M0fl9ttitmiii*firiram^ SHIELD GOTTMIL w MKMOMAL B 3Booft of Devout for WRITTEN AND SELECTED DR. GUSTAV GOTTHEIL Senior Rabbi Temple Emanu-El, New York For Sun and Shield is the everlasting God; He giveth grace and honor, with- holdeth no good from them that walk in uprightness. Psalm xxxliv. 12. BRENTANO^S CHICAGO PARIS WASHINGTON Copyright, iSqb, by BRENTANO^S Co tbe flDemon? of flfe Wife Rosalie W. (3ottbeil 436357 (preface. 4 4 pfr FRIENDLY thought," says Carlyle, " is the purest gift a \^y man can afford to man." If so, this book should not fail of a kindly reception by all those who value such a gift. For what thoughts can be more friendly and propitious to man's best nature than those fitted to evoke and nourish in his heart a devout spirit ? Such thoughts speak peace to his soul, direct his spiritual eye inward and upward, purify and elevate his desires, bid him, when distressed, to be of good cheer, and, when prosperous, to guard himself from the snares of pride and godforgetfulness. " A friend in need is a friend indeed, "is the common saying ; and such a friend in all sorts of needs and perplexities and doubts and trials this book is meant to prove ; to this end our own Bible and other Bibles, the traditions of our own church and of other churches, the spiritual bequests of our own sages and poets and of other wise men and singers, as well, as the writings of living authors have been diligently searched and laid under con- tribution. Friendly, also, in another way, these pages will be found on examination. Altho' intended for Israelites, and prepared without any attempt whatsoever at concealing or putting out of sight, or even toning down, Jewish faith or Jewish hopes or Jewish aspira- tions, there will yet be seen nothing here at which any candid reader of another creed could justly take umbrage. They only who look for offence may discover such ; the over-zealous eye i PREFACE. easily magnifies a mere shadow across the way into a stumbling- block; they who are blind from an excess of imagined light, may even be scandalized at the least claim put forth by any faith but their own. Against these classes (they are, fortunately, now growing less in number) there is no panacasa ; their cavil must be simply endured. But the fair-minded will allow that this book is not unworthy the encomium and imprimatur of England's great writer : that it is a pure gift of friendly thoughts afforded by one man to his brother man. Likewise the form in which these " Thoughts " are presented should help to make them acceptable. A few moments of daily introspection, of retirement from the exhausting din and rush around us, so that we may listen to the still, small voice within us, or, led by a word of truth and counsel, bethink ourselves (uns auf uns selbst besinnen) seems to have become a way of religious and ethical self-culture which is congenial to the taste and temper of our time. Quite a literature has sprung up, designed to satisfy, what may be truly called, a need of these latter days; and I have full reason to believe that it is felt amongst spiritually- minded Israelites as much as amongst Christians of the same class. A lady-parishioner, finding one of those books on my study- table, lifted it up, as if in grateful acknowledgment, and said : " This book, sir, altho' not by a Jewish author, has been my staff and my support these last seven years, which were full of trials and heartaches to me and, in fact, I know not how I should have lived through them without its daily counsel near at hand." I count this demand for new aids to devotional self-exercise among the hopeful signs of the time ; for it shows that devotion is not one of the things which we have outgrown, but which has been growing with us ; nay, that it is gathering unto itself new strength by the addition of thought to sentiment, of reflection to prayer and by the willing acceptance of healthful counsel from whatever side it may come. PREFACE. I have, therefore, gladly responded to the invitation of the pub- lishers to prepare such a help to devout thinking for the Jewish church; whether and in how far I have struck the right path, the future will tell. I have, however, departed from my predecessors in one essen- tial point ; I have exchanged the guiding line of Dates, followed by them, for a line of Subjects, systematically arranged and provided with appropriate headings. The former plan seemed to me all too formal and mechanical. Man's mind is not like an organ, which can be set to play any tune we wish, by putting a sheet of paper into it. Our moods cannot be regulated by dates. What we want is " strength according to our own days," which are more many-colored than was Joseph's coat. When, on the first of June, we greet the morning with a light and contented heart we shall turn, in a sort of anger, from the page bearing that date, on finding that it gives us a death-bed confession, or, if sad and burdened, and longing for a word of comfort, we find Blackie's Song of Glee offered for our morning devotion. When God has filled our mouths with laughter, our diurnal reading should not fill our eyes with tears. The system, which I have adopted, saves the reader from such recoils. The full index of subjects in front of the book makes it easy for him to find a subject most consonant with his actual frame of mind; whilst, when his days follow each other in an even tenor, he may select his topic and be led, step by step, to consider it in its various bearings. Another advantage of the present system is that I could take due notice of Sabbaths and Festivals and provide readings suitable for those days. The expression on the title page " for every-day use " should be understood, not only as characterizing the practical nature of the readings, but also in its numerical sense, every day of the year. There are three hundred and sixty-six readings, divided into twelve sections or books, after the months of the year, regard being had to the order of the Festivals in the Jewish church-year. In the arrange- PREFACE. ment of subjects I have been guided by the wish to present to the reader a concise, yet comprehensive, view of modern Judaism which, I trust, will be as welcome to the Jewish as to the non- Jewish reader. Dogmatic, philosophical or historic treatises are not the writings which attract the majority of people. A brief statement, in clear and non-scholastic terms, appeared to me the best vehicle to convey such information to circles where it is much needed. It is mostly here where I speak in propria persona, whilst in the field of ethics, of what the Germans call Weltweis- heit y and of the principles of universal religion, I have invited greater minds, lights of the world, poets of mankind, to speak their Divine prophecies once more to our generation ; and assist me in providing a table for those who hunger after righteousness and thirst for the true word of the ever-inspiring God. To those of their holy order who have joined the Choir Invisible, may this re-awakening of their voices be as a thank-offering ; whilst to those of my contributors, who are happily still in the land of the living, I hereby offer my thanks with an upright heart. The Scripture texts at the head of each article have not been placed there as a mere compliment to theVenerable Book, to which I would, in this wise " pay its dues in bows " ; but from the con- viction of their incomparable value for the upbuilding of a relig- ious mind. I have bestowed much labor on their selection and would entreat those, who shall use this book, not to pass them over lightly, but to pause awhile after reading and try to grasp their meaning and note their beauty, simplicity and elevation. Would that I could have given them, as they live in my own mind, in their native garb ; such was our wont only half a century ago ! For the most skilful rendering is, as has been pithily said, a surrendering of part of the meaning and force of the original. True in all cases, it is signally so in that of the Bible ; religion be- ing the great and all-absorbing purpose of the nation which created that literature, the national tongue was formed for the PREFACE. expression of religious thought and feeling, as was no other. But even in a strange tongue, this is what one, competent to speak, says of Scripture quotations : The charm which Scripture quotation adds to writing, let those tell who have read Milton, Bunyan, Burke, Forster, Southey, Croly, Carlyle, Macauley, yea, and even Byron, all of whom have sown their pages with this orient pearl and brought thus an im- pulse from Divine Inspiration to add to the effect of their own. Extracts trom the Bible always attest and vindicate their origin. They nerve what else in the sentence in which they occur is point- less; they clear a space for themselves, and cast a wide glory around the page where they are found. Taken from the " Class- ics of the Heart" all hearts vibrate more or less strongly to their voice. It is even as David felt of old toward the sword of Goliath when he visited the high-priest and said ; There is none like that, give it me. (Gilfillan.) And George Herbert says : " A verse may find him who a sermon flies." As the number of flyers from sermons is exceptionally large in these latter days, I thought it labor well^-bestowed, carefully to select " verses " which seemed to me to possess that heart- searching power. I have been equally solicitous in the choice of the poetical quotations, avoiding mere rhymed platitudes, or metred inanities, or spiritless and hollow Wortgeklingel, but have aimed at conveying, in the artistic form, a poetical thought akin to the ideas presented in the prose portion. I did not think it necessary to add the poets' names to these fragments, partly, be- cause I would not cumber the pages with names by which the reader's attention is often lured from his text ; partly, because such brief quotations are mostly given by all writers without mentioning the poet's name. Only where a whole poem is in- serted, I deemed it my duty to both, author and reader, to subjoin the name of the " Happy Rhymer." I may not close these prefatory remarks without acknowledg- PREFACE. ing my obligations to my publishers, who not only (as I have already stated) took the initiative in the preparation of this book, but have foreborn with me when I could not help, from want of time, to put their patience to severe tests, and who never stood back at any suggestion by which the usefulness of the book could be increased and its outer garment made more pleasing to the eye ; so that it is as much for their sakes, as for my own, that I desire to see these pages fulfil the mission for which they were intended. And let this be my last word to the gentle Reader : Brother, Sister, whoever thou be who enters this " little sanctuary" which I have reared with more labor and more anxious thought than appears to the eye mayest thou indeed here "meet with God " and may the words, heard in its stillness, ever prove to thee " words in season," lighting thy way to that special grace thou standest in need of ; and mayest thou, thereby, be helped to fulfil thy highest obligation : to hallow the name of God and receive, what our sages call: the seal and confirmation of all blessings: peace! I beseech God so to prosper the work of my hand, mind and heart. GUSTAV GOTTHEIL. vi Contents. BOOK I. PAGE I. The Creator . . . i II. The Praise of the Creator .... 2 III. The Thought of God 3 IV. Feeling after God . 4 V. Finding God ... 5 VI. Let there be Light . 6 VII. The Goodness of God 7 VIII. The Justice of God . 8 I X . Th e Goodness of God 's Work 9 X. The Everpresent God 10 XI. The God we Worship n XII. Singing God . Hymns to 12 XIII. Intellectual Worship of God 14 XIV. The Deeper Sense of Gratitude ... 15 XV. The Thankful Heart 16 XVI. The Prayers of the Wise . .16 XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. PAGE The Overruling Power . . . .17 Meeting with God 19 The Inward Wit- ness of God . . 20 The Known God . 2 1 Nearer, my God, to Thee. ... 23 The Accepted Worship ... 24 Reverence God and Help Men . 25 The God of the Good. ... 26 The Holy and Merciful God . 27 From Nature to Nature s God . 28 The Unity of God 29 The Joy of God . 30 The Spirit of God 31 The God of all Souls .... 32 vii CONTENTS. BOOK II. n. PAGE I. Man Sinner and Saint 37 II. The Two Natures in Man 38 PAGE XVI. Pathfinders . . 54 XVII. The Blessings of Love .... 55 XVIII. The Way of the III. Fellow Men Fellow Sinners .... 39 IV. The Pure Heart . .41 V. The Pure Lips . . 42 VI. The Merciful Heart 43 VII. The Faithful Heart 44 VIII. Self-Rule .... 45 IX. Soul-Liberty ... 46 X. Control and Cleanli- ness . . 47 God fearing . .56 XIX. Godliness . . .57 XX. The Aspiration of Work .... 58 XXI. Death .... 59 XXII. Immortality . . 60 XXIII. Intimations of Immortality . . 62 XXIV. The Scaffolding . 63 XXV. Tears .... 64 XI. The Good Flight . . 48 XII. Serenity of Soul . . 49 XIII. Man Coworkerwith God 50 XXVI. The Hereafter . 65 XXVII. The Hope of Sal- vation .... 67 XXVIII. The Destiny of XIV. Vicarious Toilers . 51 XV. Toilers of the Spirit 53 Man .... 68 XXIX. Duty Divine . . 69 XXX. True Excellency . 70 viii CONTENTS. BOOK III. PART FIRST. PAGE I. The Call of Israel . 75 XVIII. II. The B&st Truths . 76 III. Israel Enduring . 77 XIX. IV. An Ideal of a Jew . 79 V. The Purpose of the XX. Commandments . 80 VI. The Two Guides . 81 XXI. VII. Customs . . . .82 XXII. VIII. The Spiritual Life 83 IX. Ancient Prayers . . 84 XXIII. X. The Grace of Re- XXIV. pentance . . .85 XI. Israel's Heritage . 86 XXV. XII. What was Revealed XXVI. to Moses ... 87 XIII. The Way to God . 88 XXVII. XIV. The Un ify i n g Power of Re- XXVIII. ligion .... 90 XV. Jewish Separatism 91 XVI. True Unity ... 92 XXIX. XVII. The Invisible Church ... 93 XXX. PAGE The Invisible Lodge .... 95 Apostles of Right- eousness ... 96 7%* Pride of Faith .... 97 The Bible. . . 98 Hallowing God's Name . . . .100 Charity . . . 101 -Afa Conflict with Science . . .102 History . . .103 P'aith in their Destiny . . .104 Mystery, but no Secrecy . . .106 Faith in the Here- after .... 107 The Chosen People . . .108 Messiah . . .no CONTENTS. BOOK IV. PART SECOND. I. The Fruit of Unity 115 II. The Land of Promise a Land of Memories . .116 III. The Dispersion . 117 TV. The New Life . .119 V. Deed is Creed . . 1 20 VI. When is the Good Time? .... 121 VII. The Good of To day 123 VIII. Honor the Hoary Head . . . . ' . 1 24 IX. The Blooming Rod 125 X. The Past and Present . . . .126 XL The Only Heresy . 127 XII. The Healing Hand of God . . . .129 XIII. Unbroken in Spirit 1 30 XIV. The Torch of Science . . . .131 XV. Still on the Alert . 133 XVI. The Man Possessed of God . . . . 1 34 XVII. The Force of Ancient Words 135 XVIII. The Suffering Witness for God 1 37 XIX. True Piety . .138 XX. A Time to Speak 140 XXI. The Blessing of Abraham . .141 XXII. The Silent yet P otent Teacher . 142 XXIII. Saving Our Soul 144 XXIV. The Animal Soul . . . .145 XXV. Spiritual Nur- ture . . . .147 XXVI. The Dread of Envy .... 148 XXVII. The Joy of the Jewish Sabbath 149 XXVIII. Superstition . .150 XXIX. Chosen and yet Sinladen . . .151 XXX. The Comforter .153 CONTENTS. BOOK V. PAGE I. The Kingdom of God 157 II. Messianic Prayer . 158 III. The Power of Love 160 IV. The Surety of 'Peace 161 V. The Pillar of Grati- tude 162 VI. The Fruitful Tree . 163 VII. The Ev er last ing Arms 165 I"AGH XVII. Hatred and Pride . . .177 XVIII. The School of Affliction . .179 XIX. The Dignity of Man .... 180 XX. Apostle of Con- science . . .181 XXI. The Prophet of Soul- Liberty . 182 XXII. Our Acts our Angels . . .184 XXIII. Liberty and Light . . .185 XXIV. Belief in Man . 186 XXV. The Architect of Circumstances 1 87 XXVI. An Humble Faith . . .188 XXVII. Hatred, The De- stroyer . . .189 XXVIII. What Right- eousness In- cludes . . .190 XXIX. Cause no Stum- bling . . . .191 XXX. From the Cradle to the Grave . 193 VIII. The Brotherhood of Man 1 66 IX. Religion and Hu- manity . . . .167 X. The Wisdom of the Wise 169 XI. The Trials of Great Souls . .170 XII. The Continuance of our Life . . . .171 XIII. The Ideal always with us . . . .173 XIV. Religion and Home 174 XV. What is Charity ? . 175 XVI. Repent for III by do ing Good . . .176 xi CONTENTS. BOOK VI. PAGE I. Duties of the Heart 197 II. Casttgations a Means Only . .198 III. The Unfailing Re ward .... 200 IV. The Kingdom of Man is Within . 201 V. Resignation the Greatest Power of the Mind . . . 202 VI. Waiting for the Lord 203 VII. The Blessedness of Prayer .... 204 VIII. The Power of Prayer .... 205 IX. Prayer an Exper- ience , . . . . 206 X. If not Religion What? .... 208 XI. The Morning and Evening Stars of Life 209 XII. Devotion a Liv- ing Sense of the Ideal 210 XIII. In God' s Own Time 211 XIV. Stillness to God. .212 XV. God Quiets me in Himself . . . .213 fcife. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX, Joy in the Ever- present . . .214 The Godly Sor- row . . . .215 The Schooling of Life . . .216 The Punishment of Anger . . 217 Seal up the Angry Lips .218 The God-loving. 220 Lowliness Ele- vates . . . 221 Who also Serve 222 The World's Censure a Means of Grace 224 The Fining Pot 225 Shun Vainglory 226 Unconscious Worshippers of God . . . 227 What is Most Precious in Man .... 229 Prosperous Ad- versity . . .230 The Artificer of his own Hap- piness . . .231 xii CONTENTS. BOOK VII. $octaf feife. PAGE I. Seek Peace and Pursue it . . .235 II. The Sin of Slander 236 III. No Outcasts . . .237 IV. In Sorrow, not in Anger .... 238 V. Full Pardon . . .239 VI. Doing Good with- out Causing Harm 240 VII. Angels' Visits . . 242 VIII. The Pleading Voice of God . ... 243 IX. Be and Appear Good 244 X. Friendship . . .245 XI. The Right Use of Power .... 246 XII. Making the Best of One Another . . 247 XIII. Justice Before Charity .... 248 XIV. Endeavors . . .250 XV. Love Thyself in Thy Neighbor .251 XVI. The Grace of Man- ners 252 256 257 259 PAGE XVII. The Golden Mean . . . 253 XVIII. Kindly Speech . 254 XIX. Pure Religion and Undefiled 255 XX. The Consolation of the Right- eous .... XXI. The Greatest is Love .... XXII. Sobriety . . . XXIII. The Greatness of Little Things . 260 XXIV. Consummation of the Past . . 261 XXV. Human Kinship 262 XXVI. Praise and Prize of Virtue 264 XXVII. The Sweet Uses of Bitter Words 265 XXVIII. The Vanity of Vaunting . . 266 XXIX. Love's Hour Al- ways Now . . 267 XXX. Fill Thy Place in the Struggle for Goodness . 268 CONTENTS. BOOK VIII. <* ^r ne &ife. PAGE PAGE I. Parallel Roads to Happiness . . .273 XVI. The Glory of Faithfulness . 290 II. The Joyous Worker 274 XVII. Learn to En- dure .... 291 III. The Grace of Child- XVIII. Father and hood ... 275 JWot/t CP 202 IV. Life in the Destroy- XIX. Forefathers . . 293 er's Steps . 276 XX. The Dead . . 294 f / V. Neighborhood . .277 XXI. Transfiguration of Death . .295 VI. Saved from De- XXII. The Eternal Re- struction . . . 278 ward . . . . 297 VII. do. 279 VIII. do. 281 XXIII. The Children's Praise of God. 298 XXIV. Happiness, gen- IX. The Mother's Tear .282 uine and spur- X. Presents of Peren- ious .... 299 nial Price . . .283 XXV. Be not Selfish in XI. The Heart's Con- thy Sorrow . 300 XXVI. Gentle Rule . .301 tentment . . .285 XXVII. The Homestead . 303 XII. Considerate Speech . 286 XXVIII. The Home-land 304 XIII. The Twofold Ten- XXIX. Levity, a Foe to dency in Man . . 287 Cheerfulness . 306 XIV. Let it pass .... 288 XXX. Goodness of Heart the XV. Home-Politeness . . 289 Beautifier . . 307 CONTENTS. BOOK IX. I. Praise of God in the PAGE XVI. Unselfish Peace . PAGE 328 Highest . . . . 3" XVII. Sacred Uses of II. 1 slam Surrender the Sacred to God .... 3 I2 Day . . 3 2 9 III. The God of Our XVIII. Sabbath IV. V. Forefathers . . The Waters of Noah Erring on the Right 313 314 XIX. Thoughts do. . . - 330 332 CfJm XX. do . . 333 VI. csiae Revelation in His- 31 XXI. do. . . jjj tory 3^ XXII. do. . . 335 Vlt. Personal Religion . 3' 8 XXIII. do. . . 336 VIII. The Community of Saints . . . . 3 ! 9 XXIV. do. . . . . J.J 337 IX. Righteousness, a XXV. The Father of Blessing for all . 320 Lights . . . 338 X. Reasonable Content- XXVI. Acts of Piety . 339 ment 322 XXVII. S p ir i t u a I XI. Rest Under the Growth . 340 Shadow of His J^ v Wing .... 323 XXVIII. The Vesture of XII. Discord and Accord 324 the Diety . . 34i XIII. Inward Rest . . . 325 XXIX. The Throne of XIV. The Ever - present God . . 342 Help 126 XXX. Prayer of the XV. Serenity .... J^,VX 327 Yearning Soul 343 CONTENTS. BOOK X. I. The Message of the Month of Tishri . 347 .0 XVI. XVII Feast of Taber- nacles . . . do 365 366 II. Rosh-hashanah . . Hn 34 8 74.0 XVIII. do 367 IV. The Destiny of Man 350 XIX. XX do do .... 369 -370 V. For the Penitential XXI do 371 35i VT do .... 353 XXII. The Closing Fes- VTT do . . . 354 tival .... 372 VTTI do 355 XXIII. Chanukah . . 374 ni-if*. TX do 357 XXIV. XXV Passover . . . do J/ 6 777 fin XXVI. do j/7 378 VT do .... 350 XXVII. do. Spring- VTT do .... 360 time 379 XXVIII do XIII. The Day of Atone- XXIX. do 38-* ment 361 xxx do . . XIV. XV. Reconciliation . . Festivals of Re- joicing . . . . 363 3 6 4 XXXI. XXXII. XXXIII. Shabuoth . . . Confirmation Tisha B'Ab . . 385 386 388 CONTENTS. BOOK XI. $e Community. PAGE I. Religion and Public XVI. Morality . . .393 II. The Natural Direc- tions of Charity . 394 VVTT III. Say-well and Do- well . ^95 ^\. V 1 1 XVIII. IV. The Oneness of Human Aspira- XIX. tions . . . 