THE JEWS REJECT ENDLESS MISERY.
[THE following interesting paragraphs are clipped from a paper published by Universalists. It reveals some important facts concerning the faith of the Jews on a very important point. No one, Jew or Gentile, who understands the letter and spirit of the Old Testament or New, will for a moment believe the idea that God will visit eternal agony on those who fail of heaven. It is an unredeemable dishonor to our compassionate Creator, and some of the greatest and best men since the days of the Apostles have unceasingly cried against it. "Wo to them that utter error against the Lord," and blessings on the heads of those who teach the truth as it is in Jesus.—G. W. A.] One of our partialist papers recently said that the Jews believe in endless punishment. This is not true. The Pharisees in the time of Christ may have believed in endless punishment; we are inclined to think they did. They had been corrupted by the heathen. When Bro. James Shrigley lived in Baltimore, he on one occasion had a visit from the Jewish Rabbi. He sent the following account of the interview to the Trumpet at that time: "The Rabbi called at my house, and in a friendly manner commenced inquiries in regard to the belief of Universalists and other denominations of professing Christians. He had not been in this country long, and could not well understand English except in private conversation. He said he had been to hear a Methodist preach, and if he understood the preacher correctly, he stated that the punishment of the wicked would be without end; but he could not believe they entertained such an idea in this enlightened country, and desired to know if it was indeed so. On receiving an affirmative answer, he was greatly surprised. I informed him it was the general opinion, that the Jews believed in endless torments; he replied, 'It is done to slander us—what will the Christians say of us next? Do they think we have not sense enough to know that such a punishment would be very unjust—that it could not be according to works? The Bible does not teach us such a doctrine.' I inquired if it were not true that the Pharisees, an ancient sect of the Jews, believed it. He replied, 'They did, one sect of them—they borrowed it from the heathen; but the true descendants of Moses never believed in torments without end.' I asked him if he would allow me to state publicly that he did not believe the doctrine in question. He replied, 'Yes, there is not an intelligent Jew in the city who believes in endless torments. It would be very unjust in God to punish a man to all eternity!' J. S. On another occasion, Bro. Shrigley was at the house of a sick friend, and in an adjoining room there were seated some Methodist ladies and the wife of a Jewish Rabbi. After Bro. S. had offered a prayer for the sick, the Methodist ladies introduced to the Rabbi's wife the subject of religion, and spoke of the endless torment of some whom they styled wicked; whereupon the Rabbi's wife remarked that she could not believe that God would torture any person to all eternity. One of the Methodist ladies enquired, "Why, are you Jews Universalists?" Then the Rabbi's lady exclaimed with great surprise, "Why, do you think we are all natural fools? I don't see where you Christians find your endless punishment. You certainly will allow that the Jews understand the Old Testament as well as you do, and we know it does not reveal endless punishment. Your New Testament you call the 'better covenant;' now if you are right—if it reveals a state of endless punishment, it must be the worse covenant, for I am sure no such horrid doctrine is found in the Old Testament." The above facts are worthy of deep consideration. The Jews do not believe in endless punishment; they aver that the Old Testament does not teach that doctrine; and they think it strange, if the New Testament be 'the better covenant,' that so cruel a doctrine should have its origin there. Let us save the New Testament from such an imputation. We are as sure that the New Testament does not teach it as the Jew is that the Old Testament does not. In fact, that doctrine is found nowhere in the Bible.—Trumpet.