42
THE VOICE OF JACOB.
coming spirit. We would have an enquirer into the morale of God's commands, bear in mind the difference between his own finite conceptions and the infante wisdom of his Creator. If this wsce the spirit in which ewaniry were instituted and pursued, then we are assured that ute rationale of all these obligations which it is incumbent oo us to perform, would be found essentially serviceable to the welfare of man. Let us take for example the Sabbath. The man of to-day, who does not look into the future; the freethinker, who will not look at all; these and many others have been accustomed to consider the Sabbath as a useless institution; useless, because, if to pray be proper, it is not so for one only, but for every day; useless, because it deprives them of just so much more time for the acquirement of wealth; useless, because they cannot, by squandering their means, indulge in those idle extravagancies which occupy so much of their time during the week; useless, in short, because they cannot see the use of it. But, let us ask these men, have they ever prayed earnestly and with becoming devotion ? Have they discovered the proper use of what they have acquired during the six days? Nay more, can it always be said, that they have acquired it even properly ? Have they not given themselves up to extravagance and luxury, to the neglect of their spiritual cultivation ? In short, have they ever regarded the Sabbath as it should be regarded; as a holy link between God and man, and between man and his fellow ? Have they not felt the necessity of some land mark to direct them amidst the devious ways of the world? If they have, then will they recognize in the Sabbath, one of the greatest blessings ever conferred by God on man. They will perceive, that it is a day set apart from the rest of the week, to regard the transactions of the past six days, to review those that have been bad, and to confirm themselves in those that have been good. It is a day, on which the benefits received are gratefully acknowledged, the chastenings, humbly bowed to. it is a day, on whicn the cares of toil being laid aside, the heart has more room to expand in veneration to its Heavenly Creator, in love to its fellow creatures. It is a day, on which we perceive ourselves drawn, as it were, closer to God ; and feel, in consequence, the greater necessity of striving to merit our connection. Viewed thus, the Sabbath is indeed a blessing ;—and this, but an instance among many, is selected because the most familiar.
There are, indeed, but few of the observances which our Allwise Parent has required of us, which, on calm research, may not be traced to be, both in their design and in their consequence, advantageous to ourselves. Thus, to obey is to profit, and the most setnsh of men—if wise enough to look beyond the immediate present, to take that comprehensive view of the whole social scheme which is rarely within the ken of mortality,— would, even as with the homely proverb, find “ honesty the best policy”—and that, (the maxim of the poet reversed,) to obey is to enjoy. Ye wise in your own conceit, when you have “ arraigned Providence," and found this truth manifested in so many of God’s requirements—and when you have discovered the uses even of “ blind obedience,” as a discipline which you do yourselves enforce, sometimes wisely and necessarily enforce, over your children or less enlightened dependants,—then let it be so with some obligation, the rationale of which you cannot fathom, having in your eyes neither end nor aim, or perchance even revolting the partial and self-constituted tribunal which the human mind can only be;—in such case too, obey—obey with double pleasure, for so to yield is a conquest over your own rebellious spirit, that most active and powerful opponent of your own happiness. And shall not the offering afforded by such a conquest,— a thanksgiving so unselfish in its gratitude, and so well calculated to sway the more ignorant masses to their good—be, like the faith of our great ancestor,—“ accounted as righteousness "?
Hie uses of fiuth as a means of self-discipline, it would be difficult to over estimate, whether viewed as regards individuals, or society at large. Individually, it inures a man to command his passions, and to restrain his desires within proper bounds; and hence it renders him more fit to obey, more ready to yield to the superiority of his Creator. In society, which is wily safe in the practice ora system of mutual concession and forbearance,
what can better tend to promote such a state as that disposition to yield4o a wise guidance which would be impossible of execution, if every possible doubt must be first removed by evidence beyond the reach of man.
With the “ call of Abraham,” mentioned in this portion, commences a most momentous revelation to man. This call involved duties, the performance of which became imperative for preserving that protection for which the revelation of the will of God was a warrant. These duties form, what has been termed, the “ Vocation of Abraham,” and are thus spoken of in Scripture. “ Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty-nation, and all the nations of the earth shall Be blessed in him ! For 1 have noticed him; because he will command his children and his household after him, that they shall keep the way of the Lord, to execute equity and justice, that the Lord bring upon Abraham that which he hath foretold concerning him.” In addition to this God says: “1 will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee, 1 will curse ; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” The exalted position which this vocation conferred on Abraham, and therefore, on his descendants who inherited it, needs not here be alluded to, so numerous are the dissertations that have already been written on the subject. It will be needless also, to point out how literally the promises, held out as accompanying this vocation, have been fulfilled ; how truly the posterity of Abraham have been the means of blessing mankind ; for we need but appeal to the general spread of the worship of God. We need not point out the fact of our being the living witnesses of Divine revelation, for the whole civilized world, even now, submit to be taught by our Scriptures. But it will not be out of place to admonish our readers, that there are still serious duties for Jews to perform ; they have still to act as though they were models for the world; they have still so to conduct themselves as that mankind may turn with admiration and respect to the lesson that is presented to them. They must not be ashamed to proclaim themselves what they are—Israel- ites, or as more familiarly expressed, Jews.—Can they blush at their nationality ? can they shrink from acknowledging their descent? Boldly and fearlessly must they avow it, glorying in the fact, that they have the right to declare themselves the representatives of the truth thus given as “ a blessing.” They must endeavour likewise to render themselves worthy of their mission, by scrupulously observing those obligations which render the Jews “ a peculiar people” before the world, in order that all those who behold a Jew may, like Melchizedek at the sight of Abraham, recognize “the Most High God, possessor of Heaven and Earth.”
VICARIOUS ATONEMENT.
Our readers will recollect an article in No. 24 of our periodical, headed “Gentile Criticisms, kc.” in which we made some remarks, suggested by an article entitled “ the Jewish Press," in the Christian Lady's Magazine of August last. We have, since then, received the October number of that magazine, and 6nd that its Editress desires to prove, first, that Popery is really Idolatry, and secondly, that Vicarious atonement and Justification are grounded on holy writ.
Nowit will be remembered, that at the very outset, we’repudiated the idea of any interference between different Christian creeds, and that the remarks which we made on Popery were merely incidental. As, therefore, we do not stand forward as the champion of Popenr, (which would certainly little thank us for such officiousness,) we leave that portion of the article before us altogether untouched, though it appears to us, that the argument of the Editress leaves ample room fbr farther discussion. She certainly adduces some grave charges against the church of Rome, but they are exparte; and, doubtless, some organ of that Church may disprove them.
We now come to the other point. Here, we move upon Jewish ground; here, we occupy a position proper to the end of our publication; we shall endeavour to maintain that position. When we contested, from Jewish sources, the doctrine of Vicarious atonement and Justification, we did not mean to deny that