Almost a Christian
I WENT again to my Jewish friends, and said I wished to return to them and to learn the trade I had begun, and they accepted me on condition of my utterly refusing to have anything to do with Mr. Stern or his agents. So I gave up going to him, and changed my residence to be out of his way. But I remained exceedingly miserable, and the words would come to me, "What doest thou here, Elijah?”
All the first night after this promise I could obtain no sleep, but lay awake thinking of the awful condition of my soul, and of the doom that awaits every unsaved sinner. Every moment seemed like an eternity, and I could not shake off my fears. "In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake." (Job 4:13, 1413In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. (Job 4:13‑14).) This state of terror continued for some few days and the Jew with whom I was thought me mad. At length I could bear it no longer, and, leaving my work undone, ran off to see Mr. Stern.
He greeted me with a smile, and when I told him my Jewish friends had pronounced me to be mad he kindly said, "Never mind; the God of heaven will satisfy your soul.”
I cried out, "What must I do to be saved?”
"Believe in the Messiah," he replied. "You must be born again," he added.
"What! be born again? How can I be born again?” said I. He calmed me by saying I should yet be a follower of the Messiah, the Lord of life and glory.
By Mr. Stern's advice I entered the Home for Jewish Enquirers, where I employed every moment of my time in studying the Holy Scriptures, and several learned enquirers, who were also there, helped me in my difficulties. Whilst residing in the home my father wrote:—
“My soul has been full of fear lest you should be influenced by the wisdom and eloquence of men, who lead others astray. Whilst I am glad of your inquiring after knowledge and truth, I feel that the dangerous doctrines taught by many may lead you away from the only path which is given to men in which to walk; depend upon it that all who walk in any other path will perish. The doctrine Mr. Stern teaches is nonsense; he is only a meshumad [that is, an apostate]. When you see the so-called Rabbi, tell him to wash his brain first, and then to teach his doctrine. The religion of our ancestors cannot be changed—even as our God cannot change.
“The coming of Messiah is not to be of humiliation nor of repentance, but of victory and infinite glory and dominion. He shall sit upon the throne of His father David and make Israel happy forever; He shall have regal power, and be arrayed in glory and splendor. Such, my child, shall be our Messiah, who will gather together all the tribes from all parts of the earth when the trumpet shall be blown. Then there will be a universal gathering together of the Jews, and a return to Jerusalem, the name of which is as dear to us as our very lives, and then once more shall Jerusalem be the beauty and the metropolis of the globe.
"Hold fast, my beloved Isaac, to the religion of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which is our religion. JEHOVAH-TZEBAOTH is our God, and He will redeem Israel in His own time and pleasure. Be sure the days of Israel's glory are near.”
This was in 1871, but my father's letter did not answer my difficulties. Jehovah will certainly fulfill His word about the reign of Messiah over the earth, and about our beloved city Jerusalem, even as my father had said. This I knew; but how was I to be relieved from the distress of soul which had overwhelmed me? I wanted to be saved myself, and such was my despair that I was tempted to doubt whether Messiah had ever come.
In writing again to my father, I expressed my perplexity about the sins of Israel for many generations and the prophecies of the Bible, and then, turning to my own darkness of heart, added these lines, omitting the name of Jesus—
“I heard a voice I knew not say,
Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon My breast.'”
The reader will be interested to read my letter written at this time to my revered parent:—
“Since I wrote to you last I have made it a particular business to study the Holy Bible: and I try to learn more and more about the hope of Israel. I cannot help thinking, dear father, of the thousands of prayers that are offered to God from time to time for the salvation of Israel. I always think of the earnest cries of our nation on the Day of Atonement, when, after the service, the horn is blown, and all our brethren of Israel cry, Leshanah habaah berusholaem! (next year in Jerusalem) and yet it seems that God has determined not to hear the prayers of Israel; and when I observe these things I often wonder how it is. I know that you will answer, Because of the sins of Israel.' But for a moment let me observe, in the time of the first temple, we find that our nation had broken all the laws of our great, and holy, and infinite Jehovah; we read that our ancestors in that time had sunk into a very shocking state of idolatry and infidelity, and they defied death, judgment, and hell. Israel had become an adulteress; and we should suppose that the wrath of God would have been poured out upon Israel, and that God would, in His wrath, have destroyed Israel with eternal destruction. But such was not the case; for God punished these abominable sins by letting the Babylonians take Israel into captivity, and they suffered under the Babylonian yoke for seventy years, after which God delivered them. May I also refer you to the time of the second temple, in the days of the holy prophet Haggai, when we find our holy nation observing the ordinances which the Holy One—blessed be His name!—has given, and we see Israel observing the law, yet we find, to our sorrow, suddenly the righteous Judge pouring out His wrath upon His elect. “The splendid Beth Hameckdash (Holy temple) was burnt, Israel was slaughtered, and the streets of Jerusalem were red with the blood and filled with the dead bodies of our precious ancestors. Why was this? why was this? Surely if Israel deserved punishment, it was in the time of the first temple.
