had
really absolved them from the commandments contained
in our Bible, wherefore did he urge the observance of a
part of them; as, for instance, the honour due to parents,
neighbourly loVe and charity? Wherefore did he warn
them against homicide, adultery, theft, and false testi-
mony? See Matthew xix. On what foundation rests

the Apostle's prohibition to abstain from idolatry, incest,
and eating of blood and strangled animals? (See Acts
XV. 20.) Nor can we comprehend the assertion that the
law of Moses must discontinue because the Israelites
had been guilty of death according to it, but not
according to the law of Jesus, which wâs called the law
of Grace. Did not St. Paul order the death of one
-marrying his father's wife? (See 1st Cor. v. 1 ). Even at
the present day, Christians inflict death on the miTr-
derer, the adulterer, and the thief;* while, according to
* This was perfectly true at the date when the author wrote.
Translator.
the Mosaic dispensation, pecuniary thefts were not

punished with death. See Exodus xxi. 16, where it is said
" He who stealeth man and selleth him, he shall be put
to death," etc. Equally untrue is it that the law of Jesus
is more easy to practise than that of Moses. In
"
Matthew xix. 21, we find, If thou wilt be perfect, go
and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor." The
same is repeated in Luke xviii. 22. This shows that it
is required by the laws of Jesus, that man shall dispose
of his property and devote it to charitable purposes;

the law of Moses, however, decrees that only the tenth
part of the harvest shall go for charitable purposes, and
the remainder be enjoyed by the owner. This proves
that the legislative system of Moses is by no means
oppressive but on the contrary, serves to benefit both
;
the body and the soul. Again, if men have been dis-
pensed from obedience to the laws of Moses, why do
they acknowledge some of the laws on consanguinity,
and prohibit intercourse between the following six
degrees of affinity, namely, with the mother, the father's
wife, the sister, the brother's wife, the daughter, and
the son's wife? With regard to other relations they are
are not guided by the Divine enactments transmitted
to us through Moses; but occasionally they permit
the unlawful, and forbid the leo;itimate degrees of
intermarriage.
The Christians seem here to abandon the solid foun-
dation on which we rest our hopes, and act from self-
formed opinions. The Gospel presents no express code
on the points in question, and if these laws are no longer
valid which determine the relationship of consanguinity,
why did not Jesus introduce new regulations in lieu of
the laws of Moses? In modern days the Christians are
partly guided by the Mosaic code, and partly by human
enactments at various periods. They make changes
and alterations, accommodating tliem to the customs of

the day, and render established principle subservient to
temporary wants and arbitrary innovations. Convinced,
as we Israelites are, that the divhie revelation proceeds
from Infinite Wisdom, and is, therefore, in itself complete
and perfect in its aim, we cannot possibly admit of any
change, deviation, addition, or diminution. Holy Writ
warns us on this point. Deut. iv. 2 " Every word which
:
I command you ye shall observe and do. Thou shalt

not add unto it, and not diminish therefrom." Further
(chap. iv. 8), " Where is a nation so great which has
such just and righteous statutes as all this laAv is which
I place before you this day?" Ibid, " If thou wilt obey
the voice of the Lord thy God to observe His command-
ments and His, statutes which are written in this book
of this law," etc. In the same book (xxxiii. 4) we
read, " The law that Moses commanded unto us is an
inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." To this we
—
add the words of the Psalmist (Ps. xix. 7 9), " The law
of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testi-
mony of the Lord is faithful, making Avise the foolish
the statutes of the Lord are just, rejoicing the heart;
the commandments Lord are pure, enlightening
of the
the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, standing for
ever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous
altogether." In the same book (Ps. cxix.) he says,
" And I will keep thy commandments for ever and ever."
We refer also to the conclusion of the prophecy by
Malachi, who says, " Remember ye the law of my servant
Moses which connnanded him in Horeb, concerning all
I
Israel (giving them), statutes and judgments." These
verses give satisfactory evidence, that the divine law in its
sublime perfection and simplicity is not to be enlarged or
curtailed, and much less to be abrogated and superseded
by any other code. The immutability of the law is

pronounced in Deut. xxviii. 1, " And thou shalt listen
to the voice of the Lord, and do all His commandments
which I command thee this day." The same is repeated
in a subsequent passage, it being said, " If thou wilt
but listen to the voice of the Lord thy God to observe
His commandments which are written in the book of
this law."
This manifestly proves that the gracious promises and
assurances will only be realised provided we rigidly
follow the precepts prescribed in the books of Moses.
The expression, " this day,'' points out the impossibility
of a subsequent legislation, and the unchangeableness of
the revealed Will of the Almighty. In a like manner,
we learn from the passage, "
The law which Moses
commanded us," is an inheritance of the congregation
of Jacob; that, contrary to the Christian belief, no
period whatever has been assigned to limit the duration
of the Mosaic code. The law of Moses is to remain an
everlasting inheritance to the congregation of Jacob for
ever. " For it shall not be forgotten out of the mouth
of his seed." The term, " congregation of Jacob,'' (in-
stead of house or seed of Jacob), shews that the law is
not merely an inheritance to the children of Jacob but ^
to all who may congregate with them, " from the sons
of the stranger, who join themselves to the Lord to
serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, and to be
His servants. Every one that keepeth the Sabbath
from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant."
" They shall," as Isaiah says (xiv. 1), " be joined with
them, and be included in the house of Jacob." The
expression, " All His commandments are sure, they
stand fast for ever and ever," is no less an evidence of
the eternity of the laws contained in the Pentateuch,
as -^mL, (" for ever"), and dSiJ^? (" eternally"), imply an

uninterrupted and endless course of time. We meet
with an unmistakable use of the two words in the
Psalm clxviii. 6, " And He has established them for
ever and ever, He has given an ordinance and it shall
not be infringed." The passage, " And I will keep Thy
commandments continually for ever and ever,'' alludes
to a period unlimited by time. In accordance with this,
we find in Exodus xv. 18, the words nyi tlh))!h "]hf2^ **
""
The Lord shall rule for ever and ever." So likewise
in the exhortation of the last of the prophets (Malachi
iv. 4), " Remember ye the law of Moses, which I com-
manded unto him on Horeb, concerning all Israel (giving
him statutes and judgments)," we discover that there
will never be aiiy otherlaw besides the law given unto
Moses on Mount We likewise meet with Gentile
Sinai.
authorities, who state that the law of God given to
Israel is eternal and perfect —
that no succeeding law
has ever been given —that those are mistaken who assert
that Moses gave the first and Jesus the second law—
and that Jesus gave no new law, but merel}^ confirmed
the commandments given throuo;h Moses. Thus in all
these doctrinal points they are found to agree with us.
CHAPTER XX.
" And many nations shall go and say, Come let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the
God of Jacob, and He shall teach us in His ways, and
» -we will walk in His paths, for out of Zion shall go forth
iV the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem"
"'
— (^Si^^^*)"'
Tliis verse is combined by the Christians with
that in Isaiah li. 4 " Hearken unto me, O my people,
:
and give ear unto me, my nation, for a law shall

proceed from me, and I will make my judgment for a

light of the people." They deduce from it that Isaiah
here prophesied that there would be a future covenant,
viz., the law of Jesus; the law of Moses having been
delivered on Sinai, while the new doctrine of Jesus was
promulgated in Zion.
Refutation. — The preceding chapter disproves this
assertion, we having therein established on incontestable
testimony, that the law of Moses is not to be revoked,
and that no second revelation is to be added to the
former; therefore no inference or support can be de-
rived from the above texts. The verses quoted do by
no means declare that a new law was to be given by the
Almighty, but that the 'r\1')r\, which means instruction
and improvement, shall go forth from Zion, and shall
be communicated through the advent of the true expected
Messiah. Hence, they shall say, " And he shall instruct
us in his ways, and we will walk in his paths." The
King Messiah is to be the Instructor. In allusion to
him, the prophet says, " And he shall judge among the
Gentiles." A passage relating to this Ave read in Isaiah,
" Behold the servant on whom I shall rely, for he as
judge and a teacher, shall carry out judgment among the
Gentiles, and they shall wait for his instruction." A
parallel promise is given in the words, " For the law
[i. e. instruction] shall proceed from me, and I Avill
make my judgment rest as the light of Nations." The
beneficent activity of the King Messiah is further ex-
exhibited in the prediction (Isaiah ii. 4),
^'
And they
shall strike their swords into ploughshares," etc.
This justifies the expectation that, in cases where

otherwise wars arising from strife and contention would
occur, appeals will be made to the King Messiah, who
will rule over all nations, and decide which party is in
the right, and which in the wrong. Thus, he will estab-
lish peace between them, and thus prevent warfare be-
tween nations. The destructive instruments of battle will

no longer be required, but will be converted into imple-
ments of husbandry. " Their swords shall be struck into
ploughshares, their spears into pruninghooks; nation

shall no longer lift and they
up sword against nation,
shall no longer learn the arts of war." We acquire by
this prophecy a manifest assurance that the law which
is to proceed from the Messiah is nothing else but
the instruction and propagation of the most humane
principles. The Hebrew word rTTlH is very frequently
used for conveying the idea of instruction. See Prov.
i. 8, " My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and
forsake not the law (or teaching) of thy mother." Fur-
ther, ibid. iii. L, " My son, forget not my laws (teach-
ings), and let thine heart keep my precepts." And in
the same chapter, *'

for I give you a good doctrine : do
not forsake my laws'' (i. e. instructions). No person
will venture to assert, thatKing Solomon alluded to any
new laiD^ written by himself, or any of his contempora-
ries. Controversial opponents, themselves, must ac-
knowledge, that the word n^lH in the Book of Proverbs
has no other meaning but worldly uninspired instruc-
tion; and the inference deducible from this interpreta-
tion, with regard to the passage under discussion, is so
obvious, that it leaves no ground for vindicating the
existence of a new law, subsequent to the one given
by Moses.
CHAPTER XXI.
Isaiah vii. 14, " Therefore, the Lord shall give unto you
a sign ; behold, the young woman is with and she
child,
will bear a son, and she will call his name EmanueV'
(God is with us). This verse is applied by the Chris-

tians as an evidence of their faith. The prophet, they
say, predicted here, that an Israehtish virgin would
conceive, and bare a son (Jesus) under the influence of
the Holy Ghost, as is related in the Gospel of Matthew.
Refutation This assertion rests solely on the sup-
port of imagination. The word no?]! (young woman)
used in this verse, does not mean a virgin, as they main-
tain, but signifies merely young woman. See Gen.
xxiv. 14, where Abraham's servant says, first, " And
there shall be a damsel nipH to whom I say," etc. and :
afterwards, he says, " and there shall be a young woman

n^7>?n who Cometh out to draw water," etc. Both n"iy3
and n^Sy can be applied either to a maiden or a married
woman. With regard to a maiden, Ave find in Gen. xxiv.,
" the young woman run and told her father's household :"
and, in Ruth ii., " To whom belongeth this young

woman ?" (nîy^n). In the same way, we meet with the
word T\UT^ meaning simply young female for instance, :
Exod. ii. 8, " And the young woman went and called
the mother of the child.'' As we express in Hebrew
nîyj and nibSy indiscriminately for a virgin or a mar-
ried woman, so we apply, respecting a young man, both
*iyi and oSy See 1 Sam. xvii. 58, '"
Whose son is this
lad?" (oSy)" And in the same chapter, v. 56, "Whose
son is this young man ?" (l^j)' Tlie age of adolescency
is likewise expressed both by WJyh'^ and by D^"llp- See
Isaiah, liv. 4, "and thou shalt forget the 'shame of
Cj^py thy youth." And Jer. xxx., " and the disgrace of
"•liy^ my youth.'^ This proves, that the female in minor
age, whatever her state may be, is denominated alike by
niyj or r\u7)^ in the same manner as the young man in
minor years is styled ^y^ or oSy* The wife of Isaiah,
who was still youthful, is termed in Scripture, n^Sj^
young woman. Moreover, the sense of the chapter is
altogether adverse to the exposition of the Christians.

It refers to Ahaz, king of Judah, who had been in
great trouble and consternation on account of the con-
federacy which the inonarchs (Pekah, king of Israel, and
Rezin, king of Syria,) had determined on, namely, to
besiege and subjugate Jerusalem. See Isaiah vii. 2,
" And it was told to the house of David, saying, Syria is
confederate with Ephraim and ; his heart was moved, and

the heart of the people, as the trees of the wood are moved
with the wind." Hence, the Lord sent to him the prophet
Isaiah, to give him courage, that his heart should not
be dismayed at their approach — since their design would
assuredly be frustrated. To convince him of this, the
Almighty gave him a sign, or token that Jerusalem
would remain unmolested, and that the territories of
Samaria and Damascus would soon be abandoned and
deserted. Had
been the purpose of inspired writ to
it
announce, as the Christians maintain, the advent of

Jesus, how could Ahaz be concerned in a sign that could
only be realized many centuries after his death, or how
could any promise cheer his heart that was not to be
fulfilled in his own days? It is true, there is also a
prophecy, in this chapter, relating to calamities sus-

pended over the hostile kings, and which happened
within sixty-five years subsequent to the existing dan-
ger; " For the head of Syria Damascus, and the head
is
of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five

years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be no people."
But the computation of sixty-five years did not com-
mence from the date of the prophecy. At the period
when the prophet spoke, his young wife was pregnant^
and bore a son, who was first called Emanuel (God is
with us), and afterwards, Maher-shalal-hash-baz (speed
the plunder, hasten the spoil). "For," says Isaiah,
" before the boy shall know how to call father and mother,
II
the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria

shall be taken away before the king of Assyria." The
fulfilment of this event is thus recorded in 2 Kings
xvi. 9. " And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him,
and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and
took it, and carried the captives to Kir, and slew Rezin."
In the same book (xv. 29) the fate of Pekah, king of
Israel, is described in the following words. " In the
days of Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel,
came to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, and took Ijon,
and Abel-Beth Maachah, and Janoah, and Kedeth, and
Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali,
and carried them captive to Assyria.'' Verse 30,
" And Hosea, the son of Elah, made a conspiracy against
Pekah, the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew
him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of
Jotham, the son of Uzziah," The word of the prophet
Isaiah n:3Sr ^^r\) nîy^ n^yni " witUn sixty-five years,"
is to be understood, as at the completion of these years,
counted from the time of the prophecy of Amos, who
predicted, concerning Damascus (in his book, i. 5),
" And I will break the bolt of Damascus, and cut off the
inhabitants of the valley, and even the support of the
sceptre from Beth-Eden, and the people of Syria shall
go into captivity into Kir, saith the Lord." About
Israel, the same projohet predicted (ibid. vii. 11), " And
Israel shall be exiled from its territory.'' Hence it ap-
pears, that before three years had elapsed after this an-
nouncement, the Syrians, and many of the Israelites, with
the kings, Rezin and Pekah, were carried into captivity

to Assyria. In the twentieth year of Jotham, which
was the fourth of Ahaz, Hosea, the son of Elah, killed
Pekah, the son of Remaliah, and reigned in his stead.
There is here a variation of statements with regard to
these events, twenty years being ascribed to the govern-
inent of Jotham, while subsequently it is mentioned that

the occupation of the throne only lasted sixteen years, so
that the four additional years must be considered to
belong to the reign of his son Ahaz. We reconcile this
discrepancy by the view, that, Ahaz having been a

wicked king, Scripture prefers adverting to the departed
pious king Jotham than to the reigning monarch, the
ungodly Ahaz. Thus the sixty-five years expired in
the ninth year of Hosea, the son of Elah, when the
complete exile of all Israel took place. The following
calculation willshew the historical connection between
the prophecy and its fulfilment. Amos prophesied two
years before the earthquake, which occurred in the
seventeenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, the son of
Joash, king of Israel. This king ruled twenty-four years
after the earthquake. Then Menahem governed twelve,
Pekahiah two, Pekah twenty, and Hosea nine years,
which make together the sum of sixty -five years. The
seven months of the reign of Zechariah and Shalum are
omitted from the calculation, being included in the years
of the other kings. This calculation has been adopted
by several Christian authors. If our opponents should
askwho the young woman was to whom Isaiah alluded
when he said, " She is with child, and shall bear a son;"
we reply, that she was (as we have before asserted) the
prophet's wife. This is proved by Isaiah viii. 3, " And
I came to the prophetess, and she conceived and bare a
son and the Lord said unto me. Call his name Maher-
;
shalal-hash-baz." The question may then arise, How

could he be called so after the name Emanuel had been
previously given to him to afford a sign to Ahaz ? We
answer, by showing that the child received not two but
three names, in consideration of the three kings con-
cerned in the prophecy. Referring to the king of Judah
he Avas named Emanuel (God is with us), to indicate
that from the time of his birth peace would prevail in

Judea.
Alluding to the king of Israel, he was called Maher-
shalal, and in allusion to the king of Syria he received
the name of Hash-baz, pointing out by the two latter
names, that those monarchs, with all their possessions,

would soon become the spoil of the Assyrian kings.
The two names are of a synonymous character, and in
perfect accordance with each other. Therefore the prophet
says, shortly after mentioning Emanuel (vii. 16), " for
before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose
the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken
of both the kings." In the same style he repeats after
the name of Maher-shalal-hasli-baz, " For before the
child shall have knowledge to call, My fatherand my
mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria
shall be taken away before the king of Assyria." See-
ing that these two verses are in perfect consonance with
each other, the child spoken of must needs be the very
same, and he being the son of Isaiah, stands a sign and
token to these three kings. The intention to express
several events by giving several names to one individual,
is evident from the double appellation.
Shear Jashub (i. e. a remainder shall return) is an
illustration of the ten tribes who are to remain in their
captivity, whilethe two united tribes of Judah and
Benjamin were to return from Babylon to Jerusalem at
the expiration of the seventy years. On that account
the prophet said, after the second son had been born
unto him, " Here I stand, and the children which God
has given me and tokens in Israel;" and for
for signs
this purpose only the Almighty bid him meet Ahaz,
accompanied by his son Shear Jashub. Though the
latter son was then but very young, his two names with
opposite meanings stood as tokens for the future destiny
of Epliraiiii (the ten tribes) on the one hand, and of

Judah on the other.
R. David Kimchi has given a forced interpretation to
the passage on Emanuel believing that this individual
;
Avas not the son of Isaiah, but of the king. The pro-
phet expressing himself (chap. viii. 8), " And the
stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of tky
land, Emanuel;" our expositor supposes, that the
possessive, thy, could not have been addressed to a per-
son who was not a son of the ruler of the country.
But this conclusion is, to me, quite unfounded. We
find, frequently, n^l5<5 (thy land), meaning thy native
land, or country. See, for instance, Gen. xii. 1, " And
the Lord spake unto Abraham, go out of thy land."
Now, it is well known, that Abraham was not the lord
of the land which he was ordered to quit ; but that the
word his land could only be applied to it inasmuch
as was the land of his birth. See also Jer. xii. 15,
it
'*
And I shall bring them back, every man to his heritage,
and every man to his land." Moreover, suppose Emanuel
was the son of a king, how could the land of Israel
have been called his country, since he did not succeed his
father in the government ? I't appears to me, that when
Isaiah prophesied, saying, " Behold, the woman is with
child," he was not aware tliat he spake about his own
wife — Samuel was not conscious that he prophe-
just as
sied concerning David, when he said to Saul, 1 Sam.
xiii. 14, " The Lord has sought unto Himself a man after
His own heart, and has appointed him prince over His
people." Further, when Samuel said (chap. xv. 28),
" The Lord has torn away from thee the kingdom of
Israel, and has given it to thy neighbour, who is better
than thee ;" for being at the house of Jesse, he knew
which of the sons he was to anoint for the kingdom; so
that when remarking to Eliab, he exclaimed, " Surely,
the Lord's anointed is before Him ;" but only when he

came to David, then the Lord told him to anoint him.
With the same ignorance of things unrevealed, in the
moments of inspiration, Isaiah prophesied on the young
woman, until the token given him in the second pro-
phecy rendered it manifest to him the Lord saying then;
tohim (chap. viii. 1), " Take unto thee a large scroll,
and write upon it with man's pen, Maher-shalal-hash-
baz." After which Isaiah writes, " I took unto myself
faithful witnesses ; namely, Uriah, the
priest, and Zecha-
riah, the son of and I came near to the pro-
Jebarachiah ;
phetess, and she conceived, and bare a son, and the Lord
said unto me. Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz." It
was necessary he should take faithful witnesses, in order
to record all the minute parts of the Divine bidding, since
he himself had to fulfil all.
Scripture introduces the words, " And it was told to
the House of David,''' instead of to " Ahaz," etc. We
account for this by the fact, that Ahaz was a wicked
man and
; it was thought proper, therefore, to indicate
that the miracle did not occur for the merit of this king,
but for the merit of his ancestor. The disputant may
ask, " In what did, then, the sign and miracle consist, if
the prophet predicted merely that a married woman
would conceive and bear a son?" We reply, that the
sign and the miracle, undeniably, consisted in the assur-
ance of an event that could not be foreseen and foretold
by a profane man. Conception and birth do not depend
on human will and many an infant is born that never
;
sees the light : nor can we know whether the mother will
give birth to a son or a daughter. Another miracle is,
the prediction that the mother of the new-born child

would call it Emanuel; and this prediction fulfilled,
vouches for the truth of the additional prophecy, that
Judali and Jerusalem would be saved from the attack of
two belligerent kings. Again, it is a miracle, that the

child, after its birth, from the breasts of
was not to suck
its mother, like other sucklings, but would feed on but-
ter and honey. See Isaiah vii. 15, " Butter and honey
shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to
choose the good." This fare, and the abstaining from
mother's milk shall endow him with knowledge to avoid
the evil and to prefer the good, and make him excel all
other children in intellect. The activity of free agency
is to commence with, him as soon as he can call father
and mother —which renders him pre-eminent among

other children of his age. The confirmation of this
event is in chap. viii. of Isaiah.
The Christians maintain, that if that child had been
born from the young woman like other children of men,
his name couldnot have been called Emanuel (God is with
us) but that this name was quite applicable to Jesus^
:
who was a compound of the Divine and human nature.

Refutation It is the Hebrew idiom to join the name
of the Almighty to the proper names of men, and even
to inanimate objects ; for instance, Samuel, Zuriel, Uziel,
Michael, Eliezer, Elijah, Isaiah, Zurishaddai, etc. In
Genesis xxxiii.^ an altar was called, " El-Elohe Israel"
(i. e. God is the God of Israel). In Exodus xvii. 15, an
altar is called, " The Lord is my banner." We find the
application in Jeremiah xxxiii.16, " The Lord is our
righteousness." In Ezekiel xlviii. 35, we find the ex-
pression, "
The Lord is there," which is apphed to
Jerusalem, the Holy city, as a name which will be given
to it at the time of the Messiah, when the glorious
presence of the Almighty shall return to it. That,
however, Jesus should be called by the name Emanuel
is not affirmed by any passage of the Gospel. We only
find in Matthew i. 20, that the angel saith to Joseph
in a dream, " Fear not to receive Mary thy wife, for
that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, and

she shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Jesus (yiSJ'*), for he shall save his people from their
sins. Now, all this was done that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying.
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emanuel," etc.
It is further stated, " And Joseph took unto him Mary
his wife, and knew her not until she had brought forth
her first-born son, and she called his name Jesus." In
Luke ii. 21, we find, " And when the eight days were
accomplished for the circumcising of the child he was
called Jesus, Avhich was so named of the angel before he
was conceived in the womb." From this it appears that
Emanuel was a different individual from Jesus, for
Jesus was in no instance called Emanuel as to the —
name Jesus, it was given to him by mere chance, there
were many other Jews named Jesus. See Ezra ii.,iii.,
and X., and the 2nd book of Chronicles xxxi. The
Jews spell Jesus 1K^\ because the J? is omitted in the
pronunciation of the Christians but suppose the j; is to
;
be retained, there is no inference deducible from that in

favour of their faith, as Matthew tried to establish for the
Christians, to apply the name of Jesus also to the son of
Sirach, who wrote a book called Ecclesiasticus.
Our disputant may Of whom did
ask, Isaiah pro-
phesy in chap. ix. 6, Avhen he said, " Unto us a child is
born, unto us a son is given : on his shoulders shall be

the government: and they shall call him Wonderful,
Counsellor, Almighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of [his] government and peace
there shall be no end [without end, Heb.] upon the
throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and
to establish it with judgment and with justice, from
henceforth even for ever"?
We Those passages refer to

give the following reply :
Hezekiah, king of Judah, during whose government

Israel experienced, through a divine intercession, a sig-
nal deliverance from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who
had raised a siege against Jerusalem with an army of a
hundred and eighty thousand valiant men. That this
great miracle, namely, the fall of the camp of Sennacherib,

referred to in the verses under consideration,was occa-
sioned from the regard entertained by the Almighty for
" the virtue of the child born unto us," and which, at
the time of the prophecy, was already " given unto us."
For when Ahaz ascended the throne, Hezekiah had
already attained his ninth year. The truth of this ex-
position is borne out by the verses antecedent and sub-

joined to the passage " for a child has been born unto
us."" The latter,word of the 6th verse of the 9th chapter
of Isaiahmust be rendered thus " And he who is :
Wonderful, a Counsellor and Omnipotent God, a Father

of Eternity, he called his (the child's) name Prince of
Peace.'' The child born unto Ahaz is entitled the Prince
of Peace because of the peace granted to Israel in the

days of Hezekiah.
The preceding Almighty
epithets are applied to the
as indications of marvellous occurrences accompanying
the life of Hezekiah, " God showed Himself Wo7iderful^^^
causing for his (Hezekiah's) sake, the shade of the sun-
dial to recede; as "Counsellor,'^ the Lord established
his own designs, and frustrated those of Sennacherib ; as
" the Omnipotent God," He evinced His divine attribute
by suddenly destroying the immense army of the invading
king; as " Father of Eternity," and Ruler of time, who,
according to His pleasure, adds to and diminishes from
the life of mortals. He manifested His power by pro-
longing the life of Hezekiah for a period of liftecn
years.
106 FAIJH STRENGTHENED.
The opponent may object to the above translation, by

pleading, that he finds in his version of Isaiah the
verb (XîTl) in the passive, viz. ^' and his name was :
called^ and not, as we are supposed to read, ^^\}^). taking
the verb in the active form (he called his name), so that
the which follow apply to the child, whose
epithets
name the Almighty called " Wonderful," etc.
"We know well that Jerome has made a practi-ce of
accomodating Scripture to the notions of his own creed;
and has endeavoured to establish an authority for his
belief in the Divinity of Jesus. All endeavours, how-
ever, have failed. Even after adopting the reading of
Jerome, we should be entitled to assign the above epithets
to Hezekiah, since we have already proved that the nature
of the holy language allows application of the name of the
Almighty to human beings, and even to inanimate ob-
jects, inclusively. To give to Jesus the above appellations
is altogether incompatible with his own history. How
" "
can he claim the names Wonderful" and Counsellor,"
when itremembered, that one of his disciples frus-
is
trated his designs^ and betrayed him to his enemies?

How can he merit the title, " Powerful" or " Omnipotent
God," who suffered an unnatural death? How can he
be the " Father of Eternity," who did not attain
even half of the natural period of human life? How can
he be distinguished as the " Prince of Peacef " whereas,
no peace existed in his days and as he himself asserted,
:
by saying, " I am not come to bring peace into the

earth, but the sword." The Christians avail themselves
of the passage, " to the increase of government, and
peace without end," to oppose us with the following
question :
—
" If the intention of the prophet had been to
prophesy an earthly kingdom, how could he say that
his (the king's) government would be without end?"
We reply to this, that the expression, " without end,"'
(T*P l*i<) is a mere figure of speech. We find, similarly.

in Isaiah, ii. 7, "

And his land was full of silver and
ffold, and there was no end to his treasures and his ;
land was full of horses, and there was no end to his

chariots.'
Thus we find, also, in Ecclesiastes iv. 8, " There is
Qne, and no second, and he has neither son nor brother
and there is 7io end to all his troubles." At the end of
the above prophecy, Isaiah says, chap. ix. 7, " On the
throne of David, and over his kingdom." This passage
is a clear refutation of the Christian doctrine of the
Messiah, for Jesus never sat on the throne of David, and
never ruled over Israel. Should they interpret the
throne of David in a spiritual sense, we must declare
that the throne of David never meant anything but in
relation to terrestrial government. David sat on a real
throne, and his kingdom was a positive reality. Scripture,
therefore, treats of it here in that sense only, and does
not allude to any visionary kingdom. The expression,
to establish it, and support it, " in judgment and righte-
ousness, now and for evermore," shows that his dominion
—that is, the dynasty of David — will never perish.
And though an interruption has occurred during the
time of the captivity, the government, nevertheless, will
in the days of the Messiah, return to the scion of David.
See Ezekiel xxxvii. 36, " And they shall live in it, and
their children, and their children's children, to eternity,
and my servant David shall be prince over them for
ever." This whole passage refers to the Messiah, as will
be shown hereafter. Our opponents may remark, How '
'
can the idea of eternity be understood from the words

*
even for evermore,' if the government of the house
of David ceased from the time of the captivity?" Our
answer to this argument is, that an intermediate cessation
destroys not the nature of the perpetual duration ; for
we find that the commandment of circumcision, was
enjoined on the posterity of Abraham, as an everlasting
covenant, (see Genesis xvii. 7), "And my covenant

shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant;" and,
nevertheless, the ceremonial was,
from sanitary motives,
discontinued during the whole period of the journey
through the desert. When, however, the tribes had
entered the Land of Promise, the practice of that
covenant was resumed, and will remain in force, even in
the days of the Messiah, as the Prophets have declared
to us. See Isaiah lii. 1, "Awake, awake! put on thy
strength, Zion; put on thee the garments of thy
glory, Jerusalem, thou holy city, for there shall
never more enter into thee the uncircumcised and
the unclean." The prophet Ezekiel
likewise says
(chap. xliv. 9), "Thus saith the Lord God, Any son
of an alien, of an uncircumcised heart and of un-
circumcised flesh, shall not enter into my sanctuary."
Another instance we find in the covenant which the
Almighty made with Phineas to grant the high priest-
hood to him and his posterity for ever; a long sus-
pension occurred among his posterity, for we learn
that Eli, Abimelech, and Abiathar officiated as high
priests, until King Solomon ascended the throne ; never-
theless that dignity reverted to the rightful party, viz.,
the descendants of Phineas (see 1st Kings ii. 26);
where it is Solomon deposed Abiathar, and
related that
placed Zadok in his office. The same is related in 1st
Chron. xxix. 22, "And Zadok they anointed to be priest
because he was of the lineage of Phineas and though ;
another interruption in the dignity of priesthood took

place during the time of the captivity, it will be restored
at the coming of the Messiah ; and the words in Numb.
XXV. 13, will be realized, "And it shall belong to him
and to his seed after him as an everlasting priesthood."
Ezekiel informs us on this point by telling us (chap. xliv.
15), "And the priests, the Levitcs, the children of
Zadok, who observed the observances of my sanctuary.
while the children of Israel strayed from me, they shall

come nigh unto me." This prophecy is connected with
the Advent of the Messiah, as will be explained in its
proper place. We have now given a full refutation to
mistaken assertions of our opponents, and having

founded our arguments on prophecy, they can only be
opposed by opponents of truth itself.
CHAPTER XXII.
Isaiah lii. 13, " Behold my servant shall prosper, he

shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high." In
this and the verses that follow until the end of chap. liii.
the Christians assert, that the prophecy of Isaiah consti-
tutes a prediction of Jesus, the Nazarene, concerning
whom Isaiah has said, " He shall be exalted and extolled,
and be very high," because to him alone it is asserted
these words can be attributed, " Surely he has borne our
sicknesses and our pains. He was wounded by our
transgressions and oppressed by our iniquities." For he
is said to have, by his death, saved their souls from the
power of Satan.
Refutation. — This assertion lacks truth, Scripture
having declared, " Behold my servant shall prosper, he
shall be exalted," etc. ; how can these words be made to
refer to Jesus, after they (the Christians) inconsiderately
represent him to be God ? If he were a Divine Being,
how could the prophet call him a servant? The Chris-
tian disputant may say, that in a corporeal respect he was
called servant, and in a spiritual respect he was entitled
God." To this defence we object, by referring the
reader to chap, x., where we have given comprehensive
proofs of the non-divinity of Christ, by shewing that, by
the authors of the Gospel, he was not considered to be a
God, and much less so by himself. This matter shall

again be noticed in the second part of this work ; when
we shall refute the several passages of importance
relative to the subject in the Gospel. We may be
permitted to mention here that the prophetic word, " He
shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high," were
not fulfilled in Jesus, he having been condemned to death
in an inglorious manner, and thus the prophecy was not
realized in him — " He and live many days,"
shall see seed
for he had no offspring. His disciples cannot be called
though the word D'»Ji (sons) is applicable to
his ofi*spring,
them, and ni!lX (fathers) to the teachers. The word y^t
(seed) used in the Bible only for bodily heirs; nor do
is
we find that Jesus reached an old age, for he was put

to death when thirty-three years of age. We cannot
apply the words, " he shall live long" (English version,
" prolong his days") to a Divine Being, for the term of
longevity is inappropriate to the Deity who is the Prime
Cause of all existence, and whose self-existence is eternal

moreover, we wish to know to whom will the Christians
attribute the promise, " Therefore will I apportion unto
him spoil among the many, and with mighty men he shall
share the spoil." Who are the many and mighty men with
whom Jesus is to partake in the spoil? and to whom
refer the words, " And he intreated for the trans-
gressors"? Did Jesus, who, according to their futile
notions, was styled a God, pray for transgressors ? Many
more such queries suggest themselves on this theme,
but we will examine the true import of the chapter.
first
The words, " Behold my servant shall prosper," to the

end of the 53rd chapter, concern the people of Israel,
who are still bearing the yoke of this captivity, and are
termed my servant in the singular number, which ex-
pression is used in many other places; for example
(Isaiah xli.), "And thou, Israel, my servant^ Jacob
FAITH STRENGTHENED. Ill
whom have chosen, the seed of Abraham, ray friend."

I
Again, " And I say unto thee, Thou art my servant
In chap. xliv. 21, Isaiah says, " And now hear, Jacob
my servant^ and Israel whom I have chosen ;" and further
on, " Fear not, my servant Jacob ;" and " Kemember
these things, Jacob and Israel, for thou art my
servant" " I have formed thee to be my servant." Ibid,
xlv. 4, " For the sake of Jacob my servant and Israel
my chosen one." We find also in the Prophecies of
Jeremiah (xxx. 10), "Fear not, my servant Jacob, saith
the Lord, and be not dismayed, Israel." The same is
repeated, " Fear not, Jacob my servant^ saith the

Lord." Similar expressions occur in the Psalms. Psalm
cxxxvi. 22, " An inheritance to Jacob his servant^" etc.
AU these passages afford an evidence that the term ser-
vant in the singular is frequently addressed to the whole
people The same form of address in the
of Israel.
singular is used in the delivery of the ten command-
ments, though directed to an assembly of six hundred
thousand persons.
We may be asked. What connexion with Israel has
the following passage in Isaiah liii. 4, 5 :

" Surely he
has borne our sickness, and carried our pains, and we

considered him plagued, stricken by God, and afflicted.
And he was wounded by our transgressions, and bruised
by our The chastisement for the sake of
iniquities.
our weal came upon him, and by his wounds we were
healed." It may be alleged, that it has never been
known at any period that the people of Israel have
borne the sicknesses, the pains, and the wounds due to the
iniquity of other nations and whatever afflictions and
;
troubles Israel have endured, came upon them on account

of theirown sins, and not for those of other nations.
In our reply to this objection, we will show, first,
that the prophets frequently designate luuniliations and
by the name of sickness and wounds. Com-

adversities
pare Isaiahi. 5, 6, " The whole head is sick, and the
whole heart faint, from the sole of the foot even unto
the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and
bruises and putrifying sores." And again in xxx. 26,
" In the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his
people, and healeth the sore of their wound." In like
manner, Hosea vi. 1, "He has torn and He will heal
us. He hath smitten and He will bind up." Lamenta-
tions ii. 13, "For thy breach is great like the sea, who can
heal thee?" Jeremiah x. 19, " Woe is me for my hurt,
my wound is grievous, and I said, This is my sickness,
and I must bear it." Afterwards he explains the mean-
ing of this fracture, this sore, and this sickness, by
exclaiming (ibid.ver. 20), "My tabernacle is spoiled, and
allmy cords are broken ;my children are gone forth
from me, and they are not," etc. Ibid. xxx. 12, " For
thus saith the Lord, Thy fracture is mortifying, thy
wound is exceedingly sore." Soon afterwards the con-
solation is given in the Avords in verse 17, ^'
I shall
bring relief unto thee and heal thee from thy wounds."
The prophet then explains in what the healing and re-
lief are to consist, viz. (ver. 18), " Thus speaketh the
Lord, I shall bring back the captivity of thy tents,
Jacob, and I shall have compassion on its inhabitants,
and the city shall be built on its ruins, and the palace
shall stand in its proper place. There shall again pro-
ceed forth from them thanksgiving and the voice of
mirth, and I shall increase them, and they shall not be
diminished," etc. In chap, xxxiii. 6 to 8, he says, " I
bring up into it a remedy and healing, and I shall heal
them." Therefore, he explains in what the remedy and
healing will consist, in the words, " And I shall bring-
back the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Jeru-
salem, and T shall build them as formerly, and I shall
cleanse them from all their iniquities which they have

committed against me," etc.
From all these verses it appears, that Scripture desig-

nates the captivity as attended with calamities, and de-
scribes the troubles that took place during the exile under
the names of bruises and wounds — but redemption, en-
largement, and deliverance. Scripture depicts by the terms
of curing and healing. Now, with the prophecy, " My
servant shall be prosperous," we receive comfort, and
strengthening of our hearts — although we are lowered
deeply, and trodden down to the ground by reason of our
captivity, hope is offered us for the future and through ;
the mercy of the Lord, we shall be raised, and exalted,

and promoted to a high degree. When the days of re-
storation dawn upon us, the Gentile nations, together
with their rulers, in witnessing the deliverance of Israel,
and their elevation to a most exalted rank, will be
greatly amazed —
as they previously have been at our
degradation during our captivity, when contumely and
insult have been our lot from all nations of the earth
so they will express their wonder at our improved con-
dition, and they will say, one to the other, " Now it is
manifest to us, that we have all strayed like a flock with-

out a shepherd ; each of us has turned his own way our ;
fathers inherited fallacy and vanity, in which there is

no profit; no Divine law, nor any true faith, is belonging
to any nation of the world except the people of Israel.
The plagues and the torments which the Israelites have
borne in captivity have not come upon them on account
of their sins we, ourselves, ought to have borne the
:
trouble and the chastisements on account of the great-

ness of our iniquity. Surely, the sickness and the pain
which ought to have come upon us, came upon them, to
atone for our sins while they were servants under our
:
authority, while they have interceded for our welfare.

—
and the success of our kingdoms yet we considered it
differently —
namely, that on account of the greatness of
their sin, for inflicting death on our Messiah, who is our
God, these great calamities have befallen them." So far
will go the words of the Gentiles.
Here we may mention, that the Gentiles are not re-
manner as those
sponsible for their trespasses in the same
to whom God has been revealed. Only when
the will of
their iniquity is outrageous, when their ill-treatment of
righteous Israelites is aggravated, when the enormities
inflicted on the Israelites equalled the chastisements im-
posed upon those who perished by the Deluge, or of those
who shared the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah — it will be
then the Lord will visit their iniquities, and bring total
destruction upon them though permitting the suffering
:
and persecution of Israel, he will not allow actual ex-

tinction. This forbearance towards us is expressed in
Jeremiah xxx. 11, "For I am with thee, saith the
Lord, to save thee. For I shall make an end of all
the Gentiles among whom I have scattered thee; but of
thee I shall not make an end; I shall correct thee in
measure, but I will not hold thee guiltless.'' Amos, like-
wise, notices in his book, chap, iii. 2, " I have known
you from all the families of the earth ; on that account, I
shall visit upon you all your sins :"
and in the Proverbs we
find " Him whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth," etc.,
"and he shall cleave to the house of Jacob." The pu-

nishments of Israel are not only for their own good, but
also for that of other nations. Hence, Isaiah prophe-
sied concerning the restoration of Israel, chap. xiv. 1,
" And strangers shall be joined with them." It is well
known that Israel is the chosen nation concerning whom
recorded in Exodus (chap xix. 5), " And ye shall
it is
be unto me a peculiar people from among all the nations;

for mine is the earth." All this tends to prove, that
the Almighty revealed His law to Israel for the purpose
that they should learn to walk in the right way, and to

perform righteous deeds. With this distinguished gift
for themselves, He has coupled the noble mission that
they should become useful to other nations; " For His
mercy extends to all His creatures/' With a view to
Israel's instrumentality in His Divine government, we
find (in Exodus xix. 6), " And they shall be unto me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation. '^ And to the
same purport says Isaiah (chap Ixi. 6), "And ye sliall
be named the priests of the Lord ye shall be ;
called the
servants of our God." " Ye shall eat the riches of the
Gentiles, and in their glory ye shall triumph.'' In nu-

merous parts of the Scripture, the people of Israel are
called priests^ it being the duty of that class to inculcate
religious duties and precepts, and to " teach Jacob judg-
ments, and Israel the Law." Thus, it is our vocation
to instruct, in the law of the living God, the Gentiles,
among whom we are dispersed and as the Psalmist ;
says. Psalm xcvi. 3, to "relate His glory among the

Gentiles, His wonderful works among the nations.''
All future felicity of the Gentiles will proceed from
Israel, as has been assured to our patriarchs, (see
Genesis xii. 3,) "And in thee all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed;" and ibid, xxviii. 14, "And
through thee and thy seed all the families of the eartli
shall be blessed." Here we have an additional testimony
that the people of Israel are graciously distinguished,
the Almighty having appointed them as His portion and
inheritance, (see Psalm cxxxv. 4), " The Lord has
chosen Jacob for Himself, and Israel as His distinct,"
(people), or in other words of Scripture, Deut. xxxii.
9,
" For his people are the portion of the Lord, Jacob
is the lot of his inheritance." The hiw has, therefore,
been given to us, with the intention that we should

teach to other nations the ways of the Lord. Wlien the
I 2
guide pursues the right road those who follow will

safely reach the end of the journey, while the stragglers
will undoubtedly lose their way altogether. Therefore
must those who wish to arrive at their destination keep
close to their leaders; and thus, at a future day,
according to the prophecy of Zech. viii. 23, " Ten men
from the Gentiles of various tongues shall take hold of
the garment of the Jew, saying. We will go with you, for
we have heard that God is with you." The felicity of
Israel will be shared by those who associate with them
in the same manner as Jethro (and his descendants who
settled in Palestine) shared in the welfare of
our people
according to the promise of Moses, Nunbers x. 32, 'Ând
it come to pass, if thou will go with us, that all the
will
good which the Lord will do unto us we will do unto
thee." In Jeremiah xxxv. 19, there is a further evi-
dence that the promise given by Moses was fulfilled.
The prophet says, " There shall never be wanting to
Jonadab, the son of Rechab, a man to
stand before me."
Here the words, " to stand" mean to endure, to last, in
conformity with the j^hrase used in Isaiah Ixvi. 22, "As
the new Heavens and the new earth shall stand before
me, saith the Lord, so shall stand your seed and
your name."
Returning again to the examination of Isaiah liii.
we have to notice, that, at the time of the restoration^
the followers of the Jews will escape unhurt from all
the troubles incident to wandering strangers. The
Jews will resemble those warriors who, standing fore-
most, are exposed to the most imminent perils, and
nevertheless, when the enemies shall be conquered, those
who are in the rear shall equally share in the spoil,
although not exposed to the same amount of danger.
Hence Isaiah liii. 5, says, metaphorically, " He is pierced
for the sake of our transgressions, he is bruised for the
sake of our iniquity, the chastisement for our good

comes upon him, and through his sore we are liealed."
The prophet, proceeding (ibid ver. 12), in the same
figure of speech, alludes to the spoil allotted to the
front ranks of the divine army of the Israelites, and says,
" Therefore will I give him his portion among the
many, and with the mighty he shall divide spoil, because
he has exposed himself to death, and has been counted
among sinners, and has borne the iniquity of many, and
interceded for transgressors.''
From previous as well as subsequent verses, the
reader is enabled to judge that the inspired writings
treat solely on the calamities which Israel has to endure
during the captivity, and that compensation ^vill be
granted to them from the time of their redemption from
the captivity. See, for instance, Isaiah lii. 1, "Awake,
awake, put on thy strength, Zion, put on the garments
of thy glory, Jerusalem, thou holy city, for there shall
no more enter thee the uncircumcised and the unclean."

