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pear it was Moses Mendelsohn who gave the first impulse to the Jewish mind in modern days. He was seconded in his endeavours by able and learned associates; and through their instrumentality a taste for literature and science was excited among the Israelitish people. The idea of sacredness which had long prevented a Jew from studying any language but Hebrew, was treated as obsolete by Mendelsohn and his followers. He distinguished himself by the purity of his German style, as well as by the intellectual excellence of the works which he wrote in that gentile tongue; and especially did his translations of the Pentateuch and Psalms, although they were printed in the Jewish character, produce a wonderful effect in reconciling the Jews to the study of German literature. Nay, such was the enthusiasm for German poetry, history, and philosophy, which manifested itself among the Jewish people, when they beheld their gifted kinsman side by side with the most eminent literati of the age, that "parents wished to see their children little Mendelsohns, and the study of German and profane literature was preferred to Rabbinical writings. Rashi, and Kimchi, the Shulchan Aruch and Tosaphoth, were laid on the shelf. Schiller and Wieland, Wolf and Kant, were the favourite books of the holy nation, the kingdom of priests, the sons of Abraham."*

Mendelsohn's opinions, too, were hostile to Rabbinism, as may be seen by a reference to his writings; and even his intentions are declared by his countryman Jost, to have been equally unfavourable to the prevalence of that system. Dr. Jost says, "We place Mendelsohn, notwithstanding his strict Rabbinical observances, amongst the opposers of Rabbinism. Although the most zealous Rabbies have not been able to detect in his Hebrew writings the spirit of departure, we believe that we are fully justified in directly considering him as the author of the opposing system. We go even further, and assert that this opposition was not a fortuitous result of his writings,

* M'Caul.

and their application to the instruction of youth; but that he was himself conscious of his purpose, and directed his activity to the object of giving to the Jewish religion another foundation than that which it was supposed to have, to spiritualize, to raise it, and with it to deliver his co-religionists from darkness, and to dispel a cloud of prejudices.'

We must not fail in this place to mention the names of Hertz Wesel, who died in 1805, and of David Friedlander, a Jewish merchant, who, by their talents, and learning, and wealth, and industry, fanned the flame which their leader had kindled: and, as the result of their labours, the first periodical which ever appeared amongst the Jews was produced in 1783, by a society in Konigsberg. Its object was to reform the Jewish creed and the Jewish character, to expose the abuses of Judaism, and to promote literature and science amongst God's ancient people. About this period flourished some celebrated Jews, such as Perreira, the first successful instructor of the deaf and dumb, and Dr. Black, an eminent naturalist, whose character tended much to help on the cause of Jewish reform, both by the influence which it exerted on their kinsmen, and by the admiration which their achievements called forth from the gentile world. The tide of change had now fairly set in, and all the liberalism which existed amongst the Jews was attracted into the vortex of the French revolution. One government after another extended a boon to the despised race, and the eagle-eyed Napoleon himself, thinking that the scattered state and numbers of the Jews might be rendered tributary to his aggrandizement, made a proposal to the Reformed party amongst them to hold the Sanhedrin in Paris, whose decrees might be binding on the whole Jewish people throughout the countries of the world. To this degradation, the Reformed Jews pusillanimously submitted, surrendering their highest national court into the hands of a dictator, for his political and selfish ends. With the fall of Napoleon, Mendelsohnism was broken down as a system; and at the present

*

day, there is no such thing as uniformity of doctrine, or ecclesiastical discipline, amongst those who constitute the third class, according to the division which

* Dr. Jost, in his "History," gives the following account of the influence which Mendelsohnism has exercised on religious opinion among the Jewish people: "Although no system has been formed, we think that we have perceived amongst reflecting Jews, a general adoption of the following principles: all agree that the Jews are no longer a chosen people in the hitherto received sense, and look upon expressions of this nature, in the Liturgy, only as an old form. They, however, assert that the holy Scriptures are the only source of a true religion capable of standing the test of reason. They remain strangers to the doctrines of Christianity, and no one believes that a confession of the Christian faith, free from hypocrisy, is possible, unless in those who have been convinced by education and custom. This pure religion consists in the conviction, that a supernatural revelation had been made to the forefathers of Israel, to Moses and the prophets, consequently in the belief that there is one God. For the instruction of man, God has made known, through human instrumentality, that He is the moral governor of the world, and that His eyes are upon men, valuing and retributing according to their moral worth. This presupposes the immortality of the soul. The moral code of Scripture is looked upon as the only true one, in so far as it agrees with principles generally to be acknowledged. It, therefore, requires not only a moral life, but one based upon religious principle, and not on worldly philosophy. Every thing that appears to militate against this is rejected, and every passage of Scripture that appears hostile is explained from the circumstances of the times: as, for instance, the evil deeds of the patriarchs; and the same expedient was also applied to the miracles, which some explained away altogether; others endeavoured to explain them on natural principles; but this system never became general. As to the cere