“Now nearly two thousand years have passed since Israel was scattered all over the world. Our name, by which we are honored, has become a by-word in the mouth of the uncircumcised. As I think on these things I cannot help wondering why God has thus acted with His peculiar people, and I believe this to be a mystery hid from us. I often think, my dear father, that Messiah will never come at all, seeing that these hundreds of years Israel has prayed for His coming in vain.
“Since I gave earnest examination to the Bible, and inquired into the mystery of the Messiah, several portions of the prophecy have been my special study. I think they contain the great mystery of Messiah, but if the mysteries be made plain, I believe it would become the grandeur of the Holy Bible. Allow me, beloved father, to tell you my difficulties, which I am now fervently studying. The other day when reading Gen. 49. these words of our holy father Jacob astonished me The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.' If these words were really spoken by our holy father Jacob, dictated by the spirit of prophecy, how are we to understand them? Where is the scepter of Judah! Where is Shiloh? If prophecy be not true, how can the Word of God be true? and if the Bible be not true, then the infidels have stronger ground than we have. But surely I believe that God is holy, and His Word must be true! So I suppose that I am ignorant of the mystery, therefore I entreat you to explain it to me, trusting that you will answer satisfactorily, and my soul shall be glad and rejoice.”
It is impossible for me to give my reader a just idea of my feelings at this time. Nothing around me could satisfy the yearnings of my heart; every minute and hour was a burden to me, and the sense of my sinfulness before God laid upon me as a grievous burden. I could not speak to people about it lest they should ridicule me, yet was constrained to speak to some who misunderstood me.
Again I visited Mr. Stern's house; he was not at home, but Mrs. Stern begged me to tell her my business, if it was of importance.
In broken English I said I wanted to know where to find real satisfaction for my soul—how to please God, and how to obtain the pardon of my sins.
I did not at all like what she said, for, despite all my misery, I still hated the name of Jesus, and treated it with contempt, notwithstanding my anxieties about the Messiah.
As I look back upon those days, I am filled with wonder at the infinite mercy and grace of the One whom I so hated and despised, and I am amazed that He should be so good to me, and that by His sovereign grace He should now be so precious to my heart.
“Jesus, I love Thy charming name,
'Tis music in my ear;
Fain would I sound it out so loud
That earth and heaven might hear.”
Once more I poured out my perplexities to my father:—
"The letter I received from you a few days ago has done me much good; it has made me very cautious, but, at the same time, it has made me think more, and examine myself much more than ever I did in my life. Your last letter says the day of Israel's glory is near; but, my dear father, such were the feelings of our holy ancestors when the grand temple stood in Jerusalem in the days of our holy prophet Haggai, for undoubtedly our brethren in that generation said the glory of Israel was nigh. I remember, when you used to teach me the holy law when at school, you said the great glory of Israel was nigh, and now this is the year 1872, and you still say Israel's glory is nigh. I cannot help thinking that the Messiah has disappointed Israel, and venture to go so far as to say that Israel has been brought into a state not only of ignorance, but of great confusion. Do not think, dear father, that I use too strong language, but I speak thus for the following reasons:—
“Your last letter corresponds with the writings of many of our holy and ever-blessed Rabbis, that the coming of the Messiah is not of humiliation, and repentance, but regal power. This I must always believe. But, if this doctrine be true, how can the writings of the holy prophets be true? Our great prophet Micah (chap. v. 2), speaking of the birth of our great Messiah, does not appear to show that the Messiah will be great in the world, for I read, ' But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel.'
“Surely, my beloved father, the temporal Ruler of Israel, would not be born in so small and insignificant a village as Bethlehem, but rather in the glorious city Jerusalem! When in the fifty-third chapter of our sublime prophet, Isaiah, we read, Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him.'
