till the soil and build us dwellings, no stranger hands will do this for us; neither are altars and temples reared there at command, only the love of God and man can cause them to spring up. Unworthy motives, petty aims, vainglory, thirst for power, selfishness, indifference to the fate of fellowmen have no room in that fair realm; for these things the soil has no nourishment, the climate no life-giving warmth, the heavens no dew or rain. Those who yield and persist in those ignoble impulses are at last cast out, and go away more wretched than they came. O blessed kingdom of our God, when wilt thou extend over all the races of men on earth? When will thy banner be raised over happy and contented mankind? E will extol the Lord of Lords whose name ME Is evermore and everywhere adored, LEOPOLD Zunz. II. MAY Messianic Prayer. Who should not fear Thee, O King of nations? for to Thee does it appertain: for as much as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms there is none like Thee.—Jeremiah x. 7. AY Thy presence be manifest to us in all Thy works, and reverence of Thee fill the hearts of all the children of man; may they bow before Thee in humility, and uniting to do Thy will, acknowledge that Thine is the kingdom, the power and the majesty, and that Thou art exalted above all. Grant hope to them that seek Thee; inspire with courage them that wait for Thee; be nigh unto all that put their trust in Thee. Then shall the just rejoice and the righteous be glad and iniquity be silenced and the world acknowledge Thee alone as God and Ruler in heaven and on earth. May Thy kingdom come speedily and unite all men in the bonds of brotherhood and peace; so that every creature may know that Thou hast created it and every living being say: The Eternal ruleth and His dominion endureth for ever. ANCIENT JEWISH LITURGY. ORD! who art merciful as well as just, Alas! but what I can. Father Almighty, who hast made me man, Four things which are not in Thy treasury, I lay before Thee, Lord, with this petition : My nothingness, my wants, My sins and my contrition. III. The power of Love. And Ruth (the Moabitish woman) said to Naomi (the Israelitish): 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. HERE 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. IV. The Surety 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. THE 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.) 66 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. V. JF THE PHARISEES. The Pillar of Gratitude. What could have been done 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 disappear 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 |