The Promised Land.
Oh! in the lightning let thy glance appear!
Sweep from his shivered hand the oppressor’s
spear:
How long by tyrants shall thy land be trod!
How long thy temple worshipless, Oh God!
BYRON: Hebrew Melodies.
For near two thousand years we have been
sojourners and wanderers in lands winch know not our
sway, whilst often we were persecuted, seldom
protected, frequently tortured with all the horrid
instruments which base persecution has invented to
nick the bones and to tear asunder the sinews of our
mortal frame, in order to drive out from our hearts
the belief in the power and the mercy of Israel’s
God. Yet we have clung to our faith and have escaped
the destruction, like a brand snatched from the
burning.
By opposing with meekness, or as it has been styled
by our enemies, stubbornness, we have defied the
edicts of the Roman emperors and the kings of
France, the ukases of the Russian autocrats, and the
bulls of the Popes.
How truly does the Bible say, “The battle is not to
the strong, nor the race to the swift;” for of those
who opposed us, where are they? The Roman empire was
overrun by the northern invader, was soon divided
into small states and governed by petty despots; the
Pope is now an exile, living upon the charity of his
<<22>> followers; the
last of a long line of French kings expiated the
crimes of his fathers on the scaffold; and the
Israelite is a favoured citizen in “la belle
France”—now a republic. The Queens of Portugal and
Spain are bigoted dependents, while their wretched
subjects, once so obedient, abhor in their hearts
their degraded sovereigns. This shall ever the doom
of those who persecute Israel. The past, though
never to be forgotten, we forgive, but in the future
let the guilty suffer.
At the hands of our opponents we have met death,
tortures, imprisonment and exile, with a firm step
and calm and manly front, few have flinched in the
trial, and fewer yet have disowned their faith.
Brethren! The time is perhaps not far distant when
we shall once more hear the harp and the timbrel in
our ancestral halls, when we shall be judged and
governed by those of our own persuasion, when
stately temples, swelling anthems, and sincere
hearts, shall attest our love for God’s holy law;
and then shall we avenge the stripes under which we
have so long suffered; then will our sacred armies
march to distant lands to convert the gentile and
the heathen, not by torture, but by holy example,
and gentle arguments, to be believers in one God!
one King! one Saviour! one Father! To all of you,
fellow-Israelites, this will be given as a task and
it is yours to see that it is done with truth and
sincerity.
But before this lofty castle can be reared, we must
rear our own hearts, purify our own thoughts,
practise as well as preach the ordinances and the
commandments, by constant attendance at the
Synagogue, keeping holy the Sabbath, and last but
not least, by forgetting all those petty
differences, all those various distinctions, which
have so long separated the various classes of Jews.
Within the last eighty years more has been done,
thanks be to Providence, towards the accomplishment
of the great work, than was expected or
anticipated. First there was the American
revolution, then followed in rapid succession, the
French revolution, next several Jewish merchants
became suddenly (and unaccountably as some would
say) wealthy and were able to control the movements
of many European states; the Jews were declared
<<23>>citizens of
France; certain Israelites made nobles of the French
and Austrian empires; after a while came the
Damascus persecution, followed by the generous and
successful efforts of Sir Moses Montefiore to
improve the condition of our people in the East; and
lastly there came new revolutions in Europe, which
shook monarchy to its base, and compelled the
sovereigns of the various countries to declare the
Jews citizens. Cannot every one see in all this “the
finger of God?”
Let us then, indeed, try to be a nation of priests;
let us one and all keep holy the Sabbath day; let us
love and do good to one another that we may deserve
the great mercy of the Lord; then will we enter
Jerusalem, the city of our King; then will we again
rebuild the temple; the sacrifices shall be renewed,
the priests will once more officiate, the son of
Judah shall be *our* king, and Israel his people.
For this blessed consummation let us all pray, and
by timely repentance atone for our sins; that the
future may be one bright unclouded day of joy that
the time may not be distant when Israel shall dwell
securely in Zion; and there is surely not one among
you who will not say, Amen, and hope for the speedy
fulfilment of these glorious results.
S. C V. B. [Van Biel]
Feb. 6, 1850. |