“Beloved father, what a mystery this is! If this refers to the Messiah, surely He cannot be a King upon earth, arrayed in splendor and glory, and reigning over the world. Believe me, my mind is too full of thought about the different passages which seem to upset all that which you used to teach me. I am afraid that this letter will fill your heart with fear, lest I am taken up with the teachings of Rabbi Stern. But depend upon this, that I will not take the advice of any man, but will believe the grand truths which the God of Israel has given us in the holy law, and I will not fail in carrying out your advice, which is full of holy discretion. I have much more to write, but I am just now very anxious to learn a little more of the real nature of the Messiah; and conclude this letter, to go on with my study for a day or two, and then 1 will write again.”
About a week later I wrote as follows:—
"To my very affectionate Father,—Since the last letter I wrote to you, I have often read your short letter received a few days since. Indeed, my dear father, its thought is very deep, and almost infinite. You remember last time I wrote to you about the birth of Messiah, and the nature by which He is to be revealed (of course according to my poor idea), you remember I said Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, and be poor and afflicted; but another thought which struck me lately, and which seems to be rather difficult to understand occurs when I read the words, I am the Lord your God, there is no other Redeemer besides Me.' How can this be? for, according to the Bible prophecy, we see Messiah, who is to be the Redeemer, and yet God said, that I am,' &c. From these words we must understand that God Himself must be the Redeemer. Surely this is a mystery, wonder of wonders! Oh, that our eyes might be opened, and that we might have revealed unto us the infinite and glorious mystery of Messiah! Oh, when will the eyes of Israel be opened? And when will Jehovah be merciful unto us, and satisfy our yearning souls with the hope our holy ancestors longed to enjoy?
“Just a few words more. You caution me against the teaching of Rabbi Stern. I would, therefore, just say, candidly, in the fear of God, that I cannot help loving him for truth's sake; for every time he speaks to me my heart, as it were, melts, because of the tenderness of his teaching; for when he reads the Bible in the holy language (Hebrew), and as he explains, it is, oh, how sweet! The other day I could not help crying when Rabbi Stern spoke about Moses, and he spoke about the holy law, and has shown that under the law we are under the curse, for the language of the law is, Obey, or perish! But he has also directed my mind to the character of Messiah, who is characteristic of love, tenderness, mercy, sympathy, and compassion, and he repeated the words which have been spoken by Him who is believed by Christians to be the Messiah. And the words, my dear father, seem to suit me so well. The words are, Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Surely, this is just what you and I need; forever since I can remember I have been weary and worn, and long for rest, and to have a realization of the pardon of my sins. I trust Israel will soon have a great revelation; I pray that Jehovah may condescend to visit us with salvation.”
My father's answer to these previous letters I now place before the reader:—
"To my beloved son Isaac,—I have received your letters, and read them with much interest. My soul has been ever since filled with much joy and with very much sorrow. I rejoice because you tell me that you will not take any one's advice nor instruction but what I tell you. My darling child Isaac, you seem to be too much concerned about the Messiah, who is to be the glory of Israel. My eyes are often sightless with crying when I think of the Messiah, who ought to have come long ago; but, my son, it is only because the sins of Israel that He does not appear. And I am also grieved on reading your letters, for I am afraid that you have given way too much to the doctrines that the Rev. Stern teaches. Remember, my child, that whatever Rabbi Stern may say about the Messiah it cannot be true, for we know that before the Messiah comes the holy prophet Elijah must come to prepare a way for Him. If you refer to Mal. 4., you will see plainly that the law of Moses must be kept, our nation must be firm in the faith, for, my dear child, think what God says, ' Remember the law of Moses My servant, which I have commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes of judgment.' Surely, my darling child, this will convince you that no religion can be true but the religion of Israel, who have the law of Moses; and when you observe the following words you will see that the Messiah whom Rabbi Stern teaches is false, for God has promised to send Elijah as the forerunner: `Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' Surely, my dear child, this will convince you that our Messiah has not yet come, and His coming will be known and believed by us and all Israel, for when our holy prophet Elijah comes he will prepare us, and we shall know the Messiah.