396 "W V. The Safety of XXI. Humility . . . 397 XXII. VI. Soul- Sanity . . .398 XXIII. VII. Serving God Prac tical Religion . . 399 VIII. Fulfill the Whole XXIV. Law 400 XXV. I X . David and the Sweet XXVI. Singers after him 402 X. Words of Counsel . 403 XXVII. XI. Disappointments . 404 XII. God' s Gift, the XXVIII. Spirifs Thrift . 405 XXIX. XIII. How to Give and to Take Counsel . . 406 XXX. XIV. Peace, the. Fruit of Goodness. . . . 408 XXXI. XV. Blended Radiance . 409 The Refuge of Uprighteous- ness . . . .410 Be Circumspect .411 Truth Self-Pro- tecting . . .412 The Whisperer .413 Wise Counsel .414 Tempt not God .415 Doing our Ought 417 Spotless and Guileless . .418 The Pharisees .419 ATI Exhortation 420 The Schooling of the Law . . 42 1 The Witness of Conduct . .422 Sins of Omission 423 Worship, Wise and Otherwise 424 More Light and Welcome . .425 The Balm of Prayer . . . 426 xvii CONTENTS. BOOK XII. hne anb (Bfernifg. 432 I. Delay is Loss . . .431 II. The Passing Day Holds Lasting Good . . . III. Here is the Light of Hereafter . . .433 IV. We Cannot be Where God is Not . . . 434 V. The Insight of Good- ness 436 VI. The Fear and the Love of God . . 437 VII. The Flight of Years 438 VIII. The Fittest Prepara- tion for a Better World .... 439 IX. Passing Away in Peace 440 X. Planting for Eter- nity 441 XI. Discords and Ac- cords of Life . . 442 XII. The Allurements of Heroism . . . .443 XIII. Morning Offering . 444 XIV. This Day the Lord Hath Made . . 445 XV. Victorious from the Fight .... 446 XVI. Midnight Hymn . . 447 XVII, XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII. The Fashioning Hand . . . 448 At the Unknown Gate .... 440 At the Time of Old Age . . 450 The Crowning of a Good Lije . 451 /// the Home for Incurables . .452 The Heroism of Submission . 454 Not so in Haste, My Little Man 455 Our Times of Life .... 456 The^ Hope of the Future, a Light for the Present . . .457 A Song of Trust 458 The A"irs of Heaven . . . 460 Turning the Light Inward 461 The Hidden Light and Life 462 The Chast&ning Thought of Death . . . 463 Crossing the Bar 464 Hallowing the Name of God . 465 xviii of ABRAHAMS, ISRAEL, 242, 246 ACHAI, Rabbi, 102, 146, 190 ADDISON, JOSEPH, 181, 186, 214, 252, 285, 300, 360 AGUILAR, GRACE, 419 ALAMI, SOLOMON, 145 ANTONINUS, 25 ARISTOTLE, 254 ARNOLD, MATTHEW, 193, 386 ASAI, BEN, 55 ASHER, JUDAH, BEN, 147, 236 AUERBACH, BERTHOLD, 306 ARAMA, ISAAC, 143, 163 BARROWS, SAM. T., 262 BARNES, ALBERT, 302 BEAULIEU, ANATOLE LEROY, 131, 132, BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG, VON, 171 BEECHER, HENRY WARD, 16, 64, 267, 324, 364, 380, 385 BIGG, J. STANYON, 342 BLAIR, HUGH, 306 BONAR, HORATIUS, 449 BOMBO, PlETRO, 451 BOSTHWICK, J. D. 388 BREMER, FREDERIKA, 442 BROOKS, PHILLIPS, 235 BROWNING, ELIZABETH BARRETT, 65 BROWN, E. A. C., 466 BROWN, SIR THOMAS, 240, 344 BRYANT, WILLIAM CULLEN, 450 BUNYAN, JOHN, 406 BURLEIGH, WILLIAM, H., 380 BURKE, 186 CAEDMON, 371 CAMP, STEPHEN H., 452 CARLYLE, THOMAS, 52, 53, 173, 187, 274, 444, 446 CECIL, 465 CHADWICK, JOHN W., 168, 243 CHALMERS, T., 394 CHANNING, WILLIAM E., 203, 229. 367 CICERO, 166 CLAPP, ELIZA T., 88 CLEANTHES, 3, 342 COBBE,E. P., 3 6l COLERIDGE, HARTLEY, 210 COLLYER, ROBERT, 77 COLTON, 184 COUCY, MOSES, BEN JACOB OF., 39 DARMSTETTER, JAMES, 103, 104, 135,^36, 138, 139 DAVY, HUMPHREY, 209 DEEMS, CHARLES F., 339, 424, 442 DICKENS, CHARLES, 276 DISRAELI, ISAAC, 150 EINHORN, DAVID, 125 ELIOT, GEORGE, 82, 383 EMERSON, RALPH WALDO, 253, 308, 379? 417, 44 6 EPICTETUS, 265 FABER, F. W., 365 FARRAR, F. W., 128 FENELON, 341 FORSTER, GEORGE, 250 Fox, GEORGE, 212 FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN, 273 FROTHINGHAM, O. B., 291 FUNK, ADDIE, 387 GABRIOL, SOLOMON, IB'N, 2, 350 GEIGER, ABRAHAM, 410 GOETHE, 69 HALEVY, JACOB, 352 HALEVY, JEHUDAH, 63, 71, 89, 323 HALL, CHARLES H., 172, 175, 396, 401, 402 HEINE, HEINRICH, 78, 99 HELPS, SIR ARTHUR, 286 HENRY, M., an HERDER, 68 HERODOTUS, 416 HUEBSCH, ADOLPH, 140, 142 HIRSCH, SAMUEL, 192, 217 HIRSCH, EMIL, 228 HOLDHEIM, SAMUEL, 29 HUGO, VICTOR, 61 HUMBOLDT, ALEXANDER VON, 28 ISAAC, ELEAZAR, BEN, 58 LIST OF AUTHORS QUOTED. JECHIEL OP ROME, 169 JOSEPH, MORRIS, 454, 455 JOSEPHUS, FLAVIUS, 54, 80, 321, 369, 421, 422 JUD^EUS, PHILO, 3, 5, n, 15, 24, 25, 49, 200, 245, 330, 369 KANT, EMANUEL, 251 KINGSLEY, CHARLES, 412 KOHLER, K., 191 LACTANTIUS, 167, 381 LAVATER, 184 LAW, WILLIAM, 56 L' ESTRANGE, 83 LEWIN, RAPHAEL, D. C., 373 LONGFELLOW, HENRY WADSWORTH, 239, 296 LUTHER, MARTIN, 367 MATHESON, 445 MASON, WILLIAM, 439 MALONE, Father SYLVESTER, 376, 378 MARTINEAU, J., 59 MAIMONIDES, MOSES, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 41, 4 2 43i 45i 4 8 i3 IS 1 ! *99i 3 68 MENCIUS, 167, 329, 417 MENDELSSOHN, MOSES, 18, 66, 94 MILLER, J. R., 449 MILTON, JOHN, 297, 438 MOHAMMED, 4, 176 MOLINOS, M. 343 MONTEFIORE, CLAUDE G., 269, 435, 437, , 447 MONTAIGNE, 443 MOORE, THOMAS, 372 MOZOOMDAR, PROTAP, CHUNDAR, 320 MOSES OF EVREUX, 19 MUSCATO, JEHUDAH, 161 NORTON, MRS., 293 PAINE, THOMAS, 418 PAKUDA, BECHAY, BEN JOSEPH, IB'N, 198, 397, 433 PAKUDAH, BACHIAH, IB'N, 397, 433 PARKER, THEODORE, 30 PASCAL, BLAISE, 255, 463 PENINI, R. JEDAYA, 434, PLATO, 17, 296 PLINY, 443 PLUTARCH, 50 PUSEY, E. B., 322 QUINTILLIAN, 167 RICHTER, JEAN PAUL F., 33, 166, 288, 34 1 ROBERTSON, F. W. 23, 69, 205 ROSCOE, ROBERT, 28.2 RUSKIN, JOHN, 249, 337, 357 SAADYAH, R., 226 SAVAGE, MINOT, J., 84, 241, 284, 301, 304, 384> 441 SCHUBERT, FRANZ, 171 SENECA, 263, 264, 302, 381, 462 SIDNEY, Sir PHILIP, 60 SILVERMAN, JOSEPH, 314 SIMON, OSWALD JOHN, 326, 327 SMITH SIDNEY, 248, 253 SOLIS-COHEN, SOLOMON, 389 SOUTHEY, 458 SOUTHWELL, ROBERT, 432 STANLEY, A. P., 248, 277 STERLING, JOHN, 69 SYNESIUS, Bishop, 344 TAULER, JOHN, 177 TAYLOR, JEREMY, 219, 357 TERENCE, 379 THEODORES, T., 106, 108 THOREAU, H. D., 231 TlLLITSON, 413 TRENCH, RICHARD CH., 427 VOYSEY, CHARLES, 13, 204, 237, 278, 280, 281, 324, 354, 400 WASHINGTON, GEORGE, 393 WATTS, 458 WHITTIER, JOHN GREENLEAF, 450 WHITE, J. BLANCO, 463 WILLIAMS, ROGER, 182, 183 WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM, 70 WUENSCHE, AUGUST, 164, 220 YEDUDAH, ELEAZAR, BEN, 44, 71, 79, 100, 224, 227 ZUNZ, LEOPOLD, 158 Unless God had been my help, my soul had dwelt in the silent Place. When I said : My foot slippeth, Thy mercy, O God! upheld me. In the uproar of my thoughts Thy comforts appease my soul. Psalm xciv. 17-19. The world is not the place of God, God is the place of the world. The Pharisees. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made ; and all their hosts of stars by the breath of His mouth. Let all the earth fear the Lord : let all the inhabitants of the world reverence Him. For He spake and it was done ; He commanded and it stood Psalm xxxiii. art Almighty and all creatures are Thy wit- nesses, and in honor of this name every creature is bound to serve Thee. All things formed are Thy servants and worshippers; nor can Thy glory be dimin- ished because they worship others besides Thee ; since the intention of all is to draw near unto Thee. Un- happily, they are as blind men. Though their faces be directed to the King's highway, they have strayed from the right road. . . . Thy true servants are like those who, having their eyes open, travel in the straight path, turning from the way neither to the right nor to the left till they arrive at the court of the King's Palace. Thou art God, who by Thy divinity supportest all things formed ; and Thou upholdest all creatures by SUN AND SHIELD. Thy unity. There is no distinction in Thee; for although the names of Thy attributes be varied, all point to the same end and all is One Mystery. SOLOMON IB'N GABIROL. J^ORD of all being, throned afar, ^ i Thy glory flames from sun and star ; Centre and soul of every sphere, Yet to each loving heart how near ! Grant us Thy truth to make us free, And kindling hearts that burn for Thee, Till all Thy living altars claim One holy light, One holy flame. n - $t (praise of ify Ctcafor. All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord, and Thy pious ones shall bless Thee. Let them speak of the glory of Thy kingdom and tell of Thy power. Psalm cxlv. 10, //. is an old story, invented by the sages and handed down by memory from age to age. They say, when God had finished the world, He asked one of the angels if aught were wanting on land or on sea, in air or in heaven. The angel answered that all was perfect; one thing only he desired speech, to praise God's works, or recount them, which would be their SUN AND SHIELD. praise. The sincerity of truth would be their most perfect praise. And the Father approved the angel's words, and not long after appeared the race, gifted with the muses and with song. This is the ancient story; and in consonance with its spirit, I say: It is God's peculiar work to benefit, and His creatures' work to .give Him thanks. PHILO JuMUS- f^ET gratitude within each breast ^ f Exert its high control ; Its presence, like an angel-guest, Shall sanctify the soul. III. 0c gfcugtf of Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Psalm xcvii. n. THOU Great Giver of all blessings, preserve us from error ! Remove all shadows from our minds and enable us to follow the laws of that eternal reason by which Thou guidest the world. Thus honored by a knowledge of Thy righteous laws, we shall be en- abled to honor Thee as feeble mortals should, and offer to Thee incessant hymns of praise. For neither mortal nor immortal beings can be engaged in nobler service than celebrating the Divine Mind which pre- sides over all nature. ~ CLEANTHES. SUN AND SHIELD. things that are in heaven and in earth praise God. He is the Mighty, the Wise, at once the Seen and the Hidden. . . . Every creature knoweth its prayer and its praise. The East and the West are God's; therefore, whichever way ye turn, there is the face of God. He will guide unto Himself all who turn to Him. Have faith and let your hearts rest securely on the thought of God. MOHAMMED. still my light upon my way, My pilgrim staff and rod, My rest by night, my strength by day, O, blessed thought of God. IV. With the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merci- ful ; with an upright man Thou wilt show Thyself upright ; with the pure Thou wilt show Thyself pure ; and with the froward Thou wilt show Thyself fro- ward. Psalm xviii. 25, 26. powers of God are ubiquitous; not merely for the benefit of pre-eminent men, but also for those who seem to be insignificant. To them, too, God gives that which harmonizes with the capacity and measure of their souls. Who is there so without reason and soul as never, either voluntarily or involuntarily , to conceive a notion of God ? For a sudden apparition of the good fre- SUN AND SHIELD. quently flits past even the wickedest; but they cannot retain or keep hold of it. . . For it quickly passes away from those who have lived beyond the bounds of law and justice; as, indeed, it would never have visited them at all if it were not to convict those who chose evil instead of good. PHILO rSSIONS proud and fierce have ruled me, Fancies light and vain have fooled me, But Thy training stern hath schooled me ; Now, Lord, Take me for thy child, O Lord. Groping dim and bending lowly, Mortal vision catcheth slowly Glimpses of the pure and holy ; Now, Lord, Open Thou mine eyes, O Lord. V. And ye shall find Me, if ye search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah xxix. 12, 13, Oj?FTER a man has acquired the true knowledge of ^** God, it must be his aim to surrender his whole being to Him and to have his heart constantly filled with longing after Him. . . Our intellectual power, which emanates directly from God, joins us to Him. You have it in your power to strengthen that bond, or to weaken it until it breaks. It will be strengthened if SUN AND SHIELD. you love God above all other things, and weakened if you prefer other things to Him. All religious acts, such as the reading of Scripture, praying and perform- ing of ordinances, are only means to fill our mind with the thought of God and free it from worldliness. If, however, we pray with the motion of our lips, and our face toward the wall, but think all the while of our busi- ness, read the Law and think of the building of our house, perform ceremonies with our limbs only, whilst our hearts are far from God, then there is no difference between these acts and the digging of the ground, or the hewing of wood. MOSES MAIMONIDES. Tj^HE anxious strife, the eager race, ^^ The cares of self for Thee I leave ; Put forth Thy hand, Thy hand of grace, Into the ark of love receive, Take this poor fluttering soul to rest, And still it, Father; on Thy breast. VI. feet 0erc QBe And God said, Let there be light : and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good. Genesis z, j. AV| ARK well, my soul, this first creative word of the ^- Almighty and let not the night of sorrows so set- tle over and envelop thy heart that no brightness can pierce it. Close not the eye against a star of hope if it 6 SUN AND SHIELD. rise in the gloomy sky. Flee not from the streak in the East, which announces the return of the morning. It is God who says: " Let there be light: " and wilt thou answer: Nay, it shall be darkness? It is God who says: "the light is good: "and wilt thou answer : It is not good for me ? Rather say to thyself with the Seer : Arise, shine ! for my light is coming. p Who is there amongst you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servants, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light ? let him trust in the Lord and stay upon his God. Isaiah, /, 10. on, brave soul, bear on thy load ; But let no deeper shadows fall Across thy steep and rocky road Than He doth send who ruleth all. VII. 0c d5oobne05 of Only goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of God for all the length of time. Psalm xxiii, 6. cannot be said of God that He directly creates evil, or that He has the intention to create it; this is im- possible. His works are all good and perfect. He only produces existence, and all existence is good. But evils are of a negative character and cannot be acted upon . . The Book which enlightened the darkness of SUN AND SHIELD. the world, says therefore: "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Death and all other evils are likewise good for the per- manence of the Universe and the continuation of the order of things ; one thing departs and another suc- ceeds. Rabbi Meir, therefore, explains the words "and behold, it was very good " by saying that even death was good. Consider this and you will understand all that the prophets and our sages remarked about the perfect goodness of all the direct works of God. MOSES MAIMONIDES. good distressed ! Ye noble few ! who here unbending stand Beneath Life's pressure yet bear up awhile ; And what your bounded view, which only saw A little part, deem'd evil, is no more ; The storms of wintry time will quickly pass, And one unbounded Spring encircle all. viii. tfy. 3fu6foe of All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. Psalm XXTJ. 10. soul, when accustomed to superfluous things, acquires a strong habit of desiring others, which are neither necessary for the preservation of the indi- vidual, nor for that of the species. This desire is with- out limit; whilst things which are necessary are few, and SUN AND SHIELD. restricted within certain bounds. Lay this well to heart, reflect on it again and again; that which is super- fluous is without end (and therefore the desire for it also without limit]. Thus you desire to have your vessels of silver, but golden vessels are still better; others have even vessels studded with sapphires, emeralds or rubies. Those, therefore, who are ignorant of this truth, that the desire for superfluous things is without limit, are constantly in trouble and pain. They expose themselves to great dangers by sea-voyages, or in the service of Kings. When they thus meet with the consequences of their course they complain of the judgments of God; they go so far as to say that God's power is insufficient, because He has given to this Universe the properties which they imagine cause these evils. MOSES MAIMONIDES. ^f AVF. me alike from foolish pride ^B' Or impious discontent At aught Thy wisdom has denied, Or aught Thy goodness lent. etpre0enf In all thy ways acknowledge God, and He will direct thy paths. Prov. Hi. 6. Thou wilt kindle my light; the Lord, my God, will illume my darkness. Psalm xviii. 28. HAVE often left my kinsmen, friends and coun- try, and betaken myself to the desert, that I might see some higher vision ; and it has profited me SUN AND SHIELD. nothing; my thoughts, scattered, or impelled by passion, have not reached their goal. Sometimes, on the other hand, in a crowded assembly I have held my mind in solitude, and God has silenced the turmoil in my soul, and taught me that it is not the difference of places that works the good thought, but it is God who moves and guides the chariot of the soul wherever he prefers. PHILO JUD.EUS. jfr^H, let my converse, Lord, with Thee, w^ From bonds of errors set me free ; And let Thy light within my mind Remove the shades that keep me blind. Grant me the power, the right to see, To love the good and follow Thee ; And in that power oh, grant the love Of all on earth, of God above. XL $%e (Bob we I am the Everlasting ; that is my name : and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Isaiah xlii. 8. Being do we worship ? It is the Being to whom our reason points, in whom the heart takes refuge ; it is the Being whom the philosopher and the searcher of nature ultimately acknowledge as the cause of causes. About the gods of the heathen you can- not know anything unless you know their history; but SUN AND SHIELD. the God of Israel is high above all that happens on earth or in heaven. Suppose the Bible were lost, and all the literature appertaining to it likewise, and no Israelite left to bear his testimony what would ensue ? Human thought would immediately set out to seek Him; for the human mind cannot abandon Him. How far sur- passing the highest human intelligence is He, and yet how near to us ! He is the God of the oppressed, and not of the oppressor; He is the God of the weak, and not of the overbearing ; He is the God that hears the cry of the downtrodden, and arms His messengers with power to deliver them. G. G. OfYl AS it not told you from the first : *~ He faints not, tires not ever ? He still is merciful as erst, His goodness waneth never. Then trust to Him in all your way, He knows not darkness nor decay. XII. Ringing; JE)2 mn0 I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall ever be in my mouth. O praise the Lord with me and let us magnify His name together. Psalm xxxiv. j. The chiefest and divinest hymn (to God) should be for His having given us the power of understanding and of dealing rationally with ideas. Nay since most of you are utterly blind to this ought there not SUN AND SHIELD. to be someone to make this his special function, and to sing the hymn to God for all the rest ? What else can a lame old man, like me, do but sing hymns to God ? If I were a nightingale, I should do the work of a nightingale ; if a swan, the work of a swan ; but being, as I am, a rational being, I must sing hymns to God. This is my work ; this I do ; this rank as far as I can I will not leave ; and I invite you to join with me in this same song. Epictetus, is a lesson we all need to be perpetually re- minded of, viz : that the only pathway to the de- lights of true religion lies through self-control and self- conquest. We cannot attain our freedom as God's dear children in any other way. And it was only because Epictetus had learned how to conquer himself, how to surrender his own will to the will of God, that poor as he was, slave as he was, lame as he was, despised and persecuted as he was', nevertheless he was the happiest of men. At what an enviable height he stands above us poor grumblers, when he says, " I must sing hymns to God this is my work this I will do." Come then and sing with us your gladdest songs, singing not only with tuneful voice, but in the music of a high and noble life, and in the harmony of a soul at perfect peace with God and with men ; singing not only with the lark in the sunlit sky, but when beaten down by the storms of early misfortune and when entering the dark valley of the shadow of death " I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." CHARLES VOYSEY. SUN AND SHIELD. eOME ye that love the Lord, And let your joys be known ; Join in a song with sweet accord, And thus surround His throne. IP XIII. 3nfeffectuaf of With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early Isaiah xxvi. . you are alone by yourself, when you are awake on your couch, be careful to meditate in such precious moments on nothing but on the intellec- tual worship of God; approach Him and minister before Him in this true manner, and not merely in thoughtless emotion. . . . But our heart can be constantly with God even whilst we are in the society of men. . . . Let us pray and beseech Him that He Himself may clear and remove from our way everything that obstructs our approach or forms a partition between Him and us, albeit those obstacles are mostly of our own creating. MOSES MAIMONIDES. ./jfeVTHER! replenish with Thy grace j-jl This longing heart of mine, Make it Thy quiet dwelling-place, Thy sacred inmost shrine ! Forgive that oft my spirit wears Her time and strength in trivial cares, Enfold her in Thy changeless peace, So she from all but Thee may cease ! SUN AND SHIELD. XIV. 0c eeper ^enae of Now, our God, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious name. But who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee. From the prayer of dedication by David. I Chron. xxix. fj, 14. AVjOSES has shown that we should all confess our v- gratitude for the powers we possess. The wise man should dedicate his sagacity, the eloquent man his speech, to the praise of God; the physicist should offer to Him his physics, the moralist his ethics, the scientist his science, and the artist his art; the sailor his succesful voyage, the husbandman his harvest, the herdsman the increase of his cattle; the physician the recovery of his patients, the general his victory, the statesman his chieftaincy, the monarch his rule. Let no one, therefore, however lowly in station despair or scruple to become a suppliant of God." . . . PHILO JUD^US. In the days of Messiah, says the Talmud, every kind of altar gift shall cease, save only the thanksoffering. LEAT God ! my joyful thanks to Thee Shall, like Thy gifts, continual be; In constant streams Thy bounty flows, No end nor intermission knows. 