Now this passage is succeeded by the words, "For not
speedily shall ye go forth ;
ye shall not go in by flight,
for the Lord is going before you, and the God of Israel
is gathering you." Then follow these words, "Behold, my
servant shall prosper." Chapter commences, "Re-
liv. 1,
joice, thou barren woman who hast not borne;" and the
verses which follow equally indicate Israel's final redemp-
tion. All these Divine promises are strictly connected with
the gracious assurance laid down. Ibid li. 22, " Thus
saith thy Sovereign, the Lord my God, who pleadeth
the cause of His people; behold, I have taken out of
thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the
cup of my fury, thou shalt drink it no more.'' The
same harmony is evident between the expression, " No
uncircumcised and unclean shall enter there,'' and the
oath contained in chap. liv. 9, 10, "" For this is as the
waters of Noah unto me ; for as 1 have sworn that the
waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so

have sworn that I would not be wroth with thee. For
I
the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed,
but my kindness shall not depart from thee; neither
shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the
Lord, that hath mercy on thee." ^Having now dwelt
generally on the prophecy relative to the restoration of
Israel, we shall examine^ more closely, each particular
expression.
Isaiah lii. 13, "Behold my servant shall prosper, he shall
be raised and exalted, and be very great."
The word 7'*^^'' " he shall prosper," is found again
in the 1st Samuel xviii. 14, " And David was pros-
perous in all his ways." " My servant shall prosper,"
relates to that period when Israel shall leave the
countries of and be elevated to the highest
its captivity,
degree of happiness. " As many were astonished at

thee, so was his appearance deteriorated more than that
of any man, and his form more than that of the sons of
men." The word astonished expresses the surprise which
Avill be felt, and is used in the same sense in Ezekiel
xxviii. 19, ""

And all who knew thee among the nations
were astonished at thee." The astonishment is to be felt
by those who are to consider " thy (Israel's) deep humi-
liation, and the duration of thy captivity and they shall ;
say one to the other, " Truly, his appearance is deterior-

ated more than any man, and his form more than that
of the sons of men." And indeed it has become pro-
verbial among the Gentiles, to exclaim, at the wretched

appearance of their neighbour, " he looks as miserable
as a Jew."
" Thus, he shall startle many nations, the kings shall
shut their mouths against him, for what has not been
told them they have seen, and what they have not heard
they have understood.''
The proplict Isaiali meaub to say, that in the same
manner as the Gentiles formerly were amazed at the

depth of humiliation into which we had been thrown,
they shall, at a future period, he astounded at the height
of distinction at which we shall arrive and they shall ;
then say to each other, " who would have believed the
report brought to us ?" etc. The kings themselves shall
remain dumb and speechless. The verb I^Sp'' they
shall keep (their mouths) closed or shut, is similarly
used in Job v. 16, rT'fi n^3p nnVyi "and wickedness
closed its mouth." With the above prophecy of Isaiah
agrees, also, the prophet Micah, chap. vii. 10, " Gentiles
shall see and be ashamed, in
it, spite of all their strength;
and they lay their hands on their mouths when per-
ceiving that our distinctions shall surpass every descrip-
tion and prediction " Who would have believed the re-
:
port loe have heard ; and to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed 1 " This shall be said by the Gen-
tiles at the sight of Israel's prosperity. " We (shall
they exclaim), we have put no faith in the hearsay that
reached us through the prophets, and now we perceive
with our own eyes that more has been done than we had
i heard ; for how could we conceive that the omnipotence
of the Almighty would manifest itself especially on be-
!"
half of such an insignificant and disregarded people
" He grew up before him like a sucking babe, like a
root on parched land, without form, without beauty that

we might look at him, without comeliness that we might
find pleasure in him."
The purport of this is, that the Gentiles shall declare
the rise of Israel just as preternatural as if a branch
is
were to grow from parched ground. " While groaning

under the yoke of his captivity, how could Ave suppose
that he could endure the burdens imposed on him?
When we consider their wasted body, and saw then*,
groping their way like the blind, we did, indeed, not
envy and covet their lot but on the contrary, we vili-

;
fied and spurned them. Isaiah liii. 3, " He was despised

and the least of men a man of pains, and acquainted
;
with disease, and as one from whom man hideth his

countenance, he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
This means. How should we (Gentiles) have envied
his (the Jew's) who was the most despised and ab-
lot
ject of the children of men who was accustomed to
;
load himself with all the troubles and torments of his

exile, which may be compared to pains and diseases. On
account of his extraordinary inferiority and degradation
we despised him, hiding our faces from him, being un-
willing to notice him. " However, he hath borne our
diseases, and carried our pains, and we esteemed him
smitten of God and afflicted.''
This means —
The Gentiles after having perceived, by
ocular evidence, that he (the Jew) has the truth on his
side, they shall say " We have all wandered like sheep,
:
the miseries and persecutions of the captivity have not

befallen him on account of his own iniquity, but ought
to have come upon us on account of our iniquity and ;
while we believe that he underwent trials and chastise-

ments in retribution for his rebellion to God, he (the
Jew) suffered in consequence of the transgressions of
the Gentiles. "And he was tormented on account of our
transgressions; he was bruised on account of our iniqui-
ties; the chastisement of our peace was upon him,
and by his bruises, we were healed." The word '^^nD
(afflicted) is related to
^<»|-| in labour).
{pai7i as women
"
The phrase the chastisement of our peace was upon
him," indicates that this life presents a world of change
and no enjoyment is complete and perfect
vicissitude,
there no state of peace without struggle there is no
is ;
quietude without an intermixture of strife and conten-

tion, and there is no gladness and enjoyment without
sorrow and contrition. All pleasures and delights are

intermingled with Hence we (Gentiles) see clearly
evils.
that " the chastisement of our peace has come upon

him;" that is to say, we (Gentiles) have acquired a state
of peace, but the struggles by which it was obtained
fell to his (the Jew's) lot. Thus he (the Jew) received

wounds and bruises, as results of his captivity, while
we derived from his vicissitudes healing and restoration,
viz., prosperity and dominion. The word ^Sl^ (healed)
is used in an analogous sense, in Exodus xv. 26, "For
I the Lord am He who healeth thee^^^ which sentence
accords with the preceding words, "All the diseases which
I put upon the Egyptians, I shall not put upon thee."
The word ITTIlin!?^ means " by his bruises." The omis-
sion of the Dagesh, in the second radical letter, has led
some to interpret it " in his society." Those expositors
compare the word with that occurring in Hosea iv. 17,
viz., DnSX D''l^y D^T] " Ephraim is associated with
Idols," etc. In that case, it would seem that we (Gentiles)

praying to God in society, or in conjunction with them
(tlie Jews), the Almighty listened to our entreaties and
sent us relief from our afflictions. Isaiah liii. 6, " We aU

strayed like sheep, each of us turned to his own way
and the Lord visited on him the iniquity of us all."
This means —
The Gentiles will make confession of
their guilt, by acknowledging that the Lord is truly and
entirely with Israel, and that they (the Gentiles) strayed
like a shepherdless flock, every man following his own
way, and each people worshipping his peculiar god
" but now," will they say, " now we know that our idols
are not gods."
In corroboration of this we find, in Jeremiah xvi.
19, 20, "To thee nations will come from the corners of
the earth, and they Avill say. Surely our fathers inherited
falsehood, vanity in which there is no profit." Moreover
we read there, shall a man make gods unto himself, and

they are no gods? (shall the Gentiles continue in their
accusation) " We
have deserved a most rigorous punish-
ment, but the Lord visited and cast our punishment
upon Israel. He has hitherto laboured for our sake
and borne our yoke and our tribulations, henceforward
we will freely and cheerfully labour for him, and subject
ourselves to him."
Therefore Isaiah says, Ixi. 5, " And strangers shall
stand forth and feed your flocks," etc. With the same
•view that prophet says (chap. xlix. 23), "And kings shall
be thy nursing fathers, their queens thy nursing

mothers ; they shall bow down their faces to the ground
before thee, and they shall lick the dust off thy feet,
and thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that those
who hope in me shall not be put to shame."
Isaiah liii. 7, " He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a lamb to
;
the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb,

so he openeth not his mouth." For (will the Gentiles
say concerning the Israelites) while that people was
held captive under our power we extorted from them
contributions under various pretexts, and by means of
false accusations. We inflicted on them bodily torments,
yet they shewed patient endurance under them, and

remained and calm like the lamb when led to the
silent
slaughter, and like the weak defenceless sheep submitting
to the shearers.
This condition of Israel is prefigured in the complaint
in Psalm xliv. 11, "Thou givest us away like the
sheep that is to be consumed." A similar comparison is
made by Jeremiah (chap.l. 17), " Israel is like a scattered

flock, the lions have chased them away first, the king of
:
Assyria has devoured them and lastly, Nebuchadnezzar,

;
king of Babylon, has crushed them. Jsaiah liii. 8. "He

was taken away from prison and severe judgment, and

who shall speak of his generation ? for he was cut oiFfrom
the land of the living, and through the transgression of
my people he was stricken."
—
This means That by this time the Israelites will
have escaped the direful oppressions to which they had
been subjected during their exile and it will then be
;
manifest that no human language can supply an ade-

quate description of the incessant afflictions endured by
the Jews, and of their unswerving belief in the only
One God. Then will the Gentiles acknowledge that the
visitation which befell the Jews tended less to illustrate
the sinfulness of the victims, than the depravity of the
persecutors. The word " transgression" is followed by
the expression, " my people," for each nation will attri-
bute to itself the consequences of the malignity to
which had been exposed.
Israel
Isaiah liii. 9, " And he made his grave with the wicked
and wiî the rich his tomb, although he had done no
wrong, and no guile had been in his mouth."
—
This means That, in honour of his religion, the
Israelite used to expose himself freely to martyrdom, as
is confirmed by the above-cited allusion to it in
Psalm xliv. 22, " For on account of thee, we are slain
all the day, for we are considered like sheep for slaughter,
for Ave have constantly been attacked by false accusation,,
through which they sought to inflict on us the retri-
butions due to the guilty."

In all such cases the persecuted parties were not
and we Gentiles felt incensed because the
offenders,
would not conform to our ill-founded dogmas,
Israelites
and "would not hold deceit in their mouths." For even
to escape death the Israelites would not make a con-
fession with their lips to which tlicir hearts must give
an utter denial. Ibid, 10, "And it pleased the Lord to
humble him. He afflicted him with aihnent. Since his

soul has offered itself as a sacrifice, he shall see seed and
live long, and the delight of the Lord shall prosper in
his hand."
This means— Since Israel has so firmly adhered to the
divine law, and has subjected himself to death under
religious persecution, we [Gentiles] see no other object
for the inflictionand chastisements, except that the
Almighty visits him with punishments in order to hum-
ble and to try him with a view to compensate him for
his submission : therefore, in sharing his grave with the
Israelite he shall see seed, that is to say, become exceed-
ingly numerous. This ellij)tical mode of omitting the
word expressive of excess and largeness occurs also in
Numbers xiii., where we find ri"T/b *2^JK " Men of size,"
that is, men of large or gigantic size. Other prophets
also contribute their testimony to the future increase of
Israel. See, for instance, Zech. x. 8, " I will hiss for
them and gather them, for I have redeemed them, and
they shall increase as they have increased."
In the same chapter the prophet foretells :
" I will
bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, and it
shall not be large enough forthem" (English Version, "no

place found for them"). Ezekiel xxxvi. 37, has on the
same subject the following prophecy " I will increase :
them with men as a flock." The words " he shall live

long" have a parallel in Isaiah Ixv. 22, " For as the days
of the tree shall be the days of my people." Zechariah
says, in chap. viii. 4, " And every man (shall sit) with
his stafi" hand
in his for very age."
The Almighty in afflicting and humbling us during
our captivity purposes, therefore, to bring to pass our
ultimate benefit, and to strengthen our number in the
time of our restoration. This is confirmed in Deut.
XXX. 5, " And He will make thee better and more
numerous than thy fathers were." So far go the words

which convey the restoration of Israel. The last two verses
of the chapter contain the promise added by the Almighty
(Isaiah liii. He shall see of the travail of his soul,
11), "
and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant make many righteous, for he shall bear their
iniquities." The words, " by
his knowledge," are thus
Jeremiah xxxi. 34, " For they all shall
illustrated in
know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of
them." " He shall make many people righteous," means
that Israel shall impart its knowledge of righteousness
to the Gentiles. See on this point Micah iv. 2, " And
many nations shall come and say. Come and let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the
God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways, and we
will walk in His paths law shall go forth from
; for the
Zion, and^ the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
Hence, Israel, the servant of the Lord, shall, by his
righteousness, remove the wickedness of the Gentiles,
and through and happiness shall
his righteousness peace
reign among mankind at large. Isaiah liii. 11, " There-
fore will I divide him a portion among the great, and
with the mighty he shall divide the spoil; because he
poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered
with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and
prayed for the transgressor."
This means — I shall allot him a portion and a reward
among the greatest and worthiest men that lived on
earth, viz., among the patriarchs and holy prophets.
The allotment will consist in spiritual beatitude which
far surpasses all corporeal well-being. The translation
of D''^1 (great) is justified by the occurrence of y]) in
Genesis, " And the greater [in the English Version, the
elder] shall serve the younger." But worldly prosperity
is likewise promised in Isaiah's prophecy, as he says.
12C FAITH STRENGTHENED.
" And with the mighty he shall divide the spoil." " The
mighty" are the hosts of Gog and Magog, and the
nations who will come to carry on war with Jerusalem,
and who will be removed by sudden death. See Ezekiel
xxxviii. 22, " I will plead against him with pestilence
and with blood, and I will pour down floods of rain
upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many
people that a,re with him," etc. Israel shall then par-
take of the spoil and property in retribution of the
extortion and depredation formerly practised towards
Israel. See Zech. xiv. 14, " And the wealth of all
heathen shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and
raiment in great abundance."
Thus compensated for the bodily and
Israel shall be
mental suffering heaped upon them during their exile.
In that epoch, life shall be ransomed by life and pro-
perty by property. This is intended by the words,
" Because he poured forth his soul unto death." The verb
"nil^n
" he poured forth" (from the root niy) is synony-
mous with the expression in Genesis xxiv. 20, "And she
poured forth her pitcher," etc.
"And he was numbered with the transgressors" is

analogous to the sentence, "And he made his grave with
the wicked." That is to say, the gentiles treated Israel
as a wicked, ungodly race, and, therefore, these exube-
rant blessings shall now be bestowed unto Israel which
are reserved for the upright and God-fearing men, and
those who revere His name like the holy patriarchs and
the prophets of our people. " He bore the sin of many"
means, he was not only free from the Avickedness
imputed to him by the gentiles, but through his piety
he bore their sins and suffered for their iniquity. At
the same time he prayed for those nations who had
inflicted on him heavy sufferings, and l:)esought the
Almighty to grant prosperity and abundance to the
kingdoms of the gentiles. See Jeremiah xxix. 7, " And

seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to
be carried captive, and pray unto the Lord for it.," etc.
With the same tolerant spirit our Rabbins admonish us

thus :
" Pray for the prosperity of thy native country."
The prayers we offer up to the Almighty are an
evidence of our submission to this precept. We pray
for the long life and happiness of our gentile rulers, and
we address other prayers all tending to prove the interest
we take in the welfare of other nations; we pray for
the fertility of their land and for the plentiful supply of
food required for the nourishment of all.
CHAPTER XXIII.
%
Isaiah Ixiv. 5 (in the English version, ver. 6), "And we
are all as an unclean ma7i, and all our righteousnesses
are as a rotten garment and as a leaf, and our iniquities
take us away like a wind." A Christian once addressed
me in the folio win terms: "Ihat there is not one
2;
—
man on the earth who does good and sinneth not. Yea,
ye must know well that there is not one man capable
of observing all the commandments prescribed in the
laws of Moses and that your righteous acts have not
;
enabled you to attain the end you seek. How inefficient,

then, must the prayers and the actions of the wicked
prove?"
—
Reply We must certainly admit that no man can
obtain salvation through his own acts alone but man ;
must combine with his piety a total submission to the

mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord. Jeremiah
announces it clearly (chap. xxx. 21), "And I will
cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me,
for who is he whose heart is emboldened to approach
unto me ?"
The Psalmist same manner (Psahns Ixv.

says, in the
4), " Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest
to be near unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts."
Therefore, he prays (in Psalm Ixxix. 9), "Help us,
God of our salvation, for the sake of the glory of Thy
name, and deliver us and forgive us our sins, for the
sake of Thy name." In Psalms xxv. 2, the sacred poet
says, " For the sake of Thy name forgive us our iniquity,
for great."
it is Again in Psalms cxv. 1, " Not unto
us, Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory,
for the sake of Thy mercy, and for the sake of Thy
faithfulness." Again in Psalms cxliii. 11, "For the
sake of Thy name thou shalt quicken me for the sake ;
of Thy righteousness thou shalt bring my soul out of

trouble." In Psalms xliv. 26, he exclaims, " Arise and
deliver us for the sake of Thy loving-kindness, in the
greatness of Thy mercy blot out my transgression."
And in Psahns Ixxx. 3, he implores the Almighty,
" Return unto us, God, and cause Thy countenance to
shine (upon us) and we shall be saved." Thus says,
also, the prophet Jeremiah xiv. 7, " If our iniquities
testify against us, then grant, God, for the sake of Thy
name;" and further, "
For the sake of Thy name do not
rebuke us." In the Lamentations v. 21, he says " Cause
us, Lord, to return unto Thee and we shall be turned."
Daniel, in his prayer, ix. 18, 19, uses similar language,
" For not on account of our righteousness we pour out
our supplications before Thee ; but on account of Thine
abundant mercies, O Lord, hear them ; Lord, forgive
us ; Lord, hearken and grant them ; delay not, God,
for Thine own sake, for Thy name is called upon Thy
city and Thy people.'' Numerous other passages might
be quoted conveying the same idea.
all
Hence the Almighty has given us the assurance,

through His prophets, to deliver us from our captivity,
and to blot out our sins and iniquities, not for our sake
but for His own sake. Thus Isaiah says, xlviii. 11, " For
my sake, for my own
sake will I do it." In chap, xliii. 25,
the same prophet says, " I, even I, am he who blotteth
out thy transgressions for my own sake, and thy sins
I will not remember." This is expressed, also, by
Ezekiel, xxxvi. 22, " Not for your sake, house of
Israel, am I dealing thus, but for my holy name." We find
in the same book, chap. xx. 44, "And ye shall know, that
I am the Lord, by my dealing for the sake of my name,
and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt
actions, house of Israel, saith the Lord God." We
may cite here, also, the words of Jeremiah xxxi. 37,
" Thus saith the Lord, If the heavens above shall l)e
measured, or the foundations of the earth be searched,
I will also rebuke the seed of Israel for all they have
done." This divine declaration clearly confirms our
opinion that our salvation does not solely depend on our
imperfect individual merit and righteousness, but on the
mercy of the faithful God, who will never change
although we may be found undeserving before him.
The expression of the prophet, " We are all unclean,
and all our virtues are like a rotten garment," has refer-
ence to such religious works as are performed through
vain-glory and selfish motives, in order to create
envy among our neighbours, it is evident enough that
the best actions must displease the Almighty when
they originate from base motives " For the Searcher of
;
hearts," say our sages, " regards the intentions only.''

Hence the admonition in Deut. xv. 10, " Thou shalt
supply him liberally, nor shall thy heart be vexed while
thou givest." And in chap, xxviii. 47, we read,
"Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God in joy,
and with a cheerful heart." The above passage, " We are
all unclean, and all our righteousness is like a rotten
K
garment," relates, therefore, to the objectionable conduct

and impure intentions of those who selfishly labour in
the cause of the Almighty, and, as the leaves dropping
from the tree are carried away by the wind, so we, in
consequence of our sins, are dispersed throughout all the
quarters of the globe.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Jeremiah iii. 16, " And it shall come to pass, when ye
be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days,
saith the Lord, they shall say no more. The ark of the
covenant of the Lord, neither shall it come to mind,
neither shall they remember it, neither shall they visit
it, neither shall that be done any more." From this
the Christians argue that the law of Moses, which

was deposited by the side of the ark, would at a future
period be annulled.
Refutation. — In chap. xix. we have already proved by
unmistakable evidence, and especially by their own Gos-
pels, and even by allusions to their theological writers,
that the law of Moses is eternal, and that no new reve-
lation will ever supplant our old law. Having then
sufficiently proved the feebleness of the opinions adverse
to this view, we confine ourselves here to the above
quoted explanations: every reader of the Scriptures
knows the passage Kings viii. 9, " There was nothing
in 1
in the ark but the two tables of stone." These tables

having been called the tables of the covenant, the ark,
as the receptacle of those tables, was named " the ark of
the covenant." The Christians themselves admit that
the contents of the tables of the decalogue are immutable,
and that no man can hope for the salvation of his soul
who repudiates the Ten Commandments. We shall
have to return to this subject on reviewing some

passages in Matthew xix. So much is certain, that the
Christians are enjoined to follow the Ten Command-
ments, although they have arbitrarily altered the day
appointed for the celebration of the Sabbath, and, al-
though no sanction for so doing was given either by

consequently, the Christians have
Jesus or his disciples ;
no right to plead that the ark of the covenant of the

Lord, and the two tables with their contents, will ever
be forgotten; nor are they justified in the assertion,
that the law of Moses will be abrogated : and not be
remembered any longer by Israel, since the scriptural
passages cited by them do not afford any evidence in
support of their argument, particularly as Malachi, the
last of theprophets (chap. iv. 4), gives the divine ad-
monition, " Iêmember the law of Moses my servant,
which I commanded him on Horeb, enjoining it on all
Israel with the statutes and judgments." This prophet

clearly demonstrates that the divine law will certainly
not be abolished at any future time on the contrary,
;
that the dignity of Israeland the dignity of Jerusalem

will be augmented at a future day. Hence he alludes
to those days when Israel shall have increased and mul-
tiplied in the Holy Land, and when the Gentile nations
shall come to seek the Word of the Lord at Jerusalem.
To this effect says Isaiah (chap, ii. 2), " And all nations
shall flow unto Him." Those nations shall not profanely
ask after the divine covenant, and intrude into the rest-
ing-place of the Holy Ark, for they shall be too fulty
impressed with the sanctity of the liouse of God, where
the throne of judgment will be re-established. The tem-
ple will then not be the exclusive locality to which the
Gentiles shall flock, but all Jerusalem will be a residence
of divine knowledge, whither the Gentiles shall resort in
order to call upon the name of the Lord, and to serve
2 K
Him with one accord ; and the sacred and godly duties
of man will not be limited only to the precincts of the
temple. See Joel iii. 17, " And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall not pass through it."Here we learn
that the holiness of Jerusalem will prevent aliens from
entering it The un-
for the purpose of desecrating it.
worthy among the Gentiles, and the unclean among

Israel, will in like manner be kept away through awe of
the Holy City but the city of the Lord shall spread its
;
conversion and enlightening influence to the remotest

distance. The Gentiles, following the wholesome minis-
tration of the chosen race, will be deemed servants
of the Lord like the children of Israel. The prophet,
therefore, says, *'
And many nations will join the Lord
and shall be my people." In chap. Ivi. 6, 7, Isaiah pre-
dicts, " Also the sons of the strangers that join them-
selves to the Lord to serve Him, and to love the name

of the Lord, to be His servants: every one that keepeth
the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my
covenant, even them will I bring to my holy moun-
tain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer:
their burnt off*erings and their sacrifices shall be ac-
cepted upon mine altar for mine house shall be called
;
a house of prayer for all people."

This shows that, at the time of the Advent of the
Messiah, all nations will pay homage to the holiness of
the land of Israel, and the entire land of Palestine will
assume the sacredness of the city of Jerusalem and the ;
city of Jerusalem will again partake of the sanctity of

the Divine Temple.
CHAPTER XXV.
Jeremiah xiv. 8, " Hope of Israel, the Saviour in the

time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger in

the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to
tarry for the night? " I was once asked by a Christian
the meaning of the expression, " Hope of Israel, the
Saviour in the time of trouble." I replied, the pro-
phet here addressed the Almighty, as in chap. xvii. 13, "

Lord^ the Hope of Israel, all who forsake thee shall be
ashamed." The same Deity is the Saviour of Israel in
the time of trouble, and there is no other Saviour besides
Him. See also chap, xiii., " And there is no Saviour
besides me." My interrogator said thereupon, You ought
to bear in mind that the prophet, speaking about this
Saviour, says, " Why shouldst thou be as a stranger and
as a wayfaring man, that turneth aside to tarry for the
night f Does not this prove to you, by means of those
prophetic words, that the saving Divine Being would
dwell like a stranger on earth, as our Saviour Jesus
actually did ? why then do you withhold from him your
belief after the prophet gives his testimony about him?"
I replied to this, " You Christians are accustomed to
establish your objections to our faith, and the evidences
of your faith, on detached biblical passages, Avithout
regard to the leading idea, and with the preceding and
subsequent words of the text, nor do you make unbiassed
comparisons with the parallel sayings of other prophets;
for your object is not to expose absolute truth, but to
confirm, by means of subtleties and specious reasonings,
your preconceived notions."
The true object of Jeremiah will be found on the
perusal of the adjoining passages. Jeremiah having a
prescience of the famine which was about to take place
in the Holy Land (see the commencement of chap.
xiv.), when he saw that the severity of the dearth would
exceed all bounds, and the consternation of Jerusalem
would put up a cry to heaven when he noticed that
;
the calamity would be so universal that the very brutes

of the field would suffer under scourge, he made the
its
confession recorded in the words, " If our iniquities bear

witness against us, Lord, then deal with us according
to Thy name." By this he declared, that the trouble
had not come upon our people by way of chance, but as
a consequence of our misdeeds ; for the famine did not
prevail anywhere else except in the Land of Israel;
therefore, he implored of the Almighty to grant relief
for the sake of His Holy Name that is to say, God,
:
as proclaimed in His supreme unity by our nation, is on

that account called " the God of Israel," whilst we are
denominated " His people and the flock of His pasture.''
When He chastises us. He acts in accordance with
justice, since our derelictions are numerous, and since
we so frequently strayed in the pursuit of idolatry, the
perpetration of violence, and in listening to false pro-
phets. Jeremiah having thus made confession of our
sins, exclaims, by way of entreaty, " Thou Hope of
Israel, and its Saviour in the time of trouble !" The
prophet hereby implies, that, although they have de-
parted from Thy paths, they (the Israelites) still hope
that Thou wilt save them from the present distress, and
as Thou hast delivered them in every generation, so wilt
Thou also now have mercy on them, and not suffer
them to be consumed by famine. Then the prophet
continues, Why wilt Thou be like a stranger and like
''
a traveller who has turned aside to pass the night." By

this we have to understand, " That Thou, Lord, wilt
hide Thy face from us and have no compassion on us,
it will appear as if Thou wert not the Lord of the Earth,
but as if thou wert a stranger in a foreign country,

Avithout power therein to afford relief from trouble." In
a similar manner said Moses (Numbers xiv. 15, 16),
" And if Thou wilt kill all the people like one man, then
the nations who have heard Thy fame will say, Because
the Lord had not the power to bring this people," etc.
So prays also the Psalmist, " Arise, why Avilt Thou sleep
Lord, awake, why wilt Thou abandon us for ever;"
or, in other words. Permit it not to appear as if Thou
wert unmindful of our misery and of our affliction. In
fact, all the prophets address the Almighty in an
anthropomorphical manner, in order to convey their
ideas more intelligibly to their audience.
The reason that Jereniiah compares the Almighty
with a stranger is threefold. 1st. A sojourner in a
foreign land, one passing merely through a foreign city,
is unable to rescue the oppressed from the hand of the
oppressor, or the poor and the needy from the hand of
the depredator. For though such strangers or travel-
lers be of high rank, their authority is too inconsider-
able, when in a foreign land, to afford any assistance to
those around them. Thus the Sodomites said about
Lot " This one man
: came to live here as a stranger,
and now he will be even a judge." 2ndly. Though a
man be a native or an established settler, he may be
unable to give assistance in times of trouble, being
deprived of the requisite influence and presence of mind.
Bewildered about his own safety, he is utterly incapaci-
tated to extricate others from their unfortunate state.
3rdly. Even he can only grapple with those who are
inferior in valour and strength, but when met with a
superior force he must either desist or submit. Hence
the prophet says, " Why wilt thou be like a mighty man
who is unable to save."
In order, however, at the same time, to teach that
such aôndition is totally incompatible with the divine
nature of the Almighty, and to show that the Almight}'
is really the God of the heavens and of the and at
earth,
the same time d^vells among us, the prophet, by the

addition, " But Thou art among us," refutes the impu-
tation that the God of Israel is a stranger, and rather
proves that He is we sojourn, and that
established where
we are the strangers and not He; that we have, there-
fore, the best founded expectation that He will save us.
The same declaration, " Thou art in the midst of us,"
stands in just opposition to the question, " Why wilt
thou be like a bewildered man ?" The prophet suggests
that the Almighty, far from being perplexed by the
suddenness of terrific occurrences, rather manifests him-
self as an incomparable and omnipotent deliverer. In
like manner we see in the words, " And Thou art among
us," a repudiation of the idea that " Thou art like a
strong man who cannot deliver," when resisted by a
superior force ; for the prophet now acknowledges, " And
Thy name is called Thou hast long been
upon us, for
adored by us as the God of Israel. Thou hast brought
us out from the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and
an outstretched arm."
The very words of the Decalogue connect the divine
unity with the deliverance from Egypt, since it is said,
" I am the Lord thy God who hath brought thee out of
the land of Egypt." It is a notorious fact, that Scrip-
ture in various places points out the condescension of
God, who allied His name with Israel, by saving them
from various troubles. See, for instance, Leviticus xxii.,
" Who hath brought you out of Egypt, in order to be
unto you a God." When the subjects of King Hezekiah
were rescued from the hand of Sennacherib, king of
Assyria, the Almighty was also acknowledged as God of
Israel. See 2 Kings xix. 20, " Thus saith the Lord
God of Israel, Since thou hast prayed unto me Sbncern-
ing Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, I have heard thee."
The prayer here alluded to was received favourably,
because it expressed unconditional submission to the
all-powerful Being who alone rules the destinies of

His creatures. Further views of the faith of Israel in
the salvation by the Lord, may be obtained from Deut.
iii. where we read, " For who is a God in heaven
24,
or in the earth, who could perform anything like unto
Thy deeds and Thy mighty works?" Isaiah says, (chap,
xiv.) " Truly Thou art an invisible God, the God of Israel
and its Saviour." Jeremiah (chap, iii.) says " Vêrily
in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel our trust, ;
our reliance is therefore in Thee, and Thou wilt neither

abandon nor forsake us." Thus we understand the
quotation from Jeremiah, which is placed at the heading
of this chapter, and which is totally misapplied Avhen
referred to on account of his having been a stranger on
earth.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Jeremiah xvii. 4, "And I will cause thee to serve thine
enemies in the land which thou knowest not; for ye
have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for
ever."
Christian expositors have explained this verse by the
assertion that Jeremiah here predicted an everlasting
captivity, from which no redemption is to be hoped.
Refutation. —
The Hebrew words oSiy *iy occur in
Scripture in three significations. First, in application
to an existence unlimited by time. Thus, we have in
2 Samuel vii. 26, "
That Thy name may be magnified
for ever, by saying The Lord of Hosts is the God of
Israel." In Chron. xvii. 24, we also find, " In order
1
that Thy name may be magnified for ever, by saying,

The Lord of Hosts is the God of Israel." The second
meaning of n~»}^ ly for ever, relates to man's limited
existence on earth, (see 1st Samuel i. 22), " That he
may here for ever." And 2ncl Samuel xii. 10, David
sit
is thus forewarned, " The sword shall never (iy ^')0T\ iO

oSiy) depart from thy house." The word never merely
relates to David's lifetime. In the third place, the
Hebrew expression dSi^ "1^ stands distinct from the
forenamed two meanings, and relates to a period finite
in the prescience of the Almighty, but unlimited
according to the knowledge of men. See Isaiah xxxii.
14, " Because the palaces shall be forsaken, the multi-
tude of the city shall be left ; the forts and towers shall
be dens /or ever^ a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks."
The limitation of the words for ever is shewn in the verse
immediately following, " Until the spirit be poured
down upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a
fruitful field," etc. The destruction decreed to last /or
ever will, nevertheless, give way to restoration as soon as
the spirit, that is to say the favour of the Lord, shall
descend on us. The term it shall burn Jbr ever^ refers
to the third signification ; but it cannot mean the infini-
tude of eternity as some Christians would have us
believe, because all the prophets have predicted a com-
plete restoration to the whole house of
AVhat Israel.
can be more explicit than the following passages:
Isaiah, in chap. Ixvi. 20, says, "And they (the Gentiles)
your brethren a gift from all nations as
shall bring all
a gift unto the Lord, on horses and in chariots," etc.
Jeremiah xxx. 8, says, " Strangers shall no more enslave
them (the Israelites.") Ezekiel xxxix. 6, 29, says, "And
they shall know that I am the Lord their God, since I
have caused them to be exiled among the Gentiles and ;
I will gather them into their land, and I will not suff'er
any of them to remain behind, andno more hide I will
my countenance from them, as I have poured out my

spirit over all the house of Israel, saith the Lord God."
Such well defined promises admit of no contradiction,

or they have all proceeded from the same divine source.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Jeremiah xviii. 7, " In an instant I shall speak con-

cerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up
and to pull down and to destroy it."
From thisand the ensuing verses, Christians have
concluded that the Jews vainly expect the fulfilment of
those promises which refer to a prosperous futurity.
They tell us (Jews), your hopes must be disappointed.
Sinfully you have acted, yea sinfully in the sight of the
Lord, for all the promises ol the prophet, whether for
good or for evil, are given conditionally. The Almighty
ordains a propitious future for a people or for an indivi-
dual; and if the people or the individual, by evil acts,
become unworthy of such a benefit, it is withheld, and
the Almighty substitutes evil for the intended good and ;
when the people or the individual again repent and

improve, the imminent punishment is withdrawn, a
favour is bestowed instead, as has been exemplified by
the history of Jonah in Nineveh. The Christians inter-
pret, therefore, the above passage from Jeremiah thus
"At one instant I decree the destruction of a people or
of a kingdom, etc. When, however, the people or the
kingdom amend their conduct, I withhold the threatened
calamity. At another instant I resolve to deal out
benefits. When, however, the people offend me, and
act disobediently, I recall my decrees of grace." To this
the Christians add the following imputation :

— The
Almighty has, time after time, released Israel from the
tyranny of their enemies. Admonition after admonition
He sent to them through His prophets them
to induce
not to follow the instigations of a corrupt heart, and He
imposed on them the duty of obeying His commandments
and statutes. The Israelites, however, whenever they
felt the soothing help of the Lord, hardened their hearts

again, and neglected the biddings of the Almighty.
This has induced Him to abhor them and to reject them
altoo-ether. And He will never again favour them.
See 2 Kings xvii. 20, " And the Lord rejected all the
seed of Israel and afflicted them, and delivered them
into the hand of spoilers until He had cast them out of
His sight."
Thus says also Jeremiah (chap.xv. 1), " And the Lord
said unto me, If even Moses and Samuel were to stand
before me, my mind would not be towards this people;
cast them out of my sight and let them go forth."
Refutation. — It is a false accusation to allege, that
we Jews expect the fulfilment of the divine promises so
long as we persevere in evil doings^ and commit sins
like depraved men, and still expect a reward as if we

were true and zealous servants of God. Far be from
us any such presumption. But we do profess with an
unshaken confidence that we shall one day cling to the
Lord with an undivided heart, and that the Almighty
will receive us in mercy, subdue our misdeeds, and then
bring to pass all the glorious predictions given by the
prophets. We rely on the words pronounced in Deute-
ronomy iv. 30, " When thou shalt be in trouble, and
when all these things shall have befallen thee, in the
latter days thou shalt return to the Lord thy God and
hearken to His voice for the Lord thy God is a merciful
;
God, He will not suff'er thee to be Aveakened, nor will He

destroy thee, nor will He forget the covenant with thy
fathers which He swore unto them." We may also advert
to chap. XXX. 1 —
7, of the same book,
" And it shall
come to pass, when all these things shall have come upon
thee, the blessing and the curse which I have set before
thee, and when thou shalt have taken it to heart among
all the nations among which the Lord thy God shall have
banished ihce, that thou shalt return with all thine heart
and with all thy soul to the Lord thy God, and obey His
voice according to all that I command unto thee this
day, thou and thy sons. And the Lord thy God shall
bring back thy captivity, and gather thee from among
all the people whither the Lord thy God shall have
scattered thee. Even if thine outcasts be at the end
of the heavens; even from thence shall the Lord thy
God gather and even from thence shall He take
thee,
thee, and the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the
land which thy fathers inherited and thou shalt inherit
;
it, and He shall do good unto thee, and He shall make
thee more numerous than thy ancestors. And the Lord

thy God shall circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy
seed, to lovq^the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, for the sake of thy life. And the Lord
thy God shall bring all these imprecations upon thine
enemies, etc., when thou shalt return to the Lord thy
God." The prophets have also announced the constancy
of our future adherence to the Lord, and have made the
fulfiment of the good promised dependent on our full
repentance. See Isaiah xliv. 22, "I have blotted out
thine iniquities like a thick cloud, and thy sins like a
cloud; return unto me, for I have redeemed thee." Also
Jeremiah (iii. 14) says, " Return unto me, ye backslid-
ing children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you,
and I will take you one from a city, and two of a family,
and I will bring you into Zion." See also Ezekiel xxxiii.
11, " Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God,
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that
the wicked turn from his way and live turn ye, turn
:
ye from your evil ways, for why ^vill ye die, house

of Israel?" In like manner, says Hosea (xiv. 1, 2),
" Turn, Israel, unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast
stumbled through thine iniquity. Take with yourselves

words, and turn unto the Lord, and say unto Him Thou
:
who forgivest every iniquity, receive us graciously, and we

will render the calves of our lips" (i. e. thanksgivings).
Zechariah, in chap. i. 3, says, " And thou shalt say unto
them, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts :Return ye unto
me, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will return unto you,
saith the Lord of Hosts."
To the same effect, says Malachi iii. 7, " Since the
days of your fathers ye have departed from my statutes,
and ye have not observed them return unto me, and I
:
will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts." Similar

passages abound among the prophets, which tend to
prove that repentance is the fundamental condition on
which all our hopes hinge, for no human being escapes
the commission of sin. See Ecclesiastes vii. 20, " For
there is no righteous man in the earth who doeth good
and sinneth not." Therefore our All-gracious Ruler
has taught us the means of repentance, and the ways to
avoid the snares of depravity. David had committed
many transgressions, and subjected himself with sincere
submission to the divine chastisements : his sins were,
therefore, forgiven him, and his good works were ac-
cepted in favour of him and his posterity. See Isaiah

xxxvii. 35, " And I shall protect this city to save it for
my sake, and for the sake of my servant David.'' King