“My dear child, as I referred to one of your letters I received the other day, my heart was filled with grief, for you tell me that you love the Rev. Stern, and you also tell me that you admire his teaching about the Messiah. Believe me that I would rather die in the greatest misery than believe in the one whom the Christians worship, Joshua of Nazareth, who was an illegitimate child of Mary, although He was clever and wonderful in what He did; but let not your mind be taken up with the dreadful doctrines about the Nazarene. In fact, my child, I have no desire to answer your letters in any way concerning the bastard. I would never condescend to think nor write about so great an impostor concerning whom the Rev. Stern teaches. Even the Rev. Stern is an impostor. Let not your mind be taken away to such an unholy subject as the Nazarene. It is so absurd to suppose one to be Messiah, whom our Jewish brethren found to be unworthy of life, and who was therefore killed according to the law. Dear child, let me not hear again anything about the Nazarene, nor Rabbi Stern. Jehovah will judge them both, and all impostors like them. Hold fast, my child; the devil is always trying to lead away the good from the right way. Oh, my child, I am afraid that you have given way too much to the Rev. Stern's teaching! Remember that if you profess the same doctrines, you will be considered a meshumad like himself. And oh, the shame that I should have to bear all my life! Dear Isaac, let it never come to pass that I should ever be troubled because of your forsaking the right way of Judaism. Remember that sorrow would bring me to the grave; but I hope, through the merits of our fathers, it will never be said that you have indulged in believing in the impostor.
"You also refer in your last letter to the tenderness of Mr. Stern's teaching, but remember, my child, that the devil always attacks in tenderness, and promises very nice things; but oh, Isaac! Isaac! beware! your soul may be destroyed by the so-called tenderness of the meshumad.
"If the Author of the Christian religion was characterized by such mercy, love, and tenderness, as you referred to in your last letter, our Jewish brethren, as a nation, would not have had to suffer so much as they did. Think of the persecution of Israel in Spain, France, Italy, Russia, Germany, and England. All these are persecutions by the Christian nations. Where is, then, the tenderness of Christianity? They may be tender to themselves, as all Christians are, which example we have in this country. Do not think, my darling Isaac, that whatever appears truthful is really true, for the lion can be dressed like a sheep, and the devil can and does appear like a saint. But I have not the least doubt in my mind that the knowledge and education I gave you will help you to stand firm in the faith of Israel, and defy all teaching of the Rev. Stern, and all impostors like him.
“I cannot write to you more in this letter, but I would say that my earnest and continual prayer to God is to keep you safe in the most holy path of Israel,
Do not despair, my child; Israel's glory is near, Israel shall soon be gathered together, and the Messiah will come to reign over His people. Every heavenly blessing be with you.
“I remain,
“My dearest child,
"Your ever affectionate father,
“LION LEVINSOHN.
"Kovno, October, 1871.”
On receipt of this letter I immediately answered as follows:—
“To my ever affectionate father; may he live long and in joy.
“My beloved Father,—Since I received your letter. I pondered every word you wrote, and not only the words, but its deep thought. I assure you that I do not take the advice of Rabbi Stern, nor would I take advice from anyone but from you, whom I love with all my heart and soul. The reason I spoke of Rabbi Stern as I did in the last letter, is because I really cannot help admiring him for his kindness and humble spirit. Although he is a great man, he never thinks himself too great to speak to anyone, no matter how poor he may be. Dear father, I often think of some of our great Rabbis and holy Pharisees who are considered pious and very good, but I must confess I have not seen one in our nation whose life can be proved more holy than Rabbi Stern's. It is true our great men profess much more, but the whole of the piety of many Rabbis consists of standing in the synagogue for two or three hours, having their phylacteries broad, and so on. But Rabbi Stern seems to be a good, God-fearing, and God-honoring man, and I therefore cannot help loving him.
"And now I would again renew my subject about the Messiah. You said in your last letter that you would not answer any questions concerning the Nazarene whom you call impostor. My dear father, depend upon it that I do not believe in the Nazarene; I know that He was an impostor; far be it from me to believe in Him as my Messiah. You may rest assured that I will not believe in Him, for I have seen quite enough of that religion. Quite enough I saw in Russia. And if the Nazarene founded such a religion as they have in Russia, surely we cannot wonder that the Christians in Russia are such impostors as we have learned them to be by living among them. But, my dear father, when I ask you questions concerning the Messiah, I do not mean the impostor—the Nazarene—I only mean the true Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel. And I would also inform you that the Christian religion in England is not like the national religion in Russia. But the English are quite different. I cannot help noticing how quiet it is on Sunday in England; no theaters are open; no public amusements, nor anything of that kind, for the English people consider it their Sabbath, and they therefore keep it holy; but you have never known the Russian Christians to keep their Sabbath holy. No, no; on Sundays the greatest crimes are committed, and more abominations on that day than any other in the week.