5 SWV AND SHIELD. XV. fc Sfcnfefuf That I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard, and tell of Thy wondrous works. Psalm xxvi 7. one should give me a dish of sand, and tell me there were particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes and search for them with my clumsy ringers, and be unable to detect them; but let me make a magnet and sweep through it, and how would it draw to itself the almost invisible particles by the mere power of attraction ! The unthankful heart, like my fingers in the sand, discover no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day, and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find in every hour some heavenly blessings only the iron in God's hand is gold. H. W. BEECHER. THOUSAND blessings, Lord, to us Thou didst impart We ask one blessing more O Lord ! a thankful heart. XVI. $e rdere of Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. Psalm iv. 4. j". God is in heaven, and thou art on earth ; therefore let thy words be few. Ecclesiastes v. -?. Lacedaemonians, when they offer sacrifice, pray simply that they may obtain what is honor- able and good, without farther stating what that should 16 SUN AND SHIELD. be. This language is acceptable to the gods, more ac- ceptable than the costly festivals of Athens. It has procured for the Spartans more continued prosperity than the Athenians have enjoyed; the gods honor wise and just men that is, men who know what they ought to say and to do, both towards God and towards men, more than those who make numerous and splendid offerings. PLATO. 3F thou hast yesterday thy duty done, And thereby cleared firm footing for to-day, Whatever clouds make dark to-morrow's sun, Thou shall not miss thy solitary way. GOETHE. Say, what is prayer when it is prayer indeed ? The mighty utterance of a mighty need. The man is praying who doth press with might Out of his darkness into God's own light. All things that live from God their sustenance wait, And sun and, moon are beggars at his gate. XVII. e Ooerruftng (potter. The Lord is the true God ; He is the living God and King everlasting. He hath made the earth by His power; He hath established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His in- sight. Jeremiah x. 10, 12. evil-doer, who is a slave to his passions, destroys the peace of his soul, thereby causing his own un- happiness ; for harmony and unity are the beatitude of SUN AND SHIELD. spirits. But he cannot disturb the order of the whole, over which omnipotence watches with inplacable vigor ; his actions must, in the end, conform to God's all-wise intentions. His providence overrules the conflict of human passions as well as that of the elemental forces. Tyranny and lust serve His Divine behests, as does thunder and earthquakes. Ultimately all evil, moral and physical, must change into good and all forces chime in with the great symphony of praise, sounding from all parts of the world. O ! Thou primal Source of wisdom, teach us to be wise, that we may be truly happy; teach us to comprehend Thy goodness, and to enjoy Thy blessings, in accordance with the kindness and abundance with which Thy hand bestows them on us. The trials of our life, oh, help us to bear them contentedly, yea, even thankfully ; since Thou canst do no wrong, and all Thy decrees are done in wisdom and in mercy. MOSES MENDELSSOHN. AIT oh my soul, thy Maker's will Tumultuous passions all be still, Nor let one murmuring thought arise : His ways are just, His counsels wise. In heaven and earth, in air and seas. He executes His wise decrees. Know this alone, and be at rest That what He does is ever best. SUN AND SHIELD. XVIII. (gutting Wtf0 (Bob. Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel ; for lo, He that formeth the mountains and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought. . . the Lord, the God of hosts is His name. Amos iv. ij. 'VhHATEVER Thou doest or proposest to do, forget not that thou standest before God; before Him whose glory fills the earth, whose majesty rules over thee. Study the Divine Law as often as possible, al- ways with the view of ordering thy life in accordance with it. When thou closest the book, ask thyself whether there was anything in what thou didst read that thou shouldst carry out ; morning and evening ex- amine thine actions and try thy heart; so will thy whole life be pure by means of repentance. During prayer remove every thought from thy heart foreign to thy communion with God; weigh thy words ere thou dost utter them, this will put thy soul into that state in which it is prepared to meet with God. In general I counsel thee to be considerate and careful in thy speech ; not to be hasty and thoughtless whilst at thy meals. Shun the company of the proud mocker, and walk thou in humility with thy God ; then wilt thou pursue the right path, and thy prayers will be pure and acceptable in heaven. MOSES OF EVREUX, (XIII Century.) SUN AND SHIELD. /jf\ WHERE'ER our path may lie, ^^t Father let us not forget That we walk beneath Thine eye, That Thy care upholds us yet. Blind are we, and weak and frail, Be Thine aid forever near ; May the fear of sin prevail Over every other fear. XIX. 0e 3ttwtrb d5ob to Whom have I in heaven but Thee ? and there is none upon earth whom I desire besides Thee. Psalm Ixxiii, 25. question is asked: Why is this world unsatisfy- ing? It is the grandeur of the soul which God has given us, which makes it insatiable in its desires with an infinite void which cannot be filled up, a soul which was made for God, how can the world fill it ? If the ocean can be still with miles of unstable waters beneath it, then, the soul of man, rocking itself upon its own deep longings, with the Infinite beneath it, may rest. . . . There is nothing left for us but to fill up the hol- lowness of the soul with God. But let not that expression filling the soul with God pass away without a distinct meaning. God is love and goodness. Fill the soul with goodness, and fill the soul with love that is the filling it with God. If we love one another God dwelleth within us. F. W. ROBERTSON. NTO the house of peace my spirit yearns, Unto the source of being my soul turns ; To where the sacred light of heaven burns, She struggles thitherward by day and night. To her the wonder of God's works appear ; She longs with fervor Him to draw anear ; The tidings of His glory doth she hear From morn to even and trom night to night. Jehudah Halevi. 23 SUN AND SHIELD. XXII. Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even unto me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning; and rend your heart and not your garment ; for the Lord is gracious and merciful . . . Joel ii. 12, 13. not seek for the City of God on earth, for it is not built of wood or stone; but seek it in the soul of the man who is at peace with himself and is a lover of true wisdom. If a man practices ablutions of the body, but defiles his mind ; if he offers hecatombs, founds a temple, adorns a shrine, and does nothing for making his soul beautiful; let him not be called religious. He has wandered far from real religion, mistaking ritual for holi- ness: attempting, as it were, to bribe the Incorruptible and to flatter Him whom none can flatter. God wel- comes the genuine service of a soul, the sacrifice of truth, but from display of wealth He turns away. Will any man with impure soul and with no inten- tion to repent, dare to approach the most High God ? The grateful soul of the wise man is the true altar of PHILO JUD^EUS. , were it not for mercy such as Thine, How could the conscious sinner seek Thy shrine ? How hope for grace, when long arrears of sin Recorded stand upon the soul within ? But Thou, O Lord, with clemency Divine, Wilt not the guilty to despair consign. 24 SUN AND SHIELD. XXIII. (Reference (Bob dnb f>efy (Jtten. Ye are blessed of the Lord who made heaven and earth. The heaven is the heaven of God, but the earth hath He given to the children of men. Psalm cxv. 75, 16. AOME people attaching themselves to one portion of the Decalogue, neglect the other. For, rilled with the unmixed draught of religous yearning, they bid farewell to all other occupations and dedicate their whole life to God. Others, who believe there is no good beyond well-doing towards men, care only for human intercourse; and, by their social zeal, share their pos- sessions with their fellows and seek to alleviate distress to the utmost of their power. Now, both the exclu- sive lover of man and the exclusive lover of God, we may rightly call half perfect. The perfectly virtuous are those who excel in both. PHILO JUD^US. Reverence God and help men ; there is but one fruit of this earthly life : a holy disposition and social acts. ANTONINUS. 3N the work that no gold payeth, Where he speedeth best who prayeth, Doeth most who little sayeth There, Lord, Let me work Thy will, O Lord. 25 SUN AND SHIELD. XXIV. e (Bob of f$t (Boob. The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine ; as for the world and the fullness thereof, Thou hast fouuded it. Psalm Ixxxix. //. worship the pure one, the Lord of Purity. We worship the Universe of the true spirit, visible and invisible, and all that sustains the welfare of the good creation. We praise all good thoughts, all good deeds which are and will be; all that keeps pure, all that is good. We worship the wise One who formed and fur- thered the life of the earth. We worship the wise One with our bodies and with our souls. We worship Him, as being united with the spirits of pure men and women. The world were an empty tablet if Thou hadst not written thereon Thy eternal thought. PERSIAN. O Thou merciful One, who art exalted above all im- perfections, descend into our intellects and purge us from every ill. Turn our sorrows into joys. To Thee do we cling. From Thee all kings seek their light. Thou art the helper of mankind, one and all. Thou art the hope of the worlds. SABIAN LITURGY. are Thy glorious works, Parent of Good, Almighty ! This Thine universal fame, Thus wondrous fair ; Thyself how wondrous then, Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these heavens, To us invisible, or dimly seen In these Thy lowest works ! Yet, there declare Thy goodness beyond thought and power divine ! 26 SUN AND SHIELD. XXV. 6e 5)ofp ctnb (tttercifuf (Bob. Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good and to them that are upright in their hearts. Psalm cxxv. 4. of the Lord with a good heart and seek Him in simplicity. For He will be found of them that tempt Him not and showeth Himself unto such as do not distrust Him ; froward thoughts separate from God ; and His power, when it is tried, reproacheth the un- wise. Into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter, nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin. . . God's power is the beginning of righteousness; and because He is the Lord of all, He is gracious unto all. Thou, O God, mastering Thy power, judgest with equity and orderest all with great favor ; for Thou mayest use power when Thou wilt. But by such works hast Thou taught Thy people that the just man should be merciful, and hast made Thy children to be of good hope that Thou for repentance forgivest sins. To know Thee is perfect righteousness ; yea, to know Thee is the root of immor- tality. FROM THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON. Y righteousness we can discern, Thy holy Law proclaim and learn ; Is not Thy presence near alway, To them who penitently pray ? Thy holiness forever they proclaim. The Lord of Hosts, thrice holy is His name. SUN AND SHIELD. XXVI ;grom QUfure fo QUfure's (Sob. Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool : where is the house that ye can build unto me ? Isaiah Ixvi. i. Who hath measured the waters as in the hollow of his hand and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance ? Isaiah xl. i2. is a characteristic of the poetry of the Hebrews, that, as a reflex of monotheism, it always embraces the universe in its unity, comprising both terrestrial life and the luminous realms of space. It dwells but rarely on the individuality of phenomena, preferring the contemplation of great masses. The Hebrew poet does not depict nature as a self-dependent object, glorious in its individual beauty, but always in relation and subjection to a higher spiritual power. . . Hebrew poetry is grand and solemn, but when it treats on the earthly condition of mankind it is full of sad and pen- sive longing. It never loses the restraint of measure, as does the poetry of India. Devoted to the pure con- templation of the Divinity, it remains clear and self- possessed in the midst of the most figurative forms of expression. ALEXANDER v. HUMBOLDT. ^fr"HE Lord is King ! Lift up thy voice, ^^ O earth, and all ye heavens rejoice ! From world to world the joy shall ring ; The Lord Omnipotent is King. SUN AND SHIELD. XXVII. 0e Qjntfg of Hear O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is One. in this sentence is enclosed the kernel of our teachings concerning God, all those know and feel who rise in the morning for their daily work and com- mend their spirits into God's hand every evening with that watchword on their lips. Its verbal enclosure also is worthy of our attention as an expression of our love to God, as a source of piety and a refuge in the day of trouble. Thus we say our God ! God is the creator of man, but in a sense, man is the creator of his God. True, His being is independent of our knowledge and recognition ; yet He exists for our soul only in so far as we know Him. True, He is a loving Father even to those who never know Him or who deny Him ; just as a mother tends her babe, long before it can reward her love with the faintest smile of recognition. But for man's consciousness God is not, before his heart has felt His presence, before he can say with those who have seen the father : He is our God and He alone, for He is One and no other. . . and not until this joyful and exultant call rings out from the heart of mankind, will the Kingdom of Heaven be established on earth, ^ SAMUEL HOLDHEIM. j[T fortifies my soul to know \J That, though I perish, Truth is so : That howso'er I stray and range, Whate'er I do, Thou dost not change. I steadier step, when I recall That, when I slip, Thou dost not fall. SUN AND SHIELD. XXVIII. 0C Jop of Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God, my exceeding joy. Psalm xliii. 4. The joy of God is your strength. Nehemiah viii. io. @LL these the love of truth and beauty, of justice and right, of men are but parts of the great in- tegral piety, the love of God, the Author of truth, of justice and of love. The normal delight in God's world, the animal joy in material things, the intellectual in truth and beauty, the moral in justice and right> the af- fectional delight in the persons of men, the satisfaction of labor, of hand or head all these are a part of our large delight in God ; for religion is not one thing, and life another, but the two are one. The normal and con- scious worship of the Infinite God will enlarge every faculty, enhancing its quantity and quality of delight. .... I love the Infinite God as the ideal of all perfec- tion. With this there vanishes away all fear of ultimate evil for anything that is. . . As nocturnal darkness, or the gray mist of horror, is chased away before the ris- ing sun, so dread and horror flee off before the footsteps of love. A sense of complete and absolute trust in God comes in, gives repose and peace, filling you with tran- quility and dear delight in God. THEODORE PARKER. SUN AND SHIELD. THOU, the primal fount of life and peace, Who shedd'st Thy breathing quiet all around, In me command that pain and conflict cease, And turn to music every jarring sound. So, firm in steadfast hope, in thought secure, In full accord to all Thy world of joy, May I be nerved to labors high and pure, And Thou, Thy child, to do Thy work employ. irif of The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. Isaiah Ixi. i. need is there for us to attempt an exact defi- nition of what this spirit of God and what its relation to the Deity is, and by what door, and in what manner it descends upon man? The signs of its presence cannot be mistaken; signs, not of time, but of eternity ; the same yesterday, to-day and to-morrow. Go and bring good tidings to the humble and the lowly ; go and bind up the broken hearted ; go and proclaim liberty to captives ; captives in the fetters of sin, in the chains of superstition, in the bonds of worldliness; go, if thou hast the power to do so, open the door of their prison and let the slave go forth in the power and dignity of his manhood; and then you shall know that t 3' SUN AND SHIELD. the spirit of God is upon you. If you can do this, there will enter into your heart a feeling of joy, of peace, and of hope, such as no other spiritual experience brings; and if you are amongst those " who mourn for Zion," it will give you " beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heavi- ness." But that sacred spirit is grieved away the moment it is touched by pride, and when you imagine you can exorcise it by formulas, and retain it by dog- matic cords. The throne of grace is either accessible to all human hearts, or to none, and the spirit of God comes in answer to all yearning prayers, or it is deaf to all alike. Brethren, it is altogether in your hands to find out where the truth lies. G. G. THOU, whose power o'er moving worlds presides, Whose voice created and whose wisdom guides ; 'Tis Thine alone to calm the yearning breast, With silent confidence and holy rest. XXX. 0e (gob of Thou hast been our refuge in all generations, be- fore the mountains were brought forth, or ere Thou hadst formed the earth and the world yea, from eternity to eternity Thou art God. Psalm xc. 1-2. [OD is eternity God is truth God is holiness, He has nothing; he is all; the whole heart conceives Him, but no thought; and we are only His thought, when He is SUN AND SHIELD. ours. All that is infinite and incomprehensible in man is His reflection; but beyond this let not the awestricken thought go. Creation hangs as a veil, woven out of suns and spirits over the infinite ; and the eternities pass by before the veil, and cannot draw it away from the splendor which it hides. JEAN PAUL F. RICHTER. Every soul that maketh choice of justice, shall attain unto God. From the moment that I heard: " I have breathed into man a portion of my spirit, " I was assured that we were His and He ours. Human knowledge and thought can only spell the first letter of the alpha- bet of God's love. PERSIAN. Thou, the cool shade at the door of weariness ! Even the wicked are panting for Thee. A drop from the rain of Thy compassion Cleanses me from all my blackness. Do Thou accept me with Thy children, O Thou, my God, and God of all ! Persian. (Wlcm. O Solemn thought ! Gods' image in my being wrought ! God's likeness in my frailty cast ! God's presence, for all space too vast, Abiding in this little tent, But for my earthly journey lent. The place where the repentant sinner stands, can not be reached by him that never sinned. The Pharisees. I. (QXan Dinner . know we condemn lowness of speech, and justly so ; for the gift of speech is peculiar to man, and a boon which God granted to him, that he may be distinguished from the rest of living creatures. This gift, therefore, which God gave us in order to enable us to perfect ourselves, to learn and to teach, must not be employed in doing that which is for us most degrading and disgraceful. We must not imitate the s,ongs and tales of ignorant and lascivious people. It may be suitable to them, but it is not fit for those who are told: "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus xix. 6.) MOSES MAIMONIDES. In the last Day man shall have to render an ac count for every word he has spoken, even in his most intimate relations, as that of husband and wife. The Pharisees. SUN AND SHIELD. VI. 0e (BUrcifuf If I have made the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof If I have lifted up my hand against him when I saw my help in the gate then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade and be broken from the bone. Job xxxi. fj-f.f- is a large class of Laws in our Torah, the sole purpose of which is to fill our hearts with pity for the poor and infirm, to teach us never to hurt their feelings, nor wantonly to vex the helpless. Mercy, likewise, is the object of the ordinance, "Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the slave that is fled from his scourge." But in a wider sense, we derive from this example the duty to defend those who seek our protection; nay, more, we must look after their interests, be kind to them and never hurt their feelings by harsh and cruel words. MOSES MAIMONIDES. U can never tell when you do an act Just what the result will be ; But with every deed you are sowing a seed, Though its harvest you may not see. Each kindly act is a acorn dropped In God's productive soil : Though you may not know, yet the tree shall grow And shelter the brows that toil. 43 SUN AND SHIELD. VII. Thou foundest Abraham's heart faithful before Thee. Nehemiah ix. 8. thoughts of thy heart and the imaginations of thy soul remain pure if the works of thy hands be pure. Fly from all unseemly things; close thine eyes and thine ears from them ; for there be desires which cause the soul to be apostate from God. Bear well thy heart against the assails of envy ; know no envy at all, save such envy of the merits of virtuous men as shall lead thee to emulate the beauty of their lives. Surrender not thyself a slave to hate that ruin of all the heart's good resolves, that destroyer of the very sa- vor of food, of our sleep, of all reverence in our souls. Let the fear of God breed in thee the habit of silence, for much speech can hardly be without some sin. Let this be thy rule : Moderate thought in modest words. If the peoples had fallen on thee to force thee to apos- tatize from thy faith, thou wouldst surely, as did so many, have given thy life in its defense. Well, then, fight now the fight laid on thee in the better day the fight with evil desires; fight and conquer and make the study of the Law thy constant ally. ELEAZAR BEN YEHUDAH, (XIII. Century}. SUN AND SHIELD. 