392 
lence? Adherence to habitual notions? 
Since I have devoted the greateft part of 
my life to the enquiry, I fhall be allowed 
to have acquired wiidom enough not to 
facrifice the fruits of my labours to fuch 
weakneffes. You fee hence, that but for 
an upright conviction of the truth of my 
religion, the confequence of my enquiry 
muft have fhewn itfelf by a public aét. 
Since, however, it ftrengthened me in that 
of my tathers, I could proceed on my courfe 
in filence, without giving to the world an 
account of my conviétion. I fhall not 
deny, that I perceive in my religion human 
additions and abufes, which, alas! but too 
much obfcure it. What friend of truth 
can boaft that Azs religion has been found 
free from mifchievous human additions ? 
All of us recognife the poifoned hand of 
hypocrify and fuperftition, who, feeking 
the truth, wifh to purify it, without in- 
juring the good and the true; but of the 
éffence of my religion I am as firmly and 
irrefragably affured, as you, Mr. Bonnet, 
or any other, can be of your’s. And I here 
teftity in the name of the God of Truth, 
my and your Creator and Father, by 
whom you have in your dedication con- 
jured me, that I will maintain my princi- 
ples fo long as my oul retains its nature. 
My remoteneis from your religion, which I 
avowed to you and your friends, has, in 
the mean while, in no refpect diminifhed. 
And my efieem for its founder >—You 
ought not to have omitted the condition 
which I exprefsly added, and I fhould 
then have granted as much now. There 
are certain enquiries, which one muft at. 
one time of one’s lite have ended, in order 
to proceed further. I may affert, that, 
with refpeét to religion, I have done this 
feveral years ago. I have read, compared, 
refiected, and held falt to that which I[ 
thotght good. And yet I would have 
fuffered Judaifm to be overthrown by 
every polemical lefture-book, and led in 
triumph in every {chool-exercife, without 
ftirring a ftep in its defence.. Without 
the leat contradigtion.on my fide, I would 
have allowed every {cholar and half. {cholar 
to reprefent out of Scharteck, whom no 
intelligent Jew now reads, to himfelf and 
readers, the moft ridiculous ideas of Jewifh 
faith. I with to be able to deftroy the 
contemptuous cpivion, which is generally 
formed of a Jew, not by controverfial 
writings, but by virtue. My religion, 
my philcfophy, my fituation in ‘civil life, 
all give me the firongeft motives to avoid 
all religious difputes, and in public writ- 
ings to fpeak only of thole truths which 
Correfpordence of Lavater and Mendelfobu. 
[June x, 
are equally important to all religi- 
Ose. 
According to the principles of my religion, 
I ought not to attempt the converfion of any 
who are not born under our law. -.This- 
fpirit of profelytifm, whofe origin fome 
would gladly throw upon the Jewifh reli- 
gion, isin fadt dire@tly averfe to it. Allour 
rabbies agree, that the written and oral 
laws in which our revealed religion confitts, 
are only obligatory on our nation. Mofes 
has given tous the Law. Itis an inheritance 
of the tribe of Facob. We believe that all 
other nations are direéted by God to abide 
by the law of nature and the religion of the 
Patriarchs. ‘They who live according to 
the laws of this religion of nature and of 
reafon are called the virtuous men of other 
nations, and thefe are children of eternal 
falvation. Our rabbies are fo far from 
having the fpirit of converfion, that they 
even command us to diffuade by ferious 
remonitrances him from his intention, 
who of his own accord would embracé 
our faith. We ought to inform him, that 
by this meafure he fubjects himfelf, with- 
out neceflity, to a heavy burthen ; that in 
his prefent fitustion he has only to fulfil 
the dutics of a Noachide in order to be 
bleffed ; but, thac as toon as he adopts the 
religion of the Ifraelites, he obliges him- 
felf voluntarily to the fevere laws of this 
fai‘b, and he muft then cbey them, or ex- 
pect the punifhment which the legiflater 
has annexed. to the infraction of them. 
We are alfo bound faithfully to reprefent 
to him the milery, troubles and contempt, 
in which the nation at prefent lives, in 
order to deter him from a ftep, perhaps 
precipitate, and which in the event he may 
repent of. The religion of my fathers 
therefore qwiz// not be extended. It is not 
our duty therefore to fend muiffionaries to 
both Indies cr Greenland, to preach our 
faith to its remote inhabitants. The latter 
in particular, which, according to the de- 
{criptions of travellers, obferves the laws 
of nature, alas! better than we, is, acz 
cording to our religious creed,’ an enviable 
people. Whofo is not burn to our laws 
ought not to live according to our laws. 
We confider ourfelves alone as bound to 
obferve them, and this cannot give offence 
to our fellow-men. Our o,inions are 
thought abfurd. It is unveceffary to raife 
a difputeabout thum. We aét according 
to our conviéticn, and others are at liberty 
to raife doubts againit the valility of laws, 
which, ac¢ording to our own confeffion, do 
not bind them. Whether they aét juftly or 
benevolently, who fo devide\our laws and 
cuftoms, 