"You remember in the last letter I wrote to you about the nativity of Israel's glory, and also of the mystery, when I mentioned a passage, I am the Lord your Redeemer, there is no other Redeemer besides Me;' and I asked you, How, then, can it be?' I have since found many other passages in the Holy Bible which seem also to refer to the same Messiah; and oh, that I could understand it. Noticing the words of our lord Moses, we find a wonderful prophecy: The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren like unto me; unto Him shall ye hearken.' And again, dear father, similar words: I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.' I have no doubt, beloved father, that these verses refer only to the Messiah. Do they not? I hope you will answer me soon as to what it means, and to whom it refers.
"You remember a few days ago I spoke about the nature of Messiah, and asked how can it be that God Himself will be the Redeemer, knowing that Messiah will be the Redeemer of Israel. Here I have read a passage in the seventh chapter of our holy and sublime prophet Isaiah; where in the 14th verse it says, Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name IMMANUEL.' How can these things be? how can this be fulfilled? for it does not say a woman shall conceive, but HOALMO (virgin). Surely this is a great mystery. And the name of the Child Immanuel, for Emanu means with us, el God. Can God, who reigneth from eternity to eternity, be with us poor sinful creatures? And again I refer to the eleventh chapter of the same prophecy. How great and wonderful these things are! The great prophet seems to speak by the spirit of prophecy about the same Emmanuel that. I have mentioned to you. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.' Oh, dear father, what precious things these are! but, how precious would it be if we could understand them more! And as I go on I continually find passages which seem to impress my mind, although I used to read them when at home, but never with such influence.
"As I look into the words of the sixty-first chapter of this same prophecy, how grand! '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 brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.' You remember in my last letter I mentioned something of the character of the Messiah of whom the Rev. Stern teaches. He is eminent for love, tenderness, mercy, compassion, and sympathy. I suppose he learned it from this passage.
"When shall we realize this prophecy? When, oh, when, will the Messiah come? Oh! when will He set Israel free? How long will Jehovah keep us in darkness? Oh, that the light of His countenance might again shine upon Israel; and that our brokenhearted might be healed, and the throne of David again be exalted, and Jerusalem become the great glory and metropolis of the globe, and the garment of praise be given to Israel, then shall we be able to 'shout for joy, and sing unto the Lord! "O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortest me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He has also become my salvation.'
“Oh, dear father, how sweet a time that will be! when we all shall say, Sing unto the Lord, for He hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, ye inhabitants of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.'
“Dear father, I seem to possess a hope that soon such a time will be revealed to us, and that we shall have the unspeakable joy that only God's Israel can have.”
“I remain, my loving father,
"Your ever-affectionate son,
“ISAAC LEVINSOHN.
“Palestine Place, Cambridge Heath, London,
"October, 1871.”
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“To my soul-beloved father; may he live in joy!
Amen.
"Dear Father,—Since I wrote to you last, I have tried with all my power to find out the truth about the Messiah; but I must confess the more I search, the more I am in darkness; and I can only cry to the God of our fathers to look down upon me with His eye of pity, and reveal the truth to me. In my previous letter, I quoted many passages about the nativity and nature of Messiah, who is to fill Israel with joy and satisfaction without end. How I have tried to study, in order to find out who is to be the Messiah. God Himself must be the Redeemer, how can the eternal Jehovah God come down upon the earth?
"To-day, as I was reading the book of the Proverbs of Solomon, I was surprised at the following words, which I have often read, but never did they enter into my mind with such great influence. In chap. 30:4, it reads, Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in His fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name? and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell?' Does it not seem a mystery above all mysteries? Son's name? Has God a Son? How can this be?
"When I found these words so mysterious, I went to ask Rabbi Stern to explain, and he answered me that this word refers to the Messiah, who is the Son of the living God; and as I was conversing with him about the Messiah, whom he believed to be the Son of God, Rabbi Stern brought before my attention the following parts of the holy Bible, and said all these refer to the Son of the living God Jehovah. Psalm 2: 12: Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.' In the third chapter of the book of Daniel: Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.'
"I hope you will not think that I trouble you by writing too much upon that subject; but you know my willingness to learn, and especially when it concerns the welfare of my yearning soul. I will state a few more passages of the holy prophecy which seem to be so much in favor of Rabbi Stern's teaching. Of course you and I do not believe it, but still we cannot deny the fact that the argument on his side seems to be the strongest and loudest. Notice the words of Isaiah 9:66For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6):
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.' What does this mean? The Messiah seems to have two natures—God and man. A child born must be, as a matter of course, human. Noticing the peculiar name, Wonderful, Counselor, of course, this refers to His nature as the great Deliverer of Israel. But He is also called the Everlasting Father, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, which surely cannot refer to any merely human being. Oh, how mysteriously God seems to hide Himself from Israel! Dear father, I cannot help crying to Him that He may hasten the glorious time when Messiah will come and reveal unto us these things; but ere that time comes, I pray that you and I, and my beloved mother, and brothers, and sisters may have the light revealed to us, and that we may rejoice.