monial laws, no clear opinion has been expressed, but every one agreed, with Mendelsohn, that they were only the shell that enveloped the kernel. In the course of sifting the huge mass of Rabbinic additions, a distinction was soon made between essential and nonessential. As the Divine origin of the Mosaic legislation could not be denied without the absolute overthrow of Judaism, all unauthorized additions were rejected; and a conviction was formed that the majority of the laws, still in force, were not to be applied in the sense of the legislator, as they belonged to the Holy Land, and in other lands could not be exactly observed; that in strange countries, many duties of another kind, as military service, and such like, must arise; and that until the unknown period of the restoration of the Israelite monarchy by the expected Messiah, such laws only were to be observed as were necessary for preserving the essence of religion, or were useful for forming the congregations into a pious ecclesiastical community, without interfering with the existing relations of life, and intellectual improvement. In this way the religion remained orthodox, though not in the sense of the Rabbies."

we announced in the preceding part of this lecture. They are commonly called Reformed, new-fashioned, or enlightened, in contradistinction to the Rabbinical or old-fashioned Jews. They have thrown off the yoke of the Talmud, and established what is called a Reformed worship, at which portions of the Old Testament are read, and a sermon on morality is preached. Frankfort-on-the-Maine, where one third of the Jews belong to the Reformed class, affords an example of the manner in which their worship is conducted. The Rev. W. Ayerst, one of the most confidential and experienced of the missionaries of the London Society, writes thus regarding Frankfort:-"They perform their service in German without making any use of Hebrew. Johlson's Hymn Book is employed, and the singing is accompanied with an organ. The tunes are the same as those commonly sung in the Christian schools. The service commences by singing a few verses; after which the preacher enters the pulpit and offers a prayer, which he selects at pleasure from Johlson's Book of Prayer, or any other work, or uses one composed by himself. He then reads his text in German, using a free translation made by himself, as there is no authorized version in use among them. After the discourse, he offers another prayer in the same way as at the beginning, and concludes with the Aaronic blessing, 'The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace:' after which a few verses are suug, and the service concludes."

It is too true that infidelity has made very considerable progress among the educated Jews. Dr. M.Caul has justly said: "That Mendelsohn was the author of a great change, intellectual and civil, cannot be denied; that he was a reformer may well be doubted." Our minds are disposed to associate with a Jewish reformer some intrepid defender of the faith once delivered to the saints, and to look for the high and holy bearing of an Elijah in defence of God's revealed

word, in bold defiance of its enemies; and we shall be satisfied with nothing less than a Luther,* or a Calvin, or a Knox, who, in the face of danger and death, would carry from city to city, and from land to land, the truth as it is in Jesus, "which opens the blind eyes-which brings out the prisoners from prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prisonhouse," whether that darkness be Paganism, Popery, or Judaism. Totally different was the character of Mendelsohn and his followers. They drank deeply and proudly of gentile philosophy, instead of desiring, as new-born babes, the sincere milk of the word; so that the system which has been introduced among the Jews is little better than German Rationalism. Before it have disappeared the old Jewish manners, and nearly every vestige of a remote and sacred antiquity; it has almost proved the grave of Jewish education; it has dethroned the national language from the high and holy place of esteem which it was wont to hold; and it has even caused its votaries to renounce the land of their forefathers, and to mingle with the heathen. In France, the leaven of infidelity is manifesting its effects even among the "masters in Israel." In a letter recently addressed by the Grand Rabbi at Metz, to the Israelites of his district, the following passages occur:-"God has permitted different religions, according to the different necessities of men, in the same way as he has created different plants, different animals, and men of different characters, genius, constitutions, physiognomies, and colours. Consequently, all religions are salutary for those who are born in these religions; consequently, we must respect

* In the different towns where I attended the synagogues, I generally received the compliment usually paid to strangers of respectable appearance, that of being invited to dine with one of the elders of the synagogue after the worship was over; at whose house some others of the congregation were commonly invited to meet with me. I generally commenced our conversation by lamenting the low state of religion among our brethren, in which I was almost always cordially joined by the others. The expression of one of them was very remarkable: "Ah!" said he, "we need a Jewish Luther to come amongst us, and stir us up."-Herschell.

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