None of the prophets puts the point more clearly than Isaiah. After
condemning hypocrisy, he commends liberty and charity towards oneself
and one's neighbors, and promises as a reward: "Then shall thy light
break forth as the morning, and thy health shall spring forth speedily,
thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall
be thy reward" (chap. lviii. 8). Shortly afterwards he commends the
Sabbath, and for a due observance of it promises: "Then shalt thou
delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high
places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy
father: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." Thus the prophet, for
liberty bestowed and charitable works, promises a healthy mind in a
healthy body, and the glory of the Lord even after death; whereas, for
ceremonial exactitude, he only promises security of rule, prosperity,
and temporal happiness.
... It remains to show why and how the ceremonial observances tended to
preserve and confirm the Hebrew kingdom; and this I can very briefly do
on grounds universally accepted.
The formation of society serves not only for defensive purposes, but is
also very useful, and, indeed, absolutely necessary, as rendering
possible the division of labor. If men did not render mutual assistance
to each other, no one would have either the skill or the time to provide
for his own sustenance and preservation: for all men are not equally
apt for all work, and no one would be capable of preparing all that he
individually stood in need of. Strength and time, I repeat, would fail,
if every one had in person to plow, to sow, to reap, to grind corn, to
cook, to weave, to stitch and perform the other numerous functions
required to keep life going; to say nothing of the arts and sciences
which are also entirely necessary to the perfection and blessedness of
human nature. We see that peoples living in uncivilized barbarism lead a
wretched and almost animal life, and even they would not be able to
acquire their few rude necessaries without assisting one another to a
certain extent.