Manasseh affords another instance of pardon having been
obtained through sincere repentance, although he had
exceeded his predecessors in the indulgence of an iniqui-
tous conduct ;
yet the Lord was pleased with his contri-
tion, and reinstated him on his throne. Consequently
we thus interpret the passage, " At an instant I shall
speak," etc. The reparation of Israel's conduct is the
only condition of their escape from the infliction of con-
dign punishments therefore tlie prophet continues the
;
divine message in the following manner: " Now go to,

speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of

Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, behold I frame
evil against you, and devise a device against you return ;
ye now every one from his evil way, and correct your
ways and your doings." Nor are we disposed to imagine
that we should suffer less for our sins than our fore-
fathers did for theirs. On the contrarj^ we are
admonished to be equally vigilant as our ancestors in
the avoidance of sin and when our frail human nature
;
betrays us into sinful acts, it becomes our imperative

duty to resort to sincere repentance, for only then the
Lord receives us and casteth our sins into the abyss of
oblivion. See Ezekiel xviii. 21, "But if the wicked
will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and
keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and
right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his
transgressions that he has committed, they shall not be
mentioned unto him ; in his righteousness that he hath
done he shall live."
We may mention here, also, that the many divine
predictions and promises which are of a cheering character
have been given in the unconditional and irrevocable
form of an oath; for instance. Ibid xxxvi. 7 12, "Thus —
saith the Lord God, I have lifted up mine hand, (which
is the symbol of an oath) that the Heathens that are
around you shall surely bear their shame. But ye, 0,

mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches
and yield your fruit to my people of Israel, for they are
at hand to come. For behold I am for you, and I will turn
unto you, and you shall be tilled and sown. And I will
multiply men among you, 0, all ye house of Israel, even
all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the
wastes shall be builded, and I will multiply among you

men and cattle, and they shall increase and bring fruit,
and I Avill settle you after your old estates, and will do
better unto you than at your beginnings, and ye shall

know that I am the Lord yea, I will cause men to walk
;
among you, even my people Israel; and they shall

possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and
thou shalt no more bereave them of men."
Thus the Almighty communicates to us in Ezekiel's
prophecy, that he will prosperously re-establish the Holy
Land in its primitive condition, and even enlarge His
bounty upon it, so that it shall no longer consume Israel,
its inhabitants.
raise an objection and maintain
The disputant cannot
that the prophecy of restoration is merely given condi-
tionally, for there an oath is expressed, lifting of the

harid,which does not admit of any condition whatever.
See Deut. xxxii. 40, where we read, " For I lift up my
hand unto the heavens, and I say, As true as I live for
ever." Nor can
be asserted that this assurance
it
merely relates to Israel's exit from Babylon, for at that

period the Lord did not raise Israel to its pristine state,
and then the whole of Israel did not return to their land
the ten tribes of Israel were omitted, and no more than
42,360 men of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin actually
came back. Neither was Israel at that time spared from
affliction, as it will be at the future redemption, which
is clearly demonstrated by the contents of the above
prophecy, and other passages, (see Ezekiel xxxvi.
22 — 28). In fact, the whole concluding part of the
chapter speaks in an unconditional tone. And this is
quite natural ; for where the Almighty has given predic-

tions relating to the glory of His name, and not that of
our name, no conditional language could be applied. We
have, in other similar passages decided and uncon-
ditional assurances (see, for instance, Isaiah liv. 9, 10),
"For this is as the waters of Noah unto me ; for as I have
sworn that the waters should no more go over the
earth, so I sworn that I would not be wroth

have
with thee. For the mountains shall depart and the
hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be
removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."
Thus we find, ibid chap. Ixii. 8, 9, " The Lord hath
sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His
strength Surely, I will no more give thy corn to
:
be food for thine enemies, and the sons of the strangers

shall no more drink thy wine for which thou hast
laboured. But those that gather it shall eat it and
praise the Lord, and they that have brought it together
shall drink it in the courts of my holiness." See also
Jeremiah xxxi. 35, 36, 37, " Thus saith the Lord, who
giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of
the moon, and of the stars as a light by night, who
divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar : The Lord
of Hosts is His name. If those ordinances depart from
before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall
also cease from being a nation before me for ever.
Thus saith the Lord, If the heavens above can be mea-
sured, and the foundations of the earth searched out
beneath, I will also cast off the seed of Israel for all
that they have done, saith the Lord." When our oppo-
nent takes into consideration all these passages, how can
he maintain that the Almighty has cast off and disowned
Israel, and will no more vouchsafe to His people a re-
demption from this captivity? Surely the restoration

will at last take place; then His anger will no more
visit us, and His covenjint
then His loving-kindness
of peace will no more be drawn from us, then He
will no more cast us away, and no more deprive us of
establishment as a nation. Our past sins will then no
longer be remembered, but He will graciously pardon
all our former errors and transgressions. For Jeremiah
has, in the above prophecy, expressly announced in the

name of the Lord, " I will pardon their sins, and re-
member their no more."
iniquity Neither can the
argument be founded on the words occurring in 2 Kings
xvii. 20, " And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel,
and afflicted them, and He gave them into the hands of

spoilers, until He them out of His sight." This
cast
rejection and casting away is only a temporary punish-
ment limited to the period of the captivity, but is not
final and perpetual; consequently it is not a dissolu-
tion of the ancient covenant. See, on this, Leviticus
xxvi. 44, " And yet for all that, when they be in the
land of their enemies I will not cast them away, nor will
I abhor them to destroy them utterly, and to break my
covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God."
The periods for their removal are fixed by the Almighty,
and only known to Him, who, by means of frequent
chastisements, desires to remove from them all that is
unbecoming and objectionable. See Isaiah i. 25, " And I
will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge thy dross,
and remove all the base metal and I will restore thy
;
judges as at first, and thy counsellors as at the begin-

ning afterwards thou shalt be called the City of Right-
;
eousness, the faithful city." Similar to this prophecy

are the words of Ezekiel xxii. 15, " And I will scatter
thee among the heathen, and disperse them in the coun-
tries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee." All

this tends to prove the object of our exile as solely to
purify us, to rid us of inherent imperfections, and to
free us from the pollution of our sins. Hence the pro-
phet, with a view to our ultimate purification, says, in
Lamentations iv. 22, " Thy iniquity, daughter of
Zion, is ended; He shall no more cause thee to be a
captive." Now, we will show that no argument can be
established against us, from the words of Jeremiah
XV. i, " And the Lord said unto me, Though Moses and
Samuel stood before me, yet my mind would not be
toward this people cast ; them out of my sight, and
let
them go forth."
These words were addressed to Jeremiah after the
Lord had charged him thrice not to intercede on behalf
of Judah and Benjamin, that they might be led into
captivity like the other ten tribes. For the Lord had
said to Jeremiah, chap. vii. 15 16, "And I will cast
you out of my sight as I have cast out all your brethren,
even the whole seed of Ephraim : therefore, pray not
thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for
them, neither make intercession to me, for I will not
hear thee." Now the Lord explained to him the reason
why He would not listen to his intercessions, and he
says (in verse 17, 18), " Seest thou not what they do in
the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the
fire,and the women knead their dough, to make cakes
for the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings
unto other Gods that they may provoke me to anger."
In the same book, chap. xi. 11, He says, "Therefore,
thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them,
from which they shall not be able to escape and though ;
they shall cry unto me I will not hearken unto them."

Also here the reason is pointed out why the Almighty
would refuse to grant his prayer (ibid v. 13), we find,
" For according to the number of thy cities were thy
Gods, Judah," etc. And in the same chapter we
have a second warning of the Almighty that Jeremiah
should not intercede (Ibid. v. 14), " Therefore, pray not
for this people, nor oifer up a cry or supplication for

them, for I will not hearken in the time that they cry
unto me in their trouble." For how could the Almighty
be favourable to a petition for mercy while they con-
L 2
HS FAITH STRENGTHENED.
tinued in the sin which caused the infliction : nor could

impenitent sinners find grace with Hini. Hence the
words, Ibid., " And they shall cry unto me, hut I will
not hear them." The imminent evil relates to sword,
pestilence, and famine. See chap, xiv., " For through
the sword, pestilence, and famine, I destroy them."
When, therefore, Jeremiah perceived that the prayer
for the house of Judah was in vain, he prayed
(chap. xiv. 7), "0 Lord, though our iniquities testify
against us, do it for thy name's sake." The prophet
then concludes with the words, " We are called by Thy
name; therefore, forsake us not." Upon this follows the
reply of the Almighty :

" Thus saith the Lord unto this
people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not
refrained their feet, wherefore the Lord doth not accept
them; He will now remember their iniquity and visit
their sins." Hereby is meant — Since the Jews have
mistrusted me, and have preferred to seek their pro-
tection among the Egyptians and the Assyrians, in order
to escape the danger oi' adversaries, and since the Jews
have not refrained from following profitless objects, I
will remove them and render them the captives of their
enemies. But, before I shall lead them into exile, I will
remember their iniquity by fiuniue, and visit their sin
by the sword and by pestilence.

After having acquainted the prophet that his people
had no hope of deliverance from the evils decreed upon
them, the third injunction was given to Jeremiah not to
ofi*er up a supplication for the deliverance of the people
(see Ibid. chap. xiv. 11, 12), " Then said the Lord unto
me. Pray not for this people for their good ; when they
fast I will not hear their cry, and when they offer burnt
offering and an oblation, I will not accept them, but
I
will consume them by the sword, and by the famine^ and

by the pestilence." Here again, allusion is solely made
to their prayers coming from an impenitent heart, and

offered up during their perseverance in wickedness.
The present passage reminds us of the one in Isaiah
i. 16, " And when ye spread forth your hands, I
15,
will hide mine eyes from you yea, when ye make many
;
prayers I will not hear your hands are full of blood

;
make you clean put away the evil of your doings from
;
before mine eyes cease to do evil." The verses we have

;
quoted demonstrate that favourable reception of prayers

is only denied so long as those evil deeds continue which
bring the punishment to pass, but the supplications

meet with grace when the supplicant renounces his sinful
conduct. The pious prophet Jeremiah seeing, then, that
his influence was insufficient among the unfortunate
transgressors,^ppealed once more to the Almighty not to
reject them and not to abhor them, for the sake of His
holy name, since the Lord had been acknowledged on
earth as the God of Israel. He prayed also to the
Almighty not to suffer Jerusalem, known as the seat of
the glory of the Lord, to be reviled ; moreover, not to
break His covenant made mth the Israelites when he
brought them out of Egypt. Hence, he says in Jeremiah,
xiv. 21, " Do not abhor us for Thy name's sake, do not
disgrace the throne of Thy
remember us, and
glory;
break not Thy covenant with us." Thereupon the Lord
replies, that the prayer of Jeremiah would not avail to
rescue the Israelites from the calamities of the evil

ordained for them on account of their iniquities ; and
even if Moses and Samuel, who were superior prophets,
were to raise their voice in the behalf of the trans-
gressors, to avert the punishment of the sword, pestilence,
and famine, their prayer wil not avail. To this Divine
resolve these words refer
—
" Cast them out of my sight
(presence), and let them go forth And it shall come
to pass, if they say unto thee. Whither shall we go forth ?
150 F4ITH STRENGTHENED.
then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord: Such as
are for death, to death ; and such as are for the sword,
to the sword ; and such as are for the famine, to the
famine ; and such as are for the captivity, to the cap-
tivity." So that all instigators to sin will meet with the
fatal sentence assigned for them, while those who have
been betrayed into sin will have to go into captivity,"
and save nothing but their lives. For the Lord desireth
not to exterminate them altogether. See Jeremiah v.
18, " And even in those days I will not make an end of
you." Nor were the prayers of Moses of any avail when
the Israelites first sinned in worshipping the golden
calf, nor on their giving way to the insinuations of the
spies sent from the desert to search the Land of Promise
also when the instigators of sin were punished with
death, and the survivors who had yielded to the bad
example were visited with the merited punishment.
The intercession on behalf of the transgressors would
have proved fruitless unless the instigators had been first
removed by sword, pestilence, and famine. But as soon
as the necessary chastisement would be inflicted, and
the remaining sinners would have expiated their sins by
the miseries attending the exile. He will graciously
receive them and although

at the epoch of the restoration,
they should not then be purified entirely from their
sins. He will have compassion on them for the sake of
His name, as is said in 1 Samuel xii. 22, " For the Lord
"will not forsake His people on account of His great
name, since the Lord has vouchsafed to make you His

people." The same is said in Isaiah xlviii. 9, 10, 11,
" For my name's sake I will defer mine anger, and for my
praise wiU I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
Behold I refine thee, but not with silver. I have chosen
thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake,
even for mine own sake, will I do it, for why should my
name be polluted, and I will not give my ^lory unto

another." The re-establishment of the Holy City is an
inducement to exalt us as His own people. See Isaiah
Ixii. 1, " For Zion's sake, I will not delay, and for
Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness

shall go forth like a bright light, and her salvation like
a brilliant flame." Nor will the Almighty ever be
unmindful of the covenant made with our ancestors.
See Leviticus xxvi. 44, "And even in the land of their
enemies I will not reject them, nor rebuke them to con-
sume them, and to destroy my covenant with them, for I
am the Lord their God." This promise was subse-
quently repeated in the prophecy of Ezekiel xvi. 60,
" And I will remember my covenant made with thee in
the days of t^y youth, and I will establish unto thee an
everlasting covenant." Again, ibid. ver. 62, " And I
will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt
know that I am the Lord, in order that thou mayest
remember me, and feel shame; but thou shalt open thy
mouth no more on account of any degradation of thine,
while 1 shall forgive thee for thou hast done, saith the
all
Lord." This last quotation clearly shews, that, although

we have rebelled in the eyes of the Lord, he, neverthe-
less, will grant us forgiveness for Plis own sake, and for
the sake of His covenant.
The promised favour will not be mthheld from us,
and we shall have passed through all our ordeals we ;
shall, at the appointed time, be planted again on our soil

enjoying the perfect favour of the Almighty, and He
will fulfil the promise given in Jeremiah xxxii. 41,
"And I them to do good unto them,
shall rejoice over
and I ^vill in truth plant them in their land, with all my
heart and with all my soul." We have thus had an
opportunity to demonstrate that the threatened evils
will finally be counterbalanced and replaced by benefits.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Jeremiah xxxi. 15, "Thus saith the Lord, A voice is

heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachael is weeping for her children, refusing to be com-
forted on account of her children, because they are not
to be found."
The adduce this passage as a prophecy
Christians
and as if Jeremiah had here
relating to their creed,
predicted the slaying of the children in Bethlehem,
decreed by King Herod. For that king is said to have
learnt that in Bethlehem of Judah a child had been born
that was intended to be in future a king of the Jews,
and as he could not ascertain who the future pretender
was and where to be found, he ordered all the children
under the age of two years, in and about Bethlehem, to
be massacred. To this event the words quoted above
refer, as the reader will find by examining Matthew ii.
Refutation. —
We have, on a former occasion, shown
that the Christians support the doctrine of their religion
by sentences dissevered from their contexts and con-
nection, without regard to the concurrence of the entire
paragraph from which their quotations are taken. If,
according to their suppositions, Rachel, was weeping for

the ruthless slaughter committed amono; the children of
Bethlehem Judah, the question arises, why was not
Leah represented as the grieving mother, since it was
from her that those victims of the tyranny of Herod
were descended ? Another question arises what con- :
nection has the bereavement there spoken of with the con-

soling promises given by the Lord ? ( Jer. xxxi. 17), "And
they shall return from the land of their enemy, and the
children shall return to the boundary." The follow-
ing explanation of the passage will, however, produce
conviction : — The prophet speaks here allegorically.

The children alluded to here are the ten tribes in exile.
These ten tribes are comprised under the designation of
Ephraim (the tribe descended from Rachel) therefore ;
she is weeping for her children who are banished from

their country by the kings of Assyria. The ten tribes
were called Ephraim^ because their first king, after
their defection from the king of Judah, was Jeroboam,
the son of Nebat, from the tribe of Ephraim. This is
confirmed by the prediction in Jeremiah vii. 15, "And
I shall cast you away from my presence, as I have cast
away all your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim."
The last Hebrew word in the verse cited in the
beginning of this chapter (Jer. xxxi. 15), is "|Ji^{< which,
in reality, (Ipes not mean they are not (to be found)
but he (or zV, is not to be found), because the singular
relates here to the word DJ^ (people), which is implied;
for when the tribes of Judah and Benjamin returned
from the Babylonian captivity, the ten tribes did not
return with them, nor was the place of their settlement
fully known for this reason the whole number of the
;
missing children (or people) is expressed in the singular.

Alluding to the restoration of the whole people in the
days of the Messiah, the prophet Jeremiah continues, in
the name of God (ibid. xxxi. 16, 17), " Refrain thy
voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears, for thy
work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord. And they
shall come again from the land of their enemies. And
there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy chil-
dren shall come again to their own border." These verses,

which are all connected with one another, give the most
intelligible proof that the prophet did not allude to the
death of the children of his people, but to their disper-
sion. By this interpretation we can make sense of
the 18th verse of the same chapter, "1 have heard
Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast

lonely
chastised me, yea, I was chastised as a young bullock
untrained to the yoke." Again, ibid. ver. 20, "Is
Ephraim my dear son, is he my darling child " ? And
again, ibid. ver. 21, " Set thee up waymarks, make unto
thee high heaps, set thine heart towards the highway,
even the way towards which thou wentest; turn again,
O Virgin of Israel, turn again towards thy cities."
These words refer to the return of the captives of
Israel. The ultimate and complete return of the tribes
of Israel was also predicted by Ezekiel xxxvii. 19,
" Thus saith the Lord God, I will take the stick of
Joseph which is hand of Ephraim, and the tribes
in the
of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even
with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and
they shall be one in mine hand." This chapter points
out the gathering of the ten tribes, and their re-union
with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, as also their sub-
ordination under one king in the days of the Messiah.
We have already, in a former part of this work, noticed
that the restoration of the ten tribes was not intended
to liappen at the return from the captivity of Babylon,
and that altogether only 42,000 went back to the Holy
Land.
Certain Christians have asserted that the name of
Israel, mentioned in particular parts of Scripture which
relate to the restoration, is restricted to the ten tribes
but this is not true, for it is written, that Israel shall be
remembered by the tribe of Judah. See chap. xxx. 18,
" And bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents;"
I shall
and in the same book, chap, xxiii. 6, we find, " In his

days shall Judah be saved and Israel shall dwell in
safety." Amos ii., speaks first of the three transgres-
sions of Israel, and then of those of Judah, meaning
by those of Israel, the ten tribes. But when the name,
Israel, alone occurs, it includes also the two tribes of

Judah and Benjamin, it being the collective name of
the whole people.
CHAPTER XXIX.
Jeremiah xxxi. 31, "
Behold the days come, and I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with
the house of Judah." The Christians assert that the
prophet Jeremiah here foretold the giving of a new law
for the people of Israel — viz., the Gospel of Jesus of
Nazareth.
Refutation. — Scripture does not allude here to the
substitution of a new law for the old one, but merely
the making of a new covenant, a covenant independent
of the law. Thus we find in the history of Phineas
(Numbers xv. 12), " Behold I give him my covenant
of peace." The covenant thus made could not possibly
mean the emission of a new law intended for Phineas
alone. In Leviticus xxvi. 42, we meet with a like men-
tion of a covenant, "And I shall remember my covenant
with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and also my
covenant with Abraham will I remember," etc. From
this mode of expression, nobody would venture to infer
that the Almighty gave a special law to each of the
patriarchs. Covenants also are made between man and
man. Thus we find, in Genesis xxi. 32, "
They two
[Abraham and Abimelech] made a covenant with each
other." Returning now to the true sense of the verse
at the head of this chapter, we find that the Almighty
has reserved for Israel the bestowal of a new covenant
of protection when they shall be restored to their land,
a covenant which, unlike the former one, will never be
dissolved. On that account the prophecy continues (in
Jeremiah xxxi. 31 and following verses), that the

future covenant will not be according " to the cove-
nant I made with their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt, which covenant they broke," etc. After
this introduction, the prophet proceeds, " But this
shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel; I will put ray law in their inward
parts, and write it and will be their God,
in their hearts,
and they shall be my people."
These quotations suffice
to show, that the Almighty had not intended to issue a
new law, but to impress His ancient divine law on their
hearts, that never should be forgotten throughout all
it
time. The reader, on referring to chap, xix., will find

that we demonstrated there the perpetuity of the divine
law as it was given on Sinai ; consequently the promul-
gation of a new law supplanting the former cannot
possibly take place.
CHAPTER XXX.
HosEA ii. 11, " And I will cause all her mirth to cease^
her feast days, hernew moons, and her Sabbaths,
and all her solemn festivals." From this passage the
Christians argued, that, on the coming of Jesus Christ,
the dispensation of the laws for keeping Sabbaths, new
moons, and festivals, was revoked, and the Lord found
no more any pleasure in Israel's observance of those
days as was declared in Isaiah i. 14, " Your new moons
;
and your appointed seasons my soul hateth,"

Refutation. —
The prophet here merely announces that
during the severe adversities resulting from the exile, the
rejoicing formerly attendant on the festive seasons, will
cease,and affliction come in its stead. This may be
seen on referring to the accompanying verses, and is
confirmed by the subsequent events. After the desola-

tion of the temple,when the Israelites were prevented
from the due observance of their religion, the obligation
of the Sabbath and the enjoyments of the festivals
were forgotten. See Lamentations ii. 6, " The Lord
has caused the solemn days and the Sabbaths to be for-
gotten in Zion," which took place because " He hath
increased to the daughter of Judah, mourning and
lamentation." Had it been the intention of the
prophets Isaiah and Hosea to predict the cessation of
the Sabbaths and festivals, how could they and later
prophets so emphatically urge the strict observance of
these solemn days? See for instance, Isaiah Ivi: Nor
does it follow from the expression, " Your new moons
and your appointed festivals my soul hateth," that the
Almighty was weary of the sacred observances, and
desired to have them abrogated but it is obvious, that
;
the evil-doers of that period assembled at the sanctuary

for idolatrous purposes. Their celebration of the Sab-
baths and festivals could not be acceptable while they
worshipped idols, and not the true. Divine Being, as
appears from the context of the first chapter of Isaiah.
Were the Christian interpretation true, that the abo-
lition of the sacred days is expressed in the first chapter
of Isaiah why then, does the very same book conclude
with the following prophecy Avhich is to be fulfilled at
the coming of the Messiah? "And it shall come to
pass that from one Sabbath to another, and from one
new moon to another, all flesh shall come to bow down
before Me, saith the Lord." In like manner, Zecha-
riah prophesied in the last chapter of his book, ver. 16,
" And it shall come to pass, that every one Avho is left
of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem,

shall even go up from year to year to worship the King,
the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles."
This shows that the festivals are to continue even at the

time of the Messiah, when not only the Jews, but also
the Gentiles then in existence, will solemnly observe the
days of Holy Convocation. We
have, moreover, to refer
the reader to the nineteenth chapter of this work, where
we remarked that even Jesus and his disciples held the
Sabbath holy, and that, only several centuries after his
death, a pope ordered the first day of the week instead
of the seventh to be kept as the day of rest. Thus we
prove that this innovation runs counter to the very
doctrines inculcated by Jesus.
CHAPTER XXXI.
Amos ii. 6, "
Thus saith the Lord, For three trans^res-
sions of Israel, and for four I will not turn away the
punishment thereof because they sold the righteous
;
and the poor for the value of a pair of shoes.''

Some Christian writers have attributed this prophecy
to the fate of Jesus, who was sold for thirty pieces of
silver; and they have asserted that the fourth trans-
gression being the sale of their righteous
One will never
be pardoned to Israel, and the consequence of this sin
has been our present captivity.
Refutation — The
interpretation betrays a want of
due appreciation of the connectmg sentences, and the
parallel sayings by other prophets. The above verse
means, that a casual concurrence of the three crimes
idolatry, incest, and homicide —
was not the primary
cause of Israel's expulsion from the Holy Land, but the
chief cause was the universal depravity that prevailed
throughout the nation^ of which the mercenary leaders of
the people gave the iniquitous example. The prophet
Amos says, therefore (chap. v. 12), " They persecute
the just, they take a bribe, and oppress the poor in the
gate." The word p'*'^'^ (righteous) used there has no

reference to the man who leads a godly life, but only to
the man whose cause is unimpeachable before the tri-
bunal of justice, and in whose favour the sentence of the
judges ought to be given. The word pnv here is of
the same signification as in Exodus xxiii. 8, where it
is said, that the bribe given to the judge, " perverteth
the words of the righteous." The expression, " for they
oppress the need^ for a pair of shoes," means, that the
judge, for the most insignificant bribe, turns the scale of
justice, and deprives the poor hapless man of his right,
by pronouncing in favour of the guilty who ofi'ers the
bribe. The prophet also inveighs against rich sinners.
Amos viii. 4, " Hear this, ye who swallow up the
needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, saying,
When will t!le new moon be gone that we may sell the
corn, and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat,
making the ephah small and the shekel great, and falsify-
ing the balances of deceit : that we may buy the poor

for ourselves, and the needy for a pair of shoes, yea, and
sell the refuse of the wheat?" This passage is, in word-
ing and sense, closely related to that of chap, ii., and
both convey the idea of an iniquitous proceeding in
buying and selling. We notice, in the above quo-
tation, that the new moon was then more strictly
observed, and ordinary pursuits were suspended, and,

judging from the admonitions of the prophets, it
would appear that they indulged in convivial and
social entertainments. Compare with this 1 Sam. xx. 5,
beginning with " To-morrow is new moon," and the
second book of Kings ii. 4, " Why goest thou to-day to
him [to the prophet], since it is neither new moon, nor
Sabbath;" as the injustice described in the Book of
Amos merely to the mercenary conduct of the
relates
superiors in legal decisions, and to the grovelling dispo-
160 . FAITH STRENGTHENED
sition of buyers and sellers in their several dealings, it
must be deemed utterly futile to construe those words of

Amos as alluding to the history of their Saviour. Be-
sides, if the prophet had intended to make any allusion
to Jesus, he ought to have ascribed the transgression to
the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who alone resided in
the Holy Land in the days of Jesus, while the ten tribes
were scattered among their enemies, and could take no
part whatever in the proceedings agaiiist Jesus.
Nor can it be asserted that the expression, " And for
the fourth transgression will not turn aside the punish-
ment thereof," conveys the announcement, that Israel
will never be pardoned for the sale of Jesus, for we find
the very same mode of expression applied to the trans-
gressions of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, etc., who
had no concern whatever in the sale of Jesus. When
we read Scripture with proper attention we arrive at the
very opposite conviction to the opinion of the Chris-

tians respecting our eternal condemnation. See, for in-
stance, the following passages: Psalm cxxx. 8,

''
And
He will redeem Israel from all their sins." Jeremiah
xxxiii. 8, " And I will cleanse them from all their ini-
quities which they committed against me, and I will

pardon all their iniquities with which they sinned and
rebelled against me." In the same book (chap. 1. 20)
we read, " In those days and at that time, saith the
Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and not
be seen; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be
found ; for I shall forgive all whom I shall cause to re-
main."
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Amos v. 2. " The virgin of Israel is fallen she shall no :
more rise she is forsaken upon her land there are none
; ;
to raise her up." From this verse it has been argued,

that the downfall of Israel determined for ever, that
is
our captivity will never terminate, and that we have no

chance of redemption.
Refutation. — It appears from other words of the same
prophet that this prediction does not relate to the per-
petual condemnation of Israel; for he says, at the close
of his book (chap. ix. 14, 15), " And I will bring back
the captivity of my
people Israel, and they shall build
the waste and inhabit them, and they shall plant
cities,
vineyards and drink the wine thereof, and they shall

also make gardens and gather fruit of them. And I
will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more
be rooted out of their land which I have given them,
saith the Lord thy God." Since a contradiction in the
prophetic promises cannot be admitted, the above pas-
sages can only be explained in the following manner.
The prophet, after having related the evils which await
Israelon account of their iniquitous conduct, reproaches
them same book, five successive times,
in chap. iv. 6, of the
" And ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord."
He continues, in the same chapter 12, " Thus I will do

unto thee, Israel! and because
do this I will unto
thee, prepare to meet thy God, which implies,
Israel" !
penitence and good deeds; for then He will do good

unto thee and change thy sufferings into happiness, for
He is thy God who dispenses evil and good according to
your doings." In order to represent Him to the mind
as the universal Disposer of Events, the prophet goes on
to say (Ibid. iv. 13), "For lo! He that formeth the
mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth His
purposes unto man, that changes the morning into dark-
ness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the
Lord, the God of Hosts, is His name.'' As Creator of

the world He is cognizant of everything. He is the
M
Maintainer and Supporter of most dis-

all things, the
tant events He inspects clearly; and He, through His
, prophets, acquaints man with His designs. As He makes
light and darkness alternate for the benefit of His
creatures, He makes also the good and the evil to effect
His will among the children of men. Thus He is to be
worshipped under the name of God of Hosts as the
God of the whole Universe. Thus He does, as Supreme
Judge, dispose us to submit to His decrees; and
although we may occasionally suffer in consequence
of our errors and failings^ we still feel that His protec-
sion extends over us in strict accordance -with His
goodness. This idea
conveyed by the Avhole tenor of
is
the fourth chapter of the book of Amos, and forms an

appropriate introduction to chap. v. which begins thus,
" Hear ye the word which I take up against you, even
a lamentation, house of Israel ! The virgin of Israel
is fallen ; she shall no more rise," etc. He speaks here
of the virgin of Israel, and announces that the physical
energies of the people are exhausted by the tyranny of
strangers and by the loss of those sent into exile ; their
own kings and rulers had no longer power to effect the
repentance required, and therefore a Divine intervention
was necessary to accomplish their restoration. The
prophet therefore, Ibid. v. 3, brings the sad message,
" For thus saith the Lord, The city that went out by a
thousand shall leave a hundred, and that Avhich went
forth by a hundred shall leave ten to the house of
Israel." According to the prophet, the calamities con-
tingent on the fall of Israel would be fearful, for they
would be cast down by the sword, or decimated by
famine and pestilence, and only a small portion would
be spared for the captivity. Against such national
prostration the prophet points out the sole remedy, con-
sisting in sincere repentance. The terrifying announce-
FAITH STRENGTHENED, 163
ment of Israel's destruction is, therefore, entirely miti-

gated by the Divine counsel, Amos v. 4, " Thus saith
the Lord unto Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live."
It is well understood that the term to seek^ means to

become penitent. Isaiah, in Iv. 6, 7, uses a similar
expression, " Seek ye the Lord, while he is yet to be
found." He explains there his admonition by saying,
" The wicked man shall leave his way, and the iniquitous
man and return unto the Lord, and He
his thoughts,
will have compassion on him." This shows that the
prophet Amos has not predicted the irretrievable ruin
of Israel, but that it may hope to obtain, through
penitence, its restoration and revival, as a nation.
CHAPTER XXXIIL
MiCAii v. 2, " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though
thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of
thee shall come forth unto me a ruler in Israel, whose
goings forth have been from everlasting." This verse
has been designated by the Christians as confirming their
faith and they assert that the prophet meant to say that
;
their Messiah would be born at Bethlehem, and they

declare that it is impossible for Israel to expect that the
Messiah will be born there, seeing that the city of
Bethlehem has already been destroyed.
Refutation. —^For three reasons it is impossible to
vindicate this prophecy in favour of Jesus, setting aside
the numerous other unsubstantial arguments they allege
to prove that he was the true Messiah. First, The —
above passage has no special allusion to
scriptural
him. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem does not
entitle him to the claim of being the Messiah, for
hundreds and thousands of children were born at
Bethlehem, and that casualty did not constitute
M 2
them Messiahs. Secondly, —We read there, " From

thee shall come forth unto me a ruler." Now, as to
Jesus of Nazareth, he was by no means a ruler. On
the contrary, the people ruled over him, as is evinced
by the mode of his death. Thirdly, — It is not said that
Bethlehem would be the birth-place of the Messiah, for
we find that the prophet adds there, " And his going
forth shall be of olden times." But the sense of the
verse is Thou Bethlehem, although one
this: of the
minor localities among the cities of Judah, from thee a
man shall come forth {{. e., trace his descent back to
thee), who and that same man
shall be a ruler in Israel,
will be theKing Messiah who will be a descendant of
David who came from Bethlehem. See 1 Sam. xvii. 12,
where he is termed " The son of an Ephrathite from
Bethlehem Judah." The words "since olden times,"
relate to the great space of time elapsed between the
reign of David and the coming of the Messiah. We
must also call the attention of the reader to the chapter
preceding and the passages following the verse on which
we are treating, and it will then be perceived that
the whole prophecy is applied to the terrific convul-
sions predicted to happen at the epoch of the "latter
days." In connection with this prophecy must be read
the announcements of Ezekiel xxxviii. and xxxix., and
Zechariah xiv. We must not be deterred from the
:
adoption of this interpretation by the frequent recur-

rence in Amos iv. of the particle which, by its significa-
tion " And now," may be considered to indicate, that
the subject of the prophecy is close at hand, for we
frequently find the same ^r}V. (now) is used merely to
make an event present to the imagination, which eyent
may, nevertheless, be exceedingly remote from its actual
fulfilment.
See, for instance,. Isaiah xliii. 19, " Behold I am doing
a new thing, now it shall spring forth." This prophecy

treated of an event to be fulfilled long after the time in
which the prophet lived, ibid. xlix. 19 " For now thou :
[0 land] art straightened, and without inhabitants, but

those who swallow thee up are yet far away." See also
Ezekiel xxxix. 25, " Now I shall bring back the cap-
tivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon all the house of
Israel." And ibid, " Now
they shall remove
xliii. 9,
from me their lewdness and the carcasses of their kings."

Thus we have also an allusion to the days of the Messiah
in Micah v. 4, '^ For now he shall be magnified to the
ends of the earth." In the same sense must be viewed
the concluding words of chap. iv. (in the English ver-
sion ver. 1 of chap, v.), " Now gather thyself in troops,
daughter of troops, He hath laid siege against us.
With a rod they shall smite the cheek, even Him who is
the Judge of Israel." The last words are borne out by
Zechariah xiv. 2, " And half of the city shall go into
captivity." For then the judges and leaders of the
people will be exposed to the most mortifying humilia-
tion, in order to purify the remnant of Israel by the
trials of persecution. See ibid. xiii. 9, " And I shall
fire, and I shall purify
bring the third part into the
them as silver and try them as gold is tried
is purified,
etc." Having now shown that the verse cited at the
commencement of the chapter must be interpreted in
connection with the preceding passages, we will discuss
it in relation to the subsequent verses. We have in
Micah V. 3, " Therefore, he will give them up until the
time that she who travaileth has given birth." The
meaning of this verse is, that Israel, compared with a
woman in the pain of labour, shall suffer until the
period of the delivery (î. e., redemption), and ultimately
obtain the lookcd-for consolation. In like terms, says
Jeremiah, in chap. xxx. 7, " And it is a time of trouble
for Israel, and it shall be delivered therefrom/' ThitB

says also Daniel in chap. xii. 1, of his book, " And it
shall be a time such as never had been since it became

a nation, and at this time thy people shall be rescued."
The words in Micah v. 3, " And the remnant of his
brethren shall return with the children of Israel," mean
the remnant of the brethren of the Messiah — viz., the
children of Judah and Benjamin who are scattered
among the nations, shall return to their own land,
together with the ten tribes of Israel. The word Sy in
this verse has the same signification as
CDJ? meaning
together with. In the same sense it occurs in Exodus
XXXV. 22, " And the men came together with the woman."
This prophecy of Micah is identical with that given in
Hosea ii., " And the children of Judah and the children of
Israel shall assemble together, and they shall make unto
them a chief, and go up from the land." Returning again
to Micah v. 4, we further read, " And he shall stand and
feed in the strength of the Lord," etc. This must natu-
rally be attributed to the King Messiah, who will be
endowed with extraordinary powers. Then "they
shall abide," which means they shall then continue in
the land in undisturbed peace. With this we compare
chap. iv. 4, " And every man shall abide under his vine
tree, and under his fig tree, and none shall make him
afraid," for the awe of the Messiah shall prevail through-
out the whole earth. The following words in Micah v. 5,
"And this shall be the time of peace, when Ashur
{i. e., Assyria) shall come into our land," are equivalent
to the words in Zechariah ix. 13, " And he shall speak

of peace to the nations." Ashur represents the enemy
who brought terror into our coiuitiy: such enemies
shall, in the times of the Messiah, be utterly impotent.
" We shall set up near him seven shepherds and eight
principal men." The rendering of vSy " by or near
him," is justified by the occurrence of the same Hebrew

word in that verse in Numbers ii. 20, " And near him^
or together with him, in the tribe of Manasseh."
The words shepherds and principal men (or princes of
men) relate to tlie leaders who will be appointed by
the Kino- Messiah. The numbers " seven and eic:ht
must be taken as indefinite signs of number, meaning
only many., as we find in Ecclesiates, " Give a portion unto
seven and also unto eight." The word shepherds (z. ^.,
pastors) synonymous with principal men (or, literally,
is
princes of men), and means therefore overseers of the

people. Micah, chap. v. 5, 6, continues, "And they
shall laywaste the land of Ashur with the sword."
The word "lyn") (and they lay waste) occurs in the
same sense i^ Jeremiah xi. 16, "And they shall break
his branches"; and Ibid. ii. 16, " And they shall break
the crown of thy head." Micah then speaks of the
land of Nimrod, which was Babel, as is clear from
Genesis x. 10^ " And the beginning of his kingdom
was Babel." Thus the Messiah shall deliver us from
the Assyrians when they come into our land, and when
they break in upon our borders. The King Messiah will
rescue us from the ]30wer of arbitrary tyrants, so that
we no more be molested by invading enemies.
shall
Ashur and Babel are selected by Micah as examples of
Israel's enemies, because those two powers destroyed
the Holy Land. The prophet then gives the consolation,
Micah V. 7, "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the
midst of many nations as dew from the Lord, as the
showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor
waiteth for the Son of Man." This verse means that
those who escape the tyranny of the enemies shall be
placed under the special protection of the Almighty,
and no human power shall prevail against the riemnant
of Israel. As the descent of dew is beyond human in-
fluence, so Israel shall be beyond the reach of human
1G8 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
influence. The prophet then introduces a second com-

parison and says, " And the remnant of Jacob shall be
among the Gentiles in the midst of many people, as a
lion among the beasts of the forest." Israel is thereby
compared with the most powerful creature unto which
all other animals are inferior, and therefore he resumes,
Micah V. 9, " Thine hand shall be exalted above thine

adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off."
This prophecy is in connection with the following:
Micah V. 10, " And I will cut off thy horses out of the
midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots, and I
will cut off" the cities of thy land, and throw down all
thy strongholds." For at that period Israel will attain
a supremacy which will render war needless, and all
hostile preparation will be superseded by universal
peace. Hence Zechariah says, chap. ii. 4, "And Jeru-
salem shall be inhabited as a town without walls."
The whole tendency of the prophecies we have now
treated on, shows evidently that unfulfilled events are
spoken of relating to the time of our Messiah when we
shall be gathered together to the Holy Land, and when,
after the overthrow of the opposing powers, universal
peace shall reign on earth. No man can argue that
those promises were fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth, or
his disciples. For the founders of the Christian religion
passed their lives in unmitigated trouble, nor can it be
asserted that an allusion to the Eternal God is implied
by, " And his coming forth is from ancient time from
the days of old." We cannot possibly attribute to the
Infinite Being a "coming forth"; moreover, we shall
have occasion to show, from our refutation of the
Gospels, the total impropriety of giving Jesus the title
of God, and from what we have advanced hitherto, it is
quite evident that Jesus was just as far from being a

Messiah, as he was from being a Divinity.
FAITH STRENGTHENED 169
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Haggai ii. 9, " The glory of this latter house shall be

greater than that of the former, saith the Lord of Hosts,
and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of
Hosts." Christians have raised the question, In what
did the glory of the latter house consist, seeing that the
Jews, during the time of the first temple, were indepen-
dent, and during that of the second temple they were
vassals of the Persians, Syrians, and Romans, the last
of whom ultimately destroyed the temple and banished
the Jews. They therefore interpret it to signify that the
existence of Jesus, during the time of the second temple,
constituted its glory.
Refutation. — The word 1)2^ (glory) has two signifi-
cations. In the first place, it means worldly distinction
and opulence. In this meaning, we find it in Genesis
xxxi. 1 :
" And from what belongeth unto our father,
he has gotten all this lîDH (wealth)." The same is
meant in Proverbs iii. 16, "In his left hand are riches
and glory." In the second sense, 1)2^ means the real
or spiritual distinction. For instance, in 1 Samuel iv. 21,
we have " the glory hath departed from Israel." See
also Psalm Ixxxv. 9, " That glory may dwell in our
land"; and Zechariah ii. 5, "And for glory I shall be
in the midst of her." Some commentators have assis^ned
this second sense to the passage under consideration,
and they say that the superior glory of the second
temple consisted in the entire absence of idolatry; some
have said that the word 1)^^ relates to the first or fic-
titious kind of glory, because Herod is said to have
decorated the temple in the most gorgeous style. But
such an interpretation is set aside by the non-fulfilment
of Haggai's prophecy (chap. ii. 9), " And in that place
will I give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts.'' For during

the existence of the second temple no peace reigned in
the land but according to Daniel, " the street and the
;
entrenchment were to be built amidst the troubles of the

times." Much less can it be said that the glory of the
temple was reserved for the days of Herod, for from his
house contention never departed, and after his death suf-
ferings never ceased with the Jews, until their final over-
throw. Nor can we admit that the glory of the second temple
consisted in its longer duration —a point discussed in the
Talmud (Baba Bathra), for Scripture makes no mention
of the glory being attributable to the length of the time
during which the temple was constructed or lasted.
And even if the duration of the second temple had ex-
ceeded by double the time that of the first temple, the
word glory could not have been assigned to this distinc-
tion. Besides this, we must also notice that the peace
promised to reign in the latter times, did by no means
prevail during the existence of the second temple. The
real object of the prophecy under consideration is to
show, that the human labour displayed in rearing the
second temple was esteemed but insignificant by the
Almighty, for the prophet announces a complete change
of heaven and earth. See ibid. ii. 6, " For thus saith
the Lord of Hosts, There is one thing yet which is a
little matter with me, that I shake the heavens and the
earth, and the sea and the dry land." Then also will
the prophecy be fulfilled, " and the valuable things of
all nations shall come" (as contributions to the glory of
the house of God). Hitherto such an event has not

yet come to pass; but it will take place when all the
nations of the earth, who are adverse to the Jews (and

who are termed in Scripture, Gog and Magog), shall be
subjugated and pacified. See Ezekiel xxxviii. 19, 20,
" In my jealousy, and in the fire of my wrath have I
Spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking

in the land of Israel : so that the and iishes of the sea
the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and
all the creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all
the men that are on the face of the earth, shall shake at
my presence," etc. The restoration of the latter temple
has, on that account, been brought into connection with
the battle of Gog and Magog {i, e., the ultimate cessa-
tion of all warfare). At that time the temple will be
erected in surpassing splendour, and testifying all is the
Lord's according to the expression by Haggai, that " the
gold and the silver belong unto Him." At that time the
true glory of tht house of God will be made manifest,
and will excel that of the preceding temple. The She-
chinah (the Divine presence) will re-appear there, and
there everlasting peace will take up its abode. To this
alludes Haggai, by saying at the end of his book, chap, ii.,
v. 21, 22, " Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, say-

ing, I will shake the heaven and the earth ; and I will
overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the
strength of the kingdoms of the heathen, and 1 will
overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them : and

the horses and their riders shall come down, every one
by the sword of the brother." A similar vision seen by
the prophet Zechariah, is also unconnected Avith the
second temple, but relates to events to come in the
latter days ; for after fearful collisions of the last hostile
kingdoms, the Messiah, descendant of Zerubbabel, will
come, and He will be the perfection of all rulers. Hence
Haggai says, in the concluding words of his book,
chap. ii. 23, ''
And I will make thee — Zerubbabel — as a
signet, for I have chosen thee, says the Lord of Hosts."
The fulfilment was not to take place in the immediate
times of Zerubbabel, for He remained durhig all His
life in the same position as Governor of Israel, without
172 FAITH STRENGTHENED,
being ever raised to that exalted rank of which Haggai

speaks.
But we find in Scripture similar promises, which were
to be accomplished among a later posterity. Thus^
for instance, the Almighty said to Abraham, when He
made a covenant with him to give him the Iând of
Canaan as an inheritance (Genesis xv. 7), "I am the
Lord who hath brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeans
to give thee this land for an inheritance."
This prediction undoubtedly related merely to the
posterity ofAbraham, as is set forth in the very same
chapter (v. 18), " In that day the Lord made a cove-
nant with Abraham, saying, Unto thy seed have I given
this land," etc. We must, therefore, of necessity ex-
plain the prophecy of Haggai as referring to the third
temple^ of which Ezekiel, in chap. and in subsequent
xl.
passages, et passim., has given such an elaborate and

distinct description. He has given us the express
announcement that the Divine presence would reveal
itself there in its fullest glory. See Ezekiel xliii. 4 — 7,
" And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the
way of the gate which faces the east. So the spirit took
me up and brought me into the inner court, and behold
the glory of the Lord filled the house. And I heard one
who was speaking unto me, and a man stood by me. And
he said unto me. Son of Man, The place of my throne and
the place of the soles of my feet where I will dwell in
the midst of the children of Israel for ever, the house of
Israel shall no more defile my
Holy name," etc. This
prevalence of universal peace will form the superior
glory of the latter temple. The inferiority of the second
temple may also be argued from the absence of the
Holy ark, of the mercy seat, of the Urim and Thummim,
etc. but in the third temj)le, which is to be raised at a
;
future day, all the tokens of Divine glory will be

restored and serve as a pledge for the endurance of

perpetual peace. Hence the prophet Haggai says, "And
in this place will I grant peace, saith the Lord of Hosts."
Utterly untenable is also the assertion of the Christians,
that the glory of the second temple consisted in the
event of the birth of Jesus. For, when he was born,
the temple was fast approaching its dissolution and
lacked that peace expressly promised. Besides this,
Jesus himself admitted, that his object was not to afford

peace; for he says in Matthew x. 34, " Think not that
I am come to send peace on earth, I came not to send
peace, but a sword." This forms a positive evidence
that the promise (3f universal peace remains still to be
accomplished.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Zech. ix. 9, " Rejoice very much, O daughter of Zion.

