did, the harlot and the housebreaker, the murderer and the
drunkard,. correspondence, in reference to the sermon preached by his Grace within the pale of his serene teaching "? A most distinguished Orion- the Archbishop of York at St. Mary's on Sunday, the 29th of toilet (Professor Max Muller) declares, in one of those brilliant essays- November ? As the error which I attributed to his Grace is (" Chips from a German Workshop "), which have done so much to break wide-spread, the publication of the correspondence may not be through the almost impenetrable ignorance of the literatures and reli- gions of the East which still prevails even among the educated classes altogether useless. To those who believe that Christianity has a in England, that the testimonies to the excellence of the moral code of monopoly of all moral and religious truth, I would recommend Buddhism and to the character of its founder, proceeding from hostile- a study of Mr. Moncnre D. Conway's " Sacred Anthology, a and friendly quarters, are at once numerous and unanimous. I will Book of Ethnical Scriptures," which, in the opinion of Professor Max Muller, "will have rendered an important service, if it were ter of Christ's mission. "B n'y a pas eu d'homme, eakya-Mouni pest-etre only by dispelling some prejudices most detrimental to a true ercepti, qni ait a ce point fould aux pieds la famille, lea joies de ce
appreciation of the value of all religions." monde, tout soin temporelf If I were not anxious to proceed to the-
As regards the contrast drawn by his Grace between the first, Christians base the claims of their religion to pre-eminence, I should Buddhist's asceticism and the Christian's life of active benevolence, have liked to point out in detail that self-abnegation and humility are I would venture to remark that Buddhism does not exclude a life so far from being peculiar to Christianity or to Buddhism, that they —c are
of active benevolence,ertainly not more than did the principles
of the early Christians. Grace to the character of the national heroes of India—Rams, for - The following extract from the "Rdmayana" given in Mr. Con- example—the stories of whose lives, whether as sung in temples in the way's book, while it illustrates the character of Rema, whom I melodious strains of their great epics, or as acted on the stage, always- draw together appreciative audiences which can be counted only by have mentioned in the accompanying letter as one of the national thousands.
heroes of India, will also show how very different are the motives To proceed to the other point on which is based the boasted superior- which lead the best Hindus to a life of virtue from those " greatest ity of Christian morality, I have not unfrequently been triumphantly and brightest hopes " (I presume, of reward in a future world) asked by my friends:—what other religion than Christ's can claim the merit of having first enunciated those two rules which are the most which, on his Grace's own showing, Christianity "finds its best sublime development of all morality,—"Do as you -would be done by," motive for action : "— - and greater still, "Love your enemies, and do good to them that hate Thus spake Rama. 'I was
triumph "'Even so,—my soul shall .' you"? It is the more necessary to show how baseless this assumption is, because this is one of the favourite arguments with Missionaries to wrong,' he said, and dashed a spray of softened tears from his eyes.
the " benighted heathen" for the divine origin of Christianity. As early ' Virtue is a service man owes himself ; and though-there were no heaven
nor any god to rule the world, it were not less the binding law of life. li
a Christian than a distinguished Oriental savant--cautioned Missionaries It is man s privilege to know the right and follow it Betray and per- against this mode of argument in a now forgotten address to the Asiatic secute me, brother men ! Pour out your rage on me, 0 malignant devils! gmile, or -watch my agony with cold disdain, ye blissful gods ! Society of Calcutta. " If," he said, " the conversion of the Pandits and Maulavis in this country shall ever be attempted by Protestant Mission- Earth, hell, heaven, combine your might to crush me,—I will still hold Truth, what those Pandits and Maulavis would know to be false. The cripple it ; my youth is transient—already grief has withered up my former would cite the beautiful Aryan couplet which was written at days ; my beart,—alas l it is well nigh broken now. Anguish may a good man, even in the moment of his destruction, to consist ' not only tripped shall triumph, and dying, give the lie to soulless destiny that to restrict myself to my initials.—I am, Sir, &c., ciprocity, but says to the virtuous man, , Confer benefits on him who
Previous page