'IS death in life Thy standard to desert ; 'Tis life in death Thy power to assert. Yet passeth me, how I Thy grace shall gain, How prove my faith, Thy service how attain ? Lead me, O Lord ! upon Thy tranquil way, Deliver me from folly's tempting way. VIH. Ye shall not go after the lusting of your hearts and your eyes. Numbers xv. 39. (\Y| AN must have control over all bodily desires. He ^- must reduce them as much as possible, and only retain of them as much as is indispensable. His aim must be the aim of man, as man, viz. : the formation and perfection of ideas, and nothing else. The best and the sublimest among them is the idea which man forms of God, angels, and the rest of the creation, according to his capacity. Such men are always with God, and of them it is said: "Ye are princes, and all of you are children of the Most High." . . When man possesses a good, sound body that does not overpower, nor dis- turb the equilibrium within him, he possesses a divine gift. A good constitution facilitates the rule of the soul over the body; but it is not impossible to conquer a bad constitution by training, and make it subservient to man's ultimate destiny. MOSES MAIMONIDES. 45 SUN AND SHIELD. Among the numerous religious and monastic orders of the Moslems, there is one whose symbol is the mystic girdle, which they put on and off seven times, saying: 3 TIE up greediness and unbind generosity ; I tie up anger and unbind meekness ; I tie up avarice and unbind piety ; I tie up ignorance and unbind the fear of God ; I tie up passion and unbind the love of God ; I tie up hunger (after luxuries) and unbind contentment ; I tie up satanism and unbind divineness. IX. I delight to do Thy will, O God, yea, Thy Law is within my heart. Psalm xl. 8. has granted no monopoly in mental freedom. Men of all sects, all schools, all churches, all sys- tems may possess it, and, as a matter of fact, do possess it in greater or lesser measure. It is pure arrogance for any one class to claim it for themselves to the ex- clusion of all others. If a man holds on to the literal inspiration of his Bible, simply because his reason gives her glad and willing assent to the inherited belief, is he, on that ground, less free in his mind than he who re- jects it, often from mere wantonness? If the Jew still bears "the Yoke of the Law, "with all its rabbinical accumulations and "fencings round it" if he does so SUN -AND SHIELD. in singleness of heart does he, therefore, cease to enjoy that liberty of soul which is still his, who has cast off the yoke simply because the restrictions inconvenienced him ? It is not the what of our beliefs or unbeliefs, but the why and the wherefore, that makes the difference between bond and free. The savage is not hampered by any sense of obligation ; shall we, therefore, call him the ideal of soul liberty? G. G. ^frS earth's pageant passes by, \vjr Let reflection turn thine eye Inward, and observe Thy breast; There alone dwells solid rest. That's a closed immured tower, Which can mock all hostile power ; To thyself a tenant be, And inhabit safe and free. X. Confrof dnb Cfeanftne00. Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Learn to do good. Isaiah i. 16. of the objects of the perfect Law is to make man reject, disregard, and reduce his desires as much as possible. For it is well known that intemperate indul- gence of our appetites hinders the ulterior perfection of man, impedes his development, disturbs the social order of the country, and the economy of the family; it causes 47 SUN AND SHIELD. an increase of envy, hatred, and warfare. God in His wisdom, has therefore given us such commandments as would counteract excessive desires and lustings. Most of all, the Law is intended to give its followers purity and holiness. . . Cleanliness in dress and body, by washing and removing of impurities is enjoined by the law; but it must be connected with purity of action, and with a heart free from low principles and bad hab- its. It would be extremely bad for man to content him- self with a purity obtained by washing and cleanliness in dress and toilet, and be at the same time voluptuous and unrestrained in eating, drinking, and other gratifica- tions of the senses. MOSES MAIMONIDES. rise by the things that are under feet, By what we have mastered of good or gain ; By the pride deposed and the passion slain, And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet. XI. Turn Thou us unto Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned ; renew our days as of old. Lamentations V. 21. From Thee I take refuge to Thee. (SALOMON IBN GABIROL.) HQlHILE sin is swift and continuous and frequent, repentance is slow and deliberate and in the fu- ture. God, the pitying saviour, can easily bring back SUN AND SHIELD. the mind from long wandering, and when it is in an evil plight through pleasure and passion pitiless ty- rants that they are and lead it into the right way, if only it has once determined to pursue the good flight without turning backward. The wicked man bears ruin within him; for there dwells within him a designing foe. The conscience of the evil-doer is his sufficient punishment ; it makes the soul cowardly as if it had been struck a heavy blow. Conscience is the undefiled high-priest for whose perpetual life within the soul we shall do well to pray. PHILO JUD^EUS. /jfNBSERVE a pious fear, be whole again, ^^ Hasten to purge thy heart from every stain ; No more from prayer and penitence refrain, But turn unto Thy God by day and night. XII. if g of JSouf, Let integrity and uprightness preserve me as I wait on Thee, O God. Psalm xxv. 21. He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely. Prov. x. g. The integrity of the upright shall guide them. Prov. xi. >. can produce so great a serenity of life, as a mind free from guilt, and kept untainted not only from actions, but purposes that are wicked. By 49 SUN AND SHIELD. this means the soul will be not only unpolluted, but not disturbed; the fountain will run clear and unsullied, and the streams that flow from it will be just and hon- est deeds, ecstasies of satisfaction, a brisk energy of spirit, which makes a man an enthusiast in his joy, and of a tenacious memory, sweeter than hope. For as shrubs which are cut down with the morning dew upon them, do for a long time after retain their fragrancy, so the good actions of a wise man perfume his mind and leave a rich scent behind them. So that joy is, as it were, watered with these essences, and owes its flourishing to them. PLUTARCH. |f\OW happy is he born or taught, P!) Who serveth not another's will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his highest skill. XIII. Trust in the Lord and do good ; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be satisfied. . . Commit thy self unto the Lord, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Psalms xxxvii, j, 5. soul can only be disappointed by its own faults. Duties faithfully performed are ever faithful to their promises of recompense ; only we must know what so SUN AND SHIELD. these are, and where to look for them. Trust in God is not a narcotic to lull our faculties to sleep; it should, on the contrary, energize them. Our own activity is a necessary factor in the Providence of God; very little can be done for us by proxy. Even the Omnipotent cannot make us contented with our condition if we prefer to be discontented ; cannot give us a minute of true happiness, though He place us in a paradise, if we choose to be unhappy; merciful as He is, He cannot wipe out the record of our sins, if we fail to store up memories of the better and the purer life. If we make gold our god, He will let us ; but He cannot help us when that traitor-god becomes our tormentor and we his helpless slaves. Blessed he whose God-trust and self-trust are so happily blended and harmonized that he can say : my best, is for myself the best In great things as in small ; Then trusting in Him who ruleth all Will soothe the weary soul to rest. G. G. XIV. (tticariouB otfet6. If thou enjoy the toil of thy hand, happy art thou and it will be well with thee. Psalms cxxviii. 2. The Rabbis explain as follows : happy, that is in this life well, that is in the life to come; SUN AND SHIELD. men deserve to be honored, and no third First, the toil-worn craftsman who with earth- made implements laboriously conquers the earth, and makes her man's vassal. Venerable is the hard hand, but therein, notwithstanding, lies a cunning virtue, indefeasibly royal. Venerable, too, is the rugged face, all weather-tanned, with its rude intelligence, for it is the face of a man living man-like. Oh, thou son of hardy toil, for us was thy back so bent, for us were thy straight limbs and ringers so deformed. Thou wert our conscript on whom the lot fell, and righting our battles wert thou so marred. For, in thee, too, lay a God- created form, but it was not to be unfolded; encrusted with the thick adhesions and defacements of labor must it stand. And thy body, like thy soul, was not to know freedom. Yet toil on ; thou art in thy duty, be out of it who may; thou toilest for the indispensable for daily bread. THOMAS CARLYLE. .CALL TO WORK. @BIDE not in the realm of dreams, O man, however fair it seems ; But with clear eye the present scan And hear the call of God and man. Then while day lingers do thy best, Full soon the night will bring its rest ; And, duty done, that rest shall be Full of beatitudes to thee. SUN AND SHIELD. XV. goffer* of The blessing of him that was nigh to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. Job xxix, 75% 75*. He that openly correcteth a man shall in the end find more favor than he that flattereth with his tongue. Proverb xxviii. 23. SECOND man I honor, and still more highly; him who is seen toiling for the spiritually indis- pensable ; not daily bread, but the bread of life. Is not he, too, in his duty? endeavoring toward inward har- mony; revealing this, by act or by word, through all his outward endeavors, be they high or low? Highest of all, when his outward and his inward endeavor are one; when we can name him artist; not earthly crafts- man only, but inspired thinker, who, with heaven-made implements, conquers heaven for us. If the poor and humble toil that we have food, need not the high and glorious toil for him in return, that we have light, have guidance, freedom, immortality? THOMAS CARLYLE. mighty men of old, Their words were vital breath ; Bestowing faithfulness in life And fearlessness in death. 53 SUN AND SHIELD. XVI. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul ; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, re- joicing the heart ; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Psalm xix. 7, 8. laws do not call men to misanthropy, but en- courage people to share what they have with one another freely, to be enemies to injustice and eager for righteousness, to banish idleness and expensive living. They forbid making war from a desire of lucre ; but bid us to be brave in defending our laws and inexora- ble in punishing malefactors. And I make bold to say that we are become the teachers of men in the great- est number of things, and those the most excellent. For what is more excellent than inviolable piety? What is more just than obedience to the laws? And what is more advantageous than mutual love and con- cord, and neither to be divided by calamities, nor to be- come injurious and seditious in prosperity; to despise death when we are in war, and in peace to apply our- selves to trade and agriculture ; while we are persuaded that God surveys and directs everything everywhere. FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS. E light pours down from heaven And enters where it may ; The eyes of all earth's children Are cheered with one bright ray. 54 SUN AND SHIELD, So let the mind's true sunshine Be spread o'er earth as free, And fill men's waiting spirits, As the waters fill the sea. XVII. tty. $&uing0 of got*. Better is a dry morsel and quiet therewith, than a house full of feastings and strife therewith. Prov. thy neighbor as thyself " is one of the chief commandments of God; yet, more weighty than this is the principle contained in the sentence of Scrip- ture: " These are the generations of Adam," preceding the first genealogy of man; for then only will the law of love obtain its full scope, when we believe that all men are members of the same human family." BEN ASAI, II. CENTURY. The spirit of love wherever it is, is its own blessing and happiness, because it is the truth and reality of God in the soul; and therefore is in the same joy of life, and is the same good to itself everywhere and on every oc- casion. Would you know the blessings of all blessings? It is this God of Love dwelling in your soul, and kill- ing every root of bitterness, which is the pain and tor- ment of every earthly, selfish love. For all wants are satisfied, all disorders of nature are removed, no life is 55 SUN AND SHIELD. any longer a burden, every day is a day of peace, every- thing you meet becomes a help to you, because every- thing you see or do is all done in the sweet, gentle ele- ment of Love. WILLIAM LAW. A poor man with a single handful of flowers heaped the almsbowl of Buddha, which the rich could not fill with a thousand bushels of corn ! CHINESE. XVIII. 0e TJto of ffle And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times and the strength of thy safety ; and the fear of God thy treasure. Isaiah xxxiii. 6. thread on which the different good qualities of human beings are strung, as .pearls, is the Fear of God. When the fastenings of this fear are unloosed, the pearls roll in all directions, and are lost one by one. A single moral fault, even if small, may be the ruin of many virtues, just as the best of wine may escape from a vessel through one little hole overlooked. The human heart is like a tablet as yet unwritten ; fools scratch it all over and ruin it ; only the wise know how to fill it with suitable matter. Never be ashamed to learn even from less men than thyself. SUN AND SHIELD. When thou seest that men are not what they should be, do not rejoice over the fact, but grieve and pray, even on thy enemies' behalf, that they may all learn to forsake evil, to do good, and to serve God. God often helps thee in small matters which thou dost not think worth thanking for, only to lead thee towards a much greater good. JEWISH BOOK OF MORALS, (XV. Century). iETWEEN us and Thyself remove Whatever hindrances may be, That so our inmost heart may prove A holy temple, meet for Thee. XIX. He judged the cause of the needy and the poor; then it was well with him : was not this to know ? Jeremiah xxii. 16. son, give God all honor and the gratitude which is His due. Thou hast need of Him, but he needs thee not. Fear the Lord, the God of thy fathers. See that thou guard thy soul's holiness, and when thou prayest, think well before whom it is thou standest. Visit the sick and suffering man and let thy counte- nance be cheerful when he sees it, but not so that thou oppress the helpless one with gaiety. Respect the poor SUN AND SHIELD. man by gifts whose hand he knows not of. Rather feed thyself with vilest weed than make thyself depend- ent on other human beings. Seek not greedily after power and pre-eminence in the world. Spend not thy time among people who speak ill of their brother-man. Be not as the fly that is always seeking sick and wounded places. Dare not to rejoice when thine enemy comes to the ground, but give him food when he hungers. Purge thy soul from angry passion, that inheritance of fools. Love the society of wise men, and strive to know more and more of the ways and the works of thy Creator. ELIAZAR BEN ISAAC, (XI. Century). LDOM can a heart be lonely, If it seek a lonelier still Self-forgetting, seeking only Emptier cups of love to fill. XX. e @Upmitiott of Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee, O God, because Thy ways are in his heart. He goes from strength to strength till he appears before God in Zion. Psalm Ixxxiv. 5, 7. hearts are never long without hearing some new call, some distant clarion of God, even in their dreams ; and soon they are observed to break up SUN AND SHIELD. the camp of ease, and start on some fresh march of faithful service. And, looking higher still, we find those who never wait till their moral work accumulates, and who reward resolution with no rest ; with whom, therefore, the alternation is instantaneous and constant ; who do the good only to see the better, and see the better only to achieve it ; who are too meek for trans- port, too faithful for remorse, too earnest for repose ; whose worship is action, and whose action ceaseless aspiration. J. MARTINEAU. (Y) EST not ! Life is sweeping by, \ZS' Go and dare before you die ; Something mighty and sublime Leave behind to conquer time ; Glorious 't is to live for aye When these forms have passed away. xxi. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil, for Thou, O God, art with me ; Thy rod and Thy staff, they shall comfort me. Psalm xxiii. 4. God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. Psalm IxxiiL life is but the fore-court of the Palace above ; prepare thyself so that thy soul enter worthily the Palace. CHAPTERS OF THE JEWISH FATHERS. 59 SUN AND SHIELD. nature's works be good and death doth serve As nature's work, why should we fear to die ? Since fear is vain but when it may preserve, Why should we fear that which we cannot fly ? Fear is more pain than is the pain it fears Disarming human minds of native weight ; While each conceit an ugly figure bears Which were not evil, well viewed in reason's light. Our owly eyes, which dimmed with fashion be, Can scarce discern the dawn of coming day, Let them be cleared and now begin to see, Our life is but a step in dusty way. Then let us hold the bliss of peaceful mind, Since this we feel, great loss we cannot find. SIR PHILIP SIDNEY. XXll. I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord. Psalm cxviii. 77. FEEL in myself the future life. I am like a forest which has been more than once cut down. The new shoots are stronger and livelier than ever : I am rising, I know, toward the sky. The sunshine is on my head. The earth gives me its generous sap, but heaven lights me with the reflection of unknown worlds. You say the soul is nothing but the resultant of bodily SUN AND SHIELD. powers. Why, then, is my soul the more luminous when my bodily powers begin to fail? Winter is on my head, and eternal spring is in my heart. There I breathe at this hour the fragrance of the lilacs, the vio- lets, and the roses as at twenty years. The nearer I ap- proach the end, the plainer I hear around me the im- mortal symphonies of the worlds which invite me. It is marvelous, yet simple. It is a fairy tale, and it is history. For half a century I have been writing my thoughts in prose and verse: history, philosophy, drama, romance, tradition, satire, ode, and song, I have tried all. But I feel I have not said the thousandth part of what is in me. When I go down to the grave, I can say, like so many others, " I have finished my day's work; " but I cannot say, " I have finished my life." My day's work will begin again the next morning. The tomb is not a blind alley: it is a thoroughfare. It closes on the twilight to open with the dawn. I im- prove every hour because I love this world as my father- land, and because the truth compels me. My work is only a beginning. My monument is hardly above its foundations. I would be glad to see it mounting and mounting forever. The thirst for the infinite proves infinity. VICTOR HUGO. 5 ROM night to light, From doubt to sight, The soul, God's breath, Is led by death. SUN AND SHIELD. XXIII. 