Shout, daughter of Jerusalem. Behold thy king
Cometh unto thee; He is just and has been saved; He
is poor and riding on an ass." On the authority of
St. Matthew xxi. 5, the Christians maintain that the
prophet, on pronouncing this prediction, had in view the
entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem on the back of an ass.
Refutation. —The whole prophecy from which the
above portion is taken, bears internal evidence to the
fallacy of this interpretation; for the prophet speaks
solely of the ingathering of Israel and of the advent of
the Messiah in the latter days. To arrive at this truth,
the verse must be read in its relation with the antecedent
and subsequent verses. Refer to the commencement of
Zech. ix. 1, where we read, " The burden of the word
of the Lord upon the land of Hadrach and Damascus,
his resting place." The letter ^ occurring in this verse
in the word JÎN^ means upon^ concerning, or relating

to. It occurs in the same sense in Isaiah xxi. 13, " The
burden upon Arabia," and the same meaning has the 2 in
many other passages of Scripture.
The lands of Hadrach and Damascus shall, in the time
of the Messiah, be united with the land of Israel, and be
termed the resting-place of the Divine glory, just as the
ancient and more limited country of Israel was desig-
nated the resting-place of the Divine Glory.
In this mode, the Psalmist says in Psalm xcv. 11,
" Unto whom I sware in my wrath, they should not
enter into my rest ;" or, as we find this expression more
largely expanded in Deuteronomy xi. 12, it is the land
" which the Lord thy God inquireth after; the eyes of
the Lord thy God are continually upon it." Now, in
the times of the Messiah, the eyes of the Lord will rest
favourably on the lands of Hadrach and Damascus,
because all worship displeasing to the Divine Being will
give way to the acknowledgement of pure truth. In the
same way, many will also, in the other countries adjacent
to our ancient fatherland, be incorporated in the pos-

session of the House of Jacob, and according to the
expression of Zechariah ix. 1, " The eye of man shall
be directed unto the Lord, as the eyes of all the tribes
of Israel shall be towards the Lord for all nations will
;
say unto the men of Judea, " We wiU go with you, for
we have heard that God is among you." The words of
Jeremiah xxiii. 17 fully bear upon this subject, "Now
they say unto my scorners, the Lord hath said. Ye shall
havepeace^ " etc.

Zech. ix. 2, " Also Hamath borders thereon, and also
Tyre and Zidon, yet they were wise." Those towns,
though considered as foreign countries (See Amos vi. 2),
will, in future, form only one empire with that of Israel.
As to the wisdom of Tyre and Zidon, it is often alluded

to by the prophets, as may be seen in Ezekiel xxviii.

Such wisdom, available in worldly matters, will not
prove of advantage against the supremacy of Israel.
For, although " Tyre did build herself a strong-hold and
heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire
of the streets, the Lord will cause her to grow poor."
Zech. ix. 3. In rendering the words H^^^V, " He will
cause her to grow poor," we are guidedby the terms

occurring in I Samuel ii. 7, " The Lord maketh poor
and maketh rich." Zechariah ix. 4, further says, "And
He will smite her poAver in the sea, and she shall be
devoured with fire." This shows that temporal means
will be utterly disregarded, and that confidence in
perishable substance will be lost "vvith the disappearance
of the substance itself. Grand structures shall become
insignificant, the towers of refuge and the walls of
protection shall be demolished, and devouring fire shall
demonstrate that man can never raise a bulwark against

the will of the Lord, and that he can only fortify himself
with the firmness of faith.
Again, we read in Zechariah ix. 5, " Ashkelon shall

see it and fear, Gaza be much afraid; and
and also
Ekron too, for He hath put to shame her trust." Terror
shall emanate from the consciousness of their former
unworthiness, and terror shall be followed by humilia-
tion and desolation, as the natural consequences of
depraved conduct. Therefore Zechariah says in the
same chapter, ver. 6, " The outcasts shall dwell in Ash-
dod, and I will cut ofi^ the glory of the Philistines, and I
will take away the guilt of blood out of his mouth, and
his abominations from between his teeth." All this
part, which is introductory to the verse at the heading
of this chapter, shows that a total conversion from un-
godly feelings and practices will take place in tlie
countries adjacent to Palestine, and that they will be
spared only to become faithful followers of our God, and

like the Jebusite of former days, to be subjected to
Israel. The various nationalities will then be joined
into one faithful body; all will serve with equal ardour
the God of Israel, saying in the words of Zechariah
viii. 23, " We will go with you, for we have heard that
God is with you." The multitude of worshippers will
abundantly increase so that the land of Israel will not be
able to contain them, and therefore the boundary will,
according to Divine promise, be enlarged, and Palestine
extend in proportion as the faith of the followers of
Judaism shall spread; for to speak with Isaiah liv. 1,
" The children of the desolate wife are greater than the
children of the married wife," that is to say, the children
returning from captivity will far exceed those who once
left their native land. Hence Isaiah says, ibid. ver. 2,
" Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch
forth the curtains of thine habitations : spare not, lengthen
thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt
spread to the right and the left," etc. Jeremiah, too,
affords a picture of the future enlargement of Jerusalem.
See chap. xxxi. 38, " Behold days shall come, saith the
Lord, and the city shall be built unto the Lord from
the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner," etc.,
and he concludes this prediction with the assurance, " it
shall not be destroyed, nor shall it ever be broken down."
As at that time the temple of the Lord will consequently
be larger than it had been in former days, as is testified
by Ezekiel xl. and in subsequent parts. The peace which
will at that time rule in Palestine will be fairly esta-
blished, so that no man shall have to apprehend any
danger from abroad. Zechariah therefore predicts,
chap, ix. 8, "I will set up an army for my house, of
those who proceed towards it, of those Avho return from
it ; and no oppressor shall move against them any more,
FAITH STRENGTBENED. 177
for now I have seen it with mine eyes." With this
prophecy we may compare Zechariah ii. 5, " For T,
saith the Lord, will be unto her a protecting wall of fire

round about." The expression, " For now I have seen it
with mine eyes," relates to the time of the fulfihnent,
when the Jews will find relief from all tribulation and ;
then the Lord, who had turned his countenance from us,
will again look upon us in mercy. In the same sense,
we find in Exodus ii. 2-3, And God saw the children
"
of Israel," by which is meant, " He looked upon them

graciously." This forms a suitable introduction to the
words, ''
Rejoice v^ry much, daughter of Zion shout, ;
daughter of Jerusalem." The occasion of such joy

is by the occurrence of blissful events pro-
afforded
mised to happen in the days of the Messiah. Zion or
Jerusalem is here addressed, individually, as the most
important part of the Holy Land. Then He says,
" Behold, thy King cometh unto thee He is right- ;
eous, and is saved"; for the King Messiah will be a

righteous Man ; and, through his righteousness He will
be saved from the destructive attacks of his assailants.

The Christians have perverted the sense of ^HJ he
is saved, and have rendered it as if it were V.^^D a
Saviour. The authors of the English version have,
with consistent faithfulness, taken an opportunity for
perverting the sense by translating it ambiguously, and
with more ingenuity than honesty, "and liaviiig salva-
tion," instead of "having been saved." Such subter-
fuges do not strengthen, however, tlie cause of religion.
We must notice, at the same time, that the word J?^^^
would not aid their interpretation, for we find this word
also in the passive sense, for instance, '^31 D^^.^î^ r?)^).
and The saved ones shall go up to judge the mount of

"
Esau." The word '^y^, occurring in the verse at the

beginning of this chapter, means meek and modest. A
N
similar description of the character of the Messiah is
given in Isaiah xhi. 2, " He shall not cry aloud and not
raise himself up^ and not make his voice to be heard
abroad ; a feeble reed He shall not break," etc. The ap-
pearance of the Messiah on the back of an ass is to
indicate his disdain of all vain display, and also that, at
the time of his advent, the use of horses for battle will
no longer be required. This is amplified in the an-
nouncement, " And I will cut off the chariots from
Ephraim and the horses from Jerusalem, and the bow of
warfare shall be cut off.'' Thus is also the message
given by Hosea ii. 1 8, " And the bow and the sword 1
will break from the land and 1 shall cause them to lie
;
down in security."
Still more forcibly this is predicted in Isaiah ii. 4,
" And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall no
more lift up the sword against nation, and they shall no
more learn the art of war." For this reason, Zechariah
says, " And He shall speak peace unto the nations."
This shows again, that the Messiah will conciliate hostile
nations, according to Daniel vii. 27, " All rulers serve
Him and obey Him." Thus Zechariah ix. 10, says,
" And His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from
the rivers to the ends of the earth." Then the Prophet

continues (chap. ix. 11), "Thou also who art in the
blood of thy covenant, I have sent thy prisoners from
the waterless pit."
In these words he addresses Israel, who will be saved
through the blood of Abraham's covenant, to which we
have adhered in spite of all temptation during the cap-
tivity, which is denominated a pit without water. We
come now to verse 12, of the same chapter, " Turn ye
to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope, even to-day do
I declare, that I will render double unto thee." This
may be interpreted in the following manner :

— Israel,
ye prisoners, ever hopeful of your ultimate salvation, ye
shall return to God, who is the stronghold and the tower
of strength to those who trust in Him, for to-day I tell
you again, you shall receive a double portion of all joys
lost during the toils of your captivity ; and thus I repeat
the promise conveyed to you through the prophet Isaiah
(chap. Ix. 17), " Instead of the silver I shall bring gold,"
etc.; and again (chap, Ixi. 7), "For your shame, ye
shall have double, and in return for confusion, they shall
rejoice in their portion; therefore, in their land they
shall possess the double," etc.
The object of the word, " double," is merely to express
that God will abundantly bestow his gracious favours
hence the word T^y^f2 is not confined to the literal sense
of twice or twofold. Thus we have in Jeremiah xvii. 18,
"And I will destroy them with double destruction."
Thus the word " double" signifies merely a frequent
recurrence of the same thing. In chap. ix. 13, Zechariah
continues, " For I have bent thy way, Judah, towards
me. I have filled the bow, C) Ephraim, and raised thy
sons, Zion, against thy sons, Javan (i.e. Greece},
and made thee as the sword of a mighty man."
Here he alludes to the days of the Messiah when all
Judah and Ephraim, that is to say, all Israel, will return
to their land. For we have already shewn, in a former
part, that, at the return from Babylon, only a small
portion of the Jews again settled in their own country.
Now, in the time of the Messiah, all will take their
abode in the land of their inheritance, and they will be
no more divided into two kingdoms. This may be
fully seen on referring to Ezekiel xxxvii. The prophet
there tells us, that the children of Zion will prevail over
the children of Javan.
Sometimes we find in Scripture Gog and Magog as
n2
expressive of the opponents of the Jews, for both Javan

and Magog appear in the genealogical enumeration of
nations in Genesis x. 1, 2, as brethren and as sons of
Jnpheth.
Having now shown that this chapter aiFords no
foundation for the claims of Jesus to be the Messiah,
since in his days those significant predictions remained
altogether unfulfilled, we proceed to sum up the points
we have discussed.
1. In the days of the Messiah, will take place the
gathering of Judah and Ephraim, that is, of all Israel.
2. Many nations will join Israel as the people of the

Lord.
3. Gog and Magog, that is, the powers opposing
Israel, will be overthrown.
4. Undisturbed peace will tlien reign throughout the
world.
5. The King Messiah will have dominion over all the
world.
On the other hand, we have shewn that, in the days
of Jesus, not one of those favourable events occurred,
but, indeed, the reverse took place. The King Messiah
is to declare cessation of warfare and permanent peace,
while Jesus the Nazarene says, in Matthew x. 34,
" Think not that I am come to send peace on earth ; I
come not to send peace, but the sword."

The true Messiah is to have his dominion from sea to
sea and from the river to the ends of the earth ; but Jesus,
the Nazarene, had no worldly power over the smallest
territory; for he says in Matthew xx. 28, " The Son of
i\Ian (i.e, Jesus) came not to be served, but to serve,"
etc. From all this it is obvious that Christians have
no foundation on which to establish their dogma of a
Messiah.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Zechariah xii. 10, "And I will pour upon the house
of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the
spirit of grace and supplications, and they shall look up
to me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn
for him as in the mourning for an only son, and be in
bitterness for him, as is the bitterness for the first-
born."
The Christians cite this verse as a testimony of the
regret which Israel will feel at a future time for having
pierced and slain Jesus, who combined human and
Divine nature ; therefore the Israelites will mourn for
him, as one mourns for an only son.
Refutation. —On an unprejudiced perusal of the whole
prophecy, of which the above forms part, our Christian
brethren would have perceived, that the contents are
solely referable to the confusion of empires during tlie
latter days, or, as we are accustomed to call that era,

the appearance and fall of Gog and Magog. We will
elucidate this by taking an attentive view of the entire
chapter. It commences with the warning, " Behold, I
willmake Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the
people round about." " The cup of trembling " means
the confusion and terror which will seize all nations at

that period, " and also Judah who shall be engaged in
the siege against Jerusalem.' For the foreign nations
invading the Holy Land, in order to conquer its capital,
will coerce and compel the children of Judah to assist
in the siege of Jerusalem. In that time, says Zechariah
xii. 3, " I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all
people; all that burthen themselves with it shall be cut

in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered
together against it." The ill fate formerly attending
the welfare of the Jews will now befall the Gentiles; for
the prophet continues, " In that day, saith the Lord, 1
will smite every horse with terror, and his rider with mad-
ness, and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah,
and I will smite every horse of the nations with blind-
ness." This supernatural intervention of the Almighty
will bring the Jewish leaders to reason, on seeing the
extraordinary power displayed in behalf of Jerusalem.
"And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The
inhabitants of Jerusalem are too strong for me, through
the Lord their God." The leaders of Judah will then no
longer side with the devourers of their people, but will
pour out their wrath on the enemies of the Jews, for the
Almighty has declared, ver. 6, "In that day will I make
the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the
wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall
devour all the people round about, on the right hand
and on the left, and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again,
in her own place, even in Jerusalem." For during the
troubles of our captivity, the ancient city of the Lord
has become like an exile from her own soil; in the
future, however, she will be restored to herself again, in
her pristine glory. The Lord will then show mercy even
to those, who, in their forgetfulness of duty and national
affection, have risen against the metropolis of that people
and their faith and He will spare the Jews who first
;
assisted in the siege, as He will spare the inhabitants of

Jerusalem who suffered from the siege. The prophet
therefore says, " The Lord also shall save the tents of
Judah first, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not
magnify themselves against Judah." The success attend-
ing the cause of the Jews will be granted in such a
manner as not to disturb the unaninnty and brotherly
feeling so indispensably requisite for the restoration of
our people. The Jews will, at that time, be invested
with new vigour :

" And he that is feeble among them
at that day shall be as David;" that is to say, the
weakest among the Jews shall be distinguished as a
hero, and be equal in courage to David. " And the
house of David shall be godly as a messenger of the
Lord before them." The Messiah himself will act as a
messenger of the Lord, and in his own person will lead
his subjects to battle against the hostile nations. Now
the prophet proceeds* by saying, ibid, chapter xii. 9, 10,
" And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to
destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem- And

I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the in-
habitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they
have pierced," etc.
The prophet having, in this manner, alluded to the
great superiority of the Jews in the latter days, says
now, that they will look to him in humility and contri-
tion, on account of those who have been pierced and
killed in war. The Jews will be so assured of the
Divine assistance in their restoration, that they will
feel afflictedon account of those who shall become the
first victims of their warfare with the Gentiles. Thus
Joshua and the Israelites were afflicted when first
beaten by the inhabitants of Ai. That leader of the
Israelites then exclaimed, (Joshua " Wherefore
vii. 7),
hast thou caused this people to pass over the Jordan,"

etc. And again (ver. 8), " Lord, what shall I say, after
Israel have tui'ned their backs before their enemies " ?
In the same manner, the people shall, in the days
of the Messiah, look up in contrition to God, and im-
plore pardon on account of their having pierced {i. e.,
destroyed) the innocent. The term ^\^^ nt< is equal to

the term ll^yi on account of, or because^ and does not
mean " whom,'' as it has been generally rendered. In
Ezekiel xxxvi. 27, we have '^^^^ HX in the same sense,

" And I shall do it on account of your walking (or
because ye shall walk) in my statutes." The interest in
the life of a fellow-man will be deeply felt during
the latter thirty days that the Jews shall mourn for any
man slain in the battle, as one is who mourns for the
loss ofan only son, and they shall be in bitter grief for
him, as if it were for a first-born child. The compari-
son, with the loss of a first-born son, gives, in a few
words, a picture of the intensity of grief. The subse-
quent comparison with the mourning of Hadadrimmon,
we cannot further explain, there being no mention on
record of the cause and circumstances of that mourning.
The prophet then shows how each family in Israel will
partake in the affliction caused by the report of the
fallen in war; and as it is a well-known fact, that the
mourning tidings vibrate more keenly in the hearts of
feeling women, than in the hearts of interested men, the
prophet draws a distinguishing line between the mourn-
ing of the two sexes; and, speaking of the high families
of Israel, he says, " And the land shall mourn, each
family separately, the family of the house of David sepa-
rately, their wives separately," etc. The description
given here of the belligerent parties, and of the result of
their actions near and at Jerusalem, evidently relates to
a time not yet recorded in the pages of history. The
Christians have therefore no basis, on which to rest their
religious theory of the death of Jesus. Were there only
a shadow of truth in their pretension,. that the grief
predicted by the prophet was to emanate from the mode
in which Jesus met with his end on the cross, the pro-
phecy ought to be worded, " And they will mourn for
me^ and bo in bitterness for me'"' The fallacy of the
assertions of the Christians, with regard to this prophecy,
is not only to be proved from this detached part, but is
also to be considered from what we demonstrated in the

preceding" parts. See, for example, chap, x., where we
have treated on the inconsistency of considering Jesus
as the Messiah, and of the absolute impossibility of ac-
knowledging him as the Godhead.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Zbchariah xiii. 7, " Awake, sword, against my shep-
herd, and against the man who is my fellow, saith the
Lord of Hosts smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall
;
be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little

ones."
According to the opinion of the Christians, the pro-
phet meant Jesus by the " Man who is my fellow," and
the disciples of Jesus by the expression, " Smite the
shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered." This asser-
tion rests on what we read in St. Mark xiv. 27.
Refutation. —
The explanation given by the Christians
to the above passage is devoid of truth. The context
to which the above verse belongs, relates exclusively to
the downfall of the kings of Palestine and to the dis-
persion of Israel. Simultaneously with that event, the
destruction of idolators was to take place, and the
righteous alone were to be saved from utter annihilation.
The command given to the sword to " smite the shep-
herd who is my fellow," merely signifies that those kings
shall be punished who oppress the Jews, and wlio, in
their delusion, believe they are doing a godly work in
persecuting a religious people, and, in their inordinate
conceit, imagine that they are the vicars and associates
of the Almighty, whereas in the minds of those men the
serpent of temptation whispers, as it did to our first
parents, " And ye shall be like unto God, knowing good
and evil."
This conceit we have met with among the rulers in

Asia and iVfrica, where enlightenment has made less
rapid strides than in Europe; and on that account
humiliation is most needful to the uninstructed in order
to teach them to know

the littleness of pride and the
superiority of meekness. " Smite the shepherd, and the
sheep shall be scattered." This passage indicates that
the rulers of the Gentiles, who boast of their iniquitous
government, shall be overthrown ; and, from their fall,
the deliverance of Israel will arise. There are many

shepherds that must be struck prior to Israel's entire
deliverance for, unlike the ancient captivity in Egypt,
;
the Jews are now scattered throughout numerous states

and kingdoms. The return of our people to the inheri-
tance of their fathers will, therefore, not take place in
one collected body, but in numerous detached hosts.
The term |'•^J1S^'1 of the above passage occurs also in the

form of a noun in Isaiah xi. 12, " And he shall gather
the dispersed (ni^SJ) of Judah." "And I will turn my
hand against the little ones." This passage likewise
alludes to the subdued and powerless princes who shall
be visited with humiliation according to their demerits.
The Almighty will lend His help to those who have
been the victims of malice. The inhabitants of the
earth shall be awfully roused from their delusion, obeying
the call of Isaiah, who says (chap, xxxiv. I, 2), " Come
near, ye nations, and listen, for the Lord Avill execute
judgment on the cruel persecutors of His people."
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Malaciii i. 11, " For from the rising of the sun to the
going down of the same, my name is great among the

Gentiles; and in every place incense is offered up unto
my name, and a pure offering, saith the Lord of Hosts."

The Christians maintain that this prophecy bears upon
their faith, which has been so extensively diffused in the
world.
Refutation. —We do not discover in these words of
Malachi any allusion to the faith of Christianity, which
had no existence at tte era of the prophet. We know
well that Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, were con-
temporaneous, and lived about three hundred years
anterior to Jesus. At the time of the last prophet, the
Gentiles were worshippers of the heavenly constellations,
and of idols representing those constellations. It was
not, however, the intention of Malachi to exjâtiate on
the abominations of Idolatry, but he merely delivered a
who offered up loathsome
reproof to the sinners of Israel
sacrifices,and thereby profaned the name of the
Almighty. Hence he says (chap. i. 1*2), " But ye are
profaning it by saying, The table of the Lord is polluted,
and the fruit thereof, even the meat, is contemptible."
Subsequently, the prophet reproaches the people, and
And ye bring an
says, " offering which has been stolen,
and the lame and the sick." Whoever reads with
attention the lesson of the prophet, will find that he
rebukes the Israelites for their having acted worse in
their sacrifices to God, than the Gentiles towards their
idols." In this reproof he accords with Ezekiel v. 7,
" Andye have not dealt in the fashion of the Gentiles
that are around you." While the Israelites neglected
to imitate what was laudable in the worship of the
Gentiles, they blindly followed their reprehensible prac-
tices, and, therefore, Ezekiel blames his people by saying
(chap. xi. 12), " In my statutes ye have not walked,
and after my judgments ye have not acted, but ye have
acted after the customs of the Gentiles that are around
you." *' And in every place incense is offered u}) unto
my naiiie." Hereby a comparison is made between"

the sordidness in the sacrifices of the Israelites and the
greater liberality of the idolators in their offerings to
their false gods. For if the latter had been asked to
whom they paid these tokens of reverence, they would
have answered, to a Divine power that governs the des-
tinies of mankind, and, therefore, they were filled with awe
and devotion, in spite of all their errors. But although
those Gentiles had not a pure and an elevated idea of the
Supreme Being, they were able to act agreeably to his
revealed will; and, therefore the prophet was justified
in declaring in the name of the Lord, " For my name is
great among the Gentiles." But since a worship cannot
be approved in which a creature put on an equality

is
with the Creator, the Gentiles would only find favour

by acquiescing in the sublime belief of an omnipresent
and omnipotent Deity for such a belief alone affords
;
real gratification to the reasoning mind and to the wish-
ful lieart. Hence Malachi (iii. 4) goes on to say, " And

the sacrifices of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasant
unto the Lord as in days of old, and in former years."
The means of finding favour in the eyes of the Almighty
will only then increase when religious obstacles shall be
removed. The favour of the Lord is therefore con-

tingent on the purity of His worshipper, consequently
Malachi declares (chap. iii. 3), " And he shall sit as a
refiner and as a purifier of silver; and He shall purify
the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver,

that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in right-
eousness." It is natural, that the sons of Levi and the
priests should be prominently noticed in this prophecy,
for those spiritual guides of the people were the very
men who were designated " as the despisers of my name."
Those who lead the way to sin must also by their ex-
ample naturally be the first to meet with punishment.
The verse which heads this chapter has a beautiful pa-

rallel in Psalm cxiii. 3, " From the rising of the sun to
the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is

praised. The Lord is high above all nations." It could
not be said, that David included all contemporaneous
Gentile nations in ê adoration of the God of Israel;
and that he considered all the heathen to be believers in
the same Deity. For he condemns the practices in the
worship of the heathen in the very same book, saying
(Psalm cxv. 4 — 9), " Their idols are of gold and of
silver, the works of the hands of man they have mouths
;
and speak not, they have eyes and see not, they have
ears and hear not, they have noses and smell not, they
have hands and feel not, feet and walk not, they speak
not with their throats. Like unto them are those that
make them, yea, all those that trust in them. Let Israel
trust in the Lord, He is their shield and their help."
Nearly the same terms are used in Psalm cxxxv. 19. We
see, then, that the Gentiles, with all their errors, wished
to adore a First Cause of all existence ;
yet the Psalmist,
deemed the faith
as well as the prophet spoken of above,
and the observances of Israel as those strongholds by
which the mind of man obtains true eminence and con-
solation ; consequently there is not the slightest motive
to forsake the path which our religion points out to its
followers, and to adopt a faith so manifestly at variance
with our ancient law.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Malachi, at the end of the book, saith, " Behold, I will
send you the prophet Elijah before the coming of the
great and awful day."
It has been asserted by Christian interpreters of this
passage, that we Jews vainly expect the fulfilment of

this prediction, because it has already heen realized in
the person of John the Baptist, who in spirit was equal
to Elijah ; it being said in Matthew xi. 10, that Jesus
declared that John was the Elijah predicted by Malachi.
They particularly cite chap. xvii. of Matthew, where
Jesus is made and 13) "But I say
to affirm (ver. 12
unto you that Elijah come already, and they knew
is
him not, but have done to him whatever they listed."

Thus his disciples were led to believe that Elijah and
John were identical in the above prophecy.
Refutation. — How can they deny the personal identity
of the Prophet, mentioned in chap. iv. 5? Who would
venture to affirm that any other person is signified than
the real Prophet Elijah, a truth equally manifest in the
following passages: 1 Kings xviii. 21, "And Elijah
drew near." —2 Chronicles xxi. 12, " And a writing of
Elijah the prophet reached him." If the prophecy
under consideration had had reference to an indefinite
individual, it would have been communicated in such
terms as the following, " Behold, I shall send a man
like the Prophet Elijah." Besides, he might have said,
in terms which could not have failed to produce con-

viction, " Behold, I shall send you John." What
necessity to have called him Elijah? Our argument
gains in strength by the very statements contained in
the Gospel of St. John i. 21, "And they asked him
[John], What then, art thou Elias [Elijah], and he
said, I am not" — "Art thou that Prophet? and he
answered, No." Comparing this passage with an asser-
tion made Matthew, we find a most glaring contra-
in
diction in the two Gospels. See Matthew xvii. 10 to 13,
" And his disciples asked Him [Jesus], saying, Why
then say the Scribes, that Elias [Elijah], must first
come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias

[Elijah] shall first come and But

restore all things.
I say unto you that Elias [Elijah], come already, is
and they knew him not, but have done unto him what-
soever they listed likewise shall also the Son of Man
;
suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he

spake to them of John the Baptist." It is utterly un-
necessary to illustrate any further similar expressions
bearing so visibly the stamp of human invention; and
we are fully prepared to estimate the value of the
interpretation given to this discrepancy by the Christian
commentators, who maintain that John declined the
title of ''Prophet Elijah" out of pure humility. Humi-
lity will not allow us to utter an intentional untruth in
order to establish our superiority. Faithful prophets
have openly avowed their missions and the object of
their appearance before the world. We dismiss, there-
fore, the claim of the Christian interpretation as totally
unsatisfactory and unfounded.
CHAPTER XL.
Psalm ex. 1, " The Lord said unto my lord. Sit thou at
my right side, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
I heard once a Christian scholar plead that this pas-
sage can only have reference to Jesus, who was the
combination of divinity and humanity for of ; whom else
could David have spoken as " my Lord" sitting at the
right hand of the Almighty ?
Refutation. — To this 1 made the following rei)ly :
We David the composition of the 137th

attribute to
Psalm, commencing, " On the rivers of Babylon we sat
and wept," a Psalm obviously treating of the Babylonian
Captivity, which took place about four centuries after
the death of David. An allusion to so distant a
period could only have been made by a holy and an

inspired writer.
There are also many passages in the book of Psalms
which relate to the poet himself, as for instance, Psalm
ii. 7, " I will declare it as a law. The Lord spoke unto
me. Thou art my son, to-day I have begotten thee." In
the same light must be considered many other subse-
quent Psalms. There are Psalms of another character,
the object of which is to describe the period of the
Jewish exile to this class belongs the above-mentioned
;
Psalm cxxxvii. Of the like prophetic character is

Psalm Ixxix. 1, commencing, " God, the heathen have
come into thine inheritance, they have defiled thy holy
temple." In a similar sense we take Psalm Ixxiv. 10,
" Wherefore, O God, hast thou for ever forsaken us ?"
All such Psalms were composed for the captives of

Israel through inspiration. We find other Psalms which
have a still more remote bearing, and take within their
range the gathering of the captives, and the days of the
Messiah. See, for instance. Psalm xcvi. commencing,
1,
" Sing unto the Lord a new song," etc. This and other
Psalms were dictated by holy inspiration, and originated
most likely from some occurrence which urged the mind
of the poet to enlarge upon the future restoration of
Israel. Sometimes the cause of the production of such
Psalms is recorded and pointed out by expressions more
or less definite. See, for instance. Psalm xx. 1, " The
Lord shall answer thee on the day of trouble," in which
David spoke first of his own sorrow, and then passed
over to those awaiting the children of Israel while
engaged in hazardous warfare. In the same category
stands the Psalm, " God said unto my Lord (master).
Sit thou at my right-hand until I make thine enemies
thy footstool." Firstly, David speaks concerning himself,
perhaps taking occasion to treat on this subject when
FAITH STRENGTHENKD. 193
his men had sworn " that he should

no longer go with
them to battle," on account of the danger to which he had
so repeatedly exposed his life in conflict with the Philis-
tines. See 2 Samu^ xxi. 1 7, "
Then the men of David
swore unto him, saying, Thou shalt no longer go out with
us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel."
The psalm in question seems to have emanated from the
impression made on the poet, while his men were anxious
to prevent him from exposing his lifeany more in battle,
and speaking, as it were, in their name, he makes them
utter an appeal to liimself in the following words, "God
saith to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make
thine enemies thy footstool." Now, whether David was
we must allow that
or was not the author of this appeal,
in any case this emphatic exhortation was well calcu-
lated to work a powerful effect on the mind of a man
so pious as King David. Being thus assured of the
protection of God, as confirmed by the words, " The
Lord shall send the rod of thy strength from Zion,"
which is, that " He will send thee help from his sanctuary.
He will support thee from Zion," as that holy city
was the distinguished locality which " the Lord chose
for his abode"; the words which follow, " Thy people
shall be willing on the day of thy power," mean. Thy
subjects, king, will freely offer their lives to spare
thine, while thou keepest away from danger. The
Thou art my priest for ever according
passage, " to the
word concerning Melchizedek," means, Thou shalt,
during all thy life, be unto mo like Melchizedek, king
of Jerusalem, who was denominated king and priest of
the most high God. See Genesis xiv. 18, " And
Melchizedek, king of Salem, caused bread and wine to
be brought out, and he was a [>riest of the most high
God." That David's sacred compositions rendered him

worthy to be adorned with the title of priest appears
o
194 FAITH STRENGTHEMRD.
evident enough from Scripture, as is exemplified in the

Second Book of Samuel, where we read, that David
built an altar, offered up burnt-offerings and peace-
offerings, which, accompanied by prayer and entreaty,
" were accepted by the Lord, and the plague was
stayed in Israel." The words ^n*)l"T hv hi the passage
in the psalm in mean " according to." We
question,
find it in the same sense in Job x., " according to thy
knowledge." The letter in ^n*l51 is paragogic as the
*
* in *n^^ (Lamentations i. 1), We nuist mention here,

by way of digression, a misinterpretation given to the
passage, " And Melchizedek brouglit out wine and

bread." Tlie Christians believe, that the bread and
wine were offered as articles of sacrifice, but plain
sense compels us to believe tliat the presentation of these
things was merely for the entertainment of his guests.
The tenth part given by Abraham to Melchizedek,
qnalified the latter to be denominated priest of the Most
High God. Hence we see that the Psalmist meant
none but himself, in the composition we have been
treating of, while, on tlie other hand, he alluded to the
future condition of the dispersed people, when in his
inspiration he proclaimed (Psalm xcvi. 6), " Sing ye
unto the Lord a new song, let the whole earth sing unto
the Lord." Thus he says also in the subsequent psalm,
" Tlie Lord reigneth; let the earth be glad, many isles
shall rejoice." Those psalms, as we said above, allude

to the still unfulfilled ingathering of Israel. It appears
to be a most unjustifiable assertion of the Christian
expounder of the psalms to maintain that the phrase,
" To sit at the right hand of God," applies to an actual
son of God, for the Bible contains numerous proofs that
the metaphor, " the right hand of God," solely signifies
" Omnipotence of the Deity." What other interpretation
could be assigned to the following sentences (Ps. cxviii.
verse 16), " The right hand of the Lord is exalted, the
right hand of the Lord worketh mighty things."
Exodus XV. 16, " Tîy right hand, Lord, is glorified
in strength; thy right hand, Lord,
crusheth the
enemy." Even when speaking of man, " the right
hand" implies strength and exertion. See for instance
Psalm cxliv. 7, " And their hand is the right hand of
falsehood." To take the word in a narrow and literal
sense, must involve the expounder in the glaring fallacy
of applying corporeality to one whom he believes to be
the Son of God. To a Jew, it would almost appear
blasphemy literally to ascribe a right or a left hand
to the Deity, a spiritual being to whom no attribute
of corporeality can be absolutely ascribed. When the
believer is urged to place himself on the right hand of
the Lord, he can only understand that it is his duty to
seek the protection of the Omnipotent. The more we
read of Scripture, the more proofs we find that many
parts of the Bible have been misinterpreted in order to
favour a certain religious dogma. The psalm we are
treating of has the expression, " The Lord hath sworn,
he will not repent," which phrase has been considered
as alluding to a new dispensation by which the sacrifices
of flesh and blood should cease, and be substituted by
oblations of bread and wine. But it has not been
borne in mind that the Deity never changes his views.
" He is not a man that he should repent." Ordinances
once given must be binding upon us, and upon all suc-
ceeding generations. We have already disposed of this
subject in chapter xix., to which we refer the reader.
CHAPTER XU.
Daniel vii. 13, " I saw in the night visions, and, behold,
o 2
19G FATTH STRENGTHENED.
one tbc Son of Man came v/ith the clouds of

like
heuven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they

brought him near before him." The Christian expo-
sitors of Scripture ascribe the object of this prophecy
to advent of their Messiah, who, according to
the
tlicirview of this prophecy, was to be a superhuman
being; otherwise, how could he come with the clouds of
heaven ?
Refutation.
— 'i'he prophet speaks here of a dream, in
which things are meant to be represented in their literal
sense. If the dream exhibits preternatural visions, the
interpretation does not require a preternatural fulfil-
ment. Daniel mentioned in the same chapter the

destruction of the four kingdoms, and predicted that an
enduring dominion will be granted to no other tlian the
people holy to the Most Higli God. See ibid., verse 18,
" And the holy ones of the Most Pligh shall receive the
dominion, and possess the kingdom for ever and ever,
even for ever and ever." Again, verses 26, 27, "And the
judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his domi-
nion to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And
the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the
people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom, and all kingdoms shall serve
and obey him."

