We have already spoken of the public prayers of many nations, and of
those of the Jews. That people have had one from time immemorial, which
deserves all our attention, from its resemblance to the prayer taught us
by Jesus Christ Himself. This Jewish prayer is called the Kadish, and
begins with these words: "O, God! let Thy name be magnified and
sanctified; make Thy kingdom to prevail; let redemption flourish, and
the Messiah come quickly!"
As this Kadish is recited in Chaldee it has induced the belief that it
is as ancient as the captivity, and that it was at that period that the
Jews began to hope for a Messiah, a Liberator, or Redeemer, whom they
have since prayed for in the seasons of their calamities.
The circumstance of this word "Messiah" being found in this ancient
prayer has occasioned much controversy on the subject of the history of
this people. If the prayer originated during the Babylonish captivity,
it is evident that the Jews at that time must have hoped for and
expected a Redeemer. But whence does it arise, that in times more
dreadfully calamitous still, after the destruction of Jerusalem by
Titus, neither Josephus nor Philo ever mentioned any expectation of a
Messiah? There are obscurities in the history of every people; but those
of the Jews form an absolute and perpetual chaos. It is unfortunate for
those who are desirous of information, that the Chaldæans and Egyptians
have lost their archives, while the Jews have preserved theirs.
PREJUDICE.
Prejudice is an opinion without judgment. Thus, throughout the world,
children are inspired with opinions before they can judge. There are
universal and necessary prejudices, and these even constitute virtue. In
all countries, children are taught to acknowledge a rewarding and
punishing God; to respect and love their fathers and mothers; to regard
theft as a crime, and interested lying as a vice, before they can tell
what is a virtue or a vice. Prejudice may, therefore, be very useful,
and such as judgment will ratify when we reason.
Sentiment is not simply prejudice, it is something much stronger. A
mother loves not her son because she is told that she must love him; she
fortunately cherishes him in spite of herself. It is not through
prejudice that you run to the aid of an unknown child nearly falling
down a precipice, or being devoured by a beast.