3trfitnafton0 of Jmntorfctfifg, And it shall be when Thou art come hither to the city that thou shalt meet a company of prophets com- ing down from the high place with a psaltery and a tabret, and a pipe and a harp before them, and they shall prophesy. And the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee and thou shalt prophesy with them and shalt be turned into another man. /. Samuel x. . 6. that what Samuel announced to Saul was not a miraculous occurrence which happened to him only because he was chosen to become a prince and ruler of his people. Everyone who met a prophet and heard him prophesy, experienced an inward change so deep that he appeared like another man ; a new spirit was awakened in him ; he felt himself raised beyond his ordinary condition by the clearness of his thoughts, by his yearning after still greater insight, whilst his human- ity and strength of self-renunciation were increased. In this ecstatic state he saw the light and felt the exal- tation of the more perfect life to come; for what else can we expect of such a life but that the soul, freed from the body and its senses, glories in its Divine origin, and rejoices in the perception of the world of spirits and the communion with the Eternal One. The proph- ets were to our forefathers the living witnesses, the ac- tual proofs, of the independence of the soul from the des- tiny of the body. They had direct experience of that SUN AND SHIELD. which we seek to reach by philosophical reasoning and logical conclusions. JEHUDAH HALEVI. Question : Although the prophets are no more, is the experience of which the poet-philosopher speaks quite unknown to us, altogether unattainable to us? Have we not lived through hours in which our souls seemed lifted into a higher sphere of thought and feeling? Why do we not treasure up these intimations for the strengthen- ing of our faith and the deepening of our hope ? XXIV. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker ! Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth. But shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest Thou ? Or the work (to the workman), His hands (have no cunning). Isaiah xlv. 9. scaffolding is kept around men long after the fresco is commenced to be painted; and wondrous disclosures will be made when God shall take down this scaffolding body, and reveal what you have been doing. By sorrow and by joy ; by prayer, by the influences of the sanctuary ; by your pleasures, by your business, by reverses, by success and by failures, by what strength- ened your confidence, and by what broke it down ; by the things you rejoiced in and by the things you 63 SUN AND SHIELD. mourned over; by all that God is working- in you. And you are to be perfected, not according to the things that you plan, but according to the divine pattern. H. W. BEECHER. , turn, my wheel, all things must change To something new, to something strange ; Nothing that is can pause or stay ; This earthen jar A touch can make, a touch can mar ; And shall it to the potter say : What makest thou ? Thou hast no hand ? As men who think to understand A world by their Creator planned, Who wiser is as they. From The Potter's Wheel, by Longfellow. XXV. My tears have been my meat day and night. Psalm xlii. j. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm cxxvi. 5. And the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces. Isaiah xxv. 8. -Tf-'HANK God, bless God all ye who suffer not More grief than ye can weep for. That is well That is light grieving ! lighter none befell, 6 4 SUN AND SHIELD. Since Adam forfeited the primal lot. Tears! What are tears? The babe weeps in its cot, The mother singing ; at her marriage-bell The bride weeps, and before the oracle Of high-faned hills the poet has forgot Such moisture on his cheeks. Thank God for grace, Ye who weep only ! If, as some have done Ye grope tear-blinded in a desert place And touch but tombs look up ! those tears will run Soon in long rivers down the lifted face, And leave the vision clear for stars and sun. ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING. The heavenly gates which prayer and fasting cannot open, tears will unlock. Rabbinical. Shakespeare calls tears : heaven-moving pearls. XXVI. Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalms xxiii. 6. one may say: Thou hast shown us what we of a future life is reasonable; now tell us also whither the departed souls go, where is their dwelling- 65 SUN AND SHIELD. place, what is their occupation, how are the good re- warded and the bad cleansed from the stains of their sins? I would answer: Friend, thou dost ask more than I ever promised to do. For my part, I content myself with the conviction that I shall always remain under Divine protection; that a holy and just Providence rules in the future world as it does in this, and that my true happiness consists in the beauty and perfection of my soul. These are: temperance, justice, freedom, love, benevolence, knowledge of God, laboring in the service of His purpose and an entire surrender to His will. These are the beatitudes which I expect to find in the future life, and more I need not to know in order to go cheerfully on the way that leads to it; thither you will all follow me when your hour shall come. MOSES MENDELSSOHN. HEY throng the silence of the breast, We see them as of yore, The kind, the brave, the true, the sweet, Though they are here no more. More homelike seems the vast unknown, Since they have entered there ; To follow them were not so hard, Wherever they may fare. They cannot be where God is not, On any sea or shore : Whate'er betides, Thy love abides, Our God for evermore. SUN AND SHIELD. XXVII. 0e % ope of aft*fion. Harken unto me, ye that know righteousness, saith the Lord ; ye people in whose heart is my law : fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. Isaiah / 7. question, why I do not try to make converts, has, I must say, somewhat surprised me. The duty to proselytize springs clearly from the idea that outside a certain belief, there is no salvation. I, as a Jew, am not bound to accept that dogma, because ac- cording to the teachings of the Rabbis, the righteous of all nations shall have part in the rewards of the future world ; your motive, therefore, is foreign to me; nay, as a Jew, I am not allowed publicly to attack any religion which is sound in its moral teachings. The practice of these teachings I call Internal Service of God; and not to assist in the dissemination of them would show an extreme want of interest in the welfare of my fellowmen: but as to dogmas and ceremonies (the External Service of God), how can I know which are the best for others? All I am convinced of is: that those I profess and practice are the best for me, and the fact that I believe these ordinances to have been com- manded by God does not oblige me to assume that they needs must be the best for all the rest of the world. This also I do know : that I love all friends of virtue and of wisdom heartily, no matter what their External Service, and if you are in reality as good as you appear in your letter, I esteem you most sincerely. From a letter of Moses Mendelssohn to a non-Jewish correspondent. 6 7 SUN AND SHIELD. XXVIII. 0e erfing of (tttan. Let the counsel of thine own heart stand; for there is no man more faithful unto thee than it. A man's mind is sometimes wont to tell him more than seven watchmen that sit above in a high tower. Sirach. future destination is a new link in the chain of our being, which connects itself with the present link most intimately, and by the most subtle progression ; as our earth is connected with the sun, and as the moon with our earth. When death bursts the bonds of our present limitation, God will transplant us, like flowers, into quite other fields, and surround us with entirely different circumstances. ' Who has not experienced what new faculties are given to the soul by a new situ- ation? Faculties which, in our old corner, in the stifling atmosphere of old circumstances and occupations, we had never imagined ourselves capable of ? Wherever I may be, through whatever worlds I may be led, I know that I shall forever remain in the hands of the Father, who brought me hither, and who calls me further on. HERDER. /BATHER and Helper! plant within each bosom Ay The seeds of holiness, and bid them blossom In fragrance, and in beauty bright and vernal, And spring eternal. Then place them in thine everlasting gardens Where angels walk, and seraphs are the wardens ; Where every flower, escaped through death's dark portal, Becomes immortal. 68 SUN AND SHIELD. XXIX. r $- oldest of races that one whose history as a separate people goes farther back into the dim SUN AND SHIELD. recesses of antiquity, than the record of any existing tribes of man, whose singular fate it is in these days to be found everywhere, and to achieve eminence in all countries has this distinction, among many others, that year by year it keeps anniversaries of humiliation. The children of Israel are not afraid to commemorate the afflictions that have befallen their ancestors in olden times, the visitations that left their cities desolate, and sent their inhabitants wandering through the world ; it is, perhaps, because they dare to do this that they have been able to withstand every influence which might in- duce them to abandon the traditions that keep them separate among men. They are capable of a faith in the destinies of their people that rises superior to the worst disasters and looks forward to a restoration of glory, while commemorating the sharpest sufferings. LONDON TIMES. is good that a man should both, hope ij And quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for man That he bear the yoke in his youth ; He sitteth alone and keepeth silence ; He putteth his mouth in the dust ; He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth ; He is full with reproach. Let us search and try our ways, And turn again unto the Lord ; Let us lift up our hearts With our hands unto the God in heaven. From Lamentations , chap. Hi. SUN AND SHIELD. XXVII. (BXgBfcrg, But no JSecrecg. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth ; I said not unto the children of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I de- clare things that are right. Isaiah xlv. ig. the religion instituted by Moses, the only record of which we have in the Holy Scriptures, there is no scope for a distribution of revelations into public and private. There is no "aside "in that drama. It has been remarked, that, if the religious idea of the antique Pagan world may be aptly represented by the figure of Harpocrates, the silent god of Egypt, holding one of his fingers on his lips, the religion of Israel is best de- scribed by the word: Memra, /. e., speech, verbum, logos. The Mosaic system did not countenance one law and faith for the high, and another for the low ; there was no mystery for any section of the community. T. THEODORES. For this commandment which I command thee this day, is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it ? Neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. Deut. xxx. i v, 14. 106 SUN AND SHIELD. LL the earth I'd wandered over Seeking still the Beacon light, Never tarried in the day-time, Never sought repose at night ; Till I heard a reverend preacher All the mystery declare, Then I looked within my bosom And 'twas shining brightly there. xxviii. fti$ in $e Jgewaffer Thy righteousness is like the great mountains ; thy judgments are a great deep ; O Lord, thou pre- servest man and beast. Psalm xxxvi. 6. Hebrew people, we are told, had not a faith vigorous enough to accept assurances to be real- ized in a world totally distinct from that under the observation of their bodily senses. There might be some weight in this argument, if it were but certain that a belief in rewards and punishments to be adjudged in heaven taxes the faculty of faith more heavily than does the belief in the triumph of virtue and the discom- fiture of vice on earth. But is that so ? The reverse seems to be true. No antagonistic experience, no stubborn facts avail to weaken the credentials which testify in favor of a reign of perfect justice in the re- gion of heaven ; while the experience of every day's life unmercifully destroys every inchoate hope of seeing the differences between right and wrong, good and bad, 107 SUN AND SHIELD. adjusted on this side of the grave. Then, still to per- severe in such hope, would argue a superhuman effort of faith. . . . From beginning to end the Bible pro- claims the accountability of rational beings for their actions, and the ever vigilant justice of God "who tries the hearts and reins." To admit "retributive justice" and to limit its action to this life, is a proceeding so irrational that it may be considered impossible. T. THEODORES. , no ! it is no flattering lure, No fancy weak or fond, When hope would bid us rest secure, In the better life beyond. Nor love, nor shame, nor grief, nor sin, His promise may gainsay ; The voice divine hath spoke within, And God cannot betray. XXIX. e Chosen Qpeopfe. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my serv- ant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He : before me there was 'no God formed, neither shall there be after me. Isaiah xliii. 10. HE idea of a " Chosen People " has for us no other meaning than that of a people placed into the 108 SUN AND SHIELD. world to do God's work amongst men; it implies no inborn superiority of race or descent, least of all, any favoritism in heaven. ''God is no respecter of per- sons; " that word came from a Hebrew mind thousands of years ago, and still forms one of the foundation truths of our creed. It is not contravened by our prayers, nor has it been falsified by Jewish feelings towards non-Jews at any time save only when the non-Jews acted towards the Jews as non-men. And that other word, than which no~ greater has yet been uttered, and about the ownership of which religions still wrangle, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" although the charter where it first appeared is in every- body's hand forbids us to countenance the least restric- tion of human rights based solely on differences of race, station, culture or religion. And what has the distinc- tion, claimed by Israel, been through these long cen- turies, aye, what is it to-day but a crown of thorns ? What, but a faith, strong as fate, has kept him from tearing it from his head and chasing from his breast forever all Messianic dreams of a reign of righteousness and peace on earth ? G. G. CLOTHE us with Thy heavenly armor, Lord ! Thy trusty shield, Thy word of love divine; Our inspiration be thy constant word ; We ask no victories that are not thine ; Give or withhold, let pain or pleasure be, Enough to know that we are serving Thee. 109 SUN AND SHIELD. XXX. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophecy in the camp. And Joshua, who ministered to Moses, one of his dis- ciples said : My lord Moses, forbid them. But Moses said to him : Enviest thou for my sake ? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His spirit upon them. Num- bers xi. 27, 29. old question of the Messiah, that has proved so tragic to its first propounders, has at last ceased to be a question for many of the Jews of to-day; not, how- ever, because they have found the person to whom the title appertains, but because they have eliminated from it the personal element altogether. They have trans- ferred the idea from man to mankind, and thus put an end to all controversy, on that point, with other creeds and churches. Nor is their position an altogether new creation. Some of the Pharisees of old have at least hinted at it. What did they mean by saying: "The days of Messiah are from Adam until now," but this that the soul of the great hope lies in the gradual devel- opment of the latent powers of man towards that state of this world's happiness, which ravished the eyes and inspired the lips of the ancient seers ? Rising from stage to stage, the vision assumed the expression con- sonant with the periods through which it passed, but SUN AND SHIELD. also left them behind when outgrown. Nothing can save the temporal from the tooth of time ; and temporal are all history and all actors of history. Their influence alone endures, yet, not intact, but assimilated with all the other ideas that dominate the living generations. Who can separate the threads out of which our present faith has been woven? of a truth, the days of Messiah are from Adam till now, and the only legitimate problems connected with that conception, are the living problems of to-day ; leave we, therefore, the past to the student, the dreamer, the artist, and the creed-builder. G. G. PART SECOND. I. fc fruit of Have we not all One Father ? Hath not One God created us all? Why do we deal treacherously, a man against his neighbor, and profane the covenant of our fathers ? Malachi ii. 10. faith in the Unity of God, that chief corner- stone of Judaism, is now conceived of far more in its delusive, than in its Delusive bearing. Once an inevi- table cause of isolation, and of rigorous seclusion from the surrounding nations, under the new conception it becomes an incentive to seek their fellowship in all things good, true, and beneficent. Faith in the One Father in heaven imposes upon us the obligation to seek the brotherhood of man on earth. The fear of losing our identity and, with it, our faith, by the free inter- course with our neighbors haunts us no longer. Our allies count by the millions, and science is on our side. But even if the danger still existed, we could not, for that reason, recede from the position we have taken towards our fellow citizens. If the Unity of God does not lead to the brotherhood of man, perhaps the broth- erhood of man will lead to the Unity of God. But whether or not what but good can come from the cul- tivation of kindly feelings between a man and his "5 SUN AND SHIELD. neighbor, and from the acknowledgment of the equal rights of all men in the High Court of Eternal Justice ? G. G. ORD, let the flames of holy charity And all her gifts and graces glide Into our hearts and there abide ; That, thus refined, we may soar above With it into the element of Love Even unto Thee, dear Spirit, And there eternal peace and rest inherit. b of (protni0e "of (Bob. Then said I, oh, Lord, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth. But the Lord said unto me : Say not I am young, for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatever I command thee, thou shalt speak Jeremiah i. 6, 7. rtYROPHECY is not a phenomenon peculiar to Israel; Vr all the ancient nations had prophets, that is, men who spoke in the name of God, or of supernatural powers. The prophet differs from the priest. The latter is a personage without special originality, the guardian of an established ritual, the potency of which is not at all dependent upon the personality of the priest. The prophet is the man possessed of God, and through whom the Will of God is revealed to men. But among the other nations, and even in Israel in ancient times, the prophet, seer, diviner, sorcerer, vacillates between the charlatan and the inspired one. What is unique in Jewish prophecy is that it became the all- powerful weapon of men so truly inspired, of souls so truly enlightened; the mind and the conscience of humanity found in their prophecies its first successful 134 SUN AND SHIELD. and lasting expression. The work of these prophets survives in a hundred pages of the Bible and in Three Reli S ionS - JAMES DARMSTETTER. is eternal, but her effluence With endless change, is fitted to the hour Her mirror is turned forward to reflect The promise of the future, not the past. First find thou truth, and then, Although she strays From beaten paths of men To untold ways Her leading follow straight And bide thy fate. XVII. 0e force of Ancient The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of His people and the princes thereof ; for ye have eaten up the vineyards (of the land), the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? Isaiah Hi. 14, 15. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, as if they alone were set in the land ... Of a truth ! Many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, and without a single inhabitant. Isaiah v. 8, g. the presence of the iniquities of the world, the heart of the prophets bled as though from a wound of the Divine spirit, and their cry of indignation 135 SUN AND SHIELD. re-echoed the wrath of the Deity. Greece and Rome had their rich and poor, just as Israel had in the days of Jeroboam, and the various classes continued to slaughter one another for centuries; but no voice of justice and pity arose from the fierce tumult. Nations were born and perished, living from day to day at the mercy of the accidents and the appetites of the hour, without comprehending that a nation, in order to live and to deserve to live, needs an ideal that may deter- mine its destiny. In default of such, it must perish, with no reason for its existence, "its future hangs before it in tatters." Therefore these ancient words, fierce and violent, have more vitality at the pres- ent time, and answer better to the needs of modern souls than all the classic masterpieces of antiquity, Therefore these stray pages, sent forth twenty-six cen- turies ago among two imperfectly civilized tribes, and exposed to the vicissitudes of national life, constitute a production that will live forever. JAMES DARMSTETTER. A\PPRESSION shall not always reign ^^ There comes a brighter day, When freedom, burst from every chain, Shall have triumphant sway. Then right shall over might prevail, And truth's full armed array, The hosts of tyrant wrong assail, And hold eternal sway. SUN AND SHIELD. XVIII. e Buffering Tifnc06 for (Bob. Thou, O God, hast proved us ; Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into a net (for our feet). Thou laidest affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water, but Thou broughtest us out to liberty. Psalm Ixvi. /o, 12. OR the sufferings of Israel, transformed by triumph- ant prophecy after the exile, are no longer, as at the time of Jeremiah and of militant prophecy, only the expiation of her faults, the ignominious punishment for her sins ; they are now conceived of as the price of salvation of the human soul. God has placed his spirit in Israel, through her to acquaint the nations with jus- tice. It is, therefore, not in vain that Israel suffered, that she was despised and rejected of men, a people of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Sent by the Lord to preach His Word, she was not rebellious, and recoiled not from the burden of sorrow. She gave her cheek to those that struck her, her face to those that insulted her, and hid not her countenance, although reviled and spat upon. As the lamb that is led to the slaughter, as the sheep that is dumb before the shearer, she opened not her mouth, and therefore she shall not die. Men believe her stricken of God, whereas she was afflicted to reclaim them from their sins; it was for their salva- tion that she was chastised. And she is growing neither weary nor discouraged, so that justice may be 137 SUN AND SHIELD. established upon the earth ; and the far off islands are waiting for her instruction. God makes Israel a law- giver unto the nations, and peoples that know her not yet, shall in the future hasten to her. She shall lead the stranger to the holy mountain; for the House of God shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples. JAMES DARMSTETTER. XIX. Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me ; your new moons and sabbaths, and calling of assemblies I cannot away with. Wash you, make you clean, . . . cease to do evil ; learn to do well ; seek justice ; relieve the oppressed ; judge the fatherless ; plead for the widow. Isaiah i. jj, 77. is true that the horizon of modern humanity is not that of the Seers of Ephraim. Humanity now has an additional torment, which troubled the ancients but little, the scientific Torment, which no moral revelation can heal, and which the prophets do not speak of. It springs, not from the heart of man, the source of all cer- tainty, but from his lack of heart. It comes down upon him from the stars, it ascends to him from the depths of the ages. The lights of science are cold, like those of a polar sun. It's balm is a narcotic or a poison, and it SUN AND SHIELD. will not become wholesome unless it shall lead men by way of their moral instinct, to a realizing faith in God as revealed in the consciousness of man. Nineteen centuries have passed since the noblest spirit of Rome, in the face of the vileness of the gods and their priests, uttered the cry of outraged reason. 11 Nor does piety consist in bowing oneself constantly, with veiled face, before a stone and approaching all the altars, nor in prostrating oneself on the ground, and stretching out open hands towards the sanctuary, nor in sprinkling the altars with the blood of beasts; but in contemplating the Universe with a peaceful mind " And eight centuries before Lucretius, Amos, the Hebrew shepherd, proclaims in the name of his God: " I hate your feast days ; your holocausts I despise ; from your offerings of fat beasts I turn away my eyes. Away from me the noise of your songs, that I may not hear the sound of your lyres! But let righteousness gush forth as water, and justice as a never-failing stream." JAMES DARMSTETTER. HE offerings to Thy throne which rise, Of mingled praise and prayer, Are but a worthless sacrifice Unless the heart is there. My offerings will indeed be blest, If sanctified by Thee, If Thy pure spirit touch my breast With its own purity. 139 SUN AND SHIELD. XX. , ime to And now, O Israel, what doth the Lord, Thy God require of thee ? . . . . Deut. x. 12. is not good, either for the individual man, or for any class of men, to dwqll with complacency upon their merits, or upon any success they have achieved; for, as a rule, such gratification breeds vanity, hinders further advancement, and, by over-estimation, lessens the value of our deserts. Man's progress in all good things should be continual and suffer no interruption. As soon as he has reached a step forward, he should ask himself at once : And now, what does the Lord, thy God, require of thee? He should bestir himself to use every achievement as a stepping stone for a still higher point in the line towards his ideals. But the wise king has told us, and surely not in vain, that " there is a time to keep silence and there is a time to speak." When our character is publicly assailed, and our good name questioned ; when we are in danger of being discouraged by the reflection that our best endeavors are, after all, fruitless then there is a time for us to ask ourselves: Have we merited it? And, if our conscience acquits us, this is a time to dwell, with gratitude to God, upon the bright side of our past; a time also, to speak and not keep silence; albeit, men accuse us of pride and vain glory; a time, I add, to ask ourselves, when our heart is writhing under our disappointment : And what does the Lord, thy God, require thee to do under this trial and what fruit of godliness is it to ripen in thee? ADOLPH HUEBSCH. SUN AND SHIELD. XJMPLE rule and safest guiding, ^* Inward peace and inward might, Star upon our path abiding " Trust in God and do the right." Some will hate thee, some will love thee, Some will flatter, some will slight ; Cease from man and look above thee : " Trust in God and do the right." XXI. 0e QBfeeeino; of Thou hast turned for me my mourning into rejoic- ing ; Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness. Psalm xxx. n. is the best teacher of history, the most compe- tent expounder of prophecies. We of this century are better able to understand the ways of God with Israel in permitting the downfall of the Jewish State and the destruction of the National Sanctuary, than were those who either witnessed, or suffered from, the effects of that great catastrophe. We now see how God links events one to the other, until His purpose is reached. Jewish religion began with the announcement that the descendants of Abraham should carry a certain blessing to mankind, and this mission has never been forgotten in Israel. Viewed in that light, the revelation on Sinai becomes one of the greatest facts in history; it elevates the vicissitudes of our people far above the level of a mere national record. The idea of that mission assumed different forms according to the varying con- SUN AND SHIELD. ditions of those who cherished it ; through all of them went the sadness for the lost glory and the hope of its restoration in Palestine; until we have learned the lesson that human life must be complete in itself and cannot depend upon what is no longer or is not yet. We, too, are the offspring of Abraham and can spread, and are desirous to spread the blessing promised to our first father, among all men ; being well assured, that it will redound to the peace and welfare of men and the Glory of God. ADOLPH HUEBSCH, (Abbreviated}. /INTERNAL Ruler of the ceaseless round ^"' Of circling planets singing on their way, Guide of the nations from the night profound Into the glory of the perfect day. Rule in our hearts, that we may ever be Guided and strengthened and upheld by Thee. XXII. 0c ^{fenf, get (jpofenf teacher. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall share their lot. Prov. xiii. 20. Let thy house be a meeting-place of wise men. Cover thyself with the dust of their feet (/'. e., sit at their feet like pupils) and drink in their words as the thirsty drink water. Ethics of the Fathers. T^HERE are two ways to win men to the fear of God and the love of virtue. We may enlighten them SUN AND SHIELD. with our words, if we have received the gift therefor; we may trust to the power of public preaching as did those renowned preachers whose words went forth and penetrated to the farthest ends of the earth. Or, we may enlighten men with our example and instruct them with our conduct and bearing, sometimes even in spite of themselves. It was therefore, as we read in Holy Writ, that Joshua never left Moses, his Master, and that Elisha ministered unto Elijah, the prophet, until the hour of his death. Now, the Talmud main- tains that one derives more benefit from intercourse with wise men than from their direct teaching by word of mouth; that is to say, when life and teaching of the master are in full agreement, when the one is the liv- ing commentary on the other. To those who do not so impress their words on their hearers, we apply the reproach, also given in the Talmud: " Would that thy deeds were as beautiful as thy words; it were better thou hadst never opened thy mouth ; for no eloquence can repair the evil^ which the beauty of thy words has wrought." I SAAC ARAMA, ( XV. Century). AT people hear, Oft only goes From lip to ear, And then it flows Into the air To vanish there; What people see Is stamped on mind, And sure to find A voice to plead In time of need. SUN AND SHIELD. XXIII. ^ttnng Our He that keepeth the Commandments, keepeth his own soul Prov. xix. 16. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward ; he that guardeth his soul shall be far from them. Prov. xxii.j;. AEEK thou the company of the wise, and the friend- ship of them whose hearts are filled with the reverence of God's Law; and flee far from those who obey Him from vainglory. Avoid thou the doers of evil, even though good works might be done with their aid. For, without aware they shall steal from thee the piety of thy mind, and they shall spoil thee ere that thou knowest it. Let thy dearest rest be in thine own home, for there art thou safe from strife and destruction. When thou enterest the House of God, sit thyself down in the place of the poor. Visit the sick, not less those that are stricken with poverty than those that are rich in the goods of the world. Let the sympathy that thou shewest, and the help that thou bringest, be the sole purpose of thy visit. Honor the dead, and go with them on their last earthly journey. Visit them that mourn, and comfort them. Mark well their pain; for there seest thou the fate of all men. Take thou this to heart, and prepare thyself early in life. And when those of other faiths seek to lead thee astray from that of thy fathers, then leave thou thy 144 SUN AND SHIELD. country and thy home, and go where thou canst live unmolested. Shew thy manhood and thy strength, and regret not the possessions that thou leavest behind; they are dross in the face of the integrity of thy soul. SOLOMON ALAMI, (XV. Century). [RANT me the power, the right to see To love the good who follow thee ; And in that love, O, grant the love Of all on earth, of God above. XXIV. . . . The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, thy God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. Deut. v. 14. The righteous man considereth the soul of his cattle. Prov. xii. 10, Talmud tells the following: A calf that was about to be slaughtered, fled to Rabbi Yehudah, the Prince, and hid its head in his garment. But he re- pulsed it, crying: " Go hence! for this hast thou been created!" For many years thereafter heavy troubles af- flicted the Prince. It happened one day that he saw the serving maid about to destroy the young of a cat. " Do it not," he cried, "for it is said: God's mercy is ex- M5 SUN AND SHIELD. tended over all His creatures." And from this time on his burdens grew lighter, and finally ceased. Noxious animals may be killed; but must not suffer unnecessary pain. The same holds good of beasts re- quired for nourishment, or for the healing of the sick. We are not bidden to save the calf that ministers to our sus- tenance. The evils that came upon the Rabbi were not punishments, but trials, such as God sends to the great- est and the best, so that others may take example from their conduct. For God demands accounting more strictly of those that are favored mentally, than He does of ordinary persons; a hair's breadth straying from the straight path is heavy sin in them. Rabbi Yehu- dah, the Prince, should not have used the words: " For this hast thou been created;" and he should have per- mitted the animal to find refuge, for a time at least, with him. For the contrary behavior in this great man and teacher has surely hardened the heart of many a one towards animals; nor was he justified in saying that the calf had only been created to be killed. And I would believe that every living being, even that which may be slaughtered, will be recompensed by the Creator for the agonies that it has endured. For it is opposed to justice to believe, what the words of the great Rabbi implied, that wrong should be done to any being, be it man or animal. RABBI ACHAI, (VIII. Century). ;LESSED is the man whose softening heart Feels all another's pain ; To whom the supplicating eye Was never raised in vain. 146 SUN AND SHIELD. XXV. Jfytrifuaf (nurture. Come, children, hearken unto me ; I will teach you the fear of God. Psalms xxxiv. u. MY beloved, be ye wise in that fear only; and you will prove that you have gained that wisdom, if you forsake it not when men scorn you for it. Set apart a fixed time of each day for the study of God's Word, and try also to teach it to others ; for thereby the Law will be the more firmly rooted in your own mem- ory. Do not imagine you stand in no need of either such constant learning or teaching, on the plea that you have, as it were, inherited much learning from your father, and through him, from your forefathers ; on the contrary, you are only the more culpable if you give up the constant study of God's teachings. I counsel you also, to exhort one another by turns from the texts of Midrash (the homilies of the early Masters), for by this practice you will free yourself from many a fault, and break the power of many a besetting sin, which you cannot otherwise overcome. Make it likewise your cus- tom to read often in such books, as " The Duties of the heart," the "Book of Righteousness," "Call to Repent- ance; " take their instructions to heart, and live in ac- cordance with them. Beware ! O beware ! lest you be numbered with any one of the four classes of people, of whom our Sages affirm that they never can appear be- fore the face of God: liars, mockers, gamblers, slan- derers. From the Testament of Jehudah ben Asher, (XIV. Century). '47 SUN AND SHIELD. XXVI. e reafc of Wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous, but who is able to stand before envy ? Prov. xxvii. 4- the word of the Lord came to Moses: Get thee up unto the mountain; for there thou shalt die; henceforth Joshua shall lead My people, Moses prayed: O, let me live and be servant to Joshua, and go over Jordan with him ? And the Lord answered : Be it unto thee according to thy prayer. Then the two men went to the tabernacle, and the cloud descended and separated one from the other. When it rose again, Moses said: "Joshua, my master, what word was revealed unto thee ? " And Joshua said: "Didst thou not hear it? How strange; for whenever I was at thy side, I always did hear the voice of God and understood His bidding." Moses bent his head; shame covered his face; and the spirit of envy whispered to him thoughts of evil ! But for a moment only. For he fell on his face and cried : O Lord, a hundred deaths rather than One sting of envy. And Moses went up and entered a cave, and laid himself down on the rocky floor, and the Almighty came, and, with a kiss, freed the pure soul of the prophet from its earthly bonds, and lifted it into His presence where there is fulness of joy for evermore. G. G., (After the Midrash). SUN AND SHIELD. BLESSED life ! heart, mind and soul From self-born aims and wishes free, In all at one with Deity And loyal to the Lord's control. O life, how blessed ! how divine ! High life, the earnest of a higher ! Father ! fulfill my deep desire And let this blessed life be mine. xxvii. Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusa- lem ; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I have commanded ye. -Jeremiah xvii. 2i> 22. the ancient polytheists, nothing seemed so joyless as the austerity of a Jewish Sabbath. It was a strange abandonment of all the vocations of life. They saw the fields of the Hebrew forsaken by the laborer; the ass unsaddled; the oar laid by in the boat; they marked a dead stillness pervading the habitation of the Israelite; the fire extinguished, the meat unprepared; the man servant and the maiden leave their work, and the trafficker, at least one day in the week, refusing the offered coin. . . . The interior delights of the habita- tion of the Hebrew were invisible alike to the poly- theist and the Christian fathers. They heard not the SUN AND SHIELD. domestic greetings which cheerfully announced " the good Sabbath," nor the paternal benediction for the sons, nor the blessing of the aged master for his pupils. They could not behold the mistress of the house watch- ing the sunset and then lighting the seven wicks of the lamp of the Sabbath suspended during its consecration ; for oil to fill the Sabbath lamp the mendicant implored an alms. . . . Thus, in the busy circle of life, was there one immovable point where the weary rested and the wealthy enjoyed a heavenly repose. ISAAC DISRAELI. AIRING fruits and wine and sing a gladsome lay, >O^ Cry : " Come in peace, O restful Seventh Day." Greet we the Sabbath at our door, Wellspring of blessing evermore, With everlasting gladness fraught, Of old ordained, divinely taught, Last in creation, first in thought. xxvii. Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel : Learn not the way of the heathen and be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the heathen are dismayed at them. Jer. x. /. 2. is a whole class of ordinances in the Law doubtless tending to save man from the errors of idolatry and the evil practices connected with it ; e. g., SUN AND SHIELD. observing the times, enchantment, witchcraft, incan- tation, consulting with familiar spirits, and the like. . . . Those who teach and practice these things caused others to believe, or they themselves believed, that by means of those arts they would perform won- derful things on behalf of individuals or whole nations, although no analogy and no reasoning can discover any relation between those performances and the promised results. . . . Our Law would make us abandon this evil belief and keep at the greatest possible distance from it. MOSES MAIMONIDES. ROM sin's dread power I fain would fly And to my Lord betake me ; When I for help and counsel cry Thou, God, wilt not forsake me. Thy gracious spirit Thou wilt send, My stubborn heart tow'rd Thee to bend, And wholly Thine to make me. XXIX. C#o0en c. And Ruth (the Moabitish woman) said to Naomi (the Israel itish) : Entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following thee : for whither thou goest I will go, where thou lodgest I will lodge : thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God Ruth i. 16. is more, far more, than a touch of nature that makes a world akin ; it is a complete triumph of the human heart over the divisions of race, nation and religion, divisions marked often in darkest lines and maintained in bitterest hatred. By the breath of love they were wiped away ; soul clung to soul, and heart to heart. This gospel of humanity was proclaimed by a woman, whose name the nation of her adoption has enshrined in its sacred records and honored by giving her a place in the pedigree of David, and through him, in that of Messiah. G. G. The narrow-minded ask: Is this one of our tribe, or is he a stranger ? But to those who are of a noble mind the whole world is but one family. Is there any bolt that can shut in love? A tear will publish it. HINDU. 160 SUN AND SHIELD. IV. 0c J&urefg of (peace. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shalt prosper that love thee ; peace be within thy walls, prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companion's sake I will now say : Peace be within thy walls. Psalm cxxii. 6, 7. surety for the peace which the Psalmist praises, is: love, good will, and friendship; and these are demanded by the singer. Therefore the departing priests in the Temple at Jerusalem were wont to bless their successors with the words: May He whose holy Name is called over this house grant in your midst love, brotherhood, peace and friendship. Rabbi Eleazar closed his daily prayer for peace with the words: May the God of our Fathers cause peace, brotherhood, and unity to dwell amongst us at all times. Such peace gives us strength and blessing; and it may be compared to a palace resting on ships; so long as these remain chained to one another, the building is secure, but if they are separated, the house falls asunder. Then only does God abide in our midst, when the feeling of unity binds together the heads and the members of the congregation and the people. Only then can the hour of deliverance approach ; then only can Israel fulfill its mission; then only can the Name of God be glorified and reverenced, and He be acknowledged as the Ruler of the world. JEHUDAH MUSCATO, (XVI. Century.) 161 SUN AND SHIELD. All Scriptural blessings end with peace. Where that is wanting, there is no true blessing. " Seek peace and pursue it" says the Psalmist; he means: Seek it in thine own place and pursue it in other places. THE PHARISEES. v - 0e (ptffor of (Brafifube. What could have been clone more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes ? For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His pleasant plant ; and he looked for justice and behold, oppression ; for right, and behold, outcry. Isaiah v. 4, 7. F gratitude vanished from the earth there would dis- appear with it one of the foundation pillars of Humanity. In the exercise of love God created the earth. Does He demand no return for the mercies that He bestows on us? Which of us did the Perfect One need, who suffices for Himself? He requires gratitude from us, so that we may be aware of the lofty worth of our existence. The Psalmist calls on all created things, even the inanimate ones, to praise the Lord (Psalm 148). Mankind can never spare that grateful spirit from which the feeling of duty springs ; and on making return for that which one man receives from another, depends the continuance of human society. For the main advantage of society is that all members 162 SUN AND SHIELD. receive benefits at the same time, and share them with one another. As the life of the human body is depend- ent on constant nutritive changes, so also is the life of humanity. Selfishness pushed to its extreme causes the death of both. When we accept services without re- turning them, we embitter, by our ingratitude, hearts that are disposed to serve us. Hence is the Talmud right in saying: " The rain, which fructifies all things, falls only on account of the righteous, that is, the thankful; for they alone maintain human society." As our teacher Simon, the Just, has expressly declared: " All works of love are only acknowledgments of the love that we receive from God. ISAAC ARAMA. The wise will remember through a sevenfold birth the hand that wiped away a tear. CHOUGH the benefit be small. ^' Smaller than a millet-seed, They to whom was done the deed, See it as a palm tree tall. Hindu. VI. 0e fruiffuf tree. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life ; and he that winneth souls is wise. Prov. xi. 30. That they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah Ixi, j. N the Talmud likewise the righteous man is likened to a fruitful tree ; his piety is like the cool shade of 163 SUN AND SHIELD. its leafy branches; and in it mankind can find protec- tion in troublous times. And the tree that bears but leaves, and rustles loudly in the wind, is like the noisy boaster; whilst the heavy and muffled tones of the laden fruit tree are the symbols of the life of the pious man, quiet and rich in good deeds. Once the fruit- bearing trees were asked : Why do ye not rustle loudly like the others ? And they answered : We need not proclaim our presence; we are sought after for our fruits. . . . And Rabbi Hunah gives another answer: The fruit trees cannot rustle because their fruit is heavy and bends their branches earthwards; whilst the other trees can rustle, for they are not weighed down with fruit. Also the tree of mighty roots, that stands upright before all the storms, is used to symbolize the pious man ; whilst the scoffer is likened to the tree whose roots are few and thin, and which the first storm of winter lays low. Long was the question argued in the academy of the Pharisees; whether of the two was of greater value, the study of the law or the doing of good works. At length it was decided in favor of the study of the law ; inasmuch as this, if pursued in the right spirit, cannot fail to lead to good works, and has its own merit besides. AUGUST WUENSCHE. 164 SUN AND SHIELD. VII. Lift up your eyes on high and behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number ; He calleth them all by names ; by the great- ness of His might, for that He is strong in power, not one faileth. Why, then, sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel : my way is hid from the Lord and my judgment is passed over from my God ? Isaiah xl. 26, 2j. then sees and sustains us little mortals made of dust? Thou, all-gracious One, Thou infinite One, Thou, O God, formest us. Thou seest us, thou lovest us. O brother, raise thy spirit and grasp the greatest thought of man. There where eternity is there where immensity is, and where right begins there an Infinite Spirit spreads out its arms and folds them around the universe of worlds, and bears it and warms it. I and thou, and all men, and all angels, and all worms rest on His bosom. He sees away through the ocean wherein coral-trees full of earths sway to and fro, and sees the little worm that cleaves to the small- est coral which worm is I and He gives the worm the nearest drop, and a blissful heart, and a future, and an eye to look up even to Himself yea, O God, even up to Thee, even to Thy heart. So long as the word "God" endures in a language will it direct the eyes of men upwards. It is with the 165 SUN AND SHIELD. Eternal as with the sun; if but its smallest part can shine uneclipsed, it prolongs the day and gives its rounder image in the dark chamber. JEAN PAUL F. RICHTER. '\VjHERE'ER ascends the sacrifice ^^ Of fervent praise and prayer, Or on the earth, or in the skies, The heaven of God is there. His presence e'er is spread abroad Through realms, through worlds unknown, Who seek the mercies of our God Are ever near His throne. VIII. 0e QSrofflerfcob of One ordinance shall be both for you of the congre- gation and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance forever in your generations ; as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One Law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. Numbers xv. 75, 16. are by nature predisposed to love mankind. Take away love and benevolence, and you take away all the joy of life. Men are born for the sake of men, that they may mutually benefit one another. When man shall have learned to look upon himself as a citizen of the universe, considered as One Common- wealth to what a knowledge of himself will he attain ! CICERO. 166 SUN AND SHIELD. To love and serve all men is to delight in God. MENCIUS. Give bread to a stranger in the name of the universal brotherhood which binds all men together under the common Father of nature. QUINTILLIAN. God, who creates and inspires men, willed that they should be equal. He made them all capable of wisdom ; he imposed the same laws upon all; and He has promised immortality to all. As He furnishes food for all and gives the sweet repose of sleep to all, so doth He give capacity for virtue to all. With Him no one is slave and no one is master. LACTANTIUS. And a great multitude had gathered around the Rabbi, and one of the disciples asked him, Tell us, O master, why Deborah, a woman, was chosen to be prophet and judge in Israel, and not the High Priest Eleazar? Then the Rabbi lifted up his voice and said : Verily, I call heaven and earth to witness that every human creature, Jew or stranger, man or woman, free or bond, may be rilled with the spirit of God if they render themselves worthy to receive it. Midrash. QReftgton dnb For all people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord, our God, forever and ever. Micah iv. j. one thing, I cannot look at the succession of the ages, and see what a tremendous part religion has 167 SUN AND SHIELD. been playing on the busy scene, without being con- vinced that here is something essential to the complete- ness of humanity, something so deeply implicated in its structure that it can no more be taken out of it without destructive consequences, than the bones can be taken out of a man's body or his muscles unstrung of every quivering nerve. No other force or institution has played such a stupendous part in human history, has reared such splendid fanes, dominated such mighty nations and events, inspired such hopes and fears. And when we think of what religion has been in its total manifestation, in its terror and its beauty, in its loveliness and its joy, in its strength to build, its energy to sway, its might to set up and cast down, then might we not as rationally believe that the art of government, the State, or the passion for beauty, or the love of men and women for each other was something superficial, something that might have its day, and cease to be, as to believe these things of religion ? It may be sub- jected to incalculable transformations in the future as it has been in the past, but they will not destroy its identity nor bring upon its perpetuity the shadow of a doubt. TTr ~ JOHN W. CHADWICK. T of the heart of nature rolled The burdens of the Bible old ; The litanies of nations came, Like the volcano's tongue of flame, Up from the burning core below The canticles of love and woe. 168 SUN AND SHIELD. X. 0c Of the blind ; they never advance a step until they have tried the ground. Not a word can be said, even in the midst of sport, from which a wise man will not derive instruction ; but if a hundred chapters of philosophy are read to a thoughtless person, it will seem to his ears folly and sport. Saadi. XI. e CriafB of Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His pious ones. Psalm cxvi. 15. The Lord hath chastened me sore, but He hath not given me over unto death. Psalm cxviii. 18. In the night-time His song was with me. Psalm xlii. g. GOD! Thou lookest down upon my misery (his utter deafness). Thou knowest that it is accom- panied with love of my fellow-creatures and a disposi- tion to do good ! O men, when ye shall read this, think that you have wronged me ; and let the child of affliction take comfort on finding one like himself, who, in spite of all the impediments of nature did all that lay in him to obtain admittance into the ranks of worthy artists and men. You, my brothers, as soon as I am dead, ask Prof. Schmidt to write a description of my disease and to that description annex this paper that, after my death, the world may be reconciled with me. . . . What you have done to me to grieve me, that, you know, has long been forgiven. Recommend virtue to your children; that alone, not wealth, can give happi- ness. I speak from experience. It was this that upheld 170 SUN AND SHIELD. me in affliction; it is owing to this and to my art that I did not terminate my life by my own hand. Farewell, and love one another. . . . How glad I am to think that I may be of use to you even in my grave. If death come before I have had occasion to develop all my professional ability, he will come too soon for me; but even then I am content, for he will release me from a state of uninterrupted suffering. Do not quite forget me; I have deserved to be remembered by you; for I have often thought of you to make you happy. May you ever be so. LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN. My music is the product of my genius and my misery ; and that which I wrote in my greatest distress is that which the world seems to like best. FRANZ SCHUBERT. HE good are better made by ill, As odors crushed are sweeter still. XII. 0e Continuance of 4)ut feife. May the All-merciful suffer us to inherit that Day which is Sabbath altogether, and that Rest which is everlasting Life. Ancient Hebrew Prayer. life we live here is the parent of the next. " Heaven is but earth made richer." The rest of death is as the work of this life, dropping the body only, as the Sabbath Day is like Monday or Friday. The distinction is plain. There is in every one of us, SUN AND SHIELD. in so far as we are thinking beings, a separate life : the life of thought and feeling, the reverie and the keen anxiety of the future, the sense of sin and guilt, the fear of punishment ; we toil and drudge long after the wants of the body are satisfied ; we are all being driven by this second life, by the passions of the mind. The larger portion of our religious experiences lies in the contest between the sense of right and wrong, that requires a faith in something higher than the things that are seen. The lover of fashion is, in a sense, liv- ing after a faith in something which art declares neces- sary. The man of pleasure who rises above a brute, guilds the horizon of his low landscape with some sort of faith. It is the other part of us, asserting itself. We may well say then, dropping the body, the identity of the two lives is certain as a fact of revelation. In this body of clay we fear death. There we lose that fear. . . . We lose the pains of sickness. There God will wipe away all the tears from the eyes. But this very promise implies the sameness of the real life, linking together the two parts of man's destiny. CHARLES H. HALL. /JJ^TERNITY ! O mighty, wondrous thought, V^ What words sufficient for so high a theme ; With promises of God's sweet mercy fraught The joyous morning after this life's dream. A dream that points to hope of future need, The recompense of every earthly woe ; Our trust in God that they whose soul he freed, Immunity from earthly troubles know. 172 SUN AND SHIELD. XIII. 6< Seest thou a man skilled in his work he shall stand before kings. Proverbs xxii. 29. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm Ixxxiv. 10. situation that has not its duty, its ideal, was never yet occupied by man. Yes, here, in this poor, miserable, hampered, despicable Actual, wherein thou even now standest, here or nowhere is thy Ideal; work it out therefrom; and working, believe, live, be free. Fool! the Ideal is in thyself, the impediment, too, is in thyself: thy condition is but the stuff thou art to shape that same Ideal out of: what matters whether such stuff be of ^this sort or that, so the form thou giv- est it be heroic, be poetic. O thou that pinest in the imprisonment of the Actual, and criest bitterly to the gods for a kingdom wherein to rule and create, know this of a truth : the thing thou seekest is already with thee, "here or nowhere," couldst thou only see! THOMAS CARLYLE. Why did the Lord chose the Bramble for a place of Revelation to Moses? To teach us that the humblest creature may become a seat of the Sh'chinah (Divine Manifestation). The Pharisees. 73 SUN AND SHIELD. O answer comes to those that pray And idly stand, And wait for stones to roll away At God's command ; He will not break the binding cords Upon us laid, If we depend on pleading words And will not aid. XIV. (geftgion anb And the Lord said : Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ? Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him ? For I know him that he will command his children and his house- hold after him, that they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment Genesis xviii. 3 USE this text to-day to make one point of it: the virtues which are taught in the revealed religion are the virtues of home. . . . The Deity is repre- sented under the form of a man, debating, as it were, whether He shall tell Abraham what He means to do. The point on which He seems to turn and come to a decision is the fact that He knows him, "that he will command his children and his household after him that they shall keep the way of the Lord." The authority of the parent is thus made the corner-stone of the pri- mary religion. The virtues of all revealed religion were to be taught at home. They are still. In our zeal for the complicated machinery of religion, for 174 SUN AND SHIELD. which I thank God as useful in its place, we are always inclined to forget this law. Religion seems to rise up in our minds as if it were altogether ecclesiastical or sacerdotal some few words of devotion, some schemes of missions, some set modes of alms-giving, and assem- bling in public to read the Bible and listen to preach- ing. The virtues of good neighborhood, " the justice and judgment," of which the text speaks, seem to belong to the inferior agencies of school and home. Is this true ? Is it so in the great scheme of revealed religion ? I think not. CHARLES H. HALL. O make a happy fireside clime For weans and wife, That is the true pathos and sublime Of human life. XV. TOf ( 6 . . . Deal thy bread to the hungry, bring the poor that are cast out to thy house ; when thou seest the naked cover him, and never hide thyself from thine own flesh. Isaiah Iviii. 7. good act is Charity. Giving water to the thirsty is charity. Removing stones and thorns from the road is charity. Exhorting your fellow-men to virtuous deeds is charity. Smiling in your brother's face is charity. Putting a wanderer in the right path is charity. A man's true wealth is the good he does in 175 SUN AND SHIELD. this world. When he dies, mortals will ask what prop- erty has he left behind him ; but angels will inquire, " What good deeds hast thou sent before thee ? " MAHOMET. AT is no true alms which the hand can hold ; He gives nothing but worthless gold Who gives from a sense of duty. But he who gives but a slender mite And gives to that which is out of sight, That thread of the all-sustaining Beauty Which runs through all and doth all unite The hand cannot clasp the whole of his alms, The heart outstretches its meager palms, For Heaven goes with it and makes it store To the soul that was starving in darkness before. XVI. QRepenf for 3ff 6g oing oob. Offer the sacrifice of mercy and put your trust in the Lord. Psalm iv. 5. For I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosca vi. 6. every man lovingly cast all his thoughts and cares, and his sins, too, as it were, on the Will of God. Moreover, if a man, while busy in this lofty inward work, were called by some duty in the Provi- dence of God to cease therefrom, and cook a broth for some sick person, or any other such service, he should do so willingly and with great joy. If I had to forsake 176 SUN AND SHIELD. such work, and go out to preach or aught else, I should go cheerfully, believing not only that God would be with me, but that He would vouchsafe me it may be even greater grace and blessing in that external work undertaken out of true love in the service of my neigh- bor, than I should perhaps receive in my season of loftiest contemplation. JOHN TAULER. 3F there be some weaker one, Give me strength to help him on ; If a blinder soul there be, Let me guide him nearer Thee. Make my mortal dreams come true With the work I fain would do ; Clothe with life the weak intent, Let me be the thing I meant ; Let me find in Thy employ Peace that dearer is than joy. xvii. Jgafrcb anb (pribe. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart . . . ; thou shalt not avenge thyself nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people. Leviticus xix. 77, 18. Thy terribleness hath deceived thee and the pride of thy heart . . . though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord. Jeremiah xlix. 16. WISE man said: " He that sows hatred shall reap remorse." Wouldst thou be revenged upon thine SUN AND SHIELD. enemy ? let it be in deeds that will do good both to him and to thyself. Aristotle taught Alexander: " Most of all do I adjure thee to hate no man in the world; for next to the knowledge of God there is no higher truth than this: Love all men, good and bad." Practice humility ; and humility means to suffer wrong without revenge, to curb anger, and to live at peace with thy neighbor. And let thy conduct be the same to the stranger as to the Jews, thy brethren. Avoid vainglory, and fly from those that are swollen with pride ; nor consider unworthy of thee any lawful labor that is necessary for thy maintenance. Rather live thou with a fool than with one that is proud of spirit; for the proud one thinketh himself better than other men, sets himself apart, and is ruthless in his behavior to those around him , and he demands on the other hand respect and consideration from all ; and in the end all men become his enemies. Value faithfulness and honesty ; but be also honest in thy words, as our Sages have said : * ' Let thy yea be yea, and let thy nay be nay." *"t KNOW that right is right, \J That it is not good to lie ; That love is better than spite, And a neighbor than a spy; I know that passion needs The leash of a sober mind ; I know that generous deeds Some sure reward will find. 178 SUN AND SHIELD. XVIII. e c0oof of It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes. Psalm cxix. fi. may be boldly affirmed that good men generally reap more substantial benefits from their afflictions than bad men from their prosperities; and what they lose in wealth and pleasure, they gain in goodness, wis- dom, and tranquility. If some are refined like gold in the furnace of affliction, there are others, that, like chaff, are consumed in it. Mirth is by no means a remedy for grief ; on the contrary, it raises and inflames it. None should despair, because God can help them ; and none should presume, because God can crop them. He that is puffed up with the first gale of prosperity, will bend beneath the first blast of adversity. Reproof in adversity has a double sting. Events which have the appearance of misfortunes often prove a source of future felicity; this consideration should help us to support affliction with calmness and forti- tude; since we cannot know "what comes after it," as Koheleth writes. 