The clouds of heaven mentioned in the quotation at the
head of this chapter, bring to mind the heavenly rule
which ordains changes on high, in the region which lies
beyond the reach and influence of man. He that raises

clouds, and makes them descend again to fructify the soil,
must be acknowledged as the same supreme agent, and
disposer of the fate of man. The idea is familiar to other
prophets also. See, for example, Jeremiah xiv. 22, "Are
there among the vanities of the heathen any that send
I
down rain, and do the heavens yield them abundant

showers ?" " Is it^jot thou who art our God, and surely
we will hope in thee; for thou doest all these things."
The fleet clouds are often used as symbols of the swift-
ness with which God carries out Flis decrees. See
Isaiah xix. 1, " Behold, the Lord riding on a light
cloud, and He is come to Egypt." Jeremiah iv. 13,
"Behold, like unto a cloud he rises up; like a whirl-
wind are His chariots. Isaiah Ix. 8, " Who are those
that are flying like a cloud, and like doves to their
windows."
The superhuman powers developed in the divine dis-
pensations are pointed out by Daniel ii. 34, " Thou
sawest that a stone was cut out, but not by any hands,
which smote the image on his feet." In a like manner,
he mentions, in the same chapter, the aid that will be
afiôrded by God (ver. 44), "And in the days of these
kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which
shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be
left to other people," etc. Thus the last kingdom on
earth will be exalted beyond the others, by enjoying the
specialprotection of heaven, and divine help shall
descend upon the empire of the chosen ones, " as rain
descends upon the earth blessed by the Lord."
Christians argue, tliat the government spoken of by
Daniel nmst belong to a Divine P>eing, because we read
" His dominion shall be an everlasting dominion." Ihit
we take those words in tlie sense that tlie kingdom shall

be a perpetual and an inalienable inheritance, descend-
ing from father to son without interruption. Hence
Daniel says, " And his kingdom shall not pass away."
And again in chap. vii. 27, " And all rulers sliall serve
and obey Him." The last mentioned prediction is most
decidedly not realised in the jêrson of rlcsus, lor the
Jews, the Mahomiiiedans, and many other nations are

not subject to the dominion of Jesus.
Christians may perhaps plead and say that the ex-
pression " all rulers,'' refers to a great number merely,
and is applied here as in Genesis xxiv. 10, " And he had
in his hand all the goods of his master." But the con-
necting words must ever be our guide in cases of doubt-
ful interpretation. Hence the word all, here and in any
other similar case, cannot be taken in a limited sense
for the prophet Daniel says, " And the kingdom, and
the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom which
is under heavens shall be given to him."
all the More-
over, he expressly states in chap. ii. 44, " I shall break
in pieces and consuiue all those kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever." The same prediction we find in Isaiah

Ix. 12, "For the nation and the kingdom which shall
not serve thee shall perish ;
yea, those nations shall be
utterly destroyed." The above-mentioned quotation,
page 196 ante, " And the saints of the Most High shall
obtain the kingdom," has sole reference to the children
of Israel. A few citations from Scripture wiU show that
the title saints, or holy ones, is frequently given to Israel.
Exodus ye shall be unto me a holy peo-
xxii. 31, " And
ple. Deut. vii. 6, "
For thou art a holy people unto the
Lord thy God, the Lord thy God has chosen thee to be
unto him a nation distinct from all the nations on the
face of the earth " Isaiah Ixii. 12, " The holy people,
the redeemed ones of the Lord." Daniel vii. 21, 22^
" And I beheld the same horn made war with the saints
and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days

came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most
High, and the time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom." And again, ver. 26, "And he shall speak
gi'eat words against the Most High, and shall wear out
the saints of the Most High, and think to change times

and laws, and they^shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time." Ibid. viii. 24,
" And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own
power shall he be mighty, and he shall destroy wonder-

fully, and shall prosper and act, and shall destroy the
mighty and the holy people." And ibid. xii. 7, " It shall
be for a time, times, and a half, and when he shall have
accomplished the scattering the power of the holy peo-
plcj all these things shall be finished."
As Israel is called in Scripture the holy people of the
Lord, on the other hand, is the Almighty represented
so,
as the Holy One of Israel. See Isaiah xii. 6, " For

great the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."
is
Ibid, xxxvii. 23, " And thou hast lifted up thine eyes
against the Holy One of Israel." Ibid. xii. 14, " I have
helped thee, saith the Lord, and the redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel." Jeremiah 1. 29, " for he rebelled against
the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel."
The appellation, in Daniel, Most High, which the
Christians have endeavoured to appropriate to Jesus, is
attributable to Israel, as will be seen on examining other

parts of theScriptures. See Deuteronomy xxvi. 19,
'^
And make thee most high above all the nations
to
which He hath made for His praise, for His name, and
for His glory ; and that thou mayest be a holy people
unto the Lord thy God as He hath spoken." Ibid,
xxviii. 1, "And the Lord will make thee most high
above all people of the earth."
From all these passages, it is evident that Israel could
not yield to any other nation the title given to it in holy
writ, and it must be acknowledged that the saints of the
Most High God can only be of that people which is de-
clared to be most high among the nations of the earth.
The prophecies, showing that the wicked Gentiles shall
perish, and that the righteous shall unite with Israel,

are sufficient evidences to prove, that also the present
prophecy relates solely to the chosen people, for surely
no expounder could reason away the lucid and simple
announcement made by Isaiah iv. 3, " And all that shall
be left in Zion, and that remain in Jerusalem, shall be
called holy." And again in Ix. 21, "And thy people,
altogether righteous, shall inherit thy land for ever."
Thus we see that Daniel had no other object in view
than to represent in his prophecy the final glory of Israel.
CHAPTEK XLII.
Daniel And
ix. 26, " after threescore and two weeks
shall an anointed man be cut off, and shall have nothing,
and a noble people cometh that shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary, and its end shall be in a flood, and,
until the end, war is ordained to devastate." It is asserted
by Christians that this verse reveals the fate of Jesus,
who is to be cut off childless.
Refutation. —In order to see how untenable is the
position of the interpreters who rest their faith on such
grounds, we must follow again the only just rule that can
be adopted, and explain the verse from its context. We
find in the same chapter (ver. 24), " Seventy weeks are
determined upon thy people, and upon the holy city, to
make an end of sins, and to make a reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and
to seal up visions and prophets, and to anoint the Holy
of Holies." The seventy weeks are evidently a given
period of time elapsing from the destruction of the first to
the destruction of the second temple. See Jeremiah xxix.

10, "For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be
accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform
my good word towards you, in causing you to return

to this place." An8 Tâmentations iv. 22, " The punish-
ment of thine iniquity is completed, daughter of Zion,
He will not again lead thee into captivity." According
to the vision of Daniel mentioned in chapter vii. of his
book (the seventh and following verses), he saw that
the fourth animal (indicating Rome) would persecute
Israel for a great length of time; and he meditated
on the visions which were not clear to him, because he
had not received a special revelation concerning the
latter captivity of the Jews. Hence he says, at the
conclusion of the seventh chapter, "As for me, Daniel,
my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance
changed in me, but 1 kept the matter in my heart."
The same prophet had similar doubts regarding his
visions, when he heard the announcement (spoken of in
chap, viii.) of the cessation of the continual sacrifice,
and of the destruction of the sanctuary-, and of the
overthrow of the people (see chap. viii. 13, 26). He
then thought that the predicted length of Israel's cap-
tivity related to that state into which his people then
were precipitated; he therefore was told, " Conceal this
vision, for it shall be for many days." This communi-
cation the prophet Ibund at variance with the one made
to Jeremiah, that the captivity would last for seventy
years only. We have to explain on this occasion the
meaning of " the evening and the morning," mentioned
in the original Hebrew of chap. viii. 14* This expression
is illustrated in Zechariah xiv. 7, ''
And in the eventide
there shall be light." The prophet Daniel perceived in
this that the darkness of Israel's troubles would be
dispelled by the light of Salvation. See, in addition to
* It is singularly remarkable that these words, upon which the

prophet laid peculiar stress (see ibid, ver. 26), are omitted in the English
version.
this Jeremiah xxx. 7, " And it is a time of trouble for

Jacob, and he shall be saved from The reverse
it."
state of destruction is depicted by gloom and darkness.

See Amos viii. 9, " And I shall darken the earth on a
day of light."
Chapter viii. ver. 13, 14 of Daniel, amply show that the
prophet laboured originally under the opinion that the
intended protraction of the captivity was owing to the
iniquity of the people, and that they would pine in the
state of banishment for two thousand three hundred days
(signifying years) therefore he prayed to God to remove
;
His wrath and anger. Neither did the angel of the

Lord acquaint him of the actual termination of the last
captivity. Daniel was only given to understand, that the
cessation of prophecy would extend to the whole length of
time necessary for the expiation of the sins of his people,
for then would be fulfilled the prediction mentioned
at the close of Lamentations iv. 22, " Thy iniquity,
daughter of Zion, is ended He shall no more cause thee
;
to be led into captivity." Regarding the last exile of

Israel, the prophet Ezekiel has recorded similar expres-
sions in his book (chap. xxii. 15^ "And I will scatter thee
among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries,

and consume thy filtliiness out of thee." The com-
will
which we expect during the latter days,
plete restoration,
will be crowned v/ith " everlasting righteousness" (see
Daniel ix. 24). This is confirmed by the agreement of
many prophecies. See Isaiah li. 6, "And my salvation
shall be for ever,and my righteousness shall not be
abolished."' Jeremiah xxiii. 5, "And I will raise up
unto David a righteous scion, and a king shall reign and
prosper, and he shall do justice and righteousness in the
earth." Isaiah xi. 4, 5, "And he shall judge the poor
witli I'igiiteousness, and righteousness shall be the girdle
of his loins." And at tliat time all Israel will be desig-

nated by the term j'ighteous. See Isaiah Ix. 21, "And

thy people will altogether be righteous-'' Again, ibid,
chap. Ixi. 3, " And men shall call them oaks of righteous-
ness.''The Psalmist likewise affords a testimony, since
we find in Psalm Ixxii. 7, "In his days the righteous
man shall flourish, Jerusalem will then be called, the
abode of righteousness, the holy mount." We shall
then say, in the words of Jeremiah (chap, xxiii. The 6),
''
Lord our righteousness." The Messiah himself, accord-

ing to the same prophet (chap, xxiii, 6), will assume the
title, " The Lord our righteousness," as we have already
shewn in Chapter XIX. of this work.

The words of Daniel (chap. ix. 24) may be taken in
the following sense :
— " And vision [prophecy] shall be
sealed up," that is to say, it will be finally determined
and confirmed, for we find a repetition of the same
words with the same signification in Job xxiii. 16,
" And he sealed up the chastisement." It cannot,
therefore, be pretended that prophecy will then dis-
continue altogether, for we read in Joel ii. 28, " And it
will come to pass afterwards that I shall pour out my

spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy." The epoch of the restoration will thus

completely restore the forfeited boon of Prophecy.
We return now to the explanation of the conclusion
of verse 24, in Daniel ix. " And to anoint the Holy of
Holies," which means that at the restoration of Israel,
the Holy of Holies, or the Temple, will receive its
new consecration after having lain desolate during the
whole period of the captivity. An extensive description
of that solemnity is to be found in the prophecy of
Ezekiel, chapter xliii.
The seventy weeks spoken

of in Daniel ix., are enig-
matic terms, conveying the various epochs of Israel's
fate during their second occupation of the Holy Land

and their subsequent exile. The first epoch, designated
in chap. ix. verse 25, expressed by seven loeeks^ is
evidently in allusion to Cyrus; for it is said there,

" Know
and understand that from the giving forth of
the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the
anointed prince there shall be seven weeks." Now, we
know well from the prophecy in Isaiah xlv. 6, that
Cyrus was called the anointed king, for we find there,
" Thus saith the Lord to his anointed king" (to Cyrus),
etc. and in the same chapter the Lord announces, " he
;
shall build my
and send back my captives." The
city
termination of sixty-two weeks is remarkable for the
cessation " of an anointed king,^^ that is to say, Israel is
according to that prophecy to be bereft of his last ruler.
" And there is none for him, there is no anointed ruler
for the people of Israel." The cessation of a ruler over
Israel is simultaneous with the fall of the Temple, and,
consequently, alluded to the conquest by Titus, when
Israel ceased to exist as a nation, and was deprived of
its Temple, its ruler, and its country. If the Christians
take an impartial view of this chapter Daniel, they
cannot possibly imagine that it alludes to Jesus, who
suffered on the cross nearly half a century before the
exile of Israel.
The contradictory remarks made by Christian exposi-
tors on this chapter, afford ample proof of the scanty
notions they have of its real signification. Scientific
readers who are anxious to obtain a view of all the con-
tradictions which beset the path of the Christian ex-
pounders of Daniel, will find an interesting account
given in Abarbanel's commentary on the book of Daniel,
which bears the title Mangne Hayeschungah (the
I
Fountains of Salvation).
With this chaptet, we shall conclude the elucidation

of Scriptural passages cited by Christians in support of
their faith.
CHAPTER XLIII.
Some small portion of Christians have reproached the

Jews with the disbelief in the Apocryphal books; but
such persons have been confuted by scholars of their
own creed. The works comprised under the collective
title " Apocryplia," were composed at a late period after
the dispersion of Israel,when prophecy was totally ex-
tinct, and when inspiration no longer elevated the com-
positions of religious writers. The Apocrypha has,
therefore, no claim on our religious reverence. Some of
these books may have an historical foundation, others
are based on fiction and mere invention; and the whole
of the Apocrypha was composed in the Greek language,
which language does not bear the stamp of authority in
the mind of the Jew; we may therefore dismiss this
subject without entering into further detail.
CHAPTER XLIV.
I OBSERVED to somc Christians, that after the advent of

the Messiah, there will be but one faith and one religion
throughout the world. See Isaiah xlv. 23, " I have
sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my moutli in
righteousness, and shall surely not be recalled, that
before me every knee shall bend, and by me every tongue
shall swear." Zephaniah iii. 9, " For then shall I turn
(restore) unto all the people a pure tongue, that tlic}'
shall call upon the name of the Lord, and serve him with
one accord." The Christians themselves must admit that

there will take place a union of foith, sinceJohn acknow-
ledges in his Gospel, chap. x. 16, that there will be " One
shepherd and one flock." Now. since the doctrine of
unity of faith is admitted on all sides, it is not necessary
to argue which of the three principal creeds will prevail,
whether the Jewish, the Christian, or the Mahommedan;
for surely if one of those is to be adopted, the other two
will of necessity fall. When we peruse the statements
of the prophets, we must undoubtedly acknowledge that
Israel's faith is intended to survive all others. See, for
instance, Isaiah lii. 1, " Awake, awake,
put on thy
strength, Zion, put on the garments of thy glory,
for neither the uncircumcised nor the unclean shall ever
enter again into thy gates." Scripture evidently desig-
nates the Christians by the name of uncircumcised^ and
the Mahommedans, in despite of their frequent ablutions,
deserve, in many respects, the epithet unclean. These
two sects are more especially pointed out in prophecy,
because they, as the representatives of Edom and Ish-
mael, have alternately held possession of Jerusalem since
its destruction by Titus.
From the time of the coming redemption, the prophet
declares that none of the uncircumcised and the unclean
shall ever again enter the gates of the Holy city. In the
same manner says the prophet (Joel iii. 17), " And Jeru-
salem shall be holy, and no stranger shall enter therein."
Respecting the same two nations, says the prophet Isaiah,
" They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves in
the gardens behind one in the midst of them, who eat the
flesh of swine and the abominations and the mice, they
shall perish together, saith the Lord." Those persons
who and purify themselves are obviously the
sanctify
Ishmaelites, who defile themselves by the most licentious
indulgences. The reflective form of the Hebrew verb.
as used in this quotatios., conveys the idea of pretension

and false claim, and in such a position are those of whom
the prophet says, they " sanctify and purify themselves."
The expression, "the eaters of swine's flesh and other abo-
minations," has allusion to the Christians, and their creed
will therefore perish during the wars of the latter times.
Concerning the people of Israel, however, Isaiah says,
chap. Ixvi. 20, " And they shall bring all your brethren
from all the Gentiles as an offering unto the Lord, on
horses and chariots, and in litters, and upon mules and
upon swift beasts, to my holy mount of Jerusalem, saith
the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in
a holy vessel into the house of the Lord." The nations
surviving the wars of the latter times shall show honour
to the Israelites, and hasten to join the true service of
the Lord; hence the prophet says (chap. Ixvi. 23), "And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to the
other, and from one Sabbath to the other, all flesh shall
come to bow down before me, saith the Lord." In the

prophecy of Zechariah, we likewise find (chap. xiv. 16),
" And it shall come to pass, that all who have been
spared of the Gentiles who come up against Jeru-

all
salem, shall come up from year to year to bow down

before the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the
feast of Tabernacles." The prediction of a periodical
visit to Jerusalem by all the Gentiles, for the observance
of the festivals of the Lord, is an evident proof that they

are to be united with the ancient nation of Israel. With
this view the prophet Zechariah says (chap. viii. 23),
" Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, At that time ten men
from all the tongues of the Gentiles shall take hold of
the skirts of a man that is a Jew, saying. We will go
with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
The same prophet declares in another place (chap.ix.7),
" And I shall remove his guilt of blood from his mouth,
20S FAITH STRENGTHENED.
and his abomination from beneath his teeth, and also he

shall be left unto our God." This proves that they will
abstain from eating unlawful food, like those who are
born Israelites. We have already dwelt on this point,
and refer the reader to Chapters XV. and XXXV.
of this work. In order to prove the strength of our
doctrine beyond any doubt, we liave only to add the
clear prediction of the same j)rophet (Zechariah xiv. 9),
" And the Lord shall be king of the whole earth ; on
that day the Lord shall be one, and his name one." The
Lord Avill no longer be adored under the restricted title
of King of Israel, as he actually is described by Isaiah,
who says (chap. xliv. 6), " Thus saith the Lord, the King
of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, I am the
first and I am the last, and besides me there is no other
God." And again, chap. xlv. 15, " Surely thou art the
God who art hidden, the God of Israel^ and his Deliverer."
In chap. liv. 5, that prophet informs us of the extension of
the name of the God of Israel, to that of the God acknow-
ledged by all nations : he says, " For thy Maker is thy
Husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name, and thy Re-
deemer is the Holy One of Israel, he shall he called the
God of the whole eartliy The one God, and his one and
only law of Sinai, will be acknowledged by all the inha-
bitants of the earth no principle of Duality or of Trinity
;
will then prevail. " All nations thou hast made will then
come," as the Psalmist exclaims (Ps. Ixxxvi. 9), "and

bow down before Thee, and honour Thy name." And
as throughout the realms of the universe the Supreme
King of heaven will be acknowledged, so throughout all
the kingdoms of the earth will his anointed King, Messiah,

be the only worldly ruler. We shall have another op-
portunity of treating on the last-mentioned subject when
discussing, in the second part of this work, the merits of
the contents of the other chapters of the Gospel of John.
We conclude this TJhapter with the conviction that men

of understanding and reading, attentively considering
such passages as we have quoted, cannot any longer
conscientiously refuse their assent to our belief of the
future universal establishment of the Faith of Israel.
CHAPTER XLV.
I HAVE to set forth the following objection to the
Christian religion. If our Christian brethren are
sincerely anxious to separate truth from falsehood, they
ought to examine the passages of the Old Testament
quoted in the Gospel, and ascertain whether they are
really applicable or not. A brief survey of such topics
shows, that the quotations in the Gospel can never be
considered cogent or satisfactory. Whoever reads the
statement made by the prophets must at once grant, that
they never had it in contemplation to afford any clue or
even a preference for the admission of a change or abju-
ration of the Faith of Israel. Besides this, the authors
of the Gospel have occasionally garbled and perverted
the form as well as the sense of the original text, and
have thus based their erroneous opinion on an unstable
foundation. Even in matters relating to history, where
the fact has no relation to prediction and fulfilment,
they have resorted to misrepresentation, which does not
argue in favour of the veracity of their faith, or of their
sound knowledge of the Scriptures. We shall examine
these discrepancies inthe Second Part of this work,,
and will now only make a few cursory remarks on one
or two points.
Matthew, in the first chapter, (ver. 8) of his Book, says,
" And Joram begat Ozias." This is not to be found in
the Old Testament. In 1 Chronicles iii. ver. II, we
p
•L>10 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
read the folloAving genealogy Joram his son, Ahaziah

:
his son, Joash Jotham his son." Azariah,

his son,
father of Jotham, here mentioned, was Uzziah, men-
tioned our Scripture, consequently the
elsewhere in
three generations of Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, are
emitted in the Gospel of Matthew. The omission is not
caused by any oversight, but must have been intentional,
in order to reduce the generations to the like number as
those from Abraham to David, and thus to make both
series of genealogy appear to consist of fourteen gene-
rations. Nor is the enumeration of the third series of
fourteen generations during the Babylonian captivity,
and coming down to Jesus, anything but a mere inven-
tion, in order to lead to the opinion that the three
genealogical divisions ending in Jesus, were ordained
as a special manifestation from the Almighty. Equally
unsound is the tale of Matthew that Jesus was brought
forth by a Virgin, in order to fulfil the words of
Isaiah vii. 14, '' Behold, the young woman [accord-
ing to the vulgate a virgin] shall conceive and shall
bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel."
What connection with the birth of Jesus has the
address made by Isaiah to King Ahaz, in order to
remove his fear of the two hostile kings then threatening
Jerusalem? What comfort could it possibly have
afforded to Ahaz, and how could it have allayed his
terror, if the prophet, in proof of his divine mission, had
given him a sign which could not and was not to be realized
for more than five centuries after the death of the king?
A fair examination of the entire passage in Isaiah will
be found in Chapter XXL of this work. The same dis-
cordance between the word of Scripture and its appli-
cation in the New Testament, will be found in referring

to the following passage of Matthew ii. 14, 15, "And
he [Joseph] arose and took the young child and his
i
mother by nighf, and departed into Egypt. And he

was there until the death of Herod that it might be ;
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,

saying, " Out of Egypt have I called my son." The
prophet alluded to in this portion of the gospel is
Hosea, who in reality says (in chap. xi. 1), " When
Israel was a youth I loved him, and from Egypt I called
my son." The fulfilment had not been delayed to the

times of Jesus, but had taken place in the days of Moses
when the Lord had told him (Exodus iv. 22, 23),
" And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord,
Israel is my first-l)orn son;" and again, "Send away
my son that he may serve me." What connection
between Prophecy and the New Testament can be dis-
covered in the following passage of Matthew? (chap,

St.
ii. 16, 17, 18,) " And Herod sent forth and slew all the
children that were in Bethlehem from two years old and
under. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by
Jeremiah the prophet, (chap. xxxi. 15), saying, Rachel
is weeping for her children, and would not be comforted
because they are not." Whoever reads the complete

passage delivered by Jeremiah, will soon perceive that
he speaks of the captives^ who, he says, ibid. ver. 16,
" Shall return from the land of the enemy." And sub-
sequently the prophet continues to say, (ibid. ver. 17),
"And the children shall return to their boundary."
It is thus quite evident, that Jeremiah is representing
the lamentations of an afflicted mother, who alludes to
the children who are living in captivity, and not those
who have been massacred by a tyrant the ten tribes :
being called by the name of Elphraim the descendants

of Rachel who was represented as a becoming
;
emblem of maternal grief for her unhappy children.

Moreover, if the prophet liad intended to point out the
afiliction created by the massacre of the children in
p 2
Bethlehem Judah, he would have selected Leah as the

representative of the wounded spirit of a bereaved
mother; for she and not Rachel was the female ancestor
of the inhabitants of Bethlehem. Various other re-
marks on this passage have already been made in the
Chapter XXVIII. of tliis work.
In the same second chapter of Matthew, ver. 23, we
read, " And he came and dwelt in the city called
Nazareth^ that it might be fufiUed which was spoken by
the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene." It is
quite certain that the writings of our prophets afford not

the slightest authority in support of this quotation.
In Matthew v. 43, Jesus is made to say, " Ye have
heard that it hath been said. Thou shalt love thy neigh-
bour and hate thine enemy." Now we maintain that
the additional injunction of hating the enemy flowed
from the inventive mind of the author of the Gospel,
and that it is not to be found in any part of the Jewish
law. What we find in our law concerning the treat-
ment of our enemy, is conveyed in totally different
terms. See Exodus xxiii. 4, *' If thou meet thine
enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely
bring it back to him again. If tliou seest the ass of
him that hateth thee lying under his burden and
wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help
with him." Again, see Leviticus xix. 17, 18, "Thou
shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart, thou shalt in
anywise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon
him. Thou slialt not avenge, nor bear any grudge
against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself." The same precept is repro-
duced in Proverbs xxv. 21, "If thine enemy be hungry,
give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him
water to drink."
In Matthew xxiii. 35, " Jesus reproaches the Jews for
FAITH STRExNGTHENED. 213
having slain Zucharias, son of Barachias, " between the

temple and the altar." In this reproach an insufficient
acquaintance with our Holy Books is shown, inasmuch
as it was Zachariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who
was slain (see 2 Chronicles xxiv, 22). Some Christian

commentators endeavour to explain away this dis-
crepancy, asserting that the father of Barachias had two
names. But this is a clumsy subterfuge, for the priest
Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, lived in the days of
Joash, king of Judah, while Zechariah, the son of
Berachiah, prophesied during the reign of Darius;
therefore several centuries intervened between the exist-
ence of the two men bearing the name Zechariah.
In Mark ii. 26, Jesus is made to say
to the Pharisees,
" Have ye never read what David did when he had
need, and was an hungered, he and they that were with
him ? How he went into the house of God in the days
of Abiathar, the high-priest, and did eat the shew-bread,
which is not lawful but for the priest, and gave also to
them that were with him?" This author of the Gospel
likewise evinces an inattentive perusal of our Scriptures,
since David did not go to Abiathar, but he went to
Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar. See 1 Samuel xxi.
1,
''
And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest";
and ibid., chap. xxii. 20, " And one of the sons of
Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped
and ran after David." Nor did David come to Ahimelech
with his followers, as the above quotation from Mark
would lead one to suppose. For Ahimelech asked David
(1 Samuel xxi. 1), "Why and no man
art thou alone,
with thee?" In St. John xiii. 34, Jesus communicates
to his disciples, " A new commandment I give unto you,
That ye love one another." This commandment is
decidedly not new. Moses laid it down in the words,

" Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
In Acts vii. 4, is to be seen, " Then came he [Abra-

ham] out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in
Haran, and from thence, when his father was dead, He
[God] removed him into the land wherein ye now
dwell." This is erroneous, for Abraham quitted Haran
during his father's lifetime. And since Terah, the
father of Abraham, died in Haran at the age of 205
years, he must have resided there for sixty years after
the departure of Abraham The following statement
will prove this, according to the account given in
Genesis : — Terah was seventy years old when he begat
Abraham, and the latter, when seventy-five years old,
quitted his. father; and Terah having died at the age of
205 years, he must, therefore, have been still living for

sixty years after his son's departure. The order in
which the history of Terah and Abraham is given in
Genesis xi. and xii. has most probably led to the inac-
curacies we have pointed out.

In Paul's Epistle to the Romans ix. '24, the Gentiles
are declared to be on an equality with the Chosen People.
" Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only,
but also of the Gentiles." As he says also in Hosea,
them my people which were not my people,
" I will call
and her beloved which was not beloved." Whoever
peruses the first and second chapters of Hosea will find
that Paul made use of the most tortuous means in order
to shew that the Gentiles are meant by that prophet.
So long as the people of Israel, through sin, forfeited
the favours of God, they were stigmatised by the desig-
nation " Loammi (no more my people), and Lo-ruchamah
(not received in mercy), but on returning to God,
the Judgment was, according to the prophet, to
be reversed, and they would bear the title " J.m/7?f" (my
people), and '' i?tfc/ia wzaA" (received in mercy). The
contents of Hosea's prophecy completely refute Paul's
attempt to assimilate the Gentiles with the Jews.
FAITH STRENGTHENED. -215
In the same fTmth chapter of Paul (ver. 33), a quo-

tation from Isaiah is inserted, " Behold I lay in Zion a
stumbling-stone and rock of offence, and whosoever

believeth on him shall not be ashamed." This quotation
is a mere fabrication of the author. In Isaiah viii. 14,
we find only, " And he shall be for a sanctuary, and for
a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both
houses of Israel for a gin and for a snare to the inha-
;
bitants of Jerusalem." In chapter xxviii. 16 of the

same prophet, we read, " Therefore, thus saith the Lord
God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone of
trial, a precious corner-stone, which shall be well
founded, yea, securely founded ; he that believeth shall
not hasten from it." Paul thus combines various distinct
passages to make them serve his own views.
In chap. X. 11 of Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and
1 Peter ii. 6, an inaccurate version of the above is given,
" He that believeth on him shall not be ashamed" (or
confounded). Scripture thus mutilated can certainly
not uphold the fabric of human faith. Again, Paul
says, in Rom. x. 6, 7, " Say not in thine heart, Who
shall ascend into heaven ? (that is, to bring Christ doAvn
from above); or who shall descend into the deep? (that
is, to bring up Christ again from the dead). But what
saith it? The word is nigh thee; even in thy mouth
and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we
:
preach." The words separated by Paul from their con-

text, allude to the Divine promise contained in Deute-
ronomy XXX. 3, " God will turn the captivity of Israel,
and replace all evils with blessings," ver. 2, "if thou wilt
turn to the Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soul."
" For this commaudment or precept which I command
thee this day is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
It is not in heaven that thou shouldst say. Who shall go

up for us to heaven and bring it unto us, that we may hear
it and do it." Ibid. U, 12, The grace of the Almighty
here points out to us the magnitude of the duty of

repentance, and the ease of accomj)lishing it. Commonly,
the value of worldly advantages is estimated according
But the precious-
to the difficulty of obtaining them.
ness of repentance consists means which the
in the
Almighty has placed within our reach; and therefore
the subject closes with the terms, ibid. ver. 14, " but the
thing is very nigh unto thee. It is in thy heart and in
thy mouth, that thou mayst do it."
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, x. 5, Paul quotes the

following words from our Scriptures " Sacrifice and : —
offering thou wouldst not, but a body thou hast prepared
me." The true passage, occurring in Psalm xl., is,
however, thus worded " Sacrifice and offering thou
:
didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened," etc. The
Psalmist touched here only on the subject of obedience
as agreeing with the announcement made by Moses
previously to the delivery of the Decalogue. See
Exod. xix. 5, where it is said, " And it shall come to
pass, if ye diligently hearken unto my commandments
and keep my covenant, that ye shall be unto me a dis-
tinct people from among mine is the
all nations, for
earth." The matter is further developed by Jeremiah,
who says in his book, chap. vii. 22, 23, " For I spoke
not unto your ancestors, and I commanded not unto
them concerning the burnt-offering and sacrifices; but
this I commanded them, saying, Hearken unto my voice."
Again, in Samuel xv. 22, obedience is enforced in pre-
1
ference to sacrifice, " Hath the Lord as great delight in

burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of
the Lord ? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, to
attend unto him is better than the fat of rams." We
thus see that sacrifices were not ordained for their
intrinsic value, but were intended to lead sinners into
the temple, where they might meditate on the mercy
of God while perfornnng the prescribed offering. Sacri-
fices conscquently^produced the same sanctifying effect
on the mind, as healing medicines do on the body. We

have here selected only a few Scriptural passages from
those incorrectly cited in the New Testament, but will
resume the subject more minutely in the Second Part
of this work.
Many Christian commentators have lost their way,
while attempting to reconcile those inconsistencies which
we perceive in the New Testament, and they have found
it necessary to assert, that it is not right to argue on
those dubious matters. If that principle be true, it
certainly would be better if the Jews were left un-

molested by the assailants of their ancient religion, and
if thev were left free from the obtrusion of doctrines
which interest neither faith nor reason.
CHAPTER XLVI.
There is a striking instance of the fulfilment of pro-

phetic warnings exhibited in the chastisement inflicted
on the Gentiles, who relentlessly persecuted the Jews.
There has never yet been a ruler exercising tyranny
over the Jewish people who escaped with impunit}'.
For although the Almighty deems it proper to visit
Israel's transgressions, He does not suffer mortal man

to act arbitrarily and fiendishly, employed
where he is
as the instrument of Divine Providence. Thus Pharaoh,

Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Haman, and other per-
secutors of the Jews, met with the retribution suited to
their excesses, notwithstanding the calamities of exile
falling upon the Israelites for their continuance in sin.
They had not forfeited the title of God's people and His
heritage, and He never disowned them so far as to
destroy them totally; for the sole object of His cor-
rections was to bring them back from their iniquitous
conduct. And because He never rent asunder the tie of

the covenant made with their fathers, He is in all parts
of Scripture mentioned as their God. This is illustrated

by the following quotation :
— Leviticus xxvi. 44, " And
even this I will do, when they shall be in the land of
them so
their enemies, I will neither despise nor loathe
as to consume them, and to break my covenant with
them, for I am the Lord their God." In their own
country they committed sins arising from their pros-
perity and affluence, their punishment was, therefore,
adjusted to their evil ways. The loss of the " goodly
land," and the degradation from an independent to a
dependent state, and from riches to poverty, were the
chastisements proportioned to their withdrawal from
the ways of God. In this respect, they shared the fiite
of a kinof's minister who has fallen into diso;race with

his sovereign ; even after his estate has been confiscated,
he still remains a subject of his master, and in lowering
him the king merely exercises his royal prerogative.
Should now a stranger undertake to cast further
humiliation upon the fallen courtier, will not his master
direct his and vengeance upon him who
displeasure
tramples on the fallen man? History has, indeed, amply
shewn that in the very same countries in which the Jew
suffered persecution for his faith, the persecutors soon
engaged in sanguinary conflicts among themselves under
various pretexts. After the expulsion of the Jews from
England, France, and Germany, unheard of
Spain,
cruelties ensued, the description of which excites the
utmost horror in every breast, while, on the other hand,
the countries in which the Jew was left unmolested,
bore the most undeniable proofs of civilization, and
obtained by providential retribution the enjoyment of
prosperity. This state of quietude will ever remain
uninterrupted wherever toleration prevails, although new
sects may start u[) in defiance of newly established creeds.
This opinion is founded on our own experience as well

as on the following Scripture testimonies See Deute- :
—
ronomy vii. 15, " And the Lord shall remove from thee
every sickness and all the evil diseases of the Egyptians
He put them upon thee, but give them upon
shall not
thine enemies." Ibid. chap, xxx, 7, " And the Lord thy
God shall put all these oaths upon thine enemies and
upon thy haters who have persecuted thee." See also
Isaiah xli. 11, 12, " Behold all those who were incensed
aoâinst thee shall be ashamed and confounded thev ;
shall be as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall

perish. Thou shalt seek them and not find them.
Even them that contended with thee; they that war
against thee, shall be as nothing, and as a thing of
nought." Ibid. chap, xlvii. 5, 6, " Sit thou silent and get
thee into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; for
thou shalt no more be called the Lady of Kingdoms.
I was wrath with my people, I have polluted mine
inheritance, and given them into thine hand. Thou
didst shew them no mercy upon the ancient thou hast
:
very heavily laid the yoke." Ibid.chapt xlix. 26, "And

I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh,
and they drunken with their own blood as with
shall be
sweet wine, and flesh shall know that I the Lord
all
am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of

Jacob."
See also Jeremiah ii. 3, " Israel is holiness unto the
Lord and the first fruits of his increase; all that devour
him shall off'end; evil shall come upon them, saith the
Lord."
Ibid. xxx. 16, " Therefore all they that devour thee
shall be devoured ; and all thy adversaries every one of
them shall go into captivity, and they that spoil thee
shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee, will I give
for a prey." Joel iii. 2, " I will gather all nations, and
bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will
220 FAITH STRENGTHENED
plead with for my people and for my

them there
heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the
nations, and divided my land." The same prophet says,
at the conclusion of his book, chap. iii. 19, "Egypt
shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate
wilderness, for their violence against the children of
Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their
land." Obadiah, in his prophecy (ver. 10), says, " For
the violence against thy brother Jacob, shame shall
cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever." See
also the remaining part of this prophecy. Zephaniah
ii. 9^ 10, " Therefore as I live, saith the
Lord of hosts, the
God of Israel surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the
;
children of Amnion as Gomorrah, even as the breeding

of nettles, and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation the ;
residue of my people shall spoil them, and all the

remnant of my people shall possess them. This they
shall have for their pride, because they have reproached
my people and magnified themselves." And at the
conclusion of the book, the prophet says (iii. 19),
" Behold at that time I will undo all that afflict thee
and I will save lier that halteth and gather her that
was driven out, and I will set them as praise and fame
in every land where they have been put to shame."
Zechariah i. 15, "I am very sore displeased with the
nations that are at ease; for I was but little displeased,
and they helped forward the affliction." Ibid. ii. 8 and
9, " For thus saith the Lord of hosts, after the glory
hath he sent me unto the nations which have spoiled

you ; for he that touch eth you touclieth the apple of his
eye. For, behold, I will turn my hand upon them, and
they shall be a spoil unto their own servants, and ye
shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me." See
also Psalm Ixxxiii. 1, connnencing " O God, keep not
thou silence." Chapters xxv., xxvi., xxxv., and that
portion of xxxvi.,*to verse 16, of the book of Ezekiel,

afford further elucidation on the subject.
CHAPTER XLVII.
The following argument may be raised against the

Christians who oppose Judaism. They either believe
that the Jews tormented and crucified Jesus iQith his
will or agaijist his will. If with his will, then the Jews
had ample sanction for what they did, and could in that
case only have merited the Divine approbation, acting
as they then did in conformity with the ejaculation of
David Psalm xl. 8, " I have been desirous to perform
in
Thy will;" and Psalm cxliii. 10, " Teach me to perform
Thy will." The Jews must also have followed the
admonition of Ezra x. 11, " And now give ye thanks
unto the Lord the God of your fathers, and execute his
desire." In addition to this we must ask, that if Jesus
was really -willing to meet such a fate, what cause was
there for complaint or affliction? And why did he pray
in the manner narrated in Matthew xxvi. 39, " And he
[Jesus], went a little further and fell on his face and
prayed, saying, my Father, if it be possible let
this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will but as

thou wilt." After Jesus had been fixed to the cross he
gave evident proof of his non-identity with the Deity
by exclaiming, " My God my God why hast thou
! !
forsaken me?" This argues that the will of God was

different from that of Jesus, and that he bore no closer
relation to the Creator than belongs to every other
mortal.
We will now proceed to the other alternative, and
suppose that the crucifixion of Jesus was done against
his will. In this case the question arises, How could he
be designated a God Avhile he wns incapable of resisting
the power of those who brought him to the cross, and

how could he be held as the Saviour of all mankind who
could not save his own life ?
The adoration paid to Jesus after his death recalls

to our mind the passage in Ezekiel xxviii. 9, " Wilt
thou say before him that slayeth thee, I am God but ;
thou art a man and not a God in the hand that slayeth
thee."
CHAPTER XLVIII.
We would submit to discussion the question whether

the Christians have any foundation for the belief that
Jesus wrought his beneficial works for the salvation of
the souls of his believers, and through his sufferings and
his blood, he saved the followers of his creed from
everlasting perdition in hell ? were the case,
If that
the Christians would be dispensed from doing good
actions, and be irresponsible for evil deeds. A passage
occurring in St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians
(chap. vi. 9,) will moreover show that the fall of Jesus
was only of advantage to the upright, but not to sinners.
" Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God." Of this we find a detailed
explanation in the subsequent verses. Now, if sinners
devoid of merit cannot be saved, why should the
righteous who have merits require any intercession in
order to obtain the Divine favour? It would appear
then that the death of Jesus serves neither for the

salvation of the sinner, nor for the salvation of the
righteous.
Should the Christians argue that the death of Jesus
was intended only to rescue from hell the souls of those
who were involved in the sin of Adam, then we would
refer back to the pages wherein we have fully proved
that the prophetg*îid the pious could not reasonably,

and according to Scriptural evidence, incur damnation
on account of the fall of Adam.
CHAPTER XLIX.
An extraordinary degree of inconsistency presents itself
in numerous points, when we compare the doctrine of
the Christians with the teachings of Jesus and his
Apostles.
In the first place, we find that Jesus does not, in any
part of the New Testament, call himself " God^^^ but
continually calls himself ^^
Man^^^ or " the So7i of Man.^'
The title of Divinity attributed to Jesus is consequently
conferred upon him without the sanction of that Book,
the authority of which can alone be of value to the
Christians.
In the second place, we notice that Jesus expresses
himself, in various places, that he did not come to
abolish the law of Moses, but to uphold it. Thus we
read in Matthew v. 17, 18, " Think not that I am come
to destroy the law or the prophets : I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil : for verily I say unto jôu, till
heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle, shall in no

wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." In a similar
manner, we find in Luke xvi. 17, "And it is easier for
heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to
fail." Nevertheless, the Christians persist in believing
that the Mosaic dispensation is no longer in force, but
has been superseded by that of Jesus.
In the third place, we observe, from the words of
Jesus, that he thought everlasting bliss depended on
obedience to the holy laws of Moses, for when asked by
the rich man, what he was to do in order to earn beati-
tude in life everlasting, Jesus answered (Matthew
224 FAITH STRENGTHENKD.
xix. 17, 18, " If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments. The rich man said unto him, Which
commandment? Jesus answered,Thou shalt do no
murder; thou commit adultery; thou shalt not
shalt not
steal; thou shalt not bear false witness honour thy father
;
and thy mother; and thou shalt love thy neighbour as

thyself." The Christian of our day adds, that the sole
condition on which life eternal depends, is the belief in
Jesus as the Saviour of the soul. Jesus moreover taught
the young man " If thou be perfect, go and sell that
thou hast, and give to the poor." This precept we have
never yet seen performed by any Christian.
In the fourth place, we do not anywhere find the
Christian who submits to the humiliation enjoined by
Jesus on his disciples, when he said (Luke vi. 29) " And
unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, olFer also
the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak^ forbid
not to take thy coat also," etc.
In the fifth place, we have to point out that, while

the Christians believe that Mary, after having given
birth to Jesus, still remained a virgin, Jesus himself
was not of that opinion; for, according to John ii. 4,
he said, " Woman, what have I to do with thee"?
In the sixth place, we find the Christians at variance,
not only difiêring from the Mosaic, or rather Noachic
prohibition of eating blood, but even from the injunc-
tion we read in Acts xv. 20, " But that we write unto
them from polhitions of idols, and
^that they abstain
from fornication, and from things strangled, and from
blood." See also ibid= xv. 29 and xxi. 25.
CHAPTER L.
We would ask the Christians who take the New Testa

jTient as a substitute for the Mosaic law, how they
could venture to add, or diminish from the doctrines

set forth in that law, seeing that the most severe de-
nunciations are pronounced against him, who would
dare either to add to, or omit the doctrines contained
therein.
As points of addition, we must consider — First,
The dogma of the Trinity. The New Testament itself
furnishes us only with proofs against the existence of
a Trinity, as we have already shown in the tenth chapter
"of this book.
Secondly, We do not learn from the New Testament
that Jesus called himself God, or that he arrogated to
himself the unbounded power of the Almighty.
Thirdly, We
have to ask those members of Christianity
who worship images, how they could introduce a worship
which runs counter to the stringent prohibitions of
Jesus regarding this matter ? For he proliibited his
disciples from tasting the very flesh of animals sa-
crificed in honour of images. The defence attempted
by those who bow to images is perfectly iintenable.
They allege that the images merely recall to mind
the memory of holy men and women, and that they
do not pay adoration to their inanimate representa-
tions. They, however, cannot deny that the form is
polytheistic, and that, in their estimation, their bowing
and prostration, and praying before those figures of
saints, imparts a Divine character to those images.
Fourthly, The Christians, in visiting uj)on the Jews
the death of Jesus, are acting against his expressed
opinion; for, according to Luke xxiii. 34, Jesus said,
" Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
The wide scope to cruelty which has been given by the
assumption of the right of avenging the death of Jesus
on the Jews, has been sadly demonstrated in the con-
duct of the worst of men, who have heaped upon the
Q
•226 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
Inoffensive false accusations and acts of violence.As to

the Christians' omission of acts enjoined by Jesus, we
will point out
First, The non-adoption by Christians of the precept
and distribute among the poor the
to sell their property,
money thus realized Matthew xix. 16, and Luke xviii.
:
22. No Christian, according to our knowledge, ever

acquiesces in this mode of doing charity.
Secondly, The
Christians do not practise the following
admonition, contained in Luke vi. 35, " Love ye your
enemies, and do good, and lend, and hope for nothing
again;" and Matthew v. 44, "Love jôur enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them who despitefully use you and perse-
cute you."
Thirdly, The Christians have, without authority,
abolished the law, repeated in the New Testament^ that
they should abstain from eating blood and the flesh of
the strangled, as we have shewn in the preceding chapter,
by citing Acts xv. 29, and xxi. 25.
If Christians thus evade well-defined doctrines of the
New Testament, they cannot cast any reproach on the
Jew, who, from conscientious motives, refuses adherence
to the new doctrines of the Christian religion.
Thus we have fairly established our objections to
Christianity in the various arguments adduced in the

preceding chapters, wherein we have refuted the attacks
made by Christians upon the Jewish faith.
Let not the reader blame us for having occasionally
made repetitions. Our desire has by no means been to
swell the volume, but merely to render our arguments
more cle«nr and effective.
End of the First Part.