"I will write again to you very soon. Please remember me to all my old friends; tell them that although I am so far from them, yet I always think about them. Give my best love to my loving mother, and to my beloved brothers and sisters.
“I remain, my beloved father,
“Your ever-affectionate son,
"ISAAC LEVINSOHN.
“Palestine Place, London,
"October, 1871.”
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“My dear and well-beloved Father,—The letters received from you lately have filled me with much sorrow. You caution me against Christianity; you speak with such a prejudiced spirit as regards the Author of the Christian religion; and you also say that if you find me to believe in Joshua, the Author of Christianity, you will have nothing to do with me. I, therefore, beg of you, my dear father, to read this letter, and see if there is not some wonderful truth in it. Since I wrote last, I determined to find out the great question—` Is Christianity true or not? '
“I have therefore studied the Bible only, and found that unless Christianity is the true religion, then the God of our holy fathers has not spoken His words in the Book which we call the Holy Bible. I must openly confess, my dear father, that it is my conviction that if Christianity be not the true religion, then the words of God cannot be true.
“I was presented with a book from Rabbi Stern, which is called the New Testament. It is a wonderful little book to me; it seems to be a thorough good key to the Bible; it opens the mind very wonderfully; it gives the life of Joshua the Messiah. I can truly say, if Messiah has not come yet, I do not believe that He will come now; for, referring to the words of the holy prophet Haggai, we see clearly that the Messiah must have appeared in the time of the second temple. Note the following wonderful words:—
" 'For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.'
"As we notice the history of Joshua the Nazarene, He seemed to have appeared in the time when the second temple was whole; and if we carefully examine the book of the generation of Joshua, the Christians' Messiah, we find it wonderful; for His descent can be traced from ever since the time of our father Abraham. The book of the generations says as follows:—
"Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; and Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; and Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; and Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; and Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram ' and Joram begat Ozias; and Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; and Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; and Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; and Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; and Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.'
And when we come to notice the whole life of the Nazarene it is most remarkable to behold the pure and holy life He lived. Beloved father, if you wish to learn a little of His nature, I will gladly send you the book called the New Covenant or Testament, and you will find that such life was wonderful indeed. If you do not believe in the Nazarene, what answer can you give as regards the miracles He performed? And is it not the greatest proof we have that the Christian religion must be the religion God has established, when we only think, that eighteen hundred years ago, a poor, miserable, persecuted Jew was put to death by the Roman soldiers, how He died the painful death of crucifixion; our ancestors, who arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, almost all of them went to see Him on Gilgal (Golgotha), and how the Nazarene died, and was buried, and those even that believed on Him were put to death, and almost annihilated; yet, beloved father, look abroad and see kings and princes bow their knees to the crucified Nazarene; and how many have given their lives while testifying that He is the true Messiah.
“Now, dear father, is this not sufficient proof that Christianity is the religion of God? Look at the despised Joshua! He is worshipped by millions of educated and intelligent men. The true philosopher acknowledges the Messiahship of the Nazarene. Once more, I must tell you the feelings of my heart—I almost am a Christian!
"I fancy I can see you reading this letter; your heart is filled with sorrow and anger towards me! I think I can see you turn against me! I almost hear you say, 'Away with Isaac! Away with him!' But, O my loving father, if I could only fly to Russia, and see you, and express the feelings of my heart, nothing would make me more happy.
“Once more I must speak. The Messiah has come; and I BELIEVE IN HIM. Although our Jewish brethren consider Him a disgrace, and that it is shameful to believe in Him; Yet, beloved father, I cannot, I must not be ashamed of Him. I have not yet made a public profession of my faith in Him; but, in my heart, I believe in Him. Please read the book I send you, and examine the Holy Bible, and see if I am not right. My prayer is, the time may soon come when the veil may be taken away from our dearly-beloved nation, and Israel may look to Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him as for a firstborn.
“With very fervent prayers for you, and my darling mother, and beloved sisters and brothers.
“I remain,
“Your affectionate son even till death.
“Palestine Place, Cambridge Heath, London, "December, 1871.”