'RANT me, O God, to thee to fly For comfort when the storm is nigh ; Strong in Thy refuge let me stand, Strong in the succor of Thy hand. SUN AND SHIELD. Oh, tear not in a world like this, And thou shalt know ere long Know how sublime a thing it is To suffer and be strong. XIX. e tgnifg of (WXdn. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace. Psalm xxxvii. 37. A good man shall be satisfied of himself. Prov- erbs xiv. 14. 3 MUST confess that there is nothing that more pleases me, in all that I read in books, or see in mankind, than such passages as represent human nature in its proper dignity. As man is a creature made up of different extremes, he has something in him very great and very mean. A skillful artist may draw an excel- lent picture of him in either of these views. The finest authors in antiquity have taken him on the more advan- tageous side. They cultivate the natural grandeur of the soul, raise in her a generous ambition, feed her with hopes of immortality and perfection, and do all they can to widen the partition between the virtuous and the vicious, to make the difference between them as between gods and brutes. In short, it is impossible to read a page in Plato, in Tully, and a thousand other ancient moralists without being a greater and a better man for it. I think it is one of Pythagoras's golden sayings : ' ' That a man should take care above all things 180 SUN AND SHIELD. to have a due respect for himself." The very design of dress, good breeding, outward ornament and ceremony were to lift up human nature and set it off to an advan- tage. Architecture, painting, and statuary were in- vented with the same design, as indeed every art and science contributes to the embellishment of life, and to the wearing off and throwing into shades the mean and low parts of our nature ; and poetry carries on this end, more than all the rest. JOSEPH ADDISON. ANPEN thy bosom, set thy wishes wide, ^^ And let in manhood let in happiness ! Amid the boundless theater of thought From nothing up to God which makes a man. XX. e (o0ffe af Con0ctence. A great strong wind rent the mountains and rent to pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind ; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake ; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still, small Voice. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in a mantle and went out and stood in the entering of the cave. And there came a voice to him, saying : What doest thou here, Elijah ? / Kings xi. 11-13. QJXY the merciful assistance of the Most High I have ^^ desired to labor in Europe, in America, with English, with barbarians, yea, and also I have longed 181 SUN AND SHIELD. after some dealing with Jews themselves, for whose hard measure, I fear, the nations and England have yet a score to pay. I desire not that liberty for myself I would not freely and impartially weigh out to all the consciences of the world besides. All those consciences ought freely and impartially to be permitted their sev- eral respective worships, and what way of maintaining them, they freely chose. It hath been told one that I labored for a contentious and licentious people; I have been charged with folly for that freedom and liberty which I have always stood for. . . . But, Gentlemen, blessed be God who faileth not, and blessed be His name for His wonderful Providences by which alone this town and colony, and that grand cause of Truth and Freedom of Conscience, hath been upheld to this day. ROGER WILLIAMS. ET still there whispers the small voice within, Heard through Gain's silence and o'er Glory's din, Whatever creed be taught or land be trod, Man's conscience is the oracle of God. XXI. Qfc (preset of ^oufcfetBetfg. There is no man that hath power over the spirit, to hinder the spirit, as little as he hath power in the day of death. . . . Ecclesiastes viii, 8. LL experience tells us that public peace and love is better than abundance of corn and cattle. I have 182 SUN AND SHIELD. one only motion and petition which I earnestly pray the town to lay to heart, as ever they look for a blessing from God on the town, on your families, your corn and cattle, and your children after you; it is this: That after you have got over the black brook of some soul bondage yourselves, you tear not down the bridge after you, by leaving no small pity for distressed souls that may come over you. What are all the contentions and wars of this world about, but for greater dishes and bowls of porridge ? But here all over this colony a great number of weak and distressed souls, scattered, are flying hither; the Most High and only Wise hath provided this country and this corner as a shelter for the poor and persecuted, according to their several persuasions. And as to myself, in endeavoring after your temporal and spiritual peace, I humbly desire to say, if I perish, I perish . It is but a shadow vanished, a bubble broke, a dream fin- ished. Eternity will pay for all. ROGER WILLIAMS. AfNH, could I worship aught beneath the skies That earth hath seen or fancy can devise, Thine altar, sacred liberty ! should stand, Built by no mercenary, vulgar hand With fragrant turf, and flowers as wild and fair As ever dressed a bank, or scented summer air. 183 SUN AND SHIELD. XXII. )ur fact* Our Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him. Isaiah in* only things in which we can be said to have any property are our actions. Our thoughts may be bad, yet produce no poison ; they may be good, yet pro- duce no fruit. Our riches may be taken from us by misfortune, our reputation by malice, our spirits by calamity, our health by disease, our friends by death. But our actions must follow us beyond the grave ; with respect to them alone we cannot say that we shall carry with us nothing when we die, neither that we shall go naked out of the world. Our actions must clothe us with an immortality loathsome or glorious; these are the only title-deeds of which we cannot be disinherited; they will have their full weight in the balance of eter- nity, when everything else is as nothing. COLTON. Act well at the moment, and you have performed a good action to all eternity. LAVATER. when time's veil shall fall asunder, The soul may know No fearful change nor sudden wonder, Nor sink the weight of mystery under, But with the upward rise, and with the vastness grow. 184 SUN AND SHIELD. XXIII. O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me, let them bring me unto Thy holy hill and to Thy tabernacle. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God, my exceeding joy. . . . Psalm xliii. A^ERTAIN past ages are called Ages of Faith, in contradistinction to our own to which that title is denied. Justly ? I more than doubt it. For one thing, our age believes in Liberty and Light ; year after year the efforts increase to spread their blessings, to eman- cipate and enlighten the minds even of the humblest classes. And the consequence is that Ideas begin to rise above material power. They scorn armed hosts; they break through frowning fortresses, and they will, at last, silence the roar of the battlefield. The time when theorists are contemptuously pushed aside, are ridiculed as impracticable dreamers, is passing away; because the world has found out that their dreams have come true, and are now commonplace realities. Lib- erty and Light are the watchwords of those who believe in the redemption of mankind in this world. May they ever inspire and guide us. _ _ ^T'HE light pours down from heaven X/ And enters where it may ; The eyes of all earth's children Are cheered with one bright day. So let the mind's true sunshine Be spread o'er earth as free, And fill men's waiting spirit As the waters fill the sea. 185 SUN AND SHIELD. XXIV. QScftcf in The Lord is good to all ; and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm cxlv. 9. CONSCIENTIOUS person would rather doubt his own judgment than condemn his, species. He would say: "I have observed without attention, or judged upon erroneous maxims; I trusted to profession when I ought to have attended to conduct." Such a man will grow wise, not malignant, by his acquaintance with the world. But he that accuses all mankind of corruption, ought to remember that he is sure to con- vict only one. In truth, I should much rather admit those, whom, at any time, I have disrelished the most, to be patterns of perfection, than seek a consolation to my own unworthiness in a general communion of depravity with all about me. BURKE. I never knew one who made it his business to lash the faults of other writers that was not guilty of greater ones - ADDISON. OOD nature and good sense must ever join ; To err is human, to forgive divine. HE blessing of a lowly mind, Lord, unto me be given, Joy in the humblest spot to find, To see in all of human kind But fellow-travelers, designed To rest at last in heaven. 186 SUN AND SHIELD. XXV. 0e @Uc0ifecf of Ctrcum0fancc0. And the Lord God took Adam and put him into the Garden of Eden to work at it and to keep it. Genesis ii. 15. And Jacob said to Laban . . . These twenty years have I worked for thee ; in the day the drought consumed me and the frost by night, and the sleep departed from mine eyes. Genesis xxxi. 38-40. ^NSTEAD of saying: Man is the creature of circum- *J stances, it would be nearer the mark to say : That man is the architect of circumstance. Our strength is measured by our plastic power. From the same materi- als one man builds palaces, another hovels ; one ware- houses, another villas; bricks and mortar are bricks and mortar until the architect can make them something else. Thus it is that in the same family, in the same circumstances, one man rears a stately edifice, while his brother, vacillating and incompetent, lives forever amidst ruins. The block of marble which was an ob- stacle in the path of the weak becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong. THOMAS CARLYLE. As a man thinks or desires in his heart, such, indeed, he is; for then, most truly, because most uncontrolably, he acts himself. SOUTH. then be up und doing With a heart for every fate ; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait. 187 SUN AND SHIELD. XXVI. Lord, my heart is not haughty nor mine eye lofty, neither do I exercise myself in matters too high for me. Psalm cxxxi. i. I, then, say : Judaism is the perfect religion ? I confess my inability to understand how any relig- ionist who has looked about him with an unprejudiced mind, can lay " the flattering unction to his soul" that his is the only true, or the best religion in the world. What do we know of other faiths, beyond the merest outside, and in many cases hardly that much ? By what process can we probe the soul of a Buddhist, when he, weary with this life's aimless struggles, cries out for Nirvana ? or the heart of a Mohammedan, when he makes his seven circuits around the Caaba ? How can a Jew fathom the awe with which a Christian looks up into the pale face of his thorn-crowned Redeemer, to whom he owes all the relief he has from an everlasting death that is worse than the most miserable of earthly lives ? On the other hand, how can a Christian feel what passes in the soul of a Jew whenever he hears or repeats the old battle-cry of his creed: Hear, O Israel ? Has he ever heard it fall from a parent's dying lips ? Does he even know of the thousands that rushed into the flames hurling their defiance by the same word into the faces of their murderers ? The most that we can justly say is: My religion pleases, satisfies me best; and 188 SUN AND SHIELD. the least that others can ask of us is : Prove by conduct what thy faith can do for the best of mankind. G. G. that is down need fear no fall ; He that is low, no pride ; He that is humble ever shall Have God to be his guide. XXVII. Hatred stirreth up strifes; but love covereth all sins. Prov. x. 12. Envy, Lust, Hatred these three are forerunners of death. . The Pharisees. is forbidden to an Israelite to bear hatred towards his neighbor. Because of the hatred of his breth- ren for Joseph, our forefathers were exiled in Egypt, where finally they became enslaved. And so our Rabbis taught: It is written: "Thou shalt uot hate thy brother;" meaning also, thou shalt not injure him, thou shalt not revile him, thou shalt not ill-use him. All these things the Law demands. Nay, more. It is added "in thy heart;" whence follows that we may not carry hatred concealed within our bosom, even when it results in no external act. In respect to pun- ishment, the sin of hatred stands on the same level with the three chief sins, idolatry, immorality, and the shed- ding of blood. Because of these sins the first Temple was destroyed. But why was the second Temple 189 SUN AND SHIELD. destroyed ? We know quite certainly that at that time the Holy Law was observed and works of piety were done. But a boundless hatred raged between the vari- ous parties, even against those that were quite spotless both in morality and in the Law. Only those that openly break the laws may one hate ; that is to say, one may endeavor to procure their punishment according to the Law, nothing further. But let the accuser always remember the earnest warning of our teachers: Three men are hateful unto the Lord. i. He that speaks other than he thinks; 2. He that is able to bear witness in favor of another, and fails to do so ; 3. He that appears as a single witness and accuser of a fellow-man (since the law has laid down the rule that only two witnesses may do so). RABBI ACHAI, (VIII. Century). ARCH thine own heart. What paineth thee ? In others, in thyself may be ; All dust is frail, all flesh is weak ; Be thou the true man thou dost seek. XXVIII. " Sa 7 the Rabbis, "has only One mission at a time." The world might be a fitter place for angels' visits if we possessed something of this angelic concentration, if our sympathies were less diffuse, and, therefore, stronger; if we gave our hearts more fully to our fellows, if our conceit did not render us so anxious to have a finger in everything, while we have a hand in nothing. Then, again, has it ever struck you, how chary the angels were of their words ? The angels of the Bible did many wonderful things, but they had very little to say. They mostly spoke in monosyllables; they rarely uttered two sentences together, and when they had done their work, they went without waiting for thanks. . . . Men's words create no angels; but, say the Rabbis, men's honest acts do. " Every deed well done gives birth to an angel who watches over the doer." Isaiah's angels had but one voice to speak with, and six wings to fly with and to act. What an angelic world this would be if every one of us did six times as much as he said! ISRAEL ABRAHAMS. JV-OD deigned to man His angel hosts reveal, iO That man might learn, like angels, to obey ; And those who long their bliss in Heaven to feel, Might strive on earth to serve Him e'en as they. 242 SUN AND SHIELD. VIII. 0e Qpfeabtng (ttoice of (Bob. And David longed and said, Oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate. And three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines . . . and took water and brought it to David ; yet David would not drink of it, but poured it out unto the Lord. And he said : Be it far from me that I should do this. Is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? //. Samuel xxiii, 15, if. [OD makes the voice of others' pain and misery His voice, pleading with us to remember those whom He seems to have forgotten. Among all the golden deeds of history, what one do we remember with more admiration than that of Sir Philip Sidney dying on the disastrous field of Zutphen, and foregoing the cup of cold water because another's necessity was greater than his own ? There is a battle raging which has centuries for its hours, and races for its regiments and battalions, whose incidents are revolutions and reformations, here the initiation of a new religion, there the emancipation of a race. And in this battle we are soldiers, each and all; and, if sore wounded now and then and craving a cup of water for our thirst, behold some fellow-soldier hurt more cruelly, and, if we have the knightly temper, there is no other thing for us to say but, " His neces- sity is greater than mine," no other thing for us to do but to put the proffered cup aside. JOHN W. CHADWICK. 943 SUN AND SHIELD. 3S thy cruse of comfort wasting ? Rise and share it with another, And through all the years of famine, It shall serve thee and thy brother. Is thy burden hard and heavy ? Do thy steps drag heavily ? Help to bear thy brother's burden ; God will bear both, it and thee. IX. QBe anb (Appear And Boaz said unto Ruth : It hath fully been shown to me all that thou hast done unto thy mother- in-law since the death of thy husband, and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord, God of Israal under whose wings thou hast come to rest. Ruth ii, lly 12. Which is the way a man should choose? That which is honorable to himself, and causes no offence to his fellow-men. Chapters of the Fathers. 3F to be good is noble, to appear good is profitable. Truth is better than reputation; but happiness consists in the union of the two. There are thousands who are pure and devoted to virtue; but, having no care of how their actions appear in the eyes of the observers, suffer from the attacks of the multitude. . . . He to whom God has granted grace to be good SUN AND SHIELD. and to appear good, he is truly blessed and justly honored. PHILO JUDEAUS. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. FROM THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. @ PALTRY watch, in private pocket borne, Misleads but him alone by whom 'tis worn ; But the town clock that domes or towers display, By going wrong, leads half the world astray. X. The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. /. Samuel xviii. i. There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs xviii. 24.. AV^ANY men and women suffer acutely, especially in ^- their later years, because they have made no friendships, or have lost those that they once had made. For what does friendship mean? "A friend," says Emerson, ''is a person with whom I maybe sincere; before him I may think aloud." The Rabbis said the same thing. " Get a companion," they counsel us, " to whom you can tell all your secrets." See how this cuts both ways. To a friend you reveal your entire self, 245 SUN AND SHIELD. but if so, it cannot be an altogether bad one. You would be ashamed to lay bare to your friend an ugly heart, and so your very friendship forces you to make your heart fair. The surest safeguard against conceit, against selfishness, against petty vindictiveness, against all the lower vices, is to have a friend to whom you must tell everything, before whom you not only may, but must think aloud. ISRAEL ABRAHAMS. you have a friend worth loving, Love him. Yes, and let him know That you love him ere life's evening Tinge his brow with sunset glow. Why should good words ne'er be said Of a friend till he is dead ? XL C0e (gfgft (U0e of Qpowr. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. Psalm xxiv. /. All is in the power of God save only the fear of God, this is in the power of man. The Pharisees. proud cedar is felled, while the humble shrub is left alone; fire ascends and goes out, water de- scends and is not lost. Exalt not thyself over neighbor and brother; for so doing, thou givest provender to hate, and the poor man, whom thou hast looked down on, may bear away the palm of victory easily from thee. 24 6 SUN AND SHIELD. What a man spends on the poor when he is in full health, is gold; when sick, silver; what he provides for them in his last will, copper. Power and wealth, as well as mental cleverness, are gifts of God; therefore let no man glory because he possesses them. The only thing we, as free agents, really possess in full inalienable right, is upright walk- ing in the fear of God; and it is because that is so, that we can glory in the knowledge of God. Do not struggle vaingloriously for the small triumph of showing thyself in the right, and a wise man in the wrong; thou art not one wit the wiser therefore. JEWISH MORALISTS OF THE MIDDLE AGES. us our blessings to improve ; Teach us to serve Thee and to love Exalt our hearts that we may see The Giver of all good in Thee ; And be Thy Word our daily food, Thy service, Lord, our greatest good. XII. (grafting ffle Q0e*f of