SECOND PART.
BEING A REFUTATION OF STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN THE
NEW TESTAMENT. THE VERSION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
USED BY THE AUTHOR WAS THAT MADE BY vSIMON BUDNJ,
PUBLISHED IN 1572, WHOSE VERSION IS CONSIDERED THE
MOST AUTHENTIC.
INTRODUCTION.
It is notorious, that, in no part of the New Testament
do we find that Jesus intended to pass as the
author of
a New law; but, on the contrar}", that he admitted the
perpetual duration of the Mosaic Law, as we liave shewn
in the 19th, 20th, 24rh, 29th, and 30tli chapters of the
First Part of this work. Besides, it is ascertained, that
the New Testament was composed many years after Jesus.
It has been averred even by Jerome, in his Latin version
of the New Testament, that Mark and Lukewrote merely
from hearsay. Jerome seems to have thereby indirectly
acknowledged the Apocryphal cliaracter of those com-
positions, and admitted the true origin of the incon-
gruities and contradictions which occur in various parts
of those books. We must also direct the attention of
the reader to the incorrect manner in which portions of
our prophets are quoted and explained therein. Very
frequently the woi-ds of our Scripture are there actually
changed and perverted from their true signification.
In fact, after a careful perusal of the Christian Canon
of faith, we have been impressed witli tlie conviction
Q2
228 FATTH STRENGTIIF.NED.
that the authors of the New

Testament have overlooked
either intentionally or unintentionally, the real meaning
and bearing of our original Sacred writings
CHAPTER I.
Matthew contains an account of the genealogy of

i.
Jesus, and traces back' the descent of Joseph, the hus-

band of Mary, to Solomon son of David. The enume-
ration of his ancestors terminates thus (ver. 15, 16, 17),
" And
Eliud begat Eleazar. and Eleazar begat Matthan,
and Matthan begat Jacob, and Jacob l)egat Joseph, the
husband of Marv, of born Jesus, who is
whom was
called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to
David are fourteen generations, and from David until the
carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations,
and from the carr}dng away into Babylon unto Christ
aTe fourteen generations."
Tn Luke iii. 23, 94, however, the genealogy of Jesus
differsfrom that given by Matthew; for he assigns the
descent of Joseph, the husband of Mary, to Nathan the
son of David. The parentage of Jesus is there
described as "And Jesus was the son of
follows:
Joseph, Avhich was the son of Heli, which was the son of
Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son
of Melchi, etc., etc. Thus while, according to Matthew,
there are forty-two generations, reckoning back to
Abraham, there are twenty-six according names to the
mentioned in Luke. Besides this, the list of names given

in Matthew is not calculated to afford a correct know-
ledge of the descendants of David, for three generations,

Ahaziah, Jaos, and Araaziah, are omitted, and Uzziah
is ropresented to be the son of Joram. See the correct
genealogy in 1 Chron. iii., and in the historical part of
the Second Book of Chronicles beginning at chapter xxii.
etc.
It appears that the umissioii of three generations

of kings was done advisedly, in make out
order to
Matthew's three series of fourteen generations. How-
ever, after must be owned, that contradictory
all, it
accounts of the generations have no reference to JesuSj

but only to Joseph. For, as Mary is stated to have
remained a virgin, even after her marriage with Joseph,
we do not see the use of putting forth a long string
of names which had no relation to the founder of the
Christian religion.
This perplexing matter has not escaped the enquiry
of Christian scholars, and they meet it by asserting that
Luke does not contradict the account of Matthew, but
mentions the same Kings under different names, in the
same manner as Solomon is called Uzziah, Azariah, and
Jehoiachin. This defence is not admissible, as Luke
mentions Nathan, the brother of Solomon, as the
ancestor of Jesus ; it cannot, therefore, be supposed that
Solomon bore the name of Nathan. We further observe,
that Matthew reckons eighteen generations, and Luke
twenty-three, from David to Zerubbabel. Again, from
Abraham to Jesus, Matthew makes out forty-two, and
Luke forty generations. This cannot be reasoned
away but by taking various names as the designation oi
the same person. Besides, we find in ou?' Scriptures
only two or three of those contained in the list of the
ancestors of Jesus who had several names. And as to
those men who lived between Abraham and David, not
one is represented in our Sacred Writings as having
possessed two names, so that the contradictory enume-
rations in the New Testament still remain unreconciled.
Some scholars have contrived to offer another palliation
of the suspicious account. They say Matthew alone
gave the ancestral origin of Joseph, but that Luke
stated that of Mary, who was also of the seed of David
by his son Nathan, and that Mary's origin was mixed

up with that of her husband, because man and wife
are one flesh. Such apologies are frustrated by the
very words of Luke (chap.iii.), who speaks expressly of
Joseph to show that through him the royal ancestry
of Jesus was established. Those who assert that Jesus
took his pedigree from his mother, only ought to find
in the genealogy of Jesus the son of Mary, the son of
Heli, the son of Matthew, etc. thus all suspicion of error
;
would have been obviated. Those who make an at-

tempt to defend their position by quoting " Man and
wife are of one flesh," should recollect that this expres-
sion has reference only to their conjugal fidelity and
afi'ection, but not to their descent.
CHAPTER 11.
Matthew i. 22 and 23, sets forth that Jesus was born

of a virgin, in order that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophet, " Behold, a virgin shall be

with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall
call his name Emmanuel."
The reader will remember, from the First Part of this

work that we have had frequent occasion to speak of
the method employed in the New Testament and other
Christian works, of citing from our Scriptures certain
passages, which, on careful examination, have no refer-
ence whatever to the immediate subject. Thus they
quote also the passage from Isaiah vii. 14, "Behold
ntoSyn " (meaning the young woman and not virgin)
" is with child, and about to bring forth a son." The
prophecy was given to Ahaz, King of Judah, in order
to allay his apprehensions regarding the two kings who
were to come to carry on war against Jerusalem.
What coniiectioii^^could tiiere subsist between a sign
necessary to convince the King of Jerusalem, and

the event of the birth of Jesus which happened so
many centuries after? How could Ahaz receive conso-
lation from prophecy, the fulfilment of which he was not
to live to see?
CHAPTER IlL
Matthew i. concludes these words concerning

with
Joseph, the husband of Mary " And [he] knew her
;
not until she had brought forth her first-born sun, and
he called his name Jesus." The wording of this passage
shows, in the first place, that after she had brought
forth "her first-born son" Joseph did " know her;" and
secondly, the appellation of Jesus the " first-born son,"
proves that the same mother bore more children than
one, otherwise the term first-horn could not be applicable.
This harmonizes well with Matthew xiii. 55, where
Jesus, " the carpenter's son," is mentioned together with
his brother "James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas."
This passage an incontrovertible contradiction of the
is
opinion of those who consider Mary to have been a vir-

gin before and after she had given birth to Jesus.
The English version of Matthew i. 23, has, And thei/ ^^
shall call his name Emmanuel ;" but in the Hebrew origi-
nal, we have nX'Hpl " cind she shall call.'^
It is also a striking fact that the name Emmanuel was

not given to Jesus by the virgin. Nor do we find that
the Emmanuel mentioned in Isaiah was ever to be con-
sidered the Messiah,
CHAPTER IV.
Matthew ii. 14 and 15, " When he [Joseph] arose, he

took the young child and his mother by night and
departed into Egypt; and was there until the death
of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called
my son."
The misapplication of the evidence taken from Hosea
xi. 1, is perfectly obvious. He speaks of the chosen
people delivered from bondage. He says, " When
Israel was young I did love it ; and* out of Egypt I
called my son." This allusion to the pristine state of
Israel fully agrees with the message Moses gave to
Pharaoh. Exod. iv. 22 and 23, " Thus saith the Lord,
Israel is my first-born son, and I have said unto thee,
Send away my son that he may serve me."
CHAPTER V.
Matthew ii. 16, 17, " And Herod sent forth and slew
all the children that were born in Bethlehem, and in all
the coasts thereof, fromtwo years old and under. Then

was fulfilled was spoken by Jeremiah the
that which
prophet, chap. xxxi. 15, saying, "Rachel [was] weeping
for her children, and would not be comforted because
they are not."
The construction of these words of the prophet is
incompatible with what follows. For we read in the

same chapter of Jeremiah, ver. 17, " And the children
shall return to their boundaries." This cannot mean
slain^ but only captive, children. The ten tribes are
here alluded to as the captives who are mentioned under
name Ephraim^ because their first king

the collected
Jeroboam was of the tribe of Ephraim, the descendant
of Rachel. Had Jeremiah's prophecy had any connec-
tion with the extermination of the infants of Bethlehem
Judah, it would not have been for Rachel to weep, but
for Leah, the ancestress of the children of Judah. See
chapter xxviii. of Matthew.
CHAPTER VI.
Matthew ii. 23, " And he came and dwelt in a city

called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophets. He shall be called a Nazarene."
This quotation has been falsely made, and is not to be
found in any part of our prophetic writings; which
subject has been more fully treated of in the former
part of this work. See Chapter xxiii. of First Part.
CHAPTER VII.
Mat'ITIEW iv. 1 — 11, " Then was Jesus

led up of the
tempted of the Devil.
Spirit into the wilderness to be
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights,
he. was afterwards an hungered. And when the
tempter came to him he said. If thou be the Son of
God, command that these stones be made bread. But
he answered and said. It is written, Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth Then the Devil taketh him into
of God.
the Holy City, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the
Temple, and saith to him, If thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down for it is written, He shall give His
:
angels charge concerning Thee; and in their hands they

shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
agamst a stone. Jesus saith unto him, It is written
again, Thou tempt the Lord thy God. Agahi,
shalt not
the Devil taketh him up into an exceeding high
mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them, and saith unto him, All
these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and
worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee
hence, Satan for it is written, Thou shalt worship the
;
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

The same subject occurs in Luke iv. The reader must
certainly perceive by this narrative that the Jesus
tempted by Satan, is not intended to pass for a God
incarnate. For can any man, in his sound senses, sup-
pose that Satan would have presumed to tempt one
whom he knew to be a God or can it be imagined that
;
he would have dared, as a creature, to lead him away

by force against his will ? Reason recoils from such a
belief.
CHAPTER VIIL
Matthew iv. 13 — 15, "And leaving Nazareth, he [Jesus]

came and dwelt in Capernaum, which
upon the sea is
coast, in the borders of Zebulon and Naphtali.

That
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the
prophet, saying, The land of Zebulon and the land of

Naphtali, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles." Let the reader refer to
Isaiah ix. 1, and see whether the detached passage, as
given in the New Testament, proves anything relating
to Jesus. There we read that the anguish is not
abating which is poured down upon " her" [Israel]. "The
first time it came lightly upon the land of Zebulon, and
the land ofNaphtaK and the latter time, it fell heavily

;
upon her by the way of the sea, on the side of Jordan,

and the boundary of the Gentiles." The prophet had
spoken of the preponderance of the empire of Ashur
over that of Israel, and he stated that Tiglath Pilessar,
king of Assyria^ had at first extended his conquest over
the lands of Zebulon and Naphtali; and therefore the
calamity was deemed to be confined to a narrow com-
pass in the sight of Israel. But afterwards the misery
became oppressive, when Sennacherib marched against
Judah, and took all its fortified cities; so that Jeru-
salem was the only country that escaped. The whole
country of Palestine being thus ravaged, the prophet
pointed out the utmost limits of the country as the
marks of the extent of the devastation; hence the
allusion to Jordan and the sea, which were the boun-
daries of the nation. The borders of the neighbouring
Philistines were therefore called " the boundaries of
the Philistines." When Sennacherib came up to attack
Jerusalem, the angel of the Lord destroyed 185,000
warriors. Then it was that, according to Isaiah viii. 2,
" The people who had walked in the darkness of trouble
—
saw" namely, the light of deliverance, after the total
fall of Sennacherib. That salvation is termed " light,"
is shewn by the expression in Esther viii. 16, " Unto
the Jews was light." Isaiah continues, chap. ix. 3,

" Thou hast made great the nation (namely, in their
position among other nations) ; Thou hast increased
their joy before Thee, according to the joy in harvest"
thus expressing their gratitude and devout sentiments
at the miraculous escape from the overwhelming number
of the enemy, and their exultation during the distribution
of the spoil found in the Assyrian camp. " For Thou
hast broken the yoke of his burden" ; that is, Thou hast
frustrated the designs of the cruelty of the Assyrian
^36 FAITH STRENGTHENED.
king ;
" And the stiifF of his shoulder, and the rod of
his oppression, day of Midian..'
as in the [When
Gideon, with a handful of men, routed in the night the
army of the invading Midianites ; so that also then a
supernatural help saved Israel from utter ruin] . For
the attack o£ the assailants was as the shock of an
earthquake — that is to say, this warfare differed from
all others which garments were rolled in blood;
in
\vhereas in this war there was no bloodshed by human
weapons, but the weapons of destruction were " burning
and of full fire," The prophet then continues to say,
" For unto us a child has been born, unto us a son
has been given, and the government has [fallen] on his

shoulders." By this prediction was meant Hezekiah,
king of Judah, in whose days the signal deliverance
happened. This prophecy was given to Ahaz after
the birth of Hezekiah, and in consideration of the
future piety of this child, this Divine consolation was
given. The son who was given us, and who was
proved to have been Hezekiah, was nine years old
when Ahaz ascended the throne.
CHAPTER IX.
Matthew iv. 18, 19, " And Jesus, walking by the shores
of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, called Peter, and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they
were fishermen, and he said unto them, Follow me, and
I will make you fishers of men." The same is related
in Luke v. 10, "And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not,
from henceforth thou slialt catch men." This meta-
phorical language employed by Jesus, aj)pears most
inapt and undignified. The net catches the unwary by
stealth, and those who are cauglit are destined to death
by those who spread the net.
FAITH STRENGTHENEJ*. 237
CHAPTER X.
Matthew v. 17, 18, 19, " Think not that I am come to

destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to
destroy but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall
inno wise pass from the law till all he fulfilled. Whoso-
ever, therefore, shall break one of these least com-
mandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called
the least in the kingdom of heaven but whosoever shall
:
do and teach them, he shall be called great in the

kingdom of heaven." So in Luke xvi. 17, "And it is
easier for heaven and earth to pass away than one tittle
of the law to fail." These words are in direct opposition
to the belief and the assertion of the Christians, that
the law of Moses has been superseded by the coming of
Jesus. Thus, circumcision is replaced by baptism, and
the sanctity of the seventh day is deferred to the keep-
ing of the first day of the week. With the same in-
excusable freedom, many other Divine laws have been
rejected by the Christians, only few having been re-
tained, such as those regarding incest and moral enact-
ments, respect to parents, love to our neighbour,
charity to the poor, avoidance of theft, rapine, adultery,
murder, shedding of blood, and some other crimes
which reason enforces, and which other nations, who
were without revelation, had acknoMdedged before the
coming of Jesus. On this subject we liave enlarged in
Chap. XJX. of the First Part of this work.
CHAPTER XL
Mattttew v. 43, " Yc have heard that it iiath been said,
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy."
This passage, which is pretended by Matthew to be

taken from some part of our Scriptures, originated
partty in his own imagination. Scripture no where
bids us to hate our enemy, but teaches us a totally
different doctrine; for we find in Exodus xxiii. 4, 5,
" If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray,
thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou
seest the ass of him that hateth thee, lying under his
burden, and wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt
surely help with him." See also Levit. xix. 17, 18,
" Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou :
shalt rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon

him. Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge
against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. I am the Lord." Again, in
the Book of Prov, xxiv. 17, " When thine enemy falleth
do not rejoice, and when he stumbleth let not thine
heart rejoice." And ibid, xxv. 21, " If thine enemy be
hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he be thirsty, give
him water to drink."
CHAPTER XII.
Matthew viii. 19, 20, " And a certain scribe came and
said unto him. Master, I will follow thee whithersoever
thou goest. And Jesus said unto him. The foxes have
holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son
of Man hath not where to lay his head." The same
saying is recorded in Luke ix. 57. This passage we
deem a strong proof of the consciousness of Jesus that
he was not God. For, if he had really been filled with
such a conceit, why should he have called himself the
Son of Man ? And, moreover, why should he have

dissuaded others from relying on him? Perhaps he bore
in mind the admoflition given in Psalm cxlvi. 3, " Do

not rely on princes nor trust in the son of man, for salva-
tion belongeth not unto him." Or perhaps the words
of Jeremiah in chap. xvii. 5, " Cursed is the man who
relieth on man." Had he imagined he was God, why
should he have said he had nowhere to lay his head?
Would he not have considered the whole earth to be
hisown resting-place ; for does not the Psalmist remind
us in Psalm xxiv. 1, "That the earth is the Lord's,
and the fulness thereof, the world, and the inliabitants
therein?"
CHAPTER XIII.
Matthew x. 34, " Think not that 1 am come to send

peace on earth : I came not to send peace, but a SAvord.
For I came to set a man at variance against his father,
and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-
in-1nw agninst her mother-in-law." The same matter is
treated of in Luke xii. 51, and is a strong indication
that Jesus was not filled with that spirit of peace so in-
dissolubly attached to the office of Messiah. For, regard-
ing the expected Messiah, Zechariah, in chap. ix. 10,
says, " And
he will speak peace unto the nations."
Concerning that period it was prophesied by Isaiali in
chap. ii. 4; and in Mic. iv. 3, " Nation shall not lift up
the sword against nation." Plow much less will it tlien
be allowable that a man should "be set at variance
against his father?" On

the contrary, the Divine pro-
mise runs thus (in conclusion of Malachi), " And he
shall restore the heart of the fathers unto tlie children,
and the heart of the children unto their fathers."
CHAPTER XIV.
Matthew x. 40, Jesus is made to say to his apostles,

" He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that
receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." By this
expression, the Christians are reduced to the necessity
of believing that Jesus and his apostles are identical;
and as they are taught that three make one, they ought,
by parity of reasoning, to deduce the inference from
the present passage, that the trinity, with the twelve
apostles, make altogether one unity.
CHA-PTER XV.
Matthew xi. 13, 14, Jesus is made to say, "All the

prophets and the law prophesied until John, and if ye
will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come." See
the same passage in Luke xvi. 1 6. From this it would
seem that it was intended to inculcate a belief, that the
law and the prophecies had only a certain temporary
object in view, which was to find its point of completion
in John, a contemporary of Jesus. On the other hand,
Jesus declared in Matthew v. 1 7,
" Think not that I
am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not

come to destroy, but to fulfil " (see our opinion on this
subject in Chap. XIX. of the First Part of this w'ork).
We would ask the question, how did he fulfil the pre-
dicted ingathering of the Ten Tribes, and the carrying
on of the war ao-ainst Goo; and Ma2:o2:? We would also
notice a discrepancy between the ojînion held out in
this chapter of Matthew, that John was the Elias
(Elijah) of the Bible, and the following statement made
by the author of the Gospel of John " And they askod :
him, What then?* Art thou Elias ? And he saith, I

am not. Art thou the Prophet? And he answered,
No." (See Chap. XXXIX. of the First Part of this
work).
CHAPTER XVI.
Matthew xii. 32, And whosoever speaketh a word

^'
against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him, but

whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not
be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the
world to come." See also Luke xii 10. Both Matthew
and Luke acknowledge, by this wârning, that Jesus is the
Son of Man and that he and the Holy Ghost are not
;
identical, consequently they were fully convinced that

there is no doctrine in the Testament enforcing the
belief in a triune deity, arid that such a notion rests
merely on imagination.
CHAPTER XVI 1.
Matthew xiii. 55 ; it is related here that the Jews said

of Jesus, " Is not this the carpenter's son? And is not
his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and
Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are the}'
not all with us ?" See also Mark vi 3. How then can
the Christians constantly worship Mary as a virgin,
she having given birth to the several brothers and
sisters of Jesus?
CHAPTER XVni.
Matthew xv. 1 to 25, When tlie Pharisees blamed his
R
disciples for eating without previously washing their

hands, Jesus argued that whatever enters the mouth
does not defile man, but that defiles him which goes out
of the mouth. The same Mark vii. from the
is said in
beginning to verse 24. were true, why should
If that
the Law of Moses prohibit us from eating certain
unclean things? See also Levit. xi. 8, " And ye shall
not defile yourselves with them [viz. the unclean animals]
lest ye grow unclean through them." This shows, that
a certain class of food is considered by Divine authority
as impure and unlawful. By what right then did Jesus
dare to contradict the law, and to absolve his Jewish
followers from prohibited meats. If unclean food did
not defile the mouth of the eater, why did the Apostles
forbid the eating of blood and of the flesh of strangled
animals ? And did not Adam commit a sin, even
according to the belief of the Christians, by the act of
eating of that of which he was enjoined not to eat ?
ri(jw much strong drink is able to defile the soul of
man is early demonstrated in Scripture, as we learn from
the history of Noah and Lot. While on the other
hand the expression of Jesus that words coming out
of the mouth of man alone defile him, is subject to
great limitation. For all praising and thanksgiving
ofi'ored up to the Almighty, as well as all wise, moral
and social converse do not defile the soul.
CHAPTER XIX.
Matthew and subsequent verses, "And behold

xix. 1(5
one came and said unto him. Good master, what good
thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life ? And he
said unto him. Why callest thou me good ? There is
God ;" an expression which
none good but one, that is
proves that Jesus Ts not God. Then Jesus continued,

" If thou desirest spiritual salvation keep the command-
ments." An injunction indicating that there is no
salvation without the observance of the law of Moses.
He [the querist] saith unto him, "
Which ?" Jesus said,
" Thou shalt do no murder. Thou shalt not commit
adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear
false witness. Honor thy father and tliy mother, and
thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Further he
said, " Tf thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that which
thou hast and give to the poor." The same is to be found
in Mark x. 21 In Luke xviii. 22, Jesus thereby advises,
.
' Sell all ihat thou hast and distri])ute unto the poor,"
etc. Jesus, in saying there is none good but one, that

is God, taught his followers a monotheistic principle.
He taught them at the same time that salvation depends
on the observance of the Divine commandments. All
these injunctions, given by Jesus, are renounced by
Christians and thus, having thrown off those incon-
;
venient and onerous observances taught in the New

Testament, they might well allege that the severe
precepts of the Mosaic Law were abrogated, and must
give Lawgiver whose laws they think
place before a
proper to disregard. We would ask, Avliich precept is
the most severe, that of Jesus, which demands that a
man should divest himself of his property for the l)enefit
of the poor, or the Mosaic Law, which ordains that a

tithe only should be devoted to holy purposes, leaving
the remainder at the free disposal of the owner of the
property ?
CHAPTER XX.
Matthew xx. 23, Jesus, addressing his disciples, namely
r2
thetwo cliildrcn of Zebedee, says, " To sit at my right band

and at my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given
to them, for whom it is prepared of my Father," The
reader will find the same idea expressed in Mark x.
Now if the Son is less powerful than the Father, how
can it be asserted that the Father and Son are all one?
CHAPTER XXL
Matthew XX. 28, Jesus thus communicates to his disci-
ples, " Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister," etc. The same is stated in
Mark x. 45. By this passage, Jesus makes the decla-
ration destructive of the dogma of his divinity, that he,
being the son of man, is a servant and not a master; or
in other words, that he is not the King Messiah of
whom was said of Zechariah, in his book, chap. ix. 10,
it
" And kingdom shall extend from sea to sea, and from
his
the river to the ends of the earth." Also, in Psalm Ixxii.
11, "And all kings shall bow down unto him, all
nations shall serve him." And in Daniel vii. 14, " And
all rulers shall serve and obey him."
CHAPTER XXII.
Matthew That upon you may come all the

xxiii. 35, "
righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of

the righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of
Iârachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the
altar." This reproach rests on an error regarding the
names, for it was Zachariah, the son of Jehoiada the
priest, whom they sIcav (See 2 Chro. xxiv. 21). It is
impossible to admit the attempted reconciliation accord-

ing to which Zecharriah, the son of Jehoiada the priest,

and Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, are identical.
For the priest of that name was shiin in the days
of Joash, king of Judah, about two hundred and fifty-
four years prior to the destruction of the temple; while
the prophet Zechariah did not prophesy until the
second year of Darius, the son of Artachsasta, during
the Babylonian captivity. Such errors in the mouth of
Jesus are decidedly unfavourable to the divine inspira-
tion attributed to him, as well as to the authors of the
New Testament.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Matthew xxvi. 6, 7, " Now when Jesus was in Bethany,

in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a
woman having an alabaster box of very precious oint-
ment, and poured it on his head." In Mark xiv. 3, tlw
narrative is given in the following words, " And being
in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came
a woman having an box of ointment of s[)ike-
alabaster
nard, very precious, and she brake the box and poured
it on his head." In Luke vii. 37, however, the version
is far different; " And behold a woman brought an ala-
basterbox of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him,
and anointed them with ointment." Then .Jesus said to
Simon, the master of the house (ver. 46), "my head
with oil thou didst not anoint, but this woman hatli
anointed my feet with ointment."

In John xii. 3, the story is narrated thus :
'"
Then
took Marya pound of ointment of spikenard, very
costly,and anointed the feet of Jesus." These extracts,
from the several books of the New Testament, are
curious specimens of the want of agreement between
the several authors, who of necessity would have been
in perfect unanimity, had they been under the influence

of Divine inspiration.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Matthew xxvi. 39, " And went a little

he (Jesus)
further and fell on his and prayed, sa\ing, 0,
lace,
my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me
nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." See
likewise Mark xiv. 35, and Luke xxii. 41. This pas-
sage refutes the Christian belief, that Jesus offered
himself spontaneously as the sacrifice for the salvation
of mankind. If that had been the case, why should he
have hesitated and prayed lor the removal of the bitter
cup of his portion; and why should he have exclaimed,
" My
God my God why hast Thou forsaken me?" (see
! !
Matthew xxvii. 46). This is another proof that the

Father and the Son are not identical, and that the
design of the one does not accord with that of the
other.
CHAPTER XXV.
Matthew xxvii. 9, 10, "

Then was fulfilled that which
was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, " And they
took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that
was valued, and whom they of the children of Israel did
value, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord
appointed me." Here, again, we meet with the usual
misapplication of Scriptural passages. The quotation,
taken from Zechariah xi. 12, 13, runs as follows: " So
they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And
the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter," etc.
The unbiassed reader need merely refer to the context,

from which this passage is extracted, in order to obtain
the conviction that the prophet wished to convey a
far different idea than Matthew found in it. Zechariah,
in tlie chapter before us, represents the fate of the
children of Judah during the captivity, who had become
the prey of the enemy for having transgressed the com-
mandments of the Almighty, and hence he designates
the Jews of the second temple as the flock of the
slaughter.
The prophet Zechariah's account (in chap. xi. 7), of
having taken two staves, the name of the one being
" Beauty," and the name of the other " Bands," must
not be viewed in its literal, but in its metaphorical
sense. The staves signify the leaders of Israel, for the
shepherd conducts his flock by means of the staff or
crook in his hand. Now the prophet hereby intimates
that Israel would be treated according to the merit
of their doings.The Staff " Beautij " {i. e. lenient treat-
ment) was used in the early days of the second temple,
when such leaders as Nehemiah and Zerubbabel stood
at the helm of Government; while the misgovernraent
of the succeeding rulers, which crippled and ultimately
destroyed the energies and well-being of Israel, was de-
signated "Bands" {i. e.^ harsh treatment). The simul-
taneous death of three righteous leaders, alluded to by
the prophet, may have been in reference to Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi, after whose decease severe ca-
lamities came upon the Jewish nation.
The shepherd in the prophecy claims his wages tiiat —
is to say, he demands that the pious observance of the
Divine statutes should be offered as a compensation for
the special favours of the Almighty. The thirty pieces
of silver are a figurative representation of the righteous
men of the time, who were cast to their potter {i. e.
literally thrown upon the mercy of their Former or

Creator). The Staff (termed Bands) was broken for ;
we learn from our history that the misrule prevailing in

Jerusalem was productive of Israel's overthrow. Indeed,
it seemed as if every successive bad Government had
been destined to be the avenger of the misdeeds of its

predecessor. Whether it be correct or not, to refer the
details of the prophecy to certain known historical
characters, this much is evident, that the political go-
vernment of the Jews, and their destiny, are the circum-
stances alluded to by the prophet. No thinking man
can however, admit that the prophecy had reference to
Jesus, in whose fate his Jewish contemporaries were so
little concerned.
CHAPTER XXVL
Matthew xxvii. 46, " And about the ninth hour, Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, '
Eli, Eli, lama sabach-
thani,' — that is to say, '
My God my God why
! ! hast
thou forsaken me'"? See the same passage in Mark
XV. 34.
By this exclamation, Jesus clearly announced that he
was not a God, but was like other mortals, who invoke
God in the day of trouble.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Matthew xxviii. 18, "And Jesus came and spake unto
them {i. e., his disciples), All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth." This passage does not show that
he was a Divine Being ; for, had he been so, he would not
have asserted that the power was given to him. To God,

nothing can be giVen ; for " Unto him belongeth the

dominion and the power" He is the Giver, and
not the Receiver. It could not be maintained, that
Jesus received the dominion from his Father; for in
that case the Bestower and the Acceptor must incon-
testably be considered as two separate and distinct
Beings. This concludes our views concerning the book
of Matthew.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Mark ii. 25, " And he [Jesus] said unto them, Have ye
never read what David did when he had need and was
an hungered, he and they that were with him ? How,
when he went into the house of^God, in the days of
Abiathar, the high priest, and did eat the shewbread,
which is not lawful to eat, but for the priests, and gave
thereof to them that were with him." This passage is
also to be found in Matthew and in Luke vi. 3
xii. 3,
but all these authors have fallen into the same error,
and labour under the same misconception. For this
happened in the time of Ahimelech, the priest, and not
in the time of Abiathar, as maybe seen in 1 Samuel xxi. 1,
" David came to Nob, to Ahimelech, the priest," etc.
But Abiathar was one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son
of Ahitub, who escaped and fled after David. Now, from
the express question put to him, we see that David
came alone to Ahimelech, and that no one was with him
" Why art thou alone, and no man with thee ?"
CHAPTER XXIX.
Mark iii. 31 — 35, "There came then his brethren and
his mother, and standing without, sent unto him, calling
him; and the multitude sat about him, and they said
unto him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren without
seek thee. And he answered them, saying. Who is my
mother, or my brethren ? And he looked round about
on them which sat about him, and said. Behold my
mother and my brethren. For whoever shall do the
will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and
mother." The same subject occurs in Matthew, at the
close of chap. xii. and in Luke viii. 19. It appears from
;
these statements, that his own mother, and brothers, and

sister, would not believe in him, and be his disciples, and
that he would not go to meet them who were of his own

flesh. The allusion to mutual discord between them is
confirmed by the statement of John vii. 5, " For neither
did his brethren believe in him,"
CHAPTER XXX.
MarkxI. 11, 12, 13, " And on the morrow, when they
were come from Bethany, he (Jesus) was hungry and, ;
seeing a fig-tree afar ofi* having leaves, he came, if hapl}

he might find anything thereon and when he came to
;
it, he found nothing but leaves, as the season of figs was
not yet come. And Jesus answered and said unto it,
No man eat fruit of thee for evermore." See also
Matthew xxi. 18. Jesus acted here neither as a Divine
person, nor as a man in whom the Divine Spirit dwelt.
For he surely might have known that the fig-tree bears
its fruit only at the appointed season ; nor would any

discreet person cast a malediction on a tree merely for
being thus disappointed. Moreover, if Jesus, by his
mere word, was able to render a tree barren, might he
not as well, by the power of his word, have made the
tree bring forth its fruit at the bidding of the moment,
in order to appease 4iis hunger ? I, having once made

use of this argument with a Christian, he explained it
away by asserting tliat the passage has only a spiritual

signification, and that the tig-tree nauied was but a
symbol used by Jesus to represent the Jewish nation,
in like manner as the propliets designate them the
"vine-tree," and that Jesus had cursed Israel for having
rejected him as their spiritual teacher. I rejoined that,
in our prophecies regarding the time of the expected
and true Messiah, we are promised that in the days of
the Messiah, knowledge and prophecy shall increase
and prevail throughout the world as it is said in Joel
;
ii. 27, 28, " You shall know that I am in the midst of
Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none
else, and my people shall then never again be put to
shame. And then I shall pour out my spirit upon all
flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy."
From this prophecy, it is clear that many of the indis-
pensable conditions, requisite for the advent of the
Messiah, had not yet been fulfilled, but were still to
come.
CHAPTER XXXI.
Maek xiii. 32, Jesus is made to say to his disciples,
" But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no,
not the angels which are in heaven, neither tlie Son
but the Father." Here we have a clear proof that
Jesus, who is called " the son of Mary," is not a God,
seeing that he could not foretell events.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Luke i. 26, There it is related that the angel Gabriel
came messenger sent by God to Mary in her virgin

as a
state, when she was espoused to Joseph of the house of
David, and that He announced to her she would con-
ceive and bear a son, who would be holy, and be called
a son of the highest ; that the throne of David would be
assigned to him by the Lord God for occupation, and
that he would reign over the house of Jacob for ever,
and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
This statement disagrees with those made in other
parts of the New Testament, and casts strong suspicion
on the veracity of a book asserted to be written under
the influence of inspiration. If Mary had received
such a divine message, why did she and her children
refuse faith in, and obedience to that Son of God, and
why did she and her offspring keep away from the
circle of the disciples of him whom she had borne through
the intervention of a miracle? See Mark iii. 31. A
marked contrast also appears between the words of
Luke i. 26, and those in John vii. 5, which we had
occasion to quote in a former chapter, viz., " His
brethren did not believe in him." Would it not have

been the duty of the virgin-mother to inform her
children what a strong claim her first-born had on their
pious attachment to him? Again, why did Mary name
her son "Jesus?" If he were to be named Emmanuel^
according to the interpretation given to the famous
passage in Isaiah, which is especially cited in Matthew i. 22,
why did the angel hold out the never-fulfilled promise
that Jesus would sit on the throne of David ? Moreover,
why was Jesus called the descendant of David, since it
is alleged that he was not the offspring of Joseph, of

the house of David, but was begotten of the Holy
Ghost 1 The number of contradictions also is increased
by the Avords of Paul in his First Epistle to the Corin-
thians, chap. XV., ver, 28, for there it is said, " Then
shall the son also hffnself be subject unto him, that put
all things under him." This is an additional proof that
the kingdom of Jesus is not intended to continue
throughout eternity, but is to be only of a temporary
nature; hence, we arrive at the conclusion, from the
very authorities of the Christian faith, that the Father
and the Son are totally distinct personages.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
This chapter is omitted by the translator as unim-

portant in itself, and inapplicable to the general
argument.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Luke ii. 33, " And Joseph and his mother marvelled at
fliosc things v/hich were spoken of him."
" The child tarried behind in Jerusalem, and his
parents knew not of it." " And when they saw him
they were amazed, and his mother said unto him. Son,
why hast thou thus dealt with us ? Behold, thy father
and have sought thee sorrowing," ver. 43, 48. Ibid,
I
iv. 22, " And they said, Is not this Joseph^s sonV^ See,
also, John i. 45, " Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph-"
and ibid. vi. 42, ^'
Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph,
whose father and mother we know?"
These passages afford a complete refutation of the
doctrine of the miraculous conception of Jesus, and
thereby undermine the groundwork of the Christian
"
faith.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Luke iii. 23. The genealogy of Jesus, as treated in this
and the subsequent verses, is contradictory to that in
Matthew i. For Luke commences thus " The list of
—
:
the descent of Jesus" " And Jesus [as was supposed]*

was the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of
Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Malachi," etc., etc.
In Matthew, where tlie origin of Joseph is traced back

to Solomon, tlie son of David, the enumeration of the
ancestors of Joseph closes in the following manner :
—
" And Eliud begat Eleazar, and Eleazar begat Matthan,
and Matthan begat Jacob, and Jacob begai Joseph, the
husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus." We
have already shown above that Matthew enumerates
forty-two generations, from Abraham our father; but
Luke counts only twenty-six. From tliese contrary
statements one might fairly ask, which Joseph was the
husband of Mary? Was it Joseph, the son of Heli, the
son of Matthat, the son of Levi, as Luke supposes; or
was it Joseph, the son of Jacob, the son of Matthan, the
son of Eleazar, as Matthew supposes ? If we are to
believe the words of Luke, then the statement of
Matthew must be incorrect, and vice versa. Luke, in
tracing back the descent of Jesus to the first ancestor,
says that Jesus was the son of Adam, the son of God.
Hence it would seem that Jesus had no better title to
the designation of the son of God than every other

descendant of Adam.
* The words, " as ivas supposed," inserted here in the copies of the
translators of Luke, are a gratuitous interpolation, intended to make
us Jews believe that the author himself used the words, from the
apprehension that he was affording an argument militating against the
Divinity of Jesus. —
Note by the Translator.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Luke iv. 17 —21, "And there was delivered unto him
[to Jesus] the book of the prophet Esaias, and when he
had opened the book, he found the place where it was
written, The Spirit of God is upon me, because he hath
'
anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He hath

sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliver-
ance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord.' And he closed tlie book,
and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And
he said unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled
'
in your ears.' " Isaiah Ixi. is here quoted in a garbled

manner. In order to lay more stress on the healing
powers attributed to Jesus, the gift of restoring sight to
the blind added to the mission of the preteiided Mes-
is
siah. On the other hand,

it is omitted to be quoted
that this would be ^
—
"A day of vengeance to our God,
to comfort all mourners, to give to the mourners of
Zion glory instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead

of mourning, the cloak of praise instead of a gloomy
spirit." Jesus had no right to attribute to himself the
glory of deeds he had not performed. Isaiah spoke
here of himself. And by the words, The Lord hath
"
anointed me," he meant nothing more than that he had
received the Divine unction as a prophet. It was he
who was sent forth to offer consolation, in order that
the Israelites, during their long sufferings, shoidd not
despair of the Divine aid, and of their future restoration.
They, the exiled children of Israel, were addressed by
the prophets " as the afflicted, the broken-hearted, the
captives, the prisoners, the mourners of Zion." They
alone stood in need of the prophetic consolatory pro-
mises, and to whom alone they had reference.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Luke vi. 27 — 29, " Love your enemies, do good
to them that hate you. Bless them that curse you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you. And
unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also
the other, and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid
not to take thy coat also." This injunction is a repeti-
tion of what is to be found in Matthew v. 39. These
injunctions were and are, however, not only disregarded
by the members of the Christian religion, but were not
even practised by Jesus himself in the spirit in which the
words imply. For in John xviii. 22, we find that
Jesus, when beaten by a bye-stander, instead of offering
quietly his other cheek, very naturally argued with
him on the unfairness of such summary proceeding.
Nor did Paul silently submit to the order given by the
priest, that he should be smitten on the mouth (Acts
xxiii. 2, 3), or offer his cheek in meek contentment,
but indiojnantly swore, " God shall smite thee, thou

whited wall." precept were broken, obviously
If the
from extreme rigour, by the very disciple who
its
promulgated it, it is strange to ascribe to the doctrines

of Jesus, as is done in certain parts of the Gospel^ a
greater degree of practicability than to the original laws
of Moses, a fact that must convince every thoughtful
man that Christian doctrines are not always infallible.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Luke xi. and 41, " And he [Jesus] went in

37, 38,
and sat down to meat, and when the Pharisees saw it,
they marvelled that he [Jesus] had not first washed
before dinner." Tb this expression of purpose Jesus

responded, " Now do ye Pharisees make clean the
outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward
part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did
not he that made without make that
that which is
which is within also? But rather give alms of such

things as ye have, and behold all things are clean
unto you."
These arguments are merely quoted here, to show
how illogical some of the replies are which are put into
the mouth of the assumed Son of God.
The and those who are indifferent to
negligent,
cleanliness, might screen themselves under such dicta;
plain sense, however, would have suggested an answer
of a different character. Other sayings of similar incon-
sistency in the replies of Jesus are recorded in the book
of ^fatthew.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Luke xvi. 22, 23, Lazarus is stated to enjoy after
his death the bliss of immortality in the bosom of
Abraham, whilst the rich man, who indulged in the
pleasures of this world, is to suffer the torments of
hell. It is further said, that there subsists an infinite
distinction between the abode of glory and that of
perdition.
According to it does not appear that
this account,
either Abraham Lazarus were after their death
or
doomed to the punishment of hell, although the alleged
work of the redemption of mankind had not yet been
achieved by Jesus. We are therefore at a loss to know
what the Christians mean by salvation wrought by
Jesus, and what can be the danger of the original
s
258 FAITH STRENGTflENED.
sin, when we see that it did not affect those who died
unredeemed.
CHAPTER XL.
Luke xxiii. 34, " Then Jesus said, Father pardon them,
they know not what they do."
This appeal refutes the opinion of the Christians,
who maintain that the Jews suffer the punishments of
the Ahnighty for having put Jesus to death.
Can the Christians believe that God would not accept
the supplication of Jesus?
Whether the supplication wasaccepted or not accepted,
it is clear that the Jews do not lie under the punishment
of the Ahnighty, in consequence of that deed.
CHAPTER XLI.
John i. 21, ''And they asked him, What then? Art

thou Elias? and he said, I am not. Art thou that pro-
phet? and he answered. No."
This verse completely contradicts the statement made
in Matthew xi. 13, 14, according to which John is
included in the list of prophets, and is held to be the

last of them. The words used in that book, which we
have had occasion to adduce, run as follows :
" All the
prophets and the law prophesied until John and if ye
;
will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah], which was for to

come." Tn Matthew xvii. 12, 13, Jesus, in alluding to
John, affirms that the forerunner of himself as a Messiah
had come, although he had not been acknowledged as
such. He says there, " Elias [Elijah], is come already,
and they knew him not, but have done unto him what-
ever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man

suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he
spake of John the Baptist."
Once, on representing this contradiction to a Christian,
he evaded a direct answer by the retort, that Samuel
likewise denied his true mission, for he told Saul that
he was on his way to offer up sacrifices, while his real
objectwas to anoint David as king of Israel.
The cogency of this reply is not apparent, for Samuel
made no secret of his mission to David to whom he had
to communicate the Divine will, but observed the
necessary caution with Saul, to whom he had not
been sent. Different, however, was the case with the
pretended Elias.
If he [John], had to bring the Jews the tidings of the
advent of the Messiah, he very strangely performed his
duty, by denying his character and concealing his
message.
CHAPTER XLII.
John ii. 4, " Jesus saith unto her mother

(viz., to his
Mary), Woman, what have T to do with thee?"

and ibid,
chap. xix. 26, " When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother
and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith
unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son." If he had
believed that his mother had miraculously given birth

to him, and still continued in her virgin state, would he
not have addressed her by the more endearing and exalt-
ing appellation than the simple term umnan ? The
mode in which he addressed his mother here, and on
various other occasions narrated in the New Testament,
shows that he was not at all impressed with the sanctity
s2
260 FAITEI STRENGTHENED.
of the commandment, " Honour thy father and thy

mother."
CHAPTER XLIII.
John. ii. 18 — 20, " Then answered the Jews, and said
unto him [viz., to Jesus], What sign showest thou unto

us, seeing that thou doest these things ? Jesus answered
and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and
six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear
it in three days?
up
Could Jesus prove his divine character by thus advis-
ing the Jews to lay a sacrilegious hand on the sacred
edifice? And, moreover, it was most unreasonable to
ask that the Jews, who did not believe in his divine
power, should commit an action that should consign the
temple to everlasting destruction, merely for the sake of
testing the reality of his character.
CHAPTER XLIV.
John vi. 38, "For 1 [viz., Jesus], came down from
heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of Him
that sent me."
If Jesus alludes here to the descent of his soul to the
earth, is order to inhabit the body, then he has pro-
nounced a common-place doctrine, for every human
body in possessed of a soul but if he meant that he
;
descended from heaevn in flesh, then the assertion is at

variance with the other accounts, according to which he
was born of a woman in Bethlehem, in a manger. See
Luke ii. 7. Moreover, we see here an acknowledgment
of the all-importaTft fact of his non-identity with the

Godhead, as he professed to be only the agent of Him
who sent him.
CHAPTER XLV.
John "
For neither did his brethren believe in
vii. 5,
him." If his own brothers, men of the same flesh and

blood, and the nearest judges of the powers attributed
to him, feltno inducement to admit his pretensions;
surely we Jews may be excused for discrediting what
his own contemporaries and brothers rejected as in-
credible.
CHAPTER XLVL
John vii. 15, And the Jews marvelled, saying, How
''
knoweth this man letters, having never learned ?"

Talmudical tradition informs us that he had a teacher,
who was named K. Joshua Ben Perachiah, and that
master and scholar had fled into Egypt to escape the
persecution of King Janai.
CHAPTER XLVIL
John viii. 3, And
" the scribes and Pharisees brought
unto him a woman taken in adultery and when they
;
had set her in the midst, tliey said unto him. Master,
this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law, commanded us that such

should be stoned. But what sayest thou? And he
said unto them, '
He that is without sin among you,
let him first cast a stone at her. And he said to the
woman (verse 11), "Neither do I condemn thee; go,

and sin no more."
The laxity of this sentence is not only opposed to the
Mosaic injunction, " Thou shalt remove the evil from
the midst of thee :" but it is also practically disavowed
by the Christian legislation, according to which, the
adulteress is subjected to the severest rigour of the law,
on account of the injury it would necessarily occasion to
the happiness of society.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
John viii. 40, " But now ye seek to kill me, a man that
hath told you the truth which I have heard of God."
had been identical with God, he would not have

If he
told the Jews that he had received his revelation from
God. The truth proceeds from his own mouth, that he
was not a Deity incarnate. What the opinion of his
disciples was regarding this Divinity subsequently attri-
buted to him, is sufficiently manifest, in spite of the
many obscure expressions that occur in the New Testa-
ment; for instance, Paul says plaiiily, in his epistle to
the Romans, chap. v. 15, " The gift of grace which is
hy One Man^ Jesus abounded unto many."

Christ, hath
In every part of the New Testament where Jesus speaks
of himself, he represents himself as the Son of Man,
and not as God.
CHAPTER XLIX.
John x. 16, " And other sheep I [Jesus] have, which
are not of this fold ; them also I must bring, and they
shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one
shepherd."
The truth^ whidh is contained in this passage has no

reference to himself, for the union of faith was not ac-
complished by him, and will only take place at a future
period, when the proper time shall arrive. This is
testifiedby the following passages of Scripture. Isaiah,

in chap. xlv. 23, says, " Thus I have sworn by myself,
the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and
shall not return, For unto me every knee shall bow, and
every tongue shall swear." Zephaniah iii. 9, " For then
will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may
all callupon the name of the Lord, to sei've Him with
one consent." The predominance of Judaism over all
the religions of the Gentiles is dwelt on in the following
extracts from the prophets Isaiah Ixvi. 23, " Awake,
:
awake, put on thy strength, Zion; put on thy beauti-

ful garments, Jerusalem, the Holy City; for hence-
forth there shall no more come unto thee, the uncircum-
cised and the unclean." Ibid. chap. Iii. 1, "And it
shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another,

and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to
worship before me, saith the Lord." Zechariah xiv. 16,
" And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left
of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall
even go up from year to year to worsliip the King, the
Lord of Hosts, and keep the feast of tabernacles."
to
As to the attribution of the sovereignty of empires to
the future King Messiah, we find in Daniel ii. 44, "And
in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set
up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people but it shall ;
break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms, and it

shall stand for ever."
Ibid vii. And the kingdom and the dominion,
27, "
and the greatness of dominion under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most
High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all
the dominions shall serve and obey Him." Numbers

xxiv. 17, "I see it [it will not happen] now, I behold
it, but not nigh ; there shall come a star out of Jacob,
and a sceptre shall rise out of Judah, and he shall
smite the corners of Moab, and overthrow the children
of Sheth."
CHAPTER L.
John x. 30, " I [Jesus] and my Father are one." Ac-

cording to the opinion prevailing among the Christians,
Jesus declared in these words his perfect identity with
the Godhead; but we have already noticed a passage
which completely refutes this view. For we find in
Mark xiii. 32, " But of that day and that hour know-
eth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven,
neither the son, but the Father."
Every attempt to reconcile the two contradictory
verses, only leads to new perplexities. The more we
examine into the purport of the New Testament, the more
clearly we perceive its general tenor is not to deify Jesus
and that the doctrines which assign to him the title of
God, have arisen from want of due investigation, and
are not upheld by the force of sound argument.
CHAPTER LI.
John x. 33 — "
The Jews answered him [Jesus].
36,
For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy,
and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself
God.
" Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law.
I said ye are gods ? If he called them gods unto whom

the Word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be
broken : say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified
and sent into the world. Thou blasphemest, because I
am the Son of God?"

said, I
The equivocal reply of Jesus for styling himself God,
argues more against than in favour of his claim. In
quoting in his above defence the words of Psalm Ixxxii. 6,
" I have said, Ye are gods, and sons of the Most High
altogether," he has not borne in mind that the
psalmist spoke with the very purpose of showing that
those who call themselves sons of God, betray by their
own nature that they delude themselves and others ; for
he goes on to say, " But surely ye die like other men,
and fall like any one of the princes." The occurrence
of the word Elohim (gods), does not even show that the
Divine Being is really alluded to. We have instances
that both angels and judges by that term,
are designated
and that it is equal to the expression of higher powers
or authorities. See Judges xiii. 22, "We must die, for
we have seen an Elohim" (a superior being). In
Exodus xxii. 9, we read, " The cause of both men shall
come before the Elohim" (the judicial authorities), and
whom those Elohim find guilty, " he shall pay a double
portion to his neighbour." Similar use is made of the
word Elohim in various places of our Scriptures. In
Psalm Ixxxii. 1, the word gods [Elohim] has the same
signification as angels and messengers of the Almighty.
When God said to Moses, " Behold, I have made thee
a god unto Pharaoh," He spoke merely of him as of a
messenger who came in the name of the Most High.
The misquoted passages abounding in the New Testa-
ment betray the scanty and superficial knowledge its
authors possessed of the language and purport of our
Holy Scripture.
CHAPTER LIl.
John x. 38, "

That ye may know and believe that the
Father is and I in Him." The same is repeated
in me,
in chap. xiv. 11. In chap. xvii. 21, it is said, " That
they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and
I in Thee, that they also may be one in us that the world ;
may believe that Thou hast sent me. And the glory
which Thou gavest me, I have given them, that they
may be one even as we are one. I in them, and Thou
in me, that they may be made perfect in one," etc.
The junction of Father and Son is conferred also
upon the twelve apostles. If, therefore, the Christians
thought it necessary to change their belief in the Divine
unity, they were not justified in adopting the term
" Trinity," inasmuch as the twelve apostles are placed
on an equality with Jesus, and they might, with the
same latitude of argument, be well included in the
coalition of Divine personages.
CHAPTER LHI.
JoHNxiii. 3,
''
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given
allthings into his hands," etc. See, also, ibid. xvi. 15,
" All things that the Father hath are mine;" and Mat-
thew xxviii. 18, "All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth." This assumption of Supreme dominion
is in total opposition to the oft-quoted passage of
Mark xiii. 32, " and that hour knoweth
But of that day
no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither
the son, but the Father only." A like inconsistency in
ascribing to Jesus at one time the possession, and at

another a deficiency, of Supreme dominion, is percep-
tible in Matthew xx. 23, where Jesus owns that it is not

within his power to allot to the meritorious certain dis-
tinctions in future life. We have before quoted from
Matthew viii. 19, that Jesus confessed he had no place
on which to rest his head, and was poorer than the fox
in the fieldand the bird of the heavens. In John xiv.
28, he states, " The Father is greater than I." Such
repeated discrepancies must deprive the New Testament
of all title of a genuine and inspired work.
CHAPTER LIV.
John xiii. 34, Jesus asserts, " A new commandment I
give unto you, that ye love one another," etc. This

commandment was by no means newa one. Moses had
inculcated it in the words, "
Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself." Matthew xix. 19, and xxii. 39,
admit that Moses was the first who promulgated this

precept.
CHAPTER LV.
John xvii. 3, Jesus says, " And this is life eternal, that
they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent."
In this verse, Jesus acknowledged himself to be
merely a messenger, and not an integral part of the
Deity. The awe and worship due to the Almighty is
also, in Timothy i. 17, declared to belong to God alone j
for we find there, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for
ever and ever, amen."
If Jesus does not share the glory of God, he must be
dependant on the will of his Creator, like every other

creature.
CHAPTER LVL
John xviii. 3, etc., " Judas Iscariot, having received a

band of men from the chief priests and pharisees, cometli
with lanthorns," etc., and was asked by Jesus, " Whom
seek ye? and they answered and said, Jesus of Nazareth,
Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, who
betrayed him, stood with them."
This account of the betrayal differs from that given
in Matthew xxvi. 47 ; Mark xiv. 43 ; and Luke xxii. 47 ;
for, according to those authors of the respective parts

of the Gospel, Judas gave a secret sign to his compa-
nions, saying, " Him whom I shall kiss, that same is he,
hold him fast."
CHAPTER LVII.
John xix. 15, " The chief priests answered, We have no

king but Caesar."
Those who are of opinion that the Jews lost their
independence on account of their putting Jesus to death,
find here a complete refutation. The Caesar alluded to
was the Emperor Tiberius, who had, according to
Luke iii., placed Pilate over Jerusalem.
CHAPTER LVIII.
John xx. 17, "Jesus saith unto her [Mary Magdalene],

Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father;
;
but go to my bretRten, and say unto them, I ascend

unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and
your God."
Jesus shewed here clearly that he was no God, but
was in the same subjection to God as his brethren.
It cannot, therefore, be asserted on the authority of
this passage, that Jesus meant anything more by styling
himself " the Son of God," than the Holy Scriptures
indicate by such passages as Deut. xiv. 1, "Ye are
children of the Lord your God." The expression " Son
of God,'' has not the slightest reference to a Superhuman
Being.
CHAPTER LIX. '
Acts i. 6 and 7, *' When they [the Apostles], therefore,

were come together, they asked of Jesus, saying, Lord,
wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel? and he said unto them, It is not for jôu to
know the times or the seasons which the Father has
put in his own power."
The enquirers were evidently awaiting the restoration,
and learnt from his own avowal, that he did not con-
sider himself the restorer of the kingdom of the Jews.
At the same time he owned, that the termination of
Israel's exile is only known to the Almighty. If Jesus
had considered himself divinely inspired, he would have
given an answer in unison with his supernatural
knowledge.
CHAPTER LX.
Acts v. 34, " Then stood there up one in the council- ^

named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, and said

pharisee,
unto the Jews,Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves
what ye intend to do as touching these men for if this ;
council, or this work, be of nought :"

men, it will come to
(verse 39) "but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow
it; lest, haply (perhaps) ye be found even to fight
"
against God
The subject is cited here for the purpose of following
the order of the passages which claim a refutation.
We have already noticed that the duration of a sect
does not constitute a proof of the veracity of their
tenets, otherwise, the Mahommedan faith would be
entitled to nearly the same belief as that of the Chris-
tians.
CHAPTER LXI.
Acts vii. 4, " Then came he out of the land of the

Chaldeans and dwelt in Charran, and from thence, when
his father was dead, they brought him into this land
wherein ye now dwell." We have already pointed
out that this statement of Abraham's departure from
Charran, after the death of his father, is erroneous.
Instead of recapitulating our proof, we refer the reader
to Chapter XLV., of the first part of this work.
It is true that the death of Terah, though happening
after the departure of Abraham, is mentioned before it
but that is the frequent mode of Scripture narrative.

In the same way we find the death of Isaac recorded
before the selling of Joseph, although a brief calculation
would show that he survived thirteen years after the
sellino^ of his o:randson.
CHAPTER LXII.
Acts vii. 7, "And the nation to whom they shall be

in bondage will I judge, said God, and afterwards shall
they come forth and serve me in this place."
From this quotation it appears, that the disciples of
Jesus were but superficially versed in biblical knowledge.
For in Genesis (chap, xv.) no such words as "in this
place," are to be found; and in Exodus iii. 12, the
expression is, " When thou shalt bring out this people
from Egypt, ye shall serve God on this mountain^
CHAPTER LXIII.
Acts vii. 14, " Then sent Joseph, and called his father
Jacob to and all his kindred, threescore and
him,
tifteen So Jacob went down into Egypt and
souls.
died, he and our fathers, and were carried over into
Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham
bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor, the
father of Sychem."
The many errors put together in so small a compass
are sufficiently obvious. In the first place, we know
that Jacob's family that came down to Egypt, inclusive
of Joseph and his sons, amounted to seventy persons,
and not to seventy-five. See Genesis xlvi. 27, and
Deut. X. 22.
Secondly, Jacob was not buried in Sychem (Sclia-
chem), but in the cave of Machpelah, in Hebron.
Thirdly, The "fathers" of the several tribes were not
buried in Egypt, Joseph only being buried there, but
his remains Moses carried away with liiin at the time of
the departure of the Israelites from Egypt.
Fourthly, Abraham did not buy the cave of Mach-

pelah of the children of Emmor (Hamor), the son
of Schachem," but of Ephron, the Hittite.
Fifthly, the plot of field, situated near Schachem,
was purchased by Jacob, and not by Abraham. The
author of the Acts had but a confused idea of the
several purchases made by the patriarchs Abraham and
Jacob, and his statements respecting them must have
been from hearsay.
Schachem (^Schechem, Sychem), was the
Sixthly, son,
and not the father of Emmor (Hamor).
CHAPTER LXIV.
Acts vii. 43, " Yea, ye took the tabernacle of Moloch,

and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye
made to worship them, and I will carry you away beyond
Babylon." This quotation from the prophecy of Amos
is incorrect. In chap. v. 26, 27, it is thus expressed;
" But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch,
and Chiun your images, the star of your God, which ye
made to yourselves. Therefore I will cause you to go
into captivity beyond Damascus," etc. Quotations
misapplied, or garbled, destroy the authenticity of a
work instead of supporting it.
CHAPTER LXV.
Acts viii. 9, 10, 11, "There was a certain man called

Simon, which beforetime in the same city, used
sorcery,and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving
out that himself was some great one, to whom they all
gave heed from ê least to the greatest, saying, This

man is the great power of God, and to him they had
regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them
with sorceries."
In days when credulity and superstition were rife,
and sorceresses were deemed to be inspired messengers

of the Almighty, it was easy to impress a belief that
the son of a woman was an incarnate deity, but in an
age, when sorcery is discredited, and superstition dis-
couraged, it is strange that such a belief should be
inculcated, and that men should attempt to convert the
Jews to the inconsistent doctrines that still prevail, that
Jesus was a God on earth.
CHAPTER LXVI.
Acts x. 11 — 16, " And Peter saw heaven opened; and

a certain vessel descending unto him, wherein were all
manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts,

and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there
came a voice to him, saying. Arise, Peter, kill and eat.
But Peter said. Not so. Lord, for I have never eaten
anything that is common or unclean. And the voice
spake unto him again the second time. What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common." The same is
stated ibid. chap. xi. 6. Tn Paul's first epistle to the

Corinthians, chap.x. 25, the following doctrine is taught
" Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no
questions for conscience sake." Mark, (chap. vii. 16),
declares only such tilings unclean which come out of the
mouth, but not those Avhich go into the mouth. We
have already animadverted on the inconsistency of such
declarations when compared with tlie stringent in-
junction enforced in the very same book, to abstain
T
most rigidly from blood and flesli of torn or strangled

beasts. See what we have noticed before, when treat-
ing on Matthew xv. in the Second Part of this Work.
CHAPTER LXVTI.
Acts xiii. 21, Paul says of the Israelites, " And after-
wards they desired a king, and God gave unto them
Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by
the space of forty years."
Paul erred in assigning to Saul such a protracted
reign. Saul had governed only two years when his
dereliction of the will of God, in his war against the

Amalekites, threw him into disfavour, so that he for-
feited his crown.Samuel was then immediately sent
to anoint David, who was about twenty years old; when
he [David] ascended the throne, he was but thirty years
of age (see 2 Samuel v. 4); consequently Saul could
not have governed Israel more than ten years. If we
follow an hypothesis of Albo, the author of the book

entitledSepher Ikkarim, Saul did not occupy the throne
even so long a time; but certainly could not have re-
mained king for forty years.
CHAPTER I. XVIII.
Acts xiii. 3o, Paul proves that Jesus is the Son of God,
by quoting from the second Psalm: "Thou art my Son,
this day have I begotten thee."
The reference to that psalm is objectionable, since the
royal psalmist spoke here of his own person. It was
against himself that the Gentiles raged, and carried on

their wai-fare, wlien he had commenced his government.
See 2 Samuel V. 17, "And the Philistines had heard

that they had anointed David king over Israel, and all
the Philistines came to seek David," etc.

He called himself justly the Messiah, Anohited of the
Lord, for that title was lawfully given to him as the
ruler of his people. Having been established as the
chief of Israel, by the express command of the Lord,
he was justified to mark those rebelling against him as
rising " against the Lord, and against His Anointed."
The words in Psalm ii., " And I have anointed my
king," occur in the actual history of David, in 1 Samuel
xvi. 1, " I shall send thee to Jesse, of Bethlehem, for
among his sons I have seen for myself a king." " Zion,
my holy mountain," (Psalm ii.), which was the metro-
polis, and was called " the city of David." It was that
king to whom it was said, " Thou art my son, I have

this day begotten thee." The title Son^ was given to
all those who, by faithful obedience, attached themselves
to the service of God. In Exodus iv. 22, Israel was
called "my first-born son"; and in Hosea i. 10, "Jt
will be said unto them. Ye are the sons of the living
God." On
the day when Samuel anointed David as
king of Israel, " he was changed into another man."
and we read in 1 Samuel xvi. 13, "And Samuel took
the horn of oil, and anointed liim in the midst of liis
brethren, and the Spirit of the Lord descended upon
him." The adoption of man by God is called, in biblical
language, "to beget." See Deuteronomy xxxii. 18,
"Thou hast forgotten the rock that begat thee." The
words, "Ask of me, and I shall give nations for an in-
heritance," .wer-e fultilled to David, who .humbled the
Philistines (2 Samuel viii.), and made Anion, and Moab,
and Edom, tributary to himself. With reference to
Jesus, he 'had no dominion whatever to merit the title
of a Messiah (Anointed King). He said of himself
t2
that he was " not come to be ministered (served) unto,

but to minister" (serve others). Moreover, why should
Jesus have been invited to " Ask of me, and I will give
nations for an inheritance," since as the incarnate Son of
God, the whole earth ought to have belonged to him,
and not some selected portion of it?
CHAPTER LXIX.
Acts xiii. 35 — 37, Paul says, " Wherefore, he says also

in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One
to see corruption. For David, after he had served his
own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was
laid unto and saw corruption but he whom
his fathers, ;
God raised again, saw no corruption."

The addition, that ''David saw corruption," shows
that Paul misunderstood the sense of the passage he
quoted. The word 6'c/iacA6^ (rendered "corruption")
means a pit^ and is synonymous with grave; for David
relied on the salvation of the soul of the righteous, and
expressed his conviction, that the body alone goes down
to the pit, and not the soul with it, into perdition.
Passages, in which the word schachet (pit) occurs, in
Psalm xciv., " Until a pit is dug for the iniquitous
man." Proverbs xxvi. 27, " He who diggeth a pit, shall
fall into it." Psahn vii. 15, " He who makes a hole and
diggeth it, will fall into the pit he hath made." We
cannot perceive, therefore, the authority Paul had to
apply the words of that psalm otherwise than in a sense
in whicli its author had evidently designed it.
CHAPTER LXX.
Acts xv. in>m ver. 1 to 12. It is there related that
certain men of the sect of the Pharisees rose up, and
said that the Gentiles could not be saved unless they
abided by the law of Moses, and that, upon the deli-
very of this opinion, the and elders came
apostles
together to deliberate; and they argued much upon
this matter. Peter then settled the dispute by saying,
" Why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of
the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were
able to bear. But we believe that, through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as
they."
Peter, by this remonstrance, contradicts the opinion
held by Jesus, as is shown by the advice given to the
rich man, who had consulted him resDectino- which of
the laws he should observe, etc. (see Matthew xix.).
We have, moreover, in a former chapter, shown that
the law of Jesus, when carried out to the letter, is more
rigorous than the Mosaic code, and utterly impracticable
in the affairs of social life. We have already pointed
out that the suggestion made by Jesus
to the rich man,
had and distribute
to the effect that he should sell all he
the money among the poor, was wisely disregarded by
all his disciples and followers. Paul also deemed it
proper to designate the law of Moses " a yoke of
bondage" (Galatians v. 1), and that he would not sub
rait to the passive endurance of the humiliation recom-
mended by Jesus. See Chap. XXVII. of the Second
Part of this work.
CHAPTER LXXI.
Acts xv. 17. The Apostle James cites a verse from

Amos changed into the following terms
ix., " That :
—
the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all
the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the
Lord, who doeth all these things."
The true passage runs thus : — "In order that those
may inherit the remainder of Edom, and of all the
Gentiles upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord
who doeth this." The prophecy does not predict the
acquisition of the inheritance in favour of other men,
but in favour of Israel," upon whom the name of the
Lord is called. See Deut. xxviii. 1 0, "And all the
people of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord
is called upon thee."
CHAPTER LXXII.
Acts xv. 20, 29. The apostles enjoin on their followers

the frequently-repeated commands to abstain from
sacrifices to idols, and from fornication, and from things
strangled, and from blood." How the Christians
respect these prohibitions we have already adverted to
in Chap. XLIX. and L. in the First Part of this work.
CHAPTER LXXIIL
Acts xvi. 1, " Paul, going to

Derbe and Lystra, met
Timothy, the son of a certain woman who was a Jewess,
and he took and circumcised him, because of the Jews
who were in those quarters." From this quotation, and
FAITH STRENGTHENED. "279
the records of history, it is evident that original Chris-

tianity did not dispense with the circumcision of Jews
received within its pale. Is it not, then, sinful to attempt
to persuade Jews to abandon those rites wliich the
founders and first propagators of the Christian religion
actually confirmed by their own acts ?
CHAPTER LXXIV.
Acts xvi. 2. Paul, by circumcising Timothy, proved

that the Mosaic dispensation of circumcision had not
been abrogated. On the other hand, he wrote to the
Galatians (chap, v. 2), " Behold, 1, Paul, say unto you,
that, if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you
nothing; for I testify again to every man that is cir-
cumcised, that he is do the whole law." If

a debtor to
circumcision were of no avail for Timothy, why did his
master circumcise him ? If, however, that sacred act
was indispensable, and bound the man fully through
the covenant of Abraham to adhere to the command-
ments and the laws of Moses, how is it that Paul deemed
it perfectly consistent to break by precept those very
teachings of Moses ?
CHAPTER LXXV.
Acts xvi. 30. The keeper of the prison asked Paul
and Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? and they
said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved and thy house."
The answer of the apostles does not coincide with
the answer given by Jesus in Matthew xix. 16; Mark
X. 17; and Euke xviii. 19; wherein he exacted of the
inquirer full obedience to the laws of Moses, in order to

obtain salvation.
CHAPTER LXXVI.
Acts xxviii. 3. Paul being bitten by a viper, felt no
harm from the effects of the poisonous bite, and was,
therefore, held by the barbarians surrounding him, to
be a God.
The ease with which a human being was deified in
those days, accounts for the astonishing superstitious
belief that Jesus was at the same time mortal and a
God.
CHAPTER LXXVIL
Paul's epistle to the Romans.
Romans V. 14, " Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam

to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression."
Other copies have the contrary. " Who had sinned
after the similitude," etc.
If death reigned to the days of Moses only, how is
the question to be explained: How could Jesus be

considered the Saviour of mankind, if the dominion of
death had been made to cease through the laws of
Moses, " which, if a man performeth, he liveth in them ?"
See the question fully discussed in Chapter I. of the
First Part of this work.
CHAPTER LXXVIir.
Romans ix. '24 —
Even us, whom he has called,
26, "
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As he
says also in Hosea, call them my people, which
I will
were not my people, and her beloved which was not

beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place
where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people,
there shall they be called the children of the living
God."
It is immaterial for us towasknow whether it
ignorance or intentional perversion which prompted

Paul to refer to Hosea for a purpose which that prophet
had not in view. It suffices to refer to Hosea i., in
order to ascertain that the prophet alludes not to the
Gentiles, but exclusively to Israel, who, when obedient
to the law of God, were to be called Ammi, " (my
people"),and Ruhamah, ("she who is pitied"); but
when they were to be called Lo-Arami,
disobedient
" (not my people)," and Lo-Ruhamah, " (not to be
pitied)," And again in ver. 10, we read, "And it
shall come to pass that in the place where it was said

unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said
unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God."
CHAPTER LXXIX.
Romans "As it is written. Behold, I lay in Zioii,

ix. 33,
a stumbling stone and a rock of offence, and whosoever

belicveth on him shall not be ashamed."
This passage is a collection of short sentences, igno-
rantly or ingeniously packed together, to show that
Jesus is the only Saviour of those who found " their
stumbling block in Zion." In chap. viii. 14, of

Isaiah, we find, " And he shall be for a sanctuary and

a stumbling stone, as a rock of offence to the two houses
of Israel, and as a snare and a gin to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem." And the prophet continues (chap, xxviii.
16), " Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold
I have laid a foundation in Zion, a tried stone, a pre-
cious corner stone, well established, well founded. He
who believes shall not hasten (away from it)."
Another incorrect quotation from our Scriptures is
also to be found in Romans x. 11, "For the Scripture
saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."
Peter in his first Epistle (chap. ii. (5), quotes from

treacherous memory, " Wherefore also it is contained
in the Scripture, Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner-
stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded."
The arbitrarily detaching or connecting various words
of Scripture to verify doctrines, not taught in our Sacred
Books, is, according to our opinion, its own refutation,
and highly blameable.
CHAPTER LXXX.
Romans x. 6 — 9, " Say not in thine heart, Who shall
ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down
from above) ; or. Who shall descend into the deep? (that
is, to bringup Christ again from the dead). But what
saith it (viz. Scripture)? The word is nigh thee, even
in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that is, the word of
faith which we preach That if thou shalt confess with
:
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine

heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved."
If those to whom Paul was preaching had referred to
the thirtieth chapter of Deuteronomy, they might have

perceived that the words of Moses were misconstrued
by the Apostle. That part of our law tells us merely
that it is within the reach of every man to be penitent,
and obtain mercy and pardon.
Our lawgiver having spoken in general terms, " If
thou wilt turn to the Lord thy God, with all thy heart
and all thy soul,*' etc., goes on to say, " For the com-
mandment which I give thee this day is not hidden
from thee, nor is it too far off. It is not in heaven
that thou mightest say, Who shall go up into heaven for
us, and bring it down for us that we may practise
it?" etc.
It having been shown that the nature of the gift of
mercy is put in juxtaposition with the ease of acquiring

it, we are enabled to comprehend the expression, " This
matter is very near unto thee, it is in thy heart and thy
mouth that thou mayest do it."
CHAPTER LXXXI.
Romans xi. 26, " And so all Israel shall be saved, as it
is written. There shall come out of Zion the deliverer,

and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."
The true words of the prophet (Isaiah lix. 20), do
not indicate that the Messiah will turn away ungodliness
from Jacob, but that "a redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those who return from transgression in Jacob,
saith the Lord."
CHAPTER LXXXIL
Romans xvi. 20, " And the God of peace shall bruise
Satan under your feet shortly," etc. In 1 Thessalonians

ii. 18, Paul says, " We would have come unto you
again, even I, Paul, but Satan hindered us."
The Christians, in consequence of the above quota-
tions, maintain the belief that the power of Satan was
broken by the death of Jesus, who " bruised the head
of the serpent." If so, how happen that
then did it
Satan, after the death of Jesus, had such sway as to

obstruct the very apostles of Jesus in the pursuit of their
ministrations ?
CHAPTER LXXXIIL
Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians v. 1, Paul reproaches his followers that

" there be fornication among them, and that one of
them had committed incest by marrying his father's
wife."
If Paul, as all his writings indicate, considered the
Christians dispensed from observing the Mosaic Law,
where was their boundary of religious duties or trans-
gressions, seeing that Jesus had not promulgated a new
code of laws? Surely, no permission had been granted
by the founder of Christianity, so that his followers
should observe part of the Mosaic laws, and reject the
remainder.
CHAPTER LXXXIV.
1 Corinthians vi. 3, Paul says, " Know ye that we shall

judge angels?" Great must have been the Apostle's
presumption if he believed that corporeal man should
be the judge of incorporeal beings! The greatest
prophets of Israel admitted that the angels were beyond

the comprehension of our finite sense. How could the
invisible be summoned before the tribunal of the
visible?
CHAPTER LXXXV.
1 Corinthians vii. 18 —
any man called being
20, " Is
circumcised, him not become uncircumcised. Is any
let
called in uncircumcision, let him not be circumcised.

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing,
but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let
every man abide in the same calling wherein he was
called." In the Epistle to the Galatians, chap. v. 3,
he also says, " For I testify again to every man that is
circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law^

These words ought to be kept in constant remembrance
by those Christians who urge us to abandon our holy
f\ii(h and adopt their religious observances.
CHAPTER LXXXVI.
1 Corinthians x. 8, " Neither let us commit fornication,

assome of them committed, and fell in one day three
and twenty thousand."
In this brief passage there is an error, which in every
other work might pass unnoticed. A book, which
assumes to be dictated by inspiration, ought to be
accurate in every particular. In Numbers xxv., we
read ihai four and twenty thousand and not three and
twenty thousand^ fell by the visitation of pestilence.
CHAPTER LXXXVIL
1 Corinthians xv. 54, " So, when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have
put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory
Death where is thy sting! grave where is thy
victory !" This passage is not a true quotation from
our Scripture, being a mixture of two unconnected
verses. Isaiah, chap. xxv. 8, says only, " He has
swallowed up Death to perpetuity" ; and Hosea,

chap, xiii., says " Where are thy pestilences, Death ?
Where are thy destructions, grave?
\
CHAPTER LXXXVIII.
Paul's epistle to the galatians.
Galatians i. 18, "Then, after three years, I went up

to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen
days. But other of the Apostles saw I none, save
James, the Lord's brother." Paul represents here,
James, the brother of Jesus, as an apostle of Jesus, and
he contradicts thereby the statement made by John,
chap, vii 5, " For neither did his [viz., Jesus'] bre-
thren believe in Him." We have enlarged on these
contradictions in our discussions on Luke ii. and
Mark iii.
CHAPTER LXXXIX.
Galatians Paul says, "Christ has redeemed us
iii. 13,
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us;
for it is written, Cursed is every man that hangeth on a

tree." It is a most extraordinary conclusion, that an
ignominious death, suffered by Jesus, should have be-
come the means of releasing his followers from their
adherence to the ancient law of God, in order not to be
subjected to the curse of the law. Surely submission
to,and not abandonment of the law, should have been
recommended.
CHAPTER XC.
Galatians iii. IG, " Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promisesmade: He saith not, and to seeds as of
many but as of one, and to thy seed, which
; is Christ."
Want of acquaintance with the genius of the Hebrew
language has led the author of the epistle to a wrong
conclusion. When seed signifies joo^fenYy, it is never
put in the plural number. See Genesis xiii. 15, "For
all the land which thou seest, 1 will give to thee, and to
thy seed for evermore." Immediately after this promise,
we And thy seed shall be like the dust of the
read, "
earth." This relates to the numbers of individuals, and
not to a single individual. Again, we find in Genesis
XV, 5, " And He caused him to go out (of the house)
and He spake. Look now up to heaven, and count the
stars, if thou canst count them ; and He said unto him,
Thus shall be thy seed."
Ibid, ver. 13, "And He spake unto Abraham, Thou
shalt surely know that thy seed shall be strangers in a
land which is not their's." These examples may suffice,
but similar ones may be found in various parts of

Scripture. These aimotations afford abundant proof
that the term seed., in the promise given to Abraham,
refers to an entire nation.
CHAPTER XCI.
Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians.
Ephesians iv. 8, " Wherefore, he saith,

when he ascended
up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto
men."
The quotation seems to be made from memory.
The Psalmist (Ixviii. 18) who addresses the Almighty,
says, " Thou hast taken gifts from men," and not thou
hast given gifts.
\ CHAPTER XCIL
Paul's Fikst Epistle to the Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians ii. 10, Paul says, " Ye are witnesses,

and God also, how holily, and justly, and unblameably,
we behaved ourselves among you that believe."
In a teacher of men, whose object it was to establish
a new faith, it appears unbecoming to mention first.,
men, as witnesses, and secondly, God. A candid
perusal of the writings of Paul accounts for this pecu-
liarity of arranging his ideas. He impresses on the
reader the suspicion that he was guided by expediency,
more than by true religious feeling, and that his mind
was not influenced by the elevated sentiments of piety.
CHAPTER XCIIL
Epistle of James.
James ii. 14, to the end of the chapter. The author of

this Epistle recomraends good works as superior to mere

faith; and then he continues, "AVas not Abraham, our
iather justified by works, when he had offered Isaac, his
son upon the altar? Likewise also, was not Rahab, the
hsirlot, justijied by works, when sh^ had received the
messengers, and had sent them out another way ? For

as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is dead also."
The opinion here cited meets with the contradiction
of Paul, who writes in his Epistle to the Romans, chap,
iii. 19, " Therefore, %
deeds of the law shall no flesh be
Again, he says, in the same chapter, ver. 28,
justified.''''
" Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.'''' In his Epistle to the

Galatians, chap. ii. 16, Paul repeats the assertion, that
faith in Jesus is of greater avail than the observance of
the law, by saying, "Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."
At the end of that chapter, he maintains, " If righ-
teousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in
vain." The like doctrine is enforced in chap. iii. from the
beginning to the end. Also throughout the Epistle to
the Hebrews, chap, xi., it is maintained that faith is
preferable to ivorks. See again, ibid. ver. 17, where it is

said, " Abraham, tried by faith, offered up Isaac."
Again, ibid. v. 31, ^^

By faith the harlot Rahab perished
not with them that believed not, when she had received
the spies in peace." We, Jews, are not anxious to
reconcile the discrepancies occurring in the New Testa-
ment, and to decide whether more truth is to be found
in one than in the other of those opinions. All our as-
pirations lead us to adopt a mode of life in exact
conformity with the Holy Law, which tells us, " And it
shall be accounted to us as righteousness if we keep and

fulfil all these commands."
u
CHAPTER XCIV.
Epistle to the Hebrews.
This Epistle is the production of an anonymous -vvriter.

Some have ascribed it to Luke, others to Paul. In the
early days of Christianity it was rejected as Apocry-
phal.
CHAPTER XCV.
Hebrews i. 5' — 9, " For unto which of the angels said
he, in former times, Thou art my son, this day have I
begotten thee ? And, again, I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he
bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he says,
Let all the angels of God worship him. And of the
angels, he saith, AVho maketh his angels spirits^ and his
ministers a flame of fire ? But to the Son he saith,
Thy throne, God, is for ever and ever. A sceptre of

righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou
hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity ; therefore
God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows.''
The errors of the author of this epistle are as many
as the quotations with which he strives to confirm his
views. The connexion established between Jesus and
the seventh verse of Psalm ii., " Thou art my son, this
day have I begotten thee," we have already presented
in a proper light in our remarks on Acts viii. 33. We
have there fully proved that David applied those
elevated words to himself. Hence Christians are not
justified in deducing from it doctrinal points. The
promise made in ^ Samuel viii., " I shall be unto him

as a father, and he shall be to me as a son," was made
regarding Solomon, the son of David. The Christians
themselves would not like to refer these words to Jesus,
since the prophecy contains the prediction, "Whom, if he
commit iniquity, I shall chastise him with the rod of men,
and with the stripes of the children of men." As to
Jesus, it is well known that his worshippers are impressed
with the conviction that he never committed any sin.
The author of the Epistle pretends to discover in our

Scripture, that the angels of God were bound to worship
Jesus. We find, in Psalm xcvii., " All ye gods, worship
/i2/72," viz., that God who is spoken of as the Lord of the
whole earth. The words, " Thy throne, God^ is for
ever and ever," are wrongly quoted from Psalm xlv. 6.
We read there Kis-au-hau Elohim, which means, " Thy
throne of God," and not " Thy throne,
(is) GodJ^
Thus we find, in 1 Chron. xxix. 21, And Solomon sat
"
on the throne of the Lordy The Lord being the

acknowledged king of Israel, the throne occupied by
David and his posterity was described as the throne of
the Lord. This throne is to be occupied by the
descendants of David for time everlasting. Thus Daniel
prophesies, in chap, ii., "The God of heaven will establish
a throne which shall not be destroyed throughout
eternity.
To be convinced that our interpretation is correct,
letthe reader merely refer to the continuation of the
words of Psalm xlv. 7, " Thou West righteousness and
hatest iniquity; therefore hath God, even thy God^
anointed thee." If Jesus is God, could the Psalmist
address him with such words as thy God ?
u2
CHAPTEE XCVI.
Hebrews ii. 7, " Thou madest him a little lower than
the angels, thou crownedst him with glory and honour."
In verse 9, it is said, " Jesus who was made a little
lower than the angels." It is remarkable, that Jesus,
as the inferior being, should have been destined to be
worshipped by the angels, who were his superiors. On
referring to the eighth Psalm, ver. 3, 4, 5, 6, we find
that the author of the Epistle, in quoting some words,
has perverted their real purport. The Psalmist in
using the ejaculation, " When I behold the heavens, the
works of thy fingers, and the moon and the stars which
thou hast fixed," must be understood as if he had ex-
pressed himself in the following words I am so struck :
—
with awe and wonder, that I feel the utter nothingness
of human and 1 say to myself, "What is
creatures;
mortal man, that thou rememberest him, and the son
of man, that thou takest note of him." The frailty and
mortality of man, suggested to the Psalmist the sense of
a deep humility; on the other hand, man is rendered
conscious of his noble state, as the possessor of an im-
mortal which makes him almost an equal to the
spirit^
ministering angels on high. It is with respect to this

supreme endowment that the Psalmist exclaims, "Thou
hast made him but little less than the angels and hast
crowned him with glory and honour." Blessed with
intelligence, he rules the inferior creatures of the field
and the forest, of the air and the sea.
This Psalm has, consequently, no allusion to any non-

Jewish doctrine, but is a sublime amplification of the
divine resolve, as contained in Genesis, " We will make
man our image, according to our likeness, and they
in
shall rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the
heaven, and the ^beasts, and over the whole earth."

Taking this plain view of the several portions of Scrip-
ture, the candid reader will agree with us, that the
inflexible truth ofour revealed writings does not allow
the shade of a proof in favour of the rank given to
Jesus in the mystical theology of the Christians.
CHAPTER XCVII.
Hebrews viii. 8. The following quotation is made from

Jeremiah xxxi. 31, " Behold the days come, saith the
Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel."
A refutation of the interpretation given by the
Christians to this verse, has been offered in the First
Part of this work. Chap. XXIX. The author of the
Epistle to the Hebrews, in ver. 13 of the same chapter,
says, " In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made
the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old
is ready to vanish away." The writer was not aware
that spiritual matters do not wear out like old garments.
He might have found a correct opinion in Psalm cxi. 7, 8,
"The works of His hands are truth and judgment;
faithful are all His ordinances; well supported for ever,
and made with truth and integrity."
Equally decided are the words of Isaiah on this
subject. He says, chap. xl. 8, " Grass drieth up, tlie
flower withereth, but the word of our God shall stand

for every
CHAPTER XCVIII.
Hebrews x. 5. Refen-ing to Psalm xl., Paul states.

" Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith,

Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body
thou hast prepared me." The quotation is erroneous.
The Psalmist says, " Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst
not, mine ears thou hast opened ; burnt offering and sin
offering thou didst not desire." The Psalmist expressed
by this, that obedience to God is the chief duty of man,
and that listening to Him is better than an offering, and
hearkening to Him " is more acceptable than the fat of
rams."
That pious feelings, and not mere ceremonials, were
the essential requisites, we have already demonstrated
in the First Part of this work.
CHA.PTER XCIX.
Revelation.
Revelation In enumerating the Twelve Tribes

vii. 5.
of Israel, the tribe of Dan is omitted, and that of

Manasseh mentioned in its stead, although the tribe of
Joseph might have naturally included that of Manasseh.
This shows that the author of the Revelation was
imperfectly acquainted with the very rudiments of
Biblical history. If the instructor himself be un-
instructed, what can his disciple profit by the knowledge
emanating from such a source ?
CHAPTER C.
Revelation xxii. 18, 19, "For I testify unto every

man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book. If any man shall add to these things, God shall
add unto him the^lagues that are written in this book.

And if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out
of the book of life, and out of the Holy City, and from
the things that are written in this book."
The make
Christians have nevertheless ventured to
changes of a most glaring nature. The removal of the
sabbath to the first day of the week is not authorised
by Jesus or any of his apostles. The eating of blood,
and the flesh of strangled beasts, etc., is a palpable
infringement of the dictates of the apostles, as has been
amply proved in Chap. III. of the First Part of this
work.
Thus, having accomplished all my intention, I offer
thanks to God, who is One and Indivisible ; He is the
first and the last ; besides Him there is no God.
THE END.
INDEX OF QUOTATIONS.
GENESIS.
Chap. XXIX. _ Verse 20 - Page 46 Char .11. - Verse 17 - Page 81
—
|
» I. .
„ 26
-
„ XXV. „ 18 - 83
„ XI. -
» 7 -
„
— XXIV. „ 14 - 96
„ xvu. -
„ 17 -
„ 47 XII. „ 1 - 101
„ XI. -
)>
7 -
„
— XXIII. »
- 104
„ n. -
» 17 -
,» 51 XVII. ,> 7 - 108
„ XXVII. - 31 - — XII. 3 - 115
„ XXV. .
„
» 17 _
,,
» 53 „ XXVIII.
„
„ 14 - —
„ XV. -
» 13 -
» 58 „ XXIV. „ 20 -
„ 126
„ XXXVII. - ») 33 -
„ 59 „ XXI. » 32 - 155
„ III. -
>i
15 -
»
— „ X. ,» 10 -
„ 1G7
„ XXII. -
„ 18 -
„ 60 » XXX. » 1 -
„ 168
„ XXVI. -
)> 4 -
» 61 „ XV. J» 7, 18 „ 172
„ XXVIII. -
„ 14 -
>i
— J) X. ,, 1, 2 » 180
„ XVIII. - ., 18, 19 „ — „ XIV. „ 18 -
» 193
„ XL IX. -
» 10 -
» 63 „ XXIV. ,) 10 -
„ 198
„ XXVIII. -
„ 15 -
i>
66 „ XL VI. » 27 -
„ 271
„ XVII. -
)» 7,8 -
„ 80 „ xin. „ 15 -
» 287
„ XXVIII. 21 » XV. » 5, 13 »
EXO DUS
Chap. XII. _ Verse 9 - Page 3,45 Chap. XXXV. - Verse 22 - Page 166
VII. - 1 - 45 II. 25 - 177
„ » )) ,> )> ))
„ XXI. .
i>
20 - » 58 „ XV. " » 16 - ' » 195
„ XIX. -
>> 13 -
„
— „ XXII. »> 37 -
,,
198
„ XX. .
» 8 -
„ 89 „ IV. „ 22, 23 >i
211
„ XVI. -
» 29 - „ — »i
XXIIL » 4 -
„ 212
„ XXI. .
>»
16 -
>»
90 „ XIX. „ 5 >i
216
„ II. . 8 -
I) 96 „ IV. „ 22 23 n 232
„ XVII. .
>« 15 -
>»
104 I) XXIII. „ 4, 5 - >» 238
„ XIX. -
^j
5 .
i>
114 „ in. »)
12 „ 271
„ XIX. - 6 - 115 IV. 22 - 275
)> >» „ » »
„ XV. - „ 26 -
» 121 „ XX. >»
-
1, 285
XXIII. - 8 - 159
„ 51 »i
*»* It may not be suiierfluous to remind the biblical student, that this elaborate abstract has
been supplied, in order to afford facility of reference, a desideratum without which this work
could not be considered comi^lete.
INDEX OF QUOTATIONS,
LEVITICUS.
Chap. XXVI. - Verse 38 Page 38 Chap. XXVI. - Verse 11, 12 Page 79
„ XXVI. „ 34,35 ,, 39 „ XVIII. )) 5 - „ 81
„ XXVI. » 38 - 41 ,42 „ XXII. j» 3 - „ 83
„ XXVI. >5 44 - „ 42 „ XXII. »)
-
„ 136
„ VII. » 27 -
» 53 „ XXVI. >> 44 - 146, 151
„ XXII. „ 3 - » — ,, XXVI. „ 42 - „ 155
„ XVIII. »> 5 - )>
55 „ XIX. >' 17, 18 „ 212
„ XXVI. J>
9 - >t 57 „ XXVI. ,j 44 - „ 218
„ XI. 1> 1,43,44,, 67 „ XIX. „ 17,18 „ 238
„ XX. „ 25, 26 „ 68 „ XI. i> 8 „ „ 242
„ XXVI. >> 42,31 >» 74
NUMBERS.
Chap. XXIV. - Verse 3 - Page 29 Chap. XXV. - Verse 13 - Page 108
„ X. „ 32 - „ G2 „ X. ,, 32 - „ 116
„ X. >« 13 - ,, 64 ., XV. „ 12 - „ 155
„ VII. '> 12 - »>
64 „ 11. „ 20 - „ 167
,. XXIII. '» 10 -
5>
84 „ XXIV. >' 17 - „ 264
DEUTERONOMY.
Chap .XXX. - Verse 6 - Page 10 Chap. XIV. Ver 3e 1, 2 Page 81
XXVIII. - „ 64 - ,, 23 „ XXII. -
„ 46,47 „ 82
XXX. -
» 3 - >; 24 „ XXXIII. -
„ 29 - ) „82, 83
IV. SO, 31 26 1 85
XXX. - 3,4,) „ XXXII. - " 50 - „ 83
I)
27
5,6, „ IV. 2,8 „ 91
XXX. -
„ 6 - » 35 „ XXXIII. -
J, 4 - „ —
XXX. .
>'
6 - >» 86 „ XXVII. - J, 1 - „ 92
VII. - 6 - 37 „ I. „ 5,6 „ 112
XXX. -
J>
>> 6 -
»,
J»
40 „ XXX. » 26 - „ —
XXX. .
» 1—6 j» 41 „ XXXII. - „ 9 - „ 115
XXXII. - „ 15 - )> 45 „ XXX. - „ 5 - „ 124
VI. - 4 - 47 „ XV. 10 - „ 129
IV. -
,,
»> 35,39
>>
,>
— „ XXVIII. - 47 - „ —
XXIV. -
„ 16 - '> 52 „ III. „ 24 - „ 137
XXXII. -
„ 50 - 53 „ IV. „ 30 - „ 140
I. -
)» 10 -
>i
>J
61 „ XXX. - „ 1—7 -
„ —
XXXIII. -
u 21 - ,, 66 „ XXXII. - „ 40 - „ 144
XXXVIII. »>
67 - )»
— „ XI. „ 12 - „ 174
Vll. -
„ 24 - „ — „ VII. „ 6 - „ 198
XIV. . „ 13 - „ 67 „ XXVI. - „ 19 - „ 199
XIV. 1,2,) „ XXVII. - » 1 -
" 68
3,21 ] „ XXX. - 2,3,
215
XXVI. : 26 - 70 11,12 |„
XXVIII. -
„ 15 - ), 71 „ XXX. - „ 14 - „ 216
XXVII. -
„ — - ,,72,73 „ VII. „ 15 - „ 219
—
1
XXIX. -
„ 29 - „ — „ XXX. - „ 7 - »
XXVIII. -
)> 29 - „ 75 „ X. „ 22 - „ 271
XXIX. -
» 12 - „ 77 „ XXXII. - „ 18 - „ 275
XXX. -
» 1—10 ,,77 78 „ XXVIII. -
„ 10 - „ 278
JOSHUA.
Chap. VII. - Verse 7, 8 - Page 183.
JUDGES.
Cliap. I. Verse 1 - Page 64] |
Chap. XII - Verse 22 - Page 2G5
RUTH.
Chap. II. - ' - - Page 96.
I. SAMUEL.
Chap. XIV. Verse 49 - Page 58 Chap. XII. Verse 22 - Page 150
„ XXII. - „ 16 - 11 „ XX. „ 5 - » 159
» VIII. . „ 7 - „ 65 „ XVII. - „ 12 - „ 164
„ XXV. - „ 29 - „ 86 „ II. -
» 7 - » 175
„ XVII. - „ 56,58 „ 96 „ XXI. „ 1 - „ 213
„ XIII. - „ 14 - „ 101 „ XXII. - „ 20 „ —
„ XV. ,. 28 - )) „ XV. „ 22 - „ 216
VII. 102 II. - - „ 249
„ » 1 - „ „ „ 1
„ xvni. - » 14 - „ 118 „ XVI. „ 13 ••

„ 275
» I. - - n 22 - „ 137
II. SAMUEL.
Chap. VII. Verse 26 - Page 137 Chap. V. - Verse 4 - Page 274
XII. 10 138 IV. - - 275
„ „ - „ „ „ 17 »
„ XXI. „ 17 - „ 193 „ VIII. - » - „ 271
I. KINGS.
Chap. IX, Verse 13 - Page 26 Chap. II. Verse 26 - Page 108
„ XII. - „ 16 - „ 26 „ VIII. - » 9 - „ 130
„ II. „ 37 „ 61 „ XVIII. - „ 21 - « 190
II. KINGS.
Chap. VIII. Verse 5 - Page 58 Chap. XVII. - Verse 20 Page 140, 146
„ XVI. - » 9 „ 98 „ 11. - - » 4 - „ 159
„ XV. „ 29, 30 -
I. CHRONICLES.
Chap. XVII. - Verse 20 - Page 48 Chap. III. - Verse 11 • Page 209
» V. - - » 2 - „ C4 „ III., XXII. „ - „ 228
„ XXVIII. -
» 4 - „ XXIX, - „ 23 - ,, 291
"
„ XXIX. - „ 22 - 108
II. CHRONICLES.
Chap. XXXVI. - Verse 20 Page 23 ,
Chap. XXI. Verse 12 - Page 190
„ XXXVI. - „ 21 - „ 39 „ XXIV. - - „ 244
„ XXXI. - 104
EZRA.
Chap. II. - - Verse 1 - Page 23 Chap. II., III., X. Page 104
I. - - „ 2 . „ 24 „ X. - - Verse 11
IX. - - 28
„ 9 - „
NEHEMIAH.
liaj). IV. - - Verse 2 - Page 28 Chap. IX. - - Verse 6 Page 48
IX. - 36, 37 „ 29 IX. 30 75
„ „ „ „
» VII. - ,, 3 -
ESTHER.
Chap. VIII. - Verse 16 - Page 235.
JOB.
Chap XVII. - Verse 2 - Page 46 Chap XXXIII. - Verse 30 - Page 87
))
XIV. 11
13 -•
11
59 „ V. - 16 - „ 119
?> XI. -
" 8 - 11
— 11 XXXIIL -
')
16 - „ 203
PSAI.MS.
Psalm XXII. - Verse 11 - rage 7 Psalm LXV. - Verse 4 Page 128
» XIX. 12 - 1) 19 LXIX. - 9 -
11
11
XIV. 70 - J) 22 XXV. - 2 -
11
n XCVII. - 7 - „ 83 cxv. - 1 -
» XL. 38 - „ 42 CXLIIl. - 11 . jj
„ xc. -
„ 43 XLIV. - 26 .
11
—
» L. - 22 - „ 45 LXXX. - 3 -
11
~~
)> LXXXVI. 10 - » 48 LXXXV. 9 -
1, 169
1i XLIX. - 15 - » 58 XCV. 11 .
„ 174
» CXXXIX. 8 -
))
69 XLIV. - 10 -
„ 123
)>
LXVII. - 1 - 11
62 CXXX. ,
- 8 .
„ 160
11
CL. -
I)
72 CXIIL - 2 -
„ 189
„ XIX. >i
84 CXV. - 4-9- »
» XXVII. - 13 -
» — CXXV. - 19
>» CXVI. - 8, 9 -
11
— ex. 1 . "
191
» XXVI. - -
i>
— IL - 7 -
„ 192
„ XVI. 10, 11 11
— LXXIX. - 1 .
»
» XLIX. - 15 - — XCVI. - 1 .
If "^
» XXV. - „ 12, 13 )i
— XX. 1 .
^^
» XXXI. - 19 -
» — XCVI. •
6 .
))
194
» XXXVI. -
7,8,9 i>
— XCVI II. - 10 .
,1
» LXXIII. - 35 -
» 85 XCIV. .. 7 .
„ 195
1»
XLI. 4 -
„ — LXXII. - 7 .
„ 203
» XIX. „ 7—9- „ 91 LXXXVL 9 .
„ 218
)>
CXIX. - -
„ — Lxxxin. 1 .
„ 220
» CXXXVI. 22 -
„ Ill XL. 8 . „ 221
„ XCVI. - 3 -
i>
115 CXLIIL - 10 .
11
cxxxv. 4 -
)»
— CXLVI. - 3 _
„ 239
» XLIV. - 11 -
„ 122 XXIV. - 1 _
» XLIV. - 22 -
i> 123 Lxxxn. 11 -
,, 244
>i
INDKX OF QUOTATIONS.
PSALMS (continued).
Psalm II. Verse 12 Page 274 Psalm XLV. - Verse 6, 7 Page 291
! 27.5
» VIII. -
VII. 15 276 » „ 292
„ „ „ I'l ]
„ LXVIII. - „ 18 -
„ 288 „ CXI. „ 7, 8 „ 293
,. II. „ — - „ 290 „ XL. - „ - - „ 294
„ XCVII. - „ — - „ 291
PROVERBS.
Chap. XXX. - Verse 7 - Page 66 Chap. III. - Verse 11 - Page 169
,, XI. » 7 -
„ 85 „ XXV. - „ 21 - „ 212
„ xrv. - „ 32 -
„ — „ XXIV. ,, 17 - „ 238
„ XXIII. - » 17, 18 „ — „ XXV. ,. 21 - „ —
„ XXIV. - „ 14 - „ — „ XXVI. „ 27 - „ 276
I- » 8 - „ 95
„
ECCLESIASTES ; OR THE PREACHER.

Chap. XII. Verse 7 - Page Chap. IIL - Verse 21 - Page 85
„ IX. „ 10 - „ IV. 8 - „ 107
„ II. „ VII. 20 - „ 142
ISAIAH.
Chap IL.
- Verse 4 - Page 6 Chap .LX. - Verse 21 - Page 35
LII. 1 - 8 LXV. - 16 _ —
„ LXVI. - 17 - LXV. - 19 . 36
i»
LXVI. _ 23 - XXVL - 19 - 37
» XIV. . 16 - LXIL - — - 38
)> VIIL - 23 - XXVI . 13 _
3J 42
II. 18 - LXVI. - 22 _ —
IL - 4 - 11 XLIV. - 6, 8 »1 45
n XI. 6,7, 8 XIX. . 4 .
LXV. 16,19
12
XLIIL - 2 - 47
'20 ,21, 22
XLIV. - 6 -
i>
XL _ 9 - 14 XLV. _ 5 _
11
IL - 18 - 20 XLV. - 6 - 18
XLIII. - 5 - 27 XL. 18 - —
XL - 12 - 28 XLV. . 7 -
jj
LX. 10 -
XL. - 18 - 49
„
„ LX. - 11 - 29 XXXVIII. 10 - 50
„
)» XXXIV - 3 - 30 XIV. - 1 -
„ 62
1)
IV. 22 -
LVl. - G, 7 „ —
n LXVI. - 20 -
LX. - 3 -
„ _
>» XL - 15,10 32 XXXVII 35 -
,, 71
i»
LXVI. - 23 - 33 XXIL - 3 -
„ 75
)>
IL - 13 -
LVIII. - — -
„ 83
XLVIl. 16 -
XLV. - 17 -
J, 85
» LX. - 10 -
VI. - 10 -
„ 86
IL 4 - 31 LVII. - 8 -
„ —
XL
1- -
- 6,7, XIV. - 1 -
„ 92
8, 9 - -
LI. 4 „ 93
)?
LXV. - 6 -
-
II. 4 -
)) 94
ISAIAH {continued).
Chap .VII. - Verse 14 - Page 95 Chap LXII. - Verse 1 - Page 151

LIV. - 4 - „ 96 1. „ 14 - „ 156
Yll. - 2 - „ 97 LVI. - „ 157
VIII. - 3 - „ 99 LV. 6, 7- „ 163
VII. - 16 - „ 100 XLIIL - 19 - „ 164
VIII. - 8 - „ 101 XXI 13 - „ 174
VII. - 15 - „ 103 LIV. 1, 2- „ 176
IX. . 6 - 104 ,105 XXXI. - 38 - „ —
II. . 7 - „ 107 XLIL - 2 - „ 178
IX. - 7 - „ — XL 12 - „ 186
LII. - 1 - „ 108 XXXIV. - 1, 2- „ —
XLIV. - 9 - „ — LX. 8 - „ 197
LII. . 13 - „ 109 LX. 12 - „ 198
XLIV. - 21 - „ 111 LXII. - 12 - „ —
XLV. - 4 - „ — XIL 2 - „ 199
LIII. - 4,5- „ — XXXVII. 13 -
„ —
XIV. - 1 - „ 114 XLI. 14 - „ —
LXI. - 6 - 115 IV. 3 - „ 200
„
LXVI. - 22 - „ 116 LX. 21 - „ —
LIIL . 5 - „ — » LL 6 - „ 202
LIIL . 12 - „ 117 XL 4, 5- „ —
LII. - 1 - „
— LX. 21 - „ 203
LIV. - 1,9,10 „ — LXI. 3 - „ —
LL . 22 - — XLV. - 6 - „ 204
LII. . 13 - 118 XLV. 23 - „ 205
LIIL - 3 - 120 LIL 1 - „ 206
LIIL . 6 - 121 XVI. 20 - „ 207
LXI. . 5 - 122 LXVI. - 23 - „ —
XLIX. - 23 - — XLIV. - 6 - „ 208
LIII. - 7,8- — XLV. - 15 - „ —
LIII. - 9 - 123 VII. 14 - 210, 215
LXV. - 22 - 124 XXVIII. - 16 - „ 215

LIII. . „\ 11 - 125 XLI. 11, 12 „ 219
LXIV. - 5 - 127 XL\^L - 9, 6- „ —
XLVIII. - 11 - 129 XLIX. - 26 -
„ —
XLIIL _ 25 - — VII. 4 - „ 230
131 IX. 1 - „ 234
IL . 2 -
LVI. . 0,7- 132 VIII. 2 - „ 235
XIV. . - 137 IX. 3 -

„ —
IL 4 - „ 239
XXXII. . 14 - 138
LXVI. . 20 - — XLV. - 23 - „ 263
XLIV. . 22 - 141 LIL 1 -

„ —
XXXVIL- 35 - 142 XVIII. - 14 - „ 282
LIV. . 9,10 144 XXVIII. - 16 - „ —

145 LIX. 20 - „ 283
LXIL _ 8,9-
I. . 25 - 146 XXV. - 8 - „ 286
I. - 15,16 149 XL. 8 „ 293
XLVIII. 9,10, 11 » 150
JEREMIAH.
Chap. III. - Verse 13 - Page 10 Chap .XI. . Verse 11 . Page 147
n XXXI. -
„ 34 - 14 )> V. -
1) 13, 14 )> ""—
„ XLIII. -
)i
7 - 52 >> V. -
9) 14 _ „ 148
- -
n III. „ 17 35 ,, XIV. -
» 7, 11, 12 »
)f L. -
„ 20 - — i>
XIV. -
>> 21 -
„ 149
II. - 3 - 37 V. -
» „ „ )) 18 -
„ 150
» X. -
» 6 - 48 XXXII. - 41 .
„ „ 151
» XXXIII -
!>
20 - 60 „ XXXI. -
» 15, 17 „ 152
„ XXX. -
>»
- 9G » VII. -
)> 15 .
„ 153
XII. - 15 - 101 XXXI. -
>5 )> » J, 15, 16,
XXXIII -
,, 16 - 104 17 \
j»
XXX, _
jj 10 . 111 „ XXXI. -
>; 20,21 „ 154
X. -
» 19, 20 112 i> XXX. -
„ 18 -
„ —
jj XXX. - 12, 17 „ XXIII. -
„ 6 -
jj —
XXXIII. .
» 6, 8 — „ XXXI. - 'J 31 -
„ 155
XXX. -
» 11 - 114 jj XXXI. -. i> 30 -
,, 156
XXXV. -
» 19 - 116 » XXXIIl .- „ 8 -
„ 160
XVI. -
1> 19, 20 121 » L. „ 20 - „
L. -
>5 17 - 122 n XXX. -
„ 7 -
„ 165
XXXI. -
„ 34 ~ 125 „ II. -
„ 16 - „ 167
XXIX. -
)> 7 - 127 „ XI. -
„ 16 - ,,
XXX. - 21 - — „ XXIII. -
J>
17 -
1, 174
XIV. -
„ 7 - 128 „ XVII. -
,, 18 _ „ 179
XXXI. -
1)
37 . 129 » IX. -
3' 13 _ „
III. -
„ 16 - 130 „ XIV. -
„ 2 -
„ 196
XIX. -
»»
- — j» IV. - „ 13 - „ 197
XIV. - 8 - 132 » L. - 29 - 199
„ » „
XVII. -
') 13 - 133 „ XXIX. -
11
10 - „ 200
XIII. - - — „ XXX. -
„ 7 -
„ 202
XIV. - - — -11
XXIII. -
11 5 -
51
III. . - 137 » XXIII. - 6 - „ 203

XVII. -
)> 4 - — „ XXXI. -
„ 15, 16 17 „ 211
XXX. -
„ 8 - 138 )»
VII. -
11 22 23 » 216
XVII. -
„ 7 - 139 „ II. -
„ 3 -
„ 219
XV. -
J, 1 - 140 „ XXX. -
» 16 -
III. -
1> 14 - 141 „ XXXI. -
„ 15, 17 „ 232
XXXI. -
» 35,36,37 140
VII. - 15, 16,
» 147
17, 18 !
THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH.

Chap. IV. Verse 22 - Page 24 Chap. V. - Verse 21 - Page 128
„ IV. „ 22 - 40, 146 „ II. - „ G - „ 157
„ XXX. - „ 11 - „ 42 ,, I- - » 1 - „ 194
„ II. „ 13 - „ 112 » IV. - - „ 22 - 201, 202
EZEKIEL.
Chap.XXVIlI. - Verse 8 - Page 7 1
Chap. XXXVII. Verse 23 - Page 10
„ XXXVI. -
„ 25 - M 10 1 „ XXXIX. - „ 9, 10 ., 11
EZEKIEL (continued).
Chap. XXXIV, - 25,28 Pag 3 12 Chap. XLIV. - Verse 15 Page 108

XXXVII.- 20, 27,
13
XXVI I. -
„ 19 - „ 118
"
28,29 j XXXVI. - 7 - „ 124
„
XLIII. - 7 - — XXXVIII. „ 22 - „ 126
XLVIII. - 35 - — XXXVI. -
„ 22. -
„ 129
XXII. - 15 - 24 XX. „ 44 - »
XXXIX. - 28 - 28 XXXIX. - 6,29 138
XXXVII.- 16 - 32 XXXIII. -
„ 11 - 141
XXXVII, ) XVII I. - „ 21 - 143
XXXIX. 5
XXXVIII. „ 7, 12
XLVII. - 1, 12 „ 33
XXXVI. -
„ 22, 28 144
XXXIV. - 25 - 34
XXII. -
„ 15 - 146
XXXVI. - 25,26 35 62'
XVI.
XXXVII.- 23, 14 — XXXVII.- 19
„ 60,
-
151
154
„
XXXVII.- 26, 27, 28 „ 36
XXXVII., XXXIX. - 164
XL.,XLV,
XXXIX. -
„ 25 : 165
XL. 13 -
XLIII. - „ 9 -
XXII. - 15 - 39
XXXVIII. „ 19, 20 170
XXXVI. - 26, 27 40
XLIII. - „ 4-7 172
XVIII. - 19, 20 56
XXXVII.- 179
XVII. - 20 - 58
XXXVI. -
„ 27 - 184
XXXVII.- 10 -
V. » 7 - 187
XVIII. - 8, 9 - 86
XL 12
XX. 13 - — XXII.
„
„ 15
-
- 202
XLV. 35 - 104
XXVI. -
„ 16 - 221
XXXVII.- 36 - 107
XXVI] I - „ 9 - 222
DANIEL.
Chap. VIT. Verse 27 - Page 7 Chap. VII. Verse 27 - Page 197
„ II. 28,44 „ 8 II. „ 44 - „ 198
„ IX. 25 -
„ 26 VII. „ 21,22,25,, —
„ VII. 27 - „ 34 VII. „ 24 - „ 199
„ Xll. 2 -
„ 37 XII. » 17 - - -
„ 11. 44 -
IX. „ 26, 24 „ 200
„ VII. 18 - VIIL „ 13, 26 „ 201
XII. 2 - VIII, 202
„ „ 13, 14 „
„ IX. 18, 19 128 IX. „ 24 - 202, 203
„ XII. 1 - 166 IX. 25 „ 234
„ VII. 27 - 178 VII. 14 „ 244
VII. 13 - 195 IL 44
„ „ 263
,,
VII. 26,27 196 VII, 27
„ II. 34 - 197
HOSEA.
Chap. Ill, Verse 5 Page 7 Chap. VI. - Verse 1 Page 112
11. 20 11,12 „ IV. -
,, 17 „ 121
III. 26 „ XIV. 1
">
„ 141
IV. 34 „ IL -
„ II „ 156
II. 28 „ II. - „ 18 „ 178
XIII. 4 48 „ XL -
„ 1 211, 232
XIII. 11 65 „ I. - „ 10 „ 275
INDEX OP QUOTATIONS.
*- JOEL.
Jhap. 11. - - \'ers£ 27 - Page 13 Chap II. - - Verse 28 - Page 203
» III. - - 1,17 „ — „ III. - „ 17 - „ 206
„ III. - - 18 - „ 33 III. - - 2 219
„ „ - „
„ II. - - 27 - 36 -
.,
,,
III. „ 19 - „ 220
„ II. - - -
„ 93 „ 11. „ 27, 28 „ 251
-'
,. HI. - 17 - „ 132
AMOS.
Chap I. Verse 6, 9 Page 24 Chap. V. - Verse 2 • Page 160
„ I. -
» 9 - „ 25 „ IX. -
. 1^.15 \ 1^1
,, IDl
,, J. - 5 - „ 98 12 j
n vir.- ., 11 - 98, 114 „ IV. - 13 - ,, —

11. -
„ 154 „ IV., V 3 „ 162
" V. - 4 - 163
„ 11. - G - „ 158 ,. „
V. •
„ 12 - „ VIII. 9 - „ 202
„
VIII „ 4 - „ 159 „ V. . 26, 27 „ 272
„
OBAI)IAH.
Verse 10 - Page 220.
MIC AH.
Chap. VII. Verse 10 Page 119 Chap.V. - Verse 5 - Page 166
„ IV. - ,. 2 - „ 125 „ V. - ,, 5, 6 „ 167
„ V. - „ 163 „ V. - ,. 7 - „ _
,. V. - 1 - „ 165 „ V. - „ 9,10 „ 168
IV. -
» V. -
„ 3 - 165, 166 „ „ 3 - „ 239
„ V. - » 4 - „ 166
ZEPHANIAH.
Cbap. II. - - Verse 1 - Page 9, 20 Chap. III.- - Verse 9 - Page 205
„ III. - „ 13 - „ 10 „ II. - „ 9,10 „ 220
„ X. - 8 „ 124 „ 19 - „ —
„ XIV. „ 2 „ 165
HAGGAI.
Chap. II. - - Verse 9 - Page 169 | Chap. II Verse 21,22, 25 Page 17
ZECHARIAH.
hap. IX. - Vers( 10 - Page 6 Chap XIV. . - V erse 17 Page 33, C2
» IX. -
10 7 XIV. . 9 - 33
'1 ,, ,, n
„ XIII. „ 2 9 20 - . 15
- „ „ 11. „ - „ 62
„ IX. -
„ 10 11 IX. - - - „
,, ^, n 7 6!)
„ II. -
„ 14 „ 14 J, III.- -
.. 7 - „ 87
„ XIV. ') 9 J, 20 ,^ VIII. . „ 23 - „ 116
„ XIV. „ 4 32 VIII. -
4 - „ 124
,, ^j „
„ XIV. ,1 8 „ 33 XIV. .
„ 1-i - „ 126
., VIII. 23 — J, I. - -
., 3 „ 142
X
TO INDEX OF QUOTATIONS.
ZECHARIAH {contimml).
Chap. XIV. - Verse IG - Pag e 157 Chap. XII. - Verse 9, 10 Page 183
» XIV. „ 2 - „ 165 „ XII. „ 7 - „ 185
„ XIII, „ 9 - „ — „ IV. „ 7 - „ 201
„ II. - „ 4 - „ 168 „ XIV. „ 16 - „ 207
„ II. - „ 5,9 „ 169 „ VIIL „ 23 - „
„ 11. -
„ (J - „ 170 „ IX. „ 7 - » —
„ IX. -
„ 9 - „ 173 „ XIV. „ 9 - „ 208
„ IX. - 1,2 174 - 15 220
„ „ „ I. „ - „
„ IX. -
„ 4,6 „ 175 „ 11. - „ ^,9 ,,
„ IX. - 8 176 IX. - 10 239

„ - „ „ „ - „
„ II. -
„ 5 - „ 177 ,, IX. -
„ 10 - „ 244
„ IX. -
„ 10,11,12,, 178 » XL -
„ 13 - „ 246
„ LX. -
„ 12 - » 179 „ XL - 7 - „ 247
„ LXI.
XII.
^ 7
10
„
181
— „ XIV.
,,
„ 16 -
r.-. » 253
„ », - "
MAL.VCHL
Chap. IV. - Verse 5 Page 7, 93 Chf'p. I. - Verse 2, 12 Page 186
„ IV. J. 4 - „ 131 » IIL „ 4,3 „ 188
„ III. „ 7 - „ 142 » IV. ,j 5 - „ 190
MATTHEW.
Chap X. Verse 3 Page 6 Chap I. - Versel5,16,17 Page228
XX. „ 28 - 7 j> I. - » 22, 23 , 230
„ XL- „ 13 - 22 I. - » 23 - , 231
» XII. „ 32 - 49 „ XIII. « 55 - ,
—
„ X. - „ 40 - 50 II. „ 14,15)
— , 232
„ XX. „ 18, 28 16, 17j '
J, XV. » 11 - 67 IL -
„ 23 - , 233
J, V. „ 17-20 88 IV.- „ 1,11 , —
„ XIX. „ 21 - 89,90 IV.- „ 13, 15 , 234
„ I. - „ 20 - 104 " IV.- „ 18, 19 , 236
" XIX. 131 V. - »> 17, 18
',
237
X. 24 173 19, 43 \
„ -
X. 31 180 VIIL - 19, 20 , 238

„ -
X. - 34 - 239
XX. „ 38 - „ ,
IL 10,11, 12 190 „ X. -
» 40 , 240
„
XVII. „ 10, 13
XL „ 13, 14 . —
•
I. - „ 8 - 209 » V. - ,, 17 - , —
II. - li 210 " XII. „ 32 - , 241
„ -
II. - „ 16, 17, 18 211 " XIII. „ 55 - , —

II. - „ 23 - 212 XIX. »> 16 - , 242
V. - „ 43 XX. „ 23 - , 243
XXIII. „ 35 - XX. )» 28 - , 244
XXVI. „ 39 - 221 „ XXIIl. „ 35 - , —
V. - „ 17, 18 223 XXVL »> 6,7 , 245
XIX. - „ 17, 18 224 »' XXVl. >, 39 - , 246
XIX. „ 16 - 226 XXVIL „ 46, 9, 10 , —

V. „ 44 - — XXVIl. )) 46 - ,
i
248
INDEX OF QUOTATIONS. 11
MATTHEW {continued).
Chap. XXVIII. - V erse 18 - Page 248 Chap XXII. - Verse 23 - Page 267
„ XXI. „ — - „ 250 VIII. „ 19 „ —
» V. „ 9 - „ 256 XIX „ 19 „ —
,, XI. „ 13, 14 „ 258 XXII. „ 39 „ —
„ XVII. - „ 12,13 » XXVI. » 47 „ 268
„ XXVllI. -
„ 18 - „ 266 XIX. „ 19 „ 279
MARK.
Chap. III. - Verse 28, 29 Page 50 Chap. XV. - Verse 34 - Page 248
„ XII. , 32 - „ — ,, II. „ 25 - „ 249
„ XIV. , 27 - „ 185 , III. „ 31,35 „ —
„ II. , 13 - „ 212 , XI. „ 11,12,13 250
„ VI. 3 - „ 241 , XIII. „ 32 - „ 251
„ VII. , 24 - „ 242 , III. „ 31 - „ 252
'
» X. , 21 - „ 243 , XIII. „ 32 - „ 264

» X. , 5 - „ 244 , XIV. „ 43 - „ 268
„ XIV. , 3 - „ 245 , VII. „ 16 - 210, 273
„ XIV. , 35 - „ 246 » X. „ 17 - „ 279
LUKE.
Chap III. Verse 1 - Page 17 Chap XVIII. - Verse 22 - Page 243
10 - 50 - 245
XII. „ „ VII. „ 37, 46 „
XVI. ,, 19 - „ 57 XXII. „ 41 - „ 246
XVIII. 22 - 90 VI. 249
„ „ „ 1 - „
II. i>
11 - » 104 VIII. „ 19 - „ 250
XVI. i> 17 -
„ 223 I. „ 26 - 251,252
VI. „ 29 - „ 224 II. „ 33, 43, 48 „ 253
XXIII. I) 34 - „ 225 IV. „ 22 - „ —
VI. „ 35 - „ 226 III. » 23 - „ 254
III. „ 23,24 „ 228 IV. „ 17, 18 „ 255
III. - - „ 230 VI. „ 27-29 „ 256
V. - „ 10 - „ 236 XI. „ 37,38,41 „ —
XVI. „ 17 -
„ 237 XVI. „ 22 - „ 257
IX. >i
57 - „ 238 XXIII „ 34 - „ 258
XII. » 51 - „ 239 XXII. „ 47 - „ 268
XVI. „ 16 „ 240 XVIII. 19 - „ 279
XII. „ 10 -
„ 241
JOHN.
Ch xp. XIX. - Verse 15 - Page 17 Chap I. - - Verse 21 - Pa ge 258
, I. „ 21 - „ 190 „ 11. -
„ 4 - „ 259
, X. „ 16 - „ 206 „ II. -
„ 18, 20 „ 260
> III. „ 4 - „ 213 „ VI. -
„ 38 - „ —
, II. „ 4 - „ 224 „ VII. -
„ 5,15 „ 261
, VII, „ 5 - 250,252 „ VIII. -
„ 3,11 „ —
I. 45 - „ 253 VIII. - 4 - „ 262
, „ „ „
,,
VI. „ 12 - „ — „ X. -
„ 16 - „ 264
',
XVIII. • 32 - „ 256 X. -
" 30, 33, 36 „ 112
"
») X. 38 - „ 266
12 INDEX OF QUOTATIONS.
JOHN {continued).
Chap. XIV. - Verse 1 Page266 Chap. XIII. - Verse 34 - Page 267

„ XVII. „ 21 „ XVII. - „ 34 » —
„ XIII. ., 3 „ XVIII. - „ 3 „ 268
„ XVI. „ 15 „ XIX. „ 15
„ XIV. „ 28 2G7 ,. XX. ., 17
THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

Chap. V. - Verse 34,38,39 Page 18 Char VII. . Verse 7, 14 Page 271
„ I „ 6, 7 „ 40 „ VII. „ 43 - „ 27-2
„ XV. „ 20 - 69, 73 „ VIII. ,j 9,10,11,, —

„ XVI. „ 3 -
„ 88 » X. ,j 11-15,6 „ -
„ XV. ,,- -20 -
„ 89 „ XII. ji 21 - „ 274
„ VII. „ 4 - „ 214 „ XII. ,j 33 - „ —
,, XV. „ 20, 19 „ 224 ,, XIII ,j 35, 37 „ 276
„ XXI. - 25 - „ — „ XV. jj 1 - „ 277
,, XV. „ 29 -
„ 226 jj XV. „ 17,20,29,, 278
„ XXI. „ 25 -
„ — ,j
XVI. ,^ 1 - ,. —
„ XXIII. „ 2, 3 „ 256 J, XVI. 2, 30 „ 279
„ I. „ G, 7 » 269 „ XXVIII. 3 - „ 280
» V. „ 34 -
„ — „ XIII. 33 - „ 290
„ VII. 4 „ 270 '
ROM ANS.
Chap. V. - Verse 15 - Page 50 Chap V. - Vers( 16 - Page 262
» V. „ 14 -
„ 63 „ V. - „ 14 - „ 280
,. XVI. „ 20 -
„ 60 „ IX. -
„ 24-26, 1.3„ 281
„ V. „ -
,, 82 „ X. -
„ 11.6-9 „ 282
„ IX. „ 24 -
,, 214 „ XI. -
„ 26 - „ 283
„ IX )) 23 -
» 215 „ XVI. „ 20 - „ —
„ X. -
" 11. 6,7 „ — " III. - » 19,28 „ 289
I CORIN THIANS.
Chap. V. - - Verse 1 - Page 89 Chap VI.- Verse 3 - Page 2«4
„ VI.- „ 9 „ 222 >' VII. >> 18, 20 „ 285
„ XV. ,, 28 - „ 252 „ X. - ,, 8 - „ —
„ X. -
') 25 -
„ 273 J'
XV. ,, 54 - „ 286
V. - 284
» " 1 „
GALA!lANi3.
Chap. V. • - Verse 1 - Page 277 Chap. III. - Verse 15 - Page 286
» V. -
» 2 -
„ 279 ,, III.- ,, 16 - „ 287
., V. - „ .S -
„ 285 ,, 11. -
„ — - „ 289
18 - 286
,, I. - „ „
EPHESIANS.
CUap. IV. - Verse 8 - Page 288.
I. THESSALONIANS.
Chap, II. Verse 18 - Page 60, 284 | Chap. II. - Verse 10 - Page 288
TIMOTHY.
Chap. I. - Verse 17 - Page '2(57
HEBREWS.
Chap. X. - - Verse 5 - Page 216 Chap. II. - - Vcise 7 - Page 292
„ XI. -
„ 17,31 „ 289 „ VIII - „ 8, 13 „ 29.3
„ I. - - „ 5,9 „ 290 .. X. - - „ f) - „ -
JAMES.
Chap. II. - Verse 14 - Page 288.
I. PETER.
Cliap. IT. - Verse 6 - Page 282.
REVELATIONS.
Chap. VII. - Verse') - Page 294 | Chap. XXII. - Verses 18,19 - Page 294

Isaac Troki - Faith Strengthened

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Isaac Troki - Faith Strengthened

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Isaac Troki - Faith Strengthened

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

FAITH STRENGTHENED.

PRINTED BUT NOT PUBLISHED.

ADDRESS TO HIS CO-R ELIGI O NT ST S.

As we Israelites do not seek to impose our faith on

others —a practice altogether repugnant to Judaism

intended exclusively for distribution among our Hebrew

Having made this declaration, the Translator informs

his Readers, that the ensuing work will be found to be

a faithful version of a valuable theological treatise,

entitled ni1^5< pITH ; or, Faith Strengthened. It Avas

originally composed in Hebrew by Isaac ben Abraham,

Istoi'ico," the author is designated as the most power-

ful opponent and refutant of the doctrines and dogmas

and a skilful controversialist, but an eminent biblical

scholar, a man of deep and extensive research ; and

and expose and refute the erroneous views on which

ments are essentially based on Scripture authority,

inasmuch as he derives his entire chain of proofs from

and his perfect familiarity with Bible phraseology,

more exact and accurate version of the original text,

than it is possible to find in any authorised English

a clearer and more definite conception of the real

meaning and purport of those obscure and difficult

passages which we find dispersed throughout the Law

their creed and doctrine. Of those intricate texts, our

Author has given most ample and lucid explanations,

and fallacious interpretations put upon them by the

the arguments of his adversaries, and demonstrate the

false and untenable foundation upon which they stand,

New Testament, shown the glaring inconsistences ap-

parent in them, and detected and exposed the manifold

discrepancies subsisting among their several authors,

and the endless and contradictory misquotations from

Thus has our Author presented his people with a well-

selected compendium of religious instruction, containing

those grand fundamental principles of Judaism,

namely, the belief in One Indivisible God, and the

Advent of a Future Messiah. To this mass of

and therein he will find a most valuable aid, with an

immense economy of time and labour. To this store-

house of Scriptural information let the youth of our

community also repair, and it cannot fail to afford

them ample materials for their perfect conviction of

the truth and purity of our holy faith, and weapons

of defence against the obtrusive efforts of the over-

zealous proselyte-seeker, and the insidious attacks of

tent, of Faith Strengthened ; but great and invaluable

as those claims and merits are in the maintenance and

elucidation of our Holy Faith, its worth and usefulness

beyond the pale of the theological scholar, the work

universally accessible to his Jewish brethren, the Trans-

lator has used his best endeavours to render it into the

vernacular language of the country, in order that it

may no longer be a sealed book, but may freely circu-

late among all grades and classes of the Jewish com-

munity, both in the mother country and in the colonies,

and become, in the domestic circle and the private

ciples and doctrines of our